@FitnessHeroics.

Are you ok with average?

September 22, 2016 by @FitnessHeroics.

Mediocre- of only moderate quality; not very good. Most of the time you can link the word “average” to this. In our society, the word average means your doing alright. Your not going over and beyond but your also not drowning either. You are right down the middle. You blend nicely with the crowd and you fit into the norm. For some, this is perfectly ok, for me this is no ok and I choose to be better than average, and you should too.

Do not go where others already laid the pathway, choose to create your own journey and make a trail for others to follow. That is the pure sense of being a leader. Unfortunately, the bar for expectations in our society is very low. People do not want to go over what is expected but would rather sit at the bare minimum they can do. For instance, our lifestyles are growing in size, not just in materialistic things but also physically. Overweight and obesity start to become the new normal. So for people who strive for a healthier life ABOVE average that makes you look crazy.

When you start to do things against the average you are now placed on a box for judgement and ridicule by those who are not walking the path you choose.The insecurities you expose in others when your lifestyle is vastly different from the average population of society, this can provoke some ugly behavior.People can’t help but see your success as a threat to their own comfortable, mediocre existence. When you choose a lifestyle different than theirs in which they can’t fathom how you can do it, you now are victim of discouragement to the goals you choose.

I have fallen victim to this ugly behavior many times from others. Since I am “obsessed” with fitness, people discourage that behavior by asking me why I would want to look like a man, or that lifting weights is not feminine enough to be a woman. Funny thing is my life changed the day a picked up a dumbbell for the better. When you choose to make lifestyle habits for your goals, all the other distractions people throw out there don’t matter. Going out, drinking, eating foods that don’t contribute to my goals, are not in the picture. Some will never understand and that is ok.

When one goal is set another one is already in the works before I finish the first. This is progress. Why should you be ok with just getting by? Those who want it bad enough will be up before you getting after it. It’s a mindset you need to have in order to fuel your own desire to accomplish great things.

Ask yourself this, what is challenging you today? The average American lifestyle is boring. Work a 9-5, get home sit down and wish your life was better. Nope, not for me and it shouldn’t be for you either. Tired? No motivation? Sore? These are merely excuses to not step outside your comfort zone. Aren’t we all tired? Aren’t we all a little bit unmotivated at times? Is it easier to just roll over and hit snooze? Sure it is, but what you do after you identify an emotion is what will make or break your determination to be successful.

The best advice I can give is to compete against yourself. Free yourself from the useless, damaging web of comparisons to others’ expectations and live a life you are proud of. Pervasive mediocrity is the only thing standing in your way from going out to achieve great things.

Diet or Training? What is harder.

September 20, 2016 by @FitnessHeroics.

What is harder? Training or diet? Without even thinking twice, the most difficult aspect of health and fitness is the dreaded four letter word: DIET. Why is it so hard for people to grasp the concept of “dieting” and not starving themselves? Too many people fall into a yo-yo trap of starvation, binging, and regret. Well I have a HUGE tip for you, learn to practice that skill. What I mean is practice how to diet effectively. You don’t expect to get stronger at lifting if you don’t lift heavy do you? The same works for dieting. You have to practice in order to be successful long term.

How can you practice this skill? It’s actually pretty easy and simple to start doing and soon enough those will become habits.

-Choose the system of food timing that works for YOU. For me, eating 6 meals a day is just not going to happen. So I choose to eat 4 throughout the day. You might work better will small meals 6 times a day or even 3 big ones. Whatever you choose, stick to those times to eat and don’t stray. Get in good habit of eating at those times on a regular basis.

-Having a hard time with the sugar cravings? You might want to learn to cut out those foods for just 30 days. Your body will start to adapt to this switch and you can start feeding it quality foods to fill that void. If one month sounds a bit daunting, try doing it for a week !

-Learn self control. This might be the one that takes the MOST practice but you need it in times of desperation. We all have the one food that you can literally eat all of it if placed in front of you. For me it’s peanut butter. In order to learn how to not go crazy with the portions I learned to have self control when a craving hit. I learn to how I can mentally talk myself out of it and guess what the craving usually goes away !

Using the above tricks can come in handy when you are out and don’t have the best food options with you. You will have the power of your mind and self control to really knock out those cravings and start to transition to a healthier way of life!

Happy Birthday

September 15, 2016 by @FitnessHeroics.

We have a lot of birthday burpees !

Happy Birthday to:
-Nathaniel

-Tabitha

-Katherine

-Steph

-Josh

-Peter

Body Image, weight and perfectionism !

September 15, 2016 by @FitnessHeroics.

Body image, body weight, and the expectation to be perfect. If you started reading this are thought. WOW yes this is what I am concerned about you may want to keep reading. There is an odd pre-conceived notion that female bodies are meant to be small, fragile, and womanly. Ok that might be the case for a very small portion of the population but what about the rest of us, especially females who lift !

The main concept to understand as a female is that if you are a highly-trained athlete with a specialized lifestyle, the functions you perform will dictate the form that your body takes. There are many misconceptions about fitness, females and weight training. So many people I talk to want to be “lean” or my favorite “toned” but they don’t understand what is done to get there.

Here is the tricky part, your sport determines your shape/ size based on your goals. What are your goals? That is the million dollar question you need to ask yourself. For example, many people tell me they want to lose weight, look good and perform well. Not that you can’t do ALL those things but you have to start placing them in order of importance for yourself.

Below are some examples of sport and the designated outcome of participating in these sports.

-Olympic weightlifting and power lifting- Mass moves mass. This means if your interested in lifting heavier and getting PR’s on your weights, then you need to weigh more to move more. Not something a lot of women want to hear, but this comes down to your own personal goals.

-Bodybuilding/ Weight training- Isolation exercises to shape and mold the body. You need to have a slight caloric surplus to gain mass then reduce body fat by eating less and doing low intensity cardio to maintain size.

-CrossFit- Constantly varied in cardio and weight training. You need both concepts. This means you may not be as lean and muscular as a bodybuilder but you still need to maintain size to move weight.

In determining what your goals are you can then start to direct your training into that type of fitness. Do you have to do just one? NO! Do them all but be smart about it. Use your building / mass phase to lift heavy weights and gain strength, then take a few months to shred down for the summer. This is also preventative in keeping injuries low because you are training through multiple domains of fitness.

Like what you hear? Need a plan on how to get there? Message me for more details on training programs and plans to get you there !

New Introductory Rate and Foundations Class

September 14, 2016 by @FitnessHeroics.

We are introducing our new introductory rate. With the success of Groupon and selling out, we want to continue an offer for any new member joins. The first month of unlimited CrossFit will be $75 followed by our regular unlimited rates.

Alongside of our new introductory rate is our newest class: Foundations. Due to the influx of new members, we want to endure everyone is confident and comfortable with the 9 fundamental movements we do. For this reason we created Foundations. The second Wednesday (6:30 pm) and Saturday (8:00 am) of every month you have the opportunity to go back to the basics on form work with a coach.

Please share this with anyone you feel is interested in fitness

Your office job might be killing you!

September 13, 2016 by @FitnessHeroics.

Are you one of the many people in America who have an office job requiring you to sit for multiple hours on end? You might want to take a second to read this and consider the risks that your job has on your health !

We as humans are not meant to grind through our work mentally for hours on end. Nor are we meant to be sprinting, lifting and working out all day either. We can create a healthy work-life balance not only outside of work, but also during work.Knowing what strategies to take to make your life better and long lasting can be the key to a healthier lifestyle.

First let’start with your desk. A standing desk is necessary if you’re going to have a long-term career in an office. WHY ? A standing desk will increase blood flow throughout the body, help you avoid joint pain, lengthen the tendons and ligaments that are constantly flexed while sitting, and will create a psychological sense of freedom.

However if standing is NOT an option, here are some better ways to decrease your risk when sitting.

-Sit with a nice, tall posture, with your shoulders rolled back and down. Your chest should be pushed slightly outward and your feet should be flat on the floor. Your neck will be in line with the rest of your spine, not leaned forward. Your feet, legs, knees, and hips should all form 90-degree angles.

-Engage your muscles when sitting.You can flex your core, do calf raises and even clench your butt muscles. Sure you might feel silly but you are protecting your body from the damages of sitting all day. No matter what you do, always strive for some minimal movement while sitting.

Go outside !! Yes take a quick walk around the office on your lunch break, Go in the sunshine ! Every hour or two, take a 5-minute break to go outside to breathe fresh air, see actual sunlight, and get out of the office atmosphere.If other employees can take smoke breaks, you should be able to take nature breaks too.

Maybe on your lunch break do some form of meditation. It doesn’t matter where. Find a nice and quiet place to put your mind OFF and take 5 minutes to collect your thoughts. Your little getaway can be anywhere from a grassy median in the parking lot to an empty, unused conference room.

Get in some extra movement by taking the stairs. This is a small change that adds a lot of activity to your life over time. If you struggle at first, make it a challenge to see how far you can get without taking a break. Keep track each day and be proud of your improvements. Be a bathroom gypsy! Go to a different floor so you have to walk and get there !

It is more important than ever for companies to invest in their employees’ health by giving workers more freedom with small breaks intermittently throughout the day, and creating an environment that encourages personal well-being.

If you are more productive, more creative, constantly engaged while at work, and bringing in better results, there is really nothing your boss can complain about. Let your work speak for your actions. Hopefully your company will take notice and create an environment that invests in all of its employees.

reference: breaking muscle

@FitnessHeroics.

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