“Have you ever wondered if there was more to life other than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?”
I recently started Crossfit (I graduate from the ‘basic training’ program tues morning! Whoop whoop!) and I am loving it. L-O-V-I-N-G it! I am starting to understand why the Crossfit bunch are known for only wanting to talk about anything and everything Crossfit (don’t worry, friends- I shall resist! Minus this blog post.)
I know that exercise is key to living not only a long life, but one that allows me to do everything God has called me to do. I don’t want to be held back by physical limitations and especially not by ones I have put on myself. And, ok, maybe I’d like to be really, really, ridiculously good looking?
You are probably like me and if the goal is to remain consistnet with something, you should find it enjoyable. So, in no particular order, here are just a few of the reasons I am excited to wake up and move my booty several times a week:
1) Functional movement. Longevity. Strength. Health.
These are just some of the words I’ve heard repeated this past month at my gym and have found are key to the culture they have created. The focus has been placed on improving our bodies’ strength, our level of proper nourishment, and our overall health. It is fantastic to look great, but the focus here isn’t to create a quick beach body. The focus is to get my body to a place where it is performing at an optimal level regularly.
2) I love learning and Crossfit appeals to my inner nerd. It isn’t just the part about learning new lifts and workouts, but the coaches are awesome and know their stuff. I walk away from most classes having learned something new about the way my body works and/or how certain workouts benefit me.
3) I’ll repeat myself, the coaches are awesome. I primarily work with the same coach in the mornings and I think he is great. He has mastered the tight rope of pushing you farther than you thought you could (or wanted) to go while making you feel encouraged and supported at the same time. Well done, sir, well done.
4) Yes, I get sore. And yes, that makes me feel a little bit hardcore. Who doesn’t like to feel hardcore after a workout? I like feeling hardcore so I try to work out with others because it has been found that I am 100 percent less likely to push myself as hard when working out alone. I know what you may be thinking – 100 percent is a pretty high statistic, but trust me on this – there have been years of personal research proving this to be true.
5) This one is kind of more like 4b: the Crossfit community is just that – a community. It reminds me of our “power hour” on the ergs or our winter stair sessions when I was on the crew team back at the University of St. Thomas. It is just more fun when you’re doing it with your team, everyone supporting and encouraging each other to the painful end.
6) “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13. This is just one of the encouragements written on the whiteboard next to our WOD (workout of the day.) You in no way have to be a Christian to be a part of this gym, but they’re not shying away from the fact that their overall health is a physical, mental and spiritual one and the truth is that they all work together. I love that because its true and I respect them for being great examples in the way they walk out their faith.
7) They do cool things, like having a booty shake class for the girls on Friday nights or having The Body Fat Truck come regularly to help you create healthy goals and track your progress.
Today happens to be one of the days that The Body Fat Truck was in their drive. I decided to jump on the opportunity to get my body composition analysis done this morning before work. I am going to be using this as my starting off point, AKA I’ve got some work to do before I am in the “healthy zone.”
Looking forward to tracking my progress, feeling great and becoming more ridiculously good looking.
PS – can you believe Zoolander came out in 2001? That movie is already 12 years old. What? Weird.
Prim & Pine 
LOL!!!! I LOVE that you quoted Zoolander through this whole post – and yes of course I read it in that voice. LOL I am doing BLUE STEEL right now at my desk.
So proud of you! You are just amazing! And BRAVE for stepping on that truck.
haha yes! and thanks! I seriously almost turned my car around about 3 times – I kept thinking, do I really want to pay someone to tell me how out of shape I am? But I figured it would be great motivation and physical proof to someday look back on and say “look how far I have come!”