So Long But Not Goodbye!

So long for now! I can’t believe it has been over a year since Jennifer entered our gym, our community and most importantly – our lives. She leaves us as a graduate of one of the most sought-after schools in the world, back to her family and friends in the great state of Florida. With any member and personality who has to move on, brings a great deal of sadness that we are losing a teammate, friend and a member or our family. But for Jennifer, this is a bitter sweet departure.

I have seen my young friend grow and mature – not only from a physical fitness perspective but she has become a much more confident and assertive quiet young woman. This particular decision to move back home came with a great deal of satisfaction – knowing now that her place is to be near family and friends. I am honored to have been a part of her life and on some level a helpful component to her subtle transformation. As I have written about just recently, everyone has an inner athlete, regardless of physical presence or athletic background. I know we have unleashed a vibrant, coachable and fierce athlete in Jennifer.

I am confident when I speak for the owners, coaches and our members of Elm City Crossfit when I extend my sincerest well-wishes and good luck in the next stage of your journey. I can assure you that you will be missed tremendously. Rest assured that you will forever have a place in our Elm City family as well as the Kusnitz family. Again, thank you so much for allowing us to get to know you and accepting us in your life. It is individuals like you that makes me proud to be a coach. I am constantly inspired by individuals like yourself that continue to drive and conquer – no matter the obstacle. As a teacher, I know you will continue to lead and inspire many more individuals whose lives you touch. Thanks for being an Average Joe or in this case Jennifer. Average people doing amazing things. ~The Average Joe

Elite Athlete

In the last several weeks I have been reluctant to write. It has very little to do with a lack of interesting and inspiring topics, yet I feel that actions speak louder than words. In today’s society that is so quick to judge, so quick to offer remediation and so quick to search for the quick fix, I am left wanting to be more traditional. I have always been driven to be different. I am driven by this idea that all people are individuals and each has a story to tell.

In the light of my general theme or mantra on how I view the world, I am left with our current state of affairs. I find thousands of websites claiming to have all the fitness and motivational answers only to be drawn in by flashy pictures and regurgitated nutrition and fitness information. We see entire communities of people loath over fast Fran times and cool tee shirts. I read stories of inspiration and encouragement from an elite athlete who lifts a ridiculous amount of weigh or how spot-light athletes change our general perspectives on what is nutrition and fitness.

Don’t get me wrong, there are some really cool and encouraging stories among the Crossfit elites. I just think that it is time for us as a community to take our faces out of our smart phones and pay better attention to the only athlete that can really make a difference in our lives. I am referring to the athlete that lives in us all. Every single person has one. It is your responsibility to peel back the layers of excuses, history of bad choices and self-imposes limitations. It is time for us to stop with the excuses and start moving.

I have to quote my mother for this one, one of her favorite saying were there are only two guarantees in this world – Death and Taxes. Additionally, I guarantee anyone who makes conscience and decisive efforts to make themselves healthy through proper nutritional and exercise choices will discover their internal athlete. You will feel good about yourself from the inside out. The most simplistic and elementary task that seem so difficult will become a non-issue. Your quality of life will change. The change will not only be felt by you but you will have a positive effect on the environment that surrounds you. I think if we spend less time focusing on other athletes and more time finding our own – we can be elite in our own extraordinary way.~ The Average Joe

TREES

Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918

Trees

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,	5
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.	10
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree.

Stop Bragging!

Growing up with four brothers and two sisters in a small Georgia town has its amazing advantages. The seclusion you experience from the outside world gave us an opportunity to focus on our family – we called ourselves the K-Team. I learned at a very early age how to be a team player. One of the biggest lessons always taught by my parents was to be an individual but envision you always as part of a bigger puzzle.

As a member of any team, you learn pretty early that there are no individuals. But when do you break away from the organization and become an independent entity? One of the worst insults you can ever accept is one of selfishness or self-centered. But when is it acceptable to brag?

There is a very fine line between self-actualization, acknowledgement, goal attainment and putting yourself above others for the interests of making you feel superior. It is sometimes very difficult to turn the camera back to yourself and celebrate your personal victories without negatively affecting the ones around you. Get out of it what you put into it. Goals are not easy to achieve -if they are – it is not a real goal. Regardless of the scale or difficulty of your achievement, it is not only acceptable but in many cases it is required to celebrate. That makes your journey so much sweeter. ~The Average Joe

Whose in Control?

I know it has been a long time since my last post. But, like anyone in the world today, I have an excuse. I took a week to visit my family down south. It is always great to travel, see family and spend time with my kids. But, when it comes to keeping good eating habits and a solid workout regiment, sometimes it is very difficult. I pretty much decided early on in my trip that I would just relax and take each day as it comes. That seems to be my motto these days. I need to control what I can control and not worry about things which are completely beyond my control. This has been especially true for my family life, working life, coaching life and my exercise life.

The premise is fairly simple. It consists of a three-part process. There are things that are directly in your control. You can always control the outcomes. There is a direct correlation between your actions and the outcome. Conversely, there are interactions and outcomes that are completely out of your control. These are things that an individual has no influence or authority to maneuver. Now comes the interesting element - between control and uncontrolled come influence. This is the behavior or actions you can control in relationship to things you cannot control. One’s ability to control your influence has a great presence in almost any situation or circumstance you experience.

Example: I sign up for a race. I cannot control the weather, terrain, population or course. What I can control is my focus, my training, my nutrition and my strategy. What I control will influence the things I cannot control. This idea not only applies to training. It applies to all facets of my life. I find that making since of the order helps me stay in CONTROL! ~ The Average Joe

Slice me a Piece of Humble Pie - Please

My pie has been served to me – humble pie that is. After completing Crossfit Open workout number two yesterday, I was frustrated, humbled and honored all at the same time. After only two weeks since my 100k finish, I was expecting to be fully recovered and ready for Crossfit again – boy was I wrong.

I pride myself on not taking myself or competition workouts too seriously. That has been my stance for a very long time and I have had a tremendous amount of success just being a fit and well rounded participant. But last week, I took the workout too seriously, placing expectations on my head for no reason at all. I left that workout frustrated and defeated.

Why did I do that to myself? I spent the afternoon playing with my kids and reflecting on what went wrong. Late yesterday afternoon, my four year old was telling her sisters that she was at the gym earlier that day and she said to them “daddy won today”. It is pretty sad when I have to get advice from a four year old girl. But she was right. I did win today! I had the opportunity to workout next to people who have been working hard for this competition. I had the opportunity to get out and play. I had the opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded people who are pulling for you not for results but for our community.

I should not be embarrassed by my score. I should be embarrassed for not thinking of my family first -my Elm City family that is. While judging, I looked around the room at all of the fight and fire that was being performed. I witnessed genuine hard work and the desire to compete. I saw individual athletes raise the bar and step it up to another level of output. I saw people having fun – fighting their fears and stepping out of their comfort zones. Even while competing, I had the amazing opportunity to workout next to some true lions – some fire breathing animals. Larry and Bobby, you guys raised the bar. It was an honor to compete with you. Regardless of the score, regardless of the rankings – I am proud of all who toed the line. I am privileged to have witnessed our competition and most of all I am grateful to have been served humble pie. All of you have made me a better coach, father, husband, athlete and man. I will forever be indebted to you once again. ~The Average Joe

Banded No More

There is a pretty interesting transformation that takes place when new people come into our community. The first thing is that huge intimidation factor that has to be overcome before you can even walk in the door. Once those fears and inhibitions are squashed, then a person is a bit lost because of the lack of familiarity of what is going on. Then there are the standards and movements that the athlete is not at all accustomed to performing. It is a very interesting evolution or process each individual goes through. In many cases, people are drawn to our community because they have a goal in mind. Like I said before, the goal can be grand in nature like an Ironman or it can be something as simple as looking better naked in the mirror. Inevitability, people are drawn towards a movement, exercise or workout that has either plagued them or has acted as barrier towards their forward momentum. The amazing thing about these barriers is that with hard work and consistent focus an athlete will break through. Not only does this fast-track an athlete towards better fitness, it also expedites the mind and spirit to victory -a victory that is felt across the entire community - a victory that carries over to other parts of the athletes lives and further sets the bar high for continued success.

My latest story from ECC comes from an athlete named Katie. Katie came to ECC just over one year ago. She was hoping to step out of her comfort zone and start a new healthy life. One of Katie’s barriers has always been pull-ups. She has progressed through the range of motion and progressed through resistant bands only to be stuck in a rut – unable to come off the crutch with the use of a band. Katie has spent that last several months staying after class working on her movement. Just last week Katie was able to do her first unassisted pull-up. Then she blasted out seven in a row. It was through Katie’s hard work, perseverance and her ability to break through her barrier. This is just the momentum Katie needs to break through her next huddle. Congratulations Katie – your hard work has paid off – average people doing amazing things. ~The Average Joe