The Lagree Fitness team would like to share one badass woman’s story and how she came to overcome several adversities through perseverance, fearlessness, and, of course, with the help of the Lagree Method. We ask you to welcome Toronto-native and California-resident for more than a decade, Kristabelle—a beautiful, powerful force to be reckoned with.

Count Your Blessings to Overcome Adversity

As a colon cancer survivor, a recovered anorexic, and a Crohn’s patient, Kristabelle appreciates every second in life and continuously counts her blessings. While her journey to undo and come to terms with the late onset following cancer treatments, she remains committed to loving her body, mind, and spirit by caring for herself deeply and speaking kindly to her body. But, of course, the challenges of life never stop, and for Kristabelle, the roughest year still lied again. Kristabelle’s discovery of Lagree didn’t occur like it does for so many others. In fact, the road that led her to Lagree is one full of troubles.

We Fall and We Get Back Up

Krista first found her way into a Lagree studio after suffering a torn meniscus. Being a spin instructor at the time, this would bring her career to a quick halt. Feeling defeated, Kristabelle no longer felt motivated and going to the gym just to move from machine to machine felt like a daunting task every time. That’s when she decided she would try Pilates in an effort to rehabilitate her knee.

She fell in love. But (and this is a huge but) what she didn’t know is that she was not taking a Pilates class at all. She was actually participating in a Lagree class! (No wonder she loved it almost immediately!) After facing the most difficult year of her life, when she learned she would no longer be able to have children due to cancer treatments, when she discovered that her husband had been having an affair, and after losing her home and business in the Montecito mudslide, along with several other adversities, Kristabelle needed a place of refuge and peace. 

That place was on the Megaformer. 

Kristabelle attended a Lagree class every single day and even attended twice on the weekends. It became her lifeline and her escape from all the chaos in life. 

When the dust finally settled, after what felt like forever, Kristabelle took life by the reigns and moved back to Los Angeles. In an effort to reclaim her body and celebrate the stability in knowing children were off the table, Kristabelle opted in for a cosmetic surgery procedure to replace her larger implants with smaller ones. Complications occurred.

During the procedure, Kristabelle’s surgeon discovered severe issues that would cause her to undergo two operations, for a total of 19 hours, and six months of recovery. This, along with constant reminders from her previous health issues, compounded and soon led Kristabelle to suffer from severe depression, which then led to weight gain.

Hope is On the Way—in a Pretty Lagree Fitness Box

Then, Kristabelle was given the opportunity to have a Lagree Fitness Microformer in her home! Without skipping a beat, Kristabelle went to pick up her soon-to-be favorite fitness equipment at the Lagree Fitness headquarters. She immediately assembled the Microformer and hopped on. Since then, the Microformer has served as her therapy, her church, and her place of peace.

When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough (Ahem…KRISTABELLE) Get Going

When asked about how it is that she can look at her life and continue to be grateful after moving through such difficult life events, Kristabelle, with poise and strength, answered: 

When I think on my life in its totality (because it all happened in just two years and all I have survived, it’s absolutely insane. I lived it and still have no idea how I did that. I feel so lucky that I not only seem to have some infinite driving force to persevere even when I don’t want to take another step, but also that along the way others witness this and genuinely show up to help, support, or, just like this opportunity, give praise. I say all the time, ‘The ultimate form of compassion is to bear witness.’ I am blessed to know there are people rooting for me to win.  

Kristabelle is forever grateful to the Lagree studios that supported her through these difficult times and gives much of the credit for her ability to overcome such struggles to Fit BuddhaSculpted Bodythe Megaformer Studio, and, of course, Lagree At Home.

There are not enough words to express our admiration for Kristabelle’s perseverance and tenacity. Your work ethic and ability to move past some of life’s most difficult curveballs leave us jaw-dropped and in awe of your strength. We are honored to have shared your story and look forward to cheering you on every step of the way. Lagree Fitness loves you, Kristabelle! We will always stand with you.