Lots Of Squats & A Few Cupcakes Later...

Whew it's been a quick minute since I've posted a blog! Guess I burned myself out (and probably some of the people reading) posting what I was eating day in and day out for eight stinkin days. It's been over a month so I guess maybe I can crank out a few words, recipes, what have ya. 


Let's start with cool CrossFit updates. Like...WOD GEAR TEAM SERIES! Jake & I were asked to do the series by an awesome couple at our CF gym - I'm taking the place of an awesome chica who busted up her shoulder at Regionals - sad face! I'm not sure my team knows what they're getting in to with me - but I hope at the very least I can hold my own. They, along with my hubby, pretty much rock - so I'm excited to see how we all do. I'm pretty sure I check the WOD Gear site daily, crossing my fingers for some type of description of what the Series will hold - so far, no dice. One month + left to go. 


Other CF updates... last week I hit a power clean PR of 135#, and this week I hit a squat-clean&jerk PR of 125#. This is INSANE to me, because I very clearly remember horribly struggling through 95# jerks at the gym only a couple months ago - and a disgusting attempt to power clean 115# - two times that were burned into my brain - but now signify major growths in my performance. I think I squealed with happiness after I got each of those PR's - any time I can lift any weight over my body-weight, I'm pretty excited. 


Now for more exciting things - a new recipe I want to share! This one comes from PaleOMG - if you are looking for good, healthy recipes - check Juli's site out - I love reading her daily posts. She struggles with cravings & the hard times of CF too - always nice to know I'm not alone :) . 


So the amazing dinner was Blackberry Glazed & Grilled Pork Chops - and they were fantastic. I made this because I had a huge box of blackberries from Costco - and let's face it - pineapple is always going to win out above blackberries when eating fruit solo - SO I needed to find a use for them. People - this recipe is great - and tastes like summer to me. Light, fruity, with a bang. Or rather - tang. Make it! 


And always - a pic! Thanks for reading guys and gals :) 

Paleo Day #8

Hola everyone! Yesterday was a big day of food prep for me - can't wait to share the Meatza recipe with you all (that will come tomorrow after I've had a chance to actually eat the thing!). 


Meals/food for Monday (day after cheat day aka hopping right back on that Paleo train)


Early AM: Chocolate whey protein shake blended w/berries & water


Breafkast/post workout: Large chocolate whey protein shake blended w/berries, 1/2 banana & water (needed a change!)


Morning snack: 1 Granny smith apple w/cinnamon & almond butter + 3  pcs of bacon


Lunch: Mixture of fajita chicken (from Albertsons) and leftover ZuZu's chicken kabobs w/their amazing garlic sauce + serving of pineapples (I'm on a huge pineapple kick lately)


Afternoon snack: Berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries) w/cinnamon + 4 pcs of bacon (oooops!)


Dinner: Rachael Ray's Arugula Pesto Chicken (which I posted about before) - when you make this bad boy - make sure to scrape up some of that extra cooked pesto from the pan - makes it 10x better + roasted veggies + fruit

COLORS!!!

Dessert: Chocolate Casein protein shake w/water + 1 pc Ghirardelli 72% chocolate


Overall - a day to be proud of! Esp. since I got to help a lot with making dinner - living at the parents (LESS THAN A MONTH TO GO - TILL OUR HOUSE IS READY!!!) + working out in the evening makes it super hard for me to have time to cook - so I really enjoy it when I get a chance. 


After dinner I made "Meatza" - which as I said earlier, I'll share tomorrow. Fingers crossed it's good - it SMELLED good, that's for sure. Jake liked it - but let's be serious, he likes everything except bananas! 


I also want to share my result  from week 1 - mainly so I can remind myself that being this disciplined for 6+ days of the week WILL bring me results I want. And if I motivate any of you to clean up your eating and/or train harder - bonus!

Leaner tummy - esp. in belly button area... hips are more defined... and I see more definition in my shoulder/upper arm area. That could just be me though! 

Happy May - especially to me and my hubby. Less than a month. THIS month. I can't say it enough! 

Paleo day #6/7

Well readers - I wish I could say I remember everything I ate this weekend to blog it all, but as it turns out, not so much. I can tell you that 99% of it was good, Paleo friendly eating. 1% = honesty time = I had a cheat meal! After way too long of an argument with myself about whether or not I was willing to cheat, I decided to do as my hubby always tells me, and either do it or shut up about it. I didn't even feel guilty about the cheat - because I knew I had done so well and stuck to my guns for everything else during the week. No sneaky cheating and keeping my secret from everyone - I was honest and ate clean, and felt great. So I had myself a yummy cheat meal - and two hours later when it came time for the next meal - it was clean, healthy and Paleo. Yay me! That's a big part in all of this I think - let yourself have a goodie every now and then because life is too short to not ever eat cupcakes... or brownies... or pizza... or whatever your cheat of choice is. 


(I'm not going to say I didn't go for a run/sprint/shuttle run after, because I definitely did. But I didn't feel guilty about the cheat - and that's a new and welcome feeling.)


A few food things worth mentioning: I found a pancake recipe online that I LOVED - no flour or honey = no guilt. My hubby found it too banana tasting, but I liked it a lot. To each their own :) 


Pancake recipe here!

I did a blueberry/coconut milk/cinnamon topping - just to experiment - and really liked the flavoring. My brother has an entire bunch of over-ripe bananas that I can't wait to steal and make more of these. 

Last to share today - the tasty looking avocado I posted on facebook yesterday! I love avocados and I LOVE LOVE LOVE balsamic vinegar, so I was all over this easy and inexpensive snack.

Avocado recipe here!

This little guy was a great snack to have a few hours before dinner. Killed any salt craving, plus like I said, I LOVE balsamic, and eating the balsamic + olive oil brought me back to the days of eating an entire loaf of bread at Johnny Carino's or Macaroni Grill with that yummy combo... Wait. Scratch that. I NEVER did that..... ;)

Paleo day #5

Well this might look a little different because I'm posting from my phone- but I really only access a computer during the week while at work- so for the weekend- we have my phone! Friday, after the insane workout known as "Bull"- my man and I were left thinkingA why the heck did I decide to blog everything I eat? Fridays- especially after a tough workout- I LOVE to chow down on some cheat food and sweets. Dang it! But this is where it makes a difference- I can eat well Monday through Friday- and at work through Friday- but it's the weekends that get me. I'm sure not unlike some of you. So if I can stay true to my goal- this is what's going to give me the aesthetic improvement I'm looking for. So here we go! Early AM: chocolate whey protein shake blended with berries & water & 1/2 shot of espresso Breakfast: 1 HB egg white + 2 servings of pineapple + 4 pcs of bacon Morning snack: 1 banana w/cinnamon Lunch: pork chops + asparagus + mixed berries Afternoon snack: 1 granny smith apple w/ almond butter Post workout: chocolate whey protein shake with water Dinner: LUCILLE'S! Yikes. This place was tough to eat paleo at. We definitely had to study the menu and just try to make the best decision possible. I ended up with: appetizer of shrimp in some kind of spicy tomato based "BBQ" sauce with tons of garlic. This- I highly recommend. It was a nice surprise seeing that it was more tomato based than BBQ based- and it was tastyyyy. Dinner- jambalaya! I'd never had this bad boy before- but it was chicken, shrimp, sausage- in a tomato based sauce (one of the few offered without a cream sauce) over a bed of rice. Also a good surprise- totally easy to avoid the rice. Jake & I were a little worried we would have to sacrifice our Paleo goals for that meal- and we walked away pretty happy with our choices. Dessert: chocolate casein protein shake blended with strawberries & water + a couple spoonfuls of my "pudding" from the night before. I guess we haven't completely kicked that weekend dessert craving- but it was a good alternative. Plus- its gone now! Haha! No more temptation from you, you little paleo treat. Anyhow- like I said- we did Bull for our Friday WoD. Jake and I did it as a team- thank goodness for both of us. He picked up slack on the double unders- but I'm definitely making huge leaps on them- and the pull ups- and I picked up the slack on the overhead squats. They're hubby's nemesis right now- but he is definitely improving. So proud of him for going RX (135#). I unfortunately had to scale them- I got a PR in warmup at 85# (RX for girls is 95#)- but it was just too heavy for lots of reps in a workout. Here is Bull: 2 rounds 200 Double unders 50 overhead squats 50 pull ups 1 mile run (each person had to complete the runs) 45 minute cap. Proud to say I finished!!! It took a ton of hustle during that last mile and I barely made it (I'm talking less than 30 seconds before the clock hit 45:00) but I finished! I earned those pudding spoonfuls don't ya think? Hehe. Happy weekend everyone!

Paleo day #4

Here we go again guys! Thursday was a pretty easy Paleo day - except for a minute while giving nutrition advice - mentioning toast with peanut butter - and craving toast with peanut butter for hours after. Easy... yeah right. But made it through regardless. I did do what I said I wasn't going to and made a "treat" - just because I wanted to mess around with sweet ingredients. The "pudding" concoction turned out quite tasty, and I kept the hubby and I to just one spoonful each, and saved the rest. Discipline? Eh. Shouldn't have made it to begin with, but shoulda coulda woulda!


Early AM: Chocolate protein shake blended with berries + water + 1/2 shot of espresso

Breakfast: 2 Hard boiled egg whites + 1 serving pineapple chunks + 3 pieces of bacon


Morning snack: 1 Banana w/cinnamon


Lunch: Balsamic roast (crock pot) + large serving of berries w/cinnamon


Afternoon snack: 1 Granny Smith apple w/almond butter


Post workout: Chocolate Whey protein shake with water


Dinner: "Bistro Chicken" + asparagus


Dessert: "Chocolate pudding" + 1 square 72% Ghirardelli chocolate + Casein protein shake blended with berries & water




Now, here's the important part of this. "Bistro Chicken". A semi healthy meal, recipe from my lovely mother, chicken breasts, french onion soup broth, tons of tomatoes & onions, topped with a crazy amount of cheese. Normally - I LOVE this meal. For Paleo - still totally do-able, and tasty - just had her leave the cheese off Jake & my portion of the dish. Easy peasy =) It's just great to know that you can take your normal recipes and transform  (most of them) to Paleo dishes. 


For the "chocolate pudding". I'm not one to sit there and experiment with sweets - I can follow a recipe, but throwing together ingredients is not my thing. For this - I had seen a recipe and thought I'd give it a shot, and just went from memory. My pudding was made up of: raw organic honey, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond butter, coconut milk & casein protein. It was actually quite tasty. Thick like pudding thanks to the protein. Just took some work to stir it all up! 


After making the pudding however, I was reminded of why Jake and I started this to begin with. To curb our ever growing sweet tooths. Teeth. Tooths? I don't know. But they're growing. And even by eating a Paleo treat, it still was a sweet to us, and we wanted more. So for the rest of these weeks, I'll probably stay away from any treats like that. If eating Paleo becomes more standard with us, I'm sure I'll throw a few in there. But eating pudding isn't exactly going to help my six pack come out of hiding any quicker is it?


Yesterday's workout: Ryan. 
Those hero workouts are seriously, seriously tough. But I love em. 


Ryan: 5 rounds for time: 7 muscle ups + 21 burpees


So proud of Jake - he got 1 full round, and 5 muscle ups into his 2nd round. So much progress for him. 


Me - I haven't gotten 1 muscle up yet - so it was to the ring dips I went. I had a little hit on my pride when one of the coaches suggested I use a purple band - the lightest one - but still, a band. I'd always been really proud that I was at a level where I didn't need them - but I told myself, suck it up - she's just trying to help you get better, and you obviously have an area to work on! **sucking in** 


24:28 = 5 rounds: 21 ring dips + 21 burpees
YUCK! 


It was a toughie. But a goodie. They all are. Jake and I followed that up by hitting squats - I went heavy weight - I'm struggling to get GOOD reps at 185# and I really am anxious to get there. Practice practice practice!


I don't know that I've heard one word more consistently than "practice" after joining CFCH. But practice makes perfect, right? There must be something to that saying. 


So. For now. I PRACTICE. =) 

Paleo day #3

Day #3 was a small challenge - I cooked dinner for my entire family and provided them with a cheddar cheese topping for garnishing the peppers - O.M.G. Making it through a dinner without picking at cheddar cheese? Absolutely unheard of for me. But shoot - I hadn't made it through almost three whole days to lose on a stinkin' piece of shredded cheese. 


So here's what I ate yesterday guys!


Snack on the way to work (honesty remember!) - to keep my sanity because I'm definitely susceptible to "chick" moments - 1 piece of 72% Ghirardelli dark chocolate


Breakfast: 2 Hard boiled eggs + 4 pieces of bacon


Morning snack: 1 Banana w/cinnamon + handful of almonds


Lunch: Serving of crock pot balsamic roast (recipe in previous post) + serving of pineapple chunks


Afternoon snack: 1 Granny smith apple w/almond butter + handful of almonds


Dinner: 1 Cannibal Pasilla Pepper (I did use olive oil instead of "lime avocado oil" - I haven't been able to make a trip to Sprouts yet and our Vons is barely even considered a grocery store!) + serving of broccoli & carrots + pineapple & strawberries


Dessert: 1 square 72% Ghirardelli dark chocolate + chocolate Casein protein shake blended with water and strawberries


So day 3 done and gone - I took a picture for myself this morning and my stomach is definitely leaning out. Nothing will help me stick to these eating habits through the weekend like that. 


And as for a workout - yesterday was definitely a rest day. The previous day's rope climbs just absolutely took me OUT. My shoulders, the bruises on my legs. I loved it and can't wait to try again, but dang I was hurting yesterday. So I headed to the gym and foam rolled the bejeezus out of my shoulders and back, and stretched up a storm. Today - my grip is a little sore - I'm sure it's from hanging for dear life onto those ropes - but I can't wait to hit up the WOD today at CFCH. It's still Hero week - and I love it! Those workouts are INSANE. 


As always - here's a pic of my dinner creation! (Ooh - helpful hint - this is NOT an "after work throw together dinner" - it's definitely more of a "I have more than an hour to spend slowly cooking dinner on a Sunday" meal) (And no I have no idea why the picture of the pepper on the Civilized Caveman cooking site has red peppers and mine doesn't. I am pretty sure Serrano chilies are green? Hmm? Let me know if you have any ideas!)

Paleo Day #2

I'm all about honesty here - because I sure as heck am not perfect, and know most of you aren't either - so full disclosure always - I finished my crazy workout yesterday ("RJ" - 5 rounds **yeah right** of: 800M run + 5 rope climbs **for me - 10 1/2 climbs/attempts and LOTS of failed climbs** + 50 pushups - with a 45 minute cap. My result - 3 rounds + 800 M run. Super challenging.) - and called my husband on the drive home - and said: "you have NO idea how LITTLE I want to eat Paleo right now". Had he said - let's go get a cupcake - chances are I would have jumped at it. See why it helps to have a support system? He just laughed and said "oh, wifey" - because he knew he wasn't going to let me off the hook that easy. Dang him. Anyway, so here's what I ate yesterday! 


Early AM: Chocolate protein shake mixed with water & berries & 1/2 shot of espresso (we've started doing this on mornings we don't work out, so we don't lose out on the energy level we're used to)


Breakfast: 3 Scrambled eggs + tapatio; 4 pieces of bacon


Morning snack: 2 Broccoli muffins; 1 Banana w/cinnamon


Lunch: Serving of Balsamic Roast - the crock pot meal I made the night before; 1 Granny Smith apple with almond butter. 


Before (in the crock pot) and After (shredded and ready to EAT) pic here!! 
Doesn't it look tasty. Not even that many ingredients to prep which I love - and I got to learn how to "de-glaze a pan". Awesome!

Afternoon snack: Leftover from lunch balsamic roast (I only ate enough at lunch to get full); 1 tupperware of mixed berries with cinnamon


Dinner: LA VILLA! Gasp! I know. (La Villa - hometown Mexican restaurant) This is important - it's completely possible to eat Paleo when you go out or get takeout - it's just all about making the right choice and paying attention to what ingredients are in what. I ordered a shredded chicken burrito - no cheese (a little part of me cried at this point - as most of you know how I love cheese), with a side of guacamole. The guacamole was a perfect side to the chicken, especially when I added salsa. Guacamole = avocado & veggies - can't go wrong there. I opened up the burrito and just ate the chicken with my side of guac., and a serving of pineapple & strawberries. Yum!


Dessert: Chocolate casein protein shake mixed with berries; one square Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate! Turns out - thanks to my amazing hubby who did the research - chocolate above 70% is Paleo. Sign. Me. Up. I was a happy girl.


So today I start day 3. Feeling good so far :) My tummy has leaned out a bit - the muscles show a bit more - but that's standard any time I eat well for a couple days. I'm really interested to see how it affects me after a week. 


Happy Wednesday everyone. Almost to the weekend :) 

Paleo - Day #1

Done and done! Woo! Wasn't so hard :) Well - my girlfriend has decided to do her own Paleo challenge with her hubby as well - and she asked if I would post what I'm eating daily - as a guide and to share recipes. Talk more about myself? Gladly! So here goes for day 1 (plus if I'm having to post everything on here - makes it less likely I'll cheat riiiiight?)


Early AM: Chocolate Whey protein shake (Optimum Nutrition is the brand we use) - blended with strawberries, blueberries and water (this is an every day thing for us - feels great to get something in your system right away, especially if I'm working out early)


Breakfast: 1 Banana w/cinnamon + 4 pieces of bacon + 1 broccoli muffin (recipe in previous post)


Morning Snack: 2 Paleo Breakfast Sausage (I skipped out on the Bison as I'm about to be a new homeowner on a budget - but these kind of lacked flavor, so maybe next time I will bite the bullet) + handful of strawberries & blueberries w/cinnamon


Lunch: Chicken with fajita veggies (from Albertsons - they have a pretty fantastic "mix & match" "buy one get one free" case by the Service Meat cases in the back - healthy and already seasoned? We love easy!) + 1 Granny Smith apple w/almond butter (Trader Joes - Creamy w/Sea Salt- best we've found so far)


Afternoon snack: Asparagus w/toasted garlic & toasted almonds + 1/2 banana w/cinnamon + 1 broccoli muffin


Post workout: Chocolate protein shake mixed with water


Dinner: 1 piece grilled tilapia w/ grilled lemon + asparagus w/toasted garlic & toasted almonds


Dessert: Large slice of pineapple (cut up into chunks) + chocolate Casein protein shake (this is also a standard for us at night: Casein protein + Whey protein + strawberries + cinnamon + water. Less water than the shake in the morning - it's a little thicker and more "dessert" like. We've grown to love and look forward to these. It's great because the Casein protein stays with you throughout the night and we don't really ever wake up starving)


Well there you are ladies and gents. Turns out when I write it all out - I eat quite a bit of food don't I? Hehe. 


I'll also post the workout from yesterday - it was a lot of fun and thanks to my own progress and the support of the people there last night - I pushed myself pretty dang hard and felt really good about my result.


WOD: Jack (Hero WOD week at CFCH - I don't hate that, being married to a Marine)


20 Minute AMRAP
10 Push Presses 75#
10 KB Swings 1Pood
10 Box Jumps 20"


9 rounds + 8 box jumps. 


Next time - TEN! :) Until tomorrow guys!

Broccoli muffins & the "2 week Paleo Challenge"

So - check these guys out! 
Broccoli muffins! I know right? Gross. Haha! But no - really - I can't believe how yummy they are. I snatched the recipe up on a site I just recently stumbled across Little B's Healthy Habits. Such a great site for recipes - I love being able to try different things and have them still be healthy. 






Please make these! Easy peasy - and cheap! (who doesn't love that!)


2 cups of broccoli
8 egg whites
Whatever spices you like - I've only tried garlic salt & pepper so far


Blend together - pour mixture into pre-nonstick sprayed wells of muffin pan - and bake @ 350 degrees for 25 minutes. 


And done! Easy, right? =) You're welcome! They do sink into a funky shape when you take them out - don't be alarmed - it gives 'em a little character!




This recipe comes from my "I just started today, here's hoping I get through it in one piece, Paleo Challenge". Normally it's called a 30 day (or more) Paleo Challenge -but let's not get crazy! I just need a quick clean up as I've been a little more "relaxed" in my eating habits! And let's face it - I work far too hard in the gym to let all of my work go to waste. 


What does Paleo mean? Well in the wise words of my hubby - to make it to where I could understand and wouldn't follow up with a million examples - if it came from the ground or had a face at some point - you can eat it. (Excluding legumes and potatoes - save for sweet potatoes). Great description right? Anyway - point is to clean up your eating! It's not easy - just takes a LOT of preparation. Luckily I'm used to food prepping for the week anyway - now I just need to be a bit more strict with it. 


So here we go - me, two weeks; Jake, 30 days. He's crazy. I know. But gotta respect the discipline!


On a completely unrelated note - what the business is up with this So Cal weather today? I was NOT prepared! Either rain or don't Cali - none of this in between stuff!

Recipe to share!

Just wanted to pop in quickly today - happy Thursday! - and share the new recipe I made last night - thanks to Rachel Ray. I recommend making sure you scrape up some of the pesto sauce that sticks to the pan - that helps the chicken be extra tasty. 

Grilled Chicken with Arugula Pesto - Rachael Ray

(And heck no - no pasta! Not in this low carb house! You can do it! I believe in you! :) )

Today's workout:

800m run

10 rounds of:

10 toes to bar (yuck! yet another weakness)

10 box jumps (20")

800m run

I hate my weaknesses - but grateful for all the opportunities I have to work on them, and see my progress - EVENTUALLY... *cough cough* double unders! 

My next baking adventure! And other updates..

Well hello there! It's been a quick minute since I've written - I guess competing in the Crossfit Games Open took more energy out of me than I realized. Last time I blogged, I had just made the decision to take part in the Open, and was quite nervous about it. Well - the nerves definitely never went away, but I couldn't be happier that I competed. I had such a fun time, met many new friends, and pushed myself past places I thought possible. And on top of it all - I got to do every Open workout with my hubby - how can you ask for more? I placed #458 out of the girls in Southern California - not bad, but I can't wait to see where I'm at next year. My favorite workout? 12.5. The only workout I completed twice. All the others I never felt like I could make a big improvement by re-doing it, and let's face it - I wasn't looking at moving on to Regionals - so I felt it was in my best interest to keep on practicing and getting better at everything - not just that workout. 12.5 was an exception. The workout: Thrusters (65#) + Chest to Bar Pull-Ups - starting at 3 repetitions each, increasing by 3 every round - AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) for seven minutes. My first attempt: 57 reps. Which meant I was 9 pull-ups into my round of 12 reps. It was decent - and similar to the results I'd been getting throughout the entire Open. Yet, after talking over the workout with my hubby later that night - I decided I could do better. I waited two days, and hit it again. This time I had my hubby scoring me (which might sound like it's unfair because he'll be easier on me - far from it! As he proudly told everyone at the gym - "I'll no rep the sh*t out of her!" That's why I love him - he pushes me harder than anyone because he knows I can always improve)- and some of the girls I admire from our new gym there to cheer me on... a.k.a. scream at me to not let go of the bar! Sounds crazy - but I love it. Anyway - that workout was intense. I couldn't have done it without the help of Jake and the other girls - sometimes you need that extra push. My goal had been getting into my 15th round of thrusters - which meant finishing that round of 12 pull-ups. I was confident I could do the thrusters - but the pull-ups were the tough area. So where did all that extra pushing get me? 79 reps! Four pull-ups into my 15th round! I was ecstatic! Once I was able to peel myself off of the floor that is. I love that I have a workout in the Open where I can say I truly pushed myself past my original limits, and am without a doubt proud of how I did.  


Here's a pic of my standing in the Open, and my scores on the workouts. 

The numbers in the parentheses under each workout are my results per workout - and the number next to it is my rank in Southern California. I know I've already said it - but I can't wait until next year!

Now on to my next baking adventure! I'll let the picture speak for itself...

Peanut Butter Bacon Chocolate Cookies - YoungMarriedChic.Com

Yep - you read that right. PEANUT. BUTTER. BACON. CHOCOLATE. COOKIES. 

I think my hubby about fainted when he read that. And has now been hinting at me nonstop to make them. I'm hoping to get to them this week - but I know I'll have to get two workouts in that day to make up for the large amount of cookies I'm sure to eat. How could you eat just one? It'd be unfair to the bacon! And the chocolate! And the peanut butter!!!

Have a wonderful week everyone - and go make these cookies! Yum!

Pushing myself further - while standing upside down?

Well. Today I did it. Today I registered to compete in the Crossfit Games 2012 - Open!


I had decided I wouldn't, told people there was no way... I struggle in some key areas of Crossfit - and know the difference between myself and the other female competitors I have seen. Yet - here I am. I guess there was a tiny part of me that wanted to - and every day it grew with every passing workout. The few deciding factors? For starters - the first "WOD" was announced. How many burpees can you do in 7 minutes? Didn't seem crazy hard. I watched the leader board on the Crossfit website last night - marveling at the numbers people were putting up. I tried it this morning for fun. So how many burpees can I do in 7 minutes? Today it was 82. Knowing that the person holding #1 on the leader board had a score of 125, I knew it wasn't great - but I didn't expect great - I just wanted to be proud of how I did. And I was! I made it through those 7 minutes without stopping - and if you've ever done any type of "how many can you do in this many minutes" workout - you know how difficult that is. Not to mention that I had also watched a video of one of the top female competitors try her hand at the WOD - and she got 91. Well I can definitely improve by nine reps! 


The second and third deciding factors for me to register? I've begun stringing sets of five double-unders together. It doesn't sound like much - but it's a huge improvement for me, and something I've really been struggling with. Third is I learned how to do a handstand against a wall! Sounds silly right? Incredibly difficult. Handstand push-ups are a huge exercise in Crossfit - and I haven't been able to do ONE correctly. So today I gave it another try - but came about it differently. When doing handstand push-ups - it's crazy hard to jump right into it correctly. So you learn parts of it - and progress your way to doing it the right way. So I'd been trying to do the handstand push-up from a regressed point - starting with your head on the floor and swinging your legs up to the wall - THEN pushing up. And so far - no go for me. Very frustrating because I truly felt I was strong enough to push myself up - something just wasn't working for me. Well today I took a stab at just going into a full handstand on the wall - hands first, then swinging the legs up. The better way to do it - it's faster- and who would have thunk it - but easier for me. I couldn't believe it! It took a few tries to gauge how close to the wall I needed to be, but lo and behold - once I got up there - I could do a dang push-up! Color me a happy girl for the morning.


After I practiced a few more - I called my husband on the way home from the gym - telling him about my stab at the 7 minutes of burpees, and my handstand story. His words? So... you need to go register for the Open now. And I knew he was right. What's holding me back now? I might not be the best, and I might not make it past this first level of competition - but shoot - I've only been doing this for about four months now - and really - why NOT? We only live once - and I never would have thought I'd be in the shape that I'm in... so why the heck not. 


So ladies and gents. Wish me luck. Tomorrow night I try the WOD again - this time with someone recording it and submitting it. I'm shooting for that 91. Stay tuned...

Active Recovery Day Wednesday!

Well ladies and gents - today is an "active recovery day" for me. Which means no lifting, I'll  be foam rolling, hopefully taking my amazing puppy aka child Ruby for a walk, and essentially just giving my body a break. Yesterday's workout was tough, as were the last couple, and my shoulder could use a day off! So today I'll post my "Valentine's Day WOD" that I was lucky enough to do with my husband - working out with a partner makes a great difference. I'm able to do it alone - but that extra motivation he gives me can just kick my workouts into high gear. Then to end - a few pictures! My friend Monica asked me what I wear when I work out - and I truly find that if I spend a little time and color coordinate and wear some fun things - it makes me that much more positive about my workout. 


Valentine's Day WOD
5 rounds for time:
7 squats (165#)
15 pull-ups


Result: 11:09


I was pretty proud of that. My husband killed it, in the 6 minute range - but I thought I did pretty well! 165# is a dang heavy weight for me - so I'll take it! Pull-ups are getting better every day... any progress makes me happy. I remember the day I got one - and the day I got five... and now I knock out sets of 8 at a time. It's extremely motivating for me.


We followed that up with some "pistol" practice. That was tough! Pistol practice was done holding kettle bells - it's not easy to hold that weight and keep your balance. Our WOD ended with a short - 50 alternating leg pistols for time  (no weight). Whew! I am SORE today. And I love it!


Now for the photos... I loved this outfit - the socks made me giddy the entire day. There's just something about brightness, and funky socks. Combine the two and I'm a happy girl. My hubby took these photos for me - partly to show the outfit - but also because after them, we started back up with our eating clean. I know I'm up a few pounds of body fat, definitely not muscle, so I want to see how my body changes after a week, two weeks of eating clean again. Wish me luck!


Thanks to my mother in law for the ADORABLE Zella workout top. Socks are Reebok from Dick's!

Eating Better Again

After a month of eating extremely well, my husband and I tried to take a weekend detour and enjoy a few cupcakes, pieces of pizza, chocolate... whatever struck our fancy. A weekend turned into two weeks, and we finally realized we needed to kick our own butts back into gear. We pride ourselves on eating well and training hard, no matter what. Training hard seems to be what comes easy to us - eating well, not always. So we enjoyed this last weekend, pizza and garlic bread Saturday night, and our Valentine's Day dinner tradition at Maestro's Ocean Club in Newport Beach. Warm butter cake and creme brulee were a delicious ending to our night, and our gluttonous days. 


After setbacks like that, I look forward to days like Monday. Days where I wont crave chocolate or cookies because I know my jeans are getting a little tight, and honestly, I look forward to seeing my hard earned six pack again. I kicked the day off with a good workout - practicing my snatches - a lift I found extremely difficult, but rewarding to finally get. I ended with a set of three reps at 75 pounds. Not too shabby. Next up - the Monday workout my hubby created (I'm extremely lucky to have  a built in personal trainer at home, I will admit that). Our WOD (Workout Of the Day) - 3 - Push Jerk (I went with 75 pounds - could and should have gone heavier, but my shoulder has been feeling a little tired after our weekly crazy Saturday workout) - with 9 push-ups, followed by 15 sit-ups. AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible) - in 15 minutes. A fantastic way to get your strength worked on, and get your heart rate up (to all of us girls - that's my cardio!). My result - 10 rounds plus 2 push jerks. It was a great workout. Hard, fast, sweaty - 15 minutes and done. Can't beat that. 


I usually find it very easy for me to eat well when I'm at work. I sit at a desk 8 hours a day, 5 days a week - and a little buzzer goes off every 2 - 3 hours for a break. Perfect time for me to eat on schedule, every day. We have a small fridge, and I make sure to prep food every night or morning - this helps when others head out to fast food and ask what I want - I know I have plenty already prepared. No thanks! Dinner was especially healthy for me - one piece of tilapia, cooked in a little butter (haven't been able to kick that yet), and lemon juice, roasted veggies and I attempted to sautee spinach. The spinach was flavorful - I love larger chunks of garlic - but I think next time I'll go with less olive oil. The roasted veggies are an amazing addition to dinner plates - they take a little prep time, so we typically make quite a bit (two baking sheets worth), that way we have left overs for the rest of the week. (FOOD PREP!) Below is the simple recipe for the veggies, and a quick cell phone pic of my dinner! I always enjoy when others post photos, so I hope to do the same. :) 


Roasted Veggies
Heat oven to 350 degrees
Bake between 30-40 minutes depending on your preference for crispness
Coat veggies in a bowl with a little olive oil, kosher salt and freshly minced garlic. 
Spread veggies evenly and thinly on a baking sheet - use two sheets if you have a lot of veggies.


The veggies below are our favorite combination - but you absolutely can add or remove to your liking. 
Carrots, red onions, yams, zucchini, pasilla chiles, bell peppers

Fish!

Here goes nothing...

I don't know if it's because we are on the "downward slope" from 25 to 30 (sounds silly, I know- but we all have our "things"), or if those of us who haven't gotten pregnant yet are trying to find a topic of conversation besides BABY BABY BABY and what sweets we've overeaten that week - but lately I find myself being asked - what would I do if I didn't do what I do? I don't love my job, but I enjoy that I get to work with my family every day. So the question sticks with me. What would I do? I graduated 8 years ago with a degree in English - excited to start the journey towards becoming a teacher. Teaching was the only thing I had ever thought of doing - most girls I knew were going to be teachers, my family was full of them. I took the CBEST quickly and passed - now I could substitute teach. I filled out an application... and that's where it stopped. I realized I didn't want to do that, and after having every kind of teacher possible - I truly believe that teachers need to love their job, and be passionate about it - otherwise they aren't effective. I lucked out - there was a job opening with my family business, and I jumped on it. An increase in pay, full time, and a boss who will let me take a day off if I so choose. (Sick days don't exist here, but that's a story in itself).


Eight years later, here I am. And what would I do if I were forced to choose something else - or if I got the chance to do something else. My friend Monica asked me this during a girls night filled with red wine flights and fried appetizers that were immediately regretted. I shrugged and said, well - the logical step would be to write a blog. I have an English degree after all, and it would give me a place to write about my love of working out. Facebook users don't always appreciate my daily workout posts - but I've chosen to keep it up. If I motivate one person to exercise that day - then every post I make is worth it. After I gave my answer to what I thought was a silly, alcohol induced chat - Monica was... enthusiastic. She and Raechel (another friend with whom I share my fitness and lifestyle experiences) thought it was a great idea - and Monica promised to pressure me into following through. I protested - we all know there are tons of fitness blogs, healthy eating blogs. In return they tell me - yes, but they seem to be for the mom with nine kids, or the woman who can't get to the gym- they just rarely seem to be geared towards women like us. We have gym passes, some of us are married, or in relationships, we have full time jobs, and are just trying to manage enjoying our youth combined with maintaining a healthy lifestyle.


So where's a blog for girls like that? Like myself and my friends? Well. Here goes. I've never believed I was creative enough to write anything - and I might be right. But like I've always said about my Facebook updates - if I motivate one person to exercise today - then this will be worth it.


I plan on posting my workouts, maybe including a photo every now and then. I'll post what I'm eating - or trying to eat. I'm in the best shape of my life, that's true, but it's definitely not without a few struggles. I love a good cupcake or cookie every now and then. To the one person who reads this - or the many - I hope you find something you like here - at the very least, you might find a good recipe or two.