| Couples That Play Together Stay Together? by Emilia |
 "Come on honey, just 15 more reps and you'll be..."
"12 you idiot! It's 12! Can't you count?!"
"Don't put that bar down!!"
"Oh, I'll tell you where I'll put this bar!!"
* dialogue modified to be family friendly*
If you've ever worked out with a significant other or even worked out near a couple, you've probably experienced an exchange of this nature. While in the depths of a hellish workout in "the box," one is likely to find that your best friend and most devoted companion quickly transforms into your very own devil-driven tormentor. However, this hate-filled dynamic does not have to remain so. A subtle evolution can occur as each partner begins to learn the finer points of coaching and supporting their beloved without becoming the target of a barrage of expletives and spiteful gazes; one learns when it's okay to get in their face and scream and when it would be smart if you remained a good 20 feet away and out of eye shot completely. Like everything in CrossFit, successful couple workouts take time, careful attention, and a sense of humor about the insanity of it all.
-Emilia
|
| Rekindling the Fire by Keith |
 It has been many years since I can claim to have been in "shape". Whether it was the eighty hours a week I used to put into my career, raising three beautiful girls or giving in to my vices of alcohol and food, I always seemed to put my physical well being last. Over the years I have struggled with migraines, gout and most recently a whiplash injury to my neck but since arriving at CFO I have managed to consistently put the time in for myself in my journey to reclaim physical fitness. A few months ago I attempted to bust out a few moves from my past life as a B-Boy (breakdancer). I felt humbled because I couldn't do much. Out of breath and lacking strength, flexibility and coordination, I realized that this feat would require me to be in the best shape of my life as I was back then, twenty four years ago. I am confident that I will achieve my goal of reaching a high level of functional fitness and I continue to be inspired with each WOD, O-Lift and personal training session. I have found for me, they are the stepping stones to becoming a healthier and happier person. I can now walk on my hands across the black mat... You never know what will inspire YOU, but once you find whatever it may be that ignites the fire in your belly, there is no need for excuses!
- Keith Steel Kong
|
I HATE HANDSTAND PUSH-UPS by Will
|
 Perhaps you can relate. You're walking past the threshold of the gym, palms a little sweaty as you sign in. Your stomach has been doing little back flips since you stepped out of your car, but that's nothing new. After exchanging greetings with friends, your eyes seek out the large whiteboard sitting in the middle of the black mat. And then you see it, the bane of your CrossFit career, the movement that has you immediately shifting from attack to merely survival mode. You know what I'm talking about, the one that you are able to do-but not really and it guarantees a long, agonizing workout. The one that stands out for me is the handstand push-up. It is on top of a long list of exercises that I find simultaneously humbling and infuriating.
When I first started CrossFit a year or so ago, seeing people kick up on the wall looked like magic. Some flipped up with the grace of a ballerina, others with the reckless abandon of a pro-wrestler, but one way or another they got up there and it was poetry. As someone who never had any kind of gymnastic classes or even the inclination to be upside-down I resigned myself to accepting that it was just something I wouldn't be able to do...ever. And to be honest, I was happy in my little "never-ever" world. However, there were those that believed I could do it, in time, and were willing to help me get there.
My journey began with an introduction to the pike push-up. After showing some competence with that movement, I went on to the backwards wall crawl. During that time various coaches and crossfitters would each take turns in helping me get over my mental block of being upside-down. It was pretty common to see me practicing wall kick-ups while the classes were going on back at Unit 9. And while maybe only one out of every twelve tries ended in a successful handstand, I did get pretty good at avoiding becoming a train wreck heap at the bottom of the wall ...for the most part.
So after a veritable army of people, coaches and crossfitters alike have helped me, has the handstand pushup become a welcomed friend, the bread and butter of my crossfit arsenal? Oh, heck no! But it's no longer the intimidating impossibility that it once was. And that is one of the things I love the most about CrossFit Oahu, they help you confront the once impossible and replace it with "I can". It has become something I can do...almost. I am sure with continued practice and excellent coaching I'll be able to take the HSPU off my list. The gym, upside-down, never looked so good!
- Will |
| Ignorance is Bliss by Courtney |
 "It is easier to believe a falsehood that has been repeated a thousand times, than a truth
that is said for the first time."
- Unknown
When I look back on the last 10 years since beginning my journey in the field of nutrition, I have so many grateful yet mixed feelings about my education, experiences and development of my belief system. After my introduction to CrossFit, it turned into reservation, anger, humility and rejuvenation. How could nearly everything I thought was right, be actually wrong...dead wrong? The anger manifested from within because I was the one who didn't ask questions and in return, supported the madness. All those years, I believed everything I read and heard as the truth. My friends and family had to tolerate so many relentless low-fat, more whole grains, "bacon is the devil", and "I'm a dietitian" tirades. Gosh, there are still times when would like a new job title so I don't have to be associated with the complexities of food. I don't even know what's right, so how can I give advice to others. So I started over, learning from my mistakes, and asking better questions.
Although it has been difficult to revert to a beginner's mind, my anger has turned to the food industry and public health. Between Nick Hahn and me, our soapboxes can be inescapable!
"Honest misinformation and dishonest misinformation are mutually reinforcing: the more mistaken the "experts" are, the more misled the public become; the more misled the public become, the more people fail in their efforts to lose fat; the more people fail in their efforts to lose fat, the more desperate they become; the more desperate they become, the more receptive they become to the come-ons, frauds, scams and farces that pervade the fitness and nutrition industry." Rob Faigin
Navigating the grocery store has always been an enjoyable experience. In the past, I was on a mission to discover the most fiberlicious foods. I now revel in finding the most ridiculous "health" foods. I recently did a photo shoot at Safeway to illustrate some newer products on the shelves.
That's Blueberry Muffin Frosted Mini Wheats vs. Kashi's newest 'U' with black currents and walnuts and Fiber One vs. Cookie's and Crème Pop tarts.
Besides a few extra grams of fiber and micronutrients, these breakfast treats are virtually equivalent.
Metamucil Apple flavored wafers, "Natural" Cheetos, Whole Grain Goldfish and Trix Yogurt for the kids (virtually the entire yogurt section is ridiculous)
Splenda, now with 1g Fiber per packet?
Crystal Light, now with Live Active Cultures?
Sugar free jelly?
Whole grain Mac & Cheese?
Don't forget about the cats and kids...whole grain outside and soft meaty inside! Love it!
Eat real food. Pau...Thanks for listening.
-Courtney
|
| 2008 in Review by Bryant |
 It seems like the elves come out every night to build something new here at CFO. Sometimes it seems like so much has gone on that it is hard to remember how far we have come! In looking back at the last year, the progress we have made has been nothing short of remarkable! We have continued to build a community based on the enjoyment you get from the journey to true fitness. No junk, no bullshit, no selling out.
From pursuing the old blog posts, here is a snapshot of some of the milestones that happened in 2008. What do you remember?
January
1st- I promise to update the blog 5x a week or do ten burpees. I guess I pretty much lived up to that one s because nobody got me to do burpees! Or maybe you just forgot!
8th-We got the infamous pink, green, and red/black CFO Shirts in. Do you still have yours?
14th- We added 9:00am classes on Tuesday and Thursday taught by Cheryl.
20th- Nick Hahn got certified. Before this it was just Me, Craig, Marcus, Courtney and Cheryl.
30th-We first met up with Ozzi and Hawaii Parkour!
February
2nd-4th- Marcus and I went to Vegas for the 1st ever CrossFit affiliate gathering.
4th- Our first 6:00 am class (Monday and Wednesday) taught by Courtney.
14th- My second attempt at the Ninja Warrior Contest
23rd- We started the CrossFit Oahu Flicker page. 1000+ Photos for you.
25th- The birthday of the CrossFit Oahu Forum. It looks like we were busy on the internet this month.
March
4th-Badger was a no show for his X-1 Fight.
10th- The dungeon workouts started in full force! "All Ye Enter, Abandon Hope"
11th- Courtney becomes the first female at CFO to get a muscle up!!
21st- We hooked up the muscle harness to assist with muscle ups. Remember that thing??
April
1st- Started the April Zone challenge
5th- We started handing out key cards to sign in!! Before this, it was us manually checking off punch cards in the back.
8th-Chris and Tara, Emilia and Juan, Will and Carolina get married this month
14th- We make the best business decision in the history of business and make CFO Wine.
17th- The Goldberg pregnancy challenge goes down.
22nd- We start looking for a new home.
27th- We add new class times and make Elements mandatory.
May
6th-We make friends with the peeps at yelp.com
10th- We hold a CF Baby shower for Kat.
19th-Craig and I tour 556 Reed Lane for the first time.
21st-Alex takes over his first classes in the 12:00pm and 2:00pm slots on Tuesday and Thursday.
23rd- Karrisa and Leighson get their Level 1 CrossFit Cert.
24th- Murph sucks
June
2nd- The 1st Parkour class starts and is sold out!!
9th- Chris Lee leaves for Iraq
23rd- Evan Goldberg is born
July
6th- Nicole Fox wins Miss Hawaii Pageant!!
13-Bryan gets his Level 1 CrossFit Cert.
17-Gretchen's heinous B-Day work out
24-After months of trying, we got the new CFO shirts in.
August
5th- The madness of everyone rowing 42,195m starts.
10th-Work starts to build out 556 Reed Lane. Long nights are the norm.
23rd- Alex, a.k.a the Ice Tiger, leaves us.
29th- The last day at Unit #9
September
2nd-1st day at Reed Lane!
8th- The kid pen is built
26th-Fight Gone Bad 3 fundraiser.
October
7th-James adds some 7:00pm classes.
25th-We competed in the Hawaii Open Weightlifting competition. Several State Champions were made.
November
1st- Natural November starts.
2nd- Donny starts his first Olympic Lifting Program
13th- My beard post gets over 70 comments. Keep it wins.
December
5th- The first CFO Newsletter goes out!!
6th- Coach Ryan moves to New Zealand. You can drink water during the WOD again.
15th- The newest and best round of of CFO Shirts comes in.
28th- I shave my beard. :(
Wow that seems like a lot, but in reality that probably wasn't even 5% of all of the amazing things that occured at CFO last year. Think about how many new friends we have made here, visitors we have met, outings we have had! 2008 was awesome, but 2009 looks to bring even more great things for us.
Do More.Suck Less.Live Better.
-Bryant
|
|
Thank you again for reading our newsletter and being a part of our community.
Sincerely,
- Marcus "The BADger" Dedina
www.CrossFitOahu.com | (808) 685-7630WHAT WHAT!
- Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.
- American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
- Chances that a burglary in the United States will be solved: 1 in 7
- An eagle can kill a young deer and fly away with it.
|
|
|
