Why is that we only really appreciate things we’ve had after their gone? I don’t think there is anything this applies more to than your health. When we are young we carry on like our health is guaranteed and we needn’t pay it much attention. We enjoy the benefits of youthful fitness with no future plan. For the lucky ones this extends longer than others but sooner or later everyone is faced with that reflection in the mirror that announces you’ve lost it.

            For me fitness and health go hand in hand, they are the perfect companions. I don’t understand anyone who will be concerned about the type of food they consume but won’t exercise, or the other person who will workout but then load up on fast foods. I like to apply the same principal to my body as I do to my motorcycle. I want it to perform to its full potential and to help that happen I am only going to put the best fuel I can find in it. I push my body hard but I try to restore it through healthy eating, which for me means buying organic produce and meat, choosing healthy snacks like nuts and fruit and staying away from processed foods in general. Of course I’m going to also enjoy chocolate but when I do it is good organic chocolate and in small amounts. Currently chocolate buttons are my favourite.

When I see, as I did recently, two superb athletes get sick and end up with pneumonia it serves as a reminder how fragile our health can be. When I hear of someone getting a lethal disease I am saddened and respectful of the gift of health. The human body is such a remarkable thing and capable of amazing feats. It is something to be grateful for every day. Each of us have been given a genetic combination that created the figure we grew into. We are all unique and beautiful. I think we should celebrate that beauty by trying to be the best we can be. This doesn’t mean that our goals should all be the same and we should strive to try and shape ourselves into the vision of someone else’s perception of a healthy body. You don’t have to starve yourself so that you can attain a chiseled look just because that is the image presented on the cover of magazines. Work hard, eat healthy and moderately and your body will naturally evolve into a wonderful package. It will allow you to do things that will enhance your life.

Treat yourself well and it will be the gift that keeps on giving.

            I’m riding across a vast desert basin in Nevada. The road ahead looks exactly the same as the one in my mirror. Its straight, its flat and its hot. On either side of the highway the sagebrush grows with the occasional cactus standing up to breakup the monotony of the landscape. In this arid inferno I ride and I’m content.

            My bike, a BMW GS1200 purrs beneath me. It doesn’t seem to matter whether I’m going 60 or 100 mph, it’s all the same to this bike and I cruise or accelerate as the mood takes me. There is no other traffic and I haven’t seen another car in a long time.

Deciding that I could do with a snack I gear down and stop. I don’t pull over. I swing out the side stand and get off the bike in the middle of the road. I can see miles down the road and there is no one coming in either direction. I take off my helmet and smile.

            It is rare to find this kind of solitude and I absorb like a special vitamin going straight to my soul. The vastness of the land around me flows past me and through me. I take off my helmet and listen, there is no sound, no wind disturbs the air, no birds fly overhead; there is just my bike and me.

            I enjoy some nuts and a drink of water, take some photos and put my helmet back on. The road is still all mine and I turn the key and start the big engine, clicking the gearshift down I am once again in motion.            

            In this space my thoughts float gently through my consciousness. I’m focused and aware of the bike, the speed, the feel of the asphalt passing below my feet but I’m also detached, open to memories and ideas, willing to examine whichever one comes to call. I love this mental freedom that comes with the long distance ride. It never happens right away, as the start of any road trip carries the extra concerns of the regular routine that has been left behind. But as the miles pass and the needs of the road become more important then a rhythm and calm envelops me. I get up in the morning, ride all day and do it again the next day, its wonderful. I feel very lucky that I can savour this quiet and personal time. I’m happy to make a journey on my own or to share the experience with a friend because even riding with another person I will still enjoy the solitude from inside my helmet.

            There is so little time to think in a regular day. Obligations, distractions, demands on your attention are forever pulling you outward and there is very little pulling you back into yourself. I wish everyone could find something that gives the serenity that I find in the long distance ride. I know it is worth the effort.

            I watch my dogs with envy. They are always ready to have fun. When there is nothing going on of interest they stretch out and relax, generally on the most comfortable thing they can find. They come willingly to you in order to share affection. They don’t appear to dwell on the past or worry about the future. They live in the now.

            To let yourself be completely involved in the moment you are in is a wonderful trait to have. So often we are not really there, instead our minds are thinking about the next thing we’re going to be doing. We push ourselves to multi-task so much that we become fragmented and unable to calm down enough to truly focus on just one thing.

            When you do let it happen and you achieve that state where there is only the activity you’re doing and nothing else, a calm can envelope you to the point where you are now performing at a much higher level. I love that feeling and have always migrated to things that will bring that out in me. I tend to push hard to find that focus. I don’t like to cruise when I ski, I’d rather head down something steep that pulls me into the moment so completely that my entire being can join in the side of that mountain. I love to ride my motorcycle fast and head into the corners looking for the outside edge of my tires and that lean angle that requires absolutely all of my concentration. I love to be drawn into a hard workout that pushes me to my full capacity and blocks out all distractions.

            Physical activities that challenge you to find your limits are great for bringing you completely into the moment. It is much harder to do it in the day-to-day activities. We are so easily distracted and can miss so much because of it. I try very hard to be focused on the people around me that I’m interacting with and not let my mind wander off. If I’m talking with someone I want to be there and connect with them, very much like my dog wants to connect with me when she comes over and leans against me.

            It is an ongoing challenge but one worth the effort. I want to do better. I want to live in the now, and I’d be happy to have my belly rubbed too.

(Freckles relaxing on the sofa)

           How many times have you wished a day would end or a week would go by faster.  How often have you thought that you couldn’t wait until the weekend.

            It is wonderful to be excited about the future and the events that are coming up and there is much to be said for the joy of anticipation. But time is something that should never be wished away. Ask anyone who is facing the prospect of their time running out and they’ll tell you to savour every moment.

            Its later than you think, time waits for no man, these along with dozens of other expressions can sound trite and simplistic but they share an underlying message, don’t waste the time you have. We all have a finite time on this planet. What we don’t have is the knowledge of how long that time will be. I believe you need to plan for the future but live for today. Those seeming contradictory philosophies will hopefully allow for a balance in your outlook.

            When I think of living for today I don’t mean excessive self-indulgence and a disregard for those around you, in fact quite the opposite. I think you should take care of yourself and enjoy that process. Eat healthy, rest, find an activity that brings you joy but also helps create a fitter, stronger you. Enjoy the struggle of attaining improved fitness to make it all the better for the future you to carry on a healthy lifestyle.

            But fitness is just one aspect of your well being, there are things to do mentally and emotionally that follow the same doctrine. If there is someone you care about, tell them. We get so hung up on holding our feelings deep inside that we cut ourselves off from communicating with others. I don’t think there is a kinder and more spontaneous expression of caring than to simply give someone a hug. Try it and you’ll find it doesn’t hurt. The warmth you give away will come back and you’ll feel even better as a result.

            Look for opportunities to learn something new, to expand your mind and your horizons. Express yourself in whatever form takes your interest. The truth is we can all paint, draw, tell stories and more. There is a creative outlet available for everyone and you can enjoy it immensely once you give up the need to compare what you do to others. Just because I can’t paint like Gordon Smith or Lauren Harris, doesn’t mean I can’t get tremendous satisfaction and pleasure from the paintings I do.

            There is a wonderful world at your fingertips each and every day, make the most of it.

            It comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be found in the simplest things and in the most complex concepts. What matters most is how it affects you.

I’m inspired all the time. The sunlight hitting a single tree trunk in the forest proclaiming for just a moment that this tree is different from the rest can bring me great joy.  A tender moment witnessed between a couple can make me want to be a better husband. A child’s laugh as he races his parent reminds to never stop playing.

In the gym there are more moments of inspiration than I could ever keep track of. I watch someone struggle with their first pullup and see them keep pushing until their chin reaches that high point above the bar and enjoy that elation all over again. We are surrounded by amazing athletes who burn through workouts like there is nothing that can slow them down, but it even more inspiring to see those same athletes have to dig deep when they are finally challenged to their core.

We are not all created physically equal and our best efforts will yield different results but no matter what those results record it is the efforts that count the most. To see a group as diverse as our amazing cast of characters all sweating and straining towards the common goal of just doing their individual best is uplifting and a reminder of what we are all capable of.

I am inspired to see someone complete their first Rx Fran. I’m inspired to see someone go from being perpetually last to having their name posted on the top of the board. I’m inspired to witness someone carry on long after everyone else has finished a workout and not stop until that final rep is done. I’m inspired by the progress of every person who joins our community and sees the results of hard work transform their bodies and their outlook on life.

I’m inspired by all of you.

            Hollywood would have us believe that courage is something that only comes out when the hero is faced with a life or death situation. I think there are a lot more incidents of courage that don’t involve gunfire, aliens or psychopaths. The courage of an individual who will go their own way no matter how unpopular. It is being willing to stand up and state your beliefs. It is having the inner strength to face a challenge that pushes you far past your limits.

Last week it was demonstrated in such a profound way to me that I was humbled by it. I have a love/hate relationship with Fran. It is a workout that kicks my ass but still leaves that hope that maybe I’ve gotten just a little bit stronger and can possibly see some small measure of progress. I was doing a Team Fran workout with my fellow Taranis competitors and we were in the middle round of 15 reps. I watched the amazing Firecracker work through her set and then on the last rep she slipped off the pullup bar.       Time seemed to slow to a halt and I saw her crash to the ground. As we rushed to her aid she remained on the ground, feeling the impact and assessing what had just happened. Fortunately she got back up and we were all relieved but it was what happened next that impressed me so much. She looked at the bar, readied herself and then jumped up to do the last rep so the team could continue. All I could do was hug her. It was incredible. It was courageous.

            In one single pullup Sharon demonstrated a level of courage that far exceeds the normal perceptions of that word. She faced the challenge and proved she was above it. Courage is when you want to quit but won’t, when you are afraid but you do it anyway, it is being brave every day. She showed what she was made of and I wish I could share in that magic every day. 

Changes

            Life is always changing. We make choices every moment that lead to changes, some are good and some not so good. The challenge is to always be improving the percentage so you are making more good choices than bad ones.

            The New Year brings out the desire to make changes in most people, often catapulted forwarded by resolutions. The dictionary defines a resolution as ‘a firm decision to do or not to do something’, but I prefer the later definition that says ‘the quality of being determined or resolute’. Resolutions are really about making commitments, promises to yourself that you will follow a certain course of action.

            Personally I have never been good a making resolutions as they always seemed like making a promise that I will ultimately feel guilty about. However, I do like the sense of a new beginning that comes with a new year. So this January my goals can simply summed up in two words, ‘be better’. Those two words can be applied to pretty much every aspect of my life with positive results. I want to be a better person. I want to be a better artist, I want to be a better husband. I want to be a better father. I want to be a better athlete. I want to be a better coach. The list will go on and on. With two words I can distill all resolutions down to their essence and hopefully be able to stay true to the concept.

            I hope that I can keep this simple but challenging goal in front of me for the whole year and longer, for improvement is a never ending road.

Quitters. We’ve all known some, maybe even been one yourself at some point in your life. That person who is always able to find the reason not to do something because it is too difficult, takes too much effort, is painful, or is something that they’re not good at.

            The problem with quitting is it becomes a lifestyle. You quit a friendship because it was a challenge, in the process lose a connection to someone who could have become a good friend. You quit a diet since you didn’t buy the right food then starting eating the wrong food simply because that was what was in the fridge. You quit an exercise program because the class times were inconvenient. Quitting brings on more quitting.

            Not quitting is another thing entirely. When I don’t quit I reach goals I’ve set. I gain knowledge, strength and a better outlook. Never quitting means never having to face myself in the mirror with disappointment. Not quitting is no guarantee of success though, because success comes from effort. But there are still successes even when you don’t reach goals you’ve set. Eventually you realize that it is the effort, the trying to reach the goal, the struggle that is truly the success. A faster time up the Grouse Grind is great but what matters is the commitment and effort it took to improve that time.

            Crossfit embraces the effort. Every class is an opportunity to face a new challenge or improve upon an old one. We all walk into the gym with burden of our own physical limitations. You may feel at a disadvantage because you’re too short to excel at rowing, or you’re too heavy to be good at pullups, or you are just too slow at running. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you do show up, you give everything you have to the workout in front of you, you don’t quit.

            When you watch Kristin still doing amazing work at 7 months pregnant it takes away all thought of giving up on a Wod. See Juice steadily improving through dogged determination because he consistently shows up and works as hard as he can and realize age is not a factor. See Sassy come through the door with a big smile on her face and accept the challenge of each workout, proud that she is making a change in her life as the pounds drop away and she gets better and better. Every member of our community faces some fitness challenge and no matter how well or how poorly they might do at a given workout, the rest of the class celebrates their effort.

            Last week we thought my 91-year-old father was not going to survive the pneumonia he’d contracted. He surprised us. He didn’t quit. He fought back and got stronger. If he can find the inner strength at 91 to face down his own frailties, then so can I. When faced with an obstacle I have a reminder tattooed onto my arm. It says Keep Going. Simple. To the Point. No matter what is in the way, don’t quit, don’t give up, just keep going. You will be amazed at what you can achieve.