I love being outdoors, literally any excuse, whether that be walking the dog, out for a hike, run (jog), getting covered in mud at an obstacle race or cycling.

This does of course mean my skin is always exposed the elements and I have noticed over recent years that it has become more and more dry.

I attended a pre launch evening with Bianchi Dama to try some of their bikes and find out more about their collaboration with CJ Skinhealth towards the end of last year, which you can read my blog post from here.  At this evening I was gifted their active cleanse and enhance & protect products, a two product skin regime ahead of their launch in November 2018.  I noted in my previous blog post that although I am a keen cyclist I was probably not the correct demographic for the skincare range as I was quite lazy with my skin routine and if I am honest whatever I had in the shower was what went on my skin (I know I know…..).

It is now more than six months on and I said I at the time I would update with a follow up and I am pleased to say I am still using the products.  Not only that but I bloody love them!

As I said I love being outdoors but do notice the effect it has on my skin and whilst I am not even willing to consider changing spending more time outside than inside, I can look at how I look after my skin and I can honestly say that aside from day to day usage these two products are the first I pack when going anywhere.  Since I have had the products that includes:

• over a dozen muddy obstacle runs at various locations in the UK
• Beachy Head marathon
• hiking in the Peak District
• hiking at Snowdon
• training camp in Lanzarote
• 3 cycling events in Sweden
• numerous cycling events in the UK and over 3,500 miles on the bike

I am due to go to Sweden again later this week and Fuerteventura in September and again know these will be right there at the top of my packing list.

So what is my skin exposed to?  Sun, wind, rain, heat, cold, mud and of course sweat!  I am lucky that I have never really suffered with breakouts but I do have very fair skin and with exposure to the sun one of the biggest factors impacting the appearance of skin, and the fact that I burn really easily (think the sort of factor you would use on a baby),  these products having SPF 30 and UVAPF 30 sunscreen in them is brilliant for me.  Protecting your skin from harmful rays is so important – according to Cancer Research there were over 15,000 cases of melanoma in the UK in 2014-2016, with over 2,000 deaths – of these 86% caused by UV and were preventable. There is nothing worst than putting on cream or sun block and when you start sweating it runs and ends up in your eyes (ouch).  Plus it smells amazing and stays on the skin.

According to Statista the retail value of the beauty and personal care market in the UK shows that for 2019, the market value for beauty and personal care has reached approximately 16 billion euros, which is showing an increasing trend and value moving forward and highlighting how large the industry is and the trends in this area that are driving growth.

According to Glamour magazine, in an article they published last year, they published the findings from a survey to see how much women are spending on beauty products and it averaged at almost £500 per year with some having anything up to a 10 or 12 step process with some using 16 products – 16?!  I am all for having good skin but that seems excessive and quite frankly I’d rather be out on my bike than doing all of that!  It is not surprising, however, especially when there is a product for every possible situation; day cream, night cream, sun scream, hand cream, foot cream, body cream, waters, cleansers, milks, oils, serums and lotions with the list seemingly being never ending!

I was pleased to see earlier in the year that Lucy Charles is an advocate also.  Lucy is a professional triathlete who has had huge success and I am sure we will see that long continue.  She is also the most down to earth lovely person.  Lucy has an intense training program and again this means her skin is exposed to the elements constantly and I spoke to her about the products to get her opinion on them, which was as follows:

‘I have been using CJ Skinhealth for 6 months now and the products have been a game changer for me.  As someone who has struggled with dry skin and breakouts since my early teens I never thought I’d find just 2 products that could solve the problem.  I use CJ Skinhealth every day pre and post training sessions and I have noticed a huge difference, I even get complimented on my skin now which I never thought would happen!’

One of the ladies I met at the pre launch is Beth and she is part of the Bianchi Dama race team, so one of the ladies instrumental in the testing and feedback process.  I spoke with Beth about the products and she said in using the products this is her opinion that is also shared with some of her other team mates also:

‘It’s really added to my confidence.  When competing your confidence can play a big part in how your race goes and feeling more confident in myself and my skin being completely bare, with no make up, has just given me that extra boost.  I think everyone can relate that if you look good you feel good, it’s not often the thing that makes you look good is also the best thing for your skin!  These products have given that to me’

I would happily recommend these products to anyone and if you check out the CJ Skinhealth website you can see others who use them too and read their reviews.

What I really like about good product is being able to speak to people who really know what it is they are trying to achieve with it and are not just a sales person.  Talking to James about his studies in advanced cell cytology and work he has done with the innovation lab and Harley Street skin specialist in order to create these products, that make great skin health accessible to all, was fascinating to my inner geek.

This is a company that have taken time to leverage research, experience and advanced science to produce these products specifically for active lifestyles.  Also don’t be fooled by thinking this is a women’s product either – this is completely unisex though I won’t tell my husband that or I fear mine will run out pretty quickly!

The other thing that appealed was that they were bringing this product to market using the very people who would benefit from it.  So as a cyclist I know the team from Bianchi Dama have tried and tested this, in different weather and environments, and their feedback, as well as other athletes ranging from winter to water sports, has helped with the various iterations of the products.  They know how it works and how these products would benefit someone like me being out and about on the bike whilst also solving the challenge of eliminating complex and time consuming skincare regimes, which lets face it very few of us have time for – I know I don’t!

If you would like to try the products you can use my affiliate code FATGIRLFIT2015 for a 10% discount.

I was gifted the skin products, but all opinions are my own.

It is 3 weeks out from my main event of 2019, the Vatternrundan and so training ramps up and as it does I need to make sure my fuelling is right.  Fuelling wrong in training and in an event can make all the difference and I have been on that bike ride before thinking I feel great and then bam I’ve bonked.

The Vatternrundan is a cycling week festival in the town of Motala in Sweden and I will be taking on three events in five days with a total mileage of 550km.  This means my training is including strength and conditioning, yoga, structured turbo sessions and longer rides on the road.  Food is key for this and that is good as I love food!

I was sent some ingredients from Buy Whole Foods Online (not just Whole Foods Online) and over the weekend it was super easy to add these to my meals in different ways.

My go to breakfast before any event is porridge – you need to find what works for you and oats are something I have tried and tested and found to be good for me.  I also like that you can be adaptable with them with so many things you can add including nuts and seeds, fruit, dried fruit and nut butters.  Before my club ride on Sunday I added some cashew nut butter, organic cashews and a few dried cranberries – delicious!  Another breakfast option is overnight oats – again with the oats and super easy to mix oats with either milk (any type) and fruits, nuts, seeds or toppings of your choice.  I did a blog post on the recipe I use that you can see here.  In this pic I added oat milk, fresh banana, teaspoon of ceylon cinnamon, handful of macadamia nuts and dried organic cranberries.

I like to experiment with food for on the bike.  I love cooking and trying out new things.  I make granola bars that I cut up into bite sized pieces.  They are easy to grab on the move and portable.  These are for energy and contain a lot of sugar so I definitely wouldn’t be snacking on these on a regular basis but on the bike they were fab and I froze the leftovers in snack bags for future rides – easy to grab and go!

To make them I used:

• 180ml oat milk
• 8 tbsp nut butter of your choice
• 5oz muscovado sugar
• 180ml coconut oil
• 9oz rolled oats
• 4oz shelled hemp seeds

Super easy to make too – literally put the milk, sugar and oil in a pan and melt.  Remove from the heat and add in the nut butter, oats and hemp seeds.  This is the point where I normally go off tangent and add whatever nuts, seeds and fruit I have.  Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper, add the mix to the pan and simply leave in the fridge overnight to set.  Cut up and put in portion bags – and add some to the freezer as they freeze well too!

I have joked that I will cycle for cake and I will – lots of people do!  For longer rides it is often nice to have a coffee or cake break on route.  Also gives the opportunity to fill up water bottles too.  I made the honey cake in the pic below with sunflower seeds as a little treat for post ride.

To make this I used:

• 170g raw honey
• 140g butter
• 85g muscovado sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 eggs
• 200g self raising flour
• sunflower seeds for decoration

Again another easy recipe where you put the honey, butter, water and sugar in pan until melted.  Take off the heat and add the eggs and flour.  Add to a cake tin, top with sunflower seeds and bake at 180C for 40 minutes.

After 86 miles on the bike on Monday a slice of this cake was perfect!

I look forward to using these ingredients in more cooking – loads of options with salads, stir fry and smoothies too!

This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and the theme for this year is Body Image asking us how we think and feel about our bodies using the hashtag #bebodykind.

 

The Mental Health Foundation have many resources on their website and for the theme this year they quote:

‘Having body image concerns is a relatively common experience and is not a mental health problem in and of itself; however, it can be a risk factor for mental health problems.’

They have included some statistics around the topic also that note:

• 1 in 5 adults have felt shame because of their body image in the last year
• Over a third of adults in the UK have felt anxious or depressed because of concerns over their body image
• 1 in 5 UK adults have said images on social media have caused them to worry about their body image

First of all I want to say I love any initiative to increase awareness around mental health but lets remember that for those that suffer from any form of mental illness this is life for them that they live with that struggle every day.  So lets open the door for discussion but ensure we continue the momentum after this week.

I would also like to note that I do not personally suffer from mental health issues and so will not claim to be an expert in any way, however, some of the closest people to me in my life do and I can see first hand on a daily basis how different areas of mental health affect people.  I wrote a blog last year on this very subject that you can read here.

So my blog is called Fat Girl Fit and it is not intended as an offensive name but yes I am aware I am not the same size as the models in the magazine and yes I have cried about my body and the parts I hate but that no that does not stop me from doing my thing with a smile on my face.

My blog started when I was on a fitness and weight loss journey and I will admit I was in a routine where I would post on a weekly basis as an update with what weight I had lost on my ‘weigh in Monday’.  This soon turned into something that was quite toxic and left me feeling terrible about myself.  I also soon realised that was not what my blog was about and instead I turned my focus to being a healthier and happier me.  I wrote a blog post on that change that you can read here.

I can’t claim that I don’t still get people look me up and down when I say what crazy event I have planned next but you know what that says more about them than it does about me.  It has taken me a long time not to let those glances upset me.

And also lets be real here I do still want to lose more weight and that doesn’t make me a terrible person either.  There is so much ‘be body positive’ talk and I am completely on board with that but there is also nothing wrong if you want to lose some weight either.  There is nothing wrong with having a moan about that god awful event photo, because lets face it they are mostly unflattering, but then take a step back and think wow my body helped me achieve that goal.

Yes you have a bikini body now – you have a body put it in a bikini and voila!  But you want to be fitter and healthier then so be it – don’t apologise for that either but just do it because you want it and not because of what you believe you should do because you are told so from society.

My new strapline to my blog at the end of last year changed to read ‘be fearlously unapologetically you’ and I have learned that my body is fierce and strong.  So a shout out to all those who have been on the same journey and are learning that after a lifetime of believing that losing weight was all they had to offer the world that they were so wrong and they are worth more than that number on the scales, because your weight is not your worth!

F*ck perfection!  Embrace the body you have and all its imperfections and remember that fit isn’t a size, its a feeling so continue to do you and smile whilst you do it, giving a big cheery middle finger to all those that think you don’t fit the mould, the stereotype, the people we see in the glossy magazines.  Because I am sure they are air brushed to hell!  I am also sure they have their own insecurities too that they are also dealing with.  That old saying about being kind because you don’t know what battles others are fighting.

Think about what impression you are leaving on future generations as they grow up influenced by those around them.  They should grow up with a healthy relationship to food and their bodies.

There was actually a song last year by Little Mix and I love the lyrics:

So repeat after me – I am an absolute f*cking babe and projections from others will not define me!

And if you want the cake then bloody well eat it – life is too short!

#bebodykind

 

They say you can do it if you put your back in to it but at the moment I am having issues with my back so that saying is not for me right now, but what can I do to change that?

I have had a bike fit but recently I have been having real issues with my lower back when cycling.  Tingling even to the point of numbness.  Not a terrible pain to stop me in my tracks but more of a dull ache that is uncomfortable and causes me to shift around in the saddle hoping the change in position helps.

So what could be causing it?  According to British Cycling there is no one issue but it could be related to poor mobility, conditioning or bike set up.  They have some great routines I have started doing for both:

• upper body mobilsation
• back and lower body mobilisation

Both of the above take just over 15 minutes in total so should be easy for me to include in my training and hopefully see some good benefits.

I have also found some great cycling specific yoga sessions online, including this one from GCN.

As I said I have had a bike fit and the set up on my bike is comfortable so I have spoken to some people around me who are more knowledgeable on the subject.

I have changed my training schedule and replaced my previous gym sessions with CrossFit, which I love and is great but I perhaps need to focus more on my core.  A physio I know suggested that the tingling and numbness would indicate it could be nerve related so I will be investigating that further with them.

Back issues on the bike are often related to a weak core and therefore improving core strength can see massive benefits.  So what sort of exercises does that include?  Things like:

• glute bridges
• planking – all variations including forearm, straight arm, with a leg lift, side plank and adapting to include the thread the needle exercise too
• tabletop leg press
• lying lateral leg lifts
• cat/cow
• supermans
• scissor kicks
• boat pose
• single leg crunches
• kettlebell swings
• deadlifts
• bent over rows

Back pain when cycling is also the biggest issue for most cyclists and according to Cycling Weekly:

‘Given how hard your legs work on the bike, it’s natural to assume that when an overuse injury strikes, it’s your knees that will be most vulnerable. Surprisingly however, the research says otherwise. It seems the biggest culprit is not knee pain in cyclists – it’s lower back pain.’

It can also arise from pushing big gears, especially when climbing, and anyone who has cycled with me knows that I am guilty of this and it is a running joke to shout cadence as my husband does to remind me of this very fact!

Cycling Tips have an article on lower back pain when cycling and their finishing quote just about sums me up.  So many people say will you stop cycling after an accident or injury – absolutely not!

‘Unless you want to swap your road bike for something with a bell and a basket, you need to be able to tolerate a forward-flexed position. The exercises described above are designed to help you achieve that position for longer and with less discomfort.  They’ll also help you improve your performance on the bike. Outstanding.’

So watch this space and I will let you know how I get on and if you’ve experienced something similar get in touch and share your tips please and thank you!

At the end of the previous two years I have looked back and seen just what I have been up to and at the end of last year I finished with a knee injury so my start to this year was not ideal.  At the beginning of August this year I was knocked off my bike and it meant that I needed medical treatment for that and I lost a couple of months on the bike and it is surprising how quickly that bike and run fitness goes (not that my run fitness has ever been spectacular but I still do it though I had really made improvements on the bike and was so pleased with my progress so would be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed)!  So I finish the year not quite where I want to be BUT with lots of bike plans for next year and a new bike for it too!

I have learned that as frustrating as injuries are that they happen to most of us and its how you deal with it that really matters so I pull up my big girl knickers and get on with it.  Being part of cycle, run and triathlon clubs I am surrounded by amazingly inspirational people, however, no one is exempt from injuries.  A couple of people specifically to note include my gorgeous friend Liv who was knocked off her bike during Ironman Staffordshire 70.3 and had a lengthy recovery in and out of hospital after suffering a host of injuries including a broken jaw but still went on to complete Ironman Italy!  Also my husband who has an ongoing issue with his leg that also sees him hospitalised but each time he picks himself back up and carries on and also completed Ironman Italy.  They both stuck a big middle finger up to their injuries and completely took on their challenging comebacks and proved how tough they really are.

So I learned that when injured you just have to adjust your plan and often the comeback is sweeter.

Despite the setback I am still able to look back and see what I completed including:

• Winter Run 10k, always a favourite to start the year off
• Spartan Sprint, Super and Beast earning me my second Trifecta and another year as a Spartan Ambassador
• Tough Mudder 5k, Half and Full as part of Mudder Woman
• Another training camp with Havering Tri at Club La Santa
• Thorpe Park half marathon, The Big Half marathon
• Outlaw Nottingham 70.3 triathlon completing the bike leg as a relay team with two amazing ladies
• London to Southend bike ride and being first female to finish!
• Spitfire Scramble 24 hour relay run with the awesome ladies that are Team Scrambled Legs
• I Move London Relay completing two stages and being part of the social media team around this as the inspirational Danny Bent set out and achieved breaking a Guinness Record with 30 days on continuous running!
• The Elements OCR and I love this event, so much fun
• Essex 100 mile bike ride for Action Medical Research with one of my best friends, Laura, who is a Specialized ambassador with the ladies she has been riding with this year
• Colour Run and Run or Dye
• Rough Runner
• Nuclear Blast and Blackout
• Commando Series
• Beachy Head Marathon, which was one of the hardest things I have ever done!

In addition to the above I have taken a different approach to my planning and trying to train smarter for better results.

I tried my hand a time trialling on the bike too though I am yet to do a solo TT and instead opted for a 2-up but intend to do more next year and brave the solo effort!

I also joined a CrossFit gym!  I have wanted to for so long and was so nervous but it was all worrying for nothing and the lovelies at Iron Phoenix CrossFit have been brilliant!

I have changed the strapline to my blog as I have learned through this process it is not about weight loss it is more important for me to be healthier and happier.  It now reads ‘Be Fearlessly Unapologetically You’ and that is me!

I already have the following events planned for 2019 and its all about the bike!

• Tour de Broads – 100 mile bike ride
• Ride for Helen – 100 mile bike ride
• Tjejvattern – 62 mile bike ride
• Halvvattern – 93 mile bike ride
• Vatternrundan – 186.4 mile bike ride
• Ironman Jonkoping 70.3 – bike leg of the relay (56 miles)
• London to Southend – 52 mile bike ride
• Prudential Ride London – 46 mile bike ride

There will be a lot more bike added to the above so if you know of any good events or fancy a ride let me know!

I recently found out that I had made the shortlist for nominations for the Sport & Fitness category of the UK Blog Awards.  It spurred me on to think about the blog – why I started it and where I am now.

So I started the blog after embarking on a fitness and weight loss journey.  In a bid to hide the fact that I was overweight and terribly unfit I would attempt to use humour to hide the fact that most of the time I was terrified of whatever it was I was doing and also hence the name of the blog.  Some friends said I should write a blog and that is basically how it all began.

It is a personal blog and I am clear that I am not qualified in any way in fitness or nutrition but what I share is based on my experience and if I do give advice it is following what I have received from those who are qualified so I can make sure I am not sharing anything that is not misleading or with no understanding.

I would update a blog post every Monday and include a weigh in picture of a little board I have to show progress.  Then I hit a plateau and this changed – no more weigh in board pics.  This is not a negative as it actually taught me a valuable lesson as it meant I was putting less pressure on myself.

My blog is not necessarily the norm.  It is not about the facts and detailing the specifics of a piece of tech.  I like to add a bit of my personality to it and there is humour and sometimes some swearing.  It is not intended to be offensive but it is me.  I am trying to keep it authentic otherwise what is the point?  I am who I am.  I will not try and be someone or something else through this blog.  This blog is not intended to gain approval.

I intend to be my own kind of strong, my own kind of fabulous and my own kind of beautiful.  I am not in competition with anyone else.  I will run my own race (or more than likely jog a bit and walk a bit).  I fully intend to continue to embrace the glorious mess that I am.

There is a saying from JK Rowling asking is fat really the worst thing you can be?  And many more about how the number on a scale does not define you.  By focusing on weight was I sending the complete wrong message to anyone reading my posts?  More than that I realised that the journey I was on getting fitter was about my health and that was my goal – to be healthy and happy.

And so with that you will see the change in wording of my blog strap line.  It no longer says ‘An ordinary girl on a mission to get fit and lose weight’.  Morale of the story – be fearlessly unapologetically you!

This year has flown by and not before long Christmas will be here.  We are already seeing everything in the shops, people have put up their trees and decorations (not me I hasten to add) and people want to know what it is you want for Christmas.

I am that person who doesn’t know.  Literally no idea what I want.  I am not one for ‘stuff’ and would much rather go somewhere or do something than receive a gift just because that is the norm.

However, there are many items I have that I am sure could benefit others if they are on the same fitness journey as I and so I thought I would share some ideas around that.  I am also trying to keep it affordable – fitness can be expensive!  I remember my husband telling me getting a bike would save us so much money – he would commute, use the car less blah blah blah.  Then I started cycling….even the essentials cost a pretty penny when you add it all up.  So I am trying to keep it affordable and with Black Friday tomorrow there is additional money off too – you’re welcome!

Cycling/Running:

Socks – usually £8 but £4.80 in the Black Friday sale – it’s obligatory to get socks at Christmas right?  A great collection from Primal for cycling with the unicorns being my favourite (obviously).

Safety bracelet – £15 – this was one of my favourite presents last year from a cycling friend of mine from One Life ID.  It is a rubber band with emergency details on and I use when running and cycling.

Buff – from £3 – another item great for both running and cycling or even if just out and about in winter months.  Decathlon have a good range of colours.

Yoga:

Mat – usually £17 but down to £12.75 in the Black Friday sale – my yoga mat is from Yoga Matters and is the sticky mat and recommended to me when I started with hot yoga.  As the name suggests it doesn’t slip, which is great for use at home on wooden floors.

Yoga mat strap – usually £4.50 but down to £3.38 in the Black Friday sale – ease of transporting if I take to a class.  It literally just loops round each end and acts as a strap you can put over your shoulder.

Yoga mat towel – usually £26 but down to £18 in the Black Friday sale – that sits on top of the mat, again super grippy and really good for hot yoga as it means I can easily wash the towel after use.

Home workouts:

Kettlebells – £30 – I will admit I have used many a kettlebell workout from different online sources and they’re great as small pieces of kit that can easily be put away (I don’t have the space for something like a treadmill).  I got a starter kit from Amazon to begin with.

Resistance bands – usually £25.99 but down to £19.99 in the Black Friday sale – I learned from a friend who is an awesome personal trainer about the many uses of resistance bands and how I can use them outside of the gym to get in full workouts.  I got this set from Amazon.

Skipping rope – £7 – I got one from Amazon so I can try and get better at skipping for when it appears on a WOD at CrossFit (pink of course).

Miscellaneous:

Trucker cap – who doesn’t love a good cap?  For use casually or to run in.  Collections by loads of different suppliers but at the moment one of my firm favourites has to be from Stomp The Pedal – usually £25 but 50% off for Black Friday with code Style50.

Bobble hat – £20 – I mean it is freezing and especially after training I seem to live in my bobble hats (plus it hides the sweaty hair).

Reusable water bottle – usually £15 but down to £11.99 in the Black Friday sale – A firm favourite of mine are my Hydrate M8 bottles for both at home and work to make sure I am drinking enough water.  They have catchy little quotes and measurements down the sides so you know how much you should be drinking.

Reusable coffee cup – from £10 – we all stop regularly for tea/coffee even if to and from work and a reusable cup is much better for the environment.  Keep Cup have a range of different designs and sizes and you can even create your own.

Notepad – I write down all my workouts and use it as a reference to see what went well and bad.  I also put in future events so I can work my training schedule back to know what I need to do in the lead up.  You can get a notepad from pretty much anywhere though I am using one from Paperchase, usually £14 but down to £9.80 in the Black Friday sale – which is a week per view.

Skincare – if you train outside a lot then your skin can really be exposed to all the elements.  I have been using the two step routine from CJ Skinhealth and love it.  Active Cleanse is £14 and Enhance & Protect is £28.

Foam roller – £30 – a necessary evil that we should probably all do more often after exercise to stretch and loosen the muscles and don’t because lets face it, its not fun.  I have a Triggerpoint foam roller though there are many different sizes and designs available to purchase.

Voucher for a sports massage – because if you are working out a sports massage is always a benefit.  You also can’t go wrong with Radox Muscle soak for the bath and from £1 and it fits in a stocking!

Happy Shopping!

What do you know of CrossFit?  To me it was this thing I watched on TV and was amazed at these people who appeared to be super human.  I had the pleasure of seeing it up close and personal earlier in the year when I was at training camp at Club La Santa Lanzarote with my triathlon club, Havering Tri, as there were some CrossFit Games athletes there training.  Yes, I was the person who asked for a photo and I was the person who walked past and ended up standing staring in amazement at what these people can do.

I was so intrigued with what was involved and when I found that there was a CrossFit box close to home I knew I wanted to give it a try and that is how I started with Iron Phoenix CrossFit.  That was over a month ago now and I’ve had several people ask me about it – what is it like, what do we do, that were exactly the same sort of questions that I had.

What is CrossFit? CrossFit is constantly varied functional movements performed at high intensity.

I first of all took part in a free taster session so I could join in and see what it was all about and I dragged my husband along so I would at least know one other person.  I left a sweaty mess but loved it.  The worst bit was listening to my husband moan about his abs for the rest of the week.

To attend regular sessions you have to attend a fundamentals class.  The fundamentals is necessary to complete prior to attending sessions to teach you how to move safely and effectively.  Once this was complete I was good to go.

I had heard that CrossFit is like a community and the people in the box are all super friendly and they were right.  I attend the 6am sessions and so see the same faces and that actually makes me feel more comfortable.  The sessions are different every day and one of the ladies I’ve met, Jules, has been at this box for 18 months and said she’s never done the same WOD twice.

And I realise I’ve said WOD, which some people will read and be like yeah I know what you are saying or if you are like I was when I first started I would nod my head and wonder what all these weird acronyms were so here are some:

• WOD – workout of the day.  I found a definition of this once which described it as tortuous, makes you want to cry, feel like a rock star after, workout – which is pretty damn accurate!
• AMRAP – as many rounds/reps as possible.  You might be asked to record the reps so you can track progress.
• EMOM – every minute on the minute.  You might be set a list of exercises and every minute on the minute you do them in a certain order.
• Box – this is the name for the gym.  Why is it called a box?  A box is usually a box shaped space – no posters or mirrors that you would get in an everyday gym.  Think less bells and whistles but everything you need to get your workout done.
• RX – this refers to a WOD as prescribed ie with no scaling done so using weights etc as listed.
• HSPU – hand stand push up.  I don’t need to worry about this for now.

There are a ton more but to be honest I am only a month in and I am still learning this myself.

What happens if you can’t do something?  I tend not to look in advance at the workouts as I am sure I would talk myself out of going but there would be no need as literally everything can be scaled.  For example handstand push ups you could do that or a scaled version where you kneel on a box and simulate the same movement doing the push up part on the floor or you can do a push up with hands on the box.  In short there is always an alternative to give you just as good a workout and still push you based on your ability.

Does other training help do CrossFit?  I run (terribly) and do obstacle runs (again not brilliantly) and cycle and so thought I am sure that will translate in some way for example on the assault bike.  The assault bike is not an ordinary bike, you use both your arms and legs on it – you need to pump the handle bars with your arms while also cycling with your legs to give more of a full body exercise.  It’s not the same as cycling or even being on a turbo trainer so I am not sure much of my cycling ability helps at all!

What if you are the slowest or get the least amount of reps?  At the end of some of the WODs you put your score on the board – this might be the number of reps you completed or the time you took to complete a set workout.  This terrified me to begin with – the thought of putting up what I assumed would be an embarrassing number compared to other peoples.  BUT I can honestly say no one cares!  Not once have I worried about putting a score on the board.  There is a variation of exercises being done for example in the WOD on Monday one activity had the following scaling options:

• Muscle up or chest to bar or pull ups or ring rows or dips

So in short the number completed is completely personal to you and not comparable.  The idea is to put in max effort for you and that is all.

What should you expect from the sessions?  To be sweaty, tired but feel great after – much like the definition of the term WOD that I put earlier.  I am not worried any longer about working on a piece of equipment with sweat literally dripping off me.  I am not worried about finishing a WOD and just laying on the floor – I didn’t even care when I left a sweaty arse mark on the floor – I was too tired from the WOD itself to care and to be honest there were several of us laying on the floor spent! Towards the end of a WOD earlier in the week I fully thought my wall ball was on point but was tired and clearly not enough effort – ended up completely missing the target and the ball went across the box – yep I’m that girl!

What are the coaches like?  I can only go by the coaches at Iron Phoenix but so far I have had Ashley, Alina, Ian, Omar, and Lucy and they’ve all been great.  Really patient even with all my stupid questions especially after the briefing of what we will be doing when they say everyone understand what they are doing and everyone nods and I laugh and say I don’t understand all of it but will follow someone else or ask again what something means.  Always on hand with loads of tips and advice.  Constantly watching that form is correct, monitoring progress and amending scaling as necessary – on Monday I was doing my box jumps standing on two 20kg plates rather than the floor (box jumps are something I need more confidence with as I am never sure I will actually jump high enough to land on the box and sure I will just whack my shin on the corners) and Omar noticed I was jumping high enough to remove one of the plates whilst putting my mind at rest that I am jumping high enough to do so – and I didn’t whack my shins either so bonus!

Do you need to stretch?  There is always a dynamic warm up session before any workout so you are completely ready and stretching after, in my opinion, is a must.  You are doing so many different exercises and utilising muscles you might not usually use that without stretching you will become sore and stiff pretty quickly!  I have started doing yoga at home following my sessions and it definitely helps me.

And who knew skipping was so bloody hard? It’s like when you try monkey bars as an adult and think yeah did that as a kid, going to nail it. Ha think again! Skipping is exhausting and double unders? Basically the skipping rope going round twice per jump – wowsers that’s going to take some work!

So why should you try it?  Well why not?  I find myself explaining it to people as so hard but so good and it is just that.

If you are local to me as well there is an awesome offer on at Iron Phoenix CrossFit that includes a free taster session, fundamentals and then 12 sessions after that for £60.