Rest day reflections on the crossfit cult!

So many times I hear crossfit referred to as a 'cult' like it is some terrible ominous thing I do, or a place where I worship some dark overlord....

It makes me laugh really and the comparison is not lost on me there is something 'cultish' and addictive about crossfit. We don't have a 'dark overlord'  to worship ( just a few big egos haha) but the community that we have and are part of is definately addictive.

 I know my 'non crossfit' friends are silently rolling their eyes a touch. But I know they must be curious about what is happening inside this private world of fitness that is so amazing. I truly believe it is amazing because over a year into my Crossfit experience, I'm thinner, stronger and faster than ever, even though I'm not where I want to be yet, I have never experienced a sense of achievement and belonging like I do at Crossfit Caloundra..

Looking back, it was more about belonging, than anything else. Crossfit Caloundra became a place where I felt that I belonged and was equally as 'important' as anyone else there. It was about finding a community (and trainer) that believed in me, when others ( and I)  didn’t. It was about changing my mind about what my body can do, after years of hating what my body was and being 'fake' confident on the outside but never truly believing in myself. I have crossfit to thank for giving me self confidence back.

I could tell you a lot of reasons why I am completely addicted to crossfit after all these months. I could tell you about the "effectiveness of intense constantly varied workouts", my new love of weightlifting, learning gymnastic movements, and of couse, the great bunch of people at our box...

But this is not the main reason why I am addicted to Crossfit. I am addicted to Crossfit because of the confidence it gives me. 

I’m not going to sit here and tell you I love every workout because I don't! I have endured some terrible workouts over the past year and can't imagine a day that I will ever love running and/or burpees! While just the thought of some of these WODs makes me shudder, they are also some of my proudest fitness accomplishments, running my first 800m and doing a 'proper' burpee for the first time.. That’s exactly what CrossFit does for you...whether you finish Fran in 3 minutes or simply finish a slow-burning Hero WOD, or even a scaled version, finishing a workout that you thought impossible gives you with a mental strength and sense of accomplishment that translates into all other areas of life.You leave the box feeling like you can take over the world! You feel empowered and alive! You can equally feel crappy about a 'failed' WOD and this too can empower you by giving you a kick up the butt to make you be humble and think about what you could do differently next time! Love it !

At the end of the day, life is obviously a lot more complicated than sets of burpees and pullups, but like a short, intense WOD, Crossfit reminds us to live in the moment, pace ourselves, push ourselves, and attack each life obstacle as it comes. 

As the weight on the scales and dress sizes have gone down, my confidence has been going up but it's finally become more than that. Confidence means I stand up for myself more, I take less crap from people, I readily give my opinion and expect to not only heard but respected .. I find myself believing that I can do things at the box and in life I never believed before... I've always talked the talk but really feel like now I have the confidence to do whatever I put my mind to. The developing feelings of confidence and self worth is completely addictive and insatiable and had I not stumbled my way into Crossfit Caloundra a year ago I would not be the person I am now...