therapy part deux

Well, shopping was a bit of a bust (thankfully!). Turns out all I bought was some hair product. The spring fashions bored me completely and I had forgotten how mundane shopping malls are. So I turned around and headed toward the best type of therapy.... a great workout at the gym. It ended up being a wise choice... cheaper on the pocketbook and I had a personal best of a 130 pound power clean. :)

thanks CrossFit Quantum but...

.... I can't bend my arms today to save my life. Do ya think it was those million and one burpees and thrusters? My arms are so sore I can barely feed myself. Let alone wield an axe. Thank goodness I'm not back on shift till Friday. The weird thing is, as much as my arms hurt, I kinda like it... in that sick CrossFit burpee hell kinda way.... lol xo



(photo by the dazzling Sara xo)

ode to crossfit

I'm at work right now so I'm regurgitating a post I wrote for a Crossfit website on why and how I found this new 'religion'....


Crossfit… where ya been all my life?

I became a professional firefighter right after 9/11 and staying in shape and keeping up with the boys was paramount. Somehow I managed to stay strong by sheer stubbornness although I was highly untrained in the techniques of how to lift weights properly. In my quest to get and stay strong, I joined almost every gym out there and tried different workout routines only to find out that I didn”t have the Lululemons for Pilate’s, the zen for yoga, and because of my shift-work, I was never reliable enough to make it out to team sports. I thought I could keep up with my 70 year old marathon running father but nope… every time I trained, I was bored after the first 10k. I knew I was in trouble when I joined a swanky gym because it had a spa-like locker room with a sauna and hot tub. I was paying a fortune for towel service and a shower? I hated the posers and the mirrors and the idea that it mattered more what you looked like on the outside than how you felt on the inside. Finally, after having had 2 children and thus very little spare time, I needed something else…. the elliptical machine at said gym with the mini TV in front of it wasn’t cutting it. I was sick of working out watching Oprah reruns. And I was starting to panic because I was trying to figure out a way to get back onto the firetrucks in fighting form once my maternity leave was over. Five months postpartum with my second baby, someone recommended CrossFit to me. I was a bit skeptical thinking that it was just another one of those gyms full of guys on ‘roids with shaved chests…. until I walked in and then the light bulb went off in my head like an epiphany… and I was intrigued on how to decipher and understand Fran, and all those names on the white board.

My favourite workouts are the ones that have me in a panic right before the stopwatch starts. I love them because once it’s over I’m sooooooo relieved and happy. I have always loved things that scare me, forcing me to face my fears head on. I’m terrified of snatches and push jerks or any heavy weight over my body or head. But a wise firefighter once told me when I was a rookie to make my weaknesses my strength which motivates me to train harder.

CrossFit has become my haven and my refuge. During that one hour, it’s all about me and my sweat and nothing else. I am grateful to my Crossfit 'tribe' who push me because they know I can be pushed and have made me see that the possibilities in my training are limitless. And let's face it... Crossfitters are just so damn cool

Most importantly, I believe CrossFit has made me a better mother. Despite the intensity of the workouts, I have more energy and feel stronger, happier, and more motivated than I have been in years. My family is eating better which is paramount since my children are in their formational years and it is setting up the groundwork for their eating habits in years to come.

I am turning 40 this year and I am in better shape than I was 20 years ago. What’s that old saying? At 20 you have the body you’re born with, at 40 you have the body you deserve. CrossFit is hard work. But I’m not a gal who is afraid of a little blood, sweat and tears. Ok, maybe I am a little afraid of Daniel.

Bring it on. xo

words of wisdom

I read this quote a few days ago and it is still cracking me up.....

"In all of sport, the highest power outputs ever measured occur during the second pull of the snatch. I would guess that the lowest would occur in the posedown at the Mr. Olympia, but I may be wrong." — Coach Mark Rippetoe

Coach, I think you're correct as proven by exhibit A:
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Uhm, guys, at least put on some decent underwear. Please.
And uhm, that fake and bake tan can't be healthy. Wow.
And kind of scary when your family jewels can be hidden beneath a post-it note.
Ok... I'll stop now.

RX for when you're in a funk

There are some days I look in the mirror and just shake my head. I have dark circles under my eyes, unplucked eyebrows that would give Einstein a run for his money, crowsfeet that look more like teradactyl feet, and my soccer-mom haircut is greasy and increasingly going grey. No matter how precisely applied, no amount of make-up can save me. When I start feeling down, that's when I head for a workout. During that one hour, I can forget about whatever is ailing me and just focus on how great it feels to move. And breathe. And for a few moments I feel like I can conquer the world.



For those of you who haven't, ya'll seriously have to try Crossfit.
It's so much damn fun. Thanks for the pic, Paul. It will remind me that I am not the frenzied mama mess that I am during the other 23 hours of the day. Just don't look too closely at my legs in the picture..... I haven't had the time to shave them in weeks.
Eeeeeeeewwwwwww.

never in a million years

I swung by work this morning on a whim since I needed to pick up some gear and my shift was on anyway. I just about peed myself when I walked in. The boys were in the throes of downward dog and pigeon poses. Yup. They were doing YOGA. Not typically what you'd expect firemen to be doing at the station. Normally you'd see them pumping major weights but nope... they were doing that stretchy stretchy stuff. And they weren't the least bit embarrassed. If I stop to think about it... it really is the perfect thing to do. It strengthens core muscles and keeps injuries at bay. Yoga I guess isn't for sissies.... heck... if it's good enough for Sting then it's good enough for my firemen. Not sure if I'll be jumping in though. I'd feel a bit weird trying to get myself into those pretzel positions in front of the guys.

Never in a million years would I have guessed that there would be yoga at a fire station.

oh my how times have changed.

uh... you're kidding me right?

I just found out that bodybuilders are in the market for pumped breastmilk for the natural human growth hormones and all the antibodies that are in it. Ok. Deep breat. Because I feel a rant coming on.

I am being polite when I say bodybuilding is downright weird to begin with and I don't quite understand the point of it all.... the steroids, the creepy outfits....men should never, ever EVER wear bikini bottoms.... I am not sure how they call it a sport because they are not athletes. I doubt they could climb a ladder or hop over a fence or even play hopscotch with their kids. To quote Coach Mark Rippetoe: 'Bodybuilding is men on a stage in their underwear wearing brown paint showing other men their muscles. It is training for appearance only, and at the contest level requires a degree of vanity, narcissism, and self-absorption that I find distasteful and odd.' Amen. Shame on you bodybuilders for even entertaining the thought of taking milk out of the mouths of babes. You might be able to bench whatever the heck weight you bench and your biceps might be as big as my waist but your muscle matter is interfering with your grey matter. Dear bodybuilder, your lumbering gorilla walk and fake and bake tan aside, you ain't ever getting my milk.... you'd have to catch me first but I doubt you could outrun this mama bear.

ouch

Nope. I didn't become a stigmata overnight. I got these nice wounds from a crazy workout called Tabata. My Tabata workout consited of pull ups, push ups, sit ups and squats. I did 50 kipping pull ups which is where the bleeding began. Then I did 61 push ups when the panting began, 89 sit ups when the crying began and 120 full squats when I started to feel like passing out. The entire workout took 16 minutes. Crazy eh? Just the kick in the butt I need to get ready to go back on the trucks and in a sick kind of way I enjoy this type of physical punishment. It's entirely all about me... no kids, no husband, no chores, no worries... just me.

16 minutes. That's all it takes. Give it a try. Dr. Tabata's workouts are tough enough to make grown men cry. I certainly did.

paleo diet?

Well, I've completely lost count what week I am in for CrossFit bootcamp. I have to say I am really loving it... it has given me a new lease on working out and it's making my body move in ways I never thought it could. I am feeling really strong and this method of training suits my needs for getting back to work on the trucks......

BUT...

There is one big problem. Well, two, actually. I'm supposed to sleep nine to ten hours a night..... uh.... with a six month old and a toddler... that is so not happening... wish it would though.... The second problem is a biggie for me.

CrossFit advocates a Paleo diet. Basically a caveman diet which means no dairy (what? bye bye smoked gruyere, no yogurt? no ice cream?), no grains (no bread? no toast with butter? my beloved crepes? no Captain Crunch? no pasta?????), no rice (that one is killing me... I am Chinese after all!), no beans (my beloved tofu!), no dried fruit (how can I give up sharing a box of Sun-Maid raisins with my son? it's like a ritual in our home), no starchy root vegetables (bye bye my sweet, sweet potato). Just lots of protein coming from eggs, fish, seafood, or animals and lots of veggies. We eat really well at home as a rule and I can see where we can cut back on some packaged and processed foods but holy crap that diet requires discipline. I did it for a week and felt awesome but lost 3 lbs.... not something I want to do.... I actually want to bulk up a bit.... there's no room for Kate Moss on the trucks. This diet works for those who want to trim down because protein and veg is really low in calories. But I need and want my calories.... good calories. But I am also happy to indulge in a Pringle or three and have a scoop of gelato.

Oh well. I'm working out and getting really strong so that's what's important. Off to bed for me... The kids are up at six am so that leaves me... oh... about 7 hours of sleep but throw in a couple of nursings in there and a pee break or two and maybe I'll get six hours? Oh well....

Crossfit

With basically having two babies back to back, my workouts have waned a bit. So, this week I enrolled myself in bootcamp and did my first Crossfit workout. I love their workouts because they maximize output in minimal time. And time these days, I have very little of. Workouts average 20 minutes and are wicked intense (the basics being deadlift, clean, squat, presses, clean and jerk, and snatch, plus elements of gymnastics such as pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups etc.... plus cardio hard between sets.... and... remember burpees from high school? lots of those). For the record, in case there is any confusion, that gal in the video isn't me........ yet. ;) Pretty rad eh?! Hopefully I can get my post-partum butt that hard core soon. I am so stoked.

monkey on my back

I doubt I would train as hard as I do if I wasn't a firefighter. But the pressure to stay physically strong is like a monkey on my back.....sadly, according to the stats, menopause is only like a decade or so away for me and I want a long career. So daily runs and hitting the weights is a must for me when I'd rather veg out.

But with the responsibilities of motherhood it is becoming increasingly harder to find the time.

So I do what I can, jog with the stroller, attend the odd mom and baby yoga class, have someone watch the kids when I go to the gym.... But I was lucky enough to discover this when I had Jacob:


Neat eh? I'm wearing an amautik with Jacob riding in it. This particular amautik was made by a woman in Baker Lake, Nunavut. You can see Jacob sitting in the pouch area of the coat... it's very comfortable and I get quite the workout when running errands around town. Beats pushing a stroller through the snow. And a better and much cuter monkey on my back I must say. ;)

getting physical

Most everyone, upon finding out that I am a firefighter give me this look of shock or disbelief. Sometimes I even wonder how I got here myself. I'm 5 foot 7, 145 lbs. Asian. And female. Not the first image that comes to mind when you think of a fireman.

A lot of what goes on at work is mental and of course most of it is physical. THIS is the test that most southern Ontario fire departments require the candidates to pass as part of the recruiting process. For those of you like me who still prefer and use the imperial system, the test simulates wearing a 20lb air pack, 30 lbs worth of gear, 6 lb boots and an 85 lb bundle of firehose. The department I work for also has an additional swim test (swimtrunks only cuz if you can swim with all that gear on I suggest passing on the firefighting career and become a navy seal) since we have rivers and border Lake Ontario.

I still remember the day I did that test... and running till I thought I was going to throw up. And wanting this job more than anything in the world. And I remember the day I got the call. And all of it not quite sinking in until I sat in class with the 24 other hired recruits. There are moments I still can't believe I got the job.

Whatever you do, don't pinch me.

I'm having the time of my life.