Sunshine with Sheena

I registered for an Olympic weightlifting competition today!  I can't really believe I did it, but I'm excited....like really excited. I haven't been an athletic competitor in almost a decade (yep, it's certainly been a while) but that feeling and drive still exist in me.  It seems crazy or premature to signup since I only just started CrossFit a few months ago in November of 2014, but something about it makes so much sense. I didn't think twice about registering and neither did my coach. The competition is strictly for beginners so everyone will be a new to the competitive weightlifting scene, although some may have been doing these lifts for years. Beginner or not, this is still such an exciting decision and starting point. I may be a bit nervous or still in shock that I actually registered for an Oly-lifting competition having only learned the lifts a few months ago; I feel a little crazy, but I am 100% happy that I made this decision. I love that this sport is simultaneously empowering, technically challenging and humbling, and that I learn something about the lifts and myself every single time I step up to the bar. It's so easy to say that I wish I would have started in high school, but I'd rather focus on where I'm going. I am committed to the hard work ahead and looking forward to the other opportunities that lie on the other side of this newly opened door.

It was my new year's resolution to make 2015 my year of pursuing the things that make me unapologetically happy. It's not that I wasn't happy before 2015 by any means, but I decided that it was going to be my primary directive for the year and beyond; a little n=1 experiment, if you will, to see where my joy takes me. It seems pretty promising so far - 12 weeks and counting. I knew I would enjoy CrossFit before I ever stepped foot into a box; why I waited so long to go for it is a mystery to me (or at least a topic for another post). I've never been afraid of being strong, so finding a CrossFit gym with a barbell club was crucial in my decision process. CrossFit and strength training (Olympic lifts in particular) make me genuinely and unapologetically happy. I am truly my happiest self when I'm throwing some heavy weights around or halfway through a grueling 12 minute AMRAP pushing my limits and discovering what I am capable of. There is something so viscerally empowering when you can test your physical and mental strength like this. My first lesson that CrossFit has revealed to me: I want to be unapologetically strong.

I have found more emotional and mental strength through this new mentality than I ever expected. And now I have so much to say about it - my new outlook on my thoughts, my actions and responses to my environment - that I can't help but share.  I've wanted to start writing a blog for a while now, but have been so hesitant about what to talk about, what not to talk about, what to focus on, who will listen, etc. There have been so many things come up in the last 3 months that I wish I could have told my teenage self or even just last year that have already profoundly impacted my outlook on life, so maybe I can start there. I'm just one girl trying to cultivate as much positivity and happiness in her life as possible - and now I'm going to write about it so others may find it too. So, here it is - I'm going to share the things in my life that make me unapologetically happy and see where it takes me.

There a many topics above that I'd like to expand upon right now, but I feel like this post is a solid start. No need to go too crazy off the bat. However, as an introduction and a measure to keep me accountable to this outlet I want to make a list of other general topics, ideas, and interests that I hope to discuss. Here it goes:

My CrossFit Story

Olympic weightlifting & training for competition

The CrossFit Athlete

My Paleo Lifestyle (yes, I am paleo and have been for 2 years before I entered a CrossFit gym; there are many many topics embedded in this one!)

Strength training for women

Yoga for mobility and recovery (I am currently active in a Yoga Teacher Training program) / Yoga for Athletes - crossfitters, Oly lifters, powerlifters, etc.

Paleo and whole foods-based nutrition

Body image battles - what I wish I could have told my younger self

Art and design (I have a design degree in architecture so needless to say good design makes me quite happy and I'm going to want to talk about it! I also need to find/make more time for creative endeavors)

Coaching - CrossFit, Nutrition, Yoga and Lifestyle...we will see what happens with all of that; I have many interests and big dreams :) 

Alright, I'm going to have to cut myself off there. This list will evolve, expand, shrink, re-focus, in countless directions I'm sure, but it's a start. I'm super excited about what lies ahead - the challenges, the revelations, the rants, the successes, the lessons, and the genuine smile I'm working my hardest to keep on my face.