Beth Biros performs kipping pullups while working out at CrossFit Hydro.
Beth Biros does bodyweight speed squats while working out at CrossFit Hydro. She works out there five times a week.
Beth Biros warms up with a kettlebell before working out at CrossFit Hydro.
Beth Biros works out on a rowing machine at CrossFit Hydro.
Beth Biros performs push presses while working out at CrossFit Hydro.
Beth Biros hated being on insulin.
And she said it every time she went to the doctor’s office.
I know I need to do better, she would tell them.
“It was like wash, rinse, repeat,” the Omaha woman said.
Biros, 41, had been taking insulin for six years to manage her Type 2 diabetes.
But in March, she revamped her diet and started a weight-loss journey designed to help her kick the insulin. By July, she did just that.
Along the way, she dropped 42 pounds.
“Once I was able to focus on my diet, it made so many other things happen,” Biros said. “That, combined with my workouts, I have a new physical strength I didn’t have before.”
Biros used to watch as fellow gymgoers lifted huge amounts of weight, or tackled pullup after pullup, or used cardio equipment at speeds she didn’t think was possible.
When the Omaha woman got serious about her workouts at CrossFit Hydro, she found fresh confidence in her abilities at the gym.
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Q: When did you start working out and why?
A: There were times when I was really committed and did really well. Other times, I paid a monthly gym membership that I never used. Since starting at Hydro 4½ years ago, I go five times a week. I loved that when I went in there at a set time, I had somebody tell me, “This is how you’re warming up, this is your workout, this is what you should do after the workout.” I didn’t have to wander around and try to figure it out on my own. Then it became the people. They’re why I stay. If I miss a day, they text, “Where are you? We miss you.”
Q: Describe your workouts. How many days per week do you exercise?
A: There’s always a challenge of something with strength, speed and endurance. The thing we’re doing today is 20 minutes with a high quantity of different movements and then a gymnastics piece. I’m there five days a week.
Q: What is your current fitness goal?
A: I recently lost 42 pounds. Now I’m working on a few skills. The gymnastics piece is something I wasn’t so good at. I can finally do pullups and a rope climb. I’m chipping off those I’m-never-going-to-be-able-to-do-these skills. My next big one is a handstand pushup.
Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment?
A: The feeling that I have about being able to do anything. It translates into my personal life. It’s not like I’m invincible, but I have the confidence to try.
Q: What has been the toughest hurdle and how did you overcome it?
A: Being consistent. Waking up in the morning and deciding you’re going to dedicate it in a way that’s kind of selfish sometimes. I’m saying to my kids, “No, I’m not going to sit here and binge-watch this with you. I’m going to the gym for an hour, and then I’m coming home to make a healthy meal for us.”
Q: What helps you stay on track?
A: I enjoy the programming. I love the way (Justin VanBeek) puts together workouts. And really, it’s the people. I know if I’m in a bad mood, or had a bad day at work or the kids are driving me crazy, I know I’m going to the gym mad and will leave happy. Between the community, the workout and the way it pushes me, I’m going to leave in a better mood than I was in when I got there.
Q: What is your gym pet peeve?
A: I don’t like when people don’t clean up after themselves. For the most part, we don’t run into that a lot except for new people who haven’t caught on. But if you spill the chalk bucket, you get the mop out. If you get out a bunch of weights, you put them away.
Q: What do you do when you aren’t in the gym?
A: I love to help out in my community. I’m the board president for Westgate Pool. My kids go to St. Joan of Arc, and I’m involved with their fundraising efforts, on the school board and the athletic director there. I like spending time with my family and friends. When I have some Friday nights free, I like to drink wine.
Q: What is the piece of equipment, supplement, clothing, etc. that you can’t live without?
A: My water bottle. I have a ton of them, and I grab whatever’s closest in the cabinet.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their fitness journey?
A: Be patient and consistent. Nothing good happens overnight. And nothing good happens without hard work.
Gymgoers share what motivates them, pet peeves and their proudest accomplishments
You never know who you might run into at the gym.
There's the man who's exercising as he waits for a heart transplant. Or the woman who's made Jazzercise workouts part of her life for more than 30 years.
Some workouts see moms accompanied by babies. Elsewhere you'll find folks well into their 90s who stick with exercise.
Check out their stories.
After Joe Adams had a heart attack, he underwent numerous procedures to get his heart in working order. Just when it seemed things were on the right track, his heart started to fail again. Read more.
Tamara Mosby-Montegut started working out as a stress reliever. Now she wants to keep up with her husband when he tackles 50 pushups in a row. And she wants her daughter to follow their healthy examples. Read more.
Varun Narayanan wanted to shed the pounds he packed on during the holidays a few years ago. He dropped from 230 pounds down to 195. Now he treks up active volcanoes. Read more.
After giving birth to her fourth baby, Susan Sawyer wanted to drop the baby weight. She took up Jazzercise. Sawyer's stuck with the dance-based exercise for nearly 35 years. Read more.
Jessica Hawley thought her third pregnancy was different because she was having a girl. But baby number three was another boy. The pregnancy felt different because she was more fit this time around. Read more.
When Gary Gundy started having trouble getting up after squatting down for target practice, he knew it was time for a change. The La Vista man dropped 80 pounds in three years. Read more.
Valerie Heath started shedding pounds by using the family's Wii. Now she belongs to a CrossFit gym and works out six days a week. Read more.
To be around for her family, Ashlei Spivey needed to get in shape. She joined a boxing gym. Now her workouts leave her feeling like she stepped out of a movie. Read more.
Betty Watt survived a sometimes trying career as a middle school teacher. Then she beat cancer twice. And the whole time she was a regular at the gym. Watt and her husband Charlie workout at least five days a week. Read more.
Erika Hanna sometimes has a pint-sized workout buddy during her morning classes. Her son Henrik, 18 months, offered hugs as she held a plank position and occasionally chased a loose exercise ball around the room. The studio gives Hanna a chance to stick close to her kids while staying on top of her own health and fitness. Read more.
Gwen Leyden wound up spending a week in a wheelchair because of a chronic condition. Leyden gradually was able to walk without using a cane. Later she started using the treadmill and eventually worked up to weightlifting. Read more.
With high blood pressure — and the possibility of needing cholesterol meds — Rich Hazuka was headed down a dangerous path. He dropped 75 pounds thanks to diet changes. When he plateaued, he took up exercise. Now he's off his blood pressure meds and has no need for any cholesterol medication. Read more.
George Mach can't help but wake up well before dawn. With that free time, the early riser started a gym routine. He hits the gym three days a week. Read more.
As Gregg Learned aged, arthritis made physical activity a chore. He struggled to walk across the parking lot at work. But joining a gym has helped Learned to stay on his feet. Read more.
At one time, Laura Adams could barely finish a lap around the walking track. But the Bellevue woman, who weighed 300 pounds, stuck it out and dropped 115 pounds. Read more.
Vince Huerta has always tried to keep active. He decided to give powerlifting a shot and now, the Omaha South grad holds a number of records for the weight he's hoisted. Read more.
Paul Stultz takes swimming seriously. He joined a Masters Swimming club and is working on nailing strokes like the freestyle and butterfly. But one of his biggest accomplishments was hiking the Grand Canyon. Read more.
kelsey.stewart@owh.com, 402-444-3100, twitter.com/kels2
Kelsey Stewart
Kelsey covers health and fitness for The World-Herald. Follow her on Twitter @kels2. Phone: 402-444-3100.
