I’ve written a post on Physical Fitness + Photographer here before, so this post is more like an extended version of that.
At any given wedding or commercial shoot, there’s inevitably some sort of physical demands whether it’s being on your feet all day (crouching, standing, running), to lugging studio/grip gear around, and to setting it up / tearing it down a set. If you read through some of my previous posts there are stories and stories of how my job and my particular style involves being in pretty good shape. Celine can attest to our last shoot where we had to transport all my studio and grip gear from one end of a school to the other, with a nice set of stairs right in the middle. On our way out, I had a 20lbs pack on my back, 20lb stand bag on my shoulders and had to roll about 50lbs with my free hand, which I had to carry up back up the stairs. It was … challenging … to say the least.
It’s no secret that I dig CrossFit and/or any kind of CrossFit-esque type workouts (metabolic conditioning stuff). Wilson and I got into about two years ago. So why CrossFit? It’s all about functionality. Throwing, climbing, lifting, jumping, endurance, cardio, swinging, pushing… you name it and you’ll probably do it in one of your CrossFit workouts. I love how CrossFit is like “planned randomness” so that you always have a very good, all-around fitness base and ready for anything. You can imagine why Wilson likes it for his line of work as a firefighter. For me? Nieces want to go skating even though I haven’t done it in 10 years? Sure! Need to get a 50lb suitcase into the car? Sure! Need to buy a 40lb bag of dog food from Costco by myself with no cart? Sure! Going to Uganda and hiking into the mountains with studio gear? Let’s do it!
I read somewhere the 10 components of fitness that CrossFit targets:
- Cardiovascular
- Stamina
- Strength
- Flexibility
- Power
- Speed
- Coordination
- Agility
- Balance
- Accuracy
Crazy enough, for my Uganda trip, I’ll be bringing some studio and grip gear with me. It will be minimal but there will be gear to transport and carry. Tack on some good ol’ African heat, some nice 8 hour hiking in the elevated mountains and you’ve got yourself a partayyy. Yeah so lately, many people have been asking if I’m excited for my trip and to be honest, I’m having such a mixture of feelings. For one, I am super stoked to be going for sure but on the other hand, I’m really dreading the type of physical/emotional/mental/spiritual demands this trip is gonna have on me. I’m kinda combining my hiking/shooting experiences in Peru with my missions trip to Malawi and what I’m concluding in my head is quite overwhelming. In any case, all I can do is be as prepared as possible! And that means ramping up my physical fitness, yeehaw!
This is by no means an advertisement for CrossFit. The emphasis is really on keeping in shape, however you do it. I just personally find CrossFit to be the most functional for my type of work and lifestyle. For my preparations to Uganda, I keep up with some sort of CrossFit WOD (workout of the day) daily or every other day from either the main site, SquareOne CrossFit or CrossFit Markham (I just find that each of those three gyms emphasis different things so I like to mix it up). On top of that, I’ve added 1-2 Insanity workouts each week just for kicks (does more plyometrics stuff). As the trip is approaching, I’m incorporating more long and slow workouts like a long walk in the snow with the dogs while I wear a 20lb pack, or hopping onto the rower for 30-45 mins with a pack on to help me get ready for those types of scenarios (er, not rowing in Uganda per se, but just getting used to long and slow days hehe). I’m thinking there probably won’t be a lot of situations where I’ll need explosive movements unless I need to pick up my gear and run for my life at one point … *crosses fingers*
I’ve been feeling good about my training :) I think this is the most fit (as defined by the 10 areas above) that I’ve ever been in my entire life. The other day, I deadlifted 175lbs! I was pretty surprised I could do it but there ya go. If this Asian chicka can do it, so can you!!
Starting from today I’ll be posting which workouts I do via Twitter so if you’re not already following me then feel free to do so if you’d like some insight into the madness.
Rock on :)
c.
Category: Education, Life, Travel, Uganda 2011
you’re strong :)
-myw