TABATA THIS! How My 'Better' First Got Better

Currently, I am back in my hometown of Philadelphia for a week-long visit.  This means some things are difficult: sticking to my nutritional plan while traveling and being around my mom's brownies.  Other things are difficult in the good way: long Metcons at Crossfit Center City!  The Metcon this past Wednesday at Crossfit Center City was Tabata This!  A forty-round metcon that is all about pushing yourself to do as many repetitions as possible.  A Tabata workout means that you are doing 20 seconds on, and 10 seconds off, for 8 rounds of one exercise; Tabata This contains the following movements:


Tabata Row
Tabata Squat
Tabata Pull-Ups
Tabata Push-Ups
Tabata Sit-Ups/Planks

So to start you row for 20 seconds, rest for 10, row for 20 etc.  You can rest for 1 minute before switching to the next exercise.  I have seen it done both with the 1 minute rest, and without it; we did not get this minute break between exercises.  Tabata workouts are always a little bit daunting because even if you get through four rounds, your muscles are starting to shake and you still have four more.

The Top 5 Things That Make Me Better

MY BETTER IS:

1. Going to bed by 10 and getting up at 5

2. Eating the right thing even when I am stressed/tired/

unhappy, or traveling

3. Getting to the track for my sprint workout when it is 

still dark out

4. Working out six days a week

5. Trying harder than I have before

In college I did not set goals for myself; I did not have high expectations for my performance.  I was “good,” and 80% of the time my ‘good’ was enough for me and for my team.  I settled.  I think I knew it was not enough, but I was waiting for someone else to push me.  I left college never having tried as hard as I could and I was not satisfied.

As a teacher I work with students everyday who are so scared of failing they do not try.  One day I realized the same thing about myself; I was terrified to fail.  

Now I want to be better.  I want to try, and I want it to be hard.  I am still scared that it might be too hard but I am trying anyway.  I have set goals for myself now that I might not achieve.  I am trying to find the limits of what my body can do.  I am trying to figure out how much better I can be.

You might fail, but you might not.  If you do not fail your mind and your body have just reached a new level of strength.  If you do fail you know you need to work harder, and you need to try again.

Share your thoughts, failures, and successes: what makes you better?