Summer
Right now the temperature outside is 93°. And rising. That's frickin' summer.
Blue skies, swimming pools, music and BBQs. That's also summer. It's a time to relax with family or friends. Get out of school or work on a Friday and grab dinner and drinks outside. It's a time to fall in love and sing a song about it. (If you sing that later today and wonder where it came from, you're welcome. And if you and someone else nearby belt it out at the same time tonight, you're MFEO. Call me, I'll be the best man.)
But summer is also when we see people miss time at the gym. They're not excuses... no. It's just that awesome things to do tend to pop up in the summer time. Truth. You know: vacations, boats, the beach, a nap.. whatever.
There is a way to get your work done, though. Summer can be the perfect chance to get your workouts in and reap the benefits come fall. Beach body? Sure. But who cares. Health and fitness. Let the aesthetics come with.
Step 1: See the big picture. It's not that blurry. Get it ingrained that you will be working on your strength, or your conditioning, or hammering a weakness this summer. Or all of the above. It's gotta be a pact. A personal pact? You've worked this hard to come this far, so don't let the days or *gasp* the weeks go by while you neglect your fitness. A summer "off" could do more damage than you might realize.
Step 2: Plan your workout. And stick to it (maybe). You've got your set days. Keep them that way. But also be flexible enough that if you have something pop up that interferes with your WOD, go for it. Do that thing. Don't stress over something that obviously benefited your mental health, or your social health. But make it up. Get in an extra workout ASAP, or double if you can. Wanna see some results? Throw a 2-a-day at your body here and there. Oh, you were sore?? Of course you were, idiot. It's not unheard of or even unhealthy to sweat more than once a day. Plus, if it's like most summer days, you're already sweating anyways.
Step 3: Intensity. In ten cities. You CrossFit. That's fine. Better than fine. Now, make sure if you travel you keep up the intensity. Here's your CrossFit affiliate locator. It's easy to get lax on your heartrate or effort level when you're alone in a hotel room, or when you try for an early morning/late night workout but just aren't "feeling it." You're the one that wants to develop or maintain your fitness. Otherwise you didn't read this far. So keep your intensity up, dammit. Need solo travel WOD ideas? It's called the internet. Get some music, watch some vids beforehand, do what you gotta do, and go.
Plus, the CrossFit Games are July 13-15. Watch and remain inspired.
So. Summer. Get after it, and you'll feel better for it.
-Scott, 6.18.2012