Overcoming obstacles
I had the opportunity, rather, the honor, of coaching WODs and Broads last week at Onward CrossFit in Winchester, VA. And as I’m sitting in the office at the Box, I hear the voices of people working out, coaches talking, and loud music. It’s not the music we typically hear at the box, it’s Leonard Cohan’s “Hallelujah,” which if you pay attention to the lyrics, it’s about having faith and overcoming obstacles.
Interesting warm up music, Coach. But relevant to the words I’m about to share.
Overcoming obstacles is part of life. It could be paying the electric bill that just arrived and was way more than you expected (yes, that just happened.) It could be arguing with your teenage daughter, and trying to, as an adult, deal with your own hurt feelings. It could be the guy that just cut you off in traffic. It could be your boss. It could be the snow. (yea, yea, I’m sick of winter too) It could be anything.
I’ve learned over this past year, that by accepting these obstacles as they arrive, and dealing with them as they arrive, I am more capable of being a better Mom, Coach, Sister, Daughter….whatever role I have to fulfill in that moment. Even if in that moment, it’s sheer anger, fear, hope, or happiness… it’s better to believe in myself, in overcoming or appreciating that moment for what it is.
So I recognize--It’s just a bill. She’s a teenager. He must be in a hurry. My boss must have something on her mind. Oh good, it’s going to snow, get the sleds out. It’s much easier to appreciate the obstacles then.
What does this have to do with CrossFit? EVERYTHING.
I am the least athletic Coach at Onward CrossFit, but that doesn’t make me less relevant than any other coach at this Box. I scale all of my workouts. I can’t do a muscle up. I can’t do a lot of things … Yet. And that’s the important thing that I want to share today.
People had been telling me to try CrossFit for a few months before I finally walked through the doors of a local Box, and even when I did, I wanted to turn and run. I didn’t. And I’m glad that I didn’t. Doing the WODs (Workout of the Day) terrified me, and 98% of the time, I scaled them, so that I could do them. But when I finished, I was so incredibly proud of myself.
I was becoming stronger, both physically and mentally. Emotionally too. Look, I’m a woman, and I’m aware of the fact that I’m emotional. Maybe you aren’t, but with me, what you see is what you get. I am emotional. And damn, those WODs were hard, and seemed scary, but I finished them. And if I could do that, I felt like I could do anything. And I can. Maybe not today, but I can.
At Onward CrossFit, there’s a chalkboard in the lobby. The chalkboard has motivational quotes on it, every day. Whether it’s about change, or hope, or getting out there and doing something: it adds that element of faith and “Can-do” spirit that I found in CrossFit. And it’s important to me to recognize that some things in CrossFit are scary, some things in life are scary, but when you are prepared physically and mentally to carry out the task at hand, it adds a level of preparedness and confidence that otherwise may not be there.
CrossFit is about creating “general physical preparedness,” so that we can lift something heavy from the ground, or so we can get in and out of a chair. I mean, those are obstacles that we all have to deal with. I know I have to lift hay bales to feed my horses, carry laundry baskets up stairs, and I’ve seen my grandmother and mother struggle to get in and out of their chairs as Osteoporosis has ravaged their bones. We all have our obstacles, but being prepared is key.
I was excited and prepared to coach WODs and Broads last week. We were all different ages, and we were all different levels of CrossFitters, from first-timers to experienced. I told them it was my first class to coach, and that I was a little nervous. I remembered my first CrossFit WOD, and I remembered how scared that I was, so I made the assumption that I wasn’t the only one feeling a little vulnerable that evening.
I had so much fun.
We did CrossFit. I coached, they did the warm-up and the Met-Con (metabolic conditioning) and I did the final part of the work out with them. And at the end, we did some mobility and talked.
I can.
“Onward” is defined as “in a continuing forward direction” and “going further rather than coming to an end.”
And that is what we do here at Onward CrossFit. Wherever you are, whatever obstacles you have to overcome, whatever your situation, we are inspired by you. We hope that you are inspired here too… whether it’s the quote on the wall, the incredible coaching staff, the other athletes or completing the WOD you thought you couldn’t.
Remember one thing: You can.
Onward,
Coach Amy
blog - writing- business owner - crossfit coach - inspiration
