How I Built My Body-Mind Connection
From Rusty to Ready
For the life of me, I could not obey my coach’s cue to get my “Chest up!”
I was new to CrossFit, new to training my body, and my back curled into a C—a shape that’s wrong for lifting, for moving, for anything really. My coach wanted me to straighten my upper back, but all I could do was lift my chin.
I had no idea where my upper back was in space, no control over its movement. My body had become a rust bucket, and my brain had lost the ability to communicate with it.
Getting fit isn’t just about working hard. It’s about learning to move well, rebuilding the body-mind connection, and reclaiming control over how you move.
The Missing Piece: Proprioception
A fundamental piece of fitness is proprioception—knowing where your body is in space and how to control it.
I didn’t have it. Years of poor movement had severed my connection from my own body. I couldn’t tell my upper back to straighten up because I couldn’t even feel it properly.
Re-establishing contact with my body became the foundation of my fitness journey. Unexpectedly, it also rewired my mental health, productivity, energy, and overall presence in life.
The Wake-Up Call
How was I going to lose weight if I couldn’t even get into the right posture to exercise?
I had naïvely assumed I’d show up, put in the work, and results would follow. But between Step 1 (Show up to class) and Step 2 (Work hard) was a massive gap:
Poor movement patterns, compensations, and bad posture lead to injuries.
I needed to lift weights to fix my movement. But lifting weights without fixing my movement would break me.
The way out? Start from the ground up.
✅ Learn better posture.
✅ Work with light loads.
✅ Teach my body a new way of moving.
✅ Train my mind to listen to my body.
I had to earn the right to train hard.
Letting Go of Ego
Every CrossFit workout had prescribed weights. But I wasn’t ready for those loads.
I was learning the movements. Learning to use a barbell. Learning to use my own body.
I had zero training background, awful fitness levels, and atrocious posture. So, I did something difficult: I ignored the prescription and worked at my level.
It was humbling.
I lifted less than the prescribed weights for women.
I focused on surviving workouts rather than impressing anyone.
And still, it took me 10 weeks before I could complete a full workout.
The Turning Point
I didn’t know how long it would take to get fit.
I didn’t even know what “getting fit” meant.
All I did was show up and attempt to move well.
The gaps in my fitness weren’t just physical. I had no idea what the hundreds of small steps were between “beginner” and “athlete.” Uncovering them, one by one, became a process of discovery and practice.
I realised: I didn’t know enough to have an opinion.
And that was freeing.
14 Months Later: A Full-Circle Moment
Fourteen months into my CrossFit journey, I found myself training under Kelly Starrett.
That day, we were doing barbell thrusters. And something clicked.
The barbell felt like a natural extension of my body.
Set after set, the movement felt effortless. I was gliding.
For the first time, I moved with grace.
Kelly noticed. After months of my ugly movements, he called me out in the class roundup—for moving well.
It took me 14+ months to go from being unable to move my upper back to owning my movement under load.
You might take less or more time. It doesn’t matter.
You take the time it takes you.
The Lessons That Stuck
1️⃣ Check Your Ego at the Door
• Fitness isn’t about what you “should” be able to do.
• It’s about what’s appropriate for you—right now.
• Let go of outdated beliefs like “Men should lift more than women.” Train at the level that makes sense for your body.
The best results come when you stop performing for others and start training for yourself.
2️⃣ You Don’t Know Enough to Have an Opinion
Before I started, I assumed I’d get fit in a few months.
Reality had other plans.
I had to let go of my flawed ideas.
By doing so, I allowed myself to embrace the process, instead of chasing an imagined outcome.
Do you really need an opinion on things you haven’t experienced yet?
3️⃣ Listen to Your Body
Your body is constantly broadcasting signals:
⚡️ When it’s tired.
⚡️ When it’s hungry.
⚡️ When you need to rest.
⚡️ When something isn’t right.
But we ignore those signals. We follow schedules instead of sensations.
Every time I’ve ignored my body, I’ve paid for it.
❌ Forced myself to train hard when I needed rest? Injured myself.
❌ Kept grinding at work when my body said stop? Got sick or produced garbage work.
The body-mind connection is one of the most powerful tools you have.
If you learn to listen, you’ll unlock a whole new level of fitness, health, and performance.
Even after a decade, I feel like I’m just scratching the surface.
Tangential bonus: Start right
In hindsight, CrossFit is not where I should’ve started. My ignorance was the best thing though - because CrossFit was exactly what I needed to fall in love with fitness. To erase all my preconceived notions about it. While the better textbook answer might be something else, textbook answers are also irrelevant.
For some, Chain Reaction will not be the right thing at all. For an experienced trainee who is coming back after a break - it might be better to start with something basic. But then again
Take the Time It Takes You
If you’re frustrated with where you are, if your body feels uncooperative, if you think you should be further along—
Take a breath.
Rebuilding your movement is a process.
Trust it.
Listen to your body.
And take the time it takes you.
That’s the only way to truly own your fitness.
Wow what an inspiring story! What I learn from this is that when something is important to us we have the capability to make it happen. The important thing is to not give up. These stories & the lessons they teach us are always great to talk about in retrospect :)
While this is helpful, I think there are some more specific ways in which you can build it - allowing yourself to groove on music the way you like, and incorporating eyes closed balance exercises.