Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

I have one friend, Jen, at my box who is doing the Whole 30 with me. Honestly, if she hadn't said she wanted to, I probably would've wussed out again. We saw each other at mobility class tonight, clinking our water bottles afterward in celebration: 15 days down, 15 to go! But typically Jen and I only see each other on Monday evenings -- she is typically in the mornings, while I am always at the end of the day

We saw each other on Day 6, for Murph. She mentioned she could already see a difference in me. A week later, a few minutes before our weekly 8 p.m. Monday class together, she walked in as I was tying my shoe.

"Mindi, that is a different butt."

Two days earlier, I'd gone to the next notch in on my belt to keep my shorts in place. When I adjusted the belt, breaking in a new hole for the first time, I noticed that my shorts were baggy -- shorts I had just bought a month prior. They hadn't been super tight, but tight enough. Now? Loose.

Knowing that Jen had noticed -- and hearing a couple other folks murmur their agreement -- was a little boost in my confidence. It's so hard to notice the changes as they happen on your own body. The way my clothes fit is my only clear indication.

Today was Day 15. In a hurry between work and a pre-gym appointment, I ran inside, grabbed a car-friendly dinner, stuffed gym clothes in my bag and was on my way.

Tonight's gym outfit included two items of note. First, one of the pairs of purple capri pants I bought a year ago. At the time, they fit fine. During the winter, they got a little tight, but still worked. As I stretched in mobility class tonight, I grabbed the material at my hip -- it pulled a good two inches away from my body, with baggy material. In disbelief I shared my new find with Kristin, who was next to me.

The second note of my outfit was that I didn't actually look at what I grabbed. Turned out I had nabbed the CF Regionals Media shirt from 2013. This winter, it was too tight to wear comfortably. Today, a little baggy.

I am trying my hardest to not measure or weight until this entire Whole 30 is complete... but I am so excited to see the final result!

All the right moves

You know that feeling of "right time, right place"? That overused (including by yours truly) cliche about 'everything happening for a reason'? All that silly mumbo jumbo?

Well, it works for every level of life -- personally and professionally.

Why I Open

I am not Sam Briggs, Lindsey Valenzuela or Rory Zambard. Only in my dreams am I anywhere close to their levels of athleticism and strength. I have no desire to put in the effort it takes to become the Fittest Woman on Earth.

But that is why I open.

Forecast: Excited, with pangs of guilt

It is no secret to those who know me that I am a CrossFit junkie. I first appeared at CrossFit Interbay in February 2012, staying for two weeks, before returning in September of the same year.

Through some amazing and not-so-amazing personal and professional moments, I also had amazing and humbling workouts. But regardless of what was on the white board, the people at Interbay became a family. For more than a year, that little box was my third place.

And, as I find myself with nervous, excited energy and a cautionary clearance from my doctor -- low-impact, straight-line movement for me! -- I feel pangs of guilt. I didn't give CFIB a chance to fight for itself. But there's a well-known quote that keeps replaying in my head: "Respect yourself enough to walk away from anything that no longer serves you, grows you or makes you happy."