Here are a few responses that I received:
@_Erin807_ "to be stronger than yesterday; and to be even stronger tomorrow"
@Johnarmstrong "Feel good, be healthy, maintain good blood sugar/cholesterol, weight loss. So many more..."
@tickenz "to get in shape, get stronger, and to get motivated by a great community of athletes!"
@thehoss2555 "to be better than the person who doesn't!!"
Sometimes I feel that the innate pressure that CrossFit creates to compete with yourself and others, to get that PR, to push your body to its limits in the gym, allows for the purpose behind the journey outside the gym to get lost.
Why is it exactly that we do this week in and week out? Why is tooling around on the elliptical not good enough anymore? Why do we pay money to do what can only be described as torture at times?
The short answer?
Because it works.
But it only works if you know what you are working for. What are your goals? To lose weight? To get into shape? To be a better parent/spouse/sibling/son/daughter/co-worker/person? To get strong?
But what does it all mean?
So you want to lose weight. Join the club. But what is the purpose of wanting to lose that weight?
What do you want to do with your body and mind that you couldn't do before?
That is the ultimate question that only you can answer for yourself. And it needs to be answered.
I had a vision of myself and my body that became disproportional to reality. CrossFit has allowed me to change the reality, but I've found that my vision has changed as well. I have higher expectations for what I can do and more importantly what I want to do.
This weekend I went on a hike that I haven't done for a couple years. I remember being self-conscious and embarrassed about how tired and out of shape I was the last time. I remember it being a beautiful day, with great people, on a medium grade hike, and I had an absolutely horrible time.
My vision of my abilities collided abruptly with reality.
This weekend was different. I felt great. I had fun. I enjoyed being surrounded by nature, with the bustle of the city far removed from a beautiful backdrop. I had great conversation. I smiled. I laughed.
I paused for a minute and silently reflected, "this is why I CrossFit."
The feeling was better than any PR that I could have hit; than shooting for a sub-(you pick a number) Fran time.
I push myself to the limit inside the gym so that I can push my limits outside of the gym. This is the secret that CrossFit doesn't tell you. That you have to find out for yourself. That an hour a day can significantly upgrade the other 23.
The mental euphoria of those endorphins flowing through your body transfer to reality. And when your reality changes, your vision changes.
CrossFit is simply a tool to get you to where you want to go. In my opinion, it happens to be one of the most effective tools to get you there. But you ultimately decide the destination.
And while you're getting to where you're going, don't forget to stop and enjoy the journey every once and awhile.
So where are you going? Where is the byproduct of all your hard work going to guide you? What do you want to do with your body that you couldn't do before?
-FBC
Beautiful day and view of the falls.
The pup not used to 90 degree weather.
He slept well that night!
