LETTER TO PARTICIPANTS
Aristotle: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
Dear members of CrossFit Threshold,
Today marks the first day of the 2010 Paleo/Zone/Performance Challenge. In the next few days you’ll have the unique opportunity to do something not many people get to do. Being a CrossFitter, you have learned to battle the storm; fight through any physical task no matter how daunting it may seem. In the end, you have all risen victorious, accomplishing feats and goals most people can only dream of. You are warriors because of it. Look back onto your lives before CrossFit. What were you like? How did you view obstacles? I know from experience that I was someone unknowingly unsure of myself in both my personal and professional life. CrossFit awoke something inside of me as I know it’s done for all of you. You all walk with more swagger, confidence, and pride than ever before. We have seen fellow members of our affiliate change their bodies, minds, and spirits. The quiet ones become the loud ones, the weak ones become the strong ones, and the newbies are following in their footsteps.
I am proud to say that we’ve created a community as strong as oak. The bonds you’ve forged are real. You know it, you sense it, and any outsider can feel it when they walk into our community. We are a cult, no doubt about it. But we are a fitness cult that promotes and strives towards physically and mental wellbeing as well as longevity. The relationship between the kitchen and the gym are intricately woven. You have all become aware of this through my relentless nagging about nutrition compliance. But here is the moment of truth.
This new challenge will be just like the last one but there’s one catch. Just like CrossFit we are applying the golden rule, “Show up and DON’T QUIT”. We are asking for the same mental fortitude that you’ve displayed day in and day out during the WODs. What questions are running through your head right now? “90 days is too long”, “I hate writing things down”, “I don’t have time”, “I don’t want to lose weight”. These are all excuses derived from fear. Fear of doing something we feel uneasy doing. We have an amazing family here. A family that supports each other and is there for each other no matter the weather. Just like the workouts, I want you all to brave this challenge together as one. For you men that are “afraid of losing weight or muscle”. Look at me. I am LIVING proof that you can maintain your weight and strength. I lift more than you, I run faster than you, I crush your times. How do I do all these things? I am no one special. I am JUST like you. There’s one fine line, my nutrition is in check and I have the numbers to prove it. I want my clients to rise above me. I want to see our men and women beating my scores and times. That’s when I know I’ve done my job.
You all have the unique opportunity to take the leap and fight the biggest battle we all face but not confront it alone, but with 100+ family members behind you in your corner. Don’t think, just do. Let go of all those negative thoughts that are stopping you from signing up. Those are the very same thoughts that create ceilings in your lives. This time around we are making everyone complete baseline tests to see how those numbers change in 90 days with proper compliance to nutrition. We will be organizing more social events. We are encouraging an open forum to discover and swap recipes. But for all of us to support each other, we must all take part and pledge our commitment.
If you back down from this challenge, who’s to say what other challenges you’ll back down from in your life? We all become comfortable and complacent. This is the root of all evil and leads to our demise. You must constantly step into unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory because it makes you stronger. We all KNOW this! If you have a nerve-racking task at work, do you just not do it? Based on your career’s survival, you face it head on and work through it. You don’t move a mountain all at once. You move it stone by stone. 90 days is a great way to gauge what works and what doesn’t. The last challenge didn’t give the participants enough time to really create habits that could be practically applied. Some succeeded and we all saw the results. I want to create a better community through nutrition. We forge community through fitness, why not through with what fuels us?
So from the bottom of my heart, please step forward and accept the challenge. You can only become a better person for it and it will better our community that we hold so dear. Henry David Thoreau once said, “I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor”. It’s going to be tough, but nothing of value comes without sacrifice.
With Love,
Chris Holt
