Thursday, August 29, 2013

Reinvention: Fitness

I have been in a journey of self-reinvention. I've always been resistant to change and considering my passive nature, it no longer needs to be said that it takes a lot of inertia-overcoming force to budge me off my current state. However, there are moments in my life that I willfully allow myself to simply just commit, or indulge, or surrender to almost impulsive whims and be unmindful of the consequences. My ex used to say that I need to learn how to be spontaneous, something he himself is learning as well. Spontaneity, the idea scares the heck out of me... but that's another story.

So time came when I felt that urge to change. Like in a lot of personal reinventions, I start out with the one I have most control over, my body. I have been working out for a good number of years now and have fallen victim to a fitness plateau. Despite maintaining a decent size and weight, I have grown bored of my exercise routine. Boredom eventually led to laziness and soon enough I found myself disliking exercising altogether. Thankfully so, a friends post of facebook changed all of that when he sent an invite to try CrossFit.

I honestly have never heard of CrossFit at all. I have, however, in the process of trying to get myself off my fitness slump, been researching on ways to improve my regimen, and for the time being been reading on anaerobic training. I have also been tracking the progress of another friend of mine (who had been generous enough to post selfies of his progress) who had been reaping its benefits. Probably that, and a slowly emerging wave in incorporating HIIT to ones training were the reasons why I decided to give CrossFit a look. The gym, thankfully so, wasn't too far away from where I was working so doing a quick snoop wouldn't be too inconvenient.

Crossfit Insurrecto was different, to say the least. For the most part, the "gym" was empty. No exercise equipment whatsoever except for a few dumbbells, a squat cage and some olympic bars. You basically just walk into to open space with only its members huffing and sweating it out while their coaches holler on. One of the coaches approached me and oriented me as to what CrossFit was all about. I had done my advance reading so I had an idea already but hearing it from a practitioner as well as seeing it first hand was WAY better. I could feel a slow excitement building inside me, almost the same feeling when I tried doing muay thai. I asked if it would be ok if I stayed to watch them workout, just to get a better feel and they graciously agreed.

I can't recall the workout they did that evening when I visited anymore. All I can recall was that it was intense, and the feeling was exhilarating. I signed up for their beginners class the week after. That was more than a year ago and now, I'm still crossfitting.

I initially got attracted to CrossFit because it was geeky. The coaches were well adept in their fields and knew how to instruct, as well as understood why they do what they do. They coach with science to back up their claims and keep things in perspective, that is, CrossFit is about overall FITNESS, and fitness does not discriminate whether you're fat, thin, ugly, pretty, guy, girl, or in between, tall, short, young, old, weak or strong. Fitness is for everyone and everyone should aim to be fit.

I sincerely enjoy my workouts now and have found myself challenging my boundaries, something I have never been comfortable doing since I dislike change. Pushing myself has left a mark on my psyche and, maybe, added some confidence in many departments of my rather undermanned self esteem. I have noticed I have gotten stronger, I am healthier, I feel more sociable, and have truly found a group of like-minded people who not only encourage me, but empower me to do INCREDIBLE things.

I like our mantra "Dig Deep. Finish Strong"

If you guys live n QC, near Tomas Morato and want to give CrossFit a try, here is their website for further info: CrossFit Insurrecto

If you guys live in Makati, however. You could try CrossFit Mad Minute too. FYI, I did the interior design for the place (shameless plug. LOL)

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