Unmotivated

Yesterday afternoon I hit a wall at work & all I was thinking about was that in a few hours I would be at the box lifting & squatting heavy. Just thinking about it was making me tired; I was definitely not feeling it – mentally or physically. My yawning every few minutes had already kicked in & my hips, legs & knees were tired & sore from lifting the night before. Everything was telling me to take a rest day…to go home & lie on the couch, catch up on my recorded shows & just relax. Tuesday is by no means a rest day for me – those are reserved for Thursdays & Sundays. I still had 2 more days to go.

Most of you that are reading this, my parents included, are probably thinking, “Just take a rest day. Your body is trying to tell you something”. In most cases I would agree with you; however, I’ve been working out & training long enough to know when my body needs an extra rest day and when I want a rest day & don’t feel like doing anything. Yesterday was one of those “want” days. Training was the last thing I wanted to do. It didn’t help that it was also a beautiful day in Northern Virginia - the sun was shining, it was warm, birds were chirping, etc.

So on my drive home I was still being totally indecisive & at one point I’d made the decision to go home & told myself to stay firm on that decision, but then I reached the exit that takes me to the box….doubt set in & before I knew it I was taking the exit at the last minute. I was completely annoyed with my choice as soon as I made it, getting more annoyed as I pulled into my parking spot & making the walk inside. I immediately said, “OK fine, you’re here; skip the squats, do some of the lifts & then roll out”. Of course that didn’t happen. As I started rolling out, stretching & running through my warm up, I was quickly in that mind set of completing all of the programming. At the end of my evening & after I had entered all of my results in Wodify this was my view:

For those that aren’t familiar with Wodify, the gold stars resemble a PR for that lift.

So needless to say, I was pleased with the outcome of my training last night. Yes I had moments of feeling unmotivated & not confident but those days are common & will come up. What matters is that you take a deep breath, keep your head up & push through anyway. You’ll never regret the work you put in. It’s the work you don’t do that will haunt you. 

Progress

While I was searching through my phone the other day I came across an old Youtube video of me doing pull ups. The video was taken when I first started crossfit, maybe 3 or 4 months into it (possibly longer). I must’ve watched it 5 times. At first I was so embarrassed that I didn’t even want to look at myself (they were that ugly); then I started laughing because I looked so uncoordinated; and, then I came to the realization that I’ve come a long way from when I first started. I remember some of my coaches saying, “You’ve got this donkey kick thing going on – you gotta lose that.” Yeah, you think?? (insert sarcasm) At the time I didn’t know how to get rid of it, except practice…lots of practice. My friend, Kateri, & I would go in on Sundays for open gym & work on our weaknesses. Pull ups were obviously one of the first things on my list. I remember having a bittersweet feeling when Kateri got hers before I had mine. Yes, I was happy for her (obviously) but secretly I wanted to push her off the bar. I know, I know – such a horrible thing to say but I’m being honest! What can I say, I’ve always been a competitive person. I still love you, lady. =)

Now for your viewing pleasure, my pull up video:

Another fun fact for you is that before this video was taken, & in my first months of crossfit, I was using a band to assist with my pull ups.

I never thought when I started crossfit how much of a gymnastics background would be beneficial. Lifting weights comes relatively easy to me, the gymnastics side – not so much. My weakness list is filled with gymnastic movements, i.e. toes to bar, muscle ups, chest to bar pull ups, butterfly pull ups, bar muscle ups, handstand walks, etc. The list goes on & on. I’m sure these movements will always be weaknesses of mine & I’ll probably always have to devote time to practicing them - that’s the only way they’ll ever get better. There’s always something to work on.

After seeing my old pull up video, I decided to record the pull ups that I have now. Just so I, & all of you, can compare from past to present:

2 strict pull ups, 2 kipping pull ups, 3 chest to bar pull ups

As I said above, my chest to bars need more work & more efficiency, but I can still do my inefficient ones in a WOD for now. I’ve been trying for a while now to make my butterfly pull ups a regular movement in my WODs but they still mess up my shoulders & I sound like an 80-year-old woman the entire time with my cracking & popping. Apparently that’s normal, but it doesn’t sound normal to me. One of my goals is to be able to butterfly my pull ups & my chest to bars.

My point for sharing all of this with you is to say that everyone starts somewhere. Everyone progresses at their own time & at their own pace. Don’t lose motivation just because your progress seems slow. With hard work we eventually all get to where we want to be. We all want to speed up the progress so we can be great, but remember that the process is what we get our joy from. As long as you enjoy what you’re doing, none of us are losing anything – we’re only gaining.

Fit Snacks Part 2

I’ve come across more snack ideas & thought I’d share them with all of you. =)

Raspberries with mini chocolate chips – An easy way of curbing that sweet tooth for all of you chocolate lovers out there who are just like me. I’ve found that finding mini dark chocolate chips is incredibly difficult – Wegman’s almost never has them in stock; but, if you use one dark chocolate chip it’s the same thing.

Found on Instagram: @befitsnacks

Frozen yogurt cups – I have a stash of these in my freezer right now. =)

Step 1: Place cupcake liners on a baking sheet (I used 5 liners).

Step 2: Scoop 1 tbsp. to 1.5 tbsp. of Greek yogurt into liners (I used Dannon’s vanilla flavored yogurt).

Step 3: Top with favorite fruit, pressing the fruit into the yogurt so it freezes together (I have used blueberries, raspberries & strawberries – they’ve all been good).

Step 4: Place baking sheet in freezer until frozen.

Step 5: Allow cups to sit for a minute before peeling the cupcake liners off, otherwise they will stick. Remove all cupcake liners, place yogurt cups in a plastic baggie & store in the freezer.

Step 6: Let yogurt cup sit for about a minute before eating.

Found on Instagram: @befitsnacks

Almonds & mini M&Ms – My office manager gives these to us in little treat bags sometimes, which is exactly where I got the idea from. For every 2 almonds she adds 1 mini M&M. Use the same concept when eating. ;o)

Rice cake with peanut butter & fruit – This is my favorite snack at the moment. I eat one every day at work for my afternoon snack. My favorite topping is blueberries, but I’ve also used blackberries, raspberries & strawberries. I have yet to try it with banana slices but I plan to.

Step 1: Use 1 rice cake (I buy the Quaker gluten free, plain rice cakes). 1 tbsp. creamy peanut butter. 1 handful of desired fruit.

Step 2: Spread peanut butter on top of rice cake.

Step 3: Add fruit.

Found on Instagram: @morellifit

If you’re running short on time, you can always grab a Quest protein bar like I did this morning. The box that I’m consuming at home is the Strawberry Cheesecake flavor:

Found at Quest Nutrition: http://www.questnutrition.com/protein-bars/

Happy Snacking!

Plan B

As you already know, shit happens. It can come out of nowhere – completely blindsiding you. It can start with a bad day, a bad week, even a bad month. No matter how positive of a person you are, or are trying to be, you’ll always have that one day that you let it all get to you – let it consume you to the point that it takes away from your overall happiness. For me, those are the hardest days to navigate. Trying to stay upbeat & looking toward the bright side of things turns difficult. Reminding yourself that “everything happens for a reason” just doesn’t cut it.

I’ve learned that having an outlet on those overwhelmingly shitty days can be a life saver - whether you like to cook, bake, run, take a long walk, read, etc. Taking that time out & giving your mind a chance to breathe can be good for your overall health in the long run. Crossfit has always been an outlet for me but sometimes it can also add to the stress in my life, especially when competitions come around. Sometimes you just need to take a step back, reevaluate & eliminate one or two things. Believe it or not I do this often.

The reason for this post is to let you know that we all have days & that they will pass. Time will always pass - another day will come. In the meantime, maybe you’re having one of those days &, if so, maybe this quote will help you the same way it helps me:

“Plan A is always my first choice.

You know, the one where everything works out to be happily ever after.

But more often than not,

I find myself dealing with the upside-down, inside-out version.

Where nothing goes as it should.

It’s at this point that the real test of my character comes in…

Do I sink or do I swim?

Do I wallow in self-pity & play the victim or simply shift gears & make the best of the situation?

The choice is mine.

After all, life is all about how you handle plan B.”

-Suzy Toronto