Sunday Story…Big Why

It happens to all of us. We hit a bump in the road. Things don’t go quite as planned and all of a sudden the train is off the track. Then the negative self talk begins. We beat ourselves up more and do more damage than any opponent could.

At that moment we have choices. We can choose to spiral downward; beating ourselves into a bloody pulp leaving our self esteem in a bloody bucket in the corner. We can choose throw out a life line and call a friend who we hope will pull us out of our tail spin. We can fight back with positive thoughts and affirmations in the hope that positivity will trump negativity.

As you can tell most of those choices don’t hold much allure for me. What do I do to get the train back on the track? How do I re-inspire myself to get up and keep going?

The first thing I do is focus on My Why. Why am I doing what I am doing? What was the original reason to pursue the path I fell off? What was it about doing that thing, the efforting, and trying that drove me to it in the first place? Your Why is your lifeline. If you know your Why, if you believe in your Why you can tolerate any How.

I used to kid and say I wanted to go the Reebok CrossFit Games to wear the cool pants like all the cool kids. That is not a very strong why in the face of puke inducing training volumes, constant nagging injury, and a very solitary existence. When I wanted to quit a work out, when I wondered if it was all worth it I returned to my Why: I Teach Focus and Inspire Transformation. That’s my Why. Being Focused and Transformative, even if I didn’t get to the Games, my Why would not let me quit, would not let me continue the beat down. All I had to do was stop being that and I could stop the pain. I was not and am not willing to stop Being my Why.

Why are you doing what you are doing? In any facet of your life you should have a Why. Your Big Why informs your life. Your Big Why forces the nattering nabobs of negativity into hiding. Your Big Why gets you up in the morning, picks you up after a disastrous experience, and provides the joy in the journey.

Find your Big Why. It isn’t easy. It will take some serious gut-check introspection. It will be worth it. And it will make it so much easier to get up when you get knocked down.

Looking for Why? Call or write me. We can find it together.

John Mariotti

775-338-2412
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
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Sunday Story…Your Abs and You

That firm flat midsection…we all want one. It is one of the obvious indicators of health and fitness. When we see a big pot belly we make immediate judgments about the overall health of that person. Even on someone who may be an athlete like a power lifter or an offensive lineman in the NFL. I am not saying you need a 6-pack. We have discussed that before…see the blog post: http://sunday-stories.blogspot.com/2015/08/sunday-storyyour-6-pack.html But, honestly, none of us want a “dunlap” (as in your belly done-lapped over your belt) midsection.

That flat firm midline gets built in the kitchen, folks. Sure your work out is necessary, especially for the firm part. But the food you put in the system is the main contributor to how much fat you are storing and where you are storing it. We all have genetic predispositions to storing fat in one place more than others. But sooner or later it is going to hit your middle and that is bad.

I am not going to tell you what to eat. I have an opinion and you are welcome to it but the fact is your body is going to respond to certain foods differently than my body. Dairy and I don’t get along well but dairy may be very good for you. You need to figure out what works for your body and what doesn’t. Do a whole 30 elimination diet and get clear what foods work best for you. It probably isn’t Cheetos and Beer by the way.

That being said, there are certain dietary principles you should know, understand and employ every day and throughout your dietary life. These principles are chemical and physiological responses to the type of food you are eating. This is a “call and response” effect. If you put this in your body (call) it is going to do this (response).

Here are 5 Physiological Responses:
1. Carbohydrates and sugar raise your blood sugar.
2. High fructose corn syrup is metabolized by the liver as Fat.
3. Excess carbs and sugar that aren’t used immediately are stored as fat.
4. Insulin is a lipogenic hormone, so it causes you to store fat.
5. Protein and dietary fat have no significant impact on raising blood sugar.
We all will have different responses to various foods but these 5 responses are true for every human body.

Armed with these facts you can now make choices of what you are going to put in your body. Eat enough to support activity but NOT store fat! If eating dietary fat doesn’t raise blood sugar just eating fat won’t make you fat. Eating too much fat will make you fat.

We often say…”exercise won’t necessarily make you bulky but cupcakes will make you squishy” Lay off the cupcakes especially the ones with high fructose corn syrup!

John Mariotti
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
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Sunday Story…Once upon a time

Is how fairy tales start. Once upon a time signals to each of us that a story is about to be told. We know that after that start everything follows will be a story of some sort…might be a fable, or complete fiction or a learning parable but it will be a story. It is what we expect; it is what we know will happen.

My life is made up of stories. The stories I tell myself about my life. The stories I tell myself about what happened and who I am/was in that story. This is not a problem and seems to be part of the universal human condition. Man is a meaning making machine. We make meaning out of everything. My spouse left me…it means I wasn’t good enough. My spouse left me it means I was too good for them. My spouse left me it means no one will ever love me again. We make the things in our life mean things.

Try this on: Once upon a time my spouse left me. Everything that comes after that is a fairy tale. It might completely untrue. It might be partially true or it might be mostly true. But whatever I say after once upon a time is a story.

What if you changed the fairy tale? What if it went like this…Once upon a time my spouse left me and it was painful and it hurt but I learned how to be in a relationship and how not to be in a relationship and when I get into another relationship I will be more able to be who I want to be in relationship. Isn’t that a whole lot better than I got left, she done me wrong, I am unlovable and I won’t ever be in a relationship again?

This is true for all the stories you are telling yourself about your life. Whether it is career, relationship, money, parenting, or love; the stories you are telling yourself should empower you. Those stories should raise you up. Even when you were wrong about something…you can tell yourself how lucky you were to have learned that lesson.

You can’t change what happened. You can change the story you tell yourself about it. You can change the narration of your fairy tale to make you out to be the hero and not the villain. No one really likes the villain, not really.

Once upon a time…if you are going to tell yourself a story it may as well be one that has you looking good!

John Mariotti
www.crossfit-odyssey.com
www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com
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Sunday Story…Bad Day in Black Rock

Bad days happen. We have all had them. They are part of life. If somehow you have managed to live a life of wine and roses with no hangovers or thorns you are supremely fortunate. Most of us didn’t get that lottery ticket. We got the one that has life throwing us curveballs, screwballs, and the pitch that hits you right upside the head. It is part of life. It is part of the growth curve we all experience.

Knowing you are going to have a bad day allows you prepare for it and be ready to face it with the right attitude. Here are 3 basic understandings:
1. Stuff is going to happen. Bad stuff…oh well.
2. You get to decide the story you are going to tell yourself about the stuff that happened.
3. You get to do something about the stuff.

Being prepared to handle these 3 understandings is going to take mental strength. You will need to exercise your mental toughness muscle. Here are the 4 exercises to get that muscle up and functional:
1. Expect stuff to happen Expect your 5 year plan to take 7 years, expect to go on lots of first dates because the girl of your dreams may not be around the corner, expect obstacles. Once we expect these sorts of challenges and disruptions they won’t come as a huge surprise. And when they aren’t a surprise they are easier to handle.
2. The stuff is not the new paradigm. You got fired; it doesn’t mean you will never work again. Your lover left you and broke your heart; it doesn’t mean you won’t love again. Change signals new opportunities arising.
3. Don’t beat yourself up. Just like the stuff is not a new paradigm, the stuff that happens does not make you a bad person, unlovable, stupid, or not worthy. Stuff happens. Refrain from making it a personal narrative.
4. Get into action. Do something. You can try almost anything. Action is always better than inaction. Inaction will find you wallowing in self-pity and stinking thinking.

Bad days come when we least expect them. They can appear overwhelming and insurmountable. You can put them where they belong by recognizing that they are impermanent and that they can be put in their place using the 4 strategies we just covered:
It happens.
It is not permanent
It isn’t about the real you.
Get into action.

This will strengthen your mental toughness…your resiliency…your ability to control your attitude in the face of adversity.

Lean on your past experiences and formulate a plan.

Success isn’t permanent and Failure isn’t fatal.

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