I'm on the Whiteboard!

Okay...so I'm just starting out with Fundamentals (a crossfit intro course), so it's not TECHNICALLY like I'm on the whiteboard.  In CrossFit, your achievements are recorded on a whiteboard for all to see. You can see how you compare with your fellow crossfitters, what you need to work on, where you're succeeding. I found a pretty cool link that really breaks down the idea of the whiteboard here: http://www.fletcherfitness.com/the-psychology-of-the-crossfit-whiteboard/ Here was the whiteboard after I finished my very first workout!

If you look just right of the middle, under 6:00pm...there I am!

So let's talk a little bit more about what I'm doing. Wednesday was my first workout in the Fundamentals program at CrossFit Bellevue. What this involves is 6 weeks, three days a week MWF working through all the basics of CrossFit in a small group setting. Currently, I'm the only one in my "group" so it's kind of like I'm working with a personal trainer.  I got a little lesson regarding what crossfit is about. I tried to explain it before, but I think my trainer explained it better. CrossFit (at the gym where I'm at) is comprised of three main ideas: Gymnastics (anything like pushups, pullups, handstand pushups,etc), Olympic Weight Training (self explanatory), and Monostructural movement (like running, rowing, swimming). So all three of these ideas are combined in fast-paced interval-style training done in multiple repetitions. I hope I'm explaining this correctly. Here was my first workout: Wall Balls, Situps with an AbMat, Box Jumps, Rowing.  Wall balls are like doing a deep squat while holding a 10lb ball and as you move from squatting to standing you throw the ball up the wall and catch it as you squat back down.  Sit ups with an AbMat provide a full range of motion rather than just doing sit ups with your back flat on the floor. We do these sit ups with our legs in a butterfly position to reduce stress on the hip flexors. I feel like most people know what box jumps and rowing involve, but I'm going to link up some videos so you can see what it all looks like.

Okay, so after I was shown proper technique on all this it was time for the actual workout.  I did 3 reps of 10 wall balls, 10 sit ups, 10 box jumps, and 500 meters of rowing. And this was timed. So in 14min and 20sec I did 30 wall balls, 30 sit ups, 30 box jumps, and 1500 meters of rowing. I'll just say that I did this workout only 2 MINUTES slower than my husband, who has previous CrossFit experience. This earned a stamp of approval from my coach who called me a "Stud."

Awesome.

I'm not going to go into the details of workout #2, which I completed this evening, because I want to talk about what I've been eating. I'm not doing super strict Paleo, but I'm staying pretty close to it. Still limiting dairy and bread/grains. Today I had two scrambled eggs, a serving of macadamia nuts, about 8 huge strawberries, an apple, Caesar Salad (yes...I had the 5 or so croutons and sprinkle of parmesan with a little Caesar Dressing), Cherry tomatoes with tuna, and about 3 liters of water. This was broken down throughout the day in small meals leading up to my workout. After my workout I had one Muscle Milk drink (as per my coach, Dan) for better recovery since my quads feel like they're going to snap right off my body, a liter of water, and about a quarter of a chicken. I should have had vegetables with that...but I didn't feel like it. Also per my coach's instruction (and because it's good for you) I'm supplementing my diet with fish oil, glucosamine, calcium, and magnesium. When it comes to supplements, make sure you're buying the good stuff. Don't go to Sam's or Costco and buy the biggest, cheapest bottle of fish oil capsules you can find. That is LOW QUALITY sh*t that will go rancid before you can consume it. I like Carlson's cod liver oil, not in capsule form (those capsules are made with weird stuff). Just pure oil. You can get it flavored with lemon or orange oil and just throw it back down the hatch. No big deal. And the other supplements, try to make sure it's derived from a whole food source (ie. veggies)...none of that synthetic crap. I really like NOW foods supplements. Very good quality and not as expensive as some of the other stuff I've seen. Whole Foods brand is pretty good as well.

Whew. That's a lot of info. Soak it in. More coming soon!