the first lady had it right!

c is for crossfit

probably the biggest thing going on in my world right now.

i'll be the first one to admit that i am not exactly what you would call physically fit.
i used to be, i did gymnastics when i was a kid and played soccer in high school...
somewhere along the way i just sort of stopped being active.


i worked long hours, stayed out late at night, lived off of caffeine and whatever junk was easiest to grab
for whatever reason i didn't particularly think that working out and eating right applied to my station in life.
it's just easy to not do anything, easy to eat whatever i want.
sure there were the half-hearted new years resolutions here and there to loose weight .
i've joined and left many a gym.
there's several beautiful trails and places to hike or bike near where i live
something that, i occasionally i actually take advantage of
if the weathers nice enough.

one year a co-worker dared me to do a 5k obstacle course with them, the warrior dash.
i pseudo trained for it walking and jogging a bit here and there no real commitment.
needless to say i got my ass handed to me.
it took me well over an hour to complete the course.
and you know what? i was so damn proud of it.
still have my completion medal and a picture of me leaping over flames hanging in my living room.
as tough as it was i had the time of my life doing it.
because unlike running circles around a track or climbing a stair climber.
i had a finish line to cross.
i was doing something, but not just that, it was fun.
it didn't feel like work. it felt like play.
like being a kid again and playing outside without a care in the world.
and i though why cant exercise be more like play?
like every new thing to me i obsessed over it pretty thoroughly
read up on every obstacle race i could find and how people prepared for them.
i kept coming across something called crossfit.
it looked pretty insane and intimidating.
i convinced myself it was too tough for me to attempt.
and quickly fell back into my mostly stationary lifestyle.

luckily for me.
i happen to have a cousin who is super into crossfit
he fell into it looking to rehabilitate from an injury
ended up getting kind of competitive with it and doing some personal training
and then decided to open up his own box in my city.
and he nagged me.
and ear wormed the hell out of me to try to get me down to check out his box.
(crossfit gyms are called boxes)
annnd i kept saying i would.
but i never did.
then one day out of the blue he called me while i was at work
this time he didn't ask me, but told me, that i need to get into his gym before the end of the week.

and so i did.
i put it off for a few days.
but finally told myself if i just went and sucked really hard at it
at least he'd leave me alone?

terrified and insecure as hell i tiptoed into my first WOD(work out of the day)
bracing myself for the awkward record skip and eventual stoning
and was greeted with one friendly and inviting face after the other
everyone was nice. was i in the right place?
my cousin had already slipped out for the day by the time i made it in for the evening class
the coach walked me through everything step by step
and for the first 30 mins i was fighting to keep up pace with everyone
i was so clueless and then i started feeling lightheaded and had to take a little break
but i felt something odd at the back of my head
motivation? encouragement? something along those lines.
i wasn't ready to cash in my chips just yet, i jumped back at it.
albeit slower than before and with bad form, i finished the work out.

i couldn't move anything right for about a week.
my whole body ached, but i loved every second of  it.
it was and is, this little pulse reminding me, "you're doing something, its awesome."
i started making drastic changes to the sort of things i was putting into my body.
experimenting with the paleo diet here and there.

i thought to myself okay. i might be able to pull this off.

i didn't go back again until the next monday and it was the least motivating class i've attended thus far
it was so many different types of lifts and they were all similar and i couldn't do any of them right
the coach had me working with a tiny pvc pipe and i left feeling like i hadn't done anything
i was beyond frustrated and ready to quit right then.
i took a day off and read a zillion articles and watched dozens of youtube videos.
and slowly talked myself into giving it another go.

and another and another and another
and another...

i've been at it for a month now.
every day is different than the last.

im learning new skills doing things like
box jumps, dead lifts, burpees, double unders,
wall balls, rowing, running, box jumps, push presses, clean and jerks...

things that a month ago i don't think i could ever see myself doing.
i look forward to the WODs
i even find myself getting slightly bummed when there's not one.
it's so normal and routine for me now, get off work and head to the box.

the highlight of my week so far was when we did goblin squats and i held mine for the longest
it was actually almost comfortable and the coach said i had "perfect" form!

i've learned so much in a short time but there's still vastly more to learn
half the time i have no idea what im doing but im doing it.
it's not always easy, parts of it are rather difficult.
but i keep coming back
because im done with easy.


i want to look back this time next year and see the progress i've made.
the people at my box are the most welcoming and warm people i've ever met
they don't think twice about giving out pointers or advice or helping me with my techniques
we motivate and encourage one another every day.
this work out isn't about competing with the guy across from you
its about you facing you. which is probably the scariest thing you can possibly do.

crossfit is more than a workout and i can feel that i've only just scratched the surface
i'm a little annoyed with myself for taking so long to give it a try.
if you're afraid to try something new, do it anyway.
do it right away! before you loose your nerve!
go on!

"do one thing every day that scares you."-elenor roosevelt


yeah still winging it open to suggestions for the upcoming letters though...