Crossfit and the importance of Discipline

In the May of 2009, I stood 5'9 and weighed 209 lbs.  I was bloated and well there is no nice way to say it: I was fat.  I took control of my health, my eating, my body.  I told myself that if I could control my eating, my exercise, my general overall fitness, then I could control anything.  I set out to do just that.  I adopted an eating plan that I came up with after doing some research.  I eliminated 5 things from my diet: 1. bread, 2. sodas, 3. sugar, 4. fried foods and 5. red meat.  The weight loss was almost instant.  Not only was I controlling what I ate but I began to exercise 5-7 days per week.  I would do 100+ pushups, 200+ situps and briskly walk 2 miles every day.  I was down to 172 lbs in November of 2009, just 6 months later.  I then began doing Crossfit exercises and began adding muscle to my physique as well as improving my overall general fitness.  I began doing Crossfit workouts in January of 2010 and have done them approximately 3x per week since.  I am at an all time fitness level and feel better than ever before.  But almost better than the physical payoff has been the mental payoff.  I now know after losing 40lbs of fat and adding more muscle to my frame than ever before in the span of approximately 10 months that I am capable of doing anything I set mind to do.  That I am able to accomplish whatever I want.  That if I can reverse a decade of eating poorly and exercising infrequently in a matter of months, then I can accomplish anything in my personal or professional life.  The discipline I imposed on my eating and exercise routines has carried over to every other part of my life.  It has been huge for me.  It has paid dividends in every facet of my life.

I am now dedicated to this lifestyle of discipline, healthy eating and fitness.  I am wearing size 30 jeans for the first time in over a decade!  I have a full 6 pack and have 12% body fat.  I am determined to lower that to 10% and to add even more muscle.  I am committed to me.  And through that discipline and dedication, I know I can accomplish anything I commit myself to.  I owe my life, my health, my happiness to my new eating and exercise plans.  It was a lot of work but I deserved it.

Set your goals, commit yourself to them and be disciplined in the way you go about each task.

Until the next time,

Jason Atchley, Strategy Consultant