Congrats to everyone that passed their Level 1 & 2 tests last night! (Testers pictured above from left to right back row: Graham, CJ, Chris, Ivan, Josh, John; front row: Sally, Jennifer, Savannah, Andrew) Reminder to all Coaches and Athletes from last night, you have two weeks to complete the run. Grab any coach and have them time you.
WLC Day 11: Yesterday sounded rough for many (myself included. Morning routine incomplete, a long night, not enough food during the day). We will all press on and grab some inspiration from Lauren!
Lauren Schwartz, Age: 37
I was never what you would call the star athlete or very athletic for that matter. I was always a little envious of the girls who could play sports. Yes, I ran track and played tennis in high school but I won’t be remembered for my 1600 meter run or my serve. I’m probably remembered as the girl who got good grades and was VP of her senior class.
I was tall and thin growing up (but never really defined) and I didn’t worry so much about my weight or what I ate. I had never really spent much time in a gym except for when they made us weight train during track season which I always liked. So, let’s fast forward to my senior year of college at University of Florida when I signed up for a conditioning class. Every week I subjected myself to a grueling class that always consisted of running stadiums in the “Swamp” – home to the UF football team where Gatorade was invented and big enough to seat 84,000 screaming fans. If nothing else, the class got me back in a gym which was where I needed to be after 3 years of college and consuming a good bit of alcohol, bad food and developing migraine headaches. And a few extra pounds.
In my 20’s, I belonged to LA Fitness, had a trainer, participated in several 5ks/10ks and completed a half marathon. I was in the gym about 4-5 times a week and I felt great. That was the best shape I had ever been in and I truly changed my body and my mind. I noticed I was a much stronger person on the inside because I was stronger on the outside.
Somewhere around 30 I lost my way. As work and life got busier and stressful, I started to lose my work/life balance. Most weeknights I would stay late at the office and would head straight home to watch TV or go out to eat with friends. I was too tired to get to the gym and wasn’t challenged at LA Fitness anymore anyway. I made every excuse not to go actually. I always felt tired and as I got a bit older my migraines were getting worse. I eventually saw a neurologist as my bad headaches were more painful and now accompanied with brain fog, vertigo and sometimes blurred vision. Over time I had gained 30 pounds. I knew I was going down a bad path and wanted to make a change for myself. I drove past our CrossFit gym on my way to work every morning and thought I wonder what it would be like to try this “CrossFit thing.” My office is right around the corner from our gym and I thought if I belong to that gym, I can’t make any excuses – there were none left. Over the next week as I thought about joining CrossFit, my 42-year-old stepbrother had a heart attack. Two days later in the hospital, he suffered another one and is still alive to talk about it. As he followed his doctor’s orders to eat healthier, cut his sodium intake and get into the gym, I knew it was time I did the same.
In the last four months since I joined CrossFit, I’m feeling great again. My body feels healthy and strong and my clothes have never fit better. But, I knew my eating habits still needed to change as I was constantly eating dairy, sugar and processed foods. So when I heard about the Whole Life Challenge, I knew I had to sign up and I would never see the results I wanted to see in the gym if I didn’t eat healthier. I also wanted to see if my migraines would improve during this challenge and how I would feel after giving up all of these unhealthy food options. I had never done a challenge like this before. I also knew it would be a lot better eating healthier with a team of people than by myself.
I cleaned out my pantry and my fridge. I went grocery shopping to get ready for the challenge to make sure I was ready. As I started down the grocery aisles I started to panic. I had never really thought about the comfort food I was giving up. I ate pasta frozen yogurt, chips, cheese dip, bread, chai lattes at Starbucks (with non-fat milk) and candy all the time. I never met a carb I didn’t like. Chicken and vegetables hardly seemed like a good substitute. I told myself to get serious, have a better attitude and start focusing on the foods I could eat instead of the ones I couldn’t.
As I started the challenge, the first few days were tough. I wanted pasta, frozen yogurt and chocolate. My stomach felt hollow and empty and I was getting headaches. I can already tell my body is starting to feel better. I don’t feel as tired and my headaches have gone away. I love the meditation sessions and getting a little “headspace” is exactly what I needed for 10 minutes each day. I can tell the things that make me frustrated during the day – rush hour traffic, a difficult client at work, etc. aren’t bothering me as much. I still deal with these things but they don’t make me feel frustrated and annoyed. They sort off roll of my back as I feel more calm and settled.
Am I missing pasta and my carbs? Yes, but not as much as I was a week ago. These have been harder to give up then alcohol and sweets. I want to get my body in the habit of not eating these types of foods. I probably won’t stop eating them forever but hoping I will learn to eat them once a month versus 3-4 times a week. I’m drinking iced black coffee maybe once a week since my chai latte is out of the question.
I admit I am a HUGE foodie. I love Cooking Channel, food blogs, cookbooks, trying new restaurants and sharing recipes with friends and family. I used to work for the Food Network. I’m trying new recipes to keep myself motivated and interested in this challenge. There are times the recipe calls for cheese, milk and a non-compliant food but working on finding substitutes.
Warmup
Jump Rope 3 Minutes
10 Minutes: Movement Flow
Downdog Walk, Frog Hop, Lateral Ape Walk
Reverse Downdog Walk, Reverse Frog Hop, Lateral Monkey Walk
Try doing a few reps of one movement and then switching immediately into a different pattern seamlessly. Start slowly and as you practice increase the speed. Be mindful to use correct form as you play with flowing from one animal to the next. Try to keep moving for the entire 10 minutes.
Skill
15 Minutes Pull-up/Crow + Somersault Practice
L4 – 3-5 unbroken sets of 2/3/5 – 2 strict chest to bar/ 3 strict/ 5 kipping AND try pressing to Handstand from Crow/Tripod
L3 – kipping technique practice – swing/drive/kip/return
L2 – strict pull-up practice – sub-maximal sets/chin-ups/negatives/partial reps/scap-retractions
L0/1 – same as L2, and ring rows
***between sets of Pull-ups, practice finding your balance in the Crow pose, and then overbalance toward your fingertips, tucking your chin and rolling through a somersault into a squat stance. It should go without saying that if you can’t get into the Crow pose yet, work on that rather than the somersault.
Conditioning
“Proletariat”
4 Rounds AFAP
Levels 3/4
5 Clean and Jerks
10 Pull-ups
20 Wall Balls
40 Kettlebell Swings
80 Double Unders
L4 – 135/95, 20/14, 32/24
L3 – 115/75, 20/14, 28/22
Levels 1/2
5 Kettlebell Clean and Press per arm
10 Pull-ups
20 Wall Balls
40 Kettlebell Swings
180 Single Unders
No Rx Weights EXCEPT KB Swings (L2-24/18, L1-20/14), band assisted pull-ups
Level 0
5 Kettlebell Clean and Press per arm
10 Ring Rows
15 Wall Balls
20 Kettlebell Swings
100 Single Unders