It’s been such a fun and busy week!
I’ve had the privelege and opportunity to meet and work one on one with a few people who share interest in trying CrossFit. And, last week Thursday evening, I had the honor of coaching a very full and special beginner CrossFit class at Solcana.
There were a few things I noticed that were consistent across the board – across all of these people that had no relation or interaction with each other.
They were scared. I know this because they told me things like, “I’m scared.”
They did not trust their own bodies. I know this because they looked at me like I was crazy and said things like, “My body can’t do that!”
One of the reasons an athlete might make a switch to a CrossFit gym from their normal fitness routine is because they want to both feel and see a change in their body. Did you know that body-image is one of the most profound motivators behind fitness and health practices, but negative body-image also be an incredible deterrent to growth in the gym? The way we view our bodies has a lot to do with how much they can accomplish. Visualization, imagining yourself completing a lift or a movement, is a technique a lot of athletes use to make gains and push their limits. But what happens when you visualize yourself in a negative way?
Low self-esteem and poor body image can literally make you fail. According to the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, “people with low self-esteem are more troubled by failure and tend to exaggerate events as being negative. For example, they often interpret non critical comments as critical.” People who view themselves as failures tend to also be underachieving, unmotivated and less likely to take risks. Unfortunately, low self-esteem and poor body image go hand-in-hand. Body negativity will prevent you from hitting your stride in the gym because you are less likely to step out of your comfort zone, less likely to accept coaching, and less likely to commit to making a change.
The above excerpt is from Coach Hannah’s blog post on August 24, 2015 and is very relevant here!
You can’t fail if you don’t try something, right? It’s safer and less risky. Sure. But also, you can’t accomplish something if you don’t try, either. So while you will elimiate failure, you are also eliminating any chance at success.
These people that I got to meet with over the past week took a giant step forward. They showed up. Individually, they stepped past their intimidation and worry and doubt and walked into Solcana. I applaud them all for that. Even moreso, EVERY.SINGLE. LAST. ONE. OF. THEM completed and slayed the workout I had for them which consisted of The Baseline:
- 500m Row
- 40 squats
- 30 sit ups
- 20 pushups/elevated pushups
- 10 pull-ups/ring rows
And, for the record, you guys, these folks that I’m talking about were straight up varying in body types, fitness levels, strength, endurance, mobility, experience, and body image.
Seeing the looks of achievement, accomplishement, success, surprise, and self-assuredness on their faces and the confidence ruminating off of their bodies post workout was honestly a memorable moment in my life because I SO UNDERSTAND THOSE FEELINGS! It’s a pretty darn amazing thing to think you are not capable of doing something and to then have your body PROVE to your brain that you absolutely can! Even though I was coaching and not doing the workout with these folks, I felt like I benefitted quite a bit from residual endorphins (I don’t know if these are really a thing but by golly, I was floating too, so just let me have this, okay?!).
I hope to be able to coach many more beginner CrossFit classes at Solcana because there is just something really special and comforting about walking into a brand new challenge with a bunch of other people in the same boat.
If you’re thinking about CrossFit, holla at me – you can find me on Twitter at jennschaal and Facebook at jennschaal and Instagram at jennschaal and even on email at jennschaal at gmail dot com. Seriously. Ask me your questions, tell me your concerns, and let’s make an appointment for you to visit my favorite place on Earth (which says a lot esp since I have totally been to Midieval Times). Let’s see how much you, too, can surprise yourself with what you’re capable of.