Make friends with the problems in your life!

                                                                               

I would like to share something I read earlier today. It is from a book filled with devotionals and words of encouragement. It is a great reminder of what is truly important, and how to deal with problems in your life.

Each and everyone of us has problems from one day to the next. I hope this can shed some light on how to better handle them, accept them, and deal with them.

Make friends with the problems in your life. Though many things feel random and wrong, remember that I am sovereign over everything. I can fix everything into a pattern for good, but only to the extent that you trust Me. Every problem can teach you something, transforming you little by little into the masterpiece I created you to be. The very same problem can become a stumbling block over which you fall if you react with distrust and defiance. The choice is up to you, and you will have to choose many times each day whether to trust Me.
The best way to befriend your problem is to thank Me for them. This simple act opens your mind to the possibility of benefits flowing from your difficulties. The next step is to introduce them to Me, enabling Me to embrace them in My loving Presence. I will not necessarily remove your problems, but My wisdom is sufficient to bring good out of every one of them.

Romans 8:28 AMP;1 Corinthians 1:23-24

I started stripping and got stronger!

                 
                                             

I have mentioned in a couple of my recent blogs my new found appreciation for focusing on form, mechanics, and stripping off the weight stacked on the barbell. It has now been a couple of months, and I am still learning the correct form and proper way to use my muscles. Yes, my ego has been bruised a couple of times, I have felt frustrated and eager to get more weight back on the bar, but truth be told, every time I push my limits, I am slapped in the face with the reality that this is a process and cannot be rushed. It's going to take time to relearn a couple things, and that's okay! The flip side is what really matters.... I am getting more out of each and every workout, I feel stronger, my muscles are more defined, and best of all, I am sore where I am SUPPOSE to be sore. I am using muscle groups I haven't ever used before, and I am loving it!

Having 100% proper form in each rep may not mean very much to some athletes, trust me, I was one of them. I wanted the weight on the bar, I wanted the kipping pull-up (even if I couldn't do strict pull-ups) , and the highest box jumps. All I wanted was to just kick ass no matter how I looked, or if I got hurt. Thinking to myself....this is CrossFit damn it-I'm here to kill it! I couldn't have been more wrong! That is NOT CrossFit-and certainly not what we want at CFRR.

Once I re-set my focus, and let go of my silly little ego I discovered I was doing most everything with improper form. No wonder my shoulders hurt all the time, no wonder I couldn't get that PR no matter how hard I tried and trained for it. This lead me to thinking....what else can I improve on?! That's the magic word right there!! IMPROVE! So I quickly stopped beating myself up and started learning how to improve in all aspects of training. I soon discovered that it isn't just about the barbell. It's the squat, the push up, the lunges, and the burpee!! Do you know what it feels like to do 20+ burpees start to finish with perfect form?! It's a little shocking to be honest, and has motivated me to an entirely different level. It is my personal goal to get through an entire workout, at the speed I use to with 100% proper form!! It's a challenge for sure, but I am more than willing to put in the time, work and effort to make it happen!

If you think you may have a few things to improve on, or are feeling like you should have reached one of your goals by now, and can't understand why you haven't.....PLEASE, I urge you to go back to the beginning and find the missing link!! Take the time to see what your body is capable of when you are not rushing it-or demanding too much from it. I assure you, reaching that goal will be so much more attainable!

Do you play well with others?

How well do you play with others? When I say 'play' I am speaking of your teamwork, and how well you get along with others. How much are you willing to sacrifice, and how much time are you willing to give to your team?
Back in elementary school we all received report cards. They typically started with grades and comments regarding reading, then writing and arithmetic, and then the fourth item was usually something similar to "plays well with others" Many of the basic aspects of our personalities don't change from kids to adulthood; the principles of 'play' still matters. Most people are part of a 'team' whether they are at home, work, or both.

Personally speaking, if my husband, kiddos and I did not have good, solid  teamwork we would never survive!

It's the exact same thing when it comes to work. A successful business will always have a strong team.
 People who respect one another, lend a helping hand when needed, reach out if a teammate may need guidance or just a listening ear, and steps up to the plate at a moments notice to get the job done.

 A good team player will be loyal, trustworthy, hardworking, and will go above and beyond for the success of the company. A team is much more than just a group of co-workers, these are relationships being built (that if you're lucky can last a lifetime).

I am one of the lucky ones, not only do I have a strong team at home, but I can honestly say our #ATEAM at CFRR is the best I have ever been a part of! We are a family....we fight, we love, we support, we encourage, we listen, we work hard, God knows we play hard, but best of all, I don't think there is anything we wouldn't do for each other.

So. Thank you #ATEAM-thank you for being my home away from home-my family away from family! I love you all!

                                                                   

And the truth comes out....

Self Improvement Check! 

It's that time again-gotta call BS on myself!....

Do you ever sit back and realize you're just going through the motions? As if to be on auto pilot day after day, just doing what you gotta do, but not putting too much effort into it? Well, that's where I have been for the past several weeks. I can come up with about a dozen excuses for it, but I know better than that by now! I'm speaking primarily for my nutrition and exercise, because everything/everyone else is well taken care of. Hence the lack of proper food (calorie) intake and consistency in training. I don't have struggles with eating poorly as far as "junk" food goes, my issue with food is not getting enough. Truth is, I have days where I may only eat 600 calories! Eeeeek! I can't believe I'm confessing this! I know how terrible it is and I don't have one single good reason for it. I get busy with task, after task and don't stop long enough to sit down and eat! Due to my serious neglect of calories I lack the energy for a great workout. So I end up just going through the motions, demanding my body to use sources I haven't provided it with to sustain the kind of workout I am wanting to get in for the day. That right there is a big NO-NO! 

I'm sharing these nasty little details with you for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, something's gotta give, it's time for me to make changes. And if I speak up about it, I can no longer ignore it.  Second reason is to shed light on the other side of food struggles. I'll bet some people reading this may be saying to themselves "wish I had that problem" but the truth is...I am no more healthier than someone overweight. It is bad, bad, bad for our bodies to not get enough food or get too much food! This is why there is a recommended calorie intake for all sizes, all athlete, and specifically for both men and woman. Our bodies absolutely need and desire fuel! 

Now that I have opened up about it, I have to follow through with making the  necessary changes. Starting with logging my food again EVERY DAY. Setting an alarm on my phone every 2 hours reminding myself to take a break and eat. I will get my act together and prep my food every week. I may even reach out and ask for some accountability. 

 As you can see, knowing all of this information and constantly coaching it doesn't necessarily mean I (the professional) automatically does it 100% of time without the same struggles others may have.  It does however mean that I have no excuse for not applying thus knowledge and doing something about it. 

This self improvement doesn't start Monday, it starts tomorrow! #BOOM

GGTD!

This Saturday is Garage Gym Throwdown, and the first group competition I have ever been a part of! I am crazy excited for this comp, and thrilled to be slangin' sweat through with 3 amazing athletes! I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little nervous, life has gotten in the way of how I would normally like to prepaire for a tough competition. I have recently been exhausting myself with home improvements, kiddos on summer break and to top it off a little sprain in my right wrist 4 days before the event! I could easily tap out of this competition, and my teammates would understand, but that's pretty much the last thing I want to. The "old" athlete in me would have in a heartbeat, there was no way I was ever going walk into a competition as a coach and not be 100% confident and ready! But, the new athlete in me has learned a few things in the past several months-I have gone back to basics, re-learned my form, and made some serious self improvements on what this sport is all about! People say all the time how much they love CrossFit for accepting all athletes, especially those who finish last. Why? Because they finished it and didn't give up. I'm certainly not aiming to finish last, but I won't be beating myself up (old me) or my teammates up if we do. We are going into this competition just like any other one, it's about testing your limits, pushing yourself a little more beyond your comfort zone, and doing it surrounded by same minded, passionate people!! Its going to be incredibly fun, hard, and probably exhausting, but I have no doubt it will also be extremely rewarding! And that's what counts. 

I want to wish all the competitors the best of luck this Saturday!! 

Tight butts and sweaty nuts are comin' in HOT!

A Huge Gift from Her Little Boy.

Four weeks ago, I received a phone call from a very close friend of mine asking for my help with fitness and nutrition. We have had many conversations in the past surrounding this same subjects, but never once had she really asked for my help. You see, this dear friend of mine has devoted 100% of herself into her sobriety for the past nine years, as a result she put on significant body weight. She has made a few attempts in the past to make some healthy changes, and she would give it all she could for about two weeks before going back to her old habits. It wasn't until her 11 year old son, who also battles with body weight asked her if they could both work on losing weight, and start exercising! This was the "wake up call" and an incredible gift from her son.

Being that I love these two precious people with all of my heart, I jumped at the opportunity to help them in any way I could. We started with a few workout ideas and hit the nutrition at full speed, 100% devotion, and nothing "dirty"! Imagine two people who's every meal came from a restaurants or fast food, completely changing their habit to eating ONLY from their own kitchen!! Mother and son prepping their food together on Sunday's and packing it all up for the week!! I get choked up just thinking about it, and have never felt so proud!!

They have both lost more pounds than they thought they would in such a short amount of time. They have more energy than they ever had before, they can physically see the changes in their bodies, and most importantly they are happy! Both are on the road to success, they are proving to themselves and each other that they can do it!

Here is the BEST part....yesterday I got a text that read 'I was having a tough day, pulled up to the drive through of Burger King, when the lady came to the window I said " I'm sorry, I don't need anything, thank you" and drove like hell out of there!' 

YES! YES! YES!! HUGE VICTORY!!

The moral of the story is, today might not be your day, or the day after that, but believe me, one day in the future a little spark inside of you will ignite and you will feel that fire so strongly that nothing will get in your way! 

#CarryTheLoad

This past Memorial Day gave me an entirely different view on the day we honor our fallen solders. To be perfectly honest, I am a bit embarrassed to say I went most of my life not really understanding the true difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day. After experiencing Carry The Load along side hundreds of people dedicated in showing their respect in various ways, I have a new understanding, and appreciation for Memorial Day. A day in which I will from now on respect much differently than in the past.

I have Big Sarge, Chris Adams, and Paul Martinez to thank for getting #CFRR involved in an event I am sure none of us will ever forget. The love and appreciation I have for this incredible group of people is indescribable.

Together, we can move mountains!
#cfrr #CarryTheLoad #MemorialDay #Honor