Crossfit Chronicles

     I have been M.I.A. wow I didn't realize it has been so long!!!! I have missed you guys. I have been busy with life - home, work, kids, family, but I am still squeezing gym time in. I have a membership to 24 HR Fitness but nobody seems to be committed to working out with me and I was finding it hard to stay motivated. I was waking up at 5:30 to go lift weights but I had no energy. and I was getting no results. I decided to look around for a workout buddy, but I could not find anybody that was consistent or dedicated.
     Backtrack a little bit.... I went to school with these two girls, they are sisters, and even though it has been a while since we chatted, we kept up with each other on Facebook and Instagram. They always post cool pictures and awesome videos of their workouts so my curiosity grew and I finally looked into this cross fit craze.  What I saw were people, no a gym family, encouraging each other and motivating each and every one there. The progress pictures I saw were phenomenal and I wanted that, I wanted to be a part of such an amazing group of athletes. I proceeded to contact the owner, Andre, who I have to come to find to be a great businessman but an even better coach!
     When I first started at SWINK Athletics, they have 10 mandatory one-on-one sessions with you to teach you the proper form for all the lifts, you go over terminology, and the equipment as well. Today I finished my 7th one, so I have 3 more before I can attend the classes. I won't lie, I am pretty darn nervous BUT thrilled that I have made it this far. When I told people I was trying cross fit, every body's response was "GOOD LUCK" or "Those people are crazy!" Well they are crazy, they are crazy motivated and super crazy strong! We (since I am a SWINK family member now I say we) we, train for life not to have bulging muscles, hard rock abs, or bikini ready bodies, but those are all a benefit of training. The different movements and lifts are literally full body workouts and makes it regular life events easier, does that make sense??
     Anyways, last month when I started, I could barely make it through the warm up and stretching without being fatigued, but today I made it through my whole workout before I died! That to me is a sign of progress. No, I haven't been flipping tires or pushing cars LOL but I have challenged myself like never before! The last time I challenged myself like this was doing power lifting in high school, even then the lifts weren't this complicated and I didn't have 2 kids!! I have also noticed my shirts aren't as snug around my midsection as they were at the beginning of April. So I will put the link below to the gym and check them out on Facebook and Instagram and come join us for a workout!

               SWINK ATHLETICS

DISCLAIMER :: I do not own these pictures, these photos are not me. Also, I did not get paid to write this blog. It is my honest review and opinion based on my personal experience. 

HIT IT HARD

 Let's talk cardio: I HATE IT! It was time for a change.....

I have been boxing since August and I love it! I started boxing because I hate cardio - I used to love running but not so much anymore :-) My friend, Ariel, got me started and I can't thank her enough. I still love weight training, but I was looking for a new challenge to spice up my fitness life postpartum. I still have about 20 pounds to lose from the baby but I am not being hard on myself because with 2 kids, husband, and a new job, I think I am doing well. 

I also started meal prep in October; I order from Team Raw Fitness (I will get you all the link as soon as his site is up and running) but eating healthier REALLY helped and as I told you all when I first started my blog, I am no pro in the kitchen. I can't wait for next year because my fitness journey and career is about to take off! Once I get my family set to a new routine with my new work schedule, its a *GO*! 

Email me any questions, comments, concerns, or suggestions MyFireFitness@gmail.com

As always, I love you Fire Flames 

-KK, NASM,CPT

GOOD TO GO

Hey Fire Flames!!! Guess what? I have a kindergartner and a newborn baby now; yep I am a mom of two boys now. If you have been following me on my blog, Instagram, and/or Facebook, you know I worked out during my pregnancy which in turn helped my labor go FAST! Not only was labor and delivery pretty awesome, I did not get any stitches and was able to be discharged a little shy of 48 hours, YAY!

At my two week check up, I was given the clear to work out again, but I waited a couple more weeks because I haven't had a full bank of energy due to sleep deprivation (I bet you can guess what causes that LOL)... So now that Baby is a month old, I am ready to go FULL FORCE. Yesterday, Aug 25th I tried a boxing class at Title Boxing Club and enjoyed every sweaty minute of it. I will be keeping up with it for the next 12 months, but I plan on continuing weight training as well at LA Fitness and at home. My (old) workout partner and I will be teaming up to create fun at home workouts and I am so excited what's in store for you all! 

Keep a look out in the next couple of weeks for postpartum workouts, but please email me any fitness related questions you have that I can help with. Now I am off to go shopping with my best friend for my birthday which is today! 

Love you my Fire Flames

Email me: MyFireFitness@gmail.com

38 Week update

Now that I am 38 weeks pregnant, lifting weights has become a little more uncomfortable for me because my feet are constantly swollen and it sucks to wear shoes (the ones in this photo do not fit either and it blistered my feet :( ) So, this morning I was invited to take a walk on one of the trails in the City; I walked a mile and I felt fabulous afterwards! A couple of hours after my walk, I had my 38 week check-up at the doctor. My weight has been consistent for a while now which means staying active during my pregnancy has benefited both Baby boy and me!!

I have less that 2 weeks to go at this point and I couldn't be prouder of myself for staying physically active during the past 9 months. I may not have been able to do my full workouts or sweated to the extreme each day, but I did what I could for Baby and me. I can't wait to share my journey back to pre-baby body with you all in a few months!

I appreciate all your support and I love answering your questions. Don't forget to follow my on IG and Facebook @ MyFireFitness and keep emailing your fitness related questions to MyFireFitness@gmail.com


Have a healthy week my Fire Flames,

KK, NASM CPT

Almost done and still going strong

With 34 weeks down and 6 to go, I continue to push myself in the gym. I will be honest, it is getting harder since my belly is getting bigger but that does not make it impossible! I have days where I have bursts of energy, but most days I have been sluggish. As much as I would like to think I am invincible from the pregnancy exhaustion symptoms, I am not :( I will tell you, my Fire Flames, that if I had not stayed as active as I have been, I would have been miserable weeks, maybe even months ago!

I work out everything, but my favorite day is leg day and always has been. I know that all of these squats and lunges will pay off when it is time to give birth to Baby Boy #2! Yesterday's leg workout consisted of the following:

• Stretching - of course!
• Squats
• Walking lunges
• Dead lifts
• Leg Extensions
• Leg curls
• Calf raises

Be sure to ALWAYS stay hydrated and drink plenty of water during your workouts (you should be drinking AT LEAST 8 glasses a day anyways!)


 I am beyond blessed and lucky to have had such an amazing and healthy pregnancy thus far. I hope I have motivated you all, and if it just one person, I am happy! Don't forget to email me your progress stories and pictures; I love to hear how well you all are doing too!! Have a healthy week Fire Flames.

-KK, NASM CPT

Click HERE to email me!

6 months pregnant and active

FIRE FLAMES!!!

I realized I have not posted since October 2014, which is right before I found out I was pregnant! I am due in July of this year- 2015 so I am 6 months along now with another baby boy. The first few months of my pregnancy I had bad morning sickness and because of that, I could not find energy and fuel to work out; I felt like I was disappointing myself, my body, and most of all my unborn baby! Once I was able to eat food without vomiting, I took it too far and I began gaining too much weight too quickly. Now that I have no excuses and I am disgusted with my body (mostly lower body), I have decided to STOP complaining and do something about it!

Even though I am a NASM certified personal trainer, I was scared to work out while pregnant in fear I could harm my baby; I didn't work out during my first pregnancy. After talking to my doctor, a dietician, other CPTs, and of course the watching of YouTube video workouts, I knew I was more than capable - especially having the knowledge and professional training I have DUH.!!. Soooo I have started working out and already feel better about myself.

 

 

Now let me explain, I am NOT trying to lose weight during my pregnancy, I am (trying to) control my weight gain and maintain my muscle tone. During the first trimester, my hips were the first noticable physical change of my pregnancy. My hips spread like a wildfire and my buttocks have unfortunately grown too (I hate it). I have reverted to my old leg workout that includes (light)weighted squats, lunges, leg curls, leg extensions, and then dreaded CARDIO lol...

 

Yesterday, my good friend and fellow personal NASM CPT, Leah Walker came over to my house and she showed me things I could do at home with resistance bands and a ball! Pictured above is me, 25 weeks pregnant, doing hip abductors with a resistance band - I felt the burn!

 

Now that I have my motivation and routine started, there is no way I will stop now. My baby deserves to be healthy and so does Mommy. I am very self conscious of my body when I am not pregnant so it is only worse during pregnancy, but I know I am beautiful and strong.

 

 

If you have questions, please email me at MyFireFitness@gmail.com

 

As always, I love you Fire Flames,

 

KK, NASM CPT

 



 

 

Workout Necessities

Do you use the excuse " I don't have time to workout" or "I don't have a gym membership" ...well keep reading!!

What you need to workout at home:

1. Water Bottle
2. Towel
3. YOU

There are so many things you could do at home to get a great workout. Burpees, jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups or crunches, squats (we all want a nice booty), lunges, and there are always video workouts such as P90X and others. If you have any health conditions, be sure to clear ANY physical activity with your medical physician.

Start out slow, if you are new to working out, start with a walk around the block or going up and down the stairs! Also, start out slow- I would suggest as little as 5 minutes a day to 30 minutes; starting off too aggressive may cause "overloading" or worse, injuries! Slowly add more to your workouts till you are ready to go for an hour! It is important to eat before you work out as well, and eat the RIGHT foods; speak with a nutritionist if you need guidance.

If you are interested in setting up training sessions, PLEASE email me at MyFireFitness@Gmail.com I would love to speak with you about your fitness goals and help you achieve a healthier lifestyle. Make sure to follow my blog as well because you never know what goodies you will get! :)

As always, I love you my Fire Flames

KK, NASM CPT