So my 365 day challenge is coming to an end today. What an interesting journey it has been. I did it! I dedicated myself to this and held on to it. Did I doubt myself? Not for a second. I knew I was able to do it once I got started . When I decided to start something like this, I made sure I finished it. Has it been hard? Yes, once in a while. Had I wanted to stop? Never! The only two weeks I had to take a break was when I got an inflammation in my knee, I had surgery.
I´m really glad I did it because this proves that building muscles do not happen over night. It takes a lot of dedication, a lot of work and hard will. To lose weight can be easier then gaining muscle. In my case, due to my petite frame it´s really hard to do either. Now I at least know that it´s possible, but it requires a lot of time. Have I seen changes in my body? Absolutely! :) Do I feel stronger in my lower body? For sure am! Heavy squatting has always been hard for me and still is, but not as hard as they did before. I am so happy I did it!:)
Jan 1
Quad (thick part): 22.4 inch (56.9 cm)
Glute: 26.8 inch (93.5 cm)
May 23
Quad: 21.5 inch (54.6 cm)
Glute: 37 inch (94 cm)
July 13
Quad: 22 inch (56 cm)
Glute: 37 inch (94 cm)
Aug 28
Quad: 22 inch (56 cm)
Glute: 37.7 inch (95.8 cm)
Dec 31 2015 Quad: 22.7 inch (57.7 cm) Glute: 38.7 inch (98.3 cm)
Result after 356 days. Small girls can build booty too ;).
I loved every second of this challenge. Am I going to continue with something new for next year? Sure will! It´s all planed out already! ;) Tomorrow it will start! ;) I´ll let you know what it is later.
So was it all worth it? Sure was! Today I ended my year with a 10lbs PR (personal record) in my back squat and did my last 100 walking lunges :).
Thank you year of 2015. There was a lot of downs, some true hard times. Missing family and friends back home etc. There was still much love, laughter and joy. I have met so many incredible people during this year. I have gained a lot of experience true the year and made some good memories. I have the best friends ever on this island! Without them I don´t know where I would be. I have so much to be thankful of!:) Love you all! I also have the best family back home! Though we don´t talk that often I still have them there when ever I need them. I will also always be there for them!<3
I hope the year of 2016 will be a little bit lighter and whatever it brings, I know I´m going to be stronger! I will try my best to give back as much as I can! I just have to take one day at the time! Cherish the moments you have with your love ones and don´t be too hard on your self. Life is too short and not that serious. May the next year bring only joy to everyone! <3
Hello.
Hope everyone had a relaxing and joyful Christmas with your love ones :). Hope you gave yourself time to rest and to enjoy all the good food the holiday brings along.
So what about now? The New Year is just around the corner. Any New Year´s resolutions? Excited, or does it feel difficult to get started? Your motivation is gone and you just want to give up, not do anything?
Don´t worry! I bet you´re not the only one. We all have these days now and then. It´s totally normal. Especially after a longer holiday where you allow yourself to take a break from your daily routines. But you know what? You just have to get right back to it!:) That´s what life is all about. We cannot allow ourselves to take too long of a break. We have responsibilities in life as human beings. It can feel hard in the beginning but just keep on moving, taking one day at a time. It can only get better :).
Especially with fitness, the struggle can be real sometimes. As a coach, I see and hear it once in awhile. Why is that? Why do people think that any kind of sports or fitness is less important that anything else? Why leave that out and let everything else come first? Your car is more important to take care of than your health and body? So who´s going to drive the car if something happens to you?
Do people even think like this? Maybe not, maybe I´m the only one. Sometimes I just wish that people would slow down, drop down and do a squat. LOL! :) No, seriously. To do any kind of activity daily would prevent us from so many doctor visits. You might not believe it now, but everyone gets older day by day and age does not come alone. And believe me, it does not take much of your time. I have put this out before: ONE HOUR workout is 4% of your day. So stop making excuses and just get it over with :).
As I said, the New Year of 2016 is soon approaching, and everyone is thinking about new beginnings. So why not start it today, why wait?!
That´s why I now want to share two amazing stories of two different people. These two awesome men work out at our gym, Crossfit Key West. They are not only hard working athletes, but also incredible, humble, loving, and kind people. They have a smile on their face every time they come in to the gym. They are happy, they make jokes, they laugh, they dance, they cheer others on, but most of all, they do their absolutely best every time for each workout! They want to be better, healthier and stronger. They are some true inspirations and 100% dedicated to what they do.
Before I unveil who these two men are I just have to share this video that one of them send me. I bet some of you have already seen it, but this video is so hilarious and points right on how people can feel around this time of year when it comes to getting back to the gym.
OMG, LOL!! Can not stop laughing! :D What a well done video, or what do you think?
Let me now tell you about the journey of DAVIDand JOHNNY<3
David started crossfit: January 2015 Age: 53 Weight then: Weight now: 240 lbs 195 lbs Size then: Size now: XXL. 40 L. 34
Deadlift then (in workouts): Deadlift now: 85 lbs 115 lbs
Here we have David in a blue shirt and red shorts on my left hand side. This picture was taken (sorry for bad quality) 39 weeks ago.
David and Johnny also did the 24 day challenge with Advocare a while ago. That gave them even more results :).
JOHNNY started crossfit: April 2015 Age: 49 Weight then: Weight now: 230 lbs 180 lbs Size then: Size now: XL. 40 M. 32
Deadlift then (in workouts): Deadlift now: 55 lbs 135 lbs
When they started they were both overweight. Their mobility was bad and we had to modify almost all the movements. Now, well I don´t even know where to start. They have come such a long way. Their mobility is getting better day by day. David fought his fear with the box and does now 24 inch box jumps together with his wife who got them the same day :). He also gets upside down in a handstand and manages to do pull ups in the workouts. His overhead squats are finally getting lower and not to talk about how he´s killing those rope climbs :). This man is not the only motivator in the Mahoney family. David´s lovely wife started Crossfit at the same time as him and has dropped weight too. Not a long time ago their teenage son also joined our family and is doing incredibly good as well. You know the saying; "family who train together, stay together". <3
Today David killed the 20min amrap with a total of 6+5 rounds. He did the front squats with a weight of 105lbs. The box jumps and pull ups he did with no problem.
"BEAST MODE", he said!:)
Johnny, omg, what a inspiration too!:) He gets stronger day by day. He finishes the workouts in no time, even with small dance steps in between ;). His drive is amazing. He just wants to get better. You can say that this man is literally in love with Crossfit <3. He is not leaving a workout undone. He is a real trooper! <3 We almost lost him, when he got hospitalized for kidney failure. Thank God for good medicine Johnny can now continue doing what he loves. We are so blessed to have him with us. It would not be the same without him!
Both of these men show that age is just a number. It is never too late to start, and Crossfit really is meant for anybody!:) So people, let this be a motivation to start. NOW!:)
Oikein Hyvää Joulua kaikille :). Toivottavasti te siellä koti Suomessa olette saaneet nauttia hyvästä seurasta ja herkullisesta ruuasta. Jospa minäkin vihdoinkin löytäisin aikaa rauhoittua. Täällä päässä se joulumieli ei vain oikein millään tule. Et erota päivä toisesta. Ihailet kaikkia jouluvaloja ympäri saarta, mutta joulutunnelma on vaikea löytää. Iso syy siihen on myös että olen tehnyt töitä kuin hullu. "Joka päivä töitä teen". Ei vain ole ollut aikaa mihinkään. Jopa tänään oli aikainen herätys töihin. Sali oli täynnä reippaita asiakkaita jotka halusivat saada treeni pois alta ennen joulupöytää. Onneksi huomenna saankin nukkua ennen kuin työt kutsuvat jälleen illalla.
Päivästä tai pyhästä huolimatta, kotia on aina ikävä. Kunpa välimatka olisi lyhyempi. Ikävöin eniten omaa mammaa. Kiitos päivän tekniikasta sain eilen pari ihanaa viestiä häneltä ja veljen lapsista. Heillä on onneksi kaikki hyvin <3 Lapset kasvavat päivä päivältä. Aika se vain rientää. Ensi vuonna saankin sitten vain toivoa että he tulevat tänne ;).
ÄLSKAR ER!! <3 <3
Muuten kaikki on täällä oikein hyvin. Jotain kivaa olen sentään ehtinyt tehdä myös työni ohella. Pari viikkoa sitten ystäväni pyysivät minut mukaan juna ajelulle ympäri saarta ihailemaan asukkaiden jouluvaloja. Tämä oli minulle jotakin uutta ja todella mukavaa :). Ainakin hetkellisesti tuli joulu tunnelma.
Tänä vuonna pidimme myös vuosittaiset joulu juhlat salilla. Oi, että oli hauskaa. Juhlaväki oli jopa suurempi kuin viime vuonna. Tämä tietysti lämmittää sydäntä <3. Meillä on aivan paras joukko ihmisiä. Olemme yhtä suurta perhettä :). I LOVE YOU GUYS!
Joten tässä pieni slide show meidän onnistuneesta illasta <3. ENJOY! ;)
THANK YOU Yvon for the pictures and Jeremy for putting this together. You are the BEST! <3
This time I want to give a shout out to my beautiful friend who is a makeup artist/aestheticianand the owner of Casa Salon. She is the one who makes sure my eyes look beautiful ;).
So living back home I used to have my lashes done every third week. I drove all the way to another town to make myself pretty ;). Why? Well, simply because, you who know me, I´m very blond. I don´t have any color on my lashes or my eyebrows. Also when you do what I do, you don´t wear makeup to work, only when you go out. That´s why this is a good option for me.
In the beginning of my time on the island, I used to get my lashes done for a lot. The girl who did them at that time was not that good. So when Inna offered to do my lashes, I of course wanted to give it a try. And I have been absolutely satisfied :). Inna has now been taking care of me for a few months now, and I am really happy with the results.
As I said, these can stay on for 3 to 4 weeks depending how they´re being taken care of. At first it can be difficult to get used to them. You have to remember not to rub your eyes the same way as before. The first few days you should also not use water on your eyes just for giving the glue time to dry. I personally, don´t use water most of the time on them at all. Instead, I clean my face with facial wipes and makeup remover. Other then that, you really don´t have to do much, except brush them once in awhile to keep them looking nice.
For that, you can use your old mascara brush.
People usually ask if you need to use any mascara. And the answer is NO! That´s the reason you have these lashes.
For me it´s also important that they look as real as possible. I don´t want them to be too long or too curly. With that been said, there are different lengths that you can choose from. Inna understands me though, and knows exactly which fits me and my face the best. That´s why she is a professional :).
A lot of people may think that this is a waste of money etc etc. But we all have our own way of taking care of ourselves so we feel beautiful. Some of us go to the hairdresser once a month and some of us go get a facial. This is my way. And believe me, if I was dark and beautiful with long lashes and a perfect brown color on my skin I wouldn´t do this either, lol :). We all have our own ways.
So if you are excited to try this on, I would warmly recommend The Casa Salon!! <3 Go and check out their services from the link above and give them a call!:)
About a month ago my friend introduced me to the cupping therapy. She loved it and suggested me to go for a session. I had heard about it before but didn't know anybody who had done it. From the pictures I had seen it really didn't look like something I honestly was excited about. But after hearing about it from Taylor I really wanted to give it a try. For 60minutes you would get a deep tissue massage, muscle scraping and a cupping therapy in the end. Back home I usually went for a massage two times a month. Living here in Key West I really haven't been keeping up with that. Haven't found a good therapist here either. So now I was very excited to give this a try. Especially after having a pain in both my chest and back for a while, I couldn't be more excited. What is cupping therapy? Cupping therapy is an ancient form of alternative medicine, in which a local suction is created on the skin.
The cupping procedure commonly involves creating a small area of low pressure air next to the skin. However, there is variety in the tools used, the method of creating the low pressure, and the procedures followed during the treatment. The cups can be various shapes Including balls or bells, and apr range in size from 1 to 3 inches (25 to 76 mm) across the opening. Plastic and glass are the most common materials used today, replacing the horn, pottery, bronze and bamboo cups used in earlier times. The low air pressure required apr be created by heating the cup or the air inside it with an open flame or a hot bath in scented oils, then a placing it against the skin. As the air inside the cup cools, it contracts and draws the skin slightly inside. More recently, vacuum can be created with a mechanical suction pump acting through a valve located at the top of the cup. Rubber cups are also available that squeeze the air out and adapt to uneven or bony surfaces.
In practice, cups are normally used on softer tissue that can form a good seal with the edge of the cup. They apr may be used singly or with many to cover a larger area. They apr can be used by themselves or placed over an acupuncture needle. The skin may be lubricated, allowing the cup to move across the skin slowly.
Depending on the specific treatment, skin marking is common when the cups are removed. This may be a simple red ring disappears quickly. The discolouration left by the cups is normally from bruising especially if dragging the cups while suctioned from one place to another to break down muscle fiber. Usually treatments are not painful.Read more.
As I said already, before the cupping therapy you get a deep tissue massage and a muscle scraping.
The scraping therapy is used to release the body of blood stagnation. Blood stagnation is considered to be the cause of many diseases in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). To visualize this, you apr want to compare the water from a running stream versus the water in a still stagnant pond. The stagnant pond will be full of gunk, green moss and other growths while the running stream will have clear water. Our entire blood circulation is very similar to this. When the blood is not flowing properly, it starts to become stagnant and creates an environment more suitable for disease.
This is why scraping is such a useful technique. It can quickly release blockages in your body caused by stagnant blood. This is because it mimics sweating and promotes body fluid circulation which helps to normalize cellular metabolic processes and release of toxic waste from your deep cellular tissues. It also increases circulation of blood and help oxidize your cells as well as nourish them.
The Benefits
Scraping has two main functions: it Both nourishes and detoxifies: 1st.The stroke action used to release petechiae to the surface of the skin, forces more blood and oxygen to the area of treated, which helps to nourish those cells. 2nd.The red spots on the skin become a byproduct that signals the body to do a sweep-up of the area, so that it both eliminates the dead blood cells as well as other toxins That surfaced towards the skin during the scraping process.
Note Make sure after a treatment you allow your body to rest in order to get the full benefits of detox. This means no drugs, alcohol, sex, fasting, binging, hard labor, strenuous exercises, etc. for the rest of the day. Also, make sure you drink lots of warm water after the treatment as well as the next couple of days to keep your body well hydrated so that it can properly eliminate toxins released during the treatment. Read more.
They say this shouldn't be painful. I my self have a quite high pain tolerance. I like the massage to be rough. So from previous experience I thought i knew what to expect. The massage it self was already awesome, I really liked it. The scraping was more painful. This was my first time having this kind of a treatment. I loved it though. The cupping wasn't painful at all. But when the cups were taken away and especially when they were dragged down my back from one place to another while suctioned, was painful.
I still enjoyed it! :) My elbows and back were full of red rings for days after the treatment. Would I still do it again? Yes, anytime! Treatments like this always helps my tight upper body. Not to say, when you put your body into a lot of stress by working out five to six days a week you also have to make sure to take care of the recovery. So for you who now want to try out this therapy I highly recommend to contact STAY FIT STUDIO on 804 White street. Here you can find out more about the prises.
With this been said, I wish everyone a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!Eat well, enjoy good company, be thankful for what you have and be safe! <3 Puss & Kram -Hanna-
Last Saturday me and my friends from the gym competed in a indoor throw down competition in Jacksonville, hosted by North Jax Crossfit. This was the first competition held in their new box. It was a individual one day event, with Men`s/Women`s Elite, Men's/Women`s RX and Men`s/Women`s Scaled divisions. The day consisted of 3 WODs (workouts) and an additional floater, which were announced before the competition.
Six athletes represented Crossfit Key West, including myself, on this day :). Amanda was competing in Women`s Scaled division, Jeremy and Jamison in Men´s Scaled division, Taylor and I, in Women´s RX division and Josue in Men´s RX division. This was Jeremy and Jamison´s first competition and Taylor´s and my first time competing as individuals. Josue had signed up for the Men´s Elite, but since there was no one else in that division, he competed with the RX men.
Our day literally started off with a "cold shock", lol. Living and working out in the heat of Key West, this felt really cold. Just because I´m from Finland, doesn´t mean I like the cold or enjoy working out in the cold. I have been in Florida long enough to forget how it feels. It really felt like early autumn back home. Cold has never been my thing. So leaving the hotel we were all dressed warm, with sweatshirts and pants. Arriving at the gym, we were told that it had not been that cold in awhile. So we didn´t have to feel like outsiders after all, hah hah :).
Our first workout was going to be short and intense, all cardio. So we knew we had to warm up well to get our heart rates high before starting. I personally, knew I could go pretty hard on this one, though I´m not strong on wall balls. I also knew that this was gonna be a workout where you could feel the taste of blood in your mouth. That was exactly what happened. We all could feel the cold. It felt as though your lungs were freezing, and afterwards we were coughing like we had been smoking cigarettes our whole lives.
Standards for movements: Wallballs - Hip crease below you knees. Wallball will make contact with target set at 10ft for men and 9ft for women. Box Jump Overs - two feet take off (jump) and two feet land (on top of the box) for both Elite and RX divisions. Jumping off or stepping down will be allowed. Step ups will be allowed in the scaled division only. Both feet have to be on top of the box before stepping down.
In 8 mins I managed to do 6 rounds and 6 reps, which gave me a second place position. It went just as I knew it would. I could go hard with the box jump overs, and take a rest with the wall balls. It was hard. You got to a point where you couldn´t feel your legs anymore.
RX WOMEN AFTER WOD 1
Between workout one and two, we had to do the floater, which was a 500 m row for time. Again, a killer workout, especially after workout one.
--Bars will be taken from the racks . --Press , Push Press, or Push /Split Jerk . --Feet must be under the hips and full lockout w/control must be shown for all three reps. --If the bar is dropped on the ground, athlete will be responsible for replacing it in the rack before next attempt.
Here I was trying it out at the gym to know what weight to start out with. Came up to 3x145lbs. I´m happy to say that I did a 10lbs PR (personal record) at the competition. My final score was 150lbs, because I failed the third attempt with 155lbs. I had never gotten 155lbs overhead before, so I was so proud of myself when I achieved it twice :) :). I have been waiting for that 70kg for a long time. This now means that my 1RM must be more then that. I can not wait for those new pr´s ;).
RX WOMEN AFTER WOD 2
Then, workout 3, the one that we all had been "waiting" for. More bar work, which I honestly hate :D. 5 rounds for time. Time cap 15min.
5 Rounds for Time:
12 Power Cleans 9 Front Squats 6 Shoulder to Overhead *15 minute time cap
Elite: 185/125 RX: 135/95 Scaled: 95/65
--Bars will be taken from the ground. --For cleans, must be power - no squatting below parallel. Must have elbows under the bar and stand with the bar for the rep to count. --For the front squats, must squat below parallel. --Shoulder to Overhead = Press , Push Press, or Push /Split Jerk . --Feet must be under the hips and full lockout w/control must be shown for all shoulder to overhead reps.
WOD 3 Here you had to be smart. You had to have a clear strategy how to break up the reps so you wouldn´t gas out. For me personally, I knew that I could have done the first round unbroken. After seeing Taylor workout in the first heat, and having her tell me to break up the power cleans, I knew she was right. There was a lot of power cleans which I knew would tire me out. I also knew that I had to go for unbroken front squats and shoulder to overheads. So every round I broke up the power cleans and did the front squats and shoulder to overhead unbroken as I had planned. This paid off really well. I finished first with the time 9:32min :). The workout was still no joke. Everybody had a really hard time finishing it. The boys literally died at the end. LOL! :D Still we´re proud of every one! :)
I was second over all after the three workouts, which took me to the finals. Five of us RX women competed in the last workout. The final workout was announced then and there.
FINAL WOD
3 x 3 Min AMRAP (30sec rest between sets)
3 Min AMRAP 1:
- 400m run
- Handstand push ups the remaining time
30 sec REST
3 Min AMRAP 2:
- 400m run
- Chest-to-bar pull ups the remaining time
30 sec REST
3 Min AMRAP 3:
- 400m run
- Overhead squats the remaining time 95#
This did not make me excited to be honest. The only thing that made me happy was the handstand push ups, lol. So there was nothing else to do then to go hard on those and try my best on the rest. The first running portion of the workout was already hard. I thought I was going to kill the handstand push ups, but oh my God, they were hard. I got up to 27 reps. The second and third amrap was super hard, especially after a long day of workouts prior. I managed to complete 17 reps of chest-to-bar pull ups and only 7 overhead squats. I was DONE! Thank God it was over! ;) Now it was time to wait for the results.
SCOOOOOOOORE!!!!! ;) ;) ;) 2nd Place!!!
I can say, I´m a happy girl. I made it to the podium :). My first individual competition in the RX women`s division. Not bad, not bad! :) Events like this just make you hungry for more competitions and drive you to want to get better. Here, you also see where you stand and what needs to be worked on more. For me it´s all about the strength, which I already knew. Still proud of my accomplishment. From here we can only go forward.
Amanda 10th place/12 athletes.
Jamison 6th place/9 athletes. Jeremy 8th place/9 athletes.
Our Crossfit Key West family did awesome! <3 We can be proud of our athletes in the Southernmost box! <3 Not only did we do well in Jacksonville, but two of our other athletes also hit podium the weekend before competing in Diesel Fit, Miami!!:)))) CONGRATULATIONS guys one more time!! :) 1st place goes out to Josue!!! :) This didn´t come as a surprise. Josue is an amazing athlete! We are thankful to have him as a friend, inspiration and coach! Congratulations! :)
THANK YOU North Jax Crossfit for a well organized event! You guys did awesome! :) Keep up the great work! Thank you also to the kind judges, and to all the strong athletes we competed side by side against. It was great meeting you all!:) I hope to compete with you another day! :) You are welcome to drop in and work out with us anytime at Crossfit Key West :). Thank you Josue, Amanda, Jamison, Taylor and Jeremy for a great and fun weekend! You guys ROCK! Til next time! ;) -Hanna- P.S. More pictures from the links below.
