Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Negativity around Crossfit?! Here are my thoughts.

That's it. I normally avoid heated debates on Facebook but I am going to make a statement about the negativity circulating Crossfit lately. You know what I am talking about- the one article on the pregnant crossfitter and the other one on rhabdo as a "dirty little secret."
First, everyone has a different pregnancy because every single woman is DIFFERENT. Period. What one woman can do is going to be completely different from someone else. Exercise will vary with every single woman and what they were doing BEFORE they got pregnant, whether it is walking or lifting weights doesn’t matter. If I suddenly stopped crossfitting, that would be pretty UNHEALTHY for myself. So, let’s start worrying about the shit we are eating or decreasing stress in our lives or something that will actually help us make healthy babies.
Second, I have been crossfitting for around 9 years. I was around well before Crossfit has gotten big and my friends and coaches have turned into celebrities. That being said, I have NEVER been seriously injured, and I certainly wasn't an athlete before Crossfit. Why? I had excellent coaches that taught me correct form, when to push and when to back off. I can name so many life changing stories over these 9 years due to Crossfit, whether it was losing a bunch of weight or just gaining confidence in some way or another.
The volume I was putting in once I decided to compete was TOTALLY different than what I was doing before this switch. There is a big difference in these competitive programs, so if someone new comes in and tries to do what the competitive athletes are doing right away then they will probably get hurt! Now that Crossfit is much bigger there are more gyms and, therefore, some places and some coaches might not be that great. Shop around and find a gym you feel comfortable at! Find a place that isn’t going to push you to where you feel uncomfortable!!! Good coaches will keep a close eye on people that are new. You will find that most gyms will make you feel very comfortable. Why would you pay all that money for a place that makes you feel scared anyway? There are so many Crossfit gyms now that you actually DO have a choice of where to go!
That being said, I know Crossfit isn’t for everyone. There are lots of ways to stay healthy and exercise!! Wahoo! However, Crossfit CAN be scaled to any level and I have seen extremely overweight people come in barely able to move and come out healthy, strong, and confident. This is because they aren’t alone; there is a sense of community; and everyone cares for each other. You might not get this same motivation at the gym when you are alone. So if you feel like you are not getting results with what you are doing, think about changing it up, whether it is Crossfit or something else with a community!
There are many more success stories with Crossfit rather than scary rhabdo stories. There is injury in every sport. If you don’t want to do Crossfit, then don’t do it….but talking crap about it doesn’t help promote fitness, whether you are a trainer yourself or someone that just heard some rumors. Just because a teacher is certified to teach doesn’t mean he or she will be really good at it. Think about all the crappy teachers you’ve had in your life. Yeah, they all had the same exact training as many of the good teachers. There are tons of trainers and coaches out there for all kinds of exercise and sport but unlike with school sometimes, you have a choice of who you pay to coach you.
Our bodies are meant to move, so let’s stay healthy folks!!!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Transitions

It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad. ~C. S. Lewis
I love to feel stable, secure, and in a routine. This past year of training has been awesome and helped me keep my shit together between teaching and grading essays and training and getting stronger. Jesse helped me with my performance nutrition; Katie sent programming along with helping me with my mental game; and Kris, Becca and my teammates helping me with my movements. Yup, it has been a pretty kick ass year. Training to be a regional competitor in Crossfit is no small task and can feel overwhelming at times, especially during weeks where PRs seem far away. One thing I learned was to allow myself to be sad when results didn’t go my way BUT shake it off quickly knowing that next week was going to be better. Learning to deal with the ups and downs of training allowed me to grow as a person and an athlete, be able to compete on our amazing team, and have a blast while doing it all.
Ever since regionals last year I have proclaimed to the world that I would compete one more year and then I wanted to start trying for a family, change priorities, spend more time with my husband and a little less time in the gym, see LA, and experience other things with my extra time not spent at school or grading papers. Well, that time has come. Regionals is over, another school year is drawing to a close, and....it’s time to transition..... and... it's weird.
Historically, this gal REALLY hates change. I'd rather stay in my little comfort egg. Luckily, I have grown a lot these past few years and learned how to embrace the unknown. I think back to the skills that I used to feel were impossible like muscle ups, rope climbs, hand walking, and even trying to balance all of my extra training with my job. I think back to how nervous I was for my very first competition. While I still get nervous for competitions (who doesn’t?!), somehow in the midst of it all, I have turned into a fierce competitor who can stay calm and focused and truly believe in myself in the heat of battle. Who knew this emotional, crazy, anxious girl could stay so composed out there on the competition floor? I sure didn’t when I started this journey.
Just in the past few days I found that once I let go of the pressures of competing, new passions instantly rose to the surface. For example, I want to finally get my Crossfit certification, so I can figure out how I can bring Crossfit to high schools. Teenagers need to learn how to be healthy, of course. However, most importantly, the lessons Crossfit teaches about perseverance and integrity are invaluable and I want to be a part of it.
I believe now more than ever that Jared and I can accomplish anything we set our minds to in the future. A family. A school. A company. Anything. The future isn’t as scary as it used to be because I plan to attack it head on, as the fierce competitor that I have grown to become.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Balance is the key

"Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance." ~Brian Tracy
Everyday at around 3:40pm I start to hear the voices inside my head. I am so tired. School is so stressful. I have so much to do. I am exhausted. The kids took it all out of me. The stack of essays is starring at me. The laundry still isn’t folded, and I don’t know when I will have time to grocery shop. I feel a little nutty by this point of the day. However, unless I am really sick or something is wrong, I drag my ass to the gym. Most of the time, as my friends/coaches will attest, I won’t even say HI when I first get there. Certainly, those that know me well may be confused by this because….welll…I like to talk…a lot!! In fact, since my husband’s job has changed, he is home when I get home from school and is often confused (but maybe happy?!) by my silence. I need some time to completely shut down and reboot. During this reboot, I tell those voices to shut up because I know what awaits me at the gym. Whether I get a PR and have a great workout or have a shitty workout and feel disappointed, I am rejuvenated nonetheless. I feel like everything that I gave all day at school is now returned to me in some way. By the time the next morning comes around, I am ready to be Mrs. Ryan again. This balance, although hard to achieve, is something I have grappled with for the past few years. Isn’t balance something we all strive for? It isn’t easy. Things always need to be adjusted and it doesn’t always work. However, when it does, I am at my happiest and think that is probably true for most people. I took some time off of competing for a while for this very reason. While I was still putting in the same hours at the gym training hard, competitions on the weekends started to feel like a chore. I didn’t have my weekends to regroup, catch up on grading, and get good sleep. However, after a long hiatus, I competed on the VCF team (my first team competition) at the Winter ShakeDown! It was SO FUN; we got 3rd place, and my team was amazing! Competition was fun again for me, and it got me excited for the Open (thank goodness). Woot!