Month: January 2012

Suck It Up ButterCup!

Found this and LOVE it... so if anyone wants to buy it for me, feel free! Hahah!

Yup I need to SUCK IT UP! I’ve been a bag of whine and defeat lately. My body was so spent that I was leaning against the wall while blow drying my hair this morning! I do hit my WODs the best I can and I do want change but I’ve been letting my brain discourage me lately. I realized that this morning, hence the SUCK IT UP BUTTERCUP. Am I still complaining on here… HELL YES! It’s what I do best but I understand I’m just hurting myself this way. So I am putting forth the effort after this post to stop beating myself up!

1/31/12

Today’s WOD did get me…. DAMN YOU BAR PUSHUPS! Let me begin with skill/strength first which gave me a boost of confidence for a whole minute… IF THAT! Handstand Push Ups! I have yet to master this skill. So we practice and we practice by stacking some bumper plates and throw and abmat on top. So we stacked it high enough for me to feel pretty confident in myself. Easy. I had to drop a whole centimeter, LOL, Jokes but it was rather easy and definitely confidence boosting. Well it can never just stop at easy so we replace one plate with a thinner plate and attempt more HSPUs. I still got it! Wooo… but again nothing close to full depth. Now I must rest with my head on the abmat and push from there. Guess what? I did it! 5 reps NO Problem! And now we remove the thinner plate to just the one plate and the abmat. I got 1 sad little “strict” push up and I was out for the count. Still a little confidence but when put to push past my limits I was at a fail. I know I have made major progress towards this movement so I’m not completely defeated but my HIGH was taken down a notch.  And we’re only on skill/strength!

Yes these KILLED me today!

The MetCon (key in dramatic music). 5 rounds for time… 5 Power Cleans (75lbs) 10 Bar Pushups! And this is when weakness overcame and I was sucking bad. Power Cleans – I got those. Towards the end I wasn’t getting my elbows up high enough so it took a little work but I was feeling pretty good and looked forward to the Power Cleans! I knocked out my first 10 bar pushups pretty ok. It’s the rest that killed me. It’s the rest that sucked up all the time and all my energy. What is a Bar Pushup? Well it’s when you put your hands on the barbell (pushup position), stabilize yourself (cause it rolls) and you knock out pushups. Chest must touch bar for it to count. I had about 7 NO REPS! ARGH! Misery! By the 5th round I had to do them one at a time. I had no strength left. I finished just under 10 minutes! I wasn’t even looking at clock because that would have brought me down more :/ Finished in 9:59. And then I just laid there. I thought I was learning to appreciate pushups and I wouldn’t say I love them but I don’t despise them… NOW after bar pushups I am reevaluating my relationship with the pushup in general!

Dinner! Such a Dull Pic but NOT Dull in Flavor!

I am not however reevaluating my love for food! I tried out a couple of new recipes! And they were yummo! I had ground beef out for dinner and had a couple of acorn squash. There must be something wonderful to make and I did find a recipe on the Whole9 Blog. They had stolen it from someone and now I have stolen it from them. I did not have dried cranberries but I did have dried cherries. So I replaced that one ingredient 🙂 And I doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers.

Ingredients (serves 2)

  • 1 acorn squash
  • 1 pound grass-fed, organic ground beef (ground turkey would work, too)
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 1 finely-chopped apple (we used a Braeburn, but find something local-ish)
  • ½ cup chopped cranberries (fresh, not dried)
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • ½ tsp sage
  • unrefined coconut oil
  • salt, pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to ~400 degrees.
  • Cut the acorn squash in half, and scoop out the seeds and any stringy stuff.
  • Place the squash cut side up in a large baking pan, and put a tablespoon of water into each “cup”, and pour ¼ cup of water into the bottom of the pan.
  • Loosely “tent” the pan with aluminum foil, and bake for 30-35 minutes.
  • While squash is baking, chop the onion, apple, pecans and cranberries.
  • Saute the beef and onion in a little coconut oil for 2-3 minutes, then add pecans, cranberries, and herbs. Add salt and pepper. Do not completely cook this mixture.
  • Pull squash out of the oven, spoon the mixture into the “cups” (heaped to overflowing is okay).
  • Bake uncovered for another 15-20 minutes.

Acorn Squash Getting Prepped to Bake

My Horrible Tent – I did fix it a bit but did not take pic :/

BEEF - It's what's for dinner!

Ingredients to Go with Ground Beef (that apple sure did brown super quick)

Everything sizzling and cookin' - YUM

Acorn Squash FILLED! Excuse my DIRTY oven. I just cleaned that thing a month ago1

Mine came a little overcooked on top. I should have paid better attention. But the rest of the meat mixture was perfect!

In addition the squash I had some Kale. I had never made Kale other than in “chip” form so I searched the interwebs yet again. Nom Nom Paleo had a good simple recipe. I did add mushrooms because I LOVE mushrooms and it turned out quite well!

Quick and Simple Stir-Fried Kale and Bacon

Here’s what I gathered for the recipe:

1 bunch of lancinato kale, leaves removed and thinly chopped
3 slices of bacon, cut in 1/4” strips
splash of Banyuls vinegar (the original recipe uses a squeeze of lemon)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

Cook bacon till crispy, Add Mushrooms and let sautee for a couple of minutes. Add Kale in a bit at a time, letting it wilt some before adding more. Once it’s all wilted, add a dash of vinegar (I USED RED WINE VINEGAR). Voila! It’s done. Simple enough right?

Experimenting with the Kale

All Nice and Wilty... Really Vibrant Green... Love It

I was ambitious last night but not too ambitious so I wanted to make a quick sweet treat. I found a gluten free recipe for NO BAKE COOKIES. NO offense to the creator but I’d rather just call them No Bake Treats as they aren’t really “cookie” like. But still super tasty and addictive. I found this recipe on Gluten Free Fix. I substituted ALMOND BUTTER for the peanut butter.

New Treat - No Bake Cookie

Gluten Free No Bake Cookies

  • 1/2 cup butter or coconut oil
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup natural peanut butter (ALMOND BUTTER)
  • 3 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  1. In a pot, combine butter, honey and cocoa powder.  Bring to a boil, and boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly.  Remove from the heat.
  2. Stir in peanut butter, salt and vanilla.
  3. Stir in coconut flakes.
  4. Scoop cookies onto a parchment lined sheet tray.
  5. Refrigerate to set.
  6. Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 1 week and freezer up to 1 month.

*yields 3 dozen gluten free no bake cookies

No Bake Cookie, More like NO BAKE TREAT - Addicting!

I’m pretty sure you could add just about anything to these that compliments the main ingredients and you will win. So give them a try. Big win in our house and easy to eat more than one so you gotta be careful!

Alrighty then, that’s it for this Tuesday. Remember to SUCK IT UP and just DO WORK! There’s no whining in CrossFit and there shouldn’t be any in LIFE. See ya mañana!

Beef, Milk and Is This Month Going to Ever End?

It seems like January will last FOREVER! We are stuck in this month. 2012 is dragging it’s butt! I am, however, quite pleased with the pleasant temperatures that we’ve been having. And I do truly FEAR February as it is quite unpredictable in regards to the weather. And all I can say is that Texas folks don’t fair well in icy conditions. The roads become a HOT mess!

But back to the nice weather. WE had a sunny and beautiful weekend. We get bouts of spontaneity and we decided to take a little field trip about 30 miles south of us to a nice little place by the name of Burgandy Boucherie.

Burgandy Boucherie

Farm Fresh Eggs (Ernie was excited there was a feather included)

They claim that they are the first and only exclusively pastured meats butcher market in the D/FW area. I have not researched this claim but I believe them 🙂 The place was stocked with a great variety of grass fed beef cuts both fresh and frozen. They also carry chicken, lamb and pork. In addition to their meats they also had fresh farm eggs, cheese, local honey, Himalayan salt and a few other goods. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. And on the weekends you can order up hamburgers. They have several picnic tables in the boucherie for you to enjoy your meal. We were very pleased first time customers! I have yet to try any of the meats but we thawed out some ground beef for tonight’s dinner.

While we were at the boucherie we asked if they provided raw milk and some law doesn’t allow them to sell both but they referred to a few places. We chose the one closest to where we were at and by the recommendation of another customer. We headed a few miles south and ended up at Rosey Ridge Farms.

RAW MILK - YUMMO

Michievous Pig at Rosey Ridge Farms (they say he likes to escape often)

Being city folk we weren’t sure we were in the right place as there was just a few farm houses, cows, and horses on this dirt road our GPS led us to. We called to confirm we were in the right spot and they assured us we were and of course we finally spotted their sign! Go figure! We were a little bit in culture shock because we are clueless to country/farm living but it was quite the experience. The Hooley family was very nice and patient with us thankfully because we asked a lot of questions. Silly and serious. It was fun. Their milk is straight from the cow. No pasteurization, no homogenization, no hormones, antibiotics… NOTHING. Fresh MILK! We were anxious to get home and give it a try. Is this Paleo… NO not according to some but we still like our milk so we still buy milk. It’s not an every meal kind of thing. We add it to protein shakes, kids drink it with pancakes, etc. So before I get anyone out trying to be smart, I’m letting you know AGAIN, we are not on point 100% of the time. But we aim to eat clean, whole foods and keep it simple. Paleo 80%, 100% of the time.

I really failed in the photo op dept. I am sorry and I promise on our next visit I will be less in the moment and more in the snapshot mode. If you’re in the DFW area, I encourage you to take a weekend drive out to Grandview, TX. I wish I had brought my kids to see everything and I’m certain I will take them on our next trip out that way.

Now for this moring and my WOD. It was a simple day at the BOX, which I find really nice. We rarely have simple so it was a nice treat. My upper body is still beat up from last week. We started out with front squats which I can honestly say are not my favorite. But I did alright. My wrist/forearm flexibility still could use some work. I did struggle a little with just holding the bar but after a few attempts and experimenting with hand placement I got a little more comfortable with holding the bar. We did 5, 5, 5+ and I managed to get 12 reps at 80lbs on my last set. Which is pretty amazeballs because I’m not so strong on the front squats. So I should have a new PR sooner than later.

01/30/12 WOD

The MetCon was 6 50 yd sprints with 90 seconds of rest in between. Not so bad. I’m not a sprinter but I put forth my best efforts.

That’s it. The End. Happy Monday.

TGIF For Real! It’s been a LONG WEEK!

Finally made it to Friday! I wasn’t sure that I would but alas it is here. I totally lied about not making dinner last night. I had to drop some stuff off at a friends house and they don’t live far from Whole Foods. I got to swing by and pick up some fresh beef and bacon before I headed home. Yay for me!

But first let me talk about today’s WOD. I really had a hard time getting up this morning. I typically wake up on my short drive but this morning was HARD. I was dragging bad! We dedicated some time to practicing Muscle Ups. I know I shouldn’t say I won’t ever get them but dang it FEELS like I will never get to that point. It seems like it should be so easy. And they look like fun. I just don’t have it. That’s all there is to be said. It’s definitely a goal though. How will I ever compete in a top level event without MUs? 😦

1/27/11 WOD

Our MetCon changed a little from the picture… well it changed alot! Ha! We did do the Plyo Push Ups but we did V-UP situps instead of flutter kicks and we did Snatch Balance instead of KNEE JUMPS. Why I can’t do Knee Jumps is beyond me. It doesn’t LOOK hard but I could not get my big butt up. My kids however make it look easy! Dang kids. Anyways the MetCon was a 15 min AMRAP (as many rounds as possible). I managed to complete 10 rounds and get 4 push ups into the 11th round. Not bad I suppose. That’s 124 pushups people! My upper body is DEAD!

Once I caught my breath post WOD and post mobility right before I walk out the door I decide to bust out my jump rope. We are having a Double Under Challenge in March. Who can do 100 consecutive DUs and if more than 1 person achieves them then who can do more! Hahah, I’m in it to win it folks. So like I said, I bust out my rope and just GO. I got on roll and then got excited then let my brain get in the way but I got 49 in a row. WOOOOO! I’m so excited! That may not be a lot for some but for me that was big jump. And that made my Friday 🙂

Moving on to dinner last night: I didn’t buy anything fancy or make this amazing culinary delight but it was tasty and did it’s job. I’ve been buying sirloin tip steak – it’s not the “best” cut but it’s grass-fed and it’s not as spendy as the other quality cuts. I know I should marinate it for several hours if not overnight but I’m crunched for time so we make due. I sliced it up as thin as I could with the tools that I have and threw it in a gallon zip lock bag. I tossed in some olive oil, garlic powder, cumin, salt and pepper. I had sliced up one steak and put my oldest to shaking the bag and pretty much massaging the steak while I cut up the other piece. I had him do this for a good 15 minutes. I think it really helped the meat tenderize a bit. I threw it in a pan, sauteed for a couple of minutes and only a couple because I did not want it overcooked. It turned out pretty alright.

Not a BEAUTIFUL pic but HEY at least I remembered to take one!

I had purchased parsnips over the weekend with intentions of mixing them up with cauliflower but I never got around to that. I’ve never eaten a parsnip so I had no clue what to expect. I peeled them and chopped them up. Boiled them in chicken broth with onions and garlic till they were tender. Drained them but kept the broth for later. Threw parnsips, garlic and onion in the food processor and let it get all blended up. I added about 3 TBS of butter, 1/4 cup of reserved broth, salt and pepper. Ended up with a nice consistency more mash potato like than Cauliflower. Parsnips are sweeter than I expected but also have a spice to them. I couldn’t decide on the best word to describe it. It’s just a weird little bite. Still good and different than everything else. I’ll have to experiment more with them. But you should definitely try out some parsnips. 🙂

Have a FIERCE FRIDAY! Make it worthwhile. SMILE! See y’all on Monday 😀

Everyone Needs a LIL Sunshine


Thank Goodness the SUN has broken through the rainy muck. Yes we need it but I welcome the sunshine anyday as I am a delicate flower that flourishes in the sunshine! Hahahah. You believe that? I didn’t think so, but it sounded really good!

So even though traffic was drizzly and icky, I made it to work without going crazy or ramming into any moron drivers. The sun also decided to peek it’s little head out. And even though my drive in to work was crapola, I was in a very good mood. Got me some rest yesterday and got a great WOD in this morning!

1/26/12

Sumo Dead Lift 5 RM was on the menu for Skill/Strength. I’ve never attempted this lift although it’s not entirely different than a normal Dead Lift it is awkward at first. I was feeling pretty strong at first and quickly faded away. My hip didn’t give me problems today but my hamstring sure did get a little testy. I managed to lift 175lbs but only once 😦 SO my 5 RM for Sumo DLs is 165. I really wanted to get 175 but a big ol’ fail. My 1 RM for DL is 185 so I don’t think I should feel so bad for myself but I that’s how I’m wired.

The MetCon was just one of those that you gotta knock out. No stopping, just GO. And I went. I slowed down a lot on Burpees during the 6 reps but I tried to pick it back up for the 4’s and 2s. I was pressing 20lbs which was light at first but it most assuredly felt much heavier by the end. Time: 6:32.

My favorite phrases 3.2.1. GO and TIME! LOL I think I like TIME more than 321 because TIME means I’m done!

As usual I practiced kipping and my joke of a pullup post WOD and I’m a fraction closer to getting it done! I know I’ll get it but it’s so darn irritating that I don’t have it yet!

NO yummy dinner creation last night and most likely not tonight either. Last night we went out for my NOW 9 year old son’s birthday! My baby of 3 boys and no longer a baby. He chose Outback for his dinner and we happily obliged!

Another short and sweet post for today. I rambled on a bit much yesterday so I felt a less wordy Thursday was more ideal.

Have a great Thursday, I hope y’all are feeling as great as I feel now which is pretty darn GOOD! Drink some Kool-Aid – it’s good stuff!

Rain, Sleep, and Realizing I’m Addicted to the Kool-Aid

Texas NEEDs rain, hell everywhere does but I wish (a petty wish) we could have the rain stop for rush hour traffic times. It really drains me! I don’t get the privilege to work from home and I have a 72 mile round trip commute. So YES I get to complain and rant about how I wish the rain would stop so I could get to and from work without so much trouble! Flooded roads, dumb drivers and other insanity drives me bonkers. Other than that I got no beef with the rain. I sleep really well when it’s storming or even drizzling, it’s like my brain/body get something from the sound of rain. Who knows why, but it’s nice.

As for dinner last night. Nothing super special, some grass fed ground beef tacos with guac and MEXICAN RICE! LOL, not really, but Cauliflower Spanish Rice! I learned how to make Asian Fried Rice and figured I could wing it in the Spanish department since I’m Mexican. I know most people I know still don’t believe I am because I don’t speak Spanish or whatever. I’m American but I come from Mexican roots 🙂

Tacos with Cauliflower Spanish Rice

Soooo moving on… I threw some cauliflower in the food processor and chopped it up till “rice” like. I added a little olive oil to a preheated pan and tossed in the cauliflower with some garlic and sauteed for a minute or two. I seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cayenne pepper (i like spice). I then poured some salsa in (probably a cup, maybe more) and stirred it all up. Let it cook on medium for a couple of minutes. I then reduced temp to low/simmer and covered. I left simmering while I cooked ground beef and prepped taco toppings. There wasn’t a real science or perfect recipe. I just played around. I used to make it very similar when I ate Minute Rice! It’s the easy quick way to make Spanish Rice. It turned out a LIL TOO Spicy for the family. Edible but I should omit the cayenne pepper next time around! I really enjoyed it and even though it was spicy, kids asked for more. I think it was Ernie that was most affected by the spice. Hehe, next time I will lay off the HEAT.

Today was a much needed REST DAY! Mentally I’ve been stressed with the world around me and I’ve been pushing it hard at the box so it was good to sleep a little later than normal. My body thanks me! In my rest though I do realize how much I LOVE the KOOL-AID. I realize I named my blog in reference to drinking the CrossFit KOOL-AID but truly I LOVE IT. I’m addicted if you will. I don’t think I could be addicted to Step Class, Spin Class, Body Pump or Whatever other “class” is out there in the fitness world. BUT I can honestly say I look forward to my next workout, sometimes wishing I could fit in more WODs, but I don’t think physically I’m ready for such insanity.

I Want to Be Like Camille When I Grow UP! Seriously!

 

I think I adore CrossFit so much not only because it’s OVERALL fitness but it sets a bar daily for me personally. I have to do things I’ve never done before, I have to compete against myself for time/reps/rounds. I also mentally compete with others on the white board. I want to be the one who posts the best time and if I can’t then I want to try and meet the level of fitness of those names I see on the board who KILL it daily. It’s hard for me to express myself because there’s so much I want to say about it. I feel GREAT after every WOD. I’m ready to take on the day in all aspects.

Again All Shapes, Sizes and Fitness Levels

I see the COMMUNITY that evolves around CrossFit. I have yet to meet an elitist attitude or a debbie downer personality. Everyone wants to better themselves no matter what stage of fitness they are in. I have seen all shapes and sizes: super fit athletes, pregnant women, overweight folks, young, old, physically challenged… you name it and I’m pretty sure there’s someone in that category that CrossFits. Everyone has a goal to eat better, live better and be strong. It’s been a while since I’ve stepped on a scale to SEE where I’m at… my whole attitude and thought process that is EMBLAZONED in women’s brains to be a certain size has dissipated from my from thinking. I just want to be strong.

This a before and after - 1 year after CrossFit

82 years young, Jean nails a new deadlift 1RM PR at 153 lbs

I want to lift that bar and set a PR (Personal Record). I feel good. I realize my body has faults but I no longer hold them over my head. I’ve moved on. And no I’m not going to become a veiny, muscle head. Yes there are women out there who want that, I surely don’t and that takes a lot of “extra work” to get there. Lifting heavy doesn’t make me a freak of nature. It just makes me strong. I still have pregnancy damage to my stomach, I may never have a washboard for ABS again, I still have stretch marks, I still have jiggly spots but I know I’m leaner and more physically fit than I have been in a long time. And I am impressed daily by the CrossFit Community. I read the stories of success and failure. I am INSPIRED daily. I even registered on the CrossFit Games website for the OPEN! I may not make it past the first WOD but I signed up anyways. I’m not a firebreather and may not be one anytime soon but that’s how AMPED up I am on this sport! I get goosebumps when I see the Reebok CrossFit Commercial on primetime networks. I anxiously await my coach to post the next WOD. I look for the next competition I can attend or compete in. It’s an insane addiction I know. But it’s something everyone can do no matter where you are in life. It gives you the support system that will steer you in the direction of good health, strength, confidence, inspiration and so much more. I don’t get paid to say these things it’s just how I feel. Like I said it’s hard for me to explain because there is ALOT I want to say. And I just don’t know how to express it in a super great way. Just how my brain allows me to at this moment in time.

Strong Women!

Women All Shapes and Sizes

With all that said… it’s a great feeling to be strong. Happy RAINY Wednesday! Hopefully I don’t need a boat to get home later. Thanks for reading my “crazy”, unorganized thought process.

Not sure where this originates from... I believe CrossFit Ramstein but now sure.

It’s a “I SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME” Kinda Day

That’s right. I would have been better off at home, taking a nap, cleaning house, catching up on dvr or reading a book. But I did not. I’m a little late in the day for posting but I kept on trucking and hopefully it’s just a glitch on the radar and the rest of the week will be fine! Pray! Keep your fingers crossed! And Pray some more!

01/24/12 WOD

The day started off alright. I got up like always and headed to the BOOM! Box. It sure is great to get the blood pumping and the muscles working hard. Today was no exception. I did feel weak on my Clean and Jerks but I managed to push through. I think my whole self was still spent from yesterday’s WOD.

Next up: Double Unders! Ya. I actually like double unders but I was not looking forward to the Hand Release Push Ups that were penalty when you mess up! I can string around 30 DUs sometimes and mostly just 10-15 regularly. So I knew I was in for a beating. And of course the more beat I became the more frustrating DUs became and I turned into a HOT MESS! I even got to 199 and messed up. Really? I was officially just exhausted! And I had to pump out 5 more HR Push Ups! Argh! Finally I get a finish of 12:02! Yeehaw. I didn’t keep count of pushups because I couldn’t get keep count of both DUs and push ups but I feel I did anywhere between 70 and 100, LOL!

Nothing new on the food front. Or nothing exciting I should say. I messed around with some bacon and spinach, seeing how that would turn out and it came out fine. I failed to take pics of course due to the fact I was in a hurry but I do have some sweets on the horizon that are Paleo-ish. The plan is to make some goodies for the boys’ classmates for Valentine’s Day and I figure along the lines of Paleo is better than flat out badness. I also have a few recipes that have kept my attention. Now it’s all a matter of taking the time to make them 🙂 Baby steps. I will get there!

That’s it for Tuesday! Still anxiously awaiting for Ford Escape Routes to call Ernie and I up and tell us we are on the show! Boy that would be great. I know we would kill it if we don’t kill each other first! Hahaha! Hoping again the week gets better for sure. Have a good one y’all!

 

 

 

 

WHOLLY COW what a WHIRLWIND weekend!

This past weekend was full of intensity, adventure and super exhaustion. Ernie and I headed out to Austin this past weekend because we had signed up to be volunteers at The Fittest Games. A good sized event for soon to be CrossFit Games Competitors and those testing their level of awesomeness against other firebreathers. Arrival time for volunteers was 6:00 a.m. and we worked non stop till about noon. It was so much fun to be there. The “YARD” as it was named was LEGIT. It was in this cool unfinished warehouse which is in development stages but raw and dirty and super badass. It’s a future home to a CrossFit as well. There were four Pads where WODs were being held throughout the day and the BEST of the BEST were out there putting all of their insane blood, sweat and tears on the concrete floors.

First Team WODs @ pad 1 (1RM clean and jerk and Max front squats)

Pad 2 - Women killing Muscle Ups

From CrossFit Tyler – I HEART NINJAs by the way!

I had a fun job by marking up the athletes with their assigned Number. We got to laugh, joke and have a good time. Even scored a cool shirt! I then had a job as scorerunner. It is what it is – take the scores to the computer peoples so they can enter everything. I got up-close behind the “scenes” viewing and met some cool people. The athletes competing were BEAST at all things. I was inspired, overwhelmed and excited all at the same time. I sooooo want to be at that level but then I think that’s soooooo far away and then I think I’ve only been doing this a few months and I didn’t come in awesome as it is so I have a ways to go but it’s doable. I THINK! I HOPE!

As we finished our assignments we were going to stick around but we opted for going out for lunch and then realized we were exhausted so we’d head out to my aunts house for rest. We did have a comedy show to attend later that evening and didn’t want to be miserable. As we were headed back I recalled a blog or someone on FB mentioning a paleo burger in Austin. Thank GOODNESS for google because it pulled up WHOLLY COW BURGERS! We u-turned as fast as we could and headed straight there.

We found it! Love smart phones. Makes life so much easier 🙂

A convenience store with a burger place or was it a burger place with a convenience store? Who knows. I needed to see the Paleo Burger on the Menu… because this wasn’t special order where they look at us weird for asking for no buns or mayo or whatever restaurants think when we order NO GRAINS. And there is it was the Fit Cross (Crossfit Paleo Burger). It’s not the holy grail of burgers I know this, but it’ going in the right direction. Local Grass Fed beef cooked up just right, slapped between portabella mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onions, natural ketchup and mustard. It was yummy. Especially when you’re out of towners, this was a good find. We ordered one burger each to “check” it out. WIN! So we ordered two more and added sweet potato fries after we inquired if they had them. Perfect! It filled us up and we knew it was good local homegrown grass fed beef. We talked to the owner and peeps that worked there and found out that not all grass fed beef is created equal. Ranchers are allowed to grain feed the last 120 days before slaughter and are still able to claim their beef to be “grass-fed”! I had no idea! That’s how little research I’ve done. I’m saddened by the news but also now informed. So it’s an overall win.

In their convenience store - organic produce also available there.

Fit Cross Paleo Burger at Wholly Cow Burgers, Austin, TX

If you’re in Austin, then definitely check this place out. They do have a website and FB page but not a lot of content. So with that said just CHECK THEM OUT at some point.

I’m finally to today and our WOD this morning. Sled Pulls are awkward and take some getting used to and left me a little out of breath but that’s OK what would CrossFit be if it were EASY?!?

1/23/12 WOD

Out MetCon just about killed me. Was it a case of the Mondays? Or was it just flat out loserness? Not sure at this point but it was close to killing me. Snatch DL is very weird feeling. Having to deadlift with a super wide grip definitely ups the ante in knocking reps out. The weight was light “for a deadlift” at 75lbs. And TABATA to boot. Although we only did half TABATA 4 rounds vs. 8 rounds, but that was fine with me because I was going to have to push press that 75 lbs. My max regular press is 65lbs but with the “PUSH” it’s easier to get a little more weight up. I didn’t do my first round of push press because I was so spent after the deadlifts. I think I managed to get 13 presses. SUCK! We moved onto Front Squats and again it took some energy to freakin just clean it. So I wasted almost the whole first round just trying to talk myself into getting the bar up. I finally did and I was beat. I really double sucked at front squats as well. Overall REPS at 61. I KNOW I could have done more, but I talked myself out of it before the MetCon even started. Not a wise thing to do and I don’t suggest punking out like I did. I am happy I did it”RX’d”. I’ve done a few but not a lot so it feel goods when I can MOVE the weight around. I was spent but it was a good spent.

I hope you all enjoy your Monday. Make it great. I’m hoping I kill my WOD tomorrow. And I hope you meet whatever goals you have for the week. Eat Clean. Train Dirty! LOVE IT!

I’m NO TRACK star but I’m feelin good!

It’s Friday Folks! Can I get a big WOOOOO?!? It’s been a super long week for some reason. But we made it, right?

Like I said yesterday, no meats to cook – Cause I’m a loser slacker forgetful person :/ So I decided on my way home I’d stop by Whole Foods and pick up some fresh items and cook for my Dad since he’s still on the mend. I had gathered up the few things I needed and got in line and low and behold… NO WALLET! I left it in my gym bag! Oh you can only imagine how irritated I became with myself. So I asked if I could write a check because I had my checkbook in my purse. SURE! So I write out the check and she waits for me to hand her my driver’s license. I looked at her and said I wrote down my DL number BECAUSE I DON’T HAVE MY WALLET that has my driver’s license in it along with my money! OH. Sorry I can’t take it then. WELL FREAKIN’ AWESOME, thanks lady! and I just walked away. Petty I know. Nothing to be frazzled over but for a good 15 minutes I let it get to me.

Moving on…. I ended up cooking my dad and kids some steaks he had out (not grassfed 😦 … heheh, I’ve spoiled myself), CANNED spinach (LOL cause he lives off canned veggies, I’m working on getting him transitioned to fresh) and some corn tortillas (he doesn’t quite get PALEO just yet). None the less he enjoyed his steak tacos as did the kids. And of course NO PICS! One day it will be second nature to photograph my stuff, I PROMISE!

1/20/12 WOD

Onto my WOD this morning… a RUNNING day 😦 Talk about fake it till you make it from yesterday! Skill strength was good. I got to really work on breaking down my Clean and Jerk and getting technique developed. So many darn things to remember. I really wish I had lifted previous to knowing what CrossFit was but I guess I wish I had been a gymnast too! Haha good thing about coming in with zero knowledge is that I can really gauge how far I’ve come. It’s great to watch my progress from pretty much nothing.

Our times. We took 3 minute rests in between and that is why the overall time is over 19 minutes.

And then the RUNNING. I did not want to run at all. 600 meters is far! Hahah, well not really but times 4 it is and I don’t like the running. I have not other choice but to suck it up and run. I did get 3 minute rests between which were wonderful and needed and I just re-iterate how much of a whiny baby I really am. I surprised myself with my times. My first run was 2:38. And what do ya know I got better with each run! 2:28, 2:34 and 2:25. Like the post title says I’m NO TRACK STAR at all but I know I used to not be able to run 400m in these times much less 600m. So YES I was feeling good! I’m getting faster and I’m not even trying 🙂 I know I’m trying in overall fitness but I am sure not trying in the running dept. Not intentionally. It’s amazing. Before you know it I’ll have a sub 8 min mile and I may learn to enjoy running….hahah well maybe I’ll get the sub 8 but I don’t think I’ll ever ENJOY running just to run.

It’s Friday y’all! And we have a busy weekend ahead. Ernie and I are volunteering at The Fittest Games down in Austin, TX. It’s the last in a trio of events that some local firebreathers have been competing at. An overall champion will be crowned so it should be a great event to attend. It’s also one of the final BIG events before the CrossFit Games Open. We were thinking it would be fun to watch in general and we figured if we volunteered it would be even better. Hopefully if I’m not too busy I’ll get some cool shots with my handy dandy iPhone and maybe a few stories to share as well. We will also hit up a comedy show tomorrow night because one of our favorite comedians Bill Burr is in town. What perfect timing! We get a nice little road trip, a CrossFit adventure and some good laughs all in the same day. I hope everyone has a GREAT weekend. It should be nice here in the state of Texas. I hope it’s nice everywhere else 🙂

Fake IT till YOU MAKE IT

I know we all have those days where you just want to stay in bed all day but you know you can’t. You gotta hit the pavement running regardless. Today is one of those days. My plate is full, there’s a LOT of stuff going on and mentally I’m just checked out.

Yesterday I skipped out on my post because my Dad had a heart procedure being done and I was out all day hanging in the hospital. Dad is good. All is well. I thought about blogging from my phone because I had a lot of down time but it just isn’t the same as banging away at the keyboard. A whole day off and I’m back! Aren’t y’all excited? NO? That’s what I thought.

So I’m already blah for the day but I gotta get up and get going to DO WORK at the BOOM BOX and I just am not feeling it. I slept fine, my body isn’t falling apart so I just had to FAKE it till I made it. And that’s what I did. And it worked out alright. Now if I can just get through the work day!

1/19/12

As you see the Skill/Strength wasn’t too bad. Ring Rows aren’t so much my enemy as other movements are but they do wear you out. I managed to do 16 of the 30 ring rows with my legs straight out. But I did break down and have to bend my knees to maintain full extension and what not. At least I’ve made some progress 🙂

The MetCon was a tiny but killer doozy of a workout. Burpees with Ground to Over Head using a 35lb plate. I thought it would take me longer and in reality it should have taken me less. I paused a couple of times as I wanted to just quit halfway through. Once I was committed I was hoping for sub 3 in time…. BARELY over 3 minutes. I should have never paused!!! There’s a lot of shoulda, coulda, woulda’s in my life lately. I gotta get that under control.

I almost forgot about holding a squat for time POST WOD and I sucked at it 😦 Although all day pain is gone my hip flexibility is still not super duper and it started burning about 30 seconds in but I managed to pull out over 2 minutes. I should be able to hold it forever but I can not. I am sorely disappointed in my lack of flexibility/tolerance, etc. I really do hope it’s just my hip that hinders me and not “my head” in general.

As far as foods go, I’ve been sticking to my standard meals. I had family in town to check in on my dad and I invited them over to my house for dinner. They all are unaware of Paleo and the whole lifestyle that we are throwing ourselves into but they are aware they need to step it up nutrition wise. I thought it’d be a perfect time to share with them how YUMMY the food can be and still be super good for you. I made them Paleo Meatloaf, Cauliflower Mash and Asparagus which I posted about the other day. They seemed and acted as if it were quite pleasant and I’m hoping they truly felt that way as well. Score 1 for spreading the good health to family members. Now I just have to get them the recipes so they can get to work 🙂

The night before I attempted to cook my first WHOLE chicken. I know I’m behind in the “cooking” game. Whole chickens… that’s nothing to most, but to me that’s WORK. I thought it would be so time consuming and complicated and I have no idea why. We always buy chicken breasts… organic, cage free, etc…. spendy! So this time we bought a whole chicken even ranked better than the chicken breasts in quality and it came out BEAUTIFUL in appearance and TASTE! I only took a before picture because I was so excited at how pretty it was when it was done that I forgot to take an AFTER pic. Plus the kids were ready to test it out as well! It was EXCELLENT and juicy and overall great 🙂

A little over 4lbs

Of course I had to google on how to cook it and Everyday Paleo was there to save me 🙂

I preheated the oven to 450°, Rinsed off chicken, patted it dry. Doused it with salt inside and out (could have scaled down on the dousing though) and then added a little white pepper. I only added pepper because I didn’t believe only salt would be sufficient. NOTHING ELSE! THAT’s IT! Throw it in a roasting pan, dish, whatever and bake it for an hour. Perfection! HOMERUN!

Chicken isn't so "pretty" but it tasted GREAT. Served up with some Sweet Potato Latkes and Steamed Brocolli

So that’s all she wrote today folks. I forgot to defrost meat AGAIN, so I don’t know what dinner will be but I’ll figure it out. Have a Happy Thursday. And I’ll be seein’ y’all tomorrow 🙂

Take That Tuesday!

1/17/12 WOD

Today feels like a rant and ramble kind of day. I kicked off my day with a kick my ass workout at the BOOM BOX. Holding Back Squats for 5 seconds at the bottom… SOMETHING I’ve NEVER done before and woowowowowow it was tough! But you practice full depth and learn to love it (kind of, sort of, maybe?), well love it enough you don’t want to come back up! I managed fairly well when I got my breathing down and stopped crowding my brain with thoughts of FAIL.

The MetCon looked fairly do-able, if that’s the right word. Maybe more along the lines of less intimidating than other days. Those are the moments when I should say there’s NO SUCH THING! But I don’t, I just think this won’t kill me. Sure enough it was freakin HARD. Broad Jumps?!?!? ARE YOU F’ING KIDDING ME? for 200 ft! Major SUCK in the world of workouts. I promise. I was gassed, dying, melting, etc. I only had 3 rounds, I was spent. WTH is wrong with me is all I kept thinking. Why can’t I kill this WOD? I tried with all my might and I finished and that’s all there is to it, RIGHT? YUP, I FINISHED. All is well and life goes on 🙂 9:54 was my time and only because Grant pushed me on my last 10 KB Snatches. Glad he was there cause I would have dropped the ball. I did my last 10 unbroken and finished under 10 minutes.

Even though mentally I was defeated, Physically I felt good which in turn works on my mental state and I was feeling good overall. I got out the door in good time, early even and in good spirits! UNTIL traffic HIT…. It’s like finally everyone is off vacation mode and back to work and it was chaotic on the road, stalled cars, accidents, major traffic delays. I was HOT! FUMING! Traffic can make my blood boil. But in that boiling state sitting still on the roads, like a bad driver I’m checking the interwebs and I find this post by FitBomb about a High School CrossFit Class and there in my anger I totally let it all go as I listened about Maddy and her journey with CrossFit and Cerebral Palsy. I’ve shared it here for you to watch.

It’s truly amazing what this young girl is accomplishing daily in general and to throw CrossFit in is even more amazing to me. I’m sure she would try anything but it seems like she’s found a good place for her. Just like with any of us. CrossFit isn’t everyone’s cup of tea or KOOLAID but if you find something that works for you then DO IT. FULL ON. NO EXCUSES! You aren’t going anywhere if you keep making up crap to avoid eating right, working out… Life in general! Ya know? You hear me?

Day in and day out I hear excuses. I hear the if’s the but’s the shoulda woulda coulda’s….. Sometimes life throws you curveballs, I know. I live life too. But you gotta press on!

Out of my 3 kids, my oldest is slowly but surely grasping where I’m trying to go with health and fitness. It’s clicking and it’s amazing that’s he’s learning so young. My other two just go with the flow. If my mom “says” then cool, we dig it. But now in the past week they have been asking the why’s and what’s and opening their little brains up. I don’t just brainwash them in case you are wondering. I explain to them what I thought was right, what I’m learning now and how I feel about it all. They have a long way to make up their own minds but hopefully they see the POSITIVE impacts that eating clean and taking care of our bodies helps us all around. And well of course they eat what’s put in front of them 😛 And they do it well. So I don’t have problems when it comes to eating.

All in all, the rant and ramble and disconnected paragraph to paragraph is just another day of me wanting all of you that I know and don’t know that it’s possible to get your life in order. It’s possible to live a happy healthy life. I have my ups and downs too. I don’t want to cook dinner some nights. I don’t want to wake up from my cozy bed. I don’t want to be in traffic. But I am grateful that I do. I’m happy my family is HEALTHY and WHOLE. Not everyone can say that. We are truly blessed. And I’ll be darned that my kiddos make it through all the CRUD that goes around school (with the exception of the occasional stomach bug). I truly believe it’s because they are outside playing in the SUNSHINE and eating a variety of good foods. Same with Ernie and I… we aren’t calling in sick and feeling like poo… we are good. It’s a good life.

So TAKE THAT TUESDAY! I got this! Hahaha… until tomorrow or the next day. 😀