Vision Wall

If you can dream it, you can see it. If you can see it, you can do it.

 Last year around this time John Henry came and spoke to some of the coaches at CrossFit Central. Not only is he a leading force in the financial planning field, he teaches and challenges you to dream the unthinkable. It may sound like a simple concept, but I dare you to dream the biggest dreams you can possibly imagine and try to not find a way to justify how it's completely impossible to make those dreams a reality. Unfortunately, the older I get the childlike faith and imagination I once had becomes a challenge to live daily.

Since last year I have focused on simply dreaming. This is different then setting goals, which I highly believe. I am not trying to figure out the what, how, and when of the details; I am simply allowing my imagination to run wild. It's one of the most invigorating exercises!

I started vision boarding about 2 years ago thanks to Carey Kepler's encouragement. Since then I have also created a Vision Book that holds pictures of all my dreams. On Thanksgiving Day, I realized I wanted to take some of the pictures I had taped to my Vision Board into my book and saw this was not going to happen without the pictures ripping. Then the light bulb came on and I had a better idea--- create a Vision Wall.

I have a blank wall in my room and have now added pages from my Vision Book to my Vision Wall. The pages can come down or be added to at anytime and nothing is ruined. As I see pictures in a magazine, I rip them out and add them to my wall. The Vision Wall is an ever-changing wall, because my dreams are forever changing and growing.

My wall is now covered with clothes, watches, vacation spots, jewelry, rings, family, fitness, and words that identify with who I am and where I am going. The picture above is only half of what is in my Vision Book.

I dare you to try it. Dream the impossible.

Thanksgiving Day Tradition

Becky and her kiddos after the Turkey Trot

What did you do over the Thanksgiving break to stay on top of your training? For as long as she can remember, Becky and her family have been doing the Turkey Trot; it's a Thanksgiving Day tradition.

Becky has been an athlete with Relentless Boot Camp for over 5 years. She never misses class and shows up every week ready to work. Just today she decided to only swing a 25lb and 35lb kettlebell in class and no more using the 18lb kettlebell as a crutch during a tough workout. I truly admire her dedication and no-excuses attitude. She is a mother of 5 and a bad a$$. Becky gives me encouragement that you can still have kids and look great! I dare you to try to keep up with her in the Tu/Th 5:30am Level 2 boot camp at O.Henry.

Don't wait until the New Year to start getting fit. Come try one of our boot camps for free this month, AND meet us at Townlake under the Mopac Bridge on 12/15 at 8:30am for our monthly free community workout-- better known as UTB!

Warrior Dash success

Barbara pictured 2nd from the far right at Warrior Dash

Barbara and Jenny attend my Tu/Th 8am Level 2 boot camp at Barton Hills Elementary. Both of these gals have been in class with me over a year. Jenny came into class as an avid 1/2 marathon and marathon runner so she naturally had a strong endurance base for class. However, over the past year she has been able to run less while incorporating CrossFit and still compete and come out strong in races. Last weekend Jenny placed 3rd in her age group at the Warrior Dash!

Barbara joined class to simply get into better shape. Fast forward a year later and she's swinging a heavier kettlebell, doing pushups on her toes, participating in free workouts, and competing in races on the weekends. Barbara writes--

I would not have participated in the Warrior Dash without boot camp, not a chance. At every obstacle I depended on the strength and stamina I have built with you. More than that, I had fun exercising. Boot camp gave me that, too.

I am so proud of both of these ladies! This class is full of energy, with a sprinkle of social hour, as many of these ladies live in the same neighborhood and their kids go to school together.

Are you looking for a group to connect with and hold you accountable weekly to your workouts? Check out our Level 1 and Level 2 boot camps all around Austin.

Pay It Forward

Del Valle High School cheerleading squad

 
My latest article on The Triune-- Pay It Forward.

The expression pay it forward is used to describe the concept of asking the beneficiary of a good deed to repay it to others instead of to the original benefactor.  In my opinion, if more people lived by this philosophy, we would not see poverty, lack of education, and homelessness run rampid in the greatest country in the world. Read the entire article HERE.

Sprint train for belly fat loss

2012 USA sprint relay team

  Why do I add sprint training to my workouts each week? Charles Poliquin wrote a great article explaining the details of why anaerobic training is superior to aerobic training for getting rid of belly fat.

1. Burn  more belly fat with sprint intervals- The reason anaerobic interval training works so much better is that your body is forced to burn fat to sustain the level of intensity being asked of it. It also elevates energy use for more than 24 hours post-workout, which has a dramatic effect on belly fat loss.
2. Sprints take less time than aerobic intervals- Participants did either 20 weeks of aerobic training or 15 weeks of intervals (15 sprints for 30 seconds each) and lost nine times more body fat and 12 percent more visceral belly fat than the aerobic group.
3. Sprints improve hormone response for more belly fat loss- Anaerobic exercise also elevates growth hormone (GH) —a powerful fat burning hormone that helps restore tissue and build muscle.
4. Strength train to lose belly fat
5. Anaerobic training produces less cortisol for more belly fat loss- By doing aerobic training without strength training, you will lose muscle, lower your metabolic, rate, and gain fat.  Worst of all, high cortisol causes  chronic inflammation, which lead to belly fat gain over time—all-around bad news! 

I challenge you to supplement at least one, possibly 2, of your long run or bike days for a sprint day each week and see what results you get. Go HERE weekly to get my complimentary track WODs. Post comments below on your progress. Lastly, if you've been pondering going up in kettlebell weight in boot camp or picking up a heavier load in your CrossFit class, DO IT. The research behind sprints and heavy loads for fat loss is endless. To read the entire Poliquin article go HERE.

If you want to look like a sprinter, you got to train like a sprinter!

Ironman 70.3

Sean attends my Tu/Th 6:30am Level 2 boot camp at O.Henry. He started class in June this year and has seen huge progress over the past 6 months. 

Sean writes-- 
I've been an athlete all of my life & have always enjoyed distance running, but was experiencing minor aches and pains that were limiting me from going on the long runs I liked. I was stuck and frustrated. Within weeks of training in the bootcamp, I noticed that my low back was stronger and I'd actually worked through the discomfort. The bootcamp got me in shape so that I could get serious about training for the ironman 70.3. The transition into the training was easy because my core was strong after just a few months in the camp. In the ironman Austin 70.3, my first triathalon, I ran my fastest half marathon time ever and I give credit to the speed cardio work from the bootcamp for that. What I enjoy most is the people in our camp and especially my coach, Meg Parsons who is the very best at what she does. I'm a stronger runner and cyclist now because of her bootcamp and have my sights set on a full ironman in 2013.

I am honored to coach hard working, dedicated athletes. Boot camp was the catalyst for Sean to truly push his athletic potential. What is it for you?

A big congrats to Sean!!! I can't wait to hear what's next on his competition schedule.

Friends in and out of class

Sarah, Carrie, and Michelle attend my Tu/Th 6:30am Level 2 boot camp at O.Henry. The weekend before Halloween these gals took on the Zombie Run. One thing I have learned from this class is that these athletes are more than just athletes who show up to workout with a team 2x per week; they hold each other accountable outside of class, find local races to compete, and have become more than just workout buddies-- they are all friends.

Carrie writes-
We ran. We screamed. We sprawled. We wheelbarrowed. We conquered! It was so much fun to run around this town with my lovely, strong friends, with a few of the local walking dead on our tails. There were twists and turns along the way, but we made it back to the safe zone together and in one piece! We had a blast. 

How do you hold yourself accountable? Have you found a group of individuals you connect with and push you when it comes to training?  If not, you are selling yourself short. I challenge you to demand more of yourself and push the threshold.