It’s the best story you could ever tell. You tried CrossFit, fell in love with everything: the methodology, the coaches (thank you, guys!) and your fellow athletes at the gym. You can’t stop having enough of that very real sensation of being stronger than the previous day, because, hey, new clean and jerk PR! Sure, you’re sore, but you already know that soreness is weakness and excess fat screaming as they die within you. You want all of your friends and relatives to come and experience it, because you know it: you haven’t been and felt fitter in your entire life.
And, suddenly, you stopped.
It’s more common than you think, actually. Life happens. Maybe some unexpected events overwhelmed us. Time and resources constraints are real. But the result is the same. We end up giving up one of the things that made us feel better than ever. If this is you right now, here are some ideas to get you back on track again:
- Don’t drown yourself in guilt. The whole idea here is not being too judgemental on yourself. Maybe you feel your own reasons for stopping training were not as valid or real now that you give them a second thought. Don’t feel embarrassed or guilty about it. The good part is, you have a chance to be sincere to yourself.
- Ask yourself how you feel without training. Do you actually feel better without any exercise, or without having to think on your nutrition? Are you feeling alright with the amount, frequency or effectiveness of the actual physical activity you are doing these days?
- Think about why you started training in the first place. Maybe it was a need for change, of maybe it was for pure fun. Maybe you wanted to challenge yourself, to prove you could do stuff others deem impossible, or maybe it was the need to look and feel healthier. Aren’t those need still within you?
- Recount your achievements. Do you remember the first time you learned to do a proper snatch? What about that time you beat the fear of jumping or stepping on top of a wooden box, or when you lifted a crazy amount of weight you never thought you could on a deadlift? Can you recall thinking you weren’t able to finish a workout and then finishing it nevertheless? How did those achievements make you feel?
- Talk to your coaches. I’ve always said it. Most people don’t know what they’re capable of because no one tells them! Come to our Preston gym and talk to us. Where others would say you can’t do something in CrossFit, we’ll tell you how you can! After all, you have experienced it before, haven’t you?
Circumstances can make us get away of what we love and need. But we prove ourselves stronger each time we overcome those circumstances and take back control over our lives. You know where to find the help to do it.
Julio Gutierrez