Workout of the day

The SanCarlosCrossFit endurance team will b running 50K today..

Wish them luck

Looks like Fran is in the House!!

For an unathletic, self professed nerd, I have made a great amount of improvements in my physical life. Going from never exercising to exercising every day, I feel awesome, I feel healthy (more on that on a later post) and I feel thankful.

I don’t think I will on the cover of men’s fitness anytime soon, but I have learned a bit about what it takes to get in shape and most importantly remain in shape.  Although anybody will tell you that eating right and exercise will do the job there is a third component that nobody is talking about.

I call it the hidden treasure and together with diet and exercise, it forms what I call the CrossFit holy Trinity.   What is it you might ask?  It is attitude.  (A settled way of thinking or feeling typically reflected in a person’s behavior).   What does that mean?   It means that for your transformation to become complete, you must exercise, you must eat right, and finally you must have the right attitude.   You combine those three and you have found the recipe for success.

Have you seen those people, I call them downers, who, even when things go well for them, manage to find something to complain about?  There are people who say, "No I can’t" even before they try something.  There are people who find something wrong with everything and everyone.  Don’t be one of those people,  or I’ll hide you from my Facebook feed.

The point of this post is to make sure you work on your nutrition and your gym skills. Attaining the right mind set is just as important. All together these will make you a better person, a better athlete a better friend, husband, wife, partner, parent, etc.

As people, our lives are influenced and shaped by a bunch of factors. Relationships are definitely at the top of the list.  Our values, habits, behaviors, passions and attitudes are definitely learned by association with others.   Therefore, if you want to change your attitude, hang out with people you want to emulate.

Eat right, work out hard, and get in the right mindset-that is the CrossFit Holy Trinity!!

In more than one occasion you probably heard me saying “you are stronger than you think you are”  or “when you think you can’t go any longer, you actually can”.  Those two have been my mantras since….. well… since my brain tumor (but that is another story).  CrossFit actually is a culture that allows us to see our potential, to see how far we can go.  I have heard many things yelled by a lot of people during workouts, including but definitely not limited to the traditional four letter words and or the grunts that come with them… you know what I am talking about.  We all have heard them and have made us laugh or shake our heads.

A couple of days ago,  I had an epiphany about CrossFit and how it has helped me to build my mental toughness,  “I can do another set”,  “I can lift another few pounds”, “I can actually go faster”, “I am stronger that I think I am”.  I have been lucky enough to see people transform their bodies and their attitude after started to train with us.   It has been inspiring and I ask myself:  do you know how strong you are?   When you come to the gym, what is your mental attitude?  I doubt that you come thinking I’ll lift as little as possible or I’ll try harder next time I come.

Think about that, for a moment, next time you are in the middle of a WOD,  or anything for that matter,  think about that.  Think how far you have come and how far you still have to go. Think about when was the last time someone (outside of your CrossFit friends) pushed you to be better, to be stronger, and to be awesomer!!  Take advantage of that encouragement and aim higher.

I have a few friends that go to a “traditional” gym and simply pretend to workout and assume that that is the norm.  I get the feeling that a lot of my friends outside of the CrossFit culture are OK with that.   That, it is Ok to aim low, it is OK to cheat on your reps, that it is ok to go to the gym and read a magazine while riding a bike and call it a “workout”.  It is NOT OK at SCCF, we are really not interested in making the WOD easier for you, but we definitely will modify the WOD so you work as hard as you can.

Just remember, you are stronger than you think you are.   With that attitude you will change your own expectations and deliver more.  You will surprise yourself…

Ok SCCF boys and girls…  this is the time to look back at the ending year and think about what you would like to accomplish in the new year…  yes…  your “new year’s resolutions” ...you got that right…  the ones that most people make, the ones that we might share with a few people, stick to them for a few days, weeks and perhaps one or two months but they eventually fall to the side and get forgotten.

I think it is time to redefine and be different this year.   You can keep your Personal resolutions to yourself… things like (cook more, watch less tv, talk more to your spouse, STOP SMOKING). However, I would like to challenge you to stop going to the box “Just Because”.   Everyone that comes through SCCF doors should have a goal that want to achieve or something they want to change.  Of course no goals is too big or too small, No one’s goal is any more important or valid than anyone else’s goal. They come from many different places. Some goals come from pride and a desire for a new personal best at something. Some come from family and not wanting to suffer a preventable death like that of a loved one. Some from vanity…who doesn’t want to look better naked? The bottom line is that they are very personal and extremely important to the individual.

Let’s have everyone in SCCF take a few days and really think about why you are here, what keeps you working so hard here, and what do you want from this.

We encourage you to pick up a pen and a piece of paper and jot down the goals you want to reach. Look at each goal and evaluate it. Make any changes necessary to ensure it meets the criteria for a SMART goals:

• S = Specific
• M = Measurable
• A = Attainable
• R = Realistic
• T = Timely

“I Want to look good naked” is a great goal but tough to quantify and measure. Goals can range from races you will run, weights you will lift, weight you will lose, anything you want as long as it fits into the above categories.

So remember,  you are at SCCF because you want to achieve something.  It is time to get specific about it.  Write them down, share it with your coach, mentor or friends and get busy achieving them.

Please post your Your Goal to the comments section if you dare!!

And then Yoga came to SCCF...   We are proud to announce a  new yoga class at 10am, every Sunday. Barry Au-Yeung is the yoga instructor who specialized in Vinyasa flow.   Barry wrote a little something regarding his practice...   He is a techie by day and  passionate about YOGA,  this is what he had to say about  this new SCCF offering to our members..

"When some people think of yoga, they imagine having to stretch like a gymnast. That makes them worry that they're too old, unfit, or "tight" to do yoga. The truth is you're never too old to improve flexibility.

The series of yoga poses I practice are called asanas, they work by safely stretching your muscles. This releases the lactic acid that builds up with muscle use and causes stiffness, tension, pain, and fatigue. In addition, yoga increases the range of motion in joints. It may also increase lubrication in the joints. The outcome is a sense of ease and fluidity throughout your body.

Yoga stretches not only your muscles but all of the soft tissues of your body. That includes ligaments, tendons, and the fascia sheath that surrounds your muscles. And no matter your level of yoga, you most likely will see benefits in a very short period of time. In one study, participants had up to 35% improvement in flexibility after only eight weeks of yoga. The greatest gains were in shoulder and trunk flexibility.

Tell others to come so we can prepare another week with an awesome yoga practice

Nameste"

Remember, balance, coordination, flexibility and accuracy are all elements of fitness improved via neuromuscular adaptation.  Yoga addresses all of these.  Body awareness, or the ability to make your body do what you want when you want, is crucial in moving better.  What is CrossFit ultimately about?  Moving better so you can increase your physical work capacity.  Yoga can undoubtedly help a lot of people move better which can get you CrossFitting better.  Check out Barry's class every Sunday at 10am.