The CrossFit lifestyle isn’t for the faint of heart but it certainly requires you to have a lot of heart because it’s no easy task having to muster up the discipline day in and day out, to engage in the daily training and nutritional aspects while consistently improving your craft simultaneously.
But like everything in life, where there’s a will there’s a way and good habits are going to be your best friend throughout your CrossFit journey. Well, we have some tips we feel will be very useful for the CrossFitter…
Also, read more on the mental benefits of CrossFit training here:
1- Have Some Structure
Without structure, a building would never be able to hold up to the external elements and the same goes for your CrossFit endeavors. Like anything else in life, mindlessly drifting around day to day and hoping to achieve the desired result is a good way to ensure you’re spinning your wheels and you can pretty much forget about arriving at your destination.
You’ll get easily distracted and hardly develop the discipline to make your efforts a daily habit. And without habit, well… you can pretty much forget about making progress.
This week is about having FUN with training – which is very Easy 🕺Here is what I chose for today – fun little bike erg session 🚲! 💦 pic.twitter.com/x54BzQMJmM
— Annie Thorisdottir (@IcelandAnnie) August 12, 2019
So, establish your daily schedule by creating it whether that be on paper or your phone. Also, another big part of creating habits is to really force yourself to follow a routine for a few weeks and let nothing distract you which shows you have respect for your goals. This then turns into a habit and before you know it you’re doing it without even thinking about it.
This also helps to stop procrastinating and you’ll be less stressed out by just doing what you know you need to be doing.
Another way to ensure you reach your goals without compromise is to follow the SMART principle which stands for…
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Timely
SMART is a great way to aim for a specific end result and hold yourself accountable to reach that goal. You should also be tracking your progress whether that means writing it down on paper or logging it into your electronic device of choice.
2. Wake Up With Intention
What you do in the first half-hour or so of your day tends to set the tone for the rest of your day and there’s just something about morning time which really makes us feel like taking on our goals (when we desire to accomplish more). So with that being said, make sure what you do in this small amount of time is conducive to getting your butt in the box today by finding your inspiration through your method/s of choice.
This may be in the form of positive affirmations, meal prepping, going out for a quick activity, keeping in touch with another CrossFitter to hold yourself accountable (you can also do the same for them), listening to something inspirational every day, researching the next CrossFit competition, eating a big breakfast to fuel your training so that it won’t be in vain, etc.
3. Say No and Eliminate Your Distractions
Being able to abstain from activities not conducive to your vision is one of the biggest acts of self-respect. No, it’s not always easy to refuse that pizza, spend more time than you should on social media or even to go out and engage in activities that you know will throw off your performance the next day. But if you’re serious about CrossFit then you’ll know it takes as much discipline as any other sport if you truly want to be good at this thing.
Now, we’re not saying it’s bad to go out and have a little fun every now and then or to enjoy a delectable treat and splurge a little. But again, habits are huge for success and a big part of what creates a champion mindset.
Another common problem is the choice of surrounding oneself with people who are not supportive or considerate of what you’re trying to accomplish. Sometimes it’s like you have an angel in one ear encouraging you to stay the course and the devil is tapping you on the opposite shoulder telling you… common, you don’t have to do that today let’s do something else instead or why don’t you just have that cheat meal…
To be successful in sports
Is not a chance
It’s a choice ! pic.twitter.com/joiykqlxp4— Annie Thorisdottir (@IcelandAnnie) July 21, 2019
Well, you know you should be practicing your muscle-ups, deadlifts, and working on your cardio if you want to have a fighting chance in your next competition or perform well in your next WOD. It might be a good idea to surround yourself with other people who have the same interests and goals more often and no, we’re not telling you to get rid of your other friends but you know why you’re doing this and you deserve to have respect when it comes to your life goals.
Get in the box and get your work done and just decide to keep the distractions out.
4. Be Prepared
There’s nothing that kills progress and motivation like a lack of preparation. Not having a meal ready to grab and go can be very frustrating and having to make your meals one at a time becomes, well… not so fun and enjoyable after a while (unless you just really love cooking).
And you know what else a lack of preparation also leads too… eating something you know you shouldn’t be but it’s convenient so you get used to doing this. That’s no good and you never want to get to this point because quality fuel is a must for optimal performance and health.
Plan to designate a few hours one or two days out of the week (ideally a day where you have some free time) to go shopping and cook your foods. Place them in containers which will make your life so much easier and prevent you from giving in to grabbing something more convenient like unhealthy fast food options.
5. Find Good Support/ Coaching
It’s always good to know that when you’re not progressing the way you should be, your coach and peers can help you to get over those humps which are inevitable. When it comes to CrossFit performance, making adjustments are crucial for reaching your full potential, and that may be in the form of your physical performance, mindset, nutrition, sleep habits, etc.
And the great thing about having good support is other people engaging in the same activity can offer some really good advice that has worked for them. However, you still must be accountable for your own actions and if you can be making better lifestyle choices then no amount of advice will help you to perform at your highest as you have to look at yourself and decide to make those necessary adjustments.
We hope you take these tips and apply them to your CrossFit lifestyle. It’s never going to be completely easy but keep reminding yourself of why you’re in this thing. Maybe it’s to be a top-level competitor or maybe you just want to test your body and mind which will help you become a better person in all aspects of life. Find good support and most of all, you deserve your own respect.
