So, my carpet smells like puke, my laundry is unfolded and I have two kids home today one whose obviously been puking and the other one whose kind of lost without his brothers creative energies to direct him. In addition, there are dishes to wash, bills to pay, rooms to clean and bathrooms to scrub…and I still need to write here on this blog, workout and find things to keep me happy like reading! It’s a weekend so that means that I have two days to work on all of the above and still be a mommy! Usually what happens is that I wake up, workout, and then (it feels like running on a treadmill) but I run around my house attempting to multitask doing a little here and a little there but never really finishing a job…Argh. My head is spinning.
How the heck do you balance it all?!
How am I going to remain sane? How does anybody remain sane with this stuff? All moms juggle the same things I am- and many probably have their children in extra curricular activities as well. Yesterday, my kid wanted pizza for lunch and I couldn’t even remember to check off “pizza” on the sign in sheet!
If I were a superhero, I could just snap my fingers and get everything done all the time no problem, however, I’m just a regular mommy trying to squeezeitall in (all the time). I realize that maybe I could just give up a few responsibilities to others or do less, but then what?!
And to add to this nonsense, I’ve been asked to participate in the CrossFit Open again this year. Just like adding more stress to the already chaotic life! “Just do it for fun this year…set new goals and use it to judge where you should be next year!”
I did not write any resolutions, just goals I’d like to achieve relatively soon. At our local CrossFit box, there are 200+ people participating in a 2012 Get Fit Challenge. This is a really great way to kick start the new year amongst friends and have our friends be our accountability partners! Our coaches also sat down with us each individually to rewrite/tweak our goals. Technically, we have until February 11 and that is NOT that far away, Yikes!
For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been crossfitting for more than two years. I have 100 pound Snatch {that is an Olympic Lift), lots and lots of strength that I’ve worked hard to increase and my cardio strength as never really gone away….However, there is one thing that I don’t have yet and that is a Muscle Up. The Muscle Up is essentially a pull up on rings from a standing position into the deepest ring dip ever.
Why is this so hard?
I don’t know anymore, the one thing I know is that I have not consistently trained for a muscle up in the last two years. I’ll work on it for a while, then, move on to something else. Now, is my chance to really focus on just this one thing with tons of witnesses!!
This is the best progression I’ve found on the internet to date. It’s well explained, simple and easy to follow. So, as of this writing, I’ll follow this one. Mainly because it’s based on strength alone. My coach has been working with me on the kipping muscle up as well….between the strength from the strict and the momentum from the kipping one, God Willing, I’ll have one in one month.
Welcome readers,
If you are new here, please check out my about page, click on categories on anything you’re interested in, and spend some time here. I’ve learned lots about being an athlete and I’ve also had lots of fails, but, what interests me most is what can I learn about now..How can I improve being an athlete now?
My current quest might be a surprise to you via internet, but, for those of you in and around the crossfit community, then, you know about the Double Under problem for women. And, frankly, it isn’t just about women who’ve had kids…I used this as an excuse for a long time…but I know the truth now. The problem is basically we pee amidst multiple doubles in a row….bleh, there I said it {stress incontinence}. Now, I’ve talked to young and older women, grandmas and moms, and we all have had the “oh my god, I have to go” problem right in the middle of a workout. (competitions make it worse)
My question to you is ….what can you do about it?!
The answers I’ve gotten so far include surgery, wear a pad, don’t do double unders, don’t compete, do your kegels, and therapy!
Husband says, “A sedentary lifestlye perpetuautes itself” therefore, crossfit helps me better about myself. I feel like a younger version of myself.
Friend says, to get 1 pull-up.
Another one says, to just get to workout 3-5 times a week.
Another one says, to get a double under…
The list goes on and on…what’s mine? It changes every week!!!! This week it’s to get a muscle up, but in reality, after I get that muscle up, what will be next? I am NOT motivated to get 330 marathon I blew that chance with tendinitis in 2008, and I’ve never wanted to try that again. [To learn more about me and last marathon experience click here}. Since 2008, I’ve earned both a 200 hour yoga training certificate as well as a CrossFit Level 1 certificate. And, as of this writing, my only goals are to see small improvements in my lifts regularly. I don’t really have any long term “Pie in the Sky” goals, really. If I were to truly say something Out Loud, it would be to qualify for the women’s masters division in CrossFit in 2016, but, I’m not even sure that I want that. Right Now, tomorrow, I just want to be a happy mommy with energy to PLAY with My Kids outside everyday. Being the P.E. teacher that is my day job, I just want to sit at the end of the day. Which is kind of sad, I think. I want to have the energy to really play hard with my kids each and everyday. They will remember the play more than the “let me sit here, while you go play”.
As I close this post, I’d like to ask you, what truly motivates you? I can tell you that I get really excited with 5 pound PR’s. I get really excited when I hit a new plateau and when I have time, energy and motivation to ride for 2 hours and then plant new veggies with the boys as our afternoon activity.
This Christmas, I only asked for one thing…that was the iPad2 and I am so thankful! Thank you, husband!! Anyway, I positively LOVE it and I’ve only had it like 3 days…so, this post will be a series of posts as I learn to use it more.
Number 1, iBooks. I can download as many sample books as I want. So, if you’re a nerd like me, then you know I’ve already downloaded 10 books–all related to my previous books for 2012 post and am working my way through the list. Very cool. The full price of the books seems to be a few dollars less than a paperback depending on what you want to read. You can also download books via Amazon using a free Kindle app for iPads.
Number 2, You can manage your fitness progress by downloading a health and fitness app. I like “TotalWOD CrossFit” and “One Rep Max Calculator”.
Number 3, Emails are all in one place! This is the best thing ever for me as with just one click I have all my email accounts open.
There are so many other cool aspects of this gadget I have yet to learn about! Please share your favorite thing you use your iPad for??
Thanks to an Amazon wish list, this item came free of shipping as a gift from my dad! Thanks, Dad.
Now, since this is a fitness gadget, it definitely has some relevance here as a product review. So, folks, just in case you were thinking of buying this pull-up bar that is under $100, here is my recommendation:
It’s a boy toy, first of all. There are over 70 reviews of this product on Amazon and not one of them is written by a woman that I could find. Most people are using it for P90X and few are using it for any crossfit style workout. Being that I am an avid crossfitter, the following is what you can do with the Stamina 1690.
You can do strict pull-ups.
You can work on the L-Hang.
You can do “knee ups” or dips using the bench dip bars- although it is really too wide for most women’s shoulders.
You can also work on Toes to Bars, Knees to Elbows and possibly chest to bar pull-ups- although, it is really not conducive to any kind of back swing and the foam on the top pullup bar prevents multiple hand positions. Also, for men above 185, I’d recommend some sand bags for the base of support!
All in all, it’s a good quality, easy to assemble pull-up bar that will get lots of use in my garage. Strict pull-ups are way harder than kipping ones anyway!
Personal Record{PR} versus Personal Best: Where should you put your energy?
You could get a PR in any event you do for the first time. That’s your PR, then, if you were to repeat that same event a month or six months later, it’s likely that you’d get a PR. Personally, I am always looking for a PR. Personal records are what keeps me accountable and motivated to keep coming back for more.
A personal best would be for (as far as I am concerned) an event that you don’t do weekly, monthly, but more likely one or twice in your lifetime. Like the time I hiked Mt. San Gorgornio with my dad in a day…that’s a personal best as I’ve not ever done it again. Same as hiking Mt. Whitney (elevation of over 14,000) that was a one time deal- therefor it’ll be my personal best.
Pictured above is me. Yes, me. And, the weight over my head is 97 pounds in a full snatch landing. That, so far into my crossfit career is my Personal Best and it took me two years to get this far. And, I’m proud of this.
Since, I’ve been doing crossfit for a while now, I’m always looking for a new PR and sometimes they take a LONG time to come. My new outlook on this is just “5 pounds of progress”. If I can set and attain measurable, reasonable bits of progress, I’ll remain motivated! That’s the key to keep doing something right? I’m already at a healthy weight and have my eating under control, so basic fitness goals are no longer there. And, because I’m a bit of a nut, I’d like to see progress in my lifts particularly. Being stronger, means that my competition days might be a little easier if I am strong enough to do the lifts well. Being stronger means that I am getting stronger which means more muscle mass. More muscle mass means I can eat more. Being stronger means that I can lift and carry my kids across small streams on hikes. Being stronger means that the big hills we climb on our bikes might be easier! To me, this is the key!
How do you stay motivated during the holiday season?
In case you didn’t know, I love Crossfit! For almost the last two years, I have completed a minimum of 5 crossfit workouts per week and my body has CHANGED. I went from a size 8 “healthy looking girl” to a size 2 very “muscular” mommy. My weight has fluctuated a total of 10 pounds, but, I’m settling at almost the same weight I started at around 140 for a 5’6″ female. No body believes how much I weigh when I tell them! I don’t remember the weights I was lifting when I started, but, I can tell you, it wasn’t much. My max clean and jerk is 130 and my Snatch is 97, which is NOT THAT bad for a girl my age!
What are the benefits of CrossFit, you might want to ask?
Improved strength, increased confidence, increased capacity for heavy loads over long or short periods of time. The best part of Crossfit is really the ability to go OUT and do adventurous things without too much extra stress- for example, a 2 hour bike ride or a 2 hour hike or an all day hike up a big mountain, or a even completing a six hour day of outdoor teaching and doing yoga (my day job) without feeling like I’m going to keel over at the end of the day.
What are my favorite parts of CrossFit?
I love the Olympic Lifts- particularly Cleans and Snatches. I have to say, though, that it took me almost 1.5 years of practice before I “mastered” them and I’m still no expert. These are hard as heck to perform correctly, and my coaches are still working with me on them. But, I love to practice them, I sneak extra practice in my garage and I secretly dream about lifting only someday!
What is the worst part about Crossfit?
Ok, this is very personal, but, I have a hard time when others beat me. I’m WAY too hard on myself and if I have an “off” day or if I just Stink on a particular day, I will feel bad about myself or repeat the workout later in my garage or work on the movement that I stank at later in the week. I don’t like to be beaten even if it’s by girls 15 years my junior, I just make myself practice more. Yes, I know this isn’t healthy and sometimes, I am little too obsessive about it. When this happens to me, I know I need to step back and go back to yoga and just CHILL out for a bit, life is too short to worry about crap like this. And, I do.
So, there you go! CrossFit in a nutshell, I hope you all can give it a try.
