Functional fitness is bae.
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We recently asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to how CrossFit has changed their lives. Here’s what they said:
It makes you actually want to work out.
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I went from not going to the gym to going five days a week, week after week. I’m stronger and I show myself that I can accomplish anything I put my mind to. —
It turns you into a weightlifter.
Crossfit turned me into a confident, lean, mean, lifting machine. And the feeling of accomplishment when you’re done is incredible. —
It’s more interesting than the same old gym routine.
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It has given me a fun and alternative routine [as] opposed to the normal gym with machines and free weights. I can lift more weight than I ever thought I would, flexibility/mobility has increased and I gained 10 lbs. but I have defined muscles, flat abs, and less body fat. —
Your body actually feels healthier.
I started CrossFit two years ago and it’s been the best two years of my life. As I have scoliosis, my back was always my… main concern. As I went through it all, my back is much stronger, am able to deadlift two times my bodyweight and am proud of my achievements. —
You fall in love with crushing tough workouts.
I never liked working out before. Now I am obsessed. I can take on challenges mentally now that I could never do before. I am stronger physically. And the amazing people who lift you up along the way are the real bonus. —
Shared suffering brings people together.
There are always high fives and back slaps because everyone just went through the same tough workout. I look forward to each and every day I have the privilege to workout at CrossFit Eden Prairie. —
You realize it’s boss to be strong AF.
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I love seeing the things my body is capable of doing and seeing the changes in my physique. CrossFit made me understand that there’s no link between muscularity and femininity. I feel strong, I feel empowered, and I feel like I can take on anything. —
You learn things about your body and movement that you never knew.
My form and understanding of the mechanics of my body have improved greatly. These are huge accomplishments for me. —
You say goodbye to low self-esteem.
A year and a half ago, my self esteem was zero. I was a shy 23-year old girl, that didn’t think very highly of myself… For the first time in my entire life, I was proud of my body… I adore and love my CrossFit family, my trainers and especially myself. Wow, that’s something I’ve never been able to say,: I love myself, I love my body. —
You feel like a freaking superhero.
I was always the last one in the pack. I didn’t have any endurance, and I was the one everyone always had to stop and wait for. I hated that feeling. When I was doing CrossFit I felt strong… I wasn’t, and still am not the best to be sure, but I have more stamina, more endurance. When I play sports, I at least can keep up, and I love that. :) —
You can’t be bothered to obsess about the scale anymore.
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I used to feel satisfied when I saw numbers dropping on the scale, but now I feel unimaginable accomplishment when a WOD leaves me flat on my ass, and the only numbers I’m concerned with are the ones that I’m eyeing up on that bar before I clean it. CrossFit has taught me that my strong hips and thighs are perfect for squatting, and that strong is beautiful. —
Your workout buddies become your best friends.
The people that I have met through CrossFit are all incredible and supportive, the community is just one of the many things that keeps me coming back day after day. Going to the box is one of the things I look forward to at the end of the day. I can’t imagine not doing CrossFit. —
You find yourself actually wanting to work harder in a workout.
Watching the results it has given me, makes me keep working harder and harder every day. I have never been athletic, I’m not good at sports but when I joined CrossFit it made me feel like I could do it and even though I’m not the fastest or stronger I’m determined to get better at it. —
It leaves you feeling invincible.
What keeps me wanting to go back is that sense of accomplishment that comes after completing a tough WOD that you were CERTAIN was probably going to kill you (or just leave you for dead). —
You get as tough mentally as you do physically.
CrossFit lets you overcome the doubt in your head, both in and out of the box. It teaches you a mental strength you never realized you possessed. And everyday after you walk out, barely able to walk and swearing you’ll never do it again, this same strength brings you back the next day, ready to go… —
It makes you want to crush — and congratulate — your opponents.
It makes you be competitive and at the same time happy for everyone else’s achievements. Makes you feel strong, and you finally know what your muscles are. — Nathalia Soza Aguila
Your swagger levels rise.
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CrossFit makes me feel strong and confident. — Avery Koch, Facebook
It focuses you on the workout, not the calorie-counting.
CrossFit has been the most important thing I have done for myself to heal from my eating disorder. I was always an athlete growing up but the gym was always full of people talking about the new fad diet or obsessing over how their thighs still touched. At my box there is none of that. We come in together, sweat and talk about our lives, support each other and then do it again the next day. No more counting calories, no more worrying about my body changing. Just me, the clock, and the WOD. — Jade Goldy, Facebook
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Note: Answers have been edited and condensed for length.
