I had thought about doing CrossFit for a couple of years and actually signed up to attend a program at another gym but never followed through because I was both intimidated by the sport itself and also by jumping into something so new and different alone. I’ve kinda always been that person that needs a buddy for EVERYTHING. But I made a promise to myself this past New Years that I was going to work toward getting over that and a week later, I saw the ad for the NEW YOU program and knew it was a sign. So I emailed that day, went in for my interview a few days later and haven’t looked back since.
To be honest, I loved it from the moment I started. Was it hard? Hell yes!! Was I intimidated? Absolutely. I remember during the first class, we had to do burpees as a part of the WOD and I had no idea what they were! And then we had to do box jumps and I was like, you want me to do WHAT?!!! And picking up a barbell seemed like the scariest thing in the world. But I quickly learned that it was OKAY if I didn’t know what a movement was or how to do it and that with determination and practice on my part, instruction from the coaches and encouragement from the whole crew, I would get there!
What is my favorite part of CrossFit? Oh gosh…this is hard. There is just so much I LOVE!!! First off, the community is incredible. I never in my life have been around a more fun, encouraging and positive group of people and it’s addictive and intoxicating. I’ve always been this crazy positive person and I feel like I’m amongst like minded souls and at home when I’m at the gym or with the Arsenal Crew. Second, it has been an amazing stress relief for me. I didn’t realize how much I was letting stress impact my life and with no outlet, it was just sitting there. Now I just lay it out at the gym every day and I FEEL so much better. Third, it feeds my competitive nature in a brand new way. I’ve loved competing on a team and with and against other people since I was a kid, but CrossFit has provided me with an amazing opportunity to be competitive with myself! I LOVE re-doing a WOD or retesting a one rep max and pushing myself to do better and be better than before! There are times when the workout is draining me and I think I’m giving my all, but then I look at my time or my weight and realize I’m so close to a new PR so I push harder to reach that goal.
I’ve learned that my body and mind are capable of so much more than I ever thought. CrossFit has not only helped me improve my physical health but also my mental health in ways that I could have never imagined. I think as humans, our minds are conditioned to think that we aren’t ready for this, we aren’t good enough for this and we can’t do this. Whatever THIS may be. Our minds are also trained for comparison and to feel inferior if we are in a room full of people that are doing something that we CAN’T do. CrossFit has completely erased that mindset from my brain and now CAN’T really doesn’t exist for me. I mean I jokingly say it all the time, but I don’t actually mean it. I just mean that I can’t right now and “can’t right now” doesn’t mean CAN’T. For me, it just means… what do I need to do and how do I need to train to get there? Which is incredibly empowering.