Fit By ___

When I started my CrossFit journey, I thought CrossFit was the answer. I thought that if I worked out hard enough, I would get the results I wanted. In fact, I remember hearing skinny people talk about eating whatever they wanted because they workout so much. I took that mentality as a pass for me to eat poorly. Maybe I didn’t have cake every night, but my portions were out of control and I was not eating in a way that I would call healthy.

I follow athletes on social media and they post yummy pics of great food that they eat. I also see fitness people post doughnut pictures or amazing ice cream pics with #gains always tagged. In my mind I thought this was the way to get gains. Workout hard and eat food to produce energy to receive gains from the gods of fitness. Then I tried limiting food and inconsistent eating. I didn’t prioritize food and I didn’t think it was a big deal.

Then…

After two and a half years into CrossFit…

I could lift heavy but had to walk every 100 meters on a run. I was 2.5 years into CrossFit with nothing to show for it but knowledge of CrossFit. Can you imagine giving 2.5 years of your life to something and being no better than when you started?

I played around with different food experiments. I had a coach or two that tired to help, but skinny people telling large humans how to eat (from life experience) is like me eating the way Rich Froning eats because we both do CrossFit. It’s not going to translate well. Sure, you might see some changes, but you haven’t learned anything and you still aren’t feeding your body the way it needs to be fed.

Once I started working with Jamie Free, my world changed. He wrote the plans and taught me why and how. Then… it was up to me to make it happen.

Here’s what I’ve learned about food.

1. You can’t expect 1 hour of fitness to make up for 23 hours of poor eating and lack of sleep.
2. Make a plan
3. Plan on how you are going to execute that plan
4. FOOD PREP! Do it one day ahead or one week ahead… whatever… just do it. If you can’t, contact a ready-meal company. Entre-Nous is the best, but there are a bunch out there. Pack your food at a time when you aren’t going to get caught in a rush.
5. Set alarms on your phone on when to eat. (snacks and meals)
6. Give yourself permission to eat at those times. I don’t care what I’m doing, where I am, or who I’m with. I eat when it’s time to eat, period. If I’m in a meeting, I start eating. If I’m in my car, I eat. If I’m in the middle of a project, I pause and eat. You are worth the few minutes for eating on time.
7. Don’t wait until you’re hungry. If you are anything like me, if you wait till you are hungry then poor choices will shortly follow because your snack will suddenly not fill you up fast enough.

Listen… real talk…

If you are only changing one hour of your life, then you will not get where you are wanting to go. Get a proper amount of sleep, plan your meals/snacks, and prioritize yourself as you being worth to effort… because you are worth it.

If we only love ourselves enough to give one hour a day to our health and wellness, then you’re showing how little you actually care about yourself. Even worse, your kids are watching and your friends are watching. People who have the desire to change their lives are watching and learning the same weak cycle. Love yourself enough to change your life, not just your schedule. Love yourself enough to prioritize yourself in order to be in a place to change the world around you. If you are operating at your best, then your work will be better, your family will become healthier, and the people around you will also because healthier. Your life is more than yourself. Your life impacts everyone around you and they impact yours. Will you impact those round you in a healthy way or a way that takes life away… shortening it and even wrecking it? You are worth the work. You are worth the effort!

Keep Going!