The answer is CrossFit…..

I have a guest writer today. The following is from my fiancée who wants to share how CrossFit benefits her in everyday life……..

“People often ask me how I manage to have enough energy to maintain a busy day, and do a physical job with ease??

My answer is always …..CrossFit!!

For many, their daily gym visit/workout does not include “functional fitness” which CrossFit encompasses. But how does this assist me in everyday life? I clean houses for a living. It’s active and requires me to constantly move and adjust. If you think it’s easy try it for a few days and come back to me ;-).

The following are examples of how it benefits me:-

Deep squats – whilst I’m cleaning showers

Plank holds– again showers/low cupboards

Rope climbs – cleaning windows; sometimes this requires me (no not to climb a rope) but I do partially climb fences and hold tight with one hand whilst cleaning with the other.

Tight core – balancing on unstable chairs/ladders whilst cleaning (anyone working in health & safety can look away at that one). Also keeping and maintaining a good posture whilst grocery shopping and this in turn activities the abdominals.

Pull ups – I love doing these on anything that will hold my weight! I’ve even been known for doing these on the doorframes of changing rooms.

Front Squats– some clients have loaded bars and dumbbells lying around, so I’ll do some reps of front squats with the bar and overhead snatches with the dumbbells.

The following quote is for those that don’t know about CrossFit…yet. You may not think it’s for you but it doesn’t single anyone out it brings people together.

“The CrossFit program is designed for universal scalability making it the perfect application for any committed individual regardless of experience. We’ve used our same routines for elderly individuals with heart disease and cage fighters one month out from televised bouts. We scale load and intensity; we don’t change programs.“

Not only do I have a demanding physical job I am also bringing up my children. CrossFit has enabled me to have the energy and strength to get through it all. I am an athlete in my own right. I may not compete at the CrossFit games but I’d like to see them do what I do day in day out. Everyone is different and I just wanted to share that for me CrossFit is the answer. I hope this inspires you as it does me.”

If you have similar experiences you would like to share with Claire please comment below we’d really like to hear from you.

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Negativity breeds… well negativity…

As someone close to me would say “no s**t Sherlock”!!!!!!

This is obvious to everyone though. It certainly wasn’t to me. I’ve had a lot of time to think on this phrase, for the past 7 months in fact. When you’re in a slump it’s so damn easy for the mind to just be pessimistic about life and what’s happening around you. It’s when you change your perspective that suddenly things look very different.

Instead of oh crap you think, ok how do I deal with this? How can I change this situation to my benefit? Your mind is then open to alternatives and solutions. This doesn’t come easy to some (it didn’t to me) and it takes time to programme your brain to think this way. I decided to make that change in my life back in Nov 2012. This attitude has led me to meeting someone very special, getting engaged and now we’re looking forward to an exciting life together.

This not only applies to tricky or difficult situations in your life but also about your other goals.

This could be money, relationships or fitness goals. The principle can be applied to everything.

I wanted to write this blog after reading some Facebook status’s that were both negative and positive and I wanted to write something that would benefit everyone. If you look on this cynically I would just ask you to try it. Drive it for a while like a new car. When you hit a bump you don’t change the car you keep going and leave it behind you.  Bumps happen I’m afraid but it’s how you deal with them that counts. Do you stop and get out of the car and hold your head in your hands? OR do you think I’ll learn from that and look to avoid further large bumps in your journey.

It’s always you choice to make, no one else’s.

I wish you all the best in your journey wherever it leads you.

Positive behaviour breeds positive outcomes……..

 

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Handstands are for girls!!!!!

I’m sure the majority of people will say this to you if you ever suggested getting them to do handstands. They probably picture themselves on the grass trying desperately to kick their feet up in the air and landing hard on the floor.

They just don’t know how much benefit doing this type of exercise can do for them. However I think the overriding factor is that the person is actually afraid of trying them out. They’re afraid of failure and how they’d look doing them.

Now don’t get me wrong they are hard. It requires a multitude of things to get correct form and technique. My 10 year old daughter is my best coach. She has being doing gymnastics for the last 1.5 years and won numerous medals at competitions- including international ones. Her training involves 15 hours of gymnastics a week. They say that children look up to their parents…. I look up to my daughter and what an athlete she is.

Now as I’ve stated handstands are very challenging; they actually engage every muscle in the body. Think about it, you’re upside down and you have to tense and adjust your body to get correct technique.

As a weight-bearing exercise, handstands help strengthen bones in your wrists, fingers, elbows, arms and shoulders, which might help prevent the brittle bones of osteoporosis in the future.

During a handstand, the muscles in your arms, shoulders and chest support your body weight, while core muscles in your back and abdomen provide stability. Engaging your leg muscles provides lift in the pose and takes pressure off your chest and core. In addition to creating support and lift within the pose, your muscles constantly adjust to maintain balance. Practice handstands regularly to build your strength until you can hold the pose for two to three minutes at a time. If you have low or high blood pressure, hold a handstand for 30 seconds or less. (source live strong)

This shouldn’t be an age thing either. I’m a 43 year old dad that loves all the gymnastics stuff. I even go to Freestyle Gymnastics where teenagers are tumbling and doing flips around me. Do I care? No they’re having fun and so do I!!

So yes girls do handstands and so should you!! Find a wall and get someone to help. Once you’ve tried some and you find it hard now just think how much stronger you will be when you’ve mastered them. Remember there are 10 year old girls that are fitter and stronger than some people ever will.