Getting Prepared for the Whole30

So I’ve been really lazy this past year and I know all it takes is a little bit of preparation during the weekends to have a successful week of eating. And even though I’m ready to get back to eating clean, my brain is still in LAZY mode. I just want a meal by meal, tell me what to eat, tell me how to cook it, etc plan. I know I’m plenty capable of cooking good clean foods. Hell I did it for a year and was really good at it, but I tend to get stuck in ruts and start making the same stuff OVER and OVER and OVER. And then I’m burnt out. I know food should be fuel, but it should taste good too in my opinion. Some folks can eat plain chicken breast, plain veggies, etc. everyday forever. I, however, am not one of those people. I can do it for a short period then I’m out. I want flavor, I want spice. And that’s how I cook, but I’m still a bum right now. I’m trying to rewire my brain!

So I scoured the interwebs and I found lots of resources out there but one seemed to shine brighter than the others. I found Weeknight Paleo over at paleosavvy.com. Author, Amber Beam, seemed to have a well rounded cookbook with meals that didn’t look boring or mundane. Bonus for me, they don’t look hard or complicated in regards to prep or cooking.

Now not all of her recipes are Whole30 compliant but they can be easily modified to fit in with Whole30. Her website even has a Whole30 calendar with meals you can make for the course of your journey. I haven’t made any of her recipes just yet, but I plan to start cooking this weekend. She offers a checklist of essential Paleo items for your pantry and fridge and in addition gives you a shopping list for each week of dinners/meals. So to prepare, I hit up a Sprouts Market during my lunch break to stock up on some of the essentials I’m running low on and spices that are called for in Week 1 of meals. Below is a picture of what I found at Sprouts. I didn’t find everything there but I’m confident WholeFoods will have the rest of what I need.

About $50 spent here.

Now I know what you are thinking. That’s a lot of spices and they all look expensive. To tell you the truth, some were cheap and some were not. But these are items that will last a while. They won’t be gone after one meal. They should last my Whole30 and beyond. It’s a good investment and they are crucial to having flavorful meals. There are some items like Chinese 5 spice that I wouldn’t have regularly in my pantry but there’s a recipe that calls specifically for it. I’m sure there are many more recipes in the book that will call for it later down the road as well. Amber, addresses the “cost” factor in the Introduction of her book as well. Here is an excerpt:

“The True Cost of Paleo
Either you pay the farmer or pay the physician. Lots of people think that Paleo is expensive. I can say I used to be one of those people. During my first trip to the grocery store as a Paleo newbie, I was dumbfounded by the sheer number of items in my cart when I exited the produce section of my market. I continued to the meat department, where I stocked up on what seemed like an enormous amount of protein. I realized that I was not supplementing the fresh food with processed food. I didn’t need to venture into the
supermarket danger zone—the aisles filled with cookies, crackers, and grains. I was building a menu based primarily on high quality protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Overall, my grocery bill hasn’t fluctuated very much over what I used to spend. I started buying grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork more often. Organic and farm-stand produce also make a regular appearance in my kitchen. For what I spend on these items, I save by not buying nutrient-void carbs that come in shiny, colorful packaging and cost an average of $3.50 per box. You can do the math. On average, I may spend 10–15% more per week, than pre-Paleo, but I consider that money well spent. Higher quality food often costs more, but is more nutrient dense, so I strongly encourage eating the best food you can afford. I see the difference a quality diet has had on my quality of life. So for me, a slight increase in food cost is merely an investment in my overall wellness. The foods I eat ensure I make as few trips as possible to the physician each year and that’s an enormous cost savings.” – Weeknight Paleo, Amber Beam

I always tell people it’s an investment in my health when they give me that crazy eyed look (YOU SPEND MORE MONEY FOR GRASSFED BEEF). It’s only $2 a lb at Walmart or wherever. And it’s true it is cheaper to buy grain fed meats, just not healthier. In the end it’s my choice as it is yours to buy what you like. It’s my health. I prefer not to be sickly. And in general, my family and I are not a sickly bunch. We are not immune to everything but compared to classmates, co-workers and peers, we tend to avoid most of what’s floating around. I don’t only attribute that to good eating though. Our active lifestyle also helps keeps our immune system strong. But good health starts in the GUT. And if we have clean eating habits then we are better off. Keeping those Dr.s, medications and BILLS away.

And if you can’t afford it right now or are not ready to make the jump, it’s going to be fine. You’ve been doing fine so far right? Just make the best choices you can make with the budget you have. Try to be better. Research. Find the deals. If you can afford to buy organic veggies, then buy them. Here is a link of foods that you should try and buy organic, click HERE.

So that’s what I’ll be doing this weekend. Prepping, planning, organizing and getting mentally ready for this Whole30. It’s not going to be easy but I will make it through. Join me. Make the change. Even if it’s only one meal a week for you. Or even one day a week. Let’s get to clean eating and healthier ways. I promise you, YOU will feel better.

Boom Box Recap
1/2/13
Strength: Front squat: 60%x5, 65%x5, 70% 2×5
Boy oh boy my body is hurting. The last thing I want to do is Front Squats. But I gotta do it. I’m still Frankenstein squatting which takes a toll on the arms but I’m low on options here. Thankfully, I was able to do the percentages based on my 1RM of 155lbs. Which is GREAT. I’m gaining my strength back by not being a big ol girl baby!

1/02/14 WOD

MetCon: 18 min AMRAP 10 HR Push Ups, 10 T2B,10 DL 185/125
GEESH, 18 minutes of misery! After the 3rd round, I was convinced I wouldn’t get past 5 rounds. I am however getting better at doing knuckle push ups. Go ME! I’m not awesome at them but I can bust through them at a better pace. It’s the Toes To Bar that I’m still struggling with. So it’s Knees to Elbows for me. There’s nothing like a big ol’ belly to get in your way and make you super depressed. Well I got myself in this hole. And I’m the only one that can dig myself out of it. Hopefully in the next few months I can regain getting those toes to the bar! As for Deadlifts, they felt pretty light and easy, and after about halfway through I realized I had 35lb plates on the bar and not 45lb plates. DOH! I was only working at 105lbs! No wonder it was so light! Ah well. I did all but one round unbroken. I still was putting in work. Final: 7 rounds. I pushed to the last second to get that 10th Deadlift in!

Mobility: I did it! I set aside 15 minutes before I went to bed and I rolled out and stretched. I worked mostly on my legs but I also got some shoulder mobility in too. Finally. Now let’s hope I make this a habit!

Happy Friday!
I hope everyone has a great weekend. If you’re feeling froggy, jump in with me and lets get 2014 kicked off this Monday with clean eating, consistent workouts and good sleep! You don’t have to do Whole30. You can just start eliminating foods, drinking more water, start walking… ANYTHING that is a change for the better. Let’s do this boys and girls.

Focus

It’s time for me to put my game face on and focus on my eating habits. It’s time for me to put away the excuses and get back to clean eating. I’m considering competing in a competition in December. A LONG ways a way right now (even though I’ll blink and it will be here), but registration is in a month. So I need to get my shit together mentally and physically, NOW, so that I won’t feel all bleh and icky about actually signing up in October. From there I have 2 months to focus even more. So FOCUS is my primary thought in all things food. I know it will be a struggle because I’ve dug such a deep hole. And I know I won’t be perfect, but I gotta get pretty darn close!

9/2/13 HOTSHOTS 19 MEMORIAL WOD

Nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighting team tragically lost their lives on June 30, 2013 while fighting a fire in Yarnell, AZ.

If you aren’t of the CrossFit world you wouldn’t know that there are HERO WODS. These workouts are designed to serve as an “in memory” of fallen heroes. They are tough, grueling and sometimes damn near impossible to complete. The Hero WODs from CrossFit are named after heroes who have given their lives in the line of duty. Their purpose is to remind us to think outside of ourselves.

The HOTSHOTS WOD was and is a fundraiser to help support the families of the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew. On Aug. 31, a huge event went down in Prescott, AZ. Many Elite Athletes showed up. The CrossFit Community in general showed up. It was an amazing thing to watch. If you are able to donate then you can do so here: https://hotshots19.crossfit.com/

We at CrossFit Boom along with many other Boxes nationwide went on to tackle the HOTSHOTS 19 MEMORIAL WOD for this past Labor Day.

Six rounds for time of:
30 Squats
135 pound Power clean, 19 reps
7 Strict Pull-ups
Run 400 meters

To be honest when I see HERO WODs I run for the hills. The workouts tend to be well over 30 minutes, often times up to an hour long. And even though I know the purpose to DO and REMEMBER, I just see PAIN. But I wasn’t going to run away from the workout! Plus it was a day off from work so I could roll in for the 9 a.m. class, which is quite nice. Way better than 5 a.m.

9/2/13 HOTSHOTS 19 MEMORIAL WOD

I opted for the 85lbs Power Cleans, which I knew would get heavy halfway through, but once I committed, I was committed. I started off great. All up until the RUN. And runs walks were slow. This is where most of my time was eaten up. Every round I moved fairly well from squats to power cleans to pull ups (banded). I did all 30 airsquats for the first two rounds, but broke them up into 10’s or 15’s for the last 4 rounds. I started off in small sets for the Power Cleans, but picked up the pace the further along I got. Not sure how that actually worked for me but it did. By the last rounds I was doing 8 and 9 Unbroken before opting for smaller sets. It was the 400’s that were at a snail pace! It was bad. We only had 45 minutes of class time to complete the workout. I knew that wasn’t going to happen. There wasn’t a class afterwards, so Coach let me finish my final round. Time: 56:06

Hopefully the FOCUS on eating better will allow me to lean out, which in turn will lighten me up, which will then lead to better run times. HOPEFULLY!

9/3/13
And it’s back to the “get up before the suns up” workouts. I’m still sticking with my theory that the bars are heavier in the MORNING!

Strength: Back Squats 5@60% 3@70% 2@80% 2@90% 1@95% 1@103%
Whoa nelly! 103% That is an auto PR if I hit it. I have never seen over 100% on the board. I know I’ve been feeling strong and I know that I’ve been wanting a new 1RM and today would be the day. It was only 5lbs but it was 5lbs more than I’ve ever done. NEW 1RM at 170lbs! So it was nice. But after that 1 REP, I lost the desire to really test my 1RM. It was HEAVY this morning!

9/3/13 WOD

MetCon: For Time 15 Wall Walks, 10 T2B, 5 MU, 10 T2B, 15 Wall Walks
Oh how my brain deceived me, I thought it said WALL BALLS. And if you KNOW me at all… I would never want to do wall balls. But I’d rather throw a damn med ball than do a freakin wall walk. They make me dizzy. They are dumb and well they are dumb.

I haven’t had to do wall walks in my fluffy state, so they were even more miserable than I remembered. UGH! Needless to say it took for ever to do the first 15 and it took even more forever to do the last 15. I did Knees to Elbows instead of Toes To Bar. And I did 15 Banded Pull Ups instead of the 5 MU. Time: HORRIBLE 14:42. My shoulders hate me.

That’s all I got for y’all for this HOT HOT TEXAS TUESDAY. If you are like me and need to get back on the clean eating train… then let’s do this! Start today, start tomorrow,…. just start this week. OK? GREAT! Make today AWESOME!

Lazy and Sloppy

Hello there, I know it’s been a few days since I’ve checked in and to be honest I think I like bombarding you all on a less frequent basis. (Is that even a sentence?) I may go back to a more daily thing but for now, every couple of days is my new strategy. If you have been around for the long haul you would know I was a daily blogger. I was on top of everything, my check ins, my workouts, my EATING!

2013 however has been lazy and sloppy. I guess it just reflects my everyday which = LAZY and SLOPPY. I did the Whole30 like a champ and everyday after that has been one failed goal/plan after another. I commit, declare it to the world (aka this blog), do good for a day or two then stomp it to the ground until it no longer resembles the awesome shiny plan I had in mind. I really think in the end it’s just me burning out but trying to hold on to NOT burning out. I’ve also had quite a few absences at the BOOM Box and many days of sporadic, not healthy, junky eating. Overall I’m not overeating but I’m not eating well. Which is a small win, cause I LIKE TO EAT… ALOT! And of course that starts the vicious cycle of feeling like crap, being tired all of the time, not recovering as quickly, etc. It sucks! But it’s a ride that I can’t get off of lately. I’m not stuck, I’m just not letting go of the bad habits.

Since I slept in on Monday, I showed up for the 7pm class at CrossFit Boom. It was kind of nice. I was awake. My body wasn’t all tight and achy and I felt rested. The downside was that I felt like my day had already worn me out some so I wasn’t as fresh as I actually did feel.

4/29/13

Skill/Strength: 10min Handstand Work
I was the only one there for 7pm so it turned into Stephanie needs a PULL UP work. I’m down to the skinny little blue band for assistance. But when you take away that band, I got nothing. I don’t know what changes in my head that says I can’t do it but there is a switch hiding and I don’t know how to flip it. Hell I can’t even find it! I’m close. So close.

4/29/13 WOD. Big difference when I’m at the end of the day!

MetCon: Run 800m, 18 Hand Release Push Ups, 9 Hang Squat Clean to Thrusters 135/95#, Run 400m, 21 HRPU, 7 Hang Squat Clean to Thrusters 135/95#, Run 200m, 24 HRPU, 5 Hang Squat Clean to Thrusters 135/95#

Looks brutal, IS BRUTAL! For one thing that’s a lot of running I don’t like doing. Add to that that I’ve been MIA for a couple of days and eating like shit. UGH. And sure enough that measly 800m was killing me. At least Push Ups are something I do fairly ok. Next up, THRUSTERS! Before we got started Coach wanted me to stick with a weight where I would go UNBROKEN for the first set of 9. Geesh, I wasn’t sure, so we went with 75lbs. Although I wanted to drop the bar I did not! I fought through and completed the goal set before me! Too bad I had to run 400m after that. I was smoked. I couldn’t breathe. To be quite honest I was ready to puke. Thrusters take everything out of you So I walked, then jogged, then walked, then trotted and so forth. It’s only 400m but I was so over it. I started off the 21 HRPU strong but faded fast. My shoulders were shutting down fast. When it came to Thrusters I know Coach wanted me to go Unbroken but I could only do 3 before I dropped the bar. Finished with two more sets of 2. Holy cow I was tired. The 200m was worse than the 400. I pretty much couldn’t get more than a trot and mostly walked. As for the 24 HRPU, I tried doing sets of 6 but only did one set of 6 and slowed to sets of 3 or 4. It was make it or break it time for those last 5 Thrusters. I knew I couldn’t let go of the bar and after 3 I was so close to dropping it. I just let it hang in my hands, which by the way is a bad idea, but I couldn’t drop it. Busted out the last 2 reps without letting go. Time: 17:20 Not a good showing for me but I finished the work and finished on a good note.

4/30/13
I enjoyed the sleeping in so much, that I thought I’d give 7pm another go. Not sure if I’ll stick with 7pm because it does takes a good chunk of my evenings and my kids are super busy at the same time so I may try to do a combo of 5am and 7pm. The good thing about 5am is that my workout is completed before my day even gets started. The bad thing about 5am is that it is so freakin early! And I’ve been doing the EARLY workouts since Feb 2011. It wears thin after this long.

Skill/Strength: 2 Push Jerk EMOM for 10 minutes @70% of 1RM Push Press
As I typed that I realize that may look like a foreign language to some of you. I know a few years ago when I first ever looked into CrossFit that’s what steered me clear of ever looking further into it. So please if you have any questions on anything that looks like jibberish, feel free to ask.

I warmed up to 65lbs which seems really light cause it is really light but that’s 70% of my 95lb Push Press. Soooo away we went 2 reps every minute for 10 minutes. My Push Jerk timing is not always consistent so Coach had me really focusing on getting the timing down. I was trying to rush through and getting really sloppy. The work still gets done but not as efficiently. It was a little bit of a struggle to correct my problems. I could understand and feel what I was doing wrong but I was having a hard time correcting it. The last couple of rounds I finally got it under control. I know a Jerk PR is in the near future!

4/30/13 WOD

MetCon: HELL … not really, just for me though. 4 min AMRAP of: 5 HSPU 10 T2B -rest 1 minute 4 min AMRAP of: 15 KBS 2/1.5 10 Pullups -rest 1 minute 2 min ME DU
Since I can not do Handstand Push Ups yet I had to do them modified and my rep count doubled because of that. The modified version was to have my feet planted on the ground but against the wall. I then had to walk out with my hands a certain distance. Then lower till head touches ground and push back up. I sooooo couldn’t do this properly. It was awkward and I failed miserably. After I did my 10 reps it was off to Toes To Bar. Well I can do them one at a time so I started chipping away. My last 3 ended up being like 10 reps because I couldn’t get both feet to touch bar! I didn’t even get 1 round in, womp womp. After we rested it was on to 1.5 POOD KB Swings. Those I can do. Yay. But then it was Pull Ups. And I had a plan to use only the tiny blue band and I stuck with that plan but I had nothing in the tank from my upper body. NOTHING! I didn’t fall back on thicker bands, I just struggled through and managed 6 reps. Again not even ONE full round, double WOMP WOMP! All I had left going for me was Double Unders. I got to about 35 reps and my forearms were screaming. It was hard to just hold on to the rope. My hands were fatigued. And it was a LONG 2 minutes. I got 83 reps which is better than I thought I was going to get after the initial 35 but I had wanted 100+. This is the price I pay for eating poorly and being lazy. It will come back, I know it will. It’s just a matter of time and a matter of discipline.

Well that’s it for now folks. I already know tonight’s workout and already want to bail! But I know I can’t so I should be there at 7pm. Also if you are in the area, CrossFit Boom is moving to a shiny new location about a mile from the current box! 2401 Callender rd Suite 111 Mansfield ,TX 76063. We should start working out there starting this Monday, May 6th. There will still be FREE COMMUNITY WORKOUTS on Saturdays as well. Just check out crossfitboom.com for more info.

I hope everyone has been enjoying their week so far. And I hope it ends with a bang! If you’re not moving, start moving! Take a walk, move some weights, JUST GET THAT BLOOD FLOWING! If you’re eating like crap, STOP! Ya I’m talking to me too about the eating part! You know the drill. Make that step towards a healthier life. It’s so much better that way. Cause right know I feel like poop! And I hate it. So stopping hating life and start living and loving it. Go forth and BE AWESOME!!!

Home Stretch

It’s so close – Day 27 of the WHOLE30 and you know what? This train isn’t stopping! I still wish I had a chef to alleviate some of the burden that goes into it all but I’m not holding my breath on that one. The big challenge will be Birthday Cupcakes at my son’s birthday party this weekend! I think I’ll be fine since at this moment that doesn’t even sound good. But who knows by then. I should be fine.

Whole30 Days 24-27
The weekends have become easier to manage. In the past I either skipped meals or lived on fruit and junk of some form but I’m managing well with 3 meals a day. It helped that I made chili this weekend. Yesterday was the first day I felt a nap was in order, I think I was just spent from my CrossFit workout the day before but who knows. My hormones are still changing so it’s been all sorts of chaos on my mental state. I wish that would go away ASAP!

Went to PF Changs for my baby boy’s birthday. Risky I know. I googled it of course and partakers of Whole30 suggested the Gluten Free, Steamed Salmon and Ginger. So that’s what I ordered, no sauces on anything. Of course the server looked at me funny and said well the Chicken Lettuce Wraps you ordered weren’t special, I said I know, those are for them, not me 😦 OH how I LOVE the lettuce wraps. They would have been fine if they weren’t cooked in a sauce that has rice wine and sugar

I patiently waited for my food as it was the last to come out. Took a few bites and it was delicious! Flavorful and I’m not a huge fan of salmon. All the veggies were steamed as well. I busted out my bottle of Coconut Aminos, YES I DID! and splashed some on my foods. I probably would have been fine without but it was good anyways. Not too bad, even watched the family all get dessert. Although I wish I could had a sample, I powered through. Got home, started prepping my Chili for dinner and I had to rush, RUN to the bathroom. Not sure if there was something in that Salmon or if it was just fish itself but I fear it wasn’t Whole30 compliant. I won’t ever know though and I’m not quitting or starting over based on that. I felt fine the rest of the day.

As you can see or NOT see, I haven’t been taking any GOOD pics of my meals but I’ll share my Chili Pic with you. It’s not impressive but the actual food was good.

Not the best pic, Chili with sweet potato, avocado on top. YUM!

1/28/13 Lunch – Chili, Spinach Salad, Broccoli, Kiwi

Chili Ingredients:
2lbs grassfed ground beef (chili cut, Burgandy Beef has a less ground beef just for chili, good stuff)
2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 onion
1 garlic glove
1 sweet potato (cubed)
1 TBS cooking fat
Spices: cumin, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne, red chili flakes, cinnamon ( I have no measurement as I just pour to my liking. I like heavy on the spice.

Saute onions and garlic in cooking fat, ghee for me, until onions start getting soft. Add ground beef. Add spices. Cook through. All the while I have the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and sweet potato warming up in my crockpot. You could do this all on stove as well. Once the ground beef is browned, dump into crockpot. Cook on high for 1-2 hours, check sweet potatoes. If they are soft, then you are good to go, If not let cook on low for another hour.

I would have added red, green and yellow peppers if I had them but I didn’t. It’s chili, add what you want. Turned out great! And sweet due to those sweet potatoes! Good stuff.

1/26/13 WOD
I was very sore walking into the BOOM Box Saturday morning. REALLY sore. My shoulders were dead, my hamstrings were dead and what was on the board: deadlifts and burpees!

Skill/Strength: 3 x 5 Deadlift @ 75% of 1RM
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve deadlifted. I think the last time is when I PR’d. And that was a while back now. So getting back to this lift was awkward but nice to do. 150lbs is my weight and overall I felt good. Had some small items to work on but didn’t lose all technique, thank goodness.

1/26/13 WOD

MetCon: 12.1! For those of you who don’t know, that was WOD 1 for the CrossFit Games Open last year. 7 minutes of Burpees! Oh the hell! We looked up our reps from last year and I got 74. Coach went around asking what our goals were for this time around and I said 75! Seriously. I’d be good with that. 3-2-1 GO! I was determined not to burn out too fast like I did last year. So I just went with the goal of “DON’T STOP”. Coaches were yelling out time left but it wasn’t really registering. I just thought this is the longest 7 minutes ever. I finally hit 75 reps and thought well shit I gotta keep going. Then I just said go and went H.A.M till I got to 90.

Then I thought I was going to die but there was still 2 minutes left. I just kept going up and down, making all kinds of mad noises. Final: 112! WOOOOOO! I don’t know where that came from but I was all sorts of Happy. Made my day indeed! After I stopped rolling on the ground like a flailing weirdo, I sat up and said Whole30! Strict clean eating!

1/28/13 WOD
Still dead from the Burpees. My shoulders are TOAST! Today was nice and HUMID. 62° and HUMID! We aren’t used to this right now. So much better than FREEZING! I fear February will bring us SUPER COLD though. We need it to kill the buggies but I don’t like it!

Skill/Strength: 3 x 3 Back Squat @ 90% of 1RM
Yup that got heavy fast. My shoulder mobility sucked so bad holding on to the bar. UGH! My hips were dead too. I worked on my hip mobility after my first set and Coach noticed a big difference. I could feel it and knew then that I should have done both sides, but my right side is the painful side. Ah well. Got through the lifts ok. I’m not feeling explosive on the way back up. Hopefully that’s just a side effect of being smoked!

1/28/13 WOD

MetCon: 100 Double Unders, 75 HR Push Ups, 50 TTB, 25 Pull Ups. You have 5 minutes to complete each movement. If you finish early in your 5 minutes of one movement, you get to rest! Record time finished.
So we have 5 minutes to do 100 DUs, 5 minutes to do the Push Ups and so forth. A timed chipper I guess is best to describe it. I was already scare of DUs just because my shoulders are so tight, sore, etc. Shoulders go fast when they are already useless to you. Then PUSH UPS next. Not good! I finished DU’s in a little over 2 minutes, I can’t recall specific times but I know it was 2 something. It was a good rest till HR Push UPs. I struggled but managed to finish in a little over 4 minutes. Enough time to get handguards on for TTB, errr Knees to Elbow for me. I found my kip and got 10 in a row. Went back for another 10, then hit a wall. Only getting 5 at a time, then only 3, then 2. Finished under 4 minutes on this one though! Only 25 Pull Ups but it’s still alot in my book. Did 5, 5, 3, 2, 1, 2 and 1’d and 2’d it till the end. Finished in 4:20 I think, not sure, Final time (added up): 14:25.

There you have it folks. My weekend wrap up! Hope you all had an enjoyable weekend. It’s a whole new week. Make that change you are thinking about, stop thinking about it! And be Awesome all the while!

Happy, Happy, Happy

So I had this whole post that I had written and of course hadn’t saved and something happened with the interwebs and I lost it all! So it’s taken me a while to get back to it and I’m late in posting.

Other than that ENERGY is still great! I am happy, giddy, and just overall GOOD. Joint pain is greatly reduced, head has not ached and I am into deep sleep mode as soon as my head hits the pillow. I’m still on track and happy to be on it. I’ll get back my Whole30 after I recap my BOOM Box morning.

1/9/13 WOD
It was cold and rainy this morning and although we need the rain, it has been non stop and miserable. The good thing about the rain is that we didn’t have to push the PROWLER this morning as part of our warm up. It’s EVIL I tell you, PURE EVIL! I know my WOD recaps are still a lil Debbie Downer but it is frustrating working my way back to a better place since I was such a slacker.

Skill/Strength: 4×5 Pendlay Rows
This is a new movement to me and it was really awkward at first. I worked up and finished at 75lbs. As I moved up in weight I really lost form because I wanted to JERK the weight but that is NOT how you do it. It should be a continuous movement, back stays in place. I was trying to lift my back up and it was all wrong. I learned and finished out relatively strong. Still awkward feeling but at least I know for the next time.

MetCon: 4 rounds – 10 TTB, 20 KB Swings (1POOD), 30 DUs, Rest 1 minute
HIATUS = SKILL LOSS
It’s been a while since I’ve done TTB and I used to at least string together 3 in a row, but not today. I couldn’t even bust out ONE! Knees to Elbows here I come. That was silly too. I lost my kip! I seriously could not get a rhythm! Ugh. My first two rounds went along rather smoothly but my THIRD round was miserable. My hands were burning. I couldn’t string the KTE together. That’s all that took up time was hanging on the bar. I busted out the KB Swings and DUs pretty well. I finally finished with a time of 11:45. Looking foward to my new rest day THURSDAY!

1/9/13 WOD (sorry for the blur)

Whole30 Day 7 & 8
I left you yesterday with a review on my newer experimental version of Spanish Cauli Rice and my unknown dinner. I will tell you that I mentally patted myself on the back the rest of the day yesterday for my faux rice! I also told a couple of people repeatedly of it’s awesomeness. It was excellent. My last version I used Salsa to get a MEXICAN RICE flavor. This time I used tomato paste and my own seasoning preferences. It was wonderful! I didn’t have enough to share with the kids but they approved the small taste I gave them at dinner time and Ernie said he enjoyed his with his lunch! WIN! Next time I make it I will be better at measuring my ingredients so I can share with you 🙂

Ground beef, YUMMO Spanish FAUX Rice, Broccoli stir fry

As for dinner, Steak was on my brain but when I got home and looked at all the leftovers I knew we had to clean that up and get it eaten. I ran out of broccoli on the kids so I used my now favorite go to SPINACH sauteed with whatever protein I’m warming on on the stove. This time it was the roast in GHEE, my now new favorite cooking fat! Also had those Chicken Thighs I made the other day after I crisped them up with more GHEE! Leftovers got eaten up and all was well in our house.

Leftovers: Roast with spinach, Chicken Thigh, Cauli Rice, 1/2 avocado (ended up being less after kids took bites)

After dinner, I went ahead and prepped more food for the morning and possible dinner tonight. Yes it does take some extra time to stay on track eating clean, but it’s not consuming my life. And it’s not hard manual labor. Just a few extra steps. And like I said earlier I am feeling great. I was telling a friend earlier that I believe I’m quicker to happiness because my body is just happy I’ve returned to clean eating rather than a shocking bolt to my system like it may be to those trying it out for the first time.

SNACKING

I had another friend asking me about writing a post about mindless snacking like when you’re bored or BORED! I told her she probably wouldn’t like the answer. And it’s hard to tell someone when they are still eating SAD (standard american diet). Since I’m on the Whole30, I tell you how my brain translates what they have to say.

DON’T SNACK! If you MUST then make it a 1/2 meal. But try to stick to 3 meals a day. Before Whole30 and my off the wagon stint, I was eating 3 meals a day and 2 snacks a day. So essentially 5 meals a day. Now I’m to 3 meals a day per the rules of Whole30 and a Post Workout Meal because so far I haven’t woken up early enough for the Pre-Workout Meal.

The idea with Whole30 is that if you start off with a great grassfed protein, plenty of veggies and a thumbsize serving of healthy fat for your THREE meals then you should be set. So far this is TRUE. I have no HUNGRY moments in the day and I don’t have any desires to SNACK. I’m on Day 8. NO SNACKING required. I also follow the water intake rule of 1/2 my body weight in ounces. I also have 1-2 cups of hot tea. Mostly to keep me warm at my desk, but I do love me some tea.

In regards to CRAVINGS, I have yet to have any. The only day Ernie was buying chocolate, I could SMELL the candy and it smelled good. Chugalug on some water and I was fine. Cravings are definitely a mental battle though so I know it can be tough. I choose to subscribe to the Whole30 daily emails which are great by the way and worth the $14.99 to me. Well in one of the emails they talk about cravings and they say if you can think about steamed fish and broccoli and that really sounds good when you are having a craving, then eat, but eat a meal or 1/2 meal. If you are just craving sugar then most likely it won’t sound good and you need to occupy your brain with something else and drink water!

On a NON Whole30 perspective, all I got is eat a small serving of protein with a healthy fat because that is what I would do. Carbs will just spike your insulin and make you more HUNGRIES!

Please note I’m not a nutritionist or a professional. I’m just learning as I go, changing things as I go but not before I give something a chance. I’m not changing things daily. It’s a learning process and you learn how your body functions and tolerates certain foods with time. If you recall I did the 21 day Sugar detox because I was eating too much fruit and honey! It was a killer on me! KILLER. But I got through it and lost 7lbs! I’m not ready to eliminate fruit again but I eat a whole lot less fruit at this point. So I feel ok about it. If I need to eliminate fruits again I will but it will be hard on me mentally!

Hope everyone has enjoyed their day so far. REST DAY tomorrow, but hopefully I’ll still be sharing my Whole30 food and mood. I may also have a review of some organic tea that I’ve been trying out. Not sure I’m going there yet, but it’s coming soon. You know the sign off … BE AWESOME.

Day 3 SUGAR DETOX – Oh so SLEEPY!

Ok I was just trying to rhyme but I am sleepy! My eyes are sooooooo heavy And I completely sucked at the BOOM Box today! Is it the heat? Is it my complete lack of AWESOME? I have no answers. I was struggling today.

It doesn’t help that Toes To Bar was on the agenda. If anything sucks the life out of me the most I do believe it’s these bad boys. I watch videos and I see people just knockthese out as if they are EASY or something.

I visualize myself doing the same… unfortunately my visualizations are just that and my actual movement is CRAPTASTIC! I did manage to get 2 in a row. Woohoo for me. Mel who works out with me in the AM said I should take that small victory and I know I should but I’m just not as positive as her. I was just pissed. I think it’s the pain that creeps in my hands that kills my mental focus to just do the dang TTB! YES COACH I’ll be purchasing gloves soon–real soon!

And TTB was just part of the workout today. The skill/strength was hamstring mobility to help us loosen up to be ready for TTB. The MetCon was 10 min AMRAP of 7 TTB, 9 Dead Lifts, 12 Kettle Bell Swings (1Pood). If I didn’t suck so bad at TTB then I may have had a better count but I spent a long time on my first round of TTB. Only got 3 and a lot of No Reps before I was allowed to do Knees to Elbows (those still suck by the way). I finished 4 rounds, 7 TTB and got to 4 DLs. I will master you TTB! I will OWN you TTB! I promise.

Day 2 of the Sugar Detox is down. I’ll be honest and say that I probably ate more sweet potato than I should have for dinner but REALLY if that’s the worse I did then I’m OK with it. I did feel bad but it was so good.

The little nagging headaches come and go at small intervals but I’ve either learned to ignore them or they are not as strong. I’ve been really enjoying my Refresh Tea. If you like mint this is the tea to get. But I also tried ZEN by TAZO. It’s a blend of green tea, lemon verena leaves, spearmint leaves, lemongrass, lemon essence oil. It’s pretty tasty and was a nice afternoon treat at work. I will say at about 3:30 though my EYELIDS were oh so heavy. I was tired. I just keep drinking cool, sometimes ice cold water and hoping I WAKE up.

I still see the fruit in my fridge and I want it. Why is there fruit in your house you ask…well the kids still eat fruit and I’m not going taking it away all together. They love fruit too! And I really don’t think it’s a bad thing. I’m just trying to do the right thing. It’s taken great restraint not to tear into a peach or handful of strawberries. Yet somehow I’m managing to stay strong. I know I gotta stick with this and I know I will win.

Post WOD I had 1 egg, some chicken sausage and a green tipped banana. It was on the verge of being ripe and I’m afraid the other two bananas will have to go to the kiddos. I do have green apples though to get me through the weekend. My snacks and lunch are planned out nicely and for dinner I will roast a chicken and cook up some broccoli and asparagus.

I still think May 21st is a LONG LONG away but hanging in there one day at a time.

Happy Thursday folks!

idrankthecfkoolaid

and it's good

TTB

Getting Prepared for the Whole30

Focus

Lazy and Sloppy

Home Stretch

Happy, Happy, Happy

Day 3 SUGAR DETOX – Oh so SLEEPY!

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