2 Weeks Down: Goal Update

So I set several goals for the 7 week challenge in my fitness life, career, and personal.  We're on the last leg of week 2 and need to check in with myself on how my goals are coming along---

Back Squat: 160lb- 5lb PR! (goal: 175lb)
Shoulder Press: 75lb - 10lb PR! (goal: 85lb)
Mile Time: 10 min - 2 min PR! (goal: 9 min sustainable)
Career:
Auditions: 1 television audition (Goal: 2 any audition total)
Concierge: covering Concierge while she's out of town for 10 days (Goal: to assist Concierge full time)
Acting Process: discovered a weakness, rounding out my process to listen more intuitively instead of relying on the intellectual (Goal: discover a new thing about your process)

Made some good progress keeping these short term goals on track, and am further along in some areas than I would have thought. Quite nice. I challenge you to break down all of your goals to a daily or weekly plan so you can stay on track.

Funnily though, the only place I haven't achieved any of my goals is my personal life.  It's surprising how little attention I've given that area of my life.  Why?  Because my goals are to slow down- but as you can see by the goals I have accomplished above, it seems that I have actually sped up.  hmmmm how to do both?

SPARTAN CHALLENGE

So here we start.....the Spartan Challenge...the training that all spartan soldiers must endure....or something like that.

I'm beginning a 7 week intensive challenge with CrossFit Central called the Spartan Challenge and it begins today!!  I will be taking on extra workouts, chronicling a workout journal, keeping a food and sleep log, Zoning/Paleo, compiling before and after photos/body comp, and will be motivated and held accountable by my wonderful coach and awesome teammates!  Below I have listed my specific/attainable/high bar goals for the 7 weeks so y'all can hold me accountable!  I promise to blog about my experience as I take on this journey in my attempt to see intense results in 7 weeks!  Here we go!

- I will lose 5% body fat (+2% per 3 weeks; down to 15-16%)
- I will eat clean 95%, Paleo/Zone 85%
- I will discover a new Paleo recipe each week
- I will perform perfect chest to bar pullups
- I will perform strict handstand pushups
- I will get 1 muscle up
- I will set a personal record in deadlift (goal 220lb)
- I will set a personal record in back squat (goal 175lb)
- I will set a personal record in clean and jerk (goal 105 lb with correct form)
- I will accomplish a sub 7 min Fran!
- I will improve my mile time to 9 min-mile
- I will be consistent daily with supplements

Success Story compiled by Heather Hodges

“I remember hating my body and wanting to lose weight since middle school. I wasn’t over weight then but more so ahead of the development curve than other girls my age, so I thought I was fat. In college, I actually started to put on weight and hit 170 pounds for my 5′6” frame. I was a modern dancer all my life but the weight never seemed to come off. I started using trainers at the gym, scaling down what I ate, etc etc and I finally shed to 155lbs. It wasn’t until a year or so later I was able to drop to the 140s and then eventually 130 while I was dancing intensely in NYC. However, when I came back to Texas, i was suffering from depression, a serious breakup, and a dead end in my career with no job to back me up. The weight crept back on. In August 2009 I had reached back to 155. I was so ashamed because my previous weight of 170 was just a jump away. It broke my heart that after all that hard work and the obstacles I had been through to slim down, I had gone right back to where I was. I couldn’t get control and I became more and more depressed about it. I started with a nutritionist for a mild eating disorder and distorted body image. That’s when i started CrossFit in August 2009.”

“I went to a free Saturday workout with my roommate and fell in love with the gym and the coaches (I met Heather here at the pull-up bar station!). I had never lifted weights, butI knew after that first workout that this was a gym who saw results! Most obvious, the amazingly sculpted and beautiful coaches that led the work out. Wow, this place must work if all the coaches look like that!!”

“Since starting CrossFit I have dropped to 145-149 pounds, but most importantly I have gone from 32% body fat to 20.7%! I’ve seen the most results in my upper body, arms, and waist. My booty and legs will be the most difficult, but I have finally started to see results there and I can’t wait till it melts off! Crossfit has given me such an empowerment over so many things in my life, especially food. I have a “no way am I eating that” attitude because I can see the work that I’m doing is paying off and I’m anxious to see how far the rabbit hole goes. While being restrictive and depriving in your food habits doesn’t always have positive effects, in fact most nutritionist frown upon this, the change for me was to not use food as a solution to everything. If I fall into depression, instead of using food to comfort, I go do a workout to give me strength. I also have realized that I can have that Mexican food and those desserts whenever I want. There’s no restriction necessary. But now I am choosing to eat healthy (and not fighting it) because my body functions better. Not because “I’m dieting.” Mentally I’m better focused mainly because I’m getting up everyday to do something very active. It keeps my mind clearer throughout the day. It allows me to access the enjoyments in life by working out my anxiety through workouts. When you’re a CrossFitter, there’s no room for BS in your life. period.”

“Sectionals came about because my wonderful trainer said “Hey I’m competing in this competition. Hey you should do it too.” The mere suggestion by her showed me that she actually had the confidence in me to compete in this thing, and she saw the spark and the drive that I had really sunk into the few months before. If it was an option for her, it was an option for me. Once I started thinking about it, I was like “cool, I’m a weightlifter competing in a weightlifting competition. I’m badass. “ I became addicted to the thought and thus began the journey.”

“Sectionals for me was bittersweet at first. I was immediately disappointed with my performance (classic Lindsay). My goal was to finish all the workouts and I didn’t finish two. But I left with a fire and a desire to rip someone’s head off next year. As it sank in, I started examining the things I learned at Sectionals about my body, my weaknesses, recovery, strength training, endurance, nutrition, and injuries. The truth is, I learned a whole heck of a lot and I wouldn’t change the experience for the world. I saw amazing performances by some amazing people. I want that. I can taste it.”

My future goals are to drop to 16% body fat, put on some mega muscle mass in the upper arms (I want my muscle up!), get that 6 pack I’ve always wanted, and slim down those legs!! I’m an actor and I want to be red carpet ready! So now my body won’t keep me from booking a job (like before) but will instead help me book the job. My cardio still suffers (i’m an asthmatic) so just getting through long workouts is always a challenge. I’d like to compete at Regionals next year (who knows, maybe even the Games)! In life, I want CrossFit to continue to promote healthy/conscious eating habits and a healthy state of mind. The clearing of the mind and the perspective CrossFit gives me will help me pursue my life goals as an actor and, some day, as a wife.”

Lindsay, your story is empowering and very inspirational. I’m honored to be your friend and coach. You have tenaciously stuck to your training and made enormous gains in strength and fitness and have met goal after goal. I know your final goal is not far away! I can’t even begin to tell you how proud I am that you took on the challenge of training for and competing at Sectionals. You did what thousands didn’t have the courage to do! Well done! Now, “On to the Next One!!!”

ULTIMATE GOALS

Acting/Dancing
- Perform on Broadway
- Finish short by 2011 and expand to feature
- a part on 2 established features by end of 2010
- 2 commercial roles by the end of 2010
- A finished demo reel by the end of 2010 (3 more good shorts to add to resume)
- Well known name in Austin acting community by directors/casting directors/agents
- Branch out and hit the New Mexico and Louisiana markets
- Start making connections in LA (Veronica’s promise to start sending me to LA when reel is finished)

Personal
- Learn to sing like I was performing on Broadway
- Learn to play the piano
- Learn to tap
- Fulfilling career that parallels acting, provides financial support, sets up a second possible career path and provides fulfillment that I’m making a difference in the world
- Set up retirement plan
- Travel like you’ve never seen! “Where’s Lindsay?”
- Adopt second dog
- Contribute ample time and money to wildlife conservation and pet rescues
- Research these causes around the world
- Teach Bella to urban mush!
- Find my husband and start a family
- Make more friends
- Find time to relax every day and smell the roses that I’m supposed to be smelling
- Sleep less, play more!!
- Enjoy the process of it all!

Crossfit
- 15% body fat; size 4-6
- high quality foods in proper fat/carb/protein proportion
- Muscle up by August 30
- Deadlift: 270lbs
- Clean and Jerk: 145lbs
- Squat Clean: 175 lbs
- Push Press: 100lbs
- Snatch: 145lbs
- Back Squat: 250lbs
- Filthy Fifty: sub 30 min
- Elizabeth: sub 10 min
- Fran: sub 4 min
- Grace: 3 min
- Diane: sub 4 min
- 8 min mile pace
- sub 8 min 2k row

NEW JOURNEYS

I started Crossfit under the training of Coach Heather Hodges. She introduced me to Olympic lifts, pullups, double unders, the spirituality of weightlifting, she watched me achieve my first Personal Records, she was there to witness me shed pounds. She has seen me through some tough personal battles and some tough workouts. Without her encouragement and never failing belief in me, I wouldn’t have had the success I have had thus far. Heather has since left Crossfit Central to start an amazing journey: her own crossfit, Defiant CrossFit! Though I am sad to see her go, I am so excited for her new journey! She is one special woman and deserves the best!
And I’m excited to start my new journey to becoming an elite Crossfitter with Coach Crystal McReynolds! Crystal is one of the most inspiring athletes I have witnessed with my own eyes. Her magnetic personality, humble spirit, and her own true success story make people drawn to her and want to get to know her. I am proud to say that she is now MY coach and will continue me on to reach my ultimate goals.
This blog will be a process where I will share my journey and log my success and failures for others to follow and learn from; everything from my personal goals, my career goals, and my goals as a crossfitter. Most importantly, this blog is not about one genre of my life or another, it’s about finding the balance between them all to lead a truly fulfilling and rewarding existence as one of God’s creatures. Without all facets of my life in working order, the others would not be possible, as each area inspires the other. So…HERE WE GO!