Yesterday I decided not to do a Day 17 post.
I hope everyone had enough Mobility WOD videos on hand to still get your work done? I spent 10 minutes last night on my calves and feet, and then another 5 or so on my quads and lats and traps. Anyone else finding it tougher and tougher to squeeze in those 15 minutes a day? Last night I had someone coming over and thankfully she was later than expected, so I just did my mobility until she arrived.
Today, let's focus on forearms (this one's on an airplane)!
hese are so often overlooked, and yet we use them in almost EVERYTHING we do at CrossFit. And even if you don't CrossFit, you are wrapping presents and hauling groceries and moving fudge from a plate to your mouth, so we all could use the work. Plus you can easily do forearm mobility work at your desk or while hanging out with people...which is how I'm going to sneak in mine today.
Post your time to the comments. Help me avoid slacking off in our final week!
In other news, things are looking pretty cheery for Team Matson these days:
Watched Little Women while decorating my little tree...I'm also a huge fan of the June Allyson/Peter Lawford version but unfortunately my copy is a VHS.
Foil-covered goodies from coworkers! With ice skate card - yes!!!
Jared and I do Christmas as we like throughout the month. A gift I gave him:
A gift he gave me (after I had a crappy day). He's the best.
Picked a gift for my coworkers from World Vision. Check it out!
Jared couldn't wait to give me the adorable coat he bought me at H&M. This guy has killer taste.
Hastings (named for Poirot's friend) getting all decorated - I love tiny trees.
Hope you are all having a wonderful December of much celebration and minimal stress!
Some trends are silly, some are not.
Today I'm joining up with the "Blogger Day of Silence" to remind everyone to honor and pray for the victims and families who suffered losses in the Newtown shooting. Please join me in prayer over this devastating situation.
Tuesday night Jared asked if he could take me out to coffee Wednesday morning. A break from work at Cafe Cesura with my favorite guy? Yes, please.
Hi, Gang -
Over the next few days, I will be:
- Busy with Christmas events and craziness.
- Taking (more) time off from the box. I haven't worked out since Tuesday. I think I'm coming down with a sore throat and don't want to spread the germs or wear myself out. Intense exercise depletes the immune system and I need some rest time. And maybe a nap wouldn't hurt, either.
- Keeping up with mobility.
- Running the 12ks of Christmas on Sunday. My goal this year is to finish. And have fun. This may include walking.
Since I'm not around to think of painful things to focus on, go straight to the source. Search Mobility WOD for any part of your body that's giving you a hard time. Get your fifteen minutes in each day, and I will hopefully see you all on Monday!
Confession: yesterday I did not do mobility.
I got in a lot of stressful Christmas shopping and never made it to the gym. By the time we got home it was UBER late (for us) and I felt like we needed the sleep. I did about 5 minutes of sun salutations and deep breathing so I could calm down for the night, but that was it.
As my mom says, "Life happens."
Props to you if you did mobility yesterday. Props to me for not having a panic attack in Target and letting go of my Type A in favor of 10 more minutes of sleep.
For today, here's some upper back mobility from (my fave) Mobility WOD.
Post your time to the comments and hang in there - we're over halfway done!
It's 12/12/12!!! That means...time for some mobility talk! (Scroll way down if you just want the recommended work for today and not the human interest bit.)
You may or may not know, but I have anxiety disorder and suffer from anxiety and occasionally from severe panic attacks. It was like hell when the disorder first really started acting up in February of 2011, but thankfully a dear and wise friend encouraged me to see a doctor and a therapist. I got help and am generally much better (and currently not on meds - woot!) but every now and then, I have a REALLY bad day.
Yesterday was just one of those days. We've had some stressful weeks, and I've been feeling more and more anxious in the last few days. Yesterday morning I woke up after a great night of sleep and felt really peaceful and all, "today will be a great day."
And then I went to work and about an hour into my day went into a colossal downward spiral of a panic attack that came and went for about 3 hours.
This one was brutal. I was crying in the bathroom at work (always gotta love that) and had that feeling of a claw gripping my heart.
Thankfully I have some dear friends who I can always text and ask for wisdom and prayer. I'm embarrassed to say this particular attack was largely brought on by my own selfishness and sin in a particular area - being bitter and not willing to forgive and leave somethings up to Christ.
Why am I telling you this and what does it have to do with mobility?
Well, first off, I ALWAYS want to remind people who suffer from anxiety: YOU ARE NOT ALONE. There a probably lots of people in your life who seem "okay" who suffer the same debilitating fears that you do. And it is really important to get help! See your doctor and depending on their opinion, see a therapist! Getting help is not quitting or being weak - just like in CrossFit, you get stronger and better by working on things and putting in the time and practice with qualified experts.
Second, this is a stressful time of year for most people, whether you fight crazy mental stuff or not. All that stress REALLY takes a toll on you! Our little selves can't distinguish from physical and emotional stress...and one big side effect of stress is a TON of tightness throughout your body.
I had a great talk (and cry) with my wonderful husband who picked me up at the office so I wouldn't have to bus to the gym. I was tempted to just go home and wallow, but he encouraged me to come to CrossFit and just scale everything so I wouldn't push my body too hard. He thought that would be healthier for me to get to move a little and also to see all my dear friends at the box.
Back to mobility - lots of options for you today!
I got there WAY early and got to watch some of the CrossFit kids class and work on mobility for almost a half an hour. Boy did I need it! I worked my shoulders, lats, IT bands, hamstrings, back - it was a huge help.
Then it was time for the class!
Normally I would have used #75-#85 for the squat cleans, but I went with #45. Coach Allison told me to try to get each set of squat cleans and burpees under 15 seconds. Done. She said my hip drive is getting a ton better - even on burpees!
I had planned to use #45 for the thrusters, but I was feeling pretty good after the squat cleans. I figured it was only 15 reps total, so I'd go for #65.
The thrusters went well, but the handstand pushups killed me. I got ambitious and thought I'd do them to 2 #10 plates instead of my normal 2 #15 plates. Well, I couldn't get ANY with the 2 #10s but wasted a bunch of time and energy trying. I had to go get a #15 in the first round to to 1 #15 plate and 1 #10 plate, but by the 2nd or 3rd round, even that was too tough. My toes to bar were good, though, thanks in large part to this Matt Chan/Chris Spealler video.
My time was pretty slow, but I got some good work done and was SO glad I came.
Post your time for the mobility work in the comments! Also tell me if you have any good "stop the madness" tips for panic attacks - I always love hearing new strategies.
Hey, #AdventMobility team!
We are almost halfway through the challenge already - hard to believe! I have seen personally great lessening of elbow pain (forearm mobility) and knee pain (IT band mobility). I've also seen some improvement in my squat depth!
I just want to remind you when you think about putting off your mobility for tomorrow...this IS your tomorrow. If you want to improve your health and your fitness, why put in all the effort, expense, and time into prepping Paleo meals and WODding at the box if you're gonna risk the screeching halt of an injury?
To stay motivated, remember that mobility, like strength and skills, doesn't just happen. You have to put in the time! Only 15 minutes a day will net you a ton of progress.
K-Star often has "test/retest" on his videos. Do the test before you do your mobility work, and then retest afterwards to see how you've improved. You'll be amazed!
Today let's hit those IT bands! I went trail running on Sunday and still feel tight. I've got a race coming up on the 16th and want to be all limbered up. As usual, you can do mobility wherever you need it - no need to follow along with my programming.
Post your time to the comments! Extra points if you tweet about the challenge. Lorie's in the lead right now to win that copy of Supple Leopard!
