Awesome Clients

I wanted to post this, it's a blog that one of my dear clients just wrote.  I love everything about it.  This is a huge part of my life and I wanted to share.

Disease Vs. Symptoms - 1 Year

Bear with me... it's a chapter!

I was recently walking down a medicine aisle at a local grocery store, ready to purchase some more over-the-counter pain medication for my post WOD recovery sessions that seem to happen often. As always, I continued the habit of reading the label, even though I knew EXACTLY what I was purchasing. "Acetaminophen is used for the relief of fever as well as aches and pains associated with many conditions." So, you're saying I'm purchasing something to temporarily relieve a symptom, but in the end, CrossFit is my "condition." I can accept that!

Only Symptoms

It got me thinking, though. How many times in our lives, do we go to great lengths to try to fix a problem, when we are only temporarily fixing a symptom. How many diseases are wracked in our bones, our minds, and our hearts, for which we only see the symptoms. How many poor decisions have we made to cure a symptom, when the actual problem lies deeper.

Over a year ago, I remember playing some pick-up soccer with some younger fellows. Within the hour I was too exhausted to continue on, which had never happened to me. I might not have been fast all of the time, but at least I could keep up. It was then I decided that I had to do something about it. I had many options, believe me. Still, there are many options. Luckily for me, and opportunity shortly arose which gave me the privilege of trying CrossFit.

Today's society is very fat/lazy friendly. We can shop for food, merchandise, and practically anything while sitting at home on a computer. We can work, bank, run errands, and even fix our car behind the screen. If we eat too much and too unhealthily, get obese and don't want to move, we can qualify for "disability," and get the government and tax payers to pay for everything to keep us on the same downward path. I know way too many people all over this country, who just sit at home and do nothing, and everything seems to be taken care of by someone else. A sad part is, even those character attributes seem to be attractive to many, so you can even find "love" while doing nothing with someone else who is doing nothing... without even trying.

Obviously, not many people LIKE being fat, obese, or overweight, but to many, it's easier than an alternative. If you are rewarded for being lazy and overweight, why not continue? And when "alternatives" arrive that seem to be "easy," why not try them? Why not try a pill that will take weight off without doing anything? Why not try an electric device that works our muscles out without having to do anything? I've even seen these remedies go as far as say that they're healthy and the best way to lose fat and/or weight. They even might work. But in the end, what are you treating?

The Heart of the Problem

I could blame my weight problem on many things. I could blame it on an eating disorder, which I qualify for. I could blame it on a hypothyroid, which I have. I could blame it on genetics, a sit-down computer-related job, easy and cheap food, not having a wife with whom to divide my dinners, pain in my joints, a bad back with scoliosis, and even a high self-esteem which doesn't require me to be fit. Yes, all of those apply directly to me, and could be used as medical, rational, or logical reasons. Not one of them is the real problem, though. In order to find the disease, you must look past the symptoms. You must look deep inside your mind, your heart, your character, your habits, your existence, and your true self.

Ultimately, I had a poor lifestyle. I wasn't willing to put forth the effort to achieve and acquire what I wanted, because it was too easy to NOT do anything. Taking a drug or pill, even if it's "natural" won't change the fact that you're not putting forth the effort to change. As soon as you're off that drug, you'll go back to where you were. This is NOT progression, that is REGRESSION because you have diminished into trying to fool your body to change. Unless you make a lifestyle change, you are still doing the same thing, and "expecting different results."

But the doctor said....

I've had tests done in my past; tests that showed hypothyroidism (for which I could be taking a pill to fix symptoms like weight gain, energy loss, sleeplessness etc), tests that show I have an eating disorder (which qualifies me for federal help and medications), tests that show that I shouldn't be doing any hard labor, lifting, etc. because of scoliosis (a bad curvature of my spine), tests that show that I have an attention deficit disorder (for which I could be taking medication), and tests that show that I have a degenerative hearing loss (for which I should probably be wearing hearing aids). Let's look at those. How many of those are symptoms? Do you want to know what I think? EACH AND EVERY ONE! Now granted, hearing aids would probably do me very well, but I could be taking all sorts of PRESCRIBED medication and treatments for all of those. Who knows, I might be skinnier, straighter, and even pay more attention and remember things. But does that fix or cure the disease. NO IT DOES NOT!! I'll be reliant on temporary fixes for a long period of time. That is no way to live. What is the root of my problems? The answer is me.

A Way of Life

When I named this blog, I had no idea that I would be hitting the problem and the solution on the head. I am not saying that CrossFit is the only answer to every problem in my life. What I am saying, is that decided to take the challenge to join the global CrossFit community, is one of the biggest and best decisions I've made in my entire life. Yes, it is tough. Yes, it is painful. Yes, it is intense. Yes, it is change.

I'm not going to go on for pages about my weight loss, fat loss, muscle gain, time improvements, skills gained, and everything that has made me a better looking, less fat stud, all of which have happened to great lengths. I want to share with you the deeper change that I have felt and seen. This goes beyond movement, beyond physical attributes, and beyond an exercise program. This something I've never been able to find at any normal gym, in any "natural" pill, in any exercise video, nor on any other work-out regime. The closest I've ever felt this, was while playing sports in high school and college, and each of them had an ending, where this does not.

ME vs. ME

Every day that I go do a WOD (Workout of the Day) at CrossFit, I am tested and tried by fire. I am given movements, lifts, running, stretches, numbers, and everything else that I KNOW will cause pain, sweat, blood, and very possibly tears. I know that when the clock starts, it is ME vs. ME. I know that I must push past the pain, sweat, blood, and tears, or I will never be better than I was the day before. I know that although skinnier or more muscular people might be going twice as fast as I am, they are they and I am me! I am doing this to change me, at my core; to change who I am, not what I am. What I am might get changed in the process, but that's just a symptom. This is to find out where my heart is. How far my heart can go. I guarantee your body might have limits, but your heart and mind have grayer and smaller limits. Until you open your mind and soul, you will never become the person you are MEANT to be. Release the limits that YOU PUT ON YOURSELF. Your body might hurt, bad. I'm talking about your muscles, your bones, your joints, your torn skin, your head, and every part of you. Remember, you build muscle only by tearing it down and rebuilding! Your ego might get bruised, bad. You might have to START in LAST PLACE. But KNOW THIS. You are only meant to change. You are only meant to get better. If you open your heart, you will see yourself forged into something better. Push yourself further than you think you can go. Make yourself regret quitting before the clock ends. If you're not stumbling or laying on your back in the end, you DIDN'T GO FAR ENOUGH! It's a process. It's a long process.

CrossFit: A Way of Life

How has CrossFit helped me? I now smile at pain, in whichever form (physical, emotional, spiritual, etc) it comes. I now walk faster (not after workouts :P) and hold my head up higher. I now seek challenges in all facets of my life. I am cleaner. I eat healthier (which saves me money). I have more energy for everything else is life. I am more aware of myself and how I affect the world. I give more of my time, energy, money, and person to others through service. I see more clearly the blessings in my life. I feel more happy, not only when I reach beyond my goals, but when I help others achieve their goals as well. I find myself setting my goals higher, and achieve them more often. My self worth has gone up immensely (just ask my clients who are having to pay more :D). And most of all, I am happier and smile more in front of the mirror (let's face it, I'm sexy!)

I can't write this blog and not thank those who have helped me change. The whole structure of CrossFit is to change and perfect the individual, from the heart outward. If you see a gym that tries to copy CrossFit, I guarantee you'll find something lacking. Shellece Gunnell, my first CrossFit coach has pushed me from Day 1 (yeah, I went home and puked!), and has never let back. I have had moments of weakness and imperfection, and she looked past that, hooked up jumper cables, and jump started me back. She seems to understand what I've gone through, but doesn't let that hold me back. She does that with EVERYONE! All of the other trainers/coaches at CrossFit Southtown are the same. Josh has stood next to me in a time of despair to push me to go just a little bit faster and a little bit harder. In CrossFit, not only are we pushed by our coaches, but we are pushed and inspired by our fellow boxmates. I've had extraordinary people (Mindie, Sam, Isela, and many more) finish a workout, exhausted, and then get up, and run by my side, jump on boxes, do sit-ups, pull-ups, and all sorts of things, just so I had a friend to do it with... just to push me to go faster, harder, and stronger. The camaraderie of CrossFit cannot be replaced by an inexpensive gym, or a place that claims to be CrossFit type workouts, but can't carry the name. I know this because I've been to CrossFit boxes in many states, and EVERY SINGLE ONE was the same. I've had coaches who knew my name and yelled it from the first minute of the first WOD in their box. I've had strangers yelling and chanting my name in a competition out of selfless support, to try and get me to surpass my limits. I dare you to look, but you will not and cannot find that sort of community anywhere in the world! That is CrossFit.

Challenge

I can't end this without a challenge. If you've made it to the end, then either you were VERY bored, or you needed to hear what I had to say. If the latter is the case, just do one thing for me... change. I know we have self-esteem and positive self-worth pounded in our heads. "We are good just the way we are." That might be correct, but you are not meant to be good. You are meant to be GREAT. You cannot achieve greatness without constant, progressive change. Even if you have a perfect body, a perfect job, and are a genius, you can still become better. There is no limit to our abilities. I challenge you to try to prove me wrong!

I told you I wasn't going to spend pages on it, but here are a few numbers, for my visual readers.

1-year Physical Changes:

55+ lbs total weight loss

9% bodyfat loss

approx. 15-18 lbs muscle gain

Waist - 7 inch loss

Approx 1.6 point loss in TSH levels - Yes my thyroid is healing itself without medicine

Back pain down from probably 6-7 to a 1-2

I fight my "eating disorder" (let's face it, I like food), and win every day!

(I'll post more measurement losses when I can get someone to wrap a tape around me :P lol)

Rx (Prescribed) Skills acquired through lots of pain and suffering (that I couldn't do correctly before I started);

Pull-ups (kipping)

Double-unders (that's jump-roping with twice under for each jump)

24 inch box jump

Push-ups,

Sit-ups,

Most lifts,

53/70lb kettlebell swings

20lb wall-balls

Burpees (although they are not pretty)

Back extensions

knees to elbows (ish :P)

And some that I can't remember (because my mind doesn't want to think about them lol)

GOATS (skills I'm currently and slowly working on)

Ring dips

Handstand Push-ups

GHD sit-ups (Glute-Ham Developer)

GO CROSSFIT!!!
~Written by John Goodman