Posts Tagged ‘inspiration’

Moment of Awesomeness: 4/3/18

Posted: April 3, 2018 in CrossFit, Training
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Over the last few days, a 14-year old baseball player is making headlines across the country. His name is Luke Terry, and he’s good! The reason people are talking about him, though, is because Luke only has one arm. When he was 19 months old he contracted E. Coli and had his right arm amputated. Does it look like it’s slowed him down much? I don’t think so.

When stories like this hit the mainstream, I usually get a little frustrated. The kid has one arm. Yes, that’s definitely newsworthy. But he is also an incredible athlete! There are stories of athletes all over the world who are labeled “physically disabled” or “physically challenged.” As I watched a show on ESPN, one of the anchors referred to Luke as “differently abled,” and I thought that was better. This isn’t an inspiring moment of the team equipment manager who gets to come out and shoot an easy layup as his team is up by 30 points in the 4th quarter. Those stories are incredible in their own right (and typically make my eyes well up,) but Luke Terry… this kid has a cannon.

Watch the video below and tell me whether you think this is a “cute and heartwarming” story of some kid being given a chance to play a sport with his friends. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that he won that spot fair and square by being the best player on the team. He bats third in the line-up, folks! That’s not a favor the coach is giving him because he “has a disability.” Luke Terry lost his arm when he was 19 months old. All he’s known is life with one arm. And he still learned to play the game better than I ever could! So while you may see an athlete with one arm, I see an extremely talented ball player.

Is he “differently abled?” Sure! He can throw you out trying to steal second OR be different and pick you off on your way to third base. Get it, Luke. You’re an awesome, and I’m stoked to see you continue to succeed!

Life After The Open (Part 2) – A Time For Reflection

Posted: March 27, 2018 in CrossFit, Training
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WE DID IT!!! We survived the 2018 CrossFit Games Open!!!

As someone who has done every single Open, no matter how much the workouts change, one aspect of the event remains consistent year after year. There are always first-timers, athlete’s doing it “just for fun,” those looking to compete against their friends, and individuals sincerely hoping to make it to the next level of competition. Regardless of which group you identify with, when coach yells out, “3, 2, 1, GO!” every single person in the gym gives each workout their all. It’s so much fun to watch, and even more fun to coach!

In a post last week, I talked about intelligent ways of planning out how to structure your next year of training. (If you haven’t already, I really think you should check it out!) A lot of athletes have put in countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears into preparing for a five week competition. Between sleepless nights, sore muscles, and redoing workouts, our bodies are tired! If your Open season is over, I’m here to encourage you to give yourself time to relax. It can be tempting to jump onto a new programming or add in a ton of accessory work, but your body needs a break!

Today, I think it’s important to take a step back and breathe.

I often talk about the impact proper nutrition and adequate sleep can have on your performance, your brain needs some time to recover, too! In every other sport, there’s a clear “Off-Season;” a block of time where athletes are almost forced to take a break. In CrossFit, we don’t really have that. Since “going to the gym” is such an integrated part of our lives, a lot of athletes refuse to acknowledge the fact that resting for a few days, or even weeks, might make you better! The whole “No Rest Days” philosophy is something I’ve written about in the past, and will certainly write about in the future, but not today.

Today, I want to ask you to pause, take a few minutes, and reflect.

Really think about what has happened over the last five weeks of your “fitness” life.

And only allow yourself to think in positive terms.

Reflection

 

What did YOU get out of the Open?

Did you finish any workout faster than expected? Were you able to complete a movement for the first time? Did you go “Rx’d” on your first Open WOD? I know several people who are simply happy with how positive they kept their mindset, and how well they kept their nerves under control. The happy things are easy to identify!

Now, it can be easy to look back and only think of the negative aspect of things. But not today! Were you frustrated about anything? Did you not hit the weight you were hoping to on your heavy clean attempt? Did the handstand push-up rule impact your results in workout 18.4? Were your double-unders a disaster for 18.3? Fine. Now, shift your mindset and let’s rephrase how we look at those scenarios.

  • Disappointed in weight for clean
    • “Over the next year, I will work on challenging myself to hit heavier weights when I’m tired.”
  • Handstand range of motion
    • “By devoting time to slowing down and ensuring I’m in complete control of my lockouts, it will make me much more effective at that movement.”
  • Inconsistent double-unders
    • “A few days per week after my workout, I’ll spend some time practicing my doubles. That way I’ll be used to jumping when I’m tired, and when Castro programs that workout again next year, I’ll be fine!”

Today, I want you to think about THREE THINGS you learned from the Open that are POSITIVE. They can be things you’re legitimately proud of, or areas for improvement that you’ve been lucky enough to identify for yourself!

Take a few minutes and really think about your three things. Then, share them in the comments of this post. Let’s help congratulate and encourage one another to celebrate these positive moments!

Only positive thoughts.

Here are my three:

  • This year, I reestablished a healthier personal relationship with CrossFit.
    • I’ve been doing CrossFit for almost a decade. In that time I have gone from working out in a Bally’s (globo gym) after work, to training nearly three hours per day to try and qualify for Regionals (never did, by the way!), to simply viewing CrossFit as a fun way of working out.
    • I workout by myself over 90% of that time, and while that can be really hard for me, I’m starting to appreciate those moments more. That’s where I get to recharge. It’s my hour to push myself. And it’s a block of time where I can make myself better through this crazy workout program. I’m back to liking CrossFit again.
  • I may have conquered one of my GOATS!
    • In CrossFit we call skills or movements that we aren’t good at, or just don’t like, our goats. Thrusters have always been a goat of mine. I’m not great at squatting OR pressing, so when you put them together, I’m double-excited to work out! With the final workout of this year’s Open, though, a workout presented itself that I had already done four times in the past! Instead of letting it ruin my week, I simply made a plan of how to break up reps, stuck to that plan, and survived! Yep… I did a movement I didn’t like, lived to tell the tale, and realized that maybe I’m not as bad at it as I used to be! Just imagine if I trained to get even better at it one day?! I probably won’t, ya know… because it’s thrusters… but just imagine if I did!
  • The Open has sparked a renewed interest in my blog!
    • I put my heart and soul into trying to provide valuable content for people who decide to visit my blog. My “Open Strategy” videos started way back in 2012, and although it’s a (self-imposed) stressful time of the year for me, it’s so rewarding to see messages from those who feel better prepared to attack those five workouts each year. My goal is to keep giving people a reason to come back here week after week! Whether it’s how to approach a workout, general fitness advice, something cool I’ve come across, or just some insight into this crazy brain of mine, I hope you like what you find here!

So…. what are your three? I’d love for you to share them with me!

It Doesn’t Take Much

Posted: March 10, 2018 in CrossFit, Training
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“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

― Maya Angelou

 

I think this is one of the most powerful ideas that each of us should embrace. Imagine going through your days thinking, “how can I use this opportunity to help someone else?” It doesn’t need to be some sort of grand gesture. Have you ever been in line at a coffee shop and when you went to pay for your drink, the cashier told you that the person in front of you bought it for you? I haven’t (!) but when I heard about the whole “Pay It Forward” philosophy, it made me so happy. You’re telling me that people are going out of there way just to help complete strangers? And they expect nothing in return?

There’s a cheesy, yet powerful, ad campaign that came out a few years ago highlighting this. These actions don’t have to be big, expensive, or life-changing, but they can all have a huge impact on another person’s day. Or life.

The thing to remind yourself is that everyone is fighting their own battle. Kevin Love (a professional basketball player) wrote an AMAZING piece on Mental Health last week called, “Everyone Is Going Through Something.” I liked it so much I’m working on a response piece of my own to discuss the same issue, but the gist of it is that no matter how much you might be struggling at any given moment, you’re not alone.

It’s so easy for us to get caught up in the world of our “Social Media Persona” and feel as though struggling isn’t normal. Any time something in our life makes us sad, we often feel ashamed or embarrassed about it. So instead of letting ourselves feel down, we hide it and hope that no one notices. Knowing that, I think we should approach each person we meet by giving them the benefit of the doubt that they might be going through something that’s really difficult at the moment.

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I first shared the image above on my blog YEARS ago, and I feel exactly the same way about it today. No, I’m not saying that eating Cheetos and drinking beer is a bad thing. I literally did BOTH of those things yesterday, and I felt great! What I’m saying is that just because someone else seems to have everything together, it doesn’t mean that they do. A little gesture of kindness like holding the door for them or looking at them in the face and giving a genuine smile, could really go a long way.

To watch one example of how generosity can have a profound impact on someone you know, watch this video. There are so many details missing from this short clip. What we do know, at a quick glance, is that teammates came together to do something nice for a friend and it immediately brought him to tears. Moments like this should happen more often. Not the crying, the kindness.

We all know that friend who loves a particular drink from the place you go every morning. Once a month, surprise them with one! When it snows, if you’re out early in the morning before your neighbors, consider shoveling their driveway or cleaning the snow off of their car, too! I guarantee you’ll get a lot of weird looks at first, but after a while, this type of behavior really does start to build momentum. That piece of trash on the street that everyone walks by, pick it up and throw it away. Someone will notice, and it might motivate them to do something nice later on in the day.

At the gym, this kindness can come in really simple ways. When everyone finishes the workout, help other people put away their weight. When you grab a wipe to clean off your kettlebell, grab one for the person who worked out next to you. Before class, when you’re stretching with a few other people, ask someone how their day was… and actually listen. Sometimes, we don’t need people to DO anything for us… we just want to feel like people ACTUALLY care.

My challenge for you is to do ONE THING today that doesn’t benefit you in any way other than being a good person. Don’t do it for attention. Don’t do it to share with other people. Do it for you. Then see how it feels to brighten the day of someone else in the process. It might just make you feel really happy, too!

It really doesn’t take that much.

It’s alright to be unpopular.

Posted: February 9, 2018 in CrossFit, Training
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What does being unpopular mean?

The thought of being unpopular used to be one of my biggest fears. It may come as a shock to you, but throughout my life I have struggled with feeling as though I should do whatever it takes to be liked by most people. This belief has allowed me to maintain friendships far longer than I should have, it’s encouraged me to give far more than I knew I’d ever get back from people, and it’s lead to me to being walked all over by others because I felt too awkward to stand up for myself. As I’ve gotten older, however, I’ve realized that most of those relationships have helped mold me into the man I am today. I’m proud that I’ve been able to learn and grow from many of those moments.

In the video posted below, Rethinking Unpopular: Erika Napoletano at TEDxBoulder 2012, Erika describes her difference between being “unpopular” and being “unlikeable.” Being unpopular, she explains, means making decisions based on honoring two groups of people: those who will love us for everything we are (and everything we aren’t), and ourselves. Being unlikeable, however, stems from the belief that everything revolves around us. When applying that distinction to my job as a personal trainer, it means although I may not always make the most popular decision in the gym, I’ll always make the one that has the best interest of my athletes at the forefront of my mind.

My goal in coaching the way I do is not to try to impress other people. In fact, the older I get, the less I try to impress others, and the less apologetic I am about my desire to add value. Relinquishing the need for validation of any kind has allowed me to truly give as much of myself as possible, simply to try and improve the lives of others.

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If you watch the video, you’ll hear her hilarious story about the graphic above. For the purpose of MY post, let’s change the word “Swear” to the word “Care.” I can’t explain why I care so much about my athletes, but I do. When I lead a class, my style of music may not be the most popular, but I’ll rarely play songs with lyrics that offend an entire room. I often stop athletes from adding weight to their bar when form starts to break down, which may lead to some not wanting to take classes I lead. (I think that it also leads to fewer athletes getting injured on my watch, however.) I regularly suggest that the volume of a workout be reduced or movements scaled based on an athlete’s ability or experience. While this decision may bruise an ego here and there in the short term, it usually leads to those same people being able to come back the next day instead of being so sore they can barely move. They’re not always popular decisions, but they always ones that come from a place of caring, and a place that prioritizes safety over everything else.

To some, these choices are logical and expected by a coach. To others, they’re an attack on the abilities and character of an athlete. I’m not able to control how others react. When I lay my head on my pillow at night, though, I know that I tried to help every single person I came in contact with in the gym that day. Being so unapologetic in those decisions makes me feel really good about what I do.

Every day I hope that through my actions over time, I will build the trust of those around me and prove to them that I always have their back. For those who don’t feel that way, over time, they’ll slowly move on. While that scenario doesn’t always make me happy, that’s how it goes, and it’s alright to let those people out of my “blanket fort” of life.

Please take the time to watch the video below. Let it inspire you to reassess and remind yourself why it is that you do what you do. Today, I’m more comfortable with the thought of being unpopular than I ever have been, because I know the choices I make at work are made to try and help others.

“Love me, hate me, just don’t be indifferent!” she says. I feel the same way!

Perspective at Competitions

Posted: February 3, 2018 in CrossFit, Training
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This morning I had the opportunity to attend an all-women’s CrossFit competition; the 6th Annual Women’s WOD Jam, at CrossFit Profectus. It was made up of teams of two, completing 4 workouts each over the course of the day. Every time I walk away from one of these competitions, I’m always so fired up! People push through pain in ways they never thought possible, accomplish things they never imagined, and cheer on their friends (new and old) through the same suffering they just experienced themselves. There aren’t many sports where most competing athletes legitimately care about and support one another. CrossFit is one of those sports.

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While I’ve been to dozens of events like this (as spectator, judge, coach, and athlete), yesterday I realized something pretty sweet about them. The 360 degree perspective and range of emotions for people in the room is incredible:

The Spectator: (Critical to the energy at the event)

  • They’re typically friends and family of the competing athletes, and are there to cheer them on
  • Quickly, they become supporters of all athletes out on the floor, even ones they don’t know
  • Almost always experience moments that leave them in awe
  • They leave inspired, ready to get back into the gym to better themselves

The Judge: (Critical to the integrity and organization of the event)

  • They’re typically coaches and members at the gym who want to help the event run smoothly
  • Upholding the standard of competition and encouraging others makes me feel good
  • Almost always experience moments that leave them in awe
  • They leave inspired, ready to get back into the gym to better themselves

The Coach: (Critical to ensure athletes don’t lose their minds at the event)

  • They’re typically folks who have at least some experience competing themselves, and love helping others reach their full potential
  • Learn more about their athletes, how they perform under pressure, and identify new cues and ways of communicating with them
  • Almost always experience moments that leave them in awe
  • They leave inspired, ready to get back into the gym to better themselves and their athletes

The Athlete: (Critical in order to throw a fun event)

  • There is no typical athlete, which is my favorite part! Depending on the event, there are first-timers just looking to have fun, those who treat CrossFit as a part time job and train HARD all the time, and everyone in between.
  • Immediately bond with those around them to push and encourage one another
  • Almost always experience moments that leave them in awe
  • They leave inspired, ready to get back into the gym to better themselves

Do you see a pattern there? Those are all POSITIVE outcomes! Knowing that, if you’ve always wanted to go spectate but didn’t have the courage, go to an event near you. If you have wanted to try being a judge, do it. If you’re a coach who has wanted to prepare an athlete for an event, they’re out there looking for coaches, I promise. And if you’ve always been too nervous to sign up for an event but wanted to, let me know. I’ll get you fired up enough to do it. There are rookie/first-timer competitions all over the place! In my optimistic brain, if approached properly, there is literally nothing negative associated with being in any of those groups at a CrossFit competition. Well… except for the soreness afterwards for the athletes. That always sucks!

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Ladies of the Women’s WOD Jam: Thank you for the incredible display of strength and power yesterday. The energy in the room was incredible, and I’m so proud of all of you!

CompPerspective

 

Moment of Awesomeness: 1/10/18

Posted: January 10, 2018 in CrossFit, Media, Training
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Arthur Boorman’s story is incredible. I first saw the video below years ago, and just had to write about it on my blog. Arthur was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War for 15 years. Through years of being a paratrooper, his knees and back slowly started to deteriorate. After gaining a lot of weight, he was no longer able to walk without assistance. Doctors told him he would never walk without support again.

One day, he came across an article that talked about famous professional wrestler, Diamond Dallas Page, and how he had been practicing Yoga. The article inspired Arthur to give it a shot. As you can imagine, the road was a rough one. Progress started slow and he fell often. But he never gave up. DDP took interest in his story, and began communicating with, encouraging, and supporting Arthur through his journey. He ended up losing 140lbs in 10 months, and just a little bit more physical independence!

Watch the awesome video below, share it with someone you know who might need a little pick-me-up, and remember… through consistency, discipline, a strong support network, and a well-thought-out training program, so much is possible!

… I swear every time I watch this. Every time! I’m not crying, YOU’RE crying!

Inspired.

Posted: January 8, 2018 in CrossFit, Training
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I typically aim to add value to the lives of others. I tell myself that those who know me feel they can rely on me in times of need, and that they are comfortable being vulnerable in moments of emotional turmoil. I aim to approach both people and scenarios with an open mind and a willingness to engage in unbiased dialogue without judgement. Yet on this blog, which I’ve run for years, I have typically chosen to stay away from subject matter that can be perceived as controversial.

As the first week of 2018 comes to an end, I’ve felt a strong sense of obligation to stop holding back. Stop pulling punches. START being more vulnerable, myself. While by and large, this blog is meant to be about fitness, my desire to help people become healthier, and my affinity for impressive feats of human performance, this blog also serves as my voice. The words I type represent my persona, and while I’d love to be viewed as a valuable and positive resource, I also would like my “reputation” to be associated with words like bold, unapologetic, and empowering.

Last night my brother sent me a text telling me that Oprah gave an incredible speech during the 2018 Golden Globes as she accepted the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Thankfully, we live in a time where seconds after receiving his message, I was already able to find the speech on YouTube. Thank you, technology!

Let me preface this next part by admitting that I am the type of person who cries at the end of animated children’s movies when “puppy” who ran away is brought back from from the shelter by mom and dad, while little Susie was crying in her room thinking she’d never see her best friend again. Cue slow motion running towards each other, cue me pretending to cough to give myself an excuse to bring my hands up to my face to dry my tears. REGARDLESS….

Watching Oprah’s acceptance speech literally left me speechless. Not only was I choked up with emotion, but as soon as it was done I turned the TV back on and could only muster a, “… wow….” from under my breath. Here’s the thing, Oprah is an incredible public speaker. But we knew that already. The stories we’re hearing about discrimination, misconduct, and abuse are disgusting and appalling. But most (decent) people agree on that, too. The reason I think her particular speech resonated with me so much is that what we’ve seen over the past few months truly has the makings of an entire culture shift.

The discrimination towards women in the workforce has got to stop. The abuse of power (typically by men in leadership positions in this particular case) has run rampant in many ways since…. basically the beginning of our society. But what’s happening now, today, during our lifetime, is individuals are standing up to defend themselves. Those who are discriminated against or abused based on gender, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, disabilities, and so many more areas, are beginning to not only get, but hold the attention of larger audiences. In those audiences, more and more people are building the courage to stand up and fight alongside those who have been wronged for so long. Strength in numbers in the fight for the greater good is beginning to create headway for fundamental change.

There have been well-written speeches throughout the years that motivate and inspire meaningful change. This is has the power to be one of them. There are also individuals out there who are already calling for Oprah to run for president. While I understand the passion with which those claims are being made, there’s a lot more to being a president than having a moral compass and striving to improve the current state of affairs. But politics aside, I hope that people who watch the video below can view it from an even broader perspective than “men discriminating against women” for one reason and one reason alone.

While those specific injustices need to come to an end, there are countless others that deserve just as much change and reform! I’m writing this post to offer my support for positive change. I’m writing this post to thank people like Oprah who have the courage to stand up and refuse to sit idly while the corrupt few around them benefit from the intentional hurt and mistreatment of others. And I’m writing this post to let you know that I am here to be a positive agent for change.

Yes, this blog is about fitness most of the time. But sometimes, I’ need to use my voice to discuss things that are more important than a funny dog video or some athletic accomplishment. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I really appreciate it.

-Tom 1/8/18

Beastmode of the Day: 2/12/16

Posted: February 12, 2016 in CrossFit, Training
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I love inspiring stories. I’m talking about situations where people are given a slightly different hand to play with, yet turn around and completely re-write their own destiny.

Zack Ruhl has been a double-amputee since he was 2 years old (due to a rare bone condition). His options going forwards were pretty simple… he could phone it in and lead a life feeling sorry for himself, or he could have followed his dreams and made them come true anyways.

Well, Zack owns his own gym, trains adaptive athletes for free, and has let his love for fitness and helping others be his guiding force.

Oh, he benches 445lbs and does rope climbs while tied into his chair… like a boss. Check out this video from the folks at “Great Big Story“, and check out Zack’s gym if you’re in the Houston area!

Another awesome piece on Zack comes from WODTalk.com. So cool!

Moment of Awesomeness: 10/31/12

Posted: October 31, 2012 in CrossFit, Media, Training
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“So sick. SO. SICK. WOW! That was awesome!”

Those are the words I just said out loud… to myself… by myself, in my apartment. It’s not sick as in gross. I’m “that guy” who uses words like sick and epic to describe things he thinks are cool. Think that’s annoying? Deal with it, I’m not ashamed.

Alright, gut check time. I have said a few times over the past few months that I am going to start being more real and more raw on this blog. It all started from a conversation with Alon, in which he commented on a video I made and said, “Tom… how did that topic REALLY make you feel?” As in, “you gave us SOME of the real you, but not all of it. We came to YOUR blog to hear YOUR thoughts. Give it to us, straight.”

So I’m trying.

This commercial that I’m pasting below basically embodies who I THINK I am as a coach, and I freaking LOVE feeling like that! Feeling that I can look at any athlete, regardless of their experience level, ability levels, or confidence level, and TRULY think to myself… Let’s do this. You CAN do anything.

Most (all?) of you who have trained with me know that I hate (yep, hate) phrases like “I can’t.” Instead, I prefer conversations like one that I had with the amazing Casey Polk once:

Casey- “I SUCK at running!”
Me- *Disappointed stare*
Casey- “UGH! I mean… I am excited to have the opportunity to improve my running today.”
Casey- *Sly smile because she realized how much better it felt to say it that way.*

Even typing that has me smiling like a goon over here.

So that’s why I started this blog. I started it to share, and communicate, and interact, and help, and offer resources to you guys. My “readers”, the athletes that I am lucky enough to train, my friends. And to hopefully bring a smile to your face that comes close to matching the ones that you all give me every day.

So here’s to hoping that we can continue to grow these relationships together. Because even though the main goal of this blog is to try and help you, it sure as hell helps me a lot, too! Keeping this a two-way street will make this a lot more fun for all of us. (Otherwise, I’ll just keep posting more Parkour and Snowboarding videos, since that’s what I like!…. and you’ll still get those things, I’d just like to post things YOU want to see/learn/talk about, too!)

You guys are amazing. And like I said above, I really do think you can do anything you put your minds to and believe in. Sometimes I’ll just believe in it a little more at first!

Boom.

CrossFit Blog Central: 11/10/11

Posted: November 10, 2011 in CrossFit, Media, Training
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Today’s installment of “CrossFit Blog Central” isn’t actually from an actual CrossFit blog. It is, however, an article written for “The Human Factor” column of CNN.com’s website. “The Human Factor” is described as “profil(ing) survivors who have overcome the odds. Confronting a life obstacle – injury, illness or other hardship – they tapped their inner strength and found resilience they didn’t know they possessed.”

Yeah, I know you thought I’d like it, too! Stories, and people, like this are the motivation and inspiration behind a lot of what keeps me going. The author of this particular piece is none other than Kyle Maynard. Kyle is, in my mind, a CrossFit Celebrity because he has been featured all over the CrossFit website over the 3+ years I’ve been following the program. He is one of those athletes that if I were to see him at an event, I’d get nervous and want a picture with him. Yep. I’m that guy. There’s another obvious reason why Kyle is so inspiring in what he does. The CNN article introduced him like this: “Despite being born without arms or legs, Maynard has played football, wrestled, and he’s hoping to hike Mount Kilimanjaro.” Yep.

When I came across this article that was posted by CrossFit, I knew the next hour or so was going to be spent “Maynarding”. Just watching videos and reading articles about this amazing man!

Ok, so enough about how I feel about him, let’s share the good stuff with you! I’m going to share a few of my favorite quotes from the article, and then obviously let you click on a link to read the full piece yourselves!

One of the reasons we require so much motivation to start on the path to improving our health is that we build up a huge lie in our minds of how improbable or even impossible reaching our goals will be. We think about how hard it’s going to be to resist dessert or how much time exercising is going to take away from our lives.

I try to talk to my athletes about this all the time. Instead of setting this HUGE milestone that will take months/years to accomplish, I prefer to set mini-milestones along the way so we give ourselves REASON to celebrate! Positive reinforcement from YOURSELF is so key to help you stay motivated and “on the path”.

It’s always going to be the same in your life too. We’ll never be where we want to be until we learn to slow down and enjoy our individual journey. As long as you are doing something to move towards the direction you want to go in your life and your health, you cannot fail.

Read those last three words. If we get to the place in life where we can ENJOY THE JOURNEY… where we embrace the process and enjoy the steps we’re taking to improve ourselves (in ANY venture), you cannot fail.

There you have it, folks. This is hands down one of my favorite posts I’ve written, and it’s all because of Kyle Maynard and his positive impact on EVERYONE! To us his line, his motto… his mantra that he’s had for his whole life… No Excuses. You’re the man, Kyle!

Click here to read the full article!

For more info on Kyle, here’s and AWESOME video from when he was featured on Oprah. Please take 13 minutes and watch it so you can learn more about why and HOW Kyle got to be where he is today. So. Cool.

Finally, as a CrossFitter, Kyle also owns a gym. No Excuses CrossFit. The video below is a Testimonial from some of his athletes talking about how (not only Kyle, but) CrossFit training can help change lives in a variety of ways.

I’m inspired today! I hope you are, too!

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