Learning to trust the process, living in your zone of genius, and tuck jumps

Happy Monday,

Getting good at anything difficult takes time.

You can try to speed up the process. You can learn from others’ mistakes. You can look for hacks that will get you where you want to go in less time. But in the end, there’s no substitute for learning from your own experience, and most shortcuts will make the process take even longer.

There’s also no escaping plateaus. No matter your goal, plateaus are a built-in part of the process. Progress happens in short spurts of growth followed by long periods of plateaus. Learn to expect these and don’t fight them.

Often, just when you think you’re finally making progress, you realize once again just how far you have to go.

This happened to me just the other day in my martial arts training. Just as I thought I was finally making some headway, I got humbled once again, realizing just how far I have to go before I can claim even a basic level of competency.

All of this is part of the process. Learn to trust it. Don’t rush things. The time will pass anyway.

Instead, try and settle into the journey. Know that you’re in this for the long haul. Trust that all your hard work will come together when the time is right.

And keep going.

“Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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My new subscriber community, falling in love with the process, and squat jumps

Happy Monday,

Last week I let you know I was starting a Patreon community.

For those of you who have subscribed, thank you! Your support means a lot, and I can’t wait to see how this community grows together.

If you’re still on the fence (or didn’t see the email), here’s what you can expect:

If you value my emails and want to get involved in a deeper and more engaged way, please consider joining the community. You get some really cool perks for a great value all while helping us to keep expanding our mission to help people become all they can be both inside and outside of the gym.

Thank you for your support!

Now on to our regularly scheduled content:

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On embracing struggle, avoiding the happiness trap, and calisthenics

Happy Monday,

I often talk about getting out of your comfort zone and pushing your limits, both inside and outside of the gym. But does making progress toward your goals ever really get easier?

Yes and no.

When we think of people who are great at what they do, from top athletes to successful entrepreneurs, we understand that their paths weren’t always easy.

Top performers are so good at their craft because they consistently struggle to reach the next level. Not only do they learn to expect discomfort, they learn to make peace with it and even lean into the struggle.

On the other hand, most of us think that something’s amiss when we encounter struggle.

But this is one of the many reasons I love fitness so much: it’s such a fantastic training ground for the rest of life.

When you’re working toward a fitness-related goal, whether it’s doing your first pull-up, gaining a faster sprint time, or learning a challenging new sport or skill, you don’t expect it to come easily to you. You expect to struggle.

Each time you force yourself through one more rep or to run just a little bit faster and further, you’re building mental strength.

Training your body to become stronger and more resilient also trains your mind to do the same thing.

As Russ Harris writes in The Happiness Trap: How to Stop Struggling and Start Living (great book, not such a great subtitle):

“The more you try to avoid discomfort, the harder it will be to make important changes. Change involves risk. It requires facing your fears and stepping out of your comfort zone—both of which point to one thing: change will usually give rise to uncomfortable feelings.”

The more you can learn to expect, accept, and, ultimately, lean into struggle, the more you’ll start making real progress toward your goals.

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What to do when you’re feeling off, using the body to control the mind, and line sprints

Happy Monday,

The other day I was shooting baskets and just could not make a shot. If you had been observing me that day, you would have thought I had never played basketball before.

Just a few days before, I was on fire. I couldn’t miss a shot.

But not this day.

Same place, same ball, even same basic weather. So what changed?

Why we feel on fire some days and “off” the very next is a mystery that scientists and performance psychologists are always trying to unravel.

There’s no one simple answer, but there are reasons why you might feel great some days and not so great others.

For example, if you’re feeling off, ask yourself the following:

  • Have you gotten enough sleep lately?
  • Have you taken enough time to recover (both your body and mind?)
  • Are you dealing with more stress, or are you feeling more caught up in your emotions today?

If any of the above has changed, then you’ve probably got your answer as to why you’re feeling off.

Everyone has off days. They’re part of the process, so learn to expect them and don’t get too discouraged when they do happen.

Shake it off and come back another day.

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On the importance of play, working for happiness, and active rest weeks

Happy Monday,

How often do you carve out time for play?

Many of us goal driven-types prioritize hard work (and sometimes even rest), but we don’t do the same for play and having fun.

While play may feel like a non-necessity, it’s actually essential for our well-being. Play helps take our minds off of all that might be wrong with our lives and our world. It helps us feel less stressed. It refreshes and recharges us. It renews our optimism and helps us be more hopeful for the future.

Play also changes our perspective, helping to boost our imagination and spark creativity. It helps us be more present. It can make us happier, both temporarily and long term. It can even improve our health.

You don’t need to spend a long time playing to reap the benefits, either. When I don’t have much time, even just ten minutes of shooting baskets or playing keep-away with my dog helps lift my mood. Reading fiction also helps. To me, reading feels like play for the mind.

So try and carve out a little time each day for something fun, whether this means playing a game of tennis with a friend, dancing to your favorite song, or goofing around in the waves at the beach.

“The opposite of play is not work. It’s depression.” — Brian Sutton-Smith

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Not listening to the voice in your head that tells you to quit, learning life lessons from sport, and bodyweight rows

Happy Monday,

Have you ever wanted to quit in the middle of a challenging workout?

Of course you have. We all have.

When I’m running sprints, pushing for another rep, or gearing up for another round of sparring, it amazes me how often I’ll catch the voice in my head telling me to give up.

“You can’t do this,” it tells me. Sometimes, it tries a more passive approach, assuring me, “you’ve already done enough; you can take it easy now.”

I’ll be the first to admit that there have been many times I’ve listened to that voice. Sometimes, I do give up. But the more I become aware of my inner voice, the less I let it control me.

Psychologist and neuroscientist Ethan Kross writes in his book, Chatter: The Voice in Our Head, Why it Matters, and How to Harness It, that while our inner voice functions well much of the time, it can also lead to what he terms chatter — “the cyclical negative thoughts and emotions that turn our singular capacity for introspection into a curse rather than a blessing.”

The more we become aware of our inner chatter, the more we can choose to ignore it — or replace it with more helpful, positive self-talk.

Some practical ways of doing this are:

  • Talking to ourselves: e.g., “Krista, you’ve got this! Don’t stop now!”
  • Imagine advising a friend. Would you let a friend give up so easily? Now apply that same advice to yourself.
  • Engage in what Kross calls “mental time travel.” Think about how you’ll feel a day, month, or even a year from now. The physical discomfort you’re experiencing now will be much less upsetting at a later time.
  • Remind yourself that you’ve done hard things before; you can do them now.

When the voice in your head tells you to quit, you can choose not to listen.

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The importance of rest days, taking the time to reflect, and spinning hook kicks

Happy Monday,

We all know the importance of hard work in reaching our goals. Without the sweat, stress, and struggle, we won’t make progress.

What is generally underrepresented in the growth equation is the importance of rest.

Put simply: hard work plus rest = growth.

This holds true when it comes to both our fitness and non-fitness-related goals. It’s so important that you take at least one or two days off of intense training or work every week to help your body and mind recover.

For some people, the rest part of the equation is easy to do. Others  feel like they’re going backward if they’re not pushing hard, so rest becomes more challenging.

If you’re the latter (and I can relate), the key is to treat your rest and recovery days as a crucial part of the long-term growth process.

Without adequate rest, you put your body at risk for injury and overtraining.

Rest isn’t only important for body recovery; it’s also important for your mind.

Super-focused training is mentally exhausting, so our minds need a break from training as well. This is why regularly taking a day or two off to do something completely non-work-related is so key to avoiding burnout.

When it comes to fitness, rest days don’t have to mean that you don’t do anything active all day. I’m happiest when I’m moving, which is why my rest days usually include active rest day activities like skateboarding, biking, swimming, stretching, and long walks.

You can take active rest days for your mind, too, choosing to use your days off to read, learn something new, or connect with other like-minded people.

Active rest days can be a fun break and energize you for your upcoming week of training and work. More importantly, they’ll help you avoid injury and burnout so you can keep pursuing your goals for years to come.

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Five books that altered my world view, re-learning to think like a kid, and band assisted pull-ups

Happy Monday,

Books have been some of my biggest teachers in life.

I’ve always loved to read and usually have anywhere from three to six books ranging from non-fiction science-based books to autobiographies to science fiction or literary fiction all going at once.

I like to have a mix of audiobooks, Kindle books, and “real” books — I feel like I get something different out of each type.

These five books have changed my worldview in recent years and are some of my favorites:

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck

This is the book that started it all for me. Dweck’s differentiation between a growth mindset (the belief that your efforts make a difference and that inborn talent isn’t everything) and a fixed mindset (the belief that inborn talent is all that matters) opened my eyes to the possibility that hard work and effort is more important in the long run than talent. This change in mindset may seem simple, but it’s had a profound impact on my life (and by showing the book’s success, the lives of many others).

Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment by George Leonard

George Leonard was a writer who wrote extensively about human potential, an aikido practitioner, and one of my favorite authors. Mastery is my favorite book of his. It’s full of inspirational and actionable advice on how anyone can attain a higher level of excellence and follow the path to mastery.

Way of the Champion:  Lessons from Sun Tzu’s the Art of War and Other Tao Wisdom for Sports & Life by Jerry Lynch and Chungliang Huang

The lessons of martial artists and warriors can be applied successfully to everyone. The authors show us how we can learn courage, confidence, leadership skills, and more through the lessons of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War.

Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John Ratey

Most people understand how important exercise is for the body and overall health. In this fascinating book, Ratey shows us just how important exercise is for the brain as well. From stress prevention to addressing depression to anxiety to preventing Alzheimer’s, exercise is our best defense.

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein

Most of us are told that we should pick a specialty and start early and that specialists triumph over  generalists. Epstein argues the opposite, suggesting that people who find their path late and juggle many interests are often more creative, more agile, and end up making a bigger impact on their field. As someone who has bounced around in my career (and life) quite a bit, I really loved this book.

[[What books should I add to this list? If you have any good ones, please feel free to reply to this email and let me know!]] 

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On working with coaches and mentors, our daily focus quota, and handstands

Happy Monday,

When I started learning to handstand over seven years ago, I could barely hold myself up against a wall. At the time, the advanced hand balancing skills I’m working on today seemed lightyears away.

I didn’t grow up doing gymnastics and don’t have a typical gymnast’s build. So I’m by no means a natural, and my progress over the years has been slow. But I’ve stuck with my training through the ups and downs, and am immensely proud of all the progress I’ve made.

Of course, none of this would have been possible if I had tried to learn handstands all on my own. Learning from others is a key part of getting better at anything.

Finding great coaches and mentors to learn from is one of the greatest joys of life; it’s also not easy to do.

I’ve been lucky in my handstand journey to have found a handful of incredibly skilled teachers that have helped push me to levels that wouldn’t have been possible without their knowledge and encouragement.

I’ve also learned a lot about working with coaches and mentors along the way.

One lesson I’ve learned is that some of the most talented people may not be the best teachers. In my experience as an adult learning new skills, it’s best to work with people who themselves have struggled to learn the skill they’re teaching — as opposed to working with people to whom the learning came seamlessly to.

As you get more skilled at your craft, whether it’s handstands, music, writing, or growing a business, it can become more difficult to find coaches and mentors that can keep pushing your potential. This is a normal albeit frustrating part of getting better at anything.

It’s also common to outgrow your coaches as you improve. This shouldn’t be seen as a bad thing but as a positive sign of growth. Each coach or mentor can represent a chapter in your learning journey.

The most important thing is to keep learning, no matter where you’re at in your journey.

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A simple way to reframe challenges, HIIT workouts, and the Center for the Science of Human Potential

When you discover that you can’t do something, rather than feeling resigned that you’ll never be able to do it, try the reframe “I can’t do it… yet.”

You can do this with any of your fitness or non-fitness-related goals. For example:

I can’t do double unders… yet.

I can’t do a handstand… yet.

I can’t run a 5k, write a book, live my dream lifestyle… yet.

This reframe gives you room to grow and helps get rid of that feeling that a challenge is impossible.

If you can’t do something you want to be able to do, you likely just haven’t put in enough time or effort to get there yet. The more challenging the goal, the harder you’ll have to work for it.

It all starts with a growth mindset. From there, it takes the right goal-setting techniques, developing and cultivating grit, and embracing failure as part of the process.

You’re not there… yet.

Wherever you’re at, keep going.

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