CrossFit: The Cult Culture

My background with sports is pretty typical. I was a t-ball star at 4 years old. That was the last time I would ever be a star at anything except in the eyes of my mom. I played soccer, basketball, and then volleyball as I got older. I tried tennis one summer, but it took me 2 hours to get one serve in the right spot, so I didn't pursue that dream any longer. I also gave gymnastics a shot when I was really little, but one fall off the balance beam was all it took for me to quit that hazardous sport.

When I graduated, I told myself I would keep working out, but the rec center was such a long walk from my dorm, that I stopped going there during my first week of college. Then my fitness revolution began. I found out that the rec was only .8 miles away and not the 800 miles I originally thought, so I started riding my bike there, doing some weightlifting, exercising on the elliptical, and then riding home. Riding my bike eventually turned into running, I started doing more intense weightlifting, and I quit the elliptical and turned to more difficult forms of cardio.

I met Kat Hill in February of 2015, and we became immediate friends as we were both on the Paleo diet. She was also working out to get in shape, but she did CrossFit. I had heard of CrossFit before from my former youth ministers Jon and Sallee, but I had never gone to one of the classes, mostly because I thought it would be too difficult, and I was very happy with my routine of listening to my headphones and keeping to myself at the normal people gym.

After 7 months of working out at the gym, Kat finally got me to attend a CrossFit "community WOD." I already knew it was going to be bad, considering the ridiculous name "WOD" which stands for workout of the day, but she assured me that the community WODs were scaled for the general public since they are free. So on this day in the heat of July, I walked into this CrossFit place thinking that I was a pretty fit girl and shouldn't have much to worry about if the general public could do this.  We even got to join into a team of 4 to complete the WOD, so I was like oh heck yes, we can knock this out.

100 air squats, 100 box jumps, 100 med ball slams, 60 pull-ups, 60 push-ups, and a 1600 meter run later, I was lying on the floor, red (closer to purple) faced, covered in sweat, gasping for air, and (between breaths) informing Kat that I would never attend one of these military torture centers ever again.

I couldn't walk for two days. I kept thinking back to the WOD and getting more flustered about my inability to do so many of the movements. I was completely unaware that I couldn't even do a full-depth squat until I saw these people's butts hit the ground on every rep. It was easily the hardest workout I had ever done.

So when I went back to CrossFit during the next week, I was really confused by my insane behavior.

I went to Sanctum CrossFit in Prosper, Texas where I introduced myself to Mike and Jared, two of the coaches there. They gave me a free week trial, which is all it took for me to fall in love.

The following reasons are just a few of the ones I could come up with to try and explain why I liked CrossFit so much:

1. The coaching
After months of doing things on my own and thinking that I was doing them correctly, I finally had someone giving me direction and telling me that I was actually doing everything wrong.

2. The competition
Each WOD is done by a class of people all trying to do their very best. If I slacked, I would come in last place. Even if I tried my hardest, I would still often come in last place. It drove me to push myself harder than at the gym when I had no one to compare myself to directly.

3. The quick intensity
WODs usually only last from 5-45 minutes. 30-45 minute WODs are very rare, so most days, the intense workouts are over in 20 minutes. If you take a look at the science behind it, this 20 minutes of high intensity interval training burns more fat than a 2 hour session at the gym. AND it burns fat for up to 24-48 hours after the workout.

4. The culture
Something about the cut off tank tops, tattoos, wrist wraps, ropes hanging from the ceiling, lack of air conditioning, people flying through the air on rings, and the cheering on from your teammates as you finish just keeps you coming back. During my first week, there were people that didn't know my name who were high-fiving me as they lapped me in sprints. And they were right there at the finish line waiting for me to get done, not because they had to be, but because they had too been there before and wanted to show their support.

5. The ever-changing challenge
Everyday is different, yet everyday you still hear "dang that was a rough one." In fact, I don't believe anyone has ever walked away from a WOD saying "wow that was great, we should do it again!" I never get tired of going to CrossFit because the workouts are constantly changing. In 7 months, I have only done the same workout....nope never. I've never done the same one twice.

6. Functional fitness
CrossFit movements are designed to emulate movements that might come your way in real life. In fact, not very long ago, some friends and I were locked out of the gate of an apartment complex. And while I don't condone breaking and entering, I really needed to get to my car, and our friend that actually lived at this complex wouldn't answer her phone. So instead of waiting outside in the cold, I looked up at the 8 foot fence, took a big leap, grabbed the top, and lifted myself over to the other side. I know a lot of people can probably do that without the help of CrossFit, but remember I am the same girl that lasted one day at tennis camp. For me, I would've never been able to do this without CrossFit.

I had to leave Sanctum CrossFit when I went back to school, but I joined CrossFit Aggieland here in College Station. I've accomplished things that seemed impossible when I first began. I can do a full-depth squat, climb a rope, overhead squat, snatch squat, and just last week I learned to do a handstand  for handstand push-ups after finally convincing myself that I wasn't going to fall and be paralyzed. What's hilarious is that most CrossFitters can do this in their sleep. There is a never ending amount of improvement in this world, and it's so addicting. I now know the rush it is to hit a personal record, learn to do the crazy gymnastic movements, increase mobility, and be functionally fit.

The definition of the word cult (aside from sinister religious beliefs) is a misplaced or excessive admiration for a particular person or thing. So I guess I'm involved in many cults. The Paleo Diet, Texas A&M, MSC FISH, and CrossFit. But you know what they say. It only takes 2 Aggies to change a light bulb and 1 CrossFitter to survive the apocalypse.

Life of {Py}lori

The past few weeks have been pretty trying for me. One of the things I can't stand about myself is my seemingly poor immune system and inescapable attraction to bad luck. Add those two together, and you get someone who winds up with weird sicknesses too often.

I hate this for several reasons. Not only is it a huge hassle to miss work or school and make a doctor's appointment, but it's honestly just embarrassing and makes me appear like a hypochondriac to anyone and everyone. I started out the first week of this semester by getting strep throat, causing me to miss a day of work and a meeting. So after that, I decided that the next time I felt sick, I would simply ignore it until it went away.

A week later, I was having severe stomach problems. After every meal, I would have intense pains which usually ended in me vomiting up everything. I would take medicine to try and solve the issue, but then I would throw that up as well. I figured it was just a typical stomach bug or possible food poisoning, so I firmly stuck to my plan of avoiding the doctor and missing school or work.

It kept getting worse. Eventually, water wasn't even sitting right with me. I walked around in constant pain, but I didn't tell hardly anyone because I knew they'd think "Oh Shelby is sick again." That isn't the stereotype I want for myself at all because a) I'm not an attention seeker. I don't need people to feel bad for me. There's a reason I don't post my illnesses on social media of any sort. The only time I tell people is when it causes me to miss an event that I have already committed myself to, which unfortunately, usually involves many of the same people all the time. Reason b) is because I don't like appearing weak. I've worked very hard to lose weight and build muscle. I joined CrossFit to be a part of the ultimate challenge and become the fittest version of myself. The last thing I want is for anyone to think that I can't take care of myself due to weakness.

So about 12 days went by before I finally let myself go to the doctor. Any stomach bug that lasts for over a week is something straight from hell. Of course, I had to go through the embarrassing task of asking off of work for another doctor's visit. The doctor checked me out pretty thoroughly and finally informed me that I had slightly torn part of the lining in my stomach, causing a lot of irritation. The only fix was to take a small pill everyday for a month. So, I followed the doctor's orders.

A few days later, I was still in bad shape. That's about the time when the doctor called to inform me that my blood test was positive for H. pylori. In non-medical terms, H. pylori are bacteria that live in the wall of stomachs and eat away at it, causing a lot of pain, and eventual stomach ulcers. New medication was prescribed, and again, I followed the doctor's orders.

With the 8 pills a day I was now taking, I successfully felt like a 75 year old, and I thought surely this would be the end of the trilogy.

But the trilogy turned into a saga. A few days later, the pain had returned, and brought a 101 fever with it. I waited it out, waking in the middle of the night having sweated through my clothes and 6 blankets wrapped around me, but still somehow shivering.

I called the doctor and informed him what was happening, asking what I needed to do. He advised me to go straight to the emergency room, as these were symptoms of stomach ulcers. I called back two more times, practically begging to just come into their office instead or going to the ER, but they didn't have the equipment for these problems.

I won't bore you with the 7 hour story of the ER, the liter of medicine I drank to get a CT scan, the nurse I had that forgot 3 times to bring me a blanket, the IV stabbed into my forearm, or the many grams of morphine that coursed through me (best part of the day.) But at the end of the 7 hours, I was sent home with a 104 degree fever, stomach still in pain, and a bill that my dad will be getting in the mail soon.

This story is not because I need attention. I just need understanding. I don't know why my immune system fails me or why bad luck circles around me like a fly in a barn. The health issues combined with all my car tows, parking tickets, sweet potatoes catching fire in the microwave, and embarrassing incidents with strangers add up to the equivalent of a really bad reality TV show.

Really bad reality TV shows provide for some descent entertainment. And that is the reason why I blog. So please don't feel bad for me. All I ask is that you can be patient with my reality TV show of a life and chuckle about it as you read along. Enjoy.

Frozen and Black: The Truth Behind Whole 30

So I had a few goals for 2016.

1. Learn how to really cook
Last semester, I ate the same thing almost every week, and none of it came from any type of recipe. I just threw things together. Ground beef and onions. Eggs and sausage. Chicken and sweet potatoes. I got so tired of it, and it made Paleo very bland. I didn't use any of the resources on the internet or in cookbooks, and in turn, I spent a lot of money going out to eat, bought groceries that I didn't end up using, and burned out on the lame meals.

My parents got me 3 Paleo cookbooks for Christmas, and one day when I had a lot of time, I sat down and planned out what I was going to eat for a month. I picked different recipes for every meal, wrote up a plan of when I would have leftovers, when I could eat out, when I would need to meal prep, etc. At the beginning of each week, I go back through the meals and write down everything I will need to buy at the grocery store. This prevents me from buying anything I won't need or buying so far in advance that the food goes bad.

I have stuck to this plan to almost a T. I have really enjoyed some of the meals and switched them out with others that seemed really difficult. Yesterday I had a great adventure traveling all over College Station to try and get my phone fixed (I shattered it while carrying in groceries), so I didn't have time to prepare lunch. I went and ate Torchy's to numb the pain. But I love this planning thing. I don't have to worry about having time to cook or question what I will eat. It's already done! And just for the record, I'm a pretty fantastic chef.


2. Do a Whole 30 
I've been wanting to do this challenge for a while. It's 30 days of extreme Paleo. No added sugar of any sort (stevia, honey, syrup, etc.), nothing processed, no dairy, no grains, no legumes, no happiness (just kidding!). I didn't think it would be so difficult, but I'm one of those people that adds sweet-n-low to coffee and tea, despite the cancer it might cause. I also drink smoothies from Smoothie King, pour honey on sweet potatoes, and occasionally get brown rice. All of this is a no from the Whole 30 people. They also say that chewing gum is a no. Whoever wrote that was clearly tripping.

I started on January 15. So for 19 days I have drank only water, black coffee, and black tea. It's a miracle I'm still here. Some people don't really know the point of doing it, but giving yourself discipline for a structured amount of time is beneficial in so many ways. It makes you stronger mentally and physically. I'm trying to be the best version of myself, and challenges like this give me a chance to test my will power. I've lost the 5 lbs. I gained during Christmas, seen dramatic muscle tone improvements, and I feel 1000x better.

Fun story, I had to go on winter retreat for MSC FISH while doing Whole 30. I packed down a cooler with meals for 2.5 days. On the first night, I had grilled chicken a frozen broccoli that I planned to heat up for dinner. Well, there was no microwave. And also no forks, since everyone else was eating pizza. So I ate cold chicken and frozen broccoli with my hands while everyone stared at me.

The truth about the Whole 30 you've been waiting for is just that. It's gonna be really difficult. You have to plan around events. You probably won't have to eat frozen broccoli, but you will be drinking black coffee and tea. I really encourage anyone to try a challenge. It's a great head start to a healthy lifestyle. Once you realize how great it makes you feel, you'll know that the frozen veggies and black coffee was worth it. Actually, you might not think that at all. But at least you accomplished something.

3. See old friends
I fell off the radar last semester, and I lost touch with some really great friends because of it. I've gotten my time management together, and I won't let that happen again!


4. Play basketball
I really do miss playing this favorite sport of mine. Practicing for 3-4 hours a day in high school, Saturday morning drills, and hundreds of career games kind of burned me out of basketball for a while. Coach Hodge yelling, "we're burning daylight!" is still a recurring dream I have. But every time I see someone playing, this longing in me to relive those days takes over. I started playing ball again with some of my MSC FISH friends, and it has made me so happy. Of course, I can't shoot or dribble like I could in my prime (wow I sound old) but I'm in a lot better shape! I can run the court and play defense like never before. Just for old times' sake, I ran some sprints we used to do for conditioning. I improved my times ten fold, which gives me a lot of encouragement to keep getting fit. I joined an intramural team, but I'm gonna need to dig up the basketball shoes I buried a while ago!

5. Floss
I'll get back to y'all on this one...






This semester got off to such an awesome start. I'm so thankful to be an Aggie, be an AD for FISH, be a basketball player again (sort of), and be a member of CrossFit Aggieland. Here's to my latter half of college!