Everything is progress

It became the backbone of many of my decisions from that point on. Will this meal help me heal? Yes or no? Will doing my exercises (even though I don’t want to) help me get back under a heavy barbell? Yes or no? Will this decision move me forward or backward in my life goals? Is this forward progress or progress in the other direction?

Every year CrossFit has a worldwide event called the CrossFit Open. It’s a three-week event in which CrossFit headquarters announces a workout on Thursday and athletes in gyms around the world complete the workout by the following Monday. Those that sign up for the open submit their scores and then watch their name bump around on the worldwide leaderboard as the workouts get more intense. Why would anyone from Fergus Falls even sign up for an event like this?

You may be surprised to learn that over 20 local athletes participated in the 2023 CrossFit Open at Unity Wellness in Fergus Falls. The reasons they described were because it’s a chance to see where their fitness level is compared to years past, to connect with the gym community, and to see where their fitness level sits among hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. It’s a chance to see if they made progress over the last year.

“Measurable, observable, repeatable,” that’s what CrossFit preaches. But how do you apply that in YOUR daily life? Are your goals progressing forward or backward? Remember, “Absolutely EVERYTHING is progress.”

Seeing measurable progress is important no matter what goal you are trying to reach. It could be a goal related to fitness, nutrition, stress, sleep, professional goals, really anything. Measuring your progress, taking time to reflect on that progress (good or bad), and being able to duplicate the forward progress will get you to your goal.

Write down your goals, the steps it will take you to reach those goals, your successes, and your failures. Keeping track of your goals allows you to observe if you are on the right track. Telling someone about your goal is helpful, too!

Observing your progress allows you to identify areas giving you success. Using those successes can help you find pathways towards your goals that are repeatable. These repeatable processes can easily become habits!

As we closed out the CrossFit Open many participants reached or succeeded their goals. Some got their first pull-ups and one qualified for the next round of competition. Others fell short of their goals. Most importantly, everyone has a measurable, observable and repeatable statistic to help them set their fitness goal for 2024.

Progress can be forward, or it can be backward, but it’s not linear. Build off your successes, make changes to things that aren’t working right, and give yourself the grace and grit it takes to reach your goals.

Karoline Gustafson is a Wellness Trainer at Lake Region Healthcare Unity Wellness in Fergus Falls.