Athletics News Vol 2.  Staying in Shape on Vacation?

Inside July 2019 Edition:

·         June re-cap

·         Athletics on the Road:  Vacation Fitness Tips  x 2

·         Food for Thought:  Summer Eating and Imbibing

·         Summer class schedule

·         Class Feedback

June Recap
Great June class turn out.  Way to go all!  Our motto for the month often became slow and steady wins the race as you ground through some tough WODS with vigor and smiles.  Thanks for coming out to the Solstice WOD and getting summer started off with a fitness bang.  It was a beautiful night and awesome to have you there!

Athletics on the Road
Taking time off from the gym this summer and worried about how it might impact your fitness gains? Fear not!  With a bit of planning you can avoid making your post holiday return to the gym a tough slog.

Tip 1:       Get (your mind) Set.  What is your hope for your vacation? Ask yourself if it is important to you to work out during your trip.  Do you care?  If the answer is yes, set a reasonable, non-negotiable, doable goal such as: every other morning I will get up early and do x.   Take the necessary steps to ensure you can follow through, i.e. set your gear out the night before and put a plan in place for where and how you will do your WOD. Refuse to be led astray!

Tip 2:        Have a WOD plan.  Your fitness gains can be maintained on vacation with basic body weight movements strung together CrossFit style – think couplets and triplets in an amrap format.  Attention to these movements while you’re away will maintain your range of motion and cardiovascular endurance making coming back to the gym a snap.   See below for some favourite WODS on the go  – no gym or equipment required:

WODS for the ROAD

WOD.1

Beach Wake-UP
2 (or more) rounds for time (FT):
75 jumping jacks
40 situps
30 air squats
20 push ups
10 burpees over log, bag, stone
75 jumping jacks

WOD. 2

Basic Training (BT): choose a version FT

BT V.1                             BT V.2                              BT V.3
100 Air Squats                  75 Air Squats                   50 Air Squats
90   Push-ups                    65 Push-ups                     40 Push-ups
80   Alternating lunges    55 Alternating Lunges   30 Lunges
70   Burpees                      45 Burpees                        20 Burpees

 WOD.3
Simple Simon 3 rounds NFT
*rest 60 secs after last round of 15 reps then repeat (2:  60 sec breaks total)
5 push ups
5 sit-ups
5 plank jacks
10 push ups
10 sit ups
10 plank jacks
15 push ups
15 sit-ups
15 plank jacks*
cash out: 50 glute bridges (squeeze & pause at top!)

WOD.5
Quickie
8 min amrap
5 burpees
10 lunges
15 squats

WOD.6
Oceanside
5 rounds FT
50 Mountain climbers
30 Jump squats
20 Burpees over log or bag
10 CrossFit Push-ups

WOD.7
Beach Wake-UP V. 2  FT
10 burpees with side shuffle*
Then:
CrossFit Push-up pyramid: 5,10, 15, 20, 15, 10, 5
Then:
10 burpees with side shuffle*
*start in high plank ,shuffle hand to hand, feet to feet x 2, jump up, repeat

It would be great to hear about how you stayed in shape on holiday, where you worked out and what you did.  Take some pics of what you’ve done and send a recap ([email protected]).  Will compile and share out.

Food for Thought:  Summer eating and imbibing

Truth.  Pre-CrossFit I closed out many a summer in a tired weakened state from too much good cheer.   That holiday that takes you a week to recover from? Been there and it is not the greatest feeling.  I’ve changed my ways with some of these strategies:

1.       Set a summer nutrition goal. Mine, this summer, which I am already starting to regret just four days in, is to go candy-less.  I love candy but it is not helping me get ahead in the gym.  I have become too reliant on this treat for whatever reason I see fit.  Time for a challenge to break the habit.  Other options would be to drink 4 mugs of water a day throughout summer to increase your hydration or switch to decaf or give up booze (sorry!).

2.       Grill up.  Vegetables and lots of them.   Throw a foil package of vegetables on the grill and add them to your salads and anything else you eat.  If you aim to gobble up vegetables first at every meal you’ll consume fewer calories overall.   I’ve become a fan of adding a heap of greens to morning eggs.  Delicious.

3.       Make the most of seasonal berries as a treat over ice-cream, even a small scoop of ice-cream with some berries is a better choice than a large cone.

4.       Change your mindset, from one of deprivation to gain. This framework is especially important in summer when faced with two celebratory style months.   How much do you need to eat and drink just because it is summer?  If you can, avoid booze, full stop, or cut it with sparkling water.  My favourite summer drink used to be Black Cherry Cider and Club Soda.  Say no to all sugary alcoholic concoctions like Daiquiris. It used to be unimaginable to me that I could enjoy a summer’s night without a drink.  I loved sitting on patios sipping wine or drinking Margs, chatting away.  That was until I challenged myself to go a year without booze and found myself confronted with a summer to “get through.”  I learned a lot from that first booze free summer. Most importantly I felt I gained so much more than I “lost.”  There was no disrupted sleep or booze bloat to contend with, my head was clear in the morning and I was able to workout in the morning without fail.  I had more energy all around and was not a grump. It was great!  It’s true I didn’t have the moment on the patio at the end of the day and had to give up my beloved ciders but on balance the trade-off was worth it.  Like all things in life there are pros and cons.  What is more important to you? Focus on what you’ll gain, not what is lost.  Re-frame fun.  Choose wisely and keep your eye on your goals.

5.       Think ahead and don’t get caught off guard, forced to eat whatever, wherever.    Invest in a small cooler to tote with you full of whole foods and pack non-perishable snacks to ensure you always have a quick bite for when you are hungry but on the road. Try to avoid finding yourself having to make desperate food choices in a starved state.

Go forth!

July and August Athletics schedule

Athletics vacation break July 21st – July 31st. No classes during this time.  If you won’t be in the gym get after those WODS on the go.

Classes will restart August 2, 2019 with fresh programming.  Let’s finish out summer stronger than we started!

Athletics Feedback
I’m always working to improve this class and I’d love to hear your thoughts about programming, delivery, class size, times, or anything else you might wish to share. Talk to me in person or drop me a line.

[email protected] or text/phone 604-809-5805

Yours in summer fitness and health,

Shades