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Discipline…

#tbt to some “wisdom” I posted a couple of years ago…maybe you’re feeling like this…maybe you need a little discipline in your life…hope this helps(it’s kinda long 😉 stay awake😆)

Normally I just post these to the CFU Facebook page, but I felt the need to put this one out there for all to see…so many of us struggle with discipline when it comes to taking care of our bodies.

This FCA devotion comes at a great time in my opinion because I’ve heard rumblings about how people need to get back on track and need a kick in the pants…

Bottom line here folks is that YOU need to develop the discipline, YOU need to do the work, YOU must want IT (whatever IT is) more than you want the junk food, alcohol, and sitting on your rear.

No one else can do that for you…Here’s a question, have you prayed about your predicament?

Make YOU a priority AND prayer a priority and He will help you out! 🙂Happy reading!

I look forward to seeing more discipline around CFU! 😉

A Victorious Life

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” -Hebrews 12:11

Whenever I have an upcoming race, especially a marathon, I spend a lot of time training. People often ask me, “Where do you find the time?” But I think the real question on their minds is, “Why are you CHOOSING to spend your time doing that?”

When I began running marathons in 2009 my life and my pursuits were out of balance. I knew the training process would instill characteristics such as discipline, accountability and goal-setting. What I later realized was that running would also allow me plenty of time alone with my thoughts and time alone with God. Now I no longer have to justify my reason for doing marathons. People realize it has changed me for the better.

Many people today want results without the work. As athletes and coaches, we know that there are no shortcuts to victory. We can’t just hope for it. We can’t wish it our way. We have to choose to work for it. And we see this in our lives as Christians as well.

Time after time we find that the road to victory is paved with the series of important choices we make every day. Choices like the ones to be in close fellowship with God (Nehemiah 8:10), to take care of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19), to use our words wisely (Luke 6:45) and to keep positive material in front of and around us (Philippians 4:8).

A victorious life is intentional. As a Christian athlete, I have implemented steps to help me compete and live for Christ and to stay on the path to victory.

Remove yourself from noise and distractions so you can talk to God and hear from Him. Spend time in God’s Word, prayer and worship. Evaluate how you are currently spending your time and examine the relationships in your life. If you see areas that need to change, create an action plan.

Write down your goals and the steps to achieving each one. Recognize and prepare for obstacles to your goals. Find someone you trust to keep you accountable. Build relationships with people of character who can assist you on your journey such as a mentor, coach or personal trainer. Access inspirational/educational material through the Internet, library, church or gym. As athletes and coaches, we know what it takes to train. Let that mindset help you as you train for godliness.

Have an awesome day! 🙂

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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No Time to Workout?

Hogwash…that’s an expression my grandma always used when the truth wasn’t being told. So I think it’s a bunch of hogwash when people tell me they don’t have time to workout! YOU are worth 2% of your day…do you know how long 2% is?? It’s 30 minutes!!

You mean to tell me that you can’t set aside 30-60 minutes out of 1,440?? The American Heart Association recommends that people should exercise at least 60 minutes per day in order to fight off heart disease. Look at your lifestyle and be truthful, are you doing what is needed to keep your heart healthy? Are you exercising, eating healthy, staying away from tobacco, and limiting sodium in your diet?

As some of you know, I used to teach PE and I loved having the kids play games that actually taught them something…one particular game is called “Heart Attack Tag” – we had four taggers who each represented a risk factor for the possibility of having a heart attack – too much salt, lack of exercise, junk food and smoking. If you got tagged the first time, you would cross your arm across your chest and it meant you were 25% likely to have a heart attack; get tagged a 2nd time then both arms across your chest (50% likely for an attack). If a player got tagged a 3rd time (75% chance of an attack), then the player would lie on the floor and wait for a “Dr./ambulance” to come help. In order to get back in, the Dr. prescribed “exercise”, usually 5 jumping jacks. Have you ever tried to run around with both arms across your chest?? It’s hard! Think of how hard your heart has to work when proper care isn’t present…if it’s clogged with “junk” then it’s not going to work right.

Do you realize what the number one cause of deaths are in America? It’s heart disease…so don’t you think it’s time to put your heart first? Even if it’s just 2% of your day, you can begin somewhere and help reduce the chances to develop heart disease and other illnesses.

If you aren’t sure where to start, book an appointment with me and we can work something out! We have in person AND online options available to get you started towards a healthier YOU! Book HERE!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Will Lifting Weights Make Me Bulky??

225# 🙂

The simple answer is Nope… Many out there think that if you lift weights you will get “man muscles”. This is simply not true. Weight training simply makes you STRONGER!

When beginning a strength program, you will not see growth in the first few weeks since your nervous system is adapting to the training. It’s pretty complex but in layman’s terms, the more “muscle” you try to recruit, the more the brain works in finding that muscle to help with the strength. This is why you must give a strength program longer than a week or two 😉 The best plans take time!

Nutrition plays a big part in this as well because when you lift, in order to gain muscle, you need to “feed” that muscle the proper nutrients. Too many calories without burning it off results in the “bulkiness” or body fat gain. So eat to train, don’t train to eat!

Many people come in thinking they can just “tone up” or target a specific muscle area. The bottom line is to stick with an appropriate strength program (hire a coach 😉 ), use proper form and eat a well-balanced diet.

Hormones are the underlying factor when speaking about bulking up when lifting weights. Women will not bulk up like men, because they have a different hormone profile. Men have more testosterone, which promotes muscle growth. For women, both fortunately and unfortunately, their hormone profile allows them to tone without getting bulky, but also deters them from losing all the fat they may desire as easily as men. A clean diet will promote this wanted fat loss for them.

You need to be strong to be lean, and to do this, the recipe is simple: weight training, clean diet with everything in moderation and cardio. If you have other questions about exercise, fat loss, weight training or nutrition, go ahead and book a No Sweat Intro with one of our trainers and we can get you started to a strong and lean future!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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No Excuses!

I was recently working with a personal training client and we had just went over some stats on the progress made over the past two weeks. Yes, weight was lost, BUT when we got down to it, more progress could have been made had the “extra mile” would have taken place.

At the beginning of our PT sessions, I had discussed that “extra homework” would need to be done on the days not at the gym…that’s when the Excuse started rolling in…I’m too busy; I forget; I don’t have the energy…etc…

30 minutes is 2% of your day – TWO!! You mean to tell me that you can’t take 30 minutes for yourself a day to take care of your health whether it be physical or mental?? Hogwash as my grandma would say! You can even break up that 30 minutes into 3-10min sessions of a walk.

What would happen if you exercised ON PURPOSE starting today and just walked for 30min per day for the rest of the month?? One, you could destress a bit, two, you may lose a little bit of weight, and three you’d be taking time for YOU.

I’m challenging you to start the 30 minutes per day challenge and see how you feel at the end of the month…it will become a habit and you will even look forward to doing it! There’s no excuse to not to so GO FOR IT! Have a happy Friday Eve!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Pushing Out the Negative

Staying on the “taking care of mental health” train of thought, let’s learn how to keep the negative at bay…

Let’s face it, life is usually filled with obstacles that are outside our control. Events that are unforeseen, emergencies we are unprepared for, the list goes on. But there are things we have control over and among them are our thoughts. 

Negative thoughts and feelings do a lot of damage, so it’s important to keep them to a minimum. Easier said than done, but here are 3 ways to help stop negative self-talk:

Breathe: If you start thinking negative thoughts, and you are feeling overwhelmed and upset, pause and breathe. It will help by slowing your heart rate by calming you down and giving you some clarity.

Acknowledge it: When you start to have negative thoughts, acknowledge them. You’re not going to stop them by ignoring them. You have to acknowledge them before you can confront them. 

Consider the cause: What’s at the root of these thoughts? Are you afraid? Are you experiencing self-doubt? Why are these thoughts creeping in and why are they stopping you? Take some time to consider where these thoughts come from and confront them. 

Focus on the positive aspects of your day…what do you look forward to most? Put that at the forefront of your mind and keep pushing the negative back. You’ve got this! Happy Humpday! 🙂

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Rainy Day Blues

Taking care of your mental health…

If you’re in Central Missouri (Jefferson City) and you take a look outside…it’s cloudy, rainy and pretty miserable looking. Some days I like when it rains, a nice slow rain that’s calming, but yesterday’s storm was a little unsettling as it felt almost like a tornado came through.

I think some of us can chalk up our days and compare them to the different types of storms that occur. I saw an IG post the other day of 2 different pictures, one where it was sunny and he had a smile, the other it was rainy and he had a frown. 🙁

What makes the dreariness overtake our moods? It’s our mindset! If we LET the rain/cloudiness bring us down then you can for sure set yourself up for a bad mood. If you make yourself think on the positive – like, we needed the rain, the temps are cooler now, I don’t have to run (in our workout today 😉 ), etc…then this shifts your mindset!

Everyone has bad days, I for sure am one of them, but we don’t need to stay in those bad days…there are things that you can do to help shift your mindset where you can make things better. Speaking from experience of anxiety and depression, I KNOW it’s rough but there are ways to help and to make your mental health a priority…

  • Seek medical help/advice – anyone who has not experienced anxiety or depression, it sucks! But there IS help out there…no one has the same chemical balance/makeup in their brain, we are all different and our brains receive things in a different way. So if you have struggled with anxiety/depression, talk to your doctor because there IS a way to help you with your “blues”.
  • Get enough sleep; depriving your body of the right amount of sleep (7-8 hrs) is setting yourself up for lacking energy during the day, wanting to nap mid-afternoon and becoming irritable with family, friends and co-workers…No one wants that!
  • MOVE your BODY! Exercise is said to be the best anti-depressant on the market…Do this little thing for me, set a timer for 30 seconds, put some music on and just dance…no one’s watching you so let yourself go to town! I bet it puts a smile on your face! Get it!
  • Step up your Nutrition Game and fuel your body the RIGHT way! Stop putting crap in your body and you may stop feeling the same way! 😉
  • Surround yourself with like-minded and positive people…Yes, I’m going to say it, don’t be a “Debbie Downer” or “Negative Ned” 🙂 When your bad mood affects the others in the room, that is a sure sign that an attitude adjustment needs to take place.
  • Spend some quiet time reflecting on being grateful; something that I have been doing (not as regular as I should bc I forget!) is to add to my “Blessings Box”…I write down 2-3 things that I’m thankful for or great things that happened then toss them into my little box. I can then pull from them at a later time to reminisce and it for sure will put a smile on my face.

I for sure do not have all the answers for everything, but I have lived with mental health issues my entire life so I have a little bit of insight on how to deal with some things. I’m not a counselor, but I empathize with people who are going through a rough stretch, but remember – that rough stretch doesn’t have to be forever…seek the help you need and those rainy day blues will soon turn to rainbows 🙂

Have a happy and bright Tuesday!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Mission: Possible!

CrossFit Unstoppable’s mission: We believe that when you walk through the doors, your day will be made better through the community, the workout, your effort and hard work; and when you leave, you will leave better than yesterday!  

We believe in ALL of our athletes no matter their shape, size or fitness level. Our mission is to help EVERYONE who steps through that door…Think back to an event or activity that you didn’t think you would be able to do. What was going through your head? All the negative stuff, right?? I Can’t…You’re not fast enough…I’m too old! All of this negative self-talk is holding you back!

That’s where we come in…we want you to try, we want you to practice, we want you to succeed! Those first box jumps can be scary, that first rope climb-terrifying, and those triple digits over your head for the first time, downright crazy, BUT we know you can achieve it…Because we believe in you and your capabilities.

Focus on all of the positives…I always like to tell an athlete – “at least you are here trying and lapping everyone on the couch!” If you try and fail, try again, and again, and again until anything is possible!

You may not see it now, but it’s coming…just you wait! BUT, you have to show up, put in the work AND believe that it’s POSSIBLE!

Have a great week!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed! 🙂

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Heading into September…

Blink…Yep, August is almost gone; how did that happen?? I’m sure everyone has those weeks where you think, “How did Friday get here so fast?” I mean you’re happy and all, but what just happened?

Most people this past week sent their kiddos back to school after being out for nearly 5 months…Stress is in the air…There’s tension and perhaps a little bit of chaos going around in homes these days – more so than usual.

If you are a bit stressed about how these next weeks are going to go, I want you to do this – Focus on what you CAN control!

  • Sleep-Try to shoot for 7-8 hours each night; more for your kids!
  • Meals-Make a list of meals you would like to have in the evenings during the week – meal prep for a couple hours during a wkd afternoon. Prepare healthy snacks for your kids to grab and go instead of having them reach for junk (same for you 😉 ) Our site now has tons of recipes!
  • MOVE – Even if you can only get a 20 minute walk in during the day, perhaps get up 20min earlier or walk on one of your breaks – it will do your body and mind good!
  • Focus on the positive – stay off of social media that causes stress

If you focus on these things that are in your control, then I think heading into September may be a little bit less stressful! If you need help with managing your nutrition or fitness, give us a shout, we are here to help!

OH! Want to experience a CrossFit Unstoppable Class?? In the month of September, Tuesday evenings at 6:30, come and give it a shot for FREE!

Have a great Sunday!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Lean Into Stress and Embrace Fear

The first post I ever published on the CrossFit Unstoppable site was called “Our Story….” To be honest, I was living life day to day by Faith…But I knew that there would be some “sticky moments” that would come about…I wanted to do something for the CrossFit community so I embraced the fears I had, leaned on faith and came out strong. 

My point—and one of the enduring goals of CFU—was that OUR gym will give you a life worth living; that we want our members to go and DO stuff with their fitness. We love it when you post about your 5K’s, half/full marathons, hiking in the Ozarks, doing a Spartan Race, Kayaking on the Osage and other feats of fitness! We can get you ready for any of it!   That doesn’t mean those things won’t be scary. Much like the start of the WOD, before that 3,2,1…GO!, most of you may get the jitters and the nerves set in because you don’t know quite what to expect! 

Here’s how I’ve learned to lean into the scary stuff, embrace stress and live a better life:

First, understand that your body doesn’t know the difference between fear and excitement. To your body, they are the same – When you start getting a bit nervous before an event, ask yourself: “Am I actually scared, or am I just excited?” That’s a toss up with some of our workouts! 

As adults, we’re not excited often.(well, I’m speaking for myself!)  Our body’s default response to increased blood pressure, elevated heart rate and surging adrenaline is FEAR. Then we fall into a downward spiral and get scared when we should really be excited. FEAR can be explained as Face Everything And Rise or Face Everything And Run…Which do you choose?? I’d rather be excited about things instead of scared all of the time! 

Something that comes to mind when facing a big event or even a workout is to think of it as opening a present…you really don’t know what to expect, but in the long run, you’re probably going to like the ending! 🙂

Second, know that anticipation is worse than the event. The buildup is far more stressful than just going through it!

Our fear of what might happen is always way out of scope from what actually happens. Our lizard brain takes over and our minds go to the worst-case scenario; I hate when I do that!! Trust me, we all go through this! 

Waiting, deliberating, anticipating—always worse than doing the actual thing!  If you can choose the HARD thing to do in your life right now without hesitation and worry, that’s in your best interest; know that the actual doing will get you through! 

Third, put the event in perspective: Is this going to be a distant memory a year from now? 

If not, it’s not worth stressing about.

If you WILL remember the event a year from now, then it’s worth doing! Go for it and have FUN! 

Life is a series of moments. These standout moments—not the routine of eating breakfast and heading to the gym—become your story. Who wants a boring story?? LIVE LIFE!! 

Every time you go through something where you feel your heart racing a bit but the results are happiness, lean into that stress and beat out the fear…Enjoy the moments and count your blessings! 

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed! 🙂

*Inspiration provided by Chris Cooper at Catalystgym.com. 

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