Jesus WOD

I am about to get a bit sentimental for a moment.

Jeremy emailed the CrossFit Central coaches the WOD below this morning, and we plan on doing it on Friday at 3:00PM. I got teary eyed simply reading the email. Rewind a year and half ago and I never would dreamed of receiving an email from the owner of the company I work with the subject line having the word Jesus in it. At my last corporate job, Christmas, Easter, Jesus, basically anything with a religious/Christian connotation, was absolutely not allowed. I will never forget sitting in a meeting and one of the Head Honchos in the company laughed at the idea of a day of rest on Sunday and honoring one's religious beliefs. I keenly remember that very moment and thinking to myself---I am done with this place. Once again I am reminded today how blessed I am to be where I am this very moment!!!

I am fired up on Friday to do this workout. The symbolism behind this WOD is beautiful. Every time I feel like sitting down the bar, I will quickly remind myself what Jesus sacrificed for me on this very day.

Jesus WOD (The way of the Cross)

14 Rounds for time

95lbs Barbell
10 Deadlifts
10 Squat cleans
10 Push Press

50 ft of Walking Lunges with barbell on back. Walk back to start
point. At no point does the barbell touch the ground until rounds 3, 7
and 9.

Round Three Seven and Nine 7 Turkish Get Up 1.5 Pood (seven is the
number of completion)

The WOD represents 14 stations of the Cross with the three time Jesus
fell to the ground. The WOD should be done at 3:00 for the
time Jesus passed on the Cross.

Quality of Life

Team Hot Mess kicked some butt on Saturday at the Relentless Adventure Challenge finale even with a substitute for their 3rd team member. All 3 of the ladies on this team are a mother of 2 or 3 children. The biggest lifestyle change they learned over the 7 weeks was how to incorporate nutritious eating into their families lives, practicing daily balance, and maintaining the results they had already seen in boot camp with a crazy schedule full of Super Bowl parties, kids birthday parties, Spring Break, and life.

Relentless Boot Camp competitions/challenges not only push clients to the next level physically, but they also teach quality of life and how to enhance it in everyday living and not for a short 7-week time frame.

As a team, Team Hot Mess shed 4.3% body fat and lost 5 inches. I am extremely pleased with these results, especially since 1 team member's goal was to not lose any weight and gain more muscle. GREAT JOB!!!

Results are Typical

This past Saturday was the finale for the Relentless Adventure Challenge. I coached 3 teams and each of them did phenomenal. Team Showout won the race on Saturday with a time of 27:45--3:33 minutes faster than 7 weeks ago. The overall Challenge winner will be announced this week. The winner is determined based on team weight loss, inches loss, % body fat loss, and improvement on the benchmark course.

So often commercials advertise and say "These results are not typical." At Relentless Boot Camp, Results are Typical; they are the norm, and we expect nothing less. As a team, Team Showout lost a total of 26lbs, 10 inches, and 10% body fat. hoLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLer!!!

Results for Team Hot Mess and Team Holla Back Girls will be posted tomorrow. Do you want the same results seen in the Relentless Adventure Challenge? Then don't miss out on the Trojan Challenge that begins on May 8th. Registration opens tomorrow at noon!

Personal Power

"Dreams come true when a vision of the Impossible becomes the Reality of the Heart." - Unknown

And my Tony Robbins' epiphanies continue...

I went back and listened to a CD on the Personal Power series this week and had completely new insight from the 1st time I listened about a month ago. Just a heads up...I'm going to refer to my boy ,Tony, as T.R.

T.R defines personal power as the ability to act; ability to take action. The definition is fairly similar to Webster's Dictionary. However, the biggest difference between T.R's definition and Webster's is the 2nd part-- ability to take action. It is one thing to act like I am going to do something, write it down, make a list, talk about it...but it is a whole new ball game when I start to take action.

T.R. shared his Success Formula on the CD, and I want to share it with each of you.

SUCCESS FORMULA=

• Know your outcome- clarity is power. You must FOCUS on what you want in order to make it happen. +
• Use it; Take action- decide to decide! Do not settle for less than the best. I am always telling myself and my closest girlfriends to demand more in relationships; why in the world would I not do the same in every area of my life. Fear of failure is a hindering force in this part of the equation. Do not allow fear to win. Fear produces results. +
• Notice what you are getting from your actions- ask yourself if what you are doing is actually working. Be flexible. Pay attention. FOCUS. +
• Change your approach- if what you are doing is not working then switch it up.

I have been implementing these steps with my goals, and I am seeing the fruits of my labor. From a business perspective, Relentless Boot Camps are blowing up, and the classes I am coaching are all on the brink of being sold out.

From fitness, I continue to turn over a new leaf all the time. Becoming more comfortable with being uncomfortable. Pushing my limits. Challenging myself to perform any CrossFit movement thrown my way. The picture above is from Sectionals 2 weeks ago. This pic represents frustration because I could only muscle out 1 handstand pushup, but it also symbolizes hard work and how far I've come since I started this sport.

From personal, my life ROCKS!!!

I challenge each of you to take the Success Formula and apply it to at least 1 aspect of your life for 30 days. Send me an email after 30 days so I can hear all about your success.

New Faces

Relentless Boot Camp Coaches: Jeremy, Heather, Karen, Stacey, Me

I coach 5 boot camps every day of the week all around Austin. I have now also taken on more of a managerial role with Relentless Boot Camps and have the opportunity to train up and coming new boot camp coaches. I love it!!! The excitement, intensity, and passion that comes with a new coach is contagious and makes my job even more rewarding. Every Thursday Heather, Karen, and Stacey have been going through boot camp training, which includes coaching, programming, and business development to gear up for the classes they will start coaching in May, as well as lead a team of 10 through the Trojan Challenge.

Be looking for their faces at CrossFit Central and all around town coaching boot camps.

CrossFit Mom

I have the privilege of coaching all kinds of clients. From individuals wanting to improve their fitness, to best friends, to IronMan finishers, to big dog's in corporate America. It is quite the treat for me, because I never get bored.

One of my newest personal training clients is Melodee. She is a mom of 2 and hired me to come to her house to train her 2x a week. In-home personal training is great for anyone who needs to stay-at-home with their kids, but still wants the benefits of a CrossFit workout. When little Vivian starts crying during the workout, Melodee multi-tasks and uses the baby as "weight" for her front squats or med ball sit-ups (see pics above).

Do not allow any current obstacle/situation to prevent you from reaching your fitness goals. Melodee attacks each workout full force and nothing holds her back. Great job!!!

Quote for the day: "You can spend your whole life dreaming. But if you want to turn those dreams into reality, you need to transform them into goals." - Michael Masterson

Never Give Up

My dear friend, Janine, shared the above video with me last night. It really hit home. "It's a lie to think that you're not good enough...it's a lie to think that you're not worth anything..." The moment you feel like giving up--think twice. Life is too short. Live it to the fullest. You are beautiful. BELIEVE IT!

As If

March marked my 1 year Anniversary of coaching my very own boot camp. I started assisting Jeremy and Carey in January 2009 and launched my 1st class in March. The 2 pictures above symbolize a lot in my life right now.

The 1st pic is what I like to call my Vision Board. The papers taped on my closet door are the rosters for the 5 boot camps I coach each week. My goal is to have sold out classes consistently. Looking at these rosters day in and day out keeps me accountable to strive for success, as well as, keep up with my current client's attendance. I fill in the open spots each day when a new client joins the class or someone drops in to class. Focused energy on the goal. More and more each day I am acting As If. I am living each day As If everything I desire, and the goals I want to accomplish, are already happening this very moment. It is a bit scary at first and a bold move, but once you do it, it is the most empowering action you can take. Try it. Act As If there is nothing in your way to accomplish everything you desire.

The 2nd pic is Latisha and I. She started boot camp with me a year ago. She was one of my very 1st boot campers. Latisha has attended class day in and day out for a year and continues to come back for more. I will never forget the first days she showed up and could barely squat and not come close to a pushup. Now this strong woman can do pushups on her toes, squat below parallel, make it through an entire workout, and do burpees like there is no tomorrow. More body composition success results for Latisha are coming soon. Read her story from May 2009. She has continued to improve.

Quote for the day: "You have the power to change anything, because you are the one who chooses your thoughts, and you are the one who feels your feelings."

Act As If...

Gut Check

This past weekend was the Central Southern Texas Sectionals in Austin at Camp Mabry. The event was a complete Level 10 experience from every angle--competitors, spectators, volunteers. Today I am finally able to write about the weekend. I went in to competition on Saturday excited, driven, focused, and ready to have fun and compete. However, I left Sunday with mixed emotions--excited for my teammates but disappointed in my personal end result.


This weekend I learned first hand that CrossFit reveals weaknesses. Workout #1 was my workout and kept me right in the top of the pack. Workout #2 had handstand pushups. I got my 1st unassisted (aka: no ab mat) hand stand pushup on Thursday. Two days before competition; clearly not ideal. Needless to say I spent 12 long minutes staring at a metal wall and attempting handstand pushups and only muscled out one. I went in to Workout #3 ready to redeem myself; however, double-unders in grass turned out to not work in my favor.

It is now 2 days post competition, and I have picked up my pride and ego off the ground. I reminded myself why I compete. I did not place in the top 30, and for that I am disappointed. The realization of how 2 weaknesses removed me from being in the top 30 really hit home. Once again I am reminded...train everything, especially my weaknesses!

On a better note, I will ALWAYS have fun doing CrossFit. Every time I wonder from that thought pattern, I do a quick gut check and remind myself how blessed I am to do what I do. The overwhelming feeling of gratitude takes over the moment I switch my thought process. (I dare you to try it). The experience, competition, and stronger friendships developed after this weekend are invaluable. To top it off, I got to wear my Showout apparel this weekend. I know I am a good CrossFitter, and each day moving forward I am striving to be a great CrossFitter, and an athlete who will be on the CrossFit Central Affiliate Team.

Thanks, Emily!

My good friend, Emily, surprised me today with a SHOWOUT wristband for Sectionals this weekend. Just to preface, Emily would never say the word, showout, and always argued that it was not a word. So when I got the good luck gift today, I was more than surprised; I was ectastic. Thanks, Em! This is the perfect gift, especially for WOD#3 on Sunday.

I decided to sport my blue nail polish with my Showout wristband this weekend. Clearly blue represents 1st place, and that is how everyone at CrossFit Central will end on Sunday. We are taking all the top spots. 3, 2, 1 SHOWOUT!!!

Mary is a Baller!!!

Mary is a boot camper in the MWF 8:30AM Lake Pointe class. Every week this woman never ceases to amaze me. She has gone from a good athlete to a GREAT athlete and is now impacting her family in huge ways too. She is a 100% Baller. Check out her recap from the Trail Setter 5K this past weekend and her future race calendar for 2010.

"Yep definitely plan on running the Cap 10K. I ran a 5K this morning (Trail Setter 5K in Cedar Park) and came in 2^nd in my age group and made the leader list (#9 female to finish)….it was just a little dinky race BUT fun none the less. Ran 24:10.

My hubby came in 2^nd in his age group (ran like 22:40) AND my daughter Megan and her BF both came in 1^st in their age group…haha it was lots of fun!!! They were funny. They were just gonna take it easy and go on a fun little jog than the competitive spirit kicked in…o boy!!"

Relentless Boot Camps are currently putting together a Relentless Race Calendar. Please comment below or email me at meganparsons@crossfitcentral.com all the races, including tri-series, you will be competing in 2010. We want to come together at each race and cheer, encourage, motivate, and support each other in our athletic endeavors. We desire to take Community with CrossFit Central to a whole new level. Let's make it happen together.

Sweet Potato & Guac

I was craving my homemade guacamole this past weekend and wanted to try something new with the dip besides corn tortilla chips. I had a sweet potato in the pantry and baked it up with 1 tsp of coconut oil and paired it with my homemade guacamole. Voila. Yumo! It was the perfect combination of sweet, salty, spicy. After Sectionals on Sunday, I will enjoy a skinny rita with the combo. =)

Pain vs. Pleasure

Over the past month I've grown to learn a lot about myself in more ways than one thanks to my dear friend, Tony Robbins. A hand full of us coaches are going through Get the Edge and Personal Power. Each and every day I am challenged and pushed outside my comfort zone and forcing myself to raise the temperature. The discussion on Pain vs. Pleasure really hit home. I have listened to the CD probably about 5x. Tony reiterates how the need to avoid pain is a greater motivator for many people than the desire to pursue pleasure. Honestly, he could not be more correct.

This thought process applies to so many aspects of life. For instance, the weight/diet battle that so many people struggle with daily. So often the the pleasure of enjoying the entire chocolate cake or the huge plate of nachos is more pleasurable than achieving a fitness goal. The pain associated with resisting the indulgence is greater than the pleasure of achieving the end goal. So then ask yourself: What will be the pain if don't follow through? This concept applies to relationships, day-to-day tasks, basically everything. The goal at the end of the day is learning to control pain and pleasure.

Last year I was a mess before the Regional Qualifiers in Ft. Worth leading up to the 2009 CrossFit Games. I was still learning the sport, not confident in my abilities, and taking everything way too seriously. Fast forward to today and the tables have turned. I have fallen in love with CrossFit all over again. I am blessed with the ability to compete at an elite level with phenomenal athletes. Last year all I saw was the pain in competing, because I was scared of failure; this year I see the joy and pleasure with competition. This weekend I am competing because I can compete. This weekend I am competing in honor of my grandfather who is battling cancer. This weekend I am competing to celebrate the gifts and talents with God has blessed me.

Take that pain. 3, 2, 1 SHOWOUT!

3 years and going strong!

"Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing." - Abraham Lincoln

Happy 3 year Anniversary! Karen and Carla joined the MWF 8:30AM Lake Pointe boot camp 3 years ago with Coach Jeremy Thiel. He passed the torch on to me about 6 months ago to work with all these tremendous athletes and now this month I get to celebrate 3 years of success with these women. Relentless Boot Camp is not a quick-fix, 6-week, get in/get get out program; it is a lifestyle. Our goal is to improve your quality of life from the inside out. Nutrition, relentless workouts, encouragement, friendships, parties...we desire for you to succeed each and every day.

How long have you been in Relentless Boot Camp with CrossFit Central? Share your success below.

Adventure Challenge success

(Day 1 of Challenge. Check back in 3 weeks for after pics)

Tim is one of my clients participating in the Relentless Adventure Challenge on Team Showout. He has stepped up his game and really dialed in on his nutrition and workouts. Yesterday he informed me he has lost 20lbs and 10 of them have been since the Challenge started as well as going down 2 pants sizes. That is what I call defining showout at its finest.

Watch out other teams. Team Showout is on a mission to WIN! 3 weeks left and counting...

Functional Fitness

CrossFit preaches functional fitness. Chris from the 8:30am MWF Lake Pointe Relentless Boot Camp and I experienced this first hand as we moved a huge couch from my friend's house into my living room. That is what I call functional fitness at its finest. Deadlifts, presses, and squats are lifts we hone in on big time at CrossFit Central, and that is exactly what we did to maneuver 3 couch pieces from a living room to truck and truck to living room. Now I need CrossFit to teach me patience when moving furniture =). Thanks a mil, Chris! You are strong beyond measure.

Ginger's Success

Ginger joined the 6:30AM Tu/Th Deep Eddy Relentless Boot Camp in November. She has made huge strides forward and found a new community of friends! Check out her "WOW, boot camp's done a lot for me" moments below from 2 weeks ago, along with her own bit of entertaining sarcasm.

I had a couple of "wow, boot camp's done a lot for me." First, I was running on Saturday with a friend I've been running with for about a year and a half. Entirely unprompted, she remarked that I'm running a LOT faster. Of course, that's comparing "the movement of glaciers" to "perceptible forward motion." But still, relatively speaking, it's nice to have someone notice an improvement. Even better, I finally got to ride my bike on Sunday, and although I haven't ridden since September, I was able to do a (for me) fairly long ride and I wasn't tired afterward. More important, I've had a continuing problem with my hands getting numb when I ride. It's a pain and kind of dangerous because it affects your ability to shift and brake. Bike coaches have told me that this happens when you lack core strength. For the first time EVER, my hands didn't get numb. This is a big deal, and totally due to boot camp and your excellent coaching. So thanks!

How has Relentless Boot Camp improved your quality of life? Post comments below.

Congrats, Davianne!

CONGRATULATIONS on your engagement, Davianne!!!!

Davianne is one of my 6:30AM Tu/Th Deep Eddy boot campers. She joined the class about 3 months ago and increased the intensity of boot camp with her strong endurance and speed in no time at all. I had the opportunity to get to know Davianne more this past summer during the 2009 CrossFit Games. She has a heart of gold. A hard worker. Smart...getting her PhD at UT. Fun. Outgoing. And a showout, Relentless boot camper!!! Check out her ring in the picture; it is not the typical diamond engagement ring.

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to coach such encouraging, phenomenal, and amazing athletes everyday! All our boot camps have an open-door policy. Feel free to drop-in and give a class a try. We are not just your coach; we enjoy every moment of getting to know our clients and delivering a Level 10 experience every time you come to class.