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A New Adventure

Confession: I started writing this post nearly two weeks ago and it's just getting posted. It is not easy to find the time to commute, work, workout, cook, clean house, and write a blog. Oh and let's not forget sleep! It's all about making priorities. And like I posted earlier this year, I plan to spend more time with family (especially in light of recent family illnesses), spend more time focusing on myself and my health, and more time nurturing my relationship with God. So far so good. I'm sorry that my blog has been neglected in the process.

The hubster and I recently started a new chapter in our lives. Chapter one of our married life began with a commitment to getting in better shape. I took that idea and ran with it. I ran 13.1 miles with it. He took that idea and cheered me on from the starting line, to mile 7, to the finish line where he greeted me with flowers. I kid, I kid.

The fact of the matter is, hubby would join me on most of my long runs and would run as far as he could, but running just is not as thrilling and motivating for him as it is for me. I also noticed that while I was enjoying a great aerobic workout, I had slacked off on my strength training that I enjoyed so much in losing weight for the wedding. I was becoming a little soft around the middle and losing some of that muscle definition in my arms I had gotten used to seeing.

So the new goal became to find a workout that would inspire both of us and push us beyond any bounds we had come close to crossing before. Enter CrossFit. A program developed by experts in their fields, "designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience," according to the umbrella website.

If you've never heard about CrossFit or are unsure of what exactly the workouts entail, this video should give you an idea of what we're working with.


I had heard about CrossFit on fitness forums, and I had been curious, but as far as I knew, there were no gyms in the immediate area. Flashback to the end of February. I'm getting my hair done at the salon when a patron asks my hairdresser why he has not seen her at the gym lately. "Oh, I've been doing this thing called CrossFit instead."

HOLD THE PHONE! CrossFit, you say? Where?! I must know!

Apparently, one of my hairdresser's clients and her husband just opened a certified CrossFit gym out of their home in early February and my hairdresser was one of their first clients to sign up. So of course, through the natural progression of band-wagoning, I signed my husband and I up for our fundamental sessions following the half-marathon.

CrossFit workouts are based around nine functional movements. Our three fundamental sessions were taught around these functional movements and the theory of CrossFit, followed by a workout demonstrating the skills we had just learned. Our trainer had warned us before our first workout that CrossFit workouts have been compared to the feeling of being chased by a lion, but you really cannot understand the feeling without trying it for yourself.

As a fair warning, my hubby nearly turned green at our first workout. To top it off, there is a bucket in the corner of the gym etched with names of people who have been so privileged to use it after a workout. On such occasions, their workouts were deemed "Pukie" workouts.

Have I painted a bad picture of what CrossFit is? Because really it is the most traumatic amazing workout experience I have ever had. My favorite part of the whole experience so far has been the camaraderie and social aspect of the gym and its members.

Our classes are small, with a maximum of 4 to 6 people at once. On a few occasions, it has been just my husband and I. But that means specialized attention and critiquing from the trainer. And trust me, my squats can use all the attention they can get.

In addition to specialized support from the trainers, you get the spirit of competition and cheering each other on. There is nothing more motivating during a workout than the thought of passing my hubby during situps and finishing my workout in a faster time. (I should note, I only beat him during the first workout, the one where he nearly turned green, and he has crushed me ever since.)


Overall, I am thoroughly enjoying CrossFit. The workouts are challenging (it really does feel like you've been chased by a lion afterwards) and I am pushing myself to do things I never thought possible. Hubby is getting his cardio and strength workouts in, in a motivating environment where he too is pushing himself outside his comfort zone. And I am still running.

How long I can keep up with my running training schedule and three days a week of CrossFit is yet to be seen, but I have proven to myself that I like a challenge. And I love being told I can't do it, because it makes me try that much harder to prove that I can.

Comments

  1. u r in a better shape! i envy u. after all, workout is not only for losing weight purpose. it's for our health sake. Good job.

    http://healthybeautifulblog.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

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