Crossfit Day 4: Death Bys

Kicking, jumping, and balancing, oh my! Giggles filled the somewhat cooler-than-usual gym Tuesday night as we all attempted to practice handstands. My first thought was, "I'm gonna need a helmet for this!" as I could see myself faceplanting into the floor trying to balance in the frog position. 

Frog Position

We started out with stretching then moved onto practicing the frog position, which was an introduction to wall kicks and handstands. I tried my best to however, my butt and gravity were against me. Haha. Better luck next time. I have to work on my upper body strength before I belief I will be successful with the wall handstands.

WHAT WE DID TODAY:

Regular warm up
3 x 10 Pull ups (rings)
3 x 10 Push ups (rings)
3 x 10 Air squats

Death Bys:

Each round was a minute log. It started out easy and progressively got harder because the rest time lessened before the next minute began.

• Minute 1: Round 1= 1 wall ball, 3 burpees
• Minute 2: Round 2= 2 wall balls, 3 burpees 
• Minute 3: Round 3= 3 wall balls, 3 burpees
• continue to death!

I continued to about round 9 where I could no longer proceed without reaching the max amount of wallballs required within the minute.

Crossfit Day 3: skipped it for my birthday!

A 39th birthday only comes once in a lifetime. So, it was a tough decision whether to skip Crossfit or skip my birthday shenanigans.

Crossfit=0 Birthday=1.

After complaining about how I would be spending my birthday and the slight depression setting in, a sweet friend said, "You're coming to Tampa." Even though Mom and Dan were driving down to visit for the week I decided I needed to do something special for myself and headed to Tampa.

My friend surprised me with a trip to the Florida Aquarium, Downtown Tampa, then lunch at Joe's Crab Shack, followed by a much-needed trip to the comic book store, Emerald City Comics, where we found some comic books for my daughter, Amelia. She discovered "Snowbird" at another shop and I've been on the hunt for her ever since. Later that night we went out for drinks, food and billiards at the local watering hole.

Thank you, friend. You know who you are.

Saturday I "sat in" while my friend and his friends played Dungeons and Dragons. Wow, what an amazing experience! I grew up hearing about the game but never had the opportunity to see it. While complicated at first, after hours of observing and listening it started to make sense to me. To pass my time I drew in my sketchbook, which resulted in me attempting to draw a one-dimensional image by looking at a three-dimensional DND figure. I'm happy with the results.

After hours of listening to impromptu dialogue between hardcore DND players, it was time to close up the game room and get ready for the main event of the evening: the Mayweather vs. McGregor Fight. The testosterone switched from mental strategy to straight-up yelling at the TV as two famous men from different sports crossed paths to fight for a title only a few will ever achieve. Chowing down on a cheese and seafood platter, the tension rose as each fight ended leading up to the showdown.

While the highlight of the Showtime pay per view event should have been the American versus the Irishman, the"Cookie Monster" outfit definitely stole the limelight giving us about 30 minutes of continued laughter as we read other viewers social media feeds.

The living room heckling and stressed faces was enough to make anyone squirm. Even I was upset with the results (and I'm not into boxing). I think everyone left feeling disappointed with how the fight ended. I know I was aggravated. But that's part of being a sports fan; one can't change the results, he or she can only complain about the referee's bad calls.

Sunday was another relaxing day spent packing and going for a long swim in the pool with my friend's dogs. It took me nearly two and half hours to get home thanks to Florida thunderstorms and accidents on I-4.

All-in-all it was a great weekend. There is no doubt that my 39th birthday is at top of my best birthday memories. I can't wait for my next trip to Tampa and to learn more about the world of Dungeons and Dragons.

<3 Mel

UPDATE: Crossfit: Day 2 of 6-week challenge (round 2)

Let me first say I nearly met my steps goal on the Fitbit before hitting the gym tonight because I walked the block a few times on my lunch break. Wednesday and Thursday are office days in downtown Historic Sanford. Of course, I was wearing terrible sandals clearly made for cuteness and not hoofing it around town in 90 degree Central Florida summer weather.

Here are two photos from my walk today:

Magnolia Square

Random building I thought looked photo-worthy

Now for the Crossfit update:

Phew! What a great workout tonight! After haphazardly participating in the last 6-week challenge I finally know what I am doing, well about 85 percent, anyway. 

Crossfit is not like showing up at the YMCA and running on a treadmill for a couples of miles then cooling off by doing some laps in the pool. Nope. I have never experienced something so intense other than when I was induced into labor to have my daughter five weeks early and suffered two days of medieval torture techniques before finally having a c-section. Yet, as a mother, one would do it again. That's what Crossfit is to me. It's a sweaty, muscle crushing rush of adrenaline that I can't wait to begin until I'm about half way through the WOD and ask myself, "What are you doing, Melissa?" and then time's up and it's over. 

With a throbing heartbeat, sore quads, and sense of satisfaction I scoop up the equipment and put it away before making my way to the scoreboard. After catching my breath and calming my breathing I hydrate with a smile that I completed another night of my own personal success. 

I remind myself I am only competing against my last workout and not the other class members. We are all at different stages of fitness, age and health. It wouldn't be fair to compare myself to them. I hope they feel the same way. Although, a little competition is good to keep oneself motivated. 

It was a fulfilling night at the gym and I can definitely say I'm addicted to Crossfit now. Results speak volume and my body mass is decreasing, my clothes are getting looser and my self-esteem is growing. 

Yes, it's OK to say, "Go me!"

My pre-workout photo

WHAT WE DID TODAY:

Regular warm up

• 3 x 10 Pull ups (rings)
• 3 x 10 Push ups (rings)
• 3 x 10 Air squats

The warm up was followed by some mobility movements with an agonizing little ball and a foam  barrel to work out any knots in different muscle locations.

THE WOD

(WORKOUT OF THE DAY)

10-20-30

15 minute AMRAP

10 Kettle bell squats ( I used a 25 pound bell)

20 Piston presses ( I used two 15 pound dumb bells)

30 Jumps with the jump rope

(repeat)

MY SCORE

Completed six full rounds plus 10 additional kettle bell squats.

* Remember the only competition you should have in the gym is with yourself! 

 My exhausted post-workout photo

AND THEN...

I came home, dragged the garbage can up to the road. If you have ever been to my house then you know I have a ridiculously long uphill sloping driveway. A friend said I should add running to my workout. So, after careful consideration, I decided to take his advise and attempt some light jogging. I walked to the end of the sidewalk and then ran the entire length of my property and back down my driveway. I got in a few more steps on the Fitbit log. 

A much needed protein shake followed. LOL

-----------

Earlier in the day:

I'm anxiously awaiting to slip out of my work clothes and put on my gym garb to go sweat off the worries and stress of the day.

Edit disclaimer: this is written primarily via the Blogger app. No judging grammatical errors, please. 

Crossfit: Day 1 of 6-week challenge (round 2)

Where I am going: CROSSFIT EVOLUTION

I started a new 6 week challenge after missing so many classes in the previous challenge. This time I'm recording my WOD and results to track my progress.

I'm definitely going to feel tonight's workout tomorrow after burpees and air squats!

WHAT WE DID TODAY:

Regular warmup

• 3 x 10 Pull ups (rings)
• 3 x 10 Push ups (rings)
• 3 x 10 Air squats

THE WOD

(WORKOUT OF THE DAY)

3-6-9

9 minute AMRAP

3-Burpees
6-Knee-ups
9-Air squats

(repeat)

MY SCORE

Finished 7 complete rounds in the 9 minutes.

* Remember the only competition you should have in the gym is with yourself! 

On our way to the gym

We had a few minutes before class started so Amelia and I worked on her math homework in the kids room.

Post gym faces

After workout shake

I decided to try water this time instead of Almond milk. I knew I needed the hydration and it was less calories. It didn't taste too bad. Normally I make it much differently!

• Ice
• 1 cup water
• 2 pear slices
• 1 scoop protein shake
• Blend

It took a while to get used to the flavor but now I love it. #Amazon

India's Independence Day Celebration

Text to follow

Getting Amelia Excited About Reading

"Oh, I remember this book!" Amelia said last night excitedly as I insisted we start her reading homework.

For a kid with amblyopia, mirror-writing and being left-handed, along with ADHD, it's no easy task to keep her focused for very long.

The Biscuit books make it fun and a little bit easier to get through a 10-15 minute block of reading with my precious 1st grader. 

I told Amelia we will read it every night until she can read it back to me without my help. "OK," she replied with a smile.

💜🐢💯✔

Amelia's 6th Birthday Party

Born near July 4th, Amelia got ripped off like kids born near Christmas. People are out of town during the summer on family vacations. Last year I decided to have her party in August to insure her classmates would be back home and available to celebrate with us.

Her Dad gives her a party on her actual birthday in July, which mainly includes his family and friends. So in reality Amelia  is one lucky kid to get two birthday parties a year.

Yesterday we had an amazing time with a select few of her closest friends at the Build-a-Bear Workshop at the Altamonte Mall. Each of the girls got to choose an animal and an outfit of their liking. It was slightly overwhelming considering the amount of options.

They filled the toy with stuffing from the special machine by pushing the floor pedal. That in itself is an experience watching the stuffed animal take form.

Then they were each handed two hearts, one paper the other a soft fluffy heart. Hannah, the party guide instructed the girls to make a special birthday wish upon the paper heart for Amelia that was then placed inside a larger heart pouch and tucked inside her bunny. My heart melted from the love they showed her as Hannah collected the hearts. One friend shouted, "I made three wishes!"

Next the individual soft heart was rubbed on the funny bone so they will always have fun with their toys. They patted the heart on their backs so the toy would always "have their back." They rubbed the hearts briskly between their delicate little hands so the toy would always have a warm​ heart. There were a few more clever gestures made before stuffing the soft red hearts into each of the toys. It was a wonderful experience watching the children take such care and love placing the hearts inside their new friend before stitching them closed.

Once sewn shut the toys made their way to the bathing station to get cleaned up like a newborn baby.

Next, was the hardest part: select​ing an outfit!

Amelia chose a Pink Power Ranger costume. One bear transformed into a bride, another became Batman. Each child's personality and style shown through their selections.

Finally, the toys were named, their birth certificates printed, and the toys were placed in a backpack for each child to wear her new friend as they frolicked through the store laughing and giggling with joy.

I am so thankful I was able to provide Amelia with such great memories she made with her friends.

To finish off the party fun we paraded up to the food court where I reserved tables. We ate Chik-fil-a nuggets and had a delicious cookie cake from Mrs. Fields. The food and fellowship with friends was a great ending to a beautiful day.