Madeline Mirasol: Mentally stronger

Madeline Mirasol no longer measures herself based on the number on the scale.

Presented by: Our York Media

Madeline Mirasol stands with her feet apart and her hands grasped in front of her chest. 

“I feel stronger than I ever have in my entire life,” she says, surrounded by barbells and weights. “And the funny thing is that it isn’t just about the muscles in my arms and legs. I’m mentally stronger.” 

Madeline isn’t new to fitness. For years, she ran in marathons because she wanted to be skinny. 

Over time, the arthritis in her toes and the ache in her hips and knees made each mile a dreaded chore rather than a worthwhile challenge.  

“I was running 50 miles a week, and it wasn’t doing what I wanted it to do,” she says. “Being thin wasn’t going to be useful.” 

I measure my success with different metrics now. It isn’t the number on the scale. It’s how I feel. It’s what I can accomplish.

quotecircle
Madeline Mirasol

Today, her physical strength is thanks to the resistance workouts she started at CrossFit York. Instead of working out four hours a day and suffering through lengthy recoveries, she works out for an hour and feels “pleasantly sore.” 

“I finally got to the point where I felt, ‘I can do this,’” she says. “And it applies to so many things in my life.” 

It motivated her to finish her dissertation within a year of starting CrossFit – and finally hang onto that Ph.D. from Syracuse University with pride. It inspires her in the classroom when she teaches students at York College of Pennsylvania who want to achieve their own full potential. 

“I measure my success with different metrics now,” she says. “It isn’t the number on the scale. It’s how I feel. It’s what I can accomplish. It’s how empowered I feel to take on the next thing.” 

Get Neighbors of Our York in your inbox: Every Thursday at 9 a.m., we’ll email you a full version of the latest “Neighbors of Our York” profile. You subscribing lets us know you like and value what we’re doing.