Hannes Johannsson Monday, December 18th

Really proud of Hannes for so many reasons.   He has found such a good balance these days with life, exercise and nutrition.  Talking with him, he has found true happiness and a clear view of what his goals are.  it was a pleasure having you and Briony in the All-in challenge.

“I started CrossFit Woodbridge a little over 5 years ago.  Like most I lost a lot of weight and became leaner but that wasn’t necessarily the goal, rather the visible side effect.  Most important, for me, was that my health improved…blood pressure decreased and cholesterol numbers improved significantly.  I felt better than I had in a long time.

Now fast forward to November 2016, I´m at the ER after severely spraining my wrist during a work out.  An x-ray later I´m in the Dr. office waiting on results. I´m told I will not be able to leave until my blood pressure comes down to normal levels, apparently 220/150 is not considered normal…..

It was a wake-up call for sure…the curious thing was I had noticed nothing, I felt strong and fit and worked out 5 times per week on average…what followed were months of adjusting and readjusting medication until a proper cocktail had been achieved.  It was a frustrating experience, to say the least.  I went for heart scans. Scheduled for heart stress test that I subsequently couldn’t take as my blood pressure was still too high….the medication restricted my pulse to stay below 50…workouts were hard as I simply couldn’t find my breath. I was tired all the time and after some workouts I had to lay on the ground as all I saw were black dots…I felt dizzy and laid on the side walk outside CrossFit Woodbridge, not able to get up for several minutes without feeling like I was about to faint.  Things were bad.

Although I had been working out regularly for a few years my blood pressure had crept up with a vengeance and all the different medication didn’t seem to make much head way.  I was constantly tired.  I couldn’t run a mile without stopping and walking a significant portion… It was a completely new experience for me.  It was time for a change.  I had to figure out how I could be the best version of myself in spite of these limitations. I had to find a way to work though this.

Since I was already working out regularly at CrossFit Woodbridge it was more than likely that my diet needed adjustment.  Enter the No Bull Nutrition challenge at CrossFit Woodbridge this fall, 8 weeks “all in” challenge.  To make a long story short…I lost about 11 pounds over the 8 weeks, never felt hungry, ate more than I’ve eaten for a long time, if not ever.  It was quite surprising to see my weight come off, my energy levels go up, my recovery times shortened….but most importantly my blood pressure levels dropped and I managed to run a mile in 7.22, a feat I had not been able to complete only a couple of months earlier.  I’m convinced that flexible dieting, or counting macros, works.  All one has to do is commit and follow the plan. 

Today:

For Time

30 Cal Assault Bike (Buy In)

Then

21-18-15-12-9-6-3

Burpee

Cal Row