From Obsession to Freedom: Letting Go, Trusting the Process, and Letting Fitness Support Your Life

One of my favorite things about CrossFit is the efficiency in the programming. You get so much fitness from even just a 5 minute workout, and a cornucopia of practice and movement in a 1 hour class. Making gains does not take a whole lot of time and you do not need to dedicate your life to the cause. Even though I 100% believe it, this took me a while to understand in my personal journey… 

The concept that I am working on my fitness to live, I am not living to be fit was hard for me to find at first. When I found CrossFit (and for a couple years after) I was dedicating multiple hours a day and a whole lot of mental space to fitness. Not only was I training a lot, if I wasn’t, I was thinking about it or thinking about my nutrition or how I was going to get a workout in on vacation etc etc..  It was taking control of my ability to live. 

Part of this was my obsessive personality, part was because I truly truly love it so much, but a lot had to do with my mistrust in my ability to stay consistent. I was afraid if I let go of the reins, I would loose gains, or stall my progress. Have you ever felt like that? I think this is a common fear among people, especially if you had to work really hard to change your mindset and habits to become healthier. It can be hard to let go and let the process process. 

I think what we do here at THE BAR is the most efficient form of fitness. We can have total confidence that our hour a day and varying movements, goals, and intensities are leading us down a path towards better fitness. It doesn’t have to be a second thought. I have grown to understand that even further than that, consistency doesn’t necessarily mean the same every day. It doesn’t mean you have to up the anti every workout or keep the line progressing higher. Whether you are moving for 1 hour a day or 15 minutes, 7 times a week or 3-5, you are staying consistent. You are improving even if your PR didn’t happen that day or your mile time was much lower, or your movement felt slow and sloppy. 

Remember, you are here to live better. We are in it for the long haul. What we do now is investing in our health and wellness later. Our independence, ability to move, think, and play longer. All you need to do is keep showing up, let the program work for you, and trust in the process.