July Fitness Challenge

Hi all! Well, half of 2015 is behind us and I hope you are well on your way to meeting your long term goals and have been successful in meeting your short term goals. It's never too late to make new goals or re-evaluate the ones you made earlier in the year. Remember to make SMART goals, (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely).

I hope you have enjoyed the monthly challenges and have found new ways to incorporate fitness into your daily routine. I've tried to keep all the workouts based on body weight movements with little to no equipment needed. I trust that those of you who are more avid fitness enthusiasts have challenged yourselves by modifying the workouts accordingly. 

Here is the monthly challenge for July. You will notice that I've asked you to record your time (or score), remember not to sacrifice your form in order to achieve a faster time (or better score). Do all the movements for quality, but try and see if you can improve on your time throughout the week. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at jarrettmarissa@gmail.com

You will notice that I've left the weekends open. I know the summer months can be busy with family activities and vacations, but I hope you will find ways to incorporate some physical activity into them. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa 

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

June Monthly Fitness Challenge

I hope you enjoyed your challenge for the month of May and went on to inspire others to achieve a more active and healthy lifestyle. Even if you only reached out to one person during the month, you may have had a positive impact on their life! I enjoyed several walks during the month with my daughter, worked out with awesome people in my CrossFit classes, and continued to work with the young boys I train. Even though May has come and gone, I hope you continue to inspire others through your hard work and efforts. Feel free to share this months challenge with them, or invite them or someone else to do it along with you. 

Burpees, Squats, & Push Ups, OH MY! There is a a lot you can do with the June Challenge this month! This months challenge is a great set up for beginners while more advanced exercisers can add reps, turn the workouts into AMRAP's (As Many Rounds & Reps As Possible in "X" time, for example 8:00 min or 15:00 min), or repeat 2-3 times depending on what your schedule allows. 

Each week is different but the reps add up as you progress Monday through Saturday making them a little more challenging as you go through the week. Sunday's are open for 20 minutes of your favorite cardio, a bike ride, roller blading, paddle boarding, what ever activity you enjoy that gets you outside and enjoying the great weather (don't forget your sunscreen, sunglasses, hat and other protective gear).

If you share this workout with a newbie, they can stick with the rep scheme set on Monday's & Tuesday's for the first two weeks and then gradually increase reps as the month goes on, depending on their ability.

Remember to challenge yourself, stay hydrated & have fun! If you turn any of the workouts into AMRAP's, remember do not sacrifice your form in order to get more rounds and reps in. Form always comes first!

If you have any questions about any of the movements, you can leave me a message or seek me out on Facebook at Get Fit With Ris.

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

May Fitness Challenge - Inspire Someone to Get Moving!

Do you enjoy working out alone? I don’t! I enjoy having other people around while I workout and someone to workout with can be very motivating. So, this month I challenge you to inspire someone to workout with you for the month or someone new each day or each week. Take a friend, a neighbor or a co-worker on a walk with you, go out and play kick ball with your children, invite someone to join you for a yoga class, walk your 18 holes of golf instead of taking a cart, or invite a friend to join you on a 5k walk/run. All you have to do is ask!

I’ve spent years motivating others to get up and move, to change their lives and get fit and healthy. It’s not as hard as it seems. If you have been following along with my monthly challenges over the past several years, you can invite someone to do them with you. There is a sample workout included on the May Fitness Challenge if you need something structured, otherwise you can try any of the activities mentioned above, or find a workout from a past challenge you enjoyed. If you follow me on Facebook (if not, you should at Get Fit with Ris) I will post different workout suggestions throughout the month of May for you to follow too.

I’ve already had one person tell me that they invited a friend to join them at their gym for a workout and they even signed up for a month of training with their trainer. See! It’s that easy. You never know whose life you might change. Sometimes it just takes a little nudge, a little suggestion to get someone interested in a healthy lifestyle.

When I reflect back on the people whose lives I touched over the years and inspired to get up off the couch and start being more active I am so thankful for having that opportunity.  At 70 years old this August my mom and dad move around as if they are 40. They attend yoga and strength-training classes every day, they get out and walk on the beach when they are vacationing; they golf and have no problem keeping up with their grandchildren. I’ve inspired my own daughters who have been active over the years with dance, track, yoga and strength-training. I can’t tell you how excited I get when my daughters “snap chat” me their photos rowing, or doing a headstand, or running their first marathon. I know I’ve instilled in them a lifelong habit.

So are you up to the challenge to go out and inspire someone this month?

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa 

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Results from the 2015 CrossFit Open

Photo Credit: CrossFit

Well last week Friday was the last Open workout for the 2015 CrossFit Open.  15.5 was a workout for time and consisted of rowing and thrusters. It began with a 27 calorie row followed by 27 thrusters at 65#, then 21 calorie row, 21 thrusters, 15 calorie row and 15 thrusters and 9 calorie row and 9 thrusters. On Friday, I had a head cold and breathing was not fun, so I elected to wait until Sunday afternoon to give this one a go hoping I would be feeling better. I was looking forward to it, I was hoping I would have finished it in under 11 minutes, but on Sunday I still was not feeling 100% and breathing was still a little difficult. I ended up with a time of 12:28 and was glad to be done! 

Here is how I placed in the State, the Central East Region, and World Wide for my age group; and among my fellow athletes at the box I work out at. 


Michigan: 11 out of 132
Central East Region:  37 out of 472
World Wide: 407 out of 6,156 
Overall at my box I finished 15 out of 35

While I would have liked to have finished in the top 20 for my age & division as I did the previous two years, I am happy with my overall placement this year. I look forward to this time of year because it inspires me to work even harder. Looking ahead, I can work on my weaknesses. I would like to be doing muscle ups before the year is over. Once I am able to get them under my belt I know this will go a long way in the workouts next year. I also need to work on my speed a little more and get stronger at kipping for my pull ups and handstands. 

Congratulations to all the outstanding athletes that participated in this years Open and to those who are on their way to Regionals and the Games later this year. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

*Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!*

April Fitness Challenge

Let's keep going on those fitness goals! Here is the April Fitness Challenge and we are changing things up just a little bit from the March Challenge. 

An EMOM is Every Minute on the Minute and this is how you perform it. Beginning on the first minute you will do 8 burpees (or what ever is indicated on the day). Then you will rest the remainder of that minute. On the next minute you do 8 more burpees and then rest. You will continue this until the specified time for example: 4 minutes, 5 minutes, etc., up to 9 minutes during weeks 2, 3, and 4. You will also notice that each week the movements change or more are included. The faster you work, the more time you have to recover before repeating them again. 

On Sunday's you can choose to do 20 minutes of cardio. With the warmer temperatures approaching you might like to take your workout outdoors for a 5K, or a brisk walk, it's up to you! Do your favorite cardio for 20 minutes, what I have listed is only an example of the variety of choices you might like to partake in. 

During the third week you also have the option to substitute kettlebells swings instead of doing the burpees and push ups that week. Or, if you have a rower you can row for calories every minute and rest until the next. 

If you have any questions just leave me a comment. Share this with a friend that you might like to do this with to keep yourself accountable. The more the merrier and working out with friends is always more fun. If you don't know anyone, check out my Facebook page Get Fit with Ris, you can always check in there as you complete the daily workouts and I'll be sure to keep you motivated and inspire you to continue. 

Remember, have fun and make sure you challenge yourself each and every day to be better than yesterday. Summer is almost here!

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!

Workout 15.4 CrossFit Game 2015 OPEN

Only one week left in the 2015 Reebok CrossFit Open! My current standings after last week are:

38/472 for the Central East Region and 434/6,158 worldwide. I've moved up quite a bit from last week and I am very excited about that! If only I could have gotten 1 muscle up in 15.3.

I did give 15.3 a second attempt last Sunday to get my first muscle up. I spent the 14 minutes working on it with no success. When it was over, my husband pushed me forward which got me thru the rings and I pushed myself up. Of course, this does not count, I just need to work on “head butting” my way through the rings so I can get up on my own. I will continue to work on them and know that they are not too far away from becoming a reality.



Photo Credit: CrossFit


In the meantime, this past Friday was 15.4 an 8 minute AMRAP of ascending Hand stand push ups (HSPU) and Cleans. I felt pretty good about getting at least 1 or 2 HSPU, so I was excited that I did the first three so easily. Then I had to do the cleans and knew that it wouldn’t be a problem since in 15.2 I did a 125 Clean & Jerk, so I knew I could clean it up. Then I headed back over to the wall for 6 HSPU, and I only got 1. I then spent the last 5 minutes trying to get another one, but again I was not successful. I just couldn’t push myself up. I tried kipping and by the end of the 5 minutes I almost had it and by that I mean I could push my head up off the mat about an inch, but that was about it. So, I completed 5.4 with 7 reps.

What I like about the Open this year is that it showed me where my weaknesses are and what I have to work on. So, over the next couple of months I will spend more time working on my muscle up and learning the kipping for the HSPU. I know I have it in me!


Stay tuned next week to see where I fall in the rankings after the 15.4 submission and what challenges 15.5 will bring.





In Health & Fitness,



Marissa





Get Fit! Stay Fit! Be Fit!

My current standings in the Cross Fit Open after 15.2 are:

57/472 for the Central East Division and 685/6,157 World Wide 

Here is the 15.3 Workout from Friday:

Photo Credit: CrossFit

Ugh! Muscle Ups are something I have not yet perfected or performed. I know that I am certainly strong enough to do them, and if I worked on them more often I know I can get them. I was conflicted going into this workout on Friday morning wondering if I should spend my 14 minutes trying to get a muscle up (or two), or doing it scaled and skipping the muscle ups and just do the Wallballs and Jump Ropes. The scaled version was 50 wallballs at 10# (instead of 14#) and 200 single jumpropes (instead of 100 Double Unders, which I can do).

Well, I chose to do 15.3 scaled on Friday and ended up with 1,007 reps. I was honestly surprised. One of the trainers said to the group as we were warming up to shoot for 700 reps. The timer was counting down, 3…2…1 GO! I started right in with the first round of 50 wallballs and 200 single jumpropes. I never once looked at the clock. I took only a few short breaks during the wallballs to shake out my arms. I did the jumpropes unbroken. There was about 20 seconds left when I finished my last round of jumpropes and I picked up the wallball and was able to complete 7 of the 50 before time was called. I had no idea how many rounds I did. I just tried to stay moving the entire time. I was pleasantly surprised when Meggan told me how many reps I had completed.

 

Now, do I give it another go on Monday and try and get a muscle up or two during the 14 minutes? Even though I had some pretty decent reps with the scaled version, I am told that even 1 muscle up will earn me more points on the leader board than my scaled score. If I am able to catch up with the other coaches on the box, I think I may attempt to do it. After all, I have nothing to lose by trying and I may even surprise myself.

Stay tuned next week to see where I land on the leader board after this weeks workout. 

In Health & Fitness,

Marissa

Get Fit! Be Fit! Stay Fit!