My Fitness Journey: Denise Jolly

Hey y’all,

My name is Denise and I am here to tell you about my fitness journey. To be honest, when Morgan first asked me to share my story with y’all I was convinced that she had sent the text to the wrong person.  After I picked my jaw up off of the floor and I realized she was serious, I went into full on panic mode. After a good dose of panic, I then went into straight up let the enemy get the best of you mode. For me that looks like:

“I still have so far to go.”

“I can’t do it”

“No one’s going to look at you and think you’ve accomplished anything.”

“You’re the fattest one in the gym.”

The list goes on and on. After a little bit,  I took a step back, and talked to the One who has all the answers. And just like that, after a silent and still calm that only comes from Him, I heard “You are more than enough, you gave this struggle to me, so write your story to glorify the kingdom”.

So here we go.

To say the word fitness journey, would be like saying a flight from Australia to Canada is a short trip. I’ve been the chubby chick my whole life. At times I’ve been okay with that, even tried to “OWN IT”. Like people tell you to. But 97% of the time I wasn’t really happy in my own skin. Most of my life has been spent struggling to be healthy, and until the age of 32 I never realized I was on the wrong track. I say wrong because I was doing it for everyone but myself, and without a purpose. So I don’t lose you here, I think it best to describe my journey/struggle/ reality in phases.

Phase 1 or “I’m fat, and I don’t know how to deal with it”

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve always been on the heavier side. Standing 6 feet tall, and with the bone structure of a linebacker, I would look fun-house-mirror-crazy at a size 2 or even a size 8. I was also always the girl who developed faster than her peers as well, so that didn’t help things much. Thankfully, in school I played all kinds of sports so that helped to control my weight. When I quit sports and joined the choir my weight REALLY packed on. Add that to the fact that I wasn’t truly taught healthy eating habits until my weight was already a pretty serious issue and you have a recipe for trouble.

Phase 2 or “ You’re  fat, now let’s all try to fix you!”

After the initial high school weight gain, I pretty much maintained my size. Then came college, the-sit-on-your-behind-for-hours-straight college which resulted in less of the freshman 15 and more of the freshman 80. This is when the family interventions, doctors, and random people giving you diet pills and tips started. It really hit me when I realized that I could only shop at 2 stores, and then the depression hit which brought on even more weight gain. Thankfully then something amazing happened. God brought me the love of my life. I got to do everything that everyone said would never happen for a “big girl”. When it came to love, God gave me an awesome guy that loved me just the way I was!

You still with me?

Good!

I promise we are getting to the point.

Phase 3 “Girl you’ve got to do better!”

So there I was, happily married, traveling the country with my amazing soldier and the weight just kept packing on. To be completely honest at this point I had given up on ever being able to buy my clothing anywhere besides Lane Bryant. When we had our first and second miscarriages I took that pain (you know the hideous hurt and anger that comes with that) and decided I was going to lose the weight. The doctor told me that the reason I couldn’t carry a baby was because of my weight, added motivation. Then a third miscarriage and I gained all the weight back. I do have to say that during this time my husband was my rock. As I cried in his arms he said to me ”Baby you are wonderful, nothing you say do, or how you look will make me love you any less.”  And that got through to me. He loved me no matter what. I had to love me too. So once again I committed to being healthy. For me that looked like two-a-days at the gym and chicken and rice all the time.

At this point we lost our fourth baby and I was at my mental and spiritual lowest. I prayed and recommitted my life to God. Then He blessed us with two beautiful boys. Our family was complete, and my heart was whole but I was at a standstill with my weight and my body.Doctor after doctor couldn’t explain to me why I could gain and lose 30 pounds in a month with no diet changes. When God sent us to Fort Bragg I found an amazing doctor that just wouldn’t give up on me. She fought for me, and taught me to fight for me. It turns out that I was mere months away from stomach cancer because of long standing years of horrible acid reflux. I had a special surgery to correct the issue and then God sent me my squat loving, laugh at pain, deep-in-the-heart-of-Texas strength and conditioning coach, Morgan.

Between diet, exercise, and figuring out the acid reflux I was at a crossroads.

I could take the gifts and answers I’ve been given and literally run with it, or I could walk away and be miserable.

I refocused my life on being a  better spiritual, emotional, and fit version of me. I have found peace in deadlifts, tire pulls, and squats. I was blessed with a sister in Christ who will challenge me and call me out when I am being a cry baby. I found a place where I could be honest about my struggle. But most importantly I found truth, love and fellowship in the gym.

Seven months post lifesaving surgery, I’m down 87 pounds of body fat. It wasn’t easy. While I can deadlift 175 pounds, front squat 115 pounds, box jump 16 inches after starting on just a 1.5 inch platform. I know what it’s like to puke because you wouldn’t give up on your conditioning. I still have a long way to go, each day presents its own struggles. I have bad eating days, bad gym days, just plain bad days. But I made a promise to myself, my family, and my coaches. I seek them out when I want to improve, when I need encouragement and motivation.

I leave you with this:

Please don’t ever give up on yourself. Instead, fight! Fight for who you want to be, who you should be. Fight for who Christ wants you to be. Find a Christ like family who will love you at your best and worst. A great community and God’s love will help you to march through your journey, even if it takes you 33 years to get there.

2016 Fort Bragg MWR Bench Press Competition

Congratulations to our intern coaches, Anna and Rachel for tackling their very first physical competition. 

Not only did they tackle it, but the dominated as well. 

Anna took home first place in her weight category and Rachel took home second place in her weight category.

We at Farr Fitness are SO proud of both of you.

Way to set the bar high ladies! 

Breathing Under the Barbell

Breathe in.

Memorial for Unborn Children

I walked up to the rack; put my hands on the rough bar. 

Breathe out. 

“Stand it up.” I say to myself, just like every squat day.

Breathe in. 

Breathe out. 

I get under the bar and situate my shoulders, feet, and hands. The anticipation of lifting heavy makes my heart pound.

Breathe in. 

I stand the bar up. It is heavy, but somehow not as difficult as the burden I am carrying inside. 

Breathe out.

I back out of the rack loving the heavy weight, the struggle that I know is coming. 

Breathe in.

Down and up, rep one. Breathe. Down and up, rep two.Breathe. Down and up, rep three. Breathe. Down and up, rep four. Breathe. Down and up, rep five. 

Breathe out. 

Set one is finished and my abdomen aches from trying to hold the bar stable. I stretch backwards and breathe slowly, remembering why I am so tender. Just two days short days ago, I had a miscarriage. My husband was gone to Captain's Career Course with the Army. I was left alone with nothing but the memory of the doctor saying, “I’m so sorry for your loss”. 

I spent the next two days in bed. 

I didn’t shower, change clothes, or eat.

I couldn’t cry and I knew I was supposed to. 

I felt hollow, like I would never move again.

Then back-squat day rolled around, my favorite day of the week. Still, no tears, but the thought of training made me optimistic. That is normal, everyday, and consistent.  I decided that I would just go watch and be around my friends while they trained. “After all,” I reasoned, “the doctor said it was important to be around friends and family during this difficult time.” And if it couldn’t be my husband, who was more family than the people I sweat it out with every single day?

As I walked in to the gym, my heart began to calm. The tension I had been carrying in my neck and shoulders eased. There is a peace in the gym, you know exactly what to expect.

My friends were surprised I was there. They were even more surprised when I put on my lifting shoes and started to warm up. I could tell they were concerned that I was lifting, but didn’t want to question me. 

They couldn’t understand how much I needed that bar.

For two days I couldn’t imagine how I was ever going to breathe again. How I could I with this tank sitting on my chest and this knot in my stomach eating me alive? I couldn’t cry, I couldn’t make sense of anything. The bar is always the same, you go in and you lift it. Training was the only thing I could think of that would make me feel better. 

So I went for it.

After set one, a dear friend looks at me with sad eyes and suggests I go down in weight or stop all together, “It has only been a couple of days” she says gently. 

I know she means well and I understand what she is saying. Everyone said it. It would be ok if I was an emotional mess for a while. It would be ok if I need time off of work, or training, or anything else for that matter. I had suffered a horrible loss, it is ok to stop and cry…. 

So I consider it. I could stop, put the bar down, get back in bed and hide. This pain can’t last forever, right? People have miscarriages every single day. It would be fine, appropriate, and normal even, to go home and just hide from the world. Her eyes said everything, “Who works out two days after a miscarriage?”

But she can’t understand. Lying in bed and resting wasn’t enough for me, the burden is just too much. I felt like the sadness would swallow me whole. I was struggling to get a handle on it. 

I couldn’t stop my body from losing our child. 

I couldn’t pull myself out of the weird state of shock I was in.

I couldn’t cry like I was supposed to.

I couldn’t make it so that my husband could come home from career course. 

I could not control anything else in my life…

but I can lift this weight.  

I knew it as soon as I walked in the gym. When my eyes fell on the rack, I could breathe again. “Big breath,” my husband/coach always says, right before a heavy set.  Under a barbell is the only place I knew for sure, I would breathe again. All the pain, all the disappointment, it melts away when you are under the bar. You mind zeroes in and all you can think about is the pounds on your back. 

Inside the rack there is freedom, freedom to be strong on the outside even if you don’t feel that way inside.

With tears rolling down my face, I smiled for the first time in two days. “I’ve got it” I said and walked back into the rack and back under the barbell.

Morgan says,

"Two years ago today God saw fit to call home our first child before we got a chance to meet him. It was very hard and very painful and the gym was my sanctuary, my church. It was where I could focus everything I had on coming back together after being torn apart. The gym was where I remembered God's strength. 

We named our baby Nathan which means gift from God because the experience of losing him helped my husband and I to realize how short our time on Earth is and how much we have to do for the kingdom of God. It helped us to draw closer together and to learn to fight together not to fight each other. Every year on this date I do a back squat workout even though last year I was only two months post c-section and this year I am eight months pregnant. February 24th will always be a hard day, it will always be painful but I workout to remember to breathe.

Whatever you are going through, whatever is happening in your life, God loves you. He is always there, waiting for you to invite him. If you need help, or you want to know more about God's strength please don't hesitate to contact us here at Farr Fitness. Strength and conditioning is great, but nothing is better than the love of Jesus Christ.  

New Year, Old Gimmicks

It is the start of the new year and you know what that means... resolutions. Can I just say as a gym owner I REALLY dislike this time of year. It isn't because of all the new people in the gym. I love the new people and I am glad that people are wanting to take an active role in their health and fitness.

What I dislike is all the scams being peddled to people.


I have seen a lot of advertisements recently on social media for pills, powders, and potions to help people get rid of the unwanted pounds. Let me tell you a little secret....

THEY ONLY WORK WHILE YOU TAKE THEM.

As soon as you stop your special fiber drink, your weight-loss shake, and whatever else they have you buying you will add the weight right back on.

Do you know why?

You can't shortcut fitness. It takes work, a lot of work. If you don't believe me, ask my friend Rachel. She lost 50 pounds in 2015 and didn't have to spend a dime to do it. She lost the weight by making good nutrition choices and working out regularly. She had accountability partners and set goals. No one handed her a packet of anything and said, "drink this every morning!" Instead we worked on eating protein, good fats, and limiting carbs. If you are wanting to get fit this year, please don't buy a bunch of crap that you don't need. Don't be fooled by empty promises.

The only way to get fit is to change your dietary habits and get your body moving. Want to know more about how to do that? Check out our workouts that can be done at home and our 14 days of dinner recipes that are healthy and delicious. Need more help than that? Feel free to email us at FarrFunctionalFitness@gmail.com and we would be happy to help you achieve your fitness goals, no gimmicks, nothing to buy.

14 Days of Dinner Recipes and Shopping List

Everyone has been asking for my 14 Days of Dinner Recipes and shopping list, so finally, here they are! 

These are very large meals. They will easily feed a family of 4-5. If you have a smaller family you will absolutely have left overs. Buying everything on the shopping list at my local Walmart came out to $171.27 for two full weeks of dinners and leftovers for lunches!

Recipes

Catalina Chicken

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

1 bottle of kraft Catalina Dressing

Tomato Vinaigrette Chicken

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

1 bottle of Kraft Sun dried tomato vinaigrette

Balsamic Chicken Soup

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

1 bottle of Kraft balsamic vinaigrette

½ bag of broccoli normandy

Savory Pork Loin

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

1 large pork loin

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Garlic Pork Chops

9x14 baking dish bake at 350 for 30+ mins

1 package of pork chops (4-6)

½ tablespoon garlic powder

¼ cup of balsamic vinegar

Asian Pork

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

1 large pork loin

1 bottle Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

rice (I use two steamable bags) added right before you serve

Salsa Pork Chops

9x14 baking dish bake at 350 for 30+ mins

1 package of pork chops (4-6)

1 jar medium salsa

Chicken and Rice Soup

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

1 can corn

1 package of yellow rice

2 cans of broth

Savory Soup

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

4 large potatoes (diced or quartered)

2 16oz can chicken broth

¼ cup chicken bouillon

3 cups shredded kale

1 tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon pepper

½ tablespoon Mrs. Dash garlic and Herb seasoning

Mexican Soup

4 lbs of ground beef (brown ahead of time)

2 taco seasoning packets

1 can of corn (drained)

1 can of peas (drained)

1 can of black beans (drained)

1 can of red beans (drained)

1 jug of tomato juice

Italian Soup

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

1 jar of Ragu Meat Sauce

½ Tablespoon Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning

BBQ Mustard Pulled Pork

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

1 large pork loin

1 bottle sweet baby ray’s BBQ sauce

½ bottle of spicy mustard

Tomato Basil Pork

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

1 large pork loin

¼ cup Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil seasoning

Italian Shredded Chicken

Put it all in the crockpot on low 8 hours or high 4 hours

2 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

1 bottle Kraft roasted red pepper Italian dressing

1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Italian Seasoning

Shopping List

14 lbs of chicken (breast or thigh)

4 large pork loin

2 package of pork chops (4-6)

4 lbs of ground beef (brown ahead of time)

1 bottle of Kraft Catalina Dressing

1 bottle of Kraft Sun dried tomato vinaigrette

1 bottle of Kraft Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 bottle Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame dressing

1 bottle Kraft roasted red pepper Italian dressing

1 jar of Ragu Meat Sauce

1 bottle sweet baby ray’s BBQ sauce

1 bottle of spicy mustard

Balsamic vinegar

1 jar medium salsa

4 large potatoes

1 bag of frozen broccoli Normandy

3 cups shredded kale

Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning

Mrs. Dash Tomato Basil seasoning

Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning

2 taco seasoning packets

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Chicken bouillon

Salt

Pepper

rice (I use two steamable bags) added right before you serve

1 package of yellow rice

4 cans of broth

2 can corn

1 can of peas

1 can of black beans

1 can of red beans

1 jug of tomato juice

Happy Birthday William!

One year ago today we were blessed with William. He is our greatest fan and our gym mascot. He loves the mobility tools and tries to stand up on people's deadlift bars. 

A Gift Guide for Athletes

I get the question often of, "My husband/sister/brother/aunt... is really in to fitness, what should I get him/her for Christmas?" Today I am going to give you some hints for what to get your friends and family that are super in to fitness. So here are our thoughts on gifts to give your athletes!

For the guys:

Under Armour Men's Fleece Storm Pants. Brian wears these almost every single day during the winter season. These are especially awesome because they come in a tall size too! These are super soft and we can attest that they are easy to squat in.

adidas Performance Men's Powerlift.2 Trainer Shoe. Morgan actually owns a pair of the men's shoes (she likes them better than the women's shoes) and she says that they are AMAZING. They give great stability and helped her to work through some mobility issues until she could master the movements barefoot.  

WOD Shorts Agility 2.0. These shorts are cut really well for the athletic body. They are great for cross training and functional fitness. Brian has similar pairs from Rogue Fitness. They are SO much better than trying to train in basketball shorts! 

For the girls:
A tank for women to train in is an awesome investment. We have loved wearing these style tanks in the gym, the fun sayings are just a bonus! 

Knee socks are a great investment. When you are doing a lot of WODs socks to protect your legs are a must have and you can't go wrong with super cute knee socks!

I love the jewelry on Shields of Strength. What girl wouldn't love a shiny necklace that tells the world how hard she works to be fit, healthy and ready to rock?

Equipment: 
Exercise loop bands. As anyone that has been in the gym for a while can tell you, we are BIG believers in prehab and rehab in order to better your mobility. We use these bands in the gym often and they are wonderful. 

A Tone Fitness Ab Wheel. If you are looking to better your Olympic Lifting technique your mid-line is incredibly important. Using an ab wheel three to five times a week will increase your ability to catch and stabilize your lifts. 

A sandbag is a great way to increase your fitness, You can squat it, press it, drag it... the list goes on. If you want to really help someone with their fitness, get them a sandbag and encourage them to use it often!


These are just a few ideas. If you need suggestions or if you have ideas that your athlete has loved share them in the comments below!

What is it like having an in-home gym? How did we decide on this ministry field?

So what does it look like to have an in-home ministry?

Honestly? It can be a little crazy.

We have classes Monday through Saturday. We currently offer 11 classes, not including the times when Brian and I complete our own training. These all happen in our gym, at our home.

Our home is open Monday nights, Thursday mornings, Friday nights, Saturday mornings, and Sunday afternoons for "non-training" ministry events. 

That means in a 7 day week, we have people in our home 16 different times. And that is if no one does a surprise visit or a last-minute-hey-I-need-to-talk visit. 

People ask me often if we ever get tired of it. Don't we ever want a break? The easy answer is yes. Yes, we get tired, sick, worn down, and even burnt out. But for us it all comes down to a verse in the Bible we were studying shortly after getting married. The verse is 1 Peter 4:10 which says, "God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another."

We looked carefully at our gifts, abilities, passions, and strengths. Then we came up with a plan. Brian is an incredible teacher and coach. He can inspire and uplift absolutely anyone. I (Morgan) am made for caring for other people, feeding them, loving on them... 

Needless to say we are a great match. When paired up our gifts and abilities perfectly mesh to meet the physical and spiritual needs of those around us. God REALLY knew what He was doing.

But, we still get tired. We still have days where we don't want to get out of bed. When don't want to coach again, we don't want to have anyone else ask us a single question. That is a normal part of an in-home ministry. It isn't easy. In fact, some days it is incredibly hard and the only thing that gets us through is the grace of God. In-home ministry is hard, but it can be done. God will give you exactly what you need to be able to do what He has called you to. 

And you have to remember, your ministry will look different than ours. You may not have a gym full of people. It may just be you and your kids. It may be the small group of ladies you have coffee with on Tuesday afternoons. It may be the guys you lift with during the week. Find out where God called you to be and get there 100%.