Frustrated? Don’t Be!

August 2012 Competition
CrossFit Fly Sundown Showdown

Feeling frustrated?  Sometimes I do too.

I’ve been known to complain, cry, curse out loud, punch walls, and storm out of class.  And that was just last week.  Seriously.  There are times I just want to give it all up.  Then I remember why I started CrossFit.  I was overweight, out of shape and unhappy.  There are days I still feel overweight, out of shape and unhappy.  That’s okay.  What’s important is that I still come back, I still try my hardest, and I still scale as needed until I can do the workout as prescribed.  And that day will come, but until then I do what I’M capable of…and it’s a lot more than I was capable of nearly 3 years ago.

I need to remind myself where I started:  200lbs, with the training bar, couldn’t run 200m without stopping, thickest band possible for pull-ups, push-ups on my knees (chest nowhere near the deck), box jumps at 12″ (and still terrified).

Then I look at where I’m at today:  have kept off my weight loss for almost 2 years, 540lb CrossFit total, ran a 5k without stopping (3 times now), recently Rx’d both Fran and Helen (both with my biggest nemesis – the pull-up), push-ups…I’m chest challenge so I go just about to the deck – where my chest should be, box jumps at 24″ without much hesitation (much).

After nearly 3 years of CrossFit I know I’m not an expert.  I know there is still a lot for me to learn.  Like learning a musical instrument it takes practice, dedication and time.  It cannot happen overnight.

Do I want to be thinner?  YES!  Do I want to be stronger? faster? a pull-up, push-up and box jump master?  HELL YES!  Will it happen overnight?  Nope.  And I’m okay with this.  CrossFit is a lifelong commitment.  It’s a commitment to yourself, being the best YOU, trying YOUR best, beating YOUR score not the scores of those around you.  I definitely use other members’ scores to gauge how I should tackle a workout and I absolutely get frustrated when I don’t do as well as I thought I would.  I remind myself that half the battle is walking in the door and putting myself out there.  The other half is all the nonsense swimming around in my head that keeps me from doing better.

In the end, I’m fine with subbing out a move when I have to, scaling when I am unable to manage the movement or weights…it’s all good.  What I’m NOT fine with is giving up or skipping a workout just because it’s hard or outside my comfort zone.  I am in this for the long haul because I want to continue to live a healthy life for me and my family.

– Shannon