Mornings or Evenings

As you all know I’m trying to get back to my consistent workouts and slowly but surely I am getting there. (Too bad my blogging is still struggling, but I’m working on that too!) The biggest thing I’ve struggled with though is getting back to the EARLY MORNING workouts. I used to be so good. Getting up and getting to the box at 5 am was a no brainer. Just get up and go. Then I got lazy and chunky and sleep just sounded so much better.

Then there’s the evenings… those are oh so nice. My brain and body are awake. I’m way more limber and it’s not as hard to get moving and warmed up. My performance may not be better but I feel better! It does, however suck up my whole evening. And well that’s no fun.

But I did finally show up at 5 am today and boy oh boy I feel GRAND! I have energy. I’m ready to go and tackle the day. And in truth, I know I’m more of a morning person. But as with anything, you fall out of routine and it’s hard to get back. Yes this morning, I was achy and groggy. But by the time I was done and showered up, I was all woooooo!

I’ve been a slacker at the blogging so here are some quick recaps from the week!

4/18/14
Skill: Kipping HSPU Progression
We did a lot of stuff I couldn’t do, so this was mainly a sideline event for me.

4/18/14 WOD

MetCon: 400 Total Reps AFAP – 1 minute at each station of Burpess, Step Ups, Jumping Air Squats and Walking Lunges.
You just keep rotation until you get your 400 reps in. Or die. Thankfully no one died but I sure did feel like it at various times. There’s not much to say except my hips were smoked. This was not a FUN workout Time: 21:15

4/22/14
Skill: Muscle Ups
Ya, still not good at this.

4/21/14 WOD

MetCon: 10 rounds of 6 Cleans and 3 Front Squats, every 90 seconds do 3 HSPU or 1 Wall Walk.
Boy do I love me some Cleans. And the wrist is getting better everyday so I was excited for this workout all except for the HSPU or Wall Walk part. My wrist can’t handle Wall Walks just yet so Coach had me do 6 ring dips (band assisted). So I was back to happy place. That was until about round 4. I was over Cleans, my wrist was getting fatigued and I thought crap I still have 6 more rounds. There’s no way. But I hung in there and just chipped away. Time: 13:12

4/23/14
Game: Wall Ball Bowling
Well this was different. There were plates ranging from 15lbs to 45lbs set up like pins but flat and a medball. We split up into teams and got to roll medball for two frames. Whatever plate our ball landed on determined what movement the other team had to do. So if you landed on 25, it was 25 Push Ups for the other team. 15 = Wall Balls, 25 = Push Ups, 35 = KB Swings and 45 = Sit Ups. Thankfully our opponents weren’t very good so we only had 1 round of Sit Ups and and 1 round of Push Ups! It was fun though.

4/23/14 WOD

MetCon: 3 Turns of 2 rounds of 10 Dumbbell Snatches and 250ft Sprint.
We were supposed to get timed but that didn’t happen so we just did 3 rounds of hell AFAP. Except my fast as possible sprint included a slow trot by the end. We had 40lb dumbbells and had to alternate 10 reps. I actually got better as the rounds went on when I wasn’t dying from the “trot”. But 40lbs is still heavy for me. This workout was pretty much evil. But still a good one.

4/25/14
Woooo I finally made a 5am class.

Skill: Snatch
It’s been a while and my whole body hurts from the week so I wasn’t sure how I’d do, but besides a few rusty warm ups, I got back into this movement pretty ok. Not perfect or anything, but good enough.

4/25/14 WOD

MetCon: “Isabel” 30 Snatches for time
Coach didn’t want us to go so heavy we lost form and even though I’ve hit 85lbs just a handful of times, I wasn’t prepared for 85lbs or even 75lbs. So I went with 65lbs. That ended up not being too bad. Coach didn’t want us going light and finishing under 3 minutes, but he didn’t really want us going over 6 minutes either. I busted out two sets of 5, then sets of 2 then singles. Time: 4:14

That’s a Wrap!
So like I said it was slow rolling. A grumbly stomach prevented from hitting the box up on Monday and an unexpected ER visit for one of my kiddos prevented me from going on Thursday. But all is well and I’m still eating tons better than I had been last month. So yay for small steps! It’s possible for all of you on the bubble. You can do it! There’s not one day that’s better than any other day to getting back on track. You just gotta do it! So whatever that is… eating clean, getting active or anything to a healthier life, you got this! Have a great weekend!

Surviving the Week

It’s Friday! Woooo! Only one bad meal this week so far. And it was only bad due to the beverages I consumed. But other than that this week has gone along quite nicely. I’m struggling a bit with the workouts but I am getting them done!

Considering this isn’t my first rodeo, I thought I would be feeling more food withdrawals. But this time around, I’m only feeling a little sluggish. But not much more than that. I’m not even a full week in though, so there’s still time for a little bit of misery. Not that I’m hoping for it, but I don’t want to relax and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. That would be a good time to fail

It helps to try and have a positive attitude though, which can be hard. Along with most of the overweight world, I wish there was an easy fix. But there is not. I wish that my couple of days of hard work translated to 20lbs weight loss. But it hasn’t. I wish that as long as I’m working hard in my workouts than the food I eat doesn’t work against me. But it does. All of those things could bring me down, but then I’d be back in the same rut. Miserable. There’s no time for loser talk though. Chin Up. Move forward. Think happy thoughts!

But it does take time and it’s not instant. It’s not the Biggest Loser Ranch over here, where they workout for hours and hours each day. It’s life and it’s busy. But feeling better is half the battle and that my friends is my instant gratification. I don’t feel as bloated and my mind is much clearer. I feel better. I just have to wait a little bit to feel super awesome, when the fluff melts away. And the fluff will melt away!

4/16/14 WOD

Warm Up Game: coaches choice (have fun)
I don’t know that our “games” were fun. We held Planks in the Push Up Position and passed a Medball around like hot potato. But after you got the ball and passed it you had to do a push up. When one person fell, the circle got smaller. The was a burner on the triceps. I was out after a couple of minutes. The second game was a 200m run with a cone. Kind of like carrying an egg on a spoon run. I gave up after 100m.

4/16/14 WOD

MetCon TEAM WOD – at least 3 person teams. 1 person working you must tag in from the starting line (mats)

5 min cap
40 Pull Ups
50 Russian KB swings 1.5 Pood for everyone

rest 2 min

8 min cap
100 Sit Ups
70 Back Squats 75# for everyone

rest 2 min

3 min cap
15 Burpees
10 ft ring for the guys
8 ft for the ladies

For our first round, only one of us has Pull Ups. But coach allowed us to do Ring Rows instead of Pull Ups but we couldn’t do more than half of the reps. So Tory, did 10 Pull Ups, Karen and I did 10 Ring Rows each and Tory finished with 10 more Pull Ups. Then we moved onto the Russian KB Swings. I put in 25 reps and Karen tagged in and picked up the other 25. Thankful that Tory could do Pull Ups, she got a break! Time: 3:51

For the second round we were pretty confident going in. Tory started us off with 30 Sit Ups. She felt she was slowing down, so she tagged Karen in. Well Karen went all out and busted 50 reps in, leaving me with only 20 to do. Back Squats were light but for some reason I wasn’t feeling it. Tory started us off with 15, Karen and I both did sets of 10 and then I don’t remember the rest. But we got our 70 reps in. Time: 6:45

And finally the third round. Burpees then jump and touch 8ft target. Before class even started I was practicing to reach the target and I was missing it by half an inch. Tory then pointed out I might be better off if I was directly under the target instead of Jumping at it from an angle. Well that worked! So I was ready. Time started and Tory did 15 of the reps right off the bat. Easy! So Karen and I split up the 5. My first attempt at hitting the target was a fail but I finally got it and didn’t have a problem after that. We didn’t get our time written on the board but it was some were around 1:33.

Overall that was a good Team WOD … no running involved!

4/17/14
Midline: accumulate 5 min of low plank
I know all this midline work is good for me but it’s really a pain in my arse. I held on for 1 1/2 minutes before I dropped. Then finished in 20 – 45 sec increments. Took me right at 8 minutes to accumulate 5 minutes worth of plank.

MetCon: 4 rounds of 200 m run, 10 DL 225/155 and 10 T2B followed by TABATA dips
I warmed up to 135lbs on my Deadlift and it felt heavy, maybe cause I’m tired. Who knows. But I thought 20 more lbs. I just need to throw it on there. I did a couple and was like I’ll be slow but it’s doable. I forgot however that Toes To Bar followed! Doh. We just killed our core doing plank. Now I have Deadlifts and T2B after a run. I just wasn’t sure I’d survive.

4/17/14 WOD

And we’re off. My shins hate me, but I ran most of the first 200m, just walked in the last 10m or so. Then I got 5 DLs in before dropping the bar, then did the other 5. Got to the T2B and slowly did one at a time. I can’t string them together and it takes a lot of effort to do just one, but I am getting better. I didn’t even look at the clock when I finished round one cause I knew it would be sad. The “running” part of my runs got shorter and shorter each time but I at least trotted or jogged 3/4 of the run. I got a little better at the Deadlifts and stayed about the same with T2B. Time: 21:10 RX.

I was still dying when I was reminded we had TABATA dips to still complete. TABATA is doing a movement for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds for 8 rounds. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard but it’s not easy. This is a workout where you want to get as many reps as possible in the 20 seconds. Then the goal is to meet that same rep count each round. Your lowest score is your score. I did modified dips and started off with 6 then dropped to 5, then 4, then held out at 3. My triceps died. Score: 3

That’s A Wrap!
My biggest battles are the weekends. On the go = opportunity to eat really really bad. Hopefully I can conquer this weekend and be successful! I hope you all will too. It’s Resurrection Weekend aka Easter to most folks. A weekend that has the potential to be full of lots of yummy foods and candies. Show some restraint if you can because this weekend isn’t supposed to be based on celebrating food. Unfortunately, as a society, myself included that’s what we are drawn to – FOOD (savory meals, big desserts, easter candy). Sure there’s fellowship and church and family but a lot of times FOOD is the center piece to all of the above. I’m not opposed to indulging every now and then but if you’re on a mission, whether your months in or days in. Just remember you have work to do and you don’t have to go nutso on the eating. And if you by chance do lose it, it’s going to be ok. Monday is a whole new day. Have a beautiful weekend!

Miss me?

Eh, probably breathing a sigh of relief I’m not complaining every dog gone day. It’s true, I’ve been a slacker when it comes to getting out of bed or finding the motivation to show up at the Boom Box. That’s bad on me, cause I was doing so well.

Just so y’all know, as much as I like to whine and cry about each and every WOD, I am no cherry picker. I finally show up at the box knowing full well what’s in store and even though, 99.5% of me says stay home. That sick twisted .5% says stop mopin’ around and go. And what awaited me last night?

3/11/14 WOD
Gymnastics WOD: for quality 3 rounds 10 strict Toes to Bar or Jack Knife Sit Ups and 10 strict Ring Dips or Push Ups
I laugh at strict T2B. I barely have kipping ones! But I can do me some Jack Knife Sit Ups. Something about hanging from a bar that messes up my world. As far as Push Ups, I get so used to doing hand release that I forget what STANDARD Push Ups are. I can do a handful at a time, but it puts a strain on the shoulders.

3/11/14 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds Run 800 meters 15 Clean and Jerks 135/95
Oh ya. You know I’m crying on the inside. But first off, I had to test that Clean and Jerk. So the bar was good. I could feel the tightness in the wrist but I could do the movement. I didn’t want to get too excited or push too fast, so I loaded 10’s on the bar and BAM I could do that weight too. But I could feel the tightness. So I stayed there. No need to aggravate the healing process. Plus I need to regain that flexibility. My elbows were a little low but I could do the work comfortably. Yay for Clean and Jerks! Booo for running! My first run was slow but steady. I didn’t walk or anything! Woo, me. But the rest were slow and half walk, half trot, a little jog, etc. For me the Clean and Jerks were light but again, no need to push the wrist too much. And by the 4th and 5th round after all the running, I was losing steam fast. This workout was a doozy. Time: 40:21, womp, womp.

3/12/14
30 Heavy Russian swings
Only did 1.5 pood. Cause I’m lazy and didn’t want to pick up the 2 POOD.

Midline: Max plank hold
I’ve never been great at this, mostly cause I think too much on how I don’t like holding planks. Time: 1:33

Strength: Max weight Yoke carry 50 ft
It was cold and windy this morning. I was not wanting to do this carry. We loaded up 2 – 25lb plates, not too bad. But I can not hold the Yoke like I’m supposed to. It hurted the shoulders way too bad. So I carry it awkwardly. Add 2 – 15lb plates. Same awkward carry. Then we add another set of 15lb plates. I can carry it but they way my arms are, SUCKS, so the Yoke slides off my back a little over halfway. I was over it.

3/12/14 WOD

TABATA: Row (cal) and Burpees, post lowest reps
Well I started with the row and managed 4 calories for 6 of the 8 rounds, then on my 7th round let it drop to 3. Booo. Score: 3

My hips were smoked for Burpees and I had sweatpants on that were irritating me so I wasted my time taking off my sweatpants. Boo. Score: 2

That’s a Wrap!
So I’m glad I had back to back workouts. I needed to feel good about working out again. It’s funny how my most dreaded workouts (running involved) still make me feel awesome. I just get mental and lazy, I’m human. You are too. So don’t get all debbie downer when things don’t go right. Just get your focus back and get back to work. A friend of mine tagged me in the pic below and it’s so on point!

Testing the Waters

I finally went out and had a post Whole30 NON-COMPLIANT dinner at a local sushi buffet restaurant. And my biggest feat was steering clear of the créme brûlée! I had fresh strawberries instead. I managed to eat rolls that seemed more plain, not too many fancy sauces. And I ate less than a cup of white rice with some hibachi style chicken and steak. My concerns were what the ramen soup broth was made of and what makes squid salad so tasty. But nothing sent me into a spiraling madness. No headaches, no stomach aches. I woke up with a more than achy wrist, so something caused inflammation but since I didn’t reintroduce just ONE non compliant thing it will be hard to pinpoint. Other than that I don’t feel like I’ve opened any doors that can’t be closed. I even managed to get a cakeball order finished without licking a spoon, spatula or even my fingers! No sample tasting for me! WILL POWER folks!

Made a bunch and didn’t even taste one!

Quick FOOD recipe – Cabbage Hashbrowns
So I was scouring the internet to find a recipe for shredded cabbage and low and behold I did find one. I don’t have the site but I just briefly skimmed it and had the gist of it. It’s like the Veggie Latkes I’ve shared in the past but so much easier.

You need ghee or coconute oil, cabbage, leeks or green onions, salt, pepper and one egg (maybe two). Depends on how much cabbage you have.

2/5/14 Lunch with Cabbage Hasbrown!

I bought shredded cabbage, but you could just cut and shred a full cabbage. Heat up skillet and 1 TBS of cooking fat. Put shredded cabbage into a large bowl. Put a hand full of leeks/green onions in with the cabbage. I had a lot of cabbage so I made two separate bowls, thus needing two eggs. Add egg. Add salt/pepper and whatever else you think you might like to spice it up. Get your hands in there and mix it all up until everything is well coated with egg. Take a handful of the cabbage mixture and lay in skillet. Press it down a bit with a spatula into a circular shape and let cook 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook another 3-4 minutes. Plate it and serve. Great with ANYTHING in my opinion. Breakfast, lunch or dinner! Servings differ on how little or big you want your “hasbrowns” to be. I used an 8″ skillet, so my hasbrowns were large. It made 4 with what I had.

2/6/14 Boom Box
I was driving into work as it started snowing. We don’t do well in cold temps as it is, then add frozen crap falling from the sky and all hell breaks loose. I wasn’t even halfway to my j.o.b. and I was still sitting on the highway. For 30 minutes, going pretty much nowhere. When I finally reached an exit, I blasted off and headed back home! Then I realized I could possibly make the 9am class and I did! Whew! Get it over with!

Strength: DL 5,5,5,5 by feel
By feel! It felt heavy! The whole time. I worked up to 205 but could only bust out 3 before I lost all my grip. I’m convinced the bar is WAY heavier when temps are below 20°!

2/6/14 WOD

MetCon: 3 rounds of 9 Burpees, 12 Box Jumps (step down), 15 Thrusters 45/35
I wasn’t dreading this workout but I didn’t move very fast my first round. I think I did better for rounds 2 and 3. But in round 2, I missed the box. That scares a person. So I took some time, too much time, just staring into nothing. But I’d rather be safe than sorry. I need to be right in the head so I don’t mess up again and potentially hurt myself. Ah well. As for Thrusters, I wasn’t sure if I could do them but when I tried one there was no pain. Granted, it’s only the bar at 35lbs but it’s better than nothing. And 35lbs was RX. So yay! (maybe that’s another reason my wrist is a little achy though) Time: 8:08 RX

2/7/14 Boom Box Test Day

Mobility: Shoulders!
This was a long overdue session. I needed this.

Skill: MU
I was the only one and MU wasn’t happening, so I got to do some more warmup and mobility. Realized I wouldn’t be able to do OHS in the MetCon as well, so that was good. I don’t need more wrist issues. I strugged with just the bar. Maybe it’s cold. Maybe it’s the Japanese food that caused too much inflammation. I don’t know. But the bar was not comfortable overhead.

2/7/14 WOD

MetCon: Open WOD 11.4
WOMEN – Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
60 Bar-facing burpees
30 Overhead squats (90lbs / 40kg)
10 Muscle-ups

I don’t think I defrosted until half way into the workout. Damn it, it’s cold. I’m pathetic. I was hoping to complete the burpees in less than 5 minutes. Had I shown up at 6pm instead of 5am, then maybe it would have been possible. I was moving so slow. I finally finished right under 6 minutes. Then instead of OHS, I did Overhead Presses with the Multi-Grip bar. I did sets of 5 because my core is toasted from all the situps on Wednesday. I didn’t think I would make it to Pull Ups (mod for MUs) but I had like 20 seconds left. So by the time it took me to get a band on the bar, time was up. Final: 60 burpees, 30 Overhead Press

That’s a Wrap!
If you live in DFW and want to check us out for FREE, we have a 9am Community WOD and a 10am Yoga class. Crossfitboom.com! Come out already. You know you want too!

Other than that, have a GREAT weekend. Do something fun! Make someone smile. Eat Clean. Train Dirty!

It’s a La-di-da Kind of Day

It’s Day TWENTY FOUR of my Whole30 and although I’ve been going strong, yesterday wasn’t the best day. I didn’t fuel up before my grueling workout and I was too much of a bum to put real effort into dinner afterwards. And maybe due to eating dinner so late, I woke up feeling icky. My stomach was not happy so I wasn’t about to hit up the BOOM Box not knowing what my innards would be up to. Fortunately it was just a sour feeling and nothing more, but it’s been with me all morning.

And even in the midst of feeling not so great, I still feel good in all other areas. I still managed to get Eggs, Brussel Sprouts and an orange down for breakfast. I’ve been drinking water and hot tea. Just trying to push through. I attribute some of the ickiness to monthly perks of being a female, but gosh darn it, I’ve been on a winner’s high. I’ve been kicking old food habits in the bootay and getting back to my old healthy self. And then I feel bleh. Ah well. It’s not getting in my way! Even though “food dreams” are becoming a nightly thing. I don’t crave food when I’m awake. Just thinking about greasy, cheesy or sweet food makes my brain think “ick”. I know the ramifications. I know it will hurt or hinder me. And right now it would just be a set back to all my hard work. So keep your fingers crossed my mind stays in this mode!

1/28/14 Boom Box
Strength: 50 heavy Russian swings
For some reason these got me. NO FUEL in my body I suppose. But it took me a while to get these knocked out.

Skill: Box Jumps
Thank goodness we just went over being efficient. Nothing high or insane. I can handle 20″ and 24″ box jumps. Get into the 30″ range and I’m a scaredy cat.

MetCon: 50 thrusters 165/105 3 lat bar burpees every minute on the minute.
When I walked in to the BOOM Box, the 6pm class was finishing up. I should have left right then. It was brutal. It looked and sounded like a movie set in the gladiator days. I could have snuck out and I wouldn’t have had to endure the craziness!

But I didn’t did I?!? I stayed. And I realized although my wrist is getting better, I still can’t do Thrusters comfortably with the bar. I can do them but I can feel it all too well in the wrist. So I went with 25lb dumbbells. These were a beating, so I do not know how everyone did 75lbs+. Seriously, death! 3-2-1-Go and we started with 3 Lateral Bar Burpees. So we do a Burpee and jump over bar X 3. Then we can start our Thrusters. But as soon as a minute is up, it’s back to 3 Burpees. I really thought because I just had 25lb dumbbells that I would fly through the WOD. I was wrong. OH SO WRONG! I managed to do mostly sets of 4-6 reps, then a few sets with 4 or less. Time: 9:51

That’s a Wrap!
SIX full days to go! Can I get an AMEN?!? You may just be 6 days in, or you maybe 6 days from committing. Just commit. It’s worth it. It’s a work in progress. But overall it’s AWESOMENESS! Feel better, look better and build that confidence in yourself to be better. You got this! I BELIEVE IN YOU!

We have a Winner!

If you didn’t already know, the 3 Phase Paleo E-book giveaway ended on Friday. And the winner is one of my readers, Samantha! You know who you are and you’ll be receiving an email soon on how to claim your prize! Thanks again everyone for being a part of my first book review and giveaway. Hopefully it will be something I do more often! And you can still buy the book if you’d like. I have the link available on the menu bar to the right or you can click right HERE!

In other news, I’m on Day TWENTY TWO of Whole30! I even had some successful outings over the weekend where I took control of my food and only craved non compliant foods for a half second 🙂

1/24/14
Day NINETEEN. At this point I can really throw anything into a bowl for breakfast and eat it on the way into work. Sometimes it doesn’t sound appetizing but I still eat it all up and stick to the Whole30 guidelines. As you all have probably noticed, lunches are typically leftovers incorporated into a salad. Just like the one below. I had some drumsticks and we have Franks RedHot Sauce at my j.o.b. So I tossed my already yummy drumsticks in the sauce for some extra heat. Paired with my salad and BAM, lunch was fantastic!

1/24/14 Lunch

Boom Workout
The CrossFit Games Open is coming upon us and Coach must have been nostalgic for the workout 12.2! Snatches, snatches and more snatches.
Skill: Kipping/C2B/Ring MU
Well I’m really feeling better about my Kipping abilities. But that was just that one day for about 10 minutes. Another day could be a totally different story!

1/24/14 WOD

MetCon: This is an example of a CrossFit Open WOD WORKOUT 12.2 Proceed through the sequence below completing as many reps as possible in 10 minutes of:
45 pound Snatch, 30 reps
75 pound Snatch, 30 reps
100 pound Snatch, 30 reps
120 pound Snatch, as many reps as possible

Well I know I can do 75lbs from one of 2013 workouts where we had a similar WOD. But they were sloppy and ugly. With my wrist being such a bugger lately, I wasn’t sure how far along I would get.

So I was flying through the 45lb reps and realized after about 12 I should slow it down. So I stopped at 15 and took a small break. I moved on to the last 15 and then it was time to load on more weight. 75lbs and me have issues. So after a few FAILS, I finally got it overhead. IT was still ugly but not as sloppy as I was a year ago. And I definitely had more UMPH in me this time around. I was able to do more reps but I was so slow to convince myself for each rep that I could freaking do it. So I took a lot of time holding the bar, leaving the bar, coming back to the bar, etc. I’m a girl baby. Final: 46 reps RX. Better than 12.2 where I only had 30 and better than Open 13.1 last year where I only got 5 reps at 75lbs. So YAY for small victories!

1/25/14 A whole Day of BOOM
The Boom Box was happenin on Saturday. Morning Community WOD, Morning YOGA and a Ladies Night Out. Fun, Fun and more Fun. We had a nice showing for the Community WOD and yay for us we did a Fight Gone Bad style workout.

3 ROUNDS of One minute of each: Row for calories, HR Push Ups, Butterfly Sit Ups, Burpee to Plate, and Rest.

1/25/14 Community WOD

Welllll, we have 4 rowers and one Airdyne. Lucky me got to use the Airdyne which is spawned from HELL. This little bike apparatus is not so little and not so cute. It’s evil and takes everything out of me. And I couldn’t get it to reset ever, so I’d be biking along with no Calories clicking. So frustrating. So by the time I did get some calories in, the minute was almost up.

Evil Airdyne

Boooo. Then I moved to HR Push Ups. I started off on my knuckles then tested the water for normal HR Push Ups and I could do them! Wooooo! Not a lot at a time. But the wrist was being cooperative. My only movement that helped me gain reps was the Butterfly Sit Ups. Without those my score would have been much less. Because I was dragging by the time i got to burpees. I averaged between 12-15 reps there. Final: 180

Yoga

Last time we had Yoga, I felt pretty good about the whole thing. This time around, I felt like a HOT MESS. I couldn’t stay still. I was fidgeting, itching and overall sore. Not a happy camper but I stuck with it.

Ladies Night!
All you ladies who aren’t sure about CrossFit should definitely come to a Ladies Night, well if you’re local that is! And if you’re not, maybe check out nearby boxes to see if they offer anything similar. It’s fun, it’s laid back and we still get work in. Plus we like to go eat afterwards.

Coach had us all warm up as a group. Then he separated us regulars from the new faces. He tasked up with Yoke pushes and Ring Toes to Bar. While we were doing all of that, he went over the fundamentals of CrossFit with the first timers. Then we all got back together for the main WOD of the evening. We split up into groups and he went over the work.

2K Row, 50 Burpees, 25 Box Step Ups each, 50 Burpees, 2K Row. So we could split the work up except for the Box Step Ups and we could only go one person at a time. I didn’t realize that I would have such a hard time coming up with the right words to help the new ladies row. Thankfully Coach stepped in to help out! But we all did our work and pushed through the workout. And hopefully the new folks had a good time.

Then it came down to EATING. The whole day I debated if I would go eat or if I would just go home. Even though I prepared some food to take to dinner, I wasn’t 100% sure I would put myself into dangerous waters. But I had fun with all the Boom Box ladies and wanted it to continue. So I went with my Whole30 Compliant snacks. And of course we went to a Mexican food restaurant! So many tempations. The chips, the tortillas, everything! But I held strong. Had me an iced tea and ordered some guacamole. Then I busted out my Paleo Ranch Dressing and some carrots and cucumbers and I was set. I also made sure to have more Chicken for my PWO meal so I wasn’t missing out on Protein. Was it the ideal Whole30 meal? No, but I feel I did rather well.

Dinner out with the Ladies of CrossFit Boom.

1/26/14
No working out today. All Rest. Shopping. Prepping. And Cooking. I did good this past week with no real Food Plan so I figured I’d wing it again this week. And score, my Whole Foods now carries Bearded Brothers Energy Bars. Score for me. They are Texas local and I had never tried their bars but I’ve read about them plenty. So it was a pleasant surprise when I was looking for Lara Bars to have found them. These are better than Lara bars in my opinion, but they are also a little more spendy. Well worth it though!

But my Sunday wasn’t all about shopping and prepping and so forth. It was my youngest kiddo’s Birthday! And we always go eat Japanese Hibachi. Welp, they cook with loads of butter, loads of oil and loads of SOY. I don’t like to be the one who asks for everything special so I just ordered some sashimi and brought my own coconut aminos. I also ate before hand so my minimal amounts of fish were just extra protein and fats. Oh did I want some fried rice. Not in the I’m might hurt someone kind of way, but I could taste the rice in my brain! So bad! But again I survived! Wooo! But I think the Fish got me. My stomach was unsettled all night and I tossed and turned not getting great sleep. Which left me missing out on the 5 a.m. Boom Box workout.

1/27/14
So with little sleep and a bleh stomach, I just had bone broth and half of a Bearded Brothers bar with GINGER to help settle the stomach. Still not feeling AWESOME but I’m getting through the day.

I’m hoping I’m feeling up to a workout tonight but if not, I’ll be fine. Extra rest isn’t going to hurt me!

That’s a WRAP!
So there you have it! I’m on the downhill stretch now! Feb. 4th is the 30th Day. It’s so close! Woooooo! I’m not planning on derailing, I’m just looking forward to not being so strict. Let loose a little and not be super duper concerned about every oil or seasoning something is cooked in. Anyhow….I hope everyone is doing good in their Health and Fitness Journey. And if you’re a little discouraged on your journey, this post by Whole30 should be a good read for you. Be strong! Be Better than Yesterday!

Can’t Stop Now

It’s Day TEN of the Whole30. I am 1/3 of the way there and I’m still truckin’ along. And it’s a ROLLERCOASTER of emotions! Days TEN and ELEVEN are described as the ‘hardest days’. Yay for that, right? NO, not at all.

I’m really at a loss for words on how I feel. I don’t feel bad but I don’t feel super awesome at this moment. I’m doing the work, eating the foods but I’m just so blah. I’m definitely proud of myself for being strong for the past 10 days but I’m losing steam fast. I need a recharge. I have 20 days to go!

1/14/14 Lunch

My food is still tasty and yummy but again losing the excitement! I definitely don’t want to become humdrum when it comes to my meals. Since we decided to do the pork recipe again, I’ve been slacking on making the sides for Week 2 from Weeknight Paleo. Until last night, which I was interested in making because I would be using Parsnips and Turnips. Turns out I DO NOT LIKE either one. So not my flavor pallet and now I have 3 containers full of root veggies I am not happy with. Part of me says suck it up and EAT IT but last night was a struggle. I was so over it, I didn’t even take a picture. How do I make roasted turnips and parsnips into a winning meal? Maybe Ernie will eat them all 😀

Turnips! Bleh!

Two Days of BOOM Box
1/14/14
50 heavy Russian swings
Coach left it up to us to pick our own version of HEAVY. But we all know we need to still pick up his version of heavy! 1 1/2 POOD. I was very low energy last night and was not having much fun with these KB swings. I did 20 right off the bat and then broke it up.

Midline: Max Plank Hold (Everyone must accumulate at least 5 minutes)
Ugh. Planks are a pain in the arse. I held for 1 1/2 minutes before dropping and pretty much held the rest of the 5 minutes owed in increments of 30 seconds to 45 seconds. I’m not good with long holds of any kind.

1/14/14 WOD

MetCon: 800m run, 21-15-9 of Ring Dips and Strict Pull Ups, 200m sprint!
Oh for the love. You all know I despise running. It’s the worst. But GUESS WHAT? I trotted the whole 800m without walking or stopping!!! I ran it UNBROKEN. I haven’t done that in over a year! Mostly cause I’m a big baby, but also cause I’m just a little fatty who eats like shit! But now, with 9 days of Whole30 under my belt, I’m just a trottin’ away. I even got a little faster on my second lap! But my calves were smoked. Instead of RING DIPS, I was tasked with incline pushups on a bar set on the pull up rig. At first I was a little slow. Not sure my wrist would hold up but once I got comfortable I moved a little quicker. Pull Ups were super slow and took forever! I never thought I’d finish the 21, and that’s with BANDS! If it weren’t for me sucking at Pull Ups so bad I would have had a much better time. When it was time for the 200m SPRINT, it was more like a jog, walk, trot, walk, trot to the finish. Time: 24:32. Boy I’m slow!

1/15/14
I was really debating on showing up at 5 a.m. I laid in bed and had an internal conversation/argument with myself. My body is tired. My brain is awake. It’s cold outside. I could use another 1 1/2 hours of sleep. GET UP. GET MOVING. JUST GO. I should have played THE GRIND. I’ve shared this before but it’s just so darn good. Here it is again:

So I went and the parking lot is EMPTY. Where are my 5 a.m. peeps? Hellooo? So it’s just me and Coach T.

Midline: 30 evil wheels
Now that I have more faith in my wrist, I can roll out a little further. Not so evil today!

Strength: DL 4×3 Heavy but make it look good.
I worked my way up to 185lbs for my HEAVY. This shouldn’t be heavy to me because my 1RM is 235lbs. But today it was heavy. I was telling coach, that it’s not that I don’t think I can go heavier, but my HANDS hurt so bad. Just holding onto the bar with 150lbs hurts my sad old hands. Anyhow 4 sets of 3 at 185lbs was just fine for this morning.

1/15/14 WOD

MetCon: 4 min elimination (like 13.5) 3 rounds 30 Air Squats 10 Burpees If you don’t make the first cap you owe your coach 400m run on the spot. Go for as long as you can! DU Practice if time remains.
I knew coming in this would be deceiving. It’s easy movements but it won’t be an easy workout. I just didn’t want to run, at all. And it’s cold outside. 3-2-1 GO! Bam I did the first round in 1:07. I thought I could get get under a minute but on my 7th burpee I slowed down. Not good. Got up for the second round and the Air Squats felt like I was in QUICKSAND, no wait, CEMENT! I couldn’t just GO. I was struggling. I slowed down too much. As for Burpees, forget about it. Those were so bad. Time was ticking. I go for Round 3, look at the clock and was like, crap I have to run. I managed to get in 20 Air Squats before the 4 minutes was up and off I went. Boooo! Final: 2 rounds + 20 squats. That was a poor showing indeed.

That’s a Wrap!
Still excited it’s Day TEN and I’m going strong. Emotionally I may not be feeling it but I’ll get there. Soon Enough! In other news, I have a giveaway coming up soon! Paleo Parents is releasing a new book called 3Phase Paleo.

I am in the middle of reading it myself, but when I’m done, I’ll be reviewing it here on my good ol’ blog and I’ll hosting a giveaway to one of you!

It’s Hump Day! Make it a good one!

And then I got tired

I was feeling pretty good Day ONE and Day TWO. But it caught up to me. The HANGOVER as Whole30 states may happen in Days TWO & THREE. And I felt it this morning at the BOOM Box. Normally after the warm up, especially in the mornings, I finally wake up. The blood is flowing, the heart rate is up and my brain starts to work. But today, I was like a slug. Moving slow. Spaced out. Eventually adrenaline kicked in but the rest of the morning has been so blah. I know this will pass but right now I just want to crawl into bed. The good thing is that I truly believe the Clean Eating is instantly helping my sad muscles recover much more quickly. I’m not near as sore as I have been the past couple of months and my body is overall feeling better for the most part.

Many Whole30ers report headaches, fatigue, and general malaise during this part of the program. This, my friends, is completely normal. Your body is working its way through a whole host of junk it stored from the foods (or food-like-products) you used to eat. This process lasts a day for some folks, but for others it can take a few days longer. Relax, drink a lot of water, and keep making good choices. And do your best to earn sympathy and support from friends and family,
– www.whole30.com

And even though I’m feeling like the only thing I should do is sleep right now, let me tell you how excited I am that my meals are turning out great. That’s like the bright side to this nasty food hangover. The meals from Weeknight Paleo by Amber Beam are tasty and aren’t taking up much of my time. And no, I’m not getting compensated for plugging this book! LOL I WISH! Seriously though, the meals are great. And a success among all of my family… ages 10-29! Hehe.

I still am struggling with eating breakfast after my Post Workout Meal. And I fear that I always will. I have a good time frame of 1 1/2 – 2 hours after my PWO and it’s still so hard. It’s like I don’t want to chew. And part of Whole30’s thought process tells you to not drink shakes/smoothies! Chew your food! UGH! My face hurts!

Day TWO Everything
I decided to just give you all a run down of the day instead of splitting it all up! Maybe this will be better and less boring. I hope. Maybe. Don’t leave me! 😀

You should have already seen my beautiful breakfast in yesterday’s post and I only described Lunch. Got home, hit the BOOM Box and reheated some pork for the Carnitas–Style Taco Tower. But also remembered I had Salmon I did not throw in the freezer and needed to cook that ASAP. Turned out lovely, just lovely!

BOOM Box 1/714
30 heavy Russian Swings
Used the 1.5 POOD. Not fun, but did the work

Skill: Pull Up progressions
So Coach wanted us working on the Rings! Ugh, me and rings. I have dumb fears, Hanging from those is another one of them. But I almost got Toes to Bar on those. Just need to practice.

1/7/14 WOD

MetCon: 8 rounds for reps of 1 min Over Head Lunges w/plate 45/35 and 1 min Burpees to the plate
Ya, I knew this was gonna hurt! I wasn’t sure how the OVER HEAD part was going to work with my wrist and well I learned real quick it wasn’t going to work. I did about 10 reps with the 35lb plate but my wrist won’t bend all the way, so I was off balance. I tried going to a 25lb plate and it was still a NO GO. So I just did lunges. I felt bad I was scaling way bad. But I totally sucked without weight too! The burpees got me. BAD. Final: 214 reps.

DINNER
So I said I came home to reheat some pork. I made the Cole Slaw that goes with it the night before. SUPER EASY. And I improvised on the “tower” part. I didn’t purchase the metal ring thing that was suggested. But I had this handy dandy cup/measure thing that I used to attempt a tower. As you will see in the pictures, it came out OK, nothing restaurant worthy but I just want to eat!

My contraption, nothing like what the cookbook asks for!

Hehe, my LEANING Carnitas tower! May not be purty but it sure is tasty!

And what the cookbook shows! (Weeknight Paleo) As you can see I was a little heavy handed with the guacamole in the pic above!

In between reheating and trying to create a masterpiece, I cooked up the Salmon for the Herbes de Provence-Crusted Salmon with a Citrus-Herb Sauce and Asparagus in Weeknight Paleo. Besides the “juicing” of the citrus fruit, this was quick and easy. Maybe 20 minutes from start to finish. Seriously EASY and QUICK and kind of fancy looking! So yummy!

Fresh out of the oven.

My attempt at making it more presentable.

SLEEP
Working out in the evenings makes it a little harder to sleep but once I did fall asleep I was out! I woke up fine when my alarm went off at 4 am but ended up hitting snooze till 4:35! Doh!

Day THREE
So I rolled in a few minutes late to the BOOM Box…. you can’t fault me for that when I’m showing up at 5 a.m.! Coach T already has his wheels turning on what I would be substituting for the WOD. Cause it was Thrusters and Hang Cleans on the board.

Midline: 30 evil wheels
With my wrist and lack of core strength I could only roll out so far, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t putting a beating on me!

Strength: EMOM 20min 3 thrusters AHAP. Once you have past 5 minutes you must keep that weight.
I am soooo glad I can’t do Thrusters with a BAR! They are misery! But I did get the opportunity to use 20lb Dumbbells. Of course the weight wasn’t there but I’m still working up my upper body strength since it’s been slow rolling. Still sweating and still a good heart rate.

1/8/14 WOD

MetCon: TABATA of Air Squats, Hang Cleans 115/75, C2B Pull Ups
Sometimes I love TABATA and sometimes, like today, I don’t care so much for it. Maybe cause I was already feeling drained after the Evil Wheels. So tired! 3-2-1 GO. I started off OK with Air Squats getting 20 in the first 20 seconds, then 16, then 14, then 12… I stayed at 12. Instead of Hang Cleans, I did Power Snatch with the 35lb bar. I did like 7 on the first 20 seconds, then held out with 5 for the rest of the time. By the time I got to my BANDED Pull Ups, I was just happy to be alive. I struggled a lot and ended up with a score of 2! Boooo! Final: 12, 5, 2

PWO MEAL
A serving of pork and a serving of Sweet Potato Puree. As exhausted as I felt, the food was good and went down easy. But as soon as I got home, I was already dreading breakfast!

BREAKFAST
Bone Broth! I’ve made the broth before but with less chicken carcasses and only used it for soups and seasoning veggies. But now I’ve made it properly and now I know that drinking it by itself is beautiful. And knowing all the health benefits makes it that much more the reason to drink it! Click HERE for more info!

I also had boiled some Eggs on Sunday, so this was going to be my breakfast. I was moving slower than normal and was glad I had this back up for food. I packed 3 eggs up, a sandwich bag full of spinach and a handful of cherry tomatoes. I figured I would eat this around 7:45 a.m. on my drive in to work. OH MY the spinach was so hard to eat as well as the EGGS. I was tired of eating that I failed to eat one of the eggs. I realized I was missing my “healthy” fat also but was so over it. I think/hope I’ll survive till lunch!

That’s a Wrap!
So there you have it for this lovely HUMP DAY. I’ll have REST until Friday morning! How sweet it is! This gives me time to cook up some chicken and ground beefs to hold me through Friday and maybe through the WEEKEND. I’ll be checking in tomorrow, hoping I’m not sooo tired and let you know how any food prep went down. Until then, take that step to cleaner eating, more physical activity or just getting more sleep! Do Something! Make a Change!

What a YEAR, come on 2014, Bring IT!

Hello faithful and new readers. It’s the last day of 2013 and I’m ready to get on to a New Year! I can’t say 2013 was horrible but I’m really hopeful that 2014 has better things in store for me. I know it’s ME who has to make it be the year that I need it to be but I believe that sometimes there are driving forces out there testing my will and faith constantly. And I believe I was tested a little more than I’d like! Ah well.

As far as health and fitness go… I “shipped” my pants! If any of you have seen the Kmart commercial, you should be giggling. If not, google it! But for real, I started the year off STRONG by killing the Whole30. I was feeling the best I’d felt in a long time. Then I let the excuses slip in. I let baseball travels and schedules overrule proper food planning. I let my consistency at the Boom Box drop to some lows. And then I let the mindset of “well I screwed that up, let’s eat!” come into play. After many failed attempts on getting back on track, I just decided to give in completely. In this last part of the year, I am still struggling with food but am trying my best to be at the box to get my workouts in. It’s been a process with having a bum wrist. But it’s getting better and I’m not gonna let it slow me down.

I’ve decided to Kick 2014 in the bootay! Seriously! I tossed around going balls to the wall tomorrow or Thursday, but I’m not prepared in my kitchen for such things, and I haven’t had the time to get prepared. So this weekend, I’m gonna clean everything out of my pantry and fridge. Go grocery shopping and get to clean eating on January 6th! I need to get my ass back into gear and get these extra layers of chubalub off! Join me if you will, whether it’s Whole30, Advocare 24 Day Challenge, or just cleaning up your eating in general. I love to cheer folks on. I love to be a support system. I can do that for you if you let me know. It’s time for:

MISSION: ANNIHILATE CHUNKY MONKEY!

12/30/13
After a week off, I knew showing up to the BOOM Box was going to be brutal. And it was.

Midline: 30 Hollow Rocks
Don’t like these, never will. My ribs feel like they are broken

Skill: 7 minutes practice strict Muscle Ups or Pistols
Oh MUs are laughable and Pistols are too. Although I have a better chance at getting Pistols. But the one legged squat has not become easier for me as I’ve gained the weight. It sucks. I make it a goal to get Pistols in 2014.

Strength: 5×5 Pendlay Rows by feel
I’m finally not feeling so awkward with this movement. I worked at 85 lbs. It took me 3 sets before I got into a groove.

12/30/13 WOD

MetCon: For time: 30 lat burpees, 30 clean and jerks 135/95. Split work up however you like!
I tried cleaning the bar and although Do-able…. still some wrist pain. And I’m not going to take steps backwards by hurting myself. So for me it was 6 rounds of 5 Burpees (with fists), 5 Deadlifts, and 5 Overhead Press with the Multigrip Bar.

Holy Schmoly… it’s been a while since I’ve done overhead work. The bar is 65lbs. But because I can grip it where I can lock out my wrist, this is perfect to get some work in. But boy oh boy have I lost some strength. 65lbs used to be easy, now it’s a struggle. I’m so happy to be lifting heavy things overhead though 🙂

Even though I was only doing 5 burpees at a time, they got me. All that good homecooked Mexican food I had in El Paso over the weekend was weighing me down! So worth the pain though! Besides so extra laying around from not wanting to get up from a Burpee, I felt I pushed hard enough on the Deadlifts and the Overhad Press. Time: 8:25

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I can’t thank y’all enough for sticking with me yet another year! I quietly passed through my 2nd year blogiversary but I’m looking forward to a more productive 3rd year. For those of you I follow regularly, forgive me for being a poor reader, I’ve slacked on all fronts, but you all know I still love you and you all inspire me daily (even if I’m reading a week or two at a time, doh!). I look forward to your new success in this new year!

I’m feeling hopeful, as most people probably do with new beginnings. I know I can be strong through March, it’s when the boys baseball picks up that I know there will be tough times. I have the next 3 months to mentally prepare. Also hopefully purchase products like thermos type containers to keep food warm, cold, etc. So if you any of you have any suggestions or ideas of how to keep me sane through a weekend at the fields let me know!

Like I said, this year I plan to be more productive. I’m going to try and boost my blog, but I’m not making any major promises or goals. I just want to give y’all more than my rambling brain! Try to do more product reviews, more recipes, maybe even venture into giveaways. We’ll see!

So that’s a wrap for this last day of 2013. I plan to hit up the Boom Box this evening and if I’m brave, I’ll show up for FRAN NIGHT. This will be CrossFit Boom’s 3rd year to ring in the new year with FRAN. I may just go to cheer folks on. Thrusters aren’t for me with the wrist in bad shape and I still can’t do pull ups. I WILL GET PULLUPS in 2014! I WILL!

I hope all you have a safe night and I wish you all the best for a great year! And you can not forget, must not forget …. to go out and BE AWESOME!

Fat Girl in a Little Coat

That is soooo how i feel right now. Ugh. I’m just trying to survive the rest of the month then it’s MISSION: ANNIHILATE CHUNKY MONKEY STEPHANIE.

For the record I do know orangutans are not monkeys. But it was perfect, putting on shirt, huge, etc.

I have a favorite “coat” if you will. Around here we don’t really do coats, just layers of hoodies and what not. But my down jacket (for really cold days) is fittin’ a little snug and it’s rather depressing. I figure as long as I keep showing up to the BOOM Box then I’m at least staying on task in regards to being active. I know, I know. It’s like I’m on repeat. And although I see myself not doing better food wise and I hear myself saying I AM going to do better, I’m just struggling. Bleh!

Nonetheless, I have a plan to get back on it for January. I will succeed and this chubbalub chica is going to get her act straight. Basically, I let 2013 go down the crapper and that is not going to happen for 2014!

12/16/13
I took a 4 day rest! YIKES! Friday I woke up but my rib weirdness was killing me and that just willed me to stay in bed. Lame I know. But that’s the truth. Then Monday morning rolls around and I sleep straight through the alarm! Are you serious?!? At least I was able to make it to the last class of the day and it was a triple whammy of burpees, running and rowing. Double Doh!

Strength: Front squat 1 RM
Ah man, I’ve been slacking on the front squat cause I gotta go Frankenstein on it. And in MetCons doing multiple reps at heavy weight and Frankenstein is not something I excel at. So I do less weight. Which equals not building strength

I was feeling like I should test drive my wrist with just the bar. So I did and I still don’t have full range of motion but I know it’s getting there. So back to good ol’ Franky. Warmed my way up and was feeling rather confident since we weren’t doing reps for time, just slow and steady. Finally got to 125 or 135 cause in the end I forgot the weight I finished at… I think 135lbs, and did just fine. It’s when I jumped to my 1RM that I failed. I figured that wasn’t so bad considering I’ve been slacking BIG TIME!

12/16/13 WOD

MetCon: For time – 30 Burpees, Run 800m,Row 2K
Well hot damn. A whole bunch of suck for me. I’m still supporting my self with fists and that slows me down. And smokes my forearms. I did the first 15 like a champ and the other 15 like a hog stuck in quicksand. It was slow and sad. Then for the “RUN”, which was no run, just whatever is slower than a trot. But before my lungs could collapse I had to row 2K. Ouchie on all fronts. I was feeling strong for the first 500 considering my run was horrible. Then I lost all confidence. Struggled with the next 750, got a burst of energy due to song change, dragged again, then fought the best I could for the last 500. I don’t recall my time exactly when I started the row and finished. But I think it was somewhere around 9 minutes. Maybe closer to 10 for that row. NOT GOOD I KNOW. Why am I sooooo bad at rowing? Time: 19:42

I felt good after I realized that all 3 of my current weaknesses didn’t kill me. My legs were jello and my lungs were collapsing, but I survived. Not sure how I’ll fight my way through today’s WOD but I’ll do the best I can for that moment. I hope you all do the same for whatever challenges face you. That’s all I got for now. Happy Tuesday. And keep on being AWESOME.

idrankthecfkoolaid

and it's good

burpees

Mornings or Evenings

Surviving the Week

Miss me?

Testing the Waters

It’s a La-di-da Kind of Day

We have a Winner!

Can’t Stop Now

And then I got tired

What a YEAR, come on 2014, Bring IT!

Fat Girl in a Little Coat

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