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!!

Pood what?

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I was talking to my grandma recently and she was commenting on my weight loss. She asked me how the excersizing was going and I excitedly announced 

(If you don't understand the following statement, this post is for you... keep reading!)

"My double unders and kips are really improving and I can finally do a HSPU! Yesterday I did Fran and for today's WOD I RX'd the Snatch and TGU with a heavier pood than normal, even though I felt like I was so close to DNFing because it was a 15 min AMRAP with 5 burpees EMOM"! 

To which she replied... "what about your mom?" 

Seriously though, does the crossfit "cult" really have their own language? Well sort of, but the secret is out. Here is the skinny on some of our popular muscle building lingo mentioned in the sentence above...

Sentence Translation:

• Double Unders: When jumping rope, the rope goes under your feet twice for each time you jump
• Kip: A motion used to gain momentum to complete desired movement

• HSPU: Hand Stand Push Up
• Fran: There are 21 "Girl Named"  predefined crossfit workouts, Fran being the first one written and one of the most famous
• WOD: Workout Of the Day
• RX’d: As prescribed; as written. WOD done without any adjustments
• Snatch: A weight lifting movement where you lift a barbell over head in one fluid motion

  

• TGU: Turkish Get Up




• Pood: Russian measure used for kettlebells; common ones: 1 pood =36 lbs; 1.5 pood = 54 lbs; 2 pood = 72 lbs.



kettlebell

• DNF: Did Not Finish
• AMRAP: As Many Reps or Rounds as Possible
• Burpee: Also known as "squat-thrusts" from your high-school PT days. Basically a pushup followed by a jumping jack (not a great video, but you get the idea)
• EMOM: Every Minute On the Minute 

What did I miss? Ask some questions... get some answers...

Girl Talk: Keepin' them Up, and Strappin' them Down

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OK Ladies, if you're anything like me and have played sports all of your life, then you may have experimented with at least a hundred different sports bras before finding one that you were really happy with.  Options generally range from cute but completely non-supportive (sounds like some men I've dated, jk) to ridiculously overpriced.

There are plenty of special needs, especially for those women who are rocking the alphabet south of yours truly, but for the ABC crowd who are looking to "set it and forget it" without breaking the bank, I'd like to recommend a sturdy and affordable candidate.

I'm sure there are some purists out there that only buy athletic gear from speciality retailers and would never think to find decent items at the same place you get shampoo and paper towels. I thought this too, until I found these gems at Target. Like lots of brands now under the mighty bullseye's umbrella, Champion's C9 line of men and women's items is made (and priced) just for Target.

The two varieties I love are the Racerback and the Seamless Cami.  This provides some variety of straps depending on what you may want to wear over it. And they both come in tons of colors so you can reject the standard white if that's just not your style.

 Best of all, they are easy on the wallet at a cool $16.99. Looking for same items on Champion's website will turn up prices between $26-$32 for the same product. 

 These are literally the only sports bras I buy anymore. I feel contained without feeling suffocated and after many, many washes they have not lost their elasticity.

Sure I think lululemon's stuff is cute as kittens, but ultimately I need to reside somewhere other than the shopping bags of all of my workout clothes. Next time you're making a "Target run", stop by the women's athletic section and give it a try. You may be plesantly suprised.

Preparation

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No matter what you do, whether at work, at home, with your diet or your work out regiment, with a little preparation you can accomplish more than you thought possible. However, when we give little preparation, we get little results.

Last October I decided that I wanted to begin trying to get into the best shape of my life.  I knew it would take some time so I started working out at Crossfit Legacy. In no time I was having fun and enjoyed my new plan. I began to feel stronger and have more confidence, but two months into my work out regiment I realized my work outs were being negatively affected by my eating habits in more than one way.  

1. My extra weight made certain movements more difficult.  

2. Because of my food choices, I wasn't optimally fueling my muscles or brain.  I realized that in order to properly get the results I wanted I would need to change my eating habits.

Now in order to change my eating habits I couldn't just cross my fingers, and wish the weight away, I had to... you guessed it... PREPARE for the big change!  It took me a month of research, getting an accountability group together, putting together healthy shopping lists, clearing my fridge and cupboards of the evil tempters, mentally noting things that I would have to cut out once I made the switch and searching for recipes that sounded yummy but were easy enough to get me started.  I wanted to be as prepared as possible so that I had no excuses once I began.

On February 1st 2012 I gave up sugar, grains, legumes, starches, dairy and processed foods.  And on that same day I can honestly say I also began gaining more strength, energy, alertness and a good feeling about myself.  My preparation was paying off! I lost 17 lbs in 3.5 months and have felt amazing in the process.

But, if you're anything like me you sometimes fall off the wagon... I woke up this morning, was rushing around trying to get ready for work and realized I hadn't allowed enough time to make breakfast and I didn't have any food in the house to prepare my lunch.  My lack of preparation almost derailed my days food intake. Time to start preparing again!

1. look up a few good recipes that I can make to get me through the work week lunches

2. Get an accountability partner or group to not only help encourage me and cheer me on, but to commiserate with when I start craving cup cakes again.

3. Always have fresh fruits and vegetables ready and available for when I need a little snack.

4. Look ahead at my calendar to see what events or things are scheduled in my future and find creative ways to stay on track. Like bringing my own food to a picnic, check a restaurant menu online ahead of time or avoiding the work lunch room when someone brings in hot, fresh doughnuts to share.

Act As If

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I should start by saying that I am not a religious person. I wouldn’t even consider myself a spiritual person. The power that I believe in is that which lies within each of us. Humans are remarkably resilient, with finely-tuned hormonal and chemical coping mechanisms which help us to both survive the most extreme physical and emotional traumas and to celebrate the mundane accomplishments in our everyday lives.



I believe one of the greatest accomplishments a person can make is bridging the gap between our mental and physical selves; to put our own goals and dreams into action via the sheer force of self-determination.


There have been plenty of theorists, millions probably, who’ve noted the connection between mental inputs and physical outputs. My father was one of them. As one of many tennis coaches I’ve trained with throughout the years, his practices rarely involved stepping a single foot onto a tennis court. He frequently led me through a series of visualization techniques, where I would imagine myself, for example, hitting the perfect forehand-- with the most fluid low-to-high swing, where contact is made precisely on the racquet’s sweet spot, and the ball clearing the net with the ideal trajectory resulting from the topspin created by this perfect forehand.


I’ve pretty much been visualizing events in my life ever since. Job interviews, first dates (OK, let’s be honest those are pretty much the same as job interviews), combating my (recent) flying fear, these are all things in which I believe I can shape the outcome with some focused mental energy. Call it what you want, but I’ve found Acting As If to be a powerful tool when other resources or abilities are still just out of my reach.


I challenge all of you to practice this week. Choose one thing that scares you or needs work, whether that’s a snatch balance or asking your boss for a raise. Sit quietly and imagine yourself succeeding, imagine how your body feels – active shoulders/weight in heels or direct speech pattern and tone – and imagine smiling with a genuine confidence that no one could possibly rip away from you. Like all other things in life, this takes practice. You may not believe in yourself yet….but you will. In the meantime, fake it. No one will know the difference.

Three Oh!

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Today I'm 30! Ironically I feel exactly like I did yesterday, so that's a plus. But obviously I'm not 20 anymore.  I don't feel, look or act 20 and I'm not sure when the change happened because every day I have felt just like I did the day before...

As I drove to work today I tried to imagine I was 20 and who I would have wanted to be at 30. I'm happy to say, I think I would have been proud of the future me.  In my 30 years I've wracked up a life times worth of memories, experiences, successes and failures.  Bear with me, because I'd like to share what I have to show for my 30 years:

Loved Ones:

I feel very blessed and thankful for every person God has brought into my life. My family has grown so big. 2 loving, happily married parents, 6 siblings, 7 nieces and nephews and an adoring Grandma.  I never realized you could love so many people so much. My friends, co-workers and gym buddies show me daily how to be a better person. They forgive me when I'm frustrated, they laugh at my corny jokes and thankfully they love me when I'm annoying...

Health:

I'm thankful for my health and the track I am on to better myself.  I'm proud to say that I reached both of my fitness goals: 30 double-unders and 10 uninterrupted pull-ups by 30. I'm excited that I have begun this new life style. I feel like this is the foundation for a full and happy life.

Life:

I'm thankful for my awesome job and the  place I call home. My house is more than I could have ever dreamed of owning and I'm thankful every day I get to enjoy it! My real life group has changed my life... literally! Each girl has contributed to the quality and direction of my life.  Their continued support and acceptance for all my short comings is a blessing and comfort everyday. I've grabbed life by the horns. I've enjoyed jumping out of planes, hiking, riding horses, white water rafting, drinking too much, the Warrior dash... twice! long vacations, watching my nieces and nephews grow, moving to Arizona, moving back to Ohio, Crossfitting and the spontaneity of LIVING!

Emotions:

I've felt heart break and loss of loved ones. but I've also felt love and acceptance. I've held babies, and loved my family. I've been bruised, cut and fallen down many times but I also know what a loving embrace feels like, and I can recognize a memory in the making. I've helped people through hard times and I've latched on to others during my own.

Love:

I've loved! I've loved and been loved.  By God, my family, by extended family, by friends and my church. I've been loved by my best friend, a man, my dog, and even by people I've never met... it's true!

Slim:

I have the best friend a man can have.  She has spent the last 9 years watching me struggle to get fit and never judged when I failed. She's licked the tears from my face and has busted my lip open out of excitement.  She has helped me get a job by jumping out of a 3rd story window and has never met a dog she didn't hate or human she didn't love. Her little vibrating body and kidney bean shape welcome me home every day. She forgives me when I'm angry with her and snuggles close when she's scared. Everyone who meets her loves her... and shes mine! :)

I'm 30, like it or not, and wouldn't change a thing for fear of missing out on any one of the things above...