Saturday, March 15, 2014

With a little help from my friends (Post #1 about support systems)

Hello, folks. I love The Beatles, and the other day after a WOD, I couldn't stop repeating the line, "I get by with a little help from my friends."

You see, Thursday was a rough day right from the start, and after work, I went to CrossFit to do the WOD and hopefully expend my frustration from work. The WOD consisted of kettlebell (KB) swings, walking lunges (which I still have to modify to stationary…but I'm getting there!) and double-unders (I've still only done two in my entire life. Coordination is not my strong suit. Yet.). As other athletes zipped through the workout, I battled myself the entire way. I was on the verge of tears the entire time. But, a couple things happened that helped build my confidence along the way.

  1. One of my coaches encouraged me to finally use the Rx KB weight for the WOD. I used it for the first two and a half rounds, which surprised me. I then had to switch to a 12kg KB, but guess what? I still got a workout in, and mostly with the Rx weight - a huge achievement for me. (Remember what I said a couple weeks ago about remembering the small things? Case in point.)
  2. CrossFit really is a community. Even though I didn't finish the workout, I had people right next to me, cheering me on to a strong finish after they completed the WOD. With every painful lunge, with every labored breath -- their encouragement spurred me on until the time limit.I only worked through the time cap because I had that extra encouragement from my fellow athletes.
And today, I have to give an extra shout-out to one of the other coaches for encouraging me through the 14.3 CrossFit Open WOD -- and helping me reach a deadlift personal record along the way.

My coaches and fellow athletes have become an integral part of my support system as I continue to ensure 2014 is my year. Whether it's with diet, exercise or otherwise, it's impossible to make big changes in life without a support system. Humans weren't created to do everything alone -- don't follow my stubborn lead and try to go it alone first. If you want to make big changes, get the right people alongside you first, and set your mind to it. If I can do it, anyone can!

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