Dope

Don't count me out,

because I don't-

Don't give up on me,

because I won't-

You might have lost it,

but I hope-

You might not believe,

but I'm DOPE!

December's M.A.D. MissFit

Missfit’s that are m.a.d. (making a difference)

Sheron smith 60 years old, hanover, Pennsylvania

On august 1^st of 2007 sheron smith made a life changing and life-saving decision after she broke the scale at 300 pounds.  At the age of 56, sheron decided that she was going to shed the weight and live a healthier lifestyle.  At first, she didn’t know what to do or where to start, but sheron knew that she had to do something.  Not having a background in exercise nor a gym membership, she started walking with a local group and was able to lose about 40 pounds.  Knowing that she needed much more of a challenge and more direction, sheron signed up for a “biggest loser” competition at a local gym.  This is where she did a complete 180 within a 6 month span and never looked back.  She dropped another 56 pounds going from 269lbs to 213lbs.  nothing appears to stop her!  Since 2007, sheron has lost 167 pounds!  She has also developed and coaches “shape up hanover” which is “a program designed around the needs of individuals who have a large amount of weight to lose.”  She also started a blog; www.next-level-weight-loss-support.com  to journal her health and fitness endeavors. 

I met sheron a couple of times at crossfit events, and we are friends on facebook.  I normally am not that impressed or surprised by the things that I read on fb, but she really caught my attention when sheron announced how she was going to celebrate her 6oth birthday.  Was she going to catch a flight to Las Vegas and party like a rock star?  Nope.  Was she going to have a festive celebration and indulge in a huge cake?  Nope.  How else does one spend their 6oth birthday you ask???  They celebrate in style…by doing a 5k tire flip…duh!  Not only did she flip a tire for 5k, but she also elicited a flipping partner…a crowd of loyal supporters…and raised money for the multiple sclerosis foundation! 

If mrs. Sheron is not the epitome of what it means to be a missfit making a difference…then I don’t know what is.  Once I read about her insane (but super cool) goal, I had to speak with her and get to know her and ask her about this accomplishment.  I contacted her via fb, and was able to get her on the phone.  Below is a rundown of the interview:

How did you come up with the idea to celebrate your 60^th with a 5k tire flip?

Ss:  it all started as a joke years ago with my trainer with dan, owner of crossfit hanover, that I would one day flip the big tire from the old gym to the new gym location.  Every year I look to do something to challenge my mental toughness, and that sounded pretty tough.  The more I thought about it, it felt real.  My friend, ross, said that if I did it he would do it with me…and well we started planning. 

You also turned this into a fund raiser.  What was the motivation behind that?  And how much money did you raise?

Ss:  I figured that since I was doing something this extreme I should find a cause to help in the process.  I decided that I would raise money for the ms foundation.  I have no ties to the cause personally, but it’s a cause that I think is worthy of charity…so that’s why I picked it.  Ross and I were able to raise over $1,200.00.

How much did the tire weigh and how long did it take you to complete the 5k?

Ss:  there were 2 tires, 1 for me and 1 for ross, and they weighed 235 & 285 pounds.  We started the tire flip on October 23^rd at 8 am sharp, and finished 11 hours and 39 minutes later at 7:39 pm. 

What was your mental attitude and did you ever think of quitting?

Ss:  I said to myself that I was going to finish even if it were on my knees.  Dan motivated me by saying “1 flip at a time…1 flip at a time.”  I wanted to do this for myself and no one else, and I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.  And I did!  I never thought about quitting.  That was not an option when planning this.  I did it for the point of mental toughness…and that’s just what it helped to build and reinforce in me.

Will you do it again next year?

Ss:  no.  once is enough.  I would like to pick something new to do every year for my birthday.

What advice can you give to aging women out there in terms of starting a fitness program and staying active?

Ss:  I hate to say it, but like the saying goes “you are only as old as you feel!”  I hate that saying, but it’s so true.  Age is not just a number…time is running out.  Don’t wait!  The longer you wait to be active, the harder it will be.  I didn’t know how much fun exercise was, because I never did it prior to 2007.  Now I don’t know what I’d do without it.  I never knew until I tried.

What advice would you give to girls and women of all ages in regards to fitness, exercise, and trying new things?

Ss:  just do it!  Just try what it is that you’ve wanted to try.  Make up your mind to do something, and do it.  It’s easy to find excuses to not do something.  I know from experience, but I didn’t know I could lose all of my weight until I tried.  I didn’t know I could do a lot until I tried.  Find support from others if you need to, but don’t give up.

Since speaking with sheron on October 27^th, she competed at the American Masters Olympic weightlifting competition in Georgia and was given the gold medal.  Sheron is an inspiration, and an example of mental tenacity.  She seems to be getting stronger and tougher each year, and is marking her own path by making a difference.  Sheron smith is most definitely a missfit!  
   

Don’t let anything get in the way of what it is you want to do.  Age shouldn’t be an excuse.  Ability shouldn’t be an excuse.  Lack of experience shouldn’t be an excuse.  Don’t put limitations on your life and your abilities.  Don’t be afraid to try new things and set big goals.  Anything is possible if you just try.  Use sheron’s story as inspiration the next time you think that your dream is impossible, because nothing is.  Thank you sheron!

*Empower. Inspire. Encourage.*

Nothing Wrong With Trying

Earlier this week I was thinking about a conversation I overheard a while back.  The topic of this conversation was about trying.  An olympic weightlifting coach quoted Yoda when stating; "Do or do not, there is no try."  He was coaching an athlete to pick up the heavy weight that she was hestitant to snatch because it was...heavy.  His argument was that there is no such thing as trying...you just put it in your mind and do it...simple.  I respectfully disagree with his thinking.  First, let's define the word Try shall we...

According to http://www.merriam-webster.com/  the definition of the word Try is;
                 - to examine or investigate judicially
                 - to conduct a trial
                 - to put to test or trial
                 - to make an attempt at
                 - to attempt trying something for the 1st time
synonyms; strain, stretch, tax, test

Here's my stance.

You must try...excuse me...I mean attempt the action to figure out if you can!  If you can...then you did, and you're done and you didn't have to try.  But what if you can't?  What if you took Yoda's wonderful advice but did not?  What then?  What then YODA???  Do you shrug and say "oh well, I guess I'll find something else to do..."  No!  Not if your super ambitious, competitive, or goal oriented.  If you're a determined woman like myself, you will do exactly what you set your sights on.  If not now...later down the road (after many, many tries).  Thomas Edison stated it best, "I failed my way to success."  So basically he tried A LOT (over 10,000 times) before he succeeded.  What if he heeded Yoda's advice...would we have reaped the benefit of incandescent lights?  Who knows.

To try is healthy, it is human.  When you set your sights on a particular task, at 1st it appears impossible.  But when you set a goal and make small "attempts" to "do it" before long the impossible is now possible.  Barriers are broken.  Personal limitations are overcome.  This is where 2 examples can be used to defend my argument.  Marathon running and deadlifting over 300 pounds.  You must make attempts or "tries" at both in order to successfully achieve.  If you've never done either of these feats it almost seems comical to think of accomplishing them, but you could if you would just give it a try. 

If you want to run a marathon, (I don't know why anyone would want to run that far, but maybe that's just me) you 1st have to test how far you can run.  After you do a trial run you set a plan into action making small attempts towards your goal of completing the marathon.  Same goes for a deadlift.  You must 1st determine the maximum amount of weight that you can pick up, and from there you take part in a series of tests, trials, attempts, and tries.  Yes, I said the word try!  After trying, correcting, and trying again (possibly hundreds of times) you can reach your goal of 300 pounds or more.  Ever heard of the saying; "if at 1st you don't succeed try, try again." or as the late great Aayliah sang, "dust yourself off and try again."  You see...success is only reached by trying.  If you don't try you can't win.  And I'm all about the W!  Winning that is. 

This is where I quote Henry Ford by stating, "whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."  Do you get it yet?  It's not about trying versus doing...it's about believing.  It's about having a positive mental attitude.  It's about having child-like faith that nothing is impossible if you BELIEVE.  But you have to try, because if you don't try...you never will.  Do you believe in yourself?  You should.  All you have to do is try...and you will.

Thought of the Day

"The best gift you can give this world is a healthy you."  Take care of yourself.  Love yourself.  There is nothing wrong with being exactly what you want to be.  You were made for greatness.