It Takes a Village

It has been way too long since I have written… but to be honest I was lost about where to go from here with “From Rags to Regionals.”

You see… once we got back from the wedding my husband and I had the amazing experience of going to The Crossfit Games.  Talk about inspiring!!!  The Games were not just inspiring because of the amazing and elite athletes we got to watch and meet, but because Crossfit as a whole was focusing on the community that was present and that we are all apart of.  This is when I realized, this blog was way more focused on me than on the community I set out to create. 

It’s time to do some acknowledging of the community I am apart of.  That is going to be my focus for the next week.  Too often those who make contributions and support us in achieving (what we feel is) the impossible, have no idea the impact they have made. 

Zach Forrest – Crossfit Max Effort

It would not be right to start anywhere without first acknowledging this amazing man.  I came to him around 10 months ago with nothing but a desire to turn my life around in the area of well being.  I was stopped by a life changing surgery and did not know how to move forward.  From one meeting, he had me believing in myself for the first time in a long time.  He challenged me to achieve what he already knew was possible.  Nothing has been the same since I started training with him and his team at Crossfit Max Effort.  This man (with his wife) have one of the top coaching teams in the country, travel around the world to train other  Crossfit coaches and still he has time to connect one on one with all of his athletes AND compete in the 2013 Crossfit Games!!  Now that I am injured and awaiting surgery, he and his team wouldn’t just let me sit and heal.  They work with me everyday to keep my training going when I am almost completely restricted on what my lower body can do.  Can we say Zach is super human?  Yes!!  Without him first taking a stand for me, I wouldn’t be where I am.

Casey A - Unparalleled Performance

Casey and I were friends at the gym before I knew what a difference this girl was making in the world.  When my transformed diet and training were not giving me the results I wanted (well any results actually), Zach suggested I talk to Casey about the nutrition work she does.  Shortly after Casey started working with me (and my husband) on a diet that was based around blood test result that showed food sensitivities (not allergies) my body had.  In just over 3 weeks I have lost almost 15lbs and 7% body fat.  My energy levels are high and I feel great.  (My lifting weights have temporarily dropped due to intentional caloric cut back for weight loss, but this is temporary).  Casey believed in me when I didn’t think this was possible and I was about to give up.  We have only just begun this transformation and I can’t wait to see where we go!

While some are able to achieve the ‘impossible’ alone, I want to argue that it takes a village.  From Rags to Regionals was started to create a community.  A community of athletes that have the desire to achieve what may seem as the impossible… to compete in the Crossfit Regional Competition… or even The Games.  It was not created to be about me. 

Who has made a difference in your goals?  Who do you want to acknowledge for the contribution they have made?  I challenge you to express that to them. 

I’m excited to share with you the community (and family) that I am apart of and watch a new, and international one, grow.

Guilty Pleasures

It is good to be back!!!!

As I mentioned in my last post, I took some time off to go and get married this past weekend!!!  It was an amazing moment and thank you so much for so many well wishes from the Rags to Regionals community!!!

I am not going to write about all the details of our two weeks away.  However, I did want to mention one element of our celebrations that stuck out to me... Guilty Pleasures.

As soon as we flew back to the South to begin celebrations with my fiancé’s family, it became very clear very fast that I was going to have to make a powerful choice around my diet.

I was torn between throwing discipline to the wind and unabashedly enjoying the gluttony that was possible... or ... staying strict and true to the goal I had created for myself in the area of my diet.  As you have probably guessed, pleasure won!

I will admit… the first couple of days were certainly not guilt free.  But, then I realized the mental game I was having with myself wasn't helping anyone and was completely destroying any enjoyment that was possible.  I was not willing to look back at this moment in my life and regret not taking full advantage of the moments that were being created.  Um, hello Cafe Du Monde!!

 
I will say, by the time we got to Houston to get ready for the wedding, I was worried about the "fluff" that had occurred and how I was going to fit into my wedding dress!!!  Through all the beignets, po-boys, oysters, daiquiris, Texas BBQ and amazing wine I am pleased to say the dress still fit!!!  (I will add that the corseted back probably helped!)

It was a truly wonderful feeling to be able to eat the meal at my wedding and enjoy every bite of wedding cake guilt free!!!  There are moments in life where you truly must enjoy those guilty pleasures!!!

Now, that being said, it is also just as important to know when the moment is over and refocus on what you are committed to creating.  You are responsible for fulfilling on the goals you set out to create for yourself.  If you powerfully choose to take a slight detour, know when it is time to refocus and stop making excuses.  No one is going to reach that finish line for you!

We are now back to ‘normal’ life in Las Vegas and about to set off on our first big challenge as a married couple.

Before we left for the wedding we took a blood test which showed us what our body is sensitive to processing in the areas of food and beverage.  While we were shocked by some of the results, at the same time we could see why our bodies were feeling the way they were given our current food intake.  The test also shed some light onto why our training was suffering, even though we had already began to eat 'clean.'

We meet with our coach this evening.  Over the next couple of days I will be sharing my results as well as the plan for powerful eating to assist in my training as well as my goals.

It is good to be back.  Back in the game and back on the band wagon.  (Your body certainly does tell you when it has had enough).

GOOD NEWS:  We are pleased to let you know, we will begin building out the Rags to Regionals website community to create a support system for those athletes wanting to compete in 2014.  Please write us and let us know what tools you would like to see available!  Thank you!



Breaking Point

Everyone has one... everyone has a breaking point.  The thing that has struck me most interesting about these points is that sometimes that moment, when it all falls apart, might be the very thing that gives you the momentum to fly forward.  

Needless to say, right now, things have been tough.  I know, I know... it's just over two weeks before my wedding and I should be filled with joy, love and desire.  Those things are definitely present in my life, but they are not what is most present for me now.  Let's be honest... two weeks before the wedding and I'm stressed, upset and quite frankly, pissed off!  And these feelings have nothing to do with the wedding.

Everything is just occurring as incredibly over whelming.  I'm hoping it's just PMS, but I think it's more who I am and how I relate to things.  I place a lot of pressure on myself to succeed... everywhere!  I think many people who set high goals and strive to achieve the impossible can relate.

Yesterday I was tip toeing along my breaking point, flirting with it really, but was able to compose myself and relax.  This wouldn't have happened without the amazing support of a dear friend helping me out.  (Thank you Tracy)

Today, however, it happened.  I broke.  The tears just came!  And it wasn't because of the wedding deadlines, the massive pile of work on my desk or even that my lifts completely sucked during training.  (Got a nice new bruise as a reward for that one).  It was because of the overwhelming sense of a loss of community.

Great things happen because of people coming together and supporting each other.  Communities cause greatness.  And today I was confronted with loosing mine.  And I broke.  I keeled over in the ladies bathroom at the gym and the tears started flowing.

The great thing about it was, was that it happened because another friend gave me the courage that it was ok.  It's ok not to be super woman!  It's ok to show that you are suffering and that it's hard!!!  Showing tears and asking for help doesn't make you weak, it actually makes you stronger.  (Thank you Sherry)

Then from that breaking point, two other amazing friends came out of the woodwork and built me back up.  I cannot tell you the positive impact these four woman have had on me in the past 48 hours.  If it were not for a community stepping up and not letting me fall, I would probably be at the bottom of a pint of coconut milk cookie dough ice cream.  (Kelly and CeCe, you guys are amazing!)

I'm still processing how exactly to move forward from here.  So much of my structure for my physical goals revolved around this community and the inspiration it brought me.  But one thing I am clear about, is it can't stop what has been created.  I am already seeing other communities that were there, right in front of me, that I was blind to.

I have a choice... I can let the pain stop me, wallow in my sorrows and return to old habits... or I can acknowledge the incredibly large suck factor and keep going.  Hey, *$#%$# happens!

We all have our breaking points.  Let them come.  When they come, let it all out.  It's what you do after that point that separates the good ones from the great ones.

Only Human

Every night I get home, eat dinner and want to sit down and write.  But I have to be honest, I am so exhausted that by the time I have finished my "have to dos" for the evening I am so wrecked I just go to bed.  I was expressing this frustration to a friend today and she said, "Nicole, it's ok.  You're only human.  Isn't that the whole point of the blog!"  And she's right....

The whole point of the blog was to show normal people accomplishing extraordinary things.  But life does happen.

For those of you who don't know, I am getting married in slightly over two weeks.  Needless to say, the process of tying up the loose ends and final details is in full swing!!  So... between working over 50 hours a week, trying to keep up my training schedule and the wedding... I'm pooped!!  The thought of just adding one more straw of hay to my pile makes me go cross eyed!

I have found the balance for all this insanity comes from keeping the routine.  (I know routine doesn't work for everyone, but it provides me with one less thing to think about).  

I work around food ALL THE TIME!!  When events are done the food is put out for us to finish.  It is so tempting to grab that little piece of cake, or the nice warm bite sized beef wellington.  Not to mention when there is a cheese and cracker display.  Or... the little chocolates people have in their offices... it really is just not fair!!!  I wish I could sit here and write that I have been good and completely stuck to my diet, but the truth is, I haven't.  As I mentioned before, I eat when I need comfort and I eat when I get stressed.  The trick for me (and the success for me) has not been over indulging in those small little "treats".  It has become a one and done deal.  While we are only human, to accomplish extraordinary things, there has to be some discipline.

Nothing can replace the feeling of being at your dress fitting three weeks before the wedding and having the seamstress tell you she has to take 4" off of your bodice!!!   (actual pictures to be posted after the wedding)

The best part was knowing that it would only get better from here because the result came from a choice to make a life change, not because I wanted to look good on a certain day.

Life happens, temptations come up... we are only human... we will slip and fall and cheat along the way.  But don't let it stop you.  Get right back up, regain your focus and keep going.  

This leads to normal people, people who are only human, doing extraordinary things!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

As promised it’s time to lay it all out...

All journeys have beginnings and mine started about 9 months ago when I started Crossfit.  While I don’t have a picture or a weight from when I started, I do have a picture and a weight about 2 months in… this is me in November and I weigh 173 pounds.  It was at this point I decided to take on eating Paleo.

   

Well, needless to say, while I learned a lot about nutrition and what my body wanted (and didn't want), the weight loss I expected did not happen.  I even went to a cooking class by Paleo Nick, (#PaleoNick).  Awesome class by the way, and highly recommend it if he comes to your area.  However, it still didn't make a difference.  This pictures below shows me 3 months into my original quest and now at 178 pounds.

 Things weren't adding up… sure my weights in the gym were getting heavier, I was even logging weights that put me on the whiteboard (a board at the gym that shows the top three scores for lifts, workouts and other benchmarks), but that was it.  I wasn’t losing weight and I was (and still am) struggling with elements that required me to move my own weight, such as running and pull-ups. (Handstand push-ups I'm good with).

As I said in my first post, everything begins in conversation.  I started talking to an amazing woman at our gym, Casey, who had helped some of our coaches with the struggles they had been having around the area of food.  She took me on and began working with me on a specific diet to get my weight down.  She asked me to take pictures at the very beginning.  I didn't because I didn't want to see, but now I wish I had.

The first week of the program I lost 6 pounds.  Unfortunately, it did not stay off.  6 weeks in and I was still at 173#.  Pictures below, with the following stats: 

Ht: 5'4"

wt: 168

waist circumferance: 33"

Hip Circ: 39"

Right Bicep: 11"

Left Bicep: 11.5"

Right forearm: 9.5"

Left forearm: 9.5"

Right quad: 22"

left quad:22"

right calf: 15"

left calf:15"

BF%: 26.6%

Current weight: 168# (was taken after I had a stomach bug.  I'm just being honest)

Lean muscle weight: 124.8#

Fat weight: 43.6#

So now the game really begins… weekly updates on my progress as well as logs of my workouts and food intake.  My goal is to reach 150# or a BF% of around 15%-18%, we'll see which comes first and where I perform best.

My biggest struggle certainly revolves around food.  Not only do I work with food (and drink), but I also find comfort in it when I am upset.  What is your Achilles heel? 

The adventure continues tomorrow.  But in the meantime, there it was… the good, the bad and the ugly.

It Starts with a Dream

Tonight’s post was going to be “Life-1/Goals-0.”  However, in honor of the Tony Awards and all those in the performing arts (my former profession) I wanted to write something about following your dreams, not giving up and fulfilling on your goals.

An actor, singer or dancer not giving up on their desire to perform on Broadway is no different than a person aspiring to become an athlete competing in the Crossfit Games.  It all starts with a dream.

When we are born, we have endless possibilities in front of us.  We do not have a title tattooed to our forehead declaring what we are going to be, where we are going to go and what we are going to accomplish. 

At some point we make a choice.  It doesn't matter when, what does matter is what we do after that choice is made.  

For some, that moment might come when you are 11 years old washing the dishes in the kitchen and watching the Tony Awards.  At that moment you see a performance of Dream Girls on the television and your life was never the same.  This is the story for Billy Porter, 2013 Tony Award Winner for Leading Actor in a Musical in Kinky Boots.  For others, it could be a choice to lose weight and lead a healthier life.  So, at some point in your 30’s you choose to make a life change.  You then not only drop over 100 pounds, but then compete and win a city wide Crossfit competition not even two years later, like Kelly Smith at the Barbell Beatdown.  Neither path was easy, but it wasn't about that.  It was about fulfilling on a dream.

   

Never give up on your dream.  It might take you until the age of 79, and over thirty years away from the stage (but in film), to return and win your first Tony.  This is the case for Cicely Tyson.  No matter how long it takes... never give up.

Live your dreams and go for your goals.  Life is too short not to.  If you don’t go for it… you will never know, and always wonder, what could have been and what you could achieve. 

See you at the Games!

First, let me introduce myself...

My name is Nicole.  I'm a 30yr old woman who has had a dream of achieving something great in the area of physical fitness my entire life.  I currently live in Las Vegas, Nevada and work as a Catering Manager/Event Consultant.  When I am not at work you can usually find me at Crossfit Max Effort or spending time with my fiancé and our three fluffy babies.

You see, I am just a normal woman.  I have never been super athletic but I have always aspired to be.  For example ... I was a dancer as a child, but was told my body wasn't right for ballet, so I moved onto music and theater.  I wasn't quite good enough to make the volleyball team in middle school so I became the team manager.  Same thing happened with the swim team.  In high school I started rowing (crew) at a local club.  (Rowing doesn't exist in high schools in the South)  But, when I got to college, I was too short row in the heavy weight boat and too heavy to be a coxswain, so I ended up coaching.  You can see a pattern ....

Well, a lot happened between graduation and now, but needless to say my desire to achieve something amazing in the realm of physical well being still lingered.  Then, 8 months ago, after two years of waiting (a story that will be told later) I started Crossfit. 

In Crossfit I not only found a community, I also found sport that anyone, and I do mean anyone, could be a part of and achieve in.  I got hooked!!!  Then the competition bug started to creep in... And the bug bit during the 2013 Crossfit Regionals.  While I participated, needless to say, I did not do incredibly well.  And that is when a conversation started....

Many people, both in my gym as well as on on-line communities, began commenting on how it was practically impossible to qualify for regionals unless you have an amazing athletic past, are currently achieving high levels of success in physical competitions, have all day to commit to training or you own a gym.  It seemed to be the overwhelming consensus that with the workouts getting harder, the weights getting heavier and the athletes having more and more experience behind them that someone ‘new’ just couldn’t qualify.  I refuse to believe that.

No matter what "sport" you participate in, you have goals.  And while they may not be to qualify for the Crossfit Regional competition, they might be just as taunting for you.  For many achieving a handstand in yoga at one time seemed impossible.  For others it could be competing in a triathlon or marathon.  No matter what it is, a person should never, NEVER, have the thought that it can't be done. 

Rags to Regionals was started to create an online community for "normal" people to come together and support each other in reaching our seemingly unachievable goals.  For me, it is qualifying for the 2014 Southwest Team Crossfit Regionals.  I am going to lay it all out there ...  The good, the bad and the ugly.  I am going to share pictures of my physical progress (I think this might be the hardest part for me), my weight (okay, this might be the hardest part), my measurements, my body fat percentage, my workouts, my meals, my recipes, my struggles, my successes.... EVERYTHING. 

I hope that eventually others will begin to share too and as a community we can support each other to jump off those plateaus, break through those walls and be opened to ideas and things that we didn’t have before. 

I do this in hopes of inspiring others.  To inspire a 'normal' person that elite fitness is possible.  That with will, dedication and determination the path to that seemingly unachievable goal is possible…even with a full time job, a family to take care of and a life to live.

The quest begins now... the road from Rags to Regionals has begun!!