This all got started when we were exchanging ideas we received from our mentors when we each started our practice. Generally speaking, we both came across three big tenets that lend to building a sustainable and beneficial individual practice. I realize these may change from practitioner to practitioner so these aren’t scripture, but the big three, as we discussed were: (1) consistency; (2) accountability partners; (3) monitoring attachments.
This may look eerily similar to what I or another coach might have already chatted to you about when you first set off in your personal journey through CrossFit Candyland. Regardless, it is a great reminder from which we can all benefit, so let’s jump back in and review!
In mindfulness and fitness alike, consistency can be the key to a make-or-break beginning. Whether it becomes a dedicated long-term practice or a fickle experiment often hinges on how well you can incorporate the act of practicing (attending a class) into your already established lifestyle.
Making the commitment to affix a fitness practice into a new routine as your routine solidifies it as an important part of your week; a part that is non-negotiable and requires your intention and attention. So often a person who jumps on and off bandwagons does so because that bandwagon never establishes itself as a key priority.
Cue the time tested ole cliche, you have to make yourself (and your fitness) a priority. This doesn’t mean large swaths of sacrifice in your life where you commit 23 hours a day being spent in the gym, it means finding a concrete time you can plan and adhere to showing up and putting your fitness in the limelight in a sustainable and pragmatic way.
This is one area CrossFit tends to excel. We are community-based social creatures that thrive on connecting with others. Moving that lens to a fitness practice, much like mindfulness, pays off more often than not.
Finding and establishing a friend or two, a significant other, a class regular, or perhaps even an imaginary spirit animal who will promote your consistency, help you maintain your accountability, and challenge you to have fun and show up helps bridge the gap from a long and lonely slog through fitness to something that is both enjoyable and accountable.
The informal agreement struck means you’ve got a teammate, advocate, and champion on days you don’t want to be there or be consistent; similarly when your accountability partner is having an off day, you are there to return the favor.
You also have a built-in outlet to share the experiences, the WODs, and the “suck” that can exist in getting better over time. It isn’t always rainbows and snow-cones, but you’ve got someone who has your back through the good, the bad, and the ugly of it all.
Simply put, be aware of your judgments and the values/meanings you attach to them. In Western culture, we place such a massive emphasis on performance and success that so often we are immediately concerned about how we did. In mindfulness the act of doing is more important than “doing the best.”
In fact, not to get too Yoda on anyone, but in mindfulness there really isn’t or at least shouldn’t be a judgement on how well or poor your practice was. I realize that sounds like heresy in the fitness world of Western humanity, so I won’t tell you to absolve yourself from all judgments.
However I have seen countless times somebody who minimizes a success and maximizes a frustration. Yes, we all have things we are trying to improve in CrossFit and we also have things we do well. That is less important to me for the long-term success of a fitness practice than what we attach to those strengths and weaknesses.