this post has been a long time coming. it's one of high regard, personal gains, unity, love, and loads of sweat.
if you have a negative outlook on Crossfit, just take a minute, readjust your train of thought and let me share my point of view. {insert happy face of gratitude here}
about six years ago my brother started going to this "thing" called Crossfit. my brother, at the time, was not super active in many sports at school, made bad nutrition choices, and lacked some self confidence - as most high school freshmen do. he became instantly hooked on Crossfit and had a very noticeable change in his overall demeanor. my mom took immediate notice and before we knew it, my sister and I were on our way to this Crossfit "on ramp" class with her.
we show up to a random warehouse and "on ramp" class commences. somewhere between the adrenaline rush, loud music, copious amounts of sweat and seemingly endless box jumps, I fell in love. I'm the least athletic person I know, so when the coach asks me if I enjoy working out, I'm quick to respond, "no! but I'm getting married and need to look good!" probably more than he cared to know, but it was all the motivation I needed to give this Crossfit "thing" a shot. my mom was on board and soon my dad was too... my sister decided to stick to her yoga classes with a side of pilates - to each their own.
so what's the big deal?! over the year that followed my family gained a whole new level of "closeness". almost every weeknight at 7pm we headed to Crossfit Threshold, where we were met by some new physical (and mental) challenges, along with a coach who only saw our individual potential. personally, I was so encouraged by the team environment where everyone said, "YOU GOT THIS! FINISH STRONG!" soon, my fitness level and/or physical shape played no part in how much I suddenly felt I could achieve in and out of the Crossfit box. I believed the voices and I conquered things I never thought I could. I even ran my first 5K which turned into a 10k etc... remember, this is the least athletic person you know speaking. my 50-something year old mom was doing deadlifts and push presses like a champ. my dad and brother had the best head to head competitions... they both found even greater respect for each other. (feeling all warm and fuzzy!)
time has past since those beginning days. life happens and we couldn't all continue to go to classes together or at the same time, but the physical and mental gains never stopped.
six years later, my brother probably has the coolest testimony about Crossfit. without speaking for him, I just have to express how today he is a different person on the inside and out, for all the right reasons, due to Crossfit and the coaches (and other attending individuals) who invested time in his mental and physical growth.
to be honest, Crossfit has never been all about the workout for me - although I do appreciate the physical outcome. rather, it's been about how it has changed my mindset. while my family has always been close through our faith and love, we gained another level of relationship through physical activity that pushed our personal limits. and while pushing ourselves we were encouraged by some awesome coaches and teammates.
so here's to Crossfit. love it or leave it, but I'll take some more double-unders!
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| incase you were wondering: bag/american eagle, top/crossfit threshold, pants/lululemon, shoes/nike, sunnies/rayban |
