What has it been like coming back to CrossFit from open heart surgery? Surprisingly enjoyable.
I don't mean to say that my physical state was not completely sucky for quite a while, but considering the alternative scenarios of this situation, it could have been a lot worse.
It has been enjoyable with the main reason being that I have had the best care possible. I had full health insurance associated with the best hospital and surgeon on the West Coast. My family was there for me every step of the way and my friends were unbelievably supportive.
I was inactive for merely 3 months and my recovery has been relatively easy. I would be willing to guess that a lot of people would not go back to their previous activities after a major operation, but the CrossFit lifestyle is what made my surgery easy and what makes my life enjoyable.
This whole thing has been enjoyable in the sense that the experience moved me beyond what I thought I was programmed to do. I feel I have achieved something unexpected. Heart surgery created a sense of novelty in my life, in that the challenge has become greater than before. I can look back and know that I have grown, maybe become more complex.
The hardest thing I have faced is myself. I have high self expectations. The biggest expectation I hold is to continue to live my life as closely as possible to my pre-surgery physical state -and eventually- better than before.
I'm lucky that I can participate in the things that I love and I'm lucky to enough to be able to work towards getting back on the podium. I'm lucky that this has been easy and that I can look back and call it enjoyable.
