Self Imposed Labels, or Why I Love CrossFit

I’m not the kind of person who works out. Nor am I the kind of person who gets up early. Additionally, I am not the kind of person who eats vegetables and whole foods, who buys cage-free eggs, and has great concerns about the way we are processing food in this country. I am a picky eater. I tend to be lazy and take the path of least resistance. At my worst, I am a slacker.

Or so I once thought.

About a year ago I decided that I needed to incorporate some type of fitness routine into my life. I had tried running and hated it, I tried going to the gym and participating in a class and was embarrassingly  out of shape. I tried just using the equipment at the YMCA and was terrifically bored, not to mention out of place and confused. Then along came CrossFit.

I woke up today at 5:15am. I rolled out of bed and put on my workout clothes. After drinking my cup of coffee, a glass of water, and a piece of bread with peanut butter, I drove the 15 or so miles to our local CrossFit affiliate.

Today I set a new record for my back squat at 215lbs and I did 100 pull-ups in under 10 minutes.

I never thought of myself as “the type of person who would get up early”, or “the type of person to do CrossFit”. But I am. And I’m loving it.

This experience has helped me to look at my surroundings, and my self-imposed labels, and see that my character and behaviors are not in line with the self-imposed labels I had. I am a good husband, a good father, a responsible adult, I manage my money responsibly and sacrifice the things I want for the things I need. I work hard, and try to do the best job I can. I eat healthy foods, and I workout several days a week, half of that time is before the sun rises.

CrossFit has changed the way I see myself, and the way I see fitness. The workouts we do at CrossFit, we do together. Each person to his own ability, we compete against the clock, against ourselves, and against our previous records. We are unified in the goal of progress and self-betterment. To be really cliche’, CrossFit has not only changed the way I look, it has changed the way I look at my challenges.

Some videos of CrossFit show only the top-tier athletes and how hardcore it is, this video really speaks to the spirit of CrossFit.

4 thoughts on “Self Imposed Labels, or Why I Love CrossFit”

  1. Great article man! My feelings about Crossfit have definitely evolved over the few years I have been doing it. I think you’ll find the same is true of yourself. I am currently on week 10 of the Stronglifts.com routine. I’m a big fan. Give it a look see if you have a minute.

  2. Pingback: Compulsive Evangelist | The Official Site of Joseph Hinson

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