Too Legit to Quit

Vince Lombardi once said, "Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit."  I confess that I have a BAD habit of starting something and then quitting before I finish. (Here is where my husband most assuredly will smirk, raise his left eyebrow and try not to laugh).  But seriously, I have not followed through with quite a few things in recent years and it is disappointing not to mention embarrassing.  To make matters worse,  they were things that I thought I would be good at and really wanted to do.  

I have tried my hand at two different home-based businesses which failed.  Quitter.  In 2007, I enrolled in a course to be a certified medical transcriptionist and never finished. Quitter again. I had a litany of excuses at the time, but in reality I think I was just plain lazy.  That, and I tend to over-extend myself in the volunteer arena (note to self:  FRG leader two times is two times too many).  Maybe I would have been good at that them if I had put in a little more time and a whole lot more effort, but I didn't.  I feel like I have not set a good example for my children and it really bothers me. I hate thinking of myself as a quitter.  Thankfully, all of that has changed in recent months.

Before I continue,  the 11 followers of this blog need a few details. (Btw, if you're not a follower...please feel free to click that little follow button on the right side of the page).  

1.  Last October, a friend asked me to be her workout buddy.   She said she needed motivation and having a "buddy" would help.

2.  She also mentioned she was doing something called CrossFit in her friend's garage.  I thought I heard of it before, but I wasn't sure (another note to self:  always research a new workout regime before you try it).

3.  If you don't know what CrossFit is, click here and then continue reading.  Sounds insane, right?

4.  Three weeks after I started, my "buddy" had a sciatic nerve flare-up and has been in physical therapy ever since.  (Don't worry. I still love ya, Lisa.)

That left me and my new favorite trainer/coach/friend,  four days a week, in her garage, training.  Well, she wasn't training, I was.  And when she couldn't be there, her very patient husband/soldier/trainer would train me.  Can you say INTIMIDATING?  Here I was a caffeine addicted, stay-at-home mom of two, trying my hand at a strength and conditioning program geared toward the military and elite athletes.  I was either a glutton for punishment or certifiably crazy. 

But over time, something happened.  Little by little, I got stronger.  I didn't feel like puking after every single workout (but I was close several times).  My favorite jeans I bought after I lost my baby weight in 2003 fit again (and they were still relatively stylish, which was a bonus).   I no longer did girl pushups on my knees, I could do REAL pushups!  I was starting to like this.

Fast forward to one day two weeks ago.  I walked in the garage, looked at the wipe board to see what the workout was  and saw the acronym I had been dreading since I learned of its existence.  HPSU.  Handstand Push-up.  I wanted to run. I can't do this. I can't do a handstand.  At this point, I think I was having a panic attack.  She's crazy!  I'm crazy! I.CAN'T. DO. THIS!  I wanted to do it, but was scared.  It would be easier not to try.  I could substitute a different exercise for this one.  I was still too new at this.  I might fall.  I might get hurt.

And then I thought of all of the things I had quit and not finished.   I was tired of being a quitter.  I didn't want to give up anymore.   I looked at my trainer/coach/friend as she pointed at the wall and said, "Do it. You can do it."   Fighting the urge to cry, I took a deep breath and threw myself into a handstand.  I held it for 10 seconds came down and did it again.  And again. I still haven't stopped smiling.

Before you give me too much credit, I didn't do the push-up part, just the handstand.  I am also still a caffeine addict.   I still don't have a home based business (unless this blog thing somehow starts generating some cash, which would be lovely).  I am not a medical transcriptionist.   But I am no longer a quitter.  In fact, next time you see me, ask me to do a handstand and I'll prove it.