5 Habits of Highly Effective CrossFit Central Athletes (For Success)
How do you define success in your health and fitness?
At CrossFit Central we define “success” by seeing you succeed in your life, both inside and outside the gym.
When we started our community in 2005, we set out on one mission—to build a fit community, while striving for excellence in all that we do. That sole mission has in turn yielded what we call the 5 Habits of Highly Effective CrossFit Central Athletes (For Success). Whether you’re new to our CrossFit Central family or an OG (with us for all these years), we believe you should know the 5 core habits for fitness success (and beyond) that we’ve seen consistently work for the thousands of athletes we’ve had the opportunity to serve.
Habit #1: Set a Goal and Commit
What are your goals?
Or, if that word “goals” conjures up images of unfulfilled New Year’s Resolutions and Peloton Bikes collecting dust in your head, what about your intention? What’s your purpose in showing up to the gym and committing to a healthy, active lifestyle?
Without vision, all people parish—Proverbs couldn’t be further from the truth. Our most successful clients start with the end in mind—a goal and vision they are aiming to achieve. And we’re not just talking about a specific bodyweight goal or deadlift number. Your goals and aims or reasons for being here at CrossFit Central could be things like:
Fitness consistency: finally committing to a consistent workout routine
Enhanced productivity: you know you are way more productive at work when fitness is a part of your life
Overall strength, flexibility and endurance ‘gains’: development as a well-rounded athlete to simply just feel good in your life
Longevity, keeping up with your grandkids and ‘anti-aging’: you feel younger the more you show up to do the work
Recovery from an addiction or an eating disorder: multiple clients have used CrossFit as a ‘rocket fuel’ for overcoming their greatest challenge
Building a social network: getting out of your isolation bubble; stepping out of your comfort zone
Busting through limiting beliefs: like doing your first pull-up or handstand; or lifting 10 more pounds on the bar, or finishing the workout to the very end; proving to yourself that you are so much stronger (mentally) than you often give yourself credit for
Basically, you can have so many other goals outside of going to the CrossFit Games (although we totally support this endeavor if this is you). When you set a goal you are choosing what you would like to have in the future. This gives you something to work towards. This can keep you motivated to show up and stay the course.
You will have multiple goals in your time here at CC, both inside and outside the gym.
A practice your gym founders do is set new goals daily and weekly, as well as select new challenges to stretch ourselves and grow. Then…we write them down. Voice them out loud. Make an action plan. And watch the magic unfold.
Simple Goal Setting Exercise
Did you know merely writing your goals down and/or sharing them with someone else dramatically increases the likelihood you will accomplish it? Complete the following prompts
Part 1: Gain Vision
What are your dreams, hopes or aims right now in the core 6 areas of your life? What do you want more of in the areas of: health/fitness, school/career, finances, family/relationships, personal development. Spiritual growth?
Make 3 columns for time: 10 years, 1 year, 1 month. Brain dump as many specific goals—things you’d love to accomplish or see happen in those time frames.
Now select just ONE—the top goal from any column that would have the most impact on your life right now. Then ‘brain dump’ as many action steps as it would take to make that goal happen.
Look at your action steps and reflect—where in your life can you pencil those in? Can you set any dates? What resources do you need to accomplish it? Start with one goal and go from there.
Part 2: Reset Daily
There’s a simple trick to make your goals happen faster and easier (without a lot of time or extra effort): Writing down goals.
Each morning (or the night before), make a list of the top 1-3 priorities, goals or action steps you’d love to take that day to feel amazing and accomplished by the time you lay your head down that night. [You can separate your goals into your health and wellness list, and other (work personal life, etc)].
Not sure what goal to aim for? Work with your coach to create a success plan that will help you to reach your goal(s). Also consider participating in our annual “I Am” and “Lean Turkey” Challenge every January and October.
Research shows when you share your goals with others, big magic unfolds. A study out of Dominican University found those students who wrote down their goals and sent their friends updates had the highest success rate of achieving their goals, at 76 percent, compared to those who just thought about their goals or wrote them down and kept them to themselves.
Habit #2: Pick Your Schedule of Classes and Stick with iI.
Remember homeroom in middle school? “Your class” is your home base. Although life (and traffic) definitely happens, many of our most successful athletes pencil their usual time—their routine— into their calendar, like brushing their teeth (hopefully).
Consistency is key and the power of daily actions (consistent routine) compounded over time will give you a slight edge.
When you are consistent with your daily schedule you will not question where or how you will fit it in, it will be structured in your day for success.
Habit #3: Follow a Nutrition Plan
You are what you eat (and you feel like what you eat).
It’s been estimated in the gym world for years that 80 to 90% of your results are related to what goes into your mouth. Nutrition is the foundation to our wellness. What we put in our bodies will impact the results we get.
We’re not big on diets or dogmas here. Just big fans of eating a balanced diet consisting of real food humans are made to thrive upon—organic proteins, veggies, fresh fruits, minimal starchy tubers and roots, healthy fats, raw nuts and seeds. The least ingredients as possible on a label. If it didn’t roam the earth, grow on the land or swim in the sea, it’s not real food.
Oh yes, and eat enough. Did you know that working out at a moderate-high intensity can produce the same autophagy as fasting (cell cleansing, turnover and recycling)? In other words, while fasting and intermittent fasting can be a great practice for some, if you want to see “gains” in the gym or simply live a fairly active lifestyle, fasting may not be necessary nor productive for your goals. (Enough) nutrients equal growth and metabolic enhancement.
Where to start with nutrition? Write daily food take down for 4 weeks. Get feedback from your coach. Always remember - you can never out train a bad diet!
Need help? Read Journal #2 on nutrition and reach out to our LIFTOFF Nutrition team.
Habit #4: Commit to a Positive Mindset
Your physical game is only as strong as your mental game. Coach Carey Kepler coined this the “Champion Mindset.”
Your mindset to show up and do your best is the number one thing you can do to “move the needle forward” in your health and wellness game.
Did you know 95% of your thoughts are spent in your subconscious or unconscious mind? Hardwired thoughts that drive your actions, beliefs, habits and circumstances—often without you recognizing them. We are the stories we tell ourselves, so if our subconscious mind is rooted to believe, “It’s so hard,” “I suck,” “It never works out for me,” what do you think is going to unfold in your life? Hard things. Low self-esteem. A “glass half empty” mindset.
How to begin training your subconscious to think more positively at CrossFit Central? Just show up. Sometimes, in order to create new belief system or perspective (positivity), we have to go through the motions and eventually those motions become new beliefs, behaviors and habits.
Just show up with an open heart and mind. CrossFit Central will have the workout ready, and all you have to do is DO YOUR BEST!
Habit #5. Integrate Your Lifestyles
Your health and wellness life does not have to be separate from your “other live”—work, home, family, friends.
There is strength in numbers. We are a community of people that desire to be healthy, strong and fit and share that gift with others. Let the people around you know your goals and invite them to participate. You just may find that you will see the fruits of your labor flourish.
Studies show the more we hang out with healthier people, the healthier we are ourselves. And vice versa.
The Framingham Heart Study in over 12,000 people found that if you have a close friend who is obese, your chances of becoming so as well increase by 57 percent, and if your spouse is obese, your chances increase as well.
Another study found that we make eating (and more than likely exercise) choices based on our social surroundings. Researchers put three friends into a room together and introduced a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. Two of the friends had been told ahead of time not to eat the cookies. So what do you think the third friend did? The same. No cookies. Additionally, afterward, the friends were put into three different rooms, each with a plate of the cookies, and the third friend still resisted them. The conclusion: people conform to groups and learn their habits from other people.
One more study found heavier people are more likely to successfully lose weight if their social circle includes slimmer friends.
Implement these 5 habits now and stay connected to your coach for maximum success in our communtiy.
To success you go!