You wouldn’t think that a person that played competitive team
sports for thirteen years (softball, basketball, volleyball, cross-country and
track & field with a healthy dose of pickup Ultimate Frisbee) could walk
into a gym feeling overwhelmed and unmotivated, but once I got to college,
  that’s exactly what happened.  Without a coach to tune my body through carefully planned workouts, without a team to compete with and against, and without a set practice time around which the rest of my day was scheduled, I was lost. 
I kept asking myself why this was such a problem for me when I had done
so many different workouts and exercises in my life, but I had no answer. 


As the effects of the dorm food began to show, I started to make  excuses:  “I’m skinny enough,” “All of my clothes still fit,” “I can still run a decent mile,” “I’ve been fit before, I could do it again if I really wanted to.” There was a nagging in the back of my mind that told me those excuses were wrong, so I tried a few things:  I went back to running, but only for a day at a time.   I started CrossFit on my own in 2008, but quit after getting discouraged  by my lack of equipment and lack of training.  Walking on to my college’s brand new cross-country team my senior year gave me a coach and a team and helped me get fit again, but after the season ended I went right back to my usual ways.  Only after I got married and my husband, Nick, and I promised each other that we wouldn’t be the couple that  gains weight after getting married did I get serious about getting fit, eating  right, and finding something that would work for me long-term.


Today, after eighteen months of eating a low-carb diet and ten months of doing CrossFit in a supportive environment, I’m in the best shape of my life.  CrossFit gives me a coach,“teammates”, a set schedule, and allows me to compete in things like the Open.  I love that I get to do something different and challenging each day, and I love finding the limits of my strength and then beating those limits.  Most importantly, I’ve finally found something I enjoy that I can stick with for the rest of my life.   No matter what, I’m never going back to my excuses.

I've been contemplating lately what my motivation is. For me, the desire to  be a good role model for my kids and look great in a sundress is motivating, but  not foolproof. I can push away those goals when I am really not feeling a  workout or really craving the evil kind of carbohydrates (you know who you  are... Dairy Queen). Last night at CrossFit, I finally got a real handle on my  motivation: working out can change the kind of wife and mother I am by improving
my moods and alleviating depression. I have a severe family history of depression and while mine has always felt more like "the blues" than something  clinical, I am frightened by it. I'd always read that exercise eases depression
but never really tried it out, because I never had the willpower to get off the  couch, much less out the door, when I started feeling the fog of depression  settle over me. Until yesterday.
 
 I signed up for CrossFit class but by 5 pm was feeling  nothing short of pathetic (busy day, running on little sleep, sick, and  especially gloomy). I cannot stress enough how much I didn't want to leave my  house - pulling the covers over my head felt like the easier route. Mainly  because I encourage my kids to push through things they don't always like, I
decided to show up. I walked in and saw words like "bench press", "double  unders", "pullups" and "800m run for time" on whiteboard and sighed, thinking I  didn't even feel much like walking in from my car. Knowing that Nicole and Craig
would be supportive and understanding even if I didn't have 100% to give is what  gave me the strength to come to class (as well as the accountability that I'd  signed up!). I am so grateful that I did - I put forth a strong effort and left
class last night feeling like a million bucks from all those exercise-induced  endorphins (I'm sure I was quite the spectacle, singing with the car radio at  the top of my lungs)! Before bed, my husband commented how glad he was that I  went to CrossFit, and that my whole day had turned around. I realized in that  moment that I really do have the POWER to alter my mood in a healthy, safe,  non-medicinal way - that is what will keep me going to the gym even on those  don't-want-to days!

We invite everyone to sign up at http://games.crossfit.com/ and register to compete in this year's CrossFit Open.  This is a great test of general fitness, and we're excited to have participants!  Remember use 812 CrossFit as your affiliate!

Congrats everyone on their first rope climbs!

This is NOT a weight loss competition.  This Challenge is a way to better health and a longer happier life.  We will be measuring bodyweight, waist circumference, body fat %, and a WOD to test performance.  Pick more info up at the facility. 
Big Thanks to Dr. Taulman for his Paleo Talk Friday night.

January 2012 Schedule