Honeymoon Phase, Progress, and Staying Motivated
Although it may not seem like it when you're tired, sore, and potentially frustrated as you watch others effortlessly do what you cannot yet, being a fitness newbie is a beautiful thing.
Why you ask?
Two words: honeymoon phase.
This is the glorious phase of your fitness career in which progress comes abundantly and in many forms.
Pounds may drop quickly, strength shoots up in leaps and bounds, and skills improve daily. Each day you excitedly anticipate the next work out, and the next result.
But there comes a time (typically around a year or so), when that honeymoon phase comes to an end, progress starts to slow, and you start to question where you are going wrong.
It is important to understand that this is NORMAL.
This eventual decline in the rate of progress is inevitable as your body becomes more accustomed to the stimulus you are exposing it to. This is the inevitable life cycle of training, and as it evolves you and your mindset need to evolve with it.
We've covered many of the more obvious points to making progress previously (i.e. proper program, recovery, nutrition etc.), so I wanted to share some tips that may not come to mind as quickly, but I would argue are just as important.
1. Be Present
For most of us, we don't have the luxury to workout when we want for as long as we want, so we need to make the most of the time we have.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of being present during your workout. And I mean from the warm up all the way through to the end.
It is easy to get caught up in the routine, going through the motions without really paying attention to what you are doing.
I think we can all agree the community aspect of CrossFit is special, but if you're spending more time talking than you are exercising, don't be surprised if you see less improvement. This is a biggie.
2. Think Long Term
This isn't so much a concrete action step as it is a concept, one you should be aware of when the going gets tough.
Fitness is a journey, a life long journey at that.
It's a constant learning process and one that comes with good times and bad.
It's important to remember that there will be times when you may face setbacks or lack of progress.
One of the most common errors individuals make is operating in a short term mindset fixated on 'results now' (which is perpetuated by the fitness industry itself).
Unfortunately operating in this framework will only set you up for failure as progress is not linear. I've been doing CrossFit for close to 10 years, and I can tell you it hasn't been all sunshine and rainbows!
There was a point in time when my snatch hadn't improved in close to two years! Did that mean it was time to quit? Of course not, because fitness is a journey, and learning to love to process will keep you fit not just for the next 5 months, but next 15 years.
3. Pause And Reflect
This is something we are all guilty of, and applies to life in general not just fitness.
It becomes very easy to get wrapped up in the things we cannot yet do or things we have yet to accomplish...
We watch others who easily complete an exercise we have yet to conquer and ask why can't we do that? Yet we easily forget that they too were likely in the same position!
Rarely do we take the time to pause and reflect on how far we've come.
Can't do 10 pullup's yet? Remember when you couldn't do 1?
Can't snatch 95lb? Remember when you couldn't overhead squat an empty bar?
Now I'm certainly not saying you shouldn't have goals and be determined to hit them, but instead to take a minute every now and then to give yourself credit for all the hard work you've put in.