The final thing I want to share that is healing at CrossFit is this one:
We are present. For one hour. To each other, and to ourselves, and to the task at hand.
Presence means showing up fully. And showing up is hard work. There are so many ways to hide in our modern lives. You can hide at home: on your screens, facedown in a bowl of [insert ultra processed food here] or in one of infinite bottles of alcohol, or whatever substance or behavior you turn to for coping. You don't get to hide at CrossFit. There's no anonymity here. Your peers know your name, where you're from, what your story is, and what you came here for. (I love this question: "What did you come here for?" - credit to my wise, wonderful yoga teacher Jen.)
Showing up, over and over, is a commitment to yourself. It's a commitment because it binds who you say you are with who you are, and you start to believe that you are actually an athlete, you are actually part of this community and family. It is liberating to throw away your phone for an hour and stay committed to the work written out on the board. I'll be honest, for several years after starting, I'd dread what was written for me to do. About half of the movements felt completely impossible, and my mindset around CrossFit echoed that - I viewed the workout of the day as something I had to force myself to slog through. Changing my mindset happened because of teaching #2 (I am loved and accepted exactly as I am here, in whatever state I show up in that day), and I started to think creatively about how to make the workout of the day work for me and my body. Not to take the "easy" way out, but to take the journey that made sense for me. I learned to celebrate the courage it takes to show up, no matter what that day had thrown at me, and figure out the best way to train for the next sixty minutes.
Carving out this hour of the day takes commitment that also sets healthy boundaries. Working out first thing in the morning taught me that I don't really want to drink the night before. That set a very healthy boundary for me when I was in college, and the norm was to get social connection in over drinks late at night, with gossip and reinforcement of values that didn't actually align with me (who are you dating? what are you wearing?). Instead, I went to bed sober and early, and woke up to start my day with a family that cared about me, not about who I was dating, what I looked like, or what score I'd received on my recent exam.
I am so grateful to CrossFit for the healing it's given me, and I also know this journey is lifelong. I need these teachings regularly. I need to be pulled out of this consumer-culture, hustle, screen-filled world and be reminded of the tangible, real people and real work that exists in the gym. The work that doesn't have shortcuts. The work that isn't bought - it's earned. Being a part of this community is the real reward (though I won't complain about the amazing side effects on my mood, metabolic health, and strength too).
