About a year ago, I embarked on a journey. I am not sure that I knew that I had embarked on this "journey" at the time but without knowing it I was on my way to being a different person.
A few members of my family had been going to some classes with
Jeremy Thiel and asked me to join them at the Lake Pointe boot camp. I was excited. I was always looking for some new thing to get involved in and it motivates me to have friends or family join me in these new adventures. I started going to the classes and felt better with each class. Last December, only a short time after starting the boot camp, I went to Hawaii with my family. While I was there I decided that I was going to surf. I had always loved trying new things and was always adventurous but I also was afraid of showing physical weakness and because of this was afraid to try some things - not this time! I think during that trip I finally realized how much of a difference attending the boot camp had been! I took surfing lessons and got up by myself and surfed all day long - my family had to drag me out of the water with a bloody shin at the end of the day! Another day, we all went on a hike to the top of Diamond Head- none of us knew what we were in for! It was a pretty good hike up the mountain and when you thought you reached the top you realize that you have to squeeze through an opening and go up even farther. The view was great and I remember thinking to myself, "I wonder if I would have made it without training with
CrossFit Central?" When I got back to Austin, I couldn't wait to sign-up for my January (2008) classes.
Lesson 1: These programs CAN change your life! (Even in just a short time!)
The one thing I left out of the story above is that IT WAS HARD. I know everyone wants to think (or at least hope) that making progress in your life, weight, fitness level or any other aspect of your life is going to be easy - it just isn't. I am a competitive person, not in a scary way, but in a "Oh God, please don't let me be last" kind of way. When I started the Lake Pointe boot camp I was last - a lot. These women had started at a different time than I had and I had to convince myself that I would be there eventually. Again, I had deceived myself - there is no end to where I am headed. I didn't realize that a year ago, there is no magical point in life that we get to and can just stop and do whatever we want. This goes with everything in life, no you don't get to your goal weight and *poof* you get to stay there forever without watching your habits and working to stay there, you don't run a marathon and whenever the desire strikes you just walk outside without any training and run it again, you have to maintain the things in your life that matter to you! Work hard to keep the things you have obtained.
Lesson 2: Anything worth fighting for is worth fighting even harder to keep!
Part of the reason all of this is coming to mind is that
CrossFit Central recently released the
2008 Success Stories. Reading these stories has made me reflect on my own success and how far I still have to go! It is so amazing to be a part of a group that is so encouraging and inspiring to make a real difference in people's lives. You wouldn't believe the sheer excitement that this group of people exhibits every time someone reaches their goals - they are personally invested in every client and go out of their way to help people. You would think that people with such an intense workout schedule would let the people with little hope, motivation, and desire (like I was - and am somedays) fall by the way side. They believe in people who don't even believe in themselves. I have never liked running and while playing sports would do pretty much anything to get out of that portion of practice/training but now I realize that because it isn't my strongest trait is exactly the reason that I need to work on it. Throughout the past year, I realized that I am capable of so much more than I have given myself credit for in the past.
I know it is cheesy, but...
Lesson 3: Believe in yourself!
Sometimes people feel like they are alone on their journey. It is scary to go into a situation that you are unsure of or are worried about failing in. The negative, looser-y feelings creep in and you think that you are the only one that has this-or-that problem. Stick around CrossFit Central for a minute or two and you will see or hear someone with the same story or situation that you are in. There is such a feeling of belonging and being a part of something bigger. You want to raise money for important causes - participate in some of the events at CrossFit Central that are for important causes like autism, prostate cancer, wounded warriors, and coming this December, the Austin Children's Center. You are looking to make friends in Austin that are interested in the same things as you - CrossFit Central. You wouldn't believe the collection of people that attend the CrossFit Central programs - the diversity is quite astonishing! You want to fill your spare time with productive activities - CrossFit Central. When I look at the calendar of events for the gym I can't believe all the fun events that happen at the gym and other locations around town but then again that is CrossFit Central's motto - Building a FIT community. That is really what it is all about. Help people, help yourself, realize what you are capable of, meet new people, have fun- all in one place- CrossFit Central.
Lesson 4: Be a part of something bigger. (By this I mean, be a part of something bigger than working out at a box gym where you don't go, don't see results, and don't make a difference in anyone's life or the community around you.)
Look out 2009!
Pictured Above: My brother and fellow Crossfitter, Richard White and I.
The picture to the right is from December of last year. I had started boot camp and had made some progress with it but this is before I started Crossfitting and the real body construction began.
-1.jpg)
.jpg)