That one time when...

So there I was, standing in a Cross-fit gym for the very first time, scared to death wondering which one of those giant ropes I'd have to climb, exhausted from a very long and boring day of work/training, and hoping noone would notice the spikey patches of knee hair that inevitably gets missed every time I shave my legs, when out of nowhere, my long-time friend, Jamie (who somehow convinced me to attempt this workout), nonchalantly says, "Oh and Gabby Douglas is coming tonight."

wait.

WHAT?!?

Gabby Douglas?!? The cute, gold-medal-winning, OLYMPIC gymnast who I've only ever seen on TV will be HERE? With ME?

It's true, people. I couldn't believe it either.

And sure enough...about 15 minutes later, there she was. Apparently she lives with one of the cross-fit members during her Olympic training (she trains in Des Moines), so she came to help support the cross-fit gym on their one year anniversary.

Pretty cool, huh? The coolest part, though, is that she really was just like anyone else there. She wasn't surrounded by people or cameras and, quite honestly, I don't know that half the people in the gym even knew she was there.

However, as soon as someone else said, "I kinda want to get my picture taken with her," I obviously couldn't pass that up!

So, here I am, awkwardly standing next to her. I was so unsure about how to stand, if I should kneel, how much space I should give her, and you know...all the other star-struck thoughts one would have while being photographed with a celebrity.

Anyway, after we took the awkward picture, she talked about her training and what not (six days a week--and her short training sessions are 4 hours long), and she really is such a nice girl.

So, back to the whole cross-fit thing....eventually I had to begin the dreaded workout. And holy crap, that was the hardest thing I have ever experienced in my whole entire life. After six days, my muscles (or lack there of) are finally starting to feel normal again. Thank god!

Jamie, I love you, but I don't know that this body of mine can handle that torture again--how/why do you do that to yourself!?

The ab roller

I will likely never be faced with this dilemna, but if I had to choose just one piece of exercise equipment to take with me to a deserted island, I would pick an ab roller.

For those of you who have never used one or *gasp* don't even know what it is, (holy crap) you need to invest in this 20 dollar item.

I used it for the first time when I was in middle school and became slightly obsessed--eventually doing 100 rolls every night. But, believe it or not, that middle school stomach of mine soon held a six pack (which is far from reality now).

Due to laziness, I rarely do ab workouts any more. But, I often throw this magic gadget into my suitcase during my lonely hotel stays, use it for ten minutes for one night (doing just a few rolls--about 25), and am miserably sore for a week.

It works, people.

Love,

I Did Twenty-Five Last Night and Can Barely Move Today