Tuesday April 26th
Workout of the day
Complete 3 rounds for time:
12 Burpee broad jumps (6' minimum)
35 KB Swings (70/53lbs)
Run 800 meters
rest 5 minutes actively walking
"Right Here, Right Now" Zen Thoughts for the CrossFit Mind
From CrossFit Oahu
The Secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, nor to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.– Buddha
For many of us, CrossFit is a near religious experience. Our bodies are our temples; hence our daily pilgrimages to the promise land of CFO. Here we may be punished for our sins (bad eating or a few too many distilled beverages), and are given opportunity give thanks for making it through another day (a.k.a. WOD). We leave bountiful offerings of P.R.’s and ripped calluses for the Almighty Coach Glassman, and honor deities such as Spealler, patron saint of Bodyweight. And although this analogy is a mash-up of several religious sects, and all cult references aside, many CrossFitters take fitness as seriously as they take their religion.
But no matter what religion you practice or don’t practice, everyone, CrossFitter or non-CrossFitter can gain clarity and insight from the Buddhist practice of mindfulness.
Mindfulness defined is: the calm awareness of one's bodily functions, feelings, content of consciousness, or consciousness itself. It’s the moment –to-moment awareness of present events.
True, CrossFit could be described by many colorful adjectives (and sometimes expletives), but calm, is most definitely not one of them. Yet sometimes in order to accomplish the feats that lay at fringe of our current capabilities, it must employ our complete concentration and focus.
What may interfere with the sound interlocking or our minds and bodies can be nerves. Our bodies our capable, but our minds have doubts. The logical mind is saying “yes”, but the emotional mind is saying “Hell no!” The tug-of-war within ensues, and unless you can get the inner-Hater at bay, you may be on the fast track to self-sabotage.
The practice of mindfulness is increasingly being employed in Western psychology to alleviate a variety of mental and physical conditions, one of which being anxiety. And no matter what level of CrossFit you perform at, everyone faces pre-WOD or pre-Lift jitters, especially when going for a P.R. or max weight.
The use of mindfulness in CrossFit, in essence, is not difficult. It can be as easy as these four very simple words:
"Right Here, Right Now"
Strategy in WOD is great, and fitness goal setting is very necessary. Having a plan of action (short term and long term) can do wonders for your confidence and mind-set. But when things get really gnarly, not only do you need to take life one workout at a time, you also need to break it down even further, and take each rep as it comes. Through living one rep at a time, it helps to unburden the magnitude of the challenge you face.
Before the WOD, help to diminish your fears through relishing the moments of calm, focus on the ease of your breath, not the impending struggle ahead.
Learn to live each movement, because every rep is one step closer to wherever you want to be. Don’t dwell on the missed snatch of the last round or carry dread for the set of thrusters next on your white board. Lose those thoughts to fully encompass what your body is experiencing right at that very moment, and make each second your best.
At the end, cherish the moments where you can feel your body maximized to full capacity and honor your body as a living machine.
Because we only have full control of right here, right now, we can only experience right here, right now, and we can only make improvements right here, right now. So next time when the world, the WOD, or even a single solitary rep seems too much to swallow, tell yourself, “Right here, Right now”; forget everything that came before, and don’t attempt to predict everything that will come after. Try to appreciate that one single moment, cause you never know if you’ll get another.
Fantastic article today Doug.
I don't know if this happens to you, but sometimes I read a sentence and it hits home so hard that it seems to jump off the page. This one did that here this morning...
"Through living one rep at a time, it helps to unburden the magnitude of the challenge you face."
We have all been there and had to work as hard mentally as we have physically to finish a WOD. (Kalsu... Ugh!). Being more conscious of this "right here, right now" frame of mind will make it easier from now on.
OK, maybe not "easier", but slighly less painful than setting yourself on fire. (Which is what I would choose over doing Kalsu again)
Posted by: Steve Marshall | April 26, 2011 at 05:51 AM