Crossfit Nation ~ Another Level Fitness LLC

Lifting weights

Aside from building muscle weightlifting has many contributions to a healthy body.  It helps make your bones stronger as well.  No osteoporosis for me.  It works on coordination, power, and strength.  Picking up that cat litter bag or 50lb bag of dog food is nothing any more.  When olympic weightlifting just about every muscle in your body is being used right down the the small stabilizing muscles. This makes them a very efficient exercise as well.  Done properly they are very safe, very effective and very good for your over all fitness. 

Community

Crossfit is a community.  It is so much bigger than a gym.  We are likeminded individuals with a singular purpose.  Our purpose is to see you succeed in becoming the strongest, healthiest, person you can become.  We are here to guide, to challenge, to encourage.  Best of all so is everyone else.  How many people do you know when you walk into your gym?  Do they encourage you?  Do they cheer for you?  Probably not.  When you are here you are known.  Everyone knows your name, everyone wants you to succeed.  We are all in it together.  When we moved our gym, our athletes showed up on a Sunday and helped us move everything.  People who no longer even come to the gym for various reasons showed up to help!  This speaks volumes to me.  We are all in this crazy world together why are we always fighting each other?  If we all worked together think of the things we could achieve.  Team work, helping each other.  Just when you think "I can't do another freakin burpee" you have someone telling you, "YES you can, come on, just one more!" and you do it!  Our gym is a place of team work, encouragement and real people accomplishing unbelieveable feats!  I am so proud of how hard each of you are working.  What we do is hard, but life is too so you might as well be prepared and have support every step of the way!

Some of our 5:30am team!!

Numbers

We have an obesity epidemic in this country.  There is more access to gyms, gadgets, diets, weight loss suplements, etc. etc. than anywhere in the world.  What the hell is going on?  There are no quick fixes and everyone wants one.  Eating healthfully and exercise are the only things that work.  We are obsessed with the scale and the number it says.  We feel horrible about ourselves when we get off the scale.  The problem is we just feel horrible to begin with and that number doesn't make it any easier.  Throw away your scale and start thinking about numbers that matter.  How long did it take you to do your workout this time?  1 minute Faster?  Good!  How much weight did you lift over your head today?  10 lbs more?  Great!  How many days this week did you workout?  2 more than last week?  Fantastic!  Think about the numbers that actually make a difference in how you feel and how you perform in life and then you will be on the road to health!

Being prepared

Being prepared makes all the difference in the world.  We are very busy as a society.  This fact usually leads to failure when it comes to our diet.  There is so much fast food available that when time comes to eat and we are hungry, we go for the quick, tasteless, unhealthy choices.  If you take a little time to prepare you can have healthful options available when you are hungry.  After you grocery shop, don't even put the veggies away.  Cut them up immediately and put them in baggies.  Hard boil a dozen eggs.  Fruit is very portable.  Cut up some nice hard cheeses.  Yogurt is great but watch out for all the added sugar and or artificial sweeteners.  Get a insulated lunch box and keep it full of healthy choices at all times.  Throw a bag of almonds in there, you can get tuna in a pouch, some fruit cups(read those labels, no added sugar or artificial sweeteners)keep a bag of sunflower seeds in your car and munch on those when you get a craving.  There are easy ways to avoid failure.  Don't let McDonalds even be an option.  It's completely up to you how you want to feel going through life.  Simple changes and a little preparation is all it takes. I think the line goes.....If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

Aging

Staying on the subject of the Affiliate blog, aging.  It's something we will all do eventually, kinda inevitable.  I intend to be cutting a rug well into my nineties!  I don't come from the healthiest stock.  My grandfather died of brain and lung cancer in his 50's, my grandmother has diabetes, heart disease, just had breast cancer.  My father just recently died of pancreatic cancer and we won't even touch on my mother.  Most of my family is overweight, unfit and pretty miserable.  Conversations tend to run on how crappy everyone feels and which is the latest ailment.  Very frustrating.  Seeing this, who wants it?  I sure don't.  How has doctors appointments become more exciting than taking adventures in life?  It doesn't have to be this way.  Being proactive, paying attention to what you are feeding your body, getting exercise, keeping your muscles limber and strong, will keep the old away.  With the boomers coming of age we have a bit of a crisis on our hands.  Health care costs are exorbitant.  Prescription medications are a daily expense for most.  Would you rather spend your money on quality food, a gym membership and adventures or on doctor visits and prescription meds?  I know what I choose.   Take control of your health and fitness before it takes control of you and leaves you powerless.  Be POWERFULL!!!!

Terry kicking ass at age 68! You go! I'm so proud of you!

Getting what you want

I keep telling my boys they can have anything, anything at all they want they just have to want it bad enough.  Desire is a huge motivator.  If you want something it is there for you.  You will find a way to make it happen.  On the other side of this there is that little voice inside your head that keeps telling you that it's just too hard to get the things you want out of life, so you don't even try.  I find that Crossfit kicks that little voice right square in the ass.  If you can do Crossfit, you can do anything.  Everyday you walk in and see this intimdating WOD in front of you and you think I can't do that!  But you do!  You get through it, it's hard, it's tiring, it's almost impossible, but guess what you do get through it and you are so much better for it!  The hard stuff is what makes the easy stuff worth while.  Life is very short.  Let's get moving and doing things that make life fun.  Bring the desire of greatness into your life and you will be filled with greatness!!

Margie working on her handstand push ups. Everything is scaleable. We insure your success!!

Food, family and frustration

Father's Day was spent at our inlaws.  My mother in law considers doritos a vegetable and always has way too much food. Although she is getting much better about the types of foods.  Of course there are the chips and dips and cakes and pies, but she is starting to have beautiful fruit trays and salad.  She is trying for my benefit.  I think they think I am a little bit crazy, so I try not to bring up my favorite subject, food.  I have my opinions and they of course have theirs.  My husband on the other hand loves to bring it up just to see me get riled up I believe.  In talking to the family several things dawned on me.  Number one is the amount of misinformation and complete ignorance of food.  Marketing has allowed the food industry to portray images of healthfulness on food packages where there is nothing actually healthy in the box.  A cookie is a cookie no matter whether it is low-fat or organic or not.  We believe what we want but we all know cookies aren't good for us.  Secondly the whole ostrich with it's head in the sand.  "Don't tell me, I don't want to know."  Why do you not want to know what you are eating, or the conditions of the animals you are eating.  I personally want to know what I am putting in my body.  If we don't start making educated choices nothing will ever change and this "health care crisis" will spiral out of control and I will be the one left taking care of all my sick family.  Look around the next time your in the grocery store.  Look at what the food you are buying is doing to everyone around you.  We are FAT and it is getting out of control.  Take control of your life, take control of your diet only you can do this.

Why we do what we do

Crossfit.  What you do is take every exercise you can think of mush them together and come up with something different everyday.  Our WOD's or (workouts of the day) hit on every muscle group using body weight, free weights, gymnastic's rings, jump ropes, rowing machines, etc, etc, etc.  We are constantly varied.  Why?  One because muscle confusion doesn't allow your body to get used to doing the same thing over and over again making sure you plateau.  Two, boredom is never an issue, we are always learning new ways to move(and move heavy things).  We like to stress the exercises you hate to do are the ones you need to do most.  Hate to run?  Good go run 200m three times.  The more you do something the easier it is to do.  Crossfit is more a mental game than a physical one, I believe.  Your body will do what you tell it.  If you keep telling it "I can't do this" well of course you can't.  If you tell yourself "I am going to do this" then of course you will!  Life is full of battles.  I think of Crossfit as training for life and all it has to throw at you.  Being able to be "constantly varied" definately has it's advantages!

Too much to do....too little time to do it

The excuse I hear the most from people is: I have no time to work out.  I am soooooo busy.  Who isn't really?  The people who find the time to workout end up with more time on their hands.  I know it sounds weird but when you make it a priority everything else just falls into place.  If you come first thing in the morning you have a chance to get your head straight and get your blood pumping carrying precious oxygen to your brain.  It will give you the energy to make it through your day with a smile on your face.  If you come in the evening it's time to blow off steam from your day, no need to carry it home with you.  Leave it at the gym.  Fit it in.  You'll find you will be much happier and healthier for it.  It's not just for your body but your spirit too.

Stephanie looking strong overhead

Priorities and what you value

We all have our priorities.  Work, family, chores, play, sleep.  In what order you put them is where you put what you value.  Life is all about choices and you may not feel like you have any choice in the order of your life, but you do.  You can arrange your life any way you want it.  Life is very short.  I suggest you put your life in the order you choose.  The bottom line is your health and well-being should be on top of the list.  If you are sick and tired how are you any good to your boss or your family and friends?  You HAVE to give to yourself first.  Make you number one on your priority list.  If you value your health it will show in every aspect of your life.  You will have more energy for your family, for your job, for your friends.  Everyone has their excuses of why they can't work out.  No time, no energy, I'm too out of shape to do that!  Well I'm here to tell you you have to do it.  Suck it up, quit whining and take care of your body.  It's the only one you get.  People take better care of their vehicles than they do their bodies.  Think of your body as the vehicle taking you through life.  No trade ins, can't get a new model, but you can start where you are now taking care of the body you have.  Start giving it proper fuel.  Whole fresh foods, no processed crap.  Get out there and start moving.  Get off the sofa, take your kids outside and go for a walk.  Go to the gym and really push yourself.  You will be amazed at how much better you feel in every aspect of your life.  Go live your life and quit sitting on the sidelines!  Make yourself top priority, you are worth it.  Everything else will fall into the proper place.