100% Positive 100% of the Time

Time to Digg Deep Art!

Do it! I dare you! I double Dogg Dare you!

See what happens.

Think about it. What if you turned all of your "I cants" into "I CANs".

What is the worst that can happen? You ONLY can feel and do better.

The CrossFit workouts we do, require us to push ourselves to our own individual limits. That not only takes a toll on the body physically, but even more so mentally and emotionally. Our mind and mental toughness allows us to push our bodies as far as our mental capacity allows us too (not the other way around). And yes you will experience physical fatigue or failure, but I guarantee we have more in our tank they we 'think' we do.

What you focus on is what you can achieve.

It is similar to our nutrition. What we feed our body is how we will look, feel and perform. What we feed our mind and thoughts will determine how we look, feel and perform.

Take notice this week.
Notice how you talk at home, at work and at the box.
Notice how the people you surround yourself with talk.
Notice the type of things you read.
Notice the type of television shows you watch.

Are they serving you? Are they promoting you to improve? Or are they not? If not, then think about making a change.

Next time you see Overhead Squats, Eva, Murph, or something that feels damn near impossible to YOU, really digg down deep and know that what you have been feeding your brain is the foundation of how you will perform.

Motivational Consequences...

Kenny must WOD today or else!

Are we MORE motivated by immediate consequences or future possibilities???

According to Gym-Pact it is the immediate sting that hurts (motivates) us more.

Every year one of America's top New Year's resolutions is to join a gym and get in shape. And every year America just gets fatter. So what if our workout facilities started hitting us where it really counts; not in our guts, but in our pocketbooks?

That's the main idea behind Gym-Pact, a new company in Boston that partners with local vendors to offer discounts to consumers in exchange for weekly workout commitments. If you fulfill your commitment and attend the gym as promised, you get to skate along at reduced rates. But, if you choose to loaf and skip your agreed upon workouts, you're penalized at least $10 per day.

found from: http://www.good.is/post/idea-a-gym-membership-that-charges-you-for-not-exercising/

I would say I agree. We can always let ourselves off the hook and 'go to the gym tomorrow' or 'I will start Monday attitude'. The problem is we always rationalize the present and continue to push back the future.

You can only guarantee what you do now, so 'JUST DO IT'!

Thoughts???

P.T.S!!!

What you say is what you are!

I read it, I say it, therefore I LIVE IT!

 

Train your brain like you train your body...actually do it even more!

Be the person you always dream of being...hit any goal you want...build unstoppable confidence.

What you continually say to yourself is exactly what you will get. Your self-talk, what you say to yourself in your mind in words, thoughts or feelings will determine your life and reality and everything you experience.

P.T.S!

When Your Workout Feels Like Your J-O-B and What To Do About It

In his bestselling book The Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lencioni quotes a Gallup poll finding that 70% of American workers don't like their jobs.

And I bet you that number is a lot more with Americans and their FITness programs or lack there of.

The three conditions Lencioni beliefs creates a miserable job are what I feel is the same conditions with your FITness program or lack there of.

RECCO's takes below has to do with the mental and emotional motivation behind the FITness we do.

Let's review:

1- Anonymity or "the feeling that employees get when they realize their manager has little interest in them as a human being."

RECCO says...

Same goes with FITness: The old saying goes, "People don't care how much you know, people care how much you care" definitely applies to this. FITness is a very personal concern for most all of us (why do you think they call it personal training:-). We constantly need encouragement, praise and recognition, it is as important as anything to succeed with YOUR program. For those of you that get it and get it constantly, thank your lucky stars! For those of you that don't get it, find it, its out there.

2- Irrelevance, which takes root when employees cannot see how their job makes a difference in the lives of others.

RECCO says...

We typically start a FITness program with our personal physical goals first. But with a great coach/trainer/CrossFit (like me and the box we built:-), that should happen fairly quickly and simply. So what is the next goal after that? If you don't have one, it will continue to be more and more difficult to motivate yourself day after day, month after month, year after year...How about you motivate others (friends/family/neighbors/kids/FAT people, etc...)? When you stop focusing on YOU and start helping others there is an UNLIMITED AMOUNT of inspiration/motivation/potential you to tap into. Use it and abuse it!!!

3- "Immeasurement," which is the in ability of employees to assess for themselves their contribution or success.

RECCO says...

Can you say, J-O-U-R-N-A-L?! If you currently don't journal you automatically cut your progress/results/potential (and I am the 1st to be guilty of this:-() BIGTIME! Now I get we all are not perfect but think about it like this; when we forget, get lazy, not “FEEL” like it, or just plain don’t want to, look at the people who are journaling around you, they are probably BETTER than you at CrossFit and achieveing more results. So if you copy the habits they do, then you will get the type of results they have (btw I am re-committing myself to journaling this instant:-).

Inspired by: This Success Mag Article

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Never stop because you are afraid - you are never so likely to be wrong.”

Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930)
Norwegian explorer
Nobel Peace Prize winner

Stop Thinking and Start Doing!

My Inspiration and Constant Pep Talker when I am in a funk...Thanks my Love

How many times do you get in your own head??? (I like to call it mind f*cking yourself)

What happens when you start to think? You let doubt, fear, dis-belief creep in your head! Then what happens, you focus on it! And when you focus on it...it becomes your reality!

We all do it, shit I do...

Well guess what?! That is UNACCEPTABLE!!!

"So how do I get out of my own head"?

Do what has made you succeed before. It is our actions that drive us forward, not our thoughts! Because we can have bad thoughts and good thoughts, but either won't serve us or others if action is not in place.

"What if I feel I haven't been successful in something before"?

*First, I doubt that!
*Then, if you really haven't then it is time to learn from others who have.
*Find anyone you know that is/has been successful and talk to them.
*Look out for someone you respect and contact them or research what makes them tick.
*And if you still got nothing, hit me up and I will help!

Another good trick is a previous blog, "Flip the Script"

Next time you start to question yourself with your career, goals, dreams, FITness or anything that is stopping you from moving forward...stop, drop and focus on what makes you work or find out how and just keep moving forward!

P.T.S.!!! Sound off! I'm FIRED UP!!! Let me have it:-)

"Habits, your actions and the steps you do everyday determine where you are going to go" Recco

Challenge This...

CFSF Paleo LEANing Challenge March 2010

Every now and then a person needs a good kick in the pants!!!

I feel a challenge is the best way to bring the best out of someone.

I see challenges happening everywhere. Especially with spring and summer just around the corner.

Some of my new friends in LA started a great challenge + blog of 100 days of no sugar check them out and get some great tips or even join them in their conquest.

Let me ask you these few questions:

So what is it about a good challenge that makes you strive to be your best?
Do things you wouldn't normally do?
Have more will-power than before?
Create that sense of urgency that you wouldn't already have?
Is it the accountability created by others involved in the challenge?

P.T.S.!!!

The Paleo Alcoholic...

Practicing her keg stands:-)

Whether you agree or disagree its a funny read with some truth to it...enjoy:

I’ve been eating paleo for about a month now, and so far I’m very happy with the results. I’m leaner, stronger and more energetic, even though I’ve only been an 80% adherent at best. Recently, I’ve started looking at small changes I can make to start shaving off that last 20%. One obvious candidate is alcohol.
You see, I’m twenty-five years old and I like to drink. My friends like to drink. Almost every single weekend, I get drunk 1-3 nights in a row.  Is this a problem? Perhaps. But it’s not one I’d like to address just now.
If you’re young, trying to live paleo, and not a social outcast, this might be a problem you face as well. Here are a few quick tips for other paleo weekend warriors who are seeking to maximize their gains from a paleo fitness plan, but unwilling to jettison their undergrad boozing habits.

For full post read HERE

P.T.S!

Got Motivation 3.0???

I believe and have often said that CrossFit can give you the opportunity for UNLIMITED potential/results...LITERALLY!

Most all FITness programs out there strictly focus on the physical and nothing more. If that is the case then you do have an expiration date on your body.

The cool thing about CrossFit is it is much more than just physical results. You can attain physical+mental+emotional gains. And can continue to build improvements over time no matter the age you become...WOW!

Within the emotion and mental capacities I found a term "Motivation 3.0"

Can you explain the drivers behind the alternative approach, what you call motivation 3.0?

We have a biological drive, and we have a reward and punishment drive. But human beings also have a third drive. We do things because we enjoy doing them or because they are the right things to do or because they contribute to the world. Science shows that this intrinsic drive is the pathway to performance. The secret to high performance is that unseen intrinsic drive, the drive to do things because they matter, and I believe that includes three elements: autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Autonomy has to do with the desire to direct our own lives. Mastery is our urge to get better and better at something that matters. And purpose is the yearning we have to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.


Taken from: 1 - on -1 A Better Way to Motivate


The physical results will happen and happen fairly quickly compared to other FITness programs. 


Here are 3 things I challenge those types of people that want more and have that "Motivation 3.0" in them is to:


- Further your education and experience by increasing your knowledge of FITness and Nutrition: read more, get certified, go to seminars, empower yourself and others by your passion to be better and to help others.
-Be a role model to your: family, friends, co-worker, neighbor, etc... Walk the walk show others with your action that anything is possible
-Start a blog: Share knowledge and empower others in the process. 


People help, and YOU can help them. Start now! 


Post your 3.0 goals below and Make it Happen!!!

Deal With It!...So How Do You???



My Ol' CF Total friends



Life is one BIG curve ball after another...So How Do You Deal With It?

Some people plan ahead, some people don't plan at all?

Two weeks ago Annie and I were traveling to Sioux Falls from LA. We did everything according to plan. Bought our tickets well in advance. Reserved our parking for the weekend, in advance. Arrived at our gate early...1.5 hours later as we were waiting by our gate, we realized there were 2 gates:-0 and next thing we knew nobody was moving around us, then we realized it was 810 and our flight was supposed to leave in 5 min, so obviously we missed our flight...DOH!!! And this was a day and a weekend that we had to be there no matter what! We were moving our life and all the stuff in our house back to California and the moving truck was going to be there in less than 20 hours, we had no way to reschedule or get a refund...

Were we pissed about it?...YES!

Did we curse about it?....D*mn RIGHT!!! Well at least I did!

But did we give up and NOT make it...NOPE!

Right away we ran to the ticket counter and got no help, ran to another airline to try to hop on another flight and...no help there!

Then we whipped out our laptops found a flight at another airport an hour away, got our car drove down like a bat outta hell and to make a long story shorter, we made it to Sioux Falls that night, packed all of our stuff in time and never skipped a beat.

Getting something you set out to do no matter what, is an awesome feeling. It happens to all of us, all the time, and when we least expect it.

So what do you do when it happens to you?
Do you give up?
Make excuses?
Cry about it?
Fail?

At many times in our life we will be:
-Injured, sick, tired, sad, need to help a friend, in traffic, bad weather, make a bad decision, etc...

How do you Deal with it and make your 'Situation' a Success Story?

P.T.S. it!!!

For the Love of 'IT', not Discipline



Love for RESULTS, not a slave for the scale...


HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

To give ourselves a Valentines/FITness topic today. I found a very cool perspective on "there is no such thing as discipline, only LOVE".

For me personally, I 'was' a huge believer in discipline growing up and into my adult life. But after reading this post it was the actual love for 'IT' that was driving me, not discipline. I'm excited to watch what happens now that I will look at love vs. discipline in the future.

Prepare for some POWERFUL words and RESULTS to come because of them...

The Myth Behind... Discipline. Why Discipline Doesn't Exist!

The following article was written by world renowned health expert and strength coach Charles Poliquin. I came across this back in Oct 09 and it really gave me food for thought. I'd like to pass it on in the hope it opens your eyes up to the misunderstood term... Discipline!

There is no such thing as discipline. There is only love.
Love is the most powerful creative force in the universe. You are the result of what you love most. You either love finely etched muscular abs more than donuts or you love donuts more than wash board abs you could do your laundry on. It is as simple as that. Don’t beat yourself up that you have no discipline or further drown yourself in a sea of refined carbs. Admit that you like crappy food more than you love strength. Or ask yourself this, what do you really love? Self-esteem is the reflection of self-judgment. One of the best ways to raise self-esteem is to make truly loving choices that lead to increased strength of body and mind. For example, if you truly love yourself in the gym, you choose the full squat with chains over the leg extension machine. At the restaurant, if you truly love yourself, you pass on the heavenly smelling basket of bread and creamy butter, and ask for some more limes for the water. Limes alkalize your body which in turn helps your bones, muscles and your ability to deal with stress.

When you are faced with difficult choices, ask yourself, in context of course, what would a loving expert recommend? For example, when working chest, would a loving strength coach recommend the pec deck, or full range dumbbell presses. When choosing desserts, would the loving nutritionist recommend a bowl of berries or the triple decker brownie submerged under melting vanilla ice cream.

How to free yourself from the outdated concept of discipline:

1. Accept that all your choices are reflections of what you truly love.
2.  Love is the greatest creative force of the Universe. Use it wisely.
3. Choose to love yourself more than external things.
4. Treating yourself well accelerates the growth of your self-esteem.
5. When people comment on your results and say things like “Wow you have a lot disciple” answer “No, I just make loving choices for myself". Reinforcing your own positive behavior will help you grow in strength.
6. What you appreciate appreciates. Whenever you make a truly loving choice, say to yourself ‘Thank you for taking care of me in a loving way”. The more you talk to yourself like a loving parent, the faster you will grow. Let’s say, for example, you just did a single on the squat with a load you didn’t feel like doing. Say: “Wow! I am impressed with your strength of mind, that’s why you are a champion”. By documenting and rewarding your successes, they will grow in magnitude and frequency. Whenever I meet a goal, I reward myself with positive things like a vacation or a new piece of equipment. When I get something better, I make the choice of giving away the old piece to someone who will appreciate it. Living a clutter free life allows for more growth.
7. The more you believe in yourself, the more objectively you will be able to take the advice of authority figures.
8. “Use your faults” was French singer Edith Piaf’s motto. I don’t like to stretch athletes. It is too time consuming and requires too much energy. Using that fault, I developed the Poliquin Instant Muscle Strengthening Technique (P.I.M.S.T.),  which is a system that uses a myriad of body work techniques such as acupressure points that instantly give increases in flexibility!

There is an old Hindhu saying: “The World is as we are”. Are you tired of seeing the condition of the world around you? Start by changing yourself - be the change you want to see in the world - Charles Poliquin

P.T.S. your thoughts!!!!!

10 Years Ago Today...

10 years ago I definitely wasn't doing parallete pushups

Today is the 10th anniversary of the first CrossFit workout published on the internet.

10 years ago today, what was your workout rountine? Or lack of rountine:-)

BreakThrough Moments

CKean has had many BreakThrough Moments, one of the 1st was 20" BJ (Box Jump that is:-)

CrossFit exposes are weakness. To the point of exploiting them! From the 1st month we start, we quickly find out what we like & dont like, are good at & bad at. The cool thing about it is, it gets us to a breakin point...resulting in a break through moment.

I believe what makes a good coach a GREAT COACH is pushin every single athlete they coach to their breakin point and inspiring them to CRUSH that BreakThrough Moment!!!

When was your breakthrough moment in CrossFit? Was it that 1st Pullup, Box Jump, Rx'D WOD, Muscle Up?

Or was it something you gained through CrossFit that helped you with something else? A certain pant size, weight goal, Marathon, Contest, getting off meds, inspiring a friend or family member to get FIT and Healthy???

P.T.S.!!!

Happy Hump Day!

Help With Consistency



The "Cindy" FITness challenge in action.


Consistency in my opinion is the single MOST important factor if you are to succeed in most anything in life, especially FITness.

Alot of us let how we feel determine how we succeed with our FITness goals. It is just as easy to kick *ss in a workout program as it is to fall off the wagon.

Below is a great list of tips to help you be and stay consistent over the long haul by Hyperfit USA enjoy!

How to be consistent 101:

• Find some friends with the same goals. We bond to a group and assume identity based on our membership in the group. Be accountable to a group.
• Do something that interests you. Turn your fitness into a sport. Try to accomplish new and varied skills that require you to move your body. Buy a jump rope and a Buddy Lee DVD and learn to use a jump rope like a mad person. Have fun learning something new.
• When you don't go to the gym, work out at home. If you miss a workout, try this at home 10 push ups, 20 crunches and 30 squats as many times as you can in 10 minutes. The next time, beat your time. No equipment, no mirrors and no waiting in line for a gerbil machine.
• Treat fitness like personal maintenance. Take your commitment to your body like medicine. If you don't do it, you could die.
• Suck it up: Effective exercise is hard. It is not sitting on the couch with a stim unit shooting electricity into your abs with the expectation that Victoria's Secret is going to call for a photo shoot.

Anything you can add that has helped you?

P.T.S.!

Top 5 Mistakes Newbies Make



Miss my old box. Oct 2009

 Starting a program like CrossFit can be many things: exciting, nerve racking, hopeful, scary, etc... A lot of us who start CF don't know much about the in's and out's of the workouts, nutrition plan, recovery and mental preparation it takes to succeed. Below is 5 tips that will help you get started on the right track...enjoy!

Here is what NOT to do and WHY:

Dont Journal: One of the major motivators of any sports/workout program (especially CF). You have to be crazy if you want any kind of results/improvement and you DONT JOURNAL. Read up on this old blog post I wrote about JOURNALING.

Just focus on working out and not on your diet: People come to CrossFit to workout, not to diet. But boy is that as stupid as it gets! Whatever you put in your mouth over and over again you will eventually look like (i.e. donut/bagel). Most of us usually eat 'better' when we start working out, but most people don't even know what 'better' is. Successful dieting takes the same principles and a successful exercise program. Take the time to learn, prepare, and excute and you will fast fwd any results you desire.

Too much too soon: Coach Burgener says over and over, flexibility and range of motion before strength. It is waay to easy to go for the glory and throw too much weight on the bar and tweek/pull/pop something that can stop your results dead in their tracks. Relax, be patience and go with the mindset of a spinter in a marathon, it is going to be a long journey, but go hard every workout...smartly.

Dont do the full warmup: A great Bill Starr article that really motivated me about warming up. Not only can you injure yourself much easier, but you are actually cutting down your results with every single workout. Take the time and do it right. Also, I have found that wearing long sleeves and sweats during the warmup help warm you up even better:-)

Cherry picking the WODs: What you hate the most is exactly what you need the most. Don't be guilty of picking and choosing what WODs you will or wont do. Attack your weaknesses. If you hate endurance,  its because you SUCK at it, so get better! Afraid of getting bulky, shut up, throw some weight on the bar, and you will tone up like never before.

Anything you would like to add, from personal experience or something you see from others of what NOT to do and WHY???

P.T.S!

Got Power??? Always Ask Why?



Paleo Seminar Aug 2009

One of the things that really gets me going is when we are ignorant about our nutrition. When I hear people talk about "Gluten Free This", "Low Carb or That", when someone is counting calories, or a vegetarian, I respectfully (in the beginning that is:-) always ask their thoughts on why they do what they do.

And low and be hold what do you think they say...a whole lot about nothing, or simply nothing at all, because they don't even know why the hell they are doing what they are doing!!!

Ignorance is bliss...BullSh*t!!! Figure it out people!

They are a lot of myths about food out there.
They are a lot of diets out there.

I get that it is easy to get overwhelmed and confused. That is totally understandable. But settling on something because you are too lazy to find the answer or because your wantabe FITness friend says so, is unacceptable.

My point is you have the power to learn, choose and eat what ever is BEST for YOU. So use that power to benefit you and prove to others WHY. Helping yourself and in turn others is a very powerful gift. Use it wisely.

My recommendation is to pick up and READ the Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf. Simply because he tells you the why. And you have the power to learn for yourself.

Whether we agree or agree to disagree as long as you know WHY you are doing something, that is cool with me. And you will figure out the truth at some point:-)

So why do you do what you do???

Below is a cool article that made me think of this.

Power is the ability to make things happen. It's authority, strength, muscle, swack, juice.

In the food world, the people with power are the ones who affect what and how and where and why we eat — or who can, if they want to.

Read more HERE

Rest Day...

Even a blogger needs a rest day.

"There are 45 reps in 'Fran.' That's 45 opportunities to reinvent yourself." -- Kelly Starrett

Where R U Now?

Blast From the Past Pic of G March 2009

Ever watch those shows about "Where are they Now?" I love to see where the stars of yesterday are today.

What about with your CrossFit life? Where are you now?

I started CrossFit in July of 2007. I never did an overhead squat, never used rings, never heard of Paleo. Then I look at where I am today mentally, emotionally, physically and I am a much different person.

Your life and CF in your life will continue to evolve. You will learn more, do more, be more. And its the everyday effort, the everyday showing up, the everyday commitment to yourself that makes you change and evolve.

Yea it is very easy to get in our heads and focus on what we want and beat ourselves up for not getting there yet. But when you stop and look at where you started and how far you really have come, it puts everything in perspective.

What about you?
When did you start CF?
What could you do before CF?
What can you do now?
Where do you want to be a year from now? 3 yrs?? 5 yrs???