Belly and Boobs

Well, if that title doesn't grab your attention I don't know what else will.  The recount of Jillian's first day took me from laughter, to chills, to tears in a matter of 3 minutes.  I know you can all relate in some way shape or form to what Jillian was feeling.  And since I, her comfort zone, wasn't there to soften the blow she had to go way out on a limb.....

I am SO proud of Jillian...but just as much so, I am proud of our Community. I am proud to be a CrossFitter at CrossFit Michiana because of the people that walk through our doors each and every day.  I know who was in this first class with Jillian, but it doesn't matter what first class she would have walked into because this same treatment is gym wide. 

Thank you CrossFit Michiana athletes....I love each and every one of you as if you were my family...because you are, you're my CrossFit Family!!!  Let me know what you think after you read in Jillian's words:

Belly and Boobs

            I just finished my first week of regular CrossFit classes.  Wow. What a lot to process.  I have been on this journey for some time now, the journey of losing weight and getting healthier that is.  I have sorted through a lot of baggage. That being said, I certainly didn’t think I had arrived by any means. However, nothing could have prepared me for the plethora of emotions the first day I went to a regular class at the box.

            Early morning one day last week, after my usual not enough sleep due to nerves, I went to my first class. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had an idea, and I had hopes, but I really didn’t know for sure.  When I got there, everyone was so welcoming and Jim was the trainer leading the class.  It was my first time working with Jim and I was a little nervous because I was used to Carole, but I jumped right in. The warm up was pretty challenging, and again at the end of it I wondered why that wasn’t just the workout!  When it was time to start the workout Jim explained what it was; 10 deadlifts with a barbell and then a squat for strength, and then a 400 meter run. For those of you in the know, I think they called it a Bear.  Well, l was mortified. For any of you who are women and have dealt with weight issues and boobs, then you know what I will mean, the rest of you will just have to imagine.  The woman next to me pipes up and says that she is not going to run; she is going to do the rowing machine instead. Well, I thought that was because of her fitness level, so I quickly jumped in and told Jim that I too wanted to do the rowing machine instead of running! I mean, hey, my fitness level isn’t that great. So Jim asked me if there was some reason that I couldn’t run? There it was, the moment when time kinda stops. You know the moment when you can feel everything around you just suspends in time and it feels like all eyes are on you? Yeah, that moment.  Now, I don’t know Jim that well at all, but what I believe is that he is completely invested in helping people attain their goals and be the person that they were meant to be.  I think he cares for real. So, as he stood there asking his question and waiting for a response, a lot went through my mind. But the biggest thing was, “how could I tell this man that I hardly knew that the reason that I couldn’t run was because my boobs and belly would flap and bounce uncomfortably and ridiculously?!” In that pregnant silence, he then asked if I had sustained any injury that would prevent me from running?  I couldn’t do it! I just said no, I was fine. He looked at me and said that I would indeed start off running. So I did.

            The weight lifting and squatting was hard, but I did it. Then I set out to do the run. And it hurt. As I was jogging, if that’s what you call it, I crossed paths with the others in the class who were farther ahead of me. And that’s when the magic happened! That first person said, “Come on Jillian, you can do it!” Oh boy, that was it. The tears started flowing. I cried because it hurt. I cried because I didn’t know how I had let it get this bad. But mostly, I didn’t know why I cried. When I finished that first 400 meter part Jim was waiting and I went right back to the lifting/squatting part. I was waiting for him to say that I could row now, but he didn’t, so off I went to run again. The same encouragement followed with everyone encouraging me along the way!  With more tears, I really had to dig deep and finish that run. Back again I did the lifting/squatting and then Jim said I should row the last part which would be 500 meters. And it was hard too. I was really tired and by the end of it I didn’t know if I could do it, but I finished. As soon as I finished I burst into tears and had so many emotions that I just got out of there as quick as I could. What was going on?

            One of the things that I thought about was the trust factor. I remember when Jim was looking me in the eye and pushing me, I had the clear and distinct thought that in order to do this, I was going to have to trust him. That is hard for me. But, I decided that I would, and I did.  On a deeper level however, I knew that there was, and is, so much more. I have spent most of my adult life running from dealing with issues by eating; by numbing the pain. That morning in the gym, there was no food to hide behind. I had to do the work, and feel the pain, and trust someone. I think at the end of the experience when I knew that the choice to trust had been good, that Jim and everyone else was right, that I could do it, I was overcome by emotion. 

            So, if you were there that first day and are reading this now, I really want to thank you for what you did for me that day. I didn’t mean to run out of there so fast, I just had to.  It was  really a pretty big day for me and you helped make it possible! You know who you are.  In reality, it’s just a baby step. I have a long way to go. But to me, it feels kinda giant. It feels like a great big glorious giant step in the right direction!

PREPARATION!! Not the kind with the H!

Do you ever have one of those moments where you look back and think...wow - this isn't so bad after all? I am just coming up to the finish of week 1 of the Lurong Paleo Challenge.  This is a 9 week very strict challenge that involves eating very clean Paleo and then taking into account that we are working out as well. 

I have to say that this weekend proved to be an awesome weekend and it was all because I was prepared.

Back up to last weekend.  Last weekend I had 5 Starbucks in 2 days.  I had 3 grande americano's with heavy whipping cream and 2 grande chai latte's - in other words milk and SUGAR!!  On top of consuming way too much dairy and sugar I also started preparing for the challenge that lay ahead of me...because at 12:01 am on Monday September 17th...it was  3, 2, 1, GO!!

I bought and chopped cucumbers, peppers, carrots, and celery.  I made frozen treats out of bananas, strawberries, and coconut milk - blended and stored them in the freezer.  I made trips to DC Meats, Meijer, Walmart and Target for groceries reading label after label after label.  On Sunday I prepared my juice of kale, spinach, cucumbers, celery, peppers, apples, and an orange.  I cut peppers and onions and froze them for quick fajitas. I hard boiled 1 dozen eggs for any protein emergencies I might be faced with.  I even cleaned my house and did all the laundry.  Washed, dried, and put away.  There is something about total organization that leaves you with a nice calm feeling.

So Monday arrives and  along with this challenge I am finally back to wodding at the gym.  It's a fresh new "RE-START" for me and I'm super excited.  Now, it's time to change a few habits.  I ALWAYS leave the gym and drive straight to Starbucks for my americano with heavy whipping cream, instead of taking a right onto CR6 early Monday morning I made sure to turn left and go straight home.  I did not enter any establishment that resembled bucks for 3 days....where I changed a habit...so easily I had an americano with a splash of cinnamon. 

The week went well and Friday arrives.  Normally Friday's we take the easy route and get carry out of some sort.  Back to preparation, I made sure to start my chicken breasts early because I knew I would be gone from 5-7 taking Brooke to Bill's.  I cooked my chicken breasts in a crock pot and they were nice and ready to be added to my bag of peppers and onions when I got home.  From the time I walked in the house until I had a spinach fajita salad sitting on the kitchen table was under 20 minutes.  Topped that baby with some salsa and avocado and it was more yummy than take out.

An exciting outcome from the chicken breast - I asked Angela how she made her homemade chicken broth. So I took the bones, juice, and skin from the chicken that I had cooked in the crock pot for our Friday night dinner and added  filtered water.  Put the crockpot on low and left it sit there for 2 full days and strained out all the bones and skin and I have now got an entire bowl of homemade chicken broth.  Now, that's what I call using the whole chicken.  No added sodium and I know where my chickens came from!! 

Alvin was pretty excited about this too, I make his dog food and instead of water I added my new homemade chicken concoction...he lapped up his food so fast and licked his chops!  It was awesome to see that someone appreciated my efforts!

This weekend proved to be more of the same.  The more prepared I was the better it got.

I found out that when the food is on, it's all on. 

Jim and I celebrating our 1 yr Anniversary - I love this man SO much!

Laundry done and house cleaned before our party on Saturday.  After consulting with my 2 Lurong friends we had a nice selection of everything we could eat.  Ended up having a party and not consuming 1 oz of alcohol or 1 bite of sugar.

Pulled pork with a smoky spice blend that I cooked in my crockpot all day, I made chicken legs that I topped with coconut oil, lemon, and pepper, Jon made his chicken wings and even left out the butter and the beer so we could eat them - I cut up veggies and mixed salsa with an avocado for dipping.  Holly cut up fruit and made a faux carmel dip out of dates, coconut milk, and cinnamon.  We laughed and joked and had fun while eating GOOD FOOD!

Cathy made us dessert of nutty protein balls that were TO DIE FOR!!

Today, Jim and I stopped at Meijer's after church and picked up some canned goodies that we can keep in stock.  Tomato puree, tomato paste, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and many others.  When we got home Jim made a big pot of Paleo Chili while I researched a recipe for biscuits with NO SUGAR!!  I ended up making biscuits that used sweet potato as my sweetener and they were so delicious.  Spicy chili with sweet potato biscuits. What more could a girl ask for here?!?!?

It's now Sunday evening and at our house we call this day ICE CREAM SUNDAY!!  Yeah, I know tradition is great for your kids.. it's transition day in our house, our kids are either leaving or coming home so to ease transition day we claimed it ICE CREAM SUNDAY instead!! 

I hear Jim secretly asking Brooke what she'd like from Dairy Queen, I know they are trying to protect me.  So, I come up with a plan.  I'm just going to make my own ice cream.  A little research and 10 minutes later I am making Coconut Colada Ice Cream.....in my ice cream maker.  No sugar, no dairy.  Fits the requirements of the challenge and I'm still celebrating ice cream Sunday with my family. 

Week 1 down and 8 to go.  I'm excited to see what I learn along this journey.  It's nice to try new things and move along in my journey of health. 

I'm starting to think like my mother!!!

Jillian had tons of homework to do so we won't be posting about her until Monday mornings from now on.  But that's ok because I have a little something to say about my first week back at CrossFit .  I hate to say this but I think I am starting to think like MY MOTHER!!  And, I'm hoping if I confess this to the world someone will slap me really hard.

Do you remember being little and your dad was willing to let you try anything just to see if you could do it.  And then you had your mom in the background saying "you better not do that, someone's gonna get hurt!" Of course, you did it anyway and most of the time everything was fine.  If you did get hurt you ran to mom and she kissed it better or put a band-aid on it and you went about your merry way.

Well, last Monday officially my first day back at CFM after 3 weeks off totally and an entire summer blended with injury and modifications.  So, here I was released to GO FOR IT!!  I was so excited that I didn't sleep at all on Sunday night...my head was filled with dreams of working out and finally being back to normal.  I did everything on Monday with no modifications to the exercises except for the amount of weight I was lifting.  So, if it said run, I ran.  If it said jump, I jumped. 

BUT, (I hate that word) BUT, there was a slight difference in Carole Ann Turnbo on that day.  I had absolutely NO confidence.  I was my mom's voice in my head saying to myself "you better not do that, you're gonna get hurt!" 

UGH!!  I was screaming inside my head.  It was like the Angel and the Devil you see in those cartoons.  Angel "Carole, jump on the box!" Devil, "You're gonna get hurt!" Angel "Just do it!" Devil "You'll pay for this later!" Angel "Carole, Jump now!"  Carole...."shut up Devil, I've got this!" 

This would essentially happen EVERY DANG time I tried to jump on a mere 20" box.  Over and over again...every little pang I felt I would envision being laid up for months and had to talk myself into moving forward.

The mind is such a mighty little thing.  You ever watch someone trying to get their first box jump?  The toughest part of the entire process is letting your mind decide that you can do it.  Once you have cleared those doubts and suspicions that are lurking behind your eyes...your freaking invincible.

I once was invincible...and I want that back.  I want the confidence back that I once held that kept my chest tall and proud.  I know it's just a matter of mind over matter....and I know with every box jump, every lunge, every different exercise that provokes the Devil to speak to me and for me to push him back and do it anyway I will soon be the once confident CrossFitter I was.

Pride is such a crazy thing.  I want my daddy to be proud, I want him to know that even though I might get hurt (and this could go in many directions, mentally - emotionally - spiritually - and physically) that I am willing to take that step.  I am willing to push through the mental barriers that hold many of us back to be BETTER.  

Better at what you say.....Everything!
 

Ready or not, here I come!!

So Monday morning September 17 marked the start of a 9 week on-line Paleo Challenge.  This challenge intrigued me for a couple of reasons.  One, I was able to compete against the world - which is honestly why I LOVE the CrossFit Games Open and two, I knew this would help me refocus on my food and workouts since I was coming off of an injury time out.

It's been a pretty awesome start to the challenge.  I am trying to use this 9 week period to refocus on me.  On keeping my food at it's best.  I was to the point where I was adding dabbles of dairy here and there.  I would have heavy whipping cream in my Americano.  I would add a sprinkle of cheese to my eggs or taco salad or maybe a slice of cheese to my burger.  If I wasn't prepared with food I would have cottage cheese as a snack.  These little things add up after awhile and I can always tell when I am eating more than my fair share of dairy because my belly "pooch" comes back.  I'm not usually a "grain" cheater so that isn't a bother but I do like sugar and my Chai's were making appearances more and more frequently. 

Of course we all know that Monday was my first day back in the gym.  So refocusing on my workouts is huge as well.  It's been since May that I have run, jumped, or did any type of dynamic lift and it's been 3 weeks since I have worked out at all.  Starting the week out with Randy - which happens to be one of my favorite workouts - and having to modify with a lighter weight was a little disheartening.  But I have talked to myself about this several times and I can't come back expecting to lift what I was lifting several months ago.  I want to be healthy, I want to get stronger, I want to be safe - so I HAVE TO BE CAREFUL!!! but not so careful that I am wimping out!!  There is a fine line there:)

Excited to be taking a step in the right direction.  Taking time off for my injury was hard for me and there were several workouts in the past three weeks that I wanted to do...but there is no use looking behind me when I have a world full of workouts waiting for me.  I have a competition to get ready for in October where I actually get to compete with women in my own age category.  Excited for things to come.  

Ready or not, here I come!!!

Jillian is done with essentials.....

Today I am following up on Jillian, she has made it through her essentials classes and I believe as I sit here typing this Friday morning that Jillian is attending her first "real CrossFit class" with Jim!

Let me just start with this, we have had MANY laughs in our three essentials classes.  The thing I like most about Jillian is her ability to laugh at herself.  Some of us could use a little more of that.  It's great to know that you're not perfect...but as long as you give it a good shot you can work towards being better.  Isn't that why we're all here?  To be better?

After reading Jillian's blog you will probably see many similarities to your first week at CrossFit.  I know I did.  In fact, I tried to call Jim and get out of my very first day of bootcamp, of course he didn't let me, and I wouldn't have let Jillian either.  

My favorite part of Jillian's story is how she had to walk down the stairs at school because she couldn't find the elevator.  We all know that going DOWN stairs is the absolute worst when you have a good squat workout.  Imagine your first day of doing squats and running around Goshen College as a 43 year old (so you're already behind the 8 ball) and you have to tell some 18 year old to go around you because you are walking down the stairs SIDEWAYS!!!  LOL What do you think that boy was thinking?  

WHO CARES - Jillian is an ATHLETE!!  You wait and see 18 year old boy...she'll be running laps around you in NO TIME!!

In Jillian's words:

Who Knew 20 Minutes Could Do That?

I am at the end of my first week of CrossFit!  My first day of training was actually on my first day of nursing school. Start the year with a bang, right?  I mean, I need to do this.  So, I jumped right in. I was really nervous and excited.  I find that as I get older I have more trouble sleeping at night if there is a lot going on.  So, as you could imagine, the night before my first day of school and CrossFit, I didn’t get very much sleep.  Three minutes before the alarm rang however, my eyes flew open.  With some black coffee and my new exercise outfit (that I was hoping didn’t make me look like an idiot) off to the box I went.  Carole was really encouraging and after assuring me that my outfit did not make me look foolish, we began.  The training was great.  All the moves are modifiable, so in other words, I started off at what I really could do and will build from there.  I found that although it was hard, I was able to do everything that Carole showed me!  I think I even surprised myself a few times.  After some training, Carole set me up with a 20 minute workout where I would utilize all the movements that she had just showed me.  At first I was surprised; I thought we had just had the workout!  But, I agreed and the timer started.  I am learning, so I really don’t know if there is a 20 minute timed high intensity workout everywhere, or if that is how we do it here, but I have done enough reading to know that the quick, high intensity component is one of the wonders of CrossFit.  I had a list to work through and once I was done the workout was finished. I did it! In about 10 minutes I was done. Carole congratulated me, warned me I’d be sore, especially my lower body, and sent me on my way.    

I was pretty proud of myself. You know how after a really good workout, you feel kinda rubbery and shaky, but after a couple of hours that goes away?  Well, off to my first day of classes I went, and was I rubbery and shaky! And it never really went away. That was okay. By the end of the day I was starting to get sore and I was relieved to hit the pillow by nights end.  Okay, you know that moment when you are just starting to come to consciousness, but you really aren’t awake yet, and sometimes a thought drifts through your mind? Yeah, well the thought that I awoke to was, “Oh my gosh, how could 20 minutes have done this?!”  I can honestly say I have never felt anything quite like the pain I felt in MY THIGHS! I texted Carole immediately and told her that I could barely move, OUCH!!  She responded just as quickly and told me that I could, eat well, take fish oil, and NO ibuprofen.  What?  Well, into my day I headed and off to school I went. Or should I say hobbled. I really can’t describe the feeling in my legs. The whole day I moved at a turtles pace. The highlight of my day was when I couldn’t find the elevator in one building so I had to go down the stairs. Holding onto the railing, turned sidewise so as to bend my legs as little as possible, there I was navigating the stairs. Of course, some 18 year old guy came down behind me, and I had to tell him to go around!  Wow.  Let’s just say it was a long day! By that evening when I realized that in a few hours I would have to go do CrossFit again, I started to panic. I thought about calling Carole and telling her I was sick with a fever (which I really was sick with a head cold probably brought on by my lack of sleep). But, I just couldn’t do it. I made a commitment to myself! I was going to do it! 

The next morning Carole knew exactly how I felt (along with many other CrossFitters) and the workout was planned accordingly. I was scared. When Carole asked me to trust her, I decided that I would.  And I made it. I finished the week with another training session and now I am ready to hit the box with the rest of the class. 

It has been a week filled with fears and triumphs. And a week of firsts.  I have a long way to go, but I am excited about what I am accomplishing. I am seeing changes in my body. Last night I took my son to see a play at Notre Dame University. We walked for at least 20 minutes from the car to the theatre. The campus is huge. A year ago I would have dreaded that walk. That walk would have hurt. But, as I walked beside my son last night, I realized that the walk felt good. I had an energy and vitality that I haven’t felt in a long time. I still got tired, and my back still hurt a little, but I had a glimpse.  A glimpse of what I will feel like in the future if I continue my journey towards health and healing.  So, at the risk of those bad thigh aches again, or falling down during a move, or whatever else CrossFit has in store for me, I am going to continue!    

 

Introducing... Jillian DeMoya

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to Dr. Angela's Paleo Dinner at Lucchese's (thanks Josh for coaching).  

While we were eating a woman came up to Jim and I and introduced herself.  Her name was Jillian and the excitement of what she was saying literally brought tears to my eyes.  You see when Jillian introduced herself she said "Hi, I'm Jillian and I know everything about you!"  "I have stalked your website and read every word!"  " I knew when I looked over at your table that you were the CrossFit people!"  At this point Jillian started crying, she said "please excuse me for crying but I feel like I have finally been led to you!"  She proceeded to tell us how she had a weight problem and like everyone else considering CrossFit that she couldn't wait TO GET IN SHAPE for CrossFit!

Wait, What did she say?  Get in shape for CrossFit.  What the heck does that mean?

So, I told Jillian to write down her name and contact information and that I would meet with her next week and show her that CrossFit was for everyone.  No matter what stage they are in there is no "getting ready for CrossFit!"  

We met last Thursday 1 week after the Paleo dinner.  Jillian intrigued me because she, like many people I have met along this journey, had the same fears and issues we all face when it's time for change.  

Today, I would like to introduce to all of you Jillian De Moya.  Jillian has agreed to go on a journey with CrossFit and for the first time ever we are going to follow her journey.  We are going to do a weekly blog on Jillian.  Jillian has agreed to be brutally honest with all of you about her fears, hers dreams, her successes in and out of the gym, her trials and tribulations on what it takes to be a full time student, a single mom of 4, a CrossFitter; pretty much a normal woman walking through life, having to make adjustments in her schedule and her life to be who she wants to be.  

Here are words from Jillian:

    My name is Jillian De Moya and I am on a journey. I am on a journey towards health and healing in my life. I want to take a moment and tell you about how far I have come. I gladly do this, hoping that as I reflect upon the progress I’ve made, I will find the courage for the next leg of my journey. 

   
    I grew up on a family farm in the seventies and we grew all of our own vegetables and beef. My mother worked very hard to put up what my father grew in the garden and we ate year round from the bounty. But we also drank Tang and my mother readily bought every new product that came on the market. Those were exciting years as our country exploded with the era of convenience foods.  Little was really known about how they came to be on our tables and in our TV trays! There were other issues surrounding food in our house as my mother struggled throughout her life with obesity and poor health. So, by the time I was a late teenager I had some pretty serious food addictions and unhealthy eating behaviors.

 
    In my young twenties I married and had four beautiful children who are the light of my life. My marriage, however, proved to be an extremely unhealthy environment for me. I struggled with an eight year long depression that with much perseverance I was able to overcome.  Three years ago I realized peace for the first time in my adult life when my husband left our marriage.  I knew that I had to continue my journey towards being a healthy person in every way.

 
    Today I am a full time nursing student and raising my children. It is very demanding, but I wouldn’t change a thing! Almost two years ago I knew it was time to tackle my biggest hurdle yet; my weight. Talk about looking at a mountain you know you can’t climb!  Shaking that thought, I started with all of the determination I could muster. I had read for quite some time about Paleo eating and loved Dallas and Melissa Hartwig’s website. So, in January of 2011 I did my first Whole30. Within 3 weeks knee pain that I had been dealing with for at least 6-7 years disappeared. I felt SO much better! For the next year I slowly lost and learned about what foods affect my body and mind. When I was accepted into nursing school this spring I knew that the time had really come for me to finish this and be the person that I should be! 

 
    I had been reading about CrossFit for the last two years and I had quite a number of friends in other cities that were seeing great results CrossFitting and loving it! But, boy the pictures looked scary! All the people looked like how I wanted to look, but I felt like there was no way I could do the things I saw in my shape.  I read and reread everything I could on CrossFit Michiana’s website, and dreamed about the day when I would be in good enough shape to CrossFit! Then, three weeks ago I was told by a friend who started at another CrossFit gym that anyone can do CrossFit, that all of the exercises were modifiable for any fitness level. She also told me about how caring the community is, and how everyone pulls together to help their fellow cross fitters reach their goals. I also saw two more references of Facebook that same week about the fact that there is no getting ready for CrossFit, you just DO IT! On Thursday of that week I found myself attending a Paleo dinner with my friend and guess who was seated at the next table? The owners of CrossFit Michiana! I couldn’t believe it. I got up the courage and went to meet them. I told them about my dream to do CrossFit and my desire to improve my health. The next week Carole Turnbo and I sat down together and I told her my story and my hope of doing CrossFit at CrossFit Michiana. 

 
    So, here’s the deal. I am starting this week! I am excited! And afraid! I am a 43 year old woman who knows that this journey is not done! I have come a long way, but I have a long way to go. My goal is to be a nurse, and then a certified nurse midwife and I want to be able to educate people about good health and nutrition. I want to be able to tell people they can do it, and believe it, because I did it!  My dreams are big and I need to be in great health to accomplish what I know I am supposed to do. Along the way I want to share with you my experiences. The good, the bad, and the ugly! With Carole’s help, and the community at CrossFit Michiana, I know I can reach my goals. If in sharing my story anyone is helped, then I want to do that. Okay, here we go. Let's make a deal; if you promise not to laugh, I promise to tell the truth!

Welcome to the "family" Jillian!  

Injury's suck.

As you can see the title of my post has to do with injury's.  Injury's that take you "out of the game!" 

Deciding when you should get these injuries taken care of, how you should get these injuries taken care of and why you should get these injuries taken care of are all a matter of, well THE INJURY.

I myself have been "blessed" with two injuries now in my CrossFit Career.  I say blessed because in hind site the injuries have taught me some things about my body that I would not have known had they never happened. 

I started CrossFitting in July of 2008 and in January of 2010 I tore my rotator cuff in my left shoulder.  Now, the injury occurred after a brutal snatch/pushup workout combo.  But, I will not say that the workout caused my injury.  My shoulder had been "acting up" - in other words giving me signals that it wasn't happy.  The last workout I did that "sealed the deal!" just happened to be the snatch/pushup combo.  But the problem started when my shoulder was sending me signals and I refused to listen.

My second and most recent incident happened in January of 2012.  This one was an injury due to an error in my lifting.  There was no indication here that I was in pain and as I was training for a competition in Indianapolis later that month I twisted my left hip doing a 1 legged dead lift. 

So, here I have two different incidents of injury and in both cases I sought out the same type of care.  Chiropractic. 

Many people ask me why I sought Chiropractic care for my injuries and my answer is this.  There is no medical or technical reason that I sought out Chiropractic care for my injuries the main reason I chose Chiropractic care over surgery is quite honestly I am afraid of hospitals.  That's it people.  Now, in looking back..I have many "medical" reason that I can provide you....but in all honesty it was just a no brainer for me.  I don't like hospitals and I will go at all cost to never be in one.

This could coincide with my first injury happening 2 days before I lost my brother to cancer and my last recollection of him was being in a hospital bed and hooked to machines.  The beeping of the machines continued to haunt my dreams for many many months.  I like to think everything happens for a reason, my brother saved me from "going under the knife" even in my most desperate moments.

Shoulder injury:  January of 2010

I had already been seeing a Chiropractor for spinal adjustments since August of 2009.  So I mentioned to my chiropractor that I may have done something to my shoulder.  For the next year and a half I would see my doctor for ultrasound on my shoulder, shoulder adjustments and therapy.  I hired a medical massage therapist that worked on my shoulder every week. 

At many points in this journey I was desperate to get back to my "real" training at the gym.  I wanted so bad to do a pushup or a snatch without any pain.  There were many workouts that ended in tears not because it hurt to do the workout but because I was mentally defeated.  But, I knew my limits and I knew that in time and given the proper tools my body would heal. 

By July of 2011 I was back to my regular training regimen.   My strength started increasing and I could tell my body had healed from the injury.  I learned that I should not work through the injury.  I never took time off at the gym, I simply changed my workouts to take time off for the injury.  I also learned what caused my injury in the first place and fixed my errors in the gym along the way.

Fast forward a few months:

Hip injury:  January 2012

I was training hard for the Indy Competition.  My shoulder was finally letting me WOD like normal and I was feeling awesome.  My PR's were coming back.  My lifts were getting bigger.  I was moving and grooving.  One week before the Indy comp on a Saturday I was doing a 1 legged dead lift and twisted my left hip. 

The very first thing I did was RUN to the Chiropractor....ok maybe I just drove really fast!

We worked on massage and adjustments.  I felt "good enough" to compete.  I would continue to struggle with the hip - every time my hip would feel "funky" I would just pass it as not being totally healed but never giving it the time or ability to heal.  I did another competition in April and was adjusted there by a different chiropractor with different techniques.  He took care of me for that day and I was able to excel in the competition.  Finally in May of 2012 after ignoring many of the signals that my body was sending me that I might need to "GET SOMETHING DONE!"  my body said that's it you're out.  At that point my body made the pain in my hip, which now traveled down my leg and into my foot so severe that I had to take a step back and reevaluate the situation. 

I sought out Chiropractic care from a different avenue and have been under this care for my hip, leg and foot since that dreadful day in May.  I have had adjustments, massages, ultrasounds and anything you can imagine done to my hip, leg and foot.

In doing so, I have had to take time off of any lower body exercises at the gym. Once again, I didn't have to  quit working out, I just had to adjust my workouts to accommodate my injury. 

 

So, my VERY long winded point here is this.....how do you you know when you need to do something about an injury. 

First of all you need to make sure that you know the difference between muscle soreness and muscle pain.  Are you just sore from a workout?  Or are there other factors involved here.  One of the most common ways I determine this is if I feel the same on "both sides" of the body.  For instance, are both my shoulders "sore" or is my left shoulder sore and my right is just fine.  Usually if you are sore from a workout, you are equally sore on both sides. 

Do you have a nagging pain that just won't go away?  Is the pain strong enough that it interferes with everyday functions of life? 

If it is, you probably need to get it checked out.

We also need to get down to the gut of the problem.  Are you having the same issue every time you do cleans for instance?  If so, let's take a look at your clean and see what could be causing this pain.  Sometimes the pain can be fixed if your form were perfected on certain moves or lifts. 

I truly believe in Chiropractic care.  I didn't originally seek out Chiropractic care because of my injury - I was already seeing a Chiropractor when I got hurt.  I believe that the body is an amazing healer on it's own.  If given all the right tools - diet, exercise and regular chiropractic care it will take care of itself. 

Don't fear that if you are injured you won't ever be able to WOD again.  You can WOD it just might be a little different than what everyone else is doing...but in reality why are you here?  You're here to be healthy right?  And is being healthy walking around wounded? CrossFitters are a little crazy like that....

Trust me.  I know exactly what I'm talking about here!