Adjust your focus and set sail for your goals

Three frogs are sitting on a bridge. Two decide to jump in the river. 

How many are left on the bridge?

No it's not a trick question as such - but even I got it wrong.

The answer is three. You see the frogs only decided to jump in. They didn't actually 'jump' in.

So you may think what relevance this has to anything. Well, it relates to focus. If you answered one, you were focusing on the wrong part of the question.

How many of you out there have set goals, but don't seem to be getting anywhere near them? How many of you have 'decided' your going to get stronger, or decided you are going to get fitter or eat healthier?

Compare that to how many of you 'are' getting fitter, stronger or stepping towards your goals? The answer lies in your focus.

If you go about attaining your goals putting your effort into the wrong things you will never obtain what it is you are working for.

People put the effort in. I can't complain - they do (in the hours I see them during the week) everything asked of them. But it's what happens during the rest of the week that makes the real difference. Loose focus and progress will never be made.

So if your trying to increase your fitness, and you rock up to the gym three to five times a week, give 100% and feel that you are not getting anywhere, maybe you should look and what your doing in your time away from the gym.

Are you staying focused and eating the best you possibly can, drinking plenty of water, sleeping 8+ hours a night and not binging at the weekend?

Now be honest...

And don't tell me it's not possible, if you can find time to 'focus' on watching Breaking Bad then you can find time to do some simple meal prep or get an extra hours sleep.

OK, so what if you are lacking focus, and you just really don't know where to start?

I find the best thing to do is look at your goal and break it down. Write down what is needed to get you there. This is all the things you think would make you achieve that goal. It may even be things that your not willing to do.

Once you have a list pick out a couple of things that you feel confident you could do from the list. I'm talking on a scale of zero to ten (with ten being 100% you can do that habit 24/7) pick something you feel that you are at a nine or ten on - any less and it won't stick.

Also, don't pick more than a couple-we need to focus remember! Once you have your tasks, give them a high priority in your life - make sure that 99% of the time you are focusing on those things.

Slowly, over time these tasks will become easier and you can assign yourself new ones. Before you know it you will be on that road and speeding 'legally' towards your goal.

Beth Hoggarth Personal Training

Pizza time!

In my last post I talked about the 'emotional' brain, and how sometimes it can get the better of us making us give in to our cravings. Well here is an idea for you... You can have the pizza!

Yes I said that right, pizza. Only this one you know exactly what is in it. This super tasty treat has a base made from cauliflower, eggs and a little cheese, making it low carb and high protein.

Even better is that you can load it with veggies which equals lots of nutrients. It's so simple to make that even I can manage it without any major kitchen disasters. And I have had quite a few in the past!

So here is your ingredient list...
1 cauliflower
3 free range eggs
200g grated cheese
Tomato puree'
Plus whatever is your choice of topping - get as many fresh vegetables in as you can!

1) Blend half a cauliflower, until it has a rice like consistency.

2) Crack your eggs and whisk them, then add them to your mix along with half the grated cheese -add salt and pepper to taste,

3) Pour out onto a non stick tray - I used grease proof paper for extra non stickiness. Then use the back of a spoon to flatten into a traditional pizza shape. Don't worry if the mix seems a little sloppy.

4) Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes. I use an AGA so its trial and error on the temperature, but a good indication is when the base has gone firm and started to brown on top

5) Take out the pizza base and add your choice of topping. Tonight I spreaded mine with tomato puree', then added whatever veggies I could find in the fridge. These happened to be tomatoes, mushrooms and rocket. I also added a sprinkle of cooked ham and oregano.

6) Stick your pizza back in the oven for another 12-15 minutes.

7) Enjoy :-)

Coaching - It's a beautiful thing

So it's been a long time since I posted last. Probably about three years to be more exact!
So much has changed in that time... So here's a brief rundown of some of the things that happened, and how my focus in life has shifted.

Well in my last post I was hoping to make Regionals (The CrossFit equivalent of the European Championships), and I did it! What an experience this was. I got to mix it up with some of the biggest names in the sport and compete on the same floor as them - It was nothing short of amazing!

Since then I have taken a step back from competing to coach. I use the term coach lightly, as being a 'coach' encompasses so many things.

The ladies hanging around after a hard but fun session!

The more I delve into this journey, the more I realise how complex it is. The way I see it is if you look at a coach from the outside, its like a duck (yes one that goes quack). You see the duck sat on top of the water floating away, paddling to it's hearts content, catching all the breadcrumbs and basking in the midday sun - you get the picture. Only underneath the duck is frantically paddling like fuck trying to avoid drowning and being eaten by all the nasties that are out there.

It may seem like a strange extreme analogy, but sometimes this is how it feels - the more I learn, the more I realise I don't know. And what I thought I knew - I question.

Is this the way that most coaches feel? I don't know, I can only speak for myself. Most coaches out there look like the have their shit together. But I do believe that if one ever proffessed to know everything I would be 99% sure that they would be lying. Yep dam straight - It's just not possible.

Concepts are changing, ideas are being remodelled, and there is always a flip to an argument.

And that's just the theory side to coaching! Which from my experience is only part of the job. After all this profession is dealing with people, not machines.

Unique intelligent people, who often let their emotional brain get the better of them. We have all been there, your rational side tells you why you should eat the food that is going to be most beneficial to you in the long run, but your emotional brain tells you that you just NEED that extra slice of pizza (check out the following blog post if you are a pizza lover) despite being full to the brim - sound familiar?

So when it comes to coaching we need to be empathetic, understanding, good communicators and listeners, mind readers, support workers and friends.

It's a challenge, but when everything comes together and you find that sweet spot of knowledge that is passed across to a client, is interpreted, understood and most of all is beneficial - It's a truly beautiful thing.

Everybody needs to know their coach is on their side.

Supplement Support From ICON Nutrition

ICON Nutrition, a UK-based sports nutrition company have recently agreed to support my training and recovery. Here’s a bit about them:

ICON Nutrition are based in East Yorkshire and were established in January 2012. They offer an evidence-based approach to nutrition and are compelled at helping athletes from grassroots to elite level perform better, recover faster, reduce inflammation, and keep a strong immune system.

They have a small but extremely strong product portfolio which focuses on four unique areas: Performance in Sport, Muscle Recovery, Reducing Inflammation, and Supporting A Healthy Immune System. I’ll briefly touch on some of their more popular products.

100% WHEY PROTEIN: EVOLUTION
ICON’s protein powder is sourced from hormone free grass fed cows making it rich in BCAAs and other minerals and each flavour tastes like a delicious milkshake. Per serving provides 25g of protein and just 125kcals.

CREATINE FRESH
ICON’s innovate approach to creatine supplementation led them to produce Creatine Fresh. Creatine Fresh are mint flavoured chewable creatine tablets that are much easier to consume on a daily basis then creatine powder. Typically creatine powder is hard to consume due to its bitter taste and difficult mixability. Just chew on 4-6 creatine tablets per day to keep your muscles saturated with 3-5g of creatine allowing you to enjoy improvements in strength, power and performance. Creatine is a safe natural supplement and can be used by both males and females.

ZMA
ZMA is a very popular night time recovery supplement. ICON only use the registered SNAC labs approved ZMA formula which is the only formula backed by trustworthy research. Data shows that strenuous exercise results in body losses of zinc and magnesium which can have a negative effect on several important functions within the body and impair a person’s recovery. ZMA helps replenish these important minerals in a single daily serving. ZMA is a night time supplement that you take before you go to sleep. Anecdotal evidence shows a direct correlation with deep restful sleep, vidvid dreams and ZMA consumption.

IGNITE PRE WORKOUT
ICON Nutrition's pre workout is made for natural athletes that want greater energy & focus, and an increase in strength, powder and muscular endurance. Somedays you just don’t feel like working out, this is the best time to take Ignite. Each Ignite tub fuels 40 awesome workouts!

For more information please check out their online store www.iconnutrition.co.uk

Small gains

So it's been a few weeks since my last post, and well, training really has been a roller-coaster recently!

My goal for 2014 is to make it to the CrossFit Europan Regionals, and now I have seen a glimpse of how much I have improved over the last year, this goal has the potential to be reached. However there are a fair few 'weaknesses' that I need to address... Box jumps being one of them

'Box Phobia'

Box jumps have always been a MASSIVE weakness of mine, and whenever they came up in a workout my heart sunk. I don't know why, but I have always struggled with the rebound, taking that extra moment on the floor to set myself to jump back on the box.

However on that Saturday morning something magical happened (yes I know, they are a reliability simple movement). I set it in my head that I was going to really concentrate on the rebound... well for some unknown reason, IT JUST HAPPENED! I think I actually managed 30-odd jumps, with each one of them a rebound.

I can't express how happy this made me feel, and for the first time I was actually enjoying box jumps. One more tick of the goat list!

'Battle commenced'

So as I said, a rollercoaster of a month, and over the last few weeks I have taken part in the qualifiers for the Battle of London competition that is due to take place in late January.
Last year I only just qualified for the event, placing around about 90th. However when it came down to attending the event, I chickened out!
Having only been crossfiting a few months I felt well out of my depth. Yes, I totally regret the decision not to go, so this year I set my heart on getting to London.
The first workout was right up my street, with box over jumps and cleans ascending in weight.
The next event was two parts within a 12 minute timecap, with the first being four rounds of seven shoulder to overhead and 12 toes to bar. Then, the second scoring part was to establish a three rep max hang snatch in the remaining time.
I love shoulder to overhead stuff, but everything else in this workout I hate, so it was kind of a case of damage limitation. However saying that, it's amazing what your body can do when it's fighting for something.
On the snatch I recorded a score of 52.5kg, this itself was a pb, and then I went on to get two reps at 55... I totally amazed myself!
The final workout was a big 20-minute chipper. I love chippers!

*50 wallballs
*40 Russian KBs
*30 down ups
*20 pull ups
*100 double unders

Whilst everything here is light, it was a real gassy affair. I can honestly say it killed me, and is well up there with one of the hardest workouts I have done. Wether this is because it's a qualifier, and having several other people at Crossfit Central Lancaster screaming at you to keep moving gives you no chance to ease up!

'Dare mighty things'

So, as these few weeks came to an end, it was finished off with another two hero WODs, 'Willy' and 'Wood', and also a good team WOD.

It's been tough going, but working with great people at the box makes it all worthwhile. The constant battles to chase those in front of you, and also keep ahead of those biting at your heals makes you push that little bit more.

And whilst it's 'nice' to stay within your comfort zone, and place high in each workouts, there is a greater achievement in going that little bit further, or faster, and maybe hitting a WOD a bit heavier than what you know your capable of just to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

After all, this is where the magic happens, and it's where you get that true satisfying feeling of knowing you left it all on the table, and gave it your best.

"It is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better.

The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends oneself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he or she fails, at least fails while daring greatly.

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

Don't loose sight of the mice

Just a small bit about myself. My name's Beth and I train at CrossFit Central Lancaster, and have done so for just over a year. Alongside trying to train as much as I can, I work full-time as a reporter at Trials and Motocross News, a national weekly newspaper.

With a background in Judo, and having represented my country on many occasions including the Youth Olympics, I was used to hard work. But CrossFit Central Lancaster is something else, It's a different animal alltogether.

So when I was asked to post a review for their Facebook site this is what I wrote...

http://www.facebook.com/CrossFitCentralLancaster

''When I started CrossFit at Central Lancaster the people around me were but co-workers, killing the same WOD with the goal to get fitter and maybe loose a little weight. 
Not long did it take before they became my companions and those I trusted. Soon I saw them as friends. Now I see them as close friends and regard them as family. 
They understand me, push me to be a better person, and bring out the best In me..
We are a community :-) We are CFCL. And because Coach Danny and our community I'm fitter, stronger and more confident than I have ever been.''

***************

Okay, so... whats been going on this week?

Well this is my third week following the CrossFit main page workouts, and after being sceptical at the beginning, I'm really getting into the routine of the 'unknown', and also the variety of what gets thrown in the mix.

To add to this, my Coach (Danny Wisniewski) and myself have set up an ongoing 'tally'. I win I get a mark, he wins and the score goes his way.... so fare the white-board is on my side with 7 wins to his 5. Happy Days!

My day's now usually start with a random wake-up in the middle of the night to check Twitter and see what the workout will be. Shortly followed by a feeling of excitement if it involves any bar work (like earlier this week which was 21-15-9 Deadlift/ Handstand walk) or panic if I see any kind of running in there.

We are doing this to push each other, and so far its definitely working. At the end of each workout I know I have pushed myself to the limit, with the dreaded 'Fran cough' even making a few appearances.

Come the end of the week my body is crying out for a rest day... That sore feeling is so satisfying!

So anyhow... I had best get to work!
Let's see what tomorow brings...

Beth