{"id":2937,"date":"2020-11-13T13:29:48","date_gmt":"2020-11-13T13:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jayceesfootprints.blog\/?p=2937"},"modified":"2022-03-31T12:13:33","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T16:13:33","slug":"what-like-its-hard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/what-like-its-hard\/","title":{"rendered":"What, like it\u2019s hard?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wanna know what can be really, super-duper fun???<\/p>\n

Working on our strengths and the things that we tend to do really well!!!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Wanna know what can be really, super-duper agitating and draining and annoying and overly-challenging……and what may not be considered “fun” at all???<\/p>\n

WORKING ON OUR WEAKNESSES, OUR LIMITATIONS, AND THE THINGS THAT WE TEND TO STINK AT DOING.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yeah, that stuff.<\/p>\n

I mean, it DOES make sense, right? It’s more enjoyable to do the activities, the jobs, the tasks, the movements, and\/or the modalities that we’re good at doing. Whether we are naturally gifted at whatever it is OR it has been something that we have been building towards for years, that activity feels good to do and it can create such pride, inner strength, and empowerment when we execute it and execute it well. There is often ease, excitement, and a certain flow to the movement or the work, and therefore these things are fun to do, fun to work on, and fun to KEEP working on.<\/p>\n

BUT…….. \ud83c\udf51\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

But then there is the flip-side of the coin.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

How about the things that we know are a struggle for us? Maybe it’s balance, stretching, slowing down, walking up\/down stairs, taking ME time, touching our toes, dealing with a painful joint or body part, or being consistent with a cardio regiment or moving enough every day. Whatever it happens to be, this is something that is often hard for us to do and it seemingly requires extra effort to accomplish. It has this uncanny ability to test our mental toughness, our grit, and our patience both when it is present and especially when we take the time to work on our particular struggles.<\/p>\n

One of my coaches, from about five years ago when I was doing CrossFit, had expressed this “struggle concept” as:<\/p>\n

“Working on our ‘sucks'”- Coach Rob<\/p>\n

No, this is NOT Coach Rob – – but he does not look like he is enjoying these push-ups!!<\/p><\/div>\n

And it is something that has stuck with me since then!!<\/p>\n

Coach Rob wanted his athletes to be as strong and versatile as possible – – he still does, I’m sure – – and the only way to make this possible is to not only focus on training our strengths, but even more importantly, to focus on training our gaps in what should be seamless movement patterns, in training for solid form and control within the movement, and in paying close attention to the exercises or movements that “we don’t like” because they’re hard for us. As in, we must work on all of the exercises, movements, training modes, and domains where we are clearly sucky<\/strong> – – whether they are minor flaws or major weaknesses. It is significant to build our awareness around these particular “sucks,” realize what they are for each of us, AND THEN address them accordingly, rather than trying to avoid or ignore their existence.<\/p>\n

And I do know that it can be SOOOOO hard to set aside the time for the things that we actually NEED and that our bodies actually NEED to function optimally…especially if we don’t have a coach or a mentor, like Coach Rob, who is encouraging us to embrace the struggle of the “sucks” and get better at doing them. AND especially because the Fun-O-Meter tends to go waaaaay down when we work on our “sucks”…..because it’s in the name!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However running from them or tiptoeing around them doesn’t really work so well. For one, it limits what we can do! AND, generally our “sucks” let us know that they are there!! They often do not hide for very long and it’s up to us to listen to their call.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And listen, we should!!! For these things, these “SUCKS,” that really challenge us on a deeper level, make us humble, reminding us that we aren’t super human ALL of the time, and they help us to acknowledge where we are weak or lacking some sort of mobility, stability, or mental acuity. And if we gained control of our “sucks,” like actually set time aside to train them, to struggle hardcore, and to learn how to tame them…..Well, imagine how far we could soar and how life could be so different – – if our weaknesses could become a part of our strength collection of skills and our limitations would begin to vanish….<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It has been said, by Dr. Perry from #StopChasingPain, that we are only as strong as our weakest system, our weakest organ, or our weakest body part. The body is a unit, a kinetic chain of energy, and every system in our body feeds off of each other and works together 24\/7. If there is a weak link in the chain, or possibly more than one, the entire unit is affected, \ud83d\udcaf% of the time.<\/p>\n

An example of this would be if my elbow hurts and I’m trying to get my vertical jump as high as I possibly can. One might ask how could my injured elbow could possibly affect my jump!! Well, the arms help to propel the body into the air and add to the momentum of the jump – – so if I cannot really pump my one arm, due to my painful elbow, the height of my jump would suffer and be less than the height I could jump if both of my elbows were in tip-top shape! Not to mention the rest of the non-jumping time, where I’m limited at straightening my arm or reaching overhead because my aching elbow follows me wherever I go. This is a simple explanation to say that if any body part is injured, hurting, ultra-tense, and\/or causing you to reframe your lifestyle because of it, you better believe that the whole entire body is affected by it, too.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And the same goes for poor balance, stretching difficulties, struggling to touch our toes, or even working on the tricks and power of our sports\/training and losing sight of the basics- – – All of these items share something in common: an imbalance somewhere in the body, that is present and developing, making us more susceptible to injury the further we go without taking it into account and doing something about it.<\/p>\n

Keeping everything that I have said so far in mind, I would like to bring up two points of perspective in story form, for both you and I to think about for a moment. \ud83d\ude03<\/p>\n

PERSPECTIVE #1:<\/p>\n

I remember having a conversation with a friend and former client about how she despises running. I mean, I’m sure we all know someone who has muttered words similar to this – – –<\/p>\n

“Only if I was being chased by a saber-toothed tiger, Horror movie star Jason, a rabid dog, a demon wielding a knife….would I actually CHOOSE, as in VOLUNTARILY choose, to go running.”<\/p>\n

\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffd\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udfff\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffc\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffc\u274c\ud83c\udfc3\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/p>\n

So, basically the whole “running for fun” idea is in the “never and\/or when pigs fly” category!! And only if a tsunami was chasing them or if Aliens were attacking them, would they lace up and think running was a grand idea.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Right?!?!?!?!<\/p>\n

Well, this former client of mine, let’s call her Carmen, mentioned that she basically did a “Couch to 5K” run earlier in the year. Which means that she barely trained, like she just arose from the couch and chose to run a 5K that day. And even though Carmen has no real running background in the first place, she still both ran and finished this race! Howeverrrrrrr, her knees were NOT pleased with this shock to her system, of course, and she could barely walk the next day and her knees were screaming in pain. From this particular experience, it confirmed that she does indeed hate running and that she will never go running again. She is basing her hatred for running on the handful of times that she maybe tried running in her lifetime and then on this last experience of “no running to \ud83d\udca5BAM\ud83d\udca5 3.1 miles of running all at once!”<\/p>\n

Ahhhhhh, the “Couch to 5K”…… You know, my amazing Mom once did a “Couch to 10K!!!”…..and a couple of “Couch to 5K’s” as well, honestly…..and she experienced knee issues during the races and once the races were over, too. Nothing like screaming pain, but she definitely had a knee that felt like it was failing her towards the end of each race and she had some soreness in her legs and hips in the aftermath. I remember my Mom questioning her body and if these long distance races were “her thing” because of her knee…and I countered that with “and how might that change if we actually properly trained and cross-trained for these races? Hmmm?”<\/p>\n

\ud83d\ude09\ud83e\udd14\ud83e\uddd0\ud83e\udd28\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n

With something like running, it’s always easier to believe that our bodies aren’t meant to run these distances or run at all…(like, we tend to blame our age or our defective-running-bodies, for example, because the knee pain is our “proof”) rather than looking at the “WHY our knees are hurting” in the first place. And if we didn’t actually TRAIN for a long run, like doing lots of mini workouts and building our running strength and stamina in an incremental and controlled fashion, can we reeeeally be surprised if we don’t walk away from something like a 3.1 mile race, unscathed and soreness-free???<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

I know you get it – – even if you may not want to hear me….. \ud83d\ude01\ud83d\ude09\ud83d\ude06<\/p>\n

From my point of view, I think it’s a huge accomplishment to be able to finish these races in the first place with zero to minimal training!! AND I also believe that a non-runner that decides to push themselves that intensely, with no real build-up, no idea about their own running form, no gentle introduction into the impact that running creates on the joints…..it makes sense why joints, especially the knees, (and the hips and the ankles….because it’s all connected…) would rebel against this decision after these races, you know???<\/p>\n

So, my PERSPECTIVE#1 is to think about Carmen and wonder:<\/p>\n

If she woke up tomorrow, with the ability to run long distances with zero pain, would she begin to love running? If she examined and corrected her running form, if she started with running a 1\/4 of a mile each day (or every other day) and built from there, and if she kept up her normal full body workouts with proper recovery, would she find that running could be fun if it started to feel great on her body? (Because there are lots of people that love to run – – I am one of those people!! – – and it’s because it has always felt great on my body and I loved pushing myself with this cardio of choice!) And so, if Carmen gave her body the fighting chance to adapt to this unfamiliar form of cardio, would that make all of the difference for her and for the confidence in her body to run, to run well, and to run pain-free? No longer “needing” to write off running or to hate running because the pain would be gone…<\/p>\n

Notice that it would take a good deal of effort, energy, and determination to get to that final stage of potentially running for fun…..but I believe that it is possible and that it is doable for those that would dedicate themselves and choose to work for it. Because if the knee pain is what is causing you not to run, eliminating the knee pain might give you that enticement to give it a go!!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Please take a look at where you are struggling in your life, in terms of movement and activity. Whether you avoid stairs or you have to sit a very specific way in order to be comfortable or you hate leg day so you don’t spend so much time on that workout. How would it change for you IF you could run those stairs, IF you could sit however you chose and be comfortable, and IF you started to love the power and pump that comes from a challenging leg day? Would you then look forward to doing these activities?<\/p>\n

And if the answer is YES, or even an “I think so,” then what is stopping you from moving in that direction? Rather than feeling deterred from working on what we don’t like, therefore on what’s hard, instead we make the effort that gets us closer and closer to doing these challenging things with greater ease and with a different and more productive mindset.<\/p>\n

So, rather than using pain as an excuse or any other excuse that we might be using to prevent ourselves from tackling a struggle or doing something seemingly impossible for us at this time, why not give ourselves the chance to change our circumstances? No more folding to and accepting the limitations that we place on ourselves, especially if deep down we wish that it could be different. WE HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE IT DIFFERENT.<\/p>\n

Just something to think about.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

PERSPECTIVE #2:<\/p>\n

Going back to my mentioning of CrossFit and Coach Rob, I do love watching and admiring phenomenal athletes absolutely annihilating their sport or their competition field. When it comes to things like American Ninja Warrior and the CrossFit Games, I marvel at the skills, coordination, and superior strength of these super-human athletes.<\/p>\n

One such freak of colossal fitness proportions is Mathew Fraser, who has been the winner of the CrossFit Games and the Fittest Man on EARTH for FIVE STRAIGHT YEARS, beginning in 2016 and winning once again this year.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Where other Crossfitters work hard at their strengths and their wheelhouse of skills over their year of prepping for the CrossFit Games, Mathew Fraser comes at his training in a very different way. In one documentary about The CrossFit Games, I once heard him say, “I am training to not have a wheelhouse.” Meaning, he trains to be strong and excel at every single exercise and event that he does.<\/p>\n

And I freakin’ love that!!!!!! I believe that that is why he continues to dominate year after year, destroy his competition, and claim first place among the fittest people on earth. Mat Fraser is an absolute beast, both in his mental game and in his year-long training, and he takes pride in mastering his “sucks” (or whatever he believes are his weakest points of training) so that everything he does is at the top of his game. We can learn a lot from the Fittest Man on Earth and how he dives headfirst into his own struggles and challenges and proves, time and time again, that he is unstoppable.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And trust, I realize that Mathew Fraser is an insane pro-athlete and that the majority of us ARE NOT. However, he still gives all of us a really important perspective, just like Coach Rob: to train our “sucks” or the areas where we struggle or find weakness. Because the beauty happens when we change our “sucks” to being something doable, then something more comfortable, then something done with ease, then maybe it morphs to being a part of our strengths OR maybe we even win the CrossFit Games by crushing our once-sucky movement\/event!!! Who knows what could happen!!! Especially if we don’t try and work at making these struggles better.<\/p>\n

For me, once I started having all of these consecutive knee injuries and surgeries, and the nerves that run down my legs were cut into many times from the knee incisions, I started to watch my balance go downhill. Especially in my feet, my ankles, and even my toes. SO, I have had a toe, foot, and ankle workout day for the past 8 months!!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It may sound really silly and ridiculous, I know!!!! Like, imagine my workouts being Back\/Biceps, Chest\/Triceps, Toes\/Feet\/Ankles, and Leg Day!!! It really is kinda like this… \ud83e\udd13<\/p>\n

HOWEVER, if I am unsteady on my feet because my lower leg muscles are not working properly, wouldn’t this make my knees more vulnerable than they already are? And it would be very detrimental for me to NOT take this lower leg deficiency into account!! Therefore, I have been working on my balance “sucks” over the past 8 months and it has been so challenging, with lots of shaking, wobbling, and falling over, and it has consumed so much of my concentration and my patience. AND, at the same time, my balance and control have also drastically improved and it has made the hugest difference in my other training days, in how I walk, in how I do stairs, and so on!! This clearly demonstrates that my body and my nervous system are and have been benefiting from my toe\/foot\/ankle training day and that my body and my balance clearly needed this attention to detail.<\/p>\n

I mean, who do you know who has a dedicated training day to the toes\/feet\/ankles??? Probably just one now and it’s ME!!!! \ud83e\udd2a Yet, don’t forget how important the feet and ankles are and that a weakness or limitation in the lower leg truly does affect everything that we do! Hey, it just might be worth it to investigate your own lower leg control, without any cheating from padded and insole-laden shoes, and see how much strength and stability you have, too. Food for thought! \ud83e\udd57\ud83e\uddb6 \ud83c\udf2e \ud83e\uddb6\ud83c\udf54<\/p>\n

No matter how small or insignificant it may seem, conquering these challenges in our life can have the most profound effects on our bodies and on our lives. For me, it may mean finally getting me out of my almost 8-year knee injury loop that I have been unable to do, no matter how hard I have tried!!! Because maybe this foot and ankle weakness has been contributing to my knee complications and injuries all of this time and I never realized it before. Tending to this gap in my movement and in my training may be the exact answer that I have been so desperately searching for!! Or at least it will assist me as I overcome the next stage of my knee journey. It will only help me.<\/p>\n

Just like working on our “sucks” can only help us to get better, to feel better, and to move better. We just need to be honest about what they are and then vow to do something about them.<\/p>\n

And get after what we want and the direction we wish to go, like Elle Woods did. \ud83e\udd17<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Yes, it’s hard…..but YES, it’s worth it and in many ways even more crucial to focus on than our strengths and the fun stuff.<\/p>\n

So, in closing today, I say: thank you for being here and reading along with my thought processes, my ideas, and my wonders!!<\/p>\n

And please consider:<\/p>\n

The life-changing quality of embracing the “sucks” in our lives and never giving up on ourselves and on our ability to move forward from where we are now – – even if it’s a millimeter towards being better, stronger, fitter, sharper, and\/or more pain-free, body-conscious, and aware.<\/p>\n

Promise yourself to be unstoppable, like Coach Rob and Mathew Fraser, on your quest for being your best, your most authentic, and your most mobile and high-functioning self!<\/p>\n

Besides, working on our “sucks” or on our struggles? “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard…is what makes it great.” – Jimmy Dugan<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Even though our “sucks” are hard AND everyone should still do them AND everyone is capable of making millimeters of progress with their own “sucks”…….Jimmy Dugan still makes an excellent point about both baseball and about life. “The hard is what makes it great.” We reap the greatest and most fulfilling rewards when we choose and face the hard stuff. \ud83d\udcaf%\u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n

\u26be\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffe\u203c\ufe0f\u26be\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffc\u203c\ufe0f\u26be\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udfff\u203c\ufe0f\u26be\ufe0f\u203c\ufe0f\ud83d\udcaa\ud83c\udffd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wanna know what can be really, super-duper fun??? Working on our strengths and the things that we tend to do really well!!! Wanna know what can be really, super-duper agitating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2937"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5434,"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937\/revisions\/5434"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/trifinitywellness.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}