CrossFit: Beauty in Strength

I’ve been involved with Crossfit for almost two years. It’s hard to believe it’s been that long. Those weeks, turned into years now— have just flown by. Why get involved? You’re going to get proud of what you can do. What your body can accomplish.

What the hell? Who knew I could flip a freaking tractor tire! I swear, it’s all mental. It wasn’t even that difficult. It was just getting the proper form, and getting over that mental barrier that it’s a tractor. I couldn’t do it during the warm up, but when it was time to compete I flipped it no problem.

I’m enjoying running again. Before our warmups at CrossFit we almost always have to do a 1k run. It makes for easier runs with my co-worker, L. We’ve ran a lot this summer!

Like I said before, why I chose CrossFit over an ordinary gym. CrossFit changes daily. You’re always working different muscle groups, there’s no time to plateau. Plus, I love going there because I feel like the people who go to CrossFit makes for a warm and friendly environment. People are always welcoming and smiling there (pre-workout, haha).

Yes, it takes a lot of hard work. CrossFit is difficult, but it’s fun and absolutely worth.

See my older posts about CrossFit:

I have one more video to share. It’s my fellow #FitFluential Ambassador friend Scott Thompson from Your Inner Skinny. He’s also from the East Coast of Canada, living away from home. He shared this video with us all the other week. Great motivation, I got goosebumps watching it:

 What are you doing to better yourself? This is #MyBetter.

This is a box of goodies that Sport Chek sent over to me, ever so generously. I opened it last Wednesday evening after my 10pm soccer game. That’s way past my bedtime, by the way! lol

It involves a bunch of goodies that I can incorporate into my favorite sports: climbing, CrossFit, soccer, and running. I’m excited to talk more in depth about the new items I received. Mostly about the Zoots. They’re triathlon sneakers that are to be worn without socks. When I opened the box, my Boyfriend (a 4th time Ironman Canada finisher) kind of chuckled at the fact I even asked for Zoots, seeing how I have absolute zero interest in ever finishing a Triathlon.

To be honest, I had two options picked out when I was speaking with the folks at Sport Chek. Another pair of Nike Free Run’s, or try something completely different: Zoots. My boyfriend owns a few pairs already so I know that they’re a great shoe, by the way he speaks about them, and wears them to his races. I can’t wait to elaborate more on them.

Uh oh – gotta go, see you soon where the flowers bloom ;)

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Not-So Wordless Wednesday

These are MY sports. I enjoy what I do, and luckily it doesn’t ever feel like a chore. This is #MyBetter

  • Climbing: Since 1995— check out my very first belaying card (the white one was my first lead belay)!
  • Soccer: Since I can remember
  • Running: I started up “for real” in 2008/2009
  • CrossFit: Just passed my 1½ year mark
  • Hiking: whenever my boyfriend and I travel out West. 

Speaking of soccer. I’m officially coming out of soccer retirement tonight. I was invited by my CrossFit coaches to play on their new co-ed indoor soccer league this winter. Soccer is the only sport that makes me sick to my stomach nervous (besides signing up for running races), until I get on the field.

I think I’m going to hurl. We got our schedule on Monday and it’s pretty jam-packed from September-March. The reason why I get nervous with soccer, is because I know what I’m capable of, and if I don’t play to my full potential I get annoyed with myself. I know, it sounds so ridiculous and you’d think I’d get over it with time, and sometimes I do. But I haven’t played in about a year and I hope I can show my team mates how I can do, tonight.

How do you stay active?

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I know when my body needs a break, and I listen to it

I know when my body needs a break from working out. I always listen to it.

This past Saturday I did an incredibly difficult challenge at CrossFit, called Murphy. It consisted of:

  • 1 mile run
  • 100 pullups
  • 200 push ups
  • 300 squats
  • 1 mile run

You can see my re-cap just a few posts back. I’m taking a break from CrossFit this week because my upper body is sore.

A lot of times, CrossFit creates a ton of controversy. Whether it’s safe. Whether it’s good for you. You can call yourself “hardcore” and push through the pain, but in reality— you may be doing more damage than good. Please have a read at this article. Here are a few quotes.

The real danger is to new athletes, like those who flock to the thousands of CrossFit facilities looking for a great workout. Word of mouth is powerful in the CrossFit community, and maybe the most dangerous element. While the workouts can be performed by beginners, their immature muscles can’t tell the difference between training to failure and simply getting a good workout. In fact, most beginners don’t know when “too much is too much” and don’t understand the unique demand of an exercise session, says Eric Cressey, C.S.C.S., a shoulder and injury prevention expert and owner of Cressey Performance in Hudson, Mass.

This much is certain: When done correctly, CrossFit is not inherently bad or ineffective. Like other training methodologies before it, CrossFit is a form of high intensity exercise, an efficient model of exercise that has helped many people lose weight while improving strength and endurance.

I will repeat myself, and say listen to your body. Let it take a break.

Read more here.

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