I recently got back from ten days in Sicily.
It was ten days of pasta, Negronis and gelato. Guilt-free, of course, because I will never be one of those people who goes to Italy and doesn’t eat gelato. Twice in the same day.
I also did no form of exercise other than walk.
Up until we left, I had been very dialed in on my diet, consistently working out and feeling good. So after a ten day layoff, I was ready to get back into a healthy routine.
On the first full day back, I did the benchmark workout “Helen”, which you guys did while I was gone.
3 Rounds
Run 400m
21 KB Swings
12 Pull Ups
This has always been one of my favorites and I figured it was the perfect re-entry wod. My previous best time on this was 10:09.
So yeah, it was a little eye-opening to finish this time in 11:50. How much freakin pasta did I eat?
While I was doing the workout, a song came on my Alternative Workout playlist from Apple Music. I don’t normally hear the music when I work out, but for some reason while I was in the middle of a set of pull-ups, I heard the words “don’t be so hard on yourself”, which is the title of a song by Alex Lahey.
And I thought about those words when I finished and saw my disappointing time. OK, sure, I had a great time with my family, enjoyed life and it came at a cost of a minor step back in my performance. That’s life.
And I see this all the time. People get frustrated with their progress or lack thereof. And it’s OK. Acknowledge and move forward.
This is especially true for those who have taken, shall we say, extended breaks from CrossFit.
I don’t mean ten days. I mean like two years.
So if you have been thinking about coming back to CrossFit, but haven’t because you think you have been away too long, don’t be so hard on yourself. We’ll take care of you.
And if you are a regular and consistent, you will still have setbacks. Don’t be so hard on yourself.
Or, in the words of another band, Dire Straits, “Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug.”