I am not a gymnast

So then why do I have to use rings like one?  Crossfit will have you doing exercises that you aren't comfortable with at first.  The key is to try them to the best of your ability and eventually they will get easier.  

The workout I did on Monday was power snatch 2-2-2.  Then after a brief rest period, 8 rounds of 3 front squats with 185 lbs. and then 8 ring dips.  I absolutely hate ring dips.  I have enough trouble with regular dips.  Now I have to do 8 rounds of them on the rings.  I don't know about anyone else, but if you aren't used to using rings, they are a pain in the ass.  Trying to balance myself and do dips is next to impossible for me right now.  But instead of not doing them and doing regular dips, I did modified ring dips.  I stabilized my feet, but still used the rings to work on getting more comfortable.  I know that eventually I will be able to do ring dips.  Right now, I am ok with having to modify them.  I know that I will never be a gymnast, but one day I will be able to use the rings like one.

A step backwards

So this week I didn't do as well as I hoped.  I followed my diet for the most part, but fell off the wagon a few times.  Not in my workouts as much as my diet.  I ate a few things off of my diet.  I had a couple of beers.  I will weigh myself in the morning to see if I lost any weight this week.  If I didn't, that's life.  The important thing is that I realized that I strayed off the path and didn't stay there.  I have to be realistic about my diet.  There are going to be times that I stray, but the important thing is to make sure that it isn't too far or too often.  Once in a while is alright.  It is healthy and a way for me to keep my sanity. 

I head in to week 3 optomistic about it.  I have a refocused mentality for my diet and workouts.  I know that I took a step backwards, but I am determined to move 2 steps forward.  I can't dwell on the past week, because it is now out of my control.  What I can control is how I deal with my set back.  I choose to be in control of my destiny.  I choose to move forward and not let a small step backwards discourage me.  Life happens and it is how you deal with it that ultimately determines if you succeed or fail.  I will succeed. 

1 notch at a time

I am almost done with my second week, and I am feeling pretty good.  Eating a clean diet has given me more energy.  I don't feel so sluggish and tired all the time.  I have even noticed that my clothes seem to be fitting a little more comfortable.  Not so much pressure around the buttons.  The working out has been helping too.  My cardio and strength are getting better.  The workouts aren't getting any easier, but my times are getting better.  Overall, I just feel better all around about myself.

At work, I have to wear a belt with my pants.  Today, when I put on my belt, it was a little loose at my normal notch.  I moved it in a notch and it was comfortable, WOOHOO.  Another little thing that keeps me motivated.  It helps me to realize that this lifestyle change is definitely a good thing.  I am very happy with my progress so far and I know that this is only the beginning.  And that makes me excited about things to come.

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