Changes, Choices and the Unbroken Chain

First of all, THANK YOU to all of you who read last week's blog post, commented, liked it on Facebook or sent me other messages full of positivity.   I was (and continue to be) overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and encouragement I received. It really was humbling and I hope I don't disappoint anyone as I walk through this journey!!

Now, onto this week's post ...

Since I've started training with purpose for the past few months, I've become much more aware of how I approach workouts and how I handle successes and failures.  In many ways I've gone backwards to go forwards -- breaking down movements, lifts and techniques to their fundamentals and learning them all over again.  I've been in and out of CrossFit since 2008 so I have a lot of bad habits and the process of finding them has proven very interesting because I have had to put my ego in time out.  I thought I was a pretty good deadlifter, for example, but it turns out that my lifting technique was flawed. I was not a happy camper that day!! But, this getting back to fundamentals process is starting to bear fruit. All of my lifts have improved, my squats are deeper, I am rowing more powerfully and efficiently and I'm even starting to like burpees just a little bit (well, no, I don't really like them but I'm trying!)

Things are going well in the gym, so I was wondering how to take that same idea out of the box and put it into practice in other areas of my life that impact my Qualifiers goal.  How can I strip down my life to the fundamentals, re-learn what works and what doesn't and then create daily commitments that, strung together, create success?  My coach Megan calls those commitments the "unbroken chain:"  those promises you make to yourself that you keep everyday regardless of circumstances.  Every day's promise fulfilled is another link in the chain and the idea is to never break the chain.

As a way of getting at my life's fundamentals I've decided to dedicate 30 days to two key elements:  eating and thinking.  Beginning on July 5th I am starting something called the Whole30, an eating plan that eliminates grains, dairy, alcohol, sugar and legumes (for more information here's the link The Whole30).  I'm doing it, not because I want to lose weight, lean out or get ripped; I'm doing it because I want to see how eating impacts my training and how, getting rid of the emotional crutch of food (oh how I'll miss you french fries!) impacts my thinking.

In addition to the Whole30 I'm going to keep a mindset journal to capture how I think about myself and the work I am doing.  I want to see if I can get to some of the fundamentals of how I view myself so I can change negative thoughts and begin to adopt an athlete's mindset.  I'll use this blog to help me better understand those thoughts and keep me accountable to the process.

Not gonna lie, I'm a little scared of what I am going to find when I strip back all those things that prop me up: the bits of ego, the little lies I tell myself and the myriad ways I struggle with self-esteem and self-worth.  But, I think it'll be worth it.  At the end of this 30 day mini-journey I hope I will have discovered new building blocks and a new mindfulness that will help me create the unbroken chains I'll need, not only to be a successful athlete, but to also be my best self.

“Fear is not real. The only place that it can exist is in our thoughts of the future. It is a product of our imagination, causing us to fear things that do not at present and may not ever exist. Do not misunderstand me, danger is very real, but fear is a choice.” - M. Night Shyamalan, After Earth