Some days I wake up and I don’t know who I am. I’ve become the person who sets her alarm for 5am and is up before it goes off because I’m too excited to sleep. I can’t wait to hit Clinch Valley CrossFit.
If that sounds completely ridiculous to you, don’t worry! Three months ago I would definitely have rolled my eyes at someone who told me that. Never in my life would I have thought this would be me. I am not athletic. I’ve never been athletic. I’d probably tell you that I still don’t think I’ll ever be an athlete. I come in last probably every time we run. I feel like I’m dying every single time I have to throw an 8-pound ball against the wall a bazillion times. I don’t do box jumps (they terrify me) and every time we do burpees I think about skipping the workout altogether. But somehow I walked in the door and as one of my favorite coaches Mindy said, “Just getting through the door is all you need to do.” Somehow that is true.
If I found more places to build a community, places which meet you exactly where you are, I would never be found at home. Isn’t that the scariest thing about trying something new? When I thought of crossfit before I started, I thought of completely toned bodies that would totally laugh me out of the yoga pants I showed up in. But they met me where I was: a mom of twins who hadn’t exercised consistently in years and who just wanted to get a little healthier; a woman who owns two businesses and has a crazy schedule and feels run down and exhausted a lot; a person who was unhappy with her body and a mom who needs someone to motivate her. Can I get a show of hands for all the people who have tried to workout at home and call it good after 10 minutes? Yeah, that is me.
When I want to give up in any given workout, I look around the room and see other people still giving it their all and that makes me decide that I can keep going too. These people make me laugh when we’re in the depths of it together and I can’t stop wanting the feeling strength after the workout is complete. That feeling makes me come back day after day after day. In just a few short months, I’ve seen so much change in my energy, my body, and my mentality. I feel like I can show up for my kids in such an energetic way these days. Truth be told, I just want to be around as long as possible for them — that’s really what this journey is all about.
The only crossfit exercise at which I’m fast is the jump rope and no, I can’t do double-unders. I’m a total mom at these workouts, making sure I don’t over do it and get hurt on the weights. But I feel so fortunate that crossfit came into my life and is making me a better version of myself.
I may never do the competitions (trust me, I’m ok with that) and I’ll keep believing that one day I’ll actually like the running (we’ll see), but I will forever cherish the community that comes along with making myself just a little stronger every single day. As the end of the year approaches and you start making New Year’s resolutions and thinking about a gym membership, I would encourage you to try out a crossfit gym. Take all the things you think you know about it — all of the reasons you’ve said for so long that it’s not for you — and throw them out the window. It’s for all ages and walks of life.
