Sometimes You PR, Sometimes You Don’t

Three days in a row last week was all I could handle! Now, hoping to make four days this week at the Boom Box!

Monday was already going to be a struggle because I decided to drink too many margaritas on Saturday. That turned into a worthless Sunday and I knew it would spill over into a not so fun Monday. I pretty much kicked myself the whole time about those dang margaritas.

6/29/15

SKILL & STRENGTH

3x

Single leg Split Squat x 12 reps

Rest 30 seconds

Handstand Push-Ups x Max Reps
Rest 3 minutes

So Single Leg Split Squats will get you every time. My booty is so sore! I should really make these a daily thing but that’s one more thing I gotta try and fit in. For Handstand Push Ups, I just did Handstand Holds. My wrist was good for the first 2 rounds but started to get irritated on the last round.

CONDITIONING

Annie For (TOTAL TIME)

50-40-30-20-10 reps of:
Double-Unders
Sit Ups

Oh, Annie, one of my favorites. Only because I KNOW I can do this workout. I haven’t always been great but on this day I finally PR’d. Two years ago I had a 7:58 finish. One year ago, I had a 9+ minute finish. But on Monday, I had a 7:34 finish! Wooooo! But again cursing those margaritas as I was sluggish on the Sit Ups.

6/30/15

SKILL & STRENGTH

Find 1 Rep Max: Clean

15 min

And this is where I didn’t get a PR. I know, I know, I took some time off. And boy did I feel it. My last PR was 125lbs. But today I only got to 110lbs before I had to call it quits.

CONDITIONING

TABATA FOR: (TOTAL REPS)
3 ROUNDS, WORK 01:00 min, REST 02:00 min OF:

Ground to Overhead 135/95

After all the Squat Clean work, my wrist was getting weak. I was going to go for 85lbs but decided not to try and hurt myself so I went for 65lbs, hoping I would get more work in by getting a lot of reps in. The first round, I did 12 unbroken and I shouldn’t have dropped the bar but I did and I let it sit there for too long before picking it back up. By the time I did, I could only manage 3 more reps. After resting, I told myself I would get at least 16 reps on the next round but that was just a lie I was telling myself. I did stay consistent though with another 15 reps. By the third round I just didn’t want to lift the bar anymore, but completed 12 reps. Grand total: 42 reps at 65lbs. Not great, but not bad.

Until Next Time

I can tell you my boozing days are limited if not over. I’m still hurting from Saturday. And then add all the soreness from Monday and yesterday. My shins are dying from the Double Unders.

My eating is still subpar, but I’m doing what I can… sometimes! It’s birthday dinner for my Dad tonight, so no planned workout. Maybe I’ll get ambitious and take a jog later this evening. Hehe. I did say maybe!

Just One Day . . .

Makes a huge difference. ONE DAY OF CLEANER EATING, it’s almost unbelievable. I wasn’t even perfect, just a whole lot better!

I can’t promise everyone will feel this way. And I’m sure in 2 or 3 days, I’ll feel like crap going through food withdrawls. But I was high energy all day. And even though I sucked at my workout, I didn’t think or feel like I might die. Annnndddd, I woke up this morning before my alarm clock, wide eyed and bushy tailed. I finally made it to a morning workout! Which is key for me and our busy, crazy schedule!

4/14/14 WOD

Midline: 50 Hollow Rocks and 50 Russian KB Swings – choose a weight and go for unbroken
Coach said we should do the Hollow Rocks Unbroken. I laugh at him. Maybe 20, then 10, then 5’s. As far as the KB swings, I didn’t go heavy cause last time I tried I didn’t go UB. So I opted for a lighter weight and barely made it. I was smoked. Can I go home now?

Strength: Front Squat 5×3 @ 75%
Finally, I can front rack the bar without any pain in my wrist. It’s so nice. But today I had my back plaguing me. I was warming up and 30lbs away from my 75% weight when my back was not feeling it. Coach had me mobilize, which helped some but when I retested the weight the pain was still on my right lower back. More mobilizing for me. Sadly I didn’t get to put in the reps.

4/14/14 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds of 12 Cleans and 6 Presses 115/75
Warming up I felt ok, but my back was still a little off. To be safe, I went with Hang Cleans at 65lbs. This alleviated the stress on my back which is good. I don’t need an injured back. After 1 round of the Presses, my wrist decided it wasn’t happy. I did 6 Hang Cleans in round 2 but was worried I wasn’t going to be able to finish. I was just going to take a DNF. I don’t know how long it took me before I decided to ask Coach what I could do as a substitution but it was at least 3-4 minutes of me standing around. Maybe more! He had me use the AirDyne instead of Presses and go until I hit 12 calories. By then my wrist was feeling ok enough to do Hang Cleans, but I was glad to not be going overhead. Once I had it in my head that I just needed to not worry about the clock anymore and just do work, I did fine. The AirDyne though is EVIL. Very EVIL! Time: 12:07

4/15/14 WOD
Oh yaaa, I got up early and went to the 6am class as a trial. The 5 am class is a better suited time frame because I gotta get kids to school and myself to work. But Tu/Thurs that isn’t an option. If I go into hyper mode when I get home it appears I can make it on time. But there is ZERO time to stick around if the MetCon runs late.

Skill: Muscle Ups or Double Unders
We kind of worked both, but if you have or are closer to a Muscle Up then they worked more on the MUs while those of us who don’t worked on DUs.

Gymnastics WOD: EMOM 5 min – 2 MU or 5 min max DU
Ya, I think I used up all my DUs in the skill session. And I kept tripping up which then led me to stand around and not do anything. I managed 183 reps in 5 minutes. I don’t think that’s very good but it is what it is.

4/15/14 WOD

MetCon: 12 min AMRAP of 40 DU and 20 HR Push-ups
So if my DU’s were gone in the skill session, they were definitely gone after 5 minutes of doing nothing but DUs. I at least thought I could do the first round Unbroken. But I only got about 20. I don’t think I strung more than 25 together ever in the 12 minutes. My shoulders were smoked. I couldn’t relax. Then Hand Release Push Ups were of no help. Just smokin’ the shoulders more! The whole 12 minutes was a mental struggle. My shoulders are dead. And so are my calves. Final: 4 rounds + 36 DUs RX

That’s a wrap!
Yes I had a poor poor petri post yesterday, but I’ve been gone from the blogsphere and I had to recap. Ya dig? And now I’m ready for my 798797th time to get back on the proverbial horse. Better than staying at the bottom I suppose. Just hoping to find my happy place this time around. Winning the lottery and becoming a stay at home mom would really help!

And yes let me say ONE MORE TIME, that I’m barely in day 2 of just eating better, more balanced, etc and I feel AWESOME. Not PERFECT but way better than any day last week, or the week before, or the MONTH before. Seriously folks. Just slight changes. Cutting out sugar. OR lessening sugar if you must. Eliminating or lessening grains. Eliminating or lessening processed foods. Adding veggies and protein with some heatlthy fat. Drinking MORE AGUA, aka WATER! And I get it, I feel you when you think NO way, not gonna do it. I keep going back to that place too. And I feel like crap and I get headaches and I lose the will to leave the couch. And to be honest it’s dumb to feel that way everyday and be okay with it. It’s just dumb. Yes I realize I’m calling myself dumb and it’s the truth. Especially when I can feel good physically and mentally just by cutting out junk. It’s easier than you think or make it out to be, I promise. I can guarantee you, that I don’t have extra special will power. Or that I’m better than any one of you out there. You just have to decide enough is enough. Make Tuesday your day of change!

A week off = Bittersweet

So I rested as in I took a week off from my workouts and did nothing but sleep in and eat. Of course my life went on as anything else but I laid off the physical activity. And it was a much needed break. My body needed the break.

The only downside to taking a whole week off, for me at least, is that it’s hard to motivate myself into getting back to it. Fortunately, just showing up again is worth it and even though the break felt good, it is time to get back to work.

And work it was. Back squats that I wasn’t feeling strong at and the CrossFit Games Open WOD 14.1. For the past two years I’ve paid my fee and joined the tens of thousands to compete. This year, with a weak wrist and a weak self, I opted out. It didn’t make sense for me to pay the $20 and not be sure if I’d be able to handle movements like Power Cleans or Clean & Jerk. So I did not and guess what? 14.1 has my strengths! Doubles Unders and low weight Snatch. Now I know deep down I wouldn’t be able to hang with the Elite ladies out there but this is a workout I CAN do. Lucky for me, even if I’m not in the OPEN, I still have to do the workout!

So I stroll in NOT wanting to do any work at all, but I’m here now so I must. We do 8 sets of 3 Back Squats at 85% of our 1RM. I did more like 80% because I was feeling OH SO WEAK. But with a weeks worth of rest, my HIPS were feeling great.

The we move on to warming up our Double Unders and Snatches. 55lbs feels good, light even so I’m actually ready to go. All until the clock starts and I mess up on DUs immediately! WTH?!? After I finally made it through 30, which sadly took almost a full minute I moved onto the 15 Snatches at 55lbs. The “lightweight” that it was 5 minutes before is now ridiculously heavy. After 5 reps I was mentally ready to quit. Somehow, somehwhere I convinced myself to keep going. But it was at a snail’s pace considering my goal should be to BEAT EVERYONE. As the rounds went on my DUs got better and when I focused on good form, of course the Snatches were much more awesome. I finally got some UMPH in me with like 2 1/2 minutes to go. Hahah, who does that? UH ME Final: 211 reps and I can honestly say it was a poor showing. Ah well. I’m sure there will be a variation of this workout come 2015. Maybe I’ll have my crap together by then …. maybe.

3/3/14 WOD

And that is all I got for this fine Tuesday. Besides the bipolar weather here in Texas, all is good. I hope you all are doing great and go ahead and make those changes you’ve been holding off on. Get back to working out. Clean eating. Or whatever it is you do, unless it’s meth, then stop. Stop now. But other than that, find your healthy happy place.

Pretty Muddy Giveaway and other ramblings

Last week I introduced y’all to the PRETTY MUDDY event. And told you what they are all about. They host this muddy race in 4 cities in the US. And one of the 4 cities it’s going down in is … THE BIG D – Dallas, TX at Skyline Ranch on April 26th, 2014! Since I live in the metroplex and I am a Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador, the folks at Pretty Muddy are allowing me to host a giveaway so that you can attend for FREE!

This is geared to be a ladies event but they also have a family wave where all members of your family are welcome ツ

What is Pretty Muddy?
Pretty Muddy is a 5K adventurous obstacle course mud run for any woman who wants to get outside, spend time with friends, and have fun. And believe it or not it was dreamed up by a pair of husbands that were looking to do something for their wives. Friendship, Fun and Fitness! They wanted to provide a stress-free environment where you can just let loose. It’s a 5K that you can run or walk. It’s not timed. And the obstacles are legit. Nothing to worry about. Just have fun!

HOW TO ENTER idrankthecfkoolaid.com’s giveaway

It’s simple.

1. Email me at idrankthecfkoolaid@gmail.com and tell me who you are and if you want to be entered into the standard race entry or the family edition entry. There is an EMAIL ME link on the right hand bar. The email you send me will be my way of notifying you if you are a winner.

2. And then comment on this post that you emailed me! It’s that simple! I’ll be taking entries through end of day of 2/25 11:59 pm CST. I’ll pick a winner on 2/26. And should have entry codes for you by 2/28.

I will not use your email address for anything other than contacting you if you are a randomly chosen winner. I was provided my own personal race entry as incentive to host a giveaway but I would have hosted it none the less!

The PRIZES
4 total race entries to give away.

2 standard race entries (up to a $69.50 value) – offered to two separate winners

2 family edition entries (up to a $45 value) – offered to two separate winners

It doesn’t hurt to share on Facebook, Twitter or wherever.

In other news
I know I’ve been MIA for a couple of days but I’m here, just haven’t gotten around to posting my workouts. I have however been eating! Not so horribly bad but I still feel bad, does that make sense to anyone? I’m definitely not overeating, but I don’t always have the ideal meals or balanced for that matter. But I did let a little too much SUGAR re-enter my life. But I’m back to cutting that out. So we’ll see. It truly is a roller coaster to be 100% clean and perfect and then only letting some things slip in. But I’m not letting it all fall away. I’m sticking to clean eating in general. So yeehaw!

2/14/14
Test Day
Mobility: Hips!
Oh my burning HIPS. Mobility is never a bad thing in my book. I just don’t do enough.

Strength: Hang squat clean 2,2,2,2
These I could not do. So I did some chicken wing cleans. Didn’t work up too heavy but still put in work.

2/14/14 WOD

MetCon: Open WOD 11.3
Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 5 minutes of:
Squat clean (110lb / 50kg)
Jerk (110lb / 50kg)
Coach T had me do Chicken Wing Cleans and STOH with the multi-grip bar. Since it’s silly do clean, drop bar, walk to rack. I did sets of 5 cleans, and 5 STOH. I think I did 85lbs, but can’t remember. I had one miss of the clean and that was pretty painful on a meaty part of my arm. But other than being SLOW, I was huffing and puffing. 5 minutes is not a lot of time to do work but then again it can KILL YOU! Total reps: 34

2/15/14
Community WOD
You just never know what Coach is going to throw at us for a Community WOD but most of the time it’s teamwork and this day was no different. It was forecasted to be an AWESOME day but it was still a little chill at 9am. But once you get sweating it was perfect. We went outside for some ROWING and some YOKE/SLED PUSHING.

Not sure at what point this pic was taken but I’m definitely spent.

Teams of 3. 20 minute AMRAP. Sprint Row 250m. Then push YOKE for 30 yds. That was the best/worst team WOD ever. I’m not a great rower but for 250m I’m ok for my height… at least I feel good. But pushing that damn YOKE was a different story. It’s not even a far distance but we are in a race and we gotta move! We weren’t even halfway through and wondering when time would be called but we just kept chugging. We were so close to finishing our 5th round as a team but fell short by a some meters and a yoke push. It was good work put in by everyone!

2/18/14
Skill: KB Snatches
Today I felt good doing these. It was a first! But it was also light weight. With my wrist still not 100% I didn’t want to push fatigue and then doing something stupid. So I just stayed with the 26lb KB.

2/18/14 WOD

MetCon: 1 minute of Push Ups, 2 minutes of Double Unders, 3 minutes Air Squats, 4 KB Snatches and 5 minutes of Pull Ups
This sounded much better on paper. I managed 32 Push Ups, then only 83 DUs. This was disappointing. I just couldn’t find a rhythm. So I felt I better get some Air Squats in but my hips were on fire. I did get 101 though. KB Snatches started off strong but dwindled fast. And Pull Ups were a sad affair. I don’t remember my exact counts but my Final was: 301 Reps

2/19/14
Strength: L sit hold 10 sets max hold
Yaaaa, still can’t hold my body weight fully so Coach T had me do my FAVORITE hollow rocks and sit ups. Boooo Hollow Rocks.

2/19/14 WOD

MetCon: 10 min AMRAP of 5 STOH 115lbs, 10 Power Cleans 115lbs and 15 Bar Burpees
I’ve become the substitute QUEEN. For me 5 STOH with multigrip bar, 10 Deadlifts at 115lbs and well I can’t get out of burpees, so 15 Bar Burpees. I was tired and the bar felt heavy. I didn’t get very far: 3 Rounds + 4 reps of STOH

That’s a WRAP!
A lot of work over the past few days. And some rest too. It’s been beautiful weather down here in TEXAS, so I’m hoping it’s here to stay! Please, Please, Please enter for the Pretty Muddy race GIVEAWAY. I want to be there but am making no promises. Two of my kids play tournament baseball and we could be on opposite ends of the earth when that weekend arrives. But I’d love for a few of my readers to get an opportunity to go and experience all the fun. And also remember if you’re not in DALLAS or don’t win an entry, you can still get $5 off your race entry. Just use the code: GIRLSGONESPORTY.

Alright y’all have a great HUMP DAY. Do something great today!!!

The Countdown is ON!

After my Whole30 last year, I went off the rails. And I had many failed attempts on getting back on track. MANY FAILED ATTEMPTS! And I got to a point where I was ready to concede to the weight gain and just be. Thankfully, I shook myself out of that thought process and recommitted to finding my happy healthy self. I’m now TWENTY FIVE days into Whole30. Five days to go! And by Day 12ish, I was super happy I decided to get back to it.

I know I’ve lost some weight but I’m not sure how much just yet. But I was blaming my poor performance at the BOOM Box on my weight gain. But in the end it was just my poor eating habits that needed to change. I’m pretty sure I’ve had minimal weight loss right now (I DID GAIN ALOT) but I am doing so much better in EVERYTHING. My runs are better, I found my Toes To Bar and I’m able to push through on most everything much easier. These are big things for me. So can you only imagine if you have moderate to zero physical activity, yet you are having a hard time getting out of bed because everything hurts. Eating clean should make you feel like a ROCKSTAR! Imagine: less headaches, less joint pain, clear focus, better sleep, more energy. That’s what Whole30 could do for you. Heck, just trying to eat cleaner in general will do wonders. Make that change folks.

You can’t look at me and say… oh she was already skinny. Or she was already super fit. I wasn’t. I gained a lot of weight. I let self discipline go out the window. I had to start over. You can too. And you will be OK. You will be GREAT! So quit with the back and forth. Quit with the lolligagging. Just make the decision to do better. Find better health. Find physical activity. Find your Happy Place!

1/29/14 Lunch

1/29/14 BOOM Box
Mobility: We did the killer QUAD stretch against the wall. 3 minutes each leg. UGH!

Conditioning: 1k time trial rower
I repeat over and over, I enjoy rowing, but I’m not good at it. So here was a good time to work on rowing. I’m only steady and strong for about 250m. Maybe one day I’ll bump up to a solid 500m. But that’s not anytime soon I don’t think. Time: 4:27

1/29/14 WOD

MetCon: 10 min AMRAP of 25 Jumping Air Squats, 50 DU, 3 MU
Well, we thoroughly smoked our legs on the Rowing. Now add Jump Air Squats. I figured I wouldn’t be able to walk today, but I can with minimal soreness. But I also didn’t get too far into reps with it being a 10 min AMRAP and having to do 9 Pull Ups for the Muscle UP modification. I got through my first set of 25 JAS pretty quickly. My DUs were a struggle. I was trying to do them slow, but I couldn’t slow down. So I was messing up way more than if I just busted them out AFAP. Then got to Pull Ups and struggled. Not as bad as I would have weeks ago but PULL UPS are terrible. By round 2 my JAS were not as quick but I still kept a steady pace. My brain and body were too tired to think for the second set of DUs so I finished them much more quickly. For some reason, I had a hard time getting a good breath in. So I hung out a few seconds before getting to the Pull Ups. But I was good on time. I thought I could get one more round in. I stumbled through DU again which slowed me down. Final: 2 Rounds + 25 JAS + 50 DU + 3 Pull Ups

That’s a Wrap!
It’s almost the weekend. Woooo! And if you’re local, then come out to CrossFit Boom for a Community WOD at 9 am and YOGA at 10 am. You wont’ be sorry. We have fun and you can laugh at me sucking at Yoga!

FIVE days to go! No matter where you are on your journey, keep going strong. Do your best. And if you trip up, that’s fine. Just get back on the right path and don’t be too hard on you! Happy Thursday!

My Bootay was Kicked

Oh man, Curtis Ps and running. Thanks Coach for trying to kill us! And the soreness is taking it’s toll on my glutes, oh my! You know when you walk in to your box and the WOD takes 20-30 minutes that you’re in for it. And although it was a beating, I actually walked away feeling great. Maybe that Tiger Blood is kicking in?!? Maybe I’m just so happy to Clean a Bar (even if it is only lightweight) that I overlooked the misery. And even though I woke up to some achy legs and a really bruised knee, I was ready to take on the morning workout as well. I think it may be Tiger Blood!

1/21/14 WOD
Sled Pull 100ft x 3 Backwards
I think I like pulling the Sled backwards more than forwards but it’s not a far distance so maybe only during short pulls. 😀

1/21/14 WOD

MetCon: 4 Rounds of 20 Curtis P’s 75/45lbs, 400m run
Ahhhh, Curtis P’s should get your butt in shape. These are no joke! You first must clean the bar, then lunge forward with right leg, then lunge forward with left leg, then press overhead. That’s 1. So we had to 20, then run X FOUR! I started off with the 25lb bar which I could clean with only a little tightness in the wrist. As I warmed up the wrist was much better. So we put 10lbs on the bar. This I could still do and Coach had me stay there just to be safe. I’m glad because I think 45lbs would have been too much for now. Soon, I will be back to normal! My first round was alright, my 2nd round was slow and I tried to push harder in the 3rd and 4th rounds. It’s the running that gets me! Time: 25:13

1/22/14 WOD
Skill: EMOM for 12 minutes of 15 ring dips odd, 20 DU even
The progress on my wrist is good. I can now hold my body weight in a plank position. I can not however push up my self without pain. So Rng Dips were not happening. Instead of Ring Dips, I did Bench Press with the Multi-Grip bar. It’s been forever since I did any sort of Bench work. So 65lbs caught up to me fast, especially the way the Multi-Grip bar is set up. I started of with sets of 10 but I was struggling so Coach T had me knock a rep off as the minutes went on. As for Double Unders, well I started off really weaksauce. It took me a while to get going. But by the end I was doing them unbroken. My legs were not cooperating. Maybe all that work from last night!

01/22/14 WOD

MetCon: 12 min AMRAP of 8 Shoulder TOH 115/75, 8 C2B, 4 Forward Rolls. DU Practice if time remains.
Coach T had us move DU practice to before the AMRAP which was nice. I don’t think I would have had it in my shoulders to do any DU work.
I continued to use the Multi-Grip bar for my STOH. It’s only 65lbs but that’s all I could handle with my upper body still getting back on track. For once I could string almost all 8 C2B (banded of course) without crying or dying! That’s Tiger Blood, ladies and gents. And then Forward Rolls came. Now I’m not gymnast but I can do some rolls. I have not however done them in quite some time and I learned that they made me really really dizzy. Holy Crap. That sucked. I took too much time between rolls and really slowed my pace on the STOH. Thus leaving me with only 4 rounds + 8 STOH + 1 C2B.

Day SEVENTEEN!

Yaaaaaa! I’m here and killing it. I feel better during my workouts, I’m recovering faster and I’m totally not bloated on a daily basis. I still have some weight to lose but I am feeling great and seeing a difference in how my clothes are fitting me. I still haven’t found my happy place with preparing my meals. I dread getting started but once I start I do find peace in prepping and cooking. So now if I could just look forward to the process! Overall I would say that the Tiger Blood is slowly creeping in. I feel good. I sleep good. And I am not feeling miserable watching other people stuff crap into their bodies. Woooo!

1/21/14 Lunch

I also, finally made some handy dandy Cauli Fried Faux Rice. Yummo! Sliced up a steak really thin, cooked with an Asian flair and DINNER was served. So good. I could eat this every day I think. Now I’m not going to tell you it’s just like RICE cause I love rice and rice it is not. But, it’s seriously tasty. And really does a good job in getting that Asian food craving I get. Plus veggies as my base instead of filler rice! Score.

I took the following recipe from Paleo Cupboard and slightly modified it for me. I used Avocado Oil instead of lard or tallow. As I have none. I almost used Ghee but realized my Ghee had expired and I wasn’t going to test the waters on if it could be good still. I also used green beans instead of peas. I used to eat at this one Hibachi place that put green beans in their fried rice. LOVED it. So ya. And for the cauliflower. I have a shredder disc on my Food Processor, so it makes a nice rice consistency. But a hand grater or just pulse on your food processor is just as good!

1/21/14 Dinner

Paleo Cauliflower Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 15 mins Servings: 6

Ingredients:
– 1 head of cauliflower
– 2 Tbsp. + 2 more Tbsp. lard/bacon fat or tallow
– 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
– 1 small onion, chopped
– 2 Tbsp. garlic, chopped
– 1 cup green peas
– 4 eggs, whisked
– 6 Tbsp. coconut aminos
– 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
– 1/2 tsp. fish sauce
– Sea salt and ground pepper to taste

Equipment:
– Kitchen knife
– Cutting board
– Vegetable peeler
– Cheese grater or food processor
– Paper towels (optional)
– Large skillet or large Wok
– Large bowl
– Measuring spoons
– Stirring spoon

Directions:
1. Prepare your vegetables and whisk eggs. Grate the cauliflower on the larger side of a cheese grater, or pulse pieces in a food processor until they are rice sized. I like to wrap the riced cauliflower in a couple paper towels and squeeze it to remove any excess moisture, which helps make sure you get the crispier texture you are looking for.
2. Heat your skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp. of lard/bacon fat or tallow to the pan and allow it to melt. Add your onions, garlic and carrots and cook for about 2-3 minutes. If using peas, add them and cook 1 additional minute. Remove from pan and set aside in a large bowl.
3. Next add your whisked eggs to the pan and scramble them until they are lightly browned. Add a little sea salt and pepper, remove from pan and add them to the large bowl with the vegetables.
4. Next add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of lard/bacon fat or tallow to the pan and allow it to get very hot. Add the riced cauliflower to the pan and toss it in the oil. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, only stirring every couple minutes so that it allows some pieces on the bottom to fry and get brown and crispy.
5. Add the vegetable and rice mixture back to the pan and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, coconut aminos, fish sauce and some additional sea salt and pepper to taste.
6. Scarf this down and smile.

That’s a WRAP!
Whew. HUMP DAY! You know how people say they get a Runner’s High? Well me personally, I’ve never experienced such things. I DESPISE running. But I feel like I could truly say I’m on a Whole30 High. LOL. I know, I see the eye rolls and hear the “ya whatevers” but it’s true. The Tiger Blood. But not in that Charlie Sheen, Winning, kind of Tiger Blood. Just the kind that makes you feel AWESOME!

So go ahead, go make a change. Do something new and healthy for you!

It has begun – Whole30

Happy Monday folks. If you’ve been following along most of you know, I put off my New Year’s resolution till today. This has worked out just fine. I had plenty of time to prepare mentally and get my ducks in order food wise. So this past weekend, consisted of eating mucho food and then shopping to get my health back to goodness. I know, I could have just made any day D-Day, but today seemed logical. I’m ready to do this. And I really don’t want to be back to this OOMPA LOOMPA state again, EVER. I already thought I was past this and would never return, especially to the extreme I’m at now. Sadly I did return and now it’s time to ANNIHILATE this chunky monkey.

The day before Day ONE – PREP and COOK
I mentioned last week that I purchased Weeknight Paleo, by Amber Beam over at www.paleosavvy.com. The decision to buy this cookbook was spurred by the fact that it had some interesting recipes that were a little bit outside my comfort zone but not completely way out there. I tend to get stuck in “food” ruts, which leads to boredom, which leads to laziness, which leads to me swimming in the abyss of junk food. The book lays out shopping lists, when to cook/prep things and how long I have to use the foods.

So off we went to Whole Foods. I told Ernie to be patient with me as I was buying specific items and not our “normal” veggie and protein stash. We had our shopping trip down to a science. A very boring science. So now I’m shopping for Jicama, specific fruits, and stuff off my normal radar. I’m also shopping for cuts of meat I’m not accustomed to asking for at the meat counter. To be safe, I still got some of our go to staples. This made my overall total bill a lot more than I’m used to but the meats are easily frozen to be used for another day.

Some of the foods already packed up and ready to go!

My first step in prepping was to get my PORK SHOULDER ROAST going. Then I was on to chopping up veggies for salads during the week. I also roasted a chicken and split it up into portions for post workout meals. Pureed some sweet potato to go with my PWO meal. Roasted sweet potato for meal 1 of the Weeknight Paleo. And I also boiled some eggs for quick breakfast when I don’t have time for much else. This took me a couple of hours but I think it’s well worth it to be prepared.

Day ONE
Well it’s only the beginning of Day ONE but my PWO meal went down easily. My breakfast on the other hand was much more of a chore. I just am not a big eater in the morning. Like I told Ernie, had I been sipping on a nice coffee drink and a sweet pastry, it would have been gone in 3 seconds. But 3 EGGS with veggies, however tasty they were was just a beating to get it down. I had to keep telling myself that I was resetting my gut, rewiring my brain, etc. Mostly rewiring my brain. I’m such a baby. But I ate it all and I survived. And I’m pretty satiated at the moment. My lunch is packed to the specifications of the Whole30 guidelines and dinner is pretty much ready to go. Just gotta heat it up. Woohooo. Day ONE should be successful… let’s just hope Day TWO and beyond reach the same success.

BOOM BOX recap
1/3/14
MetCon: (running clock) 3 minutes Elbow Plank, rest 2 min, 5 minutes max Wall Balls, rest 5 min, 5 min AMRAP of 20 Double Unders and 10 snatches 75/45. Score Wall Balls + reps from AMRAP

How’s that for a Friday workout. Doesn’t seem to daunting right? First off the Elbow Plank. Ya I suck at this. Barely made it a minute in without having to drop. Then was barely getting 15 seconds at a time after that. The rest following the plank was much needed. Because Wall Balls were about to destroy me. It’s been at least 3 or 4 months since I’ve done a Wall Ball. Doesn’t help I’ve been injured. I started slow with a 10lb ball and seemed ok, then moved to the 14lb ball. HOW IS THIS SO MUCH HEAVIER?!?!? I could get it up there but I was scared as I fatigued that catching it would put too much stress on the wrist. So Coach ALLOWED me to let it just drop and catch on the rebound! WHAT? I loved this idea! Cause I’m a bum. But that fun left pretty quickly. I only managed 50 Wall Balls in 5 minutes.

1/3/14 WOD

Then it was time for the 5 minute AMRAP of DUs and Snatches. How does 5 minutes in Wall Balls last forever and 5 minutes of this AMRAP finish in a minute. Oh my rebellious brain. Before we started I wanted to test out my Snatch. So I got the 15lb techniqe bar and threw it up and NO PAIN. So I moved to the 25lb bar and NO PAIN. I was scared moving up to the 35lb bar but I picked it up and BAM, NO PAIN. Coach had me stay at 35lbs which was fine by me. And it was so much more fine once the AMRAP started and my shoulders were DYING! I got through 3 full rounds, 20 DUs and 4 Snatches. Final: 164 reps.

1/4/13 Track WOD
Oh why oh why did I show up for this misery. Because I need to get back to it and start being a mini beast. That’s why. But it sure does suck at this moment. I also got my kids up for this crap. Good thing for them is they are good at running!

Warm up: Leg swings, 400m jog, dynamic movements
Let’s just say the 400m JOG was practically a crawl. More sucking at life.

Conditioning
A: 50 yrd sprint x 6 (walk back for rest)
Uh, ya, no fun. And I typically like sprinting. This was hurting my shins and my right hip, lower back.

B: Team WOD 400 m run, 100 yd Buddy Carry, 400m run
I was done as far as running was concerned. TOO. MUCH. PAIN! So I teamed up with my kiddos. Only one person working at a time but since I was barely hanging in there Coach let me walk one 400m while the other two ran. I barely finished the walk to keep up with them. Then it was my job to buddy carry them. So I carried one kid halfway, then swapped out for the way back. At the end of that I was DUNZO, so they ran the 400m and I cheered them on! So proud of those boys! They worked hard.

C: 50 yd Lunge, 50 yd sprint for time
And here I thought we were done after those 400’s. NOPE. I had a 50 yd lunge and then a 50 yd hobble. At least I showed up!

1/6/13
HOLY SCHMOLY, it’s cold outside. I’m talking in the teens here. We haven’t seen sub 20° in a long time! And I almost snoozed right through the 5am class!

Midline: 30 hollow rocks
Getting slightly better at this misery. But still struggling.

Strength: Front Squats @ temp 102X1 (10 sec neg, 2 sec hold, fast up, 1 sec at top) 3×5 then 20 reps AFAP (w/ doable weight)
Uh yaaa. I should have slept in! Taking 10 seconds to hit bottom is HARD. By the 3rd round, at a measley 60lbs, I finally had it figured out but I could only do 3 consecutive. My hip/lower back was dying. Like a permanent cramp. I still did the work, but I was not liking it at all. Then it came time to do 20 reps As Fast As Possible. I did 12. Then racked it. Hip/lower back was on fire. Plus, I’m Frankensteining it and that sucks even more. Finished my 8 reps then laid on a foam roller for a long time.

1/6/14 WOD

MetCon: 3 Rounds For time of 20 Sit Ups, 10 Push Ups, 10 T2B, 5 HSPU
Today was all about the core. I probably won’t be able to roll out of bed tomorrow. Sit Ups and Push Ups, I got. T2B and HSPU, not so much. So it was Knees to Elbows and Overhead presses with the Multi-Grip Bar which I was kind of excited about. I need to work on that overhead strength. I felt I did well with everything but KTE. So frustrating. Hanging onto the bar hurts SO bad! Time: 8:26

That’s A Wrap!
I worked out 6 days! Wooooo! It’s been a while since that has happened. With school and baseball picking back up I fear that it won’t be a common occurrence but I’m shooting for 5 days. I’m all prepped for the week to SUCCEED at the Whole30. And I sadly took “before” pics of myself. It’s funny how one (me) can live in denial about where one is at until one sees pictures of oneself. That’s a slap in the face. Big time. Bleh. I’m definintely determined for those “before” pictures to NEVER BE AGAIN! I’m up MANY pounds over where I’d ideally like to be. And when I say many, I’m mean 40-50lbs over. That’s the icing on the cake for me. So no more icing and no more cake. Gotta shed this weight and get back to the leaner version of me.

I hope you all have a fabulous day and if you’re rebooting, starting something new or making a change today then BE STRONG! BE A ROCKSTAR! I’m here to cheer you on and send you virtual high fives! Whole30 on!

My tshirt that I ordered from Savage Life Apparel! So cute!

Another year, a better year

It’s 2014 ladies and gents. I hope everyone enjoyed not only their Christmas but ringing in the new year as well. As you all know, January is the month to start fresh. Gym memberships increase. Weight loss plans go into play. Etc. Etc. And yes I will join the cliché and “start over”.

I’ve never been one to make resolutions or goals really. I kind of say it in my head what I want to do but never write it down, unless I say it here in the good ol’ blog. I think mostly because I don’t want to let myself down by not meeting my goal or holding on to my resolution. This year will be different! I have some things I need to get accomplished physically, mentally, in the gym, outside of the gym and everything in between. But I’ll only bore you with my health and fitness goals 😀

My Health Goals:

1. Annihilate Chunky Monkey
2. Be a better planner/organizer so that all of my goals come to fruition.
3. Eat Clean 90% of the year. There will be vacations and there will be life celebrations and life just happens. But I really want to live that clean eating dream.
4. Complete at least one Whole30. This starts January 6th for me. And is the boost to eating clean for the year.
5. Dedicate at least 15 minutes a day at home to mobilizing/stretching. Work my way up to 30 minutes a day.
6. Get a freaking Pull Up. This includes making the time to work on this movement at home.
7. Improve my attitude towards running. I think some weight loss will help in this area. A lighter me will be a less oompa loompa me!
8. Lose weight. I’m not putting a number on this. I know where I’m at, where I’ve been and what’s ideal as far as I look and feel. I’ve learned to not weigh obsessively over the past two years and I’m not going to let that get in my head again. I just need these added layers of flub to be gone. Hopefully in the next 3 months.

I don’t think I’m asking too much of myself and I’m just hoping I can make all of the above HABITS. What are your goals? What do you want 2014 to bring?

Boom Box Recaps
12/31/13
Skill: Turkish Get Ups
Welp, with a bum wrist these aren’t ideal for me. So coach had me do some mobility. MUCH needed mobility! And some KB swings. Bleh.

12/31/13 WOD

MetCon: “Annie“ 50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of: Double Unders and Sit Ups
Oh Annie, this is one MetCon I can kill, 8 months ago. But now, not so much I’ve never been so slow at sit ups. In April I had a sub8 time. For the last day of the year I had a time of 9:07. And it was the sit ups that got me! I thought I had my 50 DUs unbroken but failed at 44, then at 46, then at 47. So frustrating. But I did 40 unbroken. At 30 I did like 15, then 15. For 20, I did 18 or something dumb and failed. And I managed to do 10 unbroken. I only stopped twice during Sit Ups but there were on SLOW MO. I thought I was going to puke. Thankfully I did not!

I felt like Annie was a good way to finish the year. And a good benchmark for me to retest in a couple of months. With clean eating and hopefully some weight loss, I hope to destroy my 7:58 time from April 2013!

1/1/13 FRAN NIGHT
I went back and forth on if I was going to go to Fran Night. Every year CrossFit Boom rings in the new year with FRAN: 21, 15, 9 of Thrusters and Pull Ups – the dirtiest girl WOD out there. I knew I couldn’t physically do the actual workout because I can’t do Thrusters right now, but I knew Coach would have something equally as painful for me to do. I wasn’t sure though, if I was going to have the energy to be AWAKE to workout. Well thanks to the Chick-fil-A bowl and my beloved AGGIES making it an exciting game, I was pretty awake. Two of my three kids were home. And one of them wanted to participate with me. So we loaded up and off we went.

After we all warmed up we split into two groups, the 2013 Fran and the 2014 Fran. I decided to make Fran my first workout of the year and I let my son, Justice, do the 2013 workout. I was so proud of my monkey. He is athletic and he is tough but he’s never really done a WOD at the box for time. And he’s for sure never done Fran. Coach gave him a 15lb bar and off he went. And I didn’t let him slack. I NO REPPED him on some Thrusters and several Pull Ups. He eventually had to move to bands to finish out the Pull Ups. Time: 7:18

Then it was my turn, womp womp. I was tasked with Front Squats and Pushups instead of Thrusters. The break down was 7 Squats, 7 Push Ups with fists x 3, 21 Pull Ups, 5 Squats, 5 Push Ups x 3, 15 Pull Ups, 5 Squats, 5 Push Ups, 4 Squats, 4 Push Ups, 9 Pull Ups. This was a beating. A pure beating. And I went from 1 green band and 1 blue band, to 2 green bands, 1 blue band. It was terrible. But I did the work. I haven’t actually done Fran in probably over a year and it was modified. I’m pretty sure I had completed this benchmark in the 8 minute range. For this year it was a slow 10:43! This is another WOD I need to retest in the future.

Looking forward.
And there you have it. I did start of the NEW YEAR strong. And starting Monday I plan to start eating CLEAN!

I have all the resources I need at my fingertips. Now I just need the mental aspect to stay focused. This is a year of Looking Forward, Planning Ahead and Staying Focused. I’m also replacing AWESOME with something else. I think I’ve awesomed myself out and probably all of you as well! Any suggestions on a new WORD/PHRASE for the year?

Love/Hate CrossFit

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve read articles bashing CrossFit and articles praising CrossFit. And everything in between.

I’m pretty sure a lot of the CrossFit haters have never even attended an event or walked into a box. And maybe the few that have ran with the wrong folks. But on the flipside a lot of the CrossFit die hards are badass mofo’s that are so elite, I can only wish to be like them. They are those beautiful bodied people. The kind of people that belong in magazines. They are never average joe’s such as myself – With lots of flaws and lots of weaknesses. A few months ago, I wrote a post on Why I (still) CrossFit. I wish I was more “popular” in the blog world because I think my experience and who I am caters more to the AVERAGE person who is just looking for an active and healthy lifestyle but may never grace the covers of magazines.

Truly, if you need/want a great EVERYTHING workout and you want a supportive community then CrossFit is something you should check out. There are lots of people out there with goals and a group is out there for every walk of life, but I really believe that the community I have found is one that is solid and that keeps growing. You can have so many different types of people connect on the same level even if you aren’t on the same physical level. Sure you’re gonna see silliness and sure you may see some instances of absolute ridiculousness, but as a competent human being you should be able to discern good coaching over poor coaching. Click here for what you should look for in a good box.

If the group thing isn’t your cup of tea, you can do CrossFit anywhere. But for me, I like sharing my success and failures with those who are learning and growing with me. Some folks have flown right by me, but are still there in support, cheering on to the last rep and some folks commiserate with me as we work towards our sometimes lofty goals.

Regardless of what our goals are, or where you are at on your health journey, I believe that you gotta do something that works for you. But if you’re gonna bash CrossFit, you better have participated. And if you’ve read someone’s love for CrossFit but are intimidated because they have beyond the 6 pack abs, just know it’s not all about outrageous workouts or insanely perfect people. There’s a lot of people similar to me. The girl next door. Or in my case the mom next door.

11/13 – 11/14 WODs
My body hates me, For real! Everything hurts. I told myself on Tuesday when I finally hit up the BOOM Box after a tiny hiatus that I would go Tu/Th and then baby step my way back into everything. I’m still a wounded birdy so I’m still limited. But by last night, I was so achy that I knew I had to WORK the soreness out. I was glad I did but I wasn’t sure if my bed would keep me hostage or if I would be able to walk this morning. I set my alarm anyways. Barely by the hair on my chiny chin chin did I make it in. Only to find out I’d be the lone ranger today.

It’s been cold in the mornings and it takes a while to get these old bones ready to go. My ankles, hips and shoulders are sooooo tight. And well everything else is sore.

11/13/13
Strength: Max distance sled pull in 30 seconds x3 3plates/2plates
Well it was still cold at 7pm but probably not near as cold as 5am! I have never like sled pushes, sled pulls, sled anything! And as refreshing as cool air can be, it can also burn your lungs. Whew it was bittersweet. In 30 seconds, my first and best run was for 220 yds. After that I got close but my butt was on fire! That pretty much felt like that was all the workout I needed. Time to go home.

11/13/13 WOD

MetCon: 3 min EMOM of 5 Box Jumps, 10 Push Ups, 15 Air Squats; 5 min EMOM 2 Power Cleans 225/135; 3 min EMOM 5 Box Jumps, 10 Push Ups, 15 Air Squats
But we had 11 whole minutes more of MetCon to complete. While 11 minutes doesn’t sound like a long time, why don’t you do the above work. I was barely finishing the reps in the minute. I’d get 5-10 seconds of rest and then bam, start again. No I can’t do Push Ups right now so I did Hollow Rocks. And to substitute for Power Cleans, I did Deadlifts. I completed all my rounds, but some of them were too close for comfort.

11/14/13
Lone ranger this morning! Boooooo! Who knows I may have had the best time. Ok really, I know I didn’t but one can hope.

Midline: 30 evil wheels
Not knowing what my wrist is capable of is scary. Just nerve-racking. I realized I could do 30 evil wheels, damn it! My abs will be dead in the morning.

Strength: Strict Press 5,5,5
This a no go so I did rows. I didn’t do too much weight. Started at 65lbs and ended at 80lbs. It did feel good to work my back vs. LEGS. Even though squatting is the best and deadlifting is nice… sometimes the lower body needs a break!

11/14/13 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds of 10 Burpees, 20 Lunges and 25 Double Unders
Ya, not bad for 1 round. 5 rounds is a different story. Remember folks you want to kill this workout As Fast As Possible. To substitute for Burpees I did GHD situps. I thought the time it would take to get up and down from the GHD would hinder me, but who am I kidding, Burpees would hinder me just as much. The lunges were killer. Halfway through each round, my hips would just ignite and burn soooo bad. I just had to chip away and put that pain elsewhere. DUs weren’t too bad. I’d be so close to getting unbroken each time but would trip up close to 20. Doh! So frustrating. Time: 9:26

The End
That’s a little bit of everything don’t ya think? It’s almost the weekend y’all. Smile and be happy! Get active, eat clean, sleep and as always be AWESOME!

In Need of a lil R&R

Hello ladies and gentlemen. I want to start off by THANKING everyone who supported me and my team “BOOM FOR BOOBS”! CrossFit Boom’s goal of $2500 was met and we had a great ol’ time. That’s at least 30 mammograms that will provided to someone in need! So Thank You for supporting us and Barbells for Boobs ツ

BOOM FOR BOOBS
Of course the BOOM Box was decked out in all pink. Several of us were decked out in pink clothes and we were all anxiously awaiting to give Grace a go.

For those of you that had been following along, I have this wrist, palm, forearm tweak and it’s been a little painful but hasn’t been out of commission painful. But I wasn’t really sure if I could go RX for the B4B event. I had taken it fairly easy during the week, HOPING it would just fade away. When it was my time to warm up and get ready, I decided I could handled the 95lbs. 3-2-1 GO and I did 4 reps, then I had to drop the bar. Slight pain set in but it was uncomfortable enough for me and I couldn’t hang on to the bar for multiple reps. From there it was a mindgame. I just wanted to quit. But I couldn’t. I raised money in honor and memory of ladies who fought a real fight. Who had to muster the courage and faith to fight breast cancer. And here I am wanting to quit a lil’ ol’ workout. So I fought through the best I could with a bum wrist. I wanted to beat my time from last year of 6:06 but that clearly wasn’t going to happen. A few weeks ago I had a time of 7:03 RX but B4B was not the place I was going to beat that. I was just happy to survive the WOD. Time: 7:40 RX

BOOM FOR BOOBS 10/12/13

10/15/13
I took Monday off to let my wrist rest and was going to take Tuesday off as well. Needing a stress relief, I decided to show up Tuesday evening to get some work in. In warm ups, I couldn’t even manage to support my weight doing inch worms. It sucked. So coach had to modify the MetCon for me, which is great, but sucky because this wrist issue is a pain in my ass.

Midline: 75 hollow rocks
Have I ever told you how much these suck? No? Well they do.

Skill: Double Under practice
Coach wanted us to work on slowing down our pace so that hopefully we could knock out more in a row. I am capable of slowing it down but I was having trouble stringing together more than 10. I’m a speed DUer. But I will learn to keep a slower pace if it helps me in the long run.

10/15/13 WOD

MetCon: 3 Rounds of 12 Deadlift (155,105), 9 Hang Clean and 75 DU
So I can do the Deadlifts but the Hang Cleans are not going to happen. I love Cleans too! For modification I did Kettle Bell Swings (1 1/2 POOD). This was heavier than I was expecting but doable of course. I powered through the Deadlifts and KB Swings for the first round. After 75 DUs I was smoked. So I did two sets of 6 for the Deadlifts and did the KB Swings unbroken. I had better luck at the DUs in round 2 for some reason and got back to the Deadlifts as fast as I could. This time doing a set of 8 then a set of 4. I didn’t want to have to pick the Kettle Bell back up so I did those unbroken. The last set of DUs were slow with lots of rest. I felt like the fat kid that I am. Having a hard time breathing and fatigued. UGH. My outside world stress and my physical pain is wearing on me. Time: 8:34

Hump Day!

I may only make it to the BOOM BOX 3 days this week instead of my typical 4-5. This wrist needs some rest and my brain needs a vacation. Between my kids, my vehicle and other crap…I am tired. Hopefully things get back on an upswing soon! Plus this work weight loss challenge is more than halfway over and I’m not anywhere near the number I was hoping for. I’ve had some loss but not what I was looking for. STRESS. It KILLS.

I hope everyone else is faring better than I at the moment. I hope y’all are staying strong in clean eating. If you’re not, it’s ok. Just get back on it! And don’t forget to stay hydrated. It’s cooler temps here in TX and I know when it cools down people are less likely to drink their water. Don’t be that person. And as always, go out and BE AWESOME in all you do!

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