I would give just about anything to do the workout you’re thinking about skipping today.

Even if it has burpees. Even if it’s running. Even if it’s the kind of workout you look at and immediately start figuring out how you’re going to avoid it.

Right now I cant do CrossFit. I cant do jiujitsu, play soccer, or run races with Cloud. All the things I enjoy doing have been put on hold while I wait for surgery. It feels like my body hates me right now and honestly, it’s starting to mess with my head.

I’m watching what I eat. Most days I’m eating less than 2,000 calories, trying to get enough protein, and going 12 hours or more overnight without eating. I’m paying attention. But my activity has dropped so much, and I’m still watching my weight go up and my muscle tone go away.

The frustrating part is knowing how much I want to do something about it, then remembering I can’t train the way I normally would.

We spent fall break at the beach with the family. My shirt never came off.

I’ll play it off like I just hate the sun. And I do hate the sun. I worry about skin cancer, so that part is real. But if I’m being honest with y’all, that wasn’t the whole reason. I didn’t like the way I looked. I wasn’t comfortable taking my shirt off, so I kept it on.

That’s hard for me to admit. I own a CrossFit gym in Baytown. I’ve spent years coaching people through workouts, helping them get stronger and telling them to keep showing up. Now I’m struggling with how I feel in my own body.

And it’s more than how I look.

Training is where I let go of stress. A hard day feels a little more manageable after I’ve worked out. I can be frustrated, overwhelmed, whatever, and that hour gives me somewhere to put it. Without it, I feel like I’m carrying all that around with no place for it to go.

Then this weekend I got out of breath chasing Avalyn around.

My little girl. I wasn’t running a race or doing some crazy workout. I was playing with my kid, and I could feel how much my conditioning has changed.

That bothered me more than keeping my shirt on.

I want to be able to play with my kids without thinking about whether I can keep up. I want to run with Cloud again. I miss being able to walk into the gym and worry about how hard the workout is instead of whether my body will let me do it.

So yeah, lately it gets under my skin when I hear some of the reasons people aren’t coming.

“I don’t like that workout.”

Man I wish I could do that workout.

“I had a rough day at work. I just don’t feel like going.”

I get having a rough day. But right now I’d love to have the option of going to the gym and working some of that stress out.

“The kids have stuff in the evening, and I don’t want to wake up early.”

I know that alarm isn’t fun. I know schedules get packed. But I wish getting up early was the thing standing between me and exercising.

I’m not saying you can’t be tired. Or that every missed class is an excuse. People have real responsibilities, injuries, illnesses and things going on that the rest of us don’t see. I’m talking about those days when you know you could go, but you’re talking yourself out of it because it’s inconvenient or you don’t feel like doing what’s on the board.

Having that choice is a privilege. I don’t think we realize how much until the choice is gone.

To my people at BayWay CrossFit, look back at your time here. Have you worked out more consistently here than you did anywhere else? Have you gotten stronger? Have you found coaches and people who help you show up even when you aren’t feeling it?

If the answer is yes, and you’re able to train, why have you stopped coming?

You already know this place helps you. You know how you feel when you’re in a routine. Whether you come from Baytown, Mont Belvieu or one of the surrounding communities, don’t let a few skipped CrossFit classes turn into months of wishing you’d stayed with it.

And if you’ve been gone a while, come back. You don’t need to get in shape before you walk through the door. Let us help you get going again.

I’m getting a pretty rough reminder of why all this matters to me. I miss the workouts, but I also miss feeling capable. Feeling like myself. Being able to say yes when there’s something active I want to do with my family.

If you can move today, be thankful for that. You don’t have to love every workout to appreciate having the ability to do it. Scale it if you need to. Talk to your coach. Show up and do what you can.

I’d love to have that option right now.

So if you’re healthy enough to train and the only thing stopping you is that you don’t feel like it, get your butt to the gym.

There’s somebody wishing they could join you.