Category Archives: Inspiration

Exercising EVERY DAY for a year?!

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I’m so sorry that I’ve sucked with posts for the past week. Things have been CRAZY and I have some VERY EXCITING NEWS that I can’t WAIT to share with you all, but can’t share it just yet!! But it’s been keeping me busy.

Ironically, today’s post is about making time to stay fit (like I said, ironic, but keeping fit and blogging are totally different.. right?)

Last week, I realized I had 8 workouts in 4 days. Totally didn’t even realize it until Friday and I was dead and couldn’t figure out why. And then I went to Lululemon during lunch so I could take a spin class after work, making it 9 workouts in 5 days. Whoops. But here’s the thing- I honestly didn’t realize I was working out so much. I think of working out as fun, I don’t think of it as a chore. Even though it’s also my part time job, it’s also my new social scene. For real. I think it’s more fun to go and workout with friends and grab dinner after than just going out for drinks. Does that make me totally lame? Probably. Do I care? Nope!

I recently joined up with Tribesports. Have you guys heard of them? It’s based in England, but I think it’s gonna take off here in the States. It’s an online community that encourages you to do engage in physical activity and challenges. You can sign up for different challenges, post your progress, complete challenges, make friends, the whole 9 yards. And you get awesome emails with British quirkiness “Do take a look around and sign up for some challenges, quite nice, yes. Lets get a spot of tea and crumpets afterwards, yes” Okay, maybe I made up that part, but whatever. It’s a great idea and concept, and I think y’all should GET INVOLVED! And link up with me :)

 

One of the new challenges they’re doing is to do 30 minutes of physical activity every day for a year. Right off the bat, that might seem excessive. What about rest days? Are you really supposed to work out EVERY day for a year? But re-think exercise here for a second. Exercising doesn’t have to be a super intense, heavy sweat session every day. You can go for a walk, do some yoga, take the stairs instead of the elevator, carry the groceries home instead of hopping in the car. Just do something. I signed up to do the challenge and am so far sticking with it. Who’s with me? Do you think you could do 30 minutes of physical activity every day for a year? I might not hit the 30 minute mark every day, but I want to do SOMETHING every day. Get that body moving. It’s so important.

I promise.. more exciting news and JAMS and Hotties to come this week!! In the meantime.. who’s ready to work out for a year? :)

-Emily

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Mental Toughness

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When Emily and I were in high school, we pretended we were runners and joined the cross country team.  Since we both sucked at running, we saw it more as a social hour then as an opportunity to get better.  But, we stuck to it and actually lasted the whole season, go us!

 

Story of our lives

(http://www.shesaidineedagoal.com/)

Since then, I had a couple of brief stints with running.  When I joined the Rugby team my freshman year, we ran a lot.  Whenever my roommates would piss me off in college, I would go for a run.  Then, my senior year, my friend guilt tripped me into signing up for a half marathon.  If you ask me, 13.1 miles is an obscene distance to run. I kinda enjoyed the training, but my body always seemed to suffer from it.  My knees would hurt, my feet would ache and my ears would burn from the cold.  So, after the half marathon, I decided I would more or less retire from running (if retiring from something you never had a career in is even possible).

Since starting CrossFit about a year and a half ago, my longest run was a mile tops.  Besides that, it was a couple 400s or 800s in a WOD.  That’s it.  So, when my friend from the gym asked me to run a 10K with her two weeks ago, I slightly panicked.  How can I go from struggling through a 400 meter run to running 6 miles (24 400s if I did the math correctly) all at once?  But, my friend felt pretty confident so I figured I should follow suit and give it a try.

The first couple of miles were easy peasy.  Things didn’t start to get tough until mile 4 or so.  That’s when I started to think about how our trainer had said “you girls can do it.  It’s all mental” right before we left.  As I continued to run (there was no way Stacey was going to slow down and walk) I started to think about how your mentality plays such an important role in your performance.  If you don’t think you can do something, you won’t.  Its easy as that. If I started to think I wasn’t going to make it, I wouldn’t.  If I channeled all my energy into believe I could finish the race, I knew I had a chance.  Even though I hadn’t run more than a mile in years, I felt strangely prepared.   I felt strong and confident running for the first time in my life.   I knew that I would finish the race even if it took every ounce of energy in me.  As the finish line came closer and closer, Stacey and I kicked it into high gear (ok, maybe not really, but it sure felt like it).  We literally gave it all we had and I could not have been more proud of us.

 

CrossFit Florian representing! Woot Woot!

After the race, we treated ourselves to a non paleo cliff bar and UFO beer.  Literally the best things I’ve tasted in weeks.  Then, I went home, laid on the couch, and didn’t move for hours.  Whatever, I just ran a 10k, bitch.

Has mental toughness played a role in your training?  What do you do to train your mind?  We wanna hear it!

-Erica

Man Candy of the Week: Jared Davis

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Alright ladies, time for some man candy. This week were featuring another amazing coach from reebok Crossfit one, Jared Davis. Jared was the coach at my first WOD and he has a natural ability to make you feel comfortable and confident in your workouts. Oh and he has a southern accent, so that’s another major plus. Sorry ladies, he’s taken, but you can still look!

Name:  Jared Davis
Vitals:  6’0″, 195 lbs, 29 yo
Hometown:  Palatka, FL
Nickname:  JD
Heartbreaker Status (married, single, engaged):  I have the best girlfriend EVER!
Been CrossFitting since: 2008
Favorite WOD: All of them
Favorite CrossFit Hottie:  James Hobart
I eat… everything
I like…  Food, music, and having FUN
I love… CROSSFIT, Anything outdoors, golf, camping, fishing, surfing, all sports, boating, etc

My friends would describe me as…  Fun!
My guilty pleasure is…  None, I do what feels good
I CrossFit and coach because…  It is my passion and I LOVE IT
Most embarrassing moment at the gym:  forgetting a members name in front of the entire class!!
Biggest accomplishment at the gym:  helping people get better and fit everyday
Personal style outside of spandex,sports bras and high socks:  board shorts, flip flops, tank tops….well maybe not up here.  Jeans and a tee

When I’m not at the gym, I’m….  Watching football, or “chopped” on food network, hanging with friends, enjoying the outdoors

Something people would be surprised to know about you:  I was raised by wolves in the forests on Gondor…..not really.  Ha ha I don’t know.  Maybe that I’m ambidextrous.

-Emily

Strong vs. Skinny

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So, Erica got all inspirational yesterday, and I’m about to get a little emotional/slight feminist (which is very unusual for me. Not the emotional part, but the feminist part. I’m sort of like a dude 24/7)

My whole life, I’ve been muscular. I came out of the womb with broad shoulders (my mom won’t let me forget that) and thunder thighs. I also apparently came out of the womb sucking my thumb, and immediately downed two bottles after being alive for about 3 minutes. So really, not much has changed. I’m still muscular, and I’m still hungry. All the time.

Homegirl, I can relate. via Nike

In high school, when I got really into working out, my goal was to always get “skinny”. I would purposely only use 5 lb weights so I wouldn’t bulk up, did at least an hour of cardio a day, cut calories, and kept a food diary. At my thinnest, I weighed 125 lbs, and was always so frustrated that I wasn’t losing any more weight (I’m 5’3, so 125 is still slightly above average than a “normal” weight for my height. I’ve definitely roid-raged out on doctors who have told me I should weigh less. Test my BMI, bitch, THEN tell me I need to lose weight). The point is- I would obsess over that number on the scale. I’d weigh myself every day and cut my food intake and up the cardio if I wasn’t satisfied.

 

It really wasn’t until the last year that I became comfortable with my body. I’m always going to be muscular, and I should embrace that. I’m always going to have to get my jeans altered so they fit my booty and my waist. I’m going to go Hulk status every now and then and rip my shirts with my huge stupid shoulders (this has happened more times than I’d like to admit. It usually ends in tears). When I’m on the spin bike, or at CrossFit, I feel so empowered (feminist alert!!) because I feel how strong I am and I see the things my body will do and I see others around me doing the same thing. It’s inspiring, motivating, and it’s expected.

via Body Confidential

But I can’t help but feel frustrated and let down sometimes. I hate myself for leaving the gym feeling all badass and sexy, and then I’ll pass a girl who’s 5’10 and weighs less than I do, and my self esteem drops. I notice how my thighs are rubbing together and how short and stumpy I feel. I immediately start comparing myself to her, and want her bod (not in that kinda way, but in the way that I’d like it if my thighs didn’t rub together and my shoulders were proportionate to my body and my ass didn’t require its own zip code). I know there must be tons of you out there who suffer the same thing- and it sucks. Lately, I’ve been catching myself do it, and have been able to snap myself out of it. In my world, I’ve noticed a HUGE shift towards “Strong is the new skinny” which I obviously love, but there’s still a huge part of society that pressures us into being rail thin (feminist alert part 2!!) and I think it will take awhile for all of us to collectively break that mold.

Can you spot the difference between these two pictures?
Hint: One is an Victoria’s Secret model. The other is not. I know,
it’s probably difficult to tell which one is which. 

But guess what? This whole situation is sort of a Catch 22. Through my Fitfluential family, countless blogs, and Instagram, I’ve come across dozens of girls who are actually trying to GAIN weight and bulk up because they’re too thin. And they are just as frustrated with not being able to gain weight as I get sometimes with not being able to lose it. So, embrace it ladies (feminist alert part 3, last one). Get off the scale. Stop counting calories. Stop comparing yourself to others (especially those in magazines- you wouldn’t BELIEVE the power of Photoshop). Be happy with your bod. Be confident. Be strong. The bottom line is to BE HEALTHY.

Was that too deep? Did I just become a feminist? Am I being crazy? Anyone else out there cope with body image issues here and there?

-Emily

Standard Monday Rant

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Is there any better way to start off the week then with a mid afternoon rant?  I didn’t think so.  Lets get to it.  Last Friday, I’m sitting in the conference room, minding my own business, eating lunch.  The secretary comes in and puts down her plate of bagel bites and can of Diet Coke while complaining that her triglycerides are in the 300’s and her doctor wants her to pay more attention to her health (Honey, here’s a tip, those bagel bites, probably aren’t helping).  I told her about how when I was growing up I had very high cholesterol (200+) for being so young.  I told her how I tried everything from whole grain to low fat and that nothing seemed to work.  My doctor told me that if things didn’t change, I would have to go on medication to help regulate it.  Although the medicine had some weird side effects, I was ready to give it a shot.   Thankfully, my doctor was pretty hesitant and said to wait a year.

Look! See they are good for you!  Whole Grain and Real Cheese!

It was around that time that I started CrossFitting and eventually heard about the Paleo diet.  Since my doctor had always told me that red meat and fat were the devil, I was very hesitant to give it a try (WHAT?! I have to give up oatmeal?! But..But..But its heart healthy!).   I did a little research, read the Paleo Solution and gave it a shot.  A couple months later, I had my blood checked to see what sort of affect it had on my levels. As it turns out, my cholesterol dropped from 216 to 177, my LDL (bad cholesterol) fell from 143 to 104 and my triglycerides stayed fairly constant at 89 to 97.  Suck that, low fat diet!

So, after I told my secretary the condensed version of that story, she was like, “well you’re young., when you are old like me, things are different…everyone in my family has high triglycerides”.  Yes, I am sure things are a little different when you are older, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.  As a grown woman, you should realize that Bagel Bites are not an acceptable meal. Don’t tell me you’re eating them because they’re convenient. Eating a banana is convenient. Let go of all those stupid excuses that prevent you from achieving your health.  Stop blaming everything on your “bad genes” or “slow metabolism”.  Don’t blame everything on “oh it runs in my family”. You can change the habit- you can change what runs in your family. HTFU PEOPLE!  Dallas and Melissa from the Whole 30 say it best; your genes are the bullets in the gun.  You personal choices are what pulls the trigger.  Lets start taking ownership for our actions and man the eff up!

Happy Monday
-Erica

 

CrossFit Hottie of the Week

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We’re continuing to rep the ladies this week (don’t worry- there’s man candy coming soon) with the incredible Lindsey Johnson of Reebok CrossFit One. You may remember me mentioning Lindsey in my post last month- she was the one who pushed me through that workout I kept telling myself I wasn’t going to do. Yeah, she’s pretty badass. I’ve only had a few WODs with her, but she is one motivating machine. And she loves chocolate, and tequila. So that also means she’s wicked smart.

Name: Lindsey Johnson
Stats (height, weight, age): 5’10, 155, 32
Hometown: South Kingstown, RI
Nickname: LJ
Heartbreaker Status (married, single, engaged): Single
Been CrossFitting since: 2008
Favorite WOD: I really don’t have one, I like them all!
Favorite CrossFit Hottie: So many… so little time.
I eat… I try to eat paleo, but have very little self control!
I like… To do anything creative
I love… My job, my friends are everything to me, and my family.
My friends would describe me as… Outgoing, confident, “and pretty much the coolest person ever” -Joe Masley
My guilty pleasure is… Chocolate, chocolate and maybe some tequilla.
I CrossFit and coach because… I get to change lives every day, make someone better in and out of the gym.  Whether it’s physically or emotionally. It’s amazing to see what we can do with a few workouts.
Most embarrassing moment at the gym: Honestly can’t think of one, I know it sounds lame… but I can’t.
Biggest accomplishment at the gym:  Getting my job here at Reebok CrossFit ONE
Personal style outside of spandex,sports bras and high socks: No high socks for me… kind of hippie, anything from Free People and Anthropologie
When I’m not at the gym, I’m…. On the beach/Paddleboarding
Something people would be surprised to know about you: I love to sing, but have terrible stage fright.

 

We’re only week 2 into the CrossFit Hotties and are definitely looking to feature more, so let us know if you’d like to nominate someone! Or yourself. We’re cool with that.

HAPPY FRIDAY
-Emily

Inspiration

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I just tweeted this, but am posting it here as well because this needs to be viewed by as many people as possible. Seriously, most inspiring story I’ve ever seen/heard. This kid is SO young. Can you imagine if we all had this attitude? This selflessness, and willing to devote so much time and effort to the well being of others? To people that you love? So incredible. Stop what you’re doing now and take 10 minutes to watch this.

-Emily

CrossFit Hottie of the Week

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It’s time to reveal our new weekly feature: CrossFit Hottie of the Week! Oh yes. You know you love drooling and oogling hot CrossFit bods all day long. (we know you do because it’s one of the top searches on our blog…) So, we’re bringing the goods. Every Friday we’ll feature a CrossFit Hottie- someone we know, or someone we admire. And yes, we’re referring them as Hotties for their physical looks, but also because they’re just awesome people and great athletes. We were debating calling it “CrossFit All-Stars” but I really prefer to act like I’m still in 7th grade and use the term “Hottie”.

Without further ado.. our first Hottie of the Week is Ashley from Reebok CrossFit One. I’ve had the pleasure of getting go to Ashley’s Monday morning classes, and she is awesome. Her bubbly personality and energy is contagious, and she’s always there to encourage you and keep pushing you. I mean, that should come naturally to her seeing as she’s a Celtics cheerleader… And don’t let her pint size fool you. This girl is a solid bundle of muscle and she will kick yo ass! Read on:

Name: Ashley Anastasi
Stats (height, weight, age): 4’11, 90lbs, 26 years old
Hometown: Easton, MA
Nickname: “itty bitty” or “peanut”
Heartbreaker Status (married, single, engaged): Boyfriend <3
Been CrossFitting since: March 2011
Favorite WOD: Any WOD with gymnastics
Favorite CrossFit Hottie: My one and only, Jim Gambee aka JG <3
I eat…Too much!!
I like…Strawberry non-fat greek yogurt with strawberries & grapes
I love…Coffee oreo ice ceam
My friends would describe me as…Kind, tiny & caring
My guilty pleasure is…A grass fed beef burger with sweet potato fries OR coffee :)
I CrossFit and coach because…I enjoy helping people get stronger, faster and healthier each and every day, their progress is my reward :)
Most embarrassing moment at the gym: Missing the small box below me coming down from pull ups (yes, I need a box to get out to the pull up bar – HA!) and scraping my shin really bad…5 stitches, but still finished! 
Biggest accomplishment at the gym: Muscle ups and handstand walks for distance
Personal style outside of spandex,sports bras and high socks: I’m either in gym clothes, work clothes or something very comfty :)
When I’m not at the gym, I’m….A wedding planner by day and a Celtics cheerleader by night
Something people would be surprised to know about you: My Fran time is 4:38RX (new PR!)

What do you think of the new feature?! Jams and Hotties on Fridays? Yes please. We’re going to be running this for awhile so let us know if you have someone you’d like to nominate and feature :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!

-Emily