"Great new group of friends"
I started at the gym around 2012 or so. a resident of mine mentioned that he thought the crossfit thing was cool and was kinda competitive. I started out slowly over the summer that year, but in the fall i was diagnosed with depression. it was combination of a lot of things, including work and baby on the way. I had worked my way up to 3-4 times a week and I remember telling my therapist at the time that I may be addicted to going to the gym and maybe I should cut back. She emphatically said ‘NO!’ She was right because the gym gave me social scaffolding and purpose that helped immensely during that rough period. This is in addition to feeling better and providing a framework for my overall health goals. I started to eat better, get stronger, and feel more emotionally sound. Crossfit helped me restructure my whole life around my personal fitness. This, I’ve found, is the best way for me to care for others at home and in my day job. It’s been about 10 years or so and I’ve had a lot of coaches, but I’m in unquestionably the best shape of my life in my 40’s. My time with my kids is about fun and I almost never have to think about fitness in trying something new or doing something with them. I have a great new group of friends who care about me and want all of the same things I do. It’d be so hard to stop crossfit now…so I won’t.