Semma Burba

I grew up doing athletic things. I was given push ups as punishment. I could earn the ability to open Christmas gifts early by doing hundreds of sit-ups and push ups. I staved off boredom with a summer long handstand walking competition with my brother. I embraced running as my sport and eventually became the High School State Champion in the 1600m run. I continued running in college but excelled when the test was broadened beyond running alone. One of my favorite accomplishments is becoming the overall winner (men & women) in a top tier cadet physical fitness competition at the US Air Force Academy.

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As an adult, I didn’t know where to invest my time athletically, so I just kept running and completed numerous 5K, 10K, and 10 mile races. I also completed half marathon and marathon races just to say I did it. Once I became a mom, I let go of my athletic pursuits and experienced a bit of a desert until I rediscovered myself through CrossFit in 2013.

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Somehow life turned me into an overweight stay-at-home mom who was at a breaking point. Little by little, I let myself go. I thought I’d have more time and energy if I didn’t workout. I thought allowing my kids to eat their favorite foods would make them happier and it seemed easier to buy and make. Before I knew it, we were all eating crappy foods and my physical activity became the walk to the sidelines of my kids’ sporting events. I traded my health to make things easier, but it wasn’t actually easier.

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I didn’t like what I had become: overweight, out of shape, and unable to show self-control. I felt ashamed and sometimes I expressed those feelings in front of my impressionable girls. I was embarrassed of myself and feared that they would eventually become embarrassed of me. Or worse, follow my footsteps. I wanted to be a better example to my kids. I wanted to lead a life that I knew I was capable of living. I decided to make my well-being a priority and do something about my condition when I finally realized that living this way was actually making it harder for me to be the kind of person I wanted to be. I needed energy, I needed confidence, I needed to start living the way I was encouraging my children to live.

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I found myself inside Spartan CrossFit touching a barbell for the first time at the age of 39. I had been afraid of starting because CrossFit seemed too hard, too intense, and like something for which I needed to be in shape to even start. It wasn’t easy to walk through that door, but it was a pivotal moment in my life.

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As soon as I did one workout, I knew I found my solution. I loved how different the workouts were and found myself actually excited to try them. For some reason I thought that CrossFit was for super fit people, but I discovered that I had it all wrong. CrossFit will make super fit people, but you don’t start there! I made time to go to CrossFit and I stuck to a good nutrition plan. It wasn’t long before I lost my blobby mom body and replaced it with a physique that somehow gets compliments in the middle of the grocery store.

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I am in better shape now at 49 years old than I have ever been in all my athletic endeavors. I can’t even tell you how nice it is to not worry about how I look in photos, even in a swimsuit. And I love knowing that I can keep up with my athletic 17, 21, and 23-year-old girls even though I’m about to hit 50. I was right in thinking that my children would follow in my footsteps. Thank goodness those steps are on a good path that I am proud of them following. Together, we live healthier, athletic lives and I know that I am providing a solid example of how things can go as you age.

My physical and mental transformation was obvious to those around me and people wanted to know how I did it.  I slowly began to realize how common my sad story is.  There are people everywhere who are unhappy with their current circumstance and can’t get the traction to change it.  I found myself wanting to help and found great satisfaction and enjoyment in participating in someone else’s transformation journey.  So I went all in and decided to make helping others my job.

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I set out to learn more. I completed several CrossFit courses so that I could effectively train people in functional fitness. Next, I got certified in nutrition so that I could train people to eat well because you just can’t outrun a fork. Finally, I became a mental toughness trainer to help people become unstoppable in their efforts to accomplish their dreams.

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I started working one on one with people and loved it. All the while, I regularly trained and coached at Spartan CrossFit. When the opportunity presented itself to take over operations at Spartan CrossFit, I jumped at it. I love Spartan CrossFit and want to share its effectiveness and fun with others. Although I'm a competitive athlete myself, I'm actually not as interested in helping fit people become even fitter. My true passion is helping people out of their rut and onto a path of a healthy and fit lifestyle. I work hard daily to make it a place that other people love and value because it is helping them become the best version of themselves.