by ricthompson | Jan 6, 2020 | Blog, Coach Corner
You are probably not taking advantage of one of the most powerful tools at CrossFit PTC. A tool designed to help you reach all of your goals.
According to Forbes Magazine, only 8% of the people who make New Year’s resolutions keep them.
How do you become part of the 8%?
You create actionable goals. Goals and the steps to achieve them have legs because they have meaning. This makes the New Year a Perfect time for a Goal Review or Check-In with one of CrossFit PTC’s Coaches. We will help you clarify your goals, determine the why behind it, help you map out the steps, and the biggest part…Help you create a plan including accountability that will help you achieve your goals.
The best part?
Goal-setting sessions are free. Goal setting or a Coach Check-in is a feature of your membership that you have not been using. You are missing out on one of the best ways to leverage your membership to get better results.
The other benefit?
We get to find out what you are most proud of and share that with others!
So, don’t miss this opportunity to start off 2020 with your goals in mind.
Sign up here https://CrossFitPTC.as.me/goal-setting
Not a member yet? Click here and get a free Fitness Consultation
by ricthompson | Dec 11, 2019 | Blog, Coach Corner
How does one minute ruin your health?
I just listened to a podcast where a writer was talking about getting up at 4:30, going to his special writing space, and then just writing one sentence a day before sitting back and enjoying his cup of coffee.
That’s it.
Just one sentence.
He wanted to create a positive reinforcement of accomplishing the task in order to create a habit. Sure, after some time this one sentence might transform into a paragraph, then perhaps a chapter. The length of time was not the key, the experience was.
I have seen the opposite happen.
Someone was a regular in the gym, and then something happened to break their habit. Perhaps an illness, travel, family emergency, the list is long. The key is that the positive vibe of friends in the gym, the feeling of finishing the workout, the feelings of the endorphins or ringing the PR bell were all kind of forgotten.
One day turned into a week.
That week turned into 6
Then they dropped, not just from CrossFit PTC, but from exercise. The brain is a funny taskmaster. A slow reversal of all of their accomplishments ensued: unwanted weight gain, lack of energy, a steady downhill movement.
Things come up, life changes, you still need to be in control of your health and physical well being. How do you do that? The same way the writer did. You commit to one little thing. Just come to the gym. Don’t worry about anything else…heck do the warm-up and go home. Get a win in. Feel good. Do the workout at half speed/weight/time and feel good about it. Do that for 2-4 weeks and you are back.
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao Tzu
A detour on your journey is overcome with the same small step – Ric
by ricthompson | Oct 18, 2019 | testimonials
Cheaper Than Therapy
A Crossfit Transformation Story
By: Angie Bryant a reformed athlete
“There’s something wrong with me”; I lashed out at my husband. After having what I would describe as a series of terrible, no good, very bad days, I finally broke down. I had come to realize that I was “off”. There was something not normal in my life, like something had died inside me. I flip-flopped between depression, melancholy, avoidance (also known as denial) and feelings of being overwhelmed. I was nearing my fortieth birthday and it was like a switch was flipped and my life went into chaos. I gave my husband a long speech about I either needed to see a doctor and get medication, or I needed a change of lifestyle and do something for myself like get back to the gym. So it was decided. I could try going back to the gym because it was cheaper than therapy. This is where my crossfit story began.
But first, here’s a little background about how I knew that the gym is what I was missing. I had always loved playing sports and competing. From elementary school on I had played in a variety of sports. I even lettered in three during my high school years: volleyball, basketball and track and field with Track being the first sport I loved and excelled. I was so dedicated to running and training that I even worked during my last two summers of high school to train for the Junior Olympics. I made it all the way to Nationals both years. I continued running and training in college and was able to get back to volleyball, as well, while I worked on my Art education degree. I loved everything about sports and competing. I enjoyed learning more and more from my coaches and was always trying to improve my results and myself for them. They motivated me to work harder and get stronger. Even as an elementary student I was always racing the boys at recess and could never sit still. I needed to be active, and when I was playing sports I felt whole. It kept me level headed (most of the time). I didn’t know what it did to me biologically just that it made me happy. Only as an adult had I figured out that exercising helped me mentally, physically, and emotionally. It kept me “sane”; it kept me goal-oriented; it kept me confident; it kept me healthy; it kept me focused; it kept me motivated; it built me. Sports and my faith carried me through some really hard times. It wasn’t until I started crossfit that I put this together.
Before I got back into the gym I had quit all exercising. As the real world hit and I had to go do adult things, I dropped the sports and activities because life was just too busy to fit it in. I finished college with my Bachelor’s degree in Art Education; I did try my hand at a couple of assistant coaching positions hoping that would keep me active. I loved being able to pour into my students and helping them reach their potential, but I wasn’t pouring into myself. Then life continued to roll on and change. Getting married and moving away from friends and family, I continued teaching and coaching a little here and there, but not making time for exercise myself. I knew it was important but didn’t make it a priority. Then before I knew it five years passed and we had our first child and I gained a significant amount of weight and my focus was yet again not on me but my newborn son. Then two years later came the second one, and I was no longer teaching big kids but preschoolers and toddlers. Still pouring myself out and not filling up. I soon added homeschooling and children’s ministry to my resume and stayed so busy that there was never any time for healthy living and exercise. After my kids had grown up some more I made a few more attempts at exercising and getting my weight off, and I did succeed for a little while, but as usual, it was me leading the group and I reached burn out pretty fast. I had been doing so much for everyone else that I had nothing left. That is when I had that midnight cry with my husband asking for some relief. I told him that I either needed a doctor or I needed the gym. So we decided that we could try the gym, and if in a few months nothing changes then we see a doctor. So I found a local CrossFit gym.
Why did I choose CrossFit and not a chain gym? I knew from my previous athletic background that I thrived on intense coaching and one on one instruction. And I also knew a friend and her husband had just opened a new box in our area and I wanted to give it a try. I came in for my first trial workout and thought I was going to die, but I walked out of there knowing I’d be back. I had found my people and I had found my thing. I may not always like the workouts, but I am never disappointed when I have finished them. The guidance and skill-building from the coaches helped me gain the confidence that I had lost. I stayed at that gym for over a year and half, and as life would have it we had to make a change. So we made a huge jump and moved our family away from all we had known for the last 15 years. And life happened and I took some time off from the gym, but I was going to get back into a box in our new town and this time I’d take my family with me. And as a mutual decision (as a result I think of the results I had had at my previous gym) my husband and I looked for a gym we could all join as a family.
And that is how we found CrossFit PTC. It was the only box in our area that had a character-driven, level-based training program for both of my boys and an excellent staff of coaches who could help my nonathletic husband gain the confidence and training he needed to get his fitness on track. We have gained so much more than muscles and PRs at this gym. We are learning about nutrition and healthier choices, and we are challenged all the time to try new things. I have even set new goals and worked on getting better at all the things that I was afraid to do before. I decided in 2018 I would compete in two competitions, and I did that. I made some great improvements in my form in many of the lifts and gymnastics movements, and I’ve set some new PRs. Life has now felt like it has settled down quite nicely, even my husband and my kids have gained confidence and healthy lifestyles as a result of joining this CrossFit journey with me.
I’ve been so impressed with the children and teens programming at our gym that I wanted to know more, and since I have a love and joy for teaching and coaching kids I decided that I’d like to get my level 1 certification (plus it would allow me to learn even more about CrossFit and help me improve my own skills at the same time). I want kids and teens to have the confidence and self-esteem that I had growing up as a result of the fine coaching I had. I want kids to know they can be successful and productive members of society. I want to further the reach of this great fitness program and help kids and their parents find ways of staying healthy and happy together. If our family was able to do it then they could too.
Why would anyone want me to be his or her coach? I’d hope they would see that I cared about them and wanted to help them succeed and improve their overall outlook on life. I would want them to see that anything is possible with a dream and a plan. We could reach their goals together. I would want them to feel as though I am right there with them fighting the fight of aging and battling with them against the negative self-talk that wants to defeat us. Am I going to be a perfect coach? Probably not. Will I be completely organized and efficient all the time? I will try my best. Will I be intimidated by some of the tasks that are required of me? Indeed I will, but any task worth doing is going to have its scary moments we have to fight through. Hopefully, I will have the knowledge and wisdom to know when to ask for help and tackle the issues and problems as they come. I am looking forward to this new chapter in my life. I am always willing to try something new. I like the challenge. I will work hard at doing this job and work to make this fitness movement and my CrossFit PTC family proud.
by ricthompson | Oct 2, 2019 | Blog, Coach Corner
Have you ever said, “I need another hour in my day”?
Let’s look at a way to add some time back to your schedule using exercise.
Interested?
Work effectively and efficiently
One of the keys to effective time management is to actually be productive in the time you have. Science has shown time and time again that exercise and particularly exercise before work, makes you able to learn and concentrate better, in essence, to be more effective. Dr. John Ratey in his book “Spark” details in multiple ways how exercise increases learning and effectiveness. In one study students that exercised before school saw a 17% increase in test scores. Additional studies on healthy adults showed increased recall and increased cognitive abilities. It might not be the limitless drug, but consistent exercise is one way to increase your output and creativity. The science is clear, exercise not only leads to a better body but also a better brain. In fact, Dr. Ratey calls exercise “Miracle Grow” for the brain.
Time efficiency
Now that we know that exercise is going to add time by being cognitively “on”. How can we exercise in a time-efficient manner? You could steal some workouts from Men’s Health or Muscle and Fitness, you can google “Time efficient workouts”, or you can just strap on your biking kit and head out. However, chances are the time you spend preparing is not going to add time back to your schedule. The alternative is to have a session that is programmed specifically for you and your goal. A session that is time-efficient, designed to utilize the time you have scheduled, where the equipment is appropriate and available, the atmosphere conducive to working out, and a coach is there to make sure you are doing everything correctly. All you need to do is to show up, do the work in the time allotted, and then go on with your life.
Schedule it
Working effectively and having a time-efficient workout all sound great, but the last part is scheduling. We schedule time for the important things. If you are going to work out on your own you need to make a date with yourself. Put it in your calendar/ Outlook or Gmail. However, for some people -like me- this is tough. If I am going to go to the gym “on my way home” or “before work” (Thanks Dr Ratey) I may never make it. Things in my calendar get in the way, I may have a hard time getting out the door, or I really need that extra cup of coffee. However, if I have an appointment with someone….I seem to make it on time. What this means is, if I have a scheduled appointment with my trainer at 06:30 I will ensure I am there. If I have a group class at 5:30pm I will leave work on time to make it there. The side benefit is that if my session has a defined end I am not tempted to do “just a bit more”. It is ok for me to move on to the next thing in the schedule.
The big take away or the TL/DR
While you can’t physically add time to the day, you can increase your cognitive and creative performance through effectively scheduled, efficiently executed, expertly coached exercise.
CrossFit PTC can help!
Over the last 10 years, we have helped hundreds of busy people look great and feel awesome by coaching them in exercise, nutrition, and lifestyle. We can help you too.
A simple 3 step process.
🗓️ Schedule a consultation Here (link)
📝You and your coach create a plan built just for you.
💪 Get great results – Guaranteed!
by ricthompson | Oct 1, 2019 | Blog, Coach Corner
I was 40 and my pants were the biggest they had ever been. How could this be?
I was doing the things that should have kept my waist size down. I was riding my bike to work, running, and hitting the local big box gym pretty regularly. So WTH????
So, I thought I was kind of a gym rat….I had been in and out of the gym all my life. I was a MARINE so I had to know what to do. But, here’s what would happen. I would go into the gym, with some kind of a plan, ok it was not really a plan…Perhaps back and biceps, chest and triceps….but, it would depend. Is that equipment open? Did that dude standing there with a towel on the machine really want to use it? In the end, it was wander from equipment to equipment or machine to machine to find something that was open (and I wanted to do). It was extremely haphazard then if nothing else…jump on the treadmill. It really wasn’t working for me, but my rates were low.
A friend of mine who was still active duty in the Marines told me about this thing called CrossFit. We did a few of the workouts together and I was hooked. He helped me find the resources to get going, and I had a plan. I started to see some great results. My wife, family and friends started to notice. When I started adding in a good nutrition program to my workouts I saw even faster results. Now, almost 12 years later my waist and pants are the same as I was wearing in college.
You may be like me. If you find yourself wandering around the gym and not really making any progress you need to get a coach. A coach will help you form a plan that gets to the results that you want to achieve. In the last 10 years, CrossFit PTC has coached hundreds of busy people helping them find success through intelligent exercise, sensible nutrition, and personalized accountability. We can help you. You don’t need to wander around a big box gym, not getting results.
To get results follow these 3 steps:
- Schedule a free fitness consultation with one of our professional, certified coaches. HERE
- Create a customized exercise, nutrition and accountability plan just for you.
- Get great results.
Schedule your consultation today!
https://CrossFitPTC.as.me/freefitnessconsultation
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