WODs & Well-Being

Wow, what a season it has been... The 2021 No Bull Crossfit Games Open looked VERY different this year from years past. It also felt completely different for me as well. For the first time, in 9 years, I was not officially a member of a CrossFit Affiliated Box to partake in the fun of The Open. Not only that, but we are still in the middle of a pandemic. While there is a "light at the end of the tunnel," the risk of COVID is certainly still out there and the safety of my child and myself are my main concern. Lucky for me, I am still a huge fan of CrossFit 696, my amazing Coach and the beautiful family that I have come to be a part of over the years and was able to join in on the fun with the Friday morning crew over there for the three weeks of "suffering" brought on by the Open. This year with CrossFit's new ownership, Eric Rosa and Dave Castro brought their A Game! The Open (oops, I still owe you that post with the history lesson), is a World Wide competition ...

If you have stumbled across my blog you may be wondering what a "WOD" is or why it is part of the title. A quick look back at the birth of this blog via the archives will explain it pretty clear. The day was August 16, 2011, my first post explaining the new adventure Marc and I began... CrossFit. Each day for well over a year, I blogged about the WOD (workout of the day), my progress, my feelings and anything that would inspire me to keep moving forward no matter how hard or how challenging it would become. I had no idea at the time, how much my life would change in the 9.5 years that would follow that post. I had no idea that my well-being and mindset would be affected so deeply by a type of workout and group of people. I had no idea that my very best friendships would form by the bond of Crossfit, that some of the most important people in my life would surface through the values we share and fun we have doing it. I had no idea I would end up competing at the level that I ha...

A new year. A new look. A new title. A new mission. A new adventure. On this day, one year ago March 13, 2020... our lives, pretty much as we knew it, came to a screeching halt. At 5:00pm, I was getting my things together to leave work for the weekend and I was told "bring everything you need and don't come back until we tell you it is 'safe' to do so... we will be working remote until further notice." I nervously picked up my son from pre-k and headed home thinking to myself that this "whole thing" was crazy and being blown way out of proportion. As most of us assumed, we would be back to business as usual in a week or two after it all blew over.  ... we were all REALLY, REALLY wrong.  Anyway, I will absolutely spare you the recap of the year that followed, in the traditional sense. We all know what happened (is happening). We all know how we felt/feel. Its pretty safe to assume that no one ever thought they would live to see the day that here in Americ...

Funny you ask that... I have been asking myself the same question. Which is why I was reluctant to try it. I did watch a pretty good documentary call "Magic Little Pill" that talks about the benefits of low carb, high fat, medium protein lifestyles. Its pretty good... I also think its important to change things up every now and again to keep the body going... in the long run I know this is not sustainable for me. However if it works to change my composition a bit... it was worth it. One of my issues (prior to Keto), I was leaning too much on "processed food" even though I was eating healthy. I had a lot of oats, greek yogurt and protein powders to hit my numbers. While I wasnt actually eating a lot of breads and still no pastas, there was still a lot of sugar in my diet and it was causing me to plateau. Maybe doing this will help me to eliminate the "junk" so when I do go back to macro counting, I will look for my carb sources elsewhere. I also cheat...

Its been a while since I have posted, as I have been busy with life with a 3 year old... the gym, work and all the fun-ness of life. I have however started a new "treck" and I wanted to write about it in the case that anyone is interested in reading. Honestly, not even sure if anyone follows my blog anymore... but if anything, its for me to be able to look back on. I have had much success over the last year using Avatar Nutrition (avatarnutrition.com) as a guide to counting macros. Avatar is a flexible dieting tool that recalculates your macros weekly based on your goals. Its really nice because it adjust as you adjust and if you want to change settings from "weight loss" to "lean muscle gain" you can do it with the click of a button. The system knows where you have been and where you are going... so it adapts. In the year I was on it, I have been able to loose, gain and maintain when appropriate for me. My body has really responded to the way it works. ...

Open Letter to Crossfit 696, Thank you. Thank you for the most amazing year. A little over a year ago, I walked into a well-established community, filled with so many new faces, personalities, abilities, friendships and walks of life… and not once did I feel out of place. Right away, I was welcomed, chatted up and made to feel like I belonged. I want each and every one of you to know that you inspire me, you make me a better person, you make me get out of bed at 4:30am (ok… 4:45am) every morning and haul my ass to the gym to train and be a better me.   I couldn’t do it without you. I competed in the Opens 2017 as a member of 696, but over the last year, by sharing my life with many of you, I feel like I competed in the Opens 2018 as a part of the 696 family. Over the last year, I have laughed with many of you, smiled at all of you and shed tears with a “lucky” few as well. We sweat together, encourage each other, coach each other and stand by holding our breath while ...

Today is September 1st. There is something about September 1st that just makes me feel happy and invigorated. Lots of people feel this way at the beginning of the new year, a new beginning… but for me, when the air starts to change, the leaves start to fall and I can sit with my boys and a cup of coffee and a hooded sweatshirt on a Sunday morning. It just makes my heart warm. Maybe it’s the new school year and the reminder of new sneakers, empty notebooks and the nervous butterfly in your stomach feeling of waiting for the bus on the first day of school. Maybe it’s the fact that the air feels so much lighter, the dampness is lifted and the smell of rain, warm apple pie and chili or pot roast in the crock pot fills it back up. Maybe it’s the fall tones, burnt oranges, deep burgundy and navy blue that resonate with me on a comfort level that I just cant explain. Whatever it is… its my favorite. I know there are many people that feel the complete opposite. That everything is ...

Question of the Day: If you had to describe yourself using a street sign, what street sign would that be? Are you “under construction?! Do you feel as if you have “dangerous curves?!” Take some time and think about it. Think about how the world around us can influence thoughts beyond what the “real” meaning of something on the outside could be interpreted as. Stuck in traffic, looking around, seeing a sign and thinking how the phrase “no passing zone” can be applied to other aspects of your life. Where can you use that as fuel? How can you make that push you beyond your limits to not let anyone pass you? You are in the front of the pack. You are the leader. This was the question of the day today at the gym. Off the top of my head at the moment, I came up with “children at play,” because… lets face it. That is my life right now. I mean my last post was relative to a show my kid watches daily and can recite lines to. However, the more I thought of it (which is the whole poin...

My kid has a mild (ok maybe more than mild) obsession with the TV show "Super Wings." Hes 2.5 and loves all things that drive and/or fly. We dont have cable, but found this show on  Amazon Prime and now Hubs and I often find ourselves singing the theme song while putting our dinner together or just driving home from work (wonderful isnt it?!). Its actually a pretty decent show for the little man... "Jet" who is the main character airplane is a package delivery plane. At the start of the show, "Jimbo" (the traffic controller man) calls Jet into the control tower and gives him a package that needs delivering. Whats cool is that Jet goes all over the world to deliver these packages to kids. Before he leaves, Jimbo explains the country he is going to go to, a fact about it and a phrase in the native language. So... at least little man is learning while he is watching. Jet then delivers the package (on time, every time). He presents whatever it was that was o...

There is something so satisfying about setting a goal and reaching it. I talk about it a lot… it applies to all walks of life, not just the gym… I love my job. I have said it before, that I was lucky enough to learn at an early age what I liked to do and went for it. I have had lots of success, as well as lots of failures to get where I am… and the hits just keep on coming. There will always be ups and downs, but what is important, is the will to keep on going and the thrive for the next goal or to complete the goal that was set forth. When I initially meet with a client/owner for a new project, we typically sit and discuss what it is they are expecting from the project, what the overall goal is. What they like, what they dislike and what their needs are. From there, we develop a schematic design… an image of the goal. Often we provide the client with renderings to see what we are working towards, as well as floor plans to give them a general idea of the space. Once agreed upo...

What is the best gift you have given to anyone? Think about it. Think real hard. I’m not talking about the latest and greatest video game console… a gift certificate to their favorite restaurant… or even a fancy new car. I’m talking about something powerful, something that changes the recipients life. Something that once given, can not be taken back… something that has no actual “value” but more value than you can even imagine. Life. Now, I’m a mom. I can honestly say that giving the gift of life to my son has been the most honorable and life changing gift I have ever given. I worked to keep him safe while I was pregnant, treated my body with respect and nurtured him for all 42 weeks on the inside. He was born healthy and strong and I consider that to be a pretty huge accomplishment. I’m going to tell you a quick story and please don’t judge. Its not something I am very proud of, and maybe, if I had some more time to process or if the circumstances were different… I wouldn...

June 19, 2017 Did you learn something today? I challenge you. When you lay in bed at night… think about your day. When you wake up in the morning… think about what is about to happen. Are you ready to learn? Did you learn anything new? I have a toddler. Every single day his little brain just goes and goes and goes. You can see him learning almost by the minute. One day… back in November. We had a day that it snowed really early in the season. Everyone was out of their mind because it was “too early to snow” as it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet. Just like the whole rest of New England, when I got Z and I home from daycare I wanted to scramble to get into the house… it was cold, it was snowing… it was pretty much miserable. Well I got Z out of the car, stood him on the ground and his eyes seemed to glaze over. I took a step back and said “come on, lets go…” and started to walk. Then I realized something. This was the first time my little man experienced snow. He was born in Fe...

June 14, 2017 Today is a new day. If I had a dollar... even a dime... for every time I have talked to my Mom and she has said to me "Sarah, just take a step back... breath..." I would be a very wealthy woman. She understands me. She is almost a complete opposite of me in these situations, but she has been with me through it all, and knows just how I handle things. Like a mad woman... that needs a voice of reason. She is my voice of reason... and even if I get mad and scream like a crazy person at her because of whatever situation it may be... or cry like a hungry infant because things feel like they are literally falling apart... she understands me. She lets me get it all out, then we talk. So I guess... even without the bazillions in "dimes" I am actually a pretty wealthy woman anyway. I am type A. I like things done a certain way. I like things done quickly. I like things done... well... I like things done, now. It bothers me when I cant take care of somethi...