Proverbs 31:25-27 "Strength and honor are her clothing; she is confident about the future. Her mouth is full of wisdom; kindly teaching is on her tongue. She is vigilant over the activities of her household; she doesn’t eat the food of laziness."
My kids love going with me to the CrossFit box mostly because they get to go on my phone and either play a game or watch YouTube shorts. Occasionally my kindergartener will sneak down the stairs of the children’s room, open the door and quietly call my name as I’m back squatting some weight that is greater than her tiny frame. Being a mom is sharing everything including my time at the gym. There are days I tiptoe out of my house to Legion of Power CrossFit just so I can have “alone time” with the bar.
Others share my view. Simone H. felt that the gym was her safe place especially when her kids were little. At the gym, she wasn’t a mom but a woman that works out with her own friends and had an identity away from being a mom. I relate to not having an identity. It seems that once motherhood hit, I wasn’t Melinda but Hope, Rachel, Luke and Grace’s mom. At LPC I’m just me taking care of myself or what Simone calls “fulfilling my own needs and not the needs of others”. Doing this brings self-honor, meaning I respect myself enough to carve time to stay active.
Motherhood calls for strength. Life brings so many twists and turns with the countless bills, things falling apart and way too many child-related outings that require various trips to the gas station. Children are also very unpredictable. My little one could tell me she loves me one moment then is in full blown tantrum the next. It’s no wonder that Amanda, Katie and Davida use CrossFit to destress and manage anxiety. These ladies hit every WOD with tenacity and fierceness that their stress melts away and sometimes equips them with a bit of patience.
What’s even more impressive is that these ladies are showing their children that women are strong. Katie’s children tend to sit in front of the class and sneak a peek at their mom. Amanda uses the training bar to instruct her daughter in the proper bench press form and Davida’s teenage son is now using a higher weight than she is!
CrossFit has helped these women and others become a better mom by believing in themselves.
In the words of Davida, CrossFit moms encourage their kids by showing they can do anything through Christ who strengthens them (Philippians 4:13).
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