Why I love CrossFit

Before I started I was very skeptical of CrossFit.  From an outsiders point of view, it looked like an unorganized mess of people doing crazy heavy weights. (This is what inferred from pictures I'd seen on Facebook)  I was definitely one of those people who bad mouthed CrossFit and talked about your just going to get hurt doing that crazy stuff.

What did I know...I'm a person who gets hurts stepping in a hole, running into a fence, playing flag football, etc.  Silly to say that your going to get hurt doing crossfit or because of crossfit when you get hurt walking down the stairs. (I might be a klutz)  I guess it was just one of my ways to argue against something I didn't know.

My second argument of not wanting to go was that they were doing crazy stuff. (Crazy stuff? thats what you call it) In reality, they are doing movements that everyone does. The big bumper plates for the olympic lifts looked so intimidating. All I knew was what I had learned from the globo gym.  The largest weights were 45lbs and 10lbs were pretty small. I didn't know that the 10lbs bumper plates and the 45lb plates were the same diameter. Thats a big difference when I thought they were lifting...lets see (45lb bar + 45lb plate + another 45lb plate= 135lbs) See why I was intimidated.

This is what I've learned and why I have fallen in love(obsessed/addicted) with CrossFit:

1. It's a happy medium between personal training (expensive and not getting results but love the accountability ) and working out on my own (not getting results).  CrossFit there is a coach to help you, push you, and make sure your doing the lifts correctly and the workouts are programed for you.

Source: Pinterest

2. Goal setting! I'm so goal oriented and always have been.  I love setting goals and getting there.  Even if they are a small goal.  With cross fit my goals at first were just to get to the gym 2x a week. Now my goals are I'm going to lift 10lbs heavier than last time or whatever.  My long term goal is to do an unassisted pull up and then kipping pull ups.  The girls who do pull ups without the colored bands look so cool!

3. This kind of goes along with the goals but I know how hard to push myself with the WODs (Workout of the Day).  If it is a AMRAP (As Many Rounds/Reps As Possible) I'm going to push myself so hard to do as much as I can.  If it is Rounds for time, I push hard again but I know the end game.  They are two different mental games. I'm having a hard time explaining it right now but I love them both for different reasons.

Source: Pinterest

4. You can't get cocky.  As soon as you get okay or good at something the next WOD knocks you down and reminds you that you are not the fittest in the world.  It doesn't get easier, you just get better and more efficient at the movements.  You learn your strength and weaknesses and it always seems that the workouts will have both in them.

5. The community. I have met so many nice people at our box (gym).  They are living results of where you can be in 6 months or a year from now.  Its the only program that I know of that the trainers and athletes are living examples.  It would always make me wonder when I would see trainers that were not in as good of shape as you would expect them to be.  This community is far bigger then one gym, it is the world and that is so cool! Just google, pinterest, or instagram crossfit girls, or crossfit and the proof is in the pudding (not sure if I used the saying right, oh well)

6. Overcoming fears.  In the first 2 months of workouts I did not want to see what was being posted because after I would find out I would be so afraid until it was over.  A lot of the fear was fear of the unknown. There were many movements that I did not know and it scared me and took me outside of my comfort zone.  (which became so addicting) Now I want to know what the workout is just so I can plan what I'm going to wear. For example, if were doing a workout with burpees I were a tank that will stay on my body while doing burpees or if we are doing squats I have a bra that I like to wear that adds a little padding on my back. The WODs doing scare me anymore  I just look at them as something I have to complete.  Now I was a nervous about the Open WODs because of the weight but it was the same fear of the unknown I was battling.

7. I have seen results! Um What!! When I started I was back squatting 85lbs. As of February my 3RM was 135lb! What!  Setting PRs (Personal Record) are so much fun because I always seem to surprise myself.  Mentally I have not caught up to where I am physically. Each week of the Open I surprised myself with how strong I am.  When I was doing personal training I have no idea what weights I was lifting or if I was really progressing. Now I know and I push myself since I know where I'm at and that I want to progress.

About Me

I've started this blog to document my progress with Paleo and CrossFit. It's also a way for me to talk about CrossFit without annoying my family or husband.  He says it is the first things I talk to him about in the morning and the last thing I say to him at night.  :)

My health journey started when I was a senior in high school after I quit playing softball for the high school and competitively. I had a few injuries and I decided that I rather have a life then spend all my time playing softball. My diet was horrible and I ate mostly hamburgers and fries.  I was use to practicing late and just picking up fast food on the go.  I had a yearly physical and the pediatrician recommended that I have my blood work done since I was slightly overweight, at the time I was 145 lbs at 5'4.  Well the results came back that I had very high cholesterol and triglycerides and they were recommending that I see a nutritionists.  My mom said "I'm not taking you to a nutritionist I know what your problem is and it is all the hamburgers." This is when I started my journey with Weight Watchers. I was only 17 and had to have a Dr.'s note to start.  I started WW the summer before senior year.  By the end of the year I was a goal and I was down to about 125 lbs. I felt like a whole new person since I had always been a thicker girl.  I wouldn't say fat, just thicker.  I've never had fat around the stomach area, I carry it all in the legs, hips, and butt.

Me with my my brother at prom

Going off to college was kind of scary after just dropping 20lbs. I feared gaining the freshmen 15 so I was going to do whatever I had to do not to gain the weight that which led to me to developing some pretty bad habits.  I loved being my skinnier self but I still saw myself a thicker girl in the mirror. I wish I could go back and just shake myself so I could of seen how I really looked.  I survived my freshmen year on SmartOnes. I can tell you that I haven't eaten one since then. I also was the girl who wouldn't eat when I knew we were going to party and then get wasted. To me if I threw it up at the end of the night I mentally felt better since I knew I didn't consume those calories. Unhealthy I know and now this behavior has a name called drunkorexia. I changed my ways since I couldn't handle it.

This was at my skinniest and I was still was insecure about being a swimsuit. WHAT WAS I THINKING!

Fast forward to turning 21 and I finally gained the 15lbs. I was able to keep it off for 4 years but once I turned 21 it slowly crept on. My clothes were getting tighter, well really I couldnt get my butt into my pants which is a real problem.  I cant even try to squeeze it just doesn't work.  I went back to weight watchers since I knew it had helped me loose it and made sense to me.  Slowly it came back off and I lost the final lbs during my last semester of college which was student teaching.  Then I knew I wanted to be apart of this masters program at my university but it didn't start till the fall and I graduated in December of 2009.  So I just kind of lived, did a little of substituting but not alot. I found a trainer and started working out 2x a week with her and she would kick my butt. I tried to start running but I hated it.  I've hated running since I was a little girl. Well then my trainer had to move back to houston and I got a new trainer and she taught me how to run. With her help and coaching I did my first 5k and then I went on to run a 10k. I was loving running at the time.  Then I started the masters program and it took over my life.

After I finished my 10k in the Texas Hill Country in June. 

The next year was a stressful one, I had moved to a new place, my boyfriend was working in Houston and I was in Round Rock, I was in graduate school, 1st year of teaching, and teaching 4th grade (I hate writing..weird that I writing a blog I know).  I gained about 10 lbs during this year. Everytime I was stressed I would eat some chocolate which was plentiful in a school.  I felt like I was just surviving that year. I tried to go back to WW but I would give up quickly because I was just not ready to put in the dedication.

Spring Break during my first year of teaching

The next year I moved back to Katy after the crazy Texas budget cuts. I had no job waiting so my summer was just do whatever. I finished up graduate school and didn't know what I was going to do then on July 1 my best friend asked me to marry him! I was so excited. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a planner. I plan my family vacations and I plan vacations that I never go just for fun.  It was my turn to plan a wedding and I just couldn't wait to get started. I'm a little obsessive with things also or so I've been told so when I get into something I really get into it.

We decided that we would get married in the Bahamas October 20, 2012.  It would make planning a little easier and who doesn't want to go to somewhere beautiful to get married.  I also didn't want a huge a wedding and having a destination wedding would keep the numbers down. (We still had about 70 people come to the wedding). By the end of July we had a wedding planner to help, even though I love planning I think everyone should have a wedding planner.  There was so much that she did and knew because she is apart of the industry, she also had knowledge that I didn't on what works and what doesn't.  The budgets cuts of education were not as bad as they thought they were going to be so they opened up positions at school and I got hired 2 weeks before school started.  I was going to be teaching 2nd grade and was super pumped. Teaching a testing grade was extremely stressful and 2nd grade is what I taught during student teaching.

Well it was another stressful year of teaching. It wasn't easier than the first and there are many reasons for that which I'm not going to go into. So by the end of the year I decided to leave the teaching jail career. I haven't been happier!

Over the year, my fiancé and I got a trainer at our local gym. I was hoping to loose the weight that I had gained during the first year of teaching.  I just seemed to gain more which is from my diet and the stress I was going through. All during this time my fiancé wanted us to try CrossFit. My aunt had been doing CrossFit for a few years and my cousin was doing it but to me it looked cultish.  I knew people from high school who were doing it and I think I was just really scared.  Barbells have always scared me and  seeing pictures of girls working out with what I though was tons of weight (the bumper plates) I was intimidated. So we just continued with our personal trainer 2 times a week and I would do the stair master the other days.  At the time I thought we were working out. Yes I was doing cardio and yes I was weight training sort of.  I told my fiancé that after the wedding I would try CrossFit but didn't want to try right before the wedding with the fear of getting injured.  ( I was scared to ride a bike before the wedding scared I would fall off and scrap my whole face it would be horrible...silly thought now)

Welcome Party...he likes to photo bomb his own photos

October 20, 2012- Happiest day of my life. The day I married my best friend and became Mrs. Curtis.

We had a real active honeymoon in St. Lucia. We went jungle biking, scuba diving, we took a hike, and then we climbed a mountain.  Also our resort was on a side of the hill and the walk to the beach was a lot of steps. I thought I was in good shape doing the stair master but I thought I was going to die on that mountain.

Walking down to beach. The road is steep so they added steps in the middle

Scuba Diving

Hiking

We made it to the top

We climb the mountain to the right. Known as Gros Piton

1/4 of the way up Gros Piton. They hard part is the 2nd half. It's a 2 mile hike up and 2 miles down.

Half way there. We look like were about to die and we hadn't even started the hard part. 

This was the easy part.

We made it to the top. I didn't go far from that rock. My quads were so tired I was afraid I would fall. 

This dog hiked the entire way up. 

My silly husband chasing the crabs. Look how pretty the water is. 

Jungle biking

The week we got back from our honeymoon my now husband contacted our local box and by Thursday I went in and did the one-on-one session. My husband went the next day and about died. We signed up for the on-ramp and I liked the on-ramp because I felt like I was eased into it and not just thrown into workouts.  The next week would be our first week doing the WODs with everyone. We went 2x the first week and I was extremely sore. I was hooked but it was hard with the holidays and parties to get into the box.

After the holiday, is when I say I really started. By the end of January, I was going to the box at least 3-4x a week. This is where the addiction started!

There is so many new things in my life now and I'm loving it.