Athlete Update – Mike Newswander

As the coach that’s at the box most of the time I get the wonderful opportunity to get to know everyone.  In the process of building these relationships I get to hear a lot of great and exciting things.  Many of you who attend regularly in the mornings may know Mike and those who don’t can check out his athlete profile here.  Mike was kind enough to share some of these same thoughts with me over the past little while, so I asked if he could send it to me in e-mail so that you could all see what 9 months of dedication and hard work on his part has changed his life.  Bottom line there is no quick fix and Mikes living proof of that! 

I have always been an exercise junky. Over the years, I’ve gotten into running, cycling, weight-lifting, and other things. I love the way that exercise can change one’s body and fitness level. Then, a couple of years ago, a guy named Paul told me about something called CrossFit. It took my a while to try it, but now I am hooked. CrossFit has changed my body and my life like no exercise program ever has.

When I started CrossFit, I just wanted to “get in shape.” I was, however, a little nervous. I injured my back about ten years ago and had surgery to fix the problem. I had been very careful about serious exercise since the surgery. I started cautiously, but with the help of great coaches was soon confident in the exercise movements. CrossFit not only got me in shape, but did so much more. I wasn’t trying to lose any weight, but after a few months my belts were all too long. I have lost fat and gained muscle. I am leaner and stronger than I have ever been. My back is stronger and feels better than it ever has.

CrossFit has changed the way I eat. I don’t follow any specific diet plan, but I am more aware and careful about what I put into my body. It seems that there’s little voice that tells me, “You sure worked hard this morning. Don’t wreck it by eating that.” My body seems to crave good food and lots of water. My body now lets me know when I’ve eaten junk and motivates me not to do it again.

The variety and uniqueness of the workouts keep me motivated and excited. More than once I have gone to do a workout on a rest day just because the workout was so intriguing that I had to try it (Death by Burpees, for example).

I love to track my workouts and see my performance change and improve. It is extremely exciting to do a workout more quickly, to lift something a little heavier, to run a little faster and with CrossFit I have and continue to do so.

Everything that I have described is part of the way that CrossFit has changed my life. While those things are exciting and motivating, they are a small and perhaps the least significant way that CrossFit has improved my life. Let me illustrate this with an example. Every year I spend about a month working in California. This is quite physical work and, in the past, caused my back to hurt constantly. I just got back from my month in California and, this year, felt no pain in my back at all. CrossFit has made the things that I do everyday easier. I think that is what makes CrossFit different than any other exercise program that I have done. In the past, it seemed that the main benefit and goal of working out was to make the next workout easier. With CrossFit, the workouts don’t get any easier, but the tasks in everyday life do. That is what really makes it all worth it.

At CrossFit we learn to do hard things. We do things that we never thought we could do. But it is not just a physical thing. The mental attitude and toughness developed has spilled over to all aspects of my life. Thank you Paul, Brett, Tami, and my fellow CrossFitters. My only regret is that I didn’t find this years ago! - Mike Newswander