Get your mind out of the gutter, people. That is not what I meant.
Last night, for the first time in five days, I was able to totally clear my mind and only think about one thing - not dropping a 50lb barbell on top of my head at olympic lifting class. Snatches are such a mental lift - yes, you have to be strong (or at least being strong helps), but you also have to be able to put the pieces together, not be afraid of the movement (and it's a scary one!), clear your head and just do it. When you overthink, you miss. When you don't lift with confidence, you miss. When you don't listen to your coach, you miss. You have to clear your head of all the clutter and focus on what you are doing. I saw a t-shirt last weekend that said 'Shut Up. Just Do You.' Totally true. Take that, little voices in my head.
I walked into the gym last night totally wound up. I moved this last weekend into my new house and it was the most stressful move that I've ever had. Even though I had movers (best decision made and money spent!) and my parents here to help - moving into the house that I own and will be living in for the foreseeable future was 10 times more stressful than moving into any rental I've had. The move itself was easy - it's all the other stuff that comes along with it that was hard. My dad was on hand to do an entire list of 'daddy-do' items (that's like a honey-do list for those of us who are relationship-challenged) and my mom and I spent most of the weekend visiting every home store in the general Seattle area. (Having jumbo sized furniture worked out to not be as awesome as it could have been when nothing fit up my staircase. My new living room is officially brought to you by West Elm.)
I just had to be 'on' at all times for the last five days. I spent all afternoon/evening on Thursday getting ready for the move. Movers came first thing on Friday morning. Saturday/Sunday were dedicated to organizing my life. Monday I had to coach in the am and then work all day. It was a constant stream of questions and thinking and dealing with things for five days. Plus, I got no more than five hours of sleep a night for days, dealt with a dog who discovered how to jump the fence, spent more money than I thought possible, and I still can't find half my stuff. I seriously considered cancelling my workout last night and just sitting at home on the couch and staring blankly at the TV. I'm so glad that I didn't. Going into the gym last night gave me a chance to let everything go and seriously clear my head.
Yes, I missed a lot of lifts last night. On weights that weren't heavy. But it happened every time that I let my mind start to wander. I stopped focusing on my speed and I jumped too high and landed off balance. I didn't focus on breaking the bar and let my shoulders disengage. I love snatches because not only do they feel awesome when you do it right, but they force you to engage completely. To be one with the bar (Yes. I'm totally aware of how dorky that sounds.)
But seriously. Snatches. Cheaper than therapy.
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