WODs & Well-Being

May 30, 2013 I was looking for a good image to "sum up" my day today... and there were plenty with the "finish each day and be done with it" quote from Emmerson... however I felt as if they were too "pretty" to sum up how I feel right now. When I came across this one, I laughed. I needed to laugh. So here it is: Today was just one of those days. Not sure where it started or why... but I can not wait until my head can hit the pillow tonight. I slept terrible last night which probably played a massive roll in my "bitch-tastic" mood. I dont get a lot of sleep at night to begin with, so when I am up for 2 hours tossing and turning in the middle of the night it results in a pretty horrible day to follow. Days like today are days that I get frustrated at mundane things. I start to fall back into my old habits. As I said to one of the guys I work with today "Mrs. Optimism is taking a day off." Which is funny by two fold, one, I have N...

March 22, 2013 So, a few weeks ago (four actually) I decided it would be a really nice treat if I was to stop at the store on my way home and grab some stuff and surprise Hubs with a really great dinner when he got home from the gym. He cooks almost everything that we consume in this house, with the exception of anything baked and the occasional meal I might have to create when he isnt home... that is of course when he hasnt already prepped something and had it in the fridge for me (yes, I do know how lucky I am in case you were wondering). Having said all that, you can understand why I thought it would be nice to surprise him for a change! That I did... and he loved what I made!! It was pork, and it was cooked PERFECTLY (I had done some major damage on pork I tried to cook years ago and never tried again). I was really happy and so was he! The next weekend, it snowed. We were stuck at home for the day and went to the gym late. We had invited some friends over for dinner. Hubs had...

January 18, 2013 I cant help but laugh at myself these days when I arrive at CFW. I get out of my car and head into the gym with my duffle filled with clothes and toiletries for my shower and work day, armed with my notebook, protein shaker and water bottle… I drop my bag in the locker room and head to the workout area. This is where it gets funny. I grab my notebook, protein shaker and water bottle… than fumble around with my wrist wraps, lifting shoes, jump rope and belt. Its almost as if I need a second bag to get myself from the locker room to the gym! One of the things I cant seem to wrap my head around are the knee high socks that a lot of CrossFitters like to wear. I do have a pair… I bought back in October at the Beast of the East. They sat in my drawer for a while when one day JM was at the gym wearing hers… she loves them. I happen to have the same pair as one of the pairs she has. They have been hanging out just waiting for the day that I decided to wear...

October 29, 2012 WARMUP: 3 Rounds - Row 250m - 5 Pullups - 10 Pistols - 10 Shoulder Dislocates - 5 Burpees Group: Snatch Practice WOD: Sandy 15-12-9-6-3 - 2 for 1 Wall Balls (14) - SDHP (65) (5:25 Rx) OLY: Snatch 1Rm 110, 115, 125, 130 (F) .

**Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** July 3, 2012 Hubs and I decided to check out CrossFit NEPA in Wilkes Barre PA today! What a great time! We met some really great people and got our asses kicked doing Fight Gone Bad with them! Very cool!  WARMUP: 400m Run 2 Rounds - 10 KB Swings - 10 Pullups - 10 Squat Jumps 400m Run WOD: Fight Gone Bad 3 Rounds - Total Reps 1 Min Wall Balls (14lbs) 1 Min SDHP (50lbs) 1 Min Box Jumps (20") 1 Min Push Press (50lbs) 1 Min Cal Row 1 Min Rest (296 Rx) <--- PR .

July 25, 2012 This morning at the gym was another fantastic WOD, but one of the things that stuck out to me most was the skill/strength session. This morning it was “death by hand release pushups.” I have explained this before, but in case you forgot a “death by” workout is one rep in the first minute, 2 in the second, 3 in the third… and so on until you can not successfully complete the amount of reps in one minute of time. Typically when you know you can do 10 reps of whatever the exercise is, you do the sets adding 2 to each minute, so 2 the first minute, than 4, 6, 8 and so on. When you first start out it seems really easy, one rep of most exercises in 60 seconds leaves you plenty of “rest” time for the rest of the minute, however when you get to the 8, 9, and 10 sets you are usually working back to back, so it can be very difficult. All of the CFW athletes (and crossfit athletes in general) work really hard, and its only natural that the people you WOD with daily or even...

May 22, 2012 Ever since I was a little kid I have been adventurous. I would do the things my parents told me not to do, not to disobey them… but because I wanted to see why I was told not to do it. What the consequence would be if I did do it. Almost like it was a challenge that I chose to accept at any chance. “Sarah, don’t touch that” turned quickly into my burning my hand, cutting myself or whatever because I had this horrible urge to touch whatever it was that I was told not to touch simply because I was told NOT to. If no one mentioned it, I wouldn’t have ever wanted to touch it in the first place more than likely. Don’t get me wrong, my parents watched me because they knew this about me… but there was a time and a place for me to learn lessons… they would never put me in danger. I have carried that urge to accept a challenge through my whole life and still, to this day I have a hard time when faced with these types of situations. I have it ingrained in my head that I...

April 27, 2012 Today was a fun day at the gym. Fridays have been pretty uplifting lately! Its funny because at 5:30am when we all arrive its quite quiet and we start into the warmup with not much of a word. Eventually we open up and there is laughter and talking. Usually Fridays the chatter starts a little sooner than other mornings. Today I was lucky enough to not have to go to work after the gym so I was a little more relaxed than usual. I was ready to "flip" into the WOD! I am very excited that my hip has been feeling great so working speed squats was not painful at all. I am really happy that I was able to recover this injury on my own. M has been great when it comes to pinning down the techniques that I need to improve on. I have been really stressing my form and trying to improve as much as I can. It gets harder every day to improve. I knew eventually this was going to happen. After the gym I came home and had a nice few hours on my couch doing NOTHING. Its bee...

April 24, 2012  It may not look like it while I am working my butt off sweating from every spot possible to sweat from on my body... but I love every minute of every WOD... It may not look like it when I am laying on the ground trying to catch my breath after however many minutes of work I just performed... but I cant wait to do it again when it is over... It may not look like it when I drop a bar filled with 5 lbs over my 1RM because I havent been able to complete the rep yet... but I have FUN every single workout... The only way to continue to do what I do daily and get out of bed and push through every workout is because I enjoy what I am doing. I am having fun while I am doing it and I love the people that I do it with. No only do I we have FUN while we WOD, but we have great relationships within the gym. We laugh together, we chat, we hang out and we really enjoy each others company. Its really fantastic to have such a great support system and that fac...

April 10, 2012 WARMUP: Fire Hydrant Jog 2 Rounds - 10 Abmat Situps - 10 Back Extensions - 10 Inchworms 2 X 9 Fundamentals 2 Min Mobility WOD: Fight Gone Bad 3 Rounds - Total Reps 1 Min Wall Balls (14lbs) 1 Min SDHP (50lbs) 1 Min Box Jumps (20") 1 Min Push Press (50lbs) 1 Min Cal Row 1 Min Rest (259 Rx) SKILL/STRENGTH: TABATA L-Sit Hang .

April 2, 2012 Today is "Light it Up Blue" for Autism Awareness Day. People are encouraged to wear blue in support for autism awareness and research. Thanks to all who did!!  Not only is today Autism Awareness day, but this month is the official month for Autism Awareness. New numbers have been released and there is now 1 in 88 diagnosed with Autism. These numbers are rising rapidly and with the proper treatment and the many amazing women and men (quite a few that I know personally) who have dedicated their lives to parenting, helping, serving, teaching, coaching and most of all just being there the lives of these children can be enriched dramatically! In case you aren't sure what exactly Autism is I took this from The Autism Speaks website "Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal...

February 3, 2012 So true... how do you know how close you are to succeeding at something when you decide to throw in the towel? Just a few more attempts, just a few more minutes, one more try.. you would never know if you didnt. Where do you draw the line? If you didnt have a line, you could potentially be working at something forever and maybe never succeed, right?! Yeah, but what if you DO succeed? Its a mind game. You will never succeed without trying and you will certainly never succeed if you give up. How to remedy that? Well, in my opinion, if you want something you just keep on going until there is nothing left. Push, train, study, walk... whatever it is that you are reaching for... keep doing it as long as you are able to do it. You might not notice your advancements right away, and some may be smaller and less noticeable than others, but if you are working towards a goal, doing what you need to do to get better at it, and taking good ...

December 21, 2011 I know I have talked before about our Crossfit Wachusett Family... but I am so excited to see that 2012 brings to us all. We are changing, we are learning, we are building friendships and we are growing!! Its so exciting and it brings a smile to my face. It really makes me happy to know that M and K have such a great thing going with CFW and the fact that we are all succeeding is a tribute to them and their programming, their support and their coaching! I keep thinking of where I was just a few short months ago... August 8th is the first entry in my journal... The things I have been able to do, the things I never thought I could do and the drive I have to get better has been amazing. It feels like the first day I did crossfit I took an oath that I was going to throw myself into this 100% and nothing was going to get in my way. I now find my time at CFW the best and most rewarding part of my day. As hard as it is to get up some mornings, as tired as I am the ni...

December 7, 2011 WARMUP: Row 500m 10 Inchworms 10 Back Extensions 10 Grasshopper 2X9 Fundamentals 2 Min Frog Sit Row 500m WOD: "HSPU SDHP What?!" 3 Rounds for Time - 5 HSPU (Green Bands) - 10 SDHP (65lbs) - 15 Toes to Bar (My Time 8:53) SKILL/STRENGTH: 10 Min Squat Sit

November 18, 2011 24 DAYS OF THANKS #18 - I am thankful for my faith. That I have an understanding (whether its "right" or not, its my own understanding) of life and death. Not that I have it all figured out, and I dont question it every not and again. Unfortunately I have been tested over and over in my short 31 years with the question of why someone was taken to soon in life, while on the other side reminded of the blessing of new life as my friends and family have babies. Why things happen the way they do and who determines the outcome. I am thankful that I was raised with a strong faith and hold my beliefs close to my heart. It must be 12:00am, for some reason between 12:00 and 1:00am I have the hardest time sleeping. Up and down, awake asleep... than it throws my whole night off. Happened again last night. Not sure whats causing it, but once I am up... thats it for the night. I toss and turn until the alarm goes off at 4:45. Today... I just didnt fight it, got right...

September 27, 2011 Well, I am still fighting off this cold. It is making me crazy. I am 99% sure it is not allergies, but I have been taking benadryl before bed and sleeping ok. Last night after a horrible pants shopping experience (does anyone woman actually like pant shopping...) I was left wondering what percentage of women can actually wear a pair of pants off the rack. Not only am I completely in between sizes, but the ones that do actually fit in the legs I could fit an entire second person in the waist band... WTF. Who is shaped like that? Alas... I bought two pairs of pants... one of them I am going to return. I can deal with what I have until I lose a few more inches. I was fighting staying awake once I got home so I made myself some dinner and was in bed at 8:00. hubs came home at 8:30, we talked for a few seconds and as soon as he went downstairs to make his own dinner I was out like a light. Thank you benadryl. To my own surprise I was feeling a little better when I ...

August 30, 2011 I was exhausted last night when I got home from work around 7:45. I don’t even think exhausted is the word… my eyelids were heavy and I just wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep. I have nasty fall allergies and I am thinking that the storm may have jumpstarted them with all the trees flying. I was in bed at 9:00 and slept pretty well… Funny thing was, I woke up thinking about CrossFit and what the WOD would be this morning. I was thinking (at 5am) that we haven’t done burpees in a while, maybe I was dreaming about them. I went downstairs and decided to hop on the website real quick to see what was in store… hmmm what do you know… BURPEES! M and K must have been in my head last night! Off to CFW I went, T was there burpee-ing (is that a word) away when I pulled up. I got right into the warmup. Funny how a 200m run feels like nothing now. My feet feel light and my breathing is much more controlled. The 9 fundamentals are coming along every week with my form improving...