Crossfit intervention!

Hey guys-

First off, I just want to say thanks to everyone who is following me with my journey, & those who left such amazing words of encouragement. You don't know how much it means. Last week I was feeling pretty terrible about myself. After doing a little self-reflection, and reading everyone's words of encouragement, I decided that I am worth it. If a guy doesn't want to see past that- then eff 'em. (excuse my french)! I'm a strong, smart, beautiful woman. I have done a lot of things in my life already- and I'm far from finished. I decided that I'm not here to please everyone else- I'm here for me. To keep myself in the best shape of my life- mentally & physically. I also decided that I am letting the chips fall where they may. It's sometimes hard for me to believe, but there's someone out there for everyone- I just haven't found him yet! Enough about that subject!
I have been a CrossFit beast this week. Normally, I go to class MWF & Sat (sometimes). I got crazy this week- I went every day except for Tuesday & Sunday! RCFBC had an open house at Dick's Sporting Goods this past weekend. During the open house, they had a WOD for people to try out. A few of us (who had already done one WOD with our new coach Jared that morning!) decided to go & support our box! I gave myself an extra activity point for participating in the open house WOD! It felt great to be there in support of our team & our coach. Getting to talk to people who are on the fence about whether CF is for them, was another great reason to be there. Letting them know that they are going to be scared to death the first time they walk in (and probably several times following the first day- lol), but that it does get better & they may actually enjoy it, makes me feel good. I do hope some of those people decide to give CF a chance- they won't be disappointed!!
This week's WODs killed me. Today is my rest day- and I'm in so much pain- neck, back, knees, legs- you name it- it's aching! Plenty of heat & advil should do the trick...I hope!
This week has also brought a few CF personal records (PRs)! I am now able to do a "handstand" pushup using a box & 1 ab-mat for my head! One of these days I'll be able to flip right over like the rest of the crossfit crazies! Box jumps have been difficult for me- well really any sort of jumping action in general (i.e. jump rope..grrrrr). I had been jumping on a 35lb weight plate, & this week I graduated to a 45lb plate. I'm hoping that soon I'll graduate to the small box! It's so awesome to see the progression! My body is trying to get used to those movements, which is pretty excellent. Now, I really need to work on jumping rope- I can jump, and I can swing the rope- but I can't put the 2 together!! It's so frustrating!! I really need to buy my own rope & work on it at home.
One of this week's WODs consisted of the following:
2 rounds- 25 min. time cap:
50 back squats (he wanted us to use our body weight as the weight on the bar- HAHAHAHA. I used 45lbs.) LOL
100 air squats
Essentially 300 squats. He is out of his mind. 300 squats after I've been lifting patients all day. Are you serious??? But I figured, hey-if I can survive this- at least I won't feel guilty for not going! Every once and a while we have a visiting coach named Nicki. She is awesome. Seriously- one of the cutest, nicest humans I have encountered. She was there for this squatastic WOD. You have no idea how happy I was to have her there!! I got through maybe 10 of the back squats & I was having trouble. She was there (along with Mike) cheering me on every step of the way. She kept saying that I could cut down the number of reps if I wanted- but I needed to prove to myself that I could do it. I made it through the first 50. Next came the 100 air squats. I had to do them in sets of 10- to keep my form in check. I got to 70 & all I could think about was how much I felt like just quitting. But I didn't. I got through them. Back to the next 50 back squats. I started slacking on my form- so Mike put a bench behind my butt to keep me in check. I got through those. I still had another 100 squats to do. That's when I almost started crying. Not gonna lie- a little puke came up too- but I wasn't stopping. I got through 42, then time was called. I didn't finish the entire 300, but I think I did pretty damn well- with a total of 242 squats in 25 minutes. Having Nicki & Mike right next to me- cheering me on- assuring me that I could get it done was the best part. If I was doing that workout on my own (first, it would never happen hahaha) I would have just given up during the first 50. I felt like death after- but I was still proud of what I accomplished. 2 months ago, I would have never done it. I can't believe how much my mind & body have changed- just since January! I can't even imagine what things will be like in a year. After that squateriffic WOD- I thought oh I'll just take Friday off. Nope. I went Friday- rowed 1800 meters in less than 8 minutes, went back Saturday morning, & went AGAIN Saturday afternoon!
I just read tomorrow's WOD & I'm already dreading it. WTF are over the bar burpees??? He is seriously out of his mind! I thought regular burpees were bad enough! We shall see how it goes tomorrow!!

Oh yeah- I also signed up for the CrossFit open today! I know I obviously won't ever make it to the games & I hope I don't bring the team average down, but I can't tell you how good it feels to know that my name will be on that roster. You better believe I'll be trying my hardest (not that I don't already), & I will make myself & my team proud. I will have a baseline to work off of for next year too. I'm nervous, but excited. With the paleo challenge coming to an end soon- this will give me something else to focus on. Although, I will still be doing my own personal paleo challenge daily. My energy is focused on me & I've never felt better. I'm going to get this done.
As always, you all have no idea how much you mean to me. I can't express it enough. Thank you so so much, from the very bottom of my heart, for your love, support, guidance, & positive energy. I love and appreciate each & every one of you! <3


-A

Not 100%...

Hi Loves-

This week has been trying. I haven't been feeling like myself- I have been sad/happy/excited/sad again...and now I don't know how I am feeling. I don't think my changing moods have to do with CF. In fact, I usually feel much better following a workout. It's the rest of my life that is getting in the way of me being happy. If you know me- you know that I'm absolutely man crazy. It's out of control. I pretty much can find something hot in any man (LOL). I have to admit to you all that I've never had a boyfriend. I've never had a guy ever be into me (that I'm aware of). I don't even have any guy friends. I know I'm a good person, and it just sucks that people are only judging me from the outside. I'm trying to stay positive- that things will all fall into place when they are supposed to, but it's hard. I hate waiting around hoping that if I get skinny, some guy will finally see me for what I am. But why should I have to do that? Our society is so shallow. I can't take it. I'm sick of feeling terrible about myself; sick of crying over nothing. I'm trying to focus all of my energy toward crossfit & paleo, but sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on things that all my friends my age have already experienced. Everyone keeps telling me to just focus on me, and everything else will happen, but what if it doesn't? What if I end up alone with 5 cats, living in my parents' house for the rest of my life? At this point, that's what I feel like is going to happen. I try to start each day positively  and I will continue to do so, I just hope at some point things change, & start going my way for once.

While I'm confessing things- I cheated this week on the paleo challenge. It's the first time since we've started. I feel terrible about it- almost like I failed. I went to a baby shower today, and there were NO paleo choices available- none. So I did my best, and chose something that wouldn't be as bad. But I still have been feeling bad. I didn't have any bread/pasta/ or desserts, but I still am feeling bad about having a  fried chicken cutlet smothered in sauce & cheese. I know that  these times will eventually come up in life, and that  I need to learn to deal with difficult circumstances, but I feel like I failed myself today. I was hoping to get through the whole challenge without a cheat meal. So on top of feeling sorry for myself about not having any men in my life, I cheated on myself with food. Feeling awesome right now. I know tomorrow is a new day, and this was just one time- but it's amazing the amount of guilt a stupid piece of chicken can give you! I'll get over it- but I just needed to share. Before I started this journey, I could care less if I ate an entire bag of doritos. Now, I can't even imagine- I ate a chicken cutlet- what is going on?! A switch has been turned in my body. I'm so thankful that I finally am starting to get myself together.

On a more positive note- We got to have our first team WOD in the new space this weekend @ RCFBC! I love it in there! There is so much space and room to groove. There were 30 people in the 9am class I attended! Nuts! I can't wait until we are in there permanently. Everything is so new- and smells like a new car or a new house. I love it! One of the best parts of Saturday's WOD was at the end (surprise) when we were taking our first picture in front of the big sun on the wall. A family photo. The people in that picture (and some who weren't there) have no idea how much they mean to me. They push me, motivate me, make me feel like I'm part of something. Once again, I can't say enough about the feeling of togetherness you feel post CF workout. It's one of the reasons I feel like a million bucks when I leave the box. The people inside it are the best.

I just looked at the WOD that our coach posted for tomorrow- It includes my two arch enemies- Double unders & burpees. Once again, I shouldn't have read it- but I did, and now I'm nervous. But I'm going- & I'll finish. I'll probably finish dead last- but I'll finish. So for now, I'll go to bed & try to think about all the good things I have in my life- and hopefully the rest will fall somehow...we shall see...

-A

Finding Nemo!

Hey everyone!

What a crazy week it's been! Everything seemed to be going great until that crazy blizzard made an appearance on Friday!! I've been couped up at home, trying to find ways to keep myself occupied...I decided to go with watch as many lifetime movies & episodes of Chicago Fire as I could. Have you guys seen that show? WHOA NELLY- Severide & Casey...SO HOT. I can't even take it. Anyhow, it's been hard  for me these past few days- food wise. I still haven't "cheated" on the paleo challenge, but I didn't think it would affect me so much by being trapped inside. Everyone was mowing down on chips, ice cream, chocolates, pretty much anything they could find in our house. I wanted nothing more than to just bust open a bag of doritos, plop on the couch, and fantasize about Taylor Kinney saving me from a burning building. But then I thought about how hard I have been working, & I refrained. I'm not gonna throw away weeks of hard work just to indulge for a few moments. That's when I realized that I truly am making a lifestyle change. If this was a few weeks ago- I would've said eff it- I'll start again on Monday. Instead, I made some paleo chocolate chip cookies, and continued dreaming of hot firefighters.

Due to the crazy blizzard, my crossfit schedule was severely impaired. I was only able to get there on Monday & Wednesday. I would have gone Thursday, but I was at a Match.com "stir event" with one of my girlfriends. That was absolutely hilarious. It was a movie night, followed by pizza and drinks. My friend has a gluten allergy, so pizza was out of the question for both of us. The movie was so cheesy- Safe Haven (based on a Nicholas Sparks book) and there were no guys worth hanging around for- so we busted a move. All in all it was a fail, but a good experience, nonetheless. bahahahahahaha

This week I started keeping a log of my CF workouts/times/weights/ etc.- Just so I know how I'm progressing. We did a WOD this week that I actually liked & didn't feel like passing out immediately after. It was called "The Chief." Here's what it was:

Warm Up:  JunkYard Dog  (LOL)
I have never laughed so hard during a warm up in my life. My coach Mike actually ended up taking the class instead of instructing us, & he was my partner. If you have never heard of the Junkyard dog- please watch this video, and proceed to laugh & picture Mike & I doing this. LOL.
The second part of the junkyard dog may have been the most awkward sauce part of my life. My head was very close to a certain area. Use your imagination. lol. Anywho- here was the WOD:

5 rounds (max rounds in 3 minutes) of:
3- power cleans
6-push ups
9- squats
in each 3 of the 3 minutes, I was able to finish 3 sets of each. I had to make a few adjustments to my workout (push-ups using a box, etc.) but I think I did pretty well. We had a visiting coach helping out- Nicki. She is amazing. I had only met her once before, but she is one of the best cheerleaders. I can't say it enough, but I love everyone there. I have never met a better group of human beings.

I haven't been to CrossFit since Wednesday  and I can totally feel it. It's weird that my body feels better and in less pain when I'm actually at class. I can't wait to get back tomorrow & get back into my routine. For now, I will go prep a plethora of spaghetti squash, sweet potatoes, & chicken for the week...and stave off my craving for a bag of cool ranch doritos with some cashews instead! Enjoy the rest of the weekend & keep warm!

<3 Amanda

Filthy Fifty

DISCLAIMER: This post is super long...FYI & I can't figure out why it is in all caps- I'm not yelling...lol

Today is the absolute most sore I've ever been following a workout. EVER. I literally had a hard time getting up and down the stairs. Not good. I guess I can thank the best coach ever, Mike at Reebok CrossFit BareCove in Hingham (Here's your shout-out, Chris!). Let me tell you about Mike- he's the most intense human I have ever encountered. He is on- all the time. He is one of the nicest, most motivating people I've ever met. BOOM. It could be his southern charm, or the fact that he is a CF beast, I'm not sure- and it doesn't matter. He's the best. Even when he incorporates those God forsaken burpees into a WOD! :)
Ok now that I've let you know how much I like my coach (almost creepily, LOL), Let's get to the insane things that I did these past few days.


A few acronyms that you should know:
CF- CrossFit
WOD- Workout of the day
AMRAP- As Many Reps As Possible
Rep- A repetition or one instance of given exercise
Set- A group of repetitions
Chipper- A workout with many reps and many movements (you chip away at it)
Burpees- some sort of hell only Satan himself could ever dream up- YouTube a video of them, and then do a bunch of them, and then you'll know what I'm talking about.
Those are good for now- there may be more later


So for anyone who doesn't know- I'm a radiation therapist- I work at the VA hospital; I treat veterans with cancer. My job can be taxing- mentally mostly, but sometimes physically. For the most part, the veterans are absolutely hilarious. But at the end of the day, they are sick. and they need help. The end of the week is the best- I can decompress and get away from the department for a few days. I never thought that CF would be the way I would unwind! Especially after yesterday's workout. Our coach posts the WOD online the night before. I made the biggest mistake by reading it. It was called the "Filthy Fifty." I was having anxiety all day. Mild heart palpitations and couldn't get it out of my head- the fact that I wasn't sure I would be able to finish such a workout. I thought about skipping class- but I had talked about it so much to my coworkers & I knew they would ask me about it on Monday- I had to represent!


Here's what the workout consisted of:

For time: (30 minute time cap)
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 KB Swings
50 Lunges
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press
50 Supermans
50 Wall ball shots
50 Burpees
50 Double unders


Oh yeah, and I forgot the warmup- 2 rounds of 300m row, some sort of acrobatic movements on hanging ring ropes, & that's all I can remember. LOL. So after all that- do that absolutely crazy filthy fifty. CRAZY. He's out of control. I had to do some scaling- there's no way I'd be jumping on a 24in box- that's for the advanced class. I used a weight plate and jumped on that instead. For lunges- I can't get that low- not yet at least. So I did my own version of a lunge. Instead of the Knees to Elbows- I did AB mat situps. I'll be able to get to these movements soon enough!! I sort of felt out of my league during this class. The people in my class were way advanced & crazy crossfitters. But, I was there & they would have to deal with a new person! For some reason I always feel like I'm being judged in class- it's just my craziness- everyone is usually focusing on their own workout! So it was 3..2..1...GO. and I went to town. I had to pace myself, because I knew that if I busted through a certain movement, I wouldn't be able to finish another. For the most part, I was keeping up with the others- until my Ab mat situps came into play. I hate those. I can get through a bunch and then my body is like, nope, you're all done. But I pressed on. I got to the Wall ball shots- and I got stuck in the squat position more than once. haha. but I got all 50 in before time was called. I didn't get to the burpees (so sad..not!) or the double unders (AKA jumping in place for me), but I finished a majority of the WOD. I couldn't believe it. I felt as though I was going to puke right after. and I couldn't breathe really. but I finished. Next time this WOD comes around- I will finish the whole thing- I promise you that.
When I got home, & got out of my car- I looked at the stairs- there was no way I would make it up them after said workout. But I just took it one step at a time. I eventually made it to the top- in severe pain- but I made it. I slept fantastically Friday night.


Right now we are working out in a temporary space, while our new gym is under construction. Today was moving day. Our coach made a workout out of it! It sounded fun- help move a bunch of weights and other random stuff from point A to point B with a partner, and then have lunch after! Fun! WRONG. Since there were so many people there to help out, we were finished in a half hour! So since we were already there, Mike decided that we should just get a WOD in. GREAT. I could barely move from last night's workout!! but alas, I was there & it's all about getting out of your comfort zone, so I stayed. Today's WOD was with a partner complete the following:

25 burpees each
1000 meter run
50 thrusters
1000 meter row
50 deadlifts
25 burpees each
AFTER we just moved all that stuff. Once again, he's nuts. I didn't think I would even get through the first set of burpees!! But I did. Then I moved to the run- got around twice, and tagged out with my partner- got through some of the thrusters, then tagged out again. We were movin' and groovin'! I actually like to row (when I can get my dumb sneakers in and out of the straps without pulling my shoes off!) and apparently I have long arms, which will make me a deadlift machine one of these days. But then came the cash out burpees. After all that- those mother effin' burpees. I got through 10 of them, and I started fading. I couldn't see everyone who was around, but I assume it most of the class. They joined in- they counted me down, they did those burpees with me- they cheered me on- they clapped, they kept me going. I've never experienced anything like that before. The sense of community was at an all time high. I started crying after (no surprise, if you know me. LOL) I have never had so many people cheering me on, and helping me out, and keeping me motivated. It was the best feeling- I can't even explain it. To the ladies who were doing the burpees with me today- you have no idea what that means to me. Absolutely no idea- one of the best feelings I've ever felt.


After the WOD, the owners, Sharon & Chris took us out for lunch. It was so nice of them, and it was great to get to know everyone outside of the gym. It truly feels like I am part of a new family. I can't tell you what that means- to find something that I love, and have people there who feel the same.
Today was a true testament to the sense of community you feel when you enter a CF gym. You make friends & become a family. To Mike, Sharon, Chris, & everyone who was part of today- Thank you. You have no idea the amount of love and respect I have for all of you...even though I can barely move. Hahahahahaha.
Now I'll take a few Advil, and rest- and I'll get back at it Monday. Love you all!! <3
-Amanda