Episode 26

Another fantastic week in the exercise department. I'm feeling good about the progress I'm making at Crossfit - I'm doing things I never dreamed of doing and each week is an adventure in forcing my body to do things it would rather not!

On the sidebar there is a link to a workout called 'Fight Gone Bad.' We did that on Tuesday and I was ready for the basket by the time I finished. That workout is done in every Crossfit gym all over the world at least once every 6 weeks or so, and it kind of makes me happy to know that I can do the same workout that a working soldier in Iraq is doing - albeit with a lot less intensity. There is something very validating about pushing your own limits.

Canadian Thanksgiving was a blast for Reg and I - we spent time with our grandchildren, and there isn't anything better in my mind. We had a lot of laughs - a lot of food - and I thought of several new things to be thankful for this year. If you have good health, you have everything, and we could all spend a bit more time making sure we keep our health.

Free health care is great - I'm thankful that I rarely have to use it.

Episode 25 - Believe in Yourself

I don't usually title these episodes, but this one deserves one. I learned a valuable lesson last week - it is a huge mistake to discount your own ability until you try. If you try and find out you can't do something - fine. BUT - don't decide in advance of trying that you can't do something. If you don't try you will never know.

Thursday's daily workout (WOD) at Crossfit was to row 2 kilometers, and then push press a weighted bar for 5 sets of 5 reps with a one minute break between sets. As soon as I saw the 2k thing on the board I started to panic. Oh no! I can't do that! The most I'd done before was 500m at a time - take a break to do something else, and row another 500m. That was tough. So I just knew I would never be able to row 2k. Why that's...that's...wait 'till I get my converter - that's 1.24280 miles! Never gonna happen. Said I.

I groused around about it for a while, and finally Coach Dave said - OK - how about this - we'll set the timer for 10 minutes and see how you do. I agreed to that.

At the 10 minute mark I had rowed 1,875m - 125m short of the 2k. I could have easily done the 2k (and did finish it outside the time) but I made up my mind before I started that I couldn't do it.

That is not going to happen again. I will never assume that I can't do something until I try it. (Except bungee jumping - I'm never going to try that.)

One thing I have learned since I started doing Crossfit is that the human body is capable of way more than we think it is. I have done some things that I never dreamed possible, and I know there is a lot more to come.

Nike says Just do It. I say - Just Try. ( I don't run any sweatshops so who you gonna believe?)