Health and Well-Being

Although this is over 6 minutes, I think it is a worthwhile view for those of us who struggle with body image and keeping our perspective. My favorite quote?

At 4:39 when she says, "If we could get people to focus more on their own health and well-being, I think everything would just become secondary to that."

Yes.

Cheers to focusing on health and well-being in 2014. (And to keeping my butt off the scale and away from the darn measuring tape....)

Cranky About Crossfit

I'm getting a little cranky with the way Crossfit is being vilified in the media these days. As it has grown in popularity, there are two things that I think are really missing in the message.... and those things happen to be why I spend money out of our family budget that could definitely be used elsewhere.... hey, I could pay 1/10 and go to the little purple gym not too far away!

Those two things?

1. Coaching
2. Community

Coaching is very important to me. In the past, I have paid personal trainers but that is cost prohibitive for us at this point. Crossfit is a total steal in this respect- you can actually get regular personal training for around $100 a month. I go 12 times a month... which means my 'session' with my trainer is roughly $8 for an HOUR. Check out your local gyms- most start at around $45/hour for personal training. Yeah, it's not one-on-one at CrossFit, but in a good box with good coaches, I think it is better than. (Let me repeat: with GOOD COACHES.) Mostly because I don't particularly like having a coach stand over me- I'd rather get some help on form and be pushed a little during a workout than have 100% attention. I meet with my coaches every quarter to set some new goals and to be accountable to someone other than my husband. (We learned very early in our marriage that my asking him to help me with food and fitness was a bad idea.... and very unfair to him! Talk about a lose-lose situation. "Hey honey? You sure you wanna eat that?" Dead man.)

Community is also huge for me. One of the things I love most about rowing is the group dynamic- 8+ in a boat working together towards a common goal. Rowing is expensive in my area, and doesn't fit with my family schedule (hello 4:45a alarm clock!) so I choose to find this kind of community through my Crossfit box. You see all the pithy sayings about how the family who works out together, stays together, etc., but there is real truth there. We get to know people in a very real way- their strengths and weaknesses. We learn who wants a cheerleader and who wants us to just be still. It becomes family.... some weeks I spend more quality time with these folks face to face than just about anyone else in my life. Sad, but true. And they can be part of your fitness support system beyond just the coaches. Everyone who comes in goes through the same torture and is also committed to being there. Instant community.

Where do you find coaching and community?

Related articles

• Thriving, Not Just Surviving
• Early Morning Alarms
• For the Record: Why I Blog About Food and Fitness
• Scale Wars

Early Morning Alarms

You know that thing, when you set your alarm for a new early wake-up, and then wake up 4 times during the night just to make sure you didn't miss the alarm? Yeah, I did that last night/this morning. I'm going to visit my local rowing club's indoor practice here in less than an hour to see if I feel like I can row this year. I have taken a few years off, and feel like I'm on a good path with my food and fitness choices right now. Love rowing, don't love what I allow the group/team dynamic to do to my head.

So, this morning is research. Meet the coach, say hi to potential teammates. See what I think of adding the early morning drive to my days. Then make a rational decision.

This is what I miss.... (that's me sporting the mega-orange OK State shirt. and hot pink visor. because my 5 am morning fashion is just that good.)

Moving Beyond Basics

credit: big thompson crossfit

This week, I started back to regular CrossFit classes after the four weeks of Basics at Big Thompson Crossfit. Although I have been involved in CrossFit before, I chose to go back through the introduction class just to get my fitness level ramped up... and it's a really good thing!

Most of my Basics class just moved from one class time to another en masse, so it is nice to have the camaraderie present as we progress to more difficult workouts. The photo above is from the last basics workout... and that's me doing air squats in the front.

I think this week's programming theme has been "Thou Shalt Run. Lots. And you will LIKE it." Thanks, Cliff, for the opportunities to work on my weaknesses. <rolling eyes> Welcome to class with the big kids! Goodness gracious... (wonder if I can get through each round of tomorrow's WOD by pacing out that song- the boys would kill me if I asked if we could put this song on repeat... mwahahaa. not sure using the iDevice is a great idea with the squat cleans)

Scale Wars

It's been a good bad day. I woke up this morning noticing positive changes in my body. This evening, I started feeling all scale crazy... you know, when you want to get on the scale just so some stupid number can make you feel better? Or worse? Depending on the snapshot of that second in time.

The dumb thing is still in the box I packed it up in weeks ago, although I was tempted to take it and the sledgehammer out to the driveway this evening. Seriously. But it's cold out there, and I'm already in my pajamas.

Rather than be destructive, I thought I'd come up with a constructive list of questions for me to ask myself when I'm scale psycho. Maybe they'll help you too.

Scale War Questions

1. What are you feeling right now that is making you seek validation from a number?
2. What will stepping on that scale accomplish in this moment? 
3. Will you change your eating or exercise based on this information?
4. Are you breaking a promise by getting on the scale?   

Most of this boils down to patience. I get all hyper and want things fixed ASAP, never mind that it took me decades to get to this place. I know that doing some shopping for some new workout togs is what set me off this time, so I need to leave that alone for a bit until I've regained some sanity. 

Follow Julie Cunningham's board Scale Wars on Pinterest.

Plan B: Bravo Month

This year is going to be my alphabet soup year of fitness and eating. I'm anticipating working my way through at least the first half of the alphabet in plan names. Plan A was simply to attend the Crossfit Basics class, eat my Vemma Bode meal plan, and meet with my coaches to develop a plan. Now that Basics is almost over, I'm checking off Plan A and moving to Plan B.

Plan B is really huge for me because I tend to crash when my initial plans run into some kind of trouble.... be it of the family interruption kind or the financial crunch kind or the schedule insanity kind. I am trying to 'chunk' my plans into one-month sustainable goals that fall in line with my larger quarterly goals. Now, I'm kind of off kilter because this class is ending mid-month, so this plan is for 6-weeks... and then I'll set the next one.

Plan B (Bravo 'month': mid-March to May)

• Attend a set Crossfit class 3x/week. 

• Eat Vemma Bode meal plan. 

• Stay off the @#$! scale. 

Voila! New plan in place that I can sustain for 6 weeks... the hardest part for me will be the last one, which is actually pretty sad. Also, I know (and my coaches know) exactly which class I'll be attending- just wasn't sure I wanted to tell all the interwebs those little details. 

Plan C coming up for May!

How are you doing with your current plan? Have you moved to a new one?

[Disclaimer: Vemma affiliate link.... I just like the stuff and find it works for me. If you are interested because of what you read here, your purchase just helps me pay for my monthly order.]

March Progress Pics

Why is it that selfies look so much better than ones others take? I'm only doing this so I can look back and refer to it again several months from now. Or a year. I was flat out refusing, and then Lisa over at ...Slow & Steady posted her progress pics, which gave me the needed push to snap a few pics. Thanks, Lisa!

I'm honestly not really looking or critiquing right now- just logging and then moving forward with my plan. I finished reading The Cortisol Connection this afternoon- good stuff for those who have wondered about stress, cortisol, and fat loss. (Next round of progress pics in my stellar "Suck it Up, Buttercup" from shirt from SoRockShop will be in early June 2014. Yellow is not my color, but I love the saying.)

front march 2014

side march 2014

back march 2014

Pre-Before Pics

photo credit: big thompson crossfit

I want to put some before pics up here, but I don't really want to take any. #catch22 I'm working on my attitude towards my body, life, food, and fitness- not sure pics will be positive for me at this point any more than getting on a scale or measuring (both of which I have abandoned for the foreseeable future). 

We'll see how I'm handling that part of things mentally. For now, I give you this surprisingly flattering pic taken at my box. (My preferred squat location is anywhere that I can be butt to the wall away from people.... ahem. You might not care, but my first thought was that my butt didn't look big. Oy, do I have some mental reframing to do! I actually really like my form here, so I need to focus on those things and let my journey just happen.)

For the Record: Why I Blog About Food and Fitness

Let's get something straight.... I blog about food and fitness for three reasons:

1. To be publicly accountable for my choices
2. To have a record of my food plan
3. To encourage friends who are asking for more 

I do not have it all together.

I do mess up daily and splendidly.

I do not push a certain path for others.

I do want my friends to find their own way.

I do not ascribe to a specific way of eating for everyone.

I do know what is working well for me personally.

I do not think a particular exercise regime is best.

I do think the best exercise is one that you will do consistently. 

I do not have extra time on my hands.

I do fall apart if I do not take time for self-care.

So, please please please please do not take things here out of context. There is absolutely no judgement or preaching intended- this blog is mostly for me, but if it helps you to think about how you are approaching your food or fitness choices in a different way, great. 

You be you. I'll be me. We'll be just fine. :)

Systems Not Goals

Last week, I told one of my coaches at Big Thompson Crossfit that my goal was to not set any goals. I'm sure he thought I was being goofy, but I was dead serious. I am such a driven, goal-oriented person that I tend to suck the life out of my efforts in the gym and in the kitchen.

As I am re-entering the world of fitness, I'm trying desperately to ensure that this isn't yet another year that I work to lose 20-30 pounds over the spring and summer only to regain it all over the fall and winter. I also ran across an article on inc. that talked about setting systems and structures in place that will get us to where we want to be without setting an actual goal. This was a huge revelation for me.

I set up an appointment with my coaches with the intention of gaining some accountability for my 'systems'. Here is what we collectively decided on as my 3 month plan (note that they don't look much like goals at all):

Have you recently set some systems in place rather than goals? How is that working for you?

At the risk of sounding totally schizo...

I'm going to talk about these two personas that reside inside my little self, and are sometimes at war with each other. I'd honestly like nothing better than to see the parts mellow and blend each other into a healthy whole.

Julie tends to be the responsible adult one. She has a strong work ethic, high standards. Loves her hubby and kids. She can also be controlling, perfectionist, and an absolute pain in the butt. 

Jules, on the other hand, knows how to have fun. She can relax, appreciate the moment, and enjoy life. She is also seldom seen these days- she is weak from years of too much seriousness. My coach calls me this, and it reminds me that the best friend from high school/college and the collegiate/masters rower is still alive. 

Thus the genesis of the name of this blog.  I want Julie to be Jules. And I want Jules to be Julie.