Today, we have learned to sit still for extended periods, work until 2 am, be polite, and eat packaged foods. When we start to have health problems, we do not tell anyone and pretend to be happy. Then we go to the Doctor, take some pills, and never address the issue that caused us to become ill in the first place. We are spending our lives in denial of who we are. 

Not feeling well on vacation before the hospital and forcing a smile

Looking sexy at the hospital, diagnosed with Vertigo and Fatty Liver Disease 

In the past ten years, I have been exposed to some incredible people and concepts that have changed my life. My key takeaway is that we are physical beings who need to move, lift heavy things, eat whole foods, and be the humans we are. 

This journey began by attempting to climb Boundary Peak in Nevada with my friend Clark Most. I was out of shape, sick, and fat, but I found enjoyment in the physical pain and challenge I encountered. I never reached the top of that mountain, mainly due to concern for my health, especially with the sun setting and needing more equipment. However, it proved that I could push myself physically beyond an artificial limit I had set, and I wanted to test that line more.

Descending Boundary Peak in Nevada

Clark Most and I near the summit

I tried to recapture that feeling by running, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, indoor rock climbing, and obstacle course racing. All these things helped, and I still enjoy doing them, but they never pushed me beyond what I thought I could do. 

It took a long time to find that energy again, but it happened when, through chance, I walked into the CrossFit gym next to my work. Although we cannot climb mountains daily, we can find ways to challenge our minds and bodies. Since starting CrossFit I have transformed my 247lb 36-year-old 6'2" 36" waist (fatty liver-diseased) self and turned out a 200lb, 30" waist, 400-pound dead lifting 38-year-old. 

For me to finally understand what it meant to live a healthy, active life, It took a holistic approach that addressed what it means to be a human animal. Speed, agility, strength, rest, recovery, encouragement and eating must come together simultaneously for things to click.

365 pound deadlift

I feel better, move better, and understand my body better than I have ever in my life.

I even feel a higher level of mental sharpness; being a full-time software designer has greatly benefited me. Before CrossFit, I used to have bouts of cerebral fog, which can only be explained by feeling stoned without being so. After CrossFit and changing my diet, I have never had these moments again.

At the height of my CrossFit obsession, my Grace time (a popular CrossFit benchmark) was a bit over 3 minutes; today, it is over 5. I know how to get my body back to the point of having a 3-minute Grace time and can feel if I am getting stronger or weaker in precise ways. I was never able to do this before training in CrossFit with the excellent trainers and athletes at my gym and using objective measurements occasionally to measure progress via Wodify.A team competition w/Scott and Soji

A team competition w/Scott and Soji

Today, I CrossFit to be better at other things, not just CrossFit. It is not I do not like CrossFit as a sport; there are amazing athletes everywhere, and it is a very supportive and enjoyable community.

But, as of recently, in a further effort to find balance in my life, things like gravel bike racing and triathlons have become things I want to experience. This means I need to train a bit differently and work on other skills and endurance besides CrossFit

Half Marathon finish

Photo courtesy of Bruce Bentley of The Daily News.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Bentley of The Daily News.

Without CrossFit, I would not have the motivation to complete the tough workouts that are at its core. That is the magic of this type of exercise; it mixes natural movement patterns with a culture that rewards the things that benefit humans as the physical beings we are. It creates a space for humans to run, jump, lift, throw, and try to do it better than the person next to them. There are few places where adults can be part of a passionate community interested in movement and health.

Early days of my CrossFit experience

I would have become part of this community and improved it because of the exceptional trainers at the 8th Day Gym in Grand Rapids, MI, CrossFit South Gowen, and Rogue River Crossfit.