Post-Rhino Workout

First off, let me say how thankful I am to be able to move my body. I chose to have an optional surgery that will hopefully improve my quality of life, and I knew going into it that I would have to give up some activity for a while. This week has taught me what a gift being able to get out and move around is and I can't imagine the sacrifices our armed forces must make when they are injured while protecting us and go from peak performance to bedridden. I am in no way comparing spending a week in bed watching soap operas after a nose job to the sacrifices of our injured soldiers. What I am saying is that if five days in a bed made me feel the way I did, then I better start doing more for those who are facing much more serious recuperation. One thing I can do is start using Charity Miles more often to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project. It kills your battery but I think that's a small sacrifice we can all make.

I've got goals dammit.

This morning I felt like a brand new person. A brand new person whose nose keeps bleeding and can only breathe through her mouth, but at least this person could logically string thoughts together and stay awake for more than 30 minutes at a time. I was up at 7 AM and ready to roll.

I bought myself a Fitbit Flex today. I've been coveting one after spending a weekend in Atlanta with my friend Ryan. Honestly, if he took the dang thing off, I'd have probably stolen it. Ryan uses a combination of MyFitnessPal and Fitbit Flex to track his nutrition and fitness goals. Friday night in the airport I'm teasing him to live a little as I'm sitting there eating chocolate and pistachio gelato and by Sunday, I'm downloading the app and weighing Flex color options. (I went with black.) Ryan's been a good health influence on me since we went to high school together. Senior year, my two hour exercise routine was heavily influenced by Ryan. Granted I ended up semi-expelled and in an eating disorder rehab clinic soon after, but strangely enough, the two are barely related. I digress.

Kettlebell Snatch Test

I went to CrossFit last night before soccer. Yes, I know, I am badass. I put a lot of thought into my outfit because I wanted something that I could wear to both the game and the WOD. I went with a pair of Nike Just Do It shorts, a white sports bra, and navy tank that match the undershorts. I am fully dedicated to color-coordination in my workout gear, even though I only wear dresses to work because I cannot be bothered to put separates together.

Those cracked out eyes are the result of 4 or less hours of sleep each night this week.
Why can't I fall asleep???

The strength portion of the WOD was snatch grip behind the neck press. Since I'm new and uncoordinated, the coach and I decided I would use the bar without plates and work on my form. Apparently I have forgotten everything I learned about the snatch last Friday. I clearly needed more practice time with the broom. I really wish the coaches would introduce themselves (or wear name tags!) because I really liked this girl but now she is just "Blonde Coach with Sick Quads" to me and unfortunately that name isn't listed on the schedule.

The conditioning portion was 5 minutes of unbroken kettlebell snatches. We partnered up and whoever wasn't snatching was counting. I liked my partner so much I asked for her number so we could coordinate our schedules. Her name is Amanda. Anyway, we decided to use a 10kg (22 lbs) kettlebell although 16kg (35 lbs) was the women's weight. I tried using the 12kg (26 lbs) kettlebell for practice but was just too heavy. I managed 127 snatches in the 5 minutes. This means the weight was too light for me because Anthony said ideally we'd be able to perform 20 snatches a minute. I think an 11kg (24lbs) kettlebell would have been just right but alas, there were none.

Clean Snatch*

* Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Yesterday I went to Kettle Bell Workout at 50th & Broadway. I've gone to this before with my friend Anna (um, who is leaving me for the freakin South. Now I have to motivate myself to workout!), but it was a different day with a different instructor.

I really like kettle bells because they give you a great workout and they're kind of fun. I'm so busy trying not to hit myself in my leg that I don't have much time to focus on the pain of lifting the dang thingss.

source

Equinox describes the class as "the ultimate in cutting edge strength training, cast iron bells are used to

develop the correct blend of strength with flexibility for maximum fat burning and muscular endurance. Shred your mid section, tone your legs and strengthen your back while pushing your cardio capacity to the limit."

We started off doing two-arm and one-arm swings followed by mountain climbers to warm up. Then we did some cleans and some snatches. I like this instructor, Sabrina Cohen, because she kept saying snatch and laughing about it. I just giggled while I typed that. I need to grow up.

Anyway, all the swings and cleans and snatches were broken up with burpees (without the kettle bells), and figure eights and around the world with the kettle bells. Try to do figure eights quickly. The grip gets so sweaty that it starts to slip out of your hand. I've dropped a kettle bell a few times before but never in a class as full as it was last night. I was scared that I was going to hit someone.

I had a great time and I would like to make this one of my regular classes. It's pretty easy for me to get there from my office, and now that I don't have to worry about contacts and all that nonsense, getting ready quickly hasn't been a problem. I like classes where I can get competitive with the people around me. This Asian guy with a knee brace and awesome calves (yes, I was jealous of his calves, and yes, there's something about knee braces I find attractive) was doing pretty well and I just had to lift the same weight and keep up a faster tempo. Hopefully he's there every week so I can use my envy to kick my own ass.

Sabrina complimented my work after class. I'm really flattered when instructors notice me (maybe it was my navy Under Armour shorts, neon blue C9 sports bra, navy tank, blue and white Old Navy socks, and Figi blue and white K-Swiss sneakers?) and I'm more likely to take their class again.

Speaking of those Under Armour shorts, I've been wearing them since 2007 and my sister owned them before me. I'm not sure how they're still in one piece. Feel free to send me presents.