Have Courage, Arise, & Stand Strong

Last Sunday the LDS youth of the Park City Stake had the opportunity to hear Al Fox speak at a fireside. Many of you, most likely those who are not LDS, are probably thinking: "Who in the world is Al Fox?" Well I'll tell you. Al Fox is a recent convert to the LDS faith whose arms are almost covered with tattoos. "What do tattoos have to do with anything?" She doesn't look like the kind of girl who would be a convert, but she has an amazing personality and a fascinating story. I encourage you to read it on her blog. Anyways, the fact that she has tattoos is significant because she is judged a lot and endures a lot of criticism, but she knows that God loves her, and everyone else, no matter what they look like.

Al's story impacted me greatly because you could see that she firmly believed in what she was talking about, even though she is quite new to the church. Each year, there is a new scripture theme for the youth of the church. In the fireside, Al pointed out that the themes for the past couple of years are related. Two years ago the theme was, "Be strong and of a good courage," (Joshua 1:9). Last year's theme was, "Arise and shine forth, that thy light may be a standard for the nations," (D&C 115:5). This year's theme is, "Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved," (D&C 87:8). She pointed out that they go in order. First have courage, then arise, then stand. I think this is powerful and, like Al said, "It is not a coincidence."

I have been to many firesides, but this one has definitely been my favorite so far. Not just because of Al's amazing personality and story, but because what she talked about was very applicable to our lives. She was constantly making jokes and she always said what was on her mind. Everyone laughed a lot and felt the spirit; it was the perfect environment to remain interested and be uplifted and taught. Many more principles could have been pulled out of what she said, but I just wanted to share that thought with you all. If you get the chance you should definitely check out Al Fox's blog and learn more about her!

Al Fox (white shirt & orange skirt)
 with a few of my friends and me

Al with my sister and me

Disappointment & Frustration

Spring in most places is an exciting time because the weather gradually gets warmer and summer is approaching quickly. However, spring in Park City is frustrating and disappointing. I say this because the weather just can't seem to make up its mind about what season it is. One week the temperature will reach the sixties and then it will plummet to the thirties two days later. The snow melts when it's warm and then starts dumping again when it's cold.

This year has been especially messed up (I can't think of any other way to put it). Park City had an awful snow year, so everyone was excited when temperatures started rising and snow started melting. Then, out of nowhere, a giant snowstorm came and destroyed all hope of warm weather. We would be grateful for the snow at any other time, but it's a little harsh when the weather taunts us. The past week was a perfect example of this.

Here are some pictures I took on four consecutive white days on my way back from seminary:

Last Tuesday
4/2/13

Last Thursday
4/4/13

Monday
4/8/13

Wednesday
4/10/13

The delay of spring isn't the only thing making me disappointed and frustrated. My first soccer game was supposed to be on Monday, but it was rescheduled due to an unexpected snowstorm. Also, in my last post, I talked about my elbow hurting and making it hard to workout. It has been a few weeks since it has bothered me, but for some reason the pain came back on Tuesday at CrossFit Club. I still don't know what I did to hurt it, but it feels very unstable. Hopefully I'll be able to see a doctor and get it figured out soon!

Fighting For Strength

As I have said before, CrossFit Club is a Mental Game. I say this because most of the time, despite the pain you may be feeling, your body is very capable of doing the workout, you just need to convince your mind that you can do it. There are two reasons why I decided to bring this up again, the first is that the post that I titled “Workout Club: A Mental Game” was about the deck of cards workout, which we did again today with some variations. The second is that I need to do a better job convincing my mind that my body can do it.

For the past couple months I have had knee and elbow pains that have made working out difficult. I was forced to go easy for a while and stop whenever I thought I would injure myself more. It may not be true, but I think it may have set me back a little. Meaning that I lost some muscle. Practicing good form and gradually increasing the amount that I do has helped me to build enough muscle to compensate for what I lost and the weakness in my joints. The times that I have to stop due to pain are growing farther and farther apart. 

Now that my body actually is capable of completing the workouts, I need to convince my mind that it is. I have been trying to do this, and have found two strategies so far. The first is to do everything with the end in mind. Meaning that you say to yourself, “the sooner I do this, the sooner I am done.” The second is thinking about the difference each lift or rep will make; thinking about how much stronger each rep will make you. I definitely haven’t mastered this yet and still struggle, but I will keep trying to find effective ways to make me work harder each day. Through CrossFit, you not only make your body stronger, but your mind too. Doing CrossFit with friends is great because you can help each other go harder and reach a higher level of fitness.

All we do is win, win, win,
no matter what what what
We got fitness on out minds
can never get enough
(lyrics thanks to josh)