Due to the influence of a friend of mine, I have started to try a new form of exercise (for me) called CrossFit. This is basically high intensity activities using a variety of exercises from multiple sports, then adding weights.
It’s killing me!
Every time I go for a CrossFit workout I find myself tutting and telling myself “That’s rubbish, I must do better”.
Mentally it is quite challenging because I am failing more than I am succeeding. There are so many exercises that I can’t complete and, even more, I haven’t tried yet.
Funnily enough, I am enjoying the challenge. There is so much to work on though, so, as normal, I have had to break the challenges down into smaller steps (Well Tony did!) which helps keep me motivated.
We have a plan for the year with targets to achieve and milestones to ensure we keep on track. Unlike other activities that I have been involved with, there is a lot of retraining to do for my body. I have to unlearn some things and, even before adding weights, I have to work on technique.
I am now really aware of how inflexible my body is and, how, over time, my range of movement and mobility had decreased. Too much time driving, sitting in front of a computer and far too much cycling over the years, without balancing things out.
This journey will be one that challenges my thinking. Whilst I know, rationally, that I have to fail in order to learn and improve, it’s still mentally tough to remain positive. I watch YouTube clips of people teaching movements, making it look so easy, and I go to classes where most people are lifting heavier weights than me and doing exercises I can’t do. It would be easy to go back to triathlons, but I want to do this.
The failure will make the successes a sweeter experience. I can visually see how things will be this time next year, I can feel what success looks like and this keeps me going.
It is early days and I am following the plan. I am aching in places I forgot were there, which tells me I am working in a different way – it’s a small success in my mind!
Here are a few tips I use to deal with this particular set of failures and, potentially, the transferable skill building it creates:
- Understand why you are doing it in the first place – motivation
- See failures as opportunities to get better / learn – growth mindset
- Break the challenge down into smaller pieces – effective planning
- Follow a plan with milestones – goal setting
- Have a fantastic support network – relationship building
If you find things getting you down, then one or two of those may help change things.