Mel B had always been active.

She found CrossFit in 2009 and stayed at the same CrossFit gym in Vancouver, B.C. for eight years until she and her husband moved to a new city.

One of the first things she did when she moved, of course, was find a new CrossFit gym.

Mel trained there off and on for a couple years, but then things started to get derailed. First, COVID hit, and then she had some health issues, including constant low grade headaches, migraines, low energy and slow recovery, which she assumed at first might just be symptoms of perimenopause.

However, when she had an episode where she couldn’t feel her legs and feet going up stairs, it was time to get checked. This led to a CT Scan, followed by an MRI and a surgery two weeks later to remove a large skull based meningioma, a very slow growing benign tumor that forms in the meninges that surround the brain. This was followed by radiation therapy.

“Post surgery and during radiation therapy, I had this fatigue unlike anything I’ve felt before, brain fog and concussion-like symptoms and looking back I couldn’t tell you if it was due to one thing, or all of the combined results from surgery, radiation therapy or menopause,” said Mel, now 52.

For a while, as her body recovered all she was able to do for fitness was go for walks, and set a timer to move for 20 minutes doing simple things like banded exercises, mobility, or whatever felt good in that moment.

Luckily, her CrossFit coach from her first gym had introduced her to Dr. Stacy Sims years before, so Mel, a long-time health care practitioner, had read Dr. Sims book, ROAR and was following her on social media.

During her recovery, and to get a better understanding of what could be going on with her, Mel completed Dr. Sims’ online Menopause 2.1 course, which gave her useful science-based insights into how she should be both training and eating.

Though she wasn’t following a program, per se, Mel took Dr. Sims weightlifting and sprint interval recommendations and began training two or three times a week.

She did this for a while, training at the home gym she and her husband built during COVID. But when she found out Dr. Sims had teamed up with Annie Thorisdottir and Katrin Davidsdottir, two athletes she had also been following for a number of years, Mel knew Empower would be the right program for her.

She began with Takeoff in October, 2024 and today is following Flight.

16 Months Later

Sixteen months into Empower and Mel she couldn’t be happier with her progress so far.

“I’m getting stronger and making progress,” she said.

More specifically, one year ago her five-rep max back squat was 100 pounds, and recently she hit 125 pounds.

Further, her deadlift is up more than 60 pounds, while she has added 20 pounds to her strict press in the last year.

“It feels so good to feel strong, to have stamina for work, for activities. and to move for my emotional well-being. I like numbers, and they really focus on your numbers,” she said, adding that the plyometric training has also helped quicken her reflexes again, which she felt had slowed down after surgery and early 50s.

Ultimately, at 52, Mel’s strength numbers are almost back to where when she was training consistently at her CrossFit gym more than a decade ago.

And what is particularly valuable for Mel is that she can do the program on her own time.

When she used to attend a group class, Mel always went to 6 am classes before work, but these days it takes her body a little longer to get going in the morning.

“Empower gives me freedom to workout at home, at the time I want and with the music I choose,” she said.

Today, instead of rushing out the door the moment she wakes up to get to the class on time, Mel gives herself the grace she needs by herself a little time in the morning to wake up properly and have something to eat before she heads down to her home gym to workout.

Best of all, she is really enjoying her training sessions because the program not only brings results, but it’s fun, challenging to keep her engaged and motivated.

“Empower’s programming is science-based, well-thought out, well planned with goals, and it includes a warm-up, mobility, strengthening, accessory, interval training and a cool down, with various options for movement, duration and prioritization and educational component,” she said. “Basically, I just enjoy lifting heavy stuff and short interval training. And I’m recovering well after workouts.”

Fitness has always been a part of Mel’s life in some capacity, but Mel is especially grateful she found Empower, as it’s perfect for the season of her life right now.

And into the future.

Mel’s story reminds us that, like the rest of our lives, our fitness journeys aren’t always linear. But if we focus on consistency long-term, we’ll reap life-long benefits.