Check out what I did last night—I registered for a CrossFit class!! Woohoo!!!
I’m feeling a lot better and the past couple of days have been blood-free (I know, gross… sorry), so I’m going to return to my beloved sport this evening.
Today’s WOD is only 8 minutes, so I figured it was a good way to ease back into things too. And, of course, I don’t plan to go balls-to-the-wall. I know my body is still healing, so I’m going to take it slow and incorporate plenty of rest days into my workout routine. Self-love. I CANNOT WAIT TO CROSSFIT TONIGHT!!!!!
Dinner
Last night’s dinner was a good one—a twist on regular old stir fry. I made shrimp stir fry, but nixed the soy sauce and olive oil and just cooked everything in coconut oil. I added some salt and pepper for additional flavor and then topped the dish with shredded coconut. Easy, healthy, and delicious!
After dinner, Mal, Murphy, and I cuddled on the couch and watched Tower Heist. (Ben Stiller stars in it.) I hadn’t heard of the movie, so I wasn’t expecting too much from it, but it was actually pretty good. There were a bunch of one-liners that made me laugh out loud.
While watching the movie, I enjoyed a Paleo Morning Glory Muffin. Holy YUM!
Question of the Day
What’s your best piece of advice for someone starting a workout routine—for a beginner or for someone coming back from an injury or illness?
P.S. Just in case you haven’t seen this website yet, it’s an awesome one: Dog Shaming. I check it every single day for a good laugh. Best site ever!
{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Best advice: be persistent! Set goals and reward yourself.
Yay to getting back to cross fit!!! Best advice I’ve given to someone coming back from injury: If it hurts, don’t do it! Be mindful of your body and what it’s telling you. Do things that don’t aggravate your injury until your body is ready for it.
start out half as slow as you think you need too – especially in crossfit! so if you normally do wall balls with the 14lb medicine ball…do it with the 8. When I was recovering from injuries i always came back way too fast, then you just end up getting hurt again, no good!! good luck and take it SLOW AND EASY!
Coconut oil stir fries are AWESOME! Next time you should try a splash of lemongrass powder and rice wine vinegar over the top. That’s one of my favorite easy seasoning techniques for stir-fried veggies!
Taking it slow – even after a few weeks of no exercise due to illness, I was shocked at how much stamina I seemed to lose!
@Claire @ Live and Love to Eat: Yea, I have a feeling I’m going to feel really weak tonight!
My advice to newbies is to take it easy…too much too fast is only asking for trouble! GOOD LUCK!
OMG, I love Dog Shaming too, that site is SO FUNNY
@Brittney: It totally cracks me up!
Listen to your body and rest when needed! I’m still learning how to take my own advice, though…
Great that you’re listening to your body – so necessary!
Don’t be discouraged if it takes a long time to get back to where you were prior to taking a break. Just stay stoked (as you are) that you can be back in it, and take it as it comes!
My advice to someone who is just starting out is to not make comparisons. Everyone has a different background and base fitness level. You’re not going to be the best your first day (back) in the gym. But if you stay motivated and stick with it, you’ll be seeing vast improvements in no time. Your results and successes are personal. Be proud of what you accomplish and don’t let yourself feel inferior to others.
YAY CrossFIT!! welcome back!!
just starting out I’d say to find an exercise you like. Try a lot of them. I suggest jazzercise, mostly because I want to be Jessie Spano…ok, maybe not, but I want to see *others* dressed as Jessie Spano.
Going back to working out? Start slow, invest in tart cherry juice and tylenol or ibuprofen, and listen to your body. I suck at that, but I hear it’s good advice.
Start Slow!!! I think it is so easy to want to jump into exercising and overdo it when someone just starts because they want to see results ASAP but this leads to more injuries.
Were you disappointed with the ending of Tower Heist? We thought it was decent until the end and then felt like it lacked payoff.
As far as advice (and this serves as a reminder to me for my sprained thumb)…ice, ice baby.
I was! The end was kind of lame. Haha!
I’ve been seeing more “healthy” living bloggers posting about their exercise routines perhaps not being the most healthy for their bodies. Do you think perhaps Crossfit is not the best type of exercise for you right now as you are battling your stomach problems? Seems to me you aren’t taking care of yourself and your body is trying to tell you that.
ramdom stupid question.
does coconut oil actually taste like coconut? i feel like coconut water doesn’t taste like coconuts really, so i can sometimes drink it. I hate the taste of coconut but i love the concept of coconut and the nutritional benefits from it. and i am hoping to start whole30 this weekend, but seems like they use a lot of cocnut based things… and i just hate coconut flavor.
Yep! It’s not super coconut-y, but you definitely taste it.
Progress in your workouts slowly!! The worst thing to do is get in there and go “balls to the wall” as you say. You are risking either:
1. Burnout
2. Injury
Give your body a chance to get used to the routine and add a little more to your workouts each day or week, whichever works best!
ooh Tower Heist is out now? I’ve been meaning to watch it. I might have to do that tonight!!!
My best piece of advice is to go at your own pace. You’ll increase your intensity with time. Every one has different limitations but that doesn’t make you any different from the rest of us out there as long as you’re doing the best that you can do.
i always tell people that what works for one person (or me) doesn’t necessarily work for everyone else. i think they key is finding something you love and enjoy, so you don’t hate going.
I would recommend marking your progress! Do one of those tests when you start, such as how many push-ups can you do in a minute, squats, burpees, etc. and maybe a sprint. That way you can test yourself every month and see how far you’ve come!
That stir-fry looks delicious and what a great idea using just coconut oil and adding the shredded coconut. Way to go on getting back to crossfit! I had an injury when training for a marathon and getting back into running was challenging. My advice is to just take it one step at a time, know that you may not be at the same level as you were when you were injured and work into it gradually. Good luck!
I loved that movie too! I’ll be sure to try that stir fry. I love coconut everything, but I forget to use my coconut oil for some reason.
I’m currently in an injured state from a run in with a deer and my car a month ago now. It sucks. I can’t lift, so I haven’t been to CrossFit since the accident. Even spinning makes my feet tingle. I’m trying to be patient, and realize if I go to far I’ll be even further behind. So, I’ve been doing some light running, yoga, elliptical, but it definitely isn’t the same bang for my buck I’m used too. Hang in there!
You too! Hope you’re 100% soon!!
Dog Shaming was wonderful! Thank you!
As for advice, slow and steady and listen to your body. Glad you are feeling better!
I’m glad you get to go to Crossfit again! I find the best advice is to not push yourself when it comes to fitness, even though your mind tells you to go workout. I have a problem with this because I want to be active but your body needs rest! And this Coconut Stir Fry looks delicious! Must try.
My best advice would be to start off slow and don’t push yourself.. listen to your body
Best advice I’ve ever been given is that even when the going gets tough and you’re tired, etc, still go workout – you’ll thank yourself in the long run!
My advice would be to preplan your workouts. I find it easier to take it slow/east if I feel I must follow a plan. If I just wing it i’ll often push myself more than I should and I often end up getting hurt. Writing out what I want to do and incorporating mini stretch sessions in between sets helps me slow down and listen to my body better.
have fun tonight!
@Simone: Love this advice!
Try hard, but do what you can. Don’t over exert yourself, or else you will end up back at square one!
Always take it easy when re-starting or starting a program again/new. That is SO important! The body needs time to get used to it, so if you just throw yourself right into, injury, pain, and setbacks will occur. Hence why there are training programs for races & prepping for things
Rule of life. Start slow!
YAY for family time in the evening!
Yay!!! I’m so happy for you that you’re back to CrossFit! Take it slow and I’m sure you will do amazing!
So glad you’re feeling better! I agree with what a lot of people have already said. Just take it slow, but if you start not feeling well, stop or take a break. You don’t want to overexert yourself when you’re just starting back up.
Tina – you should try coconut aminos (whole foods sells it) instead of soy sauce for your stir fry. It tastes a little bit different than soy sauce but is a great substitute that is gluten and soy free!
@Grace: Oooh, thank you! I will look for it the next time I am there!
I think the best advice for someone just starting out or trying to get back on track is to take it one step at a time, and know that progress if progress. Its difficult not to get frustrated when you want to see results quickly (we are used to instant gratification these days after all) or feel better right away, but even if you do something little, your improving from the day before and you’re closer to your goal by 1 day.
@Kelly@BalancedDaily: So true!
Little and often, listen to you body and don’t go in all guns blazing (my advice for someone based on my own experience/stupidity!
)
Haha! I know from experience too!
I just started cross fit this week and after 2 workouts my shoulder was destroyed! I didn’t think I was pushing too hard…I am going again tomorrow and will tailor the workout to my lower body so hopefully I don’t destroy my legs!! Any advice for just starting out doing cross fit specifically?
Hurray for getting back to CrossFit! I love that feeling of working out again after a break – it makes me feel so fresh and motivated!
Hi Tina,
I’m so glad that you’re feeling better and your colitis has improved! My advice for getting back into working out is to pace yourself. Going too hard to0 soon could be taxing on the body and cause injury. Slowly building back endurance and stamina are key
I’m actually blogging about my journey back into a healthier/fit lifestyle on my new blog Will2Wellness. I would love for you to check it out sometime (when you’re not busy blogging yourself!).
I enjoyed reading everyone’s advice when coming back from an injury – I had shoulder surgery almost 3 months ago. My advice – just do something, walk, physical therapy exercises, bodyweight squats whatever you can comfortably do. Keep track of what you can do and slowly build up to new things, new goals – then look back and see how much progress you’ve made!
Yay! I was starting to miss the CrossFit posts
I hope you are back to 100% soon enough!