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!

Surviving the Week

It’s Friday! Woooo! Only one bad meal this week so far. And it was only bad due to the beverages I consumed. But other than that this week has gone along quite nicely. I’m struggling a bit with the workouts but I am getting them done!

Considering this isn’t my first rodeo, I thought I would be feeling more food withdrawals. But this time around, I’m only feeling a little sluggish. But not much more than that. I’m not even a full week in though, so there’s still time for a little bit of misery. Not that I’m hoping for it, but I don’t want to relax and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. That would be a good time to fail

It helps to try and have a positive attitude though, which can be hard. Along with most of the overweight world, I wish there was an easy fix. But there is not. I wish that my couple of days of hard work translated to 20lbs weight loss. But it hasn’t. I wish that as long as I’m working hard in my workouts than the food I eat doesn’t work against me. But it does. All of those things could bring me down, but then I’d be back in the same rut. Miserable. There’s no time for loser talk though. Chin Up. Move forward. Think happy thoughts!

But it does take time and it’s not instant. It’s not the Biggest Loser Ranch over here, where they workout for hours and hours each day. It’s life and it’s busy. But feeling better is half the battle and that my friends is my instant gratification. I don’t feel as bloated and my mind is much clearer. I feel better. I just have to wait a little bit to feel super awesome, when the fluff melts away. And the fluff will melt away!

4/16/14 WOD

Warm Up Game: coaches choice (have fun)
I don’t know that our “games” were fun. We held Planks in the Push Up Position and passed a Medball around like hot potato. But after you got the ball and passed it you had to do a push up. When one person fell, the circle got smaller. The was a burner on the triceps. I was out after a couple of minutes. The second game was a 200m run with a cone. Kind of like carrying an egg on a spoon run. I gave up after 100m.

4/16/14 WOD

MetCon TEAM WOD – at least 3 person teams. 1 person working you must tag in from the starting line (mats)

5 min cap
40 Pull Ups
50 Russian KB swings 1.5 Pood for everyone

rest 2 min

8 min cap
100 Sit Ups
70 Back Squats 75# for everyone

rest 2 min

3 min cap
15 Burpees
10 ft ring for the guys
8 ft for the ladies

For our first round, only one of us has Pull Ups. But coach allowed us to do Ring Rows instead of Pull Ups but we couldn’t do more than half of the reps. So Tory, did 10 Pull Ups, Karen and I did 10 Ring Rows each and Tory finished with 10 more Pull Ups. Then we moved onto the Russian KB Swings. I put in 25 reps and Karen tagged in and picked up the other 25. Thankful that Tory could do Pull Ups, she got a break! Time: 3:51

For the second round we were pretty confident going in. Tory started us off with 30 Sit Ups. She felt she was slowing down, so she tagged Karen in. Well Karen went all out and busted 50 reps in, leaving me with only 20 to do. Back Squats were light but for some reason I wasn’t feeling it. Tory started us off with 15, Karen and I both did sets of 10 and then I don’t remember the rest. But we got our 70 reps in. Time: 6:45

And finally the third round. Burpees then jump and touch 8ft target. Before class even started I was practicing to reach the target and I was missing it by half an inch. Tory then pointed out I might be better off if I was directly under the target instead of Jumping at it from an angle. Well that worked! So I was ready. Time started and Tory did 15 of the reps right off the bat. Easy! So Karen and I split up the 5. My first attempt at hitting the target was a fail but I finally got it and didn’t have a problem after that. We didn’t get our time written on the board but it was some were around 1:33.

Overall that was a good Team WOD … no running involved!

4/17/14
Midline: accumulate 5 min of low plank
I know all this midline work is good for me but it’s really a pain in my arse. I held on for 1 1/2 minutes before I dropped. Then finished in 20 – 45 sec increments. Took me right at 8 minutes to accumulate 5 minutes worth of plank.

MetCon: 4 rounds of 200 m run, 10 DL 225/155 and 10 T2B followed by TABATA dips
I warmed up to 135lbs on my Deadlift and it felt heavy, maybe cause I’m tired. Who knows. But I thought 20 more lbs. I just need to throw it on there. I did a couple and was like I’ll be slow but it’s doable. I forgot however that Toes To Bar followed! Doh. We just killed our core doing plank. Now I have Deadlifts and T2B after a run. I just wasn’t sure I’d survive.

4/17/14 WOD

And we’re off. My shins hate me, but I ran most of the first 200m, just walked in the last 10m or so. Then I got 5 DLs in before dropping the bar, then did the other 5. Got to the T2B and slowly did one at a time. I can’t string them together and it takes a lot of effort to do just one, but I am getting better. I didn’t even look at the clock when I finished round one cause I knew it would be sad. The “running” part of my runs got shorter and shorter each time but I at least trotted or jogged 3/4 of the run. I got a little better at the Deadlifts and stayed about the same with T2B. Time: 21:10 RX.

I was still dying when I was reminded we had TABATA dips to still complete. TABATA is doing a movement for 20 seconds, then resting for 10 seconds for 8 rounds. It doesn’t seem like it would be hard but it’s not easy. This is a workout where you want to get as many reps as possible in the 20 seconds. Then the goal is to meet that same rep count each round. Your lowest score is your score. I did modified dips and started off with 6 then dropped to 5, then 4, then held out at 3. My triceps died. Score: 3

That’s A Wrap!
My biggest battles are the weekends. On the go = opportunity to eat really really bad. Hopefully I can conquer this weekend and be successful! I hope you all will too. It’s Resurrection Weekend aka Easter to most folks. A weekend that has the potential to be full of lots of yummy foods and candies. Show some restraint if you can because this weekend isn’t supposed to be based on celebrating food. Unfortunately, as a society, myself included that’s what we are drawn to – FOOD (savory meals, big desserts, easter candy). Sure there’s fellowship and church and family but a lot of times FOOD is the center piece to all of the above. I’m not opposed to indulging every now and then but if you’re on a mission, whether your months in or days in. Just remember you have work to do and you don’t have to go nutso on the eating. And if you by chance do lose it, it’s going to be ok. Monday is a whole new day. Have a beautiful weekend!

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!

My Traps, My Lats and My Achy Shoulders

We’ve done a lot of work at the Boom Box lately that is really hitting my upper body pretty hard. Toes To Bar, Pull Ups, Push Ups, Snatch, more Push Ups, more Toes To Bar, Shoulder to Overhead. I need new EVERYTHING but my Shoulders are first in line!

2/11/14
CrossFit Cindy or Mary
If you can’t do Mary RX then you were doing Cindy. A 20 minute AMRAP of 5 Pull Ups, 10 Push Ups and 15 Air Squats. I wasn’t really FEELING this workout but I could not have stayed at home doing nothing. In October I got around 13 rounds. I came close this time around but didn’t meet it or beat it.

2/11/14 WOD

I know I was pretty slow in the Push Ups. My wrist is still wonky. I could do some normal push up but had to keep reverting back to the fists. I’m much slower on my fists. I felt like I kept a good pace with my Banded Pull Ups and for most of my rounds of Air Squats, I didn’t really stop. Not until the end at least. Final: 12 rounds + 5 Pull Ups. I’m ok with this. Not sure I’ll ever be “better” until I actually have Pull Ups. But I’ll keep trying.

2/12/14
Strength: 3 sets max ring dips (w/ 5 sec hold at extension)
I worked on max sets of Bench Press. I don’t remember how many reps I got, but not a lot.

Skill: Snatch
Worked on this for a little bit but I was unable to work a full Snatch. The OHS part is still killer on my wrist. So I worked on Power Snatch.

2/12/14 WOD

MetCon: EMOM go as long as possible of 2 Snatches 115/75, 2 MU/3 C2B, 4 T2R/4 T2B
When I read this, I laughed. Every MINUTE on the MINUTE! The time doesn’t stop for me to crawl in and out of bands. Then continuous T2B. Hahahhhahaha. I managed to get in 2 full rounds! So I just chugged along while Coach T stayed strong for 14 minutes. I’m sure he could have gone longer. I was on the verge of tears as my hands started getting “crunchy”. That means a rip is nearby. I stopped before any of that nonsense kicked in. So I still did work for 14 minutes. Just not as much as everyone else will do Part of it. Still did work!

That’s a Wrap!
I’m addicted to Shrimp! I’ve been buying cooked shrimp (cause it’s fast and easy) at the Whole Foods. I sautee some shrimpies in ghee, toss in some spices and bam I have easy protein. Pair it with a salad or quick stir fry type veggies and I’m done. All simple and easy but right now I’d be content with eating that for every meal. Probably not the best idea but it’s so simple!

What’s your GO TO meal?

Happy Happy Wednesday!

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!

Drumroll please……… DAY 30!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1/31/14 Test Day

2/3/14 Chicken Wing Pt. 2

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

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

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

2/3/14 WOD

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

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

Have a beautiful Tuesday and Whole30 ON!

Found!

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

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

1/27/14 Lunch

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

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

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

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

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

1/27/14 WOD

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

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

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

Tiger Blood…not just yet

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

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

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

1/17/14 Lunch

1/20/14 Lunch

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

1/17/14 WOD

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

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

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

1/20/14 WOD

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

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

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

READ MY REVIEW of 3 Phase Paleo and ENTER GIVEAWAY!

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

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

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!

Where do I begin?

First off HI! And secondly, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Thirdly, I KNOW, it’s been a while, I’m sorry. Can I do a fourthly? Is there such a thing? Fourthly, my last post was NOV. 14th. I suck. at. life.

So I know I need to get my booty in gear. I’ve had some great “calling me out” moments on Facebook from my BOOM Boxmates. Thanks guys. It’s bittersweet. I love that there’s that outside push but I feel even worse when I don’t show up. But please continue to movitivate. I need it. But there’s nothing like a brother to look you in the face and say the last time I saw you, you were a lot smaller! Uh, Thanks Bro. My brother and I aren’t super close and I probably haven’t seen him since before summer, or early summer. BUT we do get along and you wouldn’t know we don’t see each other often. Clearly he feels comfortable enough to tell me I’m a chunky monkey! Ya, ya, same song, different day. I’ve declared December my slow ramp up into the new year. I’m not making any grand promises. But hopefully by January I will have the best mindset to start fresh to eat cleaner and kick ass.

CrossFit Boom Ladies Night Out
During my 19 day break, I did manage to make it to the Ladies night even on Nov. 22. We had a great time, although I think coach was secretly trying to kill us!

Partner WOD:
200 air squats, 200 push ups. Start at one end of the gym and do 10 push ups. Lunge to other end of gym and do 10 air squats. Rinse and repeat. The LUNGES were the killer in this WOD. Seriously. I think we figured out we did about 200 or more lunges in addition to the squats and push ups. My poor partner Nicole, had ME, the lazy bum. She put up with me thank goodness. I can’t do push ups cause my wrist is still a bum deal, so I had to push ups with my fists. Thankfully coach let me get away with using my knees. I tell you, my poor knuckles were taking a beating.

Dinner:
After a little bit of recovery, the majority of the ladies went to BFF Bistro and Bakery. If you’re local and like Asian fusion food then you should definitely check this place out. All the food looked great. I DID NOT EAT PALEO but they have a lot of protein dishes. I’m sure they would accommodate any food needs.

Overall, it was a great time hanging with the girls from the box. We are all so spread out so we don’t get to see each other much. Hopefully we make this more of a regular event. If your box doesn’t already have social events, I suggest you guys at least try every now and then. It’s fun to do stuff outside the box with like minded folks, especially after a grueling workout!

Thanksgiving
I stuffed my face and watched football.

Today
12/4/13 WOD
Let me just say ALL OF MY STRENGTH IS GONE!

Skill: 10 min practice Kipping T2B
I could barely hang on the bar just to work on kipping with no extra movements! I surely can’t to a Toes To Bar now. It was pure torture on my hands

Strength: 8 min EMOM 2 power cleans at BW
I still can’t do any bar movements involving my wrists. So Deadlifts it was. And that f’ing bar hurt my hands too. And what’s worse is that pulling 165lbs off the ground didn’t come easy! That’s 80 freaking pounds lighter than my MAX and it was HARD! It’s so depressing on how fast you can lose your strength. I know it will come back quickly but it’s depressing to say the least. That’s what I get for not showing. I should have a 260lb Deadlift if I was showing up consistently!

12/4/13 WOD

MeCon: Partner wod Death by Burpees reps go up by 2 each round. Only one person working at a time.
Ugh, burpees. Boooo. So I still did burpees, just fisted up my right hand but let my lay flat on the ground. I know most of you know by know what Death by (fill in the blank) means but here it goes again for you newbies. In today’s workout we will do 2 burpees on the first minute, 4 on minute 2, 6 on minute 3. We’ll continue to add two reps to every minute. When you can’t complete the reps for that minute you are done. And your last completed round is your score. My partner today was Myrna, she’s new and was in the elements class, but Coach had her come in to do the MetCon with us. She was a trooper this morning and busted out some burpees. When we got to six reps, we just split up the work. She would do 3 then I would do 3, next minute, I did 4, she did 4, etc… We were two reps short to finish our 9th minute. So we ended up with 16. Not too bad for a new girl and a gimpy girl.

Sigh.
I’m hoping by January my wrist will be a rockin and a rollin. The 5am Tues/Thurs classes got cut for December and I can’t make Thurs nights, soooo, I’ll be back at it on Friday. Sadly, you may not here from me again until Monday. It’s ok, dry your eye. But if I get the chance I’ll post on Friday. Other than that, it did feel good to get a workout in this morning. I’m so much more alert and it feels great! Happy Hump Day! I know nobody has been telling you to be AWESOME lately. So what are you waiting for? Go be AWESOME!!!

idrankthecfkoolaid

and it's good

toes to bar

Still not finding my Happy Place!

Surviving the Week

Miss me?

My Traps, My Lats and My Achy Shoulders

My first weekend Post Whole30

Drumroll please……… DAY 30!

Found!

Tiger Blood…not just yet

It has begun – Whole30

Where do I begin?

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