Matthew Smolen
Matthew Smolen: “CrossFit has changed my life.”
Seven months ago I was a 41 year old accountant who had moved to Houston 2 years prior. I had never been in great shape, but had always participated in multiple team activities each week, consisting primarily of softball and volleyball. I had joined various gyms religiously for 10 out of the previous 20 years on January 1st and religiously stopped going by the end of February. My general level of activity however kept me pretty healthy, although I ate a diet that did not help me in the least.
Upon my arrival in Houston, work responsibilities coupled with a lack of affiliations with any sporting groups effectively eliminated any exercise from my life for 2 years. I have always had high cholesterol levels, but they were mitigated by very high HDL cholesterol, keeping my risk factor low. My blood pressure was constantly in the “normal” range. That had changed.
By December of 2008, I weighed nearly 170 lbs, quite a lot for a traditionally skinny guy topping out at 5’7”. My cholesterol was just as high, but my HDL levels had plummeted, putting me in the “at risk” category. I was nearly booted from a dentist’s chair because my blood pressure was too high. Only after I explained that I had consumed too much coffee (a fabrication), forgetting about the appointment, did they continue. Worse still, I felt like crap, every day, for a very long time.
Something had to change.
I bought a mountain bike and began riding. I started to eat better, however my idea of better has subsequently been debunked. I wasn’t feeling it! I got that feeling I get about 2 weeks before I stop going to the gym. My weight had come down to un-embarrassing levels but I could feel my motivation slipping away. While discussing exercise routines with a work-mate of mine, another guy overheard our conversation and forwarded Bayou City CrossFit’s web address. I looked at it off and on for a week or two and finally emailed Vic. My chief concern, and I’m not kidding, was “will this kill me”? Vic said no, but I was convinced he did not know who he was dealing with.
In late March I showed up on a Saturday for the open workout. I can’t remember the workout, but it was 4 rounds. I tapped out after 2! I sat and heaved for 30 minutes after the workout and still needed to pull over at the Wendy’s on Sheppard because I was dizzy.
Something had to change.
By the grace of God, this motivated me…somehow. If I could feel this bad after half a workout that most people were finishing in 15 minutes, I wasn’t going to see 60 years. I went to my two intro classes and started a 2 day a week program. For 2 months I would dread going to the morning classes. I would lay in bed an hour before I had to get up to make the class and ruminate in sheer terror at the prospect of doing another WOD. I rarely finished WODS in the early months, but I was getting closer.
Sometime around June, I was finishing all the WODS and had begun attending 5 times a week. I didn’t lie in bed dreading the WODS, I was jumping out of bed and scurrying to them. Shortly thereafter came the unassisted kipping pull ups. Just when I was starting to feel good about myself, it was time to “man up” and scale my weights up. The times are still slow, but the strength is increasing beyond my wildest expectations.
Today, I am at requisite weight about half the time, and inching closer on the lifts that I am not quite there yet. I have never felt better.
The learning and improvement never stops, nor should it. I can get stronger, I can get faster, I can get mentally tougher, I can breathe better, I can learn muscle ups and I can learn ring dips. Unlike 6 months ago, it’s now simply a matter of when, not if.
CrossFit isn’t just exercise! CrossFit is diet! CrossFit is sleep! CrossFit is mental toughness! Certainly not least, CrossFit is community! I’ve never before felt more motivated by my peers than I do here at Bayou City. Furthermore, I’m learning that the CrossFit community extends well beyond our Box. FGBIV and Oktoberfest Obliteration screamed with brother/sisterhood. When I visit Dallas, I go to an affiliate there. I feel the same sense of community.
For the record, I’m now less than 150 lbs, HDL levels are back to normal and blood pressure has been consistently good. With the exception of the “good” pain that I have felt continuously since roughly the day I met Vic, I feel like I did 10 years ago. Thank you Vic, David, Charlie, Vic Sr., Katie and Doug. Your coaching and encouragement are the reason I made it this far. Thanks to all the athletes at Bayou City. If I felt embarrassed about my abilities early on, who knows if I would have stuck with it. I appreciate you all.
