As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
20 Kettlebell swings, 16kg(12kg)
15 Box jumps, 24″(20″)
10 Pull-ups
Post times to comments and BTWB
Want Results? Focus on the Process By Lisbeth Darsh
Think back to when you were little. Quite young, like maybe 4 or 5 or 6, when you were learning how to read. You’d sit there with a book in front of you and sound out a letter. Later, part of the word. Then the entire word. You’d say it out loud, and repeat it to yourself. Eventually, you could read short sentences, then long sentences, chapters, books, etc. The world of reading was unlocked.
This pattern is the dominant one that runs through all our lives: progress by concentrating on the process. We learn everything in steps, even as adults. But what do we have as kids that we don’t have as adults? Yes, firmer skin and an ability to heal more quickly, but more than that, as kids we often have patience when learning. It’s drilled into us. The world waits for us and unfolds before us in all its glory. We instinctively know that things take time.
As adults, we want everything now. Quick, fast, done. Time is of the essence, and so we have this expectation with our fitness and our fat loss. We want it NOW. I get that.
But that’s not always how progress happens. Oh sure, you listen to the TV commercials and the internet ads and the supplement salesman who tell you that it all happens overnight, but you know they’re probably lying. Still, your heart hopes you can reach your goal in record-fast time. (Hope is a good thing. Don’t kick it. But do understand how it can distort your view sometimes.)
So, what to do when that dream doesn’t arrive quickly? What to do when your progress comes slowly? How to survive feeling like you’re a Prius going 35 mph in the left lane with the traffic backing up behind you, when it feels like everyone else is a sports car zooming past at 95 mph?
Step One: Realize You’re Not a Prius.
You’re a person. (I know. That was a shock. Stick with me here.) Seriously though, the effect of nutrition on your body is rarely going to follow the exact same path as anyone else. All those other people? They’re not your twin, so their progress is always going to be a bit different. Make room for allowances, and understand that random strangers aren’t your twins.
Step Two: Look at the Calendar.
There’s a whole year ahead of you, not just a day, or a month. 365 days. You could make a lot of progress over the course of a year. Plan short-term but think long-term. Do your best, but don’t be so hard on yourself. Good things take time.
Step Three: Stop Trying to Assess Your Progress on an Arbitrary Basis.
Just because someone else says they achieved X in Y time doesn’t mean you will too. (See #1 again.)
Ever watch “Good Will Hunting”—the Matt Damon/Robin Williams movie about the genius working as a janitor? There’s this scene in the movie where a prospective date suggests getting together to drink coffee, and Will Hunting replies: “Maybe we could just get together and eat a bunch of caramels … when you think about it, it’s as arbitrary as drinking coffee.”
We set expectations centered on a week or 30 days because society has promoted these numbers, but they’re kind of arbitrary when you think about them. Plus, that’s just the short run and so you might get short results. But your health isn’t a short term thing. Your body is with you for your entire life. (Surprise!) So, it helps to have a long-term view of where you want to go and how to get there. Use a 30-day marker if it helps to give you a short goal line, but keep in mind that progress comes over the length of the field, and the next field, and the next one.
Step Four: Be on the Lookout for BS Ads and Posts, i.e. Don’t Believe Everything You Hear.
You know what I’m talking about: those folks who post about how their shake or supplement is what caused their amazing progress. A lot of them are getting paid to say that, or they’re trying to sell you a product themselves—and some of those people may be not telling the whole truth. Ever see this part of the movie “Bigger Faster Stronger”? The supplement model Christian Boeving admits that he’s taking steroids in addition to the product he’s promoting. He got fired after the release of the movie, probably because he told the truth. I’m not saying everyone is like this guy, but if it sounds too good to be true, it might be too good to be true. Listen, but stay frosty.
Step Five: Focus on the Process, Not the Results.
This is the most important step of all. Focusing on the process is so important that it should be Steps 1, 2, 3, 4 AND 5. Focus on what you’re doing, not on the results.
Our society is obsessed with results, so we get caught up in results. But how do you actually get results? You get results not by focusing on the results, but by focusing on the PROCESS. Every artist and business person will tell you the process is key to success. But it’s easy to overlook at times, because the process is work. Do the work. Eat right, but also exercise, move, lift, run, swim, ski—do whatever you can to put your body in motion and get stronger! Fall in love with movement. Find joy within it. Then you have the ability to have joy now and results later—and how awesome would that be?
There’s an entire, beautiful year ahead of you! Don’t lose your mind. Be smart and do the work. Progress will come.
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