Mandy and Joe Harris found love for each other while also sharing a love for the gym. These two have made healthy living and fitness a staple in their lives and we have been fortunate enough to watch their relationship and their fitness evolve to amazing things! Whether they are travelling to exotic places or here in Houston, they are always having fun, crushing goals and keeping themselves active! Read more about this awesome pair below:Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself or something that would surprise us. We are Mandy and Joe (Bear Claw) Harris!! We’ve been married for almost 4 years and are the proud parents of two four legged kiddos – Madison and Leonard. In the summer of 2011 we met and became friends at CrossFit West Houston. We started dating shortly thereafter and the rest is history. CrossFit has been an important part of our life together since the very beginning! Outside of work and CrossFit, we are avid travelers and pretty much spend the entire fall absorbed in college football (War Eagle and Hook ‘Em!).How and when were you introduced to Behemoth?Aja and Leah were actually two of our coaches at our former CrossFit gym many years ago! When Aja left to open Behemoth we wanted to go along with him, but we lived too far away and couldn’t make it work logistically. In January of 2014 we bought a house in Copperfield and soon discovered we were a short 3 miles from Behemoth! We were so excited to be back with Aja, Leah, and Aryan. There was no other gym for us and we’ve been active members ever since.What are you most proud of, physically, mentally or both since beginning with us?Mandy – Since joining Behemoth I have definitely gotten stronger physically and mentally. All of my lifts have not only improved in weight, but in technique. But I would say the biggest improvement has been in my gymnastic movements. I LOVE the fact that we take each movement as a progression, and because of that, I’m now able to string together several strict pull-ups, I am no longer doing modified pushups, and I’m closer to having a hand stand push up and toes to bar than I have ever been!Joe – I have definitely grown physically being at Behemoth. My squats and my deadlifts have improved the most, but the most significant improvement has been in my mobility. With a focus on lift specific warm ups, cool downs, and the vast knowledge of the coaches, I have been become more mobile than ever before!! Better mobility will only lead to more improvements in my strength!Why Behemoth?2 reasons:1. Simply, THE best coaching anywhere. Our coaches at Behemoth truly have the best interest of each member in their heart. Aja, Aryan, Leah, and Lee want us to not only succeed in the gym, but outside the gym as well. They are all there to answer our 1000's of questions and will do anything in their power to help us all become the best we can be!2. The Behemoth Family. Wow – what an amazing community. This is the most encouraging and positive group of people I have ever had the pleasure to be around. Being a part of this family is an honor and it’s one of the main reasons we love Behemoth so much. Often times we come to the 5pm class and don’t leave until after the 7pm has finished because just love being there with everyone!! It’s such a blessing to call all of these folks friends!!What next? What are you excited about pursuing here in the future?Mandy – Everything is exciting!! I’m excited about getting stronger every day. My focus right now is improving squat strength and technique (strong legs, strong body!) and to continue improving my gymnastics movements (kipping pullups, here I come!). And now that I’m an old lady of 40, hahaha, I just might go after some local Masters competitions just for fun!Joe – I’m excited to improve my mental game and to work on expanding my gas tank. I’m looking forward to taking on challenges outside of the gym such as “old man” competitions and maybe some masters division Olympic lifting meets! I also have plans to apply my fitness outside of the gym by conquering some endurance races – maybe a Spartan or a BattleFrog!“3, 2, 1…Go” Mad Lib sectionMy favorite lift (movement) is…Mandy – power clean or anything overheadJoe – front squatMy most frequent class I come to is…PMers fo life!! 5pm or 6pm!I have always wanted to…Mandy - Dive the Great Barrier ReefJoe – climb Mt. EverestWhen I’m not crushing weights, my favorite thing to do is…Mandy – I love to plan all of our travels, spend time with my family, and shop for workout clothes I don’t need!Joe – spin tall talesFavorite “application of fitness” outside of the gym is…We travel a lot and always try to incorporate some sort of fitness activity while we travel. We love to hike, snow ski, and climb mountains – we’re conquering our first 14'er in August! After that, our next big adventure is to hike, bike and raft our way across Costa Rica from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean!Favorite Pandora station…Mandy – 80s Cardio!Joe – Who’s Pandora?Beast mode engaged when this song comes on…Mandy – Eye of the Tiger, the Auburn Fight Song, or anything Bon JoviJoe – Country Boy Can Survive
