Pick em up, Put em down

This week I had set a short term goal for myself.  Not a weight loss goal, but a small fitness goal.  It was to increase my time running by 2 minutes.  I would be going from 10 minutes of running last week to 12 minutes this week.  To me that would be an attainable goal.  So I laced up my running shoes and headed out of the garage to jog around my neighborhood.

It started out rough.  My legs felt heavy and I didn't have a whole lot of motivation today.  As I was listening to my Ipod, the running cadence I was listening to said, "Pick em up, put em down."  That is exactly what I did.  I just kept picking up one foot and putting the other down.  About 5 minutes in to the run I started feeling pretty good.  My legs had loosened up a bit and I told myself that 12 minutes wouldn't be a big deal.  I kept picking my feet up and putting them down and before I knew it, I ran for 12:30.  30 seconds past what I was planning.  I know it isn't a lot, but it is something.  And for me, reaching a short term goal only motivates me more to keep going.  When I look at the end result of where I want to be, it seems almost impossible.  Accomplishing short term goals reassures me that I am headed in the right direction.  All I need to do is to keep picking my feet up and putting them down, moving forward towards my long term goals.

A tractor tire and a bitch named Fran

The bitch I am referring to is a Crossfit benchmark workout.  It doesn't sound bad on paper, but this workout sucks a**.  The workout is a coupling of thrusters w/95 lbs. and pull ups done for 21 reps, then 15, then 9.  Not that bad, right?  WRONG.  And for me, pull-ups are my a big weakness of mine.  In Crossfit, you are forced to confront your weaknesses and deal with them head on.  That is what is great about it.  I easily could have done something else, but if I don't work on what I am weak at, then I won't get any better at it.  So, I sucked it up and did Fran today.  Just over 20 minutes.  That is a terrible time.  Just to give you an idea, an average time is anywhere from 5-10 minutes.  The elite are usually 3 minutes or less.  I did the work out as prescribed, which means that I used the recommended weight and no assistance/bands on the pull ups.  It would have been easier to do assisted pull ups, but I won't get any better taking the easy way out.

After completing Fran, I decided that I would do an active cool down.  At work, they have a tractor tire, probably somewhere between 400-500 lbs.  I thought  it would be a good idear to do 10 minutes of tire flips in the parking lot.  Working out outside is much better than being inside the gym.  And the barbaric aspect of throwing a tire around is very appealing to me.  I got some strange looks from people driving by and co-workers, but who cares.  After the 10 minutes were up, I was completely exhausted.  While I was trying to catch my breath, all I could do was smile because today I knew I had a great workout.

6 lbs.

So, 1 week has gone by and I am pretty happy with things, I am down 6 lbs today.  I have been eating a clean diet and I managed to work out 5 days last week.  I was feeling pretty good this morning when I woke up and headed for the bathroom scale.  And this morning, the scale, for the first time in a long time, was my friend.  I had started out last week at 286.  Today, I weighed 280.  6 lbs. in 1 week!  I was ecstatic.

I know that in the beginning, weight has a tendency to come off quicker.  6 lbs. is a great start.  I know that it will slow down, but as long as the number keeps going down. This morning it was nice to get that little boost of encouragement to know that my lifestyle change is working.  I am hoping that this week I am able to keep moving forward.  I know that this is only the beginning and that I still have a long way to go.

Comfort Zone

For most people, life is lived inside their comfort zone.  Everybody has one.  That place where you can go through the motions and not have to really think about what you are doing.  You are comfortable in that place.  When life gets hectic or things are unfamiliar, you are forced to be outside of your comfort zone.  The great thing about Crossfit is that it teaches you how to live outside of your comfort zone.

Today's workout had 2 things that I am terrible at, pull ups and sit ups.  The pull ups because of my weight, and the sit ups because of my body by Miller.  About 10 minutes into the workout I was leaving my comfort zone.  I was out of breath and covered in sweat.  People at the globo gym were looking at me like I was insane.  It would have been easy to just stop and call it a day.  Crossfit teaches you to keep moving at your own pace, regardless of what anyone else is doing.   It teaches you to realize that life outside your comfort zone is not always a bad thing.  So I stopped being concerned with the people watching me and what they were thinking and continued, 1 rep at a time until I was done, 48 minutes later.  I needed to be outside of my comfort zone because being in that zone is the reason I am where I am today.  Being outside of my comfort zone is the only way to make any changes or progress towards where I want to be.  I am learning that the more you life outside of that zone, the more comfortable it is to be there.

Today's workout:
7 rounds
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 air (body weight) squats
20 sit ups
25 double under jump ropes

Welcome Back Old Friend

Why is it that it takes so long to get back in shape, but it seems like no time at all to lose it?  That is how I felt during yesterday's workout.  I was about halfway through when I thought, "No one else is here, I could just stop now."  The old me probably would have and used the excuse that I was just getting back in to working out so I don't want to be too sore.  I knew that if I wanted to make any progress, I couldn't quit.  I pushed through and finished the workout, 41 minutes.  Not a great time by any standards, but I had finished and not quit.  And laying on the gym floor in a puddle of sweat, trying to catch my breath and not have a heart attack, I smile because I know that I will soon be seeing an old friend.

That old friend I am referring to is the ache in your muscles the day after a good workout. My legs are really sore today and my body really aches, but I know that old friend has good intentions.  I know that old friend has come back into my life to help push me towards my goals.  And I welcome back that friend with open arms.  That pain makes me feel good about what I have done in the last few days and it makes me want to go back again.  So today I did.   

Intimidation

Intimidation- to make timid; fill with fear.

For me, intimidation relates to weight loss and working out.

Setting weight loss goals can cause intimidation.  Looking at what seems to be impossible can make a person timid.  I know that it has for me in the past.  I always looked at the end number and total lbs. that I wanted to lose and thought to myself that it was impossible.  I would start out strong, but when I would start to lose a few lbs. I would still realize that I had a long way to go.  I would get discouraged and afraid of falling short, intimidated by my seemingly impossible task. It was always easier to fall back in to my old routine instead of facing my fear. 

If you have never been intimidated by your workout, you never have done Crossfit.  Just the name of some of the workouts fill me with fear.  Fran, Murph, and so on.  Just typing those out sends a chill down my spine.  Mostly the intimidation comes from the fact that I know how I am going to feel during the workout, like death is around the corner.  I know that a little bit of fear is good.  What I can't do is to let the fear dictate my workout.  Just because I am intimidated by the workout doesn't mean that I should skip it or half-ass my effort.  I will only end up where I always have in the past, unhappy with my weight.

While intimidation is an aspect of everyday life, how you handle it will determine your success.  If I back down from it, I will never achieve my goals.  The key is to take it 1 day at a time, 1 meal at a time, and 1 workout at a time.  In the end, I will come out a better person.

Today's workout
5 Rounds
40 double unders
30 box jumps 24" box
20 kettlebell swings 53lbs.

Excuses

"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."  

I am not sure who said that, but today it was true.  I woke up later than I wanted to today.  Then, after breakfast, I thought, "I should relax a little, then head to the gym."  Then time, like it always does, got away from me.  Next thing I knew, it was too late to go to the gym.  I didn't have time to drive to the gym, workout, come home, eat and be to work on time.  So my old self started with the excuses.

I started to tell myself that if I ate good today, I can start the working out tomorrow.  But I have been telling myself that for way too long.  Excuses have gotten me to my current weight of  286 lbs.  It's always, "I can start tomorrow, one day won't kill me."  It is that attitude that has led to this point.  So I have decided no more excuses.  If I can't make it to the gym, I will find another way to workout.  And that is exactly what I did.

Today I set a goal for myself to jog non-stop for 10 minutes.  For me, time is more important than distance.  I know it isn't much, but it is a start.  I put on my running shoes, cranked up my IPod, and headed out the door.  10 minutes went by and I had made it, without a heart attack.  Inside I did a little happy dance.  After a cool-down walk, I was feeling pretty good with myself and decided to do something else.  100 walking lunges for time.  It took me 7:30.

There is no more excuses.  I proved that to myself today.

Here is my starting (before) pics.  286 lbs.  I will be posting a pic each month to show my progress