Let Your Fear Motivate You

My grandmother’s hobby was reading “Real Life Detective” magazines and every night, even if it was 100 degrees, she would lock our house tight, so no “bad guys” would get in. She didn’t answer the door to strangers, leave the house unattended or let us walk anywhere alone. Once when I was allowed to babysit, she sent the police to check on me because I hadn’t answered the phone as she’d instructed. Though the police confirmed everything was fine (the phone cord had come unplugged from the wall) I was not allowed to babysit again. Add the horrors of the evening news to the “real life” kidnapping, murders and rapes in her magazines and her paranoia knew no bounds.


Long story short, I grew up afraid, because I was taught to be afraid…..but what if I wasn’t?

What if I was taught to understand my fear on a physical and psychological level? What if I was taught to use my instincts to recognize the signs of a bad situation? What if I was taught to be prepared?

What if?!

This leads to the real question, a hard question imprinted on me in my youth and the reason for this post.

What if something bad happens to me and my family?

I’ve been lucky and have never been the victim of a violent attack, but if it comes up, I want to know my answer.

How is that possible, you ask? To know the answer to that question when there are so many bad things that could happen?

Here’s the thing…..there is no way to know the answer to that question, but it is possible to know MY answer to that question.

It is possible to train myself and my family to think, react and/or fight should something bad happen. To know how far I am willing to go to protect myself, my family or another person beforehand. To understand submission may be my only choice until another option appears or to steel myself mentally should I fight with everything I have and still have a bad outcome.

Does that seem possible now? Do you know YOUR answer to that question?

As a woman, I don’t want the burden of my safety to fall on my husband’s shoulders and I don’t want the safety of my family left to peace officers that may never arrive. Do you?

I have taken many courses over the years, including level 1 & 2 full contact “Model Mugging” courses, a local S.P.E.A.R personal defense readiness seminar and I've signed up for another course called Be Your Own Bodygaurd (BYOB) which is being held at Crossfit Anywhere in Folsom on August 18th.

(Here is the link if you are interested: http://www.regonline.com/builder/site/Default.aspx?EventID=1111220)

Before you write me off as a proponent of being a whack-a-doodle, heavily armed, hermit in the woods, I’m not. Or think taking this class was fueled by the recent shooting in Colorado; it wasn’t, but how timely.

This is me, sharing my thoughts on something I feel is important and maybe by sharing my thoughts it will become important to you too.
I’m not trying to be Rambo, I’m just done being afraid.

Duff

Finding My Way

Perhaps I am the only one, but have you ever had a moment in your fitness journey when you wonder, "WHY am I doing this?"

I know working out is good for me physically.
I know if I keep going I will get beter, faster and stronger.
I know being leaner is better for my heart and my self-esteem.

I know all these things and more, but here is the knowledge I'm having issues with:

I know there is no end to this journey.
I know being consistent is key to reaching my goals.
I know the weight will creep back on if I don't workout and eat healthier.
I know my priorities have changed as my kids have gotten older.
I know I need to find a friend, bond, community where I am working out or I won't go.

And knowing is half the battle right?

Anyway, I'm trying out a new place and so far everyone seems really nice, but everything still feels wrong.

Maybe it is because I am about the slowest person on the board every wod.
Maybe it is because I miss my old gym and my friends.
Maybe it is because this stuff is still hard and kicks my ass even though I have been doing it for 2.5 years.
Maybe it is because my weight and body fat are not where I want them to be.
Maybe it is just me...maybe I have changed and not for the better.

I feel like I want to have an "it's me, not you" talk with Crossfit, and sadly, in my heart, I know it really IS me that is the problem!

Still finding my way, and hoping to get back that spark, that love, that obsession with Crossfit I had when I started.....or if not that youthful infatuation, a sane, mature love that will take me through the years.

MM

My 10K Kettlebell Challenge

Let me preface this story by saying, I am, by no means, an advocate of high volume challenges. This is just me satisfying my curiosity and sharing my personal experience.

On January 1, 2012, I started a kettlebell swinging challenge. The goal was 10,000 kettlebell swings in 31 days.

Swings 1-3,000: The challenge started out pretty fun. I did 1 & 2 arm swings, I varied the weight and played around with fully vertical and eye level swings. While the volume I needed to complete each day was challenging (about 333 swings) the idea was really exciting. I kept the weight light and tried to focus on my form.

As my swings added up, I could feel my latissimus dorsi (lats) and core muscles getting tighter but I also felt a pinch in my left shoulder joint. I took this as a cue to take down the kettlebell weight and rest more. (Only 7,000 to go! Yikes!?)

Swings 3,000-6,000: Though mobility WODs and stretching help prevent injury, they are always last on my “to-do” list. This challenge forced me to take warming up, stretching and cooling down very seriously and it is a habit I plan to keep once this challenge is over. The weight I am using is still on the lighter side, but my glutes feel stronger and the pinch in my left shoulder joint has gone…..and moved to my right hip flexor. (Time to break out the foam roller.)

Swings 6,000-9,000: I purchased my own kettlebell (as a Christmas gift to myself) and fear I will never, ever want to use it again once this challenge is over. My hands are sore and my left trapezius (trap muscle) aches all the time. On the bright side, my endurance has definitely increased and 100-200 kettlebell swings are not as daunting as they used to be. I found breaking a larger set, like 100 swings, into smaller more manageable sets of 10 x 10 swings throughout the day definitely helped me chip away at the number. (Thank goodness, I am over half way done.)

Swings 9,000-10,000: I am DONE! You’d think 1,000 swings would seem like a drop in the bucket compared to the 9,000 swings I’d already completed, but these were the hardest swings by far. My initial motivation had waned and I was just plain tired. Am I glad I finished? Let’s just say, there are not enough hearts, butterflies, rainbows and unicorns in the world to reflect how happy I am. (I wish I could say more, but I am almost speechless with relief.)

If I were to do this again, or if you are thinking of doing something like this yourself, here are some things to consider.

Why are you doing this challenge?
If you are considering this kind of challenge to improve performance on a specific movement, then this is not the path to take. You can get better at most movements (kettlebell swings, double-unders, push-ups, etc.) by doing as little as 10 extra a day. At a lower volume, you can focus on getting better and continue to build your overall strength and endurance in your normal workouts.

Pick a volume that is right for you.
If you are a seasoned athlete, listening to your body should be second nature and you should know what volume is “too much” based on your lifestyle and general fitness goals.

For me 10,000 was a lot physically, but it turned out to be exhausting mentally. It took a lot of planning to fit in my swings each day and I think I would have enjoyed this challenge more at a lower volume using a heavier average kettlebell weight.

Know yourself.
I say the following out of kindness as a friend and fellow athlete: If you struggle with obsessive behaviors or have a tendency to hyper-focus this is not the type of challenge for you. Walk away and don’t look back.

We are programmed as CF athletes to push ourselves and never quit, but by the last week, I didn’t have a good reason to keep going. I only kept going because I said I was going to complete 10,000 kettlebell swings and I don’t commit to things lightly.

Was that the smartest move on my part? Probably not, and I should have adjusted the volume in week two to match how I was feeling.

When I started, this challenge was supposed to be fun and the final number was supposed to be flexible. Unfortunately, I got a little caught up and couldn’t allow myself to adjust (or quit) as I saw it as a failure rather than an intelligent decision based on the feedback my body was providing.

Would I call finishing this challenge a success? I haven’t decided yet, but I learned a little more about myself and I gained a new respect for kettlebells as well. That is something. :)

I hope by sharing my experience, both the good and the bad, I haven’t turned you off of kettlebells. As far as equipment goes, a kettlebell is a simple, relatively inexpensive tool that can provide a challenging full body work out just about anywhere. You can do Turkish get-ups, push-presses, cleans, snatches, renegade rows, farmer walks, dead lifts, push-ups and a host of other movements. The list is really endless and you don’t have to do thousands of reps to get stronger.(I swear!)

Ever the student,
MM