I’ve always been relatively active from an early age, but like many people I struggled after college to incorporate a healthy amount of exercise into my increasingly busy routine.  This past year, though, I decided to make a promise to myself to prioritize and invest in what matters most – my health. A coworker of mine heard me vent one day about my frustration with my lack of progress in my fitness routine, and suggested I try CrossFit.  To be honest, I had always been a little intimidated by the idea of CrossFit; in my mind, there was no way someone like me would ever be fit enough to handle it, let alone keep up with the other athletes. I protested his suggestion, citing all of my preconceived reservations,  but he corrected me, pointing out that everyone starts somewhere, that it’s about competing with yourself and pushing yourself to do better rather than comparing yourself to other people,  and that he’s never met a more supportive community of people. 

So I did it. I took the plunge, came in for a free class, completed foundations, and signed a membership contract. It was hard – I’m not going to lie about that. My body was more sore than it had been in a long time during those first few weeks, and it was tough for me to accept that I was the last one – by a long shot – to finish most workouts. But my coworker was right about the support, and the warm, friendly, welcoming people I worked out with each class quickly reminded me that it wasn’t being last that mattered – what mattered was I still finished the workout. Overall, what keeps me  excited to come to classes each day is supportive and encouraging people, the awesome coaches that help me find the balance between pushing myself to my limits and ensuring personal safety and good form, the variety of movements that keep me from getting bored, and the fact that I can consistently measure my progress, even with just the smallest of milestones. 

The most noticeable accomplishment by far is that I’ve lost 20lbs. For me, though, as awesome as that physical change is, it isn’t my only accomplishment. I’m happier and more comfortable in my skin, I feel healthier and have so much more energy than I did before, and I’m learning to listen to and understand what my body is telling me – both from a exercise and a diet perspective. Perhaps the biggest shift of all, though, has been in my mindset – the amazing coaches at CrossFit Route 7 have been instrumental in helping me with that. I previously felt guilty about eating ‘badly’ or not working out, and I was constantly beating myself up mentally for not being fit enough or healthy enough or ‘good enough’. Since starting CrossFit, I’ve learned to celebrate my accomplishments for what they are, instead of what they’re not. I’ve learned that it’s not about feeling guilty, it’s about wanting to feel the good, clean energy from eating healthy, and that rush after an awesome workout. Am I finishing the workout to the best of my ability? Am I challenging myself to increase intensity? Am I making progress? If my answer to any of these questions is yes, I walk out of the gym proud after each workout, happy with who and where I am in my journey towards a healthier me. 

The idea of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro came out of a gathering with my college buddies last year in Tahoe. At that point I looked at the whole process of getting ready physically and mentally as part of the journey. None of us had any previous mountaineering experience beyond day hikes and a few camping trips years ago. But Kili is a manageable climb that doesn’t require ropes, ladders or technical skills. It just requires that you keep going up – to the thin air of 19,341 feet which is the highest point in Africa.

Altitude is probably the biggest challenge and there isn’t much that can be done to prepare for that. Altitude sickness can affect anyone regardless of fitness level, including one person from our party who had to go back down early. But I also knew that it would be a lot of time on my feet 0n uneven terrain with a pack in unpredictable weather. So to prepare as much as I could, I joined CrossFit to add strength, range of motion and stamina that I wasn’t getting from the road cycling that I’d been doing for years.

One memory from the climb stands out.  After five days of climbing, on the morning of the push to the summit, we started at midnight to get there at the optimal time shortly after sunrise. We were on an extremely steep section, in the pitch dark, grinding up a seemingly endless number of switchbacks for about 3,000 feet of elevation gain. It seemed like it would never end. I remember at that time channeling my WOD survival mentality to just keep moving, and giving myself a little cheer at every switchback with a push to the next one. Mental toughness!! Eventually we were at the top.

So thank you to BJ and all of the coaches for pushing me along, especially when I was recovering from a fractured ankle in the spring and having to modify everything. I just needed to keep moving to get to the top.  And I plan to keep involved in CrossFit because the muscle development and resiliency it gave me could come in handy for the next life challenge!

It’s been just over a year since I first started with CrossFit and I am pleasantly surprised that I am still working out and in fact look forward to the next WOD. I had tried various places and plans to work out but always used to drop out or get injured and quit.

This time it is different and it is all thanks to the community at CFR7 and more importantly the excellent coaching staff. The moral support that the community provides has allowed me to come back week after week and the personal attention of the coaching staff has helped me scale everything to my fitness level and stay away from major injuries.

I am specially thankful to have Coach Mike as a part of the coaching staff. He has been instrumental in my personal progression in the past few months. Some of the key changes that he helped me make were very simple but very important:

1. Shoes – I used to wear running shoes that were affecting my stability and posture. Mike identified the issue and had me try different shoes that helped me improve on my stability and also feel comfortable during other movements.
2. Diet – Being raised in India, my regular diet  is different than what is regularly recommended. Mike actually took the time after a class to speak to a group of us (mostly Indians) to help us understand how we can adjust our diet to get the best results.
3. Scaling – I have had a kidney surgery when I was young and hence I am slower than most. Mike again understood my limitations and has scaled most of the WODs to fit my needs.. I have also seen him do the same for a lot of others members of the gym.

The best part about Coach Mike is that he does not make it easy for anyone. He pushes us to our limits while making sure we bend but do not break.

So a BIG THANKS again to CFR7 coaches and community! I am not the best athlete but that doesn’t matter as I am certainly a much better version of myself from last year! The only decision I made was to show up consistently and everything else was taken care of by the great team at CRF7!