On Drinking the Cross-Fit Kool-Aid...or should I say Paleo-Friendly Coconut Water

Two blog posts in a row?  I know.  I'm on a roll!

So, I've heard about the "CrossFit" cult for a while. In fact, I have several friends who have been trying to get me to try it out for the past few years.

Honestly, I was worried about it because my eating/drinking capabilities were so limited with my Lap-Band that I was afraid to work out. I worried that I wouldn't be able to drink enough to replenish my fluids.

So, in September, 1 1/2 months post-surgery I finally decided to drink the Kool-Aid/Coconut Water that everyone had been talking about.

I joined Fidelis CrossFit.

And my life changed forever.

I am not going to lie.  The first few weeks I thought, on several different occasions, that I was going to die.  I haven't hurt that badly since high school track practice. Seriously! My whole body hurt. Muscles I didn't even know that I HAD hurt!

It was hard.

One of the biggest challenges for me was realizing that I had basically been malnourished for well over a year and seriously malnourished for the past 6 months, with the severe restrictions that my Lap-Band put on my eating abilities.  My body had lost a LOT of nutrients, so working out was so, so SO difficult!

But I kept at it.

I'm not going to lie.  It was humiliating for me to suck so badly at something, or should I say, everything.  I mean, I'm a pretty strong person.  Always have been.  But after a year or two without proper nutrition, I hadn't even realized how much muscle and strength I had lost. Until I started CrossFit.  Everything was hard.  I had to scale the scaled things that others were doing.  I couldn't even do straight knee-pushups...I had to snake my way up to my knees.  It was honestly shocking how weak I had gotten.

But, I kept at it.  We had a nutrition challenge at our CrossFit Box that I, foolishly, signed up for.

Talk about a mistake!  ;-)

We were on a super-strict Paleo-Zone meal plan.  It was horrible!  You see, since all I could eat the last year or so with my Lap-Band was super processed food and candy, I had gotten myself quite a sweet tooth. And there was no sugar/processed food allowed during the challenge.

I tried to follow the meal plans, but ended up "cheating" often, and not really giving it 100% effort.  Then, near the end of the challenge, I got sick with a horrible cough/cold and wasn't able to work out.  So I just kind of dropped the nutrition challenge.

After that, it was the holidays.  My parents came to visit for Thanksgiving, things were crazy at work during December, and before I knew it, I was heading home to AZ for the Christmas holidays, only having made it to one or two CrossFit classes.

And then a terrible thing happened.

My pants started shrinking in the washer.

My shirts too.

I was reaching a crisis point in my health journey--either stand up and DO SOMETHING about it, or buy bigger clothes.

So, I decided to give CrossFit a REAL try.

I've been going 2x/week for the past month, ever since I got back from the holidays. And while I still have to scale EVERYTHING, I have seen some real improvements in my strength and endurance. I noticed a few weeks ago that push-ups were getting easy...too easy. So I switched from doing knee push-ups to snaking my way all the way into a full push-up.  It takes me longer to do them this way, but I don't care. I'm just thrilled to be moving up to a slightly less-scaled version than what I first started with.  

In addition, I have stopped weighing myself. I know that my body is undergoing some major changes right now, and that I very well may still be gaining weight, both muscle and fat. I don't want those numbers to discourage me. For now, I am going to measure my success by how I feel and how my clothes fit.

I also know that getting healthy this way, the right way, is going to take a long time. I'm not going to drop 10 lbs in a week (like I did sometimes with the Lap-Band). But I know that if I stick with it, this is a lifestyle that will keep me healthy and fit for the rest of my years on this earth.

Yes, there is a lot of controversy out there about CrossFit.  You need to do your homework and check out different boxes before you commit to one. But when you DO find the right box (gym, for all you non-CrossFit-ers), it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

I have met some AMAZING people at my box. My coaches are awesome. Pete and Steph push me and won't let me wimp out or try and go too easy. Felipe and Liz are super helpful and motivating. I have also met some of the genuinely nicest and most encouraging people of my life. Everyone is friendly. They all cheer each other on throughout the workout. We are truly family at Fidelis CrossFit, and I'm happy to be a part of it.

CrossFit is more than just an exercise program. It's a way of living, eating, exercising, cooking, shopping, socializing, viewing the world. It may not be for everyone, but it most definitely IS for me!

CrossFit isn't just a way of life.

CrossFit IS my life.