Why She Trains

Since many of the delicious recipes posted on Modig Fitness are borrowed from Colorado’s own Juli and PaleOMG.com, it seemed only fitting to share one of her recent blogs for “Again Faster” at www.againfaster.com. Her humor and perspective are amusing and her recipes delicious. Enjoy…and if you haven’t made the Sweet Potato Brownies posted at www.paleomg.com, I highly recommend you do…they’re incredible.

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Well hello there. You have absolutely no idea who I am. And why would you? I’m just another one of the thousands of CrossFitters out there who absolutely loves putting myself through pain daily, then feels the need to talk about it incessantly to anyone who will lend a listening ear. Original.

You know what’s different about me, though? I objectify myself to the world wide web regularly with stories that have nothing to do with CrossFit or food, yet I still call myself a Paleo food blogger. I just really like to talk…about everything.

Anywho. I’m here to share my CrossFit experiences with you and maybe lead you on the path to CrossFit happiness. These experiences may include my extreme love/hate relationship with muscle ups, my battle with my ever increasing thigh size, or my painful search for Mr. Right in this CrossFit community of ours. Ok, not exactly painful, but definitely not exciting.

I’m just another one of the billions–yes BILLIONS–of CrossFitters who yearns to make it to the Games. That’s all I want. Seriously. I wake up thinking about my wods, I make dinner thinking about my wods, and I go on dates thinking about my wods. I’m not kidding.

There is an issue though. I’m not extremely strong or extremely fast. And have you checked out those freaks lately? Jesus. My thighs could increase by 5 inches around and I still couldn’t even deadlift what those ladies are squatting. Effin’ A. But that’s why I train. That’s why I wod. To become someone. To reach my own personal excellence. That’s what CrossFit is all about, being inspired by others and knowing we can push ourselves just like they did. Don’t you just love that bubbly inspirational feeling? If you said no, you’re a liar.

So every single day is filled with coaching, protein shakes, and wods that make me and my training partners go beastmode. Not in that order. And by the way, I lied about going beastmode because that’s not a real thing. Childish thinkers, those men are. Training with these dudes has made me train way harder than I ever have before though. I have dude traps at this point. We like to clean the sh*t out of things regularly. But that’s what inspires me. Half naked guys. Ok, I’m kidding…kind of.

So that’s where I’m at in my life. I love CrossFit soooo much that I want to make it to the Games to bake in 100 degree weather, while I sweat so much my eyes burn, all while trying to climb a rope and clean and jerk 155#. Ha. Right. It’s true though. I have never wanted something more in my life. I’m not incredibly competitive, but I am very stubborn.

And this is what this blog is all about. My struggles with CrossFit, my passion for CrossFit, and my love for CrossFit. Ok, that just got way too deep. I honestly just want to talk about how CrossFit HQ should invest in a singles tent next year at Regionals.

But I’m also looking to chat more with the CrossFit ladies out there and start finding out some of the crap we all have to deal with regularly. Let’s be straight here, being a woman in this CrossFit community is pretty effing sweet, but it’s also frustrating. Whether it’s a muscle up, or a back handed comment about our thigh size, or some uncomfortable looks while we sport spandex shorts in the dead of winter, we all deal with different issues and love knowing that others are going through it too.

So what are you dealing with? Are you having trouble sticking with your diet? Addicted to almond butter? Me too. Are you wondering where the best place is to buy spandex? Or do you just want to find out how others improved their pull ups? That’s what I’m here for. To answer questions and get the CrossFit community of women to come together to support each other.

So write me, at [email protected]! Ask anything. Nothing offends me and I have no filter.

Juli Bauer is 23 years old, a coach at CF Broadway in Denver, CO, and blogger at PaleOMG. She hates muscle ups, handstand pushups and shopping for anything other than food or wod clothes.