Jenny started CrossFit after months of feeling emotionally and physically “in a rut” and was desperately seeking a change. Physically, she had just put her body through an extreme change and was struggling with body image issues. “I hated how I looked,” she says. Her anxiety was through the roof and since switching to work from home, she honestly didn’t leave the house or talk to anyone that wasn’t through a computer monitor.
“I needed a community again,” Jenny stated.
Her biggest fear was not knowing what she was doing and failing in front of others, but “the coaches are a game changer,” she continues. “It’s either by steady and patient instruction or giving you that shot of motivation when you’re on the fence about your abilities. They’re your biggest ally, cheerleader, and teacher for every workout.”
“The biggest change I’ve noticed in myself is how HEALTHY I feel. I FEEL stronger.” She said people would assume that with her body style that she was skinny, so nothing was wrong. In reality, she was struggling to keep food down after gallbladder issues/surgery. She had dropped 50+ pounds in less than 6 months. “I effectively had an eating disorder, if I’m real about it,” she says. “I was terrified each meal would cause another 5-6 hours of an extreme nausea battle. And after having two kids, skinny was okay, that was the ideal, right?” The doctors didn’t seem concerned with that Jenny couldn’t hold more than 2 meals a day down after surgery. “For awhile, I couldn’t make myself eat. I was eating maybe once a day, and barely. I was fine with not eating, since not eating didn’t make me sick.”
I asked her if she could give herself any advice when starting CrossFit, what would it be. She said “be the hardest worker in the room. That doesn’t mean to RX, it means working on those movements. Making gains isn’t just limited to lifting heavier, but mastering the little things too!”
“I’m a better person after I’ve worked out. If the day has just gotten to be too much, I head to the gym and imagine that frustration as I’m working out. It helps me control my anxiety levels and I was able to cut my anxiety medication dosage to minimal.” A year ago, before CrossFit, she was asking for an increase because her anxiety felt uncontrollable. “My last check-in with my doctors was a few weeks ago, and she mentioned how much better I looked and sounded.”
“The last 9 months have been honestly more fun than I expected. You can’t beat the vibe when you walk in and you hear the camaraderie and banter. The community of not just coaches, but other athletes – it’s like Cheers. CrossFit has a way of sucking you in and suddenly you’re wearing NoBulls and talking about the next WOD.”
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Thank you, Jenny, for sharing your story!