Here are some tips for building resilience when the going gets tough.  Most importantly, be aware of your reactions.  How do you respond when something in your life does not go the way you hoped? How quickly can you move from upset to action? You may get injured, not get the job you wanted, miss a workout or three, eat poorly, get in a fight with a loved one or you, or someone dear to you, gets sick.  When one of these events occurs, gain control by acknowledging what has happened and your feelings around it.  Give yourself space to be disappointed, hurt, worried about the future, overwhelmed, frightened, angry or whatever other feeling may arise in reaction.  You are human and it is impossible to not have an emotional reaction to something you care about.  But, don’t be hard on yourself and make it worse.   Try to move to a place where you ask yourself how you can make lemonade out of this lemon.  Avoid going down a dead-end road.   Instead, use the experience as fuel to take you onto a higher path.  The good news is that the next leg of the journey is in your hands.  With a reframe, you can change your reaction and grow stronger from the experience if you want to. Maybe you have heard that leopards can’t change their spots.  That is true for leopards but not us! So, the next time you are confronted with a challenge ask yourself, “Is my mindset about this challenging situation helping or hurting my well being?”   Try taking the time to discover where your thoughts go and identify the actions they bring about.

How can growth mindsets help? A growth mindset is the belief that our basic abilities can be developed and improved through dedication and hard work.  That said, know that even the strongest of growth mindsets will be tested when failures occur.  It is in these moments that resiliency is shown.  Those possessed of a growth mindset don’t let set-backs throw them off course.  In fact, to some, set-backs are not a major concern.  A shoulder is shrugged by the growth minded and they simply say to themselves, “Guess I’ll need to try another path,” and off they jog.  Quick recovery. Bottom line. Don’t give up! Hang on to your growth mindset.  It is a muscle that gets stronger with continued exertion.  Every challenge is a chance to grow stronger, painful as it can be.

If you hear yourself saying things like “I can’t change,”  “I’m not good at running,”  “I’ll never have Abs,”   “I’m not built that way,” a fixed mindset is rearing its head.   These mindsets are often triggered by past experiences of trying to learn a skill or lose weight or make another change and experiencing discouraging road blocks along the way.  Who can blame you? Take a growth mindset approach instead and say gently to yourself,  “Perhaps I am not responding as well as I can to this dynamic and maybe I need to try another approach to reach my goal.” Fight discouragement by highlighting truths, i.e.,  “I can run and I’ll get better at it if I plug away.”  If you are blessed to be able to run, just put one foot in front on the other and away you go. Sure, some people are faster than others, but so what, you are a runner!

A few more tips for increasing a growth mindset:

  1. “Not yet” is OK. When struggling with a task, remind yourself that you just haven’t mastered it “yet.” If you stick with it, time and practice will lead to self improvement.
  2. Be realistic.  It takes time, often a lot, to learn a new skill or develop new habits. Focus on the tangible actions you can control, i.e., “I will workout 4 times a week.”
  3. Own your attitude. If you value having a growth mindset invest in the effort to develop it. Pay serious attention to where your mind goes during the day and replace unhelpful thoughts with more positive ones. Journal. Meditate. Breathe.  All these acts will help you achieve a stronger mindset. High five for reading this far!

6pm 2.17.21

Warm Up:

2 rounds: 1 min down dog calf climbers, 1 min PVC shoulder pass throughs, 1 min PVC Push-Press, 1 min lat pull-ups or scapular retractions, 1 min sit-ups, 200 m jog/row/erg

Into:  T2B practice/ determine best movement choice for workout.  Find push press weight with 3 sets of 5-10 reps, start light/increase. Try a practice round of 5 box jumps, 3 push-press, 2 t2b.

WOD.

AMRAP 18

15 box jumps
12 push presses
9 toes-to-bars

WOD Notes: 

Challenge: Jump with quiet ninja feet onto box (aka: soft, quiet landing). Select box jump height and push press weight which afford unbroken reps.

Box Jumps Subs = Step Ups. Toes to Bar = Hanging Knee raises/lying hip raises/v-ups/ab mat sit-ups/l-overs.  Push Press sub if no overhead = cleans or russian kbs.

Home Gym: Equipment free option: approx. 36 inch broad jump, 12 push-ups, 9- v-ups.

AB Out:

3 Rounds:

:40 on / :20 off

  • Plank knee-in to leg lift
  • Hollow Hold
  • Plank Hold
  • Superman’s
  • Bird Dogs