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Fan Friday!

Here’s a lovely testimonial from one of our favorite 5:45 AM athletes, Anne!  Thanks for your kind words and all of your hard work:

Let’s start with this stunning fact: I am writing a testimonial for a place of exercise.  Never in a million years did I ever think I would do this.  Would want to do this.  Would have any basis upon which to do this.  And for a CrossFit “box” nonetheless!  

Here’s the thing.  I am not a follower, I am not a joiner, I am not a fan of working out.  I rolled my eyes when CrossFit became a thing.  And then I poured myself another glass of wine.  

But of course, life is a journey.  A journey filled with karma that kicks my ass every time I get smug.  So, humbled by my increasing age and decreasing metabolism, I started looking around for some thing, some person, some place that would help me get my failing physical strength where I knew I needed it to be to have the kind of life I wanted.

I saw a couple of websites for CrossFit in the area.  Thinking it was completely unrealistic for a person with no physical strength and a total lack of gym familiarity to start with an intense program like CrossFit (besides which, I am not giving up wine or eating like a caveman at this point in my life), I skipped right over those sites.  Everyone on them looked too young, too enthusiastic, and too bulky for me.  But I noticed on the CrossFit Woodshed site that personal training was an option.  This, maybe I could do.  So I sent out an email.

Soon after, I received a long, stunningly mindful, genuine response from Justin Keane, the owner of CrossFit Woodshed.  He discussed his philosophy of life, the Woodshed’s approach to CrossFit, and the many ways in which he, and the other trainers, would be willing to help me get me where I wanted to go.  Honestly, his email was so thoughtful, I felt compelled to make an appointment with him.  Within minutes of stepping into the Woodshed and talking to Justin, I knew I had found a safe place to push myself.

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Anne and the rest of the 5:45 in “Thriller” mode for Halloween.

I’ve been a member of the Woodshed for a year and a half.  I worked with trainer Alicia MacDonald for weeks at the beginning doing a slow but steady on-ramp program that gave me a familiarity with the equipment, with the class setups, and with my own physicality.  But the real eye opener came when I began the classes.  It wasn’t the arduousness of the workouts that took me by surprise – Alicia was amazing and her on-ramp program had prepared me well for that.  It was the unconditional support and encouragement of other members in class that took my breath away.  

At every turn, for months while my confidence slowly built in response, other Woodshed members urged me on.  Not in a scary “we’re all lifting hundreds of pounds so you should too” way, or in a demeaning “look how cute you are struggling to lift those tiny weights” way.  Rather, they each told me stories of how they started exactly where I was (I couldn’t lift the 45 pound bar when I began).  They shared tips about what worked for them.  And, most importantly, they reminded me daily that going at my own steady pace would get me farther than pushing myself to the point of breaking.  Everyone in the Woodshed works with different amounts of weight.  And no one is looking at what anyone else is lifting.  There’s no judgment, no competition.  We’re working together toward our own individual goals and we “lift” each other up as we go.  It’s a community of thinking people striving for a balanced life.

So, in the end, the Woodshed isn’t just a place where I’ve gotten physically stronger.  It’s a haven – a dirty, rustic, sweaty box where I have evolved into a happy, grounded, warrior.  Bring it on, karma – I’m going to kick your ass right back!  

Anne

 

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