Mental game

I got into a pretty in depth discussion with not one but two of my ladies last night about mental game. About psyching yourself out before you do something, and getting so scared the fear almost (or in some cases, does) keeps you from doing something that you have gotten excited for. A friend of mine who is looking to try Cross Fit is so freaked out to try she has to do deep belly breaths. I have invited her to watch a WOD so that she can get an idea of what we do, with the rationale that your brain can often imagine things are way worse than what reality is. My other friend, who went through Elements with me,

It's a fine line between excitement and fear, believe me, I understand. Maybe because I expect things to be difficult, I go into a workout (in the case of my discussions last night) knowing it's going to be hard. And what is the worst that happens? I don't finish it as prescribed (or RXed)? I fall over and get back up? I have strangers cheer me on to get that last swing/rep/push up/stride?

Doesn't sound that awful to me.

The importance of mental fitness is one that was echoed in the daily blog from my box, which was all about mental game (visit http://cfsilverspring.com/wordpress/ to read it). I couldn't agree with this more. Your body is capable of a lot of stuff, more than you'd ever imagine; your mind that is often the limiting factor. And if you go into any activity, including Cross Fit, looking to better yourself and not measure yourself constantly against others, you're going to win the physical and the mental game.

I know a lot about negative self talk. I used to beat myself down mentally all the time. It kept me from speaking up for myself in relationships, friendships, at work, and at school. It kept me from trying all the crazy things that I have been yearning to do for years. It made me super depressed until I got a small piece of advice from a health care professional (yeah, I went to therapy. For years. And I aced it!): Would you talk to a friend, or even a stranger, the way you talk to yourself? I mean, would you really? Not out of spite or anger after a fight, but in every day conversation if they told you their goals and what they were doing to reach them? Would you ever say "Oh that's insane, you can never do that. Don't even try, it's just going to be embarrassing."

No.

Almost NO ONE WOULD. So why do you talk to yourself like that? Because we are all our own worst critics. And while that will probably never go away completely, you can catch yourself in those moments and decide to think positively. Just like anything else, it will become habit, and you will find yourself mentally and emotionally more fit.

If that doesn't work, find an "MB" in your life. I use myself as an example because apparently people find my energy motivating, and not in a way that is too irritating. I am much better at cheering on and motivating others than I am at motivating myself. If I get to the activity I am going to do, I know that I will be motivated by the people around me, whether verbally, or just energy-wise. And I feel like it is my duty to also motivate those people, not only to cheer them up but to push them forward. I'm happy to do it, I get a lot of joy out of it, and it helps me realize that support goes both ways, especially when you're doing crazy feats of physical fitness.

Like planking with a 25 to 45 lb plate on your back for 25 seconds at a time.


OH! And I almost forget.  My first callous:

His name is Josh. After the owner of my box.

Hehe that sounded dirty. Happy Tuesday all!

Stop the presses

I know why there are so many people out there that think Cross Fit causes injuries/is dangerous/hate on it so much:

It's because the people who Cross Fit are a different breed of people.

They are missing (or ignore) that little part of their brain that indicates discomfort. They push themselves harder than most people do in the gym, and are more sore/fatigued because of it, but yet, they finish the damn workout even if they feel like their quads and glutes might just set themselves aflame just to end it. I know, for me, one of the reasons that I love this activity is because almost no one quits. And by almost no one, I mean, I'm sure there are people who have to stop one of the activities at some point, but I haven't seen it. And when they are done kicking their own ass, they make sure you finish, whether its by cheering you on from a distance, running next to you to give you a pacer to finish that last hill climb, patting you on the back during your rest period, or take your bells in after you dragged your ass across the finish line because they're just as proud that you finished as you are (personal experience).

This sick and twisted sense of perseverance is probably the same sense that keeps people training when they should be resting. That's been my hardest mental hurdle, knowing when to say when. I can totally see getting sucked into the CF lifestyle see it? I'm pretty much living it), getting to know the people at your box, and not wanting to let them down when you're too sore for a workout but go anyway because you feel obligated to do so not only for yourself but for the people you see every Monday/Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 or every Thursday at 6am. It's more than a gym, its a community, and you don't want to disappoint people. Because your cheering and antics might be the difference between someone quitting and someone finishing. I know that I pushed the other ladies in my Elements class to put more weight on the bar because I know that's the only way I got stronger. They push me to run faster and I know it will pay off.

I have been telling myself this: your peoples will be more disappointed when you end up in full traction after overdoing it than they will be if you say hey: I'm just going to barbell club this week, my feet are completely screwed up from those shuttle runs and I need a few days.

It is working so far, but that urge to WOD is strong. But not til tomorrow. Not til tomorrow.

You #($*@ing did it

Since about 9pm yesterday this song has been in my head:

I completed my last Elements class for Cross Fit last night. This is the 8th class I've been to and I am constantly surprised at how much I can do, and how much others can do. I am also surprised by the kindness and spirit of the people who I work out with, and how I have become more mentally tough than I ever thought I could be.

Last night's class was a mash up of all things scary and horrible: get ups get ups get ups, kicking your legs over your head to hold a handstand against a wall til you can't handle it anymore, followed by attempting to walk on your hands down the wall, followed by a lame attempt at a handstand push up. Then, push jerks til your arms fell off. And after that, we got our "long conditioning WOD because well it was about time" -- Mr. Josh. Shuttle runs, carries and swings. run 200m, 20 swings (16KG), 100m goblet carry (16KG), run 300m, 15 swings (16KG), 100m goblet carry (16KG), 400m run, 10 swings (16KG), 100m goblet carry.

I came in last.

But I didn't stop, and I didn't cheat. I didn't whine, I just kept going. And damned it if pretty much everyone waited for me to finish (only was 2 minutes behind everyone else), cheered me on, and carried by kettlebell into the box for me when I was done. 

Pretty amazing feeling.

This brings me to my next point:

This has never been more true than for me. I might be last, but I'm out there doing it, and every time I finish I am one step closer to my insane goals. Which are as follows:

- Drop 3 dress sizes

- Get on the board for at least 1 lift

- Kick up into a handstand, no more of this wall walking crap

- Do a handstand push up

- Do a handstand walk

- Deadlift my body weight

- Go to Cross Fit 3 times a week.

- Do 5 REAL pushups. 

The list will get bigger, and I think I have a real shot at doing all of these things. Its amazing. 

Thanks for all of you who helped push me through these last few weeks. And thanks to those who continue to give me positive reinforcement. 

GOOOOOOOOALS!

As Cross Fit elements comes to a close (Wednesday is our last official class as a group, even though I have a make up from being away in Vegas last week), we are supposed to identify a few measurable goals that we want to reach. I have become friends with a few women in my class and I am going to propose that we exchange goals for the end of the year to hold each other accountable.

I've decided to put three goals out there:

1) Drop 2-3 dress sizes. This is much more important than weight loss for me because clearly, with as much weight training as I will be doing, I will gain weight before I lose it.

2) I want my name on the board for a lift. The top 3 male and female lifts (per weight) are on the board in the gym. I want to get on the board for at least 1 of them, if not more. I am thinking either deadlift or some sort of press (strict press or push press).

3) I will go to Cross Fit 3 times a week and be around to motivate my classmates and accept their motivation and criticism.

I am proud of myself for continuing to push myself beyond what I thought my limits were. I actually am more proud of the fact that I know when to pull back and not hurt myself or push myself too far. I felt weak and shaky after my 2nd sled push (which I did entirely too fast) and gave myself a timeout. I wasn't afraid to know my limits and step back so I had some left in the tank for this week. That is a big step for me because my brain often doesn't know my body's limit. So here's to much mind-body connections!

Laws of attraction

I am a staunch believer in the whole laws of attraction phenomenon. Your attitude is a decision; it isn't merely a product of circumstances, chemistry, and/or influence. Your brain gives you the most amazing power to decide, moment to moment, how you will go through life and deal with the next person, place or thing that crosses your path. This power shouldn't be taken lightly, and in my opinion, should be used in a positive way. It is amazing how often someone can ruin your day because they are in a bad mood, or make decisions that you allow to affect you in a negative way. Sure, everyone has their bad days when they want to wallow in the comfort of the company of someone else who is also having a crappy day, but choosing that path should be the exception, not the rule.

I was in Vegas this past week helping a friend of mine run her annual conference. I had forgotten how exhilarating it can be to take care of a rush of people, make them smile, and send them on their way. I had forgotten how easy it can be to connect with people, new and old, by just being yourself, even if it is a little nerdy, a little cheesy, or even a little sarcastic. People respond to someone who is genuine and that definitely was the case this week. I made some new friends, and got to see some new sides of old friends, good and bad.

I decided, after a rocky start, to turn my attitude around and go with the flow, approaching people with respect, humor and kindness and to not let a few bumps in the road bring me down. And you know what? I got the same energy returned to me by almost everyone I interacted with. I had the kind of high that was once reserved for the post workout endorphin rush I experience after Cross Fit. It made me realize that I don't want to be that negative person who only is happy when they are getting their own way, or making people miserable. I want to be the person who brings others up, not down. Even if it makes me come off as somewhat naive. I don't care. I will not contribute to the demise of another person's mood if I can help it.

That is this week's resolution.

Also, I don't want to puke at Cross Fit after a week off. It could happen. I just hope it doesn't.

Haterade

I made the mistake of indicating on Facebook that I wasn't going to a WOD yesterday because my knee was sore. And my knee, I really mean the point at which my IT band connects to the outside of my knee, which has been taking a beating since I started CF. My right leg is fine (because it's my dominant leg, I'm sure) and therefore, I am not terribly worried about being hurt, just recognizing that I need to take a day or two away. This is a good step for me as I will die before I give up on something once I've put my mind to it, which is why I often suffer from exercise burn out.

I posted this mostly because I have made some friends in my Elements class who were pondering going. I also get a lot of "what was your WOD" questions and I didn't feel like telling all who asked individually. Sue me.

I got a few positive tips from people (KT tape apparently is amazing and I should use it until my tendons and ligaments catch up with the muscles they are connected to), but I got a few messages about "Told you Cross Fit causes injuries." This made me LIVID.

Bad form and weakness causes injuries. Being blind to when your body is hurting and continuing on anyway is what causes injuries. An activity in and of itself does not cause injuries, unless you're talking about beating your own head into a concrete wall or something.

There are a lot of CF haters out there, and I didn't realize it til I started doing it. Maybe its because its seen as an expensive, elitist activity. Maybe its because people think that you do those crazy Cross Fit games activities in your every day workout (like launching medicine balls across a football field) and are like "no wonder you can't walk."

But I'm pretty sure its that people are scared to give you kudos for putting yourself out there and doing something that is REALLY hard, but with the right mind set and prep, doable. And making a financial and mental commitment to doing something that makes you sore, and tired, and gives you calloused hands isn't in their plan right now.

In reality, I am sore. Pretty damn sore in some areas, but these are areas that, in my normal pretty friggin' intense workouts, I don't touch. How often do your hip flexors hurt? Or are your rhomboids sore? Your teres major/minors? Or your upper abs (what I call the under boob area)? Probably not often. This is why I started doing this. Left to my own devices, I'd have amazing delts, hams, glutes and calves but I would be able to hold a plank for 3 seconds, and not be able to climb out of a hole to save my life. I was not doing enough. Not enough intensity, variety, consistency, none of it.

Keep your haterade to yourself. I'm over here trying to work.

Ow. Just... ow

When someone tells you that you're going to crawl across the room, you don't think it will be terribly taxing. Even though you've done about 40 front squats, 40 presses, some kettlebell swings, and 100lb barbell deadlifts, etc etc etc. I'm pretty sure the bear crawl was intended to make adults look stupid, question their brain/body connections and give the instructor a good laugh. Our Elements group provided all of this entertainment last night, and then some.

We were especially entertaining when we started doing broad jumps, and if anyone in your line was off balance on their landing your group had to do 3 burpees; and I was the first one who stutter stepped and caused my line to have to do said burpees (but someone else did it later so I didn't feel quite so rotten). Jumping is what screwed up my achilles when I used to do Bosu ball drills with my old trainer, so I'm not really a fan. Plus my ligaments and tendons have to hold up a lot more weight than most of the people in my class, so I'm just glad I haven't completely ruptured something at this point.

My hands and knees are tender from the beating they took yesterday after doing a series of bear crawls (front and back), my knees hurt because my IT band is all jacked (presumably from squatting with toes that are angled too far out), and my left ankle feels... "loose." My right hip (well, on my back above my right hip) is tight, so clearly I am all sorts of messed up. Yet I looked at the WOD today (since after last night I am able to go to unlimited WODs until the end of the month) and I want to go. But I think I will give myself a day to rest and recover before I get all Olympic athlete on myself, and probably get more sore.

Last night's WOD:

Bear crawl the length of the gym and back
15 sit ups
10 KB swings (14 KGs for me)

Repeat til we're done.

Again with the "repeat til we're done." I ended doing 3 full rounds and a half round of the bear crawl before it was all over. And then I made my first sweat angel. And someone told me that I was her hero and that I definitely knew my way around the gym, and my strength showed. That was pretty awesome, and almost made me forget the previous 80 minutes.

And with that, I am going out on a limb and showing you my somewhat awesome upper back muscles. Please ignore the other chub.

Mama said psych you out

I am pumped when its a Cross Fit day, and after today, I will be able to go to regular WODs and see what I'm really made of.

And it scares the poo out of me.

I tend to psych myself out of doing things, even when I've paid good money to participate. I get excited about going to my Elements class, but then about an hour before hand, I get nervous tummy and I wonder if today is the day that I won't be able to keep up. Where they realize I've been faking it and that I really am just a big heifer that can lift weights but has no endurance or flexibility.

And then I realize there's no use in getting nervous. The planned lesson and workout is what it is and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm sure this is the reason the instructor doesn't tell us what to expect, because that'll just get your mind racing about what you think you can/can't do. The instructions are detailed, but brief, where before you  know it, you're doing weighted front squats like a boss. You didn't have time to get into a negative head space and talk yourself out of being able to do it, you just did.

We did a crazy workout on Monday (and my "connective bits" are still sore: achilles, hips, a lil knee weirdness too). Stared off with 2 rounds of 8 ring rows, 8 air squats and 10 unweighted hinges. Then, grabbed PVC and a bar and started going through the form for presses (weighted, probably about 30 total), front squats (weighted probably about 50) and then did some kettle bell swings (about 50-60 I'd say).

THEN we started the workout. "We're going til we're done" he said. 8 kettlebell deadlifts, 8 air squats, and then carrying a kettlebell down and up the hill (about 100 yards total, I'm guess). No one asked how many rounds, he just started the music and off we went. Back and forth, up and down, in and out. This is typically not my favorite method: I like to know how many more rounds/miles/presses I have left to do, but this let me focus on the moment and what I was doing and not get overwhelmed by the magnitude of what might or might not be left. I think there's a good lesson in that: Just be mentally tough, stick with it, and realize that I don't have to be super human all the time, just to think like a superhero all the time.

If I had a box..

A Cross Fit box that is, I would play the most epic music during WODs. The owner of my current box has a penchant for rap and hip hop, which I appreciate, but I would like to spice it up. If I had to choose a top 10 workout (WOD specific) list of songs it would be, in no order:

1) Enter Sandman by Metallica

2) Faster by Third Eye Blind

3) Black Skinhead by Kanye West

4) Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

5) It Takes Two by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock

6) Gonna Make You Sweat by C&C Music Factory

7) B.O.B. by Outkast

8) Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes

9) Run the World by Beyonce

10) Name of the Game by The Crystal Method

I need some variety. Something that speaks to that part of my soul that will always be motivated by sounds and beats. And I need something that takes me back to a good place while I am sweating my ass off.

Paleo Picks

I've had people ask me a lot of questions about the Paleo diet. A great place for general information about this diet is from the blog The Clothes Make the Girl; Melissa "Melicious" Joulwan is the author of this blog as well as my favorite Paleo cookbook "Well Fed." Her simple, real world application of the Paleo diet has made it accessible to foodies who, like me, can't just sit around and cook all day but who want to eat food that tastes like they had all the time in the world. The practical, make ahead tips and tricks have helped me focus my efforts while grocery shopping and cooking. Her use of spices is amazing, and as someone who used to think drown things in sauce because well, butter and cream are delicious, I have become a spice advocate. Spice spice baby.

Moving on: this will walk you through a normal Sunday in MB-land. It usually involves grocery shopping and cooking some of my proteins ahead of time for the week laid out before me. Because I am going to Vegas for a week in a week, the amount of produce I bought is a little short of what I would normally purchase. That being said, it is still a crap ton and I'll probably be done with it by Thursday night and will get to treat myself to my favorite semi-Paleo fast food for lunch: a salad from Chipotle (chicken, fajita veggies, mild and medium salsa, and guacamole).

Step one: go to your local farmer's market, organic market, Whole Foods, or general supermarket. Keep your eyes peeled for vibrant, delicious produce. If you can't get to the store on a regular basis for some reason, there are a LOT of farmers who have made organic (or non-certified organic) produce, eggs, meat and poultry available for home delivery. Google it in your area to see what your options are. I love Washington's Green Grocer and South Mountain Creamery and will, if I'm super swamped with life, order from them on occasion, but I still like to go and pick out my own produce and meat, especially in the summer, as farmer's markets are plentiful and it makes this particular chore a lot more fun. Plus you get to interact with the farmers themselves, see your local peeps at MOM's or Whole Foods, and you can get inspired right then and there and make something delicious with your haul when you get home, no waiting required.

Step two: Be knowledgeable of and look for things that are in season (Super awesome interactive map of the US to see what is in season where you live). Buy these things in reasonable quantities, but stock up on things you might want when they aren't in season if they lend themselves to freezing (this time of year that means zucchini, summer squash, berries of all varieties) because they will be 1) cheaper because they are in season and 2) more delicious than the ones you'll get later in the year that have been shipped from California or other parts unknown (oh California, I miss your bountiful fresh produce. FOCUS MARIBETH).

Step three: Find a new veggie to try every time you to go the store. Things cycle in and out of season and so there's usually something different for you to try. Or perhaps a different, non flour/pasta/starch twist on something you have prepared before (example: zucchini lasagna because of the 17 squash I got as a result of my last Washington Green Grocer order). This will keep your creative juices flowing and make your diet not seem like a diet at all.

This was my haul from the grocery store(s) today:

The produce was from a MyOrganicMarket (MOM's) and the meat was from a supermarket. I know, I know. Conventional meat is not the best but I am not making it rain with cash anytime soon and have decided to spend money on Cross Fit and organic veggies. The meat will just have to come from Shoppers or Safeway. Sue me. I tried to make sure I had what was in season, but with some color. Kale, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, asparagus, avocado, grass fed bacon, chicken thighs, eggs, and pastured butter. A delight.

Step four: Understand what your staples are and make sure you have them in plentiful supply. I buy meat when it's on sale and freeze it. I buy ground beef (85/15 usually), organic sausage (bulk and links) and chicken thighs and put them into weekly portion freezer bags so that I can pull them out and defrost just what I need. Also, a word about chicken breasts: these mother truckers are HELLA expensive compared to chicken thighs. Dark meat, cholesterol wah wah wah, chicken thighs are where it is at. I can get package of 12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs for 8 bucks. That is 2 weeks worth of protein. Do the math. I dare you not to love a baked chicken thigh and all the rich moistness it brings to your dish. They lend themselves better to cooking ahead and reheating (for those of us who have to leave the house for work) and are a delight.

My freezer at present. Notice the bagged meats and squash, ready for the cookin'.

My non freezable refrigerator staples are organic, free range eggs, grass fed butter, and the occasional container of whole fat Daisy sour cream.

This is my pantry (note, I live with others and just have the second shelf):

My pantry staples are nuts (walnuts or almonds typically), some sort of nut butter, canned tuna in water, mayonnaise (because I don't have a blender to make my own yet), dijon mustard, canned fire roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, sesame oil, coconut aminos, and spices spices spices (salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, dry mustard, cayenne, garlic powder). The majority of my pantry is taken up with my spice bucket. This is by DESIGN. Sticking to the peripheral aisles of the supermarket means that you don't need a lot of pantry space. Spices, tuna, nut butter, cooking oil, etc live here. Not real food.

I cooked chicken thighs and roasted asparagus in the oven, wilted spinach and made a lovely lemon mustard sauce for my chicken on the stove top. In under 30 minutes. I could recreate this meal with pre-cooked chicken thighs in about 15, and only that long because I like my asparagus tips crispy and that takes time in the oven. I dare you to tell me this doesn't look better than some processed McDonald's crap that would have taken you just as long to get, between the car ride, the line, and the return trip:

Food rant over.


***Just for the record, I don't get any kick back from the above plugs, just trying to point people in the right direction for some great recipes, services and ideas***

Goal Setting

My new goal is to be able to make THESE shorts look good.

I have leg envy. I have nice legs (relatively) and I want a butt that can fill out the shorts above. This is all in the spirit of keeping my goals from being centered around my weight.

I will read and re-read this.

http://everydaypaleo.com/attention-scale-addicts-part-2/

Happy 4th of July ... a day late

Throwing a medicine ball into the air and slamming it into the ground repeatedly gets your brain into almost a Zen-like, meditative state. Your arms and legs are burning, your back is crying for mercy, but some how, I almost got high from it. Remember to breathe, and you'll be ok. 69 ball slams later, I was shocked at what I had accomplished, and how quickly I recovered my strength and my breath afterwards.

It's little victories like this that make me want to ignore the scale. Weighing yourself after the measured gluttony of a 4th of July celebration (complete with children shooting fireworks AT each other in the most accurate display of "fire photon lasers" I've ever encountered) is not so smart, but Fridays are when I do it, and so here we go. I gained 4 ish pounds. AGAIN. I am yo yo-ing between these sames 4-5 lbs (a week at at time, mind you) and it is PISSING ME OFF. I can already see improvement in my cardiovascular health, my strength and recovery time, but yet those 3 lil numbers (ok...4 if you could after the decimal point) are driving ME BATTY.

Stop it Maribeth. Stop. You really need to stop.

I am not going to weigh myself anymore. At least, not for a long time, and not until I get into the groove with Cross Fit. I feel like my body is going to be ebbing and flowing with the changes to my metabolism, strength and shape so much that it would be nothing less than frustrating to live and die by the numbers on the scale. I need to go with how my clothes fit, how I feel, and how I can handle the workouts prescribed to me. So far, I am doing great, and that should really be my measure of progress. Why are we so obsessed with the scale? The quantitative data lover in me knows why, but as humanity, I am not sure why we are fixated on this.

So here's to no more scales (for a while), more activity, less show and more go.

Scorpio for Life

"Stepping outside of your comfort zone is by definition uncomfortable. But isn't it usually incredibly rewarding, too? You're in a strong phase of risk-taking and you are a brave person, so this combination means that right now you are in a prime position to make a huge leap in your life. Whether it's changing your job, moving to a new city, or starting a new relationship, you are ready to explore living your life in a new way. Talk to those who have done it before and get some tips."

Wow. Who knew that the horoscope writer for the Washington Post could be so right on? Or perhaps they have been alerted, by the authorities, of my Cross Fit schedule and are trying to cosmically motivate me? Either way, it's working.

I have been in close contact with friends who have gone through the hellish beginnings of Cross Fit, and they all have the same mantra: STICK WITH IT. It doesn't get easier, you just get tougher. Today will undoubtedly be harder than Monday, as Monday I was fresh and limber and all excited to get started. Now, I am a little stiff and sore (DOMS!) but I know the best way is to roll out some of the kinks and get the blood pumping again. 

Doin' it.

Slim is Simple

Some of these truths are so self explanatory it makes you wonder why we strayed from them at all. When you think about it, this all is common sense.

It took me a long time to reprogram my brain to think "wow, meat has a lot more fat in it than, pasta... I should eat more pasta." Once I broke that dependency on sugar and starch and carbs, I can go longer without eating because I am truly nourishing my body, I feel satisfied, and have more energy than ever before.

Check it out: http://vimeo.com/58335792#

It happened.

So blah blah blah I've been talking about doing Cross Fit forever and last night it happened.

Oh it happened.

Got their early like the conscientious pupil I am (thanks Mom and Dad) and was glad to see I wasn't the first one there. We saw the end of the 6:30 WOD and sort of looked at each other tentatively like "we are going to be able to do that.... ever?"

I quickly made friends, introduced myself to those who seemed like they were interested in an introduction, and we all assured each other that tonight wouldn't be that bad tonight. Tonight would be about terminology, learning some skills/proper form, and maybe a light mock WOD.

It all started with some foam rolling of your butt, back and quads (which I am always up for). I was glad I had read ahead and made the $12 purchase of a foam roller and practiced a bit on my own, as they get a tad unwieldy and I wanted to appear coordinated. So far so good, right?

Then we got into proper squat form. None of that 90 degree stuff. Get way down. "I want to see your bits through your shorts you're so low" he said. That is an image that will stick with you, lemme tell ya. Squat. Wedge. Inhale on the way down, exhale and explode up. Good form MB. Good work. Need a little bit wider on the stance, but good. Called out some bad form answers when asked, and called out my instructor when he did a "weird squat." That's a plie dude. Giggles all around, side eye from the coach. CHECK.

Next was hinging, AKA the motion you make when you deadlift. That knees slightly bent, stick your butt out till you feel it in your hamstrings, then go a little further, and rotate your pelvis so you're standing straight and can squeeze your butt. Good work MB. Got that one too! (All of this so far can be attributed to my previous training at the San Mateo Athletic Club in California, Art, who taught me proper form). All that kept running through my head was this:

CHECK.

Then came ring rows. Not exactly thrilled about rings of any form, but I do a decent bit of rows and lat work in the gym, it wasn't terrible. Good to go. CHECK.

Farmer carries. Also known as you have two bales of hay and you need to carry them, one in each hand. Sounds easy, until you get to the whole "go to the fence and back" part, but we'll get back to that right... NOW.

It's about 8:30pm, and we're all thinking that class is over. Not so fast says Coach Josh. Buddy up, we're going to do 3 rounds of 8 weighted squats, 8 ring rows, and then a farmers carry to the fence and back. Oh and MB, we're going to have you squat with 35lbs (no problem), and carry 45lb kettlebells in each hand for the carry. Uhh.. ok. Let's see  how this works.

First round. Not terrible. Squatted first, rowed next, carried last. You don't realize how weak your hands are until you try to do something like this, and as everyone knows, I have "monkey strong" hands in terms of grip from sailing, and it was toast after the first trip to the fence. Got back into the gym and chucked those bells and started squatting. Thank goodness my coach had the good sense to give me a little less to carry the next time around, but my hands were already shot. Squat squat row row shuffle shuffle. Repeat.

Everyone was oddly silent in their misery, but were NOT quiet when it came to encouraging others. This is the Cross Fit I signed up for. Out of breath, sweaty, but feeling very accomplished we gathered for the inevitable nutrition and sleep talk. Got hand outs on Paleo (got that covered) and went on my way, not before saying to one of my new comrades "remember; we paid good money to do this."

I was just glad I had the strength left to grip the steering wheel for the drive home. I even have a floor kiss from my planks and push ups.

And so it begins.

Hey Guys,

Just wanted to remind you all that your CrossFit Elements class starts tomorrow evening, July 1st, at 7:30 pm. It'll run Mondays and Wednesday at 730pm for the next 4 weeks. If there are any conflicts down the line, please let us know when you do! Try to get to the gym a few minutes early so we can get going promptly since we've got a lot to cover. As far as parking goes, feel free to park in front of the gym, in the lot on the the side of the building, or anywhere on the street (disregard the no parking signs). Looking forward to seeing you all again!

Cheers,

Josh

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For the record, I am the girl in the class who was like "teacher teacher! You didn't tell us the instructions!" And this is the resulting email the group got. Looking at the grizzled, tired but oddly happy Elements graduates posted on their website from their most recent iteration, I am excited. And scared. And excited.

I got my Reebok Nano 2.0s

My Under Armor Capris

My neon socks

And a kick ass attitude.

My friend sent me my horoscope for today, and while I am not a subscriber to this kind of thing, for today, it's strikingly appropriate:

Your body and mind are meant to work together, so if one (or the both) of them seems out of whack, it's time to fix the problem. Maybe that means getting more sleep and watching less TV. Maybe that means taking the stairs at work instead of riding the elevator. Whatever method you choose, make sure there's cooperation between the two most important parts of your well-being. After all, you don't want one of them to go on strike.

LET'S DO THIS!