Well hello there, my name is Elly and I love CrossFit. My tale is like most others you have read. I wanted to better myself and get more in shape but hadn’t been able to do so on my own.
I was always active in high school and college, participating in Track and Cross Country. I loved the team atmosphere and social side of working out.
After college, I stayed active but was finding it harder to stay motivated – especially when it came to strength training. My workouts started to plateau or decline. I had tried lifting before and thought it was not for me. So I ran and ran, and, when that got boring, I ran up hill.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t really seeing or feeling the results I wanted. Something was missing. Then at the end of 2015 I found CrossFit, specifically the wonderful world of CrossFit Recursive.
I had heard of CrossFit before but never thought it was for me or something I would grow to love. I was a runner! I did cross country and track; I don’t lift and do gymnastics… Not just I don’t but I can’t. Right?
I have never been so happy to be wrong. The first day I walked into CrossFit Recursive Coach Vivian greeted me with so much excitement and spunk that it was almost a physical sensation. She had a lot of coffee that day. We talked and, by the end, I thought I was already a part of the gym the way Viv joked around and chatted with me like she already knew me.
At the beginning, I would come to the gym with my head down thinking this was like any other workout spot – you come in, lace up, work out, and go home. At other gyms I went to, you were there to work out, not hang out. Again I was wrong.
Everyone greeted me and wanted to get to know the new member of their community. That right there is what told me this was going to be different and that I was never going to leave.
The community, friendship, and support of Recursive is what I love. Sure the workouts are great, and I am hands down in the best shape of my life, but what has me coming back time after time is the people.
I will be moving soon to a new house (in Waunakee) and my friend asked if I was going to find a new CrossFit gym…. “Why would I” was my reply. I never even thought about it.
There might be a gym closer but it is not MY gym. I have been a part of the Recursive family for just over a year now and couldn’t imagine a better place to work out. I’m staying in shape, achieving new goals, watching others improve and succeed and all while meeting new people and making friendships.
Like many people, I have struggled for a long time with body image issues and self-confidence. The CrossFit workouts and sense of community have been a huge help in working to overcome those problems.
Some of those demons may never go away, but I will continue to fight them into silence and submission with my successes at CrossFit. For every handstand pushup and PR, they get a little quieter. The feeling of setting the next goal and having the coaches and my fellow members cheering me on is exhilarating.
I am thankful every day to the community and support this gym has created with its members. It has helped me to try new things and push myself harder in my workouts. I love showing up for class and always leave happier and stronger. It is another home. So thanks for reading and I will see you at the box!