Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Posts tagged crossfit
Kids and Fitness
010 months ago
Yesterday, I received an email from someone who had read my most recent blog post in the Ashburn Patch about getting kids into fitness. I fully believe there is no reason that is good enough to not be on top of this issue as parents. It’s part of our job to not only lead by example, but also find ways to get your kids’ moving. And as I have said – – it doesn’t have to be a concerted effort like an organized sport but sitting around all the time can not be an option. We are the ones in charge — turn off the tv, go for a walk with them, do some water sport — just get them in the habit of moving! You are doing them a huge favor, even if they don’t recognize it now. I am very serious about this issue too — after spending the weekend meeting teens at YouthFest in Ashburn — it became even more clear that this is a serious issue among the young kids today. After all the work I have done to set the example, I have little patience for parents that make excuses. There are very few excuses that would explain and ok the lack of attention and effort that many parents show towards this issue.
We met a new lady today at CrossFit Impavidus — Diane. She was tough and I didn’t do the prescribed weight (Rx’d) –
Warmup
20 Double Unders
10 Push Ups
10 Good Mornings
10 Squats
10 Pass thrus
10 Lunges (each side)
Skill
band stretch
HSPU (hand stand push ups)
WOD
Diane
21-15-9
Deadlift (225/155)
HSPU
time: 7:38 (?)
extra challenge
hold a handstand against the wall for 1m. Yes – I did it.
CrossFit Kids at YouthFest 2011
011 months ago
We had a great time talking to kids and their parents at the Ashburn YouthFest 2011. Each kid was given a passport that we were to put a sticker on and they had to stop by all the stands to be entered to get their prize. Well we weren’t just going to give it up — we had them pick 30s of push ups, squats or box jumps and then they were posted on the leaderboard. And then we gave them the sticker –they had to earn it. Most kids were all game for it and did a great job. But there were a handful of kids that when they found out about what had to be done –they turned right around and left as fast as they could. Many of these kids were exactly the kids that should be doing this stuff — they hadn’t done anything close to exercise in a very, very long time. It was sad to me. They wouldn’t even consider trying it — i mean come on its 30s of squats. One of the girls said she was already hot and did not have any ‘hydration’ available (her words!) but still wanted us to give her her passport sticker. We were like tough luck lady. Coach Lori almost played a small violin for it. She clearly had an attitude problem too.
That was another thing –how many teens showed clear disrespect for adults. Some of the tone and language they used towards us –well let me just say that my Mom would have
washed my mouth out with soap. I know it’s not indicative of the way teens are in general –at least I hope not.
My friend Jason & I also got some time in to have fun and did the jousting moon bouncey thing and that was so FUN. It’s really about technique, balance, & power. When we were done, I was huffing and puffing. It’s quite a workout! I recommend it to anyone — it would make a great party activity. My only complaint and it’s kinda the Mom in me –they didn’t spray the face masks down so you got to ‘share’ everyone’s sweat. I tried to put that out of my mind…
All in all it was a great day. We talked to many kids about CrossFit kids, had them exercise a bit and met a lot of parents who showed interest in stopping by the box. For me, getting the word out about CrossFit in general means a lot to me. I wish other Suburbanites would discover how strong and amazing they can be!
I also loved that YouthFest was created and organized by teens themselves. What a great way to encourage teens in this area!
Cancer Sucks! Cure by Design Event tonite!
011 months ago
Great WOD today compliments of Coach Nate at CrossFit Impavidus. My brother Jon is in town so I brought him a long as well.
Warmupx2
Sampson Stretch
10 Pass thrus
10 Whirly Birds
10 Bendy Whirly Birds
10 Hollow Rocks
10 OHS
Skill
Rope Climb
WOD
w/Partner Mike K
800m run
100m tire flips
move 300# 50m
100m Sleds
5 rope climbs or 20 burpee pull ups for each climb substituted
40m bear crawl
800m run
time: 33:08 Mike ended up doing 2 rope climbs so we did a lot of burpee pull ups. I believe I did 37 and holy crap, it was torture!
Mobility stretches
Now I have to go get ready for Cure By Design and my husband, Scott’s catwalk debut! I’m so excited for this event — to honor those that have survived cancer is so important and it benefits a great cause because we all know Cancer Sucks.
Cure by Design is an event in which the fashion, design and retail communities join forces with the local corporate community to benefit the American Cancer Society. The focus of this special evening is a fashion show that spotlights designer fashions and, more importantly, the cancer survivors who model them. These survivor models are living proof of the strides we are making in the fight against cancer, and their vibrant smiles portray a message of hope for the cure.
The money raised at Cure by Design enables the American Cancer Society to fund cutting-edge research, early detection and prevention education, advocacy efforts, and life-affirming patient services. By supporting Cure by Design, you are partnering with the American Cancer Society to help cancer patients in your community.
A challenging workout of Jerks
011 months ago
Holy cow am I sore. I know I said I love being fit and SORE but this may be a bit over the top. Note to self – doing 50m lunges for 3 rounds and then doing 200 squats over 2 days is just not the smartest approach to fitness for me. Most people skip one of those days due to their schedule, but not me and now I am paying for it. I usually like the feeling of sore muscles — it means I worked hard but not sure this was what I call working hard. I am not hurt but I am hurting. I am going to go use a foam roller and roll out my muscles to help loosen it all up a bit —
Warmupx2
jumping jacks 20
10 Pass Thrus
10 Push Ups
10 Good Mornings
10 Whirly Birds
Skill
Shoulder Press
Push Press
Press Jerk
WOD
Max Handstand Pushups
then
Shoulder press 1-1-1-1-1
Push press 3-3-3-3-3
Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5
Totals:
HSPU – 8
SP: 55lb, 65lb, 85, 85, 85
PP: 65lb, 85lb, 85, 95, 105
PJ: 65lb, 85lb, 105, 85 –
I had a rough time doing anything that required doing a squat or press with my legs, hamstrings. So I stopped before I completed my Push Jerk. My form was crap and I didn’t want to hurt myself. My soreness really got to me. In hindsight, I should have took a rest day today and did not listen to my internal voice. Note to self: LISTEN next time!
Change of pace
011 months ago
Today’s workout was a doozy. Coach Conan created it to help folks prepare for the Spartan race this weekend.
Warmup
a slow lap around the building
10 push ups
10 Pass Thrus
walking lunges
Skill
5 Hand stands
WOD
3 RFT
50m run
50m walking lunges
100m run
20 Pull ups
200m run
15 Toes to Bar
400m run
10 HSPU
time: 32:04
Meeting Isabel
011 months ago
I was pretty wiped out after my long drive back from NJ yesterday. 4 hours non-stop but no traffic so that was good. There are times when I really miss the east. It’s like I just fit in there — it’s my home. I had pizza and Italian food too. It was so nice to get away — even a quick trip helps to refresh. We stayed in a very nice hotel across the Hudson from NYC — with a great view. The hotel had an indoor pool and those heavenly beds. It was so nice. Also — if you wanted, you could order up some workout gear and have it delivered to your room to borrow during your stay and go workout at their gym. How cool is that? I of course didn’t do that because I was taking some much needed rest days — but I still thought it was cool.
When I am away on vacation, I don’t go crazy with my strict eating. I’m on vacation and I will not refuse pizza in NJ/NY. Of course I paid for it and then some with the way I felt — A few observations to share — not many restaurants in the Jersey City area are gluten free friendly. I was with a large group of adults and kids, so in the morning we met up at the local COSI. There is hardly anything that would meet Paleo guidelines and it was very frustrating.
My mom was all excited because she told me that we could order scrambled eggs at Cosi, but I am always suspicious. I asked if they were actual eggs and the lady said – no they are from a bag. I asked if they were gluten free? She looked at me like I was crazy… so I said can you check the bag label? She came back and sure enough –GLUTEN. Then I was going to order a fruit smoothie — and I saw he was pouring syrup in it, so I asked if it was gluten free. He asked me what was gluten?!! Yeah — pretty disappointing. So I went with a fruit cup and took a Larabar out of my purse. The fresh fruit cup was seriously the ONLY thing I could find that would be considered real food. Even the natural crunch bars had additives and soy. I was very disappointed and also very enlightened about how people are trained to eat. Here is a major chain and they was no option for those with gluten allergies. COSI fails in my book.
I still have the remnants of a cold — and it has now spread to my ear. I can’t hear out of it and every time I take a deep breath, I cough. So it made today’s workout a bit tough –and I was the dead last finisher! I don’t like to be the dead last finisher. It irks me –
Snatch is the world’s fastest lift and for me, it’s one of the toughest technique wise and it happens to be the only component of the Isabel WOD – one of the ladies of CrossFit I have not yet met –I met her today. If you look at the WOD time — 4:50 you would think it wasn’t that hard of a workout. Try doing 30 of those in a row as fast as you can — yeah it was tough. I would have liked a bonus round of something though afterwards since we were there for an hour — make it count.
Warmupx2
20 Double Unders
10 Push Ups
10 Pass Thurs
10 Good Mornings
10 OHS
Burgener Warmup
Skill
Snatch
WOD
‘Isabel’ (135/95)
30 Snatches for time (65lbs)
time: 4:50
I also did a few handstands and practiced my kip again. It’s getting to the point where it’s ridiculous that I don’t have the kip pull up yet. How many more ways can I try to get it to click with me? Don’t answer that —
Go get a colonoscopy
011 months ago
As a family who is just recovering from all the things that go along with colon cancer — I never forget to take the time to remind people to get a colonoscopy. If you are over 50, make sure you do but if you have any family history — then go earlier. And if you are young and are having symptoms — push your doctor to refer you for one. It really is one cancer that caught early, is CURABLE.
Colonoscopy is the only screening test I know of that can prevent cancer. It is fairly simple, does not need to be done often and if everyone over the age of 50 had screening, it has been estimated that between 60-90% of deaths from colon cancer could be prevented (that’s potentially 30,000-45,000 lives saved) .
Here’s another image from the games last weekend – Becky Conzelman doing an overhead squat.
Becky ended up coming in first at the Regionals and after watching her, you can see why. And I love that she was one of the few in their late 30s. Experience, strength and hard work pay off!
Strength Day WOD
011 months ago
I woke up with a sore throat but I am hoping to keep it at bay so it doesn’t get any worse. Ttoday was a Coach Jerry day, so I had to make it. I have been having some restless sleeping nights lately. Not sure if its because of what I have been eating lately or stress. Either way, it sucks.
One of the girls at CrossFit started Paleo 2 weeks ago and you can already see a huge difference. She has lost 9lbs and said she no longer has heartburn, something she has dealt with for a long time. What better proof does one need than actual real people trying a new approach to eating. She says she feels great too.
Warmup
800m run
5 push ups
10 Pass Thrus
5 push ups
10 good mornings
5 Push ups
10 trunk rotations
5 Push ups
10 arm/hand mobility
Skill
Air squats
WOD
Front Squat 5-5-5-5-5
Five sets of five reps of front squat.
Total: 75 lbs, 95 lbs, 115 lbs, 125 lbs, and 135 lbs
The last set should be done to failure –meaning you can’t lift it for the full 5. I under estimated so while 135 was heavy, it was not failure so I should have gone 5-10lbs heavier. Before I left, I did some general stretching and a few hand stands. I just love handstands!
Monday Workout at CrossFit
0
Hello Monday! It was a super busy weekend and I fear that all of June will be this way. It’s good and bad — there’s a ton of events and details to coordinate for the family. I think I need my own Mom/Wife to get it all done.
Warmup
25 DUs
–2x
10 Squats
10 Push Ups
10 Pass Thrus
Skill
False Grip
AMRAP 15 min
10 Wall Ball (16/14)
8 Ring Dips
6 Pull Ups
total: 7
I started with a 16lb Dynamax ball bc there were no lower weighted ones available for me. After round 2, someone gave me the 14#, which was the prescribed weight. And for my ring dips, I started with no band but finished using a blue band to support me while I dipped. Just Dip baby, dip!
I still can’t get the Regional CrossFit games out of my head. Those athletes were so inspiring to me., I think the average age of the finalists was late 20′s with no kids — so definitely not my demographic, but seeing how cut they are and how much work went in to get there –that’s the definition of awesome! And what’s cool to me is that I do those same exact workouts – anyone can so you can be totally relate to what they are going through and be your own champion. Seeing those ladies lift 65lbs Overhead — I do that too! Me, a 40 year old kick ass lady. I think that’s what makes it even cooler — it’s not unattainable for anyone.
Self Image Sabotage
111 months ago
I have been thinking a lot about my posture and how I look in general. I saw some candid pictures from the CrossFit Murph WOD on Monday and candidly — I was seriously horrified at how I appear. I was hesitant to post this, but then thought about how one of the things that made me start to blog regularly was to know that I am not alone in the way I feel and think. So here goes…
You know how you have this vision of yourself in your mind — and then you see few pictures of yourself and it has the power to break me down. Bad photos and the scale’s numbers have this amazing hold over me that can break me or make me depending on the good/bad it tells. That’s what happened to me this weekend. After seeing some of the pics of myself doing and post Murph WOD — I seriously got messed up in my head. That is not the vision I had of how I look. I am not looking for sympathy or compliments when I share this either. To some of those that I have shared this with already, I heard how crazy I am. But this is what goes through my mind: How come I don’t look as amazing as the other athletes I work out with? I work just has hard, focus on my nutrition and I still don’t look what in my mind would be considered good. It’s tough for me to share that with everyone, but if I am not honest here, then why bother? Can you imagine how frustrating that is to me? In many ways I am glad CrossFit doesn’t have mirrors or a scale because it’s not about those things –its about being fit. But if they did, I think I would be even harder on myself. There are times when I see people who I know read this blog outside in the real world, and I think to myself –oh man, I hope they aren’t disappointed by what they see or think –’with all that working out, you would think she would look better.’ Pretty pathetic thoughts right?
I can sit here and talk about how it’s not about how you look and it’s about being fit all day long, but in reality it’s something that I am still learning to acknowledge and accept – obviously. I think I work so hard at it not only because I love the feeling I get and the people I hang out with, but because I don’t think I look good. I saw those pictures and thought how schlumpy I look and how much more work I have to do. It’s really upsetting to me and it has been going through my mind for days now– and I know these feelings will fade into the background of my life once again, until they bubble up from another bad image. I can prepare and talk about being ready for it — but it’s so sad that it has this type of control over my outlook. I can understand how it can consume one’s life — the strive for what one considers perfection. So, I’m down this week about it and battling against these types of thoughts, but I know it won’t keep me down and on I go.
Today’s workout was about Muscle Ups. Yeah, good times.
Warmup
50 DUs
10 PassThurs
10 Good Mornings
10 Head Rotations
10 Trunk Rotations
1 Rope Climb (or rather for me, attempted)
Skill
Muscle Up
WOD
15m AMRAP
7 Muscle Ups (I did MU Transitions)
400m Run
total rounds: 5
Muscle Up Video:
