Knowledge is Power

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Well, the count down begins.  In 4 short days I will be headed to Columbus to sit through 2 days of Crossfit classes at Rogue Fitness and test to become a CrossFit Level 1 Certified trainer.

I know I've come a long way since this time last year but sometimes, when I really think about it, I feel silly for signing up to get certified already. I've only been Crossfitting since November 2011, not even a full year yet. I already have a full time job so I don't intend on actually becoming a full time coach and I'm not nearly as advanced as some of the other crossfitters at my box who do not have their Cert.

If any of you have looked into getting certified, you'll see the classes are generally booked solid for 5 to 6 months out.  The earliest class opening when I looked back in July was for January 2013 and it was to be held out of state. That would not have been very convenient and the travel would have added even more expense to the already costly class. 

Well as chance would have it Rogue, located only a few hours from my home town in Columbus, Ohio, opened up an extra class at the end of September 2012.  I was immediately nervous and excited about the opportunity. Obviously nervous for the reasons I mentioned above, but also I kept thinking: seriously! who am I to take the cert?  Will there be new expectations from my friends, co-athletes, coaches or family? What will I use it for if I'm not going to be a full time Crossfit coach?  Do I really want to spend THAT MUCH on a measly little certification? On the other hand I was excited! This was an opportunity to grow and learn new things about a passion of mine. This was a chance to take ownership of my new lifestyle, put it into practice and take my training to the next level.  It's a resume builder, it's a confidence booster, it's a way to Put Good In, it's a challenge that I never thought in a million years I'd be in a position to take on. And as my mom advised me when I called her with my dilemma, 

"Leah, no one can take away your education. Take every opportunity in life to attain knowledge and become proficient in whatever you are passionate about. You can not put a price tag on that, I say GO for it."

DONE! 

I went straight home to my computer and signed up. Wish me luck cuz here I go!

Rosy glasses

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“The great virtue in life is real courage that knows how to face facts and live beyond them.” 

~D.H. Lawrence

  

I want to honor a hero, to honor someone who was stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.  

“Maybe that’s the real key to happiness – 

not giving a damn, 

laughing with those you love the most…. 

It’s almost like making them smile or cheering them up or doing something sweet for them makes me feel more alive. 

That’s what it’s all about, I think – just loving on people.” ~ Kat Gorkavchuk

Tonight I will regretfully have the privilege of attending the memorial service to celebrate Katya Gorkavchuk's remarkable 27 years on this earth. I, like thousands of others, had the privilege of being touched by her life and by her extraordinary story…

Katya Gorkavchuk 2/5/85 - 8/25/12

Even from the beginning this hero had an amazing outlook on life. She was human through and through, with the same emotions and fears as the next person, but she didn’t take life for granted. 

 
The post below was written 2 years ago on June 22, 2010 by Kat.  

 

“Now the trumpet summons us again

 – not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; 

not as a call to battle, though embattled we are;

 but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, 

year in and year out,

 ‘rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation’, 

a struggle against the common enemies of man; 

 tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.”   

~ John F. Kennedy

Riding the Pine

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 I am currently in the middle of my second doctor-ordered hiatus in the past twelve months.  Last spring I was determined to have a dorsal wrist impingement. 

If you're like me, you're probably thinking that sounds like something a dolphin would get.  A dorsal wrist impingement is a chronic injury resulting from repetitive combination of hyperextension and axial loading. It is the most common injury among gymnasts. The commonness doesn't provide me with much consolation, as nearly everyday I notice the little ways it affects me.

As a Crossfitter, this is especially disheartening because of the many ways we use our bodies in this manner: push ups, burpees, front squats, overhead squats, wall climbs, cleans, wall balls and handstands. The list really could go on and on. Even low-impact athletics like yoga can be tricky.  The things that are supposed to help us feel our strongest, at times only shine a spotlight on my weakness.  

I started using braces, Shock Doctors with rigid internal stays, for movements that were particularly bothersome.  I have progressed to using them for almost everything. I can often be heard unlatching six noisy Velcro straps during final savasana (can you think of a more soothing sound as you reflect on your practice?). 

I'm told that it is of great importance to mitigate any repeated inflammation as my family's history of arthritis, particularly the auto-immune Rheumatoid Arthritis variety, puts me at increased risk of accelerated joint degradation.  

So is there a silver lining here? Well we all have limitations. Just because I can't do everything doesn't mean I can't do anything.  I'm using this rest period for both physical and mental re-booting.  I plan to return to CFCB with a renewed focus and determination to be the best athlete that I can be.

Rise Again

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Life happens…

You can’t speed it up, or slow it down and normally you can’t change it… much. For the most part we are forced to just roll with the punches. Some punches turn out to be a love pat but often they connect and knock us to the ground.

I’ve been reading the training guide in preparation for my Level 1 Crossfit Certification test in September. For the last 10 pages Coach has been trying to define fitness. 

He says “Done right, fitness provides a great margin of protection against the ravages of time and disease.” He’s been explaining that true fitness is not specialized.  He says “Crossfit advocates and develops broad general and inclusive” training. “Our specialty is not specializing.”  

 I’ve lived enough that I have a bit of "LifeFitness" under my belt.  But like any other good fitness training regiment, you have to always keep working, advancing and becoming more agile day by day. Each of us has our weak areas that we hate facing and do our best to avoid. We’d rather cherry pick our problems and face things we feel more confident in and avoid the more inconvenient aspects of our weaknesses. But “LifeFitness” doesn’t come from hiding from those parts and specializing in our strengths, instead we must face all life's difficulties head on.

We are setting goals at Crossfit Legacy and posting them for all to see. We are taking a good look at ourselves and admitting personal weakness and becoming vulnerable to our fellow athletes so that they can love on us, encourage us, keep us accountable, push us, pick us up off the floor, and just be part of our process until they are no longer weaknesses. I think this is healthy exercise to do in every aspect of our life so that we can become better equipped for what life has to offer. By taking an inventory of ourselves and with a little help from others, we can become more complete, stronger and more agile in our response to the difficulties that come at us.

We must wake up every day with renewed hope and awareness so we don’t succumb to the negative we see all around us.  By realizing that life is an adventure and every chapter in that adventure has ups, downs, scary, and happy times we can have hope when looking toward what will happen next.

So what are some of the things in my life that provide my margin of protection against the ravages of life? 

1.        A relationship with Christ. I’m told in Philippians 4 that I shouldn’t worry about anything and when I turn to Him when I’m in need, I will experience His peace which exceeds my understanding. And it will guard my heart and mind as I live.

I have seen this play out in my life and know that this is the most important sword and shield one can possess.

2.     Faithful Friends. These are the people that wipe the sweat off my brow, bandage up my lip, give me a sip of water, pat me on the butt and send me back out to face the world just a little bit stronger.

3.     Family Ties. I didn’t choose them and they didn’t choose me, but there is no turning away from it. They are family and they will love me unconditionally. A cultivated healthy relationship with family members can give you the gift of honesty while also proving a haven when times are tough and the world seems cold.

4.       Life Experience. One of my favorite quotes is:

 GOOD Judgment comes from Experience.

    And Experience comes from BAD Judgment.

Each tough situation that I go through reinforces the importance of utilizing each aspect of my margin of protection. Each defining turn in life is an opportunity to be more prepared for the next one down the road. If I’m watching and taking notes I can slowly become "LifeFit" and learn to better navigate through this adventure.  

The Cult

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I've heard a lot of talk about Crossfit lately. Not all the comments are positive ones. While I know Crossfit is far from perfect and not the right fit for everyone, I do sorta want to tell some people to just Chill Out at times!

I hear people make negative comments about Crossfit athletes because they say we are too obsessed or its just a social club, its too dangerous, our muscles are too big or two small or too fake.  I hear others complain that Crossfitters kip, the workouts are too long or short or heavy and that there is not enough policing of the trainers and their methods.

Recently a friend told me he didn't want to come to Crossfit because he didn't want to join "The Cult"... I laughed of course, because I knew he was kidding for the most part, but I think deep down he truly believes that it sort of is. He uses me as an example of someone who got swept up in the Crossfit current.

When I chose my gym (box) initially I wasn't looking to "Crossfit", I wanted results and had  been having a hard time achieving them.  I had no reason to Crossfit over anything else, all I wanted was the best training for the best price... again, I wanted RESULTS!

• When I finally settled on a box it was not because I needed more friends or because I needed to fill my day, however in the process I have met some awesome people who share a passion that I now have. 

• It was not that I wanted to be tough and put myself through the pain of uncomfortable WOD's, however I believe that most goals worth reaching require hard work, stretching, and even pain sometimes. 

• Here's what I think about the "obsessed/addicted" comments. Let me ask you, have you ever had a baby, bought a new car or gone on an amazing vacation?  Who did you tell about it? how often did it come up in conversation? How much time and money did you invest in it? If  you woke up tomorrow weighing 35 lbs less and upon looking in the mirror could see muscle definition in your arms, do you think you'd be excited? Do you think you'd tell your friends? I have a very full, fun exciting life outside of Crossfit. But you better believe I'm going get down and dirty, pouring 110% of myself into it and do it as often as time allows and shout it from the roof tops when I succeed. 

• Here is a challenge for you. Go to a very public place and look around.  Try to guess which folks are Crossfitters, Golds gym, home gym, or have personal trainers. Can you decipher? No, because each body is different. So why marter Crossfit for exaggerated muscles. Were up, were moving were happy and we want more than anything for you to do it with us!  What i'm getting at is that  Crossfit doesn't make your body anything you don't want it to be. The level of fitness you have is your choice.

• There are absolutely Crossfit owners and trainers out there who have no business coaching a WOD. Just like there are bad teachers, bad parents and bad cops. This falls into the consumers responsibility when choosing their place of fitness. BUYER BEWARE!  Just because someone charges an arm and a leg for you to join does not mean they know a hill of beans about what they are making you do. Just because a gym has great marketing, or new equipment does not mean they have any idea of how the body should respond to a work out, the bar, or an injury should it happen. Find a place with history, experience and a great reputation for quality leadership. You want honesty? Just ask a member, they will tell you exactly what they think.

Again, I'm just a simple girl who had a simple goal to become someone better and this is the avenue I chose. I want you to support me as much as I support you when you make great life decisions...

CrossFit KGB - Lumberjack 20

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Summer is a great time for community charity events. In most cities you're probably able to find an event nearly every weekend of the season.  Since CrossFit is already an inherently supportive community, what better way to show support and gratitude for our health than to help raise money for organizations working to bring health to those in need of it. 

Yesterday I joined thirty or so other athletes in an event to benefit St. Jude's.  The workout was the Lumberjack 20, which I had never done before. It was evident that much consideration went into planning this event, and KGB did a tremendous job of coordinating the heats of participants, the stations, and everyone's weights, which were swapped out by the staff and ready for us when we returned from our 400m runs. 


Everything went so smoothly, and as always, I felt incredible support from the other athletes and their families watching from the sidelines. Even though it was HOT, everyone pushed through to the very end. The group raised $430 for St. Jude's. 


No CrossFit event would be complete without, of course, MEAT! The pig roast was amazing and delicious. My first attempt at gluten-free baking seemed to be well received and we didn't return with any of the Bacon-Chive Deviled Eggs I made (recipes to follow). 


All in all, it was the perfect way to spend a summer Saturday.  Thanks to Ben, Allyson, and everyone at KGB for having us.

Put Good In

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One of the hardest hurdles to conquer when on a path to a healthier lifestyle, for me, is overcoming the feeling of deprivation. While I am generally comfortable with the 2-step decision making process of first, decide what you want, then decide what you’re willing to give up for it, it still can seem at times that very few things are worth forever foregoing pizza, chocolate, margaritas, or anything else that sometimes just flat out makes a bad day better.

In the midst of my search for practical advice on this subject, I struck gold. I’m kicking myself now for not remembering who said it, but the advice was this: rather than taking the all of the unhealthy things out of your routine, put good things in.  The theory being that the reinforcement of good things, like a new sheriff, will run the bad things right out of town.

So, practically, what does this mean? Let’s say your favorite salad includes ranch dressing, blue cheese crumbles, and croutons (things we know we should nix), rather than skip those ingredients altogether, pile on extras like cucumbers, peppers, and fresh parsley. Gradually, you’ll feel better and over time you may opt to stick with just the veggies all on your own. 
Source: photoxyz.com via Danita on Pinterest

This week I conducted a little experiment to see if this concept applied to my emotional health as well.  I had a busy week. Like, all cylinders running all day long busy. I was stressed and cranky, and I defaulted to believing that I needed some aggressive, high-impact exercise on which to take all of my frustrations out. Rather than attempting to ‘get the bad stress out’ I decided to reframe it, and ‘put the good calm in’.  A little yoga, some singing birds, and my backyard nature preserve helped me to consciously add the calmness that I needed.

This week, what can you ADD to your routine that will help you reach your goals? Take a few days to forget about all of the unhealthy habits you have to stop and instead think about one or two healthy habits that you can incorporate into your day. Then tell us how you did!!