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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Janna's Crossfit Challenge - the Crossfittening, Part 2
This past Monday I had my second Crossfit Foundations class. I had been hoping that Andrew would accompany me, for moral support more than anything, but as it turned out it was not to be. He had to go to Ottawa for the day for a mediation, and short of a miracle, there was no way he was going to get home by the time I had to leave. So I sucked it up, put on my big-girl panties, and went by myself! This week's class was all about proper weight-lifting technique - push, push press & press jerk (I could have those names completely wrong, but that's what I'm calling them in my head). I was the only person in this class, so I got all the attention of the instructor (Mitch, again). I'm not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Anyway, we started with arm stretches, using a gigantic rubber band (I'm sure it has an actual proper name, but I have no idea what that name is). I made it through the first 3 stretches okay, but that last one, which was to open up my left arm area, gave me a wicked charley horse in the muscle under my armpit. Yeouch! After a fair bit of gentle but firm rubbing, I managed to make the pain die down (mostly). Next we started with the weightlifting technique, using a PVC pipe. Then I "graduated" to a proper metal bar (20 lbs) for the push & push press moves. For the press jerk move, I moved up the 35 lbs bar. The press jerk move involves having the bar at shoulder height, taking a deep breath, dropping into a partial squat, standing back up while pushing the bar halfway up, then dropping back into a squat but keeping the bar stationary (so, straightening your arms to they are fully supporting the bar). It's difficult to describe the move, and it's even more difficult to master the co-ordination to do it properly! At least, it was for me, but I'm pretty unco-ordinated. About halfway through that I got really dizzy, then nauseous. I went to the bathroom & sat down & put my head between my knees until it passed, but apparently if I puke I'm a bad-ass. I hate puking, so it looks like I'm not a bad-ass. Anyhow, I was able to continue, so we moved on to that night's workout - 9 push press (20 lbs bar), 50m run, 7 push press, 50 m run, 5 push press, 50 m run. I did it in 6 min, 49 sec (I think). Mitch says I'm doing really well, and according to one of the girls I was talking to, he would tell me if I'm not doing well, so I guess I'm doing well! Tonight's class is with a different instructor, and 2 other girls, so hopefully I'll have another good experience. Tune in later this week for The Crossfittening, Part 3!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Janna's Crossfit Challenge - The Crossfittening, Part 1
I suppose I could also title this post “An Exercise in Pain”, because, boy oh boy, do I hurt! Because of the possibility that I will have to chase a toddler around some day, and because I’ve been far too lazy for far too long, I have decided to join Crossfit. If you know anything about me, and anything about Crossfit, you might be thinking OMG, WTF? I’ve got to admit, I’m thinking that too! There is a method to my madness, though. You see, Andrew goes to Crossfit (I’d go so far as to call him a Crossfit junkie), and 2 of our close friends also belong to the same “box” (gym). If I’m going to do any sort of proper training, I believe the best thing for me is to have friends doing the same sort of thing so that it encourages me to stick with the program. If I do something by myself, I can pretty much guarantee you that I won’t stick with it.
Here’s a run-down of last night’s class. Keep in mind that there are a couple of classes (workout of the day/ boxing) going on at the same time as our starter class.
- Started at 7pm, talking about Crossfit & the mentality behind it, and what each of us are hoping to get out of it. Apparently, as Mrs Aussie (Andrew is known at the gym as Drew, or Aussie), it was expected that I would join Crossfit & love it. I’m still on the fence about that.
- The first move we learn is squats. There are 5 types of squats I think, but I can’t remember what they are called. My very first squat saw me on my back on the floor (you’re supposed to keep your weight on your heels, and I just kept on tipping backwards. I owned it, though!) Between the 5 different squats, I must have done about 40 squats total. That’s a lot for legs that haven’t done that many squats for the past 39 years combined. By the time we were done my legs were like jelly. Apparently I squat well, which is nice to know. Not sure how I’ll apply it to my daily life, though.
- Next thing we work on is the benchmark workout (well, the elements of it). We start by working on the individual elements of the workout – rowing, squats (again with the squats!), push-ups (which I am absolutely crap at – turns out my butt weighs A LOT & I can’t do a proper sit-up, at least not yet), sit-ups (soles of feet together, you can use your arms to propel yourself forward) & something called “ring rows” (I think). Ring rows are where you have your feet on the ground, your knees at a 90 degree angle, back parallel to the floor, and your hands holding onto rings hanging from the chin-up bar. Then you pull yourself up so your chest is level with your hands. It’s kind of like a pull up from a lying down position. Between all the squats & then this, I’m feeling like a rag-doll, and walking like I’m a puppet on a string.
- We’ve come to the last part of the class – the benchmark workout. It’s meant to be 500m of rowing, 40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups & 10 ring rows, but the coach cuts it in half for me. I love rowing, so I did that pretty quick. My thighs & knees were pretty much done by that point, so the squats took a bit longer than they would have if I was “fresh”. Sit-ups went well, push-ups were okay (we modified it so I keep my stomach/hips on the ground & push the rest of my body up). Then came the ring rows. I managed to do all 5, but I could only pull myself up 4-5 inches. All up, I took 7min35sec to do half of the benchmark workout.
And, then, just like that, I was done! All in all, I’d say it was a successful first class, but I am SOOO SORE today (knees & thighs, mostly). I find that I grunt when I get up or walk. I do the next class next Monday, so look for The Crossfittening, Part 2, next week!
Here’s a run-down of last night’s class. Keep in mind that there are a couple of classes (workout of the day/ boxing) going on at the same time as our starter class.
- Started at 7pm, talking about Crossfit & the mentality behind it, and what each of us are hoping to get out of it. Apparently, as Mrs Aussie (Andrew is known at the gym as Drew, or Aussie), it was expected that I would join Crossfit & love it. I’m still on the fence about that.
- The first move we learn is squats. There are 5 types of squats I think, but I can’t remember what they are called. My very first squat saw me on my back on the floor (you’re supposed to keep your weight on your heels, and I just kept on tipping backwards. I owned it, though!) Between the 5 different squats, I must have done about 40 squats total. That’s a lot for legs that haven’t done that many squats for the past 39 years combined. By the time we were done my legs were like jelly. Apparently I squat well, which is nice to know. Not sure how I’ll apply it to my daily life, though.
- Next thing we work on is the benchmark workout (well, the elements of it). We start by working on the individual elements of the workout – rowing, squats (again with the squats!), push-ups (which I am absolutely crap at – turns out my butt weighs A LOT & I can’t do a proper sit-up, at least not yet), sit-ups (soles of feet together, you can use your arms to propel yourself forward) & something called “ring rows” (I think). Ring rows are where you have your feet on the ground, your knees at a 90 degree angle, back parallel to the floor, and your hands holding onto rings hanging from the chin-up bar. Then you pull yourself up so your chest is level with your hands. It’s kind of like a pull up from a lying down position. Between all the squats & then this, I’m feeling like a rag-doll, and walking like I’m a puppet on a string.
- We’ve come to the last part of the class – the benchmark workout. It’s meant to be 500m of rowing, 40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups & 10 ring rows, but the coach cuts it in half for me. I love rowing, so I did that pretty quick. My thighs & knees were pretty much done by that point, so the squats took a bit longer than they would have if I was “fresh”. Sit-ups went well, push-ups were okay (we modified it so I keep my stomach/hips on the ground & push the rest of my body up). Then came the ring rows. I managed to do all 5, but I could only pull myself up 4-5 inches. All up, I took 7min35sec to do half of the benchmark workout.
And, then, just like that, I was done! All in all, I’d say it was a successful first class, but I am SOOO SORE today (knees & thighs, mostly). I find that I grunt when I get up or walk. I do the next class next Monday, so look for The Crossfittening, Part 2, next week!
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Aloha & mahalo....
That's right, everybody! I'm going to Hawaii! Well, not until September, but still, I'm going! With all the adoption expenses still to come, I'm definitely panicking a little about the expense involved in a Hawaii trip, but I think it's just the right thing to take my mind off the ever-increasing wait for a referral. This whole Hawaiian odyssey started almost 5 years ago, with a notice from my best friend (who happens to live in Australia) to start saving my pennies, because we were all going to go to Hawaii to celebrate her (well, our) 40th birthday! We're flying into Honolulu and then boarding a ship 2 days later to cruise around the Hawaiian Islands. Lots of her friends & family are coming along, and Andrew & I, and it'll be the first time in 4 years that I've seen any of them, and the very first time I'll be meeting her son (born 2 years ago in May)! I booked the cruise & paid our deposit last July, and I booked our flights (& bought comprehensive travel insurance that yes, does contain an adoption clause for cancellations) a couple of days ago. So now, instead of obsessing about a referral, I'm checking travel sites every day or so to check if the pre-cruise hotel pricing has dropped at all! Andrew & I haven't travelled anywhere "significant" (cross border shopping doesn't count) for over 2 years, so we are really, really, really looking forward to this. Putting your life on hold for an adoption, for what "might happen", is rough. It's time we did something fun! Only 174 more sleeps to go!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Yeah! What she said.....
I read a post today on another blogger's blog that really spoke to me. Like Andrew & I, this blogger & her family are adopting from Africa, though through a different country. Her blog is called The Thompson Treehouse (http://www.thompsontreehouse.blogspot.com), I encourage you to follow her story! The post I am referring to is called "Waiting to Exhale", posted on 3.13.12. If you want a little insight into what it's like to be waiting & waiting & waiting to adopt, this is the post to read.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Don't ask
I heard it said that if you don’t want to know the answer, don’t ask the question. Wise words.
Since Andrew went to visit the agency last year, he’s got a pretty good relationship with them, and as such, can get better answers from them than I seem to be able to. Since we just passed our 3 year anniversary, I asked him to email them to see if we’ve made any forward progress in our referral wait in the last 5 months. The short answer is no. The long answer is NOOOOOOOOOOO. Actually, the long answer is, there are 3 families ahead of us on the list asking for a girl in the same age range, which was the answer we were given last October, and there are no new girl referrals for our age range in the near future. We have not moved forward on the list at all. While I am not surprised, it still feels like a kick in the stomach. I was so hopeful that we’d made at least a little progress, that we would have our referral sooner rather than later. Things could change, they said they have seen an increase in referrals, which is good. Any forward momentum is good, I guess.
Many things in adoption are a leap of faith, like buying a crib, painting the nursery, etc. We’ve done that, so far, but I just can’t bring myself to open up the crib & actually set it up. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that until we actually get a referral. So far, my wish of getting my referral before my 40th birthday is not looking good. I’ve got less than 2 months to go before I reach that milestone, I guess I’m hoping for a miracle.
Since Andrew went to visit the agency last year, he’s got a pretty good relationship with them, and as such, can get better answers from them than I seem to be able to. Since we just passed our 3 year anniversary, I asked him to email them to see if we’ve made any forward progress in our referral wait in the last 5 months. The short answer is no. The long answer is NOOOOOOOOOOO. Actually, the long answer is, there are 3 families ahead of us on the list asking for a girl in the same age range, which was the answer we were given last October, and there are no new girl referrals for our age range in the near future. We have not moved forward on the list at all. While I am not surprised, it still feels like a kick in the stomach. I was so hopeful that we’d made at least a little progress, that we would have our referral sooner rather than later. Things could change, they said they have seen an increase in referrals, which is good. Any forward momentum is good, I guess.
Many things in adoption are a leap of faith, like buying a crib, painting the nursery, etc. We’ve done that, so far, but I just can’t bring myself to open up the crib & actually set it up. I don’t think I’ll be able to do that until we actually get a referral. So far, my wish of getting my referral before my 40th birthday is not looking good. I’ve got less than 2 months to go before I reach that milestone, I guess I’m hoping for a miracle.
Monday, March 5, 2012
A Boo-Hoo Haiku for You, or 3 years waiting
3 very long years
My heart is numb, anxious, sad
Where is my wee girl?
In honour of the auspicious (?) occasion of our 3 year anniversary of waiting to be matched with our girl, I thought I’d dazzle you all with some poetry. Yes, it’s a haiku, but I have to admit that I’ve been out of school so long that I had to look up the haiku structure online. I guess my brain jettisoned that information long ago to make room for the scads & scads & scads of useless trivia that currently resides in my brain. For example, did you know that the gestation period for a Norway rat (the most common rat in the US) is 3 weeks? I knew that. Why? Who knows.
So yes, it’s been 3 years since our dossier was officially logged into Ethiopia. I never imagined that we’d still be waiting for a match, but if this process has taught me anything, it’s that you can never take anything for granted. That’s true of life in general – things will never happen on your timetable, they will happen when they happen, and not a second before. This wait has brought me many “gifts” – new friends (that is something I will be eternally grateful for), happiness (when our file was approved by the provincial ministry, for example), anger (at various points of the process, which I’ve documented here), anxiety (the suspense of waiting for our match is KILLING me), perspective. Andrew & I marked the occasion by going to the VW dealership (I hit a pothole HARD last week, so we had them check out why there is now a vibration when you’re travelling slowly – turns out the rim is slightly bent on the inside), then to a super-cool health/organic food store (that was mostly for Andrew), then to a nice, leisurely lunch at Milestones. After that I invested in some badly needed workout gear, since I plan to join Crossfit later this month (if I’m going to be a mom, I’d better raise my fitness level above it’s current level of “extreme sloth”). Adoption-wise, referrals haven’t exactly been coming in thick & fast, but the Ethiopian program does seem to move more steadily & “quickly” than many other programs, at least at the moment. At this point, it’s just a matter of being patient & waiting your turn. Easier said than done when your 40th birthday is looming large on the horizon.
My heart is numb, anxious, sad
Where is my wee girl?
In honour of the auspicious (?) occasion of our 3 year anniversary of waiting to be matched with our girl, I thought I’d dazzle you all with some poetry. Yes, it’s a haiku, but I have to admit that I’ve been out of school so long that I had to look up the haiku structure online. I guess my brain jettisoned that information long ago to make room for the scads & scads & scads of useless trivia that currently resides in my brain. For example, did you know that the gestation period for a Norway rat (the most common rat in the US) is 3 weeks? I knew that. Why? Who knows.
So yes, it’s been 3 years since our dossier was officially logged into Ethiopia. I never imagined that we’d still be waiting for a match, but if this process has taught me anything, it’s that you can never take anything for granted. That’s true of life in general – things will never happen on your timetable, they will happen when they happen, and not a second before. This wait has brought me many “gifts” – new friends (that is something I will be eternally grateful for), happiness (when our file was approved by the provincial ministry, for example), anger (at various points of the process, which I’ve documented here), anxiety (the suspense of waiting for our match is KILLING me), perspective. Andrew & I marked the occasion by going to the VW dealership (I hit a pothole HARD last week, so we had them check out why there is now a vibration when you’re travelling slowly – turns out the rim is slightly bent on the inside), then to a super-cool health/organic food store (that was mostly for Andrew), then to a nice, leisurely lunch at Milestones. After that I invested in some badly needed workout gear, since I plan to join Crossfit later this month (if I’m going to be a mom, I’d better raise my fitness level above it’s current level of “extreme sloth”). Adoption-wise, referrals haven’t exactly been coming in thick & fast, but the Ethiopian program does seem to move more steadily & “quickly” than many other programs, at least at the moment. At this point, it’s just a matter of being patient & waiting your turn. Easier said than done when your 40th birthday is looming large on the horizon.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Daydream Believer, or the end of an era
I just saw on the news that Davy Jones just passed away from a heart attack, aged 66. Part of my childhood just died too. Even though it was cancelled the year before I was born, the Monkees was my FAVOURITE TV show growing up, and Davy was my favourite Monkee. Many a day was spent daydreaming about marrying my true love (Davy, of course) and our life together. Whatever I was doing in the afternoon, as soon as it came time for the Monkees to come on the TV, I dropped everything & ran to the family room. Nevermind that it was usually a re-run, it was required viewing. Come to think of it, it was my first memorable comedy experience. It'll be days before I will get the theme song out of my head. Rest in peace, Davy, I will miss you.
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