The Thankful Project: November 21st

The Thankful Project: November 21st: Workout Friends



Never thought I'd actually be able to say this, but I've been doing Crossfit for over two years. Today was my first "competition", an in-house competition where we spent the whole morning working out and supporting one another to hit some PR's and make time caps. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did, as I tend to get super shy and nervous when people watch me compete or perform in a competition...but I think that because of the amazing community that Crossfit is, it wasn't as scary. 






I just want to give a shout out to my awesome partner, Michelle and some of the great friends I have made in the past year at being at College Hill Crossfit like Starr, Megan, Kaci, Megan, and Carly. If it wasn't for them, I don't think I would've made it through today ... or PR'd my hang snatch. Overall, Michelle and I tied for 3rd with our sweet friends Megan + Megan and I'll gladly take that as a first competition victory. 

The Thankful Project: November 16th

The Thankful Project: November 16th: Crossfit

Yes I’m crazy. Yes I’m in pain. Yes I’m paying for this.  Over two years ago I drank that Crossift Kool-Aid and here I am still pounding away and pushing my body. I was terrified to try Crossfit at first; I was intimidated by the weights, the women were beastly and so strong, I didn’t understand any of the lingo and I was still struggling being sick. Yet I tried it. I remember the first workout having hill sprints and I thought I would die (because on top of being a non-Crossfitter I also despise running), however I survived and didn’t vomit so I returned for another WOD-..and another..and another.

Crossfit changed my life. I was always sick when I was younger but in my late teens I was diagnosed with several conditions that brought answers I’ve been looking for but a reality that there wasn’t really much that could be done. I worked hard throughout college but still was dealing with on and off episodes of sickness that brought me home a lot. Post-college is when I first stepped into a box and since then I’ve slowly improved my mental and physical health. I don’t talk about it much because I never want to use a disease as a crutch, but there are some days that I just can’t. Crossfit has offered that push and that commitment to help get through it.

I’m thankful for a place that I can work my butt off, become stronger and empowered. There are days I get so incredibly discouraged (I’m a perfectionist) and I get so angry with myself that I nearly want to quit. Yet like some sort of drug, I always come back. My youngest brother Jack started doing Crossfit with me and often has to talk me off the ledge. It has brought us closer as siblings and crated a bond that is unique and different than we’ve ever had. As Jack likes to constantly remind me, it’s all in my head. I admit it, I get in my head and can’t get out. Fear is my #1 enemy in the box. Ultimate fear: death. Jack reminds me that when I walked into Crossfit two and a half years ago, I had never touched a barbell, I couldn’t do one pull up, I never been upside down in a handstand, or ever swung a 50+lb kettlebell. Now I can do pull ups (as my biceps are still screaming from the 75 we did this morning), I love a barbell in my hand, I’m mastering the handstand, and kettlebells are my friends.

I believe that Crossfit is for anyone but not everyone is for Crossfit. You have to know how you are motivated, how you respond to the group atmosphere, and what you enjoy. I think that Crossfit can be adapted to any disability, restriction or injury but you have to be willing to put in the work regardless. Just because you can’t squat because you have a knee injury, doesn’t mean you’re going to take it easy in Crossfit. You’ll hit it hard in some other way. It’s adaptable, functional and relatable but it starts with you. You have to want it. You have to try. You have to be willing to be the last one on the floor and still keep chipping away at the workout.

Crossfit has changed my life and I have a sneaky suspicion I’ll be an avid Crossfitter for the rest of my life. #DoYouEvenLift

Whole 30 Week 1

The Whole 30. And so it begins. 

Today was the end marker of my first week on the Whole 30 journey. Last week while driving back from Florida, my mom read the book "It Starts With Food" and wanted to try the Whole 30 challenge. So after a few months of travel and a holiday weekend, mom and I decided to start the whole 30 challenge. Interested in the Whole 30? Not sure what the hype is all about? Check it out here. 

The Whole 30 was "established by Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system" Basically it's a 30-day reset of your body that changes your relationship with food, resets your metabolism and helps restore order and harmony in your body.

So here is an overall recap of my first week on the Whole 30.

Day 1

Breakfast was great: eggs, bacon and fresh fruit. Nothing too crazy. Lunch on the other hand, I would've quit if I wasn't doing this whole thing with my mom. A stressful day at work had me craving things I couldn't have, chips, pretzels and lemonade tea. So instead I made a "tuna salad" boat made with avocado and a side of grapes. Eh. I survived. Dinner was a simple grilled chicken, green beans, sweet potato mash with ghee and cinnamon. Not too bad overall but again- a support system is 

Day 2

Breakfast is simple and easy, eggs, bacon and fruit. Lunch was a salad that was less than thrilling and left me starving by mid-afternoon. Dinner was a failure, I overcooked pork chops and failed at making cauliflower rice so I ended up going to bed just tired, grumpy and hungry. Day 2 wasn't shaping up to be much better either.

The rest of the week was a mix of emotions. Breakfasts were always easy although I'm getting a little sick of eggs and bacon; I felt great and could head to work energized and ready for the day. Lunch time made me annoyed because I wanted things I could't have (have I mentioned that sugar is in EVERYTHING?!). However dinner time was the hardest. Getting home from work and being purely exhausted, all I wanted to do was snack or munch. The carb flu also hit me hard at the end of the week; I felt tired, sluggish, kind of in a daze somedays, hungry and just ill in general. 

Things I learned on Week 1:

1. I love sugar…oh wait, I already knew that

2. I get exhausted during the afternoon…but I already knew that too

3. I workout in the morning before work so by 10am, I'm hungry again- I think I need to add a mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack in, almost as a "post workout" snack

4. Cauliflower rice isn't as easy as it looks

5. When in doubt…just go to bed.

Day 29 of 30: Crossfit Chick

Day 29 of 30: Something that is a part of your routine that you really enjoy.

Daily tasks can become monotonous and boring; day in and day out doing the same exact thing. There is some comfort in knowing what to expect, but if you’re anything like me, after so much of the same thing, I start to go a little batty. One of the things that I love about my routine however is going to workout. I find working out therapeutic, a way to clear my mind and get out aggression or frustration. As I’ve moved over the years I’ve bounced from gym to gym doing the whole Rush fitness thing, Gold’s Gym, zumba, cycling, pilates, yoga, MMA, boxing- you name it and I’ve probably tried it. It wasn’t until a little over a year ago that I found my niche: Crossfit. 

What is Crossfit? Check it out!!! 

One of the reasons I love Crossfit is that although it has become a part of my daily routine, I never have to worry about being bored. Every day is something different, and with the exception of benchmark WODs, I rarely repeat the same exact workout twice. It’s tough. It’s challenging. It makes you want to puke or faint or die, but that’s what is awesome about it: the Crossfit program and coaches push you that one step further that you wouldn't push yourself riding it solo at Gold’s. It’s not necessarily about lifting heavy weight or running the fastest (although those are perks of the program), it’s really about testing your personal boundaries and seeing how far your body can go when you take your brain out of the equation. So yes, working out and hitting the box is part of my daily routine but it’s one of the things I look forward to most about the day, whether it’s at 5:00am or 6:30pm, it becomes a highlight of my day.