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Y'all know my story for the most part. Got fat. Tried to lose weight. Failed. Gave up. Tried again. Failed. Gave up. Until I found CrossFit. And I've talked a lot about how great CrossFit is: from the workout itself, to the coaches, to the community, it's awesome. But I've never really touched on what made me stay. So let me start with touching on why most people quit their fitness journey: results. In today's society, everything is so instant. You can pretty much do/get anything you want instantly. Unfortunately, for most of us, our fitness level does not change instantaneously. Too often I hear: "I started running and I did it for about 2 weeks, but nothing happened so I quit." 2 WEEKS!? Excuse my outrage, but that's actually a direct quote…from me. What a lame-ass I was. Did I really think running was gonna change me in 2 weeks? Ya damn right I did. I mean, look at those little teeny chicks running in sports bras everyday! When I came to RSCF, my intro coach was Lauren. She's the only girl coach at the box, she's super strong, super nice, and a badass. So she's basically my idol. At our second intro class, I noticed her recording her workout and her time in a little, teeny notebook. So what did I do? I went out and bought a little, teeny notebook and did the same thing. Now you're like, "why the hell did you tell me that?" This is why: That little, teeny notebook kept me coming back to CrossFit. I wrote down EVERYTHING in there. I kept track of my WODs, my results, how I modified, if I RX'd, if I PR'd, how I felt, what hurt, what felt better, words of inspiration, bible verses, shopping lists, paleo recipes, everything. Now you're asking, "Okay, Ace, but how did that help? Get to the freakin' point already." The notebook basically showed me that even if I couldn't physically see progress or I was having a crappy day, progress was made. If I had a crappy WOD, I could turn the page back and see that I PR'd my back squat just a few days before. Maybe I'd run into the scripture that I needed as an affirmation. Maybe I'd go all the way to the beginning and see that, when I started, I couldn't clean 60#, and even though I had a crappy day TODAY, I can now clean AND jerk #125. The notebook shows me progress. The notebook always reminds me that today, maybe, I didn't have a great day, but I'm better than I was yesterday. The notebook is a reminder of where I started, how far I've come, and how much farther I have to go. Which kicks ass. And every WOD, I look forward to putting my results in the notebook and watching me beat me. So it doesn't matter what you're doing. CrossFit, Zumba, Jillian Michaels, whatever. Record what you're doing. Write down how many minutes you could do unbroken. Write down how many reps you got today. Take note of how you feel before and after. And watch yourself get better. The notebook won't let you quit. I love the quote: "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing. It takes 8 weeks for your friends to notice. It takes 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice. Give it 12 weeks." The notebook always notices. So if you haven't already, go get you a teeny notebook. Write in it. Don't lose it (I totally lost my first one. I was depressed for a week. I don't even want to talk about it.) and get your butt to work. 12 weeks. GO!
In case you thought I was kidding about recording EVERYTHING.
My students said I need to post a picture today because I "look really pretty today and my readers shouldn't have to always see me when I work out." Uh, thanks?
