Funny title for today's entry.  No I haven't switched medical specialties, and no I am not using the word "box" in the vulgar sense (where it refers to a Cultfit, I mean Crossfit affiliate gym).  The title actually came from a recent conversation I had with a colleague.  We have a Nurse Anesthesia training program where I work and part of our responsibilities include teaching.  A few years ago I wrote monograph for the students entitled Anesthesia According to Me.  The title is a bit on the autocratic side but its serious business and I think there is a lot of good info packaged in a semi-entertaining format.  I update it every year and every year I give it to the new students.  I just handed out a batch yesterday.  Anyway a few of our Nurse Anesthetists hadn't seen it so I gave them copies.  It was well received and I am not giving myself credit here.  It is a synopsis of what I have been taught by instructors, colleagues, and patients.  I didn't invent the stuff.   At one point I mention my disdain for cutaneous temperature monitoring and how it makes absolutely no sense to put a temp sticker on a patient and then put a forced air warmer over the patient and the sticker.  These things don't reflect core temperature well at all.  My buddy says "well for shorter simple cases you gotta check all the boxes".  What he means is this way you can at least say you monitored the temperature.  Personally I like to do things for a reason and when I do them I try to do it the best way I can. 

How many people out there are just "checking the boxes" when it comes to training.  I'd say most people.  Go to the gym and just watch, same guys there doing the same routines, lifting the same weights never making much progress and never asking why.  On the other end of the spectrum are folks who radically change their paradigm on a weekly basis, that doesn't get you too far either.  A little mindfulness goes a long way.  This is applicable both in the planning of your sessions and the actual training itself.  Define your goals.  Do you want to meet a certain weight or rep count on an exercise?  Do you want a 400lb bench or perhaps you'd like to squat 400 for 20?  Or maybe you want to finish your first marathon, or maybe master a new skill like rope work or 1 legged squats.  Whatever your goal is, plan your training around that.  Before every session, remind yourself why you are planning to do the drills you have set out for yourself.  This will focus your mind on the significance of the days work.  Then while you are doing your sets focus on each rep and try to make them quality reps.  If they don't feel right focus on why and try to fix that as a priority for your next session.  This sort of focus and planning will make your training time more valuable.  Train Smart!  It is a lot more useful than merely checking the box that says yeah I trained today.