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

Miss me?

Eh, probably breathing a sigh of relief I’m not complaining every dog gone day. It’s true, I’ve been a slacker when it comes to getting out of bed or finding the motivation to show up at the Boom Box. That’s bad on me, cause I was doing so well.

Just so y’all know, as much as I like to whine and cry about each and every WOD, I am no cherry picker. I finally show up at the box knowing full well what’s in store and even though, 99.5% of me says stay home. That sick twisted .5% says stop mopin’ around and go. And what awaited me last night?

3/11/14 WOD
Gymnastics WOD: for quality 3 rounds 10 strict Toes to Bar or Jack Knife Sit Ups and 10 strict Ring Dips or Push Ups
I laugh at strict T2B. I barely have kipping ones! But I can do me some Jack Knife Sit Ups. Something about hanging from a bar that messes up my world. As far as Push Ups, I get so used to doing hand release that I forget what STANDARD Push Ups are. I can do a handful at a time, but it puts a strain on the shoulders.

3/11/14 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds Run 800 meters 15 Clean and Jerks 135/95
Oh ya. You know I’m crying on the inside. But first off, I had to test that Clean and Jerk. So the bar was good. I could feel the tightness in the wrist but I could do the movement. I didn’t want to get too excited or push too fast, so I loaded 10’s on the bar and BAM I could do that weight too. But I could feel the tightness. So I stayed there. No need to aggravate the healing process. Plus I need to regain that flexibility. My elbows were a little low but I could do the work comfortably. Yay for Clean and Jerks! Booo for running! My first run was slow but steady. I didn’t walk or anything! Woo, me. But the rest were slow and half walk, half trot, a little jog, etc. For me the Clean and Jerks were light but again, no need to push the wrist too much. And by the 4th and 5th round after all the running, I was losing steam fast. This workout was a doozy. Time: 40:21, womp, womp.

3/12/14
30 Heavy Russian swings
Only did 1.5 pood. Cause I’m lazy and didn’t want to pick up the 2 POOD.

Midline: Max plank hold
I’ve never been great at this, mostly cause I think too much on how I don’t like holding planks. Time: 1:33

Strength: Max weight Yoke carry 50 ft
It was cold and windy this morning. I was not wanting to do this carry. We loaded up 2 – 25lb plates, not too bad. But I can not hold the Yoke like I’m supposed to. It hurted the shoulders way too bad. So I carry it awkwardly. Add 2 – 15lb plates. Same awkward carry. Then we add another set of 15lb plates. I can carry it but they way my arms are, SUCKS, so the Yoke slides off my back a little over halfway. I was over it.

3/12/14 WOD

TABATA: Row (cal) and Burpees, post lowest reps
Well I started with the row and managed 4 calories for 6 of the 8 rounds, then on my 7th round let it drop to 3. Booo. Score: 3

My hips were smoked for Burpees and I had sweatpants on that were irritating me so I wasted my time taking off my sweatpants. Boo. Score: 2

That’s a Wrap!
So I’m glad I had back to back workouts. I needed to feel good about working out again. It’s funny how my most dreaded workouts (running involved) still make me feel awesome. I just get mental and lazy, I’m human. You are too. So don’t get all debbie downer when things don’t go right. Just get your focus back and get back to work. A friend of mine tagged me in the pic below and it’s so on point!

Handstands Holds, KB Holds and Running

Before I get into the details of my workout let me just say: The workout was great! So much fun. I loved it. All you CrossFit Boom Box-mates will be so happy you went! You can stop reading now if you attend CrossFit Boom. (that’s for you Briggs :D)

For the rest of the world. I will say if I had known what the workout was when I woke up, I probably would have set a new alarm and would have gone back to bed. But maybe not.

It’s not ground breaking news that I despise running. I find no joy, peace, comfort, etc. in running. I’ve tried to find an ounce of happiness in taking a jog or what have you and I find nothing. I know there are days that a RUN will be part of the scheduled workout and most days I still show up even though I don’t like it. And today’s WOD had running. And it’s cold outside. Bleh. Coach made it a “team” WOD. Maybe to motivate some of us but for me, well, I feel bad for my partner. That’s sad, isn’t it?

Midline: 30 evil wheels
These may be the longest reps ever. It takes way too long to complete 30 and I felt I was staying at a consistent pace.

Strength: Handstand hold 5 max effort times rest 2 min
I know, you are tired of hearing about the “wrist” but it is what it is and the wrist is feeling better. The pain migrated to my palm for the most part and although I do feel tightness and sometimes pain, overall still feeling better. So much better that I wanted to get into that handstand that I have been forced to avoid for so long. It was a little scary, not knowing if I could bare my weight on it but after a few moments of being SCARED, I finally did it. Whew! My holds were only about 2 to 5 seconds because it is weaksauce but it’s progress! Woohooo! Now if I could just clean some heavy weight.

3/5/14 WOD

Metcon: Team WOD 4 rounds as a team
Athlete 1 runs 400m and Athlete 2 holds a KB over head 2/1.5 Pood. Every time you drop the kb before your partner tags you in your team runs 200m together at the end.

And here is where I feel sorry for my partner. We were odd numbered so Coach T jumped in to be my partner. 2 POOD is a lot to hold over head for long periods of time. And yes I know 400m shouldn’t be a long period of time. But there are some factors to think about. 1. I suck at running. 2. I’m slow 3. I get worse as time goes on. So ya, a fast person might run 400 in a minute or less. An average person will fall under 2 minutes. Me? I’m over 2 minutes and then slower as more laps are added.

I started with the run to let Coach T be fresh for the first KB hold. It was smart. I was slow. 2:22 I think for my first 400m. I didn’t dare go 1.5 pood. That was crazy heavy to HOLD overhead. I went weaksauce again and just held the 25lb KB. Fortunately I did not drop the KB. Unfortunately, Coach T did so we had to run an EXTRA 800m. How’s that for fun? All cause I’m so freakin slow. Time: 8:09 with 4 drops. Doh!

In other news
PRETTY MUDDY RACE GIVEAWAY WINNER

Sadly, I only had one entry. And so by default, she is a WINNER which makes me happy because she is a Mud Run, 5K, trail running JUNKIE! The total opposite of yours truly. So Marbella, CONGRATS. I will be emailing you a coupon code specific to the Family Wave for the Dallas event on April 26th! Yayayaya! Thank you for entering.

If for some reason you’ve been living under a rock and missed the giveaway you can still utilize the coupon code GIRLSGONESPORTY for $5 off your race entry. Thank you GIRLS GONE SPORTY and PRETTY MUDDY!

That’s a wrap!
So where are you all in your health and fitness goals? Are you floundering like I am right now? Are you on point? Are you telling yourself next week? Next month? Are you justifying that you have time because your vacation is in AUGUST (like me). Well stop thinking about it and just DO IT. Get on track. Get moving. Get to eating clean. You (and I) will feel so much better! Happy Wednesday!

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!

My Bootay was Kicked

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

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

1/21/14 WOD

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

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

01/22/14 WOD

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

Day SEVENTEEN!

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

1/21/14 Lunch

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

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

1/21/14 Dinner

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

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

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

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

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

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

Can’t Stop Now

It’s Day TEN of the Whole30. I am 1/3 of the way there and I’m still truckin’ along. And it’s a ROLLERCOASTER of emotions! Days TEN and ELEVEN are described as the ‘hardest days’. Yay for that, right? NO, not at all.

I’m really at a loss for words on how I feel. I don’t feel bad but I don’t feel super awesome at this moment. I’m doing the work, eating the foods but I’m just so blah. I’m definitely proud of myself for being strong for the past 10 days but I’m losing steam fast. I need a recharge. I have 20 days to go!

1/14/14 Lunch

My food is still tasty and yummy but again losing the excitement! I definitely don’t want to become humdrum when it comes to my meals. Since we decided to do the pork recipe again, I’ve been slacking on making the sides for Week 2 from Weeknight Paleo. Until last night, which I was interested in making because I would be using Parsnips and Turnips. Turns out I DO NOT LIKE either one. So not my flavor pallet and now I have 3 containers full of root veggies I am not happy with. Part of me says suck it up and EAT IT but last night was a struggle. I was so over it, I didn’t even take a picture. How do I make roasted turnips and parsnips into a winning meal? Maybe Ernie will eat them all 😀

Turnips! Bleh!

Two Days of BOOM Box
1/14/14
50 heavy Russian swings
Coach left it up to us to pick our own version of HEAVY. But we all know we need to still pick up his version of heavy! 1 1/2 POOD. I was very low energy last night and was not having much fun with these KB swings. I did 20 right off the bat and then broke it up.

Midline: Max Plank Hold (Everyone must accumulate at least 5 minutes)
Ugh. Planks are a pain in the arse. I held for 1 1/2 minutes before dropping and pretty much held the rest of the 5 minutes owed in increments of 30 seconds to 45 seconds. I’m not good with long holds of any kind.

1/14/14 WOD

MetCon: 800m run, 21-15-9 of Ring Dips and Strict Pull Ups, 200m sprint!
Oh for the love. You all know I despise running. It’s the worst. But GUESS WHAT? I trotted the whole 800m without walking or stopping!!! I ran it UNBROKEN. I haven’t done that in over a year! Mostly cause I’m a big baby, but also cause I’m just a little fatty who eats like shit! But now, with 9 days of Whole30 under my belt, I’m just a trottin’ away. I even got a little faster on my second lap! But my calves were smoked. Instead of RING DIPS, I was tasked with incline pushups on a bar set on the pull up rig. At first I was a little slow. Not sure my wrist would hold up but once I got comfortable I moved a little quicker. Pull Ups were super slow and took forever! I never thought I’d finish the 21, and that’s with BANDS! If it weren’t for me sucking at Pull Ups so bad I would have had a much better time. When it was time for the 200m SPRINT, it was more like a jog, walk, trot, walk, trot to the finish. Time: 24:32. Boy I’m slow!

1/15/14
I was really debating on showing up at 5 a.m. I laid in bed and had an internal conversation/argument with myself. My body is tired. My brain is awake. It’s cold outside. I could use another 1 1/2 hours of sleep. GET UP. GET MOVING. JUST GO. I should have played THE GRIND. I’ve shared this before but it’s just so darn good. Here it is again:

So I went and the parking lot is EMPTY. Where are my 5 a.m. peeps? Hellooo? So it’s just me and Coach T.

Midline: 30 evil wheels
Now that I have more faith in my wrist, I can roll out a little further. Not so evil today!

Strength: DL 4×3 Heavy but make it look good.
I worked my way up to 185lbs for my HEAVY. This shouldn’t be heavy to me because my 1RM is 235lbs. But today it was heavy. I was telling coach, that it’s not that I don’t think I can go heavier, but my HANDS hurt so bad. Just holding onto the bar with 150lbs hurts my sad old hands. Anyhow 4 sets of 3 at 185lbs was just fine for this morning.

1/15/14 WOD

MetCon: 4 min elimination (like 13.5) 3 rounds 30 Air Squats 10 Burpees If you don’t make the first cap you owe your coach 400m run on the spot. Go for as long as you can! DU Practice if time remains.
I knew coming in this would be deceiving. It’s easy movements but it won’t be an easy workout. I just didn’t want to run, at all. And it’s cold outside. 3-2-1 GO! Bam I did the first round in 1:07. I thought I could get get under a minute but on my 7th burpee I slowed down. Not good. Got up for the second round and the Air Squats felt like I was in QUICKSAND, no wait, CEMENT! I couldn’t just GO. I was struggling. I slowed down too much. As for Burpees, forget about it. Those were so bad. Time was ticking. I go for Round 3, look at the clock and was like, crap I have to run. I managed to get in 20 Air Squats before the 4 minutes was up and off I went. Boooo! Final: 2 rounds + 20 squats. That was a poor showing indeed.

That’s a Wrap!
Still excited it’s Day TEN and I’m going strong. Emotionally I may not be feeling it but I’ll get there. Soon Enough! In other news, I have a giveaway coming up soon! Paleo Parents is releasing a new book called 3Phase Paleo.

I am in the middle of reading it myself, but when I’m done, I’ll be reviewing it here on my good ol’ blog and I’ll hosting a giveaway to one of you!

It’s Hump Day! Make it a good one!

It has begun – Whole30

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1/3/14 WOD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1/6/14 WOD

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

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

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

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

Gettin After It

This month at the BOOM Box, Tues and Thurs 5 am was eliminated. I get it. We don’t show up regularly. Sigh. Fortunately, our hectic baseball season isn’t in full swing so I can manage to make evening classes on most Tuesdays and some Thursdays. It’s bittersweet, cause the 7pm class is late for me and then I turn around for a 5am class. I definitely feel the fatigue on such a short turnaround. But at the same time it feels good to get to it. And with my pudge self I NEED it.

Mission: Annihilate Chunky Monkey

So yesterday I said I had a plan starting in January to get back on track. Right now it’s not a drawn out plan. But most likely Whole30. It’s good for me whether I like it or not. I know I could start now but I’m mentally beat down still and I’ve already decided I’m just surviving Decemeber and then I will join thousands of other folks in the New Year with the goal of losing weight. It’s a good time to be in a large group of feel gooders. There’s something to be said about group mentality when it’s a positive thing. With my desire and hope to get back on track, I also hope to implement taking my blog to a new level… maybe more organized, maybe more networking, maybe venturing into giveaways. We’ll see. If any of you readers out there have any ideas, please share them with me. Note: this is me putting it out there in hopes that I follow through. I get lots of ideas and they go down the toilet like my clean eating did. So we’ll see. Regardless if I get “better” at blogging or not, I’d like you to join me on getting back in track, if you too have fallen into the deep abyss of fatty, sugary, poor eating. And if you haven’t and you’ve been good then whatever, I still love you. Please be a support system to other readers and myself. We are going to need it.

12/17/13
Strength: Sled Pull 4/3 100 yds max effort for time
So I didn’t realize it was for time when I showed up. The other day I pulled the sled for about 100ft with 3 – 45lb plates. Pulling that for 100yds for time is a whole different story. And it’s not a pretty story but it involved calves wanting to explode and a lazy girl who struggled. I made the mistake of asking Coach what a was a good time for the pull and what is a bad time. Let’s just say I excelled in the bad timing dept. The sled was heavy and I made the dreaded mistake of stopping midway. Once you stop, it’s sooo hard to get moving again. I suck. Period.

12/17/13 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds of 8 Burpee Pull Ups and 11 GTOH 95/65
I knew this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, but I feel I did alright. Now I didn’t have to do the GTOH cause of the good ol wrist. So Coach told me to do Pendlay Rows. I didn’t realize how fatigued I would get doing 11 rows. I’m not great at them and it’s been a while so it makes sense as to why, I just wasn’t expecting it. As for the Burpee Pull Ups… Well it’s a jumping pullup and this was the first time I’ve only ever used 2 – 45lb plates as a step up. I normally use 3. At a heavier weight I surprised myself that I was pulling myself up. Something good must be happening. Time: 13:40

Pendlay Row

12/18/13
Skill: Muscle Up, Rope Climb
Well I am not skilled at either so how’s that for a fun morning We worked on MU progressions and my wrist held me back some so I only worked on hip action. As for Rope Climbing. I still have the death grip and I’m just hanging there. It’s pathetic. I have nothing more to say. Womp, womp!

12/18/13 WOD

MetCon: 5 rounds of 200m run, 15 HR Push Ups and 1 Rope Climb
My knuckles are dead! From doing push ups with fists. Oh ya and running was a joy! Hahah, I actually got faster on the runs as the rounds went on. We have a newer Boom Boxer, Myrna, and she was killing the runs. I was just trying to keep up. So that was good for me to try and catch her. Although I only caught her once and she ended up passing me cause I stopped. Either way it was a good push for me. Instead of Rope Climbs, we did Rope “walk ups”. You lay on the ground with hands on the rope, then pull yourself up the rope until you are standing upright. Then lower yourself down X 3. As with the running, I felt I moved better as the rounds went on. Time: 3:30, 3:38, 3:41; 3:36; 3:19

That’s all for this HUMP DAY! Start getting ready for 2014. It’s a new year and a time for better versions of ourselves. Let’s do this. Get pumped. Make your plans now. And don’t forget to be awesome!

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.

Falling apart!

Seriously folks, I was in bed last night, moments before falling asleep and I had an itch on my back. Of course I went to itch it but when I did, I felt like I broke a rib when I reached around to get that itch. It freakin hurt! So I laid there hoping it was a temporary pain but it looks like it was sticking around. After about 10 minutes of not moving my dumb butt was going to try and roll over on my side of said hurt rib and I about died. This is no bueno. But I’m thinking there’s not much I can do but try and sleep. I’d find a comfortable position, then roll over and be stuck short on breath. I don’t think I actually broke a rib but I feel I pulled something.

Woke up this morning and it still hurts. Why am I so fragile all of a sudden? Can I just be 21 again and be invincible? Please!

12/10/13
Despite traffic woes, I made it home in time to cook dinner for the fam and hit up the 7pm class at the BOOM Box. And I totally had spaced on the WOD and forgot there was RUNNING involved. Yay!

Skill: 10 min Handstand practice
No handstands for me. Instead PISTOLS was my skill work. I’m weaksauce and fear I will never have a pistol

MetCon: 3 rounds of 400 m run and 15 Squat Clean Thrusters 135/95
I’m finally happy to have a busted up wrist. SQUAT CLEAN THRUSTERS are NO JOKE! I was charged with plain ol’ Front Squats. And I was not looking forward to the run. Oh how I envy you cold weather runners. I see you merrily running along when I’m driving to and from work. But it’s so cold. And I don’t like running.

12/10/13 WOD

I start off for my first 400 and I’m feeling ok. Until I realize my face might freeze off. But it didn’t feel so bad. I almost made the whole 400 before walking but fell short. Got back inside with thoughts of 8 and 7 for my squats, but reality set in and I did 3 sets of 5 at 75lbs. 10 more lbs than I worked with a few WODs ago. I still am uncomfortable not being able to rack the bar with my hands. By my second and third round my runs got slower but I feel I knocked out the squats at a better pace. Time: 15:44.

12/11/13
I wasn’t sure how mobile I would be with my “broken” rib. After some warming up, which helped I was able to do most everything we worked on. Warming up with the PVC was limited and squatting in general was uncomfortable, but nothing I could work through.

Skill: Snatch 20 min emom; Odd minutes: squat, Even minutes: power
My modifications was working the Power Snatch technique with the PVC. I’m happy my wrist can go overhead into snatch position. As much as I struggle with this lift, I’m still looking forward to using a real bar with some weight.

For the Odd minutes I worked on Deadlifts with Snatch grip. I worked up to 115lbs. Too bad my actual snatch is not this. I know in theory it should be but I scared.

12/11/13 WOD

MetCon: 10 min AMRAP of 5 Burpees, 10 KB swings, 15 Jumping air squats
For burpess, I did the good ol’ flat left hand and fist right hand. My poor knuckles hate me. I had ZERO idea of how many rounds I’d complete but Coach T had a nice idea for counting rounds. He threw out some cones and lined them up. As I completed a round I would just kick the cone. Pretty nifty I think. Better than chalk or walking over to the white board.

Of course the first round was great. Then I was pretty much mentally done. Fortunately I just kept chipping away. Sometimes slow, sometimes with conviction. My legs and hips were smoked pretty fast and I struggled most with Jumping Air Squats. Final: 6 rounds + 5 burpees + 8 KB Swings.

Hump Day!
That’s all I got for the now. I’m feeling good about staying consistent as far as workouts go, now if I could just get my eating on lockdown. I’m still on the lookout for a chef to cook all my meals and of course be FREE. Hahaha. I wish. I guess that’s me. I have to get motivated to cook GOOD CLEAN FOODS regularly. When I do cook, it tends to be clean. But there hasn’t been much cooking going on for myself Hope you all have a Happy Wednesday. Be AWESOME!

idrankthecfkoolaid

and it's good

running

Walking… Today It’s a Struggle

Miss me?

Handstands Holds, KB Holds and Running

BOOM! Whole30 Complete!

My Bootay was Kicked

Can’t Stop Now

It has begun – Whole30

Gettin After It

Fat Girl in a Little Coat

Falling apart!

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