Joshua carries an odd object at lunch.
I am a voracious reader. I love good books, good short stories, good essays and good blogs. I was reading the blog from a "Profit First" accounting group with whom I'm involved about their recent adventure at an Improv class. The idea of a bunch of accountants (even ones who CrossFit) at the improv is pretty hysterical! However, the lesson they learned is not. The one fundamental agreement for good improv is that everyone must work with the "Yes, and" principle. Someone comes up with a zinger of an idea and hands it off of to someone else. That person continues the story with, "Yes, and." Here's the (actually) funny example from these CrossFitting accountants: "So you worked out today in a speedo?" "Yes I did. And now I need a skin graft on the back of my thighs from the lashings I took from my speed rope." I absolutely love this mental toughness skill! What if you improvised your next thought? What if you say, "Yes, and" to whatever pops into your head? Think of how much more fun and positive your life would be! I hate burpees. Yes, and I hate wallballs more. I had a terrible day at work, I deserve some cheesecake. Yes, and that cheesecake is 10,000 steps sideways to my goal of losing 5% bodyfat. I don't want to go the gym today. Yes, and I want to fit in those jeans I bought last year more than I want to binge watch Netflix. You get the idea. Developing mental toughness means developing a big tool kit of coping skills. The "Yes, and" principle validates your feeling and empowers you to find an alternative thought. It challenges you to get clear on your motivation. Once you crystal clear on your motivation, it's much easier to make healthy choices. There's no way around it. Being healthy mentally and physically is hard work. It is made so much more manageable with a motivated cadre of folks with common goals.
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Have you wondered why we give stickers for milestones like 25 and 50 classes or for your first time making the Committed Club? It's because everyone REALLY does love getting a gold star and those milestones worthy of praise. So many people believe that those of us who stick with an exercise program or a specific nutrition program must somehow have some magic well of motivation from which we can draw. The truth is that those of us who stick with a healthy lifestyle practice have learned (conscious or otherwise) how to celebrate our wins. Motivation ONLY comes after a win. It rarely precedes it. A win can be as simple as an acknowledgement (like big X on a calendar) of a the first day of a new habit. It doesn't really matter what you're counting down or trying to change, think about how satisfying those big Xs look. With each X you get feel more motivated to stay the course. Our stickers and #100strong socks do the same thing. They're an acknowledgment or your success. Our workout tracking app, Beyond the Whiteboard, does the same thing. Every time you open the app you get a quick snapshot of your week, month and lifetime of fitness. Here's what mine looked like today. Can you guess which milestone I'm motivated to achieve? YES, 3000 training sessions! Recently all of us Coaches attended an Orange Theory class. We were delighted to earn Splat Points during our workout. We have no idea what Splat Points mean, but boy were we excited to tell each other how many we earned!
How many of you use FitBits? How excited do get when your FitBit acknowledges your steps or calories? See what I mean? We crave points, big Xs, badges, stickers and yes, gold stars. Use that acknowledgement of your win to help keep your momentum and motivation for whatever you want to achieve. You can also book a free goal review or check-in with me and I'll help keep you on track:-) Good luck! Buck's 51st Birthday was yesterday and he has been CrossFitting with us for almost 3 years! Buck Taylor, Why do you do CrossFit?What was your fitness, CrossFit, or yoga "life" like before you started training with True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga.
I had been working out at another CrossFit gym in town and thought it was a bit too intense with not enough warmup, stretching and instruction. True Spirit has changed all that. What brought you to True Spirit CrossFit & Yoga in the first place? A fellow volunteer firefighter mentioned his great experiences at TSCF so I took a chance. What was your first impression? Great community, welcoming, fun environment and really great and caring coaching. What was the first thing fun or positive thing you experienced while training with us? Trying new things and learning to climb that damned rope. Are you working on any special CrossFit related skill now? Bench my bodyweight How has you life changed since training with TSCF? As a type 1 diabetic, my blood sugars are more regulated and my body looks better naked! What's your favorite True Spirit CrossFit memory Talking about syphilis at 6 am! Noah is one of the strongest women in the gym. She could give a shit what you think of her muscles:-) Myth: Lifting Weights Makes Women BulkyPerhaps no other fitness myth is more pervasive and insulting to women. I could write 1,000 blog posts on this issue because there are so many different points to address. However, today I will focus on just one: "What the hell is bulky anyway?" Want to read something crazy?!? Leigh Peel researched this very question and found that the majority of her 2000 research subjects identified Hillary Swank's Million Dollar Baby physique as too bulky. Yep, there she is in all her bulkiness. Here are a few bullet points from Peel's survey of 2000 women: The majority of women don’t like the look of muscle on themselves or others. Here's the big fat bulky deal. Lifting weights will make you strong. Lifting weights will make you burn more calories which increases your metabolism. Lifting weights will increase your bone density decreasing your risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures. Lifting weights will make you powerful. Lifting weights will make it easier to carry your kids, your groceries, your skis, your bike, your kayak, your everything.
At our gym we lift weights and no one is bulky. In fact, we probably lift heavier weights that Hillary Swank on none of us look like her. We all look like the best version of the strong, confident, and powerful women that we are. The result of this survey that makes me the saddest is that the majority of these 2000 women would choose NOT to lift weights even if they knew it wouldn't make them "bulky." That tells me we have a deeper problem to resolve. We need to help women learn it's totally okay to be strong and capable. My personal mission is to help women find their power. Lifting, pushing, pulling and swinging weighted objects will make you strong and powerful. When we women find our physical power we find our mental and emotional power. When we find that we find our voice. Watch out world when we raise up our voices! |
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