“We must live our lives in such a way that our children, and their children after them, will form a natural and lasting commitment to the vigorous life.”

John F. Kennedy

Tim’s Deep Squats (Thoughts)

Like Yogi Berra’s, “It’s deja vu all over again.” I feel like I say, “My favorite thing about CrossFit is…” a lot. But, like a good cliche, it’s true.

So here’s one of my favorite things about CrossFit that I have observed in over 15 years of coaching. I LOVE that people become more self-aware at CrossFit Palo Alto. What I mean is that everyone that has experienced our program learns. You all have learned a great deal since you started.

It starts at your Introduction class. I tell you that you will be expected to learn. We are not a follow-along spin class that exists just so you can break a sweat and mindlessly go through a workout to punish yourself or to make up for the trash you may have consumed. You learn how to move effectively and safely. In the process of learning how to move your body and outside bodies (weights, balls, bells, sleds, etc.) you learn what you can and can’t do. You learn when you are getting tired, but can push a bit harder to run faster. You learn when you’re getting tired and need to take a break on pullups to avoid the oncoming failure. Take a moment and think about when you started. Many of us had NO CONCEPT of ourselves when we started CrossFit, myself included.

SIDE NOTE: I was first exposed to CrossFit in the summer of 2004. There were no affiliates. No coaches. Just a website that posted workouts. So I found one with a workout I thought I could do. I never finished it. I had no concept of scaling, modifying, etc. I just went at it and failed miserably. It was taking so long I had to quit so I could go to work. I started to learn that day. LOL.

Barbara

5 Rounds

20 Pullups

30 Pushups

40 Situps

50 Air Squats

Rest 3:00 between rounds

The full disclosure is this learning is by design. It’s absolutely my intention that you would gain a greater understanding of your ability. Hopefully, by learning what we can do we will learn what we WANT to be able to do. A tool we use to help you learn is your notebook. With good records you are connecting your actions with numbers on a page. Those numbers represent your work capacity. By association you are more able to understand instructions given to you. Perhaps most importantly, you are more able to verbalize and describe your capacity and abilities to others.

For the last two weeks we have been fortunate to have two stories of women that shared their experiences with us and how CrossFit has helped them accomplish some personal goals. I can’t get enough of them. The stories from our community are so encouraging to me to keep coaching and finding ways to share CrossFit with more people. They are also tremendously encouraging to other members of the community.

As you know, I could go on and on about how awesome I think you all are with your unique stories of how CrossFit has impacted your lives. Thank you for sharing them. Please keep them coming. You are the fuel for me and for each other.

What’s Going On?

Community Hike

When: August 31st at 3pm

Where: Castle Rock State Park

Who: CFPA members/friends/family

Note: Bring $ for parking

CrossFit Teens – Late Summer Session

Who: Boys and Girls aged 12-17

Dates: August 1st – September 26th

When: Tuesdays/Thursdays at 4pm

Led by: Coach Rebecca

*Email [email protected] to sign up*

Coaching Opportunities at CFPA

Ever think about coaching? Maybe you know someone that would be a great coach.

Let’s have a conversation.

Send me an email: [email protected]

Overheard in Class:

“The cure for everything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea.”

Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:

About 8 cups watermelon in chunks

1 tomato

½ onion

½-1 cucumber, depending on size

2-3 cloves garlic

A couple glugs of good olive oil

Juice from ½ lime

Salt, more than you’d think, start with 1 tsp & add to taste

A couple sprigs fresh mint

Throw everything but 1 sprig of mint in the blender and blitz, adjust ingredients to taste, then chill before serving. Serve with a little swirl of olive oil and some chopped mint on top.

Thank you for your support.

I look forward to what we will do together.