NO LIMITS

I have to give credit to Lisbeth Darsh of Crossfit headquarters for this picture which i found so Funny i had to share on my blog!

THE NY TIMES

Yesterday the NY times printed a blog on how women can not do pull ups, what is really disheartening is the blog was written by a woman. A scientific "study" of 17  "fit" women showed how we just don't have the physical strength and too much body fat to do pull ups. SERIOUSLY?  This study is obviously very flawed, 17 test subjects is not enough women to test their theory, and they never considered maybe their exercise programing was at fault not the women's strength? I think this exercise physiologist and the blogger need to visit a Crossfit Box.

 CROSSFIT

What i love about Crossfit is they do not label me or put limits on what i can do. THANK YOU GOD for my Coaches they are Four Men who think I CAN and with their support, encouragement, guidance i have truly  accomplished so much, most of which society tells me is impossible just because of my age let alone my gender. I am 47yrs old never once did they say, oh Elisa you cant do that because your "too old".  I started at 190lbs they never said your "too fat" to do that.  In fact they want to check my driver's license for proof of my age cause they don't think i am 47..how much do i  love them!!! In the past 9 months of Crossfit my Coaches have taught me how to jump a 20inch box  {i am 5"5"  20 inches is almost 1/3 of my height}, I can dead lift 200lbs,  i just started doing "real" push ups , i can power clean 90lbs,  i can jerk 80lbs, push press 85lbs over my head,  power snatch 65lbs, bench press 95lbs, i can swing 1 pood (35lbs) kettle bell  AND I  JUST GRADUATED to  BAND ASSISTED PULL UPS! Shocking i know according to this blog and scientific study i shouldn't be able to do this. In Crossfit the pull up is a "standard" regardless of height, weight, gender, or age. Our Coaches will have us all LEARN to do a pull up BUT there are ways to build up to this movement.  Crossfit has "The Crossfit Games" in which the games athletes compete for the title "Fittest on Earth".  Crossfit women come from all over the WORLD to compete....all different heights, weights, backgrounds, ethnicity and ages....ummmm  someone forgot to tell all these beautiful, strong women that they "cant" do pull ups. There is a specific division for the athletes who are 45 plus called the "Masters" division, i was simply fascinated, awed, and inspired by these men and women who defy the "age" label every day!  Uh yeah, they forgot to tell these women master's athletes they are "too old"  and "too female" to do pull-ups.

WOMEN IN SPORTS

In 1972 women were granted under the Equal education amendment Title IX ,the right to have their own sports teams Any government funded schools and colleges had til 1978  comply or allow women to try out for existing teams. In 1979 i entered my freshman year in high school and i remember during a pep rally that they introduced the boys soccer team and there was one girl who had made the team. We had no existing girls team nor were there any girls who wanted to form a team and play, so under this new amendment she was given the "right " to play sports.  In my junior year of high school my friend approached me to play JV girls soccer, i really wasn't sure i wanted to because i really wasn't that good of a player but she said "if you don't play we don't have enough girls to form a team" I joined. I had no idea that what i was doing was ground breaking until my oldest daughter went to my high school. I remember pulling up in my car  to pick her up,  i was flabbergasted by  the sheer number of girls on the girls teams...soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, track, cross country, softball, tennis, what a HUGE difference from when i was begged to play.  My 2nd Daughter is a senior this year and has been a high school athlete all 4 years, she will go to college in Sept of 2013 on scholarship for athletics, she is doing something i never had the opportunity to do.  She will be starting Crossfit this coming Monday, yeah i will make sure i remember to tell her that she wont be able to do a pull up just like she shouldn't be playing sports either because she is a girl.

DO NOT TELL ME WHAT I CANT DO

Women have been told they didn't have the sensibility to vote, we weren't physically capable of  playing sports,  we shouldn't be educated and go to college, and this female blogger  and the NY TIMES has the audacity to tell us something else we cant do because we are female? 

I have had a lifetime of people tell me what couldn't do. I THANK GOD he made me stubborn and persistent! I had 2 colleges tell me i wouldn't be successful in their Nursing Program...hmmm i am a Registered Nurse for 25yrs now. I had 2 abusive husbands tell me that i wouldn't survive on my own without them...hmmmm gee i am still here and i am happier than i have ever been. I have pushed two 8.5lb babies out of my body and your telling me i don't have the strength to do a pull-up, as my Great-Grandfather would say "Horse sh**".     I am so grateful that Crossfit empowers all of us women, helps us to realize we are capable, we are strong enough, and encourages us to reach our goals. 

MY GOAL

I was just talking to my coach today about competing again and the standards to compete as a crossfitter. He told me the pull up, even in the scaled division is the standard. "OK" i said to him "i just wanted to be sure of what my goals are, i need to work to get pull ups" He smiled at me and said "you'll get them"

Shhhhhh, don't tell him what the  NY Times blog said!

below is the link for the blog post from the NY TIMES

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/25/why-women-cant-do-pull-ups/?smid=pl-share

"Iceberg Ahead!!"

Oct 21, 2012

THE ICEBERG

This week i was heading for disaster! My body was sending me signals  of impending doom and i just wasn't understanding what was going on. I woke up every day this week feeling exhausted, nauseated,  irritable, and so sluggish...similar to a hangover without the fun of partying to get that way.  I really thought it was just the stress of the last couple of weeks getting to me ...moving, my dads visit, being sleep deprived because of no curtains and blinds, the lurong living paleo challenge, and the rainy gloomy weather. I have really learned alot about and i am more in tune with my body  over these few months of Crossfitting, and i knew these symptoms were just something more than stress. I began to notice that when i ate the symptoms would go away but within one to two hours were back again....the nurse in me had an A-HAH moment. My diet needed to be readjusted. 

JON NORTH

Three weeks ago when i was taking the Jon North Attitude Nation Certification which PortCrossfit hosted...we were all out to lunch together, of course complaining about the diet adjustments we had to make and i mention how famished i was ALL THE TIME! My Coach started asking me how i was eating, i told him "i am eating just like i did when we did the in-house paleo challenge EAT CLEAN TRAIN DIRTY but my meats are now leaner." My Coach looked at me and said  "you may need to add alittle more fat, fruit and some sweet potatoes to your diet". I have been ravenous before but after a couple of days those feelings went away and i was fine, so i really didn't think anything of it. Even Jon North remarked how we were all eating, and how surprised  he was that any of us could lift the weights we were lifting. We all were drooling and our stomachs grumbling as we watched him eat a giant burrito, and chuckling he was glad he wasn't doing the challenge with us. After lunch i felt much better and went on to PR my squat snatch and my squat clean, i figured no problem, i am ok.  Jon North was so funny, a patient coach, a great educator in the sport of weight lifting, i learned so much, and it was really great day!

MY COACHES

This past Friday morning i emailed my coaches before i left work,  about how i was feeling (symptoms were getting worse) and to get their advice on how to remedy the situation with my diet. I am a Registered Nurse for a long time so i knew what my Coaches answer would be but i guess i just wanted their reassurance.  So one of my coaches emailed me back "Uh oh your pregnant again! this definitely preggers sickness"  I laughed so hard i started choking on my coffee. When i told my oldest daughter what my Coach said she replied laughing "what does he think your name is MARY?" I really love how my oldest daughter thinks i am "too old " to get pregnant or have sex.  I wont burst her "mommy" bubble. Anyway my Coaches did gave me their recommendations for making changes in my diet. On the way home from picking my son up from school we made a pit stop at whole foods. 

When i thanked my coach for answering my email ...he looked at me and said "so did you do what i suggested

 you needed to do?" i started giggling because i was thinking of the preggers comment. He said "you didn't do it did you?" I stopped laughing, very seriously "no coach i listened, i HAD to because i felt so terrible" He looks at me and says "I told you that you may need to change your diet, when you mentioned it at the Jon North Seminar" i started laughing again, i couldn't believe he remembered that brief conversation we had and  i sheepishly admitted "yes, you did tell me and i didn't pay attention." 

TROUBLED

I struggled during Friday nights wod, not because i couldn't do it but because i felt so weak.  When the wod was finished I walked over to get my stuff and felt lightheaded and dizzy. I went to buy a post recovery drink and i was struggling to choose one that had carbs in it...in my mind that was "bad" that would make me gain weight. My son (he crossfits with me) actually yelled at me "mom what the hell! your dizzy the one with the carbs in it is not bad for you, your body needs it!" If i didn't get over my fear of going back to where i was when i first started crossfit, immediately, i was going to go down like the titanic.  Not only could my fear of certain foods sink all of my strength gains i have made,  decrease my muscle mass that i built up,  but could seriously jeopardize my health. I sat down and drank the recovery drink.  i was saddened, and so completely shocked at myself, my fears. 

TURNING THE TITANIC AROUND

Your thoughts can be very difficult to change. I have to remember that my body needs these complex carbohydrates as fuel to function. I can no longer think these certain foods are "bad" or will make me gain weight.  I have to remember i have changed in the last 10 months, i need to adapt to my "new " body. One of my fellow crossfitters explained this new body adaptation so well to me,  "when we both started we had stores that our body could pull from to convert to energy. now we both are lighter, have changed our body fat  composition, can move faster, lift heavier and do more volume in a wod, we need to eat to give our body energy cause there isn't much storage left for our bodies to pull from." So i made sure i incorporated these simple changes into my diet this weekend, and i am happy to say...iceberg averted! I feel  so much better!! Thanks Coaches for your advice and support, oh and for the laughter too! Hugs!

"Elisa's PR Bell"

Oct 14, 2012

 I ask anxiously, "Coach how much should i go up?"  He asks, "how much is on the bar?" I replied, "175lbs" Coach says "put fives on each side...PR OVER HERE, PR OVER HERE!" I really don't know who was more excited that i was going for the PR on my dead lift,  ME or my Coach! When i started in January i could barely dead lift the 45lb bar, and now i am approaching a dead lift of more than i weigh.

Now i am really nervous, my coach and  some of the class is watching...so i go into the zone and block everything out. I start talking to myself in my head "you can do this,  remember your form..head up, shoulders back,keep your back flat, arms are just hooks, lift with your legs, butt and back and the bar will go up! I dead lifted 185lbs! I flew over to the PR {personal record} bell and rang it! At the end of class with a HUGE smile on my face  i wrote my dead lift PR on the PR board.

I know i am one of the few women in my box  who write on the PR board or ring the PR bell. Why? I am not sure? I know when i first wrote on the board my PR's were so much smaller in weight in comparison to everyone else, i felt alittle embarrassed. Then i realized it was a great way for me to  celebrate MY achievement, MY hard work and  that my PR's deserved to be on the board also, even if I thought they were small. When we hit a PR, it represents our labor ,  our personal progress, and moves us one step closer in our ever evolving quest for fitness.  I wish i had a snapshot for every PR achieved, the look of Triumph on my fellow crossfitter's faces is truly priceless! That is why I really want to encourage the Ladies of PortCrossfit to share their accomplishments.  Why not?  Ladies be BOLD! Be Proud! Write your success on the PR Board! RING THAT PR BELL! Let us ALL be happy for you, let us ALL join in your victory!! We are a family, a crossfit community..we celebrate our successes together!  Congrats to Derek, Don, Joe, Scott, and Vinny for your PR's ..awesome job guys!! Congrats to Jen,  Amanda, Meg, Stacey..for your PR's..you girls ROCK!!

More awesome news!! A number of both guys and girls have done an awesome job of losing 8-10lbs in the first 3 weeks of the Lurong Paleo challenge! Not only have they dropped the weight but have lost a lot of inches too....lean mean Crossfit Machines!! I have seen so many of you in the last 3 weeks get faster, stronger, fitter but the best of all ...have more confidence in yourselves! Thank you for keeping me posted on your progress, i enjoy hearing all about your successes and i am inspired by all of your PR's! Me? i haven't lost any weight yet but i bought a  new uniform this week in a size extra-small top and small pants {in January i wore a extra-large top and  extra-large pants} , so i know i am going in the right direction!  So keep up the awesome work guys and gals from PortCrossfit..those who's goals are building more muscle, &  those who's goal is getting lean,  and all of us together becoming stronger, faster and fitter during this challenge! Lets see some more PR's and don't forget to RING THAT BELL!

oooops I did it again

oct 9, 2012

Yup, for the last 3 weeks i have gotten lost on the way to work almost every night.  I usually have a great sense of direction but i think with the lack of sleep(no blinds and curtains), my car breaking down AGAIN,  a head full of to do lists, and my father's  impending visit ...i just kept missing the road i needed to turn down to get to work, stress, stress and more stress...sigh.

Yesterday was the first "normal" day i have had since moving.   I just finished putting up all my blinds and curtains on Sunday, when my dad  & step mom took the kids out, YEA!!!  Yesterday when my company headed for home, i had a darkened room, which i call the bat cave,that i could sleep in. SO AWESOME!  I love my family...but 2 1/2 weeks into a move...with boxes, curtains,blinds, and pictures all around , six people in 600sq feet and only four beds, me working 50hrs a week on the night shift, 3 kids who work & have after school activities, cooking, cleaning, crossfitting ...i am just tired. 

So how do i handle all the stress? Hmmmm good question!
Its OK to accept Help! 
This one is hard for me, it is difficult  for me to trust that someone would actually want to help me, because of the abuse i had suffered, i have remained isolated and silent for a very long time but i am learning to do this better. I am very lucky tho, my dad and step mom are  truly awesome house guests! They do offer to help me out whenever and as much as they can. Even though my dad arrived 8 HOURS earlier than he told me he was, lolololol..the first thing he did was offer to help by picking my son up from school for me....so i took him up on his offer of help. Many times we get overwhelmed with daily stress and we think its "weak" to ask for help..its not! It is wisdom when you understand you cant do everything all by yourself. My Mom always told me never be too proud to ask for or accept help when you need it. I owe a debt of gratitude to my friend Martha. I was supposed to meet her for lunch 2 weeks ago and when she called, i began to describe how unclean my new apartment was,  that i couldn't go to lunch and i started to cry, she told me she was coming over to help, and i couldn't say no, i so humbly said OK. She spent her day off {she is an ER nurse} helping me scrub my kitchen cabinets(there was fuzzy things growing on them), moving furniture, unpacking boxes, etc! Thank God for Friends!! When you allow your friends and family to help it gives you a chance to step back for a second, breathe, and refocus on what needs to be done to relieve your problem or reduce your stress. So reach out and ask for help when you need it..its OK!

Be grateful and think positive!
While my dad was picking up my son i was scrambling to put more stuff away, and i was putting rug tape down on my area rugs so they wouldn't slide. I prayed "lord, please help me to not panic that my house is not in order, because my dad is visiting", all of a sudden i "realized",  i was in an"ass to grass" position(a squat). All i could do was laugh and thank the Lord for showing me a reason to be grateful,  this position was not something i could physically do in January of this year. Hmmmm i started  thinking of the positive things in my life and being appreciative of them, "Thank you Lord that my dad is alive(so many of my friends don't have their parents) and healthy, that i have a good relationship with him, i am happy to see him and my children have the awesome pleasure of  knowing, and visiting with their Grandfather(he is a really great grandpa and my kids adore him and my step mom)." I just went down the list of positive  things in my life that i am Thankful for...like i am grateful for my healthy kids, my own health, my stupid car that breaks down alot (lmao on this one but alot of people don't have cars..so i am happy i have one), my friends, my job.  By the time my dad and step mom got to my door from picking up my son..i gave them a big hug..and said "i am soo happy your here", and i meant it!

exercise
My dad walked thru my door and said "Lis, you look even better than when i saw you in July, keep up the great work! Wow this apartment is really nice! Mike (my son) looks great, i am glad he Crossfits with you". I let out my breath, and was relieved. i am really glad that i entered the Lurong Paleo Challenge because thru this move, and my dad's visit it has kept me motivated to keep to my exercise schedule. Moving furniture and boxes, hanging curtains, hammering nails to hang pictures, up and down on the step stool to scrub the cabinets, squatting to pick up stuff, carrying out heavy garbage...all of this is functional movement..that's what Crossfit is...and let me tell you how thankful that i have been crossfitting!! I know Crossfitting  has made the physical part of moving sooo much easier, i think back to January and how unfit i was and this move would have been impossible for me. In Crossfit many times we have WODS (workout of the day) that we term "chippers". "Chipper" wods are workouts that have a VERY large work loads that seem impossible (ie; 10 pull ups, 20 sit ups, 30 kettle bell swings, 40 air squats, 200 jump ropes that's 1 round and we need to do as many rounds as possible in 10mins..seems impossible right) but you "chip" away at the workload and amazingly you accomplish it. That is how i approached organizing my apartment this week before my dad arrived...i just kept chipping away at what needed to be done!  I  also know the medical community have documented the benefit of exercising on mental health, so i make it a point on Sunday's to plan for the week what days i will get to Crossfit. The challenge and Crossfit have really helped me to keep me focused on the positives, the "I CAN" instead of being down in the dumps and negatives, or the " I CAN'T". 

Be Flexible
Sometimes your day just doesn't go they way you want it to! Last week in preparation for my dads visit i was food shopping and the fire alarm went off  in the food store and we had to evacuate the store...OMG! I started out my day getting errands accomplished, doing great on time, i was almost done....and bam! It took the fire marshal 30 minutes to search the store and make sure it was safe for us to go back inside. That 30 mins set ME back an hour...but what can you do? NOTHING!!! Sometimes you just have to know that there are things you have no control over and you cant change them...sooo suck it up! lololololol I ended up taking pictures of the fire engines and our VOLUNTEER Firefighters (god bless these volunteers) and thought "gee this have never happened to me before"...and laughed...i was probably dilerious but i was happy and laughing!

Eating/Sleeping
When your stressed the body doesn't recover or repair itself...your body is busy maintaining the important functions...so it is the utmost importance to eat healthy and get sleep!! Most people underestimate the importance of sleep, a lack of sleep WILL kill you. Those people who don't get enough sleep (8hrs is best) will increase your risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes. If your not sleeping ...look at your sleep environment is it dark or do you have the TV going, radio playing and your computer in front of you? Working the night shift, I can tell you it is hard to sleep during the day, my room has blackout blinds, blackout curtains...so it is very dark, i only take my cellphone in my room(only because of my kids)and it is docked on a station so it is not near me. If my mind is busy thinking of all the things i have to do then i read a book...guaranteed to knock me out! Exercise has been documented by the medical community to aide in sleeping better. I have seen this happen in my own life, Crossfit definitely helps me to sleep better! During the last 3  stressful weeks i have noticed that i am craving carbs and hungrier, which since i started a paleo lifestyle in January, i have not felt this way. I really have made sure that i stick to my healthy eating and if i do feel like i want carbs, i have an extra small meal of protein and vegetables instead. I really don't need to fill myself with yucky foods that will only hurt me or make me gain weight. Been there ,done that and it feels awful! 

so hang in there my friends, life is full of stress but it is how we deal with it that counts! This is one of my favorite inspirational videos..i hope you enjoy it!

the cable guys saw me naked

OCT 1,2012

So as you all know from my first post i moved 2 weeks ago. The blinds on my bathroom window were disgusting and i threw them out. I bought new blinds but they were a half an inch too big. I figured my backyard was heavily wooded that it wouldn't matter if the window in my shower didn't have blinds till i could exchange it and get new a one. Yea, well i figured wrong. I was taking a shower and i suddenly hear voices, i turn to look out the window and there are two cable guys looking at me. My shower window is waist high to over my head, the cable connection is right next to this window. My first instinct was to duck down out of site, but i had soap in my hair and i needed to pick my kids up from school..so i didn't have time for this! My second immediate thought was "well i have to get my kids, i  sooo don't have time to wait for these guys to leave, awwww hell i crossfit , i like the way i look ...I AM FINISHING MY SHOWER!" They cable guys were walking away when i stood back up but i had to laugh at myself that i had that much confidence in ME to finish my shower.....this is something i never had before.

CONFIDENCE: belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities.

SELF-WORTH: the sense of one's own value as a person

College-Nursing
I was one of the few 18yr old admitted to the nursing program...it truly was one of the hardest things i have ever done! I remember  right before starting my very last semester i broke down crying to my mother that i didn't think i could finish. she asked me why, and i explained that my professor's didn't think i could , that  they i was too young, had no life experience to complete the program. I will NEVER forget my mother's words "Don't let ANYONE ever tell you what you are capable of doing! If you truly want to be a Nurse then go back and show them how bad you want it" God Bless my mom..i attacked that semester and graduated..i have been a Nurse for 25yrs and still am passionate about my profession! Unfortunately outside of nursing i didn't value myself, i had no confidence in my abilities as a human being. So how do you build your confidence, realize your value?

1. be kind to yourself
when you look in the mirror do you pick out all your flaws, day dream about what cosmetic procedure you can get if you had the money? start by pointing out the attributes you like about yourself every day. START seeing yourself  in a positive light and  STOP focusing on what you think is negative about you. When i entered my 2nd marriage i was 130lbs, size 4, ran 3 miles a day and weight trained 3 days a week...i always thought i was "fat" and was unhappy with looking at myself in the mirror..it didn't help that i had 2 husbands who confirmed what i thought about myself.  Both of these men would tell me on a daily basis how ugly, fat, and what a terrible person, wife and mother i was. I started to realize that if what either of these men said about me was true then neither of them would have married me in the first place.  So eventually  when i heard these horrible things said to my face  i would say to myself "elisa, he is not speaking the truth, you are not fat, your are not ugly, you are not a b**** c****, you are a good mother, etc etc" i started affirming myself  and building my self-esteem.

2. rehearse your victories
my mom would always tell me when i was having a hard time to write down all the good things that God  has given me and done for me in my life, so when bad things happen,  because they do.... you can look back and see oh wait yes God gave me wonderful stuff.... for example... beautiful blue eyes, i am smart, i am college educated and  have 3 healthy children . When you look over  your list you start to realize that  " hmmmmm i must be  important to God for he has blessed me with all these good things in my life." When you start writing down the positive physical, emotional, material and spiritual substance in your life you stop focusing on what you think is negative. 

3. a grateful heart
Every time i am sore from a workout, i remember how my pediatric patient has never sat up by himself, or walked, is wheelchair bound, he is a child...hmmm my sore muscles don't seem so bad. Take a look at your victory list...are you grateful for anything on there? I am truly grateful i wake up every day, that i can open my eyes and see the many texts my kids send me while i am sleeping..like "i need a turkey sandwich mom today by 230pm ..WITH MUSTARD", hear my cats meow cause they want food, or smell the coffee i just made, get up out of my bed on my own and dress myself.  Things we all take for granted. I am even grateful for all the bad things that have happened to me since i feel  they have made me stronger, made me more sensitive to other people around me who are walking thru hard times and it makes me appreciate the good times in my life.  Start being thankful for  all that you do have and become content, and happy with you.

4. help others
Many times we can't see  past our own problems so we lose our confidence in who we are, where we are going and our purpose in life. Help someone by volunteering, raising money for a cause that you wish to change and take the focus off you and the negative situation that you think your in. When you help others it makes you feel good,  and you begin to realize you have something of value to offer....you, your time, your efforts, your gifts. My son who is 16yrs old said to me as we were walking out of the grocery store the other day.."mom i have to laugh wherever we go you always talk to people and pay someone a compliment. " I said to my son "I might be the only person who talks to them all day and what i say maybe the only kind thing they may hear about themselves, God teaches us To love our neighbour as ourself..i  am just paying it forward honey" 
He hugged me and said "mom you have been thru so much you have every right not to be nice to people but yet you are anyway, nice job mom!" all i could do is smile and say thank you and realize my kids are watching me set the example in helping others, taking the negative and turning it into positive.   You will be so rewarded when you give of yourself, in so many ways that giving will help you to be a better you!

5. Do Not Compare Yourself to Others
when i first started Crossfit i was one of the oldest in my box, THE slowest, had alot of flexibility issues from my knee surgery, over weight by 49lbs, had high blood pressure, i was probably the most unfit.  There was no way i could even compare my times in the WODs to anyone in the class, i usually went way past the time caps, i was so slow they used to send another crossfitter out to the curb to make sure i was ok, every movement i did was VERY scaled back due to my lack of ability.  I learned early on that i went in to each WOD to do MY best, and never to beat someone else's time,  because i just physically couldn't. When i realized i couldn't compare myself to anyone, i stopped doing that in my life too. I gave my self permission to be "just me" everyday at crossfit, and guess what, i started to succeed....hmmmm. Now  9months later, i am fitter, stronger and faster, i still don't compare my times to anyone else's...i am enjoying MY successes, working on MY weaknesses both in crossfit and in my life.  I also walk around enjoying being "just me" everyday, all the time! 

So my friends what do you see when you look in the mirror? Your flaws? or will you give yourself "permission" to be "just you"?