Meet the new gym...(not the) same as the old gym

Those of you who know me, or who read this blog occasionally, know that working out is important to me (and my sanity).   There was even a time (a long, long time ago) that my career was in fitness.  Even though I'm currently in transition after moving back from Scandinavia and living in "temporary housing" (aka my folks' house), it was important that I find a place to work out.

I remembered that my brother's friend worked out the CrossFit gym here in Plainfield, so I thought I would ask him about it.  He LOVES it and said it's a great training environment.  Of course I had heard of CrossFit before (I had been living in Norway- not under a rock!), but I had never tried it.  To be honest, I was a little intimidated at first, conjuring up images of elite athletes tossing around tires and squatting 1,000 pounds.  I'm accustomed to going in to a new gym and being reasonably familiar with most of the equipment and how to use it.  However, when I walked into CrossFit Plainfield (CFP), there was no "regular" equipment...instead I was greeted by a large warehouse with barbells, medicine balls, stacks of weight plates, etc.

Enter if you dare...

On the morning I walked in to check out the place, I was greeted by Coach Scott.  He explained that I would receive 4 introductory classes where I would learn some of the exercises included in the daily workouts (THAT was a relief!).  He also informed me that all memberships are month-to-month.  I'm typically not concerned about committing to a gym, but under the circumstances this was just what I was looking for!

I won't bore you with all of the details, but suffice it to say that the four days of instruction were designed to get me ready for the Workout of the Day (aka WOD).   The WOD is posted in the gym and is also provided on the website ahead of time (I NEVER look beforehand...if it looks too scary, perhaps I would be more likely to oversleep).  I'm now entering my 4th week...and I still need someone to translate the WOD.

What does this all mean??

Luckily, all of the trainers/coaches are fantastic and explain every part of the day's workout....including the warm up, mobility and the specific exercises in the WOD.  They also walk around to make sure you are doing things correctly.

In addition to lots of squats (that cheesy rhyme was completely unintentional), I have been jumping more rope than I ever did in grade school.

Jump ropes and bands (for pull ups)

Don't let the pretty colors fool you...these jump ropes are ridiculously unforgiving when they hit you in the back of the legs.  And this happens a LOT when trying to do double unders (where the rope makes two passes under your feet instead of one).  My current best is 2 DUs in a row...I guess I have some room for improvement.

Although there are absolutely some super SUPER fit members at CrossFit, there is also a wide range of shapes, sizes and fitness levels.  And more importantly, everyone is welcome and encouraged (at least from what I have seen so far).  The coaches are more than happy to give you a modification of an exercise based on your fitness level or limitation due to an injury.

For those of you who haven't seen my most recent gym experience in Norway, seeing some of the differences (beyond the language) might provide a bit of entertainment   http://ourfamilyinsweden.blogspot.com/2014/03/feeling-at-homeat-gym.html 

Socializing or catching their breath after the WOD?   Perhaps both.

On several occasions while living in Norway, I would bring in "American" cookies or cake for my gym friends to enjoy post-workout.  Was I trying to bribe them to be my friends?  Perhaps.  Did it work?  Hell yes it did!  I'm not sure if baked goods would have the same effect here at CFP...

Yoga and Kids Cross Fit are also offered at CFP.   I haven't yet tried the yoga (although I would like to) and my girls are interested in trying out the kids class.

Looks like fun, right?

I'm a bit sad that I will soon be moving and will need to seek out another gym...CrossFit or otherwise.  For now, I will enjoy getting my a$@ kicked at CFP a few times every week!

Happy 4th of July!

For those of you who did not know (and were wondering why my posts had been few and far between over the past several months), we are now back in the U.S.  Now that I am in familiar territory, I think it might be fun (at least for a while) to write about special events as well as everyday occurrences that might seem funny or interesting to those outside of the states, especially my Scandinavian friends.  I think the 4th of July would be a great place to start!

We were fortunate to have been in Norway for this year's National Day (17th of May).  It was certainly interesting to see the differences in how different countries celebrate their Independence or National Day.   If you are curious about what happens on "Syttende Mai", you can check out my take on the experience: http://ourfamilyinsweden.blogspot.com/2014/05/17th-of-may-norways-national-day.html

The girls and I prepped for the 4th of July weekend with last minute pedicures (something that we had not indulged in during our time in Norway)  As a point of reference for my Norwegian friends, we paid the equivalent of about 420NOK (total) for our pedicures...a real bargain!

The girls chose a patriotic look!

There are many options as to how to spend the 4th of July weekend.  Many cities have their own festivals where carnival rides, junk food, and fireworks are common elements.   We attended a fest on the 3rd of July that covered all the bases.

Spinning pumpkin ride with Nana!

Gotta love a mini dragon roller coaster!

Part of the fun of this evening was that we were joined by some friends who had just moved here from Paris (for the record, they are Danish...not French).  I can only imagine the culture shock they experienced!  If nothing else, some of the food options were unique.  In addition to the super-sized lemonade and a pork chop on a stick, we introduced them to the fantastic-ly deep fried "elephant ear".

A few bites shy of the whole ear....didn't take the photo fast enough!

Beyond the standard fest activities, this festival had hot air balloons (for you Chicago area folks...yes, we were in Lisle for "Eyes to the Skies").   Depending on the weather, there are two balloon launches each day and a "balloon glow" in the evening.  We were lucky enough to see the balloons lit up this year.

Highlighting the US bank balloon was not intentional...

As far as fireworks, some cities set them off on the 3rd of July and some on the 4th.  To cap off the junk food eating, carnival ride riding and balloon watching on the 3rd, we decided to let the girls stay up to enjoy the fireworks.   My four year old nephew added to the entertainment by screaming, "That one is my favorite!"...after each explosion.

Fireworks are definitely something to experience in person!

After a late evening, I woke up the girls early the next morning so we could have breakfast with friends then watch a parade.   Unlike the 17th of May that we experienced in Norway, there was only 1 parade (not 2) and participation by the kids seemed to be limited to the marching bands and outside of school activities (soccer, dance, etc.)   In the U.S. there is also a strong showing of emergency vehicles and the military.

Fire trucks, police cars and ambulances...oh my!

Much respect shown for the veterans!

Attire on the 4th of July is certainly a far cry from the suits and bunads that we saw on Norway's National Day.

For those of you wondering about a bunad...here you go!

4th of July- cute and casual!

It was great to have experienced the 17th of May in Norway...and then to have made it back to the U.S. for the 4th of July.  Just don't ask me to pick which celebration I enjoyed more...that would NOT be a way to keep friends!