I enjoy running and am always setting goals to get faster and finish another marathon. But I want to also be a stronger runner and have fun while accomplishing my goals! So, finally, I’ve been working out with weights and doing strength-training with my husband. I will say I had done strength-training while in college when I was on the Cross Country and Track team, but doing it now with my husband is a new experience. You may have seen in previous posts that I mention my husband is a machine. He’s very strong and admires the human body and what it can accomplish when it’s treated good! I owe a lot to him when it comes to health and nutrition. He’s a former Certified Personal Trainer, a Certified Nutritionist and over the past few years he’s been doing CrossFit. He set up a gym in our basement so we don’t have to leave the house!
Now, I’ll tell you I wasn’t initially big on joining any CrossFit gym myself. I just felt it wasn’t for me…
But, since this is my husband’s/Dan’s Crossfit Gym, I am an eager member!! And I do feel the difference and I do see progress! So I plan to keep at it!!!
In my spare time, when I’m trying to get Kali to sleep, I like to scroll through tumblrs on my phone, mostly tumblrs that are filled with pretty landscape photos or just pretty photos of healthy food or fashion, but some are fitness tumblrs. They’re very inspiring… in a wow-I-need-to-get-off-my-ass-way because every pic is of a lean, strong, young girl doing something athletic or flexible. But it works for me to get me moving! Often there are before and after pics. And this is where I believe it’s important to take photos of yourself, as well as videos, to help you get a better idea of where you’re at physically, how you feel about what you see, and how you can improve on what you’re doing. It may seem like it’s a vanity thing, but it’s a true way to improve on yourself, to set goals, and to get yourself inspired to go!!! You don’t have to post them anywhere on the internet, just have them to see for yourself! It’s a baseline to know where you are and then maybe you’ll look back and be happy or surprised at your progress. Or you may say “I was doing that new workout and I do look good, why did I stop?!?”
So while we were in Disney, at the resort, I had my son take our photo. Our trip was about two months after joining my husband’s basement CrossFit Gym. I do feel doing the workouts with him have made more of a difference than just running alone! I feel stronger and I feel I look leaner in the pic. I’ve lost my baby pooch I had last summer, my daughter now is 22 months old.
Now, getting started wasn’t easy. My husband is like a drill sergeant about doing the workouts RIGHT. Doing the movements CORRECT. I used to think “Sure, I can do 25 push-ups” but after he corrected my form, I could barely do one! So initially it’s about getting the technique right, then about doing the workout correct, then adding weight and pushing yourself, getting stronger and seeing results! As you can see by the video below, I don’t start out too good lol. But by the end, I’m getting it! If you listen, you can hear my husband say “Do another one!”
So this photo from Disney was hilarious to us, it is so him, looking like he’s saying “Do another one! You better do your burpees and squats!!”
You gotta start somewhere, so slowly but gradually I feel I’m improving. It’s my own motivation and inspiration to see the improvement in myself and THAT’S why it’s good to take pics or videos!
My husband sets us up with the workout, and they get my heart RACING!! It’s great because it’s always different and mixed up each day and each one is a WORKOUT! I’ve seen people do facebook live workouts and similar workouts on tv where they’re talking during the entire workout. There’s NO WAY we’d be able to have a conversation when we’re in it with what we’re doing! We push it!! It’s reminiscent of my racing days in high school and college when yes there’s the long-runs at a conversational pace, however when it’s time to race and give it all you got, there’s no talking, just heavy hard breathing at a heart-pounding pace! That’s Dan’s Crossfit Gym! I’m loving it!
We use the kids chalk board to post our workout. That’s all you need. Nothing fancy.
We set up some music and we get at it!!! Marriage bonding time that I do enjoy! Yes, the kids are always right there but they’ve got pretty much 85% of the basement covered in toys to keep them busy but sometimes we do have to tell them to get back. I have to write a post about Kali Krossfit, she’s no joke!
And sometimes the workouts are a throw-back to kid fun! These are called toes to bar or t2b in CrossFit language (now that I’m in the know I can use abbreviations!). I felt like I was nine years old, so easily wanting to flip backwards and swing my feet around, hang upside down, yell at my friends to join me. But… the swinging part is too much and is wrong! I needed to learn to do it right, control it more and that will make for a solid strong core!
My husband does it perfectly.