When we opened CrossFit Ballina our purpose wasn’t about producing elite athletes to compete at the CrossFit Games.
And it still isn’t.
Yes, we want to help you reach your potential (and if that means that you go to the CrossFit Games then we would obviously be ecstatic) but our mission is so much bigger than that.
Our intention has, and always will be, to help others achieve lifelong fitness. To help the 20 year old make the first grade sports team. Or the 40-year-old feel confident and fit enough to join a recreational basketball league. To help the overweight woman in her 50s get to a point that carrying four bags of groceries up three flights of stairs is no big deal. And to help the 75-year-old improve her fitness so she can go on a 4-hour hike with her grandchildren, or move a couch with her husband.
Fitness/Health was never supposed to be about how much you could clean and jerk, per se; it’s about helping ordinary people gain fitness, eat well, and become healthier.
This means our hope for all of you is that fitness doesn’t take over your life. We hope it has become an important part of your life, but that you also take the time to appreciate your newfound fitness IN LIFE.
In light of this a group of gyms that we are associated with have come up with a Prescription for a Great Life. Follow it and your fitness, happiness, and overall life will improve (at least we think so).
Prescription for a Great Life
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Follow the Code for Fitness 2 to 4 times a week:
Show up to the gym 2 or 3 (or maybe even 4 or 5 times a week if it works for your life). Train with your coach or attend group classes to improve your flexibility, strength, speed, power, cardiovascular endurance, stamina, accuracy, balance, coordination and agility.
Keep track of your numbers, know your strengths and weaknesses socialize with those around you, have fun and celebrate your gains.
Lifting weights is just part of the puzzle for a great life
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Eat Well:
Diets will differ from person to person depending on your goals, wants and needs. As a gross oversimplification we believe for optimal health, your diet should consist mostly of whole, unprocessed foods—90% of the time. The other 10% simply means it’s OK—emotionally healthy even—to have a beer or a piece of cake from time to time if it fits in with your goals.
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Play Sports/Get Outside
Join a hockey or basketball league in the winter or take up surfing, hiking, kayaking or SUP in the summer: The important thing is to put your fitness to use. You work hard in the gym; playing sports and getting outside is your chance to enjoy your newfound fitness.
And if you’re feeling bold, try new sports when the opportunity arises—be it golf, tennis or surfing.
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Get out in Nature at Least Once a Week
Breathing fresh air in nature is known to be therapeutic to the soul. Rock climbing, hiking, camping, skiing or surfing are all great options. You are fit, healthy and live in one of the most beautiful areas of planet earth. So train at the gym so that you can enjoy everything that this wonderful area of the world has to offer.
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Embark on an Adventure at Least Once a Year
Does adventure to you mean doing something relaxing and fun, or something scary and challenging?
Choose your own adventure, but definitely choose adventure!
We think that if you follow this prescription you will find yourself getting the most out of your time in the gym and in life in general.
