You’re not going to the gym again, are you?! Do you ever take a rest day? Would you ever just go home and sit on the couch?
It’s coming to the end of 2017 and many people will be sitting down to plan out their goals and resolutions for 2018. With that in mind, I thought it would be an ideal time to sit down and put pen to paper about why I love training and how I got into it, well, in reality, fingers to keyboard – but you get the picture!
At the beginning of 2014, my New Years resolution very quickly became a total change in lifestyle and sparked a love for weightlifting and CrossFit that I could never have imagined. (oh and cooking of course!) Not one to do things by halves, on the 7th of January 2014, I woke up – decided today was the day – began eating paleo and went to my first trial CrossFit class. My original plan was to go once that week and then sign up from the following week but in reality, I went 3 times that week and every week for the rest of the year!
Working out is an integral part of who I am, there is nothing quite like the feeling you get after giving it your all on the gym floor. Growing up I would have never considered myself a sporty person, while I was at school I played hockey, sailed and did a lot of dancing but I was of the opinion that the gym was not something that I would enjoy and weights definitely made you bulky.
So what is CrossFit and why do you do it?
CrossFit in its purest form is a workout done either on your own or as a group of people. CrossFit as a company release workouts on their website every day. It’s simple programming designed to bring intensity, and let me tell you it does get intense!
The biggest draw to CrossFit for me is that it is not just fitness it’s a community, I have made some amazing friends down in CrossFit353 and as the lads put it;
“Like minded, fun, ridey (new word we made up) people all throwing down every day. It’s always easier to suffer together, the people are what makes 353 so special.”
The friendly competition motivates me like nothing else. Whether you’re competing with your own previous score or chasing a friend in class, you will be shocked how much fun this makes working out. CrossFit awakes something inside of you and the feeling is addictive and amazing. There will always be certain elements that I am better at than others, I love burpees and would gladly do a WOD of max burpees but do not ask me to attempt a handstand walk it will be dangerous for all involved! The fact that no matter how good you get you can always get better is what keeps me coming back for more.
On a good week, my schedule looks like this:
Monday – Thursday CrossFit353
Friday, Saturday & Sunday S&C training
(Of course, there are times when other things get in the way but 90% of the time, if not more, this is what my week looks like.)
My weekend sessions are slightly sacred, I go by myself, plug into a killer Spotify playlist and give it my all. My friend Claire has the most amazing playlist that you can get here, if it doesn’t motivate you to do that extra rep or go a little harder I honestly don’t know what will! At the weekends I like to work on different movements and try to increase my olympic lifts. My favourite time to train is Sunday evening, I normally go at about 7/8pm it sets you up for a fantastic week ahead.
The results you see from Crossfit and working out in general transfer to all aspects of life. The confidence that it delivers will allow you to do things you never thought possible. Not only will you feel better physically, but most people notice changes in all aspects of their lives, from work productivity to relationships with their loved ones.
So if you’re thinking about getting more active in 2018 here are a few things you can expect to happen:
- Meet amazing like-minded people
- Reduce your stress levels, no matter how bad your day has been a killer WOD will fix it!
- Boost your confidence, both body confidence and confidence in yourself as a person
- Improve both your physical and mental health
- Step out of your comfort zone, intensity is good for you!
