“Finishing Last” is an editorial series by Christina Crumpecker, MD. Check out Christi’s Featured Athlete profile here. 

Finishing Last: Reasons Why I Can’t Go to CrossFit Today

I’m the girl who spent months stuck in Fundamentals classes. I’m the one who took week-long “breaks” from the gym.

I had every excuse in the book for not making it to CrossFit Memorial Hill for regular classes. And it’s not that I didn’t want to go or didn’t like the place; there just always seemed to be something getting in the way. So I wrote a list of that stuff and made plans for how to address it. That has helped me turn the corner and get myself in to the gym. Maybe you’ll see something familiar here.  Maybe you have something to add. Maybe you’ve never been affected by any of these reasons for not making it to CrossFit, and if so, good for you!

But I think most of us have at least one reason in common for not walking in the door today…

6. I’m too tired/sore/sick/injured

I fight this one a lot. I’m tired at the end of the day. I have arthritis in both knees and am less than six months out of surgery on one. I often have a little respiratory illness going (an occupational hazard for a doctor). I’m sore. Sometimes from the WOD the day before, but more often from sitting on my ass in a chair all day. It took me several tries to realize that if I could get myself to the gym, get some blood flowing, and get my muscles moving, a lot of stiffness and soreness went away.

But it is still a battle.

When I know there is a baseball game on and my dog is waiting for me at home, the couch seems to be calling my name. So I bring my workout clothes to the office and change before I leave. Nothing feels more foolish than going home in workout clothes without getting sweaty. Like all CrossFitters, especially those of us who have a few more miles on us, some soreness from WODs is going to be inevitable. I’ve learned to love it, to see it as a sign that I am that I am doing good work for my body.  And don’t underestimate the benefits of mobility and recovery. Some days your body really does need a rest and that’s a GOOD reason to skip a WOD.