I see the LIGHT

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I’m slowly but surely climbing out of my dungeon of laziness and lack of motivation. It’s been 4 days of cutting out the crap, showing up consistently at the BOOM Box and just keeping myself motivated to stick with it and not give in to the chaos that is my life and any random excuse my brain creates.

It’s been really sad to see poor numbers on the whiteboard for me. It’s part of it though and lesson hopefully learned. In a few weeks I hope to reset some goals since right now my only goal is just to get back in the swing of things and not let the “busy” trip me up. Since I’m still not back into cooking, ugh the sound of that just makes me bleh, I have been eating protein/fat filled salads, Boston Market (I know not ideal, but BETTER) and My Fit Foods! I was introduced to MFF down in Austin at the Fittest Games as they had sample foods for everyone. Rather tasty and located what seems like everywhere in the Austin area and nowhere in the DFW area.

My Fit Foods – Las Colinas

My Fit Foods – Las Colinas

And while that’s not true, because there are several in the DFW area there are just not any in my neck of the woods. I did very little research though because at the time I was cooking all my food and there wasn’t a NEED for pre-made foods. Since my gluttonous adventures have created this lack of drive for cooking, I needed something better than Boston Market and Chipotle. Don’t get me wrong Chipotle is good but I tire of it really quickly. So MFF offers pre-cooked meals in many varieties and has two locations rather close to my job. So I decided to venture out to the Las Colinas location and find me some good food.

The good thing about MFF is that most of their foods are gluten-free and they are made fresh daily. Score! And while they aren’t 100% PALEO, they are very close. They do offer beans, rice and potatoes in some of their meals but there are plenty of meals where those things are cut out. I’ve also read brown sugar and agave on some of the labels. But if at the end of the day those are the worst things and in small amounts, I have to give them an A+ for providing fresh, healthy foods. When I walked into the Las Colinas store, I was greeted rather quickly by one of the employees. She was quick to share with me what they had to offer and that they received deliveries twice a day from the Southlake store kitchen. She broke down that there are small, medium and large portion sizes and that I can order online, work with a nutritionist or just show up randomly and get whatever foods were in the store. You can take your food to go or have a seat in their shop and pop your meal in the microwaves there. They also carry supplements, snacks and a few other items I didn’t really take note of.

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I decided to go with a dinner meal called Better Beef & Broccoli. This had a good serving of sliced beef served on a bed of Broccoli, Carrots and Cabbage. It came with a side of wheat free soy sauce and YES I did put it on the food. I know SOY! But again it wasn’t a ginormous amount and I didn’t say I was perfect just yet! Overall it was flavorful and filled me up. Cost was $8.50.

Better Beef & Broccoli – There are veggies under there. I had already ate a few bites.

Better Beef & Broccoli – There are veggies under there. I had already ate a few bites.

Although that may be high price to a lot of folks, I can say that it was whole healthy foods. There wasn’t a mystery to what might be in the sauce or how the food was cooked. And if I’m going to be lazy at least I know I’m getting something good for me. Sure I could spend $5 at a fast food joint and get stuffed, feel like crap and save $3.50 at the moment. But who knows what that JUNK is going to cost me later on down the road. It will surely be more than $3.50! In addition to my yummy beefy lunch, I picked up a snack that caught my eye – Living Raw Darkest Cacao Truffles! If you like the dark chocolate, then these are a winner! The ingredients are simple and clean. There was some sneaky AGAVE in there but back to my statement earlier, if that’s the worst in tiny amounts then I’m gonna be ok with that. In a few weeks, I may be sugar free but for now, it’s baby steps! They were rich in flavor, tasty and a good simple snack.

YUMMO!

YUMMO!

Overall my first full impression of MFF is a win. So I went online, signed up for MFF rewards and earned a $5 off coupon. WOOOO! So I dropped in this morning to the Southlake store as their hours are 7am to 8pm and picked up Breakfast, Lunch and a Snack. I have only tried the Breakfast as I write this and it consisted of Turkey Sausage, Sweet Potatoes and Egg Whites.

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I was weary at the eggs just by looking at them but I made the purchase so I ate them. And they weren’t my favorite but they weren’t bad either, give me some YOLK! I would most likely add some salsa to them should I buy this breakfast again. The sausage links were flavorful and tasty. The sweet potatoes were good as well. Again some agave in the ingredient list but nothing was overly sweet so I’m not sure where it came in. These are great meals for those who lack time or culinary skills. If you’re going full on Paleo or Whole30 this isn’t the best place. But if you’re trying to just start over (cough*ME*cough) or just trying to work your way into healthier eating I’d say try it out. I’m anxious to try out the Pork and Butternut Squash I bought for lunch!

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MFF has locations in Arizona, California, Illinois, Oklahoma and Texas. They say on their website they cook 362 days out of the year which means a whole lot of of fresh food. They don’t deliver so if you aren’t close to one, I’m sorry.

BoomBox WODs

So I’ve shown up 3 days in a row now! FINALY, WOOOOO! And it seriously feels like I’m new to everything again without the awkwardness of using a barbell. I’m slow, I’m beat down and I’m draggin ass. But at least I’m there hoping to shed this extra fluff, get back some of the strength I’ve lost and start PRing like a bad ass mofo! Hehe, ok I’ll just be happy to remove the fluff!

6/11/13 WOD

Warm-up: 30 GHD Sit-ups/hip ext, 100 single jumps, Quad roll out
So I’ve previously stated I BARELY am able to get there by 6pm, so I missed most of this pre-warm up. I did get 100 singles in. We still do a group warm up after this so I’m all good.

Sprint: 3 x 30 yrds
Yay sprinting, my favorite :/ Uhm NO. But 30 yds is short so it’s ok. What wasn’t ok was feeling like a horse prancing around since we worked on running technique. And boy oh boy did I feel awkward. It’s much needed focus but I felt like I was at the rodeo! Maybe one day it will all click for me and I’ll become this fabulous runner. Hehehe. I said MAYBE.

6/11/13 WOD

6/11/13 WOD

Metcon: 4 rounds of 8 Hang Squat Clean to Thrusters 135/95#, 16 KBS 24/16kg, 24 DU, Rest 1 min
Thrusters – ARRRHHHHH! I love a good clean but add a thruster to it and I’m out. I only worked up to 75lbs for fear of dying during the WOD and that was an ok decision. I was definitely struggling in the end. The Kettle Bell Swings weren’t so bad except my back kept cramping up. So I only did 2 rounds UNBROKEN. Double Unders were a walk in the park. And the 1 minute rest flew by way to fast. I really slowed down overall in the 3rd and 4th rounds. Those Thrusters were a BEATING. Time: 13:46.

6/12/13 WOD

Skill development: MU, HSPU
More weaknesses! Muscle Up development went better than it has in the past. I have sucky shoulders so popping up and getting my head through was really weaksauce. But I did gain some ground on the whole using my hips part. Something similar to below:

As far as HSPU, I think my added heaviness scares me in going down to the ground. Kipping was not my friend so I had to opt for dumb Tiger Push Ups for the MetCon. Those are miserable and I suck at them.

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Tiger Push Up – head to ground and back up, straighten arms. Keep heels down as much as possible.

Metcon: 5 rounds of 1 min HSPU, 1 min no leg wall-balls 20/14# -then- ME Muscle-Ups/C2B
I just stated I suck at Tiger Push Ups. And we had to do 1 minute of them! By round 3 I was struggling getting back up. As for no leg wall balls. I thought these would be a breeze but boy was I wrong. Wall Balls are EVIL in general so I figured if you don’t have to squat they have to be a little less evil. And for the most part they are less evil. The hard thing is when you are fatigued your body wants to utilize the legs. Well you can’t do that when it’s a NO LEG WALL BALL. Shoulders get smoked super fast. Back and forth between the push ups and the wall was a butt whoopin.

At the end of five rounds we had to go straight into Max Effort pulling movement. MU’s, CTB or ring rows for my less elite self. Ring rows I like but I was dead and I wasn’t really focusing and I dropped after 12 reps, not realizing I couldn’t start back up. WOMP WOMP. So I finished with 118 reps of HSPU and Wall Balls + 12 ring rows.

Right now my body hates me but will soon be loving me all over again. And guess what it’s almost FRIDAY! Chuggin along with little to no hiccups. I’m getting back to the good things food related. Fighting through on my WODs. It’s nice. Energy is up and down still, but it’s only DAY 4. But more ups for sure. It’s so easy to forget how good it feels mentally and phsyically to be back in it. It’s SAD how easy it is to justify and accept the tired, bloat and misery. Hello ‘MERICA. Get your ass in gear. Eat Clean, Get Moving and BE AWESOME!

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On the Awesome note. I found AMRAP4Life and they say they are focused on building a community of AWESOME people. How perfect is that? So check them out: https://www.amrap4life.com/?i_uid=2512. Sign up if you’re interested. Find me and friend me.

I know I could have probably split this into three posts: one review, one recap and shared AMRAP4Life, BUT who has time for that! You get a lot at once. And sometimes NOTHING at all. Thank you all again for sticking with me. In my good times and depressing times. I’m working my way back to the good. Have a great Thursday and be AWESOME!

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Trying

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So my gung ho declaration of getting back on track went strong for 2 days. Then my car died and I missed a work out. Then I had a mental breakdown due to my car dying and there went another missed day at the BOX. And then (think Dude, Where’s my Car, Chinese restaurant lady) baseball took over friday and saturday. And then and then and then and then! UGH.

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So we cycle back to a new week and I’m pulling myself out of the pit of my depression and yesterday began Day 1 of eating clean. It wasn’t a perfect clean but it was 95% on point. Which is 95% better than what Wednesday through Sunday! This morning as part of breakfast I go with two tablespoons of Almond Butter and what do I read on the label? SUGAR! NOOOOO. Ok Sugar is not going to kill me instantly but it’s not CLEAN eating. I was surprised that this particular brand that I’ve purchased before has sugar in it! I figured all of this brand was sugar free. Doh! I just grabbed it off the shelf thinking it was good to go. That’s Wal-mart for you! It was a small jar and it’s so much better than what I’ve been eating so I’ll get through it and be more mindful for the future.

Now if I can just get past 2 days and even through a whole weekend! Then I know I’m getting somewhere. At least I haven’t completely fallen off the CrossFit train. Showing up, although sucking at life, is still better than not showing up. Keeps me connected and definitely shows me how hard it is to eat like crap and perform well. Cause I’m not performing well at all! In 9 days I’ve worked out 3 times. Out of those three times I forgot to take pictures for 2 of the workouts. One more thing to add to the list of eating like crap. The brain fog takes over and I forget everything! SMH!

Nice salad full of protein and fat!

Nice salad full of protein and fat!

6/3/13 CrossFit Total
Yikes! My first dedicated day to getting back to it and it’s CFT! I haven’t worked on anything consistently. I’m not even sure I’ll hit my 1RM on these movements. What’s CFT you ask? It’s comprised of 3 lifts. Back Squat, Overhead Press and Deadlift. You do 1 Rep Max of Back Squat, Press and Deadlift. You get 3 attempts at each movement to get the biggest lift. You also get a time frame of 15 minutes per lift. Then you add up your lifts to get your CFT. Like I mentioned and as you all know due to my lack of blogging, I have barely been showing up. I have been eating like crap and there is no consistency in any of the mentioned lifts! Sigh! I have to just relax and let it be. It is what it is and I can’t change that.

6/3/13 CrossFit Total

6/3/13 CrossFit Total

15 minutes goes by really quickly to warm up and get those 3 lifts in. In my warming up for my Squat the bar felt heavy and I just couldn’t picture myself hitting my 1RM and guess what I didn’t! I got to 155lbs which is 10lbs off. Booooo! Next up Press. I was looking for a PR because I’ve been stuck at 75lbs for what seems like forever but NOPE, NO SIR, NOT GONNA HAPPEN. At least I made the 75lbs or else I probably would have cried. Deadlift, last but not least and the only lift I had any confidence in for the day. There was quite of a few of us in class so I had to wait around for plates. Which ate up a lot of my time. So I only got 2 lifts in but guess what? I finally PR’d a lift! 225lbs. That’s a 10lb PR and I’ll take what I can get!

As for the last time I did CFT back in August…I went from 400 for my total to 455. It’s a PR which is nice but I know it should have been much bigger than that!

6/4/13 WOD
Warm Up: 30 GHD Hip-ext, 30 GHD sit-ups, Shoulder mobility
Missed this as I drove up right as class was starting :/

Skill/Strength: Hand Stand Walk Practice
This was so easy in my former life. I can hold a handstand but not for long so walking is out of the question. I will have it back one day I know it!

METCON: 3 rounds for time of – 12 Burpee Pull-ups, 7 Power cleans 185/115
Seriously? 3 rounds is quick is what I kept telling myself when the voice in my head was telling me to stay home. And I love me some Cleans and it’s been so long. So there I was trying to figure out how I was going to scale Burpee Pull Ups. After the burpee, I had to jump up onto stacked plates and do a jumping pull up. Those were pretty miserable but even more so after heavy Power Cleans. I went with 95lbs which again is HEAVY when you’ve been a slacker. And doing burpees after that was a butt whoopin. I made it with a time of 9:41. I survived!

6/10/13 WOD
Skill/Strength: Front Squat work up to a heavy 3
Now I really haven’t done any Front Squat work in months so I was scared what HEAVY would be for me. Turns out my heavy was 125lbs. Which is 10lbs less than my 1RM. So that’s not too bad. I haven’t had too much strength loss there.

METCON: 8 min AMRAP of Run 200m, 20 HR PU, 10 Push Jerks 145/100#
-then (no rest)- 3 min ME Lateral Burpees (over bar)
I can not tell you enough times how poor eating can ruin everything. I struggled running 200m! That’s just crazy talk! But it’s true. I was so beat down after running the measly 200m I just wanted to lie there and not do the Push Ups. As for the Push Jerks, I went with 85lbs and although they felt good I had my umph in my try. So I did 2 or 3 at a time. Physically it felt good to get the weight up, mentally I was in a haze. I only managed to get 1 full round in with a run, 20 HRPU and 3 Push Jerks into the 2nd round. As for burpees. I went as slow as I could without just completely quitting. I managed to get 24 in 3 minutes. HORRIBLE!

So that’s it for now. Day 2 of clean eating (sort of)! At least I’m making the efforts I suppose. If I can figure out kiddo scheduling tonight I should be hitting up the Boom Box tonight. I guess that’s it for now. I’m trying my hardest to find my way back to AWESOME. So go ahead and be AwEsOmE for the both of us! Thanks and Happy Tuesday!

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