Last year we wrote an article on what CrossFit is, now let’s focus on what it
isn’t. We’ve all heard many things about CrossFit, both good and bad. As
someone who’s been doing CrossFit for a decade—and an owner of 2 gyms—
I myself have heard it all. These are 3 of the most prevalent.
One of the biggest misconceptions is
that CrossFit is dangerous. There is
an inherent risk to everything we do in
life. When there are millions of people
across the world doing CrossFit each
day, there are bound to be mishaps.
But this can be said for any and every
activity. The more people who play
soccer, the more people who drive
their cars…in fact, the more people
who do anything, the greater the
chances are of an accident or injury
occurring. Despite this likelihood, we
continue to do these things because
the benefits outweigh the relatively
small risks. Ten years ago my father
tore his meniscus at a YMCA boot
camp. Does this mean that all YMCA
boot camps are dangerous and we
should never go to them again? Of
course not. That could have happened
anywhere. I would say the 30 pounds
he lost that year were well worth the
chance he took on that fateful jumping
jack that day.
Another reason I hear is “I just don’t
have time for it.” This not only applies
to CrossFit, but to any workout. If you
tell me you do not have time to take
care of yourself, you are essentially
saying that it is not important to you.
We make time for the things that are
important to us. There are 24 hours
in a day. Let’s say you sleep 8+ hours
a night (although most Americans
don’t) and work 10 hours a day (many
Americans do). That leaves you with 6
hours. That’s plenty of time to squeeze
in a 30–60 minute workout, and still
spend time with loved ones or pursue
other interests. It’s all about priorities.
“I have to be in shape to start.” If
everyone waited until they were in
great shape, nobody would ever come
to the gym. Someone once said, “If I
was a pastor at a church and someone
wanted to come to a service, would I
tell them to go home and get their life
in order before attending? Absolutely
not.” The gym is no different, and
we all have to start somewhere. The
intimidating part is we often see the
“after” version of people without seeing
them in their “before” state. Many
of our members have lost 20, 50, 70 or
even 100 lbs so far. One of our favorite
quotes is, “Life begins when you step
outside of your comfort zone.” That
couldn’t be more true. Why wait until
tomorrow when you can start today?
Find a local gym, CrossFit, or any kind
for that matter, and just START.
30 COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE DIGEST • JUL–SEP 2019 | WWW.CHDIGEST.COM
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