Health and Performance First

Probably the worst part of getting sick with a virus is the weight and strength loss. I have been sick with a terrible virus in my throat for two days. Reminiscent of the mono that put me in the hospital senior year of high school. I lost 17 lbs in 10 days back then. Thankfully, I have not lost that much this time around... Not yet, anyway. So far, I've lost 3 lbs in 2 days, but at that rate, depending on how long it takes for me to feel better it could be just as bad.

The last virus I had in November knocked me back about 7 lbs. I had to go back into the gym and get stronger at a lighter body weight which was frustrating. I'm at the point in life where I like being between 125-130 lbs because I perform best at that weight. Yes, a tinier waist might look better on the beach, but I don't care about that. I like front squatting 175# and deadlifting 205#. And I want to continue hitting PR's. So I begin to get nervous when I see the scale approaching 120 lbs because I worry that my ability to be strong is connected to retaining a slightly heavier body weight. It's something to explore emotionally, for sure.

Now, I recognize that this is a strange conversation to be having, as a woman. It surprises me too. Let me explain. When I was much heavier, 165 lbs, size 12, I was the size of an average American woman. When I changed my diet it was for my health. I never set out to lose weight. Weight loss happened as a by-product of a healthy lifestyle. Every time I fit into a smaller pair of jeans I'm shocked because it was never my main goal. My goals have included recovering from disease and improving the over all function of my body (read these previous posts: Gluten Free, Sclero Free? Systemic Sclerosis... Catalyst to Better Health? and The CrossFit Effect.)

My Before and After Photos are not for self promotion. In fact, don't even look at them. When I share my story, I don't want you to focus on the weight loss or the body composition changes. That's too easy. Too superficial. I want you to focus on the improvements to the quality, and very likely the length, of my life. Don't look at my "diet" or my "work outs" as a method to a smaller dress size. When I get on stage to compete in a figure competition someday, it will be to point to a healthy lifestyle not to boast in my own self-will. I eat Paleo not because I am conscious of my figure but because it is simply the only way to eat and avoid systemic inflammation. I CrossFit not because I want to be a size 0 but because I was told I would lose my ability to function like this and I like proving my doctors wrong. My photos may get your attention, but I want you to change your life because you want to live better, not just live skinnier.

Start putting your Health and your Performance in life (not just in the gym) first and I guarantee you everything will fall into place. Sleep well. Eat well. Play well. Love well. It is impossible to remain overweight, unhappy, sick, and immobile when you are proactive about living a life that is vibrant. Eat to live, not the other way around. Work out to support your nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Get 8 hours of sleep to maintain your joy and your sanity. Play with your kids. Live!!!!!

And then watch, if you want to, as the pounds melt away. Or maybe they don't, and you end up realizing your happiness is no longer connected to a number on the scale, and you simply live better in the body you have, whether it changes or not. Maybe that's what I need to do; stop fearing losing too much weight and just work at being strong no matter what the scale says. Maybe a good call to action would be for us to  throw the scales out all together! (Here comes the anxiety!) This concept is revealing some things I need to explore and write about. Another day, another blog post.

Bonne Chance!!!

The Paleo Muse

I have a new nickname!

Post by Shannon Tripp.

Burpees for Birthdays!!!

Every student completes one burpee for every year their classmate is old, and then they get to enjoy a cupcake! What will soon be a movement sweeping across the nation, all started because my son's teacher told me they may not be able to celebrate his birthday with the cupcakes I dropped off this morning. "School Rules" prohibit baked goods from being shared because they are not considered "healthy."

Now... normally, I would agree. But not because I believe all baked goods are evil. I believe dairy and gluten are evil. And there's a whole back story to why my son wouldn't even be able to participate in a typical public school party involving baked goods. But these weren't just any cupcakes. They were gluten and dairy free cupcakes. I also eat, sleep, and breathe fitness and nutrition, however, I do not believe it is right to just ban celebratory cupcakes all together! Let's teach our kids moderation and self-control! Let's encourage exercise! And Let's keep SOME traditions in place if we can be respectful of things like allergies. Shared cupcakes on a child's birthday in public school just seems American! And the idea of a school wide ban on something so innocent seems un-American.

Therefore, I will be developing a program that will bring burpees to the classroom in trade for the privilege of enjoying a birthday cupcake. Burpees for Birthdays!!! One burpee for every year. David turned 7 today, so that would be 7 burpees for every child and then let them eat cake! Let's teach our kids to enjoy moving their bodies rather than deprive them of calories!!! I'll let you know how this program unfolds. I'm VERY excited!!!

Oh! And after all that hustle and bustle, the school let the kids eat the damn things and I got a note saying they enjoyed them very much but there won't be a next time. Yeah... how many of those kinds of notes have been sent home to other mothers, hmmm?

Now, watch this guy! I could literally watch his videos all day long! He is an excellent Coach!!!



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You can do anything, when your WHY is big enough!

I found myself springing out of bed Monday morning at 4:22 am, a mere two minutes after my alarm first sounded.

WHY? Because I'm a Juggernaut.

I got dressed, did my hair, finished packing for the day, and headed into a New England frozen wonderland after a night of snow and icy rain. I stopped for a coffee and some gum and scarfed down a banana and SoZo Ignite on my way to CrossFit. (But, truth be told, my early morning had started the night before when I cleared 3 inches of snow off my car while it was still coming down.)

WHY? Because I'm a Juggernaut.

So, I got there, half expecting to see one or two vehicles (the owner and one other crazy) but the parking lot was almost full, with people still arriving as I skated my way to the door. The energy in the box was fantastic! The heat was blaring, people were warming up, and we made our way to the white board. Made our way to hip mobility, med-ball tosses, front squats, and Illusions. Made our way to burpee and pull-up hell!

WHY? Because I'm a Juggernaut. And yesterday, I front squatted 125# (my bodyweight) and did a total of 100 burpees and 100 pull-ups, all before 6:30am. All because I LOVE this sh*t!

And all because my WHY - my WHY I'm there, my WHY I put myself through this, my WHY I wake up that early and drive in those conditions - it's big enough. Nothing else comes close to delivering the same results; the same rush. There is just something about these people and this gym that drives me in a way I have never been driven before. It is rearranging my insides. It is accessing deep realms of my soul. I will do anything to be there. And I will accomplish anything because I get there.

How big is your WHY?

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

Change your thoughts and you change your world. -Norman Vincent Peale

I believe in the Law of Attraction and the power of Manifestation. My body is a result of this powerful truth. When I became sick two years ago, I created a Manifestation Board; a collage of images of fit and healthy women doing things I was told I would no longer be able to do. Women running in the sun, or smiling in the snow. Women with strength and flexibility. I found these images in magazines and clothing catalogs and I cut and pasted them onto a large poster board. I looked at this every day, multiple times a day, because I wanted to convince every cell in my body that what I was looking at was real for me. I wanted my brain to make a connection with these images and direct my body to that reality. 

And it worked. 

Every decision I made with my diet and lifestyle was easy and practically effortless. I lost weight without trying and my autoimmune disease began to leave my body so quickly that my doctors still don't have an explanation for it. I became more flexible as the tightening loosened in my skin and connective tissues. My pulmonary function tests have been excellent and my digestion improved. I went back to teaching dance. I began working out and was surprised at the work my new body could do. I set new fitness goals and became an amateur CrossFit athlete. And every new thing I have introduced has made me healthier and happier without struggle or restriction.

I am building a new body. And not just with weights and exercise. But with my mind.

We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves. -Buddha

So, what shall I change about my world now?

This holiday season has revealed a few things I would like to turn my attention to. I did not enjoy having so little to give this year. And the little I could do felt under planned and haphazard. No one else would have noticed. If I wasn't writing it here, no one would call me on it. But it is the things that we see when we look closely at the reflection of our hearts that we have to contend with. I appreciate the grace that I receive from others, but I see the things I would like to change for 2014. And so I will make a new Manifestation Board. Here is a snapshot, but I am sure I will add to it.

Visit http://trello.com to make your own and Manifest a New You in 2014!