Quick Update

I've been working out, just not writing much about it.

Today's WOD was relatively quite. I worked up to 4 double unders in a row. I've doubled my progress since last week. Knee to elbow was challenging due to grip and weak abs. But this is the workout that I need the most!! For the yard walk, I pretended that the 45 pound bar over my head was a big bag of dog food. (I really could have put more weight on that bar).

It's funny how I want to give up during the workout, throw down the weight and walk out the door. Yet I push myself through to the end only to discover, again and again, how amazing I feel and that I can actually do these things. Look mom! I can do it all by myself!

Skill: Deadlift 3x3x3

5 Rounds of:
50 Double Unders
35 Knees-to-Elbows
20 Yard Overhead Walk

Skill: Deadlift 3x3x3

Workout of the Day:

5 Rounds of:
50 Double Unders
35 Knees-to-Elbows
20 Yard Overhead Walk (Red Bands 185/125)

Sugar Emergency!

You give up one addiction and another pops up. Like that "bang the goffer" game at the state fair where you have to keep bobbing them goffers on the head so you win a prize. Giving up sugar wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. After a month of not eating sugar, food that I would have never considered sweet, actually is sweet. Broccoli has a light sweetness when I survived one month but the sugar culprit is everywhere! I began craving bread. I even indulged in that warm chewy goodness. I ate it with butter, with brie and washed it down with a nice glass of wine. The French would approve. But in this American lifestyle, bread is not a good thing to eat. Unless your metabolism is like an inferno, go ahead and have a few bites but if it's not, stay away from that baked stuff!




We did a partner WOD today. I was thrilled that Matt Millet was my partner. He did his entire workout with a 40 lb. weighted vest. Matt is a baseball player and an avid CrossFitter. He is tall, trim and my dietary inspiration. Matt does not drink alcohol, brings chicken and veggies to grill a cookouts.

Feeling Yuck!

What do you do when you are feeling discontent, missing your sisters, your friends and indulging in foods that you have deamed absolutely unhealthy?

More CrossFit!Since I slammed the door on sugar over three weeks ago, another door crept open. Froccasia, cheese and wine! The French would praise me for this addition to my diet but as an unknown author puts it, "Nothing tastes as good as being lean feels." And over the last several months I have been leaning more towards filling out my once loose fitting jeans. Yes, I do CrossFit, but not religiously. I loosely follow the Zone. I eat my veggies and I don't eat junk food. My workout intensity has softened and I find myself craving power yoga.

Check out Mary Lou Retton's story.

Happy Dirty 27

I am very happy that Rachel is 27 years old and not 50. Today’s WOD was led by our trainer, Rachel, who is celebrating her 27th birthday. She created this workout so we can all experience her 27 years in under 30 minutes.

Workout of the Day:”Dirty 27”
27 Reps of each of the following:

Box Jump 24/20
Jumping Pull Ups
Kettle Bell Swings
Walking Lunges
Knees-to-Elbows
Push Press
Hip Extension
Wall Ball
Burpees
Double Unders

I did my first ever double under today! Maybe I can work up to a handstand.

Think Outside The Box

I was very excited when Calvin announced we were doing our Satuday WOD at Hulda Crooks, where I often hike with my dog. But my performance that Saturday at the park was pathetic. I was sluggish during the run; I had a hard time walking up the hill and my pull ups needed major assistance. Burpees were slow and painful but the kettlebell swings weren’t too bad.

Here’s the deal with nutrition. I am still not eating sugar but I am eating a slightly greenish banana and drinking a cup of coffee with milk 45 minutes prior to my workouts. The sweet thing is that I have not experienced a crash in energy during my workouts since I added this “zone unfavorable” food back into my diet. However, I did something very dumb before Satuday's workout.

Forty five minutes before the workout at the park, I ate my banana and drank my coffee with milk as usual. No problem. We arrived at the park at 7:45 but no one from CrossFit was there. I called Calvin to find out where he was. He told me the WOD starts at 9am. Oh, no! My fuel was ready for burning but there wasn’t going to be any burning for at least another hour. I was worried that the banana and coffee were not going to sustain me through the 9am WOD. Sean and I and a friend we brought with us for his first WOD decided it would be a good idea to grab a bite to eat. Our options were limited so we drove to Stells. Sean and I split a jalapeno cheese bagel with peanut butter and cream cheese. Oh, it was delicious, but I was suspicious of how that bagel, now forty minutes prior to the workout, was going to sit with me during the workout. The answer revealed itself in my performance.

Calvin led the CrossFit team on a warm up tour of our course. We were expected to do 30 pullups using the thick bar of the swing set, do 30 kettelbell swings, run the hill and halfway through drop for 20 burpees. Do this 2 times for time. Immediately, I found it difficult just to keep a good walking pace up the hill! My friend’s recurring back injury prevented him from starting the workout and I was more then willing to get off the hill and drive him home. But I stayed and endured the misery of being completely ill-prepared for a CrossFit workout. My lungs struggled for breath, my whole body and legs felt weak, like I was jogging through molasses. I just wanted it to end.

Now, there are many factors that contributed to my weakness that day. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or too many beers the night before. Maybe it actually was the bagel with peanut butter and cream cheese. At least I know for sure that proper rest, proper nutrition and consistent training are key ingredients to a successful workout. Better planning next time.