-Yoga teacher quotes
Showing posts with label Crossfit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crossfit. Show all posts
Friday, September 4, 2015
Yoga
You are not a recipe that's a few ingredients short. You don't have to add anything.
-Yoga teacher quotes
-Yoga teacher quotes
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
The Myth of "Community" in Crossfit
Interaction with other people is one of our most basic human needs. For many people, a large part of living a healthy and happy life is developing and sustaining intimate relationships with friends and family. It's been scientifically proven that babies and children suffer developmentally with a lack of human interaction. With relationships being so paramount, it's no surprise that one of the premier advertising strategies for Crossfit is to portray a "Box" (gym) as a community.
Supporters of Crossfit preach that the Box is a judgement-free zone where Crossfit members will actively encourage each other to perform at their best. It is drilled into the consumers that in Crossfit, everyone is competing against themselves and not others. This advertising scheme is in place to draw people to the Box, and make them believe that the Box is more than just your average, run of the mill gym.
Crossfit boxes are much more than your average, run of the mill gym. Every day, a different workout is provided that can be scaled to difficulties ranging from beginner to advanced to competitive. At the Crossfit Box we attend, there are women seven months pregnant, people fifty or more pounds overweight, people of average health, and elite Crossfitters who train for Crossfit competitions. Crossfit serves all of these people and serves them well. In my month at Crossfit785 I have become stronger and leaner than I was when I started. But, I can't say that the community boasted about on online forums exists because of Crossfit.
Crossfit785 has roughly 100 members. Each class is limited to 21 people, and there are about seven classes offered throughout the course of the day. Some people consistently attend at the same time every day, and others don't. I typically go to either the 5:30 AM or 5:30 PM classes. In my opinion, that's pretty ample time to be able to make a judgement about the Crossfit community in the Box I attend, and this is my observation.
People in Crossfit are just people.
These are the same people you'll find at work, school, the grocery store, or a restaurant.
People form cliques.
Once a close group of friends forms, the members of said group can be pretty unwilling to let someone new in. Making new friends is tedious, and if someone has a few friends they go to Crossfit with regularly, it's pretty unlikely they're going to make great friends with someone else simply because they already have friends!
People are competitive.
Period. One workout program typically won't change someone's entire way of life. Some people find validation in competing against others. The other day this guy mentioned that he always wanted to finish in the top half of the class, and if he would finish in the bottom half it would upset him... that doesn't necessarily go along with the doctrine of competing for personal records.
People can be mean.
Some people can be flat out rude. They might have had a bad day, or maybe they're just mean all the time. People don't stop being mean just because they're working out.
People can be really nice.
There are nice people everywhere. In our Box, we've been welcomed by several people, and even made a couple of acquaintances. Our coaches are eager to give us advice, and correct our form when necessary (read: a lot). One or two people might offer us encouragement every now and then.
My point? Community is not inherent only to Crossfit. Community is inherent to any place where roughly the same group of people go to the same place with common purpose. In any community there are nice people, mean people, funny people, and strange people. It takes all sorts of people to form a community. But, that can happen at a regular gym, at a yoga class, a book club, or any host of activities where people regularly come together. So, don't join Crossfit only for the community, because just like anything. "community" is an extremely romanticized word. Join Crossfit because you want superior coaching, a regular workout plan, and have a desire to get in the best shape of your life, not because you want to be a part of a community.
Crossfit boxes are much more than your average, run of the mill gym. Every day, a different workout is provided that can be scaled to difficulties ranging from beginner to advanced to competitive. At the Crossfit Box we attend, there are women seven months pregnant, people fifty or more pounds overweight, people of average health, and elite Crossfitters who train for Crossfit competitions. Crossfit serves all of these people and serves them well. In my month at Crossfit785 I have become stronger and leaner than I was when I started. But, I can't say that the community boasted about on online forums exists because of Crossfit.
Crossfit785 has roughly 100 members. Each class is limited to 21 people, and there are about seven classes offered throughout the course of the day. Some people consistently attend at the same time every day, and others don't. I typically go to either the 5:30 AM or 5:30 PM classes. In my opinion, that's pretty ample time to be able to make a judgement about the Crossfit community in the Box I attend, and this is my observation.
People in Crossfit are just people.
These are the same people you'll find at work, school, the grocery store, or a restaurant.
People form cliques.
Once a close group of friends forms, the members of said group can be pretty unwilling to let someone new in. Making new friends is tedious, and if someone has a few friends they go to Crossfit with regularly, it's pretty unlikely they're going to make great friends with someone else simply because they already have friends!
People are competitive.
Period. One workout program typically won't change someone's entire way of life. Some people find validation in competing against others. The other day this guy mentioned that he always wanted to finish in the top half of the class, and if he would finish in the bottom half it would upset him... that doesn't necessarily go along with the doctrine of competing for personal records.
People can be mean.
Some people can be flat out rude. They might have had a bad day, or maybe they're just mean all the time. People don't stop being mean just because they're working out.
People can be really nice.
There are nice people everywhere. In our Box, we've been welcomed by several people, and even made a couple of acquaintances. Our coaches are eager to give us advice, and correct our form when necessary (read: a lot). One or two people might offer us encouragement every now and then.
My point? Community is not inherent only to Crossfit. Community is inherent to any place where roughly the same group of people go to the same place with common purpose. In any community there are nice people, mean people, funny people, and strange people. It takes all sorts of people to form a community. But, that can happen at a regular gym, at a yoga class, a book club, or any host of activities where people regularly come together. So, don't join Crossfit only for the community, because just like anything. "community" is an extremely romanticized word. Join Crossfit because you want superior coaching, a regular workout plan, and have a desire to get in the best shape of your life, not because you want to be a part of a community.
Friday, August 29, 2014
While you were sleeping...
Today was a hard day in the world of Kelsie and Crossfit. This weekend we are going to visit Ty's grandparents, and want to leave as soon as possible after school because it's over a five hour drive. So what do we do? Morning Crossfit... At 5:30... When it's still dark outside.
Motivation is pretty tough to come by, especially at a time when even the sun is sleeping. We're somewhat lucky that we have a monetary investment in this as well, but that doesn't mean that when I see the Rx workout on the board my first instinct isn't to jump in the car, floor it to Sonic and have a milkshake. (Trust me, I've considered it a few times.) But, I fought the urge and stayed. As you can imagine the 5:30-ers are some of the fittest people at Crossfit 785. The women are strong with toned bodies, and the men throw hundreds of pounds over their heads with ease. So, now you can imagine me with morning breath, frizzy hair, and "cushion for the pushin'" dragging myself to the gym. I'll be honest, it was hard to keep my confidence up.
Sadly, I haven't discovered the secret about how to feel secure in your own body when standing next to the Kansan version of Adonis, or when your husband is cranking out pull-ups like I can lift a spoon to my mouth. But, this morning, instead of focusing on the way the others ran fast, or the SIX MONTHS PREGNANT woman was doing box jumps, I thought about myself. I thanked God for my legs that are able to run no matter how slow I go, I thanked Him for giving me arms that are strong enough to lift dumbbells and kettle bells, and I thanked Him for the opportunity to get in the best shape of my life, no matter how long it takes.
At the end of the day, I'm the only Kelsie Stelting in the world. That doesn't make me better or worse than anyone else, it just makes me human. Like any human I have strengths and I have weaknesses. For every success, I probably have about five failures, but that's okay, because I am Kelsie whether I weigh 110 or 310, or whether I can do 1 or 100 pull-ups. Part of what makes me Kelsie is the fact that I won't give up, and that's all that matters when I go to the gym.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Fat to (Cross)Fit
Unless you're Patrick Star, you've probably heard about Crossfit. Either someone's telling you that it's ridiculous and if you do it you're sure to get an injury, someone's saying offhandedly that they want to try it, or you may be unlucky enough to be friends with someone who does Crossfit, in which case, you probably hear about it at least five times a day. (You had a banana for breakfast? I ate a banana before doing "Cindy" once... Get your mind out of the gutter; "Cindy" is the name of one of the many hellacious workouts.)
Somewhere in the mix of all the information, it sounded like a good idea. Rigorous workouts five days a week, competition with yourself, strength training, what more could a girl ask for?
So, here's the deal. Ty and I just spent six months in other countries, and let me tell you, the "Study Abroad Fifteen" is a real thing. Even though people might feed you lies about how Europeans eat healthier, don't buy it. There are cake shops EVERYWHERE, and let's be honest, how much self-control can a person have in that situation? To top it off, we had the justification that it was a once in a life time opportunity, and food is a huge part of culture. Long story short: we needed to get on track for a healthy life style. We'd changed our lives forever by studying abroad, and it's high time that we changed our bodies by sticking to a workout program... So what did we do? We signed up for a semester's worth of Crossfit, paid in advanced.
The first requirement was an "onramp." We had to do three workouts with the coaches so they could teach us the correct form. There were only eight people in the class including us, and two coaches. The other newbie Crossfitters ranged from fit military women, to a mother of three with fibromyalgia. I didn't feel in place or out of place, I just felt like I was there to do my thing. Most of the onramp was a refresher course from high school, but it was also a brutal awakening. The first official "workout" was one Tabata set of squats. A Tabata is twenty seconds of effort followed by ten seconds of rest, eight times in a row. I was sore for three days. Seriously, three days, from a four minute workout!
As of now, we are two days in. There are very few parts of my body that aren't sore, and those parts are becoming sore from coddling the other parts. In the words of my brother, Tucker, "Why are we paying people to make us feel this way?"
Wellllll... good question.
I HOPE that after a month, we won't feel so bad anymore.
I HOPE that after a month, we will be stronger.
I HOPE that after a month, we won't be so tired.
I HOPE that after a month, we will be well on our way to a healthy lifestyle.
And...
I THINK that in a month, all of those "hopes" will come true, thanks to Crossfit.
Somewhere in the mix of all the information, it sounded like a good idea. Rigorous workouts five days a week, competition with yourself, strength training, what more could a girl ask for?
So, here's the deal. Ty and I just spent six months in other countries, and let me tell you, the "Study Abroad Fifteen" is a real thing. Even though people might feed you lies about how Europeans eat healthier, don't buy it. There are cake shops EVERYWHERE, and let's be honest, how much self-control can a person have in that situation? To top it off, we had the justification that it was a once in a life time opportunity, and food is a huge part of culture. Long story short: we needed to get on track for a healthy life style. We'd changed our lives forever by studying abroad, and it's high time that we changed our bodies by sticking to a workout program... So what did we do? We signed up for a semester's worth of Crossfit, paid in advanced.
The first requirement was an "onramp." We had to do three workouts with the coaches so they could teach us the correct form. There were only eight people in the class including us, and two coaches. The other newbie Crossfitters ranged from fit military women, to a mother of three with fibromyalgia. I didn't feel in place or out of place, I just felt like I was there to do my thing. Most of the onramp was a refresher course from high school, but it was also a brutal awakening. The first official "workout" was one Tabata set of squats. A Tabata is twenty seconds of effort followed by ten seconds of rest, eight times in a row. I was sore for three days. Seriously, three days, from a four minute workout!
As of now, we are two days in. There are very few parts of my body that aren't sore, and those parts are becoming sore from coddling the other parts. In the words of my brother, Tucker, "Why are we paying people to make us feel this way?"
Wellllll... good question.
I HOPE that after a month, we won't feel so bad anymore.
I HOPE that after a month, we will be stronger.
I HOPE that after a month, we won't be so tired.
I HOPE that after a month, we will be well on our way to a healthy lifestyle.
And...
I THINK that in a month, all of those "hopes" will come true, thanks to Crossfit.
EatHarmony
By: Ty Stelting
They always say two heads are better than one... Well... I believe two stomachs are better than one. When you have another person on your side going through the tough battle of healthy and cheap eating, it is a smoother transition. My wife and I are together in this journey and she has already made it where I feel our meals are better than a pre-made fried processed salty french bread pizza-thingy you get for $2.99 at the corner store. We live in a world full of temptation and it is so easy to be able fall off the wagon and go get a box meal and not spend the extra time and effort on making something from scratch or fresh items.
Well trust me, when you make your own food and use the materials that are cheaper, it becomes a complete transformation in the way you think about and approach every meal.
Kelsie and I have completely stopped buying small quantities of things we use on a regular basis. We began making things cheaper by buying things fresh. We don't buy things down the freezer aisle (other than the occasional pint of ice cream for indulgent purposes).
Life is so much easier with two because it can be such a daunting task to actually food prep and prepare meals, and you might be thinking those are synonymous but they definitely are not.
We buy tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, potatoes, fruits, and lettuce, all at one time and cut it up and store it for later use. We can add the vegetables to any dish, make fries, eat a salad, and still spend less than what you would spend on one big bag of frozen fries and a bag of salad. Food prep is the hardest because it would be nice to just set a whole pepper in a meal but it is very hard to do that so you must chop it up.
Now that you food is actually chopped up and stored in reusable tupper-ware, you can draw from it any time a meal you want calls for it. Say you want chicken breasts and corn-on-the cob, you can add sauteed onions and tomatoes to the top, or enjoy a nice salad. It is much healthier and cheaper than buying a lean cuisine or a Stauffer's frozen chicken dinner. After a week those fresh ingredients will taste better and make you feel better.
Another advantage of having a partner is that you guys can plan for the future and actually not run into this moment where you have no clue what you are going to have to eat and just go down to that corner store. You will always want to make the other person feel as if they shouldn't be disappointed in you so it holds you accountable. And if the meal is not something that you both don't normally enjoy but it was on sale, than you can suffer together or vice versa. Really enjoying a meal together can be powerful in making a better you, and you can instantly feel that. Tip: Set days in advance where you (and your partner) can indulge and enjoy a meal out, setting those days together will help you not cheat as much. Don't ever stop yourself from enjoying things you used to enjoy, just use in moderation; this can help stop you from having a binge.
The last and final thing is working out together. If you are lucky enough to be able to do the same workout as this person, you can actually coordinate meals and figure out if the plans will work or not. The pressure of finishing all the food you prepped can keep up the intake during exercise and make your taste buds accept it as better than that expensive pre-made stuff.
This other person can push you, help make change, help you feel good about what your doing, and make it a lot easier to become that healthier you. You will also do the same for them. My wife and I are figuring out that it can be easy to have an expensive healthy life style, but if you make all the right choices, wise buys, and stick to it, things can be cheap, easy, and better than anything you did before in a much healthier way.
They always say two heads are better than one... Well... I believe two stomachs are better than one. When you have another person on your side going through the tough battle of healthy and cheap eating, it is a smoother transition. My wife and I are together in this journey and she has already made it where I feel our meals are better than a pre-made fried processed salty french bread pizza-thingy you get for $2.99 at the corner store. We live in a world full of temptation and it is so easy to be able fall off the wagon and go get a box meal and not spend the extra time and effort on making something from scratch or fresh items.
Well trust me, when you make your own food and use the materials that are cheaper, it becomes a complete transformation in the way you think about and approach every meal.
Kelsie and I have completely stopped buying small quantities of things we use on a regular basis. We began making things cheaper by buying things fresh. We don't buy things down the freezer aisle (other than the occasional pint of ice cream for indulgent purposes).
Life is so much easier with two because it can be such a daunting task to actually food prep and prepare meals, and you might be thinking those are synonymous but they definitely are not.
We buy tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, potatoes, fruits, and lettuce, all at one time and cut it up and store it for later use. We can add the vegetables to any dish, make fries, eat a salad, and still spend less than what you would spend on one big bag of frozen fries and a bag of salad. Food prep is the hardest because it would be nice to just set a whole pepper in a meal but it is very hard to do that so you must chop it up.
Now that you food is actually chopped up and stored in reusable tupper-ware, you can draw from it any time a meal you want calls for it. Say you want chicken breasts and corn-on-the cob, you can add sauteed onions and tomatoes to the top, or enjoy a nice salad. It is much healthier and cheaper than buying a lean cuisine or a Stauffer's frozen chicken dinner. After a week those fresh ingredients will taste better and make you feel better.
Another advantage of having a partner is that you guys can plan for the future and actually not run into this moment where you have no clue what you are going to have to eat and just go down to that corner store. You will always want to make the other person feel as if they shouldn't be disappointed in you so it holds you accountable. And if the meal is not something that you both don't normally enjoy but it was on sale, than you can suffer together or vice versa. Really enjoying a meal together can be powerful in making a better you, and you can instantly feel that. Tip: Set days in advance where you (and your partner) can indulge and enjoy a meal out, setting those days together will help you not cheat as much. Don't ever stop yourself from enjoying things you used to enjoy, just use in moderation; this can help stop you from having a binge.
The last and final thing is working out together. If you are lucky enough to be able to do the same workout as this person, you can actually coordinate meals and figure out if the plans will work or not. The pressure of finishing all the food you prepped can keep up the intake during exercise and make your taste buds accept it as better than that expensive pre-made stuff.
This other person can push you, help make change, help you feel good about what your doing, and make it a lot easier to become that healthier you. You will also do the same for them. My wife and I are figuring out that it can be easy to have an expensive healthy life style, but if you make all the right choices, wise buys, and stick to it, things can be cheap, easy, and better than anything you did before in a much healthier way.
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