Category Archives: Crossfit

My Most Fierce and Unforgiving Opponent in the Crossfit Open

23 Sunday Mar 2014

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit

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This year I decided to sign up for the Crossfit Open.  For those of you unfamiliar with this, it’s a worldwide athletic competition that takes place in Crossfit ‘boxes’ simultaneously every year.  While hundreds of thousands of athletes join up, it is only the elite-level that continue on past the first five weeks.  So I registered, fully aware that it would be  a five week endeavour – and not an easy one.

Crossfit BradfordThe general format is that every Thursday evening there is a workout announced.  These will have a wide variety of components, but with a mix of heavy lifting, high intensity movements, and gymnastics components (think barbells, pull up bars, body-weight movements and more)  All participants must be judged for technique and accuracy by a certified Open judge with scores submitted online by the following Monday.  (If you haven’t heard of any of this yet, check out www.games.crossfit.com)

I almost didn’t register, mostly because I knew that my stress threshold this year has been sitting pretty close to full.  Workouts stressful?  Well, they can be.  IF you have the potential to be as competitive as I can be (which I’d say most crossfitters are).  As a recovering perfectionist, I’d say that the tendency to have very high expectations of myself are always up there.  Yes, it’s just a workout.  But I’m competing against my most fierce and unforgiving opponent:  myself.

At first I didn’t sign up. It wasn’t even on the radar.  But it slowly crept in.  I’ve been training this way for more than 2 years now.  The Open is a great community builder.  It’s a great measure of myself, as well as a way to compare my own gains against those of a larger group.   And maybe it would be a good idea to have something on my plate to push myself that was not work or home-life-related.

I felt like the only way I could take this on and avoid overburdening my stress-meter was to set up some of my own ‘rules’.  I realize that many of the other athletes who do this do so with the attitude of “give it all I’ve got” – (and my approach may actually be considered blasphemy in some circles) –  but for me, I had to take that level of intensity off the table.  I wanted to go through this experience feeling happy with my efforts, while picking up on the areas I want to work on more.  Finally, once I discovered that I wouldn’t hold back my team if any of my scores were low, my decision was made.

My Rules for the Crossfit Open:

Rule 1 – I was doing this for myself.

Rule 2 – I would only compare myself against myself, not anyone else.

Rule 3 – I would not stress or spend undue time ‘strategizing’ my workout beforehand.

Rule 4 – I would only do each workout once.  No repeats.

Rule 5- I will revisit all 5 workouts at some time in the next 6 months to see how I fare at those times. (This is how I’ll let this be a competition of me against myself)

Rule 6 – Technique, technique, technique.  More important than score, time or ego.  I was using this Open as a chance to hone my skills, push a little harder than usual, and more importantly, I want to avoid injury.

Rule 7- I would let this be fun.  For me this meant that I would push like a regular crossfit day.  80-90% effort was my goal.  If I had more, I’d give more.  Ultimately I wanted to walk away from each workout feeling happy with my efforts.

I questioned Rule 7 many times.  This didn’t mean that I didn’t work hard, or that I didn’t push myself.  And the questions did pop into my mind at times: Was I being lazy?  Why wouldn’t I want to push as hard as I could?  Why wouldn’t I want to see how well I could really do?  I think it was that I was concerned that without giving myself permission to do so, I would be at risk of pushing past that hard-to-discern point between maximum effort and stupidity.  I chose this route for this particular Open to have the experience of participating while minimizing the chances of injuring myself, pushing myself into overload / stress mode, and losing sleep over a competition.  Quite frankly, other parts of my life are too important for me to not consider those things.

My rules worked for me… until I started to break them.  I saw friends and acquaintances posting their experiences and results on Facebook.  I was being texted about it and responding in kind.  It was like I was back at school where I hated the whole “How’d you do?!” frenzy that often came after tests.  I guess it was the same mentality then too – I wanted to do my best and not compare.  A hard thing to do.

I started to hear people mention strategies that made sense.  Maybe I should look into the workouts more beforehand, too, I thought.  (I shouldn’t have.) It just started me thinking, and once I went down this road, I slept poorly the night before the workout, and felt almost nauseously ill all day leading up to it.  Not the mental or physical state I was wanting to be in.

So I returned to my rules.  And reminded myself again WHY I was doing this.  I was doing this for myself. Me, Myself and I.

Instead of giving into the frustration of “I could have done better;”  or that yucky feeling of failure when you feel like “someone beat me”, I chose to see what I was gaining from this. (I may potentially reflect and blog more on this after it’s all over.)

Yes, I’ve been working hard.  Some of the workouts are as mentally taxing as they are physical.  But through it all, I see the community in our Crossfit coming together, and  I see the sharing of virtual high fives on Facebook pages everywhere as people post both their wins and challenges.

As with so many things in life – it is what you make of it.  The Crossfit Open is simply a tool – one that will be used in many different ways for the participating athletes.  And as with any tool, it can be used in useful or potentially harmful ways.  My rules were my way of making this a positive experience.

After all, I joined Crossfit to get strong, lean and fit – all in my quest to be as vibrantly healthy as possible.  I discovered a way of training that made sense to me for how we are designed to move, and it opened my eyes to a whole host of skills and strengths that I would not have otherwise had.  But I also got hooked because it was enjoyable to me.  (I still can’t quite say fun, although there are times that it certainly is).

Am I strong?  Am I healthy?  Am I learning new things?  Pushing new boundaries? You bet.  Even in the Open.  And with my rules in place – for me – there are still some times that it’s even fun.

The Un-Hollywood Definition of Beauty

29 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Musings of a Manic Mama, Women Empowered

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I am turning 38 this week.  And while I admit to having my own areas of vanity and self-consciousness, I don’t think I have the same degree of hang-ups with my age as many women. Nor do I have any hang-ups with my body shape or size (anymore).  It actually floors me to realize that at some point in time in the past decade, I learned to fully and completely accept myself.  Flaws and all.

When I was a teenager, I was painfully self-aware and sincerely disliked my body.  I wanted to be perfect.  My journal was filled with lamenting about stretch marks from growth spurts, disgust at cellulite, and the frustration of having short, thick ‘soccer’ legs.  I would run, train, leg lift and more in the attempts to come to terms with the body I had.  I actually think that one of the reasons I kept my journals from that young age was so that if I ever had a daughter of my own, I’d remember what it felt like to want to change the body I had.

Now that I am a mom with two young kids, I find myself checking in with them often about how they feel about themselves.  So far, their comments reinforce to me that they have a higher degree of self-love and self-acceptance than what I did.  But I wasn’t aware of those aspects of myself until the teen years, so I guess a part of me may still be holding my breath, and hoping that we’ve done a good job in teaching our kids those same lessons that I have learned over the course of my adult years:

“I am enough”

“I don’t have to be perfect”

“I am grateful for what I have”

“I am grateful for who I am”

“I love myself”

“I am worthy of love”

Or as Audra has stated, “I’m grateful for being myself.”  YES.

I think that time has allowed me to mature, see value in myself in ways I didn’t when I was younger, and to learn to be compassionate with myself.  As a recovering perfectionist, this process has been several decades in the making.

When I look in the mirror, I can’t miss seeing the fine lines around my eyes – even when I’m not smiling.  I sometimes wonder what magic cream I can find to delay the onset.  Wrinkles are not something I was planning on having to deal with.  I see the scraggly grey hairs that are beginning to crop up on my head, and I content myself with plucking them out – while wondering if I’ll ever let myself go grey.  I find myself plucking facial hairs almost every night – this is just not something I had to do in the past.

I realize that I could be at risk for allowing my earlier obsession with wanting a perfect body to transfer into a new obsession to want to look young forever.  I laugh at the fact that I’ve been asked for ID when purchasing alcohol several times in the last few years…  but in retrospect, I guess the funny part of it is that I know that there really isn’t any way of me passing for 25, let alone 19.  I wonder if the LCBO knew they might get more repeat female customers by having a quota to ID women who are in their 30’s (even when they know that they are indeed old enough).  Hmmm…

I guess it comes down to the fact that I have to learn to accept that time is going to pass and that my face and my body will change.  And even more importantly, that neither of these attributes defines who I am.

Image

Just to prove it to myself – I took this picture on a whim: post-workout, un-showered, no makeup – I didn’t even have my hair brushed.  (I’m not too sure about doing the same in a bathing suit though!)

Maybe I do only have a few years left to feel that I can pull off a bikini … OR I could choose to accept that how I look in one will continue to evolve.  AND that maybe it’s my perception of myself that will allow this to happen.  Maybe my time of passing for a twenty-something has passed – but the reality is that I wouldn’t trade the experience and wisdom time has given me simply to look a certain way or a certain age.

The fact is that I DON’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT.

Who set those standards, anyways?!

Everyone ages.  Everyone wrinkles.  Time changes us.

The images we see in the media are simply not reality: most are photo-shopped, as I’m sure many of you have seen in recent videos that have been floating around the internet.  And while I was never aware of trying to emulate them, obviously I have still been influenced.

So I am defining my beauty in an un-Hollywood way.

Why should I care what others think of me when it is my own self love that allows me to shine and bring the best of who I am to the world?

I am embracing my age, loving the experience and wisdom that time has given me.

I am remembering that my body created, supported and nurtured two lives.  In my children, I see the two most beautiful, natural works-of-art I have ever witnessed.  How could I ever do anything BUT love the body and the woman who gave birth to them?!

I am working on loving my imperfections.  They are not me.

I AM much more than how I look.

I choose to focus my attention on who I am being each day.  I focus on how strong my body has become, celebrating that at age 38, I am in the best shape of my life.  I can lift heavier, go faster, and learn new things that I could not do a short two years ago.  I appreciate that I have a husband who finds me beautiful and sexy –  who tells me so every day – and who supports me in every challenge I face through his certainty that I am fully capable in every thing I do.  In these ways and more, Dean has been a key player for me in becoming happy with who I am.

I focus on having great energy, on being able to play full-out with my kids, and for being able to go about my busy life without the constant fear of falling short. I am inspired by the women around me who are older – whether by years or decades – and who continue to push their limits constantly – whether that be in fitness, career, learning or making a difference in this world.

I am inspired by the women who have gone before me – who have been pillars of strength, independence and intelligence, and many times ‘ahead of their time’ (like my MOM and my NANNY).

I look at all the women around me every day – in my practice, in my friends, in the women I work out with, and in my community –  and see how beautiful they are in so many ways.  Loving, nurturing, giving, strong, confident, courageous – and unique.  I see the beauty that lies inside and out and marvel at the wondrous variety that exists.

I see that the world is one of beauty, no matter who the beholder may be.  

And that is not a definition that can be put into a picture – even if it were photo-shopped.

You ARE beautiful.  Trust me.

Trying new things

11 Wednesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Fully expressed

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Last night I taught a Move by Design class at the crossfit near my practice.  I had the opportunity to connect with 20 new people, introducing them to the concepts of how they are designed to be extraordinary, and more specifically on how they are designed to move.  But the best part of the night for me was in the form of a conversation I had with a woman afterwards.

“Why do I love crossfit so much?” , she asked me.  I chuckled, recognizing that while she was being introduced to a new approach to movement, she was feeling something awaken within herself that felt so good, so natural, and so right – and yet here she was, trying to figure out what was so attractive about it.  The competitive nature it awakens?  The community it creates?  Yes and yes,  but there was something more.  Upon further conversation, I think the answer for her was found in rising to the challenge of trying new things, and in the process – discovering that she could do more than she thought she was capable of.  And it got me thinking…

How often as adults do we try new things?  Test our limits?  See if we are strong enough, fast enough, creative enough, or brave enough?  I think in this case, the attraction of crossfit is that adults are finding themselves in an environment of doing new things – sometimes every day – or in testing their limits.  Much like when we were kids and we’d see if we could piggyback the heaviest kid, or run the fastest, or climb the highest tree, or jump off the highest ledge.  Childhood comes inherent with the question of “I wonder if I can do that?” followed logically by the attempt to do so.  We weren’t so hampered by the fear of getting hurt, or wondering if we’d look silly, or the fear of stepping up to the plate and failing.  We simply did new things for the sake of trying something new.

I wonder where we lost the drive to play?  I for one, can say that I’ve rekindled that in myself.  I now look at challenges with an extra gleam in my eye.  I’m back to wondering “I wonder if I can do that?!”

In my background of biology, psychology, and neurology, it fascinates me to uncover how we work.   What’s amazing is that brain science has now proven that our brains can change at any point in our life – from cradle to grave.  Amazing books, like that of Dr. Joe Dispenza (Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself) or Dr. Norman Doidge (The Brain that Changes Itself) go into this new understanding of how every new stimulus to the brain can make change.  And the simple truth of neurology is that every time we do something new, our brain creates new pathways.  Those pathways create the framework for all future activity, learning and perception.  And with repetition, those pathways become strong.

Think about it – if you never do anything different, how can you expect your brain to handle change?   Or – even crazier – to thrive with change?!  (As an aside, I’m not saying that change is easy… but it is oh-so-good for you!)

With this understanding, I get excited when people tell me changes that are taking place in their lives:   kids starting new schools, people starting new jobs, families trying new activities.  From the perspective of maximizing your potential – well, change is simply one of the best stimulants for growth.  Again – not always easy, but definitely good for you.

Brain Change Quote

So… what can you try that is new?  Truthfully, what are the actions that you do repetitively – and do you think they are helping you to grow?  Do you test your boundaries?  Try new things?  Even new foods, new books, new routes home from work?

Or are you going through life on autopilot?

I for one, want to live my life to the fullest.  For me, this also means continuing to stimulate my brain to grow.  I am committed to being a lifelong learner.  I wish to always see the world from a multitude of perspectives.  I want to have new experiences, see new places, learn new things, test my boundaries, and ultimately live life to the fullest.  Intellectually, experientially, physically – I want it all.  I simply know that that means I need to stay open to a lifetime of trying new things, pushing the limits of my comfort zones, and taking imperfect action. (By that, I mean not waiting until every circumstance is just right – because just as anyone who has ever tried to plan a family knows, the ‘perfect time‘ just doesn’t exist.  Sometimes we simply have to take the plunge in life.)  Sometimes I will fall, sometimes I will find things I choose not to repeat.  But the exhilaration of expanding my own abilities, understanding and horizons is just too tempting.

So what are you doing new these days?  Do you want to always stay the same?  Or are you too afraid of change?  (Old dogs CAN learn new tricks – they just have to WANT to change)

So on that note: Here’s what I did for the first time today:

I saw a post of a friend doing this yesterday, and I thought to myself: “I wonder if I can do that?”  Up until today, I simply hadn’t tried.  Sure, I had done lots of 20” and 24” box jumps – but testing to see how high I could jump?  No, not yet – but it sure seemed like fun to try!

I’ll admit that 33” was a breeze, and 36” was pretty easy.  But I balked at 40”.  I found myself thinking “what if I fall and hurt myself?”.  And even though in my mind I flashed back to teaching Ethan to ride a bike (“Picture yourself flying with ease; don’t focus on falling!”), and my friends were chirping in my ear: “What do you teach your kids?”  (these ladies know me well!):  “YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!”

At 40″ I tried and failed.  (Even though I know I can do it.)  But I’m thrilled with what I did today.  Today I tried something new.  I know I’m breaking ground.  I know I’m just a little bit better for it.

Next time it’ll be to test my limits.

Strong Kids

22 Saturday Jun 2013

Posted by in Crossfit, Moving by Design, My Chiropractic Life

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I just got back from the park with Ethan, where we spent our time ‘working out’ – although it felt like play.  For any of you in the ‘Crossfit world’, we essentially turned our park visit into a kids-version WOD (workout of the day).  It came about on our walk home from the library, when he stopped me to ask, “Mom, can we stop and do more pull ups like last night?” And so we did, and had lots of fun together (while probably getting some quizzical looks from some of the other parents there).

As a chiropractor who works with kids, I have always been an advocate for kids being active, with daily outdoor time, a variety of activities, and with exercise coming in the form of play.  My advice to parents when they ask what their kids should be doing has been to PLAY;  go to the playground, do monkey bars, climb, dance, do gymnastics, swim and so on.  And the same applies when I’ve had kids in my practice who are facing postural challenges, with the accompanying evidence of lacking good core strength.

So it was somewhat to my surprise this past week while I was re-assessing Ethan that I noted postural patterns showing up that concerned me.  As a child who has been checked and adjusted as necessary since the night he was born – and shows every evidence of being spectacularly healthy and strong – this discovery came with some questions I was forced to ask myself.  (And given that I have a thriving practice full of kids – I realized that I would have to be okay with the possibility of my precious ego getting bruised (Dr. Amy, how could you miss this?!))   However, in order to fulfill my role as his mom in keeping him as healthy as possible, I would have to put my full awareness into WHY this was going on – AND what strategies would be required to change it.  (Ego-be-gone, Dr. Amy – this isn’t about you.  It’s about HIM and what his body needs to THRIVE.)

Firstly – as his mom/chiropractor, I had to ask myself: Had I been objective enough while checking him to provide the best chiropractic care possible to him?  (While this may seem redundant to anyone who is not in this or another similar profession, classically the most difficult people for anyone to take care of are those people – like immediate family – who we are so close to that it blurs the certainty and objectivity we may have while taking care of other people in our offices.) Simply put – this makes it easier to potentially ‘miss’ things that we would see with other people or children.

Secondly – were there any habits that may be underlying this that we had become slack on?  Had we started to allow too much sedentary time?  (And why would this matter?  Well, just picture the rolled in posture of kids on their devices – and you’ll quickly get the idea).

Thirdly – Why was he lacking in strength in some of his core muscles – and what could I do about it?  Did I need to consider any other types of care providers to give us new actions to take?  Massage?  What type of movement did he require?  And would it be enough?

My first step was to put these questions to my go-to resource of the other Life by Design chiropractors I collaborate with.   The general consensus answered my questions in much the way that I anticipated:  1 – Consider having someone else assess him.  And 2 – Look at whether the basic requirements for movement were being fulfilled.  Despite the fact that I teach Move by Design and implement it for myself, I realized that the answer likely lay there.

At first glance, he’s an active kid.  But with a more honest look here, I realized that over the winter months, he had been quite sedentary.  And while now he was in the running club at school, doing track and field, and playing baseball, there was no focus on mobility work or strength building – nor a great variety in movements.

Here was my Aha! Moment:  Why don’t I teach my kids their scaled version of Move by Design?  (duh?!)  (Despite a slight degree of “what was I thinking” mindset… DR. AMY…?!,  I’d rather share this thought process and swallow my pride here, knowing it will probably help other parents and kids.)

So now we have a plan in place.  It started today at the park.  We did monkey bars, timed how long he could hang in place, did chin ups, jumping pull ups, and climbed the fire poles.  We did push ups – with strict form, just like at crossfit – timed how long he could hold a plank, worked on proper form for squatting, and did burpees.  We did ‘box jumps’ and step ups onto the picnic table.  And he wanted MORE.  We were having so much fun – possibly as a funny sight as I was still in my work clothes – that we didn’t even notice the other people at the park.  I’m sure some of them may have wondered what we were doing  – and maybe even “Why is that mom making him do that?!”  Except that from the look of sheer joy on his face, and his excited cries of ‘What else can I do?!”, combined with our laughter – there was no doubt that this was still play.

As a mom who loves to work out, build strength and test my abilities, it was lots of fun seeing this in Ethan.  (Obviously not for the first time).  Just when I thought it should be time to call it quits, he insisted on more.  And so I gave him a series of movements in the same form as a WOD at Crossfit:

2 rounds of:

3 step ups on the park bench

50 m sprint

3 burpees

50 m sprint

3 chin ups

Rest 30 seconds and repeat.

On our walk home, he was laying out our ‘plan’ of training 3 times a week.  Once with a focus on strength work – pull ups, push ups, squats (etc); once with a focus on metabolic training – sprints, jumps and timed races (etc); and once with a focus on balance and gymnastics – monkey bars/bar work, handstands, headstands and balancing poses. He’s all game for doing it all – plus mobility work with the foam roller and lacrosse ball.  And I’m thinking that my own weekly regime of working out 3 times a week may just have doubled…  AND I have no doubt that Audra will be on board, too.

I guess our summer has just added to its routine.  And I for one can’t wait to watch and measure how things change.

(Looking for more?  Check out http://www.crossfitkids.com)

Just a little wrong all day

27 Wednesday Feb 2013

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Eating by Design, Moving by Design

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I think my theme today would be that I was just a little wrong.  All day.

It seems like everything I did was just a little off.  Not bad.  Just not quite right.

It started with my workout at Crossfit Bradford.  15 rope climbs interspersed with a lift called a snatch.  Now, I like rope climbs – like I wrote about in a previous blog... but I thought 7 in one workout was a lot. 15 might just be enough to be obscene, at least if you have the “not-quite-right” technique that I use.  I work way too hard, burn out my forearms, and don’t use the power of my legs to get me up the rope.  That would be just too easy, I guess.  But being the stubborn person that I can be, I think I got through them by sheer determination.  Slowly.

The ultimate “little bit wrong” was getting to the point of reaching within inches of the top at one point – I think it was on rope climb number 8 – and not being able to hold on for that one extra reach.  Unfortunately that’s considered a “no rep” in the crossfit world – which means that it simply doesn’t count.  So I ended up doing 16 *&%^%- ing rope climbs instead of 15… and on my last one it happened again.  Inches shy, and I just couldn’t hold on for that one last pull.

Without another thought, I called it a day – frustrated with my hands that wouldn’t grip anymore.  I guess I figured that I could count myself as completing the workout since I was only short by inches, making up for it with a whole other 15-foot rope climb (14 and a half to be exact).  For the first time in all of the 180+ workouts I’ve done there, I think I was beat.  Almost just didn’t quite cut it today.

To salvage my day, I decided to spend the rest of the day making meals for my family.  I get a great sense of accomplishment out of knowing that there are good, healthy meals sitting in my fridge or freezer.  Cooking isn’t rocket science.  It wouldn’t overtax me.  It would be perfect for my mood today.

And though it wasn’t all a flop, two more “little bit wrongs” rounded out the day.  First, I decided to make a grain-free pizza dough.  It took quite a bit of work, and certainly didn’t spread out that way it was supposed to (and stuck to the parchment paper, too – what a pain)  Looking at the itty-bitty pizza that was supposed to feed our whole family, I kind of hoped no one would like it… since there was no way that there would be enough to go around if my usually-ravenous crew wanted enough to fill their bellies.  Happily – and unfortunately – it was a hit.  But we ate it kind of like an appetizer.  Out came the leftover pulled pork from last night to make up the difference.  Not a flop, but not quite right… again.

Thinking I had just a little saving grace in the large pot of chili I was making on the stove to freeze, I took it easy on myself for the dinner fiasco.  Until, of course, I added in the spice mix for the chili (check out the one I usually use on Robb Wolf’s site if you’re interested). This winter I’ve been experimenting with making my own spice mixes, but have neglected to properly label them.  And voila – we have a new, unintentional experiment bubbling on our stove:  chili with Josh Rogan curry spices.  Might it be yummy?  Possibly.  That mix rocks when I put it in our favourite curried lamb stew.  But in chili?  I just don’t know.  For now, this final oops has rounded out my day of well-intended actions that went just a little awry.

I know I could focus on what I did well today, as I usually do.  But while I’m certainly not going to dwell on these little details, I think that I’m just going to accept that today, I was just a little bit off.  All day.

Tomorrow I’ll be stellar.

Moving and Playing like a Kid

23 Saturday Feb 2013

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Fully expressed, Moving by Design

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Today I’m thinking about movement and play.  I’m thinking about how climbing, tumbling, rolling and balancing is so inherently part of most childhoods.  I’m thinking about how as a kid it’s a part of every day play to race our friends, see who can lift the heaviest thing, carry the heaviest person the farthest… and all in friendly competition against ourselves and others.  What a great way to build strength and self confidence.

Personally, I can remember priding myself on my strength, speed and toughness as a kid.  I remember wanting to be just as good as all the older kids… and definitely as good (or better) than all of the boys.  I remember the day I beat Ian (“the fastest kid”) in a race; and the day I had the fastest time for running around the block.  I remember the multiple obstacle courses and “mini-olympics” we set up in our back yard – and the flocks of kids who wanted to participate.  I remember The Tree we climbed (a really high one, I might add) – and all just for fun.  I am quite certain that some of my own competitiveness in sport has its roots in these early experiences.

And now, as I look at my own kids, I hope that we are giving them enough of a playground to build their own strength and confidence.  I hope that we give them enough opportunities to explore their own capabilities.  And I truly and sincerely hope that most of the children I meet have the chance to do the same.

Don’t get me wrong, we have given our kids lots of great experiences:  back-country canoeing/camping in Algonguin, climbing mountains in the Rockies, jumping waves in the Atlantic ocean, swimming, boating, boogie-boarding, hiking, skiing, rock climbing and more.  But in our day-to-day life?  I think we sometimes can play a little more often.  Especially in the wintertime.  In the winter it seems our playtime comes in spurts rather than in daily doses. (Kind of like: play hard… or hibernate)

As for me, flash forward a few decades, and other than being a mom who wants my kids to be strong, healthy and capable, I also am feeling the push to try new skills myself.  Maybe it’s due to a workout yesterday with lots of handstand pushups, followed by time “playing” on the bars.  Maybe in part due to a talk I gave today to a group of yoga instructors – all about the principles in Life by Design – and the essential role movement, mobility and strength plays in helping each of us strive for exceptional health.  Maybe it was watching Ethan explain his cardboard box transmogrifier/time machine (he’s recently become a fan of Calvin and Hobbes)  and the realization that the date on his time machine in 2086 will make me 110 years old…  and my thought was not “would I still be here?”  It was more like: “I’ll be getting pretty old and wrinkly by then.”  Obviously I’ll have to take exceptional care of myself to reach that one… but I think I’m up for it…

And so, in the spirit of moving, playing and being young, I am noticing that one of my new-found joys is the gymnastics components in crossfit.  Headstands, handstands, balancing feats, rope climbs, rolling and tumbling all make me feel like a kid at play.  I see a new move and I think to myself: “I wonder if I can do that?!”  Just like today, when I watched this awesome video:

Maybe I’m about to become a 37-year-old gymnast..?!  Sounds like fun to me.

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As for my kids, I want them to find what lights them up, plays up their abilities, creates strength, and let’s them try new things.  I’ll just check in every once in a while to make sure they can still run fast, lift heavy stuff, perform acrobatic feats (or at least attempt them) and play hard.  Just for the heck of it.  Because they can.  Because they are designed to move and play – and to never forget it.

Strong, healthy and fit. Full of adventure and full of LIFE.  That’s what it’s all about.

Rope Climbs and Mom-Style Strength

11 Monday Feb 2013

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Moving by Design

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I fell asleep thinking about rope climbs.  For those of you who aren’t working out at Crossfit, it’s exactly what it sounds like:  climbing ropes, in this case, up to a 15 foot ceiling.  I was thinking about it because I had checked the website at Crossfit Bradford to see what the WOD (workout of the day) would be today.  I’m both excited and apprehensive about today’s workout. I guess I am wondering if I am up to the challenge.

In actual fact, I love rope climbs.  One or two of them.  I remember the first time we did it  – and the laughing comment from a waiting onlooker as myself and another friend climbed successfully on the first try.   “If a bunch of moms could do it, she could, too”.  It was said in jest, and yet now, months later, I can still feel my reaction:  “IF a mom can do it?!”  We can do it BECAUSE we are moms.  Moms who play hard, work hard, and give our children a role model to look up to… literally.

Of course I’m strong because I’m a mom.  I have experienced childbirth (at home, in our case), sleepless nights (or years, to be more accurate), the mental and physical exhaustion of being responsible for young children – and all-the-while working to be a great role model, wife, chiropractor, business owner, friend, daughter and neighbour.  I regularly play hard – it’s part of the job description.  Like yesterday, carrying sleds while running up a hill with a friend’s 4-year-old son on my back.  Or offering piggy-back rides to both of my kids – even though they are 50 and 80 pounds.  I consider it an accomplishment to I know I am up to the challenge.  Or kicking a soccer ball around, playing tag, or grounders at the park, downhill skiing, skating…  the reality is that if you want active kids, you have to be an active parent.  If that is one of your goals as a mom… well, of course you’ll be strong.

So today, for the rope climbs – I’ll give it a go.  Seven climbs in a row, combined within a whole workout may be more than I can handle.  But my inspiration can come from my kids today:  just like when I completed the 20 feet of monkey bars in Tough Mudder – I’ll picture my daughter, who climbs like a monkey.  And I’ll think to myself:  If she can do it, I can too.   Why not?  After all, she is the picture of awesomeness.  I just hope it’s (at least in part) because of watching her awesome mama.  In the very least, I can follow my own advice to them:  Give it my best.  What more can I expect than that?

Strong Women

02 Friday Nov 2012

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Moving by Design, Women Empowered

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This morning at Crossfit, the class was full of women – all mothers of varying ages – and one male, being the token dad figure (… who kicked ass in the workout, so maybe he unknowingly had something extra to prove today).  As we stretched and warmed up, it struck me as funny how the conversation was all around our lives as moms, the challenges of kids, and whether or not any of us were planning to have any more (some were, some weren’t… with me in the latter group)

We then launched into a grueling WOD (work out of the day) involving body weight deadlifts, kettlebell swings, heavy overhead lifts, and toes to bars.  Barbells banging, muscles straining, music pumping, sweat pouring.  Despite our one male presence, I have no doubt that there was plenty of testosterone in the room for the morning as we pushed ourselves to our limits.

Afterwards, it was almost comical how the conversation picked up where it had left off, with women sharing their birth stories, talking about midwives and home births, hospitals, epidurals and doctors. I don’t know what prompted the group to go in that direction today, but I find it comical to think that if we were all somewhere else together, not gabbing post-workout at Crossfit, that NO ONE would look at the group of us and have ANY IDEA of what type of strength and determination we all possessed – both physically and mentally.

It never ceases to amaze me how many sides there are to every person, both men and women.  See, I was surrounded by beautiful, strong, determined women.  We had children ranging in age from toddlerhood to college age, girls and boys alike.  Given the physical exertion we had all just engaged in, sandwiched between such mom-centered conversations, I felt like I was witnessing an example of the dual nature of life – the soft and hard, gentle and strong.  I agree that women are different from men (a good thing, in my opinion), but we often neglect to embrace all of the ways that we are STRONG (just as many men negate how deeply they FEEL)

I believe that women are POWERFUL, not despite our feminine natures, but because of them.  In my mind, feminine and sexy are synonymous with strong and determined.

Listening to the group of women this morning, I was proud to think of what kind of role models we are being for our daughters and sons.  I like to think of the kind of message it sends to our kids to see us as loving, kind, nurturing… and strong, empowered and purposeful.

And cheesy as it may be, (I have to admit it, and having a 7 year old daughter definitely factors in) – the words that come to mind from today are: Girl Power. Yeah.

A Crossfit Mom

01 Thursday Nov 2012

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Moving by Design

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I remember all the times when the kids were young that I set a goal to get back into shape.  I’d try to come up with a plan of action, including a time to set aside for exercise, and time after time, it would never pan out.

My biggest deterent was time, and lack of sleep.  I have always had an irregular schedule – some days I work, some days I am home.  So the only time that was predictably free for me was first thing in the morning.  Now, as I am a morning person by nature, that should have been fine… BUT kids can be a monkey wrench in that plan if they 1)don’t sleep at night (so neither did I), 2)woke up for the day by 6am (which meant exercise for me would have to be in the pre-dawn hours.. which again came down to the challenge of 1), and 3)would climb all over me if I tried to exercise with them nearby (try doing push ups, sit ups, or downward dog with babies, toddlers – and occasionally a black lab – on top of you or under you)

It was a big challenge for me because I had always been very active.  If I went back through my journals to those earlier years, I would find multiple entries about my goals to get back into shape.  And those entries would repeat themselves in various forms over the first 5-6 years of my life as a mom.  It was definitely a source of frustration.

It wasn’t until Audra went to school full time in grade one (a year ago) that I was able to find a predictable schedule for exercise and FINALLY get back into shape.  And let me be clear, this wasn’t about how I looked, and it wasn’t that I was completely inactive… but I was NOT where I wanted to be with my fitness by a long shot.  It was partly that as a chiropractor, I know how essential it is to move our bodies and I wanted to walk my talk and be fit if I was going to be a stand for health.  Most importantly, I want to be a role model to my kids.  And I was finding that without my strength, combined with the passing years, it left me feeling older to wonder IF I could do things, or to worry that if I did something I would get hurt.  Two things I sincerely dislike:  feeling limited, and feeling like I’m getting old.

So, one year ago, I was introduced to Crossfit, and I have to admit that I am addicted.  I LOVE it.  It woke up a part of me that had lain dormant for years:  my competitiveness.  For 20 years, I had competed in sports, all of which ended when I became pregnant with Audra.  And when I found an approach to fitness that awakened that, I was sold.

Don’t get me wrong here – Crossfit is not easy.  And lots of the time fun is not the word I would equate with it.  But it makes me feel ALIVE, STRONG, CAPABLE… and YOUNGER.  I know that I can: lift heavy stuff, climb a rope to the ceiling, do pull ups and monkey bars and handstands.  I know that I can mentally push myself and physically push my body.  I know that I can go about my busy life without fearing injury.  I know that I can carry my kids on my back or shoulders easily, I can rock climb without hurting my shoulders, I can carry heavy packs when we go back-country camping, and compete in crazy (but fun) events like Tough Mudder.

All those years of wanting to return to fitness, build strength and walk my talk have FINALLY come full circle.  I only wish I had known about Crossfit when I was a competitive athlete – wow, what a difference that would have made!

Instead, I get to see the benefits in my almost-37-year-old body, feeling capable and STRONG.  I get to show my kids that being strong and fit is both important and enjoyable.  I get to be congratulated by my kids when they know I have reached a new milestone (like when I finally started to master pull ups) or listen to them cheering me on  during or after a workout. (Wow, mom, that looked heavy! …  or:  Wow, mom! that looked hard!… or my favourite:  Wow, mom! can I try?!)

I’d sum it up by saying this:  I feel younger, stronger, and all-around healthier than ever before… and ANYTHING that creates the phrase Wow, Mom! works for me.

3 Pull Ups to Go

20 Saturday Oct 2012

Posted by in Creating Health, Crossfit, Life Lessons

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A few weeks ago, after a particularly challenging WOD (Workout of the Day) at Crossfit, I wrote the following:

“I look up at the bar.  Three pull ups left.  My hands are torn, my muscles spent.  It looks so far away, but after completing 87 pull ups, giving up on the last three is NOT an option.  I try different grips, a different tape on my hand, but to no avail.  There is no easy way to do this – and so one at a time, I pound them out.

Afterwards, as I quietly sit off to the side doctoring the torn blisters on my left hand, Marlene walks up to me.  “Amy, do you have kids?”, she asks.  “Yes, two”, I reply.  “I can just imagine you in childbirth”, she laughs. “I had them born at home.”, I offer. “I am not surprised.” she states.  I could easily see the link between my determination in the gym, and my determination to have natural births at home.  You wouldn’t choose to give birth at home if you thought you could only see it part way through:  it’s simply not an option.

And so today, two days later, I sit in reflection.  I am feeling defeated, and overwhelmed, my responsibilities looming large.  And I realize, again – failure is not an option.  I don’t give in or give up.  It simply is not in my nature.

And so, instead of giving in to a day and feeling downtrodden, I am going to be a mom.  I am taking on some of those household jobs that never seem to get done:  gutting the kids rooms and playroom.  I will make healthy meals to nourish my family.  I will do laundry so that we have clean clothes to wear.  I will take my kids to the library after school to pick out some books.  And while the sun is beaming as I sit here now, and a part of me would much rather be outside, I am choosing to tackle these tasks.  Partly because they need to be done, but moreso because it will give me a sense of accomplishment while simultaneously being a relief from other, more stress-inducing responsibilities in my life.   In my actions today, I am providing a life and a home for my loved ones.

Sometimes life seems daunting.  Sometimes we are nursing wounds as we go.  But the real life happens in those moments when we keep on going despite it all.

(As I go to post this, I have a chuckle, wondering how many people who read the title of a “mommy blog” with Pull Ups in the title will expect some thoughts on potty training…LOL!  Nope, not in my world – at least, not anymore.  Pull Ups are a regular part of my life now, a skill that took me months of hard work and strength building to achieve, kind of like a badge of honour.  THAT’s the kind of mom I am.  I want my kids to know that I am STRONG, in every definition of the word)

(And I’d highly recommend checking out Crossfit…  www.crossfitbradford.com  if you’re in the area)