Ep 48: I got beat up last night (by my WOD)

I took this screenshot from my Wodify app last night after a grueling work-out that was not for the faint-hearted. I truly felt like I had been beat up after I barely-barely finished. At 24 minutes I still had 10 (ring) pull-ups to do, so I cut the killer Burpees in half and finished the work out. 

Admittedly, 20 minutes later at home I texted my younger sister in California who has been doing Crossfit for two years now -  "I'm still feeling woozy and weak." As bothWendy Yee and my sister have assured me, once you get in the grove, its all well worth the pain. 

At 47, soon to be 48 (i.e. 2 years from 50), I'm willingly taking up the challenge, but we'll have to see how long my dedication lasts. Being out of shape is one challenge, having the time to work out is a much greater one. And although I've been religiously taking my baby aspirin on a daily basis, my workout partner and Dr. spouse still worries about how the stress might ultimately affect me. 

Not to discourage anyone, but she did say that she imagines there might be a high risk of heart attacks, especially among those in their 40s, because the instructors do not seem to be certified as physical therapists or have degrees in physical education or fitness, and therefore don't seem to be fully conscious of individual's limits. When we joined Crossfit Peekskill, there was no health assessment and a minor read on your athletic ability. And by having everyone do the same WOD, you're unduly upping the ante for those at risk for heart failure or Rhabdomyolysis, which causes death of muscle fiber and kidney failure - yikes!

So, fellow Crossfitters although I encourage you to push your limits, I also suggest you have a good idea of what those limits are and to allow yourself to cut back when your body simply says you just can't do it anymore, even if everyone else can. 

As Dr. Richard Besser, chief health and medical editor for ABC News, says in the following story, "No pain, no gain is the worst approach to exercise." Instead, listen to what your body is telling you, lest you want to "fry your kidneys and kill your muscles." Ugh.