Breaking Spring Part 2

Family WOD

I don't know a lot of families that like to workout on vacation, but for as long as I can remember, wherever we go, we get a workout in, somehow. Part of it must be the mentality that our parents have always had... that exercise is not just a part of life, but a way to enjoy life, meet a challenge head on, and how much better to do it with people that make you laugh or encourage you to go further than you think you can! Even sweet baby Ellie came to the workout over spring break.

My dad is famous for his mantra of, "just one more light post." This is in reference to the light posts in our neighborhood of the house where we all grew up. Whenever we were trying to make a certain mile time, he was our pacer. Our mom is the one, however, being the methodical person she is, that tracked the exact distance. When I think about running, our neighborhood is what I picture first. Whenever I come home, it is always my goal to get a run or two in, and my sibs are easily my most fav people to run with! (Jack is waaaayy too fast!) Here's Lolly and I getting in a little couch stretch  after a three mile jog... to call it a run would be a bit of an exaggeration. 

So, anyway, back to the point... it stands to reason that working out was a big part of my spring break! Over the past year most of my family has started CrossFitting, thanks to Alli, who discovered it first. We all started at different times, for different reasons, with various goals in mind, but the common thread is that CrossFit has changed the way we think about working out, for the better! We still, individually and collectively, enjoy a myriad of other types of workouts. Mom does Pilate's, Dad spins, Sadie does Yoga, and we all still run "for one more light post." But there is nothing like doing a "WOD" (work out of the day) with my fam. While we were in Tulsa, The Open , a world wide CrossFit competition was in full swing. It was awesome to do 13.4 together!

When I first started crossfitting, Jack wondered what in the world I was talking about. He was totally lost when I started using acronyms like AMRAP, RFT, WOD, HSPUs, and so on... It didn't take long for him to decide to try it, get hooked and pretty quickly start throwing around the same terms. 

The intensity is a big part of the appeal. It's just a different kind of working out, a mentality switch, and certainly more obvious, measurable results. But I think, more importantly, CrossFit provides a new kind of community. When you do a workout that leaves you so spent that you wind up flat on your back next to someone who just did the same workout, both of you struggling to catch your breath, it forges a bond that's not easily broken. It seems like working that hard, giving more than you thought you had, next to someone who's doing the same thing, removes any pretenses... forming a community of people that experience the same thing, together. I've heard it called a community of awesome. And it is. I LOVE sharing this my family! 

Even though I live far from my family, twenty-one hours driving distance or four hours flying distance, I feel like CrossFit is something we can share. It keeps us close. I can call on the way to or from the box and we can talk about the WOD, how horrible it was and how crazy we are to keep going back for more. Getting to actually WOD together as CrossFit Jenks was so much fun! 

What is your favorite way to workout, and do you like to workout alone or with people? Anyone have a favorite run mix?

XO, The Attic