Kicking Butt at Crossfit and Loving Every Minute

Photo credit: Thomas Campitelli

I started Crossfit exactly one month before my 29th birthday in August 2010. I was living in North Lake Tahoe and had been hearing about Crossfit from a number of friends, including one friend who was able to finally quit smoking and who totally transformed himself all in a couple of months. His results were inspiring, and I had also heard you got to jump around on things, swing on other things, and get upside down. I was so in! Those first couple of days I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make that five minute stroll home because I was so frickin’ sore.

I’ve always been active in a variety of different types of exercise, including cycling, triathlons (I can barely swim and I hate to run) Tae Bo, P90X, and more, but none were able to garner my short attention span for long. Crossfit has complemented my A.D.D. perfectly because there are literally hundreds of skills, movements, and lifts not just to learn but also to get the technique right. There’s little time for boredom with Crossfit and I always have a list of things I want to accomplish; some of it is improving technique, some of it is doing a skill for the first time, and somewhere on that list is to run more, too.

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Comfort Food Gets a Healthy Makeover

We spotted this article on Runner’s World this morning as our little toes and fingers were freezing off and talk of soups, casseroles and hearty meals had us counting the clock for lunch. However, in gearing up for the holiday’s we’re doing our best to stay true to our fitness goals and maintain the hard earned shape we gained over the summer. Enter, this article! You know we love our cream and a good bar of chocolate, but there is no harm in implementing a few of the tips below to keep you feeling fresh after that big bowl of homemade chili. Enjoy!

Oh baby, it’s cold outside. When the weather outside is less than forgiving—like it is where I live in Pittsburgh—comfort foods sound great. But some of these foods pack a pretty hefty calorie punch, which can make your next run feel more like a waddle. Here’s how you can still eat your favorite winter foods in an enlightened way. (more…)

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Greetings and Introductions!

Hi Title Niners! My name is Amy and I am beyond delighted that Title Nine has invited me to be a columnist for this blog, Timeout with Title Nine.

I am a huge fan of the company and their products, but most especially, I adore and whole-heartedly believe in their philosophy and vision. So I’m pretty stoked to be here and wanted to use this first post as an opportunity to introduce myself to you.

In a nutshell, I love the outdoors and the variety of life lessons, personal growth and transformations I’ve experienced from exploring and taking risks in the outdoors.

I believe that taking risks and pushing beyond our comfort zones, past our self-imposed boundaries, keeps us young, fit, growing and constantly evolving into better and more vibrant versions of ourselves.

A few years ago I took the biggest risk I’ve ever taken when I quit my comfy corporate job and leaped into the unknown jungle of a new career and subsequent entrepreneurship as I launched my own company, Expand Outdoors, to help women like me—and perhaps you—to take more risks. To push our boundaries and test our limits to expand our vision of ourselves and the world around us.

To leap.

And so begins the birth of, JUST LEAP. A monthly column on stepping out of your comfort zone and pushing your boundaries, by me, Amy Christensen of Expand Outdoors. (more…)

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How I Got (Really) Fit in my Fifties and Beyond

By Mary Rawles

I’m 65 and I’m an athlete. No, I don’t do anything amazing like running ultra marathons. I’m just gym-rat fit. It feels good, and I look good, too. It wasn’t always that way.  You see, I was born pre-Title Nine. I grew up smoking with friends rather than working out with them.  In my 30’s I quit smoking and began working out. I ran, lifted weights, etc. Eventually, I even did a mini-triathlon, but I was erratic, either fit and slim, or out of shape and gaining weight, too busy with life. Working full-time, raising kids and driving them to their sports, I was so worried about their achievements; I didn’t make time for myself.

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Holiday Wishes

More or less? Sometimes it is hard to keep straight what’s important and what isn’t with all of what life throws at us. Especially during the holiday season when our time is demanded by so many places and so many things. Missy lays down her law of what we could use more or less of in the coming months. What do you think? What will you be having more and less of? Whatever your fancy, may you enjoy it to the fullest and have a happy holiday doing what you love.

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