Still not finding my Happy Place!

I’m really not trying to be a slacker, I promise, it just happens! Last week, I got this really dumb foot pain, so I laid off the CrossFit which in turn leaves me to be a loser and not blog! It wasn’t all for nothing, I still did some work, just not as intense. I did realize that my foot doesn’t hurt when I’m actually doing an activity so back to the BOX this week and I’m sore EVERYWHERE! That’s having 1 week off and only 2 workouts into the week! WTH?!?

I know it’s good, my body is working and muscles are being tested but wowsers it hurts to walk right now. As for the eating, it’s been so-so. Sometimes I make nice healthy choices and sometimes I make not so healthy ones. I’m not gaining weight, but I’m sure not losing it very quickly either. Still trying to find my Happy Place.

5/5/14 WOD
Strength: FS 5×2 @ 85%
Woooweee, I was not liking Front Squats at all. I couldn’t even get to my 85% without wanting to die. I only made it to 75% which felt plenty heavy.

5/5/14 WOD

MetCon: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 KB swings 1.5/1 Thrusters 75/45
I’m happy I can do the weight for the Thrusters with my wrist. It’s light weight but after 84 reps, the good ol wrist was feeling it pretty good. Even with the KB Swings, it was all the reps that got me. It’s what I needed though. Time: SLOW 16:35 RX

5/6/15 WOD
Skill: Handstand Walk
Well I can do Handstands against the wall easy. I can hold a freestanding one for seconds at best, but walking. Just more dumb fears. Coach was spotting us and I can move my hands like 2 inches, hahah, before I’m all “nope not gonna do it.” Maybe a few pounds lighter and learning how to block that fear. I could do them just fine when I was 16 years old. Not the same at 36 years old.

5/6/14 WOD

MetCon: 1k row, 50 HR Push Ups, 30 T2B
Ok I can barely walk normal from all the Thrusters on Monday. Now I’m supposed to row a 1K. I know it’s not far. But rowing and short people don’t go hand in hand. Over the weekend, the hotel we were staying at was home to a whole rowing team from West Virginia. Not one girl was under 5’8″. They were all tall and very in shape. But there were ZERO 5’2″ girls walking around. If only I could be taller! Hehe.

It took me just under 5 minutes to row the 1K. Who knows how long it took me to do the Push Ups. But it felt like FOREVER. Then it was down to Toes To Bar. Ugh. If you’ve been following along, you know that once upon a time, I could do 2 to 3, then I lost the T2B all together. But then I found them again. But only in singles. After about 10, I’m smoked. And it’s a true butt whooping to get the rest of them. Time: 13:46 RX

That’s a Wrap!
So I’m still struggling but the struggle is not so bad. I’m trying on some days and not giving a crap on other days. I KNOW what I NEED to do but geesh, it’s been harder than ever right now. I’ll just keep chugging along though. Trying is better than not trying.

I did finally try a FitAid drink. Coach has them at the BOOM Box for purchase. And when I ask people what they taste like, I get responses saying it’s alright. And that it tastes like Mountain Dew. Well I don’t like Mountain Dew but I finally decided to try it. And it’s not too bad after all. It’s citrusy, like Sunny D with carbonation. And it has good things in it for you. It’s not a perfectly clean drink but it’s better than a lot of crap that’s out there. Anyone else drink this? Do you drink it consistently? Do you see any positive benefits? Let me know!

Other than that, Have a happy happy Wednesday!

Getting Prepared for the Whole30

So I’ve been really lazy this past year and I know all it takes is a little bit of preparation during the weekends to have a successful week of eating. And even though I’m ready to get back to eating clean, my brain is still in LAZY mode. I just want a meal by meal, tell me what to eat, tell me how to cook it, etc plan. I know I’m plenty capable of cooking good clean foods. Hell I did it for a year and was really good at it, but I tend to get stuck in ruts and start making the same stuff OVER and OVER and OVER. And then I’m burnt out. I know food should be fuel, but it should taste good too in my opinion. Some folks can eat plain chicken breast, plain veggies, etc. everyday forever. I, however, am not one of those people. I can do it for a short period then I’m out. I want flavor, I want spice. And that’s how I cook, but I’m still a bum right now. I’m trying to rewire my brain!

So I scoured the interwebs and I found lots of resources out there but one seemed to shine brighter than the others. I found Weeknight Paleo over at paleosavvy.com. Author, Amber Beam, seemed to have a well rounded cookbook with meals that didn’t look boring or mundane. Bonus for me, they don’t look hard or complicated in regards to prep or cooking.

Now not all of her recipes are Whole30 compliant but they can be easily modified to fit in with Whole30. Her website even has a Whole30 calendar with meals you can make for the course of your journey. I haven’t made any of her recipes just yet, but I plan to start cooking this weekend. She offers a checklist of essential Paleo items for your pantry and fridge and in addition gives you a shopping list for each week of dinners/meals. So to prepare, I hit up a Sprouts Market during my lunch break to stock up on some of the essentials I’m running low on and spices that are called for in Week 1 of meals. Below is a picture of what I found at Sprouts. I didn’t find everything there but I’m confident WholeFoods will have the rest of what I need.

About $50 spent here.

Now I know what you are thinking. That’s a lot of spices and they all look expensive. To tell you the truth, some were cheap and some were not. But these are items that will last a while. They won’t be gone after one meal. They should last my Whole30 and beyond. It’s a good investment and they are crucial to having flavorful meals. There are some items like Chinese 5 spice that I wouldn’t have regularly in my pantry but there’s a recipe that calls specifically for it. I’m sure there are many more recipes in the book that will call for it later down the road as well. Amber, addresses the “cost” factor in the Introduction of her book as well. Here is an excerpt:

“The True Cost of Paleo
Either you pay the farmer or pay the physician. Lots of people think that Paleo is expensive. I can say I used to be one of those people. During my first trip to the grocery store as a Paleo newbie, I was dumbfounded by the sheer number of items in my cart when I exited the produce section of my market. I continued to the meat department, where I stocked up on what seemed like an enormous amount of protein. I realized that I was not supplementing the fresh food with processed food. I didn’t need to venture into the
supermarket danger zone—the aisles filled with cookies, crackers, and grains. I was building a menu based primarily on high quality protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Overall, my grocery bill hasn’t fluctuated very much over what I used to spend. I started buying grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork more often. Organic and farm-stand produce also make a regular appearance in my kitchen. For what I spend on these items, I save by not buying nutrient-void carbs that come in shiny, colorful packaging and cost an average of $3.50 per box. You can do the math. On average, I may spend 10–15% more per week, than pre-Paleo, but I consider that money well spent. Higher quality food often costs more, but is more nutrient dense, so I strongly encourage eating the best food you can afford. I see the difference a quality diet has had on my quality of life. So for me, a slight increase in food cost is merely an investment in my overall wellness. The foods I eat ensure I make as few trips as possible to the physician each year and that’s an enormous cost savings.” – Weeknight Paleo, Amber Beam

I always tell people it’s an investment in my health when they give me that crazy eyed look (YOU SPEND MORE MONEY FOR GRASSFED BEEF). It’s only $2 a lb at Walmart or wherever. And it’s true it is cheaper to buy grain fed meats, just not healthier. In the end it’s my choice as it is yours to buy what you like. It’s my health. I prefer not to be sickly. And in general, my family and I are not a sickly bunch. We are not immune to everything but compared to classmates, co-workers and peers, we tend to avoid most of what’s floating around. I don’t only attribute that to good eating though. Our active lifestyle also helps keeps our immune system strong. But good health starts in the GUT. And if we have clean eating habits then we are better off. Keeping those Dr.s, medications and BILLS away.

And if you can’t afford it right now or are not ready to make the jump, it’s going to be fine. You’ve been doing fine so far right? Just make the best choices you can make with the budget you have. Try to be better. Research. Find the deals. If you can afford to buy organic veggies, then buy them. Here is a link of foods that you should try and buy organic, click HERE.

So that’s what I’ll be doing this weekend. Prepping, planning, organizing and getting mentally ready for this Whole30. It’s not going to be easy but I will make it through. Join me. Make the change. Even if it’s only one meal a week for you. Or even one day a week. Let’s get to clean eating and healthier ways. I promise you, YOU will feel better.

Boom Box Recap
1/2/13
Strength: Front squat: 60%x5, 65%x5, 70% 2×5
Boy oh boy my body is hurting. The last thing I want to do is Front Squats. But I gotta do it. I’m still Frankenstein squatting which takes a toll on the arms but I’m low on options here. Thankfully, I was able to do the percentages based on my 1RM of 155lbs. Which is GREAT. I’m gaining my strength back by not being a big ol girl baby!

1/02/14 WOD

MetCon: 18 min AMRAP 10 HR Push Ups, 10 T2B,10 DL 185/125
GEESH, 18 minutes of misery! After the 3rd round, I was convinced I wouldn’t get past 5 rounds. I am however getting better at doing knuckle push ups. Go ME! I’m not awesome at them but I can bust through them at a better pace. It’s the Toes To Bar that I’m still struggling with. So it’s Knees to Elbows for me. There’s nothing like a big ol’ belly to get in your way and make you super depressed. Well I got myself in this hole. And I’m the only one that can dig myself out of it. Hopefully in the next few months I can regain getting those toes to the bar! As for Deadlifts, they felt pretty light and easy, and after about halfway through I realized I had 35lb plates on the bar and not 45lb plates. DOH! I was only working at 105lbs! No wonder it was so light! Ah well. I did all but one round unbroken. I still was putting in work. Final: 7 rounds. I pushed to the last second to get that 10th Deadlift in!

Mobility: I did it! I set aside 15 minutes before I went to bed and I rolled out and stretched. I worked mostly on my legs but I also got some shoulder mobility in too. Finally. Now let’s hope I make this a habit!

Happy Friday!
I hope everyone has a great weekend. If you’re feeling froggy, jump in with me and lets get 2014 kicked off this Monday with clean eating, consistent workouts and good sleep! You don’t have to do Whole30. You can just start eliminating foods, drinking more water, start walking… ANYTHING that is a change for the better. Let’s do this boys and girls.

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.

Grrrrr, WALL BALLS

Oh if you know me at all you know I have a great dislike for those darn wall balls, but I’ll get to those in a bit. Right now, I’m on Day 9 of my Work Weight Loss Challenge. I’m probably gonna try to stay off the scale until Day 30 and that will just to kind of gauge where one month has brought me. Overall I’ve done marvelous. I had one poor showing for dinner on Saturday but really that’s the worst I got and it wasn’t that bad! But boy was I craving SUGAR. I’m still having those sugar cravings but I keep telling myself it’s not worth it. So far that’s working just fine. Just STAY THE COURSE. 51 days to go!

I can already feel the snugness in my clothes slowly disappearing. Thank goodness, because I really didn’t want to have to buy BIGGER clothes because of my expanding waistline. I know for a lot of us that’s where the line gets drawn. But some of us just go out and buy those new clothes and just throw your hands up. The battle of the bulge wins! It doesn’t have to be that way. Clean eating and a little bit of movement will do wonders. All you have to do is take the steps to a better healthier you. For me I pretty much go cold turkey. But I know that’s not something everyone can do. So take those steps. Big or small! Below I’ve listed some things you can do to start the process. Please NOTE, I am not a Dr. or professional. And also know these are just baby steps which are better than NO STEPS at all!

1. Cut out sugary and diet drinks – sodas, sweet tea, diet sodas, other diet beverages. Boy I know that’s a hard one for some folks. Why the diet? There’s no calories. Well my friends, those diet drinks are still made of chemicals that are NO GOOD for your body. And to top it off the “fake” sugar still triggers the same response to your body and brain as if there is real sugar in your system. But in fact there is not SUGAR in your system. This starts a whole new bad reaction in your body.

After about a week of letting go of those drinks, you should be feeling ok about the whole situation. Please note that FRUIT JUICE is alright but only once a day or better yet, once a week.

2. Cut out Fried Foods. Let go of those deep fried yummies. Replace them with baked versions. I know it’s not the same but it’s not about being the same. It’s about taking changes to be a better you. Eventually, your taste buds change and you will appreciate food differently.

3. Try new vegetables. Have you ever had Cauliflower Mash? Or roasted Broccoli? How about Spaghetti Squash? These are all foods that you may not have tried, but should at least give them a whirl. These veggies cooked different ways provide nutrients you wouldn’t get from french fries or deep fried veggies.

4. Get moving. Take short walks around your block if you’re new to being active. Or try a new sport if you’ve just become complacent in your everyday activities. It’s important to get that blood flowing and those muscles working. Although I do enjoy CrossFit, you can find that NO EQUIPMENT is necessary to get fit. Body movements such as squats, lunges, push ups will do wonders.

5. Sleep. Proper rest is KEY to becoming healthier. Hopefully with eliminating foods and getting some exercise sleep will come more quickly but it may take some time. Make it a priority to get proper rest. This gives your body time to take care of it’s self.

Those are just 5 simple things. There a plenty more tips and suggestions but I don’t want to overwhelm you. If you’re starting from ground zero or trying to nudge that friend or family member into better health, just do something positive. You can see it’s not that hard. Remember we are grown. We make these choices. Make choices to feel good about you.

Since I mixed up the blog today, I’ll be short and sweet with my recaps.

9/20/13 WOD
MOBILITY: Calves, IT bands
Hurts so good! I never do enough mobility. So it’s nice to dedicate during class time.

Sprints: 3×400 m sprints (record times) If it’s raining we will row.
So thankful for RAIN. Rowing is much better and I need the practice. Unfortunately I only rowed well for the first 200m of each 400m, then I fell apart. I started of with great 500m pacing around 1:50 but by 250m I would be at 2:06, 2:19 and who knows. I think I averaged around a 1:40 400m. For some reason I left that out of the picture on the whiteboard

9/20/13 WOD

MetCon: 10 Rounds of 20 Sit Ups, 20 DU
Cakewalk! WRONG! After 5 rounds, I’m pretty sure I was somewhere right past the 5 minute mark. I’m thinking WOOOO, I got this. But right after 5 rounds, I started slowing down on those Sit Ups and messing up on DUs. Oh how it pained me to mess on DUs so much. It’s only 20. But fatigue does set in. Time: 12:36

9/23/13 WOD
I didn’t get any good sleep Sunday night so I totally missed the 5 a.m. My guilty conscience got to me so I HAD to show up to one of the evening classes.

Warm-up: 400 m run and 30 TTB
Run. Meh. Toes To Bar for 30. Double Meh. For me, it was 30 GHD sit ups.

Strength: in 12 minutes find 1RM Front Squat
I had just PR’d my Front Squat not too long ago, so I wasn’t sure if it was in the cards today. And 12 minutes is not long at all! WTH? Let the work begin. I was feeling extraordinarily good doing these. Front Squat is not by best lift. But today everything was feeling good. By the end everything was tired. And that was in just 12 short minutes. Good news is that I got a 10lb PR. 155lbs suckas! Wooooo! I’m a PR MACHINE, well lately I am. Not always!

9/23/13 WOD

MetCon: TEAM 15 min AMRAP 3 Rope Climbs 12 Push-press (185, 125) no rack Teams of 3. One person going at a time.
Rope Climbs are a NO GO for me. So 6 ring rows were in my future. We decided to each do 1 rope climb/6 ring rows and then move onto 4 Push Press each. This worked out really nicely. And when Darrin, our only team member doing rope climbs just couldn’t go anymore he moved on to Ring Rows. The only down time we really had was the transition between our two guys, Andy and Darrin, on the Push Press. Even though this workout was intense we each got a little break since only one person could do the work. I worked at 85lbs because I just barely 3RM at 95lbs the other day. Final: 10 rounds, 18 ring rows + 1 Push Press. 15 minutes flew by!

9/24/13 WOD
Warm-up: 100 ft yoke push, 50 hollow rocks
Nothing like a yoke push to wake you up in the morning. That gets the blood rushing and really widens those eyes. The Hollow Rocks are miserable since I’m still sore from all those Sit Ups on Friday.

Skill: 3 Snatch positions top down
I am always in need of good mechanics. And as long as it’s not Squat Snatching I’m GREAT! Add the squat and I’m a mess. So frustrating!

MetCon: 60 Wall Balls in the black (20/14), 50 Pullups, 40 Barbell Burpess, 30 Snatch (75,45)
I’ve said this before and I’m more than happy to say it again: WALL BALLS CAN SUCK IT! Oh my goodness, it’s been a while since we have done these ugly lil monsters. And my butt was not ready for them. There was just sadness all around me when I was only 10 in and ready to die. 50 to go. It was slow and miserable. I just don’t know when or how I will ever find peace with this movement. I knew I moved slow but I didn’t look at the clock to see when I finished. Probably for the best. 50 Pull Ups. Now this is where I typically drag ass. I can rest for minutes before getting on that bar. Maybe my anger from the Wall Balls helped fuel me me to knock out 50 reps. There weren’t awesome but I chipped away better than I have known myself to do. Then came the burpees and right around 10 something cramped in my back BUT only when I was jumping left over the barbell. It finally went away but it slowed me down mentally, because I’m a big baby, for a little bit. It was like I was in molasses doing those damn burpees. Finally to snatch. I thought I will do 5 sets of 6. It was a good idea for the first 2 sets. Then I dropped to sets of 3. I just didn’t have any PUSH in me to fight through so I was taking a lot of time between sets. Ah well. Time: 21:16

9/24/13 WOD

Barbells For Boobs
Y’all know the drill. I love B4B. I have met the people B4B helps. I have met the community that comes out to help. They are a non-profit organization that provides funding to pay for breast cancer detection services as a last resort for thousands of people who don’t qualify for assistance elsewhere. Their aim is to help anyone that needs it, anywhere, whether they are male or female, no matter what their age or situation in life.

It’s a good cause and I’m participating in BOOM for BOOBS at my CrossFit Box, CrossFit BOOM. I have set up my fundraising page over at B4B and am asking for you to donate to the cause. It doesn’t have to be much. $1 would help just as much as $20 would. If you are unable to help out this year, I get it. There’s lots of people asking for money for all sorts of things. But do know, this is an organization that works for those who get left out. They work hard and bring a great time on their Pink Bra Tour. So donate if you can or share me to friends and companies that are looking to help out. I have a $100 goal, but more than happy to go above and beyond. You can go here: HELP SAVE BOOBIES! Thanks!

The End!
Ya, that was a doozy today folks. It’s only Tuesday too! Argghhh! Well chip away at the day. Make a change in your life. Drink more water, get active, eat clean. But above all BE AWESOME!

Mission Accomplished!

If you’re new to reading my blog or just don’t ever finish it all the way through then you won’t know I’ve been trying to raise money for Barbells for Boobs. I didn’t set a super lofty goal but I wanted to raise $100 for the B4B event we are having at CrossFit Boom tomorrow at 6pm. Low and behold a few folks stepped up to the call and helped me out. I am very thankful to you all! I’ve given you all shout outs on Facebook but THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN: Shelley, Mel, Shawn, Sherrie, Rose, Jill and Jenn!

If you are in the DFW area and would like to spectate or participate tomorrow at 6pm, then please do. Check us out at CrossFit Boom or find our team link here to donate. Help our team raise as much money as possible for B4B!

Barbells for Boobs is a non-profit breast cancer organization whose mission is to provide funding through the Mammograms in Action @ Grant Program for qualified low income and uninsured women and men who need screening and/or diagnostic procedures in the prevention of breast cancer.

#OccupyBoom
Like I’ve been telling you all, right after B4B is completed we are going to have some friendly WOD throwdowns! It will be a lot of fun and we will have foods to eat! BYOB(eef) or any other protein you’d like grilled up. Not sure how long we will go but it’s sure to be a good time!

Today’s WOD
It was a lil chilly this morning and hard to roll out of bed but once you get movin in the BOOM Box you warm up pretty quickly.

10/26/12 WOD

Skill/Strength: 4 x 5 Good Mornings 55lbs
I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever perf0rmed this with PVC pipe during a warm up session. Today we warmed up with the bar then added some weight. Overall this felt alright. I don’t think I ever had bad from and we went through our sets pretty easily. My left hamstring wasn’t too happy by the end but nothing serious.

MetCon: TEAM WOD 100 Back Squats OR 75 Front Squats OR 50 OHS @85lbs with 2 Shoulder to Overhead EMOM
My partner and I clearly wanted to do the Overhead Squats due to less reps, but it is a little more difficult movement. After some warming up and putting weight on the bar, we opted for Front Squats. We both had to do the same weight so we ended up at 65lbs. I got 20 knocked out in the first minute and did the first two Push Presses. We were able to rack bar before switching out which was nice. It was great to have a little rest. We ended up with a time of 3:56. I think Coach was surprised we all finished rather quickly so we had a POPWOD. POPWOD???!!!???? This is new to us what ever could it be? Well he had us get the bar up into a overhead position as if you were doing an overhead squat.

We then had to do lunges in place for 50 reps, per person. I’m not the best at lunges. Pair that with awkward overhead position, I was a little scared! 3-2-1 GO – I got this! It wasn’t near as hard as I thought it would be. My legs were a little JELLO-like towards the end. We broke our sets up into 2 sets each. Time: 4:05

It’s FRIDAY! WOOOOO and it’s COLD – BOOOOO! (cold for me and my wussy Texan self) If you can come out tomorrow evening then please come out! I would love for y’all to be there. Other than that, have a WONDERFUL WEEKEND and make it super AWESOME!!!

Welcoming the COOLDOWN

The weather has been freakin AMAZEBALLS down here in Texas. Ya it’s still probably a little warm to everyone else but when you get out of the 100’s and into low 90’s high 80’s you’d think it was winter! That means our mornings are in the 50’s and 60’s. You can’t ask for better!

Saturday WOD
As most of you know we had a Community WOD at the BOOM BOX on Saturday. It was a filled with all sorts of fun. We started out with a contest of counting the weight on the barbell. We had a couple of rounds since only 3 people competed against each other at a time. They would be turned away from the barbell and Coach would load up the bar, 3, 2, 1 LOOK and be the first one to write the correct answer on the board. If you got the weight right but were not first you had to do 5 burpees. If you got the weight wrong you had to do 20 burpees. We went head to head till we had one winner. I made it to the final round winning 2 heats! I got panicked and rushed and got it wrong and ended up penalized with 20 burpees… BoooHoooo!

We then proceeded with a TEAM WOD. We had teams of 3 and 3 stations: Weighted Overhead Lunges, Chest to Bar Pull Ups (no assistance allowed) and Wall Balls. Well shitfire, I can’t do CTB Pull Ups so we’re screwed or so I thought. Turns out we don’t have to do all the stations which is great for me, but it sucks for whoever can do CTB because they have to double up on CTB. And I have to bust out the other movements to make up for my loser-ness. We did 3 rounds of the 3 minute stations and counted total reps. My legs are still dead from Wall Balls but we came in 1st place with 385 reps! Woooo Go us (Nick, Trenton and me)! ツ

9/10/12 WOD
Like I said my legs were still dead from the Wall Balls although I’m sure the Lunges have some factor in the achy legs too. Again with the weather it was so nice to get through our warm up and not be drenched in sweat!

9/10/12 WOD

Skill/Strength: 3 Front Squats + 1 Push Press (15 minutes to get as heavy as possible)I know my MAX Push Press is 100lbs so that was at least my goal for the morning. We steadily worked our way up in weight and when I got to 85lbs I felt some tightness near my underarm in the Push Press, it was NOT comfortable but I still got the weight up overhead. I’m not sure if this is because my rotator cuffs are fried or what but when I jumped up to 95lbs I just wasn’t making the cut. I was ok with where I was at because I knew I had pain and I didn’t want to make it worse and at the end I just couldn’t get the weight up. Need MORE Mobility!

MetCon: 3 rounds of 3 GTOH @ 85lbs, 8 Pull Ups, 1min rest
I wasn’t sure about doing the GTOH with the quickness but I was convinced I could do so. It wasn’t so bad but I was so focused on my shoulders being dead that I wasn’t JERKING the bar efficiently. I got to the pull ups last and well we all know I’m slow at pull ups so that didn’t help me out either. I was all ready to get to the bar FAST and realized no one else was doing anything! I forgot about the 1 minute REST!!! It was nice to have the rest but I still struggled. By my last round of GTOH which I was Clean & Jerking by the way I failed on my 3rd attempt. I was like WTH?!?! Cleaned the bar focused and Jerked the Hell out it! Well that was EASY! Why didn’t I do that the whole time?!? Ha! I have no clue. Then I went on my merry way to struggle on pull ups! Time: 4:48 (NOT GOOD)

Enjoy your hopefully Beautiful MONDAY! It hasn’t been beat down drag ass like Mondays can be so it’s a good day! And remember BE AWESOME.

❤ THIS…CHECK IT OUT! The SECRET SOCIETY OF AWESOME!

I WORK OUT!

Dude I don’t even listen to that song by LMFAO but you hear it, EVERYWHERE and that one little line “I WORK OUT” gets stuck in my brain and never leaves!

Before I recap today’s BOOMerific morning, I just want to say that the SPLIT SQUAT with 75lbs that we did on Tuesday has rendered my gluteus maximus dead! I get just as sore or even worse on other body parts but the split squat got me good. And coming in to the Box this morning with all that soreness I wasn’t sure I would be able to hang. Fortunately after warming up you kind of forget the pain you are in ツ

Skill/Strength: 5 x 1 Front Squat @ 90% of 1RM. That brought me to 120 for my weight. We gradually worked up to that weight and overall I did alright. I tend to lean forward to much before I come back up but I seriously do NOT feel it. I can feel it in a back squat but not in the front squats. I still did them and they got easier as I got closer to the 5th rep which is a good thing right?

We had an added PUSH UP bonus – Diamond Pushups. Aww man, I know what these are but I have never done them at the box or done them strict. I’ve always gone with the girly knees on the ground version. So today we had to do 50! in a row! I underestimated the suck that comes with them. Gave coach a good laugh though and I didn’t do them with my knees on the ground. It took me a while but I got them completed. I know my triceps will hate me in the morning!

Diamond Pushups

MetCon: 5 rounds of Broad Jump (1:30) followed by Air Squats (1:00)
With this we had to Broad Jump about 10 m lengths for 1:30. As soon as that time was up we moved straight into Air Squats. We counted our Broad Jump lengths and kept on counting with the Squats. After the first round of Squats, getting back to Broad Jumps was a sad sight to see. It was like we were jumping out of quick sand! The next rounds weren’t as bad because we were prepared but it was still taxing on the whole lower body! Total Reps: 182 – I think I could have got 200 but we were in the parking lot and I took up some valuable seconds moving out of the way so I wouldn’t get run over by the incoming 6 am class. I felt good. I hope I stay near the top of the overall group today but I never know what the rest of the kick ass peoples will bring. This week though I feel like I’m not getting crushed by everyone else. I’m keeping up and it does feel really good!

Gotta Go H.A.M.! Push Harder, Work Harder. Y’all have an AMAZING Thursday. And you know what you gotta do … BE AWESOME!

It’s not that I have writer’s block this time around, but it’s been a busy weekend and I don’t even know where to start. Do I start with today and go backwards or start with Saturday and move forwards? These are the silly little chores that burden me in regards to blogging! What’s my title going to be? Witty? Dull? Straightforward. ARRGGHHH! I’m not a great writer as it is and then to add the other things, it can make one go bonkers. But at the same time it gives me peace. A creative outlet of sorts to get my thoughts straightened out and something for me to reference in my CrossFit/Paleo/whatever you want to call it journey. Also hopefully I provide some sort of “FIT”spiration to you the readers; that if someone as plain and simple as myself can muster up the energy and discipline to work hard consistently and eat clean that you can too. You just have to want it bad enough. I know I do want it!

Which leads to me to today’s WOD. I’ll summarize the weekend afterwards ツ I was dragging more than normal this morning because we were at the Ranger game till later than expected and we left before the game got exciting! They went 13 innings. Thank goodness we left though because I was spent. So spent I almost didn’t get up in time for the BOOM BOX!

7/9/12 WOD

Skill/Strength: 3 x 5 Back Squat +5lbs from previous week. Well I didn’t do Back Squat last week so I added from the week before. Today was 3 sets of 5 at 110lbs. After working up to that weight I was already done! So I struggled on my last reps. I always feel so weak when I struggle so much at a lighter weight. I shouldn’t think that way. My max is 145 and that’s 1 REP…so ya I know but geez I still feel like a weakling!

MetCon: 21, 15, 9 of Overhead Squats (OHS) and Shoulder to Overhead (Push Press for me). The prescribed weight is 65lbs but with my weak ass OHS I went with 55lbs. And it’s weak I promise. My wrists are not made for the OHS at all. And my shoulder flexibility is worthless. I was not looking forward to this at all. And I can tell you that for me it was probably one of the worst MetCons that I have endured. We broke this down into two groups, thank goodness, so we could have a counter. Thank you Martha for counting. I wouldn’t have made it otherwise.

Not me of course, but a good example of OHS.

I don’t even remember how I broke up my OHS for the first round. I think I started off strong with a good number like 10 but then fell apart and knocked them out in 2’s. My wrists were fried and I still had PUSH PRESS to go. I struggled with the first 21 BAD! By the 15’s of the OHS I tried going in 5’s but that didn’t work out so well. I definitely felt better this round and Coach was there in my face so I had a little more to prove and push through. I did the 15 PUSH PRESS UNBROKEN!!!!

Again not me but I figure not everyone knows what all these movements are and pictures always help!

I felt like super woman because my wrists were just losing life and I just blazed through those 15. Only 9 of each to go and I just didn’t know if I could get those OHS completed. I wanted to cry. I knocked out 5, then 4 and saw I was at 9:40 on the time. I tried to get the bar up and move to make it under 10 minutes but I was 5 seconds too slow. Time: 10:05 I then laid (rolled around like a loonball) outside for a good 5 minutes, chugging water, hoping not to die. Although I struggled I felt accomplished. It was tough but it was a tough I needed. I always feel a little more badass when we do MetCons like this.

Weekend Wrap Up
Started off my Saturday morning at the BOOM BOX. Besides work this place gets a lot of my time! It was paint Kettle Bells day. The last time we did this was right before Easter and they were all cute and pastel but that got old fast! So this time we were doing Patriotic KBs, for the 4th and maybe even for the Olympics. I showed up mid painting, so I just stood around, watched and took pics.

Our Patriotic KBs ツ

Triston getting his paint on!

Josh showed up with some Spray Paint skills!

Travis and Kristen trying to find some other letters that we could could “make” look like b’s and o’s for BOOM!

Grant AKA Coach preppin the KBs.

Sherry getting the letters on before the painting begins.

Once everyone else started arriving we got to warming up. We had no idea what was in store for us but it ended up being a WOD I liked. 10 min AMRAP of Power Cleans (my fave)! For this AMRAP we partnered up and were told that we would do 5 cleans each and alternate for the 10 minutes. And then we were told that 5 cleans equaled 1 REP. I was partnered with another Stephanie AKA Briggs and we were set up to do 65lb Power Cleans. I said I love POWER CLEANS but I wasn’t sure if I’d love this AMRAP. My form got sloppy every now and then but for the most part I felt good. I have some bruises on my collar bone, chin and upper thighs. I look like I’ve been brawling. Thank goodness it’s only with a barbell! Briggs and I killed it with 33 reps which in turn ended up being 165 power cleans! And I still had the OLY class afterwards!!!!

OLY Class
We worked on Clean & Jerk and Front Squats after some much needed warm up on the PVC. For the Clean & Jerks we worked at 75% of our MAX. So I worked at 70lbs. We had to do 3 x 1 and take our time. Coach took some video of my first attempt and showed me where I could improve on form. I was already spent from the week’s work and from the power cleans but I took note and corrected. It helps to watch yourself and have someone show you EXACTLY where you went wrong. Most of the time I know something is off but I can’t pinpoint it.

After our Clean & Jerks we worked on getting a Heavy Front Squat. From there we would do 80% of the weight and do 3 x 3. I ended up at 125lbs for my heavy and did my sets of 3 at 100lbs. I was so glad when that last set was done. I was starving and ready to vegge out FOREVER!!! All in all good work put in and I feel stronger and better!

In other news:
We went and saw Savages which I thought was a good movie. I hate to say GREAT because then everyone will tell me how great it wasn’t. I liked it. I like those kinds of movies though. I was entertained! Got my pre-vacay pedicure and then I was out. I was passed out before 8pm! And I slept till 8am! That was a much needed sleep!

Not gonna lie, my eating wasn’t great the past two days. I’m on vacation brain. And it’s still not just crazy out of control but I know myself and I know I’m not sticking to what I know best lately. And that’s clean eating! Two Mondays in a row now that I’ve sabotaged my weekend!!!!! I know I will try to eat clean most of the time I’m out but I also know there are some things I won’t be able to pass up. We stay pretty active on vacation so besides maybe having some post eating ickiness I should be fine in the weight department, it’s just a horrible feeling that here I am trying to be the good example and I’m failing all of us

Also if you don’t watch baseball or keep up on sports you should check out the reaction to a GINORMOUS THUNDER/LIGHTNING crash that hit at the Rangers Ballpark last night. We were there and it was insane!