Category: Crossfit

Aikido · Crossfit · cycling · Dancing · fitness · Rowing · sailing · Sat with Nat

Memories of my best fitness times and planning my fitness future

Sam B2 Comments

In thinking about life after knee replacement and planning my fitness life for my sixties, I’m trying to remember my happiest active times.  I’m wondering what aspects of those times it makes sense to think about getting back, as well as what new stuff I want to add.

Sam testing for 5th kyu in Aikido

And, of course, what old stuff I’m ready to give away. I mean, some things are right out of the picture.  That’s running and all sports that involve it,  like soccer.  Other things are back in,  for sure,  like recreational cycling.

But what form does this take in my ideal life?

I’m still reflecting on Tracy’s piece about how turning 60 feels different than turning 50. And part of that,  for Tracy,  seemed to be giving up on a bunch of external fitness should talk. Her interests also changed, and she’s approaching sixty with a more integrated and sustainable approach to fitness.

Writes Tracy,  “When I was approaching my fifties, I had an intensity and focus around my fitness activities that was extremely goal-oriented. I had an eye on one thing and one thing only: the Olympic distance triathlon. Though of course the goal yielded some internal change (mostly in the form of perseverance), the goal itself was external.”

Truth be told,  Tracy’s approach differed in that she had a much more ambitious goal. And she took up more new things than me.  So it’s not a surprise that our attitudes about the difference between 50 and 60 are different.

Me,  I want to get back to some aspects of the life I created leading up to 50. I loved it.  I loved the biking,  the rowing, Aikido,  and CrossFit. By the end of the challenge, I wasn’t so focused on an external goal.  Rather, the fittest by fifty challenge helped me appreciate how much physical activity matters to me and how much it’s part of my version of a good life. I might have started with an external goal–fittest by fifty–but it ended with a real love and appreciation of sport, physical activity, and joyful movement. I knew it was an important part of my life, going into the challenge, but the fittest by fifty challenge helped me appreciate how much it mattered.

My goal for the challenge was the Friends for Life Bike Rally, which I did as part of our challenge, but I did it again in August of 2022, right before my first knee replacement surgery. I don’t think I’ll manage it this year, the year I’m turning 60, but I’ve got 2025 in my sights.  I’d like to do it in my 50th and my 60th year and I’ll still be 60 then.

Fit at Midlife the book on the left,  Tracy and Sam in a publicity photo on the right

So I did keep some of my cycling fitness after the fittest by fifty challenge, and I hope to keep that up for a very long time yet.  So what’s missing for me?

There are four themes that keep coming up when I think about the fitness future I want.

First,  it’s community.  When I think back over my various fitness pursuits,  the best times involve working out with other people.  I think about bike clubs and teams,  my soccer team,  the Aikido dojo,  the rowing club,  and so on.  Even CrossFit’s appeal lay mainly in the community. Soccer, Aikido, rowing, and bike clubs are all team efforts where you work with others. I like that a lot. They’re also all community associations where people are drawn from all walks of life and from all corners of the community. It’s what I like about the Guelph Community Boating Club.

Sam and Sarah racing the snipe at Guelph Lake

Second,  it’s active, outdoor adventure. I love being outside.  I love moving my body.  The combo is perfect.

Two photos of Sam in red shirts in her canoe

Third, it’s intensity. I do my best work in teams and there’s something about the group effort that makes me work harder. Team time trials are one of my favourite kinds of bike races and they’re intense, co-operative efforts. Of course, that’s also true of rowing. I like sports that have intensity built in. I’m not sure what form that will take as I get older, but I still think about one of our earlier blog posts, about aging as a choice. Is Aging a Lifestyle Choice? I talked about Gretchen Reynold’s book on exercise science, The First Twenty Minutes: Surprising Science Reveals How We Can: Exercise Better, Train Smarter, Live Longer, where I was particularly taken with her chapter on aging,

I wrote: “The old view was that muscle loss and a decline in aerobic  capacity were inevitable with old age. We slow down with age and become more frail, starting in our 40s, it seemed. But new research suggests the connections may run the other way. We become slower and more frail because we stop moving. Older athletes get slower and less strong, not because they’re older, but rather because they train less than younger athletes.”

Sam’s bike rally team 2022

Fourth, they’ve involved some element of competition. I’ve never been a serious racer but I like club level competition, in most physical activity that I do. (Obviously that’s lacking in yoga and hiking.) It provides some benchmarking and gives a purpose to training.

So, purposeful training, outdoors, in a community, with intensity, and some competition…that’s where we are so far!

Canberra’s Vikings above,  Dunedin’s Women on Wheels below

What happened to my fitness community? Where did it go?

Well, my knees for one thing. Knee pain led to saying goodbye to running,  soccer,  Aikido and CrossFit. My big move was another. Bye-bye cycling coach and the community of cyclists I rode with in London. And then there was my big new job. That’s a lot.

Also there’s age. In Canada it’s harder to find groups that include older adults. I often think back fondly to my racing days in Australia where the master’s cycling group had an active over-80 group. You needed a doctors note to race after 80. It’s hard to imagine an active group of seniors racing bikes in Canada.

As I try to construct a ‘fitness after sixty’ plan, I’m thinking about activities in three groups–things I’m saying goodbye to, things I’m keeping and new things I want to add.

And I also want to recognize the pieces of the plan that are already in place.  Zwift hits both the community and competition buttons. The Guelph Community Boating Club is very much of the volunteer association model I like.

On the bye list are running,  soccer,  Aikido.

On the keep list are hiking,  cycling,  sailboat racing, yoga, paddling, and weightlifting.

And on the new list are bike packing and dancing. I’m not sure where to put swimming but it’s in there.

Oh, there’s also a fourth category–to pick again after retirement–rowing for sure!

Sled pushing at the gym

Look this is obviously very much a work in progress. Stay tuned!

Also, I’ve been trying for better blog post titles.

Here’s some AI suggested:

1. “Rediscovering Joy: Embracing Fitness After Knee Replacement”

2. “Creating a Vibrant Future: Planning Fitness in Your Sixties”

3. “Reflecting on Active Happiness: Reimagining Fitness After Knee Replacement”

4. “The Next Chapter: Designing a Fulfilling Fitness Journey in Your Sixties”

5. “From Recovery to Revival: Crafting a Dynamic Fitness Routine After Knee Replacement”

Let me know what you think!

When to NOT Try New Things
chi running · Crossfit · Fear

When to NOT Try New Things

Mina6 Comments

I’ve been TNT’ing (Try New Things) a lot in the past couple of years. In addition to the fact that much of my current life is new and definitively not new things I wanted to try—such as, my breakup, my fear-provoking financial situation (which I wrote about here), my new (and only temporary) home, my cat-less-ness and my auto-immune challenge (induced by all the stress of these new things and which I wrote about here)—I’ve also been voluntarily, even enthusiastically, trying quite a number of other new things. In an earlier version of my life, I was a regular TNT-er. I’m an expert on being a beginner. TNT-ing stokes my enthusiastic nature. Plus, they say, that great, amorphous they consisting of experts, influencers, ordinary people and basically everyone who is not me (oh, and also me, here) … they say that trying new things keeps us young (in outlook) and/or sharp and/or curious. So sure, I’ll have what she’s having. Maybe it will nourish new shoots in the devastated territories of my life.

Yet, I hit my TNT limit a few weeks ago. A brick wall of I-can’t-do-this-and-I-don’t-have-to-or-want-to. I’ll come back to that in a moment.

Here’s a short list of new things I’ve been trying:

Trying a new running technique. After 30 years of serious running, I’m going back to basics. Deconstructing my running style, to then reconstruct a more sustainable and efficient technique. Or at least that is the promise of chi running. Yes, I am exceedingly late to the chi running party. The book first came out in 2004. It turns out that now is just the right time to refresh my relationship with running. I listened to the book once through and now each time I go out running I listen again to the two guided runs, in which Danny Dreyer moves through a series of what he calls focuses. My favourite focus is the instruction to imagine that my stride begins partway up my spine at my T12L1 vertebra. This is the last vertebra on the thoracic spine and sits just above the lumbar spinal column. T12L1 is the spot that Chinese medicine calls the Gate of Destiny (or Center of Vitality or Gate of Life, among other things). He instructs me to run from the Gate of Destiny. How beautiful is that image? Prosaically, he means for me to bring my attention to the gate, without intentionally twisting my back to initiate my leg swing. To notice the origin source of my legs’ impulse to move. I love tuning into the channel of that electrical twitch of desire that lifts me from my bed and accompanies me out the door. The image of running through the Gate of Destiny has a gone a long way to renewing my love of running. It’s also possible that my running is more easeful.

Trying a new breathing technique. About two months ago, I listened to James Nestor’s book, Breath, which has inspired me to focus on breathing through my nose as much as possible. I mainly focus on this when I’m running (to which I’ve also added the chi running focuses). In the last couple of weeks, I’ve been experimenting with taping my lips closed while I sleep, to force myself to breath exclusively through my nose. So far quite interesting. I’m not sleeping worse and possibly better. I wake up less thirsty. I may go to the bathroom less during the night. At first, it seemed like my dreams were more vivid, though as time has passed, I’m not noticing that effect anymore. I had an amorphous hope that the new breathing technique might have a positive effect on my Addison’s, but sadly my blood test last week showed that the extreme breakup stress I’ve been under this last month has boosted my potassium and renin up past the high ends of the healthy range again. Thankfully, so far, I still feel okay, though I may need yet another dose increase and the diet restrictions are unjoyful.

Trying CrossFit. In mid-December I tried a CrossFit-like class for the first time. Prior to that moment, I had never lifted a barbell in my life, nor a dumbbell (DB, in XFit acronymic lingo). Unless a 5lb weight counts as a DB (there aren’t any on the rack at the gym). I thought I wouldn’t like the classes. I thought I’d find them macho or meathead-ish. Instead, I was inspired by the intensity. I think it helps that the gym I’m going to is pretty low key. I don’t mean the classes aren’t hard. They crush me. Every time. And the music is loud. And the coach claps and encourages us in a loud voice. Yet, in the midst of all the loudness and crushing-ness, the vibe is friendly and non-competitive. Everyone seems to be focused on their own thing. To be transparent, I’m not totally focused on my own thing, because I have noticed that my DBs are the lightest weight of anyone else in the class. I’m okay with that. A couple times I’ve felt discouraged at the end of a class. Mostly, I feel vivified and I notice that I’m getting stronger. Slow but steady.

15lb dumbbells (my kind of weight) Delaney Van on unsplash

Trying Capoeira. Here’s the brick wall … Picture me at the base of that wall in Game of Thrones. Impossibly high and thick. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian combination of martial arts and dance. In its original conception, it was developed by slaves who wanted to train in the martial arts, without giving away that’s what they were doing to the malevolent outsider watching. It’s quick, elaborately choreographed, acrobatic, intensely aerobic and beautiful to watch. And totally incomprehensible from the outside. I realized early that my fitness was not enough of an advantage, not even close. The speed is dizzying, not to mention the cartwheels, handstand-like moves and near constant level changes (from standing to crouched to a push up posture and back up again). The complexity is confronting for a beginner, especially with no dance or martial arts background. I was overwhelmed. As much as I wanted to learn (or did I just not want to give up?), I recognized that the psychological and time investment, not to mention the financial commitment, was not where I wanted to put my resources. Psychologically, I didn’t feel good about myself in the few classes I went to. I felt like a total incompetent with no hope of improvement. Time wise, I understood that, if I was to have any hope of improving, I would need to make room for a twice a week commitment, which would mean giving up other sports and activities I loved. Financially, that frequency would have been an expensive proposition. Did I want to commit time and money to a pursuit that was massively discouraging? Instead of coming to the obvious conclusion, a voice in my head doubled down on my discouragement, criticizing me for not being tough enough to take on the challenge. A week-long wrestling match took place inside my head. One voice trying to shame me into going back, taunting me for not being intrepid enough, for wallowing in a rut of breakup self-pity. There was another voice though. She invited me to focus my attention on things that give me pleasure. In the end, that second voice prevailed. She pointed out how much else on my plate was new. She forgave me my lack of go-get-em-ness, acknowledging that my self-esteem is not at an all-time high and that it is perfectly okay to be easier on myself.

The depth of my relief when I canceled the booking that I’d made for my fourth capoeira class was profound. A huge weight lifted off my chest and I could breathe easier. After all the self-criticism and shaming that my inner voices had rained down on me, once I made the decision, every single one of them quieted. No second thoughts. No shame.

I feel surprisingly easy with my choice. Even weirdly proud. In a period when I’ve been having some self-compassion gaps, this was a rare moment of solicitude for my current condition. I still believe that TNT is a worthwhile beacon. And, it is not always what’s needed.    

Crossfit · fitness · injury

Burpees are bad for you? Wait, what?

Sam B5 Comments

You know you’ve been writing about fitness for a long time (hi there!) when a thing that was supposed to be a Really Good Thing of which you can’t get enough, is now on the Bad For You list. We’ve been there with food. Eggs? Sugar? White bread? And also with exercise. Does running make you thin or fat? Who knows and who cares? Right? Right.

But now burpees. Really.

This all started with me picking up on Bicycling Magazine’s Charlee Atkins 10 essential exercises for cyclists. All in all it’s a pretty good list. I worked my way through the routine, only skipping the burpees. Because, knees.

So the next day I was chatting with Meg who is a personal trainer about another list, the three best exercises for women over 40, which I’d shared on Facebook with the comment, “What do you think the best exercises are? Around here we tend to say the best are the ones you enjoy, because you’ll both do them and add pleasure to your day. “

That list also has burpees and I was kind of surprised.

Meg did not have good things to say about burpees. She didn’t think they should have made either list. Burpees, it turns out, are going out of favour.

They’ve certainly gone out of favour with me since my knee injuries. As with running, there are no burpees in my future. But in my day, I’ve done a lot of burpees, including a full-on, all burpees all the time, summer challenge. It was a lot of hard work and I kind of enjoyed it in that weird way you can enjoy really hard things.

Here’s the case for burpees, from the 3 best exercises for women over 40 piece: “Burpees are one of the best full-body functional exercises you can do. Think about it — what is a burpee, really? It’s just lying down on the ground and getting back up again. I can’t count how many women I’ve trained who could not lie down and get back up when they first began getting serious about fitness, but I can guarantee that they’re all more than capable of a full-out, chest-to-ground burpee now. “

Up until now, that’s what I would have thought too: excellent, all round exercise, good for functional fitness.

Am I wrong? Now burpees are controversial.

See Kate Upton’s Trainer Isn’t a Fan of Burpees—Here’s Why the Move Is So Controversial:

“Ben Bruno doesn’t believe in burpees. The Los Angeles-based trainer to celebrities like Kate Upton, Chelsea Handler, and Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Fialho, among others, took to Twitter and Instagram recently to profess his loathing for the exercise that many of us, frankly, also hate.

“There’s no such thing as a bad exercise, just bad application,” Bruno wrote sarcastically, before throwing in a series of asterisks to caveat that burpees are “pretty dumb,” along with kipping pull-ups (a pull-up variation in which you use momentum to get your chin above the bar) and American kettlebell swings (a two-handed kettlebell swing variation where the weight is swung overhead). “Instead, pick literally anything else,” he concluded.”

What’s so bad about burpees? Most people don’t have enough strength to do them properly, do them improperly, and risk serious injury.

Do you love or hate burpees? Where do you stand on the great burpee controversy?

Crossfit · fitness · Guest Post · habits

Falling flat on day two of the New Year (Guest Post)

Sam B12 Comments


by Laura MacDonald

I love New Years.  In the dying days of December I love how anything seems possible.  A few days ago I asked my Facebook friends this year, what are you planning for in 2020?  I have lots of new ideas that I way toying with for 2020 (start a home yoga practice! learn to run!) but those were more fun ideas to think about than plans that I would likely follow through on. My true goal for 2020 was to return to consistency with my CrossFit workouts.  I have belonged to a CrossFit gym for seven years. It is a welcoming community of mixed ability athletes with wonderful coaches and outstanding programming. I love it. But it’s hard. I need to repeat that. I love it. But it’s hard. It can be very easy for me to decide to “unclick” myself from a class I registered for because I feel like I’m too tired, too drained from work to do a hard workout.  I struggle to see myself as an athlete and I can pretty easily get a case of the “I don’t wanna’s”’ when it comes to CrossFit. As a result, my attendance at the gym this fall has not been very consistent. But here we come with a new year, a new resolution and a renewed commitment to the CrossFit community that I love.

The gym was closed yesterday so today’s 7:00am class was my first class of my new habit.  Remember, I love a resolution! I packed my bag and laid out my clothing the night before. I got up before my alarm.  I drove to the gym in the dark. I briefing had two thoughts as I drove: 1) please God do not let this be a partner workout 2) please God do not let this be a long workout.  But I wasn’t really worried. Our workouts are usually short and partner workouts are unusual. 

Of course when I arrived at the gym, the workout was on the whiteboard.  It was long. Really long. It was also a partner workout. A hard one. 

I was unhappy but got ready for class nonetheless.  And then I read the skill portion of the workout – dodge ball.  Every third day of the week at my gym, the barbell lift portion of the class is replaced by a skill or occasionally a game.  I probably don’t need to tell you that I hate dodge ball, that I have some pretty terrible elementary school traumatic memories of dodge ball.  And do you know what friends? That was it. I picked up my gym bag, I put on my jacket and I left the gym. And I cried in my car for the whole drive home.

Seven years at this gym and I have never bailed on a workout.   And today I did.

Where does that leave me on day two of 2020?  Well, I’m booked to go back to the gym tomorrow and again on Saturday.  I’m booked to go to yoga this evening and on Sunday. After I finish this blog post I’m going to go for a walk with my dog in the sunshine.

Today I fell flat.  There really isn’t anything else to do but pick myself back up and try again. 

See you out there pals.  

2020 is still new.

Happy New Year! Text surrounded by leaves. Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash .

Laura is a secondary school teacher in Hamilton Ontario.  She’s CrossFit athlete, regular walker, new yogi and occasional cyclist.  In 2019 she learned that she loved to count (steps and kilometres and workouts completed) and is currently counting her way to 300 workouts in 2020. 

Crossfit · fitness · menopause · menstruation

Top Ten Posts in May, #ICYMI

Sam B5 Comments
  1. Women, sport and sex tests: Why Caster Semenya matters a great deal
  2. On vibrators as athletic trophies, or when a prize is not a prize
  3. Sam gets told “get off the road fat bitch”
  4. I’m 53 and a 1/2 and I’m still menstruating
  5. The Latest Weird Thing About a Stiff Neck
  6. Crotch shots, upskirts, sports reporting, and the objectification of female athletes’ bodies
  7. Harassment is not a compliment (Guest post)
  8. The humbling moment when you go back to lifting weights
  9. CrossFit and Women’s Bodies
  10. End Game strikes some wrong notes for size acceptance
Image description: A calendar that says “May” on a green wall. Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash .
Crossfit · running · weight lifting · yoga

Tracy is taking suggestions…bring ’em on

Tracy I7 Comments
mage description: Tracy's shadow on sidewalk, dry mud beside, running shoes and lower legs visible in bottom left corner.
Image description: Tracy’s shadow on sidewalk, dry mud beside, running shoes and lower legs visible in bottom left corner.

I’m bored with my workout routine. It’s not that I don’t like the things I’m doing. I’m getting stronger in personal training. I love yoga and feel as if I don’t do enough of it these days. And I’m itching to get back to running after my back injury took me out of it for more than a month and I’ve only just dipped my toe back into it since then.

But I feel as if a change is in the air. As much as I’m enjoying personal training, there have been quite a few developments in resistance-training these days, with more small gyms popping up offering different kinds of weight training in more of a group-class setting. One example, that I’ve not yet tried but has been recommended to me is Revkor. We have a studio here in London, and the idea of resistance band training intrigues me.

Another option, which I also have never tried, is something along the lines of CrossFit. My friend Tara has been going to a gym downtown where they do that sort of group workout and she is loving it.

I’m kind of old school and worry that if I’m not hitting heavy free weights in a gym setting I won’t actually get stronger. But at the same time, with my 14-month leave coming up, I feel as if I might need some more opportunities to be around people, and that these group workouts at specialty gyms might be just the thing. And though not cheap, they’re cheaper than personal training.

I’m also planning to spend the summer doing 10K training, 3-4 times a week. And I want to up my yoga classes from once a week to 2-3 times a week. At least that’s what I’ve got in mind.

But I’m open to suggestions. Have you tried anything lately that’s different and that you’re so jazzed about that you want to encourage others to give it a go? If so, please tell me about it and why you’re attracted to it.

aging · Crossfit · fitness

Love these new CrossFit videos

Sam B

Moves such as burpees and squats are often seen as intense or extreme fitness activities. And that they can be. Ask Tracy or me about our summer of the 100 burpee challenge. But they are, when you get down to it really about functional fitness. Squat not so that you can get a great butt or win a powerlifting competition, squat so that you can get out of chair without help as you age. Burpees are all about getting down on the ground and getting back up again. People tend not to believe but scalability is at the heart of CrossFit workouts. Yes, there’s a recommended range of movement or recommended reps or amount of weight but the basic exercises can be adjusted for all ages and abilities. You have to leave your ego on the shelf but that’s a different sort of struggle.

I had the same thought watching CrossFit athlete and sports nutritionist Jennifer Broxterman doing her post-surgery rehab exercises in her CrossFit box. She was doing sit to stands with the aid of a cane. Functional fitness, it’s what it’s all about. (I’ve been doing sit to stands too as part of my knee physio.)

You can read about Jennifer’s Fight Gone Right.

And in the meantime, these CrossFit videos have been making me smile.


“
The burpee is a mainstay movement in CrossFit used to develop fitness. In certain populations, the burpee (prone to stand) is a critical skill required to safely lower one’s body to the ground and stand back up. ” 

“The squat (sit to stand) is essential to your well-being. The squat can both greatly improve your athleticism and keep your hips, back, and knees sound and functioning in your senior years.” 
Crossfit · cycling · fitness · fitness classes · Rowing

Sam Tries Orange Theory Fitness

Sam B4 Comments

It’s January. It’s cold and grey and I’ve been feeling in a bit of a fitness rut. Besides the campus gym I haven’t really stepped out into the fitness world in Guelph. But my options are limited here. There’s less going on than in Toronto where I spent sabbatical and even less going on than in London.

Sarah and I tried out Zwift at the Bike Shed on Saturday and on my own I went and tried out Orange Theory.

I’ve always been a bit of an attention deficit disorder exerciser. I like to have lots of options. And lately it’s been feeling like it’s just a matter of giving things up: running, soccer, Aikido and CrossFit.

Snipe racing is new but it’s winter.

Enter Orange Theory. I first noticed them in London and there’s one in Guelph. I knew the format. Like CrossFit it’s a group workout, a mix of cardio and strength training. I have friends who go and think it’s fun.

I stopped in on Friday for a demo class. I was equipped with a heart rate monitor and my name and heart rate appeared on a screen in the gym. The instructor asked about my fitness background and got points for not even once mentioning weight loss.

As for the class itself, there was a nice gender mix, mostly women but some men. I used the rowing machine and the spin bike instead of running on the treadmill for the cardio bit. I alternated 400 m segments of rowing with 1 mile efforts on the bike as prescribed by the workout of the day. The classes are 1 hour long and that felt just right.

The strength training was mostly chest and triceps using the bench, dumbbells, and the TRX. Each person got their own station. Unlike CrossFit there was no competition and no team efforts. There was no measuring or comparing. I have mixed feelings about that but right now, that works for me.

The instructor also got points for showing me where the heavier dumbbells live!

What did I like? As with personal training it feels good just to show up and have some one else plan the workout. I liked that about CrossFit too. I like the cardio and strength training mix, again like CrossFit. The group vibe works for me. I like that it’s month by month so I could sign up for the worst of winter, say January through March, and then say goodbye and head outside again. It also works with my limitations right now.

I could do without the calorie counts. Yawn.

Have you ever tried Orange Theory Fitness? Love it? Hate it? Tell us your story!

Here’s the results of my workout emailed to me after the class. Lots of time in the green cardio zone but also I was just learning my way around.

Crossfit · fitness · fitness classes

Learning from CrossFit (Guest Post)

Sam B2 Comments

By Cassandra

CrossFit has always seemed like one of those ‘too intense for me’ things, even though I have been secretly envious of the limits to which the athletes can push themselves. Having got that out in the open, I’m in fact finally exploring CrossFit as a fitness option and finding it to be the psychological and physical challenge that I need in my life.

I am by no means a CrossFit athlete but I have been doing CrossFit workouts and challenges, such as pullups and powerlifting, for the past year. I take it at my own pace and I push myself when I feel like it. I don’t want this post to be specifically about CrossFit, rather I want to share the reimagining of fitness that it has allowed me.

Now 36 years old, I started going to the gym over a decade ago in an attempt to address body image and self-esteem issues. I got hooked and have been working out, weightlifting, and cross training, ever since. I have learned a lot from reading about different training techniques, mostly from fitness magazines, so-called ‘experts’, and blogs, but mostly I have based my workout routines on what my body is telling me any given day or week. Having followed different routines and 30-day workout programs, I feel like I’ve seen a lot.

Here is where CrossFit comes in. I first was exposed to CrossFit with a fellow gym-mom at a Goodlife gym in Orleans, Ontario last year. She had been doing CrossFit, in a serious way for over 5 years and persuaded me to try out a CrossFit gym for a free trial. I don’t like saying ‘no’ to a challenge so I went. The place was a warehouse that was outfitted with equipment and I did one regularly scheduled class with a crew of 10 other regulars. It kicked my butt, but I walked away with less of my tail between my legs than I expected.The take away was an enormous adrenaline high. This is nothing new to someone who knows the endorphin rush of a good pump or a muscle burning run. However, the difference here was the equalizing power of CrossFit in busting gender stereotypes of strength and endurance. The most impressive person in the class was a woman, easily ten years younger then me, and someone who was obviously able to crush the Workout Of the Day (aka WOD).

Here is what the workout looked like: 25 thrusters (80% maximum weight on a barbell, bring bar to your chin and push up, repeat), 100 pullups (with an assistance resistance band, but still horribly difficult), 50 wall balls (throw a 10-15lbs medicine ball to a point 10 metres up the wall, repeat), 200 double unders (skipping rope, spin the rope over your head twice in one jump- I could only do 15!). We had 20 minutes to finish and she finished in 14 minutes. Unbelievable.

The take away was an enormous adrenaline high. This is nothing new to someone who knows the endorphin rush of a good pump or a muscle burning run. However, the difference here was the equalizing power of CrossFit in busting gender stereotypes of strength and endurance. The most impressive person in the class was a woman, easily ten years younger then me, and someone who was obviously able to crush the Workout Of the Day (aka WOD).

Here is what the workout looked like: 25 thrusters (80% maximum weight on a barbell, bring bar to your chin and push up, repeat), 100 pullups (with an assistance resistance band, but still horribly difficult), 50 wall balls (throw a 10-15lbs medicine ball to a point 10 metres up the wall, repeat), 200 double unders (skipping rope, spin the rope over your head twice in one jump- I could only do 15!). We had 20 minutes to finish and she finished in 14 minutes. Unbelievable.

Returning to my workout routine at the gym after that exposure was strange. All the equipment that once gave me a sense of accomplishment felt boring, limited, and static. After that initial CrossFit workout I craved the full-body challenge and power I felt. I never signed up for the CrossFit membership, which is $100/month, hardly an affordable option for a working mom who doesn’t work out everyday. No, I took the lessons from CrossFit and started doing my research. I found workouts online and started making my own goals: learn how to do a CrossFit pull-up (aka kipping pull-up, look it up online), learn power cleans (also, look it up), and ultimately, do a single muscle-up (a pull-up where you bring your torse over the bar).

As I worked on slowly building my skill and strength to beat these new physical challenges, I found myself completely forgetting about my thoughts about body image. I was grunting and yanking my body around at the gym without a care for how silly I looked, how grossly contorted my face would get, or how loud I might sound. Not only had I discovered a workout style that pulled me further away from the image obsessed gym routine, but I felt more proud of my accomplishments then I ever had. I started thinking of my journey as an over-all athlete- getting stronger in a way that barbells and seated leg press machines had never given me.

Now, I should mention one of the major downsides to CrossFit style fitness- injury. My body is not a stranger to pain incurred during athletic activity but now that I’m a working mom, I can’t afford to lose my general physical abilities. I have been very cautious with how far I push myself to meet my CrossFit challenges and that is why when people ask if I do CrossFit I say, ‘I do CrossFit-lite,’ which suits me just fine. When I talk to other women about CrossFit I try to explain the way it has help me burst through the typical gym workout and the lessons it has taught me on functional fitness vs. image fitness. I don’t often use the much over-used term ‘empowerment,’ but CrossFit is part of my own journey towards greater physical and psychological resilience and strength.

Like so many other fitness blog posts, I would say I have learned a lot from CrossFit, but I can also say I have left a fair amount behind, only taking what seems to make sense to me, my body, and my lifestyle. I’m also not a particularly competitive person, so I don’t get much out of the official CrossFit workouts and culture, which are all about competing for ‘best times’. My CrossFit-lite is all about personal records and kicking my self-esteem issues to the curb, in the most sweaty, red-face, and grunt-y kind of a way!

Cassandra has been a feminist since she could remember – something about being raised by a political, feminist, engineer, single-mom. She studied environmental studies and wrote her Master’s on transnational muslim feminist organizing, and works in community engagement for non-profits. Though her dream was to become a chef and she worked many long-hours in fancy kitchens she prefers community building- oh, and maybe the macho kitchen culture didn’t help. Currently, she lives in Orleans, Ontario with her husband and two ridiculously busy toddlers.

body image · Crossfit · fitness · running

The case against pants

Sam B15 Comments

Nat visited me with bake goods recently after I had surgery. (I’m good, I’m recovering, everything is fine, it wasn’t for my knee, and I’ll be back out there on my bike soon.)

It was 8 degrees Celsius and rainy. In June! Brrrrr. This is a sign we’re really good friends, she said. Not the baked goods necessarily. (Nat is a wonderful baker who readily shares her talents with the world. Blueberry lavender scones, mmmm.) Rather her clothing.

“I put on pants to bring these over,” she announced.

That’s serious friendship.

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Nat and I share a lot of attitudes about the world. But the one attitude of hers that amuses me the most is her hatred
of pants. I share it. But she ramps up the vitriol times 10. I hate pants but Nat really hates pants.

Not everyone gets it. So I thought I’d explain why I, at least, hate pants.

Actually, some people must get it given all the pants hating memes these days. These images all come from the nopantsbrigade tumblr. But I’ll explain away anyway. It’s what professors do best.

First, they’re uncomfortable. They fit at exactly the one part of my body that changes size with meals etc. They are either too tight or too loose. Because I’m a cyclist they either fit my waist or my legs. And if they’re even vaguely skinny jeans like, they’re tight on my calves. I’ve written about this here and so has Caitlin at Fit and Feminist.

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Second, I gain or lose three pounds and I need to change sizes of pants. I’ve got dresses I’ve worn through weight gain and loss of twenty pounds, no problem, but pants? They can be too small in the morning and too big at night. I own pants in at least three different sizes. That’s pretty much required.

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Third, they’re never the right length. Women’s pants, unlike men’s, generally don’t come in lengths. If you’re short legged like me that means you pay $10 extra per pair of pants to hem then, wear heels, or smile sweetly at your mother and ask if there’s any computer help she needs.

Elizabeth at Hello Giggles on has even more reasons, a full ten reasons she hates pants.

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What’s the alternative?

Well, it depends on how strong your no pants hatred runs and how famous you are and how good your butt looks in just undies and whether you care about that. If you’re Lady Gaga maybe you just wear the whole outfit you would have worn minus the pants..

Me, I have to wear more than undies. This is Canada and we’re frugal and environmentally minded and our house is often cold in the winter. Also, teenagers and their friends, lots of them.

I don’t mind yoga pants, leggings, sweat pants, pajama bottoms. I own a pink rabbit onesie, thanks teenagers, and a Darth Vader onesie, thanks Rob.

I do mind jeans and dress pants. I mind pants the most when they involve a fly and zipper and a belt and fussy pant appropriate underwear.

If I have to wear pants I’m a big fan of yoga jeans and I recently broke down and bought a pair of yoga dress pants.

I also love dresses and skirts. This year I was happy to discover fleece lined tights which pretty much carried me through winter except for the boots issue which is ongoing.

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