Recently I had to leave the gym I love. Early in 2017 I moved to join a specific, elite gym: CrossFit New England. Every single workout there pushed me. There was constant variability. The community was second-to-none. But, I had to move. After building my tiny house and facing the laws regarding placement, I couldn’t stay close to my gym. I wasn’t happy about it.
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I had a few moments of nervousness – how will I continue to push myself outside of this gym that pushed me so hard? Should I hire a trainer? Join another CrossFit box?
I felt like I was facing a challenge right out of the gate when I realized that CrossFit box nearest to me doesn’t offer the scheduling flexibility I was used to at CFNE. That would make getting to CrossFit workouts a little more challenging.
My initial reaction was to be irritated and frustrated but I quickly realized it’s actually an opportunity. While I really, really love CrossFit, I know that my body can benefit from the variability of other types of workouts. Not being able to make it to the CrossFit box every day meant a chance to try new things & meet new people. I can get excited about that.
I joined an aerial yoga studio. Talk about a totally different kind of workout than CrossFit. I love it.
I also joined a regular globo-gym! It’s been a long time since I’ve had a “regular” gym membership! (I got an entire year membership for less than HALF what I was paying for ONE MONTH at CFNE. That’s not a complaint about CFNE’s pricing, but rather how I was able to justify having both.)
Yesterday when I was in the regular non-CrossFit gym, I didn’t have much time and I wasn’t in the mood for an intense barbell workout.
Instead of focusing on what I didn’t want to do, couldn’t do or didn’t have time for, I simply focused on what I could do. I didn’t touch a single barbell, dumbbell or machine and I got in a killer, fast workout!
I grabbed the bosu balance ball. I am a HUGE fan of these. A bosu balance ball is basically one half of a large, inflatable ball secured to a flat platform. Both sides of the bosu are used depending on the stimulus and stability you desire.
Before I tell you what I did with it, I can’t help but share why I love them:
They can be used by all fitness levels. Sure, they require some balance but even a beginner can start by just placing one foot on the ball and leaving one foot on the ground. The platform side down provides much more stability than ball side down.
Instability activates all your muscles. For example, doing shoulder press on a bosu is going to engage your glutes and core because of the balance required, whereas doing shoulder press while standing on the ground wouldn’t require near as much from your core and base.
You can do a million things with them! Think burpees, push-ups, lunges, plyometrics, one-armed rows…the sky is the limit!
Before I share my workout with you and the new (to me) way I used the bosu yesterday, please heed this warning:
I am not a personal trainer. I do not play one on the internet. I’m not giving workout advice or prescribing a workout, I’m just excited to share one of my workouts with you. If you are new to working out, do not try a bosu without the assistance of a trainer. You could fall. Falling is bad. Check with your doctor before beginning a workout routine.
One of my favorite things to do with the bosu is…burpees. Don’t get me wrong, I hate burpees like the rest of the world, but they’re a great way to get in a killer full body workout in a short amount of time.
Bosu burpees are an awesome burpee variation.
Here’s how it goes:
Stand holding the bosu, ball side down. Your thumbs will be over the top of the platform side, fingers wrapped under the ball side. Drop into the bottom position of a burpee (plank), the ball side on the ground and do a push-up on the ball. Jump your feet up towards your hands. Jump up to a vertical position. Press the bosu over your head. Repeat.
If you aren’t ready for the push-up, you can just go to the plank position on the bottom, hold it for a second and then jump back up.
I also love doing deep squats on the bosu balance ball becasue they require such muscular control and stability. It’s a very different stimulus than doing squats with a barbell or dumbbell. I did a few squats with my feet spread across the platform surface of the bosu (ball side on the ground) and then I decided to push myself and try something new:
An overhead squat on the bosu.
I started with a small 10-lb plate. I positioned my feet on the platform side of the bosu, exended the plate over my head, arms fully extended, shoulders externally rotated, and I dropped into a deep squat with the plate pressed overhead.
Holy fully body engagement! Gradually, I worked up to a 35 lb plate overhead, squatting on the bosu balance. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt such glute engagement on any squat variation!
(Obviously don’t put any weight over head, especially when standing on an object requiring balance, without the assistance of a trainer if you haven’t done it before and aren’t properly trained on the correct form for an overhead squat.)
Specifically, here was the flow of my workout:
5 rounds for time:
20 bosu burpees (10 with pushup, 10 without, alternating)
30 second bosu plank (active recovery)
10 bosu overhead squats
I was in and out of the gym in no time. I didn’t do a CrossFit workout. I tried something new and it was fantastic! Step outside your box!
Someone reached out to me yesterday on Instagram to request that I share my top songs of 2017. I’d be happy to!
This list is courtesy of Spotify, which curates a list of your top songs, artists and genres each year!
I have super diverse taste in music. I’m a fan of rap & hip hop when I’m working out, classical when I’m writing and for every time in between, it totally depends on my mood.
My top artist of the year was Imagine Dragons followed by Chris Stapleton, The Score, The Chainsmokers & Max Richter.
My top genre was pop followed by modern rock, country road, contemporary country & country. Interesting!
My top song was There’s Nothing Holding Me Back by Shawn Mendes. All the rest are below!
On this list, my current favorite is, by far, Fire Away by Chris Stapleton. I’m actually suprised he doesn’t have more songs in my top 20 or so because I’m certain I listened to Tennessee Whiskey a few billion times.
Turn me on to some new music! What were your top songs & artists of 2017? What’s your fave song to workout to?
I caught myself making a big mistake in my approach to creating an improvement in my life. While my mistake was in the gym, it’s a mistake I see most people making in the way they approach losing weight or improving their food choices.
This mistake, which I describe in detail in today’s show, is choosing intensity before establishing stamina. While this can absolutely happen in the gym, it’s just as common in our food choices.
Choosing intensity over stamina means choosing the intense approach without first building consistent basics. That might be a Whole 30 right from your standard American diet, or going from indulging too frequently to strict keto – but we jump to the intense approach hoping for faster results without realizing that we haven’t laid a solid foundation for change. Then, we bail. We get frustrated or can’t sustain the extent of the change and we give up.
Our ambition exceeded our preparation. Our motivation is greater than our stamina. We might have the desire to create big changes but we need to slow down, establish a solid foundation and making gradual changes that last instead of massive changes that don’t.
In today’s episode I’m talking about how and where we most often make this mistake and sharing some ideas of how you can establish that stamina for change before dipping your toes in the waters of intensity.
Does being disciplined mean missing out on connection?
How do you balance making great food choices with enjoying life to the fullest and reaching your goals?
That’s one of the questions we’re tackling on today’s podcast episode.
Today I’m taking you inside a clip of a bonus webinar within the Fat Loss Fast Track.
I’m sharing with you two of the questions we discussed in the Fat Loss Fast Track including one about how to translate your goals from a long term objective to a daily focus.
If you want to get on the wait list for the winter Fat Loss Fast Track, click here!
In October 2019, our relationship with Thrive Market changed. They decided to put their marketing dollars in avenues outside of podcasting but we still think they’re a good choice if you’re looking to save money on health & personal care products.
When I walked into the gym at 5:36am today, I grabbed a Sharpie and gave myself a large, temporary tattoo. Across my forearm in capital letters I wrote: RWH.
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It’s Thanksgiving here in the US and my alarm was set for 3:50am. My coffee pot was set for the same time.
I didn’t hit snooze. I stopped by the bathroom and grabbed my new Daily Stoic Journal. I drank a few cups of coffee, returned emails and got some important work done.
At 5:20am I left for the gym, a couple hours earlier than normal. There’s only 1 workout today, offered at 6am and 8am: Murph, the classic CrossFit hero wod in honor of Lt Michael Murphy.
I was nervous about it. No matter how many times you’ve done it, it tests mental & physical limits.
That’s why I wrote RWH on my arm.
It stands for “return with honor“. A couple weeks ago I heard that “RWH” is what the American POWs in the Vietnam War would say to each other as they were individually dragged away to be tortured for intel.
American pilots, including Senator John McCain, shot down & captured during the Vietname War were held in solitary confinement for years.
They would communicate to each other by making tapping and sweeping sounds with brooms. One of their signals was “RWH” – return with honor – a reminder to hold true to their highest values and stay strong no matter the circumstances.
When I heard that story, it floored me. It inspired me beyond measure and I’ve carried with me ever since. As soon as I heard it I recorded a voice note to some of my FLFT & Masters Club groups which you can listen to here.
So, as I went into this hero workout, honoring a fallen American soldier, I wanted to stay mindful of RWH.
When I thought my arms would fail me on the push-ups, I’d stare at those bold, black letters on my arm: RWH.
When I took off on the second run, wanted to quit and could barely pick up my feet, I stared at the message of strength on my arm: RWH.
And though I’m now fresh & showered and headed to celebrate Thanksgiving, those letters didn’t scrub off. In every word I speak today, in every choice I make, I’ll be visibly reminded of this message of honor, pride and strength.
I’m going to find a metal-worker in my area to fashion these letters to go over my doorway.
Return with honor. Make myself proud. Live up to my highest values in every choice. Be brave. Don’t back down.
