Twas the night before FRAN

First of all.......AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

T- minus 12 hours...

OK now I blog....

Here I sit on the the eve of FRAN and find myself chuckling at the irony of this whole thing.   Like W my life can now be divided into two very distinct time periods, BC (before crossfit) and AC (after crossfit) and I can't help but think that I probably can not  consider myself a reluctant beginner anymore either. 

I did what I said I would do...I got to know the other women in W's life and I wouldn't have thought in a million years that spending time with her would leave me feeling more confident, sexy, strong and empowered.  After years of "floating" through life, feeling isolated and lonely in my teens, falling in and out of depression in my twenties and really never understanding who I truly was or what kind of authentic life I could lead it was on the proverbial eve of my thirties on the fast track to frumpy, middle aged martyr-dom that I gave myself quite possibly the best and most important gift, my health, my happiness and control over my life.  And now here I am excited, feeling alive and rejuvenated, anxiously anticipating how the end of the this journey will ultimately become the beginning of a new adventure. 

This last year is not a story that is expectational or out of the ordinary in the CrossFit world.  There is a reason this once underground movement has exploded over the last few years, and no its not just because Rebook has brought it to the world with their mass marketing plan, it's because just like me people in CrossFit boxes all around the world are having life changing transformations.
Although not every one of the 315,360,000 seconds of the last year has been devoutly dedicated to becoming more FRANtastic, the majority of my time and energy was not wasted and this commitment has resulted in some valuable life lessons.  Lessons full of advice that I would give myself during life's tough times, stuff that didn't make sense before but that I now know for sure and even a few little gold nuggets I wish I had known just a short twelve months ago.

Lessons from FRAN

- A year is a long time
- Paleo wasn't really that bad
- Metallica, timed right, can actually jack you up during a long ass WOD
- Just like the many laws in science, the law of attraction is proven.  Positive energy attracts positive energy.  And positive is sooooo much healthier than the alternative
- Your body is your temple, treat it well and with respect and it will do the same to you
- A strong body is a strong mind.  A strong mind is powerful. Power breads confidence.  Confidence comes hand in hand with healthy self esteem.  And healthy self esteem leads to happiness. 
- You don't have to swim in the Kool-aid to enjoy the benefits, moderation in life is key
- Find inspiration in everyday things
- Take control of your life and be present
- Set goals with intrinsic motivation and stick with it, there is nothing quite like the feeling of true accomplishment
- Whether you are telling yourself you CAN or you CAN'T, you are usually right
- You will get out of life what you put into it.  Don't quit, don't stop, drive onward, always onward
- Failures and weaknesses are learning points but let them go, move forward and move on.  Bad days pass and life goes on.  Being humbled isn't always a bad thing and the end goal will always be there. 
- You can change your life if you really are ready and want to
- Having lots of people in your life is good,but having a few loving, caring, amazing people surrounding and supporting you is even better
- Families do not always share the same blood as you and can come in all shapes and sizes
- Overcoming obstacles teaches you alot about yourself, some good, some bad, embrace what you learn about yourself in times of adversity
- If you want to you should, and if can why not? Its OK to ask for more for yourself and never settle because of apathy
- Reach out and accept help and advice.  Being open and listening is key to growing
- Competition can be healthy and you can be surprised at your internal competitor when it counts and you really care

And really the most important thing I took away from my time with the ol' bitty is that there is only one me and I now I know how much I really can offer my friends, family and most importantly my husband and two beautiful children. 

Happy FRAN Day everyone:)