Time

Is time important?

Does it matter that my tooth brush stays on for 2 minutes?

Should I care that I did a 20 minute warmup in 5 minutes?

Is 10 years of CrossFit significant?

Yes. To each and every one of these questions. A resounding YES in fact. Time changes things. Time changes tides, the shape of a structure, even the health of a joint. If we allow time to work for us, amazing things can happen. If we let time happen to us it can rip us apart.

For example by the age of 22 my doctor told me I would need a knee replacement at 25 if I continued the path I was on. That's time… For years I had been standing with hyperextended knees. I was a habitual knee bouncer. I continually crossed my legs and always with left over right which put more strain on that left knee. I thought I was just destined since my mom had a knee replacement at a young age and her mom before her. Turns out after doing some research on my own, time was both the cause and the answer. I needed to spend more time with my knees in a “proper” position and less time putting unnecessary stressors on them. And now my knees are 100%. Of course I also cleaned up my diet which helped reduce the arthritis that had been in my knees and ankle since I was in high school. 

It’s not just time that is important but also how we use that time. How effective can I be? How effective have I been? Going back to my earlier “time” statements. Your toothbrush can run for 2 minutes, but if it runs without touching my teeth, that time is wasted. My fast warm up could set me up for failure where my fellow athlete that took 4X the time for each movement might actually be getting the warm up that was intended. 10 years of CrossFit can look like Scot Panchik or it can look like me. Save your mean comments for another day. 

Three days a week of thoughtful balanced home cooked meals can turn into something cool. Three days a week of the never ending pasta bowl can turn into something different. Which is why I am so glad I don’t look at that website anymore. One hour a day can either set us up on a path of success or down a path of struggle.

The way we eat, sleep, workout, stress out, over time can either benefit us or harm us in some way. It matters how we use the time, so let's use it well. 

Keep building,

James and Bre Cooper