I Hate Burpees!

I HATE Burpees…

      It's true.  They may very well be the death of me.  I also hate those stupid  double under thingys. I REALLY can't stand toes to bar.

 

BUT I am loving Crossfit.

      I have learned some new terminology this summer.  …Things like W.O.D. (Workout Of the Day) and “sweat angels.” (…like snow angels just made out of sweat). These things, once foreign to me, are now a part of my everyday life.

 Gary and I have promised each other to get healthier this summer.  He started this craziness and then looked at me and said "Now…You too!"

 So we Crossfit.

      I must admit that it is the hardest thing I have EVER done.  You see, I am the girl on the couch WATCHING the exercise video with a Dr. Pepper and a Krispy Kreme Hot Fresh Glazed Doughnut.  I can yell "Looking good, doing fine!” with the best of them.

But for me to get involved, well...

   I am not going to lie to you, it is hardcore.  It is like none other I have tried.  The instruction is top of the line.  The people are great.  They are in it solely to help me and everyone else. 

                               …and probably most important...nobody cares if I cry. 

     My excuses don't work.  My sad little stories don't cut it.  NO, is not a viable option.  Just suck it up and do it.  …Quit whining, complaining, and slacking.  If you want results, you must do the work.  No one can do it for you.

But, when you succeed, no one will get the reward but YOU.

Did I mention it is hard?

     It is not an uncommon sight to witness bodies sprawled out on the ground everywhere after a workout.  The room looks more like a battlefield than a workout facility.  As I was lying on the floor gasping for air after a recent workout, the strangest thought occurred to me. 

 “This is my life?”  

                              …or more importantly ...What if This WAS my life?

 

       I guess the reason I haven't blogged in a while is that I had nothing really to write.  The pen(computer) won't go where the heart hasn't been. 

                                             And my heart has been lazy.

      What IF my spiritual workout everyday left me gasping for breath at the presence of the HOLY God in front of me?  What if I was laid flat on the floor by HIS Word? 

 There was a moment a few weeks ago where things started to come together for me.  I was attempting to lift weight for the first time…

 …and it well, hurt.

 I looked at my coach (Jimmy, who is also the owner) and said, "Uhm, I think I might need to stop.  This hurts."  He looked at me and smiled and said.  "It is supposed to." 

Then he just walked off...the nerve!

 

I, then  heard a conversation between another coach and a participant. "You’re not really serious yet.  You didn't even come in here dressed to give it your all." She was talking physical, all I heard was Spiritual.

      How many times have I just gone through motions, when I can hear..."Niki, you know what to do, YOU have so much more inside you.  Face it kid, you are not even trying.”

      But, I think the most profound moment in the gym happend on my dreaded nemesis...the pull-up bar.  

 I was getting some one-on-one training (i.e. Special Ed. Crossfit) doing pull-ups. There I was, dangling in the air, being told to pull myself up.  HA!  Like that could EVER happen!

I actually laughed in her face(the owner’s wife) and said "Uhm…No!"

She told me a few things to help me and made it seemed doable.  I was doing ok, but frustrated because I could never really get it.  I had decided I was finished.  I had done a little work and thought I would quit before things got too intense.

When I had no strength left…She said. "Do one more."

 I thought she was crazy!  I had struggled, but never came close to getting my chin to the bar, now exhausted from the struggle; she thinks I can do it?

     She explained to me. "Sometimes it's not the first 9, it is number 10 that you will be able to do." Those 9 attempts are getting you ready for the challenge.  Your muscles will remember what to do when your strength is gone."

Whoa!

What if that were true in my “other” life?  The day to day battle we are all in.

What if the next time something comes at me, I was ready?  I had done the “work” and I was prepared.   

                                   What would that “life” look like?

 So many times I see in Scripture that this life is a race.  Something for which we must train.  We are warned that it is going to be a battle, but the abundant life is out there.  Peace through any storm is out there.

 

                             But we have to put forth the effort to know HIM.

  “The Prize” is ours for the taking.

 

Oh---did I tell you…I REALLY hate Burpees!