Which brings me to...

CROSSFIT.

You may or may not have heard of CrossFit.  It's hard to explain what it is, really...  Part gym, part training regimen, part hell.  Though at the same time I wouldn't consider it a or a training regimen.. and to tell the truth, I love it (not really hell).  For those who like to lift weights focusing on bi's tri's, upper back, shoulders, abs, etc. this might not be the program for you.  This is not about who is more ripped or who looks better in bikini.  This is about FUNCTION.  There is no muscle isolation; (when do you EVER use your muscles in isolation - in life or in sport?) there is only work.  

I started CrossFit back in October of 2008, introduced to it by (who else?) lululemon.  However, this past January is when I started to get serious about it.  I started eating right (Zone Diet anyone?) and have basically cut alcohol out of my diet (more on the Zone later).  I have followed a 3 day on/1 day off training schedule and have been taking the right supplements to help my body recover from the brutal workouts.  

It has been a lifestyle change - one that has shown HUGE results, gains, and changes in only 8 weeks.  I am as fit if not fitter than I have ever been in my life, but don't get me wrong, it's not easy...  

Sacrifice and hard work are the only ways to achieve your goals, and right now I have lots of goals to be achieved...

This is it: CrossFit and WORLD CLASS FITNESS in 100 words or less:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pullups, dips, rope climb, pushups, situps, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

CrossFit is by no means the last word in fitness.  It is not for everyone and is no the be-all, end-all.  It is merely one of the many methods out there.  It is however, the method that has given me back my fitness, my competitive spirit, and my mental edge.  I am a competitor and have been since an early age.  I love to compete and I love to win.  I love to put my work rate against that of others to see who is left standing at the end.  I love pushing myself until the point of exhaustion and muscle failure.

It's what lets me know I'm ALIVE...

But I would be terribly remiss to not mention the other athletic love in my life: yoga.  Like CrossFit, I was thrown into the world of yoga by lululemon (we are, after all, yoga-inspired athletic apparel ;-) and have since reaped all the benefits that a yoga-rich life can provide. 

I have found it to be the perfect balance and most important addition to any training regimen, and something every human being should practice.  It has opened all kinds of pathways in me (physical, mental, and spiritual) and has become one of the most cherished activities that I participate in.  

While I have tried just about every style out there (each has it own intricacies, benefits and purposes) I must confess (as if it were a secret...) that Bikram has quickly become my favorite.  If you are looking for a workout - both physical and mental - there is no other kind of yoga.  

For those of you not familiar with Bikram Yoga, here's the skinny: imagine a room heated to 105 Fahrenheit with 60% humidity.  Now imagine you are there for an hour and a half, moving through 26 postures designed to work not only your muscles, but also your lymphatic and digestive systems as well.  

For any athlete, this is your yoga.  The ideal way to open up and release your tight hips, hamstrings, and back.  Your body will hate you while you are there, but it will thank you in the long run. 

My first post and the big question: HOW DID I GET HERE???

How did I get here? 

It's a question often asked by many - either out of frustration or out of joy (this sucks, how did i get here? or i love it! how did i get here?)  I have been asking myself this question recently...

I guess I should start off my blog with a little bit about myself: 

I was born and raised in Houston, TX.  My parents have always supported me and been there for me since day 1, and I would most definitely not be where I am today without them.  They instilled many virtues in me and molded the foundations for who I would become.  Suffice it to say that everything I have and everything I am is due to them and I thank them for who they are. 

I grew up playing multiple sports :: everything but football -- I wasn't allowed :-( :: and when I was 10 decided I wanted to be a goalkeeper (soccer) and so started on my path to where I am now. I was afforded the opportunity to travel extensively around Texas, the US, ad the world because of soccer, and I credit this beautiful sport with putting me where I am now. It gave me my love of travel, my interest and knowledge of the world, and many other things too numerous to explain here.  

Soccer also started me on my path to learning a new language: Spanish.  Growing up playing soccer in Texas, I was surrounded by the language and the culture.  I started studying Spanish at 13, and knew immediately that I wanted not merely to become proficient, but to become fluent.  I continued studying through high school and then into college where it became my major. 

At this time I also earned a scholarship to Stetson University to play soccer for the Hatters - and my choice to go there was probably one of the best I have ever made.  I spent 4 years of my life exploring my athletic prowess, learning and studying extensively, and drinking enough alcohol to kill an army of small elephants...

So things are starting to come together: soccer, spanish, studies, parties... almost time to graduate...

What was I to do?  It was February of my senior year (I graduated in May) and I had not put out my resume, had not gone on any interviews, and had really shown no real interest in my future.  I thought I would go to law school, but that never really took off. 

I started an application to go into the Peace Corp, but then in March - much to my joy and surprise - my advisor told me of a program in Spain that would allow me to teach English in an elementary school and get paid a nice little salary for only 16 hours of work a week with no work on Friday!  I jumped at the opportunity: filled out the application, sent it in, was accepted, and before I knew it was on a plane Madrid-bound. 

I spent the next two years of my life living, working and traveling around Spain and Europe.  A dream life.  Undoubtedly two of the best, most rewarding and most fulfilling years of my life.  But all good things must come to an end...

I came back to the US in July of 2008 and worked at my second home - summer camp - like I was accustomed to doing for the summer.  But in August, camp was over and I once again had no work and no idea or real motivation for my future...

Until one day I was perusing Craigslist.com (ya, I know...) with Myriam looking for jobs (as I had been for weeks), and she pointed out one that caught her eye: "Do you like yoga, running, athletics in general?"  I thought to myself: hell ya, that's right up my alley - it must be a scam... surely too good to be true. I clicked the link and read the job offer.  It was for some company called lulamon... lulumon... oh ya: lululemon athletica -- and they were offering a position for their store.  But I had worked retail before, and was skeptical.

But I went in for an interview with a couple of cute, down-to-earth girls, and saw what it was all about, and I couldn't turn them down when they offered my a spot on the team.  How lucky I was (and am...) :-)

 

But I was out of shape.  REALLY out of shape.  3 years removed from anything even remotely resembling "training."  Once an elite athlete playing NCAA Division I Soccer, I was now a mere shadow of what I once was.  Mentally and physically I was dull and soft.  Too much living the easy life.  Too much sangria and way too many tapas.  I loved my life in Spain, but looking back, I realize I only had some of what I wanted.  I had the social life, but not the spark and challenge I was looking for.  I was about to get what I asked for...