A true CrossFit momma

Yesterday the gym was chalk full of kids.  There were little one, big ones, sad ones, happy ones, patient ones and yes some anxious ones.   All with one thing in common, they were all waiting on their moms to finish up so they could get on with their Saturdays.  Most families were on their way to the next event on the schedule.  It made me realize how special and unique this group of moms, who carved out an hour on their busy weekend, really are.  There are all types of mommys out there, its true that it takes all kinds and really no two are the exact same.  There are super moms, stay at home moms and working moms. Then there are the best friend moms, perfectionist moms and the go with the flow moms.   

Tshirt available on Amazon.com

from CrossFit Carmel
(http://crossfitcarmel.com/ )

Since having little Miss M almost three years ago I have met a variety of mommy's.  But nothing could have prepared me for the kinds of moms I have met since starting to CrossFit.  Its like its an undiscovered maternal style, an underground movement, almost cult like, waiting to be unearthed and calling for converts . A CrossFit mom is many things.  She is tough, focused and organized.  A sporty, aggressive, competitive women with a sensitive, caring, feminine side.    Interested in trying new things and going all out when she does.  CrossFit moms love to welcome fresh meat..I mean new moms to the fold, they visit when they should be warming up and don't mind doing their errands with a post workout "glow".   She manages to pack her day full of all the things other mothers do, but knows how important it is to squeeze in a little time to take care of herself and sweat it out at her local box, in her garage or even at the arena between games.   Busy teaching her children by example,she stays active and eats well.  A women all about the team, the community and cheering her friends and family on. She is a true hybrid of some of the best qualities a mom can have.  Her wardrobe is more yoga than couture and her staple hair style is a trendy pony.  A master of multitasking she can perform exercises while holding her child or tend to a crying baby at the same time as opening a snack pack while tearing through her workout.  She carries a bag that holds not just her wallet and cell phone but diapers, wipes, WOD book, runners and her daily organizer.  And although many people have commented on how good she looks and how much of the baby weight she has lost, she has hardly (...I said hardly ;) ) noticed because she is the happiest, healthiest and most energetic she has been in years. 



from East Sacremento CrossFit (http://crossfiteastsac.typepad.com/crossfit_east_sacramento/2010/01/index.html)

 





Inspiration

For the last two Saturdays Ignite has been the place to be for a little warm fuzzy feel good inspiration.

Last weekend it was the "Redefining the Pin up girl" Calendar shoot. And although it was a long and at some points tedious day, eleven of CrossFit Red Deer's finest ladies got together, brought their best paleo dish and spent the day smiling, laughing, posing and stepping outside of their comfort zones.   It was a super special day in an effort to raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation of Canada.  Whenever a group of like minded women get together, celebrate their strength and their beauty and band together for a cause that is close to all their hearts you know its going to be a fantastic time. It wouldn't have happened without support of many talented folks so hats off the to those of you, but most importantly I tip my hat to the real women of CrossFit and kudos for helping to redefine the pin up girl. 

Then today....A throw down! A "friendly" 4 WOD challenge between two Red Deer boxes. There is something about a CrossFit competition that makes me weep like I am nine months pregnant again.  I can't it explain it but I LOVE it! It must have something to do with  watching a mom of three who only starting competitively training a short time ago face down JACKIE and kick her thruster sucking butt.  Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that you are standing beside a supportive wife who makes sure she cheers just the right amount as not to throw off her husbands rhythm during his row because she wants him to do his best.  It could also be the tension and anticipation in the air as the final three seconds ticks off the clock before the fire breathers are set loose.  Possibly its even the feeling of new found camaraderie between two rival boxes as everyone celebrates the athletes, no matter their affiliation, as they finish their WOD.  Maybe it is so powerful to watch these competitions because you know how hard the athletes are pushing themselves and how each and every person on that pull up rig is doing whatever it takes to finish and are leaving every part of themselves out there.  Whatever it is, it gets me every single time!  

T-Raw halfway through the first WOD of the day

Good times at Ignite Fitness :)

Nothing cooler than a strong women

Dirty 30?

It was the tumultuous teens followed by the traumatic twenties so what the hell are my 30s going to be....all joking aside I am looking forward to the next decade and all that will bring to my life. 

My 20s weren't all drama and tears but they had there share of ups and downs and if I were able to sit down for a coffee with my 20 year old self during one or any part of the roller coaster I would give her some simple advice that I know I had heard before.

"Everything happens for a reason, its hard to see through to the other side of the storm but believe and trust that you will make it through. You might be a little less idealistic, maybe even a little cynical but you will be stronger, wiser and better in so many ways.  Give yourself time to figure things out and don't rush so much, let your life unfold in front of you and have fun.  It will work out. Trust me!"

Easy to say now.  Now that I am on the other side of the nasty breakup, years away from the teaching assignment that almost made me quit and spending significantly less time on the bar scene looking for Mr. Right.  Easy to say now.  Now that I am healing more each day after the loss of a dear friend, realizing how important a supportive family is and understanding that the pursuit of happiness is more complicated than you think.  Easy to say now that I survived!

Here is to the Dirty 30's? maybe not!

Happy Thanksgiving Paleo Style


 



Here is a plate of our first ever
Paleo style Turkey dinner

 

Not a concern this year

Turkey, brussel sprouts, yams, veggies, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and yes, even stuffing.  Our fall holiday had all the makings of a mainstream Thanksgiving dinner, minus a few things like the nap, the bloat and the general guilty feeling that you just ate way too much!  It was fun to "forge" ahead and make our own tradition this year and it was alot easier to cook a meal that didn't have to emulate either one of our mother's. After such a wonderful meal, when all the plates were cleared, the dishes washed, the leftovers tucked safely away for breakfast ;), it was easy to see that I have so much to be thankful for and hard not to feel so good about our very special day. 

182 down, 183 to go

Do you remember when summer holidays seemed to last forever? or when waiting until the morning to get up to see what Santa had left seemed like a lifetime?  Now the days are not long enough and there are not enough hours in the night to rest your weary head.  Time flies! and its hard to believe that its already been the better part of a year and that we are already halfway to the end, halfway to me meeting and completing FRAN.  

In just a short six month period Miss M has developed a textbook case of the terrible two's soon to become the  frightful three's,  J Dawg has grown out of the larvae stage and is on the cusp of becoming a mobile monster and I, well I  have totally transformed my life.  OK that is a little melodramatic but considering where I was at when J Dawg was just a hatch ling its hard to believe where I have gotten.  There have been the measurable, noticeable, external changes like my body, my strength, my ability to do the workouts quicker some even closer to prescribed but the dramatic changes are  the internal ones, the part of my brain where there was once apathy and doubt about being active and eating well has been replaced by a deep desire to live and be the healthiest me I can be.   Fancy Nancy had put it best one day when she reminded me what I was really doing wasn't about FRAN, it was more about the commitment I was making to change the way I lived my life and that I was changing my path and by starting to take better care of myself, what I was doing really wasn't just for me but for my husband, my kids, and our future.

Don't get me wrong the journey so far hasn't been all free flow lanes and green lights, there has been the fair share of potholes, speed bumps and detours.  True to Darwin's Theory of Evolution, the ones who don't adapt won't survive and there were times when my survival seemed ill fated.  The challenges seem to come no matter how prepared or organized I seemed to be.  Sometimes I lost the ability to see the big picture in the last six month and there were times where I got caught up in a failure and focused on what wasn't working, what was too hard or how much trouble it was instead of slowing down, celebrating my progress and then adapting. There are things I wish I had done differently like take a before picture and write down more about my workouts at the beginning.  But there is lots I am proud of too and wouldn't change, like the decision to start working out at home more so that J could have a better morning nap or starting this blog :)   

I am looking forward to what the next six months bring....hopefully an unassisted pull up!!!! YIKES

  

   

Number of Members - 4

Crossfit.com does what they call an Affiliate Snapshot where they profile affiliates from all over giving them a chance to shine and explain what makes them so special.  So even though our Garage box isn't an affiliate I have been spending alot of time out there lately and think its worth a shout out. 

Box Name: "The Grotto" (pre-syphilis)...W wishes...its more like "The Sweatshop"

Owner: Depends who you ask....but all the women reading this know who is really in charge ;)

Open Since: March 2010

Location: Red Deer, AB.

Square Footage: 208 sf.

Number of Members? 4

Number of Trainers? 1 handsome male

Describe your gym culture in one word: Chaos

Most used piece of gear in your gym? T.V. (Toopy & Binoo is on at 830am every weekday morning...perfect time to sweat it up...the kids are too busy in the boob tube zone to be in the way)

Advice you wish you had been given: Working out with your spouse has it pros and cons....be careful of the cons
What question you would love to ask other garage gym owners: How the hell do you keep the garage out of the gym?
Workout or movement that elicits the most groans in your gym: Sex, of course....but we mean the working out.... right...pretty much everything, particularly wall balls
Coolest WOD: I guess by default I have to say FRAN
Favorite CrossFit saying: Don't be a p#&*y and just lift it - Mark Rippetoe (you knew I would pick him even though he is not really associated with CF anymore)
Complete the sentence: CrossFit should . . . .be part of every ones family time. 

W hates that I put a pic up because "it isn't done" but I love it just the way it is!

Welcome to Hell

So I thought?

As soon as you start to think you are really making progress, I mean real leaps and bounds, dominating WODs as they come at you kind of progress, you are quickly humbled and the CrossFit gods bring you down to earth.  Its been a while since I have wanted to vomit, reach for a paper bag to help the breathing and lay down and die, all at the same time post workout.  And then today it happened, Coach IA₂ posted what can only be called Tabata Hell; 20 seconds to go as hard as you can on the selected exercise then a rest for 10 seconds, repeated eight times.  First it was squats, then pull ups, right to the push ups and finishing strong with the sit ups.  Of course he was kind enough to have us rest for a minute between each of the four minutes.  It was 20 minutes of crazy, intense, fire breathing working out that made me realize there is always room to keep getting stronger, fitter and tougher. 

It wasn't all bad, it inspired me to ignore my kidlets this afternoon and blog! We have all been there laying on the floor of the gym, gasping for air, thinking about how that was some wild shiznat and god help the crazy bastard that made that torture up.  You instantly know when you have become a victim of the workout that day there are sure signs shortly after you finish that let you know you didn't "win" today and that you should come tomorrow and try again!  

Here are the top ten ways you know you just got your butt kicked by a WOD:

10.  First thing you do is thank the CrossFit gods for helping you make it through
9. You can't remember hearing any of the 20 minute play list that is now booming so loudly you can't hear yourself think
8. Your breathing is so heavy and your heart is pounding so hard you forget that you even brought your kids even though they are screaming right beside you
7. The thought of having to carry your 7 month old into the house or out to the car to leave is unthinkable
6. The idea of 100 Core sends you into hysterics. Core? You have got to be f'ing kidding me didn't we just do a million sit ups?
5. That mornings Paleo pancakes are threatening to make a return appearance
4. You don't even say DONE, you just raise your hand as collapse onto the ground
3. You start to expel air from your lungs with a harsh noise accompanied by an inappropriate amount of phlegm, often involuntarily, yes my friend you got CrossFitters cough
2. You think about getting air, finding your water and figuring out how to stand up before you even think about your time
1. You drag yourself up from the floor where you have laid your sweat body print, slap a few high fives and say "We did it, we survived but I really wish I had....What time tomorrow?"

CrossFit Trainer's Seminar, Golden Colorado

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From May 26th 2009 CrossFit.com