The worst cure for sleeplessness: counting down the hours you have left to stay in bed.
The best cure for sleeplessness: exercise
I was tossing and turning the other night. Sort of dreading the workout that I had planned for the morning. I looked at the clock at 10:30…11:30…12:00…when finally I just decided to get up and do the dang thing.
Approximately one episode of Parks and Rec later (or 16:45 – however you keep track of time) I was finished, back inside, and feeling sleepy.
30 push-ups*
40 Pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings
60 Sit-ups
70 Burpees
*the crossfit workout actually called for handstand push ups, but I didn’t feel like smashing my head on the garage floor at 12am.
I don’t think I could do 70 burpees! I need to try crossfit but I am such a chicken!
Kaitlin, i would just split it into sets. try to rest as little as possible. 70 burpees is TOUGH. try 25, rest, 25, rest, and then go crazy and blast out the last 20. whatever it takes to get all 70 done as fast as possible. Don’t be intimidated by crossfit. As long as you lower some weights and modify certain exercises, you will be FINE. I’LL give you a good example. A couple weeks ago I was working out with my sister. Shes just getting back into the gym after having her first baby. Her and I did a Crossfit workout “for time” so we decided to race. She modified a couple exercises and did lower weights then me, so it was fair. She assumed I would beat her. she was already blowing me away by 24 seconds and we had like 4 more rounds to go. so I had some catching up to do. We ended up finishing at the EXACT same time. i was surprised. we must have picked weights that were equally challenging for each other. Anyways, we both got an AMAZING workout and it was SUPER FUN!
70 burpees?! Are you insane? Makes me feel tired just thinking about it!
I featured one of your recipes on my blog today, with a link to your site – used your pic too as I didn’t take pics when I made it. Hope you don’t mind:
http://www.thedailycalorie.com
I coincidentally put a workout together last night similar to this, but I started with easier exercises at high reps and worked down to lower reps with heavier exercises. It was really fun! I like your website. Keep it up!
I can honestly say I’ve never gotten out of bed and started doing burpees in the middle of the night. Maybe I’m the poorer for it.
Did you fall asleep afterwards?
Slept like a baby!
that’s hardcore right there, girl! But as for a potential head-smashing, wouldn’t being knocked unconscious be the ultimate sleep aid? duh.
Why didn’t I think of that!?
Just thinking about doing 70 burpees makes me tired! I have been trying to do 20 burpees per day but it isn’t going so well :/. Can you do all 70 at once?? That is intense!!
Yes, I did them all at once…but they were pretty slow by the end.
I think the pull-ups were actually tougher, I had to split them into sets of 10ish.
Hilarious and SO awesome Katie. I bet you (hopefully) had an awesome sleep after that! I always feel so rested and much less stressed after a good workout. When I don’t run in the morning, I have a hard time getting my head clear.
I agree – it works like a charm for me EVERY single time. I just love you – and every time you do a Crossfit post it makes me want to be a Cross-Fitter!
I have an idea. Let’s trade legs!!
Deal. Then when you remodel your kitchen we can trade those, too.
Ummmmmm, HOW do you do 40 pull-ups????? I mean, literally HOWWW. Mad impressive. I can do two.
Seriously, right!? haha I can do ZERO. wah But I CAN do tons of push-ups… Maybe someday I’ll be able to do at least one pull-up. Just maybe.
It took a while. And my hands are disgustingly calloused. Also…they are kipping pull ups – MUCH easier!
What is a good sub for pull-ups if you don’t have a bar?
I would do ring rows…or something similar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hQDr0v3Ceo
Awesome workout. And.. awesome legs lady.
Handstand push-ups- my man Bob was trying to get me ot do those yesteerday .killer. 
Love this and love sleep! He he! Happy Friday!
Yay Bob and handstand push-ups! I’m glad he’s on board!
You are a ROCKSTAR! But you keep it real. You’re awesome.
you could always toss a pillow on the ground for HSPUs. then if you pass out, it’s almost a make shift bed
Can you say BEST LEGS EVER!? I hope somedays just because you CAN you rock a short skirt & sassy heels.
Well thaaank you! I love short skirts…but cannot for the life of me walk in heels.
Why can’t i just hire you to be my trainer? I’ll pay you in roasted veggies and stacks of pancakes… sound like a fair deal?
you go girl
Maybe I should opt for exercise when I can’t sleep instead of baking, and then I’d have legs like that!! No seriously, let’s trade!
That is hilarious – I love the way you think!
Awesome work! That was a killer wod! I can’t do handstand pushups just yet/I am too scared too … So I modify them by kneeling on a box and bending down creating sort of a pike position..there’s actually a pic on today’s wod on the reebokcrossfitone website of what it looks like
Just went and looked at that picture…what a good modification!
70 burpees might seriously be the death of me. After 10 I start cursing.
I totally do the “how many hours would I get if I fall asleep RIGHT now” calculation in my head all the time when I can’t sleep. Definitely not conducive to actually falling asleep.
I know how you feel. On Sundays when my family goes to early mass, I have to do my workouts early, and I dread it the night before…. I would rather be in bed!
This reminds me of some of your earlier posts when you couldnt’ sleep. I remember thinking you were kinda weird. Now I’m just hugely inspired!
p.s. nice legs.
I am kind of weird…don’t worry about it.
Hot legs!
YES!!! I love these workouts!!
I always think of you now when I post them.
Well you know I will do them! I am doing this one tomorrow morning! My goal is under 20 minutes…we’ll see. How you did it in 16:45…amazing!
YES to the amazing legs, pull up and burpee capabilities, and ability to get up and start exercising at 12 am! Wow…all around, that is hardcore, Katie.
Fun post!
Thank you, Bonnie!
Some nights/mornings when I toss and turn I think about your advice to get up and do a workout. I’ll let you know when it finally happens.
Oh yeah I am not the only crazy that works out late at night when sleep does not come. Cannot tell you how many times I have been jump roping, doing burpees etc as my kids sleep. And then I sleep so well. Another similar modification to HSPU are legs on bench and a pike push up from there.
you are so crazy, i love it. seriously, i think we’d be best friends, so why dont you just move to santa monica already. then you can teach me crossfit because i dont have any equipment and im scared to look into it at all. actually, to be honest, i feel pretty ambivalent about my fitness at this point in my life…im fine with doing mediocre routines. is that bad?
I go through months where I don’t really care about exercise at all…I just roll with it. (Also, I am considering packing my life and moving to Santa Monica if this dang snow doesn’t cut it out)
Katie love – that top photo of you is a little alarming (amazing legs aside)! I was worried you were in Victorian times and being swung from the gallows!
Very motivated lady! I have a slight problem in tha tI drink coffee before I work out… so not sure it would work for me. GO YOU though!! Have a great weekend dear! xox
I have a question!
For a crossfit newbie like myself, is it a good idea to decrease the amount of resp or is it better to keep the amount of reps and just make them “easier” somehow??
I’d really like to get into crossfit!
I would maybe try http://www.crossfitmom.com (I know you aren’t a mom!) but it has some great modifications if you can’t do a certain exercise and is less intense. Good luck!
Ha! I time my post-long run ice baths with parks & rec
[...] did this crossfit workout from Katie and 18:35 minutes later I wanted to [...]
You are amazing. I totally understand the workout dread…I do that on weekend mornings…I seriously cannot get on with my day until my workout has been completed. It just feels like something is hanging over me!
k, we don’t have a kettle bell in NZ. Any substitutions? Thoughts? This looks killer. As usual. Hope you get more rest friend tonight friend. SLEEEEP!
Dumbells work perfectly! Just hold it by the top half.