The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence but by oft falling. -Lucretius
Nobody wants to hear it took two years or more to transform my body. Everyone is enamored with the 30 day, 60 day, shrink-wrap it in seconds, take this pill, eat this but not that malarky that abounds in the fitness industry. No one wants to hear, “Keep it up. Stay the course.” Most want you to say, “You’ll be skinny in 4 weeks!”
Many of you guys may have seen these pictures of me I posted a couple of weeks ago. The time frame between the two pics is about 13 years. Did it take me 13 years to get from one to the other? Short answer- no.
The “before” picture was in 2001 shortly after graduating chiropractic school. I was on a quest to get healthy. I began to ride my mountain bike, jog and hit the gym occasionally. When I started CrossFit in 2007, I was actually kind of skinny. I had run a few marathons and was looking for something to supplement my adventure race training. It took time to add weight and gain some muscle.
Coming into CrossFit training as an endurance athlete, I was shocked at how I stacked up against the competition. The CrossFit daily WOD was being completed by the likes of Chris Spealler and James Fitzgerald (OPT). I, like most, was in awe of their scores and would devour anything I could on how to improve. I learned quite a bit and loved geeking out on CrossFit. I’d watch every video posted by HQ, read the CF Journal and try to apply all my new found tech tips when I hit the gym. It was during this time that I began to learn one simple secret to improve at CrossFit.
Want to know that secret? Of course you do.
Here it is…keep moving forward.
I know, earth shattering. But as simple as that sounds, it’s not always easy to do.
In fact, many things can stand in the way of forward progress. Work, a hectic schedule, kids, illness, injury, etc. all can stop your momentum. I’m not saying to leave your kids at home with only the dog and hit the box while you have the flu. What I am trying to tell you is to figure out how to juggle your fitness goals and schedule in an optimum way. Don’t let something as simple as not being able to find matching socks keep you from your WOD. Plan ahead. Look at the week and know when you’re going to work out. Protect that time. Know that the hour spent in sweat is building the better you- drop by drop.