I started CrossFit in November of 2015 and although I haven’t had the chance to go often because my gym is in my home town, it has been one of the best things I have chosen to do. CrossFit is about the physical aspect of getting healthy, but it is also about the family and bonding that comes with the sport. People who do CrossFit are not just a community of athletes, but are also family.
CrossFit is a mental game. You may not want to go that day but getting yourself there is one of the biggest accomplishments you can make. CrossFit is like any gym in the fact that not many of us wish to go. It is a necessary evil so that we can stay healthy for the future. Knowing this doesn’t make it easier though. The mental game it plays is one that will benefit you forever. You are doing something you don’t want to but it helps you in the long run. This helps you know that you can do anything even when you don’t necessarily feel like it. I know when I am home I never feel like going and if I don’t go to the morning class there is no way I am pushing myself later to go. The people around you are the ones that help get you there. CrossFit has become a family activity in my house. My mom and dad go when they have the time after work, my sister went this summer, and I go whenever I am home. CrossFit is something that we all share and love to talk about.
CrossFit hasn’t just brought my family together, but has started a family in and of itself in the gym. When I asked people in my gym to describe CrossFit, I got many similar answers.
“CrossFit is a community of diverse athletes from all ages and with varied skills,” Jill Vondrasek said, “We stretch our mental capacity and discover our physical strength.”
Many people have told me that CrossFit has given them and their loved ones a common activity to do together. The people in this gym stay to support you in the worst and best times of your life. They are there when you need emotional, physical, and mental support. These athletes push you to go to the gym, they are there when you need a prayer, they give you a laugh when needed and they push you during a really hard WOD. No one leaves the gym until everyone has finished and when they are done they cheer on those that aren’t.
“We both love the feeling of family at CrossFit Steel Courage. The people there are wonderful, cheer each other on, pray together for those in need and give back to the community,” said athlete Susan Mocny about her and her husband’s experience with the gym.
Family, friends and a great workout is all you can ask for when joining a gym. That is what you get with CrossFit. People have a misconception that this sport is only about competition and intensity. That is a part of it, but isn’t the only thing. I have not once competed against someone in my gym. They push me to do better, but CrossFit is about competing with yourself and not anyone else. If you keep that in mind, you will love the sport as much as I do and everyone I know that has tried it.
