Sure, CrossFit is extremely physical and as a result, your physique will be a testament of all the hard work you put in. But there’s something to be said about the mental benefits that this sort of physical activity has on one’s health as well.
It’s well known that exercise increases feel-good hormones called endorphins in the brain but learning new skills and actually seeing yourself develop and improve certain abilities is an incredible feeling as well. But to elaborate further, here are 5 mental benefits of CrossFit training…
1. CrossFit Elevates Confidence
Once we really discover/experience what the human body is truly capable of, confidence is just a side effect. But this is especially true when you’re open-minded and you truly put your all into something that you know you’ll benefit from. Well, CrossFit certainly isn’t for everyone but for those who grind it out and succeed after many failures you can’t help but be proud of yourself and others do take notice as well.
It’s an amazing feeling to perform your first muscle-up or handstand push-up and you’ll be addicted!
But this confidence will also carry over into other aspects of life as well when it comes to approaching new things (and people) and no one could say that it wasn’t worth it.
2. Calluses/Strengthens Your Mind
Let’s face it… the world can be a rough place and if we’re not mentally prepared to deal with the everyday problems it throws at us; well… we tend to fold like tacos. But by participating in CrossFit, we may not even realize it but we’re conditioning our mental toughness to push through extremely challenging obstacles and activities even when it feels like we can go no longer. That is if you truly are pushing yourself (which you should be).
So, if you can keep up then you’ll be a little more mentally prepared to take on each day knowing that giving up in the face of difficulty is not an option.
3. Endorphins
Yep, we already mentioned those ‘feel-good’ endorphins that just make us feel, well… really good! There’s a reason why exercise is one of the most important activities recommended for those dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, etc.
It makes us feel good and we can become addicted to this feeling if made a daily habit which then makes us feel better throughout the day, ultimately helping us to improve. Not to mention, physical activity is vital for having a healthy body staving off physical pains and discomfort associated with having a sedentary lifestyle.
CrossFit is an amazing activity to get your body moving, to feel good mentally and physically, and to also have a fun and exciting hobby to look forward to every week.
4. Improved Outlook
It takes time and patience to see improvements and reach your CrossFit goals. But this also happens to be the case with anything in life worth having. Relationships, your physique, career endeavors… you name it. So you’d have to understand where we’re coming from when we say that CrossFit improves/develops patience and that it will also benefit you in other areas of life too.
Sometimes things just don’t go our way and if we can reason with our thoughts a bit better as a result of our discipline, then this is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves.
5. Learn New Things About Yourself and Others
Overall, making the decision to participate in CrossFit may be the best choice you’ve ever made. You’ll meet new people and likely learn some things about yourself that you were unaware of before. You’ll learn to face your fears, push yourself beyond limitation, and just be inspired.
That’s right. Inspiration comes from exploring and being open to new things in life and you may find that you really love this new you while finding new people/friends to bond with and who are also right there encouraging you every step of the way.
CrossFit is absolutely one of the best activities out there when it comes to mental benefits.
