BOOM! Whole30 Complete!

And guess what? I’m just going to keep on keeping on. Like I’ve mentioned before, I may not be PERFECT but I’m going to try and hit 90% weekly. That allows me to have two OFF ROAD meals a week if I desire. But right now at this moment, I can’t even imagine eating junk! I was talking about it to my box mates and I was saying, I’ve only put “clean” food in my body for 30 days. My stomach is going to hate me if I stray from that. So the desire to eat out or eat junk is not there for me. At least not for the now. Heck this is only DAY ONE of post Whole30. A lot can change. Let’s just hope it doesn’t change too much!

I didn’t take measurements, which I should have! DANG IT. But I did lose 10lbs! SCORE! I still have many more pounds to shed but it’s a good start. This keeps me motivated to keep eating clean. I did take some before and after pics but I decided I will take them in 30 day intervals until I hit a weight that I know I should be around. Then I should, no promises, share my progress. One of my kiddos who helped me take pics could definitely see the difference from my pictures 30 days ago. I’m excited what another 30 days will look like.

You too can do this! So look up Whole30, download their free pdfs, scour the forums, and get to it already. Someone mentioned that it seemed like it went fast. And I’ll say at around day 12 is when it seemed like the days just ticked along at a nice pace. The first couple of days are EXCITING. Wooo! I’m doing this, but after a few days in, it’s like OH CRAP I’m doing this :/. By day 12, I was definitely more in control. The mind isn’t so stubborn. You just DO! You do what you have to in order to make this work. Before you know it, it’s Day 30!

But you have to make that commitment. You can’t let Birthday Parties, family from out of town, office functions, etc. get in your way! Your family is NOT going to fall down dead because you didn’t have birthday cake at your grandpa’s 99th birthday. Your boss shouldn’t fire you for not having happy hour drinks. And your Mom, sister, brother or WHOEVER is not going to disown you if they come to town and you are doing Whole30. Sure you may get questions, weird looks, exclamations of insanity, but it’s your choice to be a healthier you. You are a grown up. You are an adult. You can make your bed if you want or not. You can eat and drink till you want to explode. But the minute you decide to cut “bad” foods out of your life, it’s like, ” OH $hI†, I can’t give up wine. And eating out, not possible. I can’t do this.” And you go into panic mode. Well I’m here to tell you, YOU CAN give it up for 30 days. You WILL feel better. You WILL feel a difference. So suck it up buttercup. Stop sitting on the fence. On Day 31 you can revert to all the unhealthy foods and habits. But I’m thinking/hoping that won’t be the case. Hopefully, you’ll see the forest through the trees! Don’t forget, I’m here for you as a cheerleader or as a listener. I will support you. You got this!

Boom Box
2/4/14
Strength: 50 heavy Russian Swings
1.5 Pood. Booo!

Skill: HandStand Push Ups
My wrist isn’t supporting me right now, so I just watched from the sidelines.

2/4/14 WOD

MetCon: 4 rounds of 400m Run, 30 KB Swings, 15 Strict Pull Ups
Oh man, running and pull ups! Not my kind of fun at all. But if I try and cherry pick my WODs, then I won’t get better at my weaknesses. It wasn’t pretty. My runs were slow and my Pull Ups even slower. The only thing I had going for me were the KB Swings. I don’t really even have much to say except that I finished. Time: 26:42

2/5/14
Strength: Turkish Get Ups for weight & 3 sets max Ring Dips
A couple of weeks ago we did a MetCon with TGU and my wrist couldn’t handle the kettle bell. Today I could at least do the 25lb KB. I didn’t try pushing more because the good ol’ wrist is a little worn out and I want it to heal up, not get worse!

Skill: Pistols
It is what it is. I’m not there yet. But we worked on them to get warmed up for the MetCon.

2/5/14 WOD

MetCon: For time – 200 Sit Ups, 4 alt Pistols EMOM. Start with Pistols
My modified pistols were done by holding on to a bar on the Pull Up rig. With all my clean eating, my knee didn’t even cause the tiniest of pain. I’m always scared with my left leg because it HURTS. But today I was able to bust them out quickly. And fortunately I was able to do Sit Ups in a good time. Well, a good time for me! I did 31 in my first minute. But I couldn’t keep that pace, but from then on out I did anywhere from 18-26 reps per minute. Doing Pistols EMOM is a little break, but not a big one. And for once, I just kept a good pace with Sit Ups. I didn’t pause for anything. I would just go slower or faster, but no stopping! Time: 9:46.

That’s a Wrap!
I feel good. My brain is ALERT. My energy is up. And my overall recovery from workouts is at it’s best. Wooooooo! I wish I could give everyone a taste of how I feel, so you can experience the feeling! That would, without a doubt push you to make changes. But, alas, I have no magical skills to do such things. You’ll just have to take my word for it!

Have a Happy HUMP Day! Do something out of your comfort zone today, like 200 Sit Ups or hold a Plank for as long as you can. Or just drink half your body weight in ounces of water (200lbs = 100 oz water). Do Something!

Also, if you are in DFW, CrossFit Boom is hosting another Community WOD, this Saturday at 9am. Yoga at 10am. Don’t be scared or intimidated. We have all levels of fitness that show up. It’s fun, laid back and then some more fun. Coach works around injuries and limitations. There’s something for everyone. Come on out and play with us!

Drumroll please……… DAY 30!

You know it. Although my Day THIRTY is not complete, it soon will be! I made it! I am crossing the FINISH LINE!

It wasn’t the smoothest ride but I fared pretty well. I ate compliant foods the whole way and although some of my weekends were a little off on proportions, I still hit this one out of the park. I was mentally prepared for the challenges I knew I would face and by the end of this journey, the temptations and cravings were no more. I know I will not be 100% from here on out but I hope to be 90-95%. I hope to continue with my food prep and staying on task but if I go rogue once a week on dinner, it won’t be the end of my world. I have no plan post Whole30. I just want to be better than I was for a majority of 2013. I don’t think that will be hard because I feel so darn good. I like where I’m at. And I don’t want to go back!

I learned that no matter how good you are at clean eating or how disciplined, there will be pitfalls. I know there will be struggles. I know, because I fell into the abyss around April of 2013 and it took me 9 months to find the light. I’ve learned that if my body and brain feel better then I’m not as harsh on my physical self that I see in the mirror. We are our worst critics and I’m super bad! But when I feel good because I’m eating good, I’m less likely to nitpick at myself. I’ve RE-learned that just because we are busy that I can always make time to get GOOD CLEAN food and I can’t use TIME as an excuse. I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s true.

Superbowl Sunday baked drumsticks with a mango glaze and tossed in Ghee and Franks Red Hot Sauce. YUMMO!

Whole30 and Beyond
I do plan on trying new Paleo recipes so I will try and share those as I go along. Honey and some pastured dairy are all I really plan to add occasionally back into my kitchen. If I eat anything non-compliant it will because of a social outing. And of course, I’ll let you know when my off-road eating gets the best of me!

I’m here to cheer you on, be your support system, or answer any questions if you choose to do your own Whole30. There are also many supportive folks in the forums at Whole30.com. So don’t be afraid to see what’s going on over there.

CrossFit Boom
As always, I will continue to post my workouts here so that’s never going away! I did end up making it to the Friday morning workout, so yay for that. Then there was the Community WOD and Yoga on Saturday, both of which are fun.

1/31/14
Test Day BOOM Total: Snatch, Squat Clean Thruster, Back Squat ADD Total weight!

Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing! So even with the wrist not 100% I was still able to hit my 1RM on Snatch. That’s not great since I feel I could do more weight, but I a scaredy cat As for Squat Clean Thrusters it’s a NO GO. I could clean the bar by itself but to Squat and then do a Thruster was too much. Coach T asked if I wanted to do something funky in regards to Cleaning the weight so I said SURE! Let’s Clean like Kelly Starrett!

Yay, that was fun! And I can actually do my favorite lift now! I didn’t start out doing the Mixed Grip, which probably would have helped with heavier weight. But I did get to 105lbs which isn’t bad for my first go round at this new Chicken Wing method. Moving on to Back Squat, I feared I wasn’t going to get close to 175lbs which is my 1RM but I managed to hit 165lbs. I’ll take that for now. I know you can’t always max out or hit new PRs. It’s been a hard lesson learned over they years but I finally found my peace with it! Totals: 75, 105, 165 = 345lbs

1/31/14 Test Day

2/3/14 Chicken Wing Pt. 2

Midline: 30 T2B
Have no fear T2B are still here! Woot Woot! Now if I could just string them together!

Strength: Back Squat 5×5 @75%
Mondays and Squats. Just wasn’t feeling it today. So 5 sets of 5 at 135lbs felt HEAVY. I was ready to go home after that! My hips are smoked!

MetCon: 4 min AMRAP of 10 HrPU and 5 Cleans 115/75 rest 3 min then 4 min AMRAP of 10 HrPU and 5 Cleans 115/75
I was so excited to actually be able to do Cleans in a MetCon again! Granted, they will be slower than normal because I can not touch and go with a chicken wing but I can do them! This time, I started off with the Mixed Grip and felt that my hand was less likely to try and revert to a normal Clean movement which was good on the wrist. Since the weight was not heavy I tried to catch the weight at the bottom so I could have a little more fluidity. This only worked half of the time though. Push Ups are what got me. I only got 4 Push Ups in and my wrist felt tight and achy, so I moved back to fist Push Ups. This was no fun and I really dragged ass. Final: 8 rounds RX

2/3/14 WOD

That’s a Wrap!
Thank you all in general for being faithful readers. And an Extra BIG Thank You for your support during my Whole30. I would hug you all if I could! Having something to blog about other than my workouts is definitely nice but now that Whole30 is over, I hope you continue to stick around. I’m still planning on getting involved in more giveaways and what not so stay tuned.

Remember it’s not about being perfect, it’s about making progress! Every meal is a new meal, every day is a new day. If I were to pick one thing to eliminate for good that would be WHEAT. I know what it does to my body when I reintroduce it and it’s not good. So just pick one thing to ADD or ELIMINATE from your life for at least 30 days. See if anything changes. Then change something else for the next 30 days. No one said you had to go cold turkey! But it sure is helpful if you do! Don’t forget Paleo Parents has a handy dandy e-book, 3 Phase Paleo that will help you make the transition. You can find the link to the book in the menu bar, top right!

Have a beautiful Tuesday and Whole30 ON!

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!

It’s a La-di-da Kind of Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Found!

At the corner of Clean Eating and Consistency, I FOUND my Toes To Bar! What! What! This my friends is a big deal. Back in early 2013 I still had them but as time went on, the LBS packed on and my Boom Box attendance floundered. I slowly but surely lost them. I wasn’t beastly at them in the first place but how sad it was to know how easy T2B can just disappear. Now boys and girls they are back! I was so excited, you have no idea. Whole30 will not do you wrong! I can’t promise it will always be rainbows and unicorns but eventually you find that happy place and it feels good.

So it’s Day TWENTY THREE and Day THIRTY is out there in the shadows. So much of me wants to just keep on keepin on, but so much of me wants a little break too. This is such a hard mental battle. I’m determined to stay on the right track but I’m already making up excuses in my head for days I have to offroad a bit. I’m hoping when push comes to shove, that I just stick it out and stay strong. WholeLife it on.

1/27/14 Lunch

Food and the work that comes with it!
A lot of people moan and groan on how much work it takes to prep and cook when they start off on the Whole30. It’s true, it is work but it does get easier. For a lot of people, this is completely new and it can be a little bit overwhelming. You aren’t just picking up your normal items in the grocery store. You aren’t buying processed, full of badness, boxed food where you just add a protein. You have to hunt down specific things and maybe even venture into other grocery stores, which in itself could be a confusing adventure. It can also be very defeating because there a lot of staples out there that just aren’t Whole30 compliant and you’ve probably been buying them your whole life. At this point, I’m hoping you’re determined enough to at least start. But as with any new endeavor, once you learn the ropes, it all starts becoming easier. You learn and make new kitchen habits. You will try to find ways to be more efficient and soon enough it will be second hand. I would say that halfway through Whole30 is when you probably will find ease in your prepping. You’ll know what works for you.

What worked for me most, is that I keep all of my free Whole30 downloads with me, along with a copy of It Starts With Food. I keep my phone linked to Whole30 forums so I can do quick and easy searches. On my first Whole30, I tagged all the important pages and I constantly referenced them. This time around, I mostly just keep them with me so I have ZERO excuse when I want to give up. I literally carry a bag with me with all of the literature. It’s with me at work, it’s with me in the car, it’s with me at home. All of the time. I know with technology you can have your smartphones or iPads, but there’s something about me physically carrying the paper and books that keeps me focused.

Even though I’ve made Paleo Mayo a lot, I still bust out the Whole30 recipe and put it on my counter. I’m in a hurry most everyday so I’m liable to screw it up. I make sure I read the recipe every time even though I have it memorized. It’s not work anymore. It’s just what I do. I’ve made new habits. You will too. And remember it’s only 30 days. You can push yourself outside your comfort zone for one month out of a year!

1/27/14 Boom Box
Midline: 50 Hollow Rocks
What can I say? I still don’t like Hollow Rocks. Same as it ever was.

Strength: Back Squats 3×10 @65%
Who doesn’t love Squat time? But it’s been a while since I’ve worked on Back Squats. We were doing a lot of Front Squats and my wrist was holding me back so the weight wasn’t as heavy. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel. But 65% of 175 isn’t so bad. My first set wasn’t weak but it was slow. I picked up the pace for the other two sets and felt much better about everything.

1/27/14 WOD

MetCon: 8 min AMRAP of 8 T2B and 5 DL 225/135
Well you already had the spoiler at the beginning of this post, but I wasn’t sure I’d do Toes to Bar. I really had the mindset coming in that I would do Knees to Elbow. But Coach had us warm up a little bit with Knees to Elbow before we started and I realized how close I was to T2B so I went for it and FAILED. But I was so close. So I went for it again and I failed! I probably did that for 4 or 5 times and finally my TOES hit the FREAKIN BAR! Well I done did it. Now I have to do it in the workout! Doh! So even though I hit the bar, I wasn’t sure I’d do it for 8 reps or MORE!

Even though I couldn’t string them together it turns out FOR MY STATUS, I was killing it! I only had 2 No Reps, and I probably did rest a little more than I should have but I kept chipping away. Deadlifts were relatively light but again. I rested a little too long before picking up the bar. Final: 4 rounds + 3 T2B RX! Small victory for me 🙂

That’s a Wrap!
It’s cold down here in Texas and I’d love nothing more than some comfort foods. So I’ll probably have Steak and Cauli Mash for dinner! But a lot can happen between now and then. So we’ll see. I do hope you all are making things happen. I’d love nothing more than to see and hear happy reports of progress and change! Stop waffling and get on board if you haven’t committed yet. Do something NOW!

We have a Winner!

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

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

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

1/24/14 Lunch

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

1/24/14 WOD

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

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

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

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

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

1/25/14 Community WOD

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

Evil Airdyne

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

Yoga

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

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

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

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

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

Dinner out with the Ladies of CrossFit Boom.

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

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

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

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

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

It’s a FAB FRIDAY, y’all!

I’m almost 2/3 done with Whole30. Day NINETEEN! This is a point where I feel I could do this FOREVER. Not making any promises, but I’m definitely back on track! It’s been great cleaning up my foods.

I feel better, my workouts are better and best of all RECOVERY from workouts is at it’s best. Even though cooking can still feel like a chore, I’ve learned to just suck it and stop pouting like a 5 year old! Just do it and get it over with.

Last night, I had the best CHICKEN THIGHS I’ve ever cooked. OR maybe I was just hungry. I typically bake them in the oven. But last night I cooked them on the stove taking notes from NOM NOM Paleo. I took out the bones. I didn’t mash them down like she did but it was not easy task removing the bone. So I did enough tenderizing my hand! While I was busy with deboning the thighs, I had coconut oil heating up in a pan. I salted the skin side and laid them in the oil. Then I seasoned the meat. I let the chicken cook skin side down for probably 8 minutes. Then I flipped and let cook for about 4 minutes. It was juicy and flavorful and melted in my mouth. Nothing beats PASTURE chicken skin! So good.

1/23/14 Dinner

I missed my 5 a.m. workout today but hoping to get it in this evening. My stomach has been doing a number on me the past 3 days. And this morning it was a rumbling. So I slept in. Nothing serious, but probably finally healing up from all the damage I put it through in 2013!

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

I’ll be on the downhill stretch for my Whole30 update on Monday. It feels so GOOD to feel GOOD again! And don’t forget TODAY is the last day to enter the 3 Phase Paleo E-book Giveaway. And if you just don’t want to take the gamble to see if you win, you can Click HERE to buy it NOW.

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

Happy Friday! Make it great. Get your planning, prepping and organizing done. Be ready for the last week of January! Be Bullet PROOF! Just make one change if that’s all you got. But do it already! Stop dragging your feet like a 2 year old that doesn’t want to leave the toy store! And thank you all again for sticking with me for this long! 2014 is going to be FANTABULOUS!

Tiger Blood…not just yet

It’s Day SIXTEEN of Whole30! Yayaya. Made it through the halfway point and holding strong. By now I should be feeling like I have the blood of tigers. That’s what they say on the Whole30 timeline. While I’m not ready to take on the world I sure as heck feels tons better. So it’s coming along. This past weekend though seemed to be the hardest on me as far as wanting to stick with it. I was ready to throw in the towel and just go out to eat. Have some tasty food and beverages.

But I just sucked it up and stuck with my compliant foods. Saturday, however, was probably too much snacking for me. Boredom struck. And I found myself eating too much trail mix and too much fruit. I didn’t really feel any ramifications from it, but I KNEW I should have held back and think things through better.

I’ve been really bad at taking pics of my food. I have a couple here but nothing too exciting! As far as following Weeknight Paleo, I opted out for week 3. There was some tasty dishes but they included honey. And I just can’t imagine the recipes tasting the same if I eliminated some key ingredients. I wasn’t prepared ahead enough for other weeks either. So I just bought enough staples that I know I will eat for this week.

1/17/14 Lunch

1/20/14 Lunch

Boom Box 1/17/14
Skill: Bar Muscle Ups
I was able to work on some of the progressions but I could only do so much. The wrist still needs work. A lot of the pain is gone, now it’s mobility and getting back on track. I still can’t hold my body weight, but I’m getting closer.

1/17/14 WOD

MetCon: 12 min AMRAP of 15 Wall Balls, 3 Bar MU, 6 T2B
Ya, so I showed up for the 5pm class and whaddya know. Badasses show up. I’m the only on there who can’t do MUs or T2B. It’s depressing and motivating all at the same time. I was able to drop the ball for Wall Balls since catching the ball puts a lot of strain on the wrist. Still wishing I could carry on this modification, but I know I will have to go back to catching that darn ball. I did banded pull ups instead of Bar MUs. I was, however, stringing more reps together. Yay! And for the T2B, my hands didn’t hurt nearly as much for my Knees to Elbows. I can only attribute Whole30 and eating clean. Because a couple of weeks ago, I was way more of a baby. Final: 3 rounds + 5 Wall Balls.

1/20/14
Midline: 50 Hollow Rocks and 50 Superman Rocks
We ended up doing these at the end of class and I’m so much better at Superman Rocks than Hollow Rocks. Why is that?

Strength: OH squats 2-2-2-2 Tempo 10/4/x/1
O M GEEEE. This tempo negative stuff is killing me. Last week it was Front Squats, now it’s Overhead Squats! Doh! I was just happy that I could do them! Wooooo! Told you my wrist is getting better. I started off with 55lbs and felt good. 10 seconds to go down, hold for 4 seconds, pop up fast and repeat. I felt good, so I jumped to 65lbs… TOO MUCH TOO SOON! My weak right forearm was not prepared and fatigued fast. So I dropped to 55lbs, but I was done. So I continued with the bar. Baby steps I know. But I’m so ready to do work. And the wrist is so close to feeling better!

1/20/14 WOD

MetCon: 6 min Ladder of 1 Push-up HR, 1 HSPU, 2 Push-ups HR 2 HSPU …. The mod for HSPU is box step overs. get as high as possible!
Uh ya, I had higher hopes for this MetCon but I did the best I could. I totally forgot to wrap my knuckles with tape before we started. And they got beat down pretty fast. I always feel like I’m going to tear. And I’m a big baby. So it didn’t add up for fast reps. Not sure if I had been doing regular push ups that I would have done better, but it HURTED and again, total cry baby here! Final: 9 rounds + 3 Push Ups.

This weekend is a COMMUNITY WOD at 9am and Yoga at 10am and Ladies Night at 6pm! Not sure if I’ll make the morning classes or not but I will be at Ladies Night. If you are in the DFW area and want to check out CrossFit and see what our box is about, YOU ARE INVITED.

That’s a Wrap!
Just want to remind you I’m hosting a giveaway. It’s for an e-book by Paleo Parents called 3 Phase Paleo. If you’re not ready to go COLD TURKEY into Paleo living then this is the book for you. Even if you’re already Paleo, there are still 75 recipes, along with nifty tips and links to keep you on the right track.

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

This e-book provides helpful strategy to transition you and your family over to the Paleo lifestyle. Here is the post. At the bottom of the post you will find directions to enter the giveaway. Go enter now for a chance to win a copy. If you’re ready to just buy buy buy, then Click HERE. Or find the link in my menu on the right hand side.

Other than that, let’s get through this week STRONG! Are you staying hydrated? Eating enough Veggies? How about that Healthy FAT? Let’s do this folks. Chime in on how you are doing so far. February will be here before we know it!

E-Book Review and Giveway – 3 Phase Paleo

Alright boys and girls I told you I would have a giveaway and I do! This is my first book review so cut me some slack. And it’s an e-book to boot.

Stacy and Matt over at Paleo Parents have come out with another fantastic book. If you are not familiar with them please go check them out at http://www.paleoparents.com. Their story is amazing and the Paleo lifestyle has transformed their lives completely. They also have a great blog, podcast and 2 other books out there for the Paleo life that’s not only for you, but for your kiddos too.

When I saw/heard they were coming out with their latest book 3 Phase Paleo, I thought PERFECT! There are so many people that ask me so many questions and I don’t always feel like I’ve hit the mark when I tell people what they need to do to become Paleo. Granted most of my conversations are surface only and people rarely want to dig deeper and maybe that’s my fault and poor delivery. But now that I’ve read 3 Phase Paleo, I wish I had this when I made the switch. A simple but effective guide to not only taking charge of you personally but your whole family.

Even though I’ve been Paleo (off and on) for the past 2 years, there are still things I have yet to fully put into practice for my entire family. Reading this e-book has given me a new perspective and insight on Paleo living.

And for those of you without kiddos, have no fear, don’t let the Parents part of the name steer you away. You don’t have to be a parent to enjoy what this e-book has to offer. I feel EVERYONE can learn from this e-book. They do however make it practical to integrate your whole family.

So let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Can you really transform your eating lifestyle in 3 simple phases? Sure you can! In the e-book you will find the 3 phases clearly outlined. Whether you are on the SAD (standard American diet) or even if you are “paleo-ish” already these phases will help you transform to a full Paleo lifestyle.

SWAP, REMOVE and HEAL.

You will find a plenty of information, live links and helpful hints to get you going through steps easily. There are useful shopping guides for shopping online and in stores. And best of all there is a Food Swap Guide that shows you how to start switching out the foods you are accustomed to and replacing them with better choices.

Once you’ve learned to swap out foods and become excited about making better choices you move into the REMOVE stage. Eliminate all Grains, Dairy, Processed Oils and Legumes. This may be hard for some folks as we’ve learned as a society to consume all the grains and that beans are awesome for you. But with elimination, you and your family will find unique and creative ways to eat other foods. In this section of the book, they provide you with helpful ways to keep your kitchen stocked with the right ingredients to keep you successful in your transition.

Now it’s time to HEAL. You’ve reached the point of finding a happy place in how you eat. But now you need to introduce nutrient dense foods. Even for me some of this is still a struggle but they explain nicely why it’s important. They recommend and focus on 4 essential foods: organ meats, broth and gelatin, fermented foods and seafood. You will also learn that it’s not just the foods that Heal, but it’s being active, getting proper sleep and enjoying your loved ones.

Sounds like a winner right? Like I mentioned, there are helpful links and tips throughout the entire e-book. And you also get 75 recipes to help you get started. They are even marked with the phase they belong in to help you get through each phase. And don’t worry if you have an allergy to eggs or nuts, there are still several recipes that fall into one or both categories so that you can still enjoy your new Paleo adventure.

Are you still not sure you want to jump in and go out and purchase the e-book? Well, I’ve teamed up with Paleo Parents so that you have a chance to win your own copy! But if you can’t wait, by all means, Click HERE or take a look on my menu bar to the right and you can go right ahead and purchase your own copy today! But if you do want to enter, then I’d like for you to follow a few steps.

First: Subscribe to Paleo Parents newsletter
Second: Like “idrankthecfkoolaid” on Facebook
Third: Find the Rafflecopter Widget on my GIVEAWAYS on idrankthecfkoolaid Facebook page and follow those instructions.
Fourth: Comment on this post to let me know you did all of the above.

All images and references are credited to Paleo Parents and 3Phase Paleo by Stacy Toth and Matthew McCarry. This giveaway will end January 24th. at 11:59 CST time.

I hope this was helpful to you all. I look forward to your entries.

Chugging Along – Whole30 Day EIGHT

I SURVIVED THE WEEKEND! WOOOHOOOO! The weekend is where I typically crumble. We got things to do; I don’t want to plan; And then I cave in for BAD FOODS. I don’t just cave though, I disappear into the bad food, junk food abyss. But this weekend, I was prepared. And I made it!

Day FIVE Lunch/Dinner
My meals were just a combo of leftovers. A little bit of matchstick salad. A little bit of salmon. A little bit of chicken. Nothing exciting or major.

Day SIX
I started off my morning trying out YOGA at the BOOM Box. I’ve dabbled in a class or two in my past but never got into it. It’s been several years since I’ve attempted anything yoga related. Boy oh boy, do I suck at this. But as I warmed up and understood the tempo and how things went along, I did get a little better. I realize how tight everything is when I’m trying to relax. Even so far as my cheek muscles didn’t want to give. It was beneficial to me and I hope to keep on attending as the classes pop up.

When I got home, I did a quick heat of some grassfed ground beef, onions, spinach, tomatoes and over medium eggs. Ate a handful of raw trail mix and out the door we went. Good thing we came home in time for me to eat lunch, but I did have hardboiled eggs, fruit and some salad packed up just in case home wasn’t an option! Instead I stir fried some leftover chicken, threw in some broccoli and a handful of coconut flakes and voila! Lunch. And dinner was pretty much the same. Heated up and finished up leftovers. Also had a nice mug of Bone Broth. I could be an addict. It’s sooo good.

Day SEVEN
One full week in Wooooo! Before we headed out to do our shopping for the day I had some eggs, broccoli, tomatoes and a clementine. I can’t remember what fat I had but it was probably coconut flakes.

I had my shopping list in hand ready to purchase foods for Week 2 of Weeknight Paleo. Ernie really really like the pork from last week. So instead of Steaks, we are going to redo pork and just make the sides that would go with the steaks. I’m excited for the menu because it has new things like turnips and celery root, both of which are foreign to me. When we got back home, I went straight into prep mode. I was a little less enthusiastic this time around. My head started pounding. My stomach wasn’t happy and I was not feeling the prep time. I still muddled through most of it before I took my lunch break.

Paleo Chicken Salad and Sweet Potato Chips. Not a pretty pic but yummy!

I took leftover roast chicken, way too much onion, green apple and diced it all up. Then I threw in some paleo mayo (on the verge of expiring), and voila Chicken Salad. I also took some sweet potato slices and fried them up in some coconut oil for some chips. I probably could have thrown some kind of green veggie in there but I was dragging, starving and not feeling well all at the same time. Finished up some of the prep then took a NAP! I felt a little better when I woke up and waited for my Pork Roast to finish before I did anymore food prep.

By the evening I had all of my PWO meals made. I had emergency hard boiled eggs made. I had Pork to last us a couple of meals and a few other veggies chopped and ready to go.

Day EIGHT
BOOM Box 1/13/14
Midline: 30 hollow rocks
I think I will never like these. My ribs are broken.

Strength: Front Squats 4 sets 3 reps @ temp 103X1 (10 sec neg, 3 sec hold, fast up, 1 sec at top) without dropping 10 reps AFAP
I CAN FRONT RACK THE BAR! I CAN FRONT RACK THE BAR! But that is all. Now that I know can do this, I just need to work the movement regularly. My wrist is tight but not pained. When I added weight, well that’s a little scary. So I definitely need to work my way up slowly.

As for this tempo Front Squat, negatives and what not. It was hard on me today. My left shoulder was not on my side today. It was in pain and limited mobility. So after a few reps in, the frankensteining was taking a toll. I had a hard time holding the bar up. So even though I did try to stay on track, I just couldn’t. I still got work in, just not the kind of work Coach was wanting.

1/13/14 WOD

MetCon: 7 min AMRAP 5 HSPU 5 Clean & Jerks 135/95
For me it was Ring Push Ups and Dumbbell Clean & Jerks (25lb dumbbells). I never felt right doing the Ring Push Ups but my triceps and shoulders were on fire, so something was working. And for the Clean & Jerks, as I got through, they seemed to get easier. Just working overhead in general is a work in progress. But I’m glad I’m working my back. Final: 6 rounds + 5 Ring Push Ups

As for PWO meal, just some chicken and pureed sweet potatoes. It was breakfast that is still OH SO HARD to eat. 1. I’m not hungry. 2. I’m not hungry. 3. I don’t want to chew my food. But alas, I had 2 hardboiled eggs, a cup of broccoli, handful of cherry tomatoes and some trail mix. At least it holds me till lunch. I just wish I could drink the meal. But Whole30 frowns on drinking your meals. Something about the chewing of food and the messages that sends your brain. Work in Progress. Just fighting through today for sure.

That’s a wrap!
As you can see, the shiny new excitement has worn off just a touch. Don’t get me wrong, I’m in this. I just am so blah about it right now. I guess the best description I have for it now is that it’s more of a chore than exciting. I need a personal chef. That would help tremendously! For real!

I hope you all are getting your workouts in and sticking to whatever healthy plans you are on! Don’t forget to stay hydrated! And Stay Strong!

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