Happy Strong Sherry

Fitness Comes Full Circle. But, it doesn’t mean I’m going to stop.

A twisted repeat to test the fitness for the final week of the Open. And for luck, I had the same judge, teammate and coach Ian Creighton @icr8on. Amazing how much we all grown since 14.5, my first year with crossfit and joining the Brick family.

Thank you Ryan Johnson 📷 @rdjnyc for not capturing me flopping around like a fish out of water during those bucking furpees.

Congrats to all the athletes who participated, cheered and screamed their hearts out for all five weeks of pure fitness ❤.

Starting today, I want you to say "No" more often. Say "NO"!  Own it and direct it towards all the bullshit that comes your way. Be prepared to say it tomorrow as well as the next. Say YES to HONESTY. Stay away from the drama, follow with your HEART towards the path of TRUTH. Stand up to negative energy. The mean, the gossipy, the bullies, and the constantly ungrateful ones in your life.

Why are you wasting your GOD dam valuable time, your positivity, creativity and beauty on these people? Engery wasters, life drainers. There are trustworthy, loving and caring people who deserve you as much as you deserve them equally. Go to them, stand by them, uplift each other.

Two weekends ago, I joined the MyFuelUp team at the IDEA World Fitness Conference in Los Angeles, CA spreading the word on nutritional timing and meal planning with the MyFuelUp app.  I was amazed by the amount of new products, equipment, supplements, sportswear making their appearance on the market as well as some familiar vendors such as Reebok One, Rock Tape, Rumble Roller, and Rise Bar. I had to stop by the mobility section for the latest tools for myofascial release and recovery.  The most interesting highlight on the expo floor in the recovery/healing section was the BFF. At first, I was thinking car buffer? Isn’t this used to wax cars or something? And of course, the demo guy went straight for my leg right along the IT band. Felt awfully good. I should have ask him to handle my left shoulder from the early morning session at CrossFit Mean Streets. Having the recovery section on the expo floor was a wonderful site to see and thank goodness.

The three days of the conference was exciting, intense, exhausting and well worth it. The reward at the end of a long day was the amazing modern contemporary loft in downtownn LA we called home.  The gym and pool in this luxury building was my fitness lifesaver. The most under use room in hotels and this particular building are the gyms. And such a shame. The sparse but very clean facility had a set of treadmills, one Concept 2 and kettlebells to use. Perfect and enough equipment to hit an early a.m. sesh while everyone slept in and I failed to sleep in, still on NYC time.

One Early AM Session 4 rounds

400m Row, 400m Row

3 minute rest

Then 10 Rounds: 10 Kettlebell Swings (American), 10 Burpees

All this exercise and surrounded by fitness, a girl gotta eat! Luckily, I was in company with a team who enjoyed eating whole foods and close to being paleo and gluten free. We put the GPS feature on the MyFuelUp app in play on the nights we dine out as a team. Michael Vento, founder of MyFuelUp, notifications popped up on his Apple watch promptly. The notifications were on point reminding him to not miss a meal. Dianette and Greg Puckett were our foodies extraordinaire on this trip and my taste buds thank them. I forgotten how foodies eat and enjoyed having hearty meal conversations revolving around bacon.  My kind of peeps. Breakfast, lunch, and healthy snacks were planned with trips to the grocery store walking distance from the high rise.  We received an amazing recommendation for SooWon Galbi in Koreantown. Portions were definitely bigger and worth the price for the amount of meat for 5 people. No marinated meats in this round, just the whole cow on the grill. That's Paleo!

All this good food and we are fuel up to exercise. I wasn’t sure if the team was open to taking a trip to the OG, Brick Crossfit for a workout. Michael was up and open to sip the Kool-Aid. Normally, I wouldn’t call ahead for the WOD (workout of the day). Since I was bringing a guest who is new to CrossFit and unfamiliar with the foundational movements, safety first and fun was the priority.

The WOD

25 minute AMRAP

40 DUs UB or 80 SUs UB (5 burpee penality if you break)

100ft low bear crawl

100ft walking lunges

500m Row

The combo of jet lag, 9 hours of Day 1 at the conference, late night dinner which I might as well called “breakfast” caught up with me. Everything seem to move in slow motion and I couldn’t lunge in straight line. Fail. Uh oh is right. During the workout I was trying my best to stay awake. So tempted to low bear crawl to corner of the studio floor to pass out. Michael was in his own world of fitness suffering.  It was quite entertaining to see Michael learn how to jump rope. His mixed emotions of excitement, fear and anxiety reminded me about my first CrossFit experience. He was quite sore for the remainder of our time in Los Angeles. 

Flex this Friday.

When the motivational voices in your head amplifies through the people on the streets of Brooklyn during an early morning 95lbs sled drag session around the block a few times.

"Keep Going!" "How much weight is that?" "You Can Do It!" "Don't Give Up!" "Stay Strong."

No questions from these folks about what am I training for, no comments about my physique.  Just straight up encouragement and support to keep moving forward.

When you make the decision on a good or bad choice, are you following through with a positive action, especially with food temptations we encounter on the daily.  Food temptations as in (processed sugars, alcohol, processed carbohydrates, excessive consumption of high fat dairy products, and so on). I've joined a group of amazing athletes on a Whole30 journey to reconnect with our connection with food and the choices we make, good and bad.  I hope this will help those to dial on your current nutrition plan.

Elimination or detox of our food vices (sugar, alcohol, processed carbohydrates, dairy,  etc) does take it's toll on us mentally and physically as we are experiencing it in more ways than one.  Some of us are feeling not so bad and some of us want to go into the fetal position ASAP and revert to our unhealthy habits.

It was our choice, the athletes, including myself, to create a support group for a healthier lifestyle with various motivations to feel better or reconnect with our bodies or have more energy or create healthier habits.

So what can you do to make a good nutritional choice work in your favor?  It's simple.  Take action.  A positive action.

Take the positive action by prepping and planning your nutrition as well as finding others who support your goals as your first mission.

Then ask yourself how can you take positive action to the next level?

Instead of making it a pity party and feeling isolated from friends, family or coworkers when dining out at an event or at work.  Why not share your story why you are doing the Whole30? Or Paleo? Or Vegan lifestyle?  Expand your support circle and who knows maybe you can help them with their health and fitness.  It's like that saying, "what goes around comes around."

Why not have a Whole30, Paleo or Vegan dinner with friends or order at a restaurant for them so they can experience what healthy eating is all about. 

Why not take a walk, do some breathing exercises, meditate, write a journal or talk to a friend instead of downing glasses of wine or ice cream when feeling stressed.   Why not find the person in charge of stocking your work place kitchen and ask if you can help with ordering healthier options.

So... what's stopping you from taking it to the next level for your health?

There are circumstances you are dealt with decisions to be made that may or may not be in your favor when pursing your goals.  If everything you ever wanted was in your favor, then reaching for your goals is too easy and there would be no challenges to feed your motivations to serve as a reminder what you are fighting for, your purpose.  You have to work for what you want.  No person, no thing can do it for you.

Let's say you started to take the road of success.  It was a rough and uncomfortable start in the beginning and moving along you somehow found cruise control.  All is on course with your goals in health, career and relationships. Then you stumble upon a road block.  An illness or injury, you get denied a promotion, or your significant other is not around as much as you would want him or her to be.  So what would you do? 

Are you the type of person to act or react to the circumstances given?  Are you willing act on the fears, anxieties, sadness and anger and use it as motivation to fight for what you so deserve in life, to say yes I can overcome this moment and take the necessary action to go through or jump over the situation.  Or are you going to claim defeat and react to the fears, anxieties, anger and sadness to the circumstances given, say no and give up while staring at the road block dreaming of the could haves, should haves, would haves to be great.

Here are a few things to work with to accept the uncomfortable.

1.  What factors are making you stay in your comfort zone?

Fear? Doubts? Anxieties?  Negative thoughts from others or yourself? Lack of support? Financial? Time?  Write down 1 to 3 steps for you to do to make a change for the greater good.  Set a deadline to complete these action steps.  Make it fun and attainable to reach.  Once you have reached your first 1 to 3 steps, then write down more steps to accomplish.

2.  Why accept being average?

It's not about comparing yourself to the person next to you.  It's not about I have to keep up with him or her.  Average is being comfortable, settling that this is it and limiting your true potential.  If you tell yourself "this is it" or "that's all I'm capable of doing".  Then you just publicly accepted your defeat.  And there goes the passion.  Locked up, bottled up and hoping to be set free.   Knowing you have the power to make a impact in this world is an amazing gift.  Someone at this moment is looking to you as their inspiration. You are a unique, wonderful and a beautiful person with so much to offer in this world.  So why settle?

3.  Are you willing to go against the grain, take the off-the-beaten path to reach your dream, or to be unpopular?

If so, do you have a support team (friends, family, coworkers, mentor, minister) who will support your desires and goals in life.  Take risks and surround yourself with good people who uplift you.  Who cares what others say and do.  They are not the ones living your life.  You are.