Staying in your Own Lane (Emotionally & Physically)

no seasonal depression in sunny LV bb !!

About a month ago I packed up Karen (my little baby honda fit) and treked across the country to Las Vegas.  We made it in one piece with a minor mental breakdown in the Colorado Rockies mid-snowstorm.

PS: if you ever drive your not-made-for-the-snow car through the mountains in the middle of a snowstorm, just call the police crying and they'll send Mike the tow truck driver to save your dumbass. Not speaking from experience or anything…

BUT ANYWHO

I'm out here training for the sport of CrossFit and I cannot believe this is my life. It still doesn't feel real. BUT that doesn't mean I'm having a ball everyday. I love what I'm doing and am SO lucky to be able to do it, but I'm also getting absolutely throttled. Everyday. BUT IN THE BEST WAY!

I'm kidding but I'm not - I came out to Vegas to be in a supportive training environment and that is EXACTLY what my coach has built out here. A group of gals that build each other up while throwing down (see what I did there).

But this was a huge adjustment and still is. In Boston I trained every single day by myself. Just me, my music, and my vibes. Now this wasn't the most productive training environment for me because I thrive on feedback and have a tendency to do dumb things without adult supervision (like retest the same workout with only 10 minutes of rest in between - don't come for me).

Being surrounded by a group of strong, fast, fit as fuck gals has been really hard. It usually means being last in workouts and having different versions of skill/ strength because I'm just not there yet.

And this brings me to my very long-winded moral of the story - it's SO hard not to compare ourselves to those around us - whether that's our training partners, friends, family, or just other folks in the same field as us.

But we simply cannot do that - logically it makes no sense as human beings. Each of us are built SO different with a unique set of genetics.

This applies to everything - from how we eat to how we train.

Take Billie and Rogue - my two adopted children (aka my roomie's doggos). Billie's a Pocket Pittie and Rogue's a Frenchie. They both eat the same food in the same quantities and exercise the same amount everyday.

Billie has 0% bodyfat and is probably the most jacked dog I've ever seen.

Rogue is a cutie patootie little potato - and I say that in the most loving way <3

You can eat the same amount as someone, exercise for the same amount of time at the same intensity with the same weights, and still look and perform completely differently.

Now keep in mind staying in our own lane is SO much easier said than done.

I really struggle to stay in my own lane. It's really hard for me to eat what I have to eat when many of my friends consume maybe half of that. It's HARD not to be self conscious when everyone has already finished their meals and you're still eating because you're (a) hungry af and (b) need to eat to fuel your training both from today and for tomorrow.

It's REALLY hard not to compare yourself to others training around you - I see the gals next to me snatching twice what I am. BUT I remind myself that every single one of us are different. We all have different natural strengths and weaknesses.

While I may struggle with a heavy snatch, I'll take a heavy squat any day of the week. Or while I thrive on pistols, those are other athlete's worst enemies.

AND my biggest former nemesis that has taken a LOT of work to get over - what I eat in a day videos. I used to think that if I ate the same as an athlete I would look the same or instantly have the same strength.

Now that's so far from the truth because my body's unique - as is yours. You and I can eat the same amount and maintain different muscle mass/ body fat percentages just as a byproduct of our genetics.

Now I try as hard as I can to stay in my lane. I eat what my body needs - and keep in mind that these needs fluctuate (I've increased my cals SIGNIFICANTLY since moving just to adapt). And I spend 500 hours on the rower each week because that's where my personal weaknesses lie and that's likely where I'll die.

When I see 'how I eat in a day' videos, tI now use them for meal inspiration. NOT as a way to compare myself and what I'm doing to others.

Always remember you're unique - keep doing what serves YOU best and you'll go soooo much further.

Love you all - stay Rad and stay in your own lane🤘🏻