Body comp check-in

If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.  ~Andrew Carnegie

I did a body comp check in this past Saturday with 2012 Success Story athlete, Michel. After she left I thought to myself, "now this is how one should conduct a body comp." She showed up with 2013 goals in the making, expecting improvements from her last body comp, and allowed a little extra time to discuss what's next on her fitness journey.

Michel is putting in the work, and she's not settling for being content with where she is. She wants to continue to get stronger, leaner, faster, but now these goals are more defined with action steps. After she left I was encouraged knowing that Michel is making lifestyle changes that will last forever.

How do you approach body comp check ins with your coach? Personally, my athletes earn their follow-up body comps. The first one is encouraged/a requirement; however, moving forward I make certain the athlete is doing the work--> showing up to class, putting in additional workouts, food logging, pushup challenge, etc.

Train with a purpose.

PCOS: D-chiro-Inositol

"If you settle for what got, then you deserve what you get."

I am at path where I can choose to go 1 of 2 ways. I can throw my hands up and say screw it with this whole PCOS mess and settle for being miserable and constantly battling weight gain and no ovulation, OR I can choose to not give up and truly believe God is going to see me through this and come out on the other side with so much learned. I choose the latter.

I found a great doctor to help me on my PCOS journey, Dr. Screven Edgerton. My first appointment last week went super well. He understood my lifestyle with nutrition and training; how I did not want a quick fix but a solution; and he is a big advocate of eastern medicine but understands sometimes you need western medicine to also help heal a disease. After five vials of blood later, he confirmed I had PCOS, which was no surprise.

He prescribed a new product called D-chiro-Inositol by Chiral Balance. It is a natural hormone metabolite used in insulin signal transduction, making DCI necessary for healthy blood sugar regulation. DCI appears to be deficient in women with PCOS. The goal of the product is to help with weight loss and ovulation. I am super excited to see what happens by taking this product. The testimonies are extremely encouraging.

Ladies, if you are simply looking for a new ObGyn, I highly recommend this guy. What's even better is his nurse does CrossFit and is looking at joining our box now after my appointment. It's a win/win situation if you are looking for a doctor who fully understands your lifestyle.

Here's to not settling and beating PCOS!

WAKE UP, you are already free!

My 2013 mantra came to me right at the new year. Over the past year I have been battling PCOS, lost 2 grandparents, had friends come and go, and injured my Achilles. Needless to say, I do not ever want to repeat being 31 again.

However, in the midst off all that mess I started to remind myself how blessed I am. Tony Robbins likes to call it emotional flooding. It is a process of listing everything you are grateful for no matter how big or small it may seem. Once you start it is difficult to stop. The heart of gratitude shines, and you snap out of your funk real quickly. My gratitude list begins with things as simple as my morning drink of Spark/BCAA, to my family, my health, my friends, my job, my new soft sheets and down comforter, trips to Mexico, ability to workout even when injured, Strictly Strength, finding a doctor to help me tackle PCOS, church, the desire to actually want to be back in church, my Ray Ban's, my MAC makeup, my curls, my eyelashes...the list could go on forever. As you can see, anything goes and the sky is the limit.

Hence, once I really honed in on having a heart of gratitude my mantra came to me-->
WAKE UP, you are already free! 

I have everything I need and more right at my fingertips. Once I get out of my own head and stop feeling sorry for myself or complaining about events and circumstances I can't control, a whole new world of possibilities opens up. I now have this mantra taped on my laptop so I can read it daily.

What phrase motivates you for 2013? Share in the comments section.

SHOWOUT

This video could not be more perfect at capturing exactly who SHOWOUT Meg is every single day. A big thanks to Lindsay and Elliot Schrock for doing a phenomenal job on the video. Enjoy!

Why I CrossFit

I have really enjoyed reading Coach Jeff McKinney's posts on The Triune about Why I CrossFit. I started thinking about this more lately with the upcoming competition season and the pressure to compete.

I have been doing CrossFit a little over 4 years, and it has completely changed my life. From my job, to my social circle, to my nutrition, to my training, to my standards...the list could go on for a while. With that being said, I CrossFit because I love the challenge of a workout, pushing my limits,  having fun, and the community--- and, not just any community, my CrossFit Central family.

However, over the past 2 years I have forgotten why I fell in love with the sport. Each year around this time I get so caught up on what I can't do or how much I can't lift, blah, blah, blah and begin to feel inadequate as an athlete and coach, which prevents me from having any fun and simply being alive and present. Not only do I miss out on life; I miss out on offering the best experience to every athlete I coach and all the people I meet. I did a lot of soul searching this weekend and came to a place of peace of why I do what I do.

I CrossFit because it is not about me. It is about the individuals I am impacting daily that I get to coach. It's about seeing my athletes attain their goals.  It's about getting a text, phone call, or Facebook message from a client telling you they PRd on a 5K, a lift, anything. It's about seeing that 1 person have a glimmer of hope that they can lose that 70lbs that's been hanging on them forever. It's about having an impact beyond the 1 individual I'm coaching and watching it trickle over into their personal lives. It is about reshaping the face of Austin.

This year and moving forward, I choose to remember the WHY behind why I CrossFit and hold it dear to my heart.  The picture above is hanging on my mirror now. It is from 3 years ago of me and my friend/client, Michelle. The picture is a reminder of the fun, happiness, ease, and excitement of when career, health, and life are all in balance. On days when I get caught up on where I am lacking, I will look at the picture and remind myself why I CrossFit and to never take the fun out of it.

Why do you CrossFit? Post on the comments below.

New Year SPECIALS

WANTED: 

Individuals ready to make New Year's goals a reality.

I am offering discounted personal training prices through the month of January. Get in now and I will grandfather you in at the discounted rate as long as you are consistently personal training. Sessions are done in my garage gym, in-home, or at CrossFit Central Downtown.

AVAILABILITY
Monday & Wednesday: noon-5pm
Tuesday & Thursday: 2:00-5pm
Saturday: scheduled week to week

JANUARY SPECIAL
1-on-1: $50 a session
groups of 2: $80 a session ($40/person)
groups of 3: $90 a session ($30/person)-- BEST DEAL 40% SAVINGS
*additional $10 per session for in-home training

Email me at showoutmeg@gmail.com or call me at 254.855.4246 to schedule an initial appointment. Go HERE to see results from my athletes.

MICHEL: 2012 Succss Story

I have had the privilige of coaching Michel for 3+ years now. I will never forget the first time she showed up to class and was so nervous. The warm up was challenging for her and the thought of doing burpees seemed mind boggling. Little did she know that her life would change forever. Here she is now as a 2012 Relentless Boot Camp Success Story.

Meet Michel!! Her story is below---

Prior to boot camp, I was pretty much at my all time heaviest, and I was eating and drinking to make myself feel better.  I felt weak and sluggish both physically and mentally.  I was emotionally disconnected from friends and family because I just wasn’t happy. I kept saying I was not in a good place mentally as a crutch to not commit to any fitness endeavor.  The first thing I noticed after joining boot camps was the mental clarity. It’s amazing how still my mind is when I’m concentrating on my body and that kettlebell—best stress relief ever. I was able to focus at work; I wasn’t zoning out for long periods of time.  I was not angry anymore, and I actually woke up feeling happy for the first time in months.  I was so impressed with the emotional benefits that I decided to take it to the next level and I enrolled in Fuel 21.  I wanted to capitalize on the “high.”  I lost 13 lbs and 9 inches in 21 days and I felt amazing.  I committed to something that scared the crap out of me and I stuck with it, and to my own surprise, I loved it.  I truly felt that I could do anything.  I’ve never been happier and according to my latest blood work, I’ve never been healthier.

My new year’s resolution this year was to try new things and work on self love.  I enrolled in Coach Megan Parsons’s 5:30 am T/TH O’Henry class.  The first mental barrier broken was the “I can’t wake up that early to exercise” barrier.  I was a 3 to 4 time snooze hitter so that was a huge success for me. Next barrier down , the “I can’t do that’ barrier.”  That was the game changer for me.  I can do anything for 20 seconds.  I can do anything for 60 minutes.  I can do anything for 21 days.  I can do anything I set my mind to.  I know it’s not going to be easy but that makes the accomplishment that much sweeter.

I lost over 20lbs, 23 inches, dropped 6% body fat, and went from a size 12 to a size 8!

 

2013 Training

I am pretty excited about my  new training protocol for 2013. I always consistently workout, but when it is left up to my own programming, it is easy to only work on the things I am good at versus where I need to improve. With that being said, I spent a few days over our holiday break and mapped out what made the most sense for me given my still injured foot/Achilles and my fitness goals for 2013.

What I do know is that I need a combination of metabolic conditioning and strength training to be in the best shape. One without the other does not work in my favor. I have incorporated CrossFit, CFE, Gymnastics WOD--specifically, the Flexibility, Quality, and Practice components, and Strictly Strength. For CFE, I am using a rower or stationary bike for the long interval day and tempo/timed trial days, and I am trying to make it to the track for short intervals days. Eventually I want to be on the road running but until the foot heals, the rower or bike is a must.

Below is what I have mapped out for the year:

Monday
Warm-up: Gymnastics WOD
CrossFit conditioning: pull WOD from website for CFE Strength & Conditioning
Endurance: Short interval (done 3+ hours before/after above)

Tuesday
Strictly Strength

Wednesday
Warm-up: Gymnastics WOD
CrossFit conditioning: pull WOD from website for CFE Strength & Conditioning
Endurance: Long interval (done 3+ hours before/after above)

Thursday
Strictly Strength

Friday
Rest and/or work gymnastic skills with Coach Chelsea Ross

Saturday
Tempo/Timed Trial

Sunday
Rest

After 3 months, I may only do 2 CFE WODs a week and alternate between a short and long interval but keep the tempo/timed trial. It all depends on my recovery and attaining my goals. What does your 2013 training schedule look like? Have you made any changes/additions? Let's hear it in the comments section.