With such a huge topic and amazing feedback from our members we had to split this into 2 parts. Ensure you read part 1 which was published on the 17th of March 2020. You might notice that this was actually written pre COVID-19 but when deciding on whether to publish or not we felt it was really relevant to the challenging times we are currently overcoming. We have used pictures that our members have been posting in our community page – some from couples that live together and some from just before the full lockdown.
At CrossFit Fife you never need to be alone! Now let me emphasise that we are no drop-in centre, however we all face challenges at some time in our life. How we deal with those challenges determines the person we become. We encourage people to “work through” their challenges in their workout and not to “bring them with them” i.e. respect your community and your community will respect you. Learn to lift each other up and be kind to one another, otherwise you won’t be a part of our community. When asking the community about what keeps them going throughout their workout this is what most people referred to – “others in the class”
Gain encouragement from others – the great thing about a class setting is that everyone at some point really struggles with the workout, otherwise why bother attending if you aren’t going to push through and challenge yourself. Stephen mentions that watching others going through what he’s going through prevents him from giving up because if they can do it then he can do it! The Legend that is Roger Bannister becomes the first person to break the 4-minute mile because he didn’t allow anyone to tell him it couldn’t be done. Roger then inspired others to run the 4-minute mile. We take HUGE pride at CrossFit Fife in how our members encourage each other and never have anyone feeling like they can’t do it. We all work to our own ability and everyone respects that. For people who are used to playing in a team sport like Catherine giving and receiving encouragement is essential for them as it motivates them and others. Calum agrees that working out as a group makes him dig deeper because sometimes, we will work harder for someone else than we will for ourselves. Our Saturday partner WODs are so awesome because of all these reasons mentioned. The encouragement that the community receive from the coaches is also essential to how their mindset works during the workouts.
The feeling of achieving the goal – if you walk into CrossFit with either a short team goal or a long-term goal then this can be the motivation you need to keep on going. Too many people just plod through life with no goal of what it is they want to achieve and then wonder why life is mediocre. I don’t believe anyone wants mediocracy. Kris mentions that just knowing it’s worth it in the long run and that you don’t get better without the hard work being put in is what keeps him going and Samantha talks about that sense of achievement when you’re finished. When it comes to our goals it’s important to break them down into bite size pieces or as Gaynor puts it “break down reps so it seems more manageable with a tiny break/shakeout in between.”
What you say to yourself matters – the mental chatter in our head is constant and we can definitely use this to our advantage if we are being kind to ourselves. What are you telling yourself? And if your best friend spoke to you the way you speak to yourself would you still be friends? Meabh, Alison and Jade talk tell me they talk to themselves throughout the sessions however if you’re in class with them I think you will agree they aren’t just talking to themselves, lol – we love them for their banter and chat!
It was great fun exploring the mindset of some of our members however for some people even getting through the door of CrossFit Fife is a really tough challenge. That statement is true for both members and people who are not yet members. Every person who walked through the doors of CrossFit Fife was at some point that person that thought something negative i.e. “what if I don’t fit in” “what if I am not good enough” “what if I look silly in these clothes” “what if I drop to the floor and can’t get back up during a burpee” “what if I just can’t do it ” Claire said that before she joined she thought she would never be able to be a part of a CrossFit but it’s amazing and it’s all due to the team encouragement.
Knowing that everyone has doubts can be enough to help you walk through the doors and knowing that the way to get around those thoughts is massive action. Do you control your thoughts or do you allow your thoughts to control you? Take ownership of those thoughts and say thank you very much for your input however not today because today is the day, I AM DOING IT.