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Why Everyone needs a coach?

In case you aren’t aware, we are in a pandemic. 😅  This pandemic has been especially challenging for small business owners across the globe.  While I feel like I handle stress decently; there have been many opportunities to exercise my abilities.  

Most often when people look to hiring a coach, they want direction.  I usually hear things like, “I don’t know what to do” or “I don’t want to hurt myself” .  Why would someone who “knows” what to do need to hire a coach?  For me it came down to one thing….. 

FOCUS

Ironically, just two months ago, I would have told you I was hiring someone to keep me accountable.  It is true that I needed accountability.  As the owner of a gym, it is really easy to lock the doors after a long morning when you’re tired and hungry, and not workout.  It is easy to overeat a snack food in-between a long to do list.  It is also easy to go more than half a day eating 250 calories to be ravenous in the early evening.  All things I was guilty of doing.

It is easy, especially in these times, to get stuck in a rut of telling myself how I am not measuring up, where I need to do more, or that once again I broke a promise to myself.  This cycle is hard to break, that is why I hired a nutrition coach for the first time in my life.

I knew someone would be checking in on me and keeping me accountable.  Looking at my entries in my fitness pal, and looking at my body scans, these are all things I expected. However, what I gained the most from my nutrition coach was focus.

I mean seriously, this is what I do for a living…. I knew what good foods were, I knew the benefit of a workout and I knew how to implement things.  This almost worked to my detriment.  Instead of giving myself grace and making a small correction, I would beat myself up for not making the right decision.  Does that sound at all familiar?  

If left to my own devises, I would have tried to change everything all at once.  Then, when the week was busy and I failed, I would tell myself it was another week of not making progress.  With a coach by my side the week begins to look different.  

Instead, during a stressful week, I would reach out to my coach and give a list of what was ahead of me.  She would then send back two focus points for the week.  This was doable.  Measuring my food, tracking every ounce, killing every workout, was not maintainable.  Having two action points were maintainable.  Because I only had to focus on two things, I also took them seriously.  I tried even in the low moments to really check those things off the list.

Over the next few weeks, I will share with you some of my focus points.  At the end of the day, we are all human.  We do need accountability but beyond that we need to know where to keep our FOCUS.

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It’s not CrossFit, It’s you.

It’s not CrossFit, it’s you.  

That sounds mean I suppose, but stay with me for just a minute.  

The two main obstacles for people starting CrossFit is “Its way too hard” and “I’m not in good enough shape yet.”

At CrossFit Erie, each member begins with 3 personal on ramp classes.  These introductory classes lay a foundation for you lifting weights safely and effectively.  We use light weight and focus on technique, prior to you starting your first class.

 We also do short workouts at the end of each sessions.  During these workouts; we can discuss how to modify a workout or movement, due to injury or a limitation.   We meet you right where you are create a path that will guarantee success.

The thing we can’t do is convince you that you can do it.  You, are the one, who has to take action.

“The thing we can’t do is convince you that you can do it.  You, are the one, who has to take action.”

Shelby

I grew up a dancer.  My mom owned the studio.  We competed.  There were eyes on me all of the time.  I was expected to be good, the best, the example.   I didn’t know anything different so I don’t even remember hating it.  It’s just what it was.  it did begin to develop in me this trait of; if I couldn’t do it well, I didn’t even want to try.  I didn’t want anyone to see me fail.

We, my husband and I, started in our garage with what we could piece together with equipment.  I had a few friends join me.  Matt, my husband, told me to “try it for 30 days”.  So, that is what I committed to.

The first week I liked it.  It was hard but I didn’t’ have time to think about anything else.  I had two kids and a husband who worked 60 hrs a week minimum.  CrossFit was a great distraction.  I couldn’t think about anything else but what I was doing.  At week three, I was kind of frustrated.  I didn’t feel like I was getting any better.  The workouts were still really hard.  I couldn’t do a pull up.  I was still struggling.  I decided the end of week three I was going to quit at the end of my 30 days.  I didn’t “feel” any stronger or faster.

Then it happened.  At the end of 30 days we redid the first workout.  Day one my workout took me 24 minutes.  I still remember it, there was running and pushups (yuck to both) among other things.  It was hot, I was struggling, my push ups were on my knees and became one rep at a time.

On day 30, in the middle of that same workout, I remember feeling like I was struggling in the same manner.  I was moving as fast as I could, but the push ups again became one at a time.  This time I could do 2-4 on my toes before going on my knees. I thought, ok, that is something but nothing to get too excited about. The workout that took me 24 minutes on day one, took me 16 minutes on day 30!!!!  When I finished and saw my time I said out loud “I wonder what tomorrows workout will be”.  I was hooked.  I may not have felt stronger but the science was there.  I did the same amount of work in less time!

As we get older, it becomes scarier to take on something unknown.  We don’t want to make ourselves vulnerable, or look bad.  Do you know the alternative is to that though?  Succeeding.  We are so good at putting everyone before us so we opt for easy.  Easy is boring. 

My favorite part of coaching, is helping people push beyond their expectations.  You will tell me what you can’t do and I just nicely help to push beyond that expectation. (safely of course)    You don’t have any idea what you are capable of.  

For me, It wasn’t CrossFit being too hard.  It was me, limiting myself.  

Imagine where you want to be.  Imagine yourself succeeding.  

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Finding CrossFit…

My mission is to help as many people as I can live their happiest, healthiest life.  I do this through: nutrition, personal training and group classes.  I want your hour in the gym to be the best hour of your day.  

My husband introduced me to CrossFit many years ago.  In those days, you couldn’t find a CrossFit gym on every corner.  We did WOD’s (workout of the day) in the heat and cold of the garage with equipment we made and weights purchased off of Craigslist.  Rogue, for those of you familiar, didn’t exist.

Look at those shoes!! Before Rogue existed and Reebok partnered with CrossFit, Jumping on a homemade box!

At that time,  I had given birth to my second son, Evan, about 9 months prior.  I had lost most of the weight, but nothing fit right.  My son had severe reflux and allergies. He would throw up 20 times a day.  I had mastered how to lay a baby blanket over my shoulder with a back up burp cloth, to ensure I could make it through feeding him without having to change clothes 5 times a day.  We had Dr. visits, medicine and special formula.  I was lucky enough to stay home and be with him.  His food alone cost us 1200$ a month. 

 I committed to 30 days of CrossFit; very reluctantly.  I was doing movements I had never done in my life.  Deadlift, Clean, Back-squat; none of these words meant anything to me the day I started.  In my first 30 days, I was learning new movements, running (god help me) lifting weights and many more.  

Prior to Evan, I would go to a globo gym, not know what to do, and walk on the treadmill.  Maybe take a body pump class.  The whole time on the treadmill, I was thinking about what was for dinner, what I needed at the store, what bill I needed to pay etc.  

With CrossFit, my mind was way too occupied to think about any of this.  It hit a reset button in my brain everyday.  I thought clearer, I was less stressed, I had more energy.  I wasn’t even focused on the physical, I was focused on moving correctly.  One night, talking to Matt after putting the kids down, he interrupts me and says, your legs have an entirely different shape!  It gave me the trifecta, More energy, better fitness, and improved body composition.  

I spent my young adult life, teaching kids dance and tumbling.  Coaching CrossFit was a natural transition. Most people who coach (anything) usually get burnt out over time.  For me, It is still my best hours of the day!

Fast forward many years and two moves later, I had an opportunity to open a gym in Colorado.  CrossFit Erie, has given me the opportunity to do what I love.   It has given me a “job” that I love pouring my heart into.  Most of all, it has given me a community of individuals who are supportive, kind, and encouraging.

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