CROSS-fit #120 So what can I do about it?

Crossfit advocates many aspects of fitness.
One specific item on the list is what we call General Physical Preparedness (GPP)
GPP is basically everything and anything you do in your daily life.
Are you physically fit to get off the chair? Fit to carry a 10kg backpack to travel?
In some cases, are you fit enough to carry your injured loved one out of a burning building.
We train to be better at life.
To do the uncommon, commonly well.
To train for it, we do Crossfit and we do things which are constantly varied.

Well, that's all said and done.
So comes the real important question.
For the duration you have been doing Crossfit, the entire duration.
When have you actually exercised your fitness outside Crossfit? (Apart from professional sports)
When was the last time you helped someone with you fitness?

My brother, a tutor in the university, spoke of an interesting story.
He spoke of how in the module he was teaching, Medical Sociology has 2 main types of students.
The Arts students and the Nursing students.
It was the final lesson, the time where students bombard him with questions regarding the exam.
The Arts students all asked him the 'right' questions, how do we pass the exam, how do we do well?
Then came the last moments of the lesson, a summary of the various problems of medical sociology was raised and then came the question from the Nurses.
"So... What can we do about it?"

These were people whom weren't too bothered about the grades or about social standing.
These were people whom cared about how to be a solution.
We're caught up in becoming the fittest on Earth, caught up in becoming stronger each day and looking inwards for gratification.
But really, what have we done with our fitness? What have we done with all the strength in the World if we can't help or create a dent in the Universe?
There's so much we can do, there's so much we can be in the World.
We have fitness, knowledge, spirituality, boldness, confidence.
Maybe it's time to ask,
"What can we do about it?"


I say we take a stand for what's right and what we believe in
#CHC

CROSS-fit #119 Crossfit Games 2013

So that's a wrap folks
The Crossfit Games Opens have finally come to a close.
It's the second year I'm giving this a shot.
The second time my ego has been shoved back to me, the second time I've been humbled big time.
The second time I've fallen and come back stronger.

Similar mistakes were made. My weaknesses from last year are well, still the same this year.
I gotta admit, some weaknesses have become lesser of a weakness.
Most of them still remain though.
In other words, just like last year, a good portion of the Opens SUCKED.
It was painful, bad and just a terrible experience for some parts (It got better towards the third week though)
Competing isn't exactly my best forte but I do so to expose my weaknesses.
It does suck, however, to realize that my weaknesses have never gotten better.

So what now?
After failing TWICE, what now?
(I gotta admit, it was less of a failure and I know some Crossfitters are raising their fists saying "We are never failures!" etc. But it's a reality, I didn't do as well as I expected to.)
After going through the entire opens again, learning about weaknesses and mental roughness.
What now....

They say it's okay to make mistakes, just don't make them again.
So I've made my mistakes last year.
Sadly, similar circumstances happened again this year..

But stay, stay and fight.
Cause at the end of the day, that's all you have.
Nobody is asking you to break your records daily, nobody is asking you to ALWAYS be better than yesterday.
Yes it is an ideal situation for all of us to be rapidly improving and becoming better people.
But come on....
Be human, recognize that you're not always better at times.
But don't stop trying to be.
God never set us out to be perfect people from the get go.
It's a little sad but....
We're never going to be perfect like Jesus, it's a fact, we never are.
But what matters is that we don't stop trying to be.
We don't stop trying to be better than yesterday.

Keep your head up, keep going.
For a good 99% of the Crossfit Community.
The 2014 Crossfit Games season has just started.
Game On.

CROSS-fit #118 This is going to test your heart

If many of you don't know me too well.

I'm a very simple minded person whom follows a simple philosophy

That everything, everything you do, has to come from the heart.

In the Crossfit Games, we are tested in all forms of physical fitness

Absolute strength, endurance through various time domains, work capacity in general.

We are thrown tasks and set goals for ourselves which are at times, not humanly attainable.

We are tested in every physical movement you can think off.

Right before the announcement of the finale workout of the Opens.

Dave Castro, came out and spoke about 13.5, here's the video

Well, from the entire video, the one thing that caught my attention.
"This will test your heart"

We talk about testing yourself physically. But really...
The Crossfit Games to me is more than that, the Opens is more than simply testing my physical fitness
It has really tested me mentally.
I might not be the most mentally focused person around, my mind drifts everywhere.
But behind every 'physical' battle, there really is something more deep within.
The term 'Focus' and 'We're going to win' takes a different standpoint altogether

In the first week, I was tested in my capability to perform under the impression of an injury and doubt of self worth and capability

In the second week, I was tested in terms of putting all aside amidst a tough time and learning how to fight my way through no matter the circumstances, no matter how rough the times. To me, that workout tested me on what I was able to do on my own and with God. It was a rough few weeks for me and I thank God I was able to pull through.

In the third week, I was presented with a haunting past, a real failure. 13.3 was the same as 12.4 which I really think I failed terribly in. I had to face that past failure once again. I confronted fear and the risk of failure again. But more than that, I confronted the nagging thought to succeed myself and 'go get it'

In the fourth week, It was all for the fun of it, to be able to have fun but do my best at the same time. That was a different kind of test for me, something I enjoyed.

And here we are, 2 days from the release of the last workout.
Now we're gonna test the heart.

We all focus on becoming stronger, fitter. But really, the biggest differentiating factor in Crossfit and in life, isn't exactly the physical is it?
What has the Crossfit Games taught you?