He Didn't Run Out of Time. He Just Got Started.

Lynne Steiner • June 19, 2026

One of the things I love most about this gym is watching people surprise themselves. Not in the sexy, highlight-reel way. In the quiet, consistent, show-up-even-when-it's-hard way.


Mike Szymborski has been part of our CFR fam for a little over a year now. He trains 5 to 6 days a week. He is in his early 60s. He manages Type 1 diabetes. He has had a hip replacement, survived prostate cancer, and came back to the gym after a heart attack in March of 2025.


He also broke his pinky on a box jump during his first workout back after being cleared by his cardiologist. He finished the workout.


I asked Mike to share his story in his own words because he sets such a clear example of what is possible when you show up for yourself consistently regardless of age, injury, and medical conditions.


What follows is mostly him. I've added very little, because very little needed to be added.


Before CrossFit

"Back in my college days I lifted weights regularly. When I got married in 1992, I was in great shape, weighing 205 lbs. Then life happened. We had 3 kids by 1998. I spent my time working and raising a family."


In 2004, Mike was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and became insulin-dependent. The same year, he was becoming dependent on alcohol, too. The diabetes diagnosis, he says, is what made him stop drinking. He has been clean and sober since 2005.


"I ate what I wanted and took high doses of insulin to control blood sugar. My weight steadily climbed to about 290-300 lbs by 2015. When XXL polo shirts no longer fit comfortably and I had to buy size 44 pants, I knew something had to change."


He joined Weight Watchers and a local gym, lost 75 pounds over 9 months, and ran 2 half marathons. Then life happened again. The approach wasn't sustainable. His marriage of 26 years ended. By 2018, he had gained the weight back.


"I found myself alone, fat and miserable."


He Googled CrossFit. He found CrossFit Carol Stream. He dropped into a free class in December of 2018.


"I was hooked after the first class. I've been going 5 to 6 days a week ever since."


The Speed Bumps

Between 2018 and today, Mike's list of health challenges has continued to grow. Prostate cancer diagnosed in 2020, removed in 2021. As of January 2026, he’s 5 years cancer-free. Bone-on-bone arthritis in his right hip lead to a total hip replacement in October 2023. Then came a heart attack and stent in March 2025.


He also broke his foot doing a lateral burpee over bar. And the pinky. He mentions both almost as asides.


"In all honesty, I don't think about any of these past issues on a daily basis. I wake up each day and look forward to every challenge. The years are passing quickly. There is no reason to focus on negatives. Every day presents an opportunity to improve. That's what drives me."


When I asked him what a bad training day looks like, he said the question didn't really resonate with him.


"I don't think I've ever had a bad training day since I started CrossFit in 2018. CrossFit is the best part of every day for me, except days when I golf. Then it's a close second."


The Hip, the Open, and What Changed

For years, Mike couldn't squat below parallel. Not in a wall ball, a thruster, an air squat. The arthritis in his right hip made it impossible, and it meant he was scaling workouts that he wanted to do as prescribed.


The hip replacement changed that.


"My hip replacement and subsequent recovery allow me now to achieve parallel in these lifts. That's given me new-found confidence and the ability to record RX during workouts."


This year, Mike competed in the 2026 CrossFit Open and made the quarterfinals in his age group. He finished in the top 18%.


"That achievement was validation for my hard work. It created a greater sense of belonging to the CrossFit community at large and CrossFit Roselle specifically. I identify as a CrossFit athlete. It's what defines and differentiates me from my male friends in my age group."


What He Wants You to Know

Mike is active on social media. He posts his workouts for accountability and, more than that, to show other people what is possible. When someone in a Facebook group asks whether it's too late for them, or says their health history is too complicated, he shares a video of himself doing a handstand walk and lists what he has been through.


He listened to an audiobook that changed his focus to health span over life span.


"People in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s have already started to lose VO2 max and lean muscle. These losses will continue and the rate will even accelerate unless steps are taken to stop or slow the loss. Any level of movement is a positive step. CrossFit-style movements offer even more positive benefits as the movements address all 3 key metrics."


On the nutrition side, Mike's path to figuring out what actually works took some trial and error. He used Ozempic for 15 months and got his weight into a better range, but felt like something was still missing. After his heart attack, he went fully low-carb and keto. He credits that shift with reducing his A1C, reducing inflammation, stabilizing his weight, and giving him a general feeling of health he had never experienced over five decades of the standard American diet.


"Positive changes are very incremental and big changes come slowly. It's not a race to get to a certain point or fitness level. It's a journey. It's a process. If you don't like where you are, it's within your sole control to make changes which will bend your trajectory in the right direction."


What's Next

Mike turns 62 in September. His goal is to hit a new baseline weight by his birthday and hold it. He's eyeing the 2027 CrossFit Open and, eventually, the semifinals.


"I understand I might have to age into the 65+ age group for that to happen."


He says he's starting to feel some issues with his left hip. He suspects he may need a replacement within the next year or 2. He's not looking forward to it. He's also not going to let it go as long as he let the right one go.


He'll be in the gym tomorrow morning. Five or 6 days a week, like always.


A Note from Coach Lynne

I share Mike's story not because it's unique, but because it's honest. His progress was not linear. He didn't get here on a clean path. He got here by deciding, over and over, that the path was worth staying on.


If you're reading this and thinking your situation is too complicated, or that you've missed your window, I'd ask you to sit with Mike's answer to that question. He's been posting his own version of that answer on Facebook for years. Now it's here, too.


If this sounds like your story, or the story you want to write, we'd love to meet you.


Start with a free no-sweat intro at CrossFit Roselle. No experience required. No perfect health history required. Just show up, and we’ll take it from there. Click the "Book a Free Intro" box to get started.






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By Lynne Steiner • November 2, 2026
What if your New Year’s resolution started six weeks early? Not with a juice cleanse or a 5 a.m. boot camp. Just with showing up. Here’s how most years go. Halloween candy appears. Thanksgiving rolls in. Then December arrives like a snowball rolling downhill, picking up parties, travel, cookie exchanges, and late nights on the way. By January 1, the snowball is the size of a minivan. And you’re standing at the bottom of the hill with a fresh planner, trying to push it back up. There’s a better way. The Holiday Free Fall It rarely happens all at once. You skip a class for the office party. Then another for travel. Then the cold makes the couch look like a five-star resort. Six weeks later, your squat feels heavy, your jeans feel snug, and your energy has flown south for the winter. Here’s the good news: the holidays aren’t the season for progress. They’re the season for continuity . You don’t need a personal record in December. You need to keep your routine breathing. Strength fades slowly. A couple of sessions a week holds onto most of what you’ve built. Habits fade fast. Skip a month and the hardest part isn’t the workout. It’s walking back through the door. Think of it like a campfire overnight. You don’t need a bonfire. You just toss on a log now and then so there’s something to work with in the morning. All or Nothing Is Usually Nothing The most dangerous phrase of the holiday season: “I’ll start fresh in January.” It sounds responsible. It’s actually a six-week permission slip. All-or-nothing thinking says if you can’t train five days a week, why bother at all. That logic has sunk more fitness goals than every pumpkin pie in history. The fix is the minimum effective dose : the smallest amount that still does the job. Two sessions a week keeps strength and habits alive. A 20-minute workout still counts. So does a brisk walk after a big dinner. Something beats nothing , every time, all season long. Back to the campfire. Two logs a week. That’s all it takes to keep it glowing. Try This: Set Your Holiday Floor Before the first party lands on your calendar, decide on your floor: the fewest sessions you’ll do each week, no matter what. Write the number down. Two is a great place to start. Book those sessions now, before the invitations arrive. On a great week, go above the floor. On a wild week, hit the floor and call it a win. A floor isn’t a goal. It’s the line you refuse to drop below. Avoid the Holiday Trap January’s fresh start is so much easier when you never stopped. Keep the fire going through the holidays with a few small, consistent sessions. When everyone else drags themselves back to the gym on January 2, you’ll already be warmed up. Your next class is waiting.

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By Lynne Steiner • October 28, 2026
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By Lynne Steiner • October 26, 2026
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