Out of the Hole

Linda Bowers, 78, struggles with bouts of deep depression. After enduring many family traumas including the loss of a child, and her mother’s and sister’s suicides, Bowers says she sometimes finds herself in a downward spiral ruminating on all that has gone wrong in her life. 

While in routine physical therapy after knee surgery, Bowers was introduced to CrossFit. Reluctantly, she agreed to give the training regimen a try for two months. That was 12 years ago.

A longtime member of CrossFit Cedar Park in Austin, Texas, Bowers says she turns to CrossFit when she finds herself falling back into the hole of depression.  

“I can come and do CrossFit and it gives me a totally different perspective,” she says, adding, “It’s learning to reach for the good in life, and quit thinking of only the bad.”

Bowers, who has never been a fan of athletics, says she doesn’t enjoy CrossFit — it’s the feeling afterward that she chases.

“I hate every minute of CrossFit,” she says, “but I know the difference CrossFit has made in my life.”

She identifies those differences as stamina, ability to get up from the floor on her own, strength to move large objects safely, and the opportunity to stay healthy and be around to watch her grandkids grow up.