I feel like I should light candles, buy myself some flowers, and host a romantic meal with my barbell…. kidding, but only kind of. Holy man, time really does fly and it has been one full year since I first stepped foot into our local CrossFit gym (some people call it a box, I think that sounds weird.) I remember that day like it was yesterday, I was out of shape but convincing myself that I was in pristine form since I, of course, was running another full marathon and had already started training. If I could run 26.2 miles, I could do just about anything… right? Wrong.
I remember the first day when our coach told me to do a pull up. (Um, what?) I grabbed the bar, made a few unattractive noises and barely moved. It was embarrassing for a former gymnast who used to be able to fly from bar to bar without any hesitation. He then asked if I could climb the rope – certainly, I could. I used to do it with no feet when I was a kid… well, I grabbed the rope enthusiastically and slid right back down to the ground without even getting one hand over the other. He asked if I knew what a “clean and jerk” was… I thought he was making inappropriate wisecrack about a bedroom move, turns out its an Olympic lift. That first week I remember being so sore that I could barely go from sitting to standing, but I showed up every day (much to my coaches surprise) and continued the humbling experience of starting to learn about CrossFit.
I remember my first day in class, I was nervous. I forgot what the million abbreviations meant and was intimidated by the cute and strong girls in my class. Instead of a bunch of shirtless meatheads (no offense to the shirtless men who work out) it was a diverse class with people of all ages and fitness levels. It was former athletes, new moms, retirees, and college kids, not at all what I had pictured when I was thinking about joining. After my first couple days I started to figure things out little by little and started talking to the people who were working out next to me. There is something pretty amazing about struggling, overcoming, and learning next to other athletes… it’s a bonding experience unlike any other. (Let’s be honest, there was zero bonding going on at my former gym where all I did was elyptical while watching the Food Network – sounds counterproductive, I know.) I continued showing up every single day throughout the past year, even taking work outs on the road with me when I couldn’t be at the gym.
A year later I am amazed at how CrossFit changed my life. I can now do pull ups (100 actually) and climbing the rope seems like no big deal, I can lift more weight than my husband (sorry Drew!) and I am preparing to compete in the CrossFit Open this year. I’m even thinking about getting certified so that I can coach the newbies, since I remember what it felt like to feel lost and confused. It’s wild to feel like an athlete again and to be working towards a goal of accomplishing something I’ve never done before. Each day is different and each workout holds it’s own challenges, but somehow even in the pain you want to come back and do more every day. It has allowed me to create a routine and no day is complete without a workout. It’s the first form of exercise that I have stuck with for a full year without taking any breaks or time off.
But beyond the work outs are the people – these are the people who have legitimately become our best friends, we have girls nights, birthday parties, and spend nights out at the pub together. We are invited to spend holidays with their families and have coffee dates after tough work outs. They convince me to show up even when I feel too sore to walk and cheer for me when I struggle in work outs. We high five from the ground where we lay sweating and barely breathing and say “let’s do that again.” These are the people I would call if I ever needed anything and the people I look forward to seeing every day. These are the people who I see being in our lives for years to come and who made us think that this area was one we wanted to live in. Yes, CrossFit gave me bigger arm muscles but it also made this place feel like home to us and to me, that’s more than any great work out can give.
If you are looking to be humbled, strengthened, cheered for, pushed, and stronger, join a CrossFit gym! It was without a doubt the best decision I made in 2013 and even after a full year of working out Monday-Friday, I am not tired of it. In fact, I am on fire for it. Special thanks to the people at CrossFit Fort Atkinson for making this year the best one yet and for taking us in as family, we are forever grateful that I decided that I needed to get my lazy bum off the couch and kicked into shape.
All of these moments were found on my Instagram feed, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll follow along: jennakutcher
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