The Open is here! Participants can complete this week’s WOD on Thursday during regular classes, Friday at Level 2 Open Gym, or on Saturday as a group! Learn more here.
CFA will have a Happy Hour TOMORROW (Thursday, March 1st) at 7pm at Little Woodrows in South Park Meadows. Come out to meet and mingle with friends – new and old!
The Open is here! Participants can complete this week’s WOD on Thursday during regular classes, Friday at Level 2 Open Gym, or on Saturday as a group! Learn more here.
CFA will have a Happy Hour this Thursday (March 1st) at 7pm at Little Woodrows in South Park Meadows. Come out to meet and mingle with friends – new and old!
Congratulations to Liz and Cody for their performances at this weekend’s Black Box Weightlifting Championship! Big weights = new PRs and big success!!
Level One (Day 7) Skill Hip Clean
Press
Push Press
WOD 1 Mile Run Time Trial (15:00 Cap)
Announcements:
The Open is here! Participants can complete this week’s WOD on Thursday during regular classes, Friday at Level 2 Open Gym, or on Saturday as a group! Learn more here.
CFA will have a Happy Hour this Thursday (March 1st) at 7pm at Little Woodrows in South Park Meadows. Come out to meet and mingle with friends – new and old!
Congratulations to Liz and Cody for their performances at this weekend’s Black Box Weightlifting Championship! Big weights = new PRs and big success!!
Great job to everyone who completed the 1st WOD of The Open!
I AM OVERWEIGHT. I know this because I went to a nutritionist who hooked me up to a machine that told her so. Am I unhealthy? Not exactly…the same machine told her that I am within average ranges and am not at risk of any major diseases. Does this mean that I shouldn’t lose body fat? Absolutely not! My body fat percentage is greater than it should be for a person with my age, height and activity level. Was I surprised, upset, or hurt when I found this out? Nope…and you shouldn’t be either. We all have mirrors and really just need to have an honest conversation with ourselves. Ask yourself, “Am I healthy?” “Do I ‘feel’ good?”I grew up looking in the mirror and hating the way I “look,” and I don’t think that makes me an exception; I think it makes me the norm. I wish I could say that with age comes wisdom, but I still look in the mirror and find myself wishing I looked different. I want to change that mentality though. I would rather get to a place where I ask myself, “Self, how do you ‘feel’ today? Are you healthy? Can you perform daily tasks and functions with ease? Do you rarely get sick, take medicine, or go to the doctor?” These are the types of questions we should be asking ourselves instead of, “Does this make me look too thin?” or, “Do I really have to buy a size bigger in jeans?”
Now don’t misunderstand me, if you are buying a bigger size in jeans because of all the squats you’ve been busting out, more power to you! However, if you are buying a bigger size because you couldn’t say no to all the sweets in the break room at work, that’s not something to celebrate. It makes me so angry when I hear skinny people saying they just can’t gain weight, but they refuse to eat more protein or ever lift a barbell… you know, because they don’t want to “get bulky.” It makes me even more angry to see overweight people telling each other that there is no correlation between weight and health, and that you can be healthy at any weight. If you celebrate and empower someone else based on the fact that they look like you and it makes you feel better about yourself, you are not doing them any favors. We need to be honest with ourselves, stop being lazy and put in the work!
There is an ongoing battle in the media between the skinny people and the fat people (yes, I know I am horrible for not trying to be more “PC” with my adjectives). One side is always trying to convince the other side, as well as the rest of us, that they are the better standard. I am going to disagree with both sides and say, “You are both wrong!” The best standard is in the middle…it’s called healthy! We shouldn’t praise a skinny person because they have the ability to fit into a size “0” and can count their ribs, and we shouldn’t celebrate a fat person because it might hurt their feelings if we say the “F” word. I know it’s not true 100% of the time, but more than likely, neither the skinny person nor the fat person is healthy.
Lately, I’ve read an increasing number of articles about how mad people are over the fashion industry’s standard of what is aesthetically pleasing for the female form. The fashion industry now considers a size “6” to be plus sized (what??)… Do I think that is crazy? Of course! On the flip side, I also think it is crazy to look at overweight models and think that they are a better standard just because they are the norm (62% of females in America are already categorized as overweight). Just because plus-sized models look more like the women we see around us each day, doesn’t make them the standard we should shoot for. Size “0” models in Cosmopolitan are not necessarily less healthy than the size “14” model in Plus Model Magazine. Neither end of the spectrum is okay; you have to look at each woman as an individual and learn what “healthy” really means. The ideal weight and fat-lean ratio varies considerably for men to women and by age, but the minimum percent of body fat considered safe for good health is 5% for males and 12% for females. The average adult body fat is closer to 15% to 18% for men and 22% to 25% for women. For men who have over 25% and women who have over 32% body fat, there is a dramatic correlation with illness and disease. These are the facts. If you fall under or over these percentages, your health is at risk.
Essential fat: Men< 5, Women <8
Minimal fat weight: Men=5, Women=15
Most athletes: Men=5-13, Women=12-22
Optimal health: Men=10-25, Women=18-30
Optimal fitness: Men=12-18, Women=16-25
Obesity: Men> 25, Women > 30
A huge amount of people fall outside healthy ranges. According to a survey done by the CDC in 2011, about 1/3 of U.S. adults (33.8%) are obese and approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 12-19 are obese. According to USA Today, 3.3% of children and teens, ages 2 to 19, were underweight in 2006 and 1.8% of adults, ages 20 to 74, were underweight in 2006. This number has surely changed in the last five years, but combine the numbers of underweight and overweight people in America, and that is a pretty big chunk of our population that is not healthy!
Everyone is worried that the younger generation is going to think that what they see in Cosmopolitan or Plus Model Magazine is what they should look like―let’s teach them differently. Instead of focusing on what they “look” like, teach them to focus on what they “feel” like. Do they eat the right foods, do they get enough sleep, do they perform an activity that makes them sweat? Above all, inspire them to find role models who measure up to healthy standards.
I am as guilty as the next person of looking at someone and saying, “Dang! I’d kill to have her body.” The truth is, we are all individuals and we can’t let someone else’s standard become our own. We should ask ourselves what we want to “feel” like every day as we move through our lives, and make decisions every day that get us closer to feeling that way.
Level Two Strength/Make Up Day A. Cleans x1x5 85-90% or 9-10 RPE Rest 2:00
B. CDL x3x5 @ 66% of DL Rest 3:00
C1. Front Squat x4-5×3 80-85% Rest :60
C2. DB Snatch x5/armx3 Rest :60
Level One (Day 6) Skill Front Squats Deadlifts
WOD A. Lift off+DL x3+2×3 Rest :90
B. Front Squat x4x3 @ 32X3 Rest :45
C1. Unweighted Step-ups x6/leg x2 Rest :45
C2. Chin-ups x6-12×2 Rest :45
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” – Robert Brault
The Open is here! Workouts start at CFA start Saturday! Can’t make it in on Saturday for the workout? Choose it as your make up class today! Learn more here.
CFA will have a Happy Hour on March 1st at 7pm at Little Woodrows in South Park Meadows. Come out to meet and mingle with friends – new and old!
Good luck to Dan (Danimal), Jessica (“G”) and Sameer (“Rocky”) as they run from the masses today in the Zombi Race!
Congratulations to Janice Trinidad on her performance at this past weekend’s Paramount 5K! Way to go, lady!
Level One (Day 5) Skill Ring Dips
WOD 3 Rounds (3:00 on/ 1:00 off)
200 M Run
5 Wall Balls
5 Push-ups
5 Sit-ups w/ MB
*Record total rounds
*When the second rounds starts, athletes should start where they finished in round one
Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin. – Victor Kiam
Don’t forget! Sign-up for the CrossFit Games Open has started! Click here to sign up and represent CFA (registration has been extended through Sunday, 2/26). Workouts start this week!
CFA will have a Happy Hour on March 1st at 7pm at Little Woodrows in South Park Meadows. Come out to meet and mingle with friends – new and old!
Good luck to Jessica (“G”) and Sameer (“Rocky”) as they run from the masses during tomorrow’s Zombi Race!
I have had what I consider a “big girl” complex. Being a big girl is reality for me at 5’9” tall. But my insecurity about my size is not just due to my height – it has been rooted in my past as long as I can remember. I have never been a small or even an average-framed girl. I was born a whopping 11 pound, 23” long baby (sorry, Mom)! It was never in my cards to be a petite gal. I was always naturally athletic, with more muscle mass than most girls (and guys, for that matter). It worked in my favor when it came to sports, but outside of that, it intimidated my peers. My broad shoulders garnered me names like “football player looking girl” and “turtle.” At 15, puberty hit, metabolism slowed down, food intake stayed the same, and I gained weight. My athletic frame became a chubby frame. I went from a size 8/10 to a 16/18 by the time I graduated college. Now I was tall and overweight – a big girl.
After graduating from college and finally accepting responsibility for my weight, I buckled down. I hit the gym harder and dialed in on nutrition. I saw immediate results, and because of that, became a personal trainer. From 2006 to 2010, I was training others to reach their fitness goals while I was on my own journey of getting back to the athletic frame I was born with. However, as I was losing the weight and becoming physically healthier and more attractive, my outlook was as unhealthy as it had ever been! I fed my mind so much junk food about my appearance and desirability, that I had convinced myself that my efforts were never good enough. In my mind, I was too big to get the guy of my dreams. It didn’t matter how much weight I lost or how well I was doing, my mental image was that of a big girl.
My “big girl” complex caused a whirlwind of problems. My health and fitness went on its own roller coaster. My unfit outlook brought on new insecurities leading to even greater losses of self-confidence and self-worth. It even affected my dating life. If a guy was interested in me, I would sabotage the relationship based on the image I had of being too big for him. It was a nightmare.
I’ve been thinking about how CrossFit Austin fit into this whole mindset thing for me. I knew CFA helped me accomplish great results physically, but I couldn’t pinpoint that one life-altering thing. When I joined CFA, I had already been crossfitting for about a year. I had already seen new and life-altering physical results. And those results were consistent! It wasn’t until a recent date with a guy when I realized how CFA has changed my life on the inside, too.
For the sake of saving this charming man’s identity, I’m going to name him Date Lesson #5347. We met for frozen yogurt (yum), and the owners made him buy me a rose (awkward). The conversation was good and we left on a positive note. There weren’t any big sparks, but definitely worth a second date. The next day, we had a texting conversation that went something like this:
Lesson #5347: So, what do you think? Blunt please.
Me: Thank you for the fro yo! I had a great time even though the owners might have made it awkward. And what do you think?
Lesson #5347: You’re def more built than I was expecting.
Me: Not sure how to respond to that…I’m not offended and won’t be but…good or bad?
Lesson #5347: Obviously you’re gorgeous! It’s just not what I’m initially attracted to.
Me: (No response)
Lesson #5347: (after a few hours) So I know my statement might have been a lil off. Wanna talk about it?
Me: It wasn’t off. It was honest and I appreciate/asked for it. I know my frame isn’t considered the norm and I’m ok with that. Just not sure if you’re ok with that and that’s ok too. I’m happy with me…to each his own.
Lesson #5347: I had fun with you. Want to hang out again?
Me: I don’t think there’s a romantic interest.
My responses to Lesson #5347 says it all in terms of where I am now mentally, and because of CFA, I wasn’t offended by anything he said. But because of what he said, I wasn’t interested anymore. He no longer interested me! My appearance shows my hard work, and if that wasn’t attractive to him, it wasn’t going to work out. After this interaction and re-reading the texts, the realization finally hit me! My “big girl” complex was over!
What a great “aha” moment for me! The wasted emotion I spent on beating myself up over something I couldn’t control was finally over. I finally reached the destination of my 14-year journey to physical and mental fitness! And I owe this breakthrough to CFA. I’m surrounded daily by people who genuinely support, motivate and encourage me. CFA has become my family, where I’ve learned and conquered so many things about myself through sharing the stories and experiences of those who workout next to me. I have to give a shout out here to our men, as they have been a huge help for me. They have given me faith that there are still men out there who will appreciate a strong, muscular woman. Thank you to our guys who don’t get “meatheadish” or crude around the ladies, and instead are the first to push/support us. It has really helped in breaking down my “big girl” complex.
In these ways, CFA has made me mentally fit. Without CFA in my life, I wouldn’t have been able to get as strong, as fast, or as toned as I have this past year. I owe the entire CFA community for that, and I am excited to be rid of the internal junk that hindered my fitness potential and decreased my self- worth for so many years. I firmly believe that in order to really reach your fitness goals, you’ve got to be mentally healthy too! What I considered not to be “normal” about myself for so long is, in reality, still not normal. After all, with all the air brushed models on magazine covers and fast food restaurants on every corner, true fitness isn’t normal. Like I told Date Lesson #5347, I’m okay with that. I’m a healthy “abnormal!”
Thank you CFA for allowing me to see me for me, accept me, embrace me and now OWN me!
WOD 3 Rounds (3:00 on/ 1:00 off)
200 M Run
5 Wall Balls
5 Push-ups
5 Sit-ups w/ MB
*Record total rounds
*When the second rounds starts, athletes should start where they finished in round one
It is easier to fight for one’s principles than to live up to them. -Alfred Adler
