The myth about getting "Bulky"

Since my blog on April 11th about gaining a few pounds, I have had a lot of questions regarding bulking up! Many woman are afraid of this. They feel that by lifting they are going to get "bulky". I am not going to lie, I had this same mentality for many years. I thought if I lifted anything more than an 8 lb free weight I would get huge. The reality is YOU WONT! 

Women genetically are not inclined to get big. In fact, even men have to work hard at gaining muscle. Men do have a tendency to get bulkier than women because of their testosterone levels. Women carry about 15-20 times less testosterone than men. Testosterone is an anabolic hormone which means it causes muscle gain. Women carry larger levels of catabolic hormones which causes the breakdown of muscle tissue. Therefore, making it a lot harder for women to gain muscle. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catabolism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anabolism

 <--- Not bulky    Bulky --->







For those of you that find the left picture bulky, I am sorry but I cannot help you there. To me I see a healthy and lean individual. The person on the right, well thats another story.  

Women have this perception of being bulky because all we ever see is the chemically altered bodybuilder (ie. the women on the left). These women are full of supplements and/or steroids. I am not knocking what they do, whatever floats your boat, but honestly these supplements take what makes a man bulky and put it into those ingesting it. So if you take what makes a man and put it in a women, you are gonna get a man! That's why they look big and bulky like a man. Women NOT on supplements or steroids will build muscle but without those high levels of testosterone, you wont get big, you will only get toned. The easiest way to explain it is like this, think of muscle hiding under all that fat. All you are doing when you get "toned" is stripping away layer by layer of fat to show more muscle. Essentially women look leaner when they lift. 





Any type of training, Such as Crossfit, that lasts longer than 60 seconds per set stimulates a cardiovascular response from the body and the release of glucocorticoids, a hormone that helps in the breakdown of muscle tissue. Therefore, as long as you are cautious about the reps and time frame of your workout you cannot bulk up. 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucocorticoid


I say I would rather have a healthy lean body rather than a giggly one. Do not pay attention to the myth of becoming bulky because scientifically its impossible. 






I am a women who for almost half her life worried about her weight. I currently weight the most I ever have (besides pregnancy) and I feel great. I walked into my doctor today and got on the scale. Normally, even though this sounds crazy, I would have to get on the scale facing the other way so I couldnt see the numbers. I was that crazy about weight that I couldnt bare to see it. Today, I didnt feel the need to do that. I was proud of my 5 pounds gained. That for me is a BIG win! 

Yours Truly, Crossfit toned,
Samantha

The effects of stress

Stress! The word we sometimes over exaggerate or in some cases ignore. Either way, it can have a big affect on our daily lives.

In the coming weeks I will be finishing up my junior year of college. That means professors cramming projects and tests. On top of that I have a 3 year old, who is definitely going through the terrifying three's and a household to take care of.
I swear I am not whining,  this is my stress.  I assure you I realize that there are people out there with A LOT more stress than I have. I am just simply making a point that we all have stress, whether it be minor or major! Its about how those stresses affect us.

This past week I started to feel really lethargic, insomnia set in, my body started to ache all over, I felt extreme anxiety, and worst of all I noticed my Crossfit workouts were dwindling.  I couldn't lift as much and I got tired faster. What was going on? Stress and anxiety, that's what!!

According to mayoclinic.com, the above are all symptoms of stress and if you are not careful it could seriously affect your health. Things such as heart health and high blood pressure (some call the silent killer) could affect you. Read more here, http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress-symptoms/SR00008_D

Funny thing is, working out and being active can help these symptoms and in some cases eliminate them. Crossfit and other activities can help you manage your stress's. According to webmd.com endorphin's, released while working out, can trigger a positive feeling in the body like morphine, hence the addiction LOL! Anywho, much more scientific info is available at the following site. http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression
But you get the idea. Working out can manage these stresses but over doing it can mean an overdose. So you must take it slowly and as your body allows especially under special circumstances such stress. 

My suggestion and what I am doing for myself is, listen to your body. My body aches and my workouts suck. I love Crossfit and for a week I haven't been, for a lack of better words, "haven't been feeling it". So I am taking a couple days off, and rebutting my system.  Sometimes that's what my body needs!

Let me remind you that this isn't an excuse to stop working out! This is a few days of rest (ie. 2 days) that will help me get back in the game. Completely forgoing Crossfit or any type of workout is not an option.  We all need this for everyday life and health. Stress is temporary.  Handle it as it comes not as an everyday excuse!

So I leave you with this, listen to you body BUT do not make excuses!

Yours truly, stressed Crossfitter,
Samantha

Thoughts and Prayers are with Boston!

A day that was to be a day of accomplishment and excitement has turned into terror. Two bombs detonated at the Boston Marathon finish line today injuring many and killing at least 2. People from all over the world come to run this race yearly. I am very saddened by this event and wanted to let everyone know that my thoughts and prayers are with all those affected! 

Screw you ED

I call him ED(ie eating disorder). That annoying voice in my head that creeps in whenever I have to get on a scale or put food in my mouth . Its a terrible habit never forgotten post addiction. I fight him daily but a lot less than when anorexia had a hold of my life. The reason I am telling you this is because when eating Paleo style came about part of your results are based on your weight. Getting on the scale when I first started eating Paleo style was the first time since I went to the doctors a year ago. I never allow myself to do it. I do not even own a scale. So you can imagine the crazy things ED had to say when I got on the scale yesterday only to see my weight had gone up 5 pounds. Not only had it gone up but it is the heaviest I have weighed EVER! 

I am not going to lie, part of me wanted to have a break down. I just didn't understand it. I feel great, my clothes don't feel snug and my confidence has boosted 10 fold (until I got on that scale). So WHY had I put on weight? BOTTOM LINE, its not about that damn number on the scale. We as a society have had it en-grained in our brains that we MUST be a certain weight. Hell even the doctor has it laid out for you what your weight to height ratio is. But why?

I have always asked myself this. Since starting Crossfit I feel better than ever, I am in the best shape of my life AND I put on weight. What does that mean? Well people, it means I am getting leaner. I hear a lot of people say "well muscle weights more than fat". Is that true? Well I did a little research and here is what I found. A pound of fat is a pound of fat, respectively a pound of muscle is a pound of muscle. "If your weight stayed exactly the same and we theoretically took off 5 lbs of fat from you and replaced it with 5lbs of muscle. You would weight exactly the same, but because muscle is more "dense" than fat, the 5lbs of muscle takes up less space, you would appear slightly leaner and/or thinner. A person can not add actual true muscle weight though without being in calorie excess. A starving person who lifts weight is not going to build much muscle, if at all" says Jeff Novick of Healthscience.org . My point here is that, yes I have gained weight, its good weight. I am replacing fats with muscle and in addition adding more muscle. Therefore my body should appear more lean and I should feel stronger in my workouts. Both of which I do. 

We cannot base our body composition on weight alone. We must take into account all that comes with it. If we are eating right and taking care of our bodies we should see the results we want. The scale is JUST A NUMBER. How do your clothes fit? Do you like what you see in the mirror? Can you walk up a flight of stairs without losing breathe? Can you go outside and run around with your kids? These to me are what we should be looking at not the scale. 

Crossfit has given me a lot of things. Leaner body, stronger body, and a place to let go of stress. But most of all it has given me confidence and the right mind set of what being healthy is. For that, I thank the heavens I have found Crossfit and I make it a part of my daily life. ED no longer controls me or who I am on a daily basis. I can finally look down on him and crush his every negative word. 

DO NOT LOOK AT THE SCALE!!!

ED Hater,
Samantha 

Progress

6 weeks ago, I completed workout "Fran" for the first time. Most Crossfit bench mark workouts are named after women. "Fran" is one of them and she consists of:

For time:

20 Thrusters (65lbs)

20 pull-ups 

15 Thrusters (65lbs)

15 pull-ups

9 Thrusters (65lbs)

9 pull-ups

When I completed this workout 6 weeks ago, I used 45lbs for my thrusters and had to use a green band to help assist me in my pull ups. I actually walked away from that workout with a goal in my mind "I was GOING to do pull-ups before I did this workout again". 

Yesterday I completed "Fran" once again! Not only did I RX (did workout as prescribed) but I was able to log a PR(personal best) in my book! I used the prescribed 65lbs for my thrusters and did kipping pull-ups with no assistance. Oh and it hurt, just look at my hands but all this 6 weeks later!! 

All my Crossfit family did this workout 6 weeks ago and did it again yesterday. We were all RXing the crap out of Fran. AMAZING! I couldn't believe it. I have never seen that kind of progress in a group before in my life. I know in part it has a lot to do with the dedication of the group and how we all "drank the kool-aid" and are now addicted to Crossfit, but I have to say without our Coaches we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are today. I can remember starting out at North Country Crossfit and barely being able to lift a 25 lb bar over my head. I just cannot believe the differences I see. I am stronger, leaner, faster in my runs, lifting heavier, happier, more confident. Crossfit is UNBELIEVABLE! 

I have not only been athletic my whole life but I have also worked in the fitness industry. The love, the compassion, and the dedication of my coaches, it is beyond what you I have seen anywhere else in the fitness world. Being in the fitness industry is a lot of competitiveness and a lot of money hungry people. You just don't get that at North Country Crossfit. My coaches seem to be more satisfied with seeing there students succeed and prosper than anything else. You can almost see the fulfillment in their eyes when they see a student progress in a workout. Isnt that how it should be in all aspects of fitness? I am here to tell you that it isnt but at North Country Crossfit they it is.

Thats why if you have been at all hesitant to try it out. DON'T BE! You will fall in love with it! You will be happy with the results!

Yours Truly Progressing with Fran,

Samantha 

Crossfit Open is Done!

Well I just completed 13.5 tonight. You know what that means, Crossfit open is over!! So what have I learned from the experiance?

1) Anyone can do it!!! No matter how long you have been doing Crossfit.

2) Do not get caught up in the fact that you are competing with people across the nation. This was my first thought when I hesitantly signed up for the open. But what I have come to realize is that at the end of the day you are competing with yourself. You are trying to break YOUR records not everyone else's. Sure its cool to see where you stand compared to everyone else but that's just a perk of being a part of the open. :)


3) Take this opportunity to learn. The night the open workout is announced you get to see some top athletes complete that workout. Sure its pretty awesome to see them, but what I love about it is you get to watch an experienced athlete. You get to see their form and technique.  Watch and learn.

4) Push yourself. The open gives us all the opportunity to see what we are made of. Like I said "There is No CANT in Crossfit". Keep that in mind when walking into the box.

5) That being said we all know that we watch those Crossfit athletes the night of workout announcement and think " damn this workout looks easy, why would they put this in the open". Only to start doing the workout and think "how the hell did they make this look so easy". So remember they wouldn't put it in the open unless it was a challenge. Focus on good technique and pace yourself.

6)  Finally, you wont regret signing up for the open. I promise that at the end of the open you will be more than glad you signed up! If anything you will leaverealizing you can do more than you even thought possible. But you will also know where you can improve.

So next year sign up!!! You never know what you have in you till you try :)

Yours Truly, Crossfit open competitor
Samantha

Furlough

It has taken me 3 days to write this post. Mostly because I am having a hard time finding the words to describe how I feel. Two days ago I had to let my Crossfit coaches know that I could no longer attend North Country Crossfit. It was and still is saddening me. My husband will be effected by the government cut backs, also known as "Furlough". Therefore as a family we have to make cut backs. Unfortunately  attending North Country Crossfit had to be one of them :(  The end of April will be my last day at North Country Crossfit.

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/dod-to-begin-sending-furlough-notices-thursday-89029.html

I cannot tell you how much being a part of Crossfit has changed me for the better. My over all goals have changed. My perspective of what my body and my limits are have increased. I have done things that I never thought possible for me. Crossfit, or shall I say my coaches, have made me a more confident person. Confidence that I have struggled to find in myself since my recovery. So thank you Coach Ben and Meg for showing me that where there is confidence there is strength, with strength there is beauty.

I have become so attached to my Crossfit family. When I told my coach that I had to leave I felt like I was telling my son I would be leaving for a long departure. It was so hard and I am not looking forward to my last day. But I will enjoy every last moment and embrace every last WOD.

Although I know this will NEVER replace all that I get from attending North Country Crossfit, I do plan to continue my Crossfit practices in my garage. Why, you ask does it not replace going to my Crossfit gym? First of all the coaches, I wont have them working out in my garage. At North Country Crossfit they are always there checking your form and making sure you are doing every movement properly. They are also there cheering you on and helping you with your goals. Then there is the atmosphere. You just get this feeling you are part of something. Walking into the box all the stress, fatigue, and thoughts are put aside. Your focus is on one thing, what you can achieve in the box that day. There are many more reasons but the last reason I will mention is my Crossfit
family. I have met some amazing people in my 3 months at North Counrty Crossfit. All of whom have inspired me and will continue to do so.
So you can now see why being in my garage is less desirable. But I am not the only one in my family sacrificing some thing they love. So on a strict budget I am going to purchase just the basics to get me by till I can return. Oh and I WILL return to North Country Crossfit.

MUCH LOVE to all my Crossfit family but watch out I am giving my last month Everything I have!! I am leaving at the end of this month on FIRE!!! My goal is to walk out April 30th with a crap load of new PR's. :)

Yours Truly, Sad Crossfitter
Samantha