It’s easy to say that you want to lose weight and get fit. It’s also easy to find the motivation to hit the gym regularly and choose the right foods … in the beginning. After a few weeks, sometimes motivation seems to wane and those old, unhealthy habits of yours start to creep back in. What seemed so easy at first is now difficult. You have cravings. You’re tired. You miss those social dinners with your friends and doughnuts at the office. That 7 a.m. WOD doesn’t seem as fun, and getting up without hitting the snooze button seems impossible.
Sound familiar? So many of us have fallen into this yo-yo nutrition and exercise trap over the years. You decide you want to lose improve your fitness and increase your lean body mass, so you start a program. You start to see results and increases in strength, then…life gets in the way. Before you know it, you’re off your healthy living plan again. While CrossFit Zone can provide you with the tools and resources that make fitness fun and uplifting-a true lifestyle change-you still need to commit to using them. You have to commit now and, well, forever. You have to choose to change your life, both when life is breezy and when things aren’t going your way. Whether you have 5 pounds or 150 pounds to lose, or if you want to increase your strength and gain proficiency in more movements, you have to get and STAY serious if you’re ever going to reach your goals.
So how do you know if it’s time to get real? How do you know if you’re committed to your fitness efforts this time around? If any of the signs I mention below sound like you, then you aren’t 100% committed to getting healthy. (Don’t worry; we can help you get there!)
You keep waiting to start. If you really want to show up more times a week and hit the WODs hard, but keep putting it off until tomorrow, next week, or even later in the future, you’re not serious about fitness. There is no perfect time to get fit; you’ll always have to deal with stress and work and LIFE, and there’s no better way to get started than to jump right in today! Don’t put off getting healthy for another day. Get healthy now! Why waste another day?
Stop putting it off: Tell a loved one, a friend or a Coach that you’re committed to changing your life and getting fit the right way. Then write down some simple goals that you can start doing TODAY to be healthier. By sharing your goals, you’ll stay accountable. Best news yet, by starting small, you’ll build momentum to make more changes.
You give up easily. Do you throw in the fitness towel after you eat a cookie or miss a single workout? Then you need to get real and learn to forgive yourself. Health, strength loss and weight issues don’t result from one small mistake during a 24-48 hour period; it’s what you do day after day, time after time that really counts. You don’t have to be perfect, but you do have to be consistent. So, stop beating yourself up for every mistake. We all make them! It’s what you do NEXT that matters. Commit to making healthy choices most of the time, and you will reach your goals!
Get back on track: Promise that you’ll be kind to yourself when you do slip up, and create a get-back-on-track plan. If you’re not sure where to start, try referring back to some of your previous goals! Or, talk to a Coach, and we’ll help you strategize and get going.
You’re envious of others who have increased lean body mass and gotten stronger. If you feel self-conscious about your strength and waistline around others at the gym, or feel extremely jealous of other people who have reached their fitness goals, then it’s time for you to focus your energies on your own self-improvement. These feelings may signal something deeper that needs your attention. As you might guess, fitness isn’t just about choosing to eat right and exercise. Many times, it’s also about having the self-worth to make a change and believing that you deserve to do something positive for yourself!
Make yourself a priority: Stop comparing yourself to others. Everyone’s fitness journey and circumstances are different. So instead of wondering why you weren’t blessed with a faster metabolism or brute natural strength like your fellow CrossFitter was, focus on what you love about yourself. The next time you become envious or self-conscious, remind yourself that you deserve good things too, so commit to make healthy choices.
Getting fit is hard work, but the change begins with you and it starts right now. If any part of this post describes you, it’s time to stop talking about elite fitness and commit to it!
Today’s Workout:
Buy-in: Floor to overhead practice – instruction for those unfamiliar with clean and jerk, warm-up/practice for people familiar with the movement.
WOD: “DAMRAP!”
This wod consists of two separate 7 minute AMRAPS with a 5 minute rest in between. To get your score, you’ll combine the reps achieved in both AMRAPS.
AMRAP 1 – as many rounds as possible in 7 minutes of: 200m run, 10 floor to overhead (95/135). Total reps of floor to overhead is your score.
AMRAP 2 – as many rounds as possible in 7 minutes of: 200m run, 10 pullups, 10 pushups. Total reps of pullups and pushups is your score.
Zone 3: scale floor to overhead to 65/95
Zone 2: scale floor to overhead to 55/75, assisted pushups and/or modified pushups
Zone 1: scale as needed
Cash-Out: Easy stretch