Blog Intro

So today is day one of my Crossfit gyms 30 Day Better Body Challenge. The idea is simple, sign up, get body fat measured and weighed, do 2 benchmark work-outs, throw in $5 and have pictures taken. In 30 days measure your weight and body fat and do the same 2 workouts comparing the times. A winner is selected in both male and female categories and there was a laundry list of cool prizes and cash.

I was not all that interested in participating when they first announced it a few weeks ago, mainly because I hate having my shirt off (note: I did not have pictures taken), chubby kid syndrome. Either way I was at the gym on the day of sign up and Coach Dan asked me if I was doing it and when I said no, he just kind of looked at me like "Come on man" and said "Why, don't you want to know your body fat?" So I signed up and to be honest, I am kind of glad I did now because it will give me 30 days to really see what's possible.

The other drive in me is the fact that I have been vegetarian (no meat, fish or eggs) since 1986 and if anyone knows about Crossfit, you know that it's a very meat eating heavy atmosphere. Now, it's not that my gym or coaches don't support my diet choice (I assume most don't even know) but they've made it pretty clear they don't necessarily agree with it. I love all 4 of the coaches, I am sure if I needed help with anything, in the gym or outside, they would help me so I don't feel the least bit pressured because of it. I understand they just want what they believe to be the best for me, but they understand being vegetarian is just who I am.

This blog is a last minute thought, on the way home this morning from doing the 2 benchmark workouts I was thinking about a blog I followed a few months back of a guy in Allentown, PA that was doing a similar thing. And I checked it every few days just to see how he was progressing. No idea who the guy was, just somehow stumbled onto his blog and really enjoyed following it. I thought maybe my doing a similar challenge and keeping a blog about it would keep me dedicated to really following the program for the 30 days. My attempt is going to try and update the blog with what I am eating and what the workouts will be. It won't be this long winded as this post.

I turned 41 a little over 2 weeks ago and I've been doing Crossfit since April of 2011. I've never been an athlete, never really been in shape, I am probably the lightest weight I've been since I graduated high school in 1988 right now. I didn't play sports as a kid except some BMX and Skateboarding. I was way more into going to punk shows to really worry about school or sports. Over the past 15 years I've mountain biked and done some running but I was never really that great at either one. I've screwed around here and there with weights at the local gym but never really got into it before coming to the Crossfit gym in April. A buddy of mine was doing Crossfit in Southern California about 4 years ago and I thought he was insane when he'd send me the workouts. When I heard there was a Crossfit open near me I was kind of excited to check it out, in search for something new.

I went for the free test class at 717 Crossfit and I fucking loved it. Coaches Dan and Hobbit were there that night, we lifted weights, ran around the block a few times, climbed an 18 foot rope, lifted more weights and did these crazy ass things called burpees. My legs were so sore the next 3 days I had trouble walking and getting off the toilet. I signed up right away. Been doing it pretty consistently ever since and I've seen the amount of weight I can lift go up over that time period.

The community at CF717 is awesome, the people are friendly, everyone is there to offer support or encouragement when you are struggling thru a WOD (workout of the day). It was not something I was expecting and I was worried that I would not really mesh well with the people there, I was totally wrong. I think I will have some great friends out of this and if anyone there needed to get rid of a dead hooker, I'd help them.