Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Archive for April 13, 2011
CrossFit In Seventeen Magazine
01 year ago
CrossFit in Seventeen Magazine! Now that’s something…
Are you up for a challenge?
Staying healthy is a way of life, and every now and then you need to spice it up! With summer just around the corner, and a dream bikini in mind, I decided to try something new: crossfit.
Crossfit is a core strength and conditioning program. It combines weightlifting, sprints, and gymnastics. In crossfit, variety is key and routine is the enemy! Because it’s so varied (but can also be scaled) it’s perfect for athletes of all levels. Whether you’re a sport enthusiast looking to cross train, a type-A personality who likes a challenge, or someone just looking to get in shape (like me)—you can work crossfit into your life.
I decided to head over to Crossfit ACT for a trial class. I was ready to lift, I was ready to sprint, and I was ready to…”Tabata.”
Wait, what?,
Tabata is an interval style workout that consists of twenty seconds of work followed by ten seconds rest repeated eight times. And today’s “W.O.D.” (workout of the day) was a combination of four tabata style workouts (jumping pull-ups, squats, push-ups, and sit-ups).
Sounds easy, right? It’s not. As the timer counted down to “go!” I remember smiling to myself. Jumping pull-ups? Piece of cake! I had been climbing; I definitely could do a pull-up. Especiallyone in motion!
Besides, it was only twenty seconds!
(Note to self: over-confidence is not always a good thing)
A minute after the workout started, I wanted it to end. I was huffing and puffing. Fifteen seconds. I started grimacing.Seventeen seconds. A droplet of sweat dripped into my eye and now I was both grimacing and blinking. I look confused, or in pain, or both? Twenty. Finally!
After completing the final sit-up of the 20-minute workout, a couple of thoughts went through my mind:
- What was I thinking this morning when I decided to get up and do this.
- Do I have six-pack-abs yet? I must have six pack abs.
- I just completed four tabata workouts. WOW.
- I feel AWESOME!
Despite the fact that I had only worked out for about 20 minutes, I felt like I had gotten a full body workout! I realized that because I had really pushed myself, and I was actually excited to log my score. (After each workout you make a note of your score to see improvements over time). So whether you’re working out with body weight, or doing a strength W.O.D. in the end you’re working towards improving your own scores! (The gorgeous bod and healthy attitude are just an added bonus)
So, do you think you’d be up for the challenge?
Sugar- the most demonized additive known to man
11 year ago
by Stephy
in Health/Nutrition
It’s so interesting to gain the insight and knowledge that science provides us around what we are trained to put in our bodies —
On May 26, 2009, Robert Lustig gave a lecture called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth,” which was posted on YouTube the following July. Since then, it has been viewed well over 800,000 times, gaining new viewers at a rate of about 50,000 per month, fairly remarkable numbers for a 90-minute discussion of the nuances of fructose biochemistry and human physiology.
Lustig is a specialist on pediatric hormone disorders and the leading expert in childhood obesity at the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, which is one of the best medical schools in the country. He published his first paper on childhood obesity a dozen years ago, and he has been treating patients and doing research on the disorder ever since.
The viral success of his lecture, though, has little to do with Lustig’s impressive credentials and far more with the persuasive case he makes that sugar is a “toxin” or a “poison,” terms he uses together 13 times through the course of the lecture, in addition to the five references to sugar as merely “evil.” And by “sugar,” Lustig means not only the white granulated stuff that we put in coffee and sprinkle on cereal — technically known as sucrose — but also high-fructose corn syrup, which has already become without Lustig’s help what he calls “the most demonized additive known to man.”
Rainy Day Workout
01 year ago
Vacation can’t come too soon for me — I am running on empty. Work is busy, home life is busy — I am thankful that I have CrossFit though. It really helps me with stress management and it’s a super fun way to start my day. I highly recommend it. And it’s been raining the past 2 days — pouring rain too. Makes it harder to get up and start your day on the right foot.
Warmupx2
20 DUs
10 OHS
10 Ring Rows
10 KTE
Skill
Front Squat
Shoulder Press
WOD
5×2 Shoulder Press (3 at 75lb, 2 at 65lb)
5×3 Front Squat (105lb)
Tabata Burpees = 45
4m total (20s of work, 10s of rest)
So – something interesting I found out with me and Double Unders. I can do a few in a row if I close my eyes!! How funny is that??!! There must be something to do with how I am visually processing the experience that messes me up! I have tried it over and over again with my eyes closed, and sure enough! I can do it! Anyone else out there have that same experience?
