AllisonNYC

Vote for my Picture!! :D

2011-07-20T23:08:00.003-04:00

My Picture

My Mom's Picture

I'm spending some time at my Mom's in NYC and we all sat down and colored for an hour. When we finally looked up, my little brother was no where to be found. I said "Ethan Boo, where are you?!". He said, "I'm in the living room doing something that's not boring!". HA!

So I said, "I'm drawing this ice pop and then I'm DONE!". And here's the finished product. I think mine should win because it's way more colorful and my muscles are awesome!... BUT my Mom did make my hair look fabulous.

VB ->Iowa -> Vegas -> NYC ->

2011-07-20T01:15:00.001-04:00

VB ->Iowa -> Vegas -> NYC ->

Nationals, Here I Come!

2011-06-05T00:00:00.004-04:00

I did my first Olympic Lifting competition yesterday and qualified to go to Nationals in July! AHHH!!

I can't believe it. I really wanted to do well but wasn't really expecting to.. I was so scared that I thought for sure the nerves would make me screw up. I mean I was really terrified.

Aimee has totally inspired me to really focus on my lifting.. She's just awesome and has been so helpful and encouraging. She's such an insane lifter.. SO freakin' fast! She's such an incredible athlete and I feel so lucky that she's shared her time with me! Every woman needs to watch her lift and get inspired!

I've been really enjoying learning new things, making adjustments and Practicing! I just love this.. so this whole thing is just icing on the cake. I'm going to work my hardest over the next 5 weeks. But no matter how I do, I think it will just be cool to be see the really good lifters in person. I've been watching as many videos as I can, but the energy in there is going to be so motivating and exciting, no doubt about it!

I weighed in at 52.something so I was in the 53kg weight class. I only had to get 117kgs to qualify for that class so then I went up and lifted enough to qualify in the 58 class.. 128kgs between the Snatch and C&J. 57 & 71. They weren't my best lifts, but they were close.. and they felt easier than they did when I was in my gym.. So that was a very good thing!

We'll see what happens over the next month! YAY!!!

Overall, the whole thing was awesome... except the outfit. It was actually WAY brighter than it looks. I'm all over ordering a black one.. geeze!

Practice, Practice, Practice

2011-04-19T22:51:00.002-04:00

OHS Practice with a wider grip..
Apparently, my jerk from behind my neck needs a lot of work. It felt way harder than the front..

Lots of practice in my future! Looking forward to it!

Snatch Balance Day :) Back At It!

2011-04-14T01:51:00.005-04:00

Today was AWESOME! I was feeling wrecked this morning from yesterdays squat cleans and hill sprints and wasn't planning on working out.. until I got to the gym and started playing with Snatch Balances.

It's been a solid year since I've done them, or much of anything for that matter, so I was dreading a reality check.. I was expecting to be WELL under my 165# PR.
They started out really wobbly and awkward because I'm so out of practice.. which made me even more nervous. I watched the videos of my first lifts and saw that I just wasn't getting under quick enough!

It wasn't a flawless workout, but it was a good way to break the ice again. I ended up getting 173# fairly easily and failing (on my ass) at 178#.

Then I did two back to back 10min AMRAPs with Matt, just because I hate them..
4 Narrow HSPU, 8 C2B Pull-Ups, 16 GHD Sit-Ups
4 Narrow HSPU, 8 C2B Pull-Ups, 16 24kb KB Swings

I'll post the video of my Snatch Balance workout.. the good the bad and the fails, as soon as I figure out how to use Imovie.

It feels GREAT to be training again. I feel as stoked as when I first started all over again :D

Muscle-Ups!

2011-04-12T22:13:00.004-04:00

I need to get my muscle-ups back! I was expecting 7 or 8, but no such luck.. not with that apparent lack of dip strength. I'm going to start doing just a few a day. I've still never hit my goal of 10 in a row.. The most I've ever done is 7. But I think I could get it with a little practice.

BTW.. what on earth are those muscles sticking out at the bottom of my pull-ups??... Oh My Gosh.. I don't know how I feel about that! :/

Jerk!

2011-04-10T00:30:00.002-04:00

158# split jerk.. with an OHS thrown in just for fun. I was having an off day today. My PR is 180# but I just wasn't feelin' it today.. Some days ya got it, and some, ya don't.

LONDON!

2010-09-15T21:06:00.006-04:00

I'm in LONDON! For three weeks!

So far I've been too nervous to turn my camera over to a stranger... so no pictures of me on the streets so far. Maybe I'll be bold tomorrow and ask someone.

I can't believe how much different it is here. I thought London would be exactly like NYC with different accents. But NO! NYC is much easier to navigate since it's laid out like a grid. It seems like London is made up of a bunch of circles and creepy alley ways! I'm sure I'll get oriented after a few more days. Al it will take is getting lost for a few more hours and finding my way.

I'm open to any suggestions of things to see out here!

I'm going to visit the CrossFit gyms for sure. It will be nice to see some friendly faces.
I'm going to do the typical tourist things as well.. I figure a bus tour will give me some ideas of places to go.

As exciting as it is to be in a new place, I miss my love terribly! And our little puppy, too!
I can't wait for us to be together again!

Before I got on the plane to London at JFK, I stopped for 2 days in NYC to visit with my family. My Mama and I went to Lost Battalion Hall for some Olympic Lifting. It was so nice to be told what to do and to have my technique corrected. I'm always the trainer now and never the trainee. God, do I miss having a coach!

The coaches there insisted I compete in some upcoming competition. Who Knows! That sounds like HEAVEN! It would be excellent to have something to train for.. something that I really love. Lord knows I love lifting - I love every aspect of it..

When I think OLY lifting I think Aimee and I can't lift an ounce compared to her. It really is a magnificent thing watching her lift. She's so fucking fast and Fearless getting under that bar.

My heaviest jerk is only 185 but I've yet to power clean it. 175 is my best there. And I'm not even sure I'm lifting right around there this minute.. I have been neglecting my training more than I'd like these days.. But maybe with the right coaching and training I can get that and even surpass it. The thought of it is exciting! If only to work on something I really enjoy.

They said there aren't too many Americans that are into Olympic Lifting and even less women. That seemed strange to me since almost every girl I know clean and jerks. But I guess in the regular world it's fairly uncommon. I see that shifting in the not too distant future.

Those guys at LBH looove talking smack about CrossFitting though! The first thing they said to me was "You could have been such a good lifter, but you decided to teach people how to jog instead!"... They were half joking but I think if I broke out some kipping pull-ups we'd end up in a heated debate ;) I only do strict pull-ups there!

I would have to visit NYC more often to train with them, but that wouldn't be hard since their gym is about 3 minutes from my Mom's house! Then I could see her, watch her clean and jerk and snatch and such (hehehe) and get in some quality coaching.
I'm sure Brendan can help me as well. But you know how it is trying to train someone you love. It never really turns out right... I can't stand training my Mom! A much as I love her she drives me nutso!

I've been running more than I ever and I love it! Pfffft! no really, I still can't seem to enjoy it. But I can do it for longer and feel like I'm getting a little faster.. and for sure a little lighter. Runs around London are cool. The people watching makes it slightly less torturous!

CHEERS!!! ;D

2010-04-30T12:55:00.001-04:00

When did diaries become a public thing? How strange.

It's amazing how much the internet has changed things.

CrossFit Obsession.com

2010-03-27T12:35:00.002-04:00

Our website is back up and running! CrossFit Obsession.com will be where Brendan and I will post the WOD everyday. All of our gym information including scheduling, pricing, address, contact information will all be there.

Check it our daily for the new WOD and to post your scores and comments!

Our higher pull-up bar is up and being used! Hooray! The womens bar, the 12ft bar for rings and the sound wall are all being finished today! That means we'll have our full schedule starting on Monday morning and we'll all be getting our pull-ups and ring strength back! Can't wait!

Brendan and I are just so excited. We're high on life and loving every minute of being back in the gym with our friends!

Tuesday, March 23rd

2010-03-23T11:54:00.002-04:00

Warm-Up:
3 500m Row Sprints with a 2min rest
Burgener Warm-Up

WOD:
20 Walking Lunges
10 HSPU
10 GHD Sit-Ups
20 Walking Lunges
9 HSPU
9 GHD Sit-Ups
20 Walking Lunges
.... 8 - 1

Yesterday was a killer day! We got a ton of painting done and the gym is starting to feel put together. But what's even better than that was the vibe in the gym all day. It was so much fun to have everyone talking, laughing, training hard, looking good and then talking and laughing again afterward. That's what CrossFit is about - it's not just about the tough workout. It's that you can get so much more out of just being in the gym- a great encouraging group of people who you enjoy chatting with!

Everyone looked so happy! I know I am! I can't remember the last time I was so excited. I can't wait for each class to start and get to talk to all of the cool people at our gym before and after the wods. It's just pure heaven for B and Me.

Thanks to everyone who's making the gym what it is - the gym is all about our people!!!

2010-03-22T09:58:00.002-04:00

Warm-Up:
-Easy 250m Row
-Tabata Row
-Burgener Warm-Up

WOD:
5 Rounds for Time:
21 Deadlifts
15 Front Squats
9 Push Jerks
135/95#

Aim to use the trigger point tools before or after your wod.

The 5:30 and 6:30 classes did great this morning. I love when everyone is so focused on dialing in their technique. It always pays off in the end!

Brendan and I will be in the gym again all day finishing the paint on the shelves for the medballs and the cubbies for keys and things. It's all starting to come together. Lots of cleaning on the agenda as well!!

We're adding open gym hours from noon - 5:30pm when class starts. Either Brendan or I will be there training privates or just hanging out watching and helping you guys train!

See you in the GYM!

Another step in the right direction

2010-03-21T12:17:00.002-04:00

I painted one of the corners of our gym yesterday with my friends Lou and Alicia. The finished product is always so satisfying. Today I'm painting some shelving.. It's going to look even better once the black rubber flooring is in.

The sound wall and pull-up bars should be all finished by the middle of the week and we're ordering the rubber flooring to cover the entire gym probably tomorrow. Lou, Alicia and I are going to paint that big wall next weekend. But most of the walls are going to be pressure washed and stay bare exposed brick.

I'm going to take some more pictures of the gym but it's hard to get an idea for the whole space because it's tough to get it all in the picture!

I can't wait for all the painting to be done, the wall to be up, the rubber flooring to be installed and the bars and rings to be in! It's all happening so fast. It's great to have the help of some of our friends getting this place running. Jonathan spent hours and hours with Brendan yesterday teaching him about Excel, Alicia and Lou spent their day with be walking around looking like smurfs and Tonys company is working on the Wall!

I'm so excited about all of this.. Brendan and I are just so thrilled and relieved that all of the people we're spending our time with are the best of the best.

Annddd it's BACK!

2010-03-19T07:02:00.004-04:00

CrossFit Obsession is back up and running! Hooray.

Brendan and I are so happy to be back at what we love doing most with the people we love. With the guidance and encouragement of some of our closest friends and family we've reopened CrossFit Obsession.

We're committed to providing an all encompassing fitness program and community for our people. This time, without any partners of any kind, except each other of course, we'll be able to stay true to the CrossFit model. Our focus is on the individuals, building relationships and making sure that every single person has all of their fitness and nutrition needs met.

That's what it's always been about for both of us.

So, here's the deal with our gym today:

We're installing a sound wall this weekend which should be done by the middle of the week. Until then, we have classes at 5:30 & 6:30am, 5:30 & 6:30pm and a 9am on Saturday. Once it's finished we'll be adding classes at 9, 10 and noon.

We have 4 bathrooms and a shower and plan on adding another in the future. We have all the equipment from the old gym and are ordering some of the extra things that we missed havng there.. like fractional plates.. Those things come in handy! I can't wait for the ropes to get in and to get paint on the walls this weekend!

It's all very exciting! It's been a dream of mine to have my very own CrossFit gym.. Now I have one with the greatest man on earth!

Our official website is going to be up in a day or two. It will be way more hightech than this one but I'll post the workouts and pictures here until it's up.

You can e-mail or call Brendan or Me for any information:
Brendan: cfBrendan@gmail.com 831-566-4564
Allison: AllisonNYC127@gmail.com 757-373-6888

CrossFit Obsession is No More

2010-03-04T09:21:00.001-05:00

Where do I start?

My loyalty has been and will always be to CrossFit, Greg and everyone I've met and trained with along the way - my CrossFit family. I am forever grateful for everything I've gained from being part of such a strong, positive community.

Brendan and I started up CrossFit Obsession (before it was CFO) with good intentions. Our goal was to expose new people to CrossFit and get them moving beautifully. We can proudly say we've accomplished that goal.

We've loved every minute of training with our people. It's been a blessing to have touched so many lives. We've made great friends and watched them hit tons of PRs along the way. This includes all the members of ADS. A very satisfying, proud feeling. That is the one good thing that came out of CFO.

Our e-mails are overflowing and our phones are blowing up with people asking us to keep them in the loop because "they'll go anywhere we go".

Brendan and I will be opening a gym for all of the people who want to continue doing CrossFit with us. All the people we've been training with privately.. We never had any intention of leaving anyone in the dust. We'll be stoked to keep up what we started!

The first people at Obsession were there because Luke gave them a free membership to the gym. Not because they knew anything about CrossFit or wanted to go out and try it. That was awesome (although a strategic business move from a big business man to get a bunch of trained people in the door for free words of mouth for him when he decided to open his doors to the public).

So to those people I suppose I can understand why they would say we're selfish for taking away their free membership. And that they would say Luke is such a generous man. I suppose in that respect he was generous to his minions.

That's the reason B got in business with him in the beginning.. he seemed like a good enough guy.

But what those people don't see or care to see is that it was really Greg Glassman that has been generous with his equipment, LENDING it out to them for over a year and a half and with his program by giving it to all of us for free everyday.

It was Luke and his partners Rob, Nick and Robin who intended to exploit those gifts and Brendan and Me (also products of Greg's teaching).

Those "stand up guys" said things like "we want 2,000 members and we hope none of them show up." I had to sit through meetings hearing things like that with my hand over my mouth to stop the puke from coming out! Their ideas which they pushed on us over and over were so contrary to our own. But time and time again, B and I got outvoted.. until we ended up with what we had. Something that, besides the innocent members, we didn't believe in.

I could no longer put my head on my pillow at night without feeling like I was betraying my community. I wasn't willing to do that, no matter the cost.

Those former members will NOT be left in the dust. Brendan and I will have a place for all of them and we'd be thrilled to train with all of them again. There are also several gyms in the area.. but none of them are free.

We Need them to keep it up. We LOVE the people we've been training and would be heartbroken to see all their hard work go down the tubes. We still care just as much as we have for the last year and a half.

Sadly, it's those people who you see up above, who post anonymously, who are just ticked off that they've lost their free membership.
They won't bite the hand that feeds.

There are ADS people who are reaching out to us, too. They've said they don't care about politics because all they know is that B and I have loved them and taught them and they wouldn't find better trainers anywhere.

Andy, I know it might seem like there isn't anything to celebrate. It royally stinks that CFO had to come to an end. It's as much of a loss to B and me as it is for you all. We hate it. But it could have been avoided if they just listened to us..
What we'll end up with is the same program void of all of the politics. A place for all of you to continue with CF and us. We'd love more than anything to have you. You can be my demo-boy anytime ;) And THAT is something to celebrate.

It's heartbreaking for Brendan and I because we invested a year and a half teaching them CF. Putting our hearts, energy and ALL of our time into them. Waking up at 5am and getting home at 9 at night. But still, they just understood CFO... not CF. When the stuff hit the fan, they didn't show any faith in us. They assumed we "stole" the equipment and left everyone hanging. Thanks, guys. Good luke...

Moral of the story - Beware of getting into business with people who don't share your vision or principles.

And stand up for what you believe in and the people you love.

Thank you, Greg and everyone in CrossFit who contributed to setting us free from those big business men. We'll go on to do what we do best in the true spirit of CrossFit.

2009-12-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

It's my Birthday!

2009-12-06T16:34:00.002-05:00

Brendan and I are taking off in a couple of days to go back to Santa Cruz. It's been a year since he's been there and much longer for me. I'm looking forward to meeting his parents, family and old friends. It's going to be a great vacation... and we need it!

Is it too much?

2009-11-29T10:49:00.002-05:00

So, the other day I was doing back squats with Brendan and a few of his training buddies. I've been doing them for over two years now so the weight on the bar has become just another number. But that day I had to step back a realize what I was doing.

My back squat for 1Rep is 260. That day I was doing multiple reps at 240, easily. The only reason I stopped going up that day is because Brendan brought it to my attention that I was out lifting more than his friend.

I don't know who was more freaked out - his friend because he was lifting less than a girl or me that I was lifting more than a guy. I think it was me.

Way back when I started CrossFit I looked up to the women who were lifting hundreds of pounds and had big muscles. But the deeper in it I get the more I realize what my priorities are.

I want to be strong, but when is enough enough? How strong do I really need to be?

If this is really about preparing yourself for real life, then wouldn't the realistic thing be to work on being really cute so my boyfriend will want to lift all the heavy things for me???
I have a boyfriend who can lift over 500# off the ground. Why does it matter if I can lift 250?

I know there are plenty of women that can lift tons more than me and 260 may seem like a toothpick to some of you. Some of them may be hot as hell, too. But, I won't ever compete in the CrossFit Games or do any other kinds of fitness or strength competitions. So what's my motivation?

Does anyone know about elevated testosterone levels in women with heavy lifting? What really happens inside a woman's body when they get so strong? I'm really curious about this subject. Any information would be appreciated. I'll surely be doing my own research.

I'm considering easing off on the lifting. I've always put an emphasis on strength training, because I think it's important to be strong and healthy.
But have we decided if there's such a thing as "too strong"?

I'm half kidding, but really.....
What's worse: having a weak squat or having your picture posted on Androgen Friday!?

2009-11-23T16:16:00.001-05:00

Washington D.C. with B and Izzy!

2009-10-13T22:41:00.004-04:00

We needed and deserved a mini break from the gym. We work so hard and so many hours so it was so fun and refreshing to get away for the weekend. Izzy came along of course! It was her first vacation and she loved trotting around and sightseeing. She's so stinkin' cute and Brendan is even cuter when we walks with her. It's adorable.

Izzy!!!

2009-09-22T10:25:00.001-04:00

We got a puppy!!! We love this little girl.

CrossFit Obsession

2009-09-07T20:41:00.005-04:00

Finally got my strict press up to 103#!!

I had been stuck at 98# for a long time. Today I went for 100 and got it easily. Then got 103 but it was tough. Then pressed 95 for a bunch of singles.

Thank goodness! It was frustrating me.

Banged out 5 Muscle Ups in a row, too. First 2 were strict then kipped the next 3. I want to get up to 10 and keep them as strict and pretty as possible.

I'm up to about 20 HSPU's in a row against the wall, head touching the ground. Still stuck at 1 free standing but I don't work on it enough.

Went to the Running and Endurance Cert again last weekend. My running technique improved by 40%. I wonder how much it improved since the first time I went last year. It's helped my CrossFit training. It's made running way more tolerable and faster, although I'm still pretty sure I'll ever enjoy it.

I'm going to try to get over 40 pull-ups tomorrow. Wish me luck.

I want to start working more on my strict and weight pull-ups. I can so a set of 15 with a 35#DB but I haven't done a 1RM weighted pull-up in a long time.

So madly in love.

2009-07-17T16:04:00.002-04:00

This is what I've been up to

2009-07-11T14:46:00.001-04:00

CrossFitObsession.com

check it

"Nate" at CrossFit Obsession

2009-07-08T15:09:00.005-04:00

As Many Rounds in 20 minutes of : 2 Muscle Ups, 4 Handstand Push-Ups, 8 24kg KB Swings

I did 8 Rounds + 2 Muscle Ups as RX'd

PROOF women can squat 245# and do Muscle-Ups without looking or sounding like a dude.

Being strong is one of the most important things in life. But not at the expense of femininity.

Do you like looking at workout pictures of women who have retained their femininity or of women who have not? All these shots floating around of manly looking chicks doing CrossFit is scaring women away! There need to be more photos shown of fit, womanly women out there for girls to see.

2009-06-21T21:53:00.001-04:00

Updated Lifts and PRs

2009-06-01T16:38:00.002-04:00

Back Squat
1RM - 230
5RM - 215

Press - 98

Push Jerk - 155

Deadlift - 245 :/

Power Clean - 145

Clean & Jerk - 150

Over Head Squat
18 x 125
11 x 135
15 x 130

Snatch -
1 x 105 (lame)
5 x 95

Pull-Ups
Chin to the Bar - 36
Under the Boobs to the Bar - At least 12 but I've never done a max. Just in a wod with 12 reps

Hand Stand Push-Ups (head to the ground)
12 reps unbroken

Muscle Ups -
4 in a row
30 in 17:?? minutes

I'm sure I'm leaving some out. I'll do an entry with some of my workout times

Great weekend

2009-05-31T20:43:00.003-04:00

Figured out during today's workouts that my pull-ups have become really strong. Using the butterfly kip I can consistently touch the bottom of my boobs to the bar pretty easily. I thought c2b was way harder.

Nothing is better than jumping right into a swimming pool after a workout and then having a BBQ with great friends.

Gym and Swim

2009-05-31T01:10:00.003-04:00

Taking turns hitting the tire at BTS and doing pull-ups in the Blauer's sweet garage gym in between dives into the pool.

This week I did a bunch of workouts. Here are two of them -

30 Muscle Ups for time -

17:43

Did the first 4 unbroken, then sets of 3 and 2 almost until the very end when I had to start doing singles. The first 15 took a few minutes. Oy!

Tried a CrossFit FootBall Workout:

30 body weight barbell squats (I used over body weight with 135#) They were unbroken easily.
200m sprint (track was about 300m)
30 burpees (horrible!)

About 5 minutes.

Started that all out by doing 11 OHS with 135. I only gave up because my wrist was kinked. I want to try that one again, get to 15 and then see just how heavy I can get up to for 15. I can do 18 with 125.

Too Damn Busy

2009-05-01T16:35:00.003-04:00

I've been so busy. We wake up at 5am to get to the gym at 6. Most days we don't leave until 7:30pm. We're training all day long and most hours require me demoing movements in the first part of class - very exhausting after awhile especially at the end of a long day.

But, I love it. I've always wanted to be able to hang out in the gym all day and train great people.

Today I did some light snatches - 5 sets of 5 with 85#.
Yesterday I did "Elizabeth" with 95# cleans and ring dips in 13 minutes.
The day before I did more snatches - 3 rounds of 10 75# snatches and 30 GHD situps.

I can't wait to get my press up over 100 - it's sitting at 98 now.
My back squat is 225 and 215 for 3.
My deadlift has been stuck at 245 for months because I never do them.
Clean & Jerk is 150
My Nancy with 95 is fast but only because I can do the squats quickly and unbroken. My running IS getting better but I'll never love it.

I figured out how to do a muscle up from starting upsideown and piked on the rings. It's almost easier than strict muscle ups. Both are getting much, much easier. I can do 4 in a row now but I'm set on doing at least 7 in a row within a few months (with a full lockout at the bottom of each rep.)

Brendan is working on his iron crosses and back levers.. they're pretty freaking good already.

Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks.
Some are from my mom and Baby Brothers visit from NYC and the others are from the qualifiers last weekend.

Pictures

2009-03-31T14:25:00.005-04:00

Brendan and me jumping off our friends yacht in the Virgin Islands.

Brendan and Me in the Dominican Republic on the club trip with all the awesome people we train.

A & B in the DR

2009-03-06T06:45:00.000-05:00

Substance Abuse Problem

2009-01-25T13:24:00.005-05:00

Evidence of my substance abuse problem - Chalk.
I guess as far as white powders go, this one is relatively harmless. The lesser or two evils, no doubt.

I'm also addicted to Jeannie. Love her. She's badass - totally cool person and fast and strong as hell... obviously... she's holding me. ;)

These pictures are all from the "Death By Pull-Ups" Workout - 10 rounds for time of: 3 weighted, 5 deadhangs, 7 kipping pull-ups - The shit nightmares are made of.

AFTERMATH

Training is going really well. I spent some time playing with Jeannie at her gym. I loved every second of it and look forward to training with her often. She makes me want to be a better athlete and makes me confident that I can be. It's such a blast to train with her at my side.

Working out with the right people in the right environment has such an impact on my training. The right atmosphere motivates me. There's no comparison between training alone in a globo gym and rockin' it with strong dudes in a CF Box. You know which one I prefer ;)

I've been hitting workouts at Blauers, too. Such a great crew there.

I'm just so happy to have places to train consistently. Being consistent and resting are crucial.

As soon as I finish a WOD... and after my "CrossFit Hangover" wears off... my mind goes immediately to what's in store for the next day. I'm always so excited to find out what the WOD will be. But when the time rolls around to DO the workout I start dreading it. But of course once I'm in it's all good again.

I love CrossFit. Can't get enough. Want to be better at it.

Bumps and bruises and scrapes and rips - All Worth It. I lovingly refer to them as my CrossFit Accessories. They go with everything, although they almost always require some explanation to non-CrossFitters. Always a great conversation starter.

I'm Training Hard and Having Fun and loving every minute of it. Hope You Are, Too!

If you fell off the wagon then Go Hit a WOD! That's an order!

With Great Risk, Comes Great Reward

2009-01-23T10:06:00.005-05:00

"Allison, you're always up to something new. How do you live so freely?"

This is one of those Frequently Asked Questions I've referred to in the past. The question has been presented in many variations. It's runner up only to the Muscle Up question. Now that we've got that mess cleared away, let's tackle this one. It's far more interesting, anyway.

I'll give all of you people out there with short attention spans the abbreviated version - I just do.

That's the basic concept. But putting it into action and understanding it is more complex and requires some extra thought. I don't know if I can give a specific answer. I don't know if there is one.

Lots of the e-mails I get asking that question are referring to CrossFit stuff. I've been to a lot of gyms, spent time with the most dynamic, intelligent, motivating CrossFit people, been to all the certs. I've traveled a lot. I've gotten myself into some shit.

I guess if the question is as superficial as, "How did you get invited to that cert" or "How did you end up in CrossFit videos", I could respond with a simple, boring answer. Let me know if that's what you really want.

I'm a CrossFitter to the core. Intensity doesn't just exist in my workouts, it penetrates every aspect of my life. That's my goal anyway.

My CrossFit life is just a portion and a reflection of what I've been doing since forever.

I wonder WHY they're really asking. Curiosity? Do they just want to know my take on things that have went down in public? Do they want to know how so they can do it, too? Or are they looking for something else?

Are they really just wondering.. Why ME?

All the coolest and most exciting things I've done have also been the scariest... the most nerve racking. Fear is part of the thrill. The unknown. Not being able to see around the corner or what's on the other side. Fear holds people back. But it's what drives me.

I take risks. When I'm presented with an opportunity to try something new, I seize it.. even if that means making a fool out of myself. That's how I end up all over the place. I accept invitations, I embrace opportunity, I go for it.

I haven't really been able to put my finger on why I've been extended so many interesting opportunities. I think life is just a series of events and each decision impacts our future. Maybe it's destiny or luck. Maybe it's my overwhelming charm that gets me things ;) Just kidding... sort of. Or maybe it's just being open and receptive to opportunities when they come around.

The universe works in strange ways. Things come our way when we need them to. We're exactly where we need to be when we're there. And there's enormous power in our thoughts.

When things get crazy in my life, and they often do, my Grandmother is always great at getting me centered again. She reminds me that I am where I am because I need to be.. as part of some sort of spiritual journey. Spirituality is only starting to creep into my life. I can now at the very least transcribe some of the messages presented into a language I can understand and accept.

I believe in human development. Human behavior is so complicated and interesting. We all have things we need to do, obstacles we need to overcome, people we need at certain times in our lives, to grow and evolve into some kind of "final product" when we die. I imagine at the end of my life, I'll look back on all the things I've done and went through to become that end product. Life is sort of like research for some big report that takes forever to write... and what for?

This may be one of the driving forces in how you live your life. Is someone grading your final report, or not? Who's rules are right and who's to judge your interpretation of how life should be lived? I'm not big on living based on guilt. I'm about living based on experience, love and growth.

Anyway, my Granny reminds me of the bigger picture. That always helps.

I accept consequences (they're almost always worth the value of the experience). I anticipate things not going exactly as planned.

It's okay to not always know what to do. It's okay to make mistakes. We make mistakes no matter how hard we try and no matter who's rules we aim to follow... and there are so many rules, aren't there?! It would be impossible to follow them all ... so we might as well do it up right with our own panache!

When I fall, I get up, I freak out and recover. And trust me, I fall often.

How do some people end up bold risk takers? Parenting, environmental factors? Do they just come out that way? I believe it's both. Nature and Nurture.

When I was younger I was constantly challenging authority. I got in trouble in school a lot. In NYC public schools it's fairly easy to get in trouble - Just ask one too many questions, disagree with what's being taught, challenge a teacher. Curiosity got me in trouble - be bold enough to ask a question not addressed in the teachers edition of a textbook and be labeled as pretentious or argumentative and be sent immediately to the principles office.

Free, critical thinking was discouraged. Memorization and regurgitation of information... now that's real education. Being vocal with my ideas and unafraid and determined to express them got me sent out of many classrooms. I can't count the number of times I've just picked up and walked out.

I've had dreams of classrooms where students desks were arranged facing each other. Where the teacher was more of a guide and moderator than a disseminator of facts. I wanted heated discussion and debate. I wanted to be challenged.

Instead, I sat in rows facing the board. Forced to be quite or be punished. Sometimes we were doomed to classrooms so crowded there weren't enough chairs and there was always a shortage of books. Those classes were like hell.

I had a few outstanding teachers over the years. I landed myself in six high schools and felt like I struck gold when I got a teacher who pumped life into their message. You know those teachers who make their subject interesting... because it is.. because it's interesting to them and they know it can be interesting to anyone if it's presented the right way. Their classrooms have energy. Students are excited and minds are awake and working. Those classrooms are pure heaven. I would go to school everyday for the rest of my life if I could find an environment like that. I'd hold on and never let go. My Dad told me that's what I'd find at Columbia. I think I'm ready. I'll hit that in my next entry.

Anyway, I didn't give a fuck. That's always kind of been my attitude. People put such limits on themselves.

I feel like a lot of us just end up falling in line and living how we're expected to live. Childhood and adolescence is spent being told to "Line Up!", "Don't talk out of turn", "Don't ask questions", "Don't read ahead", "Wait to use the bathroom", "Don't talk without raising your hand!". Most people don't grow out of that. It's like they Need rules and people telling them what to do rather than thinking for themselves. They're too scared. They don't know how. They weren't taught or prepared. Their educators failed them.

We're pressured to conform. I'm not concerned so much with how we dress and talk. People always think that if you dress "weird" you're different. No. You're just the same as all those other "different" people. I'd like to get into this one another time, too. Self expression and how we're perceived in society is some interesting shit.

But for now I want to zero in on how we're taught to live. It's our actions that are relevant. Society immediately starts putting boundaries around us. Our culture molds us with strategically placed barricade's to guide us through life like cattle. Some people are content with that or don't even see it. Others have this internal, primal drive to climb those fence's or hop right over those barriers like they don't even exist.

My Mom was one of those off beat people. She's the black sheep in a very traditional family - Mom and Dad married 50 years, one of four children who went off to marry happily and have children of their own. She didn't fall in line. Who knows why she was different. She probably makes a good case for Nature over Nurture.

My mother is kind, peaceful, selfless. She's also kooky, scatterbrained and animated. She's the artistic type, always doing some sort of project. Children love her for her playful and loving nature. It really is so genuine.

On the other hand I always thought my Mom was a little nuts. She embarrassed the hell out of me as a kid. I was always afraid of what my "Traditional" friends and their families would think of her and if they'd judge me based on her (they probably did).

She'd be playing with the neighborhood kids while I was hiding behind a mailbox, embarrassed and shy. She'd set up water balloon wars for my friends on the block and take us all to Jones Beach everyday in the summer.

We spent a lot of time in the doctors office because of my asthma... even that was fun with her. She'd entertain me by pulling the most random things out of her purse. It was like the Barney Bag.. we never knew what we'd find but we knew it would be hysterical. Every woman needs a spork, rocks and masking tape in their bag.. didn't you know that?! :D I'm laughing my ass off as I type this.

My Mom is weird. My brother, EthanBoo is a lucky little dude. He'll have a lot of fun with a Mom that enjoys digging for worms and playing with bugs.

I inherited my strong sense of humor from her. If you don't laugh at life sometimes, you'll go crazy. I had to laugh growing up with her...

I'm learning to appreciate her for all the wonderful things that she does. I've grown to admire her strength and her courage. I admire her independence and determination to live her life with passion. She has a fantastic sense of self and but never hesitates to show her vulnerability, her humanity. I realize that I've always been more like her than I thought. I did my own thing. I rebelled.. but maybe in a more thundering, vehement, abhorrent, sort of way.

I think as I've gotten older I see that I've learned something very important from watching her my whole life... I was learning it all along. I've been practicing, too. From her example, I've learned how to be myself.

She marches strongly and proudly to the beat of her own drummer. I respect her tenacity to ignore what "normal" people pressure her to do, directly and indirectly, and to find and fight for her own version of happiness.

That doesn't mean that there isn't any struggle in this way of life. There was for her and there is for me. I embrace it. When I look at my Mother I see someone who's taken the hard road sometimes but lives life honestly and passionately. She has war wounds that make her beautiful and interesting. I want to see those qualities reflecting back at me when I look in the mirror.

It's not always easy doing things the non traditional way, but it sure is fun.

My Mom always did things with grace and kindness. She's too easily manipulated for my taste. I know it's sort of contradictory to the qualities I've described so far, but it's true. She's put herself out there and has been taken advantage of in the process. It happens to the best of us. It's part of the game. But she's exceptionally easy on people. It's excessive and it pisses me off. This is where we start to differ.

I'm stubborn, hardheaded, insubordinate, contrary, disobedient, rebellious.

I'm riotous, impulsive and opinionated. I'm rarely compliant and I'm allergic to authority. I despise wimps who accede to every absurd law. I like to bend rules and karate chop them right in half if I really believe in what I'm doing.

I can easily identify where that comes from. My father was a bastard who didn't care for people telling him what to do. He's the most charming, wild, ferocious, brilliant, frightening, man roaming the Earth. Watch out for him.

When I'm in, I'm all in. All or Nothing. I can be reckless. It gets me into trouble and lands me in strange situations... I live for them.

Sometimes I hear myself wishing for an uncomplicated life. I know I've said even recently "Why can't everything just be easy and smiles. Why can't we just slide through life smoothly?". I wouldn't really want that. I like the bumps in the road - They're The Spice Of Life.

Life is about experiencing things isn't it? I want to soak it all up. With the good comes the bad.. Get High, Get Low. Soar above the clouds before crashing and burning. That's all good with me. Wouldn't have it any other way.

I've always stood up for what I believed in no matter the cost. I was always aware of consequences but never let the fear of them stop me. What terrifies me more is letting someone's (no matter how powerful or what their role or status) moral code or rules or ideas get in my way. When I put my head on my pillow every night, I need to feel like I lived my life and didn't hold back.

When I end a day with the feeling of "I wish I said that!" or "I wish I just would have went for it!", I feel tormented. The anguish of the "what if" is way worse than the consequences of any risk. "What ifs" cause me severe mental distress and I'm not willing to subject myself to that sort of misery.

I'm out there.. I've put myself out there and allowed other people to put me out there. One thing leads to another.

If we really do get just one life, one shot, I want to really live it. Live it hard. I want to feel alive and act like it. I want to Love Freely and without abandon. I want to make moves and do unexpected things. I don't want to know what's waiting around the corner but when I turn it I'll embrace whatever is there for me.

It's got to be the right blend of planning and impulsiveness. For example - I knew I wanted to give California a try. I had been dreaming of it for months but wasn't quite sure how to get from point A to B. One day I was offered a place to live out there... I was on the plane a couple of days later. That's what I mean. I don't just do things without total lack of consideration. I generally know exactly what I want. It's taking the right chances when they come along.

I live with a blatant disregard for things that other people would label as dangerous. This makes people angry sometimes. But it's not that I don't think about consequences. I just don't make my decisions based solely on the possibility of facing them.

THAT'S how I live freely. Freedom is a state of mind.

I go with the flow. I'm open and willing. I say "YES" and see where the world takes me. It's as simple as that.

Thrill comes in many forms. I don't seek it, but I embrace it when it comes my way.. it always does.

Chances.... Take Them.

I want to share a bit of an e-mail my Mama sent to me in response to one I sent her. I hope she doesn't mind.

Hi Allie,

Thank you for saying these kind things. I am glad that I can be a source of strength for you. It is hard to see a large picture standing in your own shoes sometimes, especially when you are experiencing difficulties, and it is good to have someone who can reaffirm truths.

Here is what I see when I look at you: An incredibly bright, beautiful young woman. A woman who has come to this Earth with gifts and knowledge that some people will never have. A person who is still learning to cope with the unfairness in this insane world. You are driven, talented, and funny, too. You have and will inspire many to be better by your example and by sharing your knowledge.

You have the courage to put yourself out there and have become a public figure. By doing this you have put yourself up for others to admire, judge, speculate about, and even ridicule. The only way to deal with this and have it work for you is to be firm in who you are that negativity about you is only laughable. Truths are eventually revealed when there are gossip and rumors, and people's allegiance's change with the wind. Take all of this with a grain salt and keep plugging along. It is your life, not theirs. If you make mistakes in public, people will love you for it because you show who you are as an imperfect human being, or they will use it to be a pain in the ass, or they will simply be entertained. You are so young, and just starting out in this fitness industry. Believe me, your rewards will come.

Be self reflective so you can gauge your progress. Know your strengths and strive to understand your weaknesses so you can work on improving. Identify your weaknesses. Create a plan for improvement.

Here are what I think are your weaknesses:

You don't like to talk about your weaknesses!!! This must change. You have learned to deal with the physical discomfort required to change your body in your Crossfit practice. Now you have to learn to deal with discomfort necessary to change your life in other areas.

Wanting instant gratification. You want what you want, and you want it now. While you are energetic at doing what you love to do, you are dead dog lazy about doing things you don't like, that are necessary for a balanced life.

Remember to be kind to yourself. Forgive yourself for any mistakes you have made. Chalk everything up to experience, and move on with verve! People are defined by how they respond to what is put in their path. And you do have a certain amount of control over what your path is. Victims are those who lay down and say they can't do because of what has happened to them. Survivors are those who tolerate what has happened to them. Hero's and winners rise above difficult circumstances and use all their experiences as stepping stones. You are a hero in many ways. And you are figuring out how to rise above other circumstances you are faced with. I have every bit of confidence you will rise to the top. You already have one foot there. Time to get even footing.

You are the best, Allie. I love you desperately, and unconditionally. I am so proud of you as you should be of yourself. I am your cheerleader. I hurt when you're down and want to spur you on. Go, Allie, go! I'm rooting for you. And always remember you have a place here in my heart and in this humble home of ours if you need to bail out.

Mama

How Lucky Am I?

So Far, So Sore... I Mean.. Good

2009-01-07T08:27:00.003-05:00

3 CrossFit WODs down and still in the Zone.

The dizziness and general sick feeling is starting to subside. Thank God! I was beginning to feel like I would never feel back to normal and really doubting I could ever feel better than ever eating like a bird.

My first workout was tough. Deadlift 3.3.3.3.3. Usually I live for this stuff. Heavy lifting days are my thing.
I can Back Squat 205 x 5 so naturally I'd expect my 3 rep dead to be 205 and then some.

Well, it wasn't. The whole thing was a total disaster. I got up to 185# and my back started doing some horrendous rounding shit. Oy. So went to 175# for the rest of the sets. Not to mention that after every lift, as soon as I put the bar down, I felt like I was going to fall over and faint. It was an overwhelming and scary feeling.

I've done the Deadlift / Burpee WOD with 185#, too, with no problem. So I was buggin' when it felt tough.

But I sucked it up and tried to accept that initally with the Zone some decrease in performance should be expected. But that seemed like an outrageous drop. About 30-40# short of what I was looking for.

Anyway, the next day I still felt like shit. I felt like I was in a fog. I've been calling it a Zone hangover. But I still went to the gym and did the WOD. I was expecting the same pathetic results as the day before.

Warm up:
Row 1000m
5 MUs
10 HSPUs
Row 500m
21 Hip Extensions
21 Push-ups
Row 250m
5 MUs
10HSPUs

Hang Power Clean - 1.1.1.1.1.1.1

Started off pretty light to warm up - 93 x 7. Felt ok. Just Ok.

123, 123, 123, 128, 128, 123, 123

I should have jumped the weight up after 128 because I probably could have hit 133. But again, after every lift I was feeling really, really dizzy. Fuck. I wasn't feeling good at all.

BUT! I caught a little break. I was doing some butterfly pull-ups after the WOD. This guy Rob came over and said my chest was flying up to the bar every rep and asked if I ever tried a bar muscle up. I hadn't and was fairly certain there wasn't a shot in hell that I could do it.

I asked him to demo one for me - I'm a visual learner and usually if I see someone do something correctly I can get myself to do it, too.

I did a big kip and went up, uP, UP! Right over the bar. Bar Muscle Ups.... Check! It was awesome looking out over the whole gym on top of the bar. I did about 15 more singles that day but haven't tried to link them together yet. I need to give my hands a break - they're pretty beat up right now.

I also nailed a bunch of ring muscle ups too. Linking them together is getting much easier. Very exciting stuff.

I remember working sooo hard to get my first one. As soon as I got to the gym every day I would go straight to the rings. I did negative ring dips all the time because I still didn't have a ring dip yet. But I was convinced that all I needed was ONE to get out of the MU. I did all the pull-up WODs for about a month just with false grip ring pull-ups. My wrists were a freaking mess but I didn't care.

The day that I finally got one, I screamed at the top and jumped around like a maniac. I was so stoked. After only a few months of doing CrossFit, with no exercise or gymnastics background, I was the first girl in the gym to get one. That's what hard work and dedication gets you - what you want.

After I got that first one, I ran into some issues. They were seriously inconsistant. I was almost always able to get straight through the transition but failed on pushing out of the dip. It was so frustrating that it kept me up at night.

Then when I went to the Running Cert in January and I was working on them with Pat, I just had nothing left in me and couldn't even get through the transition! I was SO pissed and refused to give up. I knew that I could do it because I had done it a bunch of times before. But I didn't have any luck that day. Of course that happens when there are cameras around.

My lips were pursed and my brow was furrowed for a straight week after that damn video of me NOT getting a muscle up came out. To this day, one of the most frequent questions I'm asked is, "So, did you ever get that Muscle Up??". Rrggg. It's got to be about 100 e-mail that I've read asking me that darn question and it still frustrates me.

The answer is YES. I had it beofre that video and now I've done several. I want to update my goal of doing 5 in a row by the end of the year to at least 10.

This also brings me to overtraining. The day I couldn't get that MU at the cert was about day 95 on for me. I didn't know how to rest. I almost never ever took rest days. I was doing the main site WOD and on rest days I'd do my own workout. I was shot. People kept warning me that I was going to crash and burn..

The running thing was day 1 and 2 of a 9 day trip where I did 2 and 3 a day workouts. By the last day, I was SICK. I ended up with a terrible cough, fever and all kinds of problems. Reinforced what I was being told just days before. "Recovery is just as important as training"..

Yesterdays workout was not fun. I don't enjoy any WODs with running.... excpet "Nancy" - 5 rounds for time of 400m run, 15 OHS - because I can use the mens weight and still hit it unbroken. But anything else with running just sucks. I feel like it drains the life out of me and makes everything else in the workout so much tougher.

I've been trying to get better at running by going out for longer, slower runs. Someone suggested yesterday that I start incorperating sprints into my running practice. DUH! Why didn't I think of that? But, yuck. I really don't want to do any more sprinting than required by the WOD. But it might help me do better with the workouts. I'll have to think about this.

Anyway, yesterdays workout was -
4 rounds for time:
400m run
15 HSPUs
2 Rope Climbs

Took me 25 minutes. I felt like the last 10 minutes were dedicated to the last round of HSPUs. Those things just worked me. After all the pull-ups, MUs and cleans, my arms and shoulders were just done going in. My ROM was good the first 2. 5 rounds. Got kinda sketch the second half of the 3rd and the 4th just blew.

Subbed 20 bar pull-ups for the rope climbs.

Warmed up with a 1k row.

I am in desperate need of a rest day. My body hurts. My neck and back and shoulders are so sore that it's making it hard to sleep.

But still, I feel the urge to do SOMETHING. I'm trying to resist the temptation and stick with my goal of resting on rest days. I should use the day to get some stuff done and focus on eating right and at the right times.

I think the first day I missed a few blocks which made me feel even worse. The altered blocks has made it a little more confusing. Just when I got the 1:1:1 thing I changed it. Robb Wolf said it's imperitive that I eat all of my blocks. I knw he's right. I don't want to just waste away, be skinny and weak. I'm doing the Zone because I want to get FIT and see my performance improve. That's what I'm after.

How's everyone elses Zoneing and following the main site going??? Liking it or what???

The Not So Good Old Days

2009-01-05T08:35:00.007-05:00

The New York Mercantile Exchange. NYMEX. Or as I like to call it.... HELL.

I started working there when I was 17 and left when I turned 21.

It was a nightmare. I felt like I was selling my soul to the devil for money.

I'll talk more about my experiences later because unfortunately this place had more of an impact on my life than I would have liked.

But for now, I'm off to do some Hang Power Cleans!

If At First You Don't Succeed....

2009-01-03T09:53:00.004-05:00

... Move, Move, Again.

Today is the day. I'm leaving NYC and heading down to Virginia Beach.

When I left for California in May, I thought it was for good. I was completely sure that I was done with NY. I had been saying that I was over this city over and over for months before then. But it turned out San Diego wasn't what i was looking for either.

I accidentally ended up in Arizona after that.. thanks to my risk taking, go with the flow, see where the world takes me, way of living. But it wasn't a permanent move... it wasn't intended to be (but it was by far one of the most fun months of my life). I had no idea I would even be there for as long as I was. When I drove to AZ from SD I left all my things behind.. I thought I was going for the weekend and packed accordingly..

After the Games I came back to NYC instead of going back to SD. I landed at JFK and headed to Brooklyn. Now, Brooklyn is my favorite borough, but still, when I got there I was looking around and thinking "WTF? Why am I back where I started?".

The contrast between my dirty city and beautiful Arizona and Cali was so clear. I was haning out under trees and in the sun before I got on the plane.... and when I got off, I found myself under the BQE, trying to cross a 6 lane intersection, horns honking, cars driving over broken glass and I was STUNNED.

I didn't think I would kick back here for long. The plan was to chill out, enjoy a month or so running around Brooklyn in a bikini and spending some time with my family who I missed so much. I would re-evaluate my life and where I wanted to be and come up with a better plan. I didn't expect that it would take me 6 months to do it. But, things don't always go as we plan now do they???

I expected I would end up back in California. In fact, I was sure of it. But the last 6 months have been, well.. unexpected .... life is unpredictable. We never know what's waiting around the corner. And for someone like me, who's open to all new opportunities and is willing to take chances, one new thing can send life off in a whole new direction.

And that's what happened. I ended up traveling to Virginia Beach and figured out that it's a pretty cool place to be. And the kicker is, it's not NYC. There are great gyms, cool people and the difference between this move and the one to SD is I actually know what I'm getting myself into. I've been there a bunch of times already.

So, the day is here. I'm leaving my city behind again and I'm ready for new things. I'm looking forward to having great gyms and people to train with so I can follow my 3 on 1 off plan. I can't wait for the change of scenery and pace.

I like change. I've never liked being held down anywhere for long. Maybe it's because my Mom and I moved so much when I was growing up... we didn't stay too many plaes or more than two years because we just got bored! I don't like to feel trapped by anyone or anything. I like having freedom to live my life. I took it to extremes years ago but I'm finding some sort of middle ground. I'm growing up, I guess.

But it can't all be perfect. I have to say goodbye to my family again. I am going to miss my Mother so much, but I know that we'll call each other and probably talk more than we do when we're in the same place. That's sort of weird but it's just how it is. It's like when we're close to each other we take it for granted. But when we're far away we have to make an effort to connect and it makes for a more meaningful relationship. Not just one of those "hi, bye" kind of deals.

But my brother.... I don't know how I'm going to deal with it again. I love my little brother EthanBoo more than anything in this whole world. I love getting to see him every day and watching him grow up and do new things. He amazes me.

I cried for him almost everyday when I was in San Diego. It's hard leaving him because I don't know if he understands that I'm Moved and not just Gone. It's tough. I'm scared that when I see him again that he'll be mad at me for leaving.

I'm going to miss him.

I'll have to stay realy busy. I'm doing this largly because I want to be a happy, successful person that he can be proud of.

aNYway, I'm off in a few hours and still have some things to do and I want to spend some last minute quality time with my family.

Wish me luck and then next time I write, it will be from Virginia Beach!

Moves..... Make Them.

ZONE

2009-01-02T14:03:00.003-05:00

One of my two goals this year is to get my diet dialed in (the other is to follow the CrossFit main site WOD and stay 3 on 1 off without exceptions). I asked Robb Wolf for some advice. Here's what he told me -

Stay at 10 blocks of Protein
Keep the 10 fat blocks and then add 3 extra blocks for each of the 5 carb blocks I took away (15) for a total of 25.
Cut my Carb Blocks in half (5) and have 3-4 of them post WOD.
Here's what my diet will look like:

Breakfast:
2 blocks Protein
5 blocks Fat
0 blocks Carb

Snack:
1 block Protein
5 blocks Fat
0 blocks Carb

Lunch:
2 blocks Protein
5 blocks Fat
0 blocks Carb

Dinner:
1 block Protein
10 blocks Fat
1 block Carb

Post Workout:
4 blocks Protein
0 blocks Fat
4 blocks Carbs

Childhood and Beauty.

2008-12-31T10:19:00.017-05:00

My last two posts have been pretty Deep. So before someone drowns around here I'd like to be kind of shallow for a moment and share something - I want to talk a little about what we look like on the outside and how it makes us feel on the inside.

I'd like to tell you all a little story first.

Once upon a time there was a little pre teen girl named Allie. She wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth and couldn't wear fancy clothes like her friends. She was fat in all the wrong places. She ate cheap junk food like Ring Dings and Bunch a Crunch. Big belly, flat chest. She had snaggle teeth. One of the top front ones was traped behind the bottom row.... until she got braces... with yellow and orange rubber bands. She had horrible super short boy haircut which she tried to maintain by using a bottle of gel on her hair everyday. Because of that, her classmates gave her the nickname "helmet head". The boys called her "Barkey" because they said she looked like a dog.

One day after a long day of teasing in Junior High, the little girl ventured into the deli where all the cool kids hung out after school. She was nervous but she really wanted some Eye Poppers and Cry Babies which were only sold there. As she was digging though the gum looking for her favorite flavors - green and yellow, the most sour ones - some girls and boys started making fun of her. She felt like she was going to cry so she decided to get the hell out of there. She went to the register and behind the counter was a realllly cute guy who most of the girls liked. He was probably in high school and "cool".

That boy looked at the young, shy girl and said "Don't let them get to you. One day soon you're going to be beautiful. The boys will love you and the girls will hate you. Stay yourself and don't listen to those mean people. Their words are only a reflection of themselves". The little girl never ever forgot that boy and his words and kindness made her smile that day and stuck with her forever.

A few years later she was off to high school. The summer before crazy things happened. She lost some weight from being on two swim teams, she let her hair grow out, she learned a thing or two about eyeliner and grew a huge set of knockers.

Things still weren't perfect though by any means. She went overboard in her quest to not be what she was. She tweazed her once bushy, overgrown brows into super thin lines which were barely visible in photographs or sunlight. Her mother called her "Baldy Brows" and "Minny Mouse".

No one on this earth is perfect but we need to accept ourselves for all of our beauty and all of our flaws.

Anyway, over the years I've grown into myself. I'm not that awkward kid on the outside anymore, although sometimes I feel that way on the inside.

But my experiences with beauty and weight and teasing have really shaped who I am and how I treat other people.

I HAVE NEVER AND WILL NEVER tease another person for how they look. I'll never compare myself to another woman for better or for worse. I will never put another person down for their looks.

People who use looks as a way to make other people feel badly about themselves are mean. Flat out mean. Every single time I've been around people who have teased or made comments about someones looks to their face or behind their back, I've at the very least stood up to them and will not be involved in that kind of talk. It's hateful.

As a woman I've thought a lot about body image. I've thought about what I look like, what I've looked like in the past, and what I'd like to look like. I've been blessed with a very supportive Mother and because of her I have a very healthy, realistic sense of myself.

I've been called fat. A lot recently. This morning I got on the scale and weighed in at 123# at 5'2. I'm beautiful but more important.. I'm healthy. I am not fat by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone who's said that about me is a fool and out of touch with reality. Those are mean spirited comments made to inflict harm to my self-esteem. They didn't work. I don't listen to hateful people and I know I'm fit and getting fitter. I'm at a healthy weight - not over or under.

As a CrossFit trainer I feel like I have a responsibility to my clients and to everyone around me - friends, family and people who've seen me on the internet and have reached out to me through e-mail - to maintain a positive attitude about my body and about health and fitness. I want to lead by example and know on the internet, words count for a lot.

We need to accept ourselves for who we are and how we look right this minute while working towards making ourselves the best that we can be... Not the best that someone else can be.

We should never use our looks as a weapon to make other people feel badly about themselves. Instead we should be encouraging, and lead by example to inspire people to feel good about themselves and become better. We need to be fit on the outside and feel happy on the inside. Our jobs as trainers include helping people achieve both of those things.

When I've seen and heard other trainers knock peoples bodies, I've been horrified. It's an embarrassment. It's wrong. How can you be supportive to your clients honestly when you're on the internet or out in the world bashing other peoples bodies? It's a contradiction and a failure as a trainer.

As CrossFitters we work hard in the gym to become FIT. We ignore societies ideas that have been promoted about what "true beauty" is. Our one goal is to become as fit and healthy as we can be. What we look like as a result is strictly determined by our functional training and genetics. Not by training to look a certain way. We eat right to be healthy. We train hard so we can live long, healthy lives.

Apparently we're a more superficial bunch than I initially thought. But we are human after all and our looks do matter to a certain extent. I'm aware of this and I except it. It's reality.

I like to tell people "Train Hard and the Looks Will Come". I like to think of looking good as a side effect of a healthy lifestyle.

But should being thin be our goal? Are we chasing low body fat or fitness? Are we after being the tiniest we can be or the healthiest?

Women and men come in all shapes and sizes. We know what's healthy, but healthy people don't all look exactly the same. Some people are naturally thin, tall, tiny. Some are bigger, heavier, stacked...

We have to make the best of what body type we've been given and make it into the fittest that we possibly can. That's why comparasons of two women or men are ridiculous.

Whatever our bodies look like when they're fit is beautiful. They will not all look the same. It's impossible and that's great.

I'm concerned largely what my body can do - I can run, clean and jerk, deadlift, squat fucking heavy, press 98# right over my head. Looking hot in a bikini is just icing on the cake. I have some jiggle in my ass and I love it.

My goal is to become fitter. Fitter by the day through CrossFit training and with the Zone diet. That is my one and only true goal. If my body changes I'll be fine with that. If it doesn't I'll be fine with that, too. I don't care if I lose body fat. I don't care if my legs get bulkier. I don't care if my arms look muscular and I don't care if I keep a little pudgy belly. I feel blessed that I've been given a beautiful healthy body that allows me to move though this world and do incredible things. To hell with anyone and everyone who wants to shit talk it. Blatant bashing should never be tolerated.

This nonsense about me being fat scares me. The junk about comparing my body to other peoples does as well. Especially considering who it's come from. As CrossFitters and CrossFit trainers we have a responsibility to everyone who comes to us and to represent our whole community well. I want us to have a reputation for being an insanely fit, realistic and a positive, supportive group.

I don't want us to get caught up with the rest of the world preaching that skinny is "better" and anyone who isn't a size 0 is unattractive. I don't want to make standards of beauty for our microcosm or the rest of the world. I don't want us to define what is perfect an acceptable. We knock that kind of talk in Hollywood because it isn't healthy or realistic. Lets not let it seep into our community too.

Train Hard. Eat Right. Be Healthy. Abandon the negativity and be nice.

If you're ever tempted to make comments about another persons body, try this - Think of someone talking to your Mother, Sister, Son, Daughter that way. What would you do and how would you feel? That can and should apply to the rest of your life and behavior as well.

Can we please start lifting each other up instead of breaking each other down?

Let's feel good about ourselves, work hard to become our best and help people around us achieve those same things by being positive.

Here's to a healthy 2009 filled with lots of WODs and tons of PRs.

Happy New Year to you all.

When Someone Shows You Who They Are... Believe Them

2008-12-25T11:10:00.014-05:00

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results" - Albert Einstein

We're all just going through life trying our best. Trying to succeed at all the things we aim to accomplish, trying to figure out how to be happy, trying to make the best decisions that we can at the moment with the information we have.. and trying to look our best.

Right?

What else can we do? None of us are perfect human beings. That's what I think life is about - going along, fucking up, paying the price, asking for forgiveness, learning, and in turn, becoming a better person.

Is anyone of us really perfect? When you look back on your life is it really that hard to think of something that you've done that makes you say to yourself - "Shit, what the hell was I thinking? What on earth possessed me to do that?". Probably not.

Now, I don't believe in living with regret. I've done a million stupid things in my life... at least. But I believe my mistakes and the lessons I've learned from them have made me a better person. They've changed how I see the world and how I move through it just as much as the good things I've done... if not more.

People make mistakes. And if we're lucky enough to live a long exciting life, we'll make a boat load of them.

It's hard not to get hung up on ourselves and cast judgement on other people sometimes. Its easy to think "that person is such an idiot. How can he not know what the hell he was doing? What a moron, what a piece of crap." I've found myself doing it and have had it done to me. It sucks both ways.

I try my best to be understanding. Try to put myself in other peoples shoes and "get" why they do what they do when they do it. It's tough.

Sometimes it takes time and things only seem clear after it's all said and done. Hindsight is 20/20 or some shit like that.

What I don't get is making the same mistakes twice... Especially mistakes that effect other people.

- Learning from our mistakes and not repeating them is what makes us better.
- Acknowledging our mistakes and repeating them anyway is what makes us pieces of fucked up shit.

The key is not being wreckless. Sometimes people know they're doing the wrong thing and continue on anyway. That makes forgiveness hard. It's hard to forgive conscious mistakes. It's easier to forgive mistakes that were made because of lack of information or experience.

There are two sides of forgiveness - Forgiving someone else and asking to Be Forgiven. Both can be incredibly difficult.

It's not always easy to ask for forgiveness. Pride gets in the way and makes it hard to admit fault. But asking forgiveness and admitting a mistake doesn't necessarily need to involve going to the person you've wronged, with your tail between your legs and kissing their feet. If you know what you've done wrong in your heart, it shows.

But that brings me to the act of forgiveness. How do you know when someone is deserving of forgiveness? Is it the sincerity of the apology? Is it talking about what went wrong and truly believing the person has learned, is sorry and won't do it again? What is it? Some people are just more willing to forgive than others. Stubborn people who hold grudges are angry on the inside. I was like that for years.. I don't think it's uncommon for teenage girls to be angry but I took it to new heights. As I got older I've learned that forgiveness is like letting go. Letting go of negative energy that would eat me alive from the inside out if I held on to it. Forgiving has been a very selfish act for me - I've done it to set myself free.

I believe in karma. It's got me a few times. I'm glad it did because it's made the lesson all the more memorable. It's like getting smacked with a whip after doing something naughty even if you weren't naughty on purpose. It leaves a scar and it's a strong reminder of what you've done and how it all felt. That scar serves as a reminder not to do the same thing again.

Once when I was ten I was walking down the street with my father. My dad was a real SOB. Brutal but brilliant. Certifiably insane and wildly aggressive, uncontrolable and strong but Columbia Grad several times over and proud member of Mensa. He loved me but had strange, difficult to understand kinds of ways of showing it. Anyway, I went to step out into the street without looking both ways. Even though it was obvious there weren't any cars coming, before my foot touched the street he geared up and smacked me so hard across the face with his huge calloused hand that my ears rung. I think I went cross eyed for a minute, ended up with a hand print on one side of my face and cried in public (which made made him mad enough to smack me again). This was one of his more gentile moments. That's the way he was... all the time.

It's taken me a lifetime to forgive my father for the way he showed his "love" and for his disfunctional brain. As I got older I realized there was a physical chemical imbalance and a whole lifetime of his own trauma that made him who he was. I understand him and love him and I've forgiven him. Forgiveness has been the only thing that's allowed me to move on. That, and staying far, far away for years.

The moral of the story is... I never stepped into the street again without looking both ways. The pain of the lesson made me never forget it. Sometimes pain is physical, sometimes it's emotional. Emotional scars last longer from my experience.

If you repeat your mistakes, you deserve to get burned. I'm not exempt from this rule.

If you let someone else repeat their mistakes at your expense too many times, you deserve that too. Give people the opportunity to fuck with you too many times and they will. It comes to the point sometimes that you have to suck it up and realize that people just don't change. You have to trust your instincts. Get rid of denial and see people for who they actually are, not who you wish they could be. When people show you who they are... believe them. Even if the truth is ugly.

My Granny told me she heard someone say something like - "Burn me once, shame shame on you. Burn me twice, shame shame on me."

"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget." - Szasz

Has there been a time in your life where you've made mistakes with far reaching consequences? Mistakes that you've made that didn't seem like mistakes at the time but once things became clearer you realized you fucked up big time? How do you ask forgiveness? Do you forgive yourself first? Or, do you just say fuck it, a lesson learned?

I hope this post inspires you to think about the people you've wronged or someone you should forgive. I hope you think back on some of the things you've done in your own life.

Reflection is a good thing. It's healthy. It helps us grow.

Perspective.

2008-12-25T09:36:00.005-05:00

I was feeling really down yesterday. You know those days when you feel like life just sucks? You feel pathetic, like you can't do a damn thing right and there's no sense in trying anymore? Well, that was me. I've been feeling like that for days now and despite using every bit of brain power I have to will myself out of this cloud, nothing has worked.

Until I jumped on the E train to head downtown.

By this point I think it's obvious that I have a love hate relationship with this city. I will always feel at home when I'm here. Everything is so familiar. But it feels lonely and cold to me. I crave new scenery, a place with a whole new vibe. I'm going to get it in a few days when I move to Virginia Beach.

I was standing up, leaning on the doors, slouching I'm sure. Pathetic disposition in every sense. Tears welling up in my eyes and head hanging low. A posse of 3 dirty kids strutted on to the train from the next car.

I'm used to this shit - people begging for money. Most of the time they piss me off. Asking me for stuff I don't have when I know they're taking their booty and counting it in their penthouse apartments on the UWS. These people rake it in. I could go on and on about the scams I've seen after riding the same trains every single day for years.

Once there was a dude I saw every day. He was dressed in some crumby clothing and had a cup that he shook and a song that he sang. I can still hear his strange voice.. I'd write the words here for you to read but couldn't ever understand what the hell he was saying. Whatever it was, it wasn't English. Anyway, one day I saw him with a stick that blind people use. Either he had gone blind overnight, or he was faking the funk. Something tells me it was the latter.

So, I get pissed when people ask me for money. The only people I don't mind are the ones who tell it like it is. "I'm homeless, my life sucks. Please give me some change so I can buy myself some booze and I can drink my pain away". Yeah, I get that.

Back to yesterday. The 3 kids come on the train and pump up their music. Strong beat comin' from an old school boom box. Some people clap, most people don't even look up (perfect example of jaded New Yorkers - people who I've grow to resent, partly because I'm one of them). They start busting moves like pros. Breakin', poppin', spinnin', flippin'. One kid picks up another kid, throws him into the air, he bounces off the ceiling of the train, does a flip in mid air and lands on his feet. WHOA. Dude, it was hot. The next thing they did was grab each others ankles so that they were in some kind of loose ball and they rolled down the subway car, through people and bars and seats. I don't even know how the fuck they did it.

I was impressed. Impressed enough that I gave them $5. They worked for it. They didn't just ask me for some money, they put on a show. And it was a good one.

So for a moment I was feeling a little better. I was looking around and seeing the city for all the things I love about it - the life, the energy, the variety.

But it can only last so long when there's a rain cloud hovering overhead.

I sat down and slouched in my seat. I felt like I was suffocating. Tears welling up in my eyes and even though I've had enough of crying in pubic I just couldn't help it. I closed them and took some deep breaths. I heard someone else saying something like "if you have a dollar...". I opened my eyes. I saw a man in a wheelchair with no legs. He had American Flags on the back of his chair and a kind face. I wanted to give him some money but I didn't have any more bills smaller than $100.

When people like that pass me I usually keep my eyes busy on something else. This time, I looked him right in the eyes. He stopped and quietly said, "You're beautiful".

Usually I hate when men say things like that to me. I feel like they're trying to be slick or see what they can get. But this guy, I knew he wasn't saying it because he thought he would get laid, or I'd fall in love or anything like that. He just meant it and wanted to be kind. He had nothing to gain and that touched my heart.

I can't explain the way it made me feel but I smiled sincerely and said "Thank You". He started to roll past me, stopped, rolled back and said "Thank You, your smile is worth more than all the money people can give me."

I imagine people overlook someone like him a lot. I wonder what it feels like to be one of those "invisible people". It must be lonely and sad. But still, somehow, this man was smiling. His strength and grace were beautiful.

It put things in perspective for me. Things in life aren't always easy. Sometimes they get really fucking hard. Sometimes things happen that all you can stand to do is cry and put one foot in front of the other to go through the motions of your day. But can you imagine what it would be like for someone smiling at you to be a big deal? I can't, and I'm thankful for that.

Every once in awhile I encounter situations and people like that who remind me how wonderful my life is and how much harder it can be. I'm blessed. I have passion in my life. I love what I do, I've had great opportunities given to me, found interesting, exciting people to spend time with. I have a wonderful, kind, loving Mother. I have the greatest gift I could ever dream of - My Brother Ethan Boo. Nothing, No Person, No amount of stuff or anything could bring me the pure joy and love and happiness that he does.

Sometimes I look at him and I think "Thank God". Thank God he exists. This little thing , this little, wonderful thing has had the power to change my life. To pull me out of a severe depression that meds couldn't even fix. The power to make me smile, on the inside, not just the outside just by thinking about him and just knowing that he exists. He's shown me what true, unconditional love is. He's shown me that I'm capable of feeling it when I was sure I didn't even have a heart. He's incredible. He makes me want to be a better person, the best woman I can be. I want to make him proud and set a good example for him. He's the best thing that has ever come into my life and I'm grateful for him.

But still, sometimes we all need things to remind us of what we have. Because when life get tough, it's easy to lose sight of the good.

What brings you back to reality when things go wrong in your life and you're feeling like shit? What are your reminders to not take things for granted and to look at the glass half full???

CrossFit Goals for 2009

2008-12-24T07:18:00.008-05:00

Full ROM HSPU on Parallettes
Free standing HSPU
40 pull-ups unbroken
Master the fucking Zone, stay on it and lean the fuck out - only to be able to do "Linda" as RX'd
150 Jerk... at least
250# Back Squat
270# DL
Sub 3 Fran.
Grace as RX'd with 135#
165# Clean
110# Press
100 Double Unders in a row
Follow the Main Site WOD. No skipping workouts because they suck. No over training either. Extra runs don't count.
Pick a new sport and stick with it. Are there gymnastics programs for adults?
Better dips. Deeper, and stronger.
Consecutive Muscle Ups... lets say 5

My biggest, most important goals are to keep my training consistent and to stay in the Zone. Nothing else will happen if those things aren't in check.

I have some work to do! I've been on my way to these numbers before my training became inconsistent for awhile. So I have to make up a little ground and then keep going. It's been brutal to see and feel my fitness go down. I feel my best and look my best when I'm in the gym everyday or close to it and training hard.

A year is a long time. Maybe I'll hit these goals and then some.

What are your Fitness Goals for the New Year?

Frustration.. Are You ready? If so, Let's Go!

2008-12-03T10:53:00.007-05:00

I'm going to keep a growing list of words and phrases that I can't stand when people use. Some are OK sometimes but people abuse them and use them incorrectly.

Feel free to post yours to comments and I'll add them to the list.

Here we go:

Conversate
Basically
Amazing and awesome (I annoy myself with how much I overuse these. I'm going to quit them.)
Physicality (I really hate this one)
Synergy, dude and sweet (Darcy's additions)
Sick & Fabulous (Payton is bugged by these. I'm guilty of saying the latter. I'll quit)
Musicality
Honestly - People are usually LYING when this is the first thing that comes out.
Literally - Get a freaking dictionary, people. Don't use this word unless you "literally" know what it means.
Irregardless - MJ added this one. I haven't heard anyone use it yet. Thank God.
I should go back and make these all #1: the proper use of the words their, they're, there; where, were, we're; to, too, two.

My Booty Hurts!

2008-12-03T08:58:00.007-05:00

400M Walking Lunge gets me Every Time!

512 Steps
19:36

I got off to a rough start. On one of my first lunges, I didn't "kiss" the ground with my knee. It was more of a high speed collision with the concrete - a self correcting error. I lost some time bent over and cursing in the street, but once I got going again I felt strong... until the 26th step. Then I stood up, realized it was going to be harder than I remembered, cursed again, and continued down the block.

It was downhill from there, literally. Until the half way mark here I had to turn around and lunge UP hill. I kept asking myself why I was subjecting myself to this discomfort just like I do during most workouts.

When I pulled up to my house I had three flights of stairs to climb. I dove into my bed and started tearing off my clothes. I was overheating. I soaked my sheets but couldn't move. When I finally stood up to put myself in the shower and rip the gross sheets off of my bed, my leg gave right out from underneath me. I knew I was in trouble and asked myself once again why I did this to myself.

Right then when I was hating myself I caught a glimpse of my booty in the mirror. I had my answer. My ass looked incredible.

In the (rear) end, it was all worth it.

This morning when I woke up, I reached for the asprin, got out of bed and went to kiss my Boo like I do every morning (I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world to have a sweet EthanBoo to love). Well, he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Either that of he was just pissed because I was blocking his view of Thomas on TV. He kicked me in the legs. >:O

My Mama laughed her ass off when she saw my backside. She said it looks like I have butt implants. See girls! No need to complain about not being about to do anything about your booty. Just lunge yourself to death. You'll be stronger and have a great, perky, round ass!

Going to get my hair done today. I've been wearing a hat for 2 weeks. I don't like to do too much to my hair very often because it's so long. I want to avoid damaging it too much. Healthy hair is beautiful hair. The only way you can get away with bleaching or coloring all the time is if it's short.. and I'm not cutting my hair anytime soon. I'm still not over the trauma Santonio inflicted on me years ago.. another story for another time.

Did you ever wish we lived in the future where we could just go through a machine and come out the other end looking fabulous? I do. I love looking beautiful and put together. But sometimes the process to get there is borrrring and tedious. Going to the salon feels like a chore to me sometimes. I LOVE how I feel when I leave.. like a new person in some ways. I'm sure I even carry myself differently. But there are plenty of places I'd rather be than sitting in a chair for HOURS making small chat. I HATE SMALL CHAT.

Here are some (not all) of the things I can't stand talking about:
-The weather
-My personal life
-Their personal lives
-Politics
-Where we grew up
-Celebrity gossip

Some people say that their hair stylists are like their therapists. Not me anymore. I used to go to the same woman named Adrian for years. I loved her and she loved me. So it was easy to follow along with her life and invest a little energy in getting to know her. I liked her and it made sense. But she moved and I miss her. Now I go to a new salon (which is awesome) and I pick a new person pretty much every time. It's exhausting spending a couple of hours getting to know the basic facts about someone just to walk away and not see each other again for a long time. We both know we don't REALLY care what we do in our spare time. We walk away with a bunch of trivial information about a person we won't ever really know. THEN I feel like I have to store that information for next time to avoid seeming rude or forgetful. It's hard!

Am I being terrible? I guess I'm just cranky about having to sit in one spot for hours. I'd be able to handle and enjoy a strangers company if we were out moving around and doing things. But it's like my brain can't work and come up with things to talk about when I'm not moving for such a long time. It's like my body is so frustrated that my mind can't function properly. Usually I feel fun and creative with my conversation, but tie me down and I turn into a lame ass.

I feel bad for Marissa today. I'll bring a good book or read trashy magazines. But how will she be entertained? I guess she'll be able to concentrate on my hair. But for some reason I feel a sense of responsibility for keeping her happy. Salons are supposed to be relaxing aren't they? I get all stressed out.

But again, in the end it will all be worth it. My hair will look as awesome as my Booty.

I'm so thankful for my Mama and my Little Boo. I love them more than everything in the whole universe.

And this is just ridiculous. What you can't see is he has another dog in the basket with the newspaper in the front of his Jazzy. Makes me laugh every time I see it. It's the simple things in life, isn't it? :)

I'm a Quitter

2008-11-26T16:25:00.004-05:00

I'm putting an end to my Love Affair with Caffeine, Sugar, and Bread. I'm trying really hard to stay in the Zone.

I officially started today. No cheats so far. I was tempted this morning at EthanBoos school Thanksgiving party. I handed out four dozen cupcakes to the children and didn't even lick a single one... the cupcakes, not the kids.

I think the caffeine is going to be the hardest part. I used to hate Starbucks ... I called it StarYUCKS. But somewhere along the line I fell in love. I'm easy I guess and I believe CrossFit is partly to blame.

I've always loved coffee. Especially the cheap kind from the delis in New York. I can still get a cup for 75 cents and it's delicious and makes me nostalgic. It reminds me of my parents and going down to the corner store when I was a kid to get a cup for each of them. I still think they sent me so they could have some "alone time". My dad liked his Black with 3 sugars and my Mom liked hers with milk, no sugar. The way they took their coffee said a lot about them - they're so opposite. My Mama always left a red lipstick print on her paper cup. I loved them so much.

But now I'm older and more mature or something and I like cappuccino. But I'm quitting. I've quit. I drink too much of the stuff. And all the cream and 3 equals I put in each of them just isn't good for me. I have to go cold turkey and make one day I'll be able to enjoy just one cup once a day. I sound like a junkie or an alcoholic. I'm "Getting off the crack". All of it.

I want to be as healthy as I can be and fit as Fuck. I know I look beautiful by most people standards, including my own. But I want to be fit and LOOK fit. I don't want veins sticking out anywhere, I don't want to lose my awesome booty and I don't need a 6pack, but I'd be happy if I could see some of the cute little muscles I've worked so hard for :) And being lighter means moving faster and getting to use less weight for "Linda" ;). I want faster recovery and all the benefits that come with the right choices.

I know it doesn't happen overnight but I have to start making changes somewhere. It has been easy to put in the back of my mind when I'm not surrounded by insanely fit, health obsessed people. I've had the most success with my diet and training when I had people who were all about it doing it with me. Brendan and the Blauers have been such huge inspirations to me. Their dedication to becoming healthy and staying healthy by having such control over their training and diet impresses me so much. I wanna be like them.. And when you have a boyfriend that looks like this it's impossible to not be excited about working out, eating well and looking good.

My Motivation

FAMILY

2008-11-25T17:43:00.001-05:00

Summertime and the Livin's Easy... In Brooklyn

2008-11-24T11:01:00.004-05:00

I guess there are some things about the city that will never get old... passing bizarre looking people on the sidewalks, cool cafes scattered all over (I think I could go to a different one everyday if I really wanted to), visiting museums and galleries is one of my favorite things to do even though I don't take advantage of them nearly enough these days. I really do love wandering around the boroughs and getting lost. It's easy to just stay on route from the same point A to point B everyday.. but I like to explore. There will always be streets I haven't walked down before, scenery I haven't seen and gum blops I haven't stepped on.

My friends are always up to weird shit. I used to be up to it with them but I've been pretty single minded lately... CrossssFittt. About two years ago there wasn't a week that went by that I didn't find myself in a new apartment, hanging with new people and having a great time. I used to take full advantage of the city and all the excitement it had to offer. I was bold and carefree... or careless... I remember so many times that I looked around and said to myself "how the heck did I end up here right now? hahaha". It was awesome at the time. I was constantly surprising myself by going with the flow. Life will take you to all sorts of places if you let it.

ANd I love Graffiti. I think the whole city should be covered with it... and murals. All kinds of artwork everywhere. I don't understand why it's illegal to turn something boring into something beautiful. The city is so grey.. all brick.. all blah. Who wouldn't love splashes of color and design? Buildings and trains should be treated like canvases. The city should be drowned in spray paint... but not by crappy artists who think they can do graffiti and it just looks like a 5 year olds handwriting.. the kind people actually go out of their way to check out online or stop to admire when spotted on the street.

I guess NYC isn't ALL bad.

2008-11-23T22:46:00.001-05:00

A, B, J & J in VB

2008-11-22T17:54:00.003-05:00

** Brendan, Me, JroCk & Jeannie **

I'm excited to have my Blog back. I want this to be a reflection of my life so that my friends and family can come here and see what I'm up to.

I'm happy. I'm starting to assemble some sort of plan for the next few months. When I got back from my fun summer on the West Side I felt like I was in limbo. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but wasn't sure where I wanted to go. I'm anxious to get out of NYC again. I'll always be a NYC girl at heart and I'll miss my Mama and Little EthanBoo like crazy. But I need so much more than what this place has for me.

I need new scenery. The city looks so Grey and dirty. I want trees and water and the smell of nature. I want to be used to being friendly with strangers - not rude and defensive like I am now. No matter how many people surround me on the crowded streets, I feel alone. I feel like I have to put up a wall around me - straight face, headphones in my ears, closed off body language. There was a time when I smiled walking down the streets just because I was happy on the inside... I'm sure lots of people thought I was nuts and men always thought I was being flirty. I'm just over the crowds. I'm so, so over it. I'm over the chaos that I used to be so excited to be a part of. I used to love pushing my way through the swarms of people in Times Square and on the Subway platforms and seeing who I'd bump into or meet. It's just not for me anymore. I'm not interested. It may sound crazy or impossible but I feel like I've met everyone I'd like to meet here. I've exhausted myself.

I need new Gyms! One of the coolest things about Virginia Beach is how much time I get to spend hanging out under pull-up bars, surrounded by bumper plates and kettlebells. I like variety and I have it there.

The Facility is the biggest and hands down one of the coolest gyms I've ever set foot in. There's more equipment than I know what to do with and the people who train there are awesome. I get a kick out of watching Jesse push herself running laps. I love the excitement the newbies have over CrossFit. I'm so happy for them and loved being a part of their workouts. I have mixed feelings about the temperature - I hate the cold and having to wear layers, but I love that it gets me on the rower.

The best part is definitely watching Brendan coach his classes. He's the best I know. He speaks so well and commands everyones attention. He's not boring. He can get a huge group of people who don't know what the hell they're doing to do exactly what he wants and needs. It's impressive. I think I'd panic if I had the responsibility that he does sometimes. I have so much to learn from him and I pay close attention to what he does with his groups. I'm confident that being around him will make me a better trainer. He makes me want to be better.

Jeannies Beach CrossFit is a killer gym too. That's Jeannie and Justin (JroCk) in the picture with me and B. Those two have more energy than my 3 year old brother and they put it to great use. They LOVE CrossFit and it shows through how much time they spend in the gym, the intensity with which they attack their KILLER workouts and through their encouragement. When we worked out together and they finished before me, they came over and actually did MORE burpees with me. I wanted to kill them at the time but after I was so appreciative that they cared so much about me finishing. It was awesome. I can do without the little dance they did around me though ;)

Jeannie is a really great athlete. There's no denying it. The effort she puts into her fitness is obvious - she has a body like Nicole's. Her performance is incredible. I need to train with someone like her. She's a great motivator and she makes working out even more fun. She's cool to be around and it's important for me to have someone to chase. She's a machine and I want to be one too.

JroCk has enthusiasm for 100 people. He's good for Brendan to workout with because he makes him push hard .. boys are so damn competitive. And he's going to be good for my fitness... He comes up with the WORST workouts. His thought process when designing a workout goes something like this - let's pick all of the exercises Allison hates, do 500 reps of each of them, do a run, then repeat.. 3 times. Fuck. His workouts terrify me which is exactly why I need to do more of them. I feel like such a lame ass during them because they absolutely wreck me. My body is shocked for hours after I finish. They're so opposite of the kind of training I'm good at. I need to start training harder outside of my comfort Zone if I want to truly become FIT. He'll make sure that I do. I have to say I'm not looking forward to it :)

I want my life to be simple and filled with the things I enjoy the most - doing CrossFit, teaching Crossfit, spending time with Brendan and hanging out with friends (inside and outside of the gym). I think I'll have that in Virginia Beach. Brendan makes me so happy and excited. He's such a great boyfriend - he's sweet, so smart, talented, the best at CrossFit, so incredibly handsome that it hurts my eyes sometimes, and he makes me smile on the inside. I love that we both love CrossFit. Being able to combine two of my favorite things - CrossFit and my boyfriend - is such a treat. I don't think I could have it any other way. CrossFit is such a big part of my life and having a man that enjoys it just as much, allows it to be an even bigger part and even more fun and special.

ThanksGiving is a few days away. I'm so excited to go to Pennsylvania and visit with my family. I'm not really big into celebrations or holidays but I love that they're a reason for everyone to get together. I love my family. Everyone is so nice and funny. It's wild watching my younger cousins grow up. They're so HUGE now. They're all way taller than me and getting so old. I can't believe that I can say things like, "I remember holding you when you were a tiny baby". Crazy. My diet has been pretty good since I got back from VB but I plan on going nuts on TG. My Papa calls me the nibbler because I take bites out of everything in his house. He says the only way to get rid of me is to wait until all of the food is gone :D Things have changed a little bit since last year. Soon I'll have my diet really in check. B knows his stuff and I'll learn how to Zone properly and stick with it. It will happen. I want it to.

My Birthday is coming up on December 7th. I can not believe I'm going to be 24. Holy Shit. Time flew by. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I'm not freaked out or anything but it does feel a little weird. 24 seems so much older than 23 when I say it out loud. Brendan keeps fucking with me and saying I'm old. But I think it's just because I keep calling him an old man. He's not and I'm not old either. I think we should call a truce and stop saying that to each other. It never ends well. ;)

I'm not big into birthdays either. Every year except my 21st birthday I've just stayed home and relaxed. I'm not a big partier, don't drink or like going to clubs or bars. It always just feels like another day. I think this year will be different.. Having B will make it special.

I think a couple that CrossFits together stays together. Do you CrossFit with your BF, GF, Wife or Husband? What about coaching them? Does it make you happy or pissed when some hottie is telling you to Go, Go, Go when you're busting your ass during a workout?