Our Insides

I'm really excited to start CrossFit. I'm horseback riding every Thursday night for the summer and plan to begin CrossFit in August when the riding session ends. By the way, I must note for my own personal record, I galloped for the first time last week. I've always cantered, sometimes a fast canter, but I've never done a full speed gallup. It was the most amazing experience! The opportunity to gallup at a decent distance doesn't present itself too often. You need a good amount of distance, a safe terrain and of course experience under your belt. We were outside, the sun was setting, it was a calm 65 degrees and the horses were warmed up. I was going over and over in my head what to do and what NOT to do, both were equally important and any deviance could have dangerous consequences. If I passed the horse in front of me, he could become too excited and think he was racing, therefore raising the anxiety of the rest of the horses. Maintaining a two-point position; the only two parts of my body in physical contact with horse were my hands and my calves, keeping my seat (my butt) raised slightly off the saddle and leaning forward, but not too far forward in case the horse threw his head up. This requires using your calf, ab and back muscles to balance yourself, while at the same time, your arms and hands are firm, but not tight, moving with the horse's head and not pulling on the mouth. When done correctly, and remembering to move with horse, and RELAX, it can be a very powerful, unifying moment.

Anyways, CrossFit...so I've done some reading on typical WOD (workout of the day) and pull-ups are common. I haven't done a pull-up since 6th grade. I don't even think my gym has a pull-up bar. Really! Not the pull-up *machine*, but a good old-fashioned stationary, steel rod. If there is one at the gym it's probably back in the free weight aka beefy-roided-hothead section...I still feel a little intimated in that department. There's so much I want to try back there!! I want to try some clean & jerks, deadlifts, thrusters...everything! But I haven't been taught correct form, and I need to learn that first...even if it's just to spare the judgment from the other more seasoned athletes.
I still feel like the free weight area is the "Boys Only" club (did they even have those when we were kids??), or the frat that requires hazing, or a rite of passage before you can really say "I lift weights". I know that's not all true, but I feel I need to go in there with some level of amateur experience. I'm going to pick-up one of the those pull-up bars from Sports Authority that you can just place over your door. They're actually on clearance!! Which is kind of a sad thought actually.
I remind myself everyday that I am FORTUNATE to be able-bodied and able-minded. Whether a congenital defect, debilitating illness or injury or poor life choices, not everyone is as capable as I am. Everyday is an opportunity to make a good choice, and that's what drives me to exercise nearly every day. I had to force myself to not workout this past weekend because I had worked out 6 days in a row in addition to working a busy weekend at the hospital and my body needed a break. I slept 13 hours Sunday night.
I am not entitled to an able body and sound mind, I see it as a gift that keeps on giving. If you treat your body well, it will pay you back mentally and emotionally. If you treat it like sh*t, it will do the same...pay you back mentally, physically and emotionally...until it eventually gives up on you. Our bodies are very forgiving. Forget the basic functions that keep us alive; they are constantly repairing injuries and defending against external free radicals.
Our bodies bear the brunt of a lot of abuse before it becomes apparent. And sometimes when the damage is done it's irreparable. I will never forget the 31 year old alcoholic that had made the decision to live a healthier life and quit drinking. The withdraw was so stressful on his body, he went into cardiac arrest and died. We had to take x-rays of his lungs so they could be measured for transplantation. That man shouldn't have died.
I get to see the insides of bodies. I see the fatty livers, calcified arteries, lung scars, degenerate spines and renal atrophy...and this is just the stuff that results when we don't take of ourselves. It's really sad, and enlightening at the same, to see that our bodies ARE giving out on us! By the time our poor choices are manifesting into physical, detectable symptoms, our body has already taken a beating.
That's what I carry with me every day. That's my motivation. I hope it's enough to take me to the top!

Note To Self #1:

Running Lake Phalen is like running a dark, east side alley at night.

CrossFit...Helloooo Humility

You see, the thing about constantly acheiving new goals when working out, is your self-confidence has the tendency to reach new heights too. Now that *can* be a good thing, as long as you are aware of potential disappointment when that self confidence is put into practice. For example, if you walk into a CrossFit gym thinking its going to be another day in your group exercise class, humility will hit you harder than a kettlebell hurled at your face.
I am learning that humility can be the difference between personal success and failure. Accepting one's weaknesses and vulnerabilites is necessary before you can ever truly be successful...in anything. You have to be aware of your weaknesses before you really surpass them. Once you identify those weaknesses, that's where you can focus your discipline. I have this one body and I need to learn how to use it.
It's just a hunch but I don't think evolution had this in mind...









I'm going to check out the CrossFit gym near my house next weekend (I work this weekend). I know I said a good sweat everyday is good for you, but I suppose a little humility won't hurt. But seriously, I'm nervous. I think I have a pretty good idea as to how fit I am, but this CrossFit gig could destroy that and then all I'm left with...is a whole lot of humility I guess. The closest I've ever gotten to a kettlebell was picking one up off the shelf at Target one day and GLADLY putting it back.

Calhoun Sunday

I like Sundays the least, particularly Sunday evenings. It means (1) the end of the weekend (2) the beginning of the work week, and if I have to work the following the weekend, (3) the start of a 12-day work stretch. I just want Sundays to hurry up and end.
I always look forward to my late night workouts on Fridays and Saturdays where I don't have to wake up too early the next morning. The gym is nearly empty, and the few people that are there, are there for the same reason I am...because there's no one there! No kids running amok almost causing you topple over them because your balance is almost as bad with fatigued legs and heavy gym bag as the drunken tools in downtown on a Saturday night, and of course the parents look at you like you're the tool for not yielding to their kid. No soccer moms prancing around making small talk with the other soccer moms on the treadmill in front of me. No grandmas slowly shuffling down the hall in front of me (love you grandma). When I'm at the gym, I'm there to work out. It's not socializing hour. The music is usually better at night and the locker rooms are cleaner...and empty (which is the only reason I took the above pic.) Does working out from about 9pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays officially designate me as a loser? Not so fast...wait for it...waaait for it...whenever I do go "out", I find myself wishing I was working out instead. Yes...I am officially an antisocial weirdo trading beer and secondhand smoke for running in one spot soaked in sweat listening to remixed trance.
But Sundays...YUCK! I can't go the gym late because I strength train on Monday mornings. So I've decided to tackle Lake Calhoun Sunday evenings. Ok, it's only 3.2 miles, but I need to start training for this 5k on July 20th...which I realized today will be Flo's first day in town that month. I've lived next to Lake Phalen my entire life, which is also 3.1 miles, but I'm ready for a change of scenery. So this past Sunday, I was able to sneak in a run at Calhoun in between the sporadic weather, and was done in 35 minutes with a bathroom break. Not being too familiar with that lake I made a minor mental note so I could remember where I parked. I thought I probably had a solid 15 more minutes to go when I looked up and saw my car maybe 40 yards away. I was tempted to run around again but I was tired, sweaty and didn't want to push myself too hard too soon. I still have 8 weeks before the race. I was a little surprised but figured that since it was my first run outside in a couple years, it was nothing to boast about...yeeeaaahh...I learned the average time for a beginner runner in a 5k is about 27-28 minutes. Not bad!! This is what I love about exercising! I DO learn to like things I previously despised, my physical ability surprises me every time, I'm not as 'weak' as I think and I burned off that morning's caramel macchiato.
Plus, I needed a good excuse to buy these... (thanks Joni for paying for part of them as my bday gift!!)

My first 5k

Ok, it's not really my first 5k, but its the first one that I'm actually *running* and training for. Last year I attended the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 5k at the Mall of America, and while I'm glad that I did it, I more glad that I didn't run it. What a clusterfuck! Now, this year, I am running the Lifetime Torchlight 5k on July 20th taking place during the Minneapolis Aquatennial...yep...another clusterfuck! But I am hoping that the energy of running with thousands of others will carry me through the chaos. And it takes place in beautiful downtown Minneapolis. And there's an exclusive post race party! Yes, I said exclusive...you can't come...unless you run...so you should come run with me...because I don't want to party alone.
I've just started to take up running. I used to HATE running with a passion. Boring, monotonous, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other torture, staring at a digital display watching your time and distance only making you feel like you should be so much further.
My workouts usually consisted primarily of strength training. My heart rate would get up in the 160s which enabled some weight loss, and then I realized with the wonderful German genes and predisposition of obesity bestowed upon me (love you mom), if I didn't start doing some more cardio I would end up looking too gnarly and bulky. So now I run 4-5 days a week and alternate between a steady 3.5 to 4 miles, or specific treadmill routines. One routine I really like I learned from a coworker of mine:

Warm up 5 min.
Run 4 min.
Jog 4 min.
Run 3 min.
Jog 3 min.
Run 2 min.
Jog 2 min.
Run 1 min.
Jog 1 min.
Sprint 30 sec.
Jog 1 min.
Sprint 30 sec.
Jog 1 min.
Sprint 30 sec.
Jog 1 min.
Sprint 30 sec.
Jog 1 min.
Cool down 4 min.
TOTAL: 35 MINUTES THAT FLY BY!!

After this routine I'll do 20 minutes on the stairmaster (the actual steps on a conveyor belt type). By this time sweat is dripping off my face-mission accomplished.

Running not only serves as my cardio workout but it also serves as a huge stress reliever. No joke. Exercising, moreso running, is my daily antidepressant and it works!! If I don't exercise I am feeling low later that afternoon. Our culture and society have perpetuated the problem of unhealthy lifestyles and it's gotten to the point where it's dangerous. We tend to forget our ancestry and the means in which they lived. Hunting and/or harvesting was a daily activity. Having a home meant gathering the needed supplies and building it yourself. It was the epitome of 'survival of the fittest'. Fast forward to today and you have lifespans extending 3 or 4 times longer than our ancestors due advancements in science, technology and medicine, but evolution can't keep up.
It probably doesn't help (or does it???) that I work in the medical field and see a lot of people, even in their 20s and 30s with severe back pain resulting from disc hernations, spine diseases, degeneration, stenosis and other ailments that result from simply being weak. We sit too much, we eat too much, we drink too much, we weigh too much, if we're not smokers we're breathing it secondhand anyways, we feel entitled to conveniences, and then we wonder why our backs and knees give out so early. Something that I have never forgotten from one of my trainers is that building muscle builds bone. As we get older (which is every day!) we lose bone mass, so we have to combat that. So if there's anything you can take away from this post, take that and bring it with you, every day.
And that's all just physiological. The mental benefits from exercising are astounding! For me, looking good is a secondary benefit. Exercising makes me FEEL better. It teaches discipline. It enables you to acheive and exceed every day. I don't mean to sound like a motivational speaker, I frankly find them a little cheesy, but when it comes to being active, we all need all the motivation we can get in this lazy society.
So there you are my little grasshoppers. Go!

Awkward but obligatory introduction.

This blog is really just my attempt to manifest my new found obsession with fitness in a healthy way. I've been working out irregularly for a couple years but have only recently taken it more seriously. Oddly enough, I'm not forcing myself to take it seriously. I have actually come to like working out. Anticipating the next time I get to break out in a good, shirt-soaking sweat. Excited to discover new weaknesses (the ball plank is not a good look for me right now) and strengths (like when my heart rate reaches 192-my VO2 max).
While I am also learning so many new things, I also feel like I am hitting a plateau. So this blog will help me track progress, serve as a reference when I need it and hold me accountable. It's really for me but feel free to follow along if you'd like!
I guess if you're still reading, I assume you're fairly interested so I'll explain a bit about myself. I'm 28, going back to school in the fall for radiology to become a CT and interventional technologist. I did ponder medical school for a long time but ultimately decided on technologist because, quite frankly, I'm not a people person and the technology fascinates me! I want to be the one in the driver's seat of these magnificent machines that can diagnose and treat. In my opinion, it is the most relevant, complex technology to date that is significant to the well-being of, well, life. Going to school for radiology technology also allows me time to focus on my aspirations to reach optimal physical fitness.
What I expect to add to this blog is anything that has to do with my current fitness routine and goals; running, weightlifting, nutrition, equipment, apparel and of course music! Of course you may be subjected to an occasional, idiosyncratic musing, and yes...maybe a picture or two. It's not that I mind posting pictures, I just need to get some that are relevant to this blog. I'll have to dig up some oldie-but-goody 'before' picks for y'alls.
So, for now, Hi! and I hope this blog offers you some motivation, information or just some mere entertainment...for when you're REALLY bored.