There’s no photo that can really explain why we do what we do. No one image can explain why we CrossFit. And, oddly enough, there really aren’t any words that easily sum it up either.
We all do it for so many reasons. Health, longevity, vitality, community — the list could go on and on.
Or we could just say, in some odd way, it’s fun. And it works. And we see results.
And the fact that when we miss a class or two, there’s going to be a bunch of notes on Facebook, and a couple to texts and e-mails, asking where we were. Because somebody cares. In fact, a whole bunch of people care.
We never got that at World Gym or Bally’s or wherever we used to exercise before. There, we were just another number on a card and nobody cared if we were showing up or doing the exercises right or if we ever reached our goals. We were numbers there. Here, at CrossFit, we’re people . . . with families and jobs and shades of old injuries that we need to have workouts adjusted for. Here, a coach will notice us favoring a knee, or a shoulder, or a hip — and ask us what’s wrong and help us figure out how to adjust the workout so we can exercise and heal.
Here, we know that if our back feels funny that day, we can ask a coach and get a few stretches to do and it’ll start to loosen up.
We know that if we can’t do L pull-ups, we can do ring rows and a coach will make sure we do them right.
Here, we know that even if we finish last in the workout, there will still be folks cheering for us. In fact, they’ll probably cheer harder than they did for the first-place finisher. Because CrossFit is about effort, as well as achievement. Go figure, this CrossFit.
And here we know that if it’s been an absolutely horrible, crap-filled day in this world that’s beat us down and made us feel so small, that once we walk through those doors at CrossFit, there’s a friendly face that’s going to give us a hug, teach/beat/rejuvenate us for an hour, and then send us back out the door, tired but with a big smile and a huge sense of accomplishment. And that the day will suddenly feel better and we’ll have strength enough to get up in the morning and do it all over again.
There’s no photo that can show all those images, no picture that can capture all those feelings, no words that can easily describe this experience to your friends.
The writer George Sand once said: “The world will know and understand me someday. But if that day does not arrive, it does not greatly matter. I shall have opened the way for other women.”
The world will know and understand CrossFit someday. But if that day does not arrive, it does not greatly matter. We’ll have opened the way for everyone.
Now get your butt into CrossFit today. Do work. Be proud of your effort. CrossFit.
