Fitness in 100 WordsEat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, clean and jerk, and snatch. Similarly master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports. Those 100 words are the original CrossFit charter. They serve as guidelines for how to eat, train and PLAY! Playing is an important part of mental and physical health. Playing, whether it's a new sport, or just having fun moving your body is something we all used to do regularly as kids. Yet, as adults we have limited opportunities to move our bodies just for the pure joy of movement. We don't give ourselves time to explore what our amazing bodies can do. USE YOUR FITNESS and express yourself by trying a new way to move this week. Dance, do yoga, play golf, throw an axe, go for a bike ride, bear crawl across the lawn, whatever. Give yourself freedom and permission to have fun and move your body. It can do so much. Let's play!
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What's Your Misogi?Last summer I read a terrific book that I highly recommend, The Comfort Crisis by Micheal Easter.
I wrote several blogs in which I explore many of the theme Easter presents in his book. Today revisiting the blog I wrote exploring the concept of the Misogi. Miosgi is Japanese word that describes an arduous journey that transforms you. The original misogi was born from a Shinto myth of a god who is so broken hearted over the death of his goddess wife that he travels through the underworld to bring her back to the land of the living. He faces demons, fire, and all manner of dangerous and scary creatures. When he finds his wife he is despondent because she is essentially a demonic creature of the underworld. He faces an equally difficult journey escaping hell and when he finally makes it back to the land of the living he immediately immerses himself in a frigid waterfall to purify his soul. If he didn't perform this purification ritual he would have succumbed to the foulness that lingered from the underworld. Shinto monks have kept misogi alive through ritual bathing in frigid waters. Western followers of misogi have morphed the practice into something more. According to Marcus Elliot, a Harvard-trained sports scientist, modern misogi are designed to test our physical and mental edges. He says misogi need 2 criteria: 1. You should have a 50% chance of completing the journey 2. Don't die Misogi is meant to circumnavigate our human potential. During your misogi journey you will be tasked with exploring what you're willing to put yourself through to become a better human. Ultimately, whatever you decide to do for your misogi it will be an exploration and it should change of your comfort zone. An example of a misogi from the book is one that Marcus Elliot completed. He and several others moved an 80# stone underwater for 5k. They did not use SCUBA, they held their breath, dove down about 10 feet and walked along the ocean floor moving the stone as far as they could. They did it as a rely between 5 people. It took them several hours and all of them said it was the hardest thing they had done. All of them are planning a harder misogi for next year. Misogi is deeply personal and my misogi is likely to be very different from your misogi. No matter what you do for your misogi, it will take you on what Joseph Campbell calls the Hero's Journey. You will be separated from your comfort zone, you will undergo some transformation and you will incorporate what you learned into your life upon your return. I know several of our TSCF tribe members have done a misogi. Kim ran across the Kalahari desert in 5 days. James and Meg are doing the ridge Run this August. For some of us a misogi could be our first marathon, or a long backpacking trip, or a backcountry hunting trip. Our misogi are our own and should not be developed to compete or compare with someone else. It's you against you. So, share with us in the comments. What is your misogi? The Myth of Diminished Female AbilityI'm old enough, at 50, to have lived through a time when I was told I was not strong. I was told girls could be good at some sports (thanks to Title 9) but could not do others. I was told we just didn't have the upper body strength to do push-ups, pull-ups, or to lift and carry heavy objects. I was told I should be skinny. I was told I should have a flat belly and thighs that don't rub. I was told if I wanted to lose weight (which apparently I should constantly be wanting to do) I should go for a run. Hell, my entire time in the Marine Corps I was told daily that I was not strong. That I didn't belong. That I couldn't measure up. All of this bullshit was an attempt to stifle my potential. I was so grateful when I found CrossFit. Even though I was 38 when I started, I knew I had found something that would help me discover and promote my potential. I knew I found something that would recognize and celebrate my strength. I knew I found something that promoted my unique potential as a strong and powerful athlete while simultaneously promote other women's speed and endurance. I knew I found my tribe. My strong, powerful, fast, flexible, agile, and amazing tribe. Moms Can Do Hard ThingsCan you guess what myth I'm going to bust today? Yep, the myth that pregnant women should not workout, lift weights or exercise. Pregnancy is not a disability! I have trained many pregnant women over my 11 years as a Coach, and I can tell you that while we have to scale, modify, alter and substitute many movements, most women feel better when they move their bodies throughout their pregnancy. There is plenty of scientific research that corroborates my observations. In our "modern" times, there are plenty of armchair CrossFit "coaches" who make crazy claims and well-meaning comments on social media posts of pregnant CrossFitters. Don't squat, don't jump, don't run, don't lift, don't carry, don't walk, don't breath - it will hurt the baby. Yep, tell that to the millions of pregnant women who move their bodies daily for work. The key to safely doing CrossFit while pregnant is to stop doing things that make you uncomfortable. I once trained a pregnant woman who felt no discomfort doing box jump! However, I WAS uncomfortable with that risk and we agreed to box step-ups instead. There are several excellent resources available to a CrossFitting mom. CrossFit journal published Pregnancy: A Practical Guide for Scaling to help moms and coaches develop safe and effective modifications for CrossFit. Of course, it's ok to stop CrossFitting during your pregnancy. Some women do not feel good CrossFitting while pregnant and it's totally ok to take a break. I have coached plenty of women who regained postpartum fitness and strength, and for many women they become stronger after having babies. Again, pregnancy (and motherhood) is not a disability. The most important thing we can do to support pregnant women is to validate their choice and not shame them for it. You want to continue to do CrossFit? Great! We will work together on a safe and effective training program. You want to stop doing CrossFit? Great! We will work together on a safe and effective training program that includes exercises the feel good. |
Special EventsMemorial Day Murph - May 30
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