Lockdown Coaches Blog 2.3 – By Brian Sciascia

Waking up locked down…

Some of us have to go to our jobs.

Some of us have to put our laptops in front of us and work.

Some of us just have to do nothing and wait.

Whoever you are, wake up and put on whatever shoes you need for the day. While you tie those laces or appreciate the warmth of those well-worn slippers have a think about the times we live in.

In this moment, Lockdown 2.0, we need to recognise that this is a time that will never repeat. We may get locked down in the future and that will look different to the now or Lockdown 1.0. That means we have been presented with an opportunity that can be taken advantage of, embrace the uniqueness of the moment to spread our wings (or legs) a little. You never know, in a few days times we could all be back doing the same thing we did every day before the 18th of August, that my friends would be the daily grind, real life, the same shit different day scenario we all have grown accustomed to.

So, what are you going to do different? Will this opportunity change you for the better?

You don’t have to change essence of who you are or the person you have grown to love (or like or mildly get annoyed with). There is no need for your moral compass to stray, actually please just make sure that stays in tack.

But.

How about a little change-up?

Why not? This is lockdown mate. You may or may not like the limitations locking down throws at you but it’s now or never because you know ‘the man’ is waiting around the corner, ready to swallow you up into his intricate web of bosses, managers, workers, slaves and money.

I’m talking about changing up some habits, changing up routine, changing up something to try and bring more joy to yourself and even others on the daily.These change-ups could be big or small but if there ever was a time to do it, it’s now, when everyday life is so whack anyway.

Let’s use me as a bit of a case study, a rebound board of sorts for possible ideas we could throw around.

Change ups I have implemented in the past that have made my life better:

– I started drawing again. I use to do this when I was younger, the thrill of making something from nothing but pen and paper brings a certain satisfaction. This made myself and others smile so being able to do that again has been a reward I had not felt in a long time.

– I indulged, shit, I over indulged into the world of craft beers. I found the nectar of the gods in a yellow hazy glass of liquid gold. This definitely made me happy and it times it made others happy, but let’s be clear, not always. This is a treacherous change-up to utilize but a change-up non the less. This could also work with both wine or whisky too, keep that in mind.

– I started BBQ-ing. Cooking using various techniques in the quest of deliciousness. The good thing here is, the techniques are almost limitless so you can really push the boat out on how you prepare food. This change-up could be one that really improves your life as we all know the age-old adage “you don’t make friends with salad” and that still rings true to this day. It’s science.- These are things I have been doing for a while now but are change-ups I implemented at times when I needed something new.

Lockdown 2.0. I now have all those things above to fill my soul. I also have an almost 4-year son as my everyday constant. My change-up right now is to try be a better dad. So far, it’s been going well, but then sometimes I find myself getting side tracked working on my laptop while he is getting ignored. It’s not perfect but I’m trying. He is a ball of energy and I dig that; I take advantage of his fearless and confident approach to life and try and fuel that as much as I can in the activities we do.

Further to that, taking advantage of these traits also led me back to skateboarding (change-up) which in turn means hurting myself again. The other day I bombed a hill and fell off at full speed and skidded across the asphalt with no protection, killing my phone, my groin and a whole lot of confidence. I’m glad he didn’t see that part of it but when he saw me at full speed gracefully rolling down a hill, he was so bloody pumped and seeing that in his eyes was everything. Without the change-up I would not have had that moment with my son. I would also not be running an iPhone 5 and I would be able to walk properly but that stuff will eventually sort itself out (I hope).

There are some ideas, yours will no doubt look a hell of a lot different to these but you get the picture, I hope.

So.

Change up something.

Now is the time, make that something happen.

Make someone’s day and remember that that someone could just be you.

No matter who you are, once you put those shoes on, set out with some sort of intention of what you want to achieve. The options are limitless and don’t always have to pertain to productivity, fitness or kicking life goals.

Keep it simple or make it not simple, who cares.

Change-up for the better.

Coach Brian (PS – This is has nothing to do with CrossFit, apologies)