I’d heard about CrossFit off and on during the past few years, but I never really gave it much thought. Then a friend started going to Hoosier CrossFit earlier this year, and I started to hear about it a lot. A LOT. Seriously, she talked about it all the time.
What really caught my attention was when she started talking about how much her running was improving. She was training for a marathon and was setting personal records on all of her long runs. I was training for a half marathon and liked the idea of improving my running. In May I showed up to run a 5K and it just so happened that this friend was there, along with our awesome Hoosier CrossFit trainers, Shaun and Jenna. They were talking about the Mighty Murph challenge they had coming up that involved a ridiculous number of pullups, pushups and squats, plus running mixed in between!
It sounded insane.
It still does sound a bit crazy, but it intrigued me enough to look into CrossFit a little more. I ended up going to a free intro with Jenna, where I learned what CrossFit is all about, and I did a short workout that left me sore for several days. I started On Ramp the following week, and I haven’t looked back.
So what’s so great about CrossFit? Well, in the two months I’ve been going I feel stronger physically and mentally. My clothes are fitting better, and I’m starting to pull clothes out of the closet that I haven’t worn in two years because they were too tight. I absolutely love that I’m starting to see my muscles!! My mirror and I are definitely becoming friends again. I think the best part is that I feel fantastic. I sleep better and have more energy, which leads to me feeling better throughout the day. I’m in grad school, which has a tendency to be stressful, but despite the crazy busy summer I’ve had, I’ve managed my stress better than ever.
I’m excited to go workout and take on the challenge of that day’s WOD (workout of the day). After each WOD, no matter how hard it was for me to finish, I have a feeling of accomplishment. While I’m still nervous right before I start a WOD, every time I show up I feel a little more confident that I’ll finish strong. Not only do I know I can take on the challenge of each WOD, I am more confident in myself and in my abilities to do anything.
Now it wouldn’t be right to talk about CrossFit without talking about the people. It’s such a wonderful community of people at all fitness levels who want to lead healthy lives and will support you in doing the same. They push you in workouts, and tell you how awesome you are when you finish. After my first post-On Ramp WOD I was exhausted, but the high-fives I got made me feel awesome! This support is especially great when you’re in the middle of a workout that is totally kicking your butt. I sometimes feel a bit self-conscious about the things I’m not so good at, but that’s another great thing about CrossFit. Every single person has strengths and weaknesses.
One day you might have everyone in the gym cheering you on because that WOD is so hard for you that you’re one of the last ones working through it, and the next day you’re cheering on those same people who helped push you.
It’s crazy to think I’ve already been a CrossFit member for two months. It’s had such a positive impact on my life, and I’m so excited to see where the next two months take me. And the next months after that, and after that. Also, I’ve turned into my friend…..I can’t shut up about CrossFit. But why would I want too?! I’m excited about something I do in there every day!
I couldn’t be happier with my decision to give it a try and I’m really looking forward to what is yet to come.
