If you’re in pain, there’s a temptation to skip exercising. But exercise is often the very best way to help lessen the pain and improve your quality of life. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. The good news is that you don’t have to run a marathon to get back to the business of life.  Here are some great exercise options to help you get going!

1. Walking–This is something you can do anywhere and anytime of the year.  If cold Minnesota weather doesn’t appeal to you, go hit the mall or track at your local gym.

2. Swimming–This is great for people who have osteoarthritis, who have musculoskeletal issues or any joint disease where any kind of impact may exacerbate an underlying problem.

3. Yoga–The breathing component of yoga might be just as helpful to ease chronic pain as the movement and stretching. Have you signed up for the classes offered at the office?

4. Tai Chi–A good exercise for the young and old alike is tai chi, a martial art that originated in China and, like yoga, cultivates mindfulness.

5. Pilates–A great option to help build your core.  Great for people who suffer from back pain.

6. Stretching–This is a must for anyone who sits at a desk all day long!  Take some time throughout the day to do some basic stretching.  Talk to one of the Doctors at your next visit for some great stretches to do at the office.

7. Light Weight & Strength Training–Weight training is particularly helpful for people suffering from arthritis.  The exercises strengthen the joints around the injury and that takes some of the stress off the joint when you’re using it.

8. Sex–It counts as a form of exercise!

9. Golfing–This is a great activity that can include walking (skip the cart)!  Just be careful because this might not be the best for someone with low back pain.

10. Aerobic Activity–In general, aerobic activities (which can include using the treadmill or riding on a stationary bike) are good for anyone.

Source: www.health.com

Day 1: 6am Monday.  Normally by week 4 most new CrossFitters are in the general population of CrossFit classes, but being that I missed 2 Mondays (squat day) and Mike, knowing that I was there to learn, (not just workout) suggested I do one last squat day in the beginner class. 

We stared with a dynamic warmups of air squats, overhead squats, and front squats.  I noticed my hip mobility is getting much better as I’m able to get deeper into my squat much more comfortably.  Don’t get me wrong…I still have quite a ways to go. 

We moved on to our lift: front squats.  I think I might have PR’d this morning.  I front squatted 105lbs for 3 sets of 3.  I think my previous PR was 95 lbs.  I always struggled with my upper to mid thoracic strength.  My legs could always handle much more weight but my upper body wasn’t strong enough to hold it up in a good position.  Today was all about good positions on my front squat.  It felt pretty good.  In fact, I could have probably gone up to 115lbs but we ran out of time. 

Our workout was as follows:
For time:
400m row
21-15-9 squats and pushups
400m row

This is the same workout I did on my first day (they go in 4 week cycles).  I finished first in 6:22; 19 seconds faster than 4 weeks ago.  I do have to admit though…I did resort to modified pushups when I got tired whereas last time I did strict pushups the whole time.  Over the last 3 weeks I’ve learned that form trumps pride.  When you are tired it becomes impossible to keep perfect form.  So, I did as may pushups as I could until my form broke and then went to modified pushups.  One day I’ll be able to do 45 pushups with perfect form…don’t you worry! 

I’ve now “graduated” on to regular classes.  This is where things are going to get interesting…

Day 2: Tuesday: First Day of “regular” classes:
This was actually a rare WOD (workout of the day) for CrossFit.  It was a strength WOD.  When I saw it posted on the website this morning I was delighted.  I had planned to attend class today anyway, but now I was going to make sure nothing stood in my way.  I haven’t lifted heavy for quite some time.  I had taken a break from true heavy lifting for about 5 months as I was focusing on different goals this spring and also wanted to lose a couple pounds of fat (not that you can’t lift heavy AND lose fat, but heavy weights weren’t my priority at the time).  I was JUST getting back to heavy stuff when the opportunity to workout at CrossFit presented itself.  I had really missed heavy lifting and so today was just what I needed.

The WOD was:
Snatch + Hang Snatch:
1-1-1-1-1-1-HS

Squat:
3-3-3-3-3

Bench Press:
1-1-1-1-1-HS

1-1-1-1 etc-HS means that you just do sets of one working your way up to as heavy as you can go and then you are done. 

As I’m still working on getting my positions down with my Snatch, I used an un-loaded women’s Olympic bar, weighing about 33 lbs for all my sets.  I struggle with locking my shoulders out at the top and keeping the bar close to my body.  Luckily today I found this awesome video of the Burgener warm-up for snatch training and plan to do just as he says “practice it everyday” so that I get better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tk9MogjNas4&feature=related

My max 3 rep squat of the day was 163lbs.  A far cry from my max last winter of 210, but I’m happy since my form was great and my hip didn’t hurt!

My max bench press was 113lbs.  I went for 123 and got stuck at the bottom, I don’t think I’m far off though as 113 was pretty easy. 

If you know anything about CrossFit you know bench press is rarely ever done there, so I’m kind of thrilled I actually got to do bench press with fellow CrossFitters.  It’s funny to me that the deeper I get into CrossFit the less I ever want to go to a “big box” gym again.  I’m considering making a no-thrills home gym in my basement, getting a bunch of bumpers, a platform and doing nothing but power and Oly lifts for as long as I live. 

Day 3:Friday 6:30pm.  This has turned into my favorite time for CrossFit.  The class is a bit smaller and we already established Friday nights are my favorite time to workout. 
Our warm up was:
500 M Row
Burgener Warm-up (see link for day 2, and yes, I have been doing this everyday!)
Clean Review

Then we moved on to Cleans:
1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
As stated before this means we just worked our way up to as much weight as we can do in one rep.  I got up to 93lbs which was a surprise to me, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to go that heavy since the movement is pretty new to me.   I didn’t try anything over 93, it felt heavy enough for my first time.  The movement is all about technique and it feels great to move through such a large range of motion.  See the clean here if you are unfamiliar: http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_Annie1RMClean.mov

I think Cleans are now my all-time favorite lift. 

Now for the timed workout:
Grace (CrossFit workouts are often named after people):
30 Reps for time:
Clean and Jerk (135/93)

The numbers listed are the prescribed weights for men/women.  Being that I Cleaned only 93lbs, I wasn’t about to get that amount of weight over my head (a jerk is when you push it over your head): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTZC4bp0Agw

I scaled my weight back to 53 lbs and finished my workout in 2:36.  For comparison, the top female crossfitters in the world put up times of 1:27-1:57, or so, at 93 lbs.  I’m a bit off from that!  I do have to say though, my training over the last several years has been very anaerobic and my body has come to LOVE exercising in an anaerobic state, so this workout was easier for me.  Anyone who has trained their body to be very efficient aerobically (think marathon runner) may have struggled more at this.  This is why CrossFit is so cool; it is hard to be good at everything.  One day you might be better than everyone in your group and the next you might be the worst.  CrossFit trains athletes to be very well rounded.  I’m still working on that part! 

Writing this posting has been difficult for me and there may have been a few tears shed while doing so.  It’s hard to talk about my last session at CrossFit.  That’s right, 4 weeks is up!  I have made friends there (and made sure to get the phone number of another woman I met who seemed pretty excited about working out with real weights.  I ALWAYS need female friends that are into weight lifting!  Like to lift?  Hit me up!) but beyond that, I have completely changed my ideas of training.  I am so in love with CrossFit!  Unfortunately, it is not in the cards for me to become a member of the gym.  I have a lot of other expenses I need to tend to.  But someday I WILL workout in a bone-fide CrossFit gym again.  In the meantime, I’ll probably get an Olympic bar and some bumpers for my basement…or my rehab room at the clinic.

Have I mentioned how much I love CrossFit?! Seriously. I love it! I was trying to discern exactly WHAT it is that makes it so awesome, but I realize that there is no ONE thing, it is a lot of really cool things (intense workout, motivating people, challenging). If I had to pick one thing though that is hands down the best about CrossFit for me, it is getting real coaching on lifts, both Power and Olympic. Powerlifting has been the bones of my training for a couple of years now (squats, deadlifts, bench press). Recently, I had my favorite lifting buddy, Dr. Eric Lander, coach me on some Olympic lifts (Snatch, Clean & Jerk), which are much more athletic and require power, agility, speed, AND strength. My session with Eric did not go so well. He’s a great coach, but he was probably a little unprepared for my lack of coordination. So getting coaching from people who are used to coaching beginners has hands down been the most amazing experience I’ve had in my lifting “career” to date.

On that note, I missed 2 of my 3 days at CrossFit this past week. I’ve been battling some health issues and needed to just rest for a few days. No shame in that, people! Rest if you need to! Listen to your body. Eventually you will start to know when you can push it’s limits and when you need to back off. For me, I know it’s time to rest when my activities are making me cranky and beyond exhausted. There is a big responsibility that comes with being a Chiropractor…no one wants to see a Dr that doesn’t care about their back pain because they themselves are so tired they just want to cry! Therefore, I needed to take a break so that I could be 100% present for my patients. So…my one and only CrossFit workout took place on Friday morning at 6am. Have I ever mentioned I despise working out in the morning? I like to have peace and quiet in the morning while I sip my coffee, watch the news, and snuggle with my dogs. To give that up means something! I LOVE CROSSFIT! We spent the beginning part of the class going over squat, deadlift, clean, and snatch technique. I’m slowly getting better at everything. This is mostly due to getting the neurological and movement patterns down.

Our workout that day consisted of: As many rounds as you possible (AMRAP) in 8 minutes of:

7 med ball cleans
7 wall ball shots

I did 10.5 rounds. I think I got the most, but I’m not totally sure. I didn’t even look at anyone else’s scores. I was happy with mine. By the time I got to work my quads were a quivery mess. Keep in mind I essentially did 147 deep/full range of motion squats in that workout. As I sit and type this on Friday night (yes, I do lead an exciting life!) my glutes are sore and my quads are stiff. My post-workout nutrition is still not back to 100% as my body isn’t totally accepting of much protein right now but I did the best I absolutely could…and you better believe I’m supplementing like crazy with my proteolytic enzymes, ginger, turmeric, boswelia, and 5-Loxin so that I can heal up quickly for my squat workout on Monday!

Day 1: I missed CrossFit today because my car stranded me in Neenah, WI where I had been over the weekend helping a friend start up her new practice.  Car is fixed…no more excuses. 

Day 2: I will start by apologizing to anyone I spoke to/emailed/or texted after this work out.  I must have had a major endorphin rush from the intense workout and was not one bit coherent!  That said, we began the workout by working on kipping pull-ups. See this video for demonstration if you are unfamiliar: Kipping Pullups 

Don’t be mistaken…these pull-ups are NOT cheating pull-ups.  In fact, I can do several “deadhang” pull-ups in a row and I still haven’t grasped the concept of doing multiple kipping pullups.  These are hands down the hardest exercise I’ve ever done.  Now, most of this is because the timing needs to be right.  We already established last week that I’m not super coordinated, so this was a challenge for me.  After pull-ups we learned some kettle bell swings and then went right into our workout…HELEN.  Helen is a brutal CrossFit workout…the hardest workout I’ve ever done, period!  It goes like this:

3 rounds of:
400m run
21 kettlebell swings
12 kipping pullups

By the second round I wanted to quit.  It felt like death!  My best friend insists I share with you all that halfway through the workout on Wednesday I thought about making a mad dash for the door and wondered if anyone would notice I had skipped out.  Part of the problem was that we spent so much time learning the kipping pull-up that by the time we did the workout I had probably already done close to 25 pull-ups.  The timing that I was working on went straight out the window after the first round, when utter exhaustion set in.  The only thing that made this workout better was that our coaches Tyler and Quinn were amazing and pushed and encouraged us all.  We also had the veteran CrossFitters stay and cheer us on.  Even though there is much competition within CrossFit everyone is so friendly and encouraging.  It’s a great atmosphere!  I finished in an unimpressive 17:23 (I think…give or take a few seconds).  I literally felt drunk afterwards which I can only attribute to a massive “runners high” from the intensity of the workout.  I didn’t even notice until later that night that I had strained my left calf (must have happened when I stepped in that pothole out on the first 400m run). 

Side Note:  I had been having a crazy busy week, had not been grocery shopping in quite some time, and also was feeling under the weather so had not fueled up for my workout as I normally would have.  I barely ate anything afterwards and thus my recovery was not good.  I went to spin class at noon the next day and totally bonked.  If you are unfamiliar with bonking it is the term used for when you have ZERO energy to get through a workout that is usually not too hard for you.  This is exactly why pre and post workout nutrition is super important.  If you need help with this stuff set up a nutritional consultation with me.  I didn’t follow my own advice and am seriously regretting it.  ALSO…I am NOT taking ibuprofen or any other NSAIDS for my strained calf and muscle soreness.  NSAIDS DELAY HEALING…yes, they reduce pain and inflammation, but I repeat…THEY DELAY HEALING!  Instead I take protyolitic enzymes, bromelain, chymotrypsin, and trypsin, along with some 5Loxin, ginger, and turmeric to reduce pain, inflammation and SPEED UP THE HEALING PROCESS!!!! 

Day 3:  Wow, I was sore from Wednesday’s workout!  Not only sore, but tired.  REALLY tired.  This just goes to show just how important nutrition is!  Man did I feel rotten.  I almost didn’t go to CrossFit.  In fact, I had conversations with 3 different people about whether I should go or not go.  I’m the type of person that has a propensity for over training so I need to check in with people that know me, as well as sports, well.  In the end I decided I would go and give it my best, knowing that my best might not be as good as it is on other days.  I considered not going and using this as a time to teach you and the rest of my patients how important rest is.  But, I came home from work, ate some good meals and rested…and then felt ready to take on CrossFit. 

I was scared about what was to come.  If it was going to be anything like Wednesday I would probably wind up crying.  After a nice warm-up, we learned hang snatches, yet another Olympic lift that requires timing and coordination.  It took me a while to get it…and I still need a lot of work but by the end of the workout below I had the hang of it, I think.

So, the workout on day 3 this week was great!  It went as follows:

3 rounds of:
15 burpees
15 hang snatches
15 wall balls (NOT the same wall ball as some of my patients do for rehab!)
15 walking lunges

I was the first one done at 11:27.  I have no idea how this happened.  Did I miscount my reps?  No.  Did I skip a round?  No.  I finished almost 30 seconds ahead of 2 great guys that kicked my BUTT on Wednesday night (by like 2 whole minutes).  Maybe it was my stellar pre-workout meals.  I also have learned that due to my background and “training base” a couple things in CrossFit are fairly easy for me.  Wall balls and walking lunges were a recovery time for me due to that and I was able to do them fairly quickly.  The burpees were easier this time than last week, though burpees will always suck!

Image from CrossFit Rubicon

A quick recovery note: By Saturday my strained calf was 95% healed, by Sunday the intense soreness in my lats from all the pullups was totally gone.  I attribute this to my choice in supplementation over medication.  Remember, NSAIDS delay healing.  I chose products that promote healing.  This alone makes my $180K education feel worth it!  :) (Let me know if you want to get your hands on some of this natural magic!)

CrossFit Week 1

Well, I did it…I survived my first week of CrossFit workouts. I think I’m now a CrossFit addict. So here’s what I learned:

Day 1: Squat technique – I learned that even coaches/trainers need a coach. I thought I had come fairly close to perfecting my squat technique. CrossFit St. Paul co-owner, Tyler Quinn, was so gracious to point out that my squats need work. I injured my left hip 3 years ago squatting too much weight without perfect form. I lost a lot of hip mobility due to that injury and it shows up in my squats. I had been working on it, but realize I compensated in other ways to make my squats “look” correct, when in fact, I was using a few cheating techniques to get my hips as low to the ground as possible. This was a very humbling experience and has given me a lot to work on. You can now find me in the hallways of Grand Health foam rolling my quad at any given moment to get that sucker to loosen up. Enough rambling, let’s get to the workout: 400m row, 21-15-9 air squats then pushups, followed by another 400m row all for time. 21-15-9 means we did 21 air squats, 21 pushups, 15 air squats, 15 pushups, etc with no break. Also another humbling experience. I thought I had great form and did beautiful pushups…but in this kind of setting your weaknesses show through real fast. I was tired…my form was rotten! I finished the workout in 6:41, 53 seconds behind the fastest guy. Yes…everything in CrossFit is a competition…and yes, I can get fairly competitive in an environment like that.

Day 2: Deadlift technique. This workout was at 6am and I don’t recall all the details of it as I was possibly half asleep for it. We got a lot of coaching on deadlifts and learned how to do cleans. This was quite possibly my favorite day as I love deadlifts and one of the whole reasons Mike was able to convince me to workout at CrossFit was because I wanted to get good at Olympic lifts, such as the clean. I wound up deadlifitng 165lbs that day with Mike’s excellent coaching…and that wasn’t even the main workout. Our workout of the day was 7 burpees and 7 cleans, as many rounds as we could do in 10 minutes. I did 9. One of the hardest workouts I’ve ever done. Burpees are just awful, but it sure feels good when you are done with them!

Day 3: The push press. My standing Friday night date for several years was with the gym. Something about ending the week with a great workout makes me very happy, this was no exception. At 6:30pm on Friday night the CrossFit gym was the deadest I had ever seen it. We worked tirelessly on standing presses and push presses. There is an element of timing that comes along with push presses, especially if you are going to add a jump to it. It became obvious to my group that I had been hiding some major coordination issues all week. Remember, I claimed to be strong…not athletic…there is a big difference. I’ll have to work on that! The workout that day was: 3 rounds of 500m row, 15 push presses and 20 box jumps. I finished first, 14:01 was my time. My calves are not impressed with how hard I pushed myself, but the rest of me is. I have to say, after one week, I feel right at home in the CrossFit gym. It jives with my training philosphy which is ‘if I HATE something it must mean I am really bad at it and therefore should do it until I love it.’ It’s just as much about building a strong mind as it is building a strong body. If ever I find a weakness I expose it to it’s fullest extent until it becomes a strength. I’m ecstatic to have to opportunity to get some serious coaching on my lifts and to train with people who are just as intense, if not more intense, than me. After just one week, my life is forever changed!

I recently sat down with Mike Jones, owner of CrossFit St. Paul and CrossFit Minneapolis to discuss how I can help his athletes with their nutrition, recovery from workouts, and injury prevention.  We had a wonderful time talking and discovered we shared a lot of the same philosophies about no-nonsense training and nutrition.  In our meeting, Mike asked me to “put my money where my mouth is” so to speak and convinced me to train with his athletes for a month.  Being the stubborn redhead I am, I could not turn down this challenge.  CrossFit is right up my alley, and what better way to perfect my lifting techniques than to learn from those that are “forging elite fitness” as their motto goes. 

I’m not going to lie here: I’m pretty terrified.  CrossFit is HARD!  It challenges not only your body but also your mind.  My CrossFit patients continually tell me how they can do things they never believed they would ever even attempt.  CrossFit pushes and tests your limits.  In one word, it’s INTENSE!  This is coming from a woman who is no stranger to the gym.  Not to toot my own horn here, but I squat a lot more than most of the guys in the gym I workout in and have no problem kicking a big guy off the squat rack who is using it for bicep curls.  So to say I am nervous about a workout has gotta mean something. 

I invite you to follow me in my journey over the next month. Workouts start today, and I’ll be posting up each Monday my experiences from the previous week.  In doing so, I hope to inspire each of you to step outside of your comfort zone and try a new activity, eat a healthier diet, and live a healthier life.  I expect this journey to be nothing short of challenging with a bit of humility and hilarity thrown in for good measure.

We’re all looking to maximize results while minimizing time and effort in the gym. That search for shortcuts has translated into a lot of myths about exercise.

Check out this great article where CNN.com asked exercise physiologists, trainers and nutritionists about their most hated exercise myths:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/06/24/exercise.myths.trainers/index.html?iref=obnetwork

Dr. Schaffer can be a great resource when trying to come up with a Fitness Plan that works for you. Stay tuned for a NEW online Personal Training Program coming available this Fall!

Source: www.cnn.com