Make It Yours

So after my little introduction a couple weeks back, all hell seem to break loose in the life department and I found myself busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest! Anyways, it has calmed  down now to a dull roar, and I thought that I would share something with you this haily evening. I don't think haily is a word, but holy cow was it just coming down out there.


As there will be many new athletes starting up at Crossfit Most, and there is already some smashing workouts in the Swagar's Gay-rage, (gay rage means garage, only happier, if you did not know:) I thought I would share a really important little secret everyone should know. 


This little secret helps out with everything in life, from activities to eating and so on.


So listen up. A wise man once told me that we have 2 ears and 1 mouth, so we should do twice as much listening as talking. That was not the secret, but good info none the less!


So here is the real juiciness......... MAKE IT YOURS.

There is many people that take on all sorts of things in life, but quite often do it for reasons that are not necessarily close to the heart. For someone else, or for some other hollow reason.


When you embark on new journeys in life, whatever they may be, make sure that you are doing them for you. 


It is always cool to let someone inspire you to do something, but always insure that you, your brain, and your heart are on board 100%. I have seen it a multitude of times when someone takes on something, and for whatever reason, has not fully invested their self into it, and they fail or give up. Even if it is something that would make them better as a person, without there entire being on board, they never come out on top.


When you truly believe in something and why it is that you are doing it, it takes the work out of it, almost. You feel attached to it, and every small little gain is worth all the hard work put into it. That not eating that candy bar was truly awesome! And you know you will be better for it. That struggling through those last ten push ups, even though everything in your body was telling you to stop, will make you stronger for tomorrow. That going out for a walk first thing in the AM, rather than checking out Facebook for all the happening events that occurred while you slept, is a much more productive way to start your day.


All the choices that you have to make regarding your new journey will be easier and met with a positive state of mind, because you REALLY want to do it for you. You want it. You have decided to do it, and there is nothing on this planet that can stop a person once they have their mind made up. Nothing.


Have a read of this quote if you have a second. It was written by a gentleman that spoke at a eulogy for an individual that I hold up high on a pedestal, as someone that we should all aspire to be like.

"What is beauty? Is beauty a pretty face, a nice smile, flowing hair, nice skin? Not to me, it's not. To me beauty is living life to higher standards, stronger morals and ethics and believing in them, whether people tell you you're right or wrong. 

Beauty is not wasting a day. Beauty is noticing life's little intricacies and taking time out of your busy day to really enjoy those little intricacies. 

Beauty is being real, being genuine, being pure with no facade—what you see is what you get. Beauty is expanding your mind, always seeking knowledge, not being content, always going after something and challenging yourself.…

I believe that to really honor Pat, we should all challenge ourselves. No more I'm going to do this or I'm going to do that. Do it. 

As Pat would say, probably, 'Get off your ass and do it.' 

Why, you ask, should we honor him this way? 

Because that's what Pat did his whole life."

Take that to the bank and make whatever you do throughout life yours.


Cheers,
AJ

Happiness and such!

Hi everyone! It's Christina here! Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Something amazing has occurred to me. It's unreal how the little actions we choose to do, or not do, in our daily life effects us to the core. 


This past couple weeks I've had some very center shifting realizations, when I choose to live an active, healthy life I am a happier person. I know this may be hard for those of you who have always been active to understand, but for someone like me who hasn't always been active, it is life changing.


Now as a busy mom of 3, believe me, there's not much sitting around. My house is always being cleaned and I'm always running laundry up and down the stairs but I'm talking about going swimming and heading to the mountains for a hike. Those kinds of activities just seemed exhausting to me. I'm going to be very honest, often times I felt jealousy when I saw others living the active life that I didn't think I was capable of living! Now I should mention, I've tried lifestyle changes in the past but I've never felt the happiness I feel now.


 About 6 years ago right now, after the birth of my first child, I decided to get a personal trainer. He was a great personal trainer, I lost about 30 lbs in 12 weeks and was stronger than I probably had ever been but I can say wholeheartedly I hated every minute. He told me that if I stopped working out that I would miss it and I can say with great certainty he was wrong! Ha! At the end of my sessions with him I found out I was pregnant with my second child and I remember one of my biggest feelings was one of relief because it was my "out" from having to workout (or at least it was an excuse I could be happy with). Other the next 6 years I tired many different weight lose attempts and nothing felt life changing.


Nothing felt like it was something I could do forever ... Nothing until now! Right now I'm not even putting a lot of focus on my weight but focusing on how I'm feeling. As I stood talking with Coach Swagar yesterday she said something that really hit home for me:


She told me she was teaching me to be able to live an active life on my own! I can say I'm getting to a point where I can do a really good workout by myself. That's a big accomplishment for me and I'm so grateful to Coach Swagar for helping me get to this place!

Last Friday morning I did a early morning work out with my workout buddy Carina. It was a hard one! It was a 20 min AMRAP and I really had to push. I did well and felt a lot of accomplishment from it but when I got home I went upstairs to my bedroom where Greg was and I sat on the bed and just started crying ... Like real, ugly, crying!


Greg was confused as I had just told him how good the workout was and to be honest I was just as confused. I told him I thought part of it was a realization of the long road I have ahead but I also told him that I'm not scared or discouraged by it. I very much embrace that I have a long journey ahead and I never want my journey to end! When the weight road ends I want to make a turn on a new road to a new place!


I texted Coach Swagar and told her what was going on, that I was crying for no apparent reason but couldn't stop it. She told me to feel what I need to feel, cry if I need to cry and just go with it. Friday ended up being a great day and after an amazing weekend with friends I had an awesome Monday morning workout! I came home from that workout feeling amazing and bouncing off the walls with excitement! It seems everyday is a new adventure. I find myself more willing to try new things and be more spontaneous (although I still have a long way to go before I'm where I want to be).

Life is good and I'm excited for more! Next post I promises to add a picture or two! :)

From Supermodel to Fighter and CrossFitter

 

Hi there! My name is Hilary and I am fortunate enough to have been asked by Jenn and Dave to contribute to their blog.  I am currently finishing my internship under Jenn to complete my Diploma in Exercise and Wellness, so along with my own athletic and personal journeys, I would like to share the unique perspective of learning from and being mentored by Coach Swagar.  For my first post, I would like to offer a brief intro to my story and where I am at currently to better frame the path I am on and the person I am striving to become. 

On High Fashion

I spent my key developmental years working as a high fashion model, scouted at the young and impressionable age of thirteen.  Luckily I have great parents who had instilled in me strong values, which kept me out of trouble for the most part.  However, by the time of my ‘retirement’ at age twenty, I had accumulated a nice little collection of neuroses; I was struggling with bulimia, substance use, depression, and paralyzing anxiety, and had no understanding of my true worth as a person.  I was completely incapable of making even the simplest decision on my own, as I didn’t trust my own judgment.  I decided to go back to school, and after upgrading my sciences and receiving some pretty spectacular psychotherapy, dabbled in psychology, sciences, and nursing.  I was hanging in there pretty ok, but was still tormented by my lack of purpose and worth. 

On Kick Boxing & CrossFitting
At the time I was still seeking any new means to make myself ever thinner, and with that goal in mind, I decided to try kickboxing.  What I encountered at my first kickboxing class could not have been farther from the fat burn I was seeking.  Instantly my body was redrafted with new purpose, no longer esteemed on its aesthetic principles, but rather celebrated through the fundamental splendor of functional athletic movement.  Where before I worshipped a wilted, weakened physique, I now hungered after muscle.  As a model, comments on the increasing size of my arms or shapeliness of my thighs would have shattered the carefully constructed image I believed I inhabited.  However, as an athlete, these spoke to newfound capacities to kick harder, punch faster, and push past my previous physical limits.  After just under year of training I took my first kickboxing fight and was hooked.  I am now preparing to debut in mixed martial arts, and have aspirations of fighting at a championship level. 

For me, the technical martial training is the easy part.  Because I have only recently undergone the transformation into an athlete, the mental toughness and will to undergo strenuous physical exertion is where I encounter my greatest struggles.  What I love most about CrossFit  (which I am still very new to) is the same thing that I hold most dearly about martial arts: I am constantly having to confront my weaknesses.  This body of mine has already proven itself to be capable of things I never dreamt possible, instead it’s my mind that limits me.  I was honestly the last person you ever would have thought capable of doing a pushup, let alone chasing elite athleticism in the name of stepping into a cage to challenge another person fist-to-face.  I have found that my greatest opponent is not to be found in the ring but in the mirror, and I am discovering my ability to wage war.  Where I seek to go, there is no faking it; I must continually allow my weaknesses to be exposed and chipped away.  And I do, everyday.  Every time I choke back tears of fear or frustration in the ring, or swallow the rising panic and drowning sensation mid-Fran, and pick the bar up again. ;)