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Taken from Crossfit Watertown:

Rarely do I see women overestimate themselves.

We are excellent pacers. It’s like something intrinsic to our nature — some survival of the species instinct that almost forces us to go lighter, go just a tad slower, “save something” for the last round. We worry that our form is not right, that we’re not doing things well enough, that we should stay in the “minor leagues” just a tad longer before we’re ready to play with the big girls.

I saw it when I raced mountain bikes in California. The women’s “Beginner” category would be the largest, with a small Intermediate, and very few Expert or Pro racers. Even tough female mountain bike riders were reluctant to bump up from Beginner to Intermediate, scared that they were not ready for the next level. Over on the men’s side, the Intermediate cat was huge, with guys fighting to get into it, to prove themselves, to make it to the next level. The only men who stayed at the Beginner level were sand-baggers — guys with small cojones who wanted to dominate longer in the small pond with the little fish.

It’s time to get out of the small pond.

Women with the small weights on the bar and the extra gas left in the tank, I dare you to grow some cojones. Not literally. (Ewww.) But figuratively. Stop thinking of yourself as weaker than you are. Banish those “slow” or “old” thoughts from your head. Throw some mother****ing weight on the bar and make the lift happen. And run faster. And try for the extra pull-up and the handstand push-up. Maybe it won’t be perfect. Maybe you’ll fail. Maybe you’ll fail a bunch. I don’t care. That’s okay. You won’t die from failure here. More importantly, you’ll be living. Someone kinda famous once said to me: “You’re going to misstep and you’re going to find success. So what. I love you no matter how it turns out and most things are fixable (or not, so ****ing what).” This is the way to live life — with these thoughts in your head. Be bold, be brave, be invincible.

So, the next time you’re setting up your bar in a workout or you’re grabbing a kettlebell, go heavier. It’s worth a try. You might succeed, you might fail, but I’m going to love you no matter how it turns out.

(Words by Lisbeth Darsh of CrossFit Watertown.)

I came across this article last week and it really struck me. I thought I was the only one who tries to "strategize" my WODs by maybe not lifting quite what I'm capable of, saving a little stamina so I can "make it" to the end and finish the WOD with some gas left in the tank. I'm beginning to overcome some of that. But it's a mental battle with myself each and every time. There's no worse feeling than finishing a WOD and feeling like you could've done more. There's no better feeling than finishing a WOD and feeling like you absolutely crushed it.

This article is a great reminder for us to Go Harder. Lift Heavier. And Breathe Less. -(to quote our very own SicFit.com superblogger Jen Cardella)

Upcoming Events

There is a lot going on this month at Crossfit Central! This week you can sign up for a few upcoming events:

Spartan 300 Challenge

....limited to 50 people (indoor clients)....sign up begins Tuesday at noon (tomorrow)

What is the Spartan Challenge?
The Spartan Challenge is a 7 week program that will be highly focused and personlized to get all participants in the best physical shape of their lives. It is open to Men and Women and scaled to ALL levels of fitness. It doesn't matter what your current physical condition is or whether or not you're knowledgeable in health and fitness - This program can meet you where you're at physically. If you're already in great shape you can always be in better shape...this program will rock your world and be a lot of fun. If you're not...guess what...you're going to come out of this a Champion and better because of it!!!

Trojan Challenge

...limited to 100 people...open to both indoor and bootcamp clients...sign up begins Tomorrow

Details of the challenge:

The Trojan Challenge will go on during the same 7 weeks of the Spartan 300 Challenge (May 8th-June 26th), but will have different components. Each participant will be assigned a CrossFit Central Relentless Coach that will help keep them accountable and offer guidance with their nutrition and workouts. The workouts will be kettlebell focused, and each participant will get a kettlebell with their registration. On the kick off date, May 8th, you will have your before photo taken and will go through the benchmark workout. The final benchmark workout will be on Saturday, June 26th.

Both Challenges begin on May 8 and run until June 26. Make this your fittest summer ever!

Take Action!

What are you doing right now to achieve your goals?

Do you have a clear idea of where you are going?

Do you have a Plan of Action?

Do you do at least one thing every day to get you closer to your goal(s)?

"Nobody trips over mountains. It's the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain."- Author Unknown

Tonight there will be a Nutrition Meeting at Run-Tex @ 7pm!!

Fish Oil....How much?

Wondering how much fish oil you should be taking?

Check out this link to the Whole9's handy Fish Oil calculator:

It is based on Robb Wolf's formula that he talks about on almost every podcast.

I plugged in my numbers and it said I should be taking 13 pills a day!

What did it recommend for you? Is it close to what you are taking already? What are your thoughts about it?

I Am Crossfit Results

The I Am Crossfit results are in and they are truly outstanding!!!

If you haven't been to the I Am Crossfit Blog, you gotta go check it out.

A big congrats to Team 3 for the best overall results!

They will be enjoying a celebratory dinner at 24 Diner along with their coaches, Big Mike, Jen Cardella, and Travis Holley.

Keep up the great work!

Crossfit Central Women sweep Sectionals!

Congratulations to all the athletes who competed this past weekend. Every single one of you gave it your all and should be immensely proud of yourself.

More good stuff from the weekend to come...

Check out videos, pictures, and more at SICFIT.com

Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

It's only the Beginning

Body fat's been pinched.

"After" pictures taken.

Final WOD done.

Some things overheard around Crossfit Central the past few days:

"I shaved 3 minutes off my time."

"I only lost 1% body fat!"

"This guy in my class lost 11% body fat!"

"He lost 26 lbs!"

"I PRd on every lift this month"

"I can't afford to keep going shopping. I'm losing more and more weight!"

EVERYONE saw success these last 8 weeks. Sure, maybe you feel like you should have lost more body fat or more weight. But I guarantee you are stronger and faster than you were 8 weeks ago.

This.is.only.the.Beginning.

You've planted the seed. You've made the changes. Now let those be lasting changes. If you haven't seen huge dramatic changes in this short time, don't worry. Stay the course and you will continue to see results. If you saw huge results, keep on it! It's the small things you do over time that will lead to the big results.

Congratulations to all of you. You have all worked really hard!

Reflect

The past 8 weeks have seen some major life changes in a whole lotta people. Some have completely changed their diet. Others have focused more on upping their workouts.

What is the biggest change you've made in the past 8 weeks?

What are you most proud of?

Boast to comments! like that pun?!

Primal Eating Modern Table

Our very own Coach Crystal Nelson has partnered with Lauren Sheehan to bring a new 8 week online program to help transition people towards Primal eating. There will be webinars, cooking demos, and grocery shopping help. But most importantly, it is a way to help people (and families!) make this transition without feeling too overwhelmed. They will guide you and give you the tools and support to make these changes towards a more healthy lifestyle for you and your family. As a busy Mom myself, this is just what our family needs!!

I spoke with Crystal about this new venture and this is what she had to say:

Primal Eating Modern Table is the brainchild of Us; Crystal Nelson and Lauren Sheehan. We are both seasoned crossfitters and coaches who have spent the last few years searching for a way of eating that was the best for our own lives as well as our clients'. What we didn't expect through this transition is that in our efforts to eat the most optimal foods for our fitness performance and general health, we realized the true power of food. Eating for performance isn't just for athletics. When we eat the most clean, whole, and unprocessed foods our bodies can function at their best; ALL DAY LONG.

Do you have frequent headaches?Bloating? Digestive problems? Congestion? Heart Burn?Anxiety? Low energy?

We found out very quickly that most of these issues could be solved by simply eating the best FOOD we could find. (for a definition of food see here) We also found out that it is NOT normal to have that energy crash around 2pm every day, or to feel bloated after a meal. These are all signs of inflammation from what's going into your body.

Food isn't just for fun, and it isn't just fuel. It's the key to your ultimate happiness. If you want to really start living your life, bringing your ideas and creativity to the forefront, and create your success you NEED to start to look at the foods you eat and if they are serving you and your goals.

We created Primal Eating Modern Table to help you make this transition with as much support as possible. Between the two of us, we've pretty much gone through it all. We've figured out what the best resources are, we've learned the easiest ways to prepare and cook meals on the go, we've experienced going to social events where there is nothing "primal friendly" to eat... as well as the funny looks and interrogation of friends when you tell them you don't eat dairy or gluten anymore. We've experienced the change in our minds and performance inside the gym, but just as much outside the gym.

Everything we are going to tell you, teach you, and inspire you with is of our own experience and it's from the bottom of our hearts. WE KNOW THAT THIS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE MORE THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE... and we're excited to be able to share that journey with you.