My CrossFit Story
I had never touched a barbell in my life before starting CrossFit!
Because I’m not really a joiner of organizations and I'm not a fan of being labeled or conforming to rules, I’ve had a difficult time accepting that I AM a part of this controversial fitness group!
But I understand why CrossFit is so fascinating to people. If I stumbled on ESPN during the annual CrossFit games, knowing nothing about CF, I would see a bunch of half naked, gladiator looking Men and Women in the center of an arena, throwing weights around that are beyond my comprehension. And in the stands of the arena are a bunch of screaming fans, wearing a varying array of neon shirts, short shorts, knee socks and cheering them on! What IS this???
What people don’t understand is that the other 90% of people who do CrossFit are just like you and me. We're stay at home Mom's, Corporate employees, Teacher's and Dr's. And we don't necessarily look like we could be on the cover of Men's Fitness or Shape magazine! We're just a group of people trying to stay healthy and strong but doing it in a little different way.
My own entry in the CF world was by complete luck. Our new neighbors happened to be the owners of a ‘gym’. I had never even heard of CF before talking to them.
If I had ever caught the CF Games on ESPN, I’m pretty sure I never would have tried it! When they told us a little about their 'gym', I thought it sounded odd...no treadmills? No elipticals? I was skeptical...
My husband and I decided to give it a try as I was in my own fitness rut. I had always belonged to gyms, did a little running and recently was doing a lot of hiking. I was now into my 40’s and was ready for something new and different. I was feeling tired, weak and gaining weight in places that I never had worried about before.
We tried the four free classes that were offered and each time, they brought me to my knees. I was physically and mentally challenged like I had never been before.
I thought I was in pretty good shape but this was so different. I had serious doubts about my abilities. But the Coaches and members were incredibly supportive and they all seemed to genuinely want me to succeed. After the fourth class, I thought, “there is no way I can do this.. I don’t belong here.. this is too intense for me." When we finally had to make the decision whether or not to join, I was hesitant. But something inside me did not want to quit.
I will never forget reading a quote from the daily Blog post on our gyms’ website. It was so simple but spoke directly to me. “The longer you sit on the couch, the harder it will be to get off”.
This was it, now or never. So I made the conscious choice to try this.
We signed up and haven’t looked back!
To say that I have been brought out of my comfort zone since starting CrossFit is an understatement. Challenging myself physically, and doing something that I had never done before made me feel intimidated and vulnerable at times.
In the beginning, I had to push through my fear and insecurity. It wasn’t easy at first and I still have days when l think, “I can’t do this” or, “I don’t belong here”.
But more often than not, I meet a mental and/or physical goal or have an inspiring conversation with one of my friends or Coaches and I walk out of the gym feeling confident, strong and proud of myself. There is no doubt that CrossFit put me on the road to better defining my goals because I was better able to define myself.
It’s the feeling of empowerment and accomplishment when you're done.
It’s about learning something new every time you go and pushing through your mental and physical walls.
It's a community that supports you no matter where you're starting from.
Yes, you can get hurt. Yes, it’s hard. But so are many other sports out there.
And yes, the subculture that has emerged from CrossFit can be a little freaky. But go to a CrossFit event, or walk into a CF gym and you’re sure to meet the most supportive people ever.
And the ones’ cheering you on the loudest might be wearing neon shirts and knee socks!
But I understand why CrossFit is so fascinating to people. If I stumbled on ESPN during the annual CrossFit games, knowing nothing about CF, I would see a bunch of half naked, gladiator looking Men and Women in the center of an arena, throwing weights around that are beyond my comprehension. And in the stands of the arena are a bunch of screaming fans, wearing a varying array of neon shirts, short shorts, knee socks and cheering them on! What IS this???
What people don’t understand is that the other 90% of people who do CrossFit are just like you and me. We're stay at home Mom's, Corporate employees, Teacher's and Dr's. And we don't necessarily look like we could be on the cover of Men's Fitness or Shape magazine! We're just a group of people trying to stay healthy and strong but doing it in a little different way.
My own entry in the CF world was by complete luck. Our new neighbors happened to be the owners of a ‘gym’. I had never even heard of CF before talking to them.
If I had ever caught the CF Games on ESPN, I’m pretty sure I never would have tried it! When they told us a little about their 'gym', I thought it sounded odd...no treadmills? No elipticals? I was skeptical...
My husband and I decided to give it a try as I was in my own fitness rut. I had always belonged to gyms, did a little running and recently was doing a lot of hiking. I was now into my 40’s and was ready for something new and different. I was feeling tired, weak and gaining weight in places that I never had worried about before.
We tried the four free classes that were offered and each time, they brought me to my knees. I was physically and mentally challenged like I had never been before.
I thought I was in pretty good shape but this was so different. I had serious doubts about my abilities. But the Coaches and members were incredibly supportive and they all seemed to genuinely want me to succeed. After the fourth class, I thought, “there is no way I can do this.. I don’t belong here.. this is too intense for me." When we finally had to make the decision whether or not to join, I was hesitant. But something inside me did not want to quit.
I will never forget reading a quote from the daily Blog post on our gyms’ website. It was so simple but spoke directly to me. “The longer you sit on the couch, the harder it will be to get off”.
This was it, now or never. So I made the conscious choice to try this.
We signed up and haven’t looked back!
To say that I have been brought out of my comfort zone since starting CrossFit is an understatement. Challenging myself physically, and doing something that I had never done before made me feel intimidated and vulnerable at times.
In the beginning, I had to push through my fear and insecurity. It wasn’t easy at first and I still have days when l think, “I can’t do this” or, “I don’t belong here”.
But more often than not, I meet a mental and/or physical goal or have an inspiring conversation with one of my friends or Coaches and I walk out of the gym feeling confident, strong and proud of myself. There is no doubt that CrossFit put me on the road to better defining my goals because I was better able to define myself.
It’s the feeling of empowerment and accomplishment when you're done.
It’s about learning something new every time you go and pushing through your mental and physical walls.
It's a community that supports you no matter where you're starting from.
Yes, you can get hurt. Yes, it’s hard. But so are many other sports out there.
And yes, the subculture that has emerged from CrossFit can be a little freaky. But go to a CrossFit event, or walk into a CF gym and you’re sure to meet the most supportive people ever.
And the ones’ cheering you on the loudest might be wearing neon shirts and knee socks!