R.I.P. "Can't"

R.I.P. “Can’t”
By Sarah Macdonald

I’ll never forget the huge life lesson that my P7 teacher taught me on the very first day of school. Her name was Mrs. Jedlicka and she handed each of us students an index card and told us to write on the card something we thought we can’t do. Everyone’s answers ranged from “I can’t do maths” to “I can’t shoot a hoop at basketball” to “I can’t swim”, etc. I think mine was something cheeky like “I can’t fly”, but that’s beside the point… 

Our teacher then took us out on a walk on the school’s nature trail and she found a spot and dug a big hole in the dirt. She said, “From now on, in my classroom, CAN’T is a word that is not allowed. There is nothing you can’t do. Something may be hard, but that’s when we learn to persist, keep trying, and one day you’ll get it. So no more ‘I can’t’!”

We were then instructed to take our cards with our “I can’t” statement, rip it up, and throw it in the hole. She buried our can’ts, and that’s where they stayed. R.I.P. “Can’t.”

It was a lesson that stuck with me on so many levels. In owning that quality and living it out, I quickly learned that to get from something I wasn’t able to do at the time to actually achieving what that thing was, there was a whole lot of struggle, failed attempts, and frustration. But, always with the hope that things weren’t going to stay this way forever - keep pushing, keep going, things will change, get better, and become easier.

This is so applicable to what we do at the box. CrossFit presents so many skills - some harder than others. But the thing I want to encourage us in is to eliminate “Can’t” from our vocabulary.

“Can’t” does nothing but hinder and hold you back from what you’re truly capable of. It makes you miss out on the beautiful, gruelling, and satisfying process of getting from “not able to right now” to “Yup, I’ve got this.” It’s coming to a place of embracing the struggle and the process that we find joy in the journey of reaching goals and scaling heights.

Want to finally be able to run a full 400m? Each time you come is a chance to get one step closer, run just a bit further - it’s hard and it burns, but let it burn...you’re getting better! Want to hit that PR snatch? Know there are going to be many missed attempts, barbells and weights clanging on the ground, tweaks to technique, but you’re getting closer. The process is messy, hard, and sore, but so worth it.

Why am I so passionate about these things at CrossFit? Well, one, it’s fun, but two, these physical and mental elements we encounter in our training always breaks out of the box and spills over into our lives and can be directly applied to spur us on to greater things. Life is not perfect and easy - it’s messy, there’s bumps, setbacks, and turns. But it’s the process, the struggles, that bring depth and richness to the things we hold dear in our lives. Things that are valuable come at a price. Want a great career? A great marriage? Great friendships? Great family? A great life? Having these things isn’t always smooth sailing. These aren’t things you can’t have - you absolutely can, but we must embrace the struggles that inevitably come with anything worth having and not bail before these things reach their full amazing potential.

Finding the bigger vision for our lives and having “life PRs” we want to achieve are big keys to pushing us forward and pushing “can’t” out. Where do you want to be at the end of it all? What do you want to achieve? What do you want your life to look like looking back on it? Big, heavy, but important questions - ones that are so worth exploring and pursuing. YOU are worth it and YOUR life MATTERS.

I’ll leave you with one of my most favourite motivational clips from a film called, “Facing the Giants”. Doesn’t matter how many times I see this, it moves me. Enjoy and see you at the box!!

Lisa's Recipe #1 - Nourishing soup

Here's our attempt at looking after you properly - to provide you with some delicious food to fuel your life. We'll share these recipes which are courtesy of the super talented Lisa Johnson from Duke Street Cook School and Provisions 

Please try it out and let us know what you think. 

Leafy Greens with Indian spices & Coconut

(You can add some rice to fatten up, Serves 4)

Ingredients

• 200g swiss chard, trimmed, leaves and stalks.
• 150g cavolo nero, stalks removed, cut into 4cm-wide pieces
• 200g curly kale, stalks removed, cut into 4cm-wide pieces
• ¼ small white cabbage, cut into 1cm-thick strips (250g net weight)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 3.5cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Indian spice mix (Equal amounts of fenugreek, fennel, black mustard, nigella and cumin seeds).
• 440ml coconut milk
• 500ml vegetable stock
• Salt (to taste)
• 15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped
• Grated zest of 1 lime, plus 1 tbsp juice
• 60g freshly grated coconut (optional) 

Method

Add all the cabbages to a large saucepan of well-salted boiling water,

boil for three minutes, then drain.

Put the coconut oil in a large pan on medium heat. Fry the onion, stirring until

caramelised and soft. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli and spices, fry for a couple

of minutes, for the garlic to take on some colour, then add the coconut milk, stock and three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt, and simmer for five minutes.

Add all the cabbages to the pan, simmer for five minutes, until soft, then take off the heat. Stir in the coriander, lime zest and juice, sprinkle on the fresh coconut, if you have, and serve.

Training Beyond the Physical

Training Beyond the Physical
by Sarah Macdonald

I was 16 and at the end of an hour long softball pitching lesson, refining a skill that I was hoping was going to take me places and achieve life-long dreams. My pitching coach then informed me it was time to do 20 shuttle sprints; each time I hit the line to change directions I had to touch a dot she had marked on the floor with my index finger.

Okay, fine, let’s get this done...3,2,1, go! First 10, no problem, I was sharp, quick feet, hit the line, touched the dot, plant, drive, go. Then I started getting tired and things were becoming a bit more sloppy - feet weren’t as quick and I’d bend over to touch the dot, but I wouldn’t quite make it all the way to the ground.

In my mind, it counted - I’m doing the work, right? Coach yells, “Touch the dot, Sarah! That one doesn’t count!” I roll my teenage eyes and keep going, still tired, same thing when I get to the line - I don’t quite touch the dot. “Doesn’t count, Sarah - touch the dot! I can be here all day!”

Frustrated, I huff back, “Ugh! Coach!! I’m doing the sprints, why does the stupid dot matter?!” Annoyed at me, but seeing a teaching opportunity to help me to the next level she replies:

“Sarah, it’s not just your physical body we’re training here. We’re training excellence, discipline and focus. The dot matters. When you’re tired or things get tough and aren’t going your way are you going to half ass it and just do the minimum to get by? No. I want more from you and you should want more. Focus, do it right, be excellent! That’s what it’s going to take to win!.”

I knew she wasn’t just talking about softball, but that this was also extremely crucial for my life.

I’m so grateful for the life skills and character qualities that sport taught me at a young age. Now fast forward 15 years and I’ve been immersed into the phenomenal realm of CrossFit and through this training, it’s once again brought up those experiences I had as a teenager…

Bigger Picture CrossFit

CrossFit has proven to be exceptional at helping individuals achieve physical well being and fitness beyond what they could have imagined for themselves. It’s fitness that works and oozes in and affects every area of your life - you feel better, move better, and live better.

The beauty of this sort of training is that it’s not just physical - just like our muscles and bodies need to be worked to grow stronger and fitter, so do our character “muscles”. CrossFit and sport provide fantastic “mini-life” arenas to work those character muscles. Let’s dive into those…

Strength for Life

• Mental toughness and Perseverance - “R.I.P. Can’t” (this is a whole other blog post for another day). We all know those WODs…you see the board and immediately think, “$%@&!! I can’t do that!” But, you get started and guess what...YOU CAN! You work that preserving, mentally tough muscle and you get through the WOD, you finish it, and you come out stronger and better on the other side. You leave the box ready to take on anything life has to throw at you - because you’re strong, tough, and YOU CAN!

• Integrity - This plays a huge factor especially when it comes to rep count. 100 burpees the board says…”well, I did 97, but everyone was already done, so who’s going to know or care?” Sure, no one may notice, but YOU know, and is cutting yourself short and not finishing the workout making you any better? Work that honesty and integrity, even in the smallest of tasks, and it will carry over into your day to day life.

• Discipline and Work Ethic - It’s important to have goals in life. In order to reach those goals, you have to put in the time and the work. Fact. No shortcuts around it. Same goes for at CrossFit - you want to hit that PR or finally get that first muscle-up? You have to be persistent and put in the work. Some of the most disciplined athletes I’ve known are also the most disciplined students and workers - these traits spill over.

• Excellence and Focus - Hitting a proper clean and jerk, snatch, or any skill you come across in CrossFit takes a huge level of focus to get the form correct. Without correct form, you’re not going to hit the lifts or skills and even worse, you could wind up injured. These qualities work hand in hand with work ethic to achieving goals you set out for yourself. Without excellence and focus, you’ll cut yourself short of realising the full potential of what you’re capable of.

• Teamwork - This one is my favourite. We are not meant to walk this life alone. At CrossFit, you have the huge benefit of being engulfed in genuine community - a team - where people really care and want to push you forward. You get to observe and take an active part in genuinely caring for the success and well-being of those around you. It’s a beautiful sight and one that hopefully breaks out of the Box.

I find seeing the bigger picture in what I’m doing at CrossFit helps to make the day to day workouts more meaningful and significant. It matters. Every rep matters. YOU MATTER. Let’s get to work, get better, and live better! See you at the box!