A Request For Rest

I'm tired today. I worked out Monday and Tuesday and I was going to go again today. But my body is telling me that it needs some rest. So I'm taking the day off. I'll be back at it tomorrow. I'm still a little worried about my back and re-injuring it. It was only 2 weeks ago that I could hardly walk. It's difficult to balance easing back into working out and letting myself heal. When I have worked out I haven't had any problems so that is good. Just don't want to over do it. I think I might do a Nike Training Camp mini work out this evening or something. Maybe some ab work so I still get a little something in.

I took this form CrossFit Lisbeth. Her blog is really awesome and inspirational. Every time I read it, it she hits the nail right on the head.

Don’t be nice to me. Not here, not in the gym. Not just because I’m a woman. You can be nice to me in the bar, on the street, in the library, at home. But in the gym I’m no longer your baby, your honey, or your sweetheart. I’m a woman in a CrossFit gym and I’m here to kick ass, not show mine.
In the gym, I’m about performance, not popularity. I’m about achievement, not appearance. I’m about strength, not sex.
Do you get that? Whether you’re my workout partner, my friend, my lover, or my coach, don’t suggest that I go easier, lighter, or with less fortitude than that of which I am capable. You’re not doing me any favors.
The gym is not a place to protect women, nor is it a place to worship them, but it is a place to exalt them. We could grow so much here. Help us to do so.
Help us to elevate ourselves by ourselves. Forget gallantry and remember weights. If our form is good on practice lifts, urge us to go heavier. Please. We often underestimate ourselves. That’s the difference between men and women in the gym. Most men overestimate what they can do, while most women underestimate what they can do. That’s where you can help us most when it comes time for the WOD. That’s where we really need you. Take that bravado and lend us a little. Tell us to go heavier, go faster, get meaner. We’ll look dismissive but we’ll take your words to heart. We will go heavier, go faster, and get meaner – at least with the weights.
Don’t baby us. Not in the gym. Not in words and not in demeanor. If you’re my coach, don’t you dare set out one WOD for the men and one WOD for the women. If my form is good, don’t you dare keep me at a light weight for months or years. Don’t you dare underestimate what my weight should be on the bar. I should know. I’m the one lifting it. And if I let you keep me down, then shame on me too.
My words may sound angry, but I am not. I am resolved. I want to be strong and to grow stronger. I just need your help in not giving me help. I need to stand on my own. Let me do that. Don’t be nice to me. Thank you.

This was how I felt yesterday. We did Over Head Squats in our WOD and I was a little worried about it. I did great with 35lbs. Then fine with 65lbs so that is what my coach told me to use. I wasn't sure about doing 30 OHS with 65lbs. When I got into the WOD I was having a hard time keeping it stable over my head. My Coach told me to stop breathing so hard, take a deep breath, squat, and then let it out. Don't breath in the middle of the lift. And it worked. All that huffing and puffing was making everything woddble. So when I held my breath I also tightened my core. Huge difference! I'm glad he pushed me because I was about to ask him to pull some weight off.

However, I think I lost my battle with double unders. What do you think?

Progress Not Defeat

I hit a huge wall last week. Like, knock me on my ass and become pissed wall.
I blew out my back on a Tuesday afternoon and then spent the rest of the week at home resting, stretching, going to physical therapy, and trying to loosen things up. This is an injury I am all too familiar with. Basically I stained my lumbar on my right side. It's like a giant muscle spasm that lasts for days. It feels great, I promise. The thing about it that sucks the most is that it effects everything that I do. Walking, rolling over, moving my arms, and sneezing.(I way praying to the Lord above that I didn't have to sneeze.) But I go into some PT the next day and it really made a difference. A week out I was back in the gym doing a light work out. And it felt great.
However, during my time at home I got to thinking. When I get to thinking I tend to over do it. I started looking at my body in the mirror and not being happy with it. I took some photos and I didn't like what I saw. Sure my arms, legs, and back look at lot better but that tummy pouch. It hadn't budged in three months. I could see that above and below it looked better but the part I hate the most hadn't changed at all. Son of a bitch!
I know that my nutrition had not been 100%. Not news to me. I also was ready to quit CrossFit and join another gym where I could work at my own pace and get there when I get there. Ya see, I want to be an athlete and I'm not getting there fast enough. I'm at the gym and I put in the time. I should be getting that stomach I want and I should be stronger and faster. But my husband put it all into perspective for me and here is my new mind set:
I was a band geek for most of my life. I never played sports. (JR. High basketball doesn't count.) I have never been part of an athletic team or had to compete in any sort of true athletic competition. Most of the people I want to look like have been athletes their entire life. I have not. I started at zero.
The good news is that I'm not at zero anymore. In fact, I'm a long way from it. I still have a ways to go but I'm not at the beginning and that is a good thing.

On a differnet note this is an awesome video!