"I'm so glad I'm fit."

“I’m so glad I’m fit.”  I said that to myself as I hiked the Mill Prong -Laurel Prong Loop trail in Shenandoah National Park last weekend. The trail is considered moderately strenuous. It was rocky and required us to go over (or under, for us shorties) downed trees that blocked the trail; cross a downed-tree “bridge”over the stream branch near Big Rock Falls; and ascend over 1500 feet along the7.4 mile trail. The “up” was hard, but the “down” was sometimes harder (the poor knees!).  

It was so pretty and peaceful, and I was grateful to be able to see it. A moderately-strenuous hike is probably inaccessible to the majority of American adults. Being really fit, in a well-rounded, CrossFit-ty kinda way, lets me do pretty much anything I want to.

We might think we’re doing box jumps, and power snatches and burpees, but what we’re really doing is preparing for the life we want to live. Box jumps let you propel yourself up a rocky slope on a trail.  Power snatches allow you to lift something heavy over your head, or lower a heavy box from a tall shelf.  Burpees let you pull out under-bed storage bins and get right back up.

But sometimes the payoff isn’t readily apparent and you wonder if it’s worth it. We need to keep reminding ourselves of one important fact - fitness is freedom. Freedom to live your life the way you want to, and as independently as possible for as long as possible.  And it’s not just the physical aspect – it’s the mental toughness as well. We have to work for our fitness. Every tough WOD is a reminder of that.  Gritting your teeth and grinding out a Hero WOD like Murph (which can take over an hour), gives you the mindset that you can do hard things, and hard things are worth doing.  Like hiking 7 and a half miles, because the payoff – the view, the solitude, the sense of accomplishment – is worth the effort, worth the discomfort. And a long life lived on your terms is also worth it, and made possible by fitness.

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