Posts Tagged ‘CrossFit



31
Jul
12

Roller Coaster

My last post was about having patience to put in the necessary work to achieve your goals. 

I had lunch with a group of friends today and during lunch one of the girls made the comment of “yesterday’s workout made me feel bad about myself last night.”

The irony in that comment is that it was exactly what I was thinking Friday night after having such a great workout on Thursday. 

My conclusion is there will always be something that makes me question myself.  Especially if I desire to grow as an individual.  There will always be triumphs and trials.   It is in the aftermath of the trials that I have the opportunity to experience true growth.

I’ve got two choices, I can sit back on my ego and whine a little or I can dig deep and realize that it makes me better and better.  Do nothing or work on the skills that it takes to get better and better.

Today the workout left me feeling good simply because I finished it and got just a smidge better in the process.  It is taking the time to settle down and realize that with each and every hurdle, I can jump it or walk around it.  It truly doesn’t matter as long as I move forward.

Hat Tip to Wikipedia for the pic!

27
Jul
12

Do You Have Commitment?

“Commitment is what transforms a promise in to reality.  Commitment is the words that speak boldly of your intentions and the actions which speak louder than words.  Commitment is making time when there is none.  Commitment is coming through time after time, year after year, after year.  Commitment is the stuff character is made of, the power to change the face of things.  Commitment is the triumph of integrity over skepticism.” ~unknown

I wish I could remember who wrote this so I could give them credit.  It has been hanging on my bulletin board in my office for years now.   I moved it higher so I could read it daily.  Do you have commitment to your health and fitness? 

26
Jul
12

Patience Grasshopper

When I first started doing CrossFit two years ago this month, I was fanatical about it.  I went all the time, trashed my body as often as I physically could whether I needed to or not.  For whatever reason (my age most likely) I felt like I had to get better faster.  I felt literally like I was watching an hour-glass as the sand passed through.  I wanted to get better overnight. 

No one was forcing me to lift heavier or go faster except for me.  Over time I went trough a bunch of cycles of self awareness, self-awkwardness and most importantly self-protection.  I wanted to remain injury free so I could keep doing what I love to do.

The one thing that no one can train in to you is patience.  Patience for progress is the skill I’ve needed the most.  And it’s been the most hard-fought internal battle.  Getting better at any skill requires practicing of that skill.  Repetitive movement over and over until you can do it to the best of your own ability is what reaps the rewards.

Sure, there will be days you leave with a stinging ego because we are all superhero’s in our own mind.  When reality shows up and teaches us that we are flawed and we require more work it’s hard on our MOJO.

For me, I take that time to reflect on the journey. Where I’ve been, the people I’ve met, and exactly why I started getting fit in the first place.  It keeps me grounded and it reminds me to be patient.

This morning patience paid off for me.  After several months of practicing this movement, slowly and methodically increasing the weight in small increments it felt just right this morning.  I finally broke the 100# plateau for multiple reps.  Patience grasshopper.  A big thanks to my friend Christina Barnett for catching this photo!

 

 

25
Jul
12

Leaning on Accountability

Some of us require accountability.  Not someone to police us, but instead a person that knows our intent and that will call us out when we are not holding ourselves to the standard of which will take us closer to our goals.

I have a couple of these accountability buddies.  They know who they are.  

Recently I talked about a goal I had and made the comment to my friend “What if such and such is still there?”.   It took her all of 3.2 seconds to send me a response that simply said “Oh, I didn’t realize we were living in the world of “what if.”

I love her for it.  It was an eye opener of the underlying lack of belief I still carry in some areas.  That just means there is more work to be done on my personal belief system. 

I have another accountability buddy that shares daily meal structure along with pictures of her meals.   We strive for small balanced meals every 3 hours.   I’ve begun to do the same with her.  It keeps my meal plans fresh because I know she will call me out for not having a variety of fresh veggies. 

I also have hard-core friends that never ever need anyone to hold them accountable, they don’t judge me just as I don’t judge anyone else.  It’s not my place.  Weight loss and fitness are a process, that process is different for everyone.

I like having someone to lean on from time to time.  It makes leaning solely on myself much more doable. 

Want to eat cleaner and work harder?  Find someone that will call you out, even if it stings a little.  You’ll be better for it!

24
Jul
12

Community

I love it when I meet new people who are struggling.  This morning I saw a woman walk by my door and as I glanced up I noticed what a pretty dress she had on. 

A little later my boss pushes open my office door and there stands the woman in the pretty dress and she was saying “I knew she was the one!”   Hmmm…

Well, needless to say she wanted to talk workouts.  I love that.  I work for a company with over 1600 people.  When someone says “I knew she was the one” man that’ll make your day. 

Anyway, she was telling me about a recent weight gain, low iron and the fact that she’d been put on medication for it.  She is struggling with her mojo for sure.  Lack of energy, poor diet, etc.

As we talked, she mentioned knowing all about meal-timing etc., and that she wanted to get back in to shape.

My first comment was simply “get back to basics”.  You know about meal timing and working out so the only thing I see missing is community.  I asked her when the last time she hung out with like-minded people? 

It doesn’t matter what you do, whether it’s Zumba, Body Pump, Jazzercise, CrossFit or Running, remember to find like-minded people to do it with. 

Everyone struggles, everyone has an “off” day or even an off week.   Food may be spot on but workouts stink or just the opposite, workouts are great but food stinks. 

In a community though there will be days you will push, pull or drag each other along but that’s the point. 

Do it. 

It’s not always about YOU.  You soon realize that the greatest part of community is what you can offer to another person in the way of support. 

 

19
Jul
12

Discipline

It sounds like we are in school today but we’re not, bummer. 

Occasionally I have people seek me out for advice on how I successfully transitioned from obesity to being fit.  I’ll help anyone out there.  That’s probably one of my biggest blessings and at the same time one of my biggest flaws. 

The old adage “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink” applies here.   I’ve found that people want me to tell them exactly what to eat and when (key word is exactly), what to drink, and when to breathe, etc. 

I’ll help up to a point, I’ll give you menu’s, workouts, etc.  I’ll point you to every resource I’ve ever used. 

One thing I won’t do is feed you and do your workouts day in and day out.   You’ve got to have some self-motivation, self-discipline and learn to do that stuff yourself.

I know all about the insecurity of being left to your own devices and eating healthy.  I used to get paralyzed with over thinking about food.  Some days I’d freak out and not eat much at all for fear of eating too much of the wrong thing.  Wrong to who?  I still laugh over my naiveté.

If you keep it simple and LEARN the difference between a complex carb, a lean protein, heathly fat and healthy veggies you can then make great choices. 

In today’s world things get so confusing so that’s the first thing I try to teach any client or friend.  You’d be amazed at how many people use almonds and bacon as their sources of protein, when in actuality they are fats. 

There are a ton of resources and some of my favorites are Body-for-Life Library.  You’ll have to register and then visit the library tab.  Secondly The Zone Diet both of these programs are relatively easy to follow with cut and dried food lists.  If you are starting out, they are great resources.  Lastly, I’m a fan of Primal eating Mark’s Daily Apple for folks who are more advanced in their nutritional journey.  Meaning you don’t eat fast food EVER.  If you are still eating fast food, stick with the first two choices.

You can mix and match!  YES. YOU. CAN.  I promise at least up to this point, there are no food police that will come to your house and tell you that you are eating improperly.  Learn how to fuel your body to feel better.  Listen to your body NOT YOUR EMOTIONS when deciding what to eat.

In a perfect household everyone is on board and all the junk goes in the trash.   In my house that’s not the case. 

So I keep my food in a seperate veggie bin in the fridge and the other stuff in a separate pantry with all the small appliances I don’t want sitting out. 

No one goes in that pantry except for me, they don’t like appliances. 🙂 

I don’t have to look at bread, crackers and chips when I’m selecting my food. 

I’m optimistic as time goes on that things will get better in my house. But until they do, I don’t use that as an excuse.

Everyone has their own favorite complex carbs.  These are two of my favorite carbs. 

17
Jul
12

Getting Fit! Tami Rose

I’d like to take a moment to introduce you to a woman I know.  I met Tami a year ago when she joined the CrossFit Box I attend. 

With her permission, this blog is for her.  To celebrate the victory of consistency with both her nutrition and her workouts.  Tami has made changes that have now become visible results.  No super secret code or plan. 

Clean conscious eating and working out.  I do not train Tami.  She works out at CrossFit Impulse.  She does this on her own with the support of other CrossFit community members, friends and trainers at the box.

For all of you out there struggling, use this as motivation. 

Instead of me saying a thousand words, I’ll let the photo’s do the talking.  Congratulations Tami!

March vs July 2012 Congratulations Tami!!

16
Jul
12

Want Something? Go get it!

Some days I step back and think about where I’ve come from, looking for the moments of clarity on when my greatest progresses have been.

I have found that happens when I turn off all external noise and I get busy actually doing.

Forming a plan and sticking to that plan 90% of the time.  Whether its training or nutrition.  That’s what has worked for me.

I’m happiest when I have a barbell in my hand, but I realize that I must work on skills that I don’t like even more.

I’ve been working on my strict pull-ups for two years. Yes, two years. Actually probably a little longer than that. 

It would have come sooner if I had been just a bit more strict in my weekly discipline of working on them.  So now it’s time for me to go get it.  Get the strict daily regimen that will result in those dead-hang pull-ups.  No excuses.

This is me two years ago on the biggest band I had.  Today, I am on the smallest band I have.  That being said my chin lacks 3″ from getting over the bar.  No more excuses.

It will be 2 years come this October since this picture was made.  The next picture will be in two months and with no band.  I am determined.

 

 

12
Jul
12

Rest Days-Battle of the Mind

One of my greatest struggles as an athlete is taking rest.  Deep down I suspect it’s either an addiction to the endorphins that shoot through my brain during and after a workout or an addiction to that feeling of soreness that comes with a really tough workout.

Mentally I fight the “just get up and get on it” over the “take the rest your body needs”.

I’ve been injury free for a long time, but it’s only recently that I’ve incorporated more rest days. 

It hasn’t been without a mental struggle, but my body is FINALLY starting to progress to heavier loads.  Yesterday I wrote about trusting the process and its high time I lived strictly by that rule. 

When you are surrounded by good trainers, set your ego aside, listen, and apply, results will start showing.

Overtraining is very common once you achieved your initial weight-loss goals because then you are ready to step up your game and make good even better.  You raise your own bar, rightly so.   Unfortunately, you tend to get stubborn and think that basic rules no longer apply to you.  Wrong.

For me, it’s the strong, selfish desire to never go back to that obese body I was once trapped in.  Now I trust myself enough to know that I won’t ever go back.   Now I trust the process.

10
Jul
12

Trust The Process

I was having lunch with some friends today.  I love our lunches.  We are all fitness junkies and we all care about what we eat.  Most of the time that is.  I say that because as a collective group we are at different points in our fitness and nutritional journey.

Interestingly enough there is never, ever a case of “you know you should be doing better”.   There is talk.

Inquisitive questions that help each person think through why they are willing to give up weeks and weeks of good clean eating or consistent training for food culprits, ie. sugars, or processed food.

Ironically most of the time it usually comes back to not progressing as quickly as one would like.

I used to get so jammed up that I wasn’t progressing fast enough, getting stronger fast enough, getting faster fast enough.  All of these thoughts started hindering my ability to progress at all.

I finally came to the realization that trusting in the process is just as important as eating clean, working out and getting enough rest.  

A friend asked just yesterday:  “On a scale of 1-10 where are you in your fitness?”  I can soundly say I’m sitting at 7, I’m above average in both my clean eating and nutritional disciplines.  The interesting thing was the acknowledgement that I have no idea was levels 8, 9 and 10 are for me.  Not what someone else thinks my levels should be or are, but instead how do I define them.

Love that thought-provoking question and I’m working on identifying those levels.  Identifying them results in action.  Leaving them blank and unanswered leaves me right smack dab  where I am today.