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!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Broccoli muffins & the "2 week Paleo Challenge"
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!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
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.
(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!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
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.
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...
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!
Thursday, February 23, 2012
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...
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...
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
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
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
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