Crossfit, I always wanted to go hardcore into it but I always held myself back. Why? Well it’s a four letter “F” word that steals hopes and dreams and futures, it’s the worst thing. FEAR.  I was afraid I’d suck (which makes NO sense since I’m not a complete stranger to many of the exercises), I was intimidated about going to a new gym, with new people I didn’t know, I was afraid of being judged, I was afraid that my blood sugars would go INSANE, that my pump would irritate the crap out of me while I worked out and that I’d rip my dex off my arm.

So what did I do?  I made EXCUSES.  Big fat excuses, “the box is too far away!” “it costs too much money,” and the list continued.  Luckily, I have a group of T1 friends that have continued to show how awesome the community is and I have a local friend that kept inviting me to come try it out.  When Jen texted me saying that she was going to a Tuesday class at noon, my first thought was, “what excuse can I come up with so I don’t have to go?” LAME. I know!  But there was fear again.  I told fear to go crawl back into the hole it came from and I texted Jen back, “I’ll be there if you are!”

I rolled up to the box, nervous, anxious and all the way there I was praying to have a good experience.  As soon as I walked in you know what happened? I felt AT HOME! Yup, at home, in a place I’d never been in before.  I was warmly welcomed in a way I’ve NEVER experienced in another gym and I’ve worked in 2 myself and been a member at 2 others.  The coach explained everything with the workout, made me feel confident in what I was doing, helped when I needed it, praised when I did well and the community encouraged me through my very first Metcon.

Oh and did I mention how kid friendly this was. Now I can’t say every box will be like this but to know I could bring my little one (eventually when we have one) in their carseat and that no one would think I was crazy was AWESOME!  I know that so many women unfortunately have to deal with childcare issues and that’s a barrier to get back to the gym.

After the WOD everyone hung out together, caught up, ate, etc.  It was like I was back in high school or college after soccer practice or before a game, everyone hanging out together.  Community is a huge piece of Crossfit.

It didn’t take me very long to decide that I was buying myself a birthday present a week early.  A membership to the box for at least 3 months so I could re-harness my inner athlete…which I’ve been missing so INCREDIBLY bad! I missed the athletic community, I missed heavy lifting, I missed feeling like a badass, I missed the confidence that lifting gave me, I missed competing.

After I left, all I could literally think about were two things; WHY HAD I WAITED SO LONG? and hurry up Thursday because I can’t wait to go again! Call me a weirdo, call me obsessed, but I haven’t felt that way about my workouts in a L.O.N.G. time. I was hooked, it was love at first lift.

Oh and for my diatribe, how were my blood sugars? Tuesday they stayed pretty flat and in range.  I did wear my pump through both sessions and kept a normal basal going.  On Thursday, things were a little more intense and I did land at 150 post workout but came back down fairly quickly.  I’d call it a win.  I will say, with t1 staying on top of your numbers during ANY workout is key to optimal control. I do a finger stick before and after and if I see my dex graph changing during the workout I’ll stick then as well and adjust as needed. As far as where I wore my pump, I clipped it the first day to the strap of my tank and the second day to the back of my tank between my shoulder blades.  (see pic)

So the lesson I hope you can take away from this is, don’t let fear hold you back from ANYTHING in life.  Letting fear win will only steal amazing experiences from your life. Stop making excuses.  If you want something bad enough you’ll find a way to make it work.  And don’t judge something until you actually go experience it.

Now it’s your turn, what can you overcome this week and tell fear to take a hike on? Leave me a comment!!! I’d love to hear all about it!

xoxo,

Dorothy