Progress

A little over a week ago, I was asked by an athlete at CFC, "How far along are you?"...  Uncertain of what I was being asked, I stared at this person with a bizarre look on my face and they proceeded to use their hand to contour my belly with the intentions of suggesting a baby bump!  Needless to say, I was, without a doubt, flabbergasted because (1) I am NOT pregnant (2) I am NOT pregnant AND (3) I am NOT pregnant! 

So, why am I sharing this totally embaressing piece of information with all of you?!?!?  I gained 7 measly pounds, and it showed up in my belly... and I wasn't doing anything about it.

That comment helped me look in the mirror and be honest with myself.  It whipped me into shape, literally... Because it made me take a step back and remember that I am an icon at my place of employment.  Think about it...  Every single day, people are looking up to me for information on how to be better, stronger, leaner, faster, etc...  So, naturally, regardless of intentions, I am scrutinized on an hourly basis!  People are watching my every move, they are listening to every breath I take and every word I say and using that to form decisions about their next very own move in life!  And you know what?  There's absolutely nothing wrong with that!  It makes sense.  Actually, I'm honored that I may actually impact people in such a way.

The next question I asked myself was:

How can any of you, my athletes and/or people in my entourage, feel confident about something I say or do, if I am not doing as I say??

(SIDE NOTE: Just recently, I have been going through this in our home, too.  A recurring topic of conversation between my husband and I has been discussing exactly HOW important it is to have our children SEE us do what we want them to do and not just tell them what they need to be doing.)

Sooooo.... what happened with me?  Well, that's easy.  I'm human.  I'm not perfect.  And you know what?  that's OK!  What is NOT OK, is dwelling about it....

What I want to share is that this wasn't just a 7 pound weight gain... this was an emotional roller coaster, too!  (and this happens to the best of us.)  While I was enjoying my ice cream and chocolate on a daily basis (lol) I wasn't just consistently feeding my body unnecessary sugars that were ultimately making me fat and sluggish and everything else that CRAPPY foods do to our bodies, I was losing myself in this vicious circle of BAD.  My training suffered, my mood suffered and my overall world was suffering - everything just seemed off...  Seems a little drastic and unbelievable?  Maybe.. but it's true.  I started wondering if I should continue with this or that... I was questioning aspects of my life that I really had no business questioning!  ... ultimately, ALL BECAUSE OF POOR FOOD CHOICES!  

Crazy as it may sound, I had a "talk" with my Coach and we decided that I was going to change my behavior NOW.  It was seriously as easy as that.  He said, "Starting right now, this all ends.  Right?" ... and he didn't wait for me to reply, he simply said,  "Right."  And I did.  And I still am.  and I'm now getting my WOD's in and preparing for Oktoberfest Obliteration IV even if it means that I do it alone at the box whenever I can fit it in.  I am not making excuses anymore.  That stump has been stepped on and squished.  Three weeks ago, I let life get in the way.  Any excuse was good enough for me.

One underlying factor reminded me that it's never too late...

Convenience

What does the word convenience mean?  What makes something so convenient that we are willing to sacrifice time, money, knowledge, friends, morals, beliefs, etc...?  

The definition of CONVENIENCE is Something that increases comfort or saves work.

On Sunday, our priest discussed the act of convenience and what it means and its impact on the greater good.

Every day, there are many instances where I am faced with an athlete who is "conveniently" altering a movement, or simply "getting through" the warm up or WOD to get ahead.  Their intentions are almost always completely sincere, yet what we don't realize is that, regardless of our intentions, we are NOT benefiting from that WHATSOEVER.

Inside the walls of CFC, it's easy to settle versus always striving for our best.  Whether we are comparing ourselves to the athlete next to us or dwelling on what we "can't" do instead of what we CAN do...  it's human nature to take the path to ASSURANCE...

But we must ask ourselves, WHY DID WE JOIN CROSSFIT?  Well, I can tell you why I joined.  To find myself.  To find the better, stronger, more confident me.  I certainly didn't start at CrossFit Champions out of convenience!!!   To be perfectly honest, there really isn't much about CrossFit that is convenient or easy.

Another perfect example is PALEO.  There is absolutely nothing convenient about eating like a caveman in the 21st century!!!! Processed sugars live in our grocery stores, prepackaged foods reign the shelves...  Fresh foods just barely exist.

BUT, at one point, we chose to do these things because they are worth it.  ... To YOU.  Because we believe...  Because we reap the benefits from doing it RIGHT.

So, the next time you take a step and make a decision to do something, think about WHY you are doing it.  Figure out if it's important to you and then, DO EVERYTHING IN YOUR POWER TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.  

And there's something else to remember, every time you make a decision out of convenience, the only person you are cheating is YOU.