#38 & 39. Try CrossFit, Etc.

Me and my CrossFIt pal, Jill... We don't sweat. We sparkle.Right after Josh and I first started dating, he joined a gym. Not just any gym. A CrossFit gym. I hated it, and here's why. He would go at the crack of dawn (like 5:30am... annoying!). He'd do CrossFit workouts while at non-CrossFit gyms (I'm talking about you, LifeTime!) and they were really intense seeming. Whenever I would walk by said CrossFit gym, they'd be blasting Megadeth or something and people would be hurling 300lb weights while grunting like fornicating gorillas. And then there was all this talk about puking ("I almost puked." "Did you see that guy puke?!" "It's six hours later and I don't think I'm done puking.")  I'll stick to yoga, thanks.Fast forward to this last summer. Josh (who lived out of the country for two years... more on that later/maybe never. It was not an especially fun time for us) wanted to get back into CrossFit. For the first time, the CrossFit gym near our house offered a pseudo boot camp in a park near my house. It was relatively inexpensive and offered six days a week. There would be no weights and no Megadeth (though to be fair, I kinda like Megadeth). Fine. Sign me up.The classes were intense, but way more fun than running! We'd do a 5-10 minute warm up (sometimes we'd do sprints, a few times we played tag-- which I actually disliked cause I'm not competitive like that. Scrabble on the other hand...). We'd stretch out a bit, then start the main workout. These rarely lasted more than 15 minutes and were fairly straightforward. For example, sprint 100 meters, then do 10 burpees (mine are pathetic compared to the guy in this video) , 15 squats and 20 sit-ups. Repeat until the 10-15 minute clock runs out. I'd be dripping with sweat and gasping by the end, but since it's so fast paced, you don't have time to think about your misery, you just get it done. There's a total zen-like feel to the workouts and the time flies.By the end of the summer, I was more fit that I had been in a loooong time, and only working out 2-3 days a week.  Maybe there is something to this CrossFit thing. So once the park program wrapped, I decided to try the real CrossFit gym. How bad could it be? I was in for a rude awakening... but not in the way I expected. See video: You guys... I love it. Sure, I'm still scared every. single. time. I. go., but the workouts are not intimidating in the way I though they'd be. No one arrives looking like a Kardashian (you know who you are, people who dress up for the gym. Annoying!). I've seen teenage boys and 60-some-year-old ladies; Greek gods and folks with extra padding. Everyone is supportive of each other. The last time I experienced a gym community like this was NEVER. And for the record, I still have yet to barf. I'm working out just as hard as the guys, but I don't verbalize it in the same way. In my book, dry heaving is not an indicator of a good workout (or a good time). Call me crazy.I'm trying to squeeze in two workouts a week, maybe three if time permits. Between my job, this blog, the wedding (eek!) and life, scheduling has been challenging. I tried a 5:30am class (that's #39; typically I don't do anything before 6am unless I have food poisoning) and I actually liked it. I call it the Bingo free space for my day. I have a million things I could be doing after work, but at 5:30am I could be sleeping or I could be working out. Most days, I sleep. Some days, I get my assed kicked. Good morning, you pack of wild animals.