April 12, 2023//Swanson Elementary//AO-Mess Hall//One of the first really nice mornings of the year
Pax: Cosmo, Toadstool, Good Lookin’, Taser, Patchy Adams, Lansbury, Huffy, Short Sale, Bovine, Stapler, Rancid, Grease Fire, Polaroid, Sandy Cheeks
Q: Frosty
What great weather. QIC showed up a bit early to measure the track and get set up. Cosmo and Good Lookin’ roped Greasfire into a pre-run and were on their way
Frosty welcomed the PAX to F3, reviewed 5 core principles, creedo and disclaimer. With that we moseyed down to the basketball court.
Warm O’ Rama: 10 SSH, 10 Tappy-Taps, 10 Big Ones, 5 Burpees
Pre Thang: There is a perfect incline/hill at Swanson Elementary school. It is perfect for a grinder exercise, or in this instance, 11s.
Merkins at the bottom and Bobby Hurleys at the top, so:
1- Merkin, Run to the Top and do 10 – Bobby Hurleys, then run to the bottom and do
2- Merkins, Run to the Top and do 9 – Bobby Hurleys, then run to the bottom and do
3- Merkins, Run to the Top and do 8 – Bobby Hurleys, and so on
YHC was on the receiving end of some grumbling, and this pleased him. Sandy was done in a little under 10 minutes, but 11s should really go 11 minutes, so he was instructed to continue doing 20 reps at the top and bottom. I think he appreciated the extra credit.
The Thang: “See Ya When I See Ya”
Pax partnered up. One member from each pair was given a card with exercises on it. You and your partner run in opposite directions around the track, until you meet up again. When you meet up you start with the first exercise, complete it, then take off in opposite directions again yelling “See ya when I see ya”. You CAN do this beatdown without yelling “See ya when I see ya”, but it isn’t quite the same calorie burn.
The second time you meet up with your partner you do the first and second exercises on the card. The third time you do the 1st, 2nd and 3rd exercises. And so on.
The exercises:
10 – Merkins
15 – Copperhead Squats
20 – Big Boys
25 – Alternating Shoulder Taps
30 – Air Squats
35 – Flutter Kicks
40 – Carolina Dry Docks
Omaha was called at 6:05
6 Minutes of Mary: While Flutter Kicks were on the “See Ya When I See Ya” card, my partner and I didn’t get that far, so I decided to do Flutter Kicks at Mary. An unnamed PAX named Patchy Adams complained that he had already done Flutter Kicks and it wasn’t his fault I was slow – So while the rest of us did 25 Flutter Kicks in Cadence, Patchy Adams held a 6-inch leg-lift. I think he was grateful for the extra credit.
Announcements/Prayer Requests: F3 5thAnniversary coming up April 22. Festivities that whole week, check slack.
Prayers for Darrin, who just had a liver transplant. Prayers for Kristina Hendrix, Frosty’s childhood neighbor who passed away from cancer. Prayers for Swiper and his family. Prayers for Tyler
COT: F3 is an amazing group. I came for one reason (first F), stayed for another reason (2nd F) and ended up benefiting from ANOTHER area (3rd F). Fitness, Fellowship and Faith!
I’ve been thinking about self care recently: physical health AND mental health. So how does F3 help my mental health? I’ll tell you.
There was something that was ON MY MIND Sunday night. Really eating my lunch. I couldn’t shake it. I couldn’t sleep. I had so much anxiety. My mind went down several different rabbit holes, speculating what would happen the next day, how I would handle it. I just couldn’t sleep. There was no way I could post after getting such a terrible night’s sleep. The alarm went off and I had already decided not to go to F3. I went back to bed. My mind started to wander again. The anxiety came back. “Don’t take this into your day,” I said to myself. Go post. And I did.
I left the house at 5:15 and at 6:30 it was a new day, a new me! Big One was the perfect partner for me that day and we had great mumble chatter during the beatdown. I left with a new attitude and a new way of looking at the very thing that was eating my lunch. So I asked myself why? Why does F3 make such a dramatic difference. I decided to do a little research.
First F – According to the Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry – Aerobic exercises, including jogging, swimming, cycling, walking, gardening, and dancing, have been proved to reduce anxiety and depression.3 These improvements in mood are proposed to be caused by exercise-induced increase in blood circulation to the brain and by an influence on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and, thus, on the physiologic reactivity to stress.3
So, first F helps with mental health
Second F – According to the National Council of Mental Well Being – it’s important to have healthy friendships to turn to in times of need. Our friends can be that ear to talk to, shoulder to lean on and nonjudgmental perspective that we need. They can also help increase our sense of belonging, improve our self-confidence and help reduce stress and anxiety.
So, 2nd F helps with mental health
Third F – At F3, we pray together in a non-denominational way. According to CNN Health “Prayer can reduce feelings of isolation, anxiety and fear. And a Baylor University study found people who pray to a loving and protective God are less likely to experience anxiety-related disorders — worry, fear, self-consciousness, social anxiety and obsessive compulsive behavior.
One of the studies went on specifically to talk about the benefits of praying with a group of people, finding lower rates of depression and anxiety and more optimism.
I came here because I wanted to get a little healthier, physically. I love that it opened other doors of self care. I love watching other people get better. I can see it in their eyes as they grow stronger physically, mentally and spiritually.
My Monday was so much better because I entered my day healthier mentally because of F3.
Aye- Frosty