dear feet

Dear Feet,

Last night, Laurence grabbed one of you and gave it a loving squeeze as he walked by me. Talk about a surprise feel-good moment!! WOW

Feet, beautiful or ugly as you may be, you are a wondrous and forgotten part of people's bodies.  I apologize for all the abuse we humans put you through each day. Pass that along to all your other feet friends!

~We put you on the floor in the morning and expect you to go from zero to 60 with no warm up. 
~We use you to kick objects out of our way, open doors, use your tippytoes to reach up high, run to catch the bus, run for health, walk, skip, hop, dance....
~We stuff you into torture devices shoes. (Well, Feet, you know that I don't like to do that unless the snow is blowing...or I have to run, perform box jumps, or do some double unders on you.)
~We get frustrated when you feel less than stellar.
...better said, we don't really feel you at all, Feet, until you do feel less than stellar.
Talk about utter neglect!

It's always hard to hear when someone has something seriously wrong with a foot or worse, both of their feet.  It's also not surprising that it happens.  We ride rough on you guys. 
Let's let you heal. Love you up.  Be kind to you. 
Reflexology doesn't get nearly enough 'air time'.  That may be how I should be choosing to pamper you two more often...right to the source of AHHHH. :)

That squeeze Laurence gave you led to those glorious few minutes of him literally squeezing both of you. Do you remember how great that felt? 

I promise not to be so neglectful of you from now on.  You have been very good to me and I just want to thank you!

love,

your person and her daughter...feet buddies

annie, your person

go ahead, be sore

Newbies to CrossFit almost always get around to asking the question, "Will I always be sore?" 
I hate to break it to them, but I have to answer "yes".
(Enter, mobility and fluids!!)
What I also say, however is that we all adapt to our various levels of soreness.  As an athlete, you need to learn to read your body as to what feels sore and what is a little more nagging...perhaps a 'pain'.  Pay attention. Take an extra day off if you aren't sure.  The box will still be there, the coaches will still be there, your CF family will still be there.  Better to choose to take an extra day off than to have to take a month off. 

Speaking for myself, my levels of soreness ebb and flow depending on the week's WODs. Feeling at ease with how my body responds and knowing that what I'm feeling is *good* soreness leading to a stronger body and continued fitness takes the focus off of it.  It just is.

The first summer I was CrossFitting was also the first full summer I played golf.  Some days I didn't think I would be able to swing the club, and even when I did it wasn't always very pretty! (Okay, so it's still not always very pretty, but... :} )  I  couldn't help but focus on the soreness that summer.  Then after about three months, it just stopped being on my mind all the time.  That three month mark is kind of magical.  It's when true fitness gains are staring back at you from the mirror, whispering positive self-talk phrases to you, wrapping you with a new cloak of confidence.  It begins happening sooner, but at three months, it sticks!

So go ahead, be sore, and keep WODding.  Your life both inside and outside the box will thank you for it!

 

self-direct

It always seems that the change of seasons elicit changes of outlooks in humans as well. This Summer of 2012 heading into Autumn of 2012 is no different.  I've been hearing mutterings and musings all around me of thoughts reaching beyond what is *status quo*.  It's frickin' exciting!

Experimenting with new outlooks, adventures, foods, etc. can be really scary.  There's something wonderful about being reminded by nature that it's not only okay to experiment and change, but it's necessary. 
Well, of COURSE it's necessary because change happens whether we want it to or not.  The excitement of change occurs when we are bold enough to self-direct it, even at the risk of crashing! 

CrossFit has helped me in so many ways, not the least of which has been learning that failure is not really a word worthy of owning.  In CrossFit, we can modify any movement to accommodate our *rehabbing* bodies, our nervousness about a particular movement, even our battered bodies from the previous night's partying. (Wait, CrossFitters party?? :P ) The muscle memory we rely on to learn the movements in CrossFit applies to our brains as well.  While having a day where the WOD owns you instead of you owning the WOD is not fun, you know the opposite will occur soon, if not the very next WOD.  Learning that a WOD that owns you does not mean you have failed, rather you just need to work at the WOD's movements more, is why you keep going back to your box. Results are as constantly varied as the workouts.  You're reminded to be adaptable. 

Autumn is almost here according to the calendar.  Hearing people talk about trying something new, be it a 10K race, a Paleo challenge, a career change, a new sport, etc, is motivating.  It ripples out into the minds of those around you, so never be afraid to let others know what new adventure you may be contemplating.  There is no failure in undertaking an experience in life that doesn't work out.  If you don't, then life becomes about what you can't do, what you are afraid to do, what you won't do instead of looking at life in terms of what you can do, what you can try, what you will experience.  There's no failure in any of that.  Be self-directed in your experiences.  Own them!

six reps

I know I've said this before, the bigger my CrossFit 'circle' gets, the smaller it gets.  It's undeniable how connected we are as CrossFitters.

*Six Reps of Separation*...yep, that's us.
Six reps of separation from BACON. 
Oh, c'mon, you know this is too perfect!
(just in case you don't know to what I'm referring...)

The simple fact is, we are a group of people who meet in an environment with a focus on health and wellness. CrossFitters are not ageist or sexist or elitest.  We are humans.  No one cares how far into the journey a fellow CFer is, they just know that we all understand there is nothing better than taking those steps needed to keep committed to one's well-being.  The path is rarely straight and smooth, but it's always open.

The best thing is that this focus doesn't end at a box door.  As individuals, we take it into the world, this feeling of wellness, and it ripples out into our lives outside the box. Of course, we feel so good we hope to bring other people into it. We want to share.  We are not an exclusive 'club' in the least.  Hard for some to believe, but it's true.  Go take a free CrossFit class somewhere and find out first hand!

One huge lesson I've learned over the years I've been CrossFitting is to tone down my enthusiasm when I am asked "what do you do".  After that initial euphoric connection to CrossFit occurs within your soul and you see how much better a version of yourself you are becoming, it's r.e.a.l.l.y hard not to come off like you're off your rocker when you share your love of CF in answer to that question.  Oh, how easily some people glaze over or simply back away.  :)  That's when you realize that you have to tone yourself down.  While I find it impossible not to infuse my words with joy and excitement, the answer to that question definitely makes more of an impact when I say it without jumping up and down and throwing in a few air squats as a demo!

As for our growing but equally intimate community, no matter who we may meet in CrossFit, we are always only six reps of separation from each other...and bacon.