This post is a re-post from a past challenge on the same topic, and ED WROTE IT! 

We called him “Mouth” at Rebels, but he earned the nickname from our first CrossFit gym in St. Pete where the owners quickly learned Ed had a gift of gab and didn’t like a quiet gym!  So when we reference “Mouth”, we mean Ed. 

MOUTH here…checking in at the beginning to possibly prevent any deserters…or deserters who fear trying to regain their active status after a few days of zero points…it happens.  It’s really OK. 

Let’s see, fats, carbs, protein – been there, done that.  Poop, inflammation, reading labels…that’s all coming up. I’m not quite certain why I was asked to blog on this topic other than as the “senior” coach & athlete, I have truly had more time to fail than most of you!  Some EPIC fails I might add!  Essentially, this blog is about what to do when you fail?! Yeh, yeh, yeh, I know, “buy a straw, suck it up and rub some dirt on it!”  Honestly, in its most simplistic form, that’s really as simple as it is….right?  Anyone play baseball or softball? Ever strike out?  While working on your overhead press, did the bar ever just stop at eye level? You couldn’t  move it any further.  Been divorced? Witnessed a tragedy in your life?  We’ve all fallen down. The truth is, though, it’s easier for some versus others to get back up.

So, what should you do if, while participating in the Challenge, you “fall off the wagon?”

“Mouth, it’s football season, and well, I have to drink with my friendsduring football season.”

“Mouth, there’s a lot of stress at work, and well, I have to have sugar to keep me going.”  

“Mouth, I’m going to a wedding this weekend, and well, it would be socially awkward if I didn’t indulge?”  

“Mouth, my boyfriend can eat a half gallon of ice cream before he goes to bed and not gain any weight, it’s not fair and I should be able to eat some.”

E N O U G H!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s fine to have a beer during one of the fifty college games on Saturday…but then there’s Sunday professional, and of course Sunday night….Oh, Monday night…there’s Thursday night…THERE IS FOOTBALL 4 DAYS/NIGHTS A WEEK! 

“MOUTH, I need my wings, nuts, pizza and beer cause it’s football season!!!”

Here’s my training. It’s all about your “WHY”, your dream, your vision, your wants.  It’s Tim McGraw’s song  “How bad do you want it?”  Really, how bad do you want it?  You know fast food is unhealthy, sugar is the devil, sodas are crap, etc., etc., etc.   It’s our jobs as your coaches to worry about you, your spouse, your kids, your grandkids.  What’s your “WHY”…why do you care to eat healthy?  

Yeh, yeh, yeh, I know, look good naked…or maybe that was for the younger gym. Look good in clothes? Hahaha! …got it!  

Do you believe everyone has cancerous cells in their bodies? Is there a trigger for cancer? Do you believe some people are genetically blessed while others must “work at it?” Have you cared for aging parents and watch them simply kill themselves with bad food & drink choices?  Ever had a disabled child and wonder why? Are there environmental factors causing this rising epidemic?  

“Mouth, I don’t give a crap about any of that!”    

How about simply wanting to have more energy, perform better at CrossFit, better looking skin, less bloating, less inflammation…just FEEL BETTER?

OK, you’ve fallen of the wagon, you’ve been scolded, you feel guilty cause your Latin & Catholic, and you feel like shit.

Hmmmmm, what to do, what to do?

Get back on it…today, right now…RIGHT NOW!

Restart your diet plan, your exercise plan.  Find your “WHY”, define it, picture it, write it the F*#K down and quite simply remember that “YOUR THOUGHTS CONTROL YOUR MIND!” 

Create your own mantra or simply use this…”I got this!”  I usually drop an FBOMB or two while reciting that to myself.

So, it’s Sunday…I’m practicing my preaching…

I declare right now, that the spirit of discouragement is broken in your life!  I declare that the spirit of unhappiness and depression is broken off you today, and in the future!  Happiness and health will be yours to claim today and each and every day!

GMRX athletes, we love you guys!  Get your shit together today…rest, cause we’re going to work your asses off next week!

MOUTH OUT

Quick “why” on the “rah rah” post. We really do care. And honestly…this is a whole lot harder than we anticipated. We think the rapid acquisition of information these days – some true, some complete horsesh#t meant to keep you fearful, sick or just buying what people are selling – is at the root of the confusion. Give us some time to ferret out the priorities because they’re not what we expected.

The photos above are of Ed or Ed and I with some of our athletes, coaches…all we consider friends. A few of these people aren’t with us anymore – but we feel privileged to have played a small part in their lives while they were here on earth with us. The point? We care. To. A. Fault. But…that’s us and we feel good about what we do. You’re stuck with us, and we’re stuck on getting you healthier, smarter and graduating you into the person in your friend group that everyone looks to for diet, exercise, lifestyle and “how to be healthy” information because, well, you’re just a specimen! That’s the goal.

Ok, Coach Sam here for the girls (and maybe the guys).

I’ve fallen off the wagon, multiple times. It usually hits me up when I have too many starches or sugars, or a few too many drinks – I get the munchies and the next morning I’m 2-5# heavier. And I’m a little mad at myself.

The good thing is I recover pretty quickly. And that’s the goal here. Beat yourself up a little, but get back at it. And yes, I said beat yourself up. Trust me, you probably feel like crap if you went on a carb- or booze-bender…we don’t want to feel like crap, so allow yourself to be annoyed with your bad decisions. Take it for what it is and get back on the straight and narrow. We are ALL going to have situations where a celebration, a football game, like Ed said…whatever, we want to participate in cake, ice cream, or cocktails ends in dietary debauchery. Do it! Try to moderate it. But if you’re the life of the party – have at it. Just know, there will be consequences: your rings won’t fit, your clothes will be tight, you’ll have a headache and belly bloat, you’ll be constipated…I get it. Those things are nothing ‘to give yourself grace about’….rather…own that you did too much (ate, drank)…it happens, so move on!

However you look at it -there are 7 days in a week. If you eff up 2 of them you’re still ahead by 5.

We tend to wallow in our mistakes. 

Life: bad investment. Dang it!

Relationships: Poor choice in boyfriends. Darn it!

Pets: the damn dog sheds too much! Oye!

Training: I went too heavy and tweaked my back. Drat!

Diet: I fell off the wagon…

So…like all of the other examples above diet, you probably fixed the situation and moved on. Same with diet. Fix it, and move one. It’s really OK! I’d much rather have an athlete come in on Monday morning and laugh about the crap they ate at a game the night before and how bad their joints hurt because of it, than that same athlete come in and just complain about their joints without acknowledging that THEY ARE TO BLAME. It happens. Humility is an attractive trait. Own it.

And on that – part of this challenge is documenting, journaling and recording so you can SEE the pattern of what makes you feel better or worse, sleep better or worse, and perform better or worse. Lean into it. I love failures – as long as they’re balanced by success that results from learning from the failure.  On to day two in full swing!

BONUS QUESTION:

You don’t have to write a novel (but if you want to, have at it) – but tell us why or what scene, scenario or instance usually causes you to fall off the wagon. For example: lack of planning leads me to chick-fil-a, or booze makes me binge. Everyone who emails gets the point – there is no wrong answer on this one so take advantage of it. Also, please sign off with your name in case you have a weird email address 

EMAIL (click link) your answer. If the link doesn’t work, the email is the one printed on your log sheet on the bottom (or text Sam for the email address if you can’t find it). All answers come through email.