Three point five years

I've been doing CrossFit now for 3.5 years. There are now just a handful of us who've stayed and have continued to WOD religiously (well, more or less religiously). Most of the ones who've stayed are now coaches, or they follow a dedicated strength or weightlifting program because they compete or want to compete at a high level.

And then there are those like me. Sure, I've joined a throwdown or two and some fun runs. I've been able to do things I never thought I'd ever be able to do when I first started. Getting fit, then getting strong is fun, but lately I've realized that having functional fitness is all I want. I'm not ready to sacrifice family time for training time.

I still can't do ring dips, chest to bar pullups, muscle ups, or heavy snatches (among others). That doesn't mean I won't work on them. It's just that I'm in no rush to do everything all at once. I think that's one of the things I'm learning to do after all the hours I've spent at the box... to savor the process and to learn patience. I'm slowly becoming less reluctant to work out even when the WOD says we're doing accessory or skills work.

The fierce fire inside me has subsided into a slow-burning one, and I like it better.

Tracking progress

For the longest time, I've been using this blog to log my WODs and track my progress. But after some nosing around the net, I decided to get the myWOD app and it's sooo useful! All I have to do now after the WOD is open the app, retrieve the WOD feed from the CFMNL site, and enter my score.

I really haven't been working out as often as I used to. There are still a lot of things that I wish were different in the new box, but there's nothing I can do to change those so I just have to work around them and learn to tune out the bad.

CrossFit thoughts

If there is one thing that CrossFit has taught me, it's to put more value in what my body can do as opposed to what it looks like.

In today's world where everyone on social media can see what other people look like, it's so easy to be insecure and feel bad that you don't have firm arms, a thigh gap, or a flat belly. I wish more women would discover how much more confident they'd feel if they were strong.

Date a girl who CrossFits

Date a girl who wakes up every morning excited and nervous about going to the box and taking on another WOD. She knows she isn't going to get a PR or the best score everyday, but you can be sure she's not afraid of hard work (and burpees).

Date a girl whose goal is to be strong. She's competitive and will want to beat you at every workout and you might be tempted to let her, but she'll know it and will not like you for it. Instead, go to the box with her, attend the same class, and help her reach her goals. Hand her the PVC pipe and warm up together. In between warm up sets, you'll see her face light up while talking about watching mobility tips on YouTube, or seeing Speal beat Holmberg on 13.4.

A girl who has calluses on her hands is not afraid of imperfection and a little pain. After all, she got those calluses from working on her pull ups and toes to bar. Don't be fooled, though. She may have rough hands but those rough hands still need to be held.

Date a girl who isn't afraid to sweat. She's glad there aren't any mirrors in the box. She's not looking to be complimented on her beauty but she will reward you with a beaming smile when you compliment her on her form. When she's on beast mode, she doesn't care about how she looks because she's focused on making every rep count. This is the moment when nothing else exists but herself and the bar. Don't be afraid if she roars like a lioness when she hits a new PR - just go over and give her a high five or a hug (if you dare).

A woman who does CrossFit loves her body. You will not hear her whining about her thick thighs. On the contrary, the bigger her quads, the better. Tell her she's got thunder thighs and she'll thank you.

Find a girl who can eat as much as, if not more than, you can. All the better if she loves meat and vegetables, and knows that fat doesn't make you fat. When you go on a date, she will order for herself. She will eat with lady-like gusto and you will realize that this is a girl who knows how to appreciate everything life has to offer - provided it's paleo, of course.

You will love that she idolizes women who can front squat, back squat, and snatch twice their body weight, women who never give up, women who have the mental tenacity to keep going when the road gets rough. She appreciates the years of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears that those athletes poured into their craft. She doesn't believe in quick fixes because she knows that success doesn't involve magic tricks - just a ton of hard work and dedication.

Date a girl who cheers on her competitors. One who isn't afraid that her boxmate will finish first or does more reps than her. One who actually wants her friends to do better than her. Her boxmates are her second family so you may have to go through them first if you want to get with her.

The only time you may yell at her is during WODs when you see her struggling to crank out another rep, when she's breathing so hard she feels like passing out, when she thinks she might have to bail because she cannot come up from her squat. She will loathe you intensely for it during that moment, but later on she will thank you and you'll both have a good laugh about it.

She knows it's okay to pause when WODs or life gets too difficult, but she also knows how to forge on. And this is what you will find most beautiful about her. CrossFit may be a big part of her life, but she can always make room for the right guy.

***

I wrote this when I remembered all the great things I read in The Bull Runner's Date a Girl Who Runs. And I thought, why not Date a Girl Who CrossFits too?

Taking a break

And this is why I missed the Friday WOD...

Dumaluan beach at low tide

Chocolate Hills

Philippine tarsier

Loboc River

Baclayon Church

Sunrise at the beach

Dauis Church

As my mother said, the more I travel around the Philippines, the more beautiful I find it.

Dear CrossFit

Dear CrossFit,

It's been more than 8 months since we first met and I fell in love with you. It seems to be taking a while but I think you're starting to fall in love with me too. Or is that presumptuous of me?

I feel like I've already changed so much during those 8 months. It's like I'm a different person -- not just in terms of physical appearance and capabilities, but also in terms of personality.

And as an homage to my old tumblr post 15 Things That Change When You Start Running, I thought about writing something similar, this time about my new favorite sport.

15 Things That Change When You Join the Cult of CrossFit

1. You learn to push your limits inside and outside the box.
2. You look at minimalist shoes with new interest - not to use them for running, but for WODing (WOD is a verb, no?).
3. You find out the hard truth that you can do all the ab exercises you want but if you don't change the way you eat, it won't help you much. Indeed, great abs are made in the kitchen (so you also learn to cook).
4. You sometimes can't resist douchily checking out your guns when you're alone in front of the mirror.
5. You're not afraid to buy a lot of stuff at the supermarket because you know you'll be able to carry everything to the car - in one trip.
6. You gain a healthy appreciation of people who look, live, and eat healthy.
7. You become less conscious about your weight and more concerned about how much weight you're able to lift, clean, jerk, snatch, press, and squat.
8. Whenever you see a fit-looking guy or girl, you wonder if they do CrossFit.
9. You're in a foul mood the whole day whenever you miss a WOD.
10. You're a girl and you have rough, calloused hands but you don't mind.
11. You notice that your thighs seem to have gotten bigger but you shrug it off because it only means you're getting stronger.
12. You feel like all CrossFitters are family.
13. You are intimate with DOMS and you love it because it makes you feel so alive.
14. You can't stop talking about CrossFit whenever you find someone who would listen (which isn't very often because your friends know not to get you started on the topic).
15. The smell of rubber plates comforts you.

So I just wanted to say that I'm here to stay, and I hope you are, too.

Bisous,

Me

No WODing

The box has been closed for 3 days now due to the torrential rains. Even our office had declared 2 days of no work for the sake of employees' safety.

Everyone in the family had no choice but to stay indoors where it's safe and dry. However, others who lived in low-lying areas were not as fortunate, as they had to leave their homes and stay in evacuation centers.

Our house, which is situated in the upper part of the village, was spared from the high waters. We were lucky that only our garden was badly affected.

Many provinces are now in a state of calamity, and many people need help.

If you happen to stumble upon this post and have read about the calamity that has hit the Philippines and wish to donate, you can do so by clicking on the donation link on this page: Tulong Kabataan Volunteer Network.

You can also donate goods like canned food, blankets, slippers, or clothes. Or volunteer your time and help pack or distribute relief goods.

No WOD

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Yup. No WOD-ing happened today due to family duties. I feel so disoriented. And bad. I miss DOMS.

It's been 7 months since I started doing CrossFit, and I'm still sooo in love with it. Like giddy-in-love with it. Why? Let me count the ways.

1) Doing something new each time you walk into the box. I'm 7 months in and I have yet to repeat a workout. I know that some fitness gurus frown upon the randomness of CrossFit programming, and I can't say they're wrong. But for me, the results speak for themselves. I've never been fitter, even when I used to go to Fitness First almost everyday for 2 years. Crazy.

2) The community. I could walk into any class and find a friend. Yes, introverted me, finding a friend. I love that everyone in the box shares something in common, which is the suffering you endure during every workout. There is always something you can talk about with the people there -- paleo stuff, your dead lifts, your dog, other people.

3) Getting physically and mentally stronger. As mothers whose boys play football (soccer moms, they call us), my sister and I have to pack and lug around heavy stuff whenever the boys have a tournament. Guess who gets to carry the heavier stuff? :) I'm also a wee bit more mentally tough now. Whenever I encounter difficulties outside the box, I recall the most difficult WODs I've done and survived. I'm reminded that I can and will get through anything life throws at me.

4) And last but not the least: the smell of rubber plates. My new favorite smell!

Things I want to improve on

I know that I absolutely need to do these things better if I want to do the workouts as Rx'd. One thing at a time.

1) Burpees. Among all the things I want to improve on in CrossFit, the burpee has got to be at the top of my list. It's simple to do but try doing 10 of that for 10 rounds and you are so not going to be happy. I've tried applying what I've seen in the video below when the WODs call for burpees. Not that easy.

2) Double unders. Y'all know this is something I've been working on. I practice this pre-WOD and now it's part of my warm up routine. Apart from getting the wrist action and jumps right, I think another important part of having consistent DUs is having the right rope. Which is why I'm on the lookout for good, cheap speed ropes.

3) The clean. I love cleaning. I do. But no matter how many times this comes up in WODs, the movement always feels alien to me at the beginning and I'd always need to do a few sets before I feel comfortable. It doesn't help that there aren't any mirrors at the box, so I have no choice but to rely on muscle memory and the coach.

So, I want to be able to do these 3 things well first before working on more difficult and complex movements like hand stands and snatches.

Favorite fitness pins

I love Pinterest. It never fails to give me a perk during a blah, monotonous day. I have a fitness board onto which I pin motivational quotes and photos. Thought I'd share some of my favorites:

Do work!
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I admit I'm afraid to step out of my comfort zone.
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Repeat AMRAP: Make the mind run the body.
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Stop the BS.
(Internet file photo)

I love this community!
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