AdvoMER

I began exercising at CrossFit I-35 in February of 2013.  I took a month off in May and came back as a member in June.  First teaching moment.  So I've been "regularly" crossfitting for 3+ years.  I look pretty much the same as when I began.  Sure, I had some pregnancy weight shed when I initially began, but my body hasn't "transformed."  And I put "regularly" in quotes because I've taken extended periods of time off.  I'm talking upwards of 8-12 weeks at a time.  I've recognized this all as a part of my "process" and have begun to love myself through those times off.  I can't pinpoint the reason, but I know it's going to happen so I'm just going to allow myself that time to do whatever my body/head needs to do.  Good news is the breaks aren't lasting as long.  Progress in my process.   Back to my "transformed" body.  Here's what CrossFit, and more specifically the trainers at my gym, CrossFit ...

I was looking in the mirror the other day and noticing my developing traps.  My shoulders are also growing, and if I flex just right I can see some baby traps.  I remember thinking back to when I was losing weight for my wedding.  Just typing that sentence proves this blogs point; it's not about losing weight for an event or seeing a particular bone.  I wanted so desperately to be able to see my collar bones.  That somehow if I could see them I had lost enough weight to be satisfied.  Kinda like the thigh gap.  Lord knows that's never happening with these tree trunks, but eww anyways.  Yet so many people strive for it.  I saw it just the other day on my pinterest .  It makes me sad.  Why do our bodies need to look a certain way to be satisfied?? As I stood in the mirror, I had to laugh at myself and give thanks to the Lofquists .  Here's what they've taught me so far about my body.  It's not about what bones I can see or...

Y'know, one of those people in your life that knows exactly what you need even when you don't even know you need it?  Who knows how you feel about a situation before you even talk with them?   Who doesn't have to be in your every day life to know what's happening in your every day life? I didn't realize I had this person in my life until the summer of 2006.  My friends Calvin and Lorissa were getting married and I had flown in from Florida to celebrate.  This also meant getting to spend time with my college friends whom I hadn't seen since I left town in 2003.  It was a great wedding, filled with so much love and fun and I hated to see it end and have to fly back to Florida.  I was hugging my friend Alie goodbye and I couldn't stop crying.  I didn't want to let her go and I didn't want to fly across the county and be without her again.  That's when I knew.  This woman God placed in my life was my person.  The person I can be 100% myse...

So life has gotten in the way of my training.  Well, I guess I should say I have allowed life to get in the way of my training.  Shit hit the proverbial fan and my last thought was "lets get up at 5am to go workout."  It should have been my first thought as now I've got several weeks of 1 workout/week behind me and a whole new challenge of getting my mojo going again. I've noticed a pattern though.  This is common for me and my crossfit experience.  I'm not sure if it's because workouts can be pretty intense, if I'm fighting 30 year old habits, if I'm lazy; for whatever reason I will get my mojo going and be consistent at the gym for awhile and then I'll drop off for a few weeks.  In some of my reading I've read that this is normal, that people need time off from this "lifestyle" but honestly, I've never completely made it my "lifestyle."  I've worked out.  I've eaten well.  Never both consistently over an e...

Check out my testimonial that I wrote for the CrossFit I-35 website!

At the beginning of March, a new group of athletes came into the gym to get started with their Introduction to CrossFit.  I helped out with checking them in and getting pictures and chit chatting.  I then sat down with them and listened again to the basics of CrossFit and what CrossFit I35 is about.  And then I did the workout with them.  Something that day clicked and I got motivated to finally do what I had been saying I was going to try to do for a long time.  I started going to the gym 4-5x/week.  I'll post some comparison pictures later.  So starting tomorrow I will begin my 12th week.  Awesome, right??  I'm down 2 pounds.  TWO.  Complete mind f*&^!  I can comfortably fit into a size smaller pants, I'm comfortable in my one piece, my tops feel a bit bigger, and I can tell when I decide to sleep in instead of go to the gym.  I kind of come unraveled.  Picking up heavy things and putting them back down is such ...

I competed today in St. Joseph, MO at the Wesley Center.  I actually performed the worse I have ever performed at a competition, this is my 3rd, but I feel different today.  I feel like, I did it.  And I was comfortable. Yeah, I got in my head about all the eyes on me and yeah, I only completed 3 of 6 lifts, but I wasn't terrified.  The 1st time jitters were gone.  My coach , who as also competing, and I talked with some other lifters that were competing for the first time.  They were so nervous their hands were shaking.  It felt different for me today.  The bar hit my head on my catch during my second snatch.  I partially blame nerves, 16.4 and my feeble attempt at being an olympic weightlifter.  That's super embarassing, but it was just the day for me.  Tomorrow I'll go to gymnasty and keep on keeping on.  Competitions are learning experiences.  Watching young women put up some serious numbers, moving some heavy weight...

My gym is rolling out these awesome 28 day challenges every month this year.  It's a great deal and part of it includes a one day meal plan to follow.  Keep it simple.  However, I can barely do anything for one day let along 28, so I'm taking a different approach this time. I've been allowed 1800 calories/day and that includes a 12 oz beer and pasta!  Perfect plan for me.  I cannot "eliminate" my favorite comforts that I've relied on for years and cope with life.  I've learned through my first three years of CrossFit so much about my relationship to food.  And I'm definitely a stress eater, a happy eater, a sad eater, a celebratory eater, a mad eater, etc.  And I've learned that that's okay.  Sure, if I want to speed up my results I can cut out this, and not eat that; but I know me.  That's not gonna work for the long term and that's where my focus is this time.  I'm regularly reminded that this is a process.  Allowing mysel...

5:08a: I finally convince myself to get out of bed.  My alarm started going off at 4:58a.  And then again at 5:02a.  In between each alarm I immediately began to talk myself out of my workout.  Oscar woke up in the middle of the night and it woke me up.  I'm tired.  Maxwell didn't actually fall asleep until 11p.  I'm tired.  I mean, I can come up with a convincing excuse every time that alarm goes off.   I thought of my #morningcrew.  Matt had messaged me the night before and I had assured him that my alarm was set.  My coaches had gone the morning before and I told them I would come to that WOD too.  I slept through Thursdays WOD and finally got my ass out of bed this morning. My hamstrings are sore.  I deadlifted 265# 5x this morning.  They should be sore.  I almost passed out during the WOD.  9 deadlifts at 100 lbs, 12 hand release pushups and 15 box jumps...as many times as possible in 15 minute...