Hello, all! It’s a beautiful sunny summer day here in Texas! Yup, as long as you’re indoors with A/C and/or fans blasting…or perhaps in a pool that’s well shaded, or possibly seated atop a super-sized ice cube extracted from the tallest, sweetest, most refreshing glass of sweet iced tea ever brewed, it’s pretty pleasant out ;-).
Well, my affair with CrossFit continues…and yes, my ever-deepening, ever-growing God-given romance with a certain CrossFit coach may have something to do with it, ha! Nonetheless, I sincerely love the workouts and the invigorating challenges, endless variety, and undeniable sense of camaraderie seemingly built into the CrossFit creed of “Forging Elite Fitness.”
One month ago, on any given weekday morning, you could find me in the clean, well circulated, perfectly air-conditioned gym seated in the leg extension machine, lying on a hamstring curl machine, leisurely walking to and from dumbbell and squat racks, the assisted pull-up and dip machine, or a host of other apparatuses resembling medieval torture devices. And thanks to the 72-degree environment and plenty of chitchat-filled rest periods, I could leave the gym with barely a bead of sweat to show for all my effort (and yes, there was effort!). I could easily waltz into the locker room, throw on a sundress, brush my hair, and go to lunch looking fresh as a daisy (my opinion, lol).
Not so much today…
Man, I wish I had a picture of what I looked like post-workout today! And where I was! For one, I wasn’t in the gym, and there was definitely no A/C!
Allow me to describe for you one of the workouts I — and the aforementioned CrossFit coach/ever so interesting “love interest” — completed this weekend:
Saturday:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of lunges holding a plate (35lbs for me) over our heads, goblet squats (I held a 35lb dumbbell, like a goblet, naturally!), and pull-ups!
I’ll save you some time…That’s 84 reps in total! It took me about 35 minutes to complete; the idea is to work at a consistently high level of intensity with as little rest as possible…without sacrificing proper form or compromising your better judgment should you feel dizzy, light-headed, etc!
I was duh-renched afterward! We promptly made a beeline to my parents’ pool, which sadly did very little to cool us off considering it was over 100 degrees outside. Did I mention we worked out in my garage? Prior to drinking the CrossFit Kool-Aid, I thought I’d have to be a mechanic or an ϋber car nerd to spend more than five consecutive minutes in a garage, but demolishing a workout in one is so much fun – not to mention convenient and a huge $$ saver!
As you can probably gather, this type of workout is a far cry from the kind I’d grown accustomed to since I began working out eight years ago. If workouts could be movies, my conventional circuits at the gym would be something produced by Pixar, something friendly and familiar, if not pleasantly predictable. My CrossFit workouts, conversely, are no less than Gladiator – fast-paced, hard-core, and extremely epic! 😉
This afternoon I did a WOD (workout of the day) in my garage that required 0 equipment, only my willing and able body. It was 6 rounds of:
25 sit-ups
25 air squats
10 push-ups
I completed it in just under 21 minutes and then guzzled sixteen ounces of water (Remember to stay well-hydrated this summer, especially before and after a high-intensity workout)!
Oh, speaking of “willing and able body,” I found out today that I’ve had mononucleosis for the last few weeks!
About a month ago, I noticed one of my lymph nodes was swollen on the right side of my neck just under my chin, and I’ve also been feeling strangely fatigued. I’m clinging to verses like the passage below for a swift healing so I can continue to live vibrantly and labor to serve mightily for Him! He is our Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord our Healer!
Thank you all for your prayers. I’ll keep you blog posted on my recovery!
Stay fit, stay faithful ~<3 Di
Isaiah 53:4-5
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.