Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I'm not in

2009 Regionals, Nick Lobotsky and Dave Lipson
It's officially the start to the CrossFit Games 2011 season.  All I'll hear about are WODs, scores, times, and big name atheletes for the next 4 months.  Oh, and the big question I'm hearing is: "Are you in?" The answer: no, I am not in.  When I commit to a goal, like competition, that goal is my priority.  Maybe in a year or two, when I have double unders, hand stands, hand stand push ups, dead hang pull ups, and the list goes on... I may consider competing.  But right now, I need to focus on simply getting strong and being healthy.

As the CrossFit Games grows in scale each year, I see CrossFit members divided into two categories: health and fitness, and competition.  I think all us "in it to get fit and healthy" people look up to CF athletes.  They are the motivation to be better.  The crux of CF workouts is to push yourself to the extreme.  Beat yesterday's me.  Beat the girl next to me.  Get it done faster.

For now, I'll cheer on the side lines, one of my favorite past times.  I'll watch my fellow CFers sweat, bleed, and survive the CrossFit Games and be proud that I can be a part of such an amazing sport.  This is motivation and success.  This is CrossFit.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Two Worlds Collide


Days til the big day: 119


So today's theme was "fitness on the farm" meets the queen of crossfit.  Since Steve and Greg Lobotsky had to make the trek to CrossFit Virtuosity for their level 1 exam Hudson Valley CrossFit hoped in the car for a pre-#2 pencil wod at my box CrossFit Queens

It was a great end to a great weekend filled with three wods, lots of friends, and NO grains.  Although the main reason for making the weekend visit to "Upstate" (GASP!), NY was my gal pal's baby shower; I was able to squeeze in visits with my wedding planner, maid of honor (my amazing sister Chrissy), and pick up my self designed save the dates (they turned out awesome!!!).  Oh yes, I also wodded Friday, Saturday, and Sunday AND chipped away at homework.  How did I do so much in so little time?  I crashed at 9:30 every night.  No boozing for this paleo bride. 

I was up at the crack of dawn (or before) and ready to roll.  Ok maybe not full steem ahead, but I was on point.  One must make the most of every moment when time is of the essence.  Two aspects of my life:  what needs to get done and what I want to do are how I organize my life and they are prioritized in the order.  If I procrastinate I'll still have plenty on the "to do" list and no time for the "want to do".  What are the things I want to do?  Visit with friends and family, veg out, read, etc.  I never get to do these things unless I complete the necessities.  So much to do, so little time!

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Constantly Varied Boxes

Part of CF is constantly varying workouts, but I'm also a big fan of visiting different boxes. Why? Well, sometimes you know you suck at something. Maybe it's double unders, or oly lifts. But maybe you have the heaviest dead lift or you are the burpee queen at your box. Head out for a WOD on vacation and guess what? There is probably someone better than you. Despite our best efforts as crossfitters to work our hardest to improve, it's hard to push oneself if you think you are the best.

I know I'm not great at any CF movements. Why? Because I head to a different box every few months. Does this discourage me? Get me down? No. It makes me want to improve. I see a 250# dead lift, by a girl 20# lighter than me and I say I should do that. I see girls completing Fran asRX and I want those pull ups. You don't have to be a world traveler to see what other gyms are doing. Head to the cf community online to find your heroes. There are plenty of blogs, youtube videos, and facebook friends that can tell you whats up around the world. Get humble and get stronger, faster, and better.

CrossFit Affiliates

Friday, March 4, 2011

Off to the races

Days til the big day: 121

Living two hours from what Nick and I called home and our wedding destination has put a whole new swing on planning. I'm headed back North on my awesome weekend off from work to meet with the wedding planner. I'm also super excited because we are finally getting our "save the date" announcements out this weekend.

Honestly, I feel so lucky to have the great resources that Dutchess County offers for brides. I am pretty laid back when it's come to planning this celebration. However, for any other brides out there here's some advice: work with people you trust. I know most of my vendors personally or professionally from my years working at De'S Jewelers and let's face it, Poughkeepsie is a very small town. Knowing that my girlfriend of 8 years is DJing, Nick's aunts are our florist, and my aunt and uncle are doing photography takes such an edge off when it comes to reliability. So what do you do if you don't know anyone in the bridal industry? Ask friends. Ask the one vendor you think rocks. And stick with your gut feeling. A fast talking meeting will make for a fast talking photog when (s)he's an hour late to the ceremony.

So, I've bored all the other people who also read this. Sorry. I know you read this because it says "CrossFit" in the title, but read the rest. It actually reads "CrossFit Bride". So stuff like this will come up sometimes. However, a life lesson can be taken from my wedding advice as well. Do we always trust those closest to us in life? Try not to ignore the signs of drama and deceit in day to day life and what makes a "laid back" bride makes for a laid back human being.

On a side note I had to embed this awesome video by CrossFit Fairfax:

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Caveman Bride

Days til the big day: 123
Yes that is a pint of Haagen-Daz "five" chocolate ice cream in the trash. And no, it is not empty.  I've realized that regardless of if I want to lose weight/body fat or not that I am a caveman bride and HD icecream is NOT part of the paleolithic diet.

The last 6 week Paleo challenge at CrossFit Queens was a personal failure.  I made every excuse for why I went "moo" paleo (adding dairy to the list of consumptables).  I also indulged in alcohol, desserts, and bread (that I don't even enjoy anymore).  At the end of the challenge I had actually gained 5lbs.  I didn't even gain that over the holidays!

So why now?  Well, I have to do this for me.  Not a prize.  I'll probably lose some body fat, but more importantly my stamina will improve.  Believe it or not, I'm not only a CF bride.  I'm also a full-time student at Hunter College in New York City, and I work between 25-40 hours a week (sometimes for weeks straight). And this crazy schedule has sacrificed my grades, distracted me from wedding plans, and made me neglectful of our closet size apartment.  So, I need my energy.  I need to not get the lethargic feeling I get after eating gluten, or the migraines I get after too much sugar.  I also need my immune system at its optimum.

How does a paleo challenge do all these things?  I have no idea.  If you care that much read Robb Wolf's books and listen to his POD casts.  All I know is that all these awesome things happened during my first challenge.  So, I need to rock it caveman style again and keep at it.  Will I never drink again?  No, but my alcohol consumption is so limited as it is, what's a few weeks without?  Will I miss any bread products? Absolutely not.

Starting Monday (and probably even this weekend) I'm caveman bride.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Do I look fat in this dress?

Days til the big day: 124

One of my biggest wedding day concerns has been fiitting into my dress.  This is a difficult issue to deal with since I LOVE my growing muscles and don't want to lose them.  Actually, my CF brain really doesn't want to lose any weight or muscle.  But I feel the pressure to ensure I don't need my b'maids to have Orlando strength to zip me up on the big day.  Oh and there is the dreaded "back crack" to be concerned with.  And that is a major no no.  So, I think I've resigned myself to staying committed to working out as much as possible, doing my best to stay strict paleo and crossing my fingers thaat the top can be taken out a bit. 

Will this get me to a size 4?  Probably not, but I've never been a size 4 and my dress is not a size 4 either.  That is something I have accepted. I've been pretty much every size from 6 to 14.  I am a very happy 6, because I know that where my bod likes to be.  I wasn't even a size 6 in high school, or middle school for that matter.  But a size 6 at 140-145# seems just right.  CrossFit is like autocorrect for those stats.  I put a few pounds on over winter and start running 400m in my warm up and the weight is gone.

I'm not even really sure why I'm obsessing about this issue.  I've been CrossFitting for almost 3 years now and I've not met a "bulky" CF gal.  At my peak performance (which is not now), I was lean and toned and looked amazing.  And I did that the same way I'm doing it now.  So, Sarah get over it!  Eat better, workout harder, and shut up!