Prejudice

prejudice: forming an opinion before becoming aware of the relevant facts

It’s an ugly word with some ugly connotations.  And it’s human nature.  We tend to fear the things we do not know and judge them as strange or maybe even dangerous.  I grew up in small town Ontario and my first exposure to sushi was that Simpson’s episode.  Eat raw fish?  Disgusting!  I ridiculed the whole notion.  Who would ever?

Not surprisingly, years later when I first tried sushi at a restaurant in Toronto, I was mildly disgusted.  But a strange thing happened after that.  I got curious to give it another try.  And my next sushi experience was much more positive.  Since then I have eaten A LOT of sushi!

CrossFit is different.  It flies in the face of everything that I was taught in my BCRPA strength & conditioning courses and my NCCP coaching courses.  It looks insane.  I understand why outsiders would be wary.  I approached CrossFit with extreme skepticism.

But unlike sushi, I gave CrossFit a try before forming my opinion.  And that has changed my life.  Not just a little – it has changed my entire life!  My health, my fitness, my self-confidence, my family, my career, my home – everything.  I suddenly find myself inhabiting the body I always imagined but never could achieve, I find myself being the person I dreamed I could be but never thought possible.  CrossFit changed the trajectory of my life because I was open enough to try it.

But I was lucky.  Back in 2005 when I discovered CrossFit no one had really heard of it.  The world was not full of opinions regarding CrossFit yet so I didn’t have anyone else’s opinions predisposing me one way or another.  I was free to test it myself without preconceived expectations.

Not so today.  Today everyone has an opinion about CrossFit and they like to share their opinions loudly on social media for the world to hear.

The anti-CrossFit crowd can be ignorant and small-minded and few who speak out against it even know what CrossFit is.  Many think that they know, but few actually do.  In fact many fitness professionals who have been long time critics of CrossFit have come around recently embracing CrossFit for themselves and their clients.  Others have continued to disparage CrossFit while promoting effective new, very CrossFit-esque, training methods.

The pro-CrossFit crowd can be just as bad.  Loud, arrogant, superior.  If they were real CrossFitters they would make me hate CrossFit.  But when you meet actual, dedicated CrossFitters you will find them humble and approachable and open minded.  Those obnoxious social media loudmouths are recent converts who are excited by this new thing that they have found.  Most of them won’t last more than a year or two before they get caught up in the next flashy new thing.

To get beyond prejudice you need to ignore both the pro and the anti crowd and try CrossFit out so you can form your own opinion.  Then you can decide whether you like it or hate it or are just indifferent.  And then your opinion will have substance because it will be based on experience not prejudice.

Friday August 21st 7:30pm CrossFit Empower will be having an Open House for non-CrossFitters who want to find out what CrossFit is about.  If you’d like to learn more or know someone who would like to learn more we are at 3321 Dunbar Street in Vancouver.

Free your mind and your body will follow.