Saturday June 15, 2019

CoachBrenda

Hero Saturday Week 3:

Coach Brenda McKenzie, owner and counselor of Sequoia Counseling Center. If you want to get up and weightlift with Coach Brenda, you better be an early bird because you can usually find her snatching in the wee morning before coaching classes.  Surprisingly for such a quiet person, you can catch Coach Brenda blasting Shinedown and Halestrom when she is working out. We asked Coach Brenda if she had a personal hero, and her response was ” Families of those dealing with mental health issues. Their strength in going through the ups and downs of mental health issues is amazing.” We also were curious why she picked this hero wod and she expressed “I chose this WOD because I believe it is so important for us to continue to talk about mental health, and to be that support for each other. We never know what others are going through, and each of us can have a huge impact in the lives of others. We need to focus on connection, as this is the basis for helping others to overcome any mental health struggles they might have. “

Hero WOD “Becky”

800 meter run

30 squat snatches 95/65 pounds

400 -meter run

30 hang cleans 95/65 pounds

200-meter run

30 back squats 95/65 pounds

400-meter run

30 push ups

800-meter run

30 pull ups

“Becky” Rebecca Sefscik, a coach at CrossFit The Tracks (Erlanger, KY) and US military veteran, created this workout herself in 2012. Becky Sefscik took her own life on August 31, 2015 after a battle with PTSD. 

Life Lessons

Life is hard.

Life is stressful.

We see things we’d rather not see.

We do things we wish we hadn’t done.

This hurts us inside and cuts deep.

On top of this we sometimes feel alone.

And we feel overwhelmed. Unable to cope.

The only way to make it through sometimes is to get help.

There are always people who care and want to help.

1) If you are at the end of your rope and feel like letting go, please ask for help. Whether it’s reaching out to a close friend or family member or utilizing a resource like the Suicide Prevention Lifeline, you are never alone.

208-398-HELP(4357)

2) If you are living a normal life, do your best to look out for others that may need help. You may be able to see something no one else sees.  You may be the person who can save a life. A lot of times, simply asking “Are you okay?” can get the conversation started. You may never know how badly someone needs a friend.

To Becky: We are sorry that you have left us and wish we could have helped. But we hope that your life will now in some way help others dealing with the despair you felt.

If you know someone, or you are dealing with the struggles that come with suicidal thoughts. There are many local resources and contacts. Please don’t be afraid to ask for help.