The Ultimate HERO Workout

The memorial day workout for CrossFit was to pay tribute to Navy Lt. Michael Murphy, 29 of Patchogue N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005. According to the articles I have read on-line he was a HERO! CrossFit created a workout named in his honor, and the CrossFit community pays tribute to the fallen by completing the challenging workout to the best of their ability.

The workout will be always referred to as the "MURPH". What is the Murph workout? I'm glad you asked.

For Time:
1 mile run
100 Pull-Ups
200 Push-ups
300 Squats
1 Mile Run

When I showed up to the workout on Monday morning, the trainer offered the 1/2 Murph. That would  ONLY be 50 Pull-ups, 100 Push-ups and 150 Squats. Did I just say ONLY?  If we wanted to do this we could. I waited for someone....anybody to say they where going to do the 1/2 and there wasn't a single person who was willing to do the 1/2. I really wanted to do the 1/2 but peer pressure got the best of me so I signed up for the full.

Off we went, about 15 of us to do the mile run. After that it's into the gym to get some things done. I broke my MURPH workout into groups. I did 10 Pull-ups, 20 Push-ups and 30 squats, and I did this for 10 rounds. My fourth round I started to feel a little nauseas, but pushed through it. On about my 9th round I noticed that I am the only one left in the gym. Everyone else has headed out for their last mile run. Darn it! After I finished my rounds I headed out for my last mile run and convinced the gentlemen that came in first to run another mile with me. He Did! I honestly don't think I could of ran it if he wasn't with me.

There where some tears at the end, and as I finished everyone was cheering for me. I came in last and it took me 68 minutes to finish, but I finished!!!!

It was very rewarding to finish this workout. I read that this was Lt. Michael Murphy's favorite work out. My husband and son also did the MURPH. This is a photo of us after the workout.

This was the hardest part for me. Pull-Ups! Push out of your comfort zone.

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Can you be THIN and Unfit?

We seem to accept the fact that thin people are healthy. It is possible to be lean and unhealthy just as it is to be overweight and and healthy. If you are exercising to lose weight, don't quit out of frustration or from lack of results...you are still reaping the benefits of physical activity such as, reducing blood pressure, stimulating bone growth, improving balance, protecting against injury, the list can go on and on.

Obesity is associated with bad health. When I look at lineman on a pro football team, nearly all of them are overweight, but I bet most of them can run a 40 yard dash in 5 seconds. These 300 pound men can run faster and are more fit than men half there size.

I'm not giving the ok to go ahead and disregard your body fat levels and just focus on exercise. The important thing is you should never quit exercising, even if you have not seen weight loss or it has slowed down. Not every benefit of exercise is visible from the outside! Physical fitness is the biggest deciding factor for good health.

What do you think...is it possible to be fat and fit, or lean and unfit?

Now, if this has motivated you to start exercising please contact me. I have many Boot Camps located in Concord and Mayfield.

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Have a drink with me?

Now that I have your attention...I'm not talking about margaritas. Even Doctor Oz will agree that meal replacement shakes are an effective, easy way to drop pounds. . Protein shakes are designed to provide a maximal amount of nutrients in a form that is unlikely to promote body fat storage.

The right shake can boost your metabolism by 25%. And lucky for you I have done the homework. I have tried several protein shakes available! There are actually a few that you have to hold your nose to get them down. I have learned from my clients, if it taste bad they are not going to drink it no matter what health benefits it may have. Here are just a few that I have tried and are still in my kitchen.

When trying to lose weight, you can't skip breakfast. In fact, even if you do not want to lose, you should never skip breakfast. Your metabolism does not wake up until you feed it. So if you get up at 7:00AM and do not eat until noon, you have missed out on 5 hours of calorie burning!

I would like you to join my 90 day challenge. You can pick the program you want to follow for 90 days. The balance kit is only $49.00 a month for 3 months, hence the 90 day challenge. There are larger kits for those that have more than 15-20 to lose. These shakes taste wonderful! In fact my son says they taste better than McDonald's shakes. I make 3 of them every morning for my family. I feel good knowing they are off to a healthy start. Here are the 3 we had this morning. Mixed with almond milk, some ice cubes and a few berries.

Do you eat breakfast?

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CROSSFIT

So recently I started doing a new type of exercise called crossfit. That's me in the photo. This is not your typical gym. There are no cardio machines, nor are there traditional hand weights lying around. Sometimes these sessions even take place in the parking lot. The equipment is pretty low tech...a box (I've learned to hate this box), medicine balls and kettlebells.

Crossfit combines weightlifting, gymnastics and interval training. The idea is to do short WOD, this is a crossfit term meaning Workout of the day, (10-15 minutes) high intensity routines that are different each time. These workouts shock the muscles so they never get comfortable doing the same thing. And YES my body is still in shock after Saturdays workout!

The results can be weight loss, toning and oh ya, badly calloused hands are part of the deal. In fact my husband and son who both do the class with me, or should I say "I do the class with them", are missing skin from their hands.

These workouts have names too. You can google them and find out what they are. For example CINDY is 5 Pull Ups, 10 Push-Ups and 15 Squats. You will do AMRAP this is also a standard crossfit term meaning As Many Rounds As Possible in a set amount of time. So in 15 minutes you try to beat the other crossfitters! without having to use a puke bucket. At the end of 15 minutes I can't do another rep...not for money, a donut or even a margarita. I am spent! And I usually come in last, UGH!

There are some modifications but not many. For instance I am not ready, willing or able (not sure which) to jump on a 20 inch box, so I stack up two plates and use that for my box jump. I think it's a mind thing but I am afraid to jump up on the damn box. I want you to try it and let me know if you can do it. Stand next to a kitchen chair and jump onto it with both feet. It sound easy but I have not found anything in crossfit to be easy yet.

Do you mix up your workouts?

May Plank Challenge

JUST DO IT!