multi-aged

I had just finished munching on some broccoli and chicken at Beacon when Laurence stopped by to say hi and get in a little row.  Right before I had to go coach class, I turned to him and asked:
"Do I have food in my teeth?"
"Probably. I don't have my glasses on."
Thanks, darlin', thanks.
 
There are benefits to hanging around with people my own age.  None of us can see well, our hearing is not what it used to be, and we really don't give a shit about as much as we used to. There's a lot of bliss at our age. 

It's equally good to hang around with younger people. They can see. They can hear a whole lot more. And because they haven't yet learned that all the little shit they worry about is not that important in the big scheme of things, not much gets by them. They tend to keep you on your toes.

Hanging around a wide variety of people, of course, is the best.
I was once told by a very close friend who was older that I am that it's important to have a multi-aged group of friends and acquaintances.  She was saying it from the perspective of her advanced age:
"If you have younger friends, then when all your older friends start dying, you'll still have friends around you."
Good argument. :)

Before beginning CrossFit, most of my friends were within my age bracket.
CrossFit automatically brings people of all ages into your life. It's one of the aspects of it that I think I appreciate the most.  Walk through the door of any CrossFit and your age, occupation, gender, and, sooner-rather-than-later-or-you-don't-last, your ego are left outside your gym.  What then happens is a bunch of human beings who all happen to have the same fitness focus connect with each other through sweat, laughter, hard work, and shared goals.

This then turns into friendships and deeper relationships than is usual when you are out of college and in the work world.  Meeting people of all ages who become friends is an added gift of CrossFit...camaraderie though classes and then the gab sessions afterward. The younger learn from the older, the older learn from the younger. By the time the outside lives start becoming part of the conversations, there are no barriers, just people being with people. Glorious.

CrossFit enhanced my world by making it broader and richer than it was, in large part because of the multi-aged group of fun fitness freaks!

After Laurence left and before I headed to the upper gym to coach, I took a quick look in the bathroom mirror to make sure I didn't have broccoli hanging out of my teeth. I was, after all, about to enter a room with some younger people who could see broccoli in my teeth from the other side of the gym! 

I'll always give a shit about food in my teeth, even if I live with a man who can't see it.

if PRs were easy.....

...then everyone would be doing them...all the time...every trip to the gym...every interchange with a self-centered dumbass (aka kindness PR)...every refocus on nutrition...every meal cooked...every relationship entered into...

PRs (personal records) are relatively plentiful at the beginning of any new venture. I think that's what's dubbed "the honeymoon period".  It's euphoric and energizing and confidence-building.  It's why we continue on in that venture.  Enjoy it. Remember it. Refer to it when things begin to get fuzzy.  Then continue on.  Keep going. 

When the obvious PRs start waning, CELEBRATE! Celebrate that you have gotten stronger; realized you don't have to have the last word; learned to prioritize what's important to your sanity; have become willing to try something new if the old way hasn't/no longer works for you; have become open to self-examination.
Those are PRs that are definitely celebration worthy! 

When people lift heavy shit in the gym, do they really expect to PR EVERY TIME they lift, for months/years to come? Lots do.  Some days, however, they just won't. Some days their strength has been spent in other ways.  That doesn't mean it has been a wasted or unsuccessful day.  It just means they are stronger than they were a week ago/a month ago/a year ago so PRs are harder to come by.  That they can go to the gym and still be lifting means they are not injured and are still appreciating the benefits of their hard work.  Hmmm, why wouldn't you CELEBRATE that?  I would.  I do.  I try to enjoy it, remember it, refer to it when things begin to get fuzzy.

If you look back from your vantage point today and notice changes in yourself for the positive, then your PRs are evident, no matter how small. 
If you look back from your vantage point today and notice no changes in yourself, then kick yourself in the ass and change things up.  That would be the best PR you could achieve today!

definitely celebration worthy!

 

 

 

my kids, my favorite PR!

Laurence and me, another fav PR

becoming "Oma" and enjoying the PR of my daughter!

 





sleep again

There's always lots of talk about recovery in relation to the demands of CrossFit. General suggestions are: lots of water, protein, 1-2 rest days, mobility.  What I usually forget to mention is SLEEP!  Sleep is the ultimate recovery.  Sleep also tends to be extremely overlooked when it comes to health.

One reason I set a goal for 2013 to be better about my time management was so that I could create a habit of 'shutting down' earlier in the evening and getting more sleep. So far, not so good. :/  Remembering I had written about this once before, I am re-posting as a reminder...
WE NEED SLEEEEEEP!

******************************************

4-23-12

sleep

Sleep. It can be a seductive embrace that holds you all night. It can also be a seductive embrace that quickly morphs into an ornery toddler. There is little, if any, indication as to which personality you'll be dealing with when you lay your head down on the pillow each night. Well, at least not for a middle-ager like me.

Sleep. It's perhaps the most restorative aide we can give our bodies and our minds. It allows for the day's barrage of physical movement and mental stimulation to dissipate and dissolve. If we are lucky, we dream colorful dreams. If we are even luckier, we just sleep.

Sleep. It's one area of 'training' that CrossFitters and other movers and shakers know is completely necessary for optimum gains. It's one area of 'training' that often gets overlooked because we are used to overlooking its importance. We know we need it, but our tendency is to cut into our sleep time in order to have an extra hour or two so as to have time for other things. If our time management was better.......

Sleep. It needs to take a priority. Oh, how I want it to take a priority! Sometimes, like today after having a double session of WODding and not sleeping well last night, I want to know that sleep will embrace me all night. I will take what I can get and be happy with that. I also know that if I could turn off my brain alllllll night, I would not have an issue falling back to sleep should I wake up when I stir.

Sleep. It sounds so delicious when you think about it in the middle of the afternoon when all you really want is to close your eyes for an hour. It also sounds delicious when we think of the comfie mattress, soft pillows, and perfect sheets.

Sleep. It feels so great after a long busy day to be able to relax into your mattress and drift off, ever hopeful.

Sleep. Here's hoping that tonight, everyone gets embraced instead of trounced on by that ornery toddler!