As my first real blog I thought I
would just outline some things about the way I choose to workout. I don’t know
how familiar people are with crossfit and many times when people ask me what I
do they’re response is cross-what? My goal is to provide you with a non-biased,
objective description of this style of training, but it’ll be hard since there
are so many things that I love about what I do. So what is crossfit?...now that
could be a fully-loaded question! For me personally, it’s the best of many
aspects of working out: Olympic lifting, fast pace cardio, gymnastics
movements, body-weight exercises, sometimes high rep, sometimes low rep,
sometimes heavy weight, and sometimes not as heavy weight. One of my favorite
things about crossfit is that I never get bored. There are so many WODs (Work
out of the Day) and movement combinations that if you never wanted to do the
same workout twice, you probably could. Although repeating the same WODs and
lifts from time to time will allow you to measure your progress objectively. Switching
from one movement to the next helps me to think less about how tired I am or
how out of breath I am and more about pushing myself to get through this
movement, this rep, this round, and before you know it….you’ve finished the
workout! Because there are so many movements, there are always challenges and
always things that you could be better at. If WODs start getting easier, do it
faster or add more weight. While I don’t feel that anyone could say, “I have
mastered the sport of crossfit,” it is also 100% scalable. If you’re just
starting crossfit or maybe just starting to workout period, you can customize
the WODs to your level of comfort and still get an awesome workout by scaling
(aka lowering) the reps, the rounds, and/or the weight. For most of the
movements there are even scaled movements, movements that can be substituted
for those who can’t yet do prescribed movements whether it be for lack of
strength, comfort, or due to injury. Periodically I will post links to specific
crossfit programming sites and try to post scale down movements for those who
are just starting crossfit, working up to Rx movements, or trying to do WODs at
home with limited equipment. I would also encourage you to keep track of your
workouts because it always feels good to look back at the last time you went
for a one-rep max on a lift or did a WOD so you can see your progress!
When starting this blog, I asked
for feedback about what all I should include. One of the common answers I
received was about what the lifestyle of a crossfitter is like and how I make
it fit into my schedule. Just like the WODs we do, you can commit to as much or
as little of the “crossfit” lifestyle as you want….although just like anything
else, you’ll only get out what you put in. Many crossfitters eat Paleo, some
are more strict than others. Most crossfitters believe in scheduled rest days,
some play their workout schedule by ear by listening to when their bodies tell
them that they need rest. Everything you do must work for you, and what works
for you may not work for someone else so most of what my boyfriend and I do has
been determined by trial and error. We eat mostly paleo with a max of 3 cheat
meals per week. Every morning we both have a protein shake for breakfast. The
protein that we use is the only non-paleo item that we consume on a daily basis
(and we don’t count this toward our cheat meals). I have my protein mixed with
water or almond milk after every workout as well. We take 2 rest days every
week. Thursday is our strict rest day…we usually do nothing as far as exercise.
Sundays are usually our second rest day, but is most often, but not always,
more of an active rest day….we’ll typically go for a family run with our
furchild or maybe hiking. Being committed to working out almost everyday makes
for a busy week for us. James and I usually get up around 4:30-5:00am, fix our
shakes and coffee, take care of our dog, and start our day at work and at the
hospital, respectively. We get home at varying times depending on the day, but
usually between 4 and 5pm. We get ready and go workout around 5-5:30pm and are
there until 7:30 or 8pm. Then its hurry home, fix and eat dinner, shower, and
get in bed to do it all again tomorrow. My schedule varies depending on what
rotation I am on and how much I have to study, which in turn determines how
much time I allow myself to stay in the gym. During my third year when my days
were longer and I had to study more, I limited my workouts to an hour and usually
just did my box’s (crossfit terms for my gym) daily WOD. Now in my fourth year
when my schedule is a little more lax and all my board exams are done, for now,
I let myself stay at the gym longer (although this may change soon as I’m
preparing for an away rotation in a couple weeks and getting ready to dive head
first into interview season). Needless to say that with days like these, how do
we also find time to prepare a healthy dinner rather than giving into the
convenience of unhealthy fast food? My solution is plan ahead! Quick and easy
meals and crockpot dinners have also become my best friends (so get excited
about all the recipes that will be coming very soon)!
I think that the some of the most
important things to keep in mind in regards to your health is:
1.
We are not gingerbread cookies, therefore, there
are no universal cookie cutter programs or diets that will work for everyone. I
hope that when you read my blogs and other information on this topic that you
take the information and make it your own…tweak it to fit your body and your
lifestyle.
2.
As my amazing boyfriend always reminds me: “Hailey,
focus on the little victories!” You will not go from a couch potato to giving
Rich Froning and Samantha Briggs (the winners of the 2013 Crossfit Games) a run
for their money overnight. If you’re not active at all right now, focus on
getting up and moving because something is better than nothing. If you are
active, maybe you’ll get a PR (personal record) today, or this week, or maybe
this month, but maybe not so concentrate on progress! So you couldn’t hit more
weight on your lift, but you looked stronger and more solid and had better
technique this time or maybe you got a few seconds faster or a couple more reps
in on a WOD than you did last you did it.
3.
Read labels, know what you’re putting in your
body! You’d be surprised to know what items have sugar and other nastiness added
to them (more to come on paleo/whole30) J
4.
Love what you do. I feel better, physically and
mentally, when I eat paleo, which is why I chose to do it. I feel better and
see more results when I crossfit and work on my Oly lifts so that’s what I do
predominantly, but I also run and do yoga sometimes too. If you don’t love what
you do, what you eat, and the way you feel then you won’t stick to any plan no
matter how good it is or how much data there is to support that it works.
5.
Abs are made in the kitchen. You can work out
from sun up to sundown, but nothing substitutes for eating right. I see the
biggest changes in how lean my body does and does not look when I look at what
I’ve been eating. Just because you workout doesn’t mean you can pig out!
I promise my next blog won’t be so long and will be
something you can apply, a workout or a yummy recipe! J Please feel free to post any
questions, feedback, and/or constructive criticisms in the comments below!
