something that scares you

When I first heard about the Warrior Dash, I laughed and said “no way.”
Months later, I found myself drenched in mud at the finish line of the Carrolton, OH Warrior Dash in September 2010 thinking that it really had been “the craziest fricken day” of my life.

In winter of 2011, when I first heard about Crossfit, I also wasn’t sure if it was for me. But I was growing tired of swimming, running and my weight room routine, and by February I had decided to give it a try.

At first I only went once a week in addition to my old routines, and I was usually sore that entire week between workouts. By April I was completely hooked. Today (2/17/13) is my first year anniversary of Crossfitting and now I WOD almost every day and can’t get enough of it (still sometimes with the soreness, but to a somewhat lesser degree).

Competitions on competitions on competitions

It has been said: “If your workout doesn’t scare you, it isn’t hard enough.” Crossfit workouts are different every day, making it pretty hard to get complacent. A year later and they still get me nervous sometimes.

What I like most about Crossfit is that there’s a never-ending list of goals you can push yourself toward on so many levels. Mostly, I want to do well in the metcon- get a good score while maintaining good form. Usually for me that means scaling back the weight. There’s so many movements that I currently scale and modify that I want to work up to and complete Rx.  Beyond that are  lifting PRs. There are so many opportunities to reach a goal as opposed to a more singular sport like swimming or running for a certain time (both of which I have much experience with…it took me about 3 years to break a minute in the 100 freestyle, talk about frustrating,) or a team sport where personal goals are often dependent on teammates and are more difficult to define and measure. But beating your best time applies to Crossfit too– repeating workouts is a great way to check your progress, and every workout is you against the clock.

365 days ago, I stepped into Crossfit SEO in Athens, Ohio, wearing my Asics and not knowing what a power clean was. Today, I’ve just registered for the Open and have begun my second Paleo challenge. What I’m trying to say is don’t ever let intimidation prevent you from trying something new. Most of the time, the attempt turns out to be more rewarding than not. And maybe you’ll even find your new favorite hobby.

The Business of Fitness

I think it will always be a struggle to promote fitness/nutrition without accusation of trying to take people’s money. There are plenty of “specialists” out there who have put their names on books and products that promise quick fixes and other lies, making it hard to find a trustworthy and credible source of information about fitness. So when there is truthful information to be shared, how can the industry spread the word without being lumped in with all the other false information out there? And, how can you expect to be found if you don’t promote yourself? In the end, everything comes down to money, whether you’re a fitness magazine publisher or you own a gym. But can money be made without being manipulative?

This post sparked my thinking because until Reebok came along and attached a brand to it, I think Crossfit did a really good job of maintaining credibility while also promoting itself, at least in my experience. Crossfit studios allow anybody to come try a class for free and decide for themselves if it’s right for them. They don’t try to manipulate people into joining, but let the “product they sell” speak for itself. As a fitness enthusiast, I appreciate that.