So there you are a newly single girl (or boy) and what are you to do? Maybe you ended it and broke someone’s heart or, as it was for me, you just got your ass dumped. Either way, you feel horribly stuck and want to come up for air because the current tear-filled, lifeless state is not becoming on you. Heck, you are single. You cannot afford to be a hot mess for too long.
So there you are a newly single girl (or boy) and what are you to do? Maybe you ended it and broke someone’s heart or, as it was for me, you just got your ass dumped. Either way, you feel horribly stuck and want to come up for air because the current tear-filled, lifeless state is not becoming on you. Heck, you are single. You cannot afford to be a hot mess for too long.
You’ll turn to your friends and family. They will tell you time will heal everything, but time seems to be standing still. The only indicator you have of time actually passing is your expanding waistline. You’ve been to the bar and drank yourself silly. You’ve experimented with back-of-the-bar hook ups and thrown yourself onto the dance floor like you were M.J. reincarnated. And you’ve experienced some of the worst hangovers of your life. I mean freshman-year-of-college-bad.
While this has supposedly worked for friends or friends-of-friends to repair a broken heart, it’s just not working for you. It is actually making you feel worse. It is a harsh and recurring nightmare to wake up after the vodka has worn off and there you are (1) alone (even if someone is physically next to you), (2) sober-ish, and (3) with a bag of half-eaten sour cream and onion chips in your bed.
At some point, you are ready to accept that you need something different before you melt into an unrecognizable self. And from personal experience, I can assure you of this – you need CrossFit, plain and simple. It is singlehandedly the best way to kick the post break-up blues and feel like a better version of your (singleass) self. Why?
#1. CrossFit requires focus
It requires a level of focus our 21st century brains are no longer programmed to endure. It is partly the level of skill and precision needed to hoist, throw, and catch significant amounts of weight, and partly the very real physical pain that squeezes out all other thoughts from your brain. I guarantee you will not be able to think about your former beau while squatting a bar as heavy as yourself. CrossFit naturally carves out an hour of time in which he/she, really “it,” does not enter your mind. And that, my friends, is bliss. It is meditation for the non-spiritually inclined. Trust me.
#2. CrossFit is where the people are
Thankfully, you will not be the only one busting your ass at the gym. You will be there with like-minded, energetic, and awesome people. In every fellow CrossFitter there is potential for a friend, a sweaty friend, but a friend nonetheless. You will have loads to talk about – how you nearly died during that Hero WOD, how the new guy threw up during the warm-up, or how you feel like you are maybe, just maybe, getting some Michelle Obama-like arms. These people will be your inspiration to keep coming back. You will develop a bond, and slowly, but surely you will
start to talk about non-CrossFit things.
#3. CrossFit is a reality check
You will make progress atCrossFit. You will become stronger. You will become (more) physically fit. You will also do a wealth of good for your mental state. You will embrace playing, escape your self-important adult persona, and save the world from one more tightly wound person. In short, you will grow into a stronger person, both physically and otherwise. Note: you will still be single, but, at this point, you are seeing the light and realizing this is okay.
#4. CrossFit helps you set and meet goals
CrossFit-inspired goals come in all shapes and sizes (just as CrossFitters themselves do). You can imagine some very naturally fitting goals such as: deadlift twice your body weight, get a freaking pull-up, or run your fastest mile yet. Some of your goals, however, will not be fitness driven. They might be to act boldly and decisively, do something that scares you once a day (Eleanor Roosevelt was on to something), talk to strangers, be kind, energize your work environment, or even inspire others to join you at the gym. You could even develop the willpower to be strong enough to not text your ex this weekend. CrossFit will give you physical and mental strength. Use it.
#5. CrossFit makes you feel good
It may not be orgasm-producing good, but after a WOD, you will feel satisfied and worn out. Your hair will be soaked and your body will be wet to the touch. The flood of endorphins will feel great and can revitalize even the most heart-broken soul. It is a runner’s high times ten. And when you are ready to get back in the saddle (bed?) with someone, it will obviously feel great. But if it doesn’t last you now know you can go back to the gym for another (STI risk-free) type of endorphin boost.
#6. CrossFit does a body good
I mean who doesn’t want to come back with a revenge bod? At the beginning, you need the workout just to serve as a counter for all those extra liquid and late night calories. At some point though, you will be able to start thinking revenge, svelte, better-than-your-hands-ever-touched body and it will feel good. Of course, this pursuit cannot and should not be your driving force toget to the box, but it is a great addition. And when your physical body matches your mental state, you will be strong and feel strong through and through.
CrossFit will help you help yourself. It will allow you to escape from the depths of your lonely and hopeless place. It will make you whole and it will make you a better person for that next lucky guy or gal. So please, step into a CrossFit gym and don’t, don’t you dare, look back (for your ex, or for that former fitness routine).
Photos provided by Miguel Tapia Images and CrossFit LA.
