Walking… Today It’s a Struggle

A few weeks ago, my workplace had a health fair type day. There was a little bit of everything. Health food vendors, massage therapists, wellness screenings and raffle prizes for health related stuff. They also had a sign-up to win sessions with a trainer. I figured why not, I need the extra kick in the butt and it would be during my lunch hour… so I threw my name in. Turns out everyone who signed up got to be in the training session. Woooo!

It’s mostly cardio based (which I do need) and so far has been nice extra push to my CrossFit world. The bad thing is that there are MIRRORS everywhere! I haven’t been in a non-CrossFit type environment in over 3 years where there are ZERO mirrors. Suddenly I found myself turning into my old way of thinking – judging everything – about ME. I know I have some extra layers of flub on me the but the mirrors are a huge negative reminder. Not that I don’t own a mirror at home but when I’m working out, I’m working out! Feeling good. Feeling empowered. I have strength and I press on. So day one, although good, was strangely stressful. I did better on day two though. Just pushed through and brought the intensity.

Adding that to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday CrossFit classes and I’m smoked. My shins, quads, hammies, feet… they all hate me! Not in the “overdid” it kind of way. But close! I need the shake up both physically and of course when it comes to food. I’m getting there. Making better choices and really trying to focus on the phrase I know all too well… “You can’t out train a bad diet!”

Tuesday – 4/21/15

SKILL & STRENGTH
8 min EMOM
odd 10 KB lunges
even 2 Turkish Get-Ups

Eight minutes isn’t a very long time. But add up the lunges and the balance it takes for Turkish Get-Ups and I was feeling like I could have called it a day!

CONDITIONING
CHIPPER for: (TOTAL TIME)
10-1
Pull-ups (modification: Ring Rows
OHS 65/45

Chippers. They can be your worst enemy sometimes. But I feel when it’s set up to to go from higher reps to lower reps, it’s easier on the mindset. The first set of Ring Rows and OHS went along smoothly. I did them all unbroken. I know that’s not impressive, being that Ring Rows aren’t entirely difficult an the OHS was only 45 lbs. But the idea is to move fast and get some work in. And then the round of 9. Ring Rows slowed down. I had to break them up. It was a sad state of affairs. But at least I was crushing my OHS. By the time I got to the round of 5, I was not feeling as defeated. I was almost done and the reps were getting fewer and fewer. I wanted to push harder on the Ring Rows… but there’s a point where the brain is not winning. Time: 8:30

Wednesday, 4/22/15

SKILL & STRENGTH
8x – 50ft band sprints

Not much to say here. Short and sweet.

CONDITIONING
5 rounds for: (Total Time)
Run 400m
20 KB Swings (1.5/1)
30ft Handstand Walk (Modified: shoulder touches on box)

Running. Bleh. If you know me, my feelings on running have not changed. Sadly, probably only have become more negative. After my first run, I thought my left calf was going to literally explode, so I nicely asked if I could substitute the run with a row. Coach was cool with it. Which was great cause if not then I’d still be out there trying to finish!

KB Swings at 1 Pood… easy peasy! Ha. Maybe for the first 3 rounds. But towards the end, everything was a struggle.

And for my modified shoulder touches. I initially thought I got this. So I popped up into a handstand against the wall and just stood there. All I had to do was lift one hand off the ground and touch my shoulder. But my hands did not move. Didn’t budge So I had to go to an even more modified situation using a box.

This I could do. Right hand to right shoulder. Left hand to left shoulder. 30 times. Rounds 4 and 5 were a blur. But I finished. Time: 23:04

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!

Pretty Muddy Giveaway and other ramblings

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

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

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

HOW TO ENTER idrankthecfkoolaid.com’s giveaway

It’s simple.

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

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

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

The PRIZES
4 total race entries to give away.

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

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

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

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

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

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

2/14/14 WOD

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

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

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

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

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

2/18/14 WOD

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

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

2/19/14 WOD

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

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

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

My first weekend Post Whole30

I have a little less than 2 weeks left and then baseball chaos ensues. I feel like I’m in a good place though to survive ballparks and the food that comes with them. I off-roaded in the food dept this weekend. More than 2 meals, doh. But I didn’t go overboard or eat too much. In the end it’s my neglect to portion sizes that get me. And my love of the sugars. Fortunately though I didn’t go bonkers. And I didn’t even indulge in the cake ball madness. Only to taste some new flavor combos because my taste testers were not around. I did good y’all! I typically would have overindulged till I was sick to my stomach.

My kids have been on me. They know I like to eat. And they know I like to eat all the things. But when offered burgers for dinner from a little burger joint down the road, I kindly said NO, I have food at home to eat. I do have will power, I do!

The BOOM Box
Y’all should really come check out our Community WODs. They are so much fun and we all have a good time, even if at times we aren’t sure if we’ll even complete the workout. We always do and there’s always a great support system.

2/8/14
There was a nice group that showed up on Saturday and coach spared us from running in the cold. He did not however spare us of lots of reps of stuff. Teams of 4 to complete 100 Handstand Push Ups, 100 KB Swings, 100 Wall Balls, and 100 Shoulder to Overhead. We could “spot” our teammates on the HSPUs which we did with just one person! That’s a lot of HSPU, assisted or not. Then we just busted out sets of 10’s or 20s in the other movements. I don’t recall our time exactly but it was in the 13 minute mark I believe.

But we weren’t done, Coach had us race a 500M row. Not just row 500 but unstrap and run to a wall 30ft away. We have 4 rowers and had about 4 or 5 heats. The heat I was on, was all ladies. I’m not so good on the rowing so I figured I’d turn up last. The whole time everyone was yelling how we were all neck and neck. I thought no way, I’m so short and so slow. Turns out we all did finish with in seconds or less… so it was all about who got their feet unstrapped first. And to my surprise and almost falling on my face, I made it to the wall first! My legs were dead!

I got to be the example as Brett explained Warrior and Warrior 2.

Yoga followed that and Brett, our yoga instructor took the opportunity to really teach us more as most of us are beginners. It was nice to really break down different movements and to learn and understand we will always be at different paces as well as hold movements differently. I still lack in many aspects of yoga, but I’m getting better each time I hope.

2/10/14
For some reason, whether I have good reason or not, I’m struggling getting to the 5am class on Mondays! So I managed to hit up 6pm. And it was all about the MODFICATIONS.

Midline: 30 T2B Strength
Still got these, but still not stringing them together. But today was a MONDAY and I just wasn’t feeling it!

Strength: Back Squat 8×3 @80%
I’d much rather do lots of sets of low reps than a few sets of high reps. So this was nice and my HIPS weren’t completely jacked!

2/10/14 WOD

MetCon: 8 min AMRAP of 20 Thrusters 95/65, 10 HSPU, 20 Hang cleans 95/65
And this is where the modifications came in. 20 Push Ups instead of 10 HSPU. I can only do Thrusters with the bar right now and I can clean more weight than with proper technique. I can only do the chicken wing clean. So Coach asked if I could do 55lbs and I said I’ll try. Well that was dumb. I forgot in a split second I can’t properly clean the bar. So that hurted. So he decided to have me do STOH with the weight already racked. I said sure! 3, 2, 1 GO. I went to get the bar and go overhead and I couldn’t do it. The damage had been done and my wrist was not happy. So I looked at Coach while everyone was gettin after it, like I can’t do it. So I went to Push Ups while he figured out a modification for me. I did KB Swings in lieu of Hang Cleans and I did a Thruster mod with dumbbells. Final: 3 rounds + 20 Push Ups

That’s a Wrap!
I’m looking forward to some warmer weather at the end of this week but right now I just want to hibernate! Are you staying strong to clean eating or giving in? Remember every meal is a fresh start so don’t let a slip up drag you down for the week. Don’t forget to be awesome in all you do!

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!

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!

Eat all the (healthy) FAT!

Things are finally leveling out. It’s Day TWELVE! I made it through the ‘hardest days’ with great success. And temptation has been in my face almost every day. With the wrong mindset I would have swooped in on all of the temptations and ate everything! But the determination, the lack of hunger and the overall feeling of feeling good trumps all things bad that are food related! Pretty much I’ve got into a good food routine. I had tried out some new recipes but was in such a hurry I never photographed any of them. Hopefully I’ll do better next week!

1/16/14 Dinner

EAT HEALHTY FAT!
I do believe the hardest thing for people on this journey is the fat content. FAT is scary to most folks. We’ve learned throughout time via our Drs., tv shows, etc.. that LOW FAT is best. And when you consider that as a society we are mostly inundated with sugary, grain, fried fats on a daily basis, then YA eat low fat to rid those bad choices. BUT when you eliminate the processed foods and grains, you eliminate inflammation, you cut calories THEN you eat healthy grass fed animal and vegetable fats in your body it’s a whole different story. You get satiated more quickly. You have more energy. Fat is fuel for your body. Your body needs this fat. You WILL NOT GET FAT by eating the right amount of fat daily on the Whole30 plan. Whole30 suggests you eat 1-2 serving of fat per meal. OMG WHAT? How many calories is that? I have no f’ing clue because you aren’t supposed to count the calories here. A serving of fat for oils is about the size of your thumb. But if you’re looking to eat an avocado, 1/2 to a full avocado is ideal. As for my favorite fat added foods, it’s COCONUT flakes. It’s almost like dessert for me when I pair it with blackberries or an orange.

But enough rambling. If you want more, you should read It Starts With Food by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig. They pretty much explain it all in a very easy to understand way!

1/16/14 BOOM Box
Conditioning: 500m row X 3 rest 2 min between efforts
Oh boy, I tried to stay row for row with the guy next to me! That worked for about 150m. Then I was smoked. I went from 1:42 pace times to 2:30. But I gave it some effort. The other rows weren’t a little more consistent. Rowing is NO JOKE!

MetCon: For time 21 Turkish get-ups, Right arm 50 Swings 21 Overhead squats, Left arm 50 Swings 21 Overhead squats, Right arm 50 Swings 21 Turkish get-ups, Left arm
When I read the board, I hadn’t fully let it sink in as to what was in store. I saw how long the class before was taking but it still didn’t set in with my brain. When coach had us work on the Overhead Squats with a KB and one armed I was like oh CRAP, this is hard. I tried using the small 25lb KB and that was not happening. I moved to the paperweight 9lb KB and it was doable. But it was going to be a buttwhoopin! As far as the Turkish Get Ups go…I wasn’t too scared. I knew it would be tough but I was more concerned if my wrist could hold up. After 4 reps, I had to change over to step ups while holding the KB on my right shoulder. This was pretty challenging as well. I did move through the OHS a little bit better than I imagined. But the KB Swings in between were what were killer. I was huffin and a puffin. Finally got to the 21 Get Ups on my left arm. And I am smoked. Like I could break down in tears any minute. But I just lay there, breathe and get back to it. I HAD to leave at 6pm because I had things like making my kids basketball game in time and dropping off another kid. So I only made it to 15 reps. 6 to go. I don’t even know when I stopped, maybe 21 minutes or so. But I didn’t have the time to finish out the last 6 reps. Ah well. I put in a lot of work none the less. I just don’t have a time on the board. Nor did I have time to take a pick of the board. My back is smoked.

That’s a Wrap!

Ya it’s a short one today folks. I have a lot going on, but I promise next week I will have a giveaway for 3Phase Paleo by Paleo Parents. Plus I’ll be reviewing it as well! Stay tuned. Have a great weekend! And get healthy! Whole30 ON!

Kill Some of the Things

Rockin’ Day FIVE here on the Whole30 and they (Whole30) say that days FOUR and FIVE is the KILL ALL THE THINGS phase. Yesterday I was slightly agitated and today slightly more irritable on all fronts. Not necessarily wanting to kill all the things but I can tell I’m off a little bit. Patience is thin. Energy wise, I feel good.

So far, so good on eating, cravings, and what not. I seriously am not salivating at the thought of dessert which is my weakness. I’m doing good by not indulging on too much fruit. I think the last time I did this, I didn’t enough veggies. Now I’m not saying I’m the veggie queen now, but I’m making an effort to eat at least 2 cups of something veggie related for at least 2 of my meals. Breakfast is still hard to eat after a PWO meal, so I probably only choke down 1 cup of veggies, mostly spinach.

Day 4 Lunch. Leftover Asian Five Spice Chicken with Matchstick Salad. Cucumbers, Cherry Tomatoes, Blackberries, Coconut Flakes, Bone Broth. I seriously am addicted to BONE BROTH now. It’s soooo yummy!

I can honestly say I’ve never hit a “starving” point or had a craving meltdown. And yes I know it’s only Day FIVE. So much can still happen. But overall everything is going great. I tend to be a sucker for boredom grazing. But those thoughts aren’t even creeping in and I’m loving it. Last week, I would eat anything just to eat it. Chocolate? Sure give me the whole package. Chips? Why yes, can I have a coke too? Beer? No make it a whiskey. You get the idea. If it was edible or drinkable I was consuming it.

And BONUS, I have FAT KID jeans. You know that pair or pairs of pants that are your LIMIT. Like I’m not buying a bigger size jeans/pants. So I have those and well they were at their limits of containing me without busting at the seams. In just 5 days, these FAT KID jeans are no longer busting at the seams. Granted, they still are THOSE jeans that I’d rather not be wearing but at least I’m at DEFCON 4 instead of 5. So yay for a little progress!

BOOM Box Recap
Although I’m awake and not groggy or flat out so sore I can’t move, I’m still struggling getting out of bed and on my feet. I’ve been running a few minutes late to the box for the 5 a.m. class. I gotta fix that ASAP!

1/10/14
Strength: 200 ft KB farmers carry x 3 (heavy)
Thank goodness it’s not cold outside. It was pretty humid and probably 60° out. But that didn’t make the KB’s any lighter! I had two 53lb KBs and they were heavy and my shoulders and forearms were not happy. I was pretty much a big ol baby the whole time but I still carried the damn weight.

1/10/14 WOD

MetCon: 3 person team WOD with running clock – 20 minutes 3 rm Back Squat for each member 0 rest 10 minutes Row Max Calories. Add all the lbs and all the cals for score.
We ended up with a 4 person team cause that’s how many of us that were there so we went with it. I wasn’t really sure what my 3RM Back Squat would be. We’ve been doing a lot of Front Squats and because of my wrist, I haven’t been going as heavy as I would like. So Back Squat was a mystery. There were two of working together so we got ample rest in between sets and I was surprising working my way up nicely. My hips were good, my mind was clear, I was chugging along. Worked my way up 160lbs for 3 reps. My 1RM is 175lbs. And I figured I’d lost some strength in general since I’ve been such a slacker but I felt pretty good at 160, so I went up to 165 with like 2 minutes left and I failed on the first rep. I think the time limit got in my head and I was trying to rush. Ah well. I’ll take 160 for 3 reps.

As for the Row, we just were going to go hard then switch until the 10 minutes was up. I went first for 1:50 and only got 25 calories. But the rest of the team was getting after it. I got back on near the end for a minute but didn’t pay attention to how many calories I rowed then. Probably 5, lol. Who knows. Rowing is not easy for my short self. But I’m trying! Final: 855lbs total for Back Squat + 173 Calories = 1028.

An afterthought pic of my PWO meal. I only had roasted Sweet Potatoes for this morning. I do prefer pureed so I will make sure next week I’m covered. Also a little lean grass fed ground beef with tomatoes and onions.

That’s a Wrap!
I fear the weekend will my hardest days of this Whole30. With a work/school schedule, I have structure. With the weekend it’s all loosey goosey. We are still busy, but weekends are the times where drive thru’s are the best. Oh, we are all hungry? Ok, where shall we eat? It sucks. I just need to focus on packing up food I need and food I can eat in the midst of all our driving around. Or if we are home being lazy, then I need to stay focused and do something productive. That won’t hurt either I suppose. Just gotta stay focused!

Anyone else out there on the Whole30 or some other journey to better health? Chime in. Let me know how you’re doing. And it’s never too late to start if you’re still going back and forth. It’s doable. It’s worth it. Don’t neglect YOU anymore. It’s time to take time for yourself, for your family and get things rolling! Don’t sit there and sigh and tell me “it’s easy for you to say” or “I’m just not ready”. You just have to do it. Make the decision and do it!

Happy FRIDAY! Make the weekend SHINE!

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.

Icemageddon 2013 @!$$%&*!@***

Thank goodness the ICE is melting away. For those of you who don’t know, I live in TEXAS. We don’t get nice fluffy snow to play in. We get ICE. And we get ICED in. No fun. I fell several times on the ice, once even trying to catch myself with my bum wrist/hand. That HURT. But so far no further major issues. I’ve been a caged bird. And to top it off, I had to get my AC/HEAT unit replaced on Monday. So after a cozy stay at my dads for 4 days. I had to return to my freezing cold home while I got a whole new system. Brrrrrrr. But all is better now that I have a heater that works and the roads are drivable…. for the most part.

At least the kids had fun!

11/5/13
Last week I left off saying I was going to miss Thursday workout, but due to the incoming weather, all afterschool activities for my kids got canceled and I got to make an evening class at the BOOM Box.

3 sets of 100 ft sled pull backwards (3/2) plates and 20 Air Squats AFAP, rest 2 minutes between efforts.
Out of the 4 of us there, I was the only girl. With 2 sleds I was pulling the sled with the 2 weights. But by my 3rd pull, there was 3 weights so we could get out of the freezing cold weather. Instead of taking off the weight, I just pulled it. And OMG it was freakin hard. And of course it was on the uphill of our parking lot. I thought I’d just be tough and I think it almost killed me! It was only an additional 45lbs but it felt like an additional 100lbs. Coach saw me struggle and was going to rescue me but I just dug in and finished. Kind of felt good to finish strong like that. The 20 Air Squats after that were so miserable though.

12/5/13 WOD

MetCon: For time – 250 m row, 30 kb swings (2/1.5), American, 500 m row, 20 kb swings, 1000 m row, 10 kb swings
Before we got started I tested out the KB swings at a lighter weight. American standards are to get the KB overhead. With my wrist still being wonky, I opted for Russian swings which are at eye level. I still did the 1.5 POOD though. The first row didn’t go as bad as I thought it would. I don’t recall my time exactly but I’m pretty sure it’s one of my better times. It was all downhill from there. I suck at rowing but oh how I wish I was good at it. The first set of KB swings weren’t too bad. I did 15, 5 and 10. I just didn’t feel like I had a good grip. The 1000m row I thought was going to kill me. There was a handful of times I was literally fighting internally with myself on if I should stop. I’m glad I didn’t stop but it wore me out. For my last set of KB swings, I just had to keep telling myself HOLD ON. DON’T STOP. It was struggle to the end. Time: 13:35.

12/6/13 ICEMAGEDDON has arrived.
After a lot of bs’ing and statements of bravery at Thursdays WOD, there was a decision that if the roads were driveable then we would have a 5am class. It’s fortunate I’m not far from the BOOM Box. And it was fortunate that the white stuff on the ground was slushy at 4:30 a.m. The slush didn’t stay slush, making FRIDAY, SATURDAY and half of SUNDAY miserable!

Mobility: Hips and Shoulders

MetCon: 20 min AMRAP of Elizabeth 21-15-9 Squat cleans 135/95 ring dips
Of course I had to modify. I did Front Squats and Push Ups. I still don’t have the wrist mobility to rack the weight so I’m over there Frankenstein-ing it. My squats are week. I think I only had 65lbs on the bar and I was STRUGGLING! I did closed fist Push Ups instead of the ring dips. I started off strong but had to resort to scaling down to my knees.

12/6/13 WOD

Elizabeth is normally just 21-15-9 for time. But this icey morning called for an AMRAP. Woooo fun. It was a perfect beatdown before the CABIN FEVER, STUFF MY FACE WOD commenced for 3 days straight. I managed to get through 2 full rounds + 5 reps into the 3rd round of Squats.

12/9/13
Once my heater was installed and my bones warmed up, I figured I get a WOD in. I had a killer headache at 5am, probably from all the junk, and just couldn’t get moving.

Strength: Back Squat 3×5 @80%
I may not have the flexibility to rack the bar for front squat but I now have some flexibility for back squat. I didn’t get NEAR my 80% but I was able to FINALLY hold the bar for the Back Squat in general! WOOOO!

12/9/13

MetCon: 3 rounds 1 min at each station HR Push Ups, Box Step Overs 20″, Hollow Rocks, Jumping Split Lunges, Ring Rows, Rest
This was Fight Gone Bad Style. I did mention I stuffed my face for several days right? This wasn’t going to be pretty.
My Push Ups were a hybrid of my left hand being flat on the ground and my right hand in a fist. The Box Step Overs were dizzy-ing. The Hollow Rocks SUCKED DONKEY BALLS. I probably did best at Jumping Split Lunges even though I paused frequently. And RING ROWS were a butt whoopin. I had a low score of 310 reps. There were names on the board at over 500 reps… WTH?!?!? I bow down to you beastly folks.

The End
And then there’s today. Where my roughly over an hour drive into work turned into 2.5 hours. I should have just stayed home. Let’s hope my drive home isn’t so miserable. There were reports of people being stuck in their cars for 24 hours on Friday evening. SO GLAD I didn’t attempt that trek! It’s good being back at the BOX consistently. And hopefully I can get on to cleaner eating now that the depression is wearing off. I hope you all are doing well, staying on track and of course BEING AWESOME!

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