Things did not go as planned. I had planned to keep a food journal this entire time. I had planned to limit my fat intake. I had planned to limit starches. I was going to work out twice a day. I started off good. I managed to keep it up for about a month. But then I lost focus. I got rid of the scale so I couldn't weigh myself because I had become obsessed with a number and not how I felt. I apparently do not do well with a super strict diet. I lack the focus. I enjoy fat and sweet potatoes too stinkin much! But despite my lack of determination I lost weight. Well, I actually don't know what my weight is. But I like the way I feel in my clothes again. And I think I know what made the difference.
I stopped lifting heavy. Last year I was constantly working to increase the weight on the barbell. I wanted to RX. For those unfamiliar with the CrossFit term it is the prescribed weight for the workout otherwise you "scale." And scaling felt like being less than, like my workout wasn't as tough because my weight was less. And so that was my goal and it was very much encouraged and stressed to increase your weight, lift heavier for the sake of new PRs (personal record) even once the RX weight was achieved. It was fun. I would be so proud of myself every time I added weight and could accomplish the lift. I was getting stronger. But I was not happy with my body.
Don't get me wrong. I was fit. Very fit. But my clothes didn't feel right. Everything was tight. I put on a cute shirt that buttoned on the sleeve right at my bicep that had always loose around my arm and one day I couldn't even button it. I cried. I don't want little wimpy arms but I do want them to be feminine, graceful, lean and I no longer felt like they were. I did not care for the way my trapezius muscles (you know, those neck wings) were bulging and had to only wear sports bras with straps that I could adjust larger to go over the mountain of muscle (they were probably not nearly as huge as I felt that they were but nevertheless, it was not what I wanted.) I feel awkward even writing this because I know there are a lot of women and men that struggle to have any muscle definition and here I am complaining about having too much. And I'm actually not complaining...I realized I just didn't like my body that muscley and so I did something about it. I see these CrossFit memes all the time about how ridiculous it is that women fear weights because of some imaginary risk of getting bulky and I almost feel like I'm betraying CrossFit by saying that yes, in my experience lifting heavy weights made me more bulky than I was comfortable with.
Everyone has different body goals. Nobody ever asked me what goals I wanted for my body. God made us all so incredible and I am NOT saying that having big muscles and being bulky is bad or unattractive. If you want to lift heavy then by all means, lift heavy. It just isn't what this chick wants. And well, I'm the only one that gets to live in this body so I guess I should probably be the one who decides what I want it to look and feel like. This feeling of discontentment with my body led to realizing that this is something we could do differently at our new fitness center, The Core. We could create workout programming and nutrition that is specific to the individual's goals. And so we did.
We have developed three categories of Core members: Core, Solid Core, and Hard Core. One is not better than the other. They are all different with original goals. You pick the category that best fits your personal goal and work up to it. But as always in order to move to heavier weights or more complex movements you must first prove that your technique is on par. Let me break it down...
CORE: These are our members who are new to CrossFit and still have form and skills to learn. Or they are not really concerned with having muscle definition or losing weight but just want to be active and healthy. These workouts will rarely require barbells. Most movements will be body weight exercises only. This group will consist of younger teens all the way to great grandparents.
SOLID CORE: This is me. This category is for members who want to be lean, have muscle tone, increase endurance and energy, feel healthy. These workouts will kick your butt but will be done at a smaller weight but more reps with increased metabolic conditioning. I really think this is the majority of people. For those wanting to lose weight this will be the category of choice.
HARD CORE: This is for members who want to put on mass, who always want to lift more, be stronger. These members will lift heavier and at less reps. If someone is competition minded this would be a good fit.
All three categories workout together doing the same modalities just at different scales. For instance, if the structure of the WOD is Thrusters, pullups, and lunges then each category may look something like this:
CORE: Airsquats or Thruster with PVC pipes-9 reps, ring-ups-15 reps, lunges-25 meters 3 rounds
SOLID CORE: Thrusters at comfortable weight-15 reps, Kipping Pull-ups or pull-ups with bands-21 reps, Light weighted lunges (10/15 lbs)-25 meters for 3 rounds
HARD CORE: Thrusters at 80% max-9 reps, strict medball pullups-15, heavy weighted lunges (45lb)-25 meters for 3 rounds
So everyone does the same funtionalities but each with a different purpose. I just don't see the point in working out for someone else's goals for your body. This same concept applies to the nutrition portion of health at The Core. We aren't going to tell you to do Paleo, or the Mediterranean Diet, or become a vegetarian. We are going to find what works best for you and your body. If you abhor the idea of using any animal products then we will work with that and create a plan that allows for your beliefs and still be on target for your health goals. If you can't stand the smell of any type of seafood then don't eat it. Sure it is a really lean protein full of essential fatty acids and minerals but we will find another way to get those in. If you despise the idea of keeping a food journal then you wont. Your schedule doesn't allow for you to eat dinners at home? Let's come up with a menu of foods you can pack or healthy items you can get on the go. Did your doctor tell you that you need to lower your blood pressure? Then we will focus on foods with higher amounts of potassium and lower sodium. Can't fathom the idea of giving up grains then lets find a way to work around that or lets try it for just 30 days and see what happens. After 30 days you think grains are needed in your body then add them back...see what happens then. My point is that EVERY BODY IS DIFFERENT. Why would every body need the same workout and have the same diet?
Getting healthy is not a one size fits all situation and I think recognizing that and planning accordingly is what will make this ultimate goal an achievable reality for EVERY BODY.
Levi made this recipe for THE BEST PALEO CINNAMON ROLLS last weekend and they were soooo good! The only problem was they were NOT pretty...hence the much more beautiful picture off the website. One really huge tip...make these the night before. We actually doubled this recipe bc we were having breakfast for dinner and the cinnamon rolls were dessert. We then left the second roll in the fridge until morning and then sliced and baked the next day.
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