Words to Live By

I think this is a great outline of how to approach life.  I just thought I would share.  Enjoy.

A manifesto from 'Instructions for Life' by The Dalai Llama

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three R's: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great relationship.

7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend sometime alone every day.
9. Open arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Today's Thought

My shoulder decided to flare up on me last week.  I really don't know what happened, but God sure does have a way of humbling you and reminding you of what is truly important in life.  For me, learning patience is an ongoing struggle, but one of the most important lessons for me in my current life circumstance.  I read something the other day by Joyce Meyer that is perfect for me.  It reads:

"Patience is vital to the development of our full potential.  Actually, our potential is only developed as our patience is developed.  It is God's way-there is no other, so why not settle down and enjoy the journey?"

       
I think that a true hallmark of a woman (or man) is...knowing what you believe and having the guts to live it out loud each and everyday!  I am going to work on this.    

    

The O Word

In my Applied Sport Psychology II: Professional Practice course we are going over the subject of Overtraining.  As I was studying the assigned reading...I started to think how much this applies to CrossFit (and any other training method)...but BOY OH BOY does this apply to CrossFitters!

I decided to share my discussion on here to see if any convo (conversation) would take place...feel free to chime in.

**Ignore the APA references...I know they are important (blah, blah, blah)... and they are probably all wrong, but the good news is: the grade of my discussion answers are not based off of perfect referencing (thank goodness)

Here it is...enjoy:

Elite level athletes are consistently testing the limits of their work capacity thresholds in an attempt to reach increased athletic dominance in athletic performance and competitions.  Many times they push the envelope and inadvertently become overtrained physically and psychologically.  Kirsten Peterson (2005), author of the chapter, Overtraining: Balancing Practice and Performance points out how the U.S. Olympic Committee defines overtraining: “the syndrome that results when an excessive, usually physical, overload on an athlete occurs without adequate rest, resulting in decreased performance and the inability to train” (Murphy, p. 50).  The concept of “more is better” or “no pain, no gain” is a counterproductive approach to improving athletic performance output over a sustained period of time.  A coach is doing his or her athletes a disservice if they overload them with volume and intensity at the expense of proper rest and recovery.  

Although it is the job of the coach to push athletes to strive for improved ability and motivate them to reach athletic excellence, it is also their responsibility to identify the signs and symptoms of overtraining and implement appropriate interventions to curb the effects of the syndrome.  It must be noted that overtraining and its effects are “highly individualized” (Murphy, p. 57), but there are some classic signs of fatigue to look for that are both caused by physical exertion and psychological stressors; elevated heart rate, weight loss, overuse injuries, loss of self-confidence, sadness, and anxiety to name a few.  Some questions that a coach may want to refer to when in the identification process are:

·         What is going on in your life or the athlete’s life?

·         Which symptoms are evident?

·         When did the symptoms start, and what was going on when they did? (Murphy, p. 57)

As future coaches or sport psychologist it is important to not only understand the principle of overtraining, but it is equally important to be able to educate our athletes on the dangers of overtraining and the adverse effects that it can have on their dreams of reaching success.  We must teach them that doing more does not guarantee more success.  We must also teach them balance.  Adequate rest and recovery is vital to enhancing athleticism and performance just as strength and conditioning, proper nutrition, stretching, and sleep are important.  Teaching athletes that recovery can actually increase performance is a great way to challenge them to incorporate it into their routines.  There is a popular saying now “go hard or go home.”  I think in reference to training it should be “go hard, then go home and rest.”

References: 

Peterson, K. (2005).  Overtraining: balancing practice and performance.  In S. Murphy(Ed.), The

            Sport of psych handbook (pp. 49-70).  Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics

Wednesday June 13, 2012

Today was a special day for me.  One year ago today I had surgery on my right shoulder.  The past year has been one of the most difficult times for me...physically, mentally, and spiritually.  I'm not going to get into the specifics of what I've been through in the course of the year, but just know that there has been a lot of pain, a lot of heartache, and a lot of tears.  But I have worked really, really, really ridiculously hard to get to where I am now...physically, mentally, and spiritually ...and I feel stronger than ever!  I am going to do whatever it takes to NEVER go back to that place again.

I can't describe the feeling I had to know how far I've come.  If there is anything I learned from this whole experience it is:

1. Put God first
2. Be your own best friend...because people disappear when you're down
3. Work hard for what you want
4. Diligence pays off
5. Patience is a virtue
6. Put God first...yep I said it again.

Today's workout was awesome!  Today...there were a lot of smiles!

Mobility work 1st for shoulders, hips, neck, and ankles

Strength: StrongLift 5x5 B
Back squat- 5x5 @ 125lbs
Overhead press- 5x5 @65
Deadlift- 5x5 @155

Conditioning:

Part 1:
3 rounds for time:
6- stone to shoulder @ 73lbs.
12- box jump @24"
time= 3:56

Part 2:
3 rounds for time:
5- log viper press @ 70lbs
400m run
time= 7:53

One more step towards being more badass!

The Hollow Rock

This weeks skill focus for me is going to be the Hollow Rock position.  I have been working in the fitness industry for almost 9 years now, and I am finding that I have SO much more to learn!  That being said, I'm going back to basics.  The hollow rock is one of the most basic movements out there, and it is actually the most neutral position anyone can get into.  It teaches dynamic stability (controlled movement) and mid-line stability...so many of us CrossFitters and fitness enthusiasts strive for.  The hollow rock is one of the most elementary movements taught.  It's actually one of the 1st progressions for young gymnasts to teach body awareness.  (I secretly wish I would have taken gymnastics in grade school.)

I've been watching a lot of gymnastic wod videos by Carl Paoli, www.gymnasticswod.com and the guy is a wealth of knowledge!  If he had to pick one move, one skill, one exercise for anyone starting out with physical activity...he recommends learning the hollow body and hollow rock.

Now, I might not be a beginner...but I have A LOT of room to grow! 

Here's the simple truth whether you want to hear it or not (I didn't for the longest time), if we can't maintain THIS SIMPLE POSITION when we have absolutely NO load or multiple joints are not working...we're not doing a good job with global stabilization!

This move is great!  It exposes you to different ways to maintain a neutral position, and you learn how to transfer body tension while maintaining the hollow rock. 

Set up:
- lower back touching ground
-legs straight & tight together with toes pointed
-arms straight & glued to ears (This is not easy for me!)
-start rocking back & forth without breaking shape...stay rigid!
**if you break-you're too extended and still need work

The goal is 100x or 3 minutes of continuous rocking...Build up to this by doing 3x20 or 2x50...or whatever you like.

Here's a video of Carl teaching this.  He can do a better job of it than I can :)

Enjoy...and use today to try to be a little more BADASS!  I am. 

BELIEVE BIG

Recently, I was talking to a great friend of mine about life and the dreams I have for myself.  I have had an extremely difficult year, and it has caused me to doubt my capabilities and potential.  Everything that I talked about was followed by..."but I don't know if I could ever do that."  He said something to me that I needed to hear.  His words were so brutally honest and true that it nearly punched me right in the gut!  He said:

“Brittney, you dream big, but you don’t believe big.  You have so much potential...you could be unstoppable, but you’ll never realize it...you may never experience it until you believe!”

When he said that, my initial reaction was emotional…my eyes started to water.  BUT then I understood what he was trying to tell me.  Perception is reality.  Before I will accomplish anything or before my dreams manifest…I must perceive...I must believe…BIG!

 

It’s time for my belief in me to be as big as my dreams!

“Challenge yourself to think confidently.  If you believe you can win, you can become a very difficult person to beat.” ~Lee Crust

NOT TODAY

Ok, so it’s quite clear…I’m a woman.  And it’s a little obvious that I’m human.  That being said…I am bound to hit a wall.  There will be a time that I fall.  As much as it sucks to admit that to myself…it is a truth that I cannot deny.  Sooner or later, I will be stopped dead in my tracks.  It is inevitable that at some point…I will fail.

BUT NOT TODAY!  

Today I jump over that wall. Today I will not fall.  Today…I can’t stop, I won’t stop.  I may get bumped, I may get bruised.  But today, I simply cannot…I simply will not Lose!