Take 30 Seconds...

"Take just 30 seconds to give yourself a hand and pat yourself on the back, then you can go back hating yourself."
We tend to not give ourselves enough credit. We compare ourselves to others and get down when we can't perform as well as someone else. Our head plays tricks on us.  Don't let your mind keep you from doing things your body knows it can.
Today at the gym, our workout consisted of running 400m then doing a series of jump rope, squats, kettle bell swings, and burpees, then do it again 3 more times.  It is no secret I HATE RUNNING! But I have committed to improving my endurance and apparently that will involve a lot of running. So Coach Steve has laid out a plan for me.  Today's WOD (workout of the day) was tough. I wanted to puke a couple of times and I had to walk a little on the last run.  I couldn't catch my breath. I rested between rounds.  I was feeling pretty down on myself. Why can't I run better?   Then Coach Steve said "Take 30 secs to pat yourself on the back. You did good." I guess I did. All 400m times were consistent, the last run was up the hill, I finished all 4 rounds in the time given, I did my double unders pretty good, and I knocked out the last set of burpees to finish in time.
So quit downplaying yourself and concentrating on what you didn't do and focus on what you did do awesomely.  The rest will come.  If you give all you have, then that's all anyone expects of you.  Encourage those around you.  They are probably feeling the same way.  Those little bits of encouragement go so very far to get you through those last 15 burpees.
So go ahead, pat yourself on the back, be proud of your accomplishments.  Give yourself a little credit and don't let your head get in the way of your success.   #vilife #versus #notjustagym #byweImeanI  

Lisha

Reality Check

Just when you think you're doing ok, feeling good about how far you've come; you have a really crappy day that puts you in your place. I had one of those days this week.  We've been having some pretty tough workouts, but I've been hanging in there and doing fine. Thursday's WOD kicked my butt. HARD! I don't know what happened but I was the last one to finish. I did not finish in the allotted time but I finished the whole workout anyway.  It was horrible.  When I first started at Versus, I couldn't even run 400m for the warm-up. I had always worked out and was overweight, but I thought I was in decent shape.  Boy, was I wrong. My goal when I started was to just finish the workout and then I was just trying to not finish last. Over the last 14 months I've gotten better and now I'm finishing in the top of the group. Until Thursday.  Reality Check!

I'm guessing we all have these days.  The key to getting over it is to not beat yourself up about it. You have to focus on the progress you've made and don't concentrate on what you haven't done yet.  Just get right back at it and hit it harder than you did yesterday. Move on and don't dwell on it.  Don't let your head get in the way of your goals. I know I'm a head case. Especially with running. I have a complete mental block to running. This will be something I work on over this 90-day Challenge. 

Versus is #notjustagym, it's a support system. Everyone encourages everyone else to get through those tough WODs. It's nearly impossible to be the best you can be on your own.  You need that extra push and encouragement to push you over the edge, farther than you've ever gone before.  If you don't have a support team in place, find one. You'll be amazed at how far you can go with someone going with you. My husband, Mike is a big part of my support team.  During the "I Am Versus" Challenge, he was right there with me. Running the mile with me, timing my sprints, counting the squats and burpees, and he even ran with me during the retest. Don't think I would have gotten through that last run without him. You ROCK babe!

So give all you have each day. And remember some days just suck! Today is a new day. Get over it. Move on.

Goals

My next 90-Day Challenge will begin soon. I'm still trying to decide what my new goal will be. That seems to be my problem with each new challenge. I don't really have a clear specific goal in mind. I just hit the gym hard and see what happens. I have great results with each challenge, but that will take me only so far.
I have a counseling session with Coach Steve about once a month just to make sure I keep on track and don't waste any time. I want to be sure I keep heading toward these ambiguous goals I have. I love to read others' success stories, but they always have great goals. Some big accomplishment, like running a marathon or competing in a figure competition. None of that interests me. So what's left?
I want to be strong! Coach Steve told me to figure out what "strong" means to me. That's hard for me to figure out too. I don't know what I'm capable of. I guess that's where the satisfaction of crushing a goal comes in. Set it, go after it, and crush it to pieces. I love setting new PRs.  I get great satisfaction from lifting a weight 3x that was once my 1RM. And of course, I want to look good too.  Somewhere between figure competitor lean and bodybuilder bulk.
This post is mainly for my own benefit. To help me figure out where I'm headed. I keep changing my mind.  Once I figure out where I'm going, Coach Steve will help me make a plan to get there. One day all those things he keeps telling me will all click at once and then I'll be unstoppable.  With each counseling session I take away a little tidbit and implement it. Everything is starting to come together and I know great things are still happening under the surface. Head down, step by step, just keep going. I'm going to work on small performance goals, like mastering double unders. I want to be able to do 50 DU in a row. There, that's goal #1!  Woohoo! Now we're getting somewhere. Let the Challenge begin!

Getting Started

This blog thing is a new adventure for me. I have had another blog in the past that I used to share completed cross-stitch projects with my friends. I hope to use this blog to educate and inspire you to start your journey to better health and wealth.  I will share workout and nutrition tips, meal prep ideas, recipes that are yummy and healthy, and anything else I learn that could help you too.