Adventures in… Cross-fit!

I’ve heard so much about Cross-fit in recent years, particularly since the appearance of Commando Steve on The Biggest Loser.  He has been a great ambassador for the program in that he epitomises the philosophies behind it.  Functional fitness and strength, a strong mental attitude, and well-rounded physique.
For anyone who has no idea of what Cross-fit is.. check out this u-tube video!

A new cross-fit group has started up in the Rockhampton Fitness Centre so I took the opportunity to go check it out and see what it is all about.
Costs:  First class is free, and after that it depends on if you are a member of the gym or not.  For each class, $7.50 for members, $20 for non-members, or for a 10 session pass it is $150.  There are also fortnightly and monthly unlimited passes for $75 and $170 respectively.  Remember to contact them directly for updated costs, discounts for emergency services personnel, or any specials that might be running!
When:  Classes run for an hour which include a walkthrough of the WOD and what progressions are available so you can work at your own level.  There are morning classes, Monday to Friday at 6am, and evenings at 5.45pm.  Also a Saturday class runs at 9.30am. 
Contact: I contacted them through their face-book page and they were prompt at returning my message.  You can also contact the Rockhampton Fitness Centre (aka Norm’s Gym) directly by phone.
I went along on a Friday night to be blessed with only one other person in the class.  Friday night generally has a low attendance due to it being.. well, Friday night!  I would recommend going along on a Friday for your first class if you want a more personal introduction! 
I was also assured that there is generally a good representation of women in the class.  The skill level is generally at a beginner to intermediate level as the program has only started recently in the area, so if you want to start, now is a great time to do it!
On a personal note, I am very impressed with my first workout. It was a 20min AMRAP of what looked like a fairly easy workout, once my progression modifications were made anyway!).
Warm-up: 3x (200m + 10 long jumps) then stretching

• 2 Muscle-ups (1 = 3 jumping chins, 3 tri-cep dips)
• 4 Headstand Push-ups (1 = 1 Pike Push-up with Feet Elevated)
• 8 Kettlebell swings (12kg)

And of course we ended with some stretching.
I managed 7 and a bit rounds.. my goal was 10 so I will be repeating this again to beat myself! 
And therein lies the attraction of Cross-fit.  You not only get to challenge yourself every single workout, but you also get to really see your progress by recording your personal bests for any workout that you do!
Even though I am not a member I am seriously considering buying that 10 session pass so I can do a couple of more classes and see how that fits in with my training.  I really enjoyed the session itself, I enjoyed the feeling of motivation that comes from trying to beat the clock and the encouragement from the instructor and other participants.

My Graduation Day

I am not doing a food diary today yesterday.

I had oats for breakfast, cakes for morning tea, a salad sandwich for lunch and then sizzlers for dinner.

I did not gorge myself though like a normally would, I took the small mini sized muffins at morning tea (though I did go back a few times!) and at Sizzlers I only put small servings on my plate at a time and left the chips and apple pie for last so I only had small servings of those!  It was a celebration day and I now understand why Mish says to plan for them.  I know I did well in that I didn't gorge myself, but I was out of my routine with food and that meant I sometimes didn't have much choice - like the mini muffins were the 'refreshments' provided at a photo shoot that went for ages longer then I thought and it was more like lunch time when we got them!  I also thought I would be at uni for another two hours before I got to have my next proper meal so it was muffins or starve! I was able to get home for a salad sandwich before I got to the 'eat now or starve phase' again! 

I will have to exercise today for sure though!

40 B4 40 – Go Bushwalking!

MT Archer, Rockhampton, Qld.
With the end of Easter holidays upon us, I decided that we needed to take advantage of the last two days and get out of the house!  A bushwalk seemed the way to go – something we haven’t done as a family before and Mt Archer is the closest to us!  We left at 9am in the morning, with much whinging and complaining by the kids about being dragged away from the shiny screens!
It turned out to be quite easy to turn Dyllan to our side by offering him video camera duty!

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There were a couple of road stops along the way up the mountain which we took advantage of and grabbed some great photos but it was great to reach the top of the mountain!  It is a great set-up!  There is a small coffee shop and lots of BBQ’s and picnic tables.  There is a nice short walking circuit that was about 500m but OMG!  The view of Rockhampton was amazing!  We were able to zoom in to our neighbour shops on the video camera, and could see so far away! 
We got back from that walk and then had a look around at all the mobile phone and radio towers set up and noticed another walk – Fantastic!  Lots more whinging from the kids though!  Off we went and this time the walk was a bit longer and the path a little less well travelled!  The look-out was fantastic when we got there!  I am sure we could see the ocean!  The views were just amazing!  The photos no where near capture the clarity and the distance that you can actually see from the lookout – I could make out cars on the road, the river and even the bridges over them!
On the way back we took a different way back and I discovered another walking track – 12 kilometres!  Guess where I am going next!