Member Spotlight: KAREN BAILEY

This month marks the one year anniversary for Karen here at CrossFitWorks. I thought it would be fitting to highlight her, and let everyone know a little more about Karen Bailey.
One day last February, after picking up her dogs from the groomers, she noticed the CrossFit Gym sign out front. She knew of CrossFit, and had checked out the website before, so she peeked inside. The first person Karen saw was Mike Heinz who she recognized from their work as medics. They talked a little bit, she picked up a flyer and the rest is history! When Karen came to us she'd already lost 10 lbs but wanted to lose 15 more. She knew she wanted to get in better shape, and had been pretty successful doing so with her own workouts and following the "3 apple a day diet." However, Karen knew she needed something more, and CrossFit was the answer. After fine tuning her eating, where she now is 85-90% paleo and an eyeballing zoner, Karen has lost those last 15 pounds and is ready to put on a little more muscle. Karen is part of the 9am class and has been a blast to train. She always gives it her all, even if she just came from an overnight shift! Introduce yourself to Karen next time you see her, you'll be glad to know her.

Here are some more interesting facts about Karen...

Age: 43, will be 44 in April, what?!?!

Occupation: Flight medic with Arizona Lifeline for 5 years. Medic for 10 years. Staying lean is crucial in her line of work. Weight is a very important issue when you are flying in a helicopter!

Favorite lift: Shoulder press

Least favorite lift: Deadlift (I should clarify, she likes all the lifts, this one's just the most challenging)

Favorite WOD: Christine- 13:24, she holds the top spot on the record board!

Least Favorite WOD: Karen- 8:41, how ironic.

Goals: Start adding on more muscle, and like everybody-getting stronger!

Hobbies/Interests: Competing, loves to work out. Playing and watching sports, walking the dogs, traveling and hanging with friends. "Before CrossFit I didn't have the energy to do all the stuff I love, and now I do! I'm also sleeping better when I'm eating right and working out." -Karen Bailey

Choppin' Broccoli

Today I decided to highlight my favorite vegetable- BROCCOLI! I haven't mentioned food at all because Jen is a genius in that subject, and does an AMAZING job at it in her blog- http://www.huntitgatheritworkit.blogspot.com/. Today however, I'm going to delve into the subject and talk a little bit about broccoli. Broccoli is the superhero of the vegetable kingdom. Looking for a vitamin C fix? Make a beeline for the broccoli. Are your potassium stores low? Partner up with broccoli. Is fiber on your shopping list? Bring home the broccoli. Need an iron boost? Look no further than broccoli. This hearty, tasty vegetable is rich in dozens of nutrients. In fact, it packs the most nutritional punch of any vegetable. Broccoli's noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fiber. Because of its impressive nutritional profile that includes phytochemicals, (specifically indoles and aromatic isothiocynates) broccoli may be responsible for boosting certain enzymes that help to detoxify the body. These enzymes help to prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Remember to always eat the WHOLE broccoli, the leaves and the stalk have just as much nutrients in them as the florets. Actually, most of the fiber in broccoli is found in the stalk! In closing, I thought Dana Carvey could tell you about one way to prepare this tasty veggie. Happy eating!

Being a great trainer

During this "Women's Get Some Challenge" it reminds me to be the best trainer I can for you guys. Please use me for anything. If you have any questions, want training/nutrition advice or just want to talk about your progress. This goes for anyone, anytime, challenge or no challenge. We are here for you. As you can see in this clip, trainers really care. If only I could be as good as Craig one day. At least I have something to strive for!...(The Spanish subtitles for our non-English speaking folks :)

Geocaching...have you done it?

Staying on the theme of family fun, let's talk Geocaching! Heard of it? Here's an explanation from the website: "Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment." What you do is go on the website, http://www.geocaching.com/ , put in a zip code and see where the hidden caches are in that area. They are in almost every city all over the world. There are hundreds in Tucson. In order to find the caches, you need a GPS to get the coordinates or your laptop to look at the map. Once you get close, you just start looking around. Sometimes there are clues online or pictures to help you find them. There are different difficulty levels and sizes. They range in size from an ammo container, to the size of a pencil eraser. Some have trinkets in them to trade, if you take something you have to leave something. Once you've found it, you record your name (can be initials or a code word) and date on the log. Remember to bring a pen cause some are too small to hold anything but the log. This a fun and addicting activity the whole family can enjoy. Depending on the area you go, it can be quite a workout as well. Many are hidden in the mountains or along hiking trails. There's actually caches placed along the whole route of the Tour de Tucson! Pictured here is my boyfriend Brian and his two kids looking for a cache. This one was in a wash fairly close to our house so it was a nice walk/bike ride before dinner! The cache was pretty hard to find though. The person who hid it glued dirt to the top of the container and covered it with sand at the base of the tree. Took us about 25-30 minutes to find. Hope you check out this fun activity, we love it! Happy Geocaching!