Fitness has always been a big part of my life. I live in Orlando, Florida, and I’ve played softball competitively since I was three. I got a sports scholarship to college, which meant strict diets, strength and conditioning coaching, and the weight room every day until I was 21. After college, I started work as a fashion stylist, joined a gym and took fitness classes. By the time I was 27, I was working out three or four times a week. I worked long hours and coached high school softball, too. I was on a paleo diet and had a six-pack. I loved the results I got from workouts, and enjoyed the competition and camaraderie of group exercise. In January 2011, I did a 5km Warrior Dash (similar to a Tough Mudder) assault course on the Saturday. I felt great but I know I didn’t hydrate properly, and being in the sun and drinking a beer afterwards wasn’t a good idea. On Monday, I went to my regular CrossFit class, even though I didn’t feel like it. The workout was timed, a mix of running