I decided that New Year's Day was a perfect day to sit down and put this little reflection/testimony in writing since it was 3 years ago on New Years that I made a resolution that I needed to make a commitment to improving my physical fitness for a few reasons. #1- I had absolutely no endurance, not even for everyday activities, like giving my 2 little nephews more than one piggyback ride at a time before I was exclaiming, "Aunt Dawn needs a rest!" #2- I had gradually been increasing my pants size and slowly been creeping up in weight. Genetics makes me prone to the ever despised "saddlebags" on the thighs and I was not happy seeing these developing. #3 (or the final straw) - I had NO grip strength. Being a former setter in volleyball, grip strength had never been an issue for me. But the simple task of opening jars had become a challenge for me. Living alone, I had no one to ask to open them for me. Very frustrating for this independent girl!!
In January of 2011, I was not doing any sort of regular, consistent fitness plan, only an occasional jaunt on my treadmill or a P90X session with my friend, Debbie, in her basement. Through recent a chance meeting around that time, Debbie was introduced to Rhyan and Lisa. This got her started in CrossFit and then her inviting me to tag along. It was perfect timing considering the resolution that I had just made a few weeks prior to that. According to my log book, my first recorded WOD (Tabata Squats) was on January 24, 2011... and my life has been forever changed! And here's how...
#1 - I have more endurance than before. I can actually do everyday activities without quickly getting winded. I was at a wedding reception awhile back and was dancing non-stop. Some non-CF friends commented that if that is what CrossFit does for your energy level then maybe they should try it.
#2 - All my old pants are baggy on me. I have had to go down at least 2 pant sizes and have dropped 10+ lbs. while at the same time adding a significant amount of muscle, which my massage therapist can attest to. We're still working on the saddlebags, but genetics will not win this battle!!
#3- I have gotten my grip strength back. For me, this was a big challenge since I have small hands to start with but I can open jars now, and I look good doing it too!
In addition to these 3 key changes that got this whole revelation going, I am now stronger than I have ever been in my life and when I compare myself to most others around my age, I feel like I am 10-15 years younger. I am more confident and I just feel better about myself overall. One of the CrossFit quotes is that CrossFit makes you look better naked. And in my opinion, it's true! When you think you look good naked, you feel better about yourself! I finally found a "gym" that I like. I loathe traditional gyms (no offense to those that do). To me they are about as exciting as watching grass grow. The variety of WODs is perfect. We have leg days and we have upper body days, but to me, CF is a much more exciting way of working those muscles. I am eating healthier than ever before. I tend to follow a more "Zone" type diet and try to stick with the 80/20 rule (or eating Zone 80% of the time). This has worked for me. I need my BWs social gatherings on a regular basis for my emotional health so that's my 20, but for the record I have switched to traditional wings with dry seasoning instead of the breaded boneless with the sauce. Even small changes can help!! The final and most significant benefit from becoming a CrossFitter is the CFM family that I have been blessed with. I am not from this area originally so the fact that I have a group of people who genuinely love and care about me here has been the most significant change since becoming a part of CFM. This by far has had the greatest impact on my life, more than you know!
In closing, I would like to say "Thank You, CrossFit Macombies!" CrossFit has changed my life for the better for so many reasons. I am looking forward to what this next year at the box will bring!
Love and Hugs from Donkeykickin' Dawn!!
P. S. To those of you who keep saying "I need to get in shape before I start/return to CrossFit", I say "Nay!" I was NOT in shape so I started with EVERYTHING scaled!! My first Fran was with the 15# bar and doing jumping pull-ups. It took me about a year to do that WOD prescribed. This past year I had finally been doing almost every WOD prescribed, which had been my goal for 2013. Stop the excuses, you don't need to get in shape first, CrossFit will do just that and the more time you put in, the faster that will happen.
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