First of many

The coaches of Mpower will be starting their own blogs over the course of the next month. This surge of expression, postings and musings leads to the inevitable question, "What is with all of these blogs?"

Blogs are an open forum opportunity for expression. There is so much that surrounds the quest for fitness, health, beauty and happiness. If it was a simple equation, we would all be the leanest, fittest, content race on the planet. I will get right to the punchline, it is not that simple and we are not all content.

The thing that is even more crazy is once you think you have it figured out and down to a science, something comes out of left field to remind you that you are human. Acceptance, error and living in the moment now become the real challenge. I write about this today because I've had a weekend that began with taking some risks to veer off my usual diet. "A few of these won't hurt" led to "Well, I deserve a few more" led to "Crap! What have I done?!" This is life.

Getting 'off track' is par for the course. One could argue that it is part of training and becoming stronger. To be able to get back on the horse, brush yourself off and start with a fresh perspective takes some mental fortitude. True failure comes when someone gets pulled into a downward spiral of beat up.

So, take a deep breath, look at the whole picture. If you feel like you are 'off the wagon' in any one part of your life it's simply a chance to look at what's going on. Is there something off balance? What do you need? If you can't get back on track alone, reach out for support.

One of the most amazing things that drew me to CrossFit was how supportive and filled with integrity it's participants were. Unconditionally accepting, yet simultaneously encouraging you to exceed your own expectations. That, my friends, is community. I am so proud to be part of this community and draw strength from each of you everyday. Thank you.