Despite being married, I suspect I have a problem with committment. I start new things with a big burst of enthusiasm then have problems sustaining them in the long-term. Jobs, exercise regimes, eating habits, facial cleansing routines, resolutions to manicure and paint my nails on Sunday nights during Downton, that kind of thing.

So when I started doing level 2 at crossfit, I was introduced to the concept of ‘committing to the lift’ – if you’re going to lift a bar with some weight on it, you need to do it properly, with full effort and an expectation of success. There’s not point being tentative, half-hearted or cautious. Once you’ve learnt how to bail out of a failed lift, you have no excuse for not trying.

And there’s the rub – there’s no excuse for not trying. I’ve been eating sort-of paleo since January, doing crossfit since March, a couple of times a week. And that’s great – lost nearly 2.5 stone, feeling a bit fitter and a bit stronger, which I’m really pleased about. But at a crossfit class last week, in the middle of 5 x 200m runs (in between trying to fight off the negative thoughts) I had a moment of thinking how far I still had to go to be what I would consider fit. Even longer if it’s what a crossfitter would consider fit, of course, but one thing at a time.

Simultaneously, my darling husband, who is also doing crossfit once a week, has also come to the realisation that this ‘bumbling along’ isnt’ really working for us. We’ve done ok. Not bad. Muddled through. But muddling along isn’t how I want my life to pan out. If I want to do good things (and by good things I mean a few pulls ups and some proper push ups, lifting some decent-ish weights, I need to put the effort in. The other crossfitters I admire for their skills don’t get those skills by watching telly and eating crisps.

And our conclusion is this – if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it. We need to kick it up a gear, move it to the next level, go forward etc. To that end, we’ve invented the Parkman 30 Day Paleo Challenge, for the month of June. From the 1st of June, we’re strict Paleo – no sneaky sandwiches, cheeky mars ice creams once in a while. We’re also increasing our crossfit – I’m doing 4 a week, and he’ll do the. And while I’m there (and he does this already), I need to commit to it – there’s no point showing up and not putting in the effort, ever single time. After all, who am I cheating? The coaches are already awesome, it doesn’t matter to them if I could have got another round of reps in, but it matters to me. So full effort. The aim is to finish more WODs and challenge myself on the weight I’m lifting. I’ve got a bit comfortable with certain weights and am cautious about moving up, but no more. I need to start surprising myself with what I can do.

In the spirit of crossfit, I am also doing more outside classes – Capital Ring walks, practising the skills I need to practise at home, learning new skills, doing new things. Tennis lessons start soon, then learning to ride a bike is next on the agenda.

So, the Parkman Paleo Challenge is on- we’re committed.

Love

NTGG xx

  

Rachael Parkman

Rachael is a late 30s south Londoner, who’s always been bigger than she wants but thinks she’s found the solution. Lives with her husband and cat, and enjoys cooking, gin and tonic and wearing nice shoes.

Add a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *