5/26 Tuesday - Remember and Reflect

We're revisiting Hero workout Chad today. 
Today we are doing the Hero WOD Chad. This workout takes most people about an hour. If you have a small backpack that you can load up, use it. You can step onto your stairs, a step-stool, or a sturdy box. You could even get outside and climb a hill. 
The story of Chad's Hero WOD is fully detailed in The Morning Chalk-Up. You can read the full story here. 
The workout is named after Chad Wilkinson a 22-year active duty SEAL stationed in Virginia Beach, who took his own life on October 29, 2018. 
I programmed Chad, or our version of half Chad, because it's a workout that has meaning to many of you, and I want to highlight that May is Mental Health Month. 
Chad committed suicide. Here was a man who was a fierce warrior, a husband, an athlete, a mountain climber, a friend, and a tortured human. 
The Covid-19 pandemic is one of the greatest obstacles of our lifetime. Collectively, we are experiencing grief, anxiety, boredom, anger, sadness, and uncertainty. Never before in our lives have ALL OF US gone through this together. Individually we may have overcome more challenging times. Together, we are experiencing a vast array of emotions.
Now, more than ever, we need to be open and honest about our mental health. While we are still supposed to be physically distance from each other; please, let's be sure we are not socially distant. Reach out to your friends, family, gym buddies and make sure they know you care. If you feel lonely, reach out to me. 
One of the things I absolutely know to be true is that working out improves my mental health. While I have personally been through more difficult times than the Covid-19 pandemic, (pretty sure nothing will ever top being in a war), I have had many down days during the past 2 months. Worry about the future of True Spirit CrossFit, uncertainty about what I would do if we had to close, and anxiety about how we will make it through the summer.
These feelings and emotions feel like the weight of the world on my shoulders. Every time that I feel like I won't be able to surface out of the dark hole of despair I start moving my body. I literally start with an inchworm. Then I do another inchworm. After about 4 inchworms I feel my body start to respond to movement. Then I know I can do the WOD. Doing the workout of the day always, and I mean ALWAYS, brings me up. I have never, ever regretted doing a workout. I have only regretted when I don't. 
​This year's May is Mental Health Month is focused on 5 practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase resiliency. 

• Owning your feelings
• Finding the positive
• Connecting with others
• Eliminating toxic influences
• Creating healthy routines 

Certainly attending classes and remote coaching with us enables you to connect with others and create a healthy routine. To learn how to own your feelings and finding the positive you can read my collection of mental toughness blogs. 
You can learn about all of the mental health tools available in this year's May is MentalHealth Month toolkit by clicking the image below.