ARE YOU INTO RESOLUTIONS?
So if last week was the ACTUAL first week of the year, this week tends to be the first OFFICIAL week of the year, with many of us back to work after some well deserved time off. I hope you all are feeling relaxed, refreshed and rejuvenated for some great training this year. Have you made the obligatory NY resolution yet? I've talked about goals with many of you over the past few days - everyone had some pretty cool ones (can't wait to see them getting knocked out of the park).
I’m of mixed opinion about resolutions. On the one hand, I hate that some people feel like they can’t commit to anything until the 1st of January, and that more often than not, by the 1st of February it’s a distant memory. Willpower is a finite resource and it’s tough to stay the course on something you just spontaneously decided to do in a blurry drunken haze at 12:01am, while snogging someone you shouldn’t have been….. (you can read some more about willpower in THIS old blog post).
On the other hand, there’s no denying that the start of a new year is always quite exciting, and a little mysterious, as you wonder what it holds in store for you. So why not use that excitement as fuel to get started on a campaign to make yourself more awesome. Set some challenging, yet achievable goals and get on to it.
Whatever you believe, I’m seriously stoked for the year ahead and I hope you are too.
So how do you go about achieving your goals?
Simple. Create an environment where you cant help but succeed.
Spend time with people who’ll hold you accountable, like at, oh I don’t know, CrossFit NZ?!?!. Personally I always make an effort to train in the classes whenever I can, and will try to work with someone who is better than me to spur me to greater effort.
I also try to train with other CrossFit coaches when I can, both here and at other gyms. There is a lot to be said for the power of a good bro session.
Set a goal/deadline. It could be anything from a competition (The Open? Mount Nationals? World Masters 2017?) to a wedding or school reunion. I’m keen on another crack at the CrossFit Masters this year, and a bunch of us here are taking on the Rangitoto swim in April, so that keeps me focused on the hard road ahead.
Work on your strengths. Beating your head against the wall because you haven’t PR’d your clean in 6 months doesn’t do a lot for your enthusiasm to train. Neither does constantly flaying the back of your legs as you vainly try to improve your double unders. It’s actually ok to do the things you’re good at occasionally. If you’re a bit of a handstand ninja, then maybe you should revel in that for a bit, and practice the heck out of it…. See what you can do with a skill you’re good at, see how far you can take it and enjoy the process of kicking butt again.
This week, we’re kicking off a new phase of training. It will include plenty of the strength circuits many of you love, and some skill work specific to The Open.
And BTW, it's Girl Friday this week, and we've got Elizabeth (my nemesis!) on the schedule for Friday!