Putting My Blinders On

Entering Day 3 of the Work Weight Loss Challenge and Nov. 14th seems so far away! I’ve steered clear of temptations, COOKIES, FAST FOOD and other worthless junk. But again, only 2 full days in. I have the opportunity to hit up 3 different Starbucks on my journey into work. Oh DOUBLE TALL CARAMEL MACCHIATO, I need you. But noooo. I can’t give in. I gotta be the rock…the good example for my coworkers. I’m trying to find balance in all my meals and snacks. So far so good, I just need to stay prepared and to stay ahead of the game. BLINDERS: ON!

Nevermind that my body is in full withdrawal mode. Crying out for sugar, wheat and everything processed. Everything hurts and my eyes are heavy even with proper amounts of sleep! I know this will pass, I just need it to pass sooner.

Just this morning, as Coach T threw in Burpee Broad Jumps into our warm up, I gave him the YOU MIGHT GET PUNCHED IN THE THROAT LOOK. Then I said I’m in withdrawals and may or may not have said that he was evil. Not sure if I kept those thoughts to myself or not, but I will tell you anything with Broad Jumps is just plain torture in my book.

9/18/13 WOD
Skill: Work getting into a handstand (Wall/Rings/Free standing)
Thankfully I can pop up into a handstand with wall assistance with NO PROBLEM. I can barely hold a freestanding one for a few seconds. But anything else and I’m out! I can’t even fathom doing a handstand on rings!

MetCon: 5 min AMRAP (13.5 style ladder) – 3 rounds of 15 Push Ups (HR), 15 Power Cleans 95/65. Go up the ladder until you can no longer complete the rounds under the cap. 5 min=3 rounds; 10 min=6 rounds; 15 min=9 rounds; 20 min=12 rounds

9/18/13 WOD

Woooo for movements I can physically do without question. Now would I make it past the first 5 minutes? My shoulders were feeling good so I got through the Push Ups just fine. Moved on to the Power Cleans and did those UNBROKEN as well. All in less than a minute! Then I got down to do more Push Ups and I did ONE! And I wanted to die. I was breathing so hard, I couldn’t catch my breath, so I lied there for what felt like FOREVER, but it was probably 30 seconds in reality. I couldn’t stop, that’s only ONE round with 2 to go. I mustered through the second and third rounds with maybe 20 seconds to spare in that first 5 minutes. I was really slacking in the Push Up dept. As with most WODS that I can most assuredly do the movements just fine, I tend to reflect and beat myself up for not doing better. Just making it to the next 5 minutes was relief at the time. So again, I just laid there after doing about 3 Push Ups into my 4th round. Knowing I couldn’t just quit I chugged along. 3-5 at a time for finishing the 4th round and moving into the 5th round. As for Power Cleans, I always tried to do at least 7, then 3, then 5. I tried to go UNBROKEN with 1 minute left in that 2nd 5 minute time frame. But I failed! Final: 4 Rounds + 15 Push Ups + 12 Power Cleans. So close to finishing 5 rounds…. so close!

Barbells for Boobs
Thanks to my lovely friend Vicki, I am halfway to my fundraising goal. But of course I am not limited to $100, I’d love to be able to help B4B with as much as possible. With that said, I’m not picky 😀 If you can donate $1, I would be thankful and appreciative of your support. If you can’t help out at this time but know friends or businesses that can support the cause then please share me with them. HELP SAVE BOOBIES!

In Vicki’s case, she is donating in memory of her Grandmother who fought the Breast Cancer Battle. I told her I would rock out her name in my attire when I do Boom For Boobs on Oct. 12. If you have someone you’d like to donate in memory of, then I will add their name as well.

What is Barbells for Boobs?
A wonderful organization that helps to SAVE lives through the early detection of breast cancer, regardless of one’s age, gender or ability to pay. Barbells for Boobs is 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. Our aim is to help anyone that needs it, anywhere, whether they are male or female, no matter what their age or situation in life.

What is BOOM for BOOBS?
It’s CrossFit Boom supporting the cause and hosting an event! So come on out. Click HERE to join. Saturday, October 12, 2013. 9 a.m. 2401 Callendar Rd Suite 111, Mansfield, Texas 76063.

The End
That’s all I got for today. Well just one more thing – I ask that you join me for the next 57 days to find good health via clean(er) eating and being active. You can do it. I know you can! Get a group of friends, co-workers, family, etc and get your butts in gear. It’s always helpful when you have others holding you accountable. The weather is cooling down, so there’s no “IT’s TOO HOT” excuses. I promise you two things. 1. Your food does not have to suck just because it’s clean eating and 2. You don’t have to kill yourself in the activity department to be healthy. You know you want to ENJOY life! So step on up! It can only make your more AWESOME than you already are!

Putting in the WORK

I know, I know. I had this super duper I HEART CrossFit moment then I’m not posting again for a whole week. I don’t know where time goes but I’m here, I’m still putting in the work. Still showing up at the BOOM Box. And I’m still crying like a little baby when RUNNING pops up on the whiteboard.

So have no fear. I haven’t fallen into a giant hole of depression. I’ve just been busy! And just like everyone else, I can make excuses or I can find solutions. I encourage you to find solutions. I encourage you to find good health. I encourage you to get active. When Biggest Loser was airing I would always get teary eyed and happy for the folks. Now I’m on the Extreme Weight Loss season kick and to me it’s more inspiring but maybe only because it’s focused on one person.

And you get to watch their individual success and struggles… each person is so GUNG HO the first 90 days. They are amped. Then like most folks, it gets old, it gets harder, it gets complicated. But they have to fight through and they still have to put in the work. Chris Powell, in my opinion, is a great motivator. He can’t go run the miles for them though. Sure he can send them on wonderful trips when they hit goals but he can’t put in the work. I wish I could be the person that could surprise you with cool gifts and prizes. But I can not. I can give you a virtual HIGH-FIVE and a lot of woohooos and way to go’s! And really that’s what most of us need. We need a support system, someone to hold us accountable. And you need to find a reward system that doesn’t involve “cheat meals” or food in general. So if no one is on board in your personal life to help you change then chat me up and I’ll cheer you on. Or find an online community for that extra inspiration or an online buddy with your same goals. You may even find someone in a bootcamp, fitness class or running club. But you have to put yourself out there. You have to make yourself vulnerable. In the end it will only make you stronger.

In my roller coaster world of fitness, I’ve had friends, co-workers, etc… to help kickstart goals and in the end a lot of them wandered off (me included). We’d all start of strong and just disappear into excuses. When I finally made that decision to start my journey and not look back, I realized it relied all on me. No one else but me. I told myself I wasn’t going to let some workout kick my ass then go eat like crap. I started bootcamp with NO ONE. I didn’t know anyone there. I didn’t have any friends that wanted to show up at 5 am to workout. It was just me. I made friends and we shared in the same soreness and same results. It became fun. I started a food plan and all of our fast food habits and busy schedule didn’t mesh with it. So guess what I carried a cooler bag with me EVERYWHERE! It’s all possible. I found a support system in that group of bootcampers. My family realized the work I was doing and they jumped on my support team. So go DO WORK people! It will all fall into line once you make that decision to become a healthier you!

And now for what you all have been waiting for…. my Boom recaps! Hahah, ok so maybe you don’t care so I’ll keep it short and sweet.

7/11/13
TABATA Push Ups / Sit Ups
TABATA anything sucks. 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for 4 minutes of any movement. For us it was Push Ups and Sit Ups. I started off way too strong on Push Ups with 15. And I dropped from there on out. I believe I finished with 7 Push Ups in the last 20 seconds. UGH. As for Sit Ups I didn’t go all out for the first round and I can’t remember how many I did do but I know I ended up with 9. But I stayed pretty consistent in the 9-11 range.

MetCon: 12 Min AMRAP (get as far as you can) 40 Thrusters (115, 85) 6 Rope Climbs 20 Thrusters 3 Rope Climbs 10 Thrusters 1 Rope Climbs
I was thinking I would not survive. I went with 75lbs on the Thrusters, not know really how long it would take me to get through 40 and if I recall correctly I did them all in just under 5 minutes. Not stellar but I really suck at Thrusters so I was happy with my time. No such happiness for Rope Climbs. There is something in my brain that says if you loosen your feet to regrip the rope then my hands are automatically going to let go too. I know in reality this won’t happen but my hands stay on the rope in a death grip. So much that my hands were sore for days. So I only got 40 Thrusters in.

7/11/13

7/12/13

Strength: Front Squats 5@60% 5@65% 2×5@70%
Finally being in attendance on several front squat days has made life easier on me. I think I’m actually getting better now. Duh I know I’m getting better. Just have to show up consistently!

You can barely see the 75 but that’s my 1RM for Snatch!

Skill: Power snatch positional breakdown Metcon Power snatch 1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1
Same with Snatch. I’ve been present on days where we work on this movement and I’m getting a little more comfortable. I’ve always had this fear of dropping under the bar. I know, I have a lot of fears! I’m a headcase. I was stuck at 65lbs FOREVER because I’m scared. Finally for the CrossFit Open I was able to manage a handful of 75lb reps. But that was the last time in a long time I worked on that number. Today I worked up to 75lbs and made it official that I have a 75lb 1RM. I can get the bar up no problem. But dropping under the bar a whole other story. I need clear the fear and start getting that weight up!

7/13/13 Community WOD

We rarely know what rabbit Coach is going to pull out of the hat on Community WOD days and this was no different. He had has get in groups of 3 and handed out a chipper! Woo fun! NOT! Between the 3 of us we had to do 210 Wall Balls, 150 Over the Box Jumps and each Row a 1K. So if you know me at all, I suck at Wall Balls. I say it’s a short person issue but it’s just really a “ME” issue. Then I’m literally frightened to jump completely over the box so stepping over was acceptable. Then it was time for the row. Can I blame being short keeps me from being awesome at rowing too? I opted to Row the whole 1K without switching it up with my team. It was miserable. But I’m determined to get better at it. I can’t despise running and rowing. So I choose rowing! I know we finished under 35 minutes. I just don’t know the exact time. 33:34 or 34:33. Something like that. It was a beating 🙂

7/15/13

Strength: Squats 8@65% 8@70% 6@80% 6@85%

For real, we’ve been doing a shit ton of SQUATS. It’s good for me I know and I’m making it through but the reps and the percentages add up. And I’m surviving! PR I can’t see you yet but I know you’re there!

7/15/13 WOD

MetCon: 3 Rounds 12 DL 135/95 9 Power Cleans, 6 STOH, 3 MU (Scale is x3 dips)

It was a tough decision on if I wanted to RX or not. I’m still not 100% in regards to killing it. My wrists were a little sensitive and well I’m a baby. I went for 85lbs instead of the 95lbs. I always check with Coach first though. He’s pretty good at making sure we’re going to get work in and gauging our performance. So 85lb Deadlifts were so “light” and I thought Power Cleans would be too, but they felt a little heavy this time around and for 9 reps it wasn’t like it was 21 reps. Shoulder to Overhead was where I wasn’t sure how I would hold up. I know I didn’t want to drop the bar but I know the longer I hold it in a front rack position the more likely I am to fail. So pacing myself had to be key. I probably took too much rest in the cleans by dropping the bar too often but I really didn’t want to fail at STOH. I did scaled dips with a band and no matter what , your shoulders will fatigue! Time 11:30

7/16/13

3 rounds 800M sprint 150ft OH Lunge W/bar Rest 5 min 2×500 m row (rest as needed) aka HELL ON EARTH. Or at least that was my take on it.

1. I don’t like running. 2 My dislike for running has made me get worse. 3. I don’t like running.

Good runners probably run a 3 minute 800? Great runners probably run it in 2ish minutes? I’m not sure but sucky runners do it in about 5-7 minutes and mostly cause I was walking ! It was horrible and I’m not just saying that to say it. I KNOW I am horrible at it. And I do zero things to make it better. So I knew I had to do better at the LUNGES. And these were not going to be easy. I started off with a 45lb barbell. I made it almost halfway without stopping. My shoulders were dying. I then made several stops to the end. For the second round of Lunges I dropped to the 35lb barbell. With this weight I made it halfway without stopping! Great success! I then made it to the end with only one other stop. And for the 3rd round I again made it halfway without stopping and then finished without stopping! I knew I was dragging ass for the runs and had to make up for it somehow. After resting it was time for those rows. And it was too late to try to find a happy place. My upper body was smoked, my lower body was smoked. I was content with a 3 minute 500. I’m just glad I finished! Time for runs/lunges: 34:30.

7/16/13 WOD

7/17/13

Warm-up: 50 n 50 GHD, Yoke Push 50ft x 2

Booooo GHD. And didn’t have time Yoke Push… HOORAY!

Strength: DL 5RM

I was excited for Deadlift day. Way better than HELL ON EARTH day. That was until I got warmed up and started putting weight on the bar. I could feel my hamstring on my right leg. It wasn’t a horrible pain but it was enough to tell me to not push myself into injury. So I worked up to a 185lb 5RM. I know I could do more but I didn’t want a bum hammy. So I laid off and took it for what it was.

7/17/13 WOD

Skill/Metcon: If you are able to do the following movements you will go ME for the minute. If not you will work the skill of the move for 4 minutes straight. EMOM 20 Odd-PU/MU Even-Pistols

Yup it was all skill work for me. I am no bueno on the Pull Ups or the Pistols. WompWomp!

And there ya have it faithful readers. That’s my week! Go forth, get moving, eat clean(er), and BE AWESOME.

Hello Again

Today’s post isn’t a recap of what I did at the Boom Box or of what I ate or how I’m winning/losing in my battle to get back to fit. It’s more of a refresher as to why I’m here, who I am and to say HI to the new folks following. So HI everyone. Thanks for stopping by and thanks for sticking around and dealing with my ups and downs over the past year and a half.

I had made “GET HEALTHY” a priority for myself in February 2011 and that’s just what I did. I knew I was at a pivotal point of becoming another OBESE person of society that made excuses to justify my non existent happiness. Because if I said I was happy then everyone including myself should believe it, right? WRONG. I needed to shift my poor thought process and change! And CHANGE I did. I was the poster child of doing work, eating healthy and sticking to the plan. Even though I had met goals and was a leaner version of me I was burning out and losing interest.

Then I found CrossFit. For years it was a mysterious thing to me. I’d hear about it, go online and look it up but it was all gibberish. A foreign language with weird numbers and abbreviations in the workouts. I stayed away, never calling or inquiring more because it surely wasn’t something that I would understand. And if I can’t understand it then I will FAIL at it. But low and behold a BOX by the name of CrossFit Boom opened 2 miles away from me. My boyfriend Ernie found out about it and signed up. For someone who despised working out but kept going back had me intrigued. He was miserable and committed all at the same time. A few weeks later I was “trying” it out and was hooked.

I started changing Mentally and Physically. I learned that I just wasn’t persistent at working out. I learned I was strong. I learned I was tough. I was getting better and I could measure progress. I was lifting weights and not turning into a SHE MAN. I was doing things I had never thought possible. It was empowering.

A couple of months in, I was trying to keep logs of what I did via online sites that allowed you to input the workouts but it was too much of a hassle so I started blogging. And guess what? Having a conversation with myself online was perfect for me. And here I am.

You’ve seen the highest highs of me and the lowest lows. I’m in one of the lows right now climbing my way back up but it’s all part of my everyday journey. I want to speak to the one or to the thousands of folks out there struggling. I also want to be a part of the community of Crossfitters out there because we can all relate. And I want to speak fitness and health in general to anyone willing to read about my journey. Even if you think CrossFit or Paleo is insane! I’m not here to be your mamma, I’m here as an example.

Over the years, people ask me what I eat, why I eat the way I do, etc. And like a broken record I tell my story. And even though it feels as if I’m speaking to a brick wall day in and day out, I will still be that broken record. There’s been several occasions where people have physically seen me change, they know EXACTLY what I have done to get here but still don’t believe. A few months down the road they buy into it all and are preaching to me as if I had never shared my story with them. But you know what if I was the ‘bug’ that was in their ear that had them intrigued at one point, I’ll take it. Then there are the other folks, that gather all the info, seemed interested but still don’t want to change. They say they do but nothing happens. I can’t make you change, that has to come from within. You have to light that fire from within you.

At the end of the day I just want people to find a healthy path in life. To be able to enjoy their families and enjoy being active. We weren’t made to sit around in front of tv. Hell we weren’t made to sit at our desks either but we’re a conformed people and that’s part of it. So when you have 30 minutes or an hour, I don’t care if you have 10 minutes – Take a walk. Get some fresh air. We get so wound up with gizmos and gadgets and instant gratification we forget there’s a world out there that’s to be enjoyed.

If you’re sitting there, reading, saying “ya right” whether it be sarcastically or hopeful, then I’m talking to you! I wish everyone could know what “feeling” great on the inside and out feels like instantly but I can’t. It takes work. It takes time. And as with anything, once you start doing it, it’s not such a chore. It becomes part of you. It’s your lifestyle. Ya, Ya, I can almost here the sighing and see the eye rolling. LIFESTYLE is such a buzz word I know. But it’s so true. It’s not a temporary thing. It’s an everyday thing.

Even in my the midst of my chaos I haven’t completely abandoned the “newer” me. I still have the foundation that I built for eating clean and putting in physical work for my body. I did let the busy drag me down. I have eaten like crap. But I still make efforts. I’m six months off the EATING CLEAN TRAIN but I still show up at the box even thought the saying goes “you can’t out train a bad diet”. I could say SCREW IT. But I don’t. And if have 5 Mondays where I start over or 20 Mondays where I start over – I’m still getting back to it. And let me tell you that’s a mental battle. I know it is. I’m not saying it’s easy breezy. Once you fall down the rabbit hole it’s tough. I’m there right now. I can barely walk right now. Not because I was trying to kill myself but because I was MIA for two weeks. I pushed hard because I needed to mentally do it for me. I’m not broken, just sore. But it’s that sore that makes most people quit. The sore that says “why the hell would I do that everyday”. Well I won’t be THIS sore everyday. And in a couple of months when I’m back on track and my body has changed from being fluffy to being lean again then I will KNOW it was worth it. And I’m not going to quit.

So don’t quit folks. And if you haven’t started…. START. If you fall down, GET UP. If you fall down again, GET UP AGAIN. Commit to 30 days of eating clean and moving. Shoot commit to 10 days. Do one push up and one sit up a day. Add one rep to each day. So on day two you are doing 2 push ups and 2 sit ups and on day 3, it’s 3 push ups and sit ups. Just keep adding. Walk up and down your stairs 5 times. Do 50 jumping jacks. It really doesn’t matter. Just start moving. And move everyday.

And since you’re committed to moving now, put down the burger or the pizza. Don’t go for the cookie or the ice cream. All of the foods we eat that are part of the Standard American Diet aka SAD are killing us from the inside out. It’s inflamming our insides. Killing our joints. Suffocating our organs. But it’s so tasty you say! Life is short, I shall enjoy it and I shall consume all the fatty fried, sweet and toxic foods! There are food scientists out there that use chemicals our bodies aren’t meant to ingest to make that food oh so tasty. And we say bottoms up. And we feed it to our families. And then life becomes really short when we get oddball diseases. Even if you don’t get something life threatening, you are plagued with sickness. You write it off. I’m wired this way. It’s genetic. It’s allergies. I’m destined to be a sickly person. WRONG.

But everything in moderation is fine, right? The problem is WE as people LIE to ourselves as to what MODERATION looks like. WE may tell ourselves we ate 3 cookies but in reality we ate 5. But it’s ok cause you don’t eat cookies everyday, right? And it’s true you may not eat cookies everyday, but you probably eat something bad for you EVERYDAY. It adds up. I eat salad everyday. But do you put 5 tablespoons of dressing on it too? Low fat, no fat, it doesn’t matter. The less fat in it the more chemicals to make it taste good.

OR just maybe you aren’t eating enough. Once you are eating less than what your body needs to function, your body goes into starvation mode. Your BODY HOLDS ON TO YOUR FAT when it’s not sure of what to do. Your body needs to store fat, aka energy. Just in case! Then you splurge on a bunch of fatty foods and your brain and insides don’t know what the heck is going on. There are mixed signals going on everywhere. Your body is in chaos. And it’s a vicious cycle that goes on hour to hour, day to day. You are destined to hold on to your extra layers if you continue to starve and splurge, then starve again.

So I ask you to cut the junk. Start moving. If you already do those things and you are on your path to good health then share your story with just one person if you’d like or a hundred people. I’ll share your story if you don’t want to yourself. And don’t get defeated if the one person doesn’t “hear” you. Just stay positive and keep walking your walk. That’s all I can do. If I have zero readers or 1000 readers – I keep walking my walk. There have been many detours, distractions and other things that have made my journey unique but I still stay on path the best I can.

Whew. Like I always say when I have a post like this …. I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL. I have never had MAJOR ILLNESS or LIFE THREATENING situations. I can only share what I have learned and what I do for me. I really don’t think “eating clean” can hurt you. I’m not suggesting some weird supplement or fru fru thinking. But I am just another person. I have not had weird growths, mutations or sickness come upon me from cutting out processed foods. Please consult with your doctor if you are experiencing negative side effects.

Other than that. YOU KNOW THE DRILL….. BE AWESOME!

idrankthecfkoolaid

and it's good

get active

Putting My Blinders On

Putting in the WORK

Hello Again

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