It took me almost a year, but I finally made it back ?
(Thanks to my friend Megan for waking up early to be tortured with me)
I’ve been wanting to go back to CrossFit for a while, but it hasn’t worked out with my schedule. I know that if you want something bad enough you need to take the steps to make it happen, so I guess I haven’t wanted it that badly. They don’t have traditional child care – there’s a baby-gated area with toys, but I’m sure Liv would stand at the gate like a prisoner, crying and bellowing, “Mama! MAMA!” over the AC/DC music- and the Pilot is at work during most of the CrossFit Lite classes. (I don’t ask family to watch Liv while I work out because they help so much as it is, especially while I’m at work.)
When I took my first CrossFit class ever, instead of hitting up the beginner (lite) option, I messed up the schedule and went to a regular class. A few friends who are CrossFit regulars said I should be fine, and to modify if I needed to. Welp, I found out afterwards that you HAVE to take the beginner classes. So this time I was determined to do it right. I triple-checked the schedule, then woke up bright and early to head to CF lite with my friend Megan.
Here’s what we did:
Warmup:
Foam roll
200m run
200m row
2 sets, 10 reps of the following:
Ring rows
Side lunges
Storkes
“Thunderstruck” warm-up (a short variation; you do a burpee every time they say “Thunder!” in the song)
For the actual WOD (workout of the day), we did 1/2 of the workout called “Nicole,” alternating between 200m runs and pull-ups (or ring rows) for maximum reps, as many rounds as we could complete in 10 minutes. The full version of Nicole is 20 minutes, with a longer run (400m).
I did 5 rounds in the 10 minutes… and wanted more when it was over. The purpose of the “lite” option is to learn the movements, but some workouts (like Nicole) are fairly basic; the full version is just longer in duration and/or distance. My fitness level is there, and I could have continued to go for 20 minutes, so in that sense I felt a little cheated. In my dream world, there would be an in-between option with thorough explanation for the exercises, but the ability to complete the full workout.
One thing that I loved about the lite class was that I always knew what was going on. My first class was extremely overwhelming, fast-paced, and I ended up skipping a majority of the warmup because I was so confused. Yesterday, it was so nice to be coached along the way. I’m going to attend my next beginner class for a more complicated WOD and hopefully after a few more, hopefully I’ll be able to graduate to the regular option.
I still don’t see CrossFit becoming my #1 workout, but I love the functional workouts, camaraderie between the participants, and the ability to push it to the max. I’ve done many CrossFit-style workouts in my own gym since my first class, but there’s something to be said about the motivational group atmosphere + some friendly competition.
I picked up a Groupon for 10 classes, which will encourage me to go more often than every year, along with my CrossFit buddy ?
Since we already talked about strength, how about some protein to go with that?
I thought I’d share a snack I’ve been enjoying lately; it’s been exciting to switch things up from my egg and jerky obsession.
These little turkey muffins are perfect alone with some mustard/ketchup or great in a wrap or salad.
-1 lb ground turkey
-1 C gf oats
-1 egg + 1 egg white
-1/2 t mustard powder
-1/2 t garlic powder
-1/4 t cumin
-sea salt
-pepper
-drizzle of hot sauce
I combined the ingredients in a large bowl, scooped into a greased muffin tin and baked for 35 minutes at 350.
Another fun variation: these turkey lentil muffins.
I’m packing up afew to take to work with me today — it’s ZUMBA time!
Hope you have a lovely morning.
Have you ever tried CrossFit? If you could pick ONE all-time favorite workout, what would you choose? That’s a tough one for me because there are so many that I love, but my top 3 are Zumba, barre and yoga.
*Summer Shape Up friends, be sure to check in with workout #1 + today’s hill challenge! (Cardio details are on the intro page) @fitnessista or leave a comment to let us know how it went <3
