What Does Fitness Mean To You?

Lately I have been kind of inconsistent with my training.  I have been so busy getting ready to open a new business and studying for school, that I have not been putting in the disciplined time that I generally do for training.  I figured that I can slack here and there, and pick it back up in a few weeks.  Don't get me wrong, I train at least 3-5 times a week, but I have not been that focused in the area of fitness the way I usually am.  I have been very moody lately and not feeling like myself.  I have been neglecting fitness, putting it on the back burner thinking it is not a priority.  But I was reminded what fitness means to me this morning and why it is a necessity in my life.  Here, let me share.

My morning actually started off decent, being that I didn't hit the snooze button and woke-up on time.  I had my typical 4 egg, avocado, and salsa breakfast followed with berries and a large glass of water.  On my way in to train my class, I stopped at Starbucks to get my usual, Venti Americano.  My morning coaching session went well and I was feeling great.  Everything was going good, until it wasn't.

Immediately after the session was over, my stomach started to hurt...BAD.  I knew I needed to get home, ASAP!  Before I could leave I needed to clean up the area, and I was walking around not really paying attention to anything as I was in a hurry to leave, and BAM!  I managed to run my head into a door.  Very HARD.  Boy oh boy did my head take a ding!  I immediately took a seat on the floor and started to wonder if I had a concussion.  I then rationalized that if indeed I had been concussed that I wouldn't be asking myself if I had a concussion, so I got up and scurried out the door.  Once I pulled up to the drive way I ran in the house to appease my stomach situation.  I won't get into much detail about what happened next, but I want to inform you in case you need a plunger, Rite Aid, Giant, and Rutters DO NOT carry them!  Thank God for Drain-O!  You would think that I would catch a break at this point, but nope.  I needed to mail something off, yesterday (yes, I specialize in procrastination), and couldn't find a stamp.  Basically my whole morning was a bust, and I got nothing done that I intended to do in preparation for the opening of True Circle Strength and my school work.  After all of that, the frustration started to get to me and all I could think about was EXERCISE.  I needed to workout, and I needed to do it soon! 

I drove back to the gym, and hopped on the Airdyne and did an interval for 20 minutes of :30 all out work :30 slow pace.  I then grabbed a jump rope and did another interval for 10 minutes.  I still was not satisfied.  I then ran 3 miles with no music, and finally, finally...my mind was at peace.  I was about halfway through my run and I began to laugh at myself and enjoy the moment.  It was at that moment I was reminded what fitness means to me. 

Aside from my pursuit to be stronger, faster, better and far off from wanting to look good naked, the origin of my fitness journey is spiritual.  Fitness fills a space in my mind, body, and soul that nothing else can.  It is not tangible.  It is a feeling that I get when I workout that relaxes me, even in the pain.  I remember as a young girl, if I was having a bad day or going through stress, I would grab my basketball and play until the hurt went away.  That is what fitness does for me.  It is my escape.  It is my release.  It is my therapy.  I need it just like I need air to breathe.  I don't particularly need it to be strong physically, though I do like a nice, heavy squat.  No.  I need it because it has helped me out of dark holes of despair.  Exercise was always there for me when no one else was.  It is a physical prayer that has helped me discover, me.  Fitness is spiritual for me.  When it comes to fitness, I am not really chasing PR's (though those are satisfying) or performance gains.  When it come to fitness, I am chasing personal gains mind, then body. 

What does fitness mean to you?  How has it shaped your life?  Have you ever thought about that before?

MissFit of the Month, Tiana Johnson

MissFit- Tiana Johnson    
Sport- Olympic Weightlifting
Age- 32
Location- Langhome, PA

 

About 2 weeks ago, I just finished up a squat session at McKenna’s Gym, and I was feeling pretty bad ass.  I managed to squat my max weight six-times, and was on cloud nine.   As I'm coming off my high horse, Tiana comes in and begins her session.  If you are an Olympic weightlifter and you haven’t heard her name before, you should start to watch out for her.  If you aren't a weight lifter and haven't heard her name before you should watch out for her.   

At this point, I hear her coach, Mike McKenna, tell her, “you’re doing snatches today and working off of 85kg today” and she calmly responded with “okay.”  I’m still learning the metric system, and I quickly did the math.  For those of you who don’t speak in kilograms, that is 187 pounds!  I thought to myself, “that is sick!  I’ve got to see this.”  As I sat there, I watched Tiana snatch 72kg not once but THREE times!  Again, let me do the math for you.  If you multiply 72 by 2.2 and you will get 158.4 pounds.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen Tiana snatched my bodyweight for multiple repetitions.  Here’s the kicker, that isn’t even her max!  I was immediately inspired and thought to myself, “that was awesome!  No, no, that was bad ass.  I must learn more about her.” 

Days later, I reached out to Tiana to see if she would be interested to answer some questions for the readers of The MissFit Movement blog.  She soon responded back and was happy to do so.  If you have any doubts about whether you should  continue reading about Tiana, you should watch this video taken at McKenna's Gym:   https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200977915187384.

If that doesn't inspire you, you might not be human!  Now that I have your attention, you should probably proceed.

Can you fill us in on your background? 

Tiana:  I grew up in a single parent home I have a younger sister and two older brothers who were just absolute badasses in sport.  I wanted nothing more than to be just like them.  I figured we all grew up in the same house with the same mother why wouldn't I be able to do the same things they did.  They were incredibly encouraging and to this day remain my biggest supporters.  I was very active as a kid.  I was also always the big kid.  Back then I thought I was fat, (I may have been big boned) but turns out I was perfectly healthy as a kid just bigger and stronger than all the others.  I had a very old school upbringing.  I grew up in a house with a single mother, we spent our days outside playing freeze tag and hide and seek, racing each other down the street for bragging rights and having to be on the porch when the street lights came on.

Did you play competitive sports growing up?

Tiana:  I played everything in grade school.  Basketball, Softball, Soccer, field hockey, I ran track, but in 10th grade (along with track) I focused on Cheerleading.  My position in cheerleading was the main base, they call this position the "powerhouse" as the main base is lifting/holding about 80-90% of the flyers weight.  Looking back on it now its interesting how similar Cheerleading and Olympic Lifting are.

I don't have much competitive background outside of the competitions and meets I had in high school and college, but once I left school I was really drawn to individual sports, I participated in triathlons for a good 3 years and I did a lot of rock climbing and swimming neither competitive.

How did you find Olympic Weightlifting?

Tiana:  In 2012 I joined a CrossFit gym in Phoenixville.  I had my daughter in 2008 and had struggled with losing weight and being active again. I had spent the beginning of 2012 at LA Fitness walking on a treadmill and taking Zumba classes with my sister in law that were more comical than helpful.  I tried all the fads spinning classes, hot yoga, boot camp, kick boxing you name it I tried and I hated all of it.  I had reached the highest weight I had ever been I was 225lbs I was unhealthy and just not myself.  I wanted to do something challenging and I remembered watching a video online about how the guys from the movie 300 got fit for their roles. (Isn't that how we all found CrossFit?) I searched for a CrossFit in my area and found ICA.

My first max lift was a clean and jerk, never heard of this before and was actually shocked at what I was supposed to do.  I had been given detailed instructions on how to perform the lift, but all I took from it was that I was supposed to lift as much weight as I possibly could from the ground to my shoulder and then from my shoulder to over my head.  When I started to do the movement all instruction went out the door.  I ended up doing a reverse curl (no squat) and an odd looking push press with my feet about 2 inches apart in what I thought was a "jerk".  I ended up having a max that day of 115lbs. This is having never even touched a barbell before.  I started training privately and by February 2013, my 5 rep hang power clean was 185 pounds.  (editor's notes:  Holy Crap!)

Are you Competing?

Tiana:   In my mind I haven't officially competed.  I decided that I was going to focus on Oly lifting full-time.  That was 10 weeks ago.  My first real competition will be in October at CrossFit Collective and then lords willing I will qualify for the American Open. After that you'll have to ask my coach if/when/where I will be competing.

Would you mind sharing your goals?

Tiana:  My goals are to go as far as I can in this sport for as long as my body will allow me to do it.  Getting medals at The American Open, at Nationals, in Worlds, the Olympics....my goals are endless.  I'm so new to this sport and one of the biggest things I hear about the differences between USA and other countries like Russia and China is lifting to them is a need, a means to take care of their families, and put food on the table. It's those kinds of driving forces that make those athletes go above and beyond to do the best they can.  It's no secret that in the USA we don't have those kinds of driving forces, we don't have a lot of incentives to make lifting a need.  Most of us do this while going to school or working full-time.  It's not a sport we can make a career unless we reach the Olympic level and even then its tough to pursue it full-time.  For me it has become a need.  I've found something I'm really good at, and something that could put me in the history books.  I'm Cherokee Indian and have the opportunity to not only do something a woman has never done before, but something a Cherokee has never done.  I want my people to be recognized in international sport.  I want us to be known for more than just casinos, myths and fairytales.  I want my daughter to be proud of me.  She's such a stellar little girl.  I've learned so much about myself and life from her.  It doesn't take much to make her proud of me she tells me all of the time.  But when she's older I want her to know that she can have anything in this world if she just works hard for it.  I want to be able to prove that to her by what I do in my life. 

Do you have any advice for other women or young girls that want to try this Olympic weightlifting (or any other sport), but are afraid to try?

Tiana:  My advice to women who want to try this sport would be the same advice I'd give someone in any situation where they might be afraid to try something.  You can accomplish anything you wish at any time in your life. It's never too late.  If you have that drive and that determination to achieve it you will.  Age, previous injuries, family situations, no support whatever it is if you believe you can achieve it you've won half the battle.  One of my favorite quotes is from William Arthur Ward, "If you can imagine it, you can achieve it, if you can dream it, you can become it."  I live my life by that quote.  By the grace of GOD there is nothing I have tried that I have not been successful at.  The fact that I even tried is success.  Fear should never be a reason to keep you from trying something.  If you want to try Oly Lifting do it. Give it everything you've got!

Why are you a MissFit?

Tiana:   I am a MissFit because I've never let anything get in the way of me achieving my dreams.  The only reality I live by is the one I write for myself and with GOD's help my reality will always be what people think is impossible.

I wanted to learn some more about Tiana, so I inquired about her to her Olympic Lifting coach, Mike McKenna.  From working with her for the last couple of month Mike says that Tiana is not only has a legitimate shot at making the international team but, "Tiana's a good Mother, a successful businesswoman, and an outstanding athlete." 

Tiana speaks words of wisdom by saying, "you can accomplish anything in your life.  It's never too late."  Anything that you want is in reach, but you have to take a chance on yourself and go for it.  We need more people like Tiana.  We need more risk takers.  We need more dreamers.  We need more women that are not afraid to own their "badass-ness" and go for what they want.  Just to think, only a year ago she stepped into a CrossFit gym to lose some weight and ended up finding her dream in life.  She found her passion, Olympic weightlifting. 

What is stopping you from taking that first step to try something new?  Stop thinking about it and go do it!

Thank you, Tiana.  You truly are MissFit! 

 

The Thing About Comfort

Are you too comfortable?  When was the last time that you were put in an unexpected situation or an unknown challenge was thrown at you?  Better yet, when was the last time you took a chance on yourself and actually followed through with something that you have been putting off for years?  When was the last time that you made a decision to go after your dreams and become the person that you know you were meant to be?   

Recently, I put myself in an extremely uncomfortable situation.  I left my job, that I loved and a community of people that I love and care for, to start my own business.  I am not kidding when I tell you that I'm extremely uncomfortable.  Leading up to my ultimate decision, I wasn't eating right or sleeping well and my workouts sucked horribly!  Even as I write this I'm filled with anxiety and I can neither confirm nor deny that I am freaking out just a little bit.  I ask myself things like; "what the f*ck did you just do?  Are you crazy?" or "you love those people, why did you leave?" or "this is going to be a lot of work, a lot of f*cking work!  Are you sure you're up for it?"

The answer is undoubtedly, yes.  Yes.  I am up for the challenge.  The truth is, I would rather be uncomfortable and work towards being exactly what I see in my dreams, than live a "comfortable" existence asking myself "what if" or imagining what life "could have been like" had I followed my dreams and my heart.  Here's the thing about comfort, it doesn't help you grow. 
  
A month or two ago someone that I know and respect were having a conversation about fitness and he said something to me that I haven't stopped thinking about since.  In gist, we didn't see eye to eye on an issue and he said "I hope you learn to get out of your comfort zone." 

Looking back, I really appreciate that comment because it helped me reevaluate my life (aside from fitness) and how I was living versus how I want to live.  I was living a life that was too comfortable, and I wasn't really doing anything to challenge myself to become a better version of me.  I was just existing.  Simply put, that is not living.

Just think about it for a second, where is the excitement in being comfortable?  Where is the growth in never watering your seed?  Why settle?  What if a caterpillar was okay and settled with just being a caterpillar?  If they settled, they would never find out that they were destined to be a beautiful butterfly.  That would be silly right?  That is what a lot of people do...they settle on being a caterpillar.  They stay in their present condition and live "comfortably" and later wonder why they are not living a joy filled life.

I'm not sorry when I say that I refuse to settle.  I want much more for myself.  You should want much more for yourself too.  

 

Now that I have you thinking about comfort zones...what is yours?  Is there a competition that you've always wanted to enter, but don't sign-up because know that you will have to work hard for it?  Do you really want to lose weight, but know that a lot of commitment will be necessary to reach your goal weight?  Do you really want to increase a particular lift by 20, 30,...heck 50 pounds, but can't wrap your head around the amount of consistency that is required to get there?  Outside of fitness, is there a life change that you have always thought about, but you quiver and get physically ill when you think about how uncomfortable it will be to make that change? 

Is there something that you want to do, but you're afraid to step outside of your comfort zone to achieve it?  My advice is this, think long and hard about the reasons why you want it (prayer helped me), and then ask yourself 2 simple questions.  1) What happens if I take a chance on myself and follow my dreams?  2)  Can I grow and learn in my current situation? 

Whatever your answers are to the questions above, I hope that you are able to learn to step outside of your comfort zone.  Don't just exist. Make sure you live a life of meaning. 

       

The Addiction of going RX'D

I have known for sometime the side effects of lifting heavy weights.  I guess you could compare me to a doctor as I am quick to recommend women go RX.  As a woman, it can be down right empowering and addictive.  I mean, let's be real, when you lift something that you couldn't before...you feel high...you feel like a bad ass! 

In CrossFit, we use the term RX (as prescribed) that indicates the intended weight that one should strive to lift during workouts.  Sometimes the weight is fairly heavy and, at first, many women cannot lift it.  As they progress they become stronger and stronger, but they will continue not attempt to use the RX weight out of either fear of failure, lack of confidence, or believing the silly myth that lifting weights will bulk you up. 

Recently, I suggested (clearing throat...insisted) that a couple of wonderful ladies RX the weight for the cleans in the girl benchmark WOD "Elizabeth."  One of them jumped right on it and was going to try RX weight even if it killed her.  The other was a little more hesitant, but after some gentle coaxing...she put 95 lb. on the bar. 

Did they succeed?  Yes.  Of course they did.  I never doubted that they would. 

Here is the really cool thing about it all.  Both of them came up to me separately and said "I feel like a bad ass!"  They also made mention of how elated they were and it was almost like a drug and that they wanted to feel that way again.

So I need to announce a warning to women who decide to try the weights RX'D.  You may experience even more confidence, self-esteem, and positive thinking.  You may have a sudden urge to smile, hold your shoulders back and head high.  These symptoms can become addictive and cause you to want to work harder to become stronger and stronger and stronger.  Common side effects of doing the weight RX'D is becoming a complete BAD ASS.  Be careful as these effects can become empowering and contagious to the women around you and they will want to RX too! 

Please speak with a certified coach and/or trainer if you feel you too would like to experience this feeling and become a bad ass as every single woman is qualified to do what they once thought was impossible.  Don't worry, there are enough weights to go around.  Quantities are unlimited.  Head to your local gym today and go lift something heavy!  You'll love the way you feel.  Trust me.