Sunday Story…Gain

I have frequent conversations with people that start something like this…” I want to lose some weight.” Or, often, “I need to tone up and lose…” Rarely does this conversation start with the sentence like”I want to gain a better understanding of food, or “I need to gain some strength.”

We are, as a society, conditioned to have a love-hate relationship with the losing things, especially weight. What you weigh always seems to always be the question. I have seen very healthy people obsess over 10 pounds on the scale. Frankly, unless you are participating in an event where you must “weigh-in” to compete in a specific division, what you weigh shouldn’t matter on a day to day basis.

The real question is should be what do you want to gain? Not what you want to lose. Losing is a problem. Whatever it is we are trying to lose is going to fight tooth and nail to stay. Your mind has us doing battle against those last 10 pounds or that image we have of ourselves as that fat uncoordinated kid in the 3rd grade. Your mind and your body are going to hold on to those things…they are invested in keeping the things we want to lose…and getting them back once they are gone.

What you need to gain is a healthy relationship to food.
What you need to gain is a better health.
What you need to gain is better mobility.
What you need to gain is more strength.
What you need to gain is the ability to move how you want when you want.
What you need to gain is a self image that says it’s OK to be strong (and not skinny).
What you need to gain is a thought process that says failure is just a learning process.
What you need to gain is the feeling of joy that comes from movement.
What you need to gain is happiness at learning something new.
What you need to gain is an appreciation for your victories.
What you need to gain is happiness for the accomplishments of your friends and neighbors.
What you need to gain is a willingness to ignore years of social conditioning about your weight.
What you need to gain is the ability to look in the mirror and love what you see.

Honestly I don’t care if you come in here to lose weight. I’m going to just nod and smile while I start plotting how to get you to gain whatever it is you really need to gain.

Get strong. Get healthier. Get fitter. Get better. Get happier. Get transformed.

Get in here.

Namaste

John Mariotti
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
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