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CROSSFIT MONCTON June 2017

Managing Expectation With RealityExpectations are a funny thing– and by funny I mean we put so much stock in them, anything short of a gleaming dream come true usually ends up being termed a “failure”. Put that into a scholastic context and anything short of an “A+ with extra credit” is a one way trip to failing out of school and living your life as a bearded hobo living off the land in the wilds of Alaska. Not that there’s anything with beards, hobos, Alaska or living off the land– all I’m saying is whether you’re starting a new program, in the middle of a program or refining the heck out of your results, keeping your expectations in check

can help you stay on course without over-correcting into the ditch of discouragement. That’s not to say you shouldn’t EXPECT fitness results based on action and persistence, it’s just to say sometimes expectations are out of whack with grounded and equally commendable reality. Managing expectation is important– especially in fitness, nutrition and infomercial results vs. what many people see (or don’t) after a few weeks. So here’s the reality check, the big rhetorical face-slap of truth and some all-out truth guaranteed to go a long way if you apply it and let it work.

Monthly Newsletter

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Transformational Expectation

While taking on any fitness program has its health benefits, virtually everyone would love to come out the other side slimmed, toned or ripped: In short, most all of us want to look good on one level or another. This can be the toughest aspect of expectation but here’s a few things to keep in mind when it comes to “the look”. Here’s a few transformational expectation road blocks many people run into… and how to manage a realistic expectation over fantasy:

Weight Loss: As mentioned, a benefit of fitness is “looking good”. Nobody wants to “weigh good” and yet that’s exactly what so many fixate on: numbers on a scale. Needless to say, I think scales cause more anxiety and self-doubt than they do good. Throw the scale away and put your focus on how your clothes fit, how you look in a mirror and take those before and after pictures. The pictures aren’t just for bragging rights, they give you a visual indicator of where you’re at compared to where you started. They work much better than body weight. Leave The Workout Comfort Zone: A note general note for the sexes…Ladies, stop looking at cardio as the end all be all. It’s not. Resistance training (weights) is critical for truly improving body composition and maintaining those changes in the long term. Men, don’t fear rest. Don’t fear recovery. Don’t fear taking a day off of the weights. Don’t fear some cardio. Don’t fear stretching. Don’t fear Yoga. Crushing resistance makes you feel tough but you need to repair or risk injury setbacks down the road. Adding Mass: Teens Take Note: Mass is tricky. Dudes are after it big-time but it’s not something that can be done in short order– especially for dudes still in their teens. The ability for true muscle mass accumulation really begins to kick in when you hit your 20’s. 1-2 pounds of mass per month is roughly where you’ll see healthy gains and at that rate, something you should be very pleased with. Loss/Gain Goals: For fat loss, roughly 1-2 pounds a week is the sweet spot. For muscle gain, roughly 1-2 pounds a month is plenty. That expectation has been incredibly warped through shows like “Biggest Loser” and “Broscience”. Weight loss can be somewhat dramatic in the initial kick-off of your program but long-term those expectations are unrealistic.

Nutritional Expectation Here’s an expectation buster: while there are general guidelines, “The Best Diet Of All” doesn’t exist. Individual nuances pretty much make that an impossibility. Still, like I said, there are general guidelines that will offer up success but inevitably those will have to be tweaked in one way or another as you improve and progress. We’ve got a longview here. If you’re looking at getting toned or ripped, your goal will be achieved through fat loss and that requires a sustained caloric deficit and commitment to training and recovery as exemplified in any sustained fitness program.

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Low Carb/More Carb: When it comes to low-carb or high-carb diets, the best choice in the long run is really which one you can stick to and achieve your goals at the same time. In general (and there’s that term again) more training will require more carbs while minimal training will do better with less. No matter where you fall in the spectrum, this much holds true: the majority of what you put into your mouth and into your body should be from whole foods and stuff that doesn’t come out of a box or come together in a factory. How You Eat: You can’t make change by changing nothing or straddling the line. Take a cold hard look at your eating habits. Where are you continually overeating? Is it in Diet Soda, which triggers pathways saying you’re being fed when in fact you’re getting no calories? Are you eating more than a portion size? Less than you should be? Are you eating more junk than good? Pinpoint your weaknesses and put a focus on getting those items under control as opposed to an all or nothing approach.

All Or Nothing Expectation

You’re not perfect. As a result, expecting perfection is gonna be a problem if you ever hit a speed bump; and rest assured, whether it’s cutting a nutrition corner, missing a workout or getting sick, you will. That bump, when looked at in the rear view mirror of your journey, is going to be next to nothing but if your expectation is absolute perfection bumps will be a tough to get over and can lead to frustration and dropout. There’s a fine line to walk here so I hope I’m laying it out clearly: I’m not saying set yourself up for failure – I’m saying you have to be realistic. This is life, after all.

I’d still encourage lofty goals and I’ll be the first to give a huge high five with a blow-it-up fistbump at the end to those who seek and obtain perfection in their first 90 days. I was kind of obsessed like that and was able to do it. Total compliance was something I wanted and committed to. But I’m not everyone and it wasn’t easy the first week or so. I’d equally encourage putting any mistakes behind you in short order and pressing forward. Your body craves momentum. Starting and stopping or starting and

starting over is counterproductive. Keep your momentum going and you’ll be OK. In the end, realize that the pursuit of physical fitness goals is a good thing, but it can also be taken to obsessive (not to be confused with dedicated) levels that disrupt a healthy balance of focus on other aspects in life. Six packs are awesome but they’ll come in time – there’s other life, learning and relationship rewards to be gleaned along the way.

Via How Do I Get Fit?

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Ingredients

1 1⁄2 lb asparagus, spears trimmed 4 to 5 inches long tips

1 extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 a few grinds black pepper

4 slice center cut bacon, or pancetta

1 chives, or scallions, chopped (optional garnish)

Directions

Prep 8 min Cook 10 min Ready 18 minPreheat oven, if using, to 400 degrees F.Lightly coat asparagus spears in extra-virgin olive oil. Season the asparagus with black pepper. Take a quick count of the spear tips. Divide the total number by four. Gather that number of spears and use a slice of bacon to wrap the bundle and secure the spears together. Repeat with remaining ingredients.To grill, place bundles on hot grill and cover. Cook 10 to 12 minutes until bacon is crisp and asparagus bundles are tender.For oven preparation, place bundles on slotted broiler pan. Bake 12 minutes.

via KitchMe

BACON WRAPPED ASPARAGUS BUNDLES

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ATHLETE PROFILE When did you join CFM? Had you been involved in other gyms or fitness programs before? I did Fundamentals with Shane in early June 2014 and had my first class on June 22, 2014 (Willow’s first birthday!) I had been a member of Goodlife for a little less than a year before getting pregnant with Willow, I attended BodyPump or Spin classes 3 times (or less) a week. Shortly after finding out that I was pregnant, the morning sickness hit with a vengeance. I had intense nausea that lasted all day until the 2nd trimester was almost over and I never got back to the gym after that.

Do you have an athletic background? No, absolutely not. I was always last to be picked in gym class, I faked sick to get out of gym, or I “forgot” my gym clothes. When I did participate, it was with little enthusiasm and I got hit with balls more often than caught them.

What made you decide to join CFM? Pestering from John Gunn ;) The welcoming community at WOD & Wine was enough persuasion to want me to come back and I knew that I needed to get active or remain a couch potato forever.

What are your fitness or skill goals? Have you accomplished any of them? Box jumps higher than 12” scared me for a long time. I set a goal and steadily worked away at it, even after smashing my shin on the 20” box. I’m still a little nervous, but I can gather my anxiety and push myself through a WOD with an 18” or 20” box now. Another goal that I have is kipping pull-ups. I’m slowly working away at this, but I haven’t focused enough time to really make it happen. Double unders seem like a really far off goal, but that is the next thing I plan

to work on.

Do you remember your f i rst workout? Details, please! My first workout was at WOD & Wine in May 2014 – sit-ups, burpees and planks, with Kim Gunn as my partner. When it was finished, I spent a lot of time on the bathroom floor and should have signed the wall. I also attended the free Saturday drop-in with John’s encouragement to see “what a real solo CrossFit WOD is like”. 400m run (I don’t know the last time I ran before that morning – maybe from a bear chasing me),

40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push ups, 10 ring rows. I dizzily walked out in the middle of Kevin’s spiel about the different options for joining and spent some more time getting myself familiar with the bathroom at CFM… John made me sign the wall when I eventually came out.

STACEY SIMPSON

Stats -CrossFitting since June 2014

-Deadlift: 150#

-C&J: 90#

“It gets easier and harder and

easier and harder.”

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Which of the 10 components of fitness (endurance, strength, speed, flexibility, accuracy, balance, agility, coordination, power, stamina) have you found to be the most challenging? In which ones have you seen the most improvement? I find strength to be the most challenging because I am naturally petite. I’ve seen the most improvement in endurance.

Describe the atmosphere at CFM. Welcoming, friendly, encouraging. It has basically become a second home for my entire family.

Give us a few words of advice for someone in their first month of CrossFit.

Keep going! It gets easier and harder and easier and harder. It’s a lovely cycle of getting stronger and feeling accomplished and then setting a new goal to work towards.

What would you tell someone who is hesitant to try CrossFit? Everything can be scaled to your ability. If you are last, you will probably get the most encouragement from the whole class. Grab a friend and try it out – you will not regret it!

What is your best (and worst) WOD memory? I have a hate/hate relationship with running and rowing wods. Sprints make me pukey – so basically I have bad memories of all the WODs where Kevin has pictures of me laying on the floor or hanging over the railing on the back step. Best WOD memory would be the 31 rep PR on 17.4!

What is your favourite lift? Favourite WOD (or type of WOD)? Favourite lift – Clean because it’s something that I need to work on, but I have already made so much progress from where I started. Favourite type of WOD - I like a chipper where I can finish one movement and move on to the next. It makes me feel accomplished.

Who inspires you? My family. It’s pretty hard to give up when Nick and Willow are cheering me on from the sidelines!

Do you have any CrossFit competition experience? Tell us about it! Nick and I did Spring Fling in April and we had a blast! I had a PR on Grace and Nick got an awesome PR on Isabel. It was a great weekend away and we enjoyed partnering on all of the tough workouts.

What would you say is the greatest benefit you've received from joining, (not including fitness?) I have made awesome progress physically, but the best changes have been mental. I’m more confident, more comfortable with my body and able to be a positive role model for our daughter. My only regret about CrossFit is that I didn’t find it sooner.

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE CFM COMMUNITY?

THE HOPPER IS COMING. ARE. YOU. READY? (Yes, yes you are. So sign up already.)

SOFTBALL RAFFLE TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE (BUT NOT FOR LONG!)

Intro to Nutrition Program Available NOW!

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This month has pushed

everyone to their limits!

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Interested in joining? Come for a FREE No-Sweat Intro. Leave your money at home. We don’t want to sell you anything; we just want to talk about your goals and see if we can help.

Book your FREE consultation at:

http://meetme.so/kevinwood

or email: info@crossfitmoncton.com

CROSSFIT MONCTON

359 Baig Blvd. Moncton, NB