Thursday, July 2 2020

In hindsight it is a funny realization - a lot of out of shape people really don’t think they are in that bad of shape. 
Looking back five years ago I was one of them and my story was quite common - “I just need to drop a few pounds”, “I’ll just eat a little less and that will do the trick”, “I will go to the gym and jump on one of those machines for a while; that counts as exercise”, “you get slower and things hurt as you get older”.
It’s human nature; we are what we tell ourselves. 

Reality started to hit home for me about year 40. The weight kept adding up, no real thought to anything I was eating, I wasn’t able to ride a bike with my son for more than a little while without stopping, my joints hurt while dancing with my young daughters in the living room, more often I woke up feeling tired and creaky. 
Even with all of those facts staring at me each morning in the mirror, the smart logical person in me wasn’t looking for a change and why would I be, in my mind I was fine, just aging gracefully and accepting it all as part of the process. But change found me and it can find you as well. 

A friend I hadn’t seen in a while with a newly transformed body told me to go meet these guys at CrossFit Amplitude. No clue what it was, what was in store, I just went on faith and the belief that it had to be better than what I was currently doing. Taking this step, this simple “tell me more” step was harder than any workout I have experienced in the five years since and I think it is what keeps so many folks away and keeps us that have found this improved lifestyle continually talking about it to others in hopes they will take that step. New commitments to middle-aged people don’t come easy. 

There are no shortcuts, fad diets, or machines.….you may have tried some of them before. CrossFit is hard work, its fundamental basic movements, its safe, it works, it will make you fit as a fiddle, and it will improve your life and may even save it.

I have been a member of CrossFit Amplitude for 5 years. By the end of the first 6 months, I had dropped all the weight; it was 45 lbs. for me. By the end of the first year I was a pretty fit guy, ran my first 5K, 10k, a Spartan run, my first Triathlon and did a half-marathon. I learned about mobility and what makes my body move correctly, was being challenged mentally to push myself and beginning to see food as a fuel and not entertainment. All good stuff but most importantly I was a healthier person with better blood work, a better attitude and a pretty good example to my kids. This stuff will resonate through-out your home and it will stick to everyone at a certain level. 

I have returned to CrossFit Amplitude day after day for 5-years now mostly because it is a way of life and it is led by three family men who love their clients, are experts in what they do and want to invest in you as a person, keep you safe and keep you learning. It is comprised of a community of people who have a very similar story to mine and who all are just folks who want to do better today than yesterday and just honestly enjoy being around each other. The community is the secret to any good CrossFit location and in this place you are welcome and accepted for whom you are today and know how much better you will be tomorrow.