Movement is Medicine

Leave a comment November 3, 2015 drworobec

My friends. Fitness is not a short journey. Fitness is a daily choice. And fitness is a very large, very important component of health. I saw the above graphic on Twitter a couple of weeks ago, and it really got me thinking; and from thinking comes blogging.

So here we go.

While the above information is American-based, I would guess that it likely applies to the Canadian population as well. And although ‘The Huffington Post’ is not exactly an evidence-based journal, I would venture to say that the above stats are well within the ballpark of truth.

The Public Health Agency of Canada released new physical activity guidelines in 2011; they recommend 2.5 hours per week of activity for adults, “focusing on moderate to vigorous aerobic activity” and incorporating activities that “target your muscles and bones.” This is only 21 minutes per day. I’ve already blogged and complained about their guidelines being drastically low for children, so today I’m going to say the same for adults. Following these activity recommendations are like following the Canada Food Guide for nutritional guidance; the research has changed and so should your views.

I believe in fitness. It’s a big part of who I am, and a big part of what I enjoy. So it’s hard for me not to stand on a soapbox and preach about this topic. Forgive me for ranting and raving….. such is an element of passion, and passion for this topic I have. Fitness changes everything from your quality of life to your functional abilities to your life expectancy. I’m not going to tell you to park your car further away from the mall entrance or to take the stairs instead of the elevator. I’m not, because you need to do more than that.

I promise that if you do not move your body now, while you can, you will not be able to move your body later, when you want to.

Soapbox away, rant over.

Catch your Breath

Leave a comment September 15, 2015 drworobec

There’s something about a day of puttering around home that really makes my heart sing. Sunday was a day of exactly that, and now I feel like my world is back to spinning on its proper axis.

Life has changed a lot for me in the past couple of weeks, mostly centered around the move that I’ve been blabbering on about. Add to that the back-to-school chaos that we’ve all experienced, and I’ve felt very out of balance lately; I seemingly haven’t been able to catch my breath. But there were several things that helped me catch it this weekend. The first of those things being friends.

I competed in a CrossFit competition on Saturday afternoon. It was an all-female event comprised of teams of three, and there were more than one hundred women involved; nearly half of that hundred were members of my gym. The event raised money for Love the Snatch, a cervical cancer foundation started by someone gone far too soon. I spent the afternoon cheering, chatting, laughing, and sweating. And when I left, my heart was full and smiling. Can hearts smile? Yep. They can, and they do.

And then there’s my Sunday. Some IKEA assembly for my work-with-my-hands side, some country music for my feels-like-home side, some coffee for my I-love-coffee side, and heaps upon heaps of family time for my this-is-what-life-is-about side.

And so, my friends, the world continues to turn, doesn’t it? Even when change is happening fast and furious. Even when we can’t catch our breath. And when balance is restored and my breath has been caught, these guys are always there to go for a walk or read books or help me make dinner, and make me feel right back to normal.

I love these guys.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
~ Maya Angelou

Oh Boy, I Hate That

2 Comments August 4, 2015 drworobec

It was the annual CrossFit Games a couple of weeks ago. Kind of like the “Olympics of CrossFit,” this annual competition is held in California every year, and hosts the best CrossFitters from around the world to determine the title of “Fittest on Earth” through several days of grueling events. For the average CrossFitter like myself, it’s a chance to marvel at the athleticism involved; competitors performing movements that we do day in and day out at the gym, but doing it far faster and far heavier than we can ever hope to do. But we hope anyways. And we cheer. And we dream.

CrossFit has a big presence on Social Media, so there’s lots of public opinion on display. And I’ve been shocked and saddened at some of the comments about the appearance of the female competitors. “Too muscular,” “too manly,” “not feminine.” Predictably, I did not come across one negative comment about the bodies of the male athletes. Oh boy, I hate that.

Brooke Ence, a 25-year-old rookie CrossFit Games competitor, won the one-rep-max clean and jerk event. She cleaned a 242lb barbell up to her shoulders and jerked it over her head. 242 pounds. My max deadlift is 226 lbs and I have been doing CrossFit for more than five years- and she took 242lbs and put it over her head. This is a display of athletic power that few people can ever hope to achieve. It was also a 12-pound personal best for her; a testament to her training and the influence of an energetic stadium crowd.

brooke ence

I think she looks like Barbie. But not a Barbie that is so disproportionate that she would tip over if she were a real person- rather, a Barbie that has worked hard to make herself into an incredible athlete and reach her goals doing something she loves. Yes, she has more muscle than the average woman. And it’s that muscle that allows her to do these amazing things. She has trained for years for that muscle and I wish that the naysayers would look at it from another side. I’m looking at it from the eating disorder side.

It’s no secret that I’ve battled eating disorders and body image issues throughout much of my life. I’ve also been successfully fighting this battle since I began CrossFit in 2010. I no longer view my body as a series of measurements and numbers on a scale- I view it as capacity in the gym and in my life. I look at how fast I can run, how much I can lift, how high I can jump. I look at how my fitness transfers into living a healthier life.

I strive to be strong instead of striving be skinny. This is a big shift for me. Imagine if we could make this shift happen for the thousands upon thousands of teenage girls and adult women watching the CrossFit Games. Could we change the world? Well, we could change their worlds.