The “Moment of Awesomeness” posts so far in 2012 have been all over the place, and I love it! Snowmobiles, Dirt Bikes, Pogo Sticks, Yoga … The best part is, the variety isn’t going to stop soon!
I hope you guys like this stuff. I know I do!
(A shout-out to Red Bull for sharing so many of these awesome videos with the world!)
Many of the videos I post through my “Moment of Awesomeness” series are things I find extreme and beautiful in their own way.
Today’s video is no exception to that theme.
My friends at CrossFit Eminence are starting a Saturday morning Yoga class, and posted this video along with their announcement to get people excited about it. If people reacted anything at all like I did, they’re pumped, too.
Yoga has been one of those “if/when I have time…” things for me for the past few years. The benefits in CrossFit (and in LIFE) of being more self-aware, more flexible and more mentally grounded and connected, cannot be labeled with a price. I’m looking forward to introducing this type of training into my repertoire.
This video is amazing. Thanks Lindsey and Kris!
What are you afraid of?
That’s a pretty simple question, huh?
I would be willing to bet that most of us have at least one thing we have been wanting to do, to try, to say that we just haven’t had the courage for lately. This question kind of keeps the theme of some of the other things we’ve been discussing this week, too!
I came across this video from a friend on Facebook, and absolutely loved it! Dr. Seuss was an incredible author, and if you haven’t gone back and read some of his stories over the past few years, you should. They may seem like children’s books on one level, but the topics he discusses are oh-so-very-real.
This video was taken at Burning Man 2011, and I absolutely LOVE the creativity of it!
We cannot predict where life will take us, but we do know that wherever we go, it will be an adventure.
CrossFit says one of the ways to get fit is to “regularly learn and play new sports”. Let me take that one step more and say, “regularly learn and do things you’ve never done before!!”
Here’s to living it up, and having a great time on this adventure of ours!
Back on December 26th, I created a post talking about Red Bull’s big show they had planned for New Year’s Eve. If you missed it, check out that post by clicking here!
Now it’s time to show you guys the finished product. Did Levi and Robby make THE JUMP!? Find out!!
Today’s Thought of the Day is on:
Self-Expression. CONFIDENT self-expression.
One of my favorite shows “growing up” (when I had cable at home) was Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry. I absolutely loved watching the “Spoken Word” segments, watching how people got on stage, grabbed a microphone and just talked. About what THEY believed in. About what was IMPORTANT to them. Man, that is such a powerful medium to express yourself!
There is one video, from Taylor Mali, I remember explicitly from my time watching the show:
I remember it so clearly because I got yelled at a lot growing up for, “Using the word LIKE incorrectly!” Soooo funny.
But hearing Taylor talking about the fear our culture has seemed to impose on people for speaking their mind and MEANING it made me stop and think. Why? Why don’t we use the incredible individuality we’ve all been given to express ourselves. Not the things we think OTHER people want to hear us say, but the things we truly feel.
That entire concept translates over into MY “job” (I feel weird calling it that because I absolutely love what I do) as a “personal trainer.” I hate that term to describe a CrossFit Coach. I think it’s because I put so much more responsibility on myself to try to help people change their lives for the better. By default, in my mind, I think the stereotype of a “Personal Trainer” is the overweight, out of shape person who sits there reading a magazine while his athlete walks slowly on a treadmill. My point = The stereotype makes me think of Non-Effective Change Agents in the lives of their athletes.
The Self-Expression that I’m talking about is being able to say that I consider myself (and try VERY HARD to be) a TEACHER, a COACH, a POSITIVE impact on the lives of people who I come in contact with.
But you know what? It’s not always “sexy” to say you’re a personal trainer.
What do you do? I’m a Doctor.
What do you do? I’m a Lawyer.
What do you do? I’m an Architect.
Those professions, to me, lend more to our American Culture’s “expectation of impact” that we all “should” have.
What do you do? I’m a personal trainer.
I feel like that warrants a response more similar to, “I got a puppy this weekend” ~ “Awwww, how cute!” than “I perform complex surgeries” ~ “Wooow!”
But you know what? I’m ok with that. I don’t do what I do because of what other people will think about me. I coach because it makes me feel GOOD. It makes me proud to help people identify and THRIVE on the potential they (many times) never even THOUGHT they had! I’m smiling like a goon here thinking about those moments as I type this post!
So, when I saw this video below, also by Taylor Mali, I smiled, I got goosebumps and I HAD to write this.
I am a personal trainer, a CrossFit coach and it FILLS me with PRIDE to say that.
Self-Expression at it’s finest.
BOOM.
Anything like that in YOUR life?
Josh Everett will forever be, in my mind, one of the Original CrossFit Firebreathers. I’ve have the amazing privilege of meeting him and having a conversation with him during the 2010 CrossFit/USAW event, and to top it all off, he is one of the nicest guys out there, too!
SIDENOTE: At that event, I was lucky enough to watch him and Dave Lipson go head-to-head in the classic “Isabel-Off”. Two athletes who know what BEASTMODE really means! That’s 135lbs on those bars… and they make it look like a PVC pipe!
(I was in the front row and took this video of it on my iPhone)
Anyways, back to Josh and his Beastmode. Check out this video where he talks about his entire approach to CrossFit. Warm-Up, approach to workouts, “that extra gear” that separates really good athletes from the one who “have it”…. This video makes me so happy. Inspiring words from an inspiring dude.
Does this help anyone else out there?
Today’s “Thought of the Day” is a quick one.
Life Is Short.
I think that’s a statement most of us can agree on, right?
So, are there any BIG THINGS in your life that have you down? For me, I stayed in a job for “far too long” and let myself get really bogged down with the negative sides of day-to-day life at work. (I’ve already apologized to many of you for being such a whiner all the time about it, too.)
The point of bringing that up is to say there may be some things going on in our life that bring us down. Many times, instead of trying to address them, we’ll just leave or ignore them.
My challenge to each of you today is to see if there’s something in your life that is weighing negatively on you… and after you identify what that thing is… really stop and think whether or not you can do something to either CONQUER it, or the alternative, Let It Go.
Human’s are creatures of habit. And for better or worse, many of us “like” to stay in our comfort zone, even if those zones are UNcomfortable.
Life will be begin to change when we’re willing to step out of that zone and take some chances.
If you’re willing to share, what are the things you’re going to try and change?
(Mine was my job… which I left! I’m now VERY happy in my day job. Yay, me!)
Hey friends! I just wanted record a quick little video to talk about a few local events we have coming up here in Denver. CrossFit Competitions are going to be popping up all over the place, and hopefully my blog can start to serve as a resource to help you guys keep track of when and where they are happening!
You may be wondering which events are right for you to enter and which ones are better to go and watch, and I’ll try to help out in any way I can.
Check out the video below, and let me know if you find this helpful at all!
Local Event #1
MHCF King and Queen of the Gym
~hosted by Mile High CrossFit
When? – Sunday, January 22nd
Summary – 4 Workouts per athlete completed between 9am and 3:30pm. Each event, every athlete will be paired with a DIFFERENT partner (selected at random). How cool does that sound!?
Local Event #2
Winter WOD-Fest
~hosted by CrossFit Eminence
When? – Saturday, January 28nd
Summary – Right from their event page: “As CrossFit athletes we have to be prepared for the unknown and unknowable. The events, while staying true to the CrossFit methodology, will offer a unique approach to physical activity and cold weather conditions. One portion of this event May be outside; snow, rain, or shine. It will be a true testament of fitness and mental willpower.”
Local Event #3
Colorado State and Open Weightlifting Competition
~hosted by RedRocks CrossFit
When? – Saturday and Sunday, February 4th and 5th
Summary – Sanctioned USA Weight Lifting Event. Each athlete has 3 attempts to complete successful lifts at EACH the Snatch and the Clean and Jerk. All competitors must be current USAW members. Current USAW rules apply. (Singlets must be worn by all athletes. Athletes must show USAW card and valid ID at weigh-in.)
My buddy Chris posted this on Facebook today, and I started off feeling pretty “blah” about the video. Sure, I’ve never gone skydiving. Sure, I will at some point in my life, and I DO think it’s really cool. But it just didn’t hit me right away.
But then I stopped and thought about WHAT these guys are doing; Falling through the air performing amazing choreography. The precision required to practice some of these moves is INCREDIBLE. Remember that part about them free-falling through the sky? Yeah, I guess I did for a second.
So for the last 3/4 of the video I just sat with my jaw open. This is really cool stuff!!
It’s a new year! That means that lots of people establish new fitness goals for themselves. Do you have any?
I do. The big one for me is to GET STRONGER!!
That made me think of some things, though. First and foremost, many people think that getting stronger means gaining MASS. I have zero intention of gaining size. In fact, I’d even like to lean out some more (and an improved diet should help me do that).
The thought of the day today is to remind people getting stronger doesn’t mean looking like Leonardo and his friends below. (photo obtained from 9laughs.com)
Who wants to get "Turtle Power" Big?
And as a woman, lifting weights doesn’t mean that you’re going to “turn into a man”, either. I use that example because that’s hands-down the #1 reason I hear female friends say they don’t want to lift. Check out the image below (from this site), and see what actually happens when most women lift weights. 🙂
I think most people prefer the bottom image.
So…. 2012, the year of getting STRONGER.
Anyone with me?
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