Fit It Forward: 2015!

We’re spending January living like athletes. Why? To improve our health…and also our happy.

What good is a long, functional life without joy? Why win the Super Bowl if you don’t enjoy the game? One key indicator to longevity is happiness, and the most overlooked aspect of athletic training is creating joy in the process, not the outcome.

When you’re on the rower, what’s your face doing? There’s good hippie (don’t forget I did follow the remnants of the Grateful Dead around at one point) research suggesting that pasting a smile on your face will help you feel better about the burning in your arms.  CFR is about inspiration and education, and there’s nothing more inspiring than care.

This week, we’re asking for some random (and some not-so-random) acts of kindness. You’ll get a daily challenge that doesn’t appear to have much to do with your squat. It does.

When you realize that GIVING and SHARING make you happier than receiving possibly could, then you’ve got a way to make yourself happy for life. I’ll give you some cues to get you started. Call it Empathy OnRamp.

The Problem With Anonymity

I’m selfish. There’s no other way to put it.

To get the most from these tasks, you’ll want to remain anonymous. For example, your first challenge is an easy one: buy a stranger a coffee. If you’re shy, you don’t need to be seen. You’re not looking for acknowledgement, after all.

On the other hand, I want to know–and I want you to see–how much ‘happy’ we’re putting into our local community this week. One hundred people buying one hundred cups of coffee for one hundred strangers might just make the sun shine a little brighter in Philly, or confetti rain down from the sky, or something. It will sure make US feel good to be part of such a big movement. So let’s identify ourselves without sharing specifics:

 

There’s a photo on the CrossFit Renaissance Page. Tag yourself in it. Make it your profile picture. When your friend asks what it means, tell them. Maybe we’ll start a landslide: