How To Find a Kick-Ass CrossFit Coach

How to find a kick-ass CrossFit Coach

Over the past few years (I talk like a veteran, but I've only really done about 2 years of CrossFit, but apparently that makes me an expert now.) I’ve had the chance to work with some pretty stellar coaches.

  You hear the top athletes say “I work with so and so.”  The top athletes have a good point here. They have a main go-to person, as well as a close cadre of coaches they have identified that bring out the best in them.  I don’t think this is exclusive to them.  You may not be able to afford the quantities of Progenex they consume, but you can have a GREAT coach. 

That brings me to today’s blog topic… picking a coach.  Now that we are in a time of CrossFit plenty, we have the luxury of checking out different boxes all over our cities, and working with different people. There are as many different coaches out there, as there are elements you can throw into a CrossFit WoD.  I thought I’d write a few of my favourite things about my favourite coaches.

I may be horribly biased.  It’s a little incestuous here… all my favourite coaches have become some of my favourite people on this planet and among my closest friends.  

You know you have a great coach when you trust them with anything.  I trust them with my brain because I cannot think clearly during or after a WoD.  They take over with cues so I do not destroy myself in the process. I also trust them with my body, I trust that they are not going to kill me during this work out (actually, I reassure myself with this during WoDs ALL the time), and I trust that they are going to help me get to where I need to be.  

I think that 100% unconditional trust, inspiration and motivation comes when you find a kick ass human being that also happens to be a CF Coach.  They pull the best out of you and accept you during your worst!  (though chances are high that a good coach will mock you and your "low" moment later) 

So what are important things that my favourite people have in addition to CF-L1? 

-Their background.  What, beyond the CF Certifications and picture of their amazing sweaty abs, does the coach bring?  (Yes, I know having a sexy coach is a bonus and happens a lot in the CF world, but beyond that…)  What is their education? Is it related to CF?  Super important if you are a complicated human being (psychologically and physically) and/or a newbie.  I am both.  And my coaches are patient.  If they don't have an educational background, do they put their own time into self-education?  Huge, too.  Some of the best coaches are self-taught and rival those with formal educations.

-Their motivation.  Are they athletes themselves? (big bonus in my books.)  Was their life transformed in some way?  I want to know that the person coaching me “gets” where I am at.  I see right through coaches whose motivation is a paycheque or gratification of their own ego.

-Their personality.  If you are really, truly going to jive with a coach and have a great relationship, you’ve got to gel personality-wise.  I don’t think you know what really works, until you’ve tried different styles of coaching.  Lucky for me, I like a bit of everything.  I like the “good job” and kind words of encouragement when I’m having a down day, but I also like a bit of the “pick up the fucking bar!” too.  Call me twisted.  I am extroverted, and I like extroverted coaches.  Everyone is different.  Personally, I like witty banter, obnoxiousness, loudness, and bad words.  I feel like I just wrote an online dating ad. 

-Their reputation.  If you hear nothing aside from how great they are from people in the community, awesome. And same with the other way around.  They don’t have the time to gossip or bad-mouth – they are a kick ass person who doesn’t get involved in politics.   I’m interested in people who build the community, not partition it into geographical zones.

-Their willingness to help you.  Clearly, you’ve drunk the koolaid when you take membership in CF.  Once you’ve paid that monthly fee, a pandora’s box of nutrition, rest, rehabilitation, lifestyle management, and goal setting questions arise. “What do you mean crackers aren’t healthy?” 

Is the coach someone who can bring this knowledge to the table and patiently answer questions like you are not a complete fucking idiot? I’m not expecting an oracle of knowledge in my coach, but it’s pretty damn amazing when it’s not just the bar you learn how to maneuver.  If you are lucky enough to have a mentor in a coach, keep ‘em!

-Their Lifestyle.  Do they live what they preach? Are they an inspiring human being?  This is actually a really big one for me. There’s telling me to lead a better life, and then there’s SHOWING me what it’s like through setting an example.  Show is more powerful than tell in my books.  Once of the greatest things about this sport is the lifestyle it opened up.   

-Their Honesty.  Warning:  You have to be in a place where you are comfortable with constructive criticism.  Anyone with any lack of confidence or self-esteem issues need not apply for this kind of coach.  Insecure people + honest coach = dramarama!  On the part of the client.

Personally, I like the ones that confront me.  If I walk in and absolutely suck wind in my workout, I am always impressed by a coach who corners me and says “what is going on, why did you walk in here with no energy today?  Why does your attitude suck balls today?” rather than a passive “better job next time.”

-Straight forward.  Some warm fuzzies are good, but not tooooo many.   Even if I discuss what's on my mind.  I like words of encouragement on the days where my face betrays the fact I feel like a bag of smashed assholes...But if you come near me for a random hug and talk about female empowerment,  or worse, girl power, and try to grab my hands like Oprah does, I will block you with a pullup rig.  Hugs are appropriate when you haven't seen someone in more than 3 weeks, or when someone's sad/crying/distressed.  Both situations I try to avoid.  Telling me to man the fuck up and get it together touches my soul. :) 

-Tolerance.  I am appreciative of coaches who tolerate sprinkles of client stupidity here and there.  Key word: SPRINKLES.  When I’m front squatting because my coach knows I need to work on it and I’m like, “Fuck, seriously front squats?” Then 30 seconds later when I’ve finished the round, and I’m back at them again, saying “FUCK, AGAIN?” “Fuck off!” – my coach just smiles and patiently cues me.  What a wonderfully patient, decent human being. 

-Lay the smack down.  Pull me off a bar because I’m doing a shitty ass job of lifting it up and keeping good form, and I will have endless respect for you.  Don’t be afraid to lay down the law.  I really respect coaches who have control and respect from an entire classes’ worth of captain intensities.

-Humour.  I like humour. I love witty banter.  I like it when my coach occasionally cackles when writing down a WoD.  I like people I can jive with and laugh with. It makes it more fun, and they are still friends with me at the end of the day, after I’ve unleashed profanity for 20 minutes, spat in the middle of my run or let out a destructive fart.    In fact, they laugh too. :)     

-Programming.  Do they have a philosophy?   I really like coaches who don’t destroy my shoulders with pullup WoDs every day for 2 weeks.  I’m not picky.  I just like to stay away from over use injuries. Smart programming is great. Is their knowledge level such that they could help you progress toward specific goals through programming? They don’t need to be a tortured genius years way ahead of their time (highly possible if they frequently quote Sun Tzu or Machiavelli or try to introduce you to NAVY SEALS philosophies during cool down.)

 -Committed to Improvement: What have they done in the last year?  Have they attended a seminar, done something to keep their skills fresh?  Have they introduced new cues, new warmups, new mobility stuff?  I hate love it when my coach brings new mobility torture devices all designed to improve my movement, because they sat up for an hour watching mobility WoD the night before when they should have been sleeping.

-Humble: Every now and then I like to see my coach get down ‘n dirty with the rest of us and become a heap on the floor after a wod.  Not only is it gratifying in a slightly evil, “you’re suffering too ;)” way…but it shows that they “get it.” Ok, sometimes I don’t love that they are finishing their 6^th round while I am still on my first, but I LOVE that they are working out right beside me!  It is so motivational.

And that ladies and gentlemen, makes a pretty solid coach in my books. 

Ps.  I also think it is pretty great if they are nice to look at.  

Seizing the Moment!

Hello All! Christina here once again. 

We have been home from our wonderful summer vacation for 5 days. It was a great vacation but it's nice to be home! It's been a bit of a hard week. I've had a sick little girl so I've been up a lot through the night and got a little run down. Poor little thing, it has not been fun and I did have to miss one workout because of it. But I'm through with worrying and beating myself up over things like missing a workout or having some desert, or whatever I think that day I should feel guilty about. This is life and I intend to live it happily and healthy! I have moved on from missing that workout and am doing great! 

I felt a lot of accomplishment in this holiday! I really found balance for the first time ... maybe ever? I didn't deny myself but I didn't go overboard with my diet, I was active and got in 2 workouts (I missed 2) but I also spent time with my feet up and relaxed! It was wonderful! I came home feeling pretty great! My first workout back with Coach Swagar was definitely a little harder but still great! I'm glad I did those two workouts and stayed active! I swam a lot in the lake with the kids (which was amazing! They LOVED it!) and we did some hiking! It was awesome!

I was happy to get home and found it very easy to get back on track with my eating and exercise (other than the one missed workout due to life circumstances). This was very refreshing to me! In the past it would have been very hard for me to get back on track so this was another example of how this has really been a life change! 

This week I've spent some time reflecting on how I want to live my life! I feel like I have a handle on living more actively and healthy in a physical sense, but I'm more talking about how I want to feel inside and what I allow to drive me!  I've spend a lot of my life trying to please others. I've found it very difficult to say no to people and many times I've said yes at the expense of myself or my family. When I have said no I've felt guilt and worried about having people angry with me. I don't want to live that way anymore! 

Don't get me wrong, I still want to help others! As a matter of fact, that is a priority in my life! Part of my living life happily is helping others and doing things for others joyfully! But when that joy is not there and I feel resentment or taken advantage of because I've put my need or my families needs aside that is not healthy for me! This is an area that is getting easier and that I will continue to nurture.

Another area I'm focusing on is living life ... I mean really living life! I've touched on this before but it's really being put into action! This weekend we are going camping! 12 hours ago we were not going camping, we were spending the weekend at home. Now we're going camping! We got a phone call this morning from a campsite that we were on the cancelation list and we had a spot if we wanted it! We had called prior to Catie being sick but I hadn't really given it another thought, we were 6th on the list and I didn't think we'd get in, which was fine. My initial reaction when we got the call this morning was to say no. But I reluctantly said yes. I have a list of reasons we shouldn't go 

- Catie has been sick all week

- Morgan (our oldest son) has a birthday party Friday afternoon

- We have a funeral to attend Friday at 7

- I'm not prepared 

- It's expensive

- I have to work this weekend (I have a little nail salon and do nails from home)

All those reasons aside, the truth is it's somewhat spontaneous and that's hard for me! This is a perfect opportunity for me to work on this area. If I think about it, all those reason are excuses to sit on the sidelines and not live life ...

- Catie is so much better since starting her antibiotics yesterday and will be that much better tomorrow (Plus we are in a warm tent trailer where she will be very comfortable). 

- We are close enough to Calgary I can bring Morgan into the birthday Party and then he and I can attend the funeral. Greg and the little two can have a nice time together out camping and we'll even be back in time for a fire before bed. 

- The tent trailer took 30 minutes to put the clean sheet in it and give it a wipe down. All I have to do is pack some clothes for everyone, not a big deal!

- We found some free firewood (it took about 5 minutes on kijiji), I've got lots of food to bring out from home, there's no reason I can cook healthy meals out there like I do at home! That's what we did the last time we were out (minus the lucky charms hehe). Free wood, food that we'd be eating at home anyway ... it's really it's not going to be expensive! 

- I was able to move one client to tonight and as long as I get home by noon on Sunday there will be no problem! The whole reason I have a home business is so I can make my schedule and enjoy my family and life!

THERE! We have NO reason not to seize this opportunity and enjoy some time away as a family! I've spent so many years finding excuses to not do things it's become second nature to say no! BUT NO MORE! I'm retraining the way I think and I'm going to enjoy doing more and being spontaneous! 

On a sad note: 

On Monday I learned that one of Morgan's school friends, older brother died after a 8 month battle with cancer. Once again I find myself reminded how important it is to live each day as a gift and to enjoy life! So quickly everything can change! The little boy who lost his battle to cancer and was such a fighter at the young age of 8 (he just turned 8 last month). This family who lost their sweet little boy have acted with such courage and it's been inspiring! 

I just want to live each day happily! I want to be good to

 others and good to myself!! I want to stop putting off 

until tomorrow and really live for today! - ME!

This post has been a bit of a ramble! There's been lots stirring inside me this week and I just wanted to put it all down! 

I hope somewhere in all this rambling there has been something that has hit a cord in you to live the life you want to live ... whatever that might be to you!

Taking Responsibility for my Movement

Guest Post by Carina Huggins

Corrective exercise is about rebuilding and strengthening connections.

It is all about taking active responsibility for your movement.  It is so much more than listening to cues from a coach and correcting them during a WoD.  It is so much more than letting your mind fade and body take over.  

A few months back, I participated in a low back pain research study.  During the study, I was able to observe my multifudus and transverse abdominus muscles on an ultrasound screen.  A key component of the study was building the patient’s awareness of the mind-body connection.  The clinical researcher asked me to imagine my TrA contracting.  I did, with some skepticism, and was shocked to see a tiny grey band of muscles on the ultrasound screen flinch in response:  My transverse abdominus, were moving in response to a thought.  Not even an active attempt at a movement.  Just a visualization!  It was in that moment that I really began to understand the mind-body connection.

The last few months have been about re-routing the energy that passes between the brain, nervous system and skeletal system. It is a deeply transformational practice that involves immersing yourself completely in sensation, yet at the same time, keeping your mind active and aware. The nervous system is quite a dynamic system. If you observe nerves under a microscope, you can see that they are like strange little star fish - alive, moving and constantly forming new connections.  

Somewhere in the middle of struggling up out of a squat, with a weighted bar on my back, I take note of what my body wants to do, and how it wants to get the bar up there.  Before, I would have just carried on that path upward toward the rack, my mind absent and in the “zone.”  It is SO much easier to just let go mentally, and let your body take over, with the habits and patterns that it knows.

 This detached “zone” state - or sticking with your current patterned movement is common.  Even if you see people responding to corrective cues, at some point it slips and they revert back to what their body has patterned.  It is so much easier to just go with what you body feels is "normal" to it.  Even if your "normal" isn't what is "right."

CrossFit lit up my nervous system; new movements and activities resulted in a surge of activity in my muscular and nervous systems.  Those connections took place in the context of acute pain, dysfunctional movement and imbalance.  After thousands of reps at another CrossFit box, bad patterns were deeply ingrained and compensatory patterns were well developed (the only way I kept up with some movements despite my clear limitations was through compensation.)

Unsurprisingly, acute pain was established.  Unfortunately your muscles do not speak English.  They only speak in the language of pain.  And in emitting these pain signals up to the brain, they really, really hope (and pray) you have the sense to figure things out.  Because they really, really hope (and pray) that you have good connections between your mind and body. 


Training at CrossFit MOST, I have to be aware.  No more detaching during a workout into a muddled place called “the zone.”  

I need to go deep inside myself to feel which muscles are priming themselves to fire. In a split second, I have to shake off the physical sensations of my muscles burning and reconnect my mind with my body.  I focus on my body is supposed to do, and think about activating the right muscles to make that movement.  

Doing it right sometimes feels unnatural:  Strange and unfamiliar territory.  Just like a squat felt the first time you ever did one with a bar. Just like a wallball felt, the first time you threw it and caught it with your face!
It may be subtle (nobody is going to guess from your pain-face that all this crazy shit above, is going on in your mind!) but it is very, very effective.  

With time and repetitions the connections are being forged and strengthened.  Many corrective movements do not feel alien anymore.  Inside, my nervous system is responding and the right muscles are developing.

In the space of half a second, I have gone through this profound process on the inside.  On the outside, my coach is observing my squat and complementing me on it.  It has begun to take on the form it should, and I am rising up to the bar.

Repatterning movements through corrective exercise involves internal intelligence. 

To improve mind-body connections, you must have a bridge.  That bridge is coaching and the development of deep internal awareness.  Coaches help us with both - they bring to us that awareness of our patterns and behavior, tapping into the knowledge base that the body has already developed.  Then, they help us reformulate everything that we’ve learnt up to that point: Through explanation, demonstration and touch.  

Much of the rest of it is up to you.  For deep, fundamental change you must get away from passive WoD-brain.  You must focus in on bodily sensation and the internal experience.  Sometimes you want to throw off those cues and do it the easier way, the way your body has programmed.  But you cannot.  You have to summon willpower and take in the cues and start forging those new connections.

Being Real With Your Goals

 Series: From Super Model to Muay Thai Fighter.
Being Real With Your Goals.

Hello out there!  It’s been quite a while since I last posted, which ties into the topic of this blog.  
As I mentioned in my first post, anxiety has long been a battle for me. 

At present, I have a deep fear of taking responsibility for my abilities, because if I do but don’t succeed, I am afraid that my worth will be confirmed as a failure.  Even in the case of writing for this blog, I’m afraid that I won’t be able to come up with anything of value.  I always worry about not living up to the hopes I have for myself, and I think that this impedes my journey of becoming that person.  Even in my training, I have unrealistic expectations for myself that align with the future version of ‘Hilary’ that I hope to someday become, and this prevents me from achieving success in the now and fully embodying the current phase of my progress.  Even in the middle of a workout or sparring session, if I feel that I am not performing to the imaginary standards of my potential self, I become frustrated and negatively reinforce my attitude.  I am afraid to experiment with new weight lifting or fight techniques because I don’t want to risk exposing my inexperience or inability, and finding out (or worse, having others find out) that I’m not actually the all star that I like to pretend I am.  

It’s like a person who, during a disagreement, doesn’t healthily assert their position and opinions, feels walked over, and then later comes up with all of the excessively aggressive arguments they ‘should have said’ to bolster themselves because they haven’t yet learned not to place their identity in their own opinions or those of others. 

Essentially, I’m afraid to learn and am resistant to the learning process.  There is incongruence between my ego and my actual self: my ego is over inflated to make up for my fear of being exposed and lack of confidence in my ability to achieve my dreams.  

When I first told my fight coach after a couple of months of training that I wanted to someday get in the ring, I cried with embarrassment because I didn’t believe I was capable of such a dream…and anyone else who knew me at the time would have (and did) laugh at me when they caught wind of my new passion and ambitions.  But my first fight was a specific and attainable goal; he couldn’t promise me that I would win it (which I happened to), but my fight coach promised that he could get me there. 
I will strive to work hard at overcoming myself in order to earn my future skill set, becoming humbly responsible with what I have achieved, and no longer arrogantly inflating my abilities to make up for my weaknesses.  
Even if I were handed my dreams tomorrow they wouldn’t be enough because I wouldn’t have traveled the hard road and become the person capable of happily inhabiting them.  It is the process that will change me, make me stronger, smooth the calloused and sharpened edges of my ego, and transform my worth into something more meaningful than any goal reached ever could.

These realizations have been in the forefront of my mind for the past week or two, because Coach Swagar had kindly offered to help me in setting my personal goals.  I have never actually tried narrowing down my vast and vague hopes for the future, and can’t say I did a particularly good job. 

My dreams are lofty, and I’m terrified of admitting them to anyone else because I’m afraid they are going to tell me that they’re not possible.  

So when Jenn saw some of my goals, she explained to me that they were ‘unattainable’.  Immediately my defenses went up, embarrassed for having been caught overestimating my abilities.  However, she then explained to me what she meant by that, which was that if there were more than two uncontrollable factors influencing my goals, they were ‘unattainable’ in the sense that I could not safely be certain that I could achieve them by my own powers.  For instance, many of my goals are outcome based, such as ‘winning’ a fight, which is out of my control because there is another person involved.  In logic I don’t actually care whether I win or not, I just want to perform to the best of my abilities and if that brings about a win: great, if not, then knowing I did the best I could is enough.  
Therefore, I need to shift my perspective from ‘outcome based’ goals to ‘performance based’ goals.I feel that such a transition in mindset will help me not only in setting realistic, shorter-sighted performance goals that will boost my confidence as I find them within my reach, but also will improve the quality of my current training as I learn to be satisfied with, and proud of, where I am currently at. 

If my smaller goals build upon one another and bring me to my ultimate aspirations, then they will have become attainable.  But it’s not even about that: I understand that the purpose is the journey, not the destination.

x

Greetings from Holidays!

Hello Everyone!

It's Christina writing you from my vacation! We've been gone since Friday and are having the most fabulous time! I've had a few pretty significant accomplishments on holidays so far.

As some of you know, I'm not really good with spontaneity. I like to have a plan and stick to that plan. When we left Calgary Friday morning we were all set for some camping but didn't know exactly where we were going to go. We didn't have a reservation and we were hoping we'd find somewhere around Fernie. When we got to Fernie everything was booked up. We got away later than expected and it was almost 3 o'clock, we'd been traveling for hours and everyone was starting to get antsy. I was starting to panic a little, what if we couldn't find somewhere?

As always, I'm going to be very honest with you. In the past this would have been a prime example of when I would get my bitch on ... I'm happy to say that was not the case this time! I felt the anxiousness, I took deep breaths and I stayed calm and in good spirits! Greg commented on a couple of occasions how good I was handling the situation! We did find a beautiful spot and I won't lie, when we got there I felt a lot of relief.

I truly attribute my positive behavior change to the changes I've made in my life! Working with C.S. (Coach Swagar) and having CrossFit in my life really has changed my outlook! When I write that I'm a little taken aback! How can a thing like exercise change a person so much? How is this possible? Don't get me wrong, I still struggle! I still have bad moments and even bad days! I'm not always the best wife, mother, sister, daughter or friend that I can be. I still make bad decisions and sometimes behave in a way that I wish I hadn't, but on a whole I feel so different!

While we were camping on Saturday, Greg suggested we do a workout. I'll admit, I didn't feel at all like exercising. Not only did I not feel like exercising, there were people around who I knew would see and I felt embarrassed. Regardless of those feelings, I went back in my journal and found a WoD that I did last month that would work at the campsite. We did a quick 10 min AMRAP and although I did well, I felt very self conscious. I was very happy when those 10 minutes were up!

Later that evening, we got the kids to bed and Greg and I were sitting and having a beer by the fire when two woman walked up to us from the campsite across the way. They said they saw us working out earlier and it inspired them to also get out and exercise! I couldn't believe it, the workout that I felt so self conscious about inspired 2 other people to do something active! Hearing that made those 10 minutes so worth it! I felt proud and it's exactly what I needed at that time!

The thing about camping, especially with 3 kids, is it's not overly relaxing. Everything is an event! To set up the campsite, make beds, cook, warm up water, do dishes, get dressed ... Everything is requires effort! I loved it! Even when I was doing it I was able to acknowledge that a year ago I would have been hating every minute of it because it would have been work then. Now it's not work, it's life! When the kids were finally in bed at the end of the day and Greg and I would sit and have drinks by the fire, I thought about the day we'd had and loved it. I look forward to more camping in our future!

We had great meals when we were camping! It was not all healthy but we're on holidays and there will be treats! We had hamburgers, corn on the cob, cucumber slices, carrot sticks and good old fashion potato chips for dinner Friday night! Lucky Charms for breakfast on Saturday morning. It was the first time in probably 20 years that I had Lucky Charms and they were still Magically Delicious! Ha! For real though, they were awesome. Saturday night we had steak, sautéed mushrooms and onions, baked sweet potato with garlic and baked zucchini. It was awesome! Sunday morning before we packed up I made a big breakfast using up the leftover from Saturday nights supper! Scrambled eggs with the leftover mushrooms and onions, sweet potato and bacon hash, steak and bacon! It was all awesome!We packed up the tent trailer after cleaning up from breakfast and headed to Whitefish. I don't know if I've ever been so happy to see plumbing! There is nothing like a shower after a weekend of camping!

This morning I woke up knowing I was going to do a WoD that I did when I was here at the beginning of July. It was a hard one that C.S. and David had to literally be at my side to finish. It consisted of 20 skips and then going up the driveway to the road and back, 10 times! I didn't record my last time but I'm pretty sure it took me almost 25 minutes. I was nervous about this WoD. Last time was so hard and I was nervous without C.S. and Dave by my side I wouldn't be able to do it all.

I found 10 rocks and put them in a pile, I told Catie (our youngest, she's 3, almost 4) to put one rock on the ledge of a flower garden each time I got back down the driveway. After a deep breath I started. The last time I did this WoD I found myself having a lot of negative head talk. I remember specifically on my 3 round last time thinking "why the hell are you even trying to do this, you can't do it" and "how did you let yourself get here? You'll never be able to dig yourself out of this hole you've gotten yourself in". This time on my third round my head talk was "you got this! Think about when all those rocks are on the ledge! You can do this". At no point in the 10 rounds did it ever come into my head that I wouldn't be able to finish this WoD. I'm happy to tell you not only did I finish it but I beat my last time! I did it in 23.07!

Soon after I was done I called C.S. and told her about it. When she asked me how I felt I started to cry, not because it was hard or because I wasn't happy but because of the accomplishment I felt. Just 6 weeks ago I could have never finished on my own and today not only did I finish but did it in less time ... Completely by myself! The kids watched and encouraged and Catie even came partly up the driveway every time greeting me on my way back down. At the end of the workout I saw those 10 rocks lined up and felt like a million bucks! This has been the sweetest WoD of my journey to date.

I now know I can do this! No matter what, I have the drive, I have the strength and I have the confidence! Life is great!

Move Move and Move Some More!!

Hello Everyone! Christina here again! Oh my goodness where to begin? I've got so much to tell you! As promised I have some pictures!

This picture was from about a month ago. I went out and did my own WoD and came home and sent this picture to Coach Swagar. I felt great and felt proud of myself that I was able to get that red in the face and sweaty on my own! 

Things are changing a little, my WoD's lately have been a little longer, the modifications are lessening and I'm definitely finding myself struggling a little more than I have been but I know it's all part of the progression. I imagine I felt the same way my first couple of workouts. 

Last Friday's WoD was so mentally hard I just couldn't get into it. I hated every minute of it and I struggled big time! I won't lie, after the previous Fridays WoD (remember I got home and cried on my bed ... haha) was lingering in my head and I went into it nervous and already doubting myself. Here was the work out.

My Deadlifts were at 95 lbs and I used the 5kg (11 lbs) medicine ball for my Wall Balls and Thrusters so it wasn't overly heavy lifting but it I was winded and I struggle with that feeling and sometime even feel a little anxious being out of breath. I imagine because it's new to me. I didn't cry when I got home but I didn't have an overly great day. I found mentally I struggled all day afterward. 

Monday we decided to do a group WoD. Because it was a holiday Coach Swagar suggested we do a workout with our husbands. Greg just recently started working with Coach Swagar and is getting into CrossFit, we've never done a workout together so I thought it would be fun! Unfortunately we had 2 sick kids that needed a walk in clinic so I opted for the workout and Greg took our 2 youngest to the doctor, that in itself is a small miracle ... Sick kids is the PERFECT excuse to miss a workout ESPECIALLY after such a mentally hard WoD on Friday. Carina was there so I had a great partner to team up with and although it was a CRAZY hard WoD for me I feel a lot of accomplishment in it! 

I found this on Pintrest (I love Pintrest ... don't judge me ... HA!) and it says it all for me. There are so many WoD's I see and think "There is NO way" but I have yet to not finish! 

Onto other news! We are going on holidays!!! In just 3 more sleeps our family is going on our summer holidays! Greg and I are both in much need of a holiday and we are quite literally counting the sleeps! Preparing for this holiday is showing me how much I'm changing. We are camping for the first time in 3 years for the first 2 days and last 2 days of our holidays. 

We have a old tent trailer that has been sitting, unused for 3 years and Saturday we decided to bring it home and check it out. 6 months ago I would have looked at the tent trailer and realized the work that would have to be done and would have never agreed to include camping into our vacation. After sitting empty for 3 years we had to pull everything out and organize what was there and do a lot of cleaning! 

On top of getting everything ready for camping I also have to clean our home, beds changed and get all the laundry done before we go (I'm kinda a crazy and like to have every clean and done so we get home to a clean house and fresh beds) Let me tell you I have been moving like crazy! I honestly have been going non stop and between the activity and the heat I've been sweating like I'm working out! I have had moments of struggle but continue to tell myself, this what what living an active life is! You work to get things ready so you can do fun stuff! I also know, if I'm being really honest, had I not been so lazy in the past, we probably would have been out camping this past 3 years and there wouldn't have been so much to do now! If anything it just motivates me to continue living a healthy active life! 

The days we aren't Camping we'll be spending in Whitefish where I hope to go to another CrossFit class! I'm bringing my journal and keeping on my regular workout days and will definitely be doing lots of activity with the family! It's nice to think about vacation and know that I'm going to make healthy choices. In the past it's often been a "Awesome, this is a great excuse to eat like crap and not feel bad about it" occasion and of course I told myself "people don't exercise on vacation", which actually makes me laugh now! Don't get me wrong, there will be treats!  I'm already planing my trip to The Red Caboose for a frozen yogurt with the kids and we'll have some treats now and then over the 10 days but I'm also planning healthy meals and exercise and activity! 

I am living a different life now! I am living a happier life! I'm living an healthier life! There are still days I think about getting out of going to my workout but there is a difference between thinking about not going and actually not going! My diet isn't perfect but it's pretty darn good and it's one I can live with forever. Coach Swagar gave me a bracelet that says "Be the change you're waiting for" and that's exactly what I intend to continue to do!

It's Not About the Destination

I am going to start by apologizing to you all; unfortunately 3 degrees and a love of writing has left me with the inability to write a short guest blog post, but grab a coffee, settle in and let me tell you a little story.  

When you go out into the mountains for a hike, you spend 90% of your day slogging upward, along crags, unstable boulders, dusty trails.  You wipe sweat off your forehead and swat imaginary bugs.  Your view is constantly blocked by trees or rocks, or maybe the backpack or butt of the person in front of you !  Most of that day is spent muttering under your breath, grunting with effort, day dreaming about the cold beer or delicious lunch at the top.  Your reward.  Your achievement.

10% of your day is spent at the top of the mountain, or at a lake, basking in the reward, eating that delicious lunch under the warm sun, enjoying that cold beer you spent the last hour dreaming about. 

Yet, when we descend from a mountain and drive home, we think about the entire day, not just that short moment at the top.  And we realize it was the entire thing that was truly rewarding.  Why?  The pleasure is to be found not in the reward, but in the entire journey. 

This is an important way to approach CrossFit, and one that is often lost on athletes.  When you are in a sport that offers such instant gratification – a short, intense workout with immediate rewards, quick results and obvious improvements over the short term, it is easy to focus on the goals, the places you want to get to, and the achievements you will eventually log in your book. In fact, here are the results I got addicted to:

  

But what about all those little moments along the way?  What about all those WoDs that just sucked the life right out of you?   What about the things you had to go through to get where you wanted to be?  How can you keep doing that over the long term if you don’t focus on the value to be derived from those moments?

For the first few months of my journey, I was completely, narrowly focused on an end-state.  NO MORE PAIN  (OK, probably slammin' body too).  Those goals were a constant companion through workouts.

 I found the first few months to be a rollercoaster.  I couldn’t believe how frustrated I would get over the simplest exercises, or how upset I’d feel about a pain flare up.  I’d constantly think “one day I won’t be hurting anymore” or “One day I’ll be RXing WoDs.” I fixated on the future.  That end-point.

Weeks turned to a month.  A month turned to 3 months.  Over time I dug in and got settled into the routine of rehabilitation.  But a part of me continued to count the days, thinking that the end point must be getting closer.

 However, life throws you curve balls.  In the Fall, I started developing low back pain, and in the winter slipped on ice.  A silly slip turned into 2 days in my bed, not even being able to roll over onto my side.  It took another 6 months to stabilize my low back and get it to a point where I could do basic movements again.

You cannot predict life.  Nor can you control it.  I was pissed off and thought that all of this wasn’t worth it.  Everytime I thought about my end-goal, I wanted to give up. 

If I’ve got one thing going for me, its’ that I am very stubborn and stubbornly face down challenges.   I eat them up and push through them with the right support.  As soon as I could, I was back at it. 

This time, however, it was different.  I threw myself into education, asking my coach and therapist what was going on, why I was doing this, what it was affecting, why this hurt or that hurt.  If a movement was programmed into a workout, I’d be asking "why?" and "how?" and "what’s the effect of that movement?"  I think I've googled every single muscle mentioned in each conversation I've had with Coach Swagar.

 I started journaling every single exercise or stretch, I wrote down how I slept, how my recovery was, what ached and what connections I could see between my exercises and how things were improving.  On my shelf right now I have 7 Moleskine journals filled from page to page with my workouts and notes over the past 18 months.

  I researched nutrition, dedicated a room to rolling and stretching, and made it a routine.  All of a sudden, the journey took on a new meaning for me. I began to enjoy it and see it as valuable in itself.

Through that process, I finally learnt to focus not on the destination, but the journey itself.   

While I was going through this tremendous personal growth & development, a team was hard at work planning how to get me back to the place I needed to be. 

In my early days, my vastly inferior knowledge led me to believe I’d be doing some stretchy band stuff, rolling and some simple exercises for a few weeks, et voila!  Back to smashing out Grace, or Murph!  I had no idea of the detailed planning that goes into the project that is fixing a busted-up CrossFitter. 

This is a very condensed version of what has occurred over the past 18 months under the close guidance, expertise and care of CrossFit Most.  

This right here demonstrates why it is important to seek the guidance of an experienced professional if you are dealing with biomechanical issues.  

1.) Identification of muscle imbalances, weaknesses & improper patterning

2.) Develop rehabilitation plan of attack & reduce acute pain

        -Tissue sparing exercises & stabilization

-Manual treatment plan (including active release, cranio-sacral therapy & osteopathy, graston, spinal decompression, myofascial rolling & stretching, ice & heat, anti-inflammatory nutrition protocols)

3.) Correction of individual deficiencies

Tissue sparing exercises & stabilization,

Spine (damaged thoracic spine – degenerative disc disease & osteoarthritis), lack of voluntary abdominal control or stability, ankle dorsiflexion, improperly patterned hip hinge, sciatica, pec tightness & shoulder instability, poorly functioning gluteal muscles / gluteal amnesia)

4.) Re-pattern functional compound movements

(where we are in August 2012!  Yay!)

5.) Increase the intensity of general strength training.

6.)  Training for power development and performance.