wishing everyone a happy thanksgiving weekend

I hope everyone had a wonderful day with full bellies, big smiles, and lots of family time, or however you decided to spend your day. This year we opted to dine out as I assume no one really wanted to cook. I honestly didn't mind as I didn't want to cook either or deal with having a lot of leftovers that I really don't need. Plus, you are not able to overeat by getting seconds or thirds, and maybe for some fourths. I passed on dessert, but did allow myself a delicious glass of wine with dinner. We had good conversation and ended up playing a fun little game at the table. I love quality time with great people. I am thankful for all of the people in my life, old and new. And I am thankful that I have the ability to do the things necessary to take care of myself. Cheers to you all!

This week there will be no weigh in, though I am certain I probably maintained the same weight with very little gain or loss. I will resume weigh in's next week. Only 32 days left in the sugar challenge and 16 days left in the plank challenge. Don't forget, if you want to join in on January's challenge, head over to Challenge Me Fit and vote!!

Now to do some burpee's… NOT!

knee pain & the plank

Ok, so I'm 13 days into the plank challenge and we've made it to the 1.5 min hold. This is proving to be more challenging than I anticipated. Not so much the plank itself, I knew it would be a challenge… that's the whole point of a challenge. But I didn't factor in that my knees would potentially be a problem, and they are. For a while now my knees have been a source of some discomfort, so much so that I have had to modify or avoid some workouts at my box. This is utterly frustrating to me. I just want to be able to do or try to do what everyone else is doing in class. I'll admit, it makes me feel like a pansy. I have been working on an array of mobility work to help my knees and the surrounding areas, as well as strengthening other muscles, and practicing proper form in other movements. Some days my knees will not cooperate with me and other days I feel like I can climb a mountain with no issues. I'm trying to remain positive and continue to work on what needs to be worked on. But I'm not going to lie, the time it's taking for things to change is frustrating me and mentally draining me. I have little to no patience.

As for the plank, I am not able to hold it for a minute without going into a modify hold. Even if I try to ignore the pain, which I know I shouldn't, I can't. So in lieu of giving up, I will modify the challenge so that I am still able to participate. I will begin to hold the plank for as long as I can until the pain sets in, then I will rest for 30 seconds before continuing on. The time is only counted when I am in a plank position. I encourage anyone else who is participating in the plank challenge to modify the same way if needed. I will not allow my knees to defeat me. This is all just temporary and it will pass… plank on!

a change of the name

So you may have noticed that this blog's title changed from My CrossFit Journey to Nikki's CrossFit Journey. The decision to do this was with the discovery of other blogs with the same title. There isn't any legal issues with it, but I'd like to set myself apart as much as possible. And since this blog is beginning to get more attention from outside of my circle, I wanted it to be obvious who "my" was. Me!

And to everyone whose taken time since the beginning to read my blog and become inspired/motivated by it and supportive of me… Thank You.

fighting through the wall

So in yesterday's post I was all excited about losing 3.5# that it slipped my mind to share how my week went that led to that wonderful loss. I have noticed that my diet has slowly changed without consciously trying. It's interesting to realize that when you begin to work your body hard, it will ask for the appropriate fuel that is needed. I still haven't experienced cravings for the sugary weaknesses that had a hold of me for many years. I'm so thankful that I have overcome that. Now as a reminder, I am not giving up ALL sugar, I'm giving up refined sugar. What I also have been conscious of is how much natural sugar I am taking in. My fruit intake has increased, but not excessively, more like to a healthier level. Other than fruit, the only other thing I ingest with some natural sugar in it is a 1% chocolate milk. It is reserved only for after a workout and I know dinner isn't coming right away. It helps hold me over until dinner time. I have tried to minimize how much I drink of it though, and I notice that the taste for it isn't as strong as it once was.

What I do think contributed to my big loss this week is that I really paid attention to my body. I fed it more protein, more green, drank plenty of water, and made sure I stayed on top of my vitamins. I also began to focus more in class at CrossFit Stumptown. Both coaches have told us many times that when we hit that wall where you feel like you can't go on anymore, do five more. So three times this week I focused on pushing myself in that way. And the results? I finished 1st in one class, 2nd in another, and had the most rounds in another. What I noticed I did in those classes was that I pushed myself beyond that wall. When I began to feel tired or weak, I pushed. I didn't linger in between reps or movements, or took my time drinking some water. I went from one movement to the next with controlled haste, I only sipped water, and I kept reminding myself of the goal. I'd use a time I wanted to beat. Or a person I wanted to stay ahead of. It's 90% mental in my opinion. When the side stitches began and the breathing got rougher, that's when I knew I hit my wall, so I focused on five more. I believe that extra effort and my improved diet played a major role in the 3.5# loss this week.

And the result of having lost 10.5# in three weeks? Well for the first time in I'd say six or so years, I was able to try clothes on a size smaller. For a woman whose been overweight for some time now, this is an enormous achievement. I can't wait to see what next week will bring…

day 22 of 60: sugar challenge

Oh. My. Goodness. I am not sure how to react to my weigh in today. Should I jump up and down? Scream with excitement? Do cartwheels? Wait... I can't do cartwheels... yet! Ok ok... so this week I lost a total of 3.5# adding to a complete total of 10.5# in three weeks. How?! I mean awesome, but how?!

               :::BREATHE NIKKI:::

Ok, I am better now. I am feeling pretty happy with this development. I honestly thought the weight loss would slow down to a pound a week, which would be awesome, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd have a large loss like this week. Maybe this will be the last of the large losses, and that is ok. But apparently whatever I am doing is working... and so I shall continue with it.

stay hungry

Twice this week I did something that I had not expected to do at this point of my CrossFit experience. Earlier this week I posted that I PR'd my deadlift and as well as completed a WOD before anyone else in the class, a first. This evening I managed to finish ahead of the class once again. I am not sure what has gotten into me or how I am accomplishing all of this. I suppose it could be that I have dedicated myself the past six months, I am getting stronger and more confident. But I am not entirely sure what is the cause or how many more times I will repeat this. All I know is that I am feeling pretty damn good about myself right now and look forward to seeing what other achievements I accomplish.

This photo was taken from Pinterest.

day 4 of 30: plank challenge

Today was day 4 of the plank challenge and the last of the 30 seconds. Tonights plank was a bit of challenge due to having just had an intense workout only an hour before. I had to be reminded to breathe. And what you will not see in the video is how much my arms are shaking. However, my form has gotten better (butt is staying down). Whenever you see me arch my butt up and shake my leg, it's due to having some knee problems… bare with me, I do add a couple of seconds to the plank to make up for it.

breaking personal bests x2

Tonight was an incredible night for me, and well for many of my fellow CrossFitters too. The WOD for today was as follows:

1 RM (rep max) Deadlift
Then for time:
30 HSPU
40 Pull-ups
50 KB Swings, 53/35
60 Sit-ups
70 Burpees

This photo was found on Pinterest.

So first let me begin with the deadlift, which happens to be one of my favorite lifts. The last time we had to find our one rep max, which was about 3 or so months ago, I lifted 175#. I was pretty proud of myself and super excited. As we worked on all of our lifts, during the last month I noticed I began to struggle with the deadlift. I couldn't repeat my one rep max or even lift close to it. When a WOD asked for 155# deadlifts, it was a constant struggle. So when I heard we would be working on deadlifts today, I wasn't feeling very confident. I started out with a lighter weight- 85#. I slowly increased the weight until I made it to my previous one rep max, which felt surprisingly good. I bumped up to 185#, then 190#. I was feeling pretty pumped over this, but then my coach Joon said to me "you're still standing, it wasn't heavy enough." I momentarily thought he was crazy, especially when he suggested I try once more at 200#. I just smiled and stood there shocked. But then I figured what the hell, I can attempt it and what's the worse that can happen? I don't get it up. So as I loaded my barbell up with some more weight, I began to think about the things I read in the "Becoming a Supple Leopard" book by Dr. Kelly Starrett. He stated to torque your feet externally without actually turning your feet. As well as being reminded by Joon to drive with my heal. So I walked up to the barbell, got comfortable with my stance, lowered by butt down and grabbed a hold of the bar, and breathed. With much focus, I drove my body upward while many eyes were on me, and before grasping what I had just done I was already lowering the bar down. I just about lost my shit and jumped up and down with excitement! I went from my max being 175# only 3 or so months ago to and increase of 25#!! This definitely was the most amazing feeling. Many of my CrossFitters this evening got incredible one rep maxes, there was definitely something in the air tonight!

As for my other personal best, I managed for the first time to finish a WOD in it's entirety before everyone else in class. It's not necessarily a big thing, but for a chipper WOD like tonight, it's kind of a big deal. I tend to puss out and take many breaks when our workouts are body weight sorts. I don't know if it was the high off of having a rad PR or having flushed refined sugar out of my system, but I was feeling like superwoman. I busted through the workout with speed and a finish time of 14:14. It was certainly a good night...

day 1 of 30: plank challenge

Today a few of my wonderful friends and I began our journey in a plank challenge. The last time I worked on doing the plank, which was about two or so years ago, I was able to hold it for a little over a minute. And now, well not so much. I've asked all the friends that have decided to join me in this challenge to record their first and last day, and if possible a few in between. At the end of the challenge I will collect all the video's and create a video montage, but for now, I will just post my weekly attempts. Today's attempt was to hold it for 20 seconds. I learned pretty quickly that I wasn't as flat as I felt I was… as you will witness.

I held the plank for 21 seconds, unintentionally. My way of dealing with discomfort or uncomfortable situations is to laugh, clearly this will be a very long 30 day challenge for me. 

Others doing the challenge with me:

Darci

Denisa

Robin

Christopher

Tonya

Todd

Ashley

Proud of you guys… get those video's to me!

day 15 of 61: sugar challenge

I am officially two weeks in and have lost a total of 7 pounds already! If I average a pound a week I will lose about 15 pounds at the end of this challenge, that would be awesome. I still have not had any cravings for refined sugar, which still surprises me. No weak moments and no cheats. Another thing I was expecting to happen was feeling my blood sugar drop often, but that has not happened.

Overall, I am feeling pretty good. I have plenty of energy and definitely feel a difference in my performance. I had already switched out my white rice for brown and white bread for 100% whole wheat, but was still eating "enriched wheat flour" pasta. Due to this challenge and wanting to stay true to it, I switched that out for the 100% whole wheat. Thankfully Aaron is more than happy to help with the change. I feel blessed to have such support from him, family, and friends. I truly feel that I will be successful.

reliving a childhood activity

Do you remember when you were a kid how you felt almost invisible. You were always up for a challenge, and nothing ever scared you. We did cartwheels without a second thought, hung from monkey bars behind our knees, jumped down off of something high… and nothing happened to us. Sure we got the occasional scratch or bruise but we always recovered rather quickly. Now some 20 something years later, have you attempted to do any of those things? Maybe for some of you nothing has changed (freak!) but for most of us it has not crossed our minds. Think about it. Would you do a cartwheel right now if you were asked? Would you do a headstand if asked? Would you really? (Liar!) One of the gymnastic movements that you will find in a WOD regularly is a Handstand Pushup (HSPU). If you watched any CrossFit competitions you will most certainly have witnessed this. The first time I went into class with that in a WOD, I remembered shaking my head thinking there was no way I was going to do that. I won't lie, I was scared and intimidated. I'm not afraid of being upside down, I'm more afraid that I would hurt myself. So instead of even trying, I opted for the modified version. The first level is doing a tripod pushup, I mastered that rather quickly and that's basically all I would ever do.

Well last night the HSPU reappeared in a WOD and in my head I pretty much resolved to continuing the same modified version I have been doing. Except I wasn't expecting our coach to go into a little speech about pushing forward and trying something new. Crap! So after setting up my space for our workout I asked Joon how do I begin to learn to do the HSPU. Well the first step was to just be comfortable being upside down. Let's face it, the last time I did anything like that was probably the 4th grade! So he showed me what to do, and I knelt down and attempted it a couple of times. I was so scared. What was I so scared about? I think part of it was fear of hurting myself and part of it looking foolish. But I got much encouragement from my fellow CrossFitters, and so I tried one last time. Only this time I managed to get on my head and feel my butt hit the wall behind me. I did it! Next step was to straighten my legs… did it without hesitation and stayed in that position for a bit. It wasn't so scary being upside down. But the next step was to go into it with my arms locked out. It should look something like this…

This photo was found on Pinterest.

My coach and a fellow CrossFitter stood on each side of me, ready to catch my legs and help me up there. I made two attempts but each time I believe I chickened out. Hey, it's ok. I'm just excited that I took the first step in trying. It is something I will most certainly work on. So in the meantime I have upgraded to a new level of modified HSPU, and it looks like this…

This photo was found on Pinterest.

I managed to do these without failure. I'm excited to keep making improvements, and most certainly can't wait until the day I can do a handstand without any fear or assistance!

only 2 days away from the plank challenge

So in two days I will be participating in a 30 day plank challenge with some friends. If you missed the posting with what the Plank Challenge entails, go here. This evening I had a breakthrough during my class that made me realize I have gotten pretty strong in the last few months and I think I may be successful during this challenge. We shall see. I want to thank the following people for joining me: Denisa, Tonya, Robin, Darci, and Christopher! It's not too late for anyone who wants to jump on board.

This photo was found on Pinterest.

finding dysfunctions and learning mobility

So I am six months into this crazy thing called CrossFit and I can honestly say I feel amazing! Now it doesn't mean it's not without some pain and discomfort. Sure in every class there is something that I may not be great or good at, so it only makes me want to push harder, try harder. The thing I have been learning along the way though, is that you learn very quickly the dysfunctions of your body. All the things you've been doing wrong will come into light as you begin to learn how to do correct movements. In the beginning its not so obvious, these dysfunction, and depending on how often or hard you workout you may never discover them. I've gone from a 2-3 time a week person to a 4-5 time a week person, as soon as that became consistent I started to feel many dysfunctions. First one popped up on my left elbow with some tendonitis. At first I believed it was from an old injury from several years back, was sure to ice it after lifting heavy and stretching it out. But the pain and inflammation never went away. This is when a coach brought to my attention that it's more than the joint, it's the muscles that attach to the area. A lightbulb went off, my triceps and pecs were exceptionally tight on that side. As soon as I started getting regular massage work and chiropractic adjustments done to the areas, things started to change. Don't get me wrong, it didn't magically go away and it is not likely to be gone anytime soon. My joints and muscles are having to learn whats right and whats wrong, I'm having to watch my movements as I lift heavy weights above my head. I can always tell when I used bad form, the area around my elbow will begin to hurt. It's better though, and I'm still learning.

The second dysfunction that popped up was my knees, primarily the right one. Now I explained this one away with having had torn ligaments in my right ankle 3 or so years ago. Figuring things are tight and that is probably why I am feeling it in my knee. But as time progressed and the left knee began to bother me as well, I sought out help. The collective minds have given me an array of things to work on, but each one have come to the same conclusion. I have a lot strengthening to do for adductors, gluteus, and hamstrings, as well as a lot of tight fascia that needs to be worked out. But the biggest thing that has come into play is learning that I need to start all over with my squats. Because from the get go I was unable to do a squat with my feet facing forward, I had started to do them with my toes slightly facing outward. It didn't become a problem until I began doing heavier back squats. Now doing a simple air squat or lunge is absolutely painful. 

One of my coaches brought up a book to Aaron and I to look into. Aaron had heard about this book a while back and read up on it. But after much conversation with Joon, we decided to purchase the book, "Becoming a Supple Leopard" by Dr. Kelly Starrett. It's highly recommended for anyone who is heavy into working out and/or sports activity. It teaches you proper mobility. We've only just started reading it but have already put much of it to good use. Tonight I began the process of properly doing squats with the assistance of a resistance band to hold onto. I have a lot of work to do with my legs, as they get more toned and stronger, they'll need more rehab. But I am certain that all my hard work now will pay off later down the road. 

What is something you do for mobility?

no more excuses

I got lost on YouTube land today. What started as crazy domino challenges eventually led to CrossFit stories. I must've watched over ten inspirational stories of people beating the odds. The above video I shared from YouTube about Lindy Wall's story was quite powerful to me. What an extraordinary story of overcoming such a challenge, and proving that everything she was being told would be impossible was more than possible. When I hear of stories like this, some even more dramatic, and others much less… it reminds me how anything is possible… ANYTHING. This video really made me think about how often I use the excuse of "I can't" and how often I hear others use the same excuse of why they can not do something. I am done with the excuses. I may not be a 20 something year old on my way to the CrossFit games next year, but I certainly will be able to do many of the things these athletes do. I'm willing to put in the time and effort so that at the end of the day I can say, I DID. What about you? What excuse are you tired of hiding behind?

day 8 of 61: sugar challenge

So I am officially 8 days into my sugar challenge! So much has happened this week to be excited about. For starters, I didn't have any withdrawals like I expected to have. I was sure I would be a severe grump but besides momentary grouchiness, usually because I hadn't eaten yet, I was pretty mellow. Secondly, I have lost 6 pounds in 8 days! I honestly did not expect much weight lost as I believe I am still in the building muscle phase of my CrossFit training. But alas, I did. I'm pretty stoked to see such a significant change on the scale with just a change in my diet.

Yesterday, on the 7 day mark, I added fruit back into my diet. During the first 4 to 5 days of the challenge I found that instead of craving crappy stuff like cookies, donuts, chocolate, and so on, I was actually craving bananas and mangos. Mind you, I haven't had a mango in 15 or so years, so that caught me off guard. My first bite into a banana yesterday was a delicious one and surprisingly, a very sweet one.

I'll be honest, I really expected this challenge to be difficult. I was so certain that I'd be craving chocolate of all kinds. I don't seem to be missing any of it. I hope the challenge remains this easy for me. How about those of you doing the challenge with me? How are you progressing? Feeling?

thinking about starting crossfit?

Next week will mark six months of doing the most intense workout regimen of my life, CrossFit. And what do I have to show for it? I'm stronger, healthier, have more energy, and I see things differently now. What I have learned in these past six months is that left to my own devices I would not have reached the level of fitness that I am currently in. The occasional stints of going for a run or attending a traditional gym to jump on a treadmill or elliptical just weren't cutting it for me. I never pushed myself hard enough to make real changes. Sticking to a healthy diet was impossible. And motivation was short lived. And so on May 30th I dragged my overweight self into CrossFit Stumptown in Portland, Oregon for my very first WOD and had my ass handed to me. After that first day I never looked back, I knew I found exactly what I needed. I may not be where I want to be just yet, but I am well on my way.

For those who may be thinking about trying CrossFit and changing their lives, here are seven things that will happen to you.

1. You will learn how incredibly out of shape you are. It is likely that your first few sessions will be scaled and/or modified to ease you in. You are likely to find yourself resting often during a WOD trying to catch your breathe and sweating out of pores you didn't know you had. You will certainly feel muscles that have been dormant for years. And you will breathe harder than you ever had.

2. You will begin to speak in the CrossFit lingo, naturally.

• WOD (workout of the day): a combination of exercises prescribed for the day's workout. These usually consist of one Olympic lift (dead lifts, back squats, push-presses, power cleans, etc), one gymnastic move (sit-ups, ring rows, push-ups, pull-ups, etc), and one aspect of cardio (running, rowing, jumping rope, etc).

• Box: CrossFit spaces are not called gyms, they are called "boxes" due to many of them resembling just that. A typical box is in a warehouse with high ceilings, concrete walls, and black floor mats. There are no cardio rooms, smoothie bars, mirrors, or machines. Simple and to the point. 

• RX: When a WOD is posted, it will have a prescribed amount of weight, reps to follow, and allotted time. If you do the prescribed weight/rep/time, you RX'd.

• MOD: This is when a person has to modify the prescribed amount of weight, reps to follow or adjust time. Instead of RX'd, you will have modified it (MOD).

3. You will get incredibly good at counting. All WODs have reps within them, for example "Cindy" consists of 10 pull-ups, 15 push-ups, and 20 air squats in AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) in 20 minutes. You don't want to lose track and do more than you have to or cheat yourself. As well, it becomes a mental game of counting down to the end when you begin to feel tired.

4. You will gain weight first. As frustrating as this can be, it is a good thing. Because you are engaging muscles that have been dormant for so long, they will begin to build. Muscle weighs more than fat does, so naturally you will notice the number go up on the scale. But once you have begun to build muscle, it will turn around and begin to burn enough calories that you will begin to see the numbers go down. There will be a tipping point, be patient. 

5. Your friends and family will begin to inundate you with what they "read" about CrossFit. They will find stories about injuries and rare disorders. The reality is, CrossFit is as safe as you make it. Injuries can occur, but it's not any different from other kinds of training or activities, such as running, biking, lifting weights on your own, martial arts, or any other activity engaged without proper supervision or precautions. The rare disorder you will hear about, Rhabdomyolysis, caused by people pushing themselves past their exhaustion point. It's when the muscle fibers begin to break down and go into the bloodstream and into their kidneys. This disorder is not limited to CrossFit and is in fact, rare.

6. You will notice you have more energy. You could be dead sore from the previous days WOD but you will find yourself moving about easier and lighter. You will have less fat weighing you down, and you will be breathing a lot easier. 

7. You will learn mental toughness. This is what I lacked until I met CrossFit. You will be 90% through a WOD feeling like you are about to peel over but you don't. You will find that inner strength you had no idea was living within you and push yourself to finish. This will also come in handy when seeing what the WOD is before heading to your box and seeing exercises you absolutely hate, but know you need to conquer. 

This photo was found on Pinterest.

CrossFit isn't just a "thing" you do, it is a lifestyle. I am absolutely addicted to this crazy thing that takes every aspect of me- emotionally, mentally, and physically- and then gives it back with more than I had ever had. It will only get better. 

plank challenge

I know you might think I'm crazy, but yes I want to do another challenge while in a challenge. As you may already know, I am currently on a sugar challenge (5 days in, come back for updates) and I'm doing well. But this new challenge is a physical one that anyone of any fitness level can try, the Plank Challenge. I intend on starting this 30 day challenge on November 15th and will be recording myself doing it and sharing it from time to time. I encourage all of you to join me in this, record yourself, and share with me! Let's strengthen our core together! So here's the run down of how this works…

This photo was found on Pinterest.

Are you up for the challenge? Let me know…

day 1 of 61: sugar challenge

Today marked the beginning of the end of refine sugar for me. To refresh your memory, I am doing a sugar challenge through the end of the year. The goal with this is to withdrawal from the cravings of refined sugar, retrain my brain and body in what is good sugar, and in the end have no desire for the crappy food. I put myself up on a similar challenge to give up soda years back, and it worked.

By the end of today I already begun to experience the effects of not having any sugar. My workout was a struggle, I felt weak and slow. Afterwards, a trip to the grocery store was a difficult task. I was hungry, instinctively I wanted to grab whatever sweetness I could find, even a banana. But thankfully, I remained strong enough to walk past all the temptations and grab what I needed and was out of there.

I know this will be a very long journey, but it will be a worthy one. For those of you who decided to join me... GOOD FOR YOU! Be strong. Remember it's a mental game, beat it!