#AdventMobility Challenge Winner!

Hello!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.  I stayed busy this week at the box, running errands, doing chores, wrapping presents, eating great food, reading, relaxing, laughing, and spending time with family and friends.

I'll have a little recap soon, but today it's important to announce the winner of this month's Advent Mobility Challenge: Lorie!!!

Lorie is an awesome athlete and friend from Mercer Island CrossFit.  Her Advent Mobility check-ins on Twitter helped me stay motivated.

Lorie, send me your address and I will order you your copy of Supple Leopard.  Congrats on your win!

Thanks to everyone who participated in the challenge.  I was able to get 22 out of 24 days and saw a ton of improvement in my range of motion and also my ability to relax.  Hope you enjoyed the challenge as much as I did.

Calf mobility!

Advent Mobility: Day 24 - Last Day!

Happy Christmas Eve!  And happy end of the #AdventMobilityChallenge!

Team Matson Christmas Season 2012!

Everyone has done really great work this month.  It's so encouraging to hear athletes tell me they are working more on their range of motion and getting those messed up tissues worked on!

For today, just spend 15 minutes doing your favorite (or least favorite) mobility from the month.  If you still want something new, Mobility WOD is my go-to resource. 

Jared and I will be spending the day celebrating with his family...and then tomorrow we hit up my fam for craziness and pecan sticky buns. 

Have a very Merry Christmas and I'll post a winner of the challenge soon.

Post your time to the comments.  And try to avoid the malls today - yikes!

Advent Mobility: Day 23

Only two days left of the challenge!

Thank you for keeping me on track this month - thanks to you I did mobility all but one of the days so far and there is NO WAY I would have made time for it otherwise.  I'm so excited to head into the new year more limber and ready for whatever 2013 brings my way!

Today let's get those calves and feet.  You've probably been doing a lot of shopping and, if you're a gal, standing in heels at parties.  Let's give those muscles a break and work them out.

Need some inspiration?

The elite among us make time, not excuses.  Let's get this done!  Only one more day!

Post your time to the comments.

Advent Mobility: Day 22

Merry Christmas!

Peppermint Bark Progenex just in time for the holidays!

Only a couple of days left for our challenge.  Ready to squeeze in 15 minutes of mobility work today?  Me, too! 

Today let's get our hamstrings.  I don't know about you, but I've been sitting a little more than usual lately and my hamstrings are getting tight!

Mobility WOD has a video for us.  This should help with our rowing!

Want a little more than just mobility?  To crush some Christmas calories, check out my 12 Days of Christmas WOD!  You can do this with almost zero equipment...and it really works you hard!

Only 2 days left to win your copy of Supple Leopard!  Lorie's still in the lead but if you get your extra credit in and update me on how you're doing, you might still squeeze ahead!

Post your time to the comments.  Merry Christmas!

Happy Birthday/Advent Mobility: Day 21

Happy birthday to my daddy!

This is from May 2011 -
we need an updated photo of us!

He is an incredible father, husband, teacher, and artist.  He plays a mean game of racquetball and is one of the funniest people I've ever met.  He always took me on "dates" when I was a tyke and read aloud to me and brought me to the office and taught me how to play pool and prayed for me and did the edits for my papers in school and made any visual aid projects look incredible.  Basically, he's the coolest and I'm so glad to have him around!

In his honor, today we'll focus on our backs!  He's had some back pain in the past, and most of us suffer from some level of back pain as well.  Here's a link to some Mobility WOD work for you.

Anyone try that external shoulder rotation?  I realized my external mobility on my left side in particular is almost nil.  Yikes!  That's the good thing about doing all this stuff...you find problems that you can work on.  If I'd never done the mobility WOD for it, I wouldn't know!  I've had pain from time to time in my left shoulder/upper back/neck area...wonder if this is related?

Hope you are enjoying the challenge!  It has been a really good thing for me - no way would I have been so consistent on my own.

Post your time to the comments.  And feel free to send my dad birthday gifts.  He likes coffee and excellent murder mysteries.

Advent Mobility: Day 20

Sometimes mobility gets a little boring, right?  This video from K-Starr takes us on the trampoline!  You can get some help with knee problems, especially if you have trouble on box jumps or other jumping movements.

Post your time to the comments. Extra bonus coolness if you get on a trampoline today!

12ks of Christmas Recap/Advent Mobility Day 19

One Team Matson holiday tradition is the annual 12ks of Christmas run in Kirkland, WA.  We've run this every year since we've been married, and even last year when I had a knee issue, it was still a blast.

They raise money for Toys for Tots, and people can also donate toys at the event!  Jared got our race packets ahead of time, and also picked out some awesome toys for us to bring.  Not gonna lie - I really wanted to keep the Spidey basketball game for myself!

This year was extra fun since my girlfriend Meghan was running with us - her first "real" race!  She actually put in more training runs than we did.  (She's a total champ.)

We had Meghan meet us at our apartment so we could carpool together.  Jared was showing her how to put the timing chip on her shoe.

 

We loaded up and headed over to downtown Kirkland.  Thankfully we found a great spot near the start line, dropped off our toys, and headed for Caffe Ladro and some warmth.  It was CHILLY!

 

I highly recommend getting to your races early and chilling at a local coffee shop.  Standing out in the cold is no way to warm up for a run.  For me personally, I've found a hot beverage is no bueno right before running, but definitely buy something so you can have an excuse to use the restroom!  Beats a porta potty for sure.

Pretty soon it was time to get ready to run!  We dropped our gear and coats at the car.  Meghan wisely suggested a pre-race photo since we were cute and not sweaty yet.

We warmed up as best we could down by the start line.  Jared was doing "real" warmup stuff.  Meghan did some karate forms and I did pushups.  We also ran into our friends Matt and Katy, who were also running the race!  Sadly I didn't have my camera with me anymore...but so you can see how cool they are:

We all decided to start together towards the back of the pack, since none of us had REALLY trained for the event.  We started out at a good, chatty pace, and enjoyed hanging out and watching all the speedy people and fun costumes.

Around the 3rd mile, there's a big hill - the biggest of the race.  Somehow Meghan and I got separated from Jared, Matt, and Katy on the hill, and never quite caught back up.  This was also the point where, despite having gone to the bathroom right before the race started...I had to pee.  I decided to try to tough it out even after reading this exciting race day tale.

We carried on and crested the mean hill, and toodled on our merry way.  I'm glad to say that my new New Balance trail shoes held up great (even though I'd never suggest wearing new shoes in a race) and treated my feet really well - in addition to not being slipperly on the wet ground.

Things got a little harder for us when we hit the halfway point...usually there's gatorade but this time there was just water.  We continued talking away and hit the long, steep downhill and thankfully didn't trip and fall or flail into anyone.

Towards the 10k mark, Meghan was starting to get tired.  Thankfully the Lord gave me the gift of gab so I babbled and cheered and distracted and encouraged all the way to the end of the run. 

We didn't hit any amazing pace (this was actually my slowest time at 1:26 and change), but we achieved our two goals: beat 1:30 and don't feel miserable.  Done and done!  Jared finished around 1:10 and Matt and Katy around 1:20.  Go team! 

Much as I whined about training for this one, I am really glad as always that we did it.  Big thanks to Jared for putting up with me and to Meghan, Matt and Katy for being awesome race buddies!


On to mobility...my shoulders and lats are feeling kinda tight, so I will be focusing on those today.  Here's a video from Mobility WOD if you need some ideas!

This challenge has been a HUGE motivator for me.  Any time I am losing steam and don't want to take the 15 minutes, I think of you guys and get out the old lacrosse ball and foam roller.  Keep it up!  We only have five days left after today!

Also...this week's "extra credit" is meditation.  It gets really nuts as we get close to Christmas, so give yourself some much needed brain mobility!  Just five minutes sitting alone with your eyes closed to focus on breathing in and breathing out can go a really long way. 

Post your time to the comments - I love hearing about other people doing work!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas/Advent Mobility Day 18

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!

Advent Mobility: Days 14-16

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!

Advent Mobility: Day 13

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!

Advent Mobility: Day 12

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.

Advent Mobility: Day 11

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!

Advent Mobility: Day 10

Happy Monday!

How'd everyone do with their mobility over the weekend?  I got mine in on Saturday before CrossFit. Sunday after a run and lifting, the hubby suggested we do "partner mobility."

Till death or mobility do us part

BE WARNED: This was so painful I almost cried.  So of course I am sharing with you. 

You will need a band, a roller, and a buddy.  Here is the video that inspired our ankle mobility (not too brutal).

Then for the partner calf mobility (prepare to black out):

• Sit on your butt and roll slightly to your left with your right calf on the roller.  Have your partner apply some serious pressure by putting one hand below your knee and one above your ankle.  They will "roll out" the left side of your right calf for 2-3 minutes or until you punch them in the face.
• Roll over to your right side so that the right side of your calf is on the roller.  Your partner will apply the same pressure, helping you find and work out the really tight spots.
• Repeat the above steps for your left calf.
• BEST PART: switch with your partner and take your revenge!

Post your time spent on mobility to the comments.  Extra points if you cry...I mean tweet about the challenge.

Advent Mobility: Day 9

Alright, here we go with Day 9 of the challenge.

Thanks to everyone who's been tweeting about this or sharing with your friends - love athletes encouraging other athletes to take care of themselves and improve!

Friday at Mercer Island CrossFit we did push presses and weighted lunges, so my wrists need some serious work.  Calling on Mr. Starrett for help as usual.

(As always, you can work whatever you need to!  As long as you do your 15 minutes, I don't care what area you choose - find a problem and tackle it!)

Post your time in the comments!  It's so motivating to know other people are suffering alongside you!

Advent Mobility: Day 8

Alright, here we go for week 2 of the challenge!

Your extra credit this week is YOGA.

You can take a class or just do some yoga at home - there are always videos online, or you can go from a good book with sequences.  I really like Slim Calm Sexy Yoga.  It's in lay-person terms which make it really easy to understand and follow.  Plus most of the sequences can be done by anyone and take about 5 minutes each.

Today let's focus on those quads and IT bands!  I've done a fair amount of squatting this week and I really need to loosen up.

Here's some good IT band work from (my favorite) Mobility WOD!

And here's a look at using the VooDoo bands to help with knee pain from overworked/tight quads. 

My husband has the VooDoo bands and really likes them - he does about 30-60 minutes of mobility per day.  (Yes, he's a beast.)

Let me know how the challenge is going for you!  It's not to late to join in.  Let me know how you did getting your 15 minutes a day in the first week!

Advent Mobility: Day 7

Hard to believe we're almost done with the first week of #AdventMobility! 

Today we're going to hit some thus-far neglected team members - our arms.

Have you ever noticed that your forearms get killed pretty much no matter what you do at CrossFit? You need them for almost every lift, for pullups, for kettle-bell swings, even to hold the rope for double-unders! Chances are with all that work, they are getting a little tight, which is making your wrists inflexible or causing pain in your elbows.

 

Kettlebell swings will really kill your forearms!
Let's get to work!  Awesome video from Mobility WOD complete with "forearm torture device"!  If you work your forearms while watching the movie (grab a tennis, racquet, or lacrosse ball), you'll already be done with 5 of your 15 minutes!

Also check out some good stretches for your forearms.

Missed some of the work and wanna get caught up? 
 
Day 1: Feet + Calves
 
Day 2 - Hamstrings + IT Band

Day 3 - Quads + Inner Thighs

Day 4 - Glutes + Hip Flexors

Day 5 - Back + Lats

Day 6 - Shoulders + Chest
 

Talk to me - how are you liking the challenge so far? Any suggestions? Did you squeeze that massage in this week? Give me the lowdown and post your score in the comments below!

Extra credit if you post about the challenge on TheMeghaMix page on Facebook or tweet about the challenge! 

Advent Mobility: Day 6

Have you noticed a trend in moving up? Yesterday we focused on our back and lats - today we're gonna work on our shoulders and chest.

My chest gets really tight from working on a computer all day and sometimes I get actual shooting pain in my pectorals if I go too long with out stretching them out. Yikes! And my shoulders (especially my traps) get tight from carrying my heavy gym bag loaded with clothes and protein everywhere I go.

K-Starr is going to help us out with shoulder work.

And here is a great yoga pose to open up your chest!  Here's another good stretch - I do this often.

Keep up the great work! Have you gotten your massage yet? I can't wait to hear about it!

Earn those points by posting your score (what you did and for how many minutes) in the comments below. 

Remember, you don't have to do shoulders today just because I did - work whatever you feel needs a little loosening up! 

Extra points if you post on TheMeghaMix's Facebook page, or tweet about the challenge with the hashtag #AdventMobility. 

Advent Mobility: Day 5/What I Ate Wednesday

Hello hello!

I'll get on to Advent Mobility in a minute, but first, here's my nod to "What I Ate Wednesday." I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon for this one, since I've got a current favorite "second breakfast" I wanted to share.
 

I did a Paleo Challenge back in August.  Although I decided not to go full Paleo when the challenge was over, I have since cut a lot of sweets, grains, and dairy from my diet.  However, I am back to eating Greek yogurt every day and love it for the healthy fat, calcium, and protein.
Right now, I mix half a cup of canned unsweetened pumpkin with a cup of Fage 2% Plain Greek yogurt and add in freshly cut fruit, like a pear or an apple. Usually at work this is it, plain and simple (so easy to pack) but I was home sick on Friday and so I added a little cinnamon and cloves!

 

Technically you could sweeten this with a bit of maple syrup (or agave or honey), but I really try not to "waste" my extra sugars.  (Save 'em for the weekend and just eat a doughnut!)  I feel like the fruit in this adds enough sweetness without drowning the pumpkin flavor or tartness of the yogurt. This is really satisfying and tons of fun to eat! Pair it with Trader Joe's Cinnamon Tempest tea for a total treat.


Alright, let's get down to Day 5 of the #AdventMobility challenge. Today we'll be hitting back and lats.
My lats are ALWAYS really tight from pullups and my back is often tight from deadlifts and squats. Loosening up these muscles and connective tissues is going to help us prevent injury and improve our form and thus our strength!

Check out Mobility WOD for some ideas for working out your lats and your lower back!
Earn those points by posting your score (what you did and for how many minutes) in the comments below. 

Extra points if you post on TheMeghaMix's Facebook page, or tweet about the challenge with the hashtag #AdventMobility.

Hope you haven't forgotten about this week's extra credit: massage! Mine is scheduled for tomorrow morning and I absolutely cannot wait. I want to melt just thinking about it!

Advent Mobility: Day 4

Well, we're only a few days into the Advent Mobility challenge, but I hope you're already starting to feel a little less tight and seeing some improved range of motion!

I rolled out my calves so much on Saturday that they were sore the next day.  I'm so thankful for all of you that have jumped on board with this - it's way more motivating for me knowing you guys are doing mobility, too!

Let's get down to today's focus: glutes and hip flexors. 

How are you liking Mobility WOD?  Jared found out about K-Starr a good while back, but I've only jumped in to really using the Mobility WOD resources recently. 

If you're not sure when you can squeeze in mobility time, try showing up to your box a few minutes early and/or staying a few minutes late. You can also cap off your day with a few minutes of mobility work right before bed. I've found this really relaxes me and calms me down from the holiday stress.
And now the fun part (cause who doesn't like competition?) - tell me your score for today by posting in the comments below! Extra points if you post on TheMeghaMix's Facebook page, or tweet about the challenge with the hashtag #AdventMobility. 

Winner of this month's challenge gets a copy of K-Starr's Supple Leopard!

Don't forget you can earn 10 extra credit points this week by scheduling a massage for yourself. If money's tight, ask your spouse to give you one, or have a few tiny kids walk all over your back (just remind them not to jump).

Advent Mobility: Day 3

Good morning and happy Monday!

If you are just joining us, Saturday kicked off the Advent Mobility challenge! CrossFit athletes at our box (including me) are always saying how they need to spend more time on mobility...and then put it off till next week.

I know the holidays get busy with parties and travel, but mobility is something you can do to improve your performance even on days when you can't make it to the box. All you need to do is commit to at least five minutes of mobility every day through Christmas Eve.

Ready for today's challenge? Me, too!

Yesterday we hit our hamstrings and IT bands...so today we'll come around and get our quads and inner thighs.

Here's a great exercise for quad mobility (runners, this is great for you, too)!

 

And here's a good one for those inner thighs.

You earn points by posting your score (what you did and for how many minutes) in the comments below. Extra points if you post on TheMeghaMix's Facebook page, or tweet about the challenge with the hashtag #AdventMobility. 

I'm also offering "extra credit" each week, and this week it rocks:  schedule a massage for yourself - you've totally earned it!