Week 25 and 26 - Being Empowered

I love the video above for two reasons - It will give you ALL of the feels and it will make you want to go work out. At least that's how I felt.

Women have been some of my biggest supports lately. I have always had a few good girl friends, but primarily surrounded myself with boys. Being pregnant has really helped my bond with the women around me who have said some great things to empower me. Everyday they ask how I am feeling, tell me I look great and to keep up with my workouts. Women can be so caddy sometimes, but being pregnant has brought out a whole new side to them! I think the ones who have something bad to say just keep their mouths shut, and the rest just feel free to uplift me. I have to say that is something I love about being pregnant. It sets you apart from other people and I like being "special."

Do you know what else gives you all the feels and makes you want to work out? Your Crossfit gym posting a #wcw in your honor. My own sweet husband hasn't even done that. (He is going to read this and ask me what #wcw stands for.)

This couldn't have come at a better time. These past two weeks have been a little rough on me as far as getting to the gym and suffering from physical fatigue. It has been tough for me to get up in the morning because of the head trash I recently started reciting. Whenever the alarm goes off, I start thinking about how I only have a few more months to sleep in, how I can't do some of the movements in the workout, or about the long work day I have ahead of me. Then, the days I do get to the gym, I love to push myself and lately that has put a lot of work on my body. The fatigue I feel now is not like sleepy first trimester fatigue, it is the physical kind that you feel down to your bones. Where your mind is in the game, but you have been carrying 25+ extra pounds around all day and your body just taps out. Sometimes I tell myself I am going to go to the PM workouts and by the time 3 PM rolls around, I know THAT isn't going to happen either.

So to battle this, I have set my schedule to Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays and the occasional Saturday. That way I am getting 3-4 days to sleep in, I don't do two work outs in a row (except sometimes Saturdays) and I can't cherry pick work-outs based on movements that are hard for me to do. I have promised myself I am going to start slowing down and quit being so hard on myself when I am not leading the pack. I have to remember that Crossfit workouts are very intense and even doing a scaled version, though it doesn't feel like much to me, I am still getting a good workout.

On a side note, my parents got a new puppy named Hank and he is an absolute peach. He is a labradoodle, though he looks like more lab than poodle.

 

Week 23 and 24 - The Power of Restriction!

The Power of Restriction

Being pregnant has put a lot of restrictions on me which I recently discovered to be a wonderful thing. I have never been restricted. I have always been healthy and strong. I have never been put in a hospital, had surgery or broken anything. I have never been told "no" or been told to scale back. The world has always been my oyster, and up until now, I think I have taken that for granted.  This post is about how my workouts have been restricted due to my ever changing body and how that has altered my thinking for "post-pregnancy" training.

I sat back the other day and thought about why I started Crossfit in the first place. I was bored of my workout routine and that is what made me take my first step in the gym. I liked seeing the results and that is what kept me there for the next few weeks, but it was my husband's uncle that made me put my heart into my Crossfit training. Uncle Rick or "Uncle Bic" as they called him, was a sweet, passionate, hardworking man who stood about 5'8" but acted like he was 6'4". He loved that I was involved in Crossfit and would ask me about the gym all the time. He was diagnosed with ALS and unfortunately, lost his battle with that terrible disease. While he was alive, I would go to see him and Aunt Mary Ann and even with every struggle, Uncle Bic was always happy about something. "Well, I can't walk as well, but at least I can still talk!" "I can't button my own shirt, but at least I can still eat!" He started getting restricted in all areas, his speech, his motor skills, his ability to eat, but still with every hindrance, he found something to rejoice in. It was then that I started doing my own WOD dedications to him. I would embrace the "suck" that every Crossfit workout gave because of him. Why was I complaining about being sore or tired? Why did I bitch at burpees, wall-balls and thrusters? I have the ability to move my arms and my legs! I have the ability to run! My lungs work and I can breathe on my own! I can grab ahold of a bar and move weight around! My Crossfit journey began then and it was amazing to see myself change with every workout I embraced.

Some people, like me, have never been hindered or restricted. And unfortunately some never will. I  say unfortunately only because I wish everyone had the chance to feel the spirit that I am feeling. Or the feeling Uncle Bic felt being able to do the smallest tasks. Please note: I am not comparing ALS or any other long term disease to pregnancy. I am so lucky that my physical restrictions will soon be lifted in a few months and I can better myself. Not everyone gets that chance, either. I want to accomplish SO much physically once I have this baby. Right before I got pregnant, my training started getting a little sloppy. Between moving states, changing gyms and jobs, I had put my fitness on the back burner. I was still working out, but I wasn't trying my hardest. I complained a lot and was not excited to get out of bed for the gym in the morning. Now, I know getting up early to go to the gym is not going to be easy with a newborn, either. However, once I am in the gym, I can give it my all, because no one is telling me "no." I want to do more competitions I want to work hard to increase my personal records. I want to start running some races - A Ragnar in my future?! I was never a fan of running, but now that I am restricted, ALL I want to do is run! I can't wait to do sit-ups, and lift things heavier than my body weight and jump on boxes and completely exhaust myself. I am looking forward to working to get my body back in shape. 

I work out with so many strong mothers. My original gym partner, Shea, is a complete bad ass and she always contributed it to being "mommy strong." I get it now. And I haven't even gone through child birth. There is something inside all of these strong mothers that makes them hardcore and more head strong than any man could ever be. This pregnancy and little "break from no restriction" has been wonderful for me. It has made me appreciate all I have and all I can be. Watch out gains, you have a new crazy strong mama on your hands!

 What a change a week makes!!

Joshua took me deep-sea fishing for Mother's Day! It was such a blast!

We had to put down a very special family member last week. Magic lived for over 13 years and had a wonderful life. We are missing her every day.