Thankful Thankful

I was approached by a woman named Heather and was asked to talk about what I'm thankful for and also spread the word about her story and recovery from Mesothelioma. You can read about Heather's story here and watch her video. After having her first child she did not feel well - after 3 months she was diagnosed with Mesothelioma. Her story is amazing and she is working to increase awareness about this disease.

So what am I thankful for? This is a high pressure question. You don't want to sound snotty by saying "I'm so thankful for my black amex card" (I wish!) - but this is my list and my world so here it goes!

1. Super thankful for my wonderful family. Not just Sam and the boys, but my in-laws (they live .3 miles away - I swear, it's great), my mom, my brother and sister (and new baby!)...EVERYONE

2. Super thankful for friends - we are lucky enough to have friends that are more like family than I would have ever guessed they could be. My kids have soooo many people that love them and that they can look up to. Pretty heart warming

3. Thankful (I promise not to overuse "super") for my job. I have to wake up early, but I'm home before the boys get out of school and we get to spend some good time together. That also means Sam gets them ready in the morning and packs lunches. That I am thankful for too. Oh, and summers off. Boom.

4. I am thankful for snow days. Working in a school that means I just get to stay home with the kids. No daycare nightmare, taking off work, etc.

5. I'm thankful for Crossfit. I know, I know......I have a problem. Crossfit, and the people and coaches I have met/worked out with/drank with/danced with/slapped booties with (that's right) are awesome. I found Crossfit at a time that I thought "nothing will work". I truly thought I was destined to be sick (suffering from Lyme's disease and migraines at the time), over weight, weak, an emotional eater, and cranky. Through lifting heavy shit, pushing myself, and finding a workout I love and will do consistently I have found health, sanity, muscles (there are a few showing up), humor, and confidence.

Charity WOD during mustache Movember

6. I'm thankful that all my holiday shopping was done on Amazon. No stores. No lines. I do have to wrap all that crap - do kids notice if every box says "Amazon.com"? :)

Yep. Thankful for Reebok sales and new shirts!

I hope that this holiday season you have many many things to be thankful for. Sometimes they can be hard to see or remember - but they are there. Give hugs. Say "I love you".

Happy Holidays!

I said BRRRRR, it's cold in here.......Cold War III

I survived. Thanks to an ice bath, Epsom salt, stretching, alcohol, and two snow days. I can even walk!

This weekend I found myself in my 2nd even Crossfit Competition (Cold War III). Just like the first one (Superfit DC) I wound up there by accident, chance, etc. For Cold War you have a team of 4, at least one must be a girl. CFA had a team, but the girl found out she was moving - two small kids, packing, etc. and she didn't feel like she could be ready. I answered the call, said "yes", and then immediately got nervous poo. Oh, the team is also doing it Rx. My first Rx competition (hopefully not my last).

I signed up for this two weeks before the event, one of those weeks being spent in Cancun.....so I didn't have nervous tummy for long. While I was in Cancun another team member was injured. We had another fill in and we were ready to go.

The workouts were interesting, scary, and surprises. We went in knowing a few things, but not much. The barn thing that we did some workouts in was not heated. It was 29 degrees out and snowing on the 2nd day. It was cold - like you could see your breath cold. People had blankets, sleeping bags, I even saw a portable heater. One workout was in the pool and two more were outside (one was optional). Day one was 5am - 7pm. Day two was 7am-1pm. Totally worth it.

Hard to see....but tons of people, lots of equipment, and of course Sam was there :)

Day 1

WOD 1:
2 team members
1 person swims 200 meters while the other does 80 lunges with overhead weight (45/25) - then switch

WOD 1 1/2 :
Other 2 team members
4 minutes (rotate after 2 minutes)
One partner doing Hang Cleans while the other does Towel pull ups (then switch)
Final 2 minutes max reps: one does thrusters, one does weighted dead hang ruck sack pull ups

So proud of my team

Mini Event 1:
In pairs
3 rounds for time (8 minute cap)
One person wall sits with atlas stone (145/95) while the other does 100 double unders

95 pound atlas stone wall sit

WOD 2:
All team members
EACH ATHLETE WILL PERFORM EACH MOVEMENT FOR 2 MINUTES AND THEN ROTATE. NO TRANSITION TIME IN BETWEEN  

MOVEMENT # 1: CALORIE ROW  

MOVEMENT # 2: KB SWING      (RX: 70/53)
MOVEMENT # 3: POWER SNATCH     (RX/MASTERS:   135/95)
MOVEMENT # 4: WALL BALLS           (RX/MASTERS:   30/20)

Mini Event 2:
2 people do Burpee sandbag thrusters then the other two do max rope climbs (can't remember times now)

Day 2

WOD 3:

BREAK INTO TWO PAIRS  ( Me and Sam  )

FIRST PAIR PERFORMS THE FOLLOWING FOR FIRST 4 MINUTES:

OVER HEAD SQUAT  (RX:  135/95)      

TOES-TO-BAR (TTB)    
Last minute T2B AMRAP 


SECOND PAIR PERFORMS THE FOLLOWING FOR 4 MINUTES: Bijan and Steve

JERKS ( MUST BE A JERK )   (RX: 185/125)

RING DIPS

Last minute ring dip AMRAP

Mini Event 3:

5 minute AMRAP bar muscle ups

Sam and Bijan worked SO hard

WOD 4:

21-15-9

ATHLETE #1 (me)
FRONT SQUATS
(RX/MASTERS:   155/105)
BOX JUMP UP and OVERS
(RX/MASTERS:   30”/24')
DUMBBELL   SNATCH
(RX/MASTERS:  65/45)

ATHLETE # 2 (Sam)
POWER CLEANS
(RX/MASTERS:    155/105)
BOX JUMP UP and OVERS
(RX/MASTERS:   30”/24”)
DUMBBELL SNATCH
(RX/MASTERS:   65/45)

105 pound front squat and cleans, 45 pound dumb bell snatch

That's it. That was my two day Rx PLUS competition. It was terrifying, awesome, freezing, empowering, humbling, challenging........I loved it. I learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot about my team mates. Those boys worked so hard! I have a list of things to work on, a list of things that I didn't know I could do. This was the first time I was able to string toes to bar together, I fought for 3 (ugly) 95 pound snatches, and I did NOT have to rope climb. Phew! Oh, and I met my goals. I did not poop in my pants (close call in the pool). I did not cry. I might have to start making my goals harder.

We had tons of fans. I think 18 different people from CFA came to cheer us on......so awesome. I could not believe how many people took the time to come to our freezing neck of the woods to say "hi", "good luck", and cheer for us. Thank you all very much! Of course - Sam was there. I love that guy. He missed Superfit, so this was the first time he was seeing me compete. I loved having him there. The boys saw me compete in two events - it was the first time they saw me compete too. Full heart. 

This competition was hard. Way harder than I could have imagined. It's way harder than the one I'm doing in January (that I signed up for on purpose). I loved my team. I loved the weekend. I love crossfit!

Time to love the couch!

And we are done done done

It's official. The scale means nothing to me. We are done. I'm not going back. I'm not changing my mind. We are done. Forever.

I've known for a while that the scale was evil, I didn't totally buy it though. A piece of me needed to know the number. How much? How many pounds? Is it more, less, the same as yesterday?

I only weighed myself in the morning. No clothes. Before I drink anything. I've been known to step on the scale, hate what I saw, move the scale, step back on. Sigh. It was a horrible relationship. It could and would ruin my day. A stupid number from a stupid piece of junk. That dumb thing has made me cry countless times.

Once I started crossfit many people at the box told me "the scale doesn't matter". They talked all about "it's how you feel, how your clothes fit, and if you are seeing progress in the gym". Fran time faster? Great. Got a pull up? Awesome. Added 50 pounds to your clean? Badass. Still, I got on the scale from time to time. Not as often as I used to - but anything is better than everyday. Every.Day.

In January my box did a Paleo Challenge where they did a BMI test with an ultra sound machine. Super cool. Super awesome. There were measurements, ultra sound wand, and a scale (bastard). The machine took measurements from my waist, hip, and tricep  - did some sort of magic voodoo in the computer and spit out a number. My body fat % was 33.2. Yep. Fat. Duh, that's why I was starting crossfit AND doing a paleo challenge.

Well, guess what? I've worked hard, cleaned up my eating, and kept moving. Today I checked out the old body fat numbers. I've had a smile on my face all day - it was that great. 25.9. I can't say it with without smiling. I have thought about that number all day. 33 to 25. Fuck. Feels good. Craziest part? The scale reported 1 pound loss. WTF? My body fat went down that much and the scale is going to reward me 1 pound. I hate you.

That was my breaking point. The scale and I are done. What good is that number to me? No good. No good at all. The body fat % made me want to conquer the world, I'm pretty sure I stood taller, and naturally I can now lift everything better and faster. The scale just made me want to quit. Asshole.

CFA 1st Annual Throwdown

Saturday our box did their first annual throwdown. It was so much fun! The coaches were judges and anyone who wanted to compete could. Girls started first and then the dudes went. It went from about 9am to 12:30 ish - good times.

Workouts:

1st Event:
Thruster Ladder (Guys will start 95# and move on in increments of 10#, ladies begin at 65# and go up by 5# they will have a minute to perform the lift, if they fail they must deadlift for the remainder of the minute as a tie braker)

2nd Event: Crazy 8’s
8 Power Cleans 115/75
8 Burpees
8 Goblet Squats 16kg/12kg
8 AMRAP

3rd Event: Swing, Jump & Lift
5 Deadlifts 185/115
10 Box Jumps 24/20
15 KB Swings 24kg/16kg
7 AMRAP

Of course I had a plan. My goal for the 1st event was to hit 105#. Thrusters suck and I typically only do them in a WOD which calls for 65-85#'s - not a ladder.  I was able to get 110#! Go me! I cleaned 115# and got the front squat but could not get it over head. Oh well. Sam did well with this too.

 My goal for the 2nd event was 7 rounds. I was able to get 5+7. The burpees took it out of me more than I thought they would. I think this was the hardest workout of the day. I was really glad when this was done. Whew!

 My goal for the 3rd event was 6 and I got 6+1. Yipee! This WOD was my favorite. The weight and the movements were totally my style. I felt great after this one. Very tired, but great. 

 Going into the finals I was in first place, which was very exciting. All the girls there were great and worked so hard. We all cheered for each other and encouraged each other. I love that about CFA.

 Final WOD:

Translation: 400 meter run, 10 pushups, 20 knees to elbow (handing from a bar), 30 front squats (45 pounds), 40 kettlebell swings, 50 situps, 60 double under jump ropes. This is not my jam. I can do all the movements, but not super fast. Oh, and I do not like running. I got through it, but it took a lot of cheering and a lot of mental toughness. A lot of mental toughness. This is when I have to really focus on me, not the people around me and what round they are on. Just keep moving and keep going. I finished in 9:30.

Results? I won! It was so much fun and doing 4 WODs in one day was not as terrible as I thought! Sam made it to the finals also and scored a 4th place finish. Pretty proud of that guy!

After the throwdown a few of us went for burgers and fries. Yum. I was SOO hungry. Then it was time to recover. I sat in an ice bath, drank tons of water, and wore my compression shorts. They only soreness I have is my shoulders. I couldn't believe it! I thought I wouldn't be able to walk. I guess all that mobility CFA coaches are always talking about really is good :)

My new moto

Inside waistband of my new Reebok shorts. LOVE them

My moto for the Throwdown. Made goals for me that I can actually control. Loved it.

First Power Lifting Meet

I survived my first power lifting meet! Yeah!!!!!! I had a great time, learned a lot and met my goals. What where they?

1. Don't cry. seriously. There is no crying in weight lifting

2. Make 6/9 lifts

3. Don't poop my pants (this is always a good stand by goal)

Yep. No tears. I'm a big girl. I made 7/9 lifts. No poop in my pants. No poop anywhere actually. If you have read ANY of my race/competition write ups you know I hit the bathroom dozens of times. Not once for this one. Weird.

Here are my lifts:

Back Squat: (1) 175          (2) 195          (3) 214 - failed at this on the way up. my max is 210

Bench: (1) 90 - made the lift, but didn't follow commands so it didn't count    (2) 100        (3) 110

Deadlift:  (1) 200      (2) 235        (3) 253


My husband decided to do the meet the day before (!) and ended up PRing two of the lifts! What a guy :) He was my handler for the lifts, which was great. Turns out I am horrible at assessing how I did, what I should increase by, etc. I just need someone to say "do this". It was cool to see other people lift, see their routines, and what they can lift. There were some really really heavy lifters there, super impressive.

It was a long day of being in a gym, cheering, lifting - exhausting. It really helped that I was with a lot of friends.  Would have been one long and boring day. I would totally do another one - learned SO much.

That Four Letter Word.....

I have been known to have a potty mouth. A bad one. Excited, pissed, sad......just comes out. I try not to say anything too bad in front of the kids - but I do remind them it's not nice, I shouldn't do it....blah blah blah. I've though about a swear jar, but honestly I'd be broke.

The four letter word I have the hardest time with is REST. I do not "do nothing" well. I'm not sure why I feel so guilty taking a rest day, but I do. Injury or exhaustion I just feel plain dirty when I take a day off. I do schedule rest days and I typically workout Sunday - Thursday. My off days are Friday and Saturday. That changes and shit gets real. Oh, my other problem? I don't like change. So to change a rest day I get all sorts of off.

What do rest days do for you? TONS. Rest helps you repair, rebuild, and rest your muscles and your brain. Over training can burn you out, get you injured, and make you super cranky. No one likes super cranky.

Another reason I have a hard time taking rest days is that I really really like going to the gym. My friends are there, I feel good when I walk in the door and when I walk out. I get my stress out, I sweat, I laugh, I even slap some butts. See? Why would anyone want to stay away?

I also have goals. Some are ridiculously high (that's the point, right. Aim high?), some are very attainable, and some are probably set too low (I'm still new at this Crossfit/lifting stuff). When I take a rest day I'm actually helping get closer to my goals, but I don't initially feel that way and have to constantly remind myself of that.

In real life I have a hard time with days off from anything - I schedule way too much and then it didn't feel like a day off. This summer I did it best. For the first time we went on one big vacation to the beach and one short weekend to Williamsburg to visit family. Done. That was it. We went to the pool, hung out with friends, went to the gym, chill-laxed. The summer before we drove to Minnesota, then went to the beach, then drove to Florida, spent at least one weekend in Williamsburg.....the whole summer was a blur. Wont do that again.

Star Struck

I live for celebrity gossip. My kids know that magazine day is my FAVORITE day of the month in the mail. They get super excited for me and scream from the driveway "Mom! It's Magazine day!!!!" When I'm going on vacation or a trip I will hoard my magazines for a bit so that I can have a HUGE stack to read.

We are going to Cancun for Turkey Break. The magazine hoarding for that will begin soon.....

To stalk my favorite Crossfit Celebrities I mainly use Instagram, Facebook, and blogs. My favorites are Katie Hogan and Lindsey Valenzuela. They are awesome. Super fit, super strong, and always look like they are loving what they are doing.

Lindsey

Katie

Earlier this year Katie Hogan did a seminar at our Box (hehehehe) about lifting. I hadn't fully developed my Crossfit Crush on her yet and I didn't go (kick myself everyday). Not only did peeps get to listen to her awesome advice....there was a meal involved! Ugh - double whammy that it was at Bon Chon. Who doesn't love that fried chicken? No one. Everyone loves it. Not gonna lie - I sent Katie an email. I felt like the biggest nerd. I was nervous, I'm sure it sounded lame....but whatever. Some time went by and I forgot about the email and figured she was a busy person and hopefully she read it, but no big deal. Then.........this morning I woke up to an email from none other than Katie Hogan! I almost passed out. It was a quick email to thank me for writing her and she hoped I was still enjoying Crossfit. Swoon. I'm going to print it - my first celebrity email :)

So - my Crossfit heros are tough chicks that smile a lot and lift even more. Hopefully I can mirror that enjoyment and hard work (minus the fact that they are professional athletes, duh). And next time I have the chance to meet them I will take it!

ps. I also was within arms length of Christmas Abbott. Did I ask for a pic? Nope, I choked. Completely star struck.

Superfit DC Recap

My CFA Peeps

First, let's get the potty talk out of the way. There were 6 port-a-johns. I did not discriminate. I used each one multiple times. All. Day. Long.

Superfit DC was Sept 28th. An awesome day. Weather was great. Traffic was great. All in all amazing. The event was super smooth, everyone was nice, and all seemed to have a blast. I had a few goals that morphed throughout the week before and the day of:

1. Survive. Be able to complete the three workouts

2. Don't poop in my pants

3. Have fun

We checked in the night before, which helped my nerves a lot. The shirts are cool - love a shirt - and we got a few goodies. The morning of we finally found parking and then set up camp. I hung with my CF Annandale peeps. I found my partner - camped with her Hammerdown peeps - and we strategized for workout 1.

Workout 1:
2 minutes: hand release pushups
2 minutes: 115 pound deadlift
2 minutes: 20 inch box jump

We had 20 seconds in between each one. You and your partner do not work at the same time - 6 minutes FLEW by. We did our pushups head to head so we could see and hear each other stop and say "go". Since I'm hearing impaired I was pretty nervous about not being able to hear her or my judge, but everyone was facing me so that was great. We did 96 pushups (4th place), 75 deadlifts (2nd place) and 53 box jumps (14th place). Oops. We both slipped on the box jump, I was not focused.....something I need to work more on when tired. We finished workout 1 in 5th place! Hot damn!

Then we sat around, stretched, talked, strategized, and warmed up for workout 2.

Workout 2: 6 min time cap
15-10-5
Barbell Complex: Clean, 2 front squats, shoulder to overhead (1) at 85 pounds
Pull ups

Um, this one was tough. We decided I would do most of the barbell complex because my partner was going to do most of (all) the pull ups. I did attempt one pull up and the judge promptly told me "no rep!". Just too tired to get myself up there. We got through all of 15 and all of 10 and I got the first 2 barbell complex's in the 5 round. We finished in 5th place again. Yeah!

Now we sit around again....more of the same. The top 5 teams get to go to the finals. As of right then that was us. I was nervous, excited, tired, and scared. I really wanted to go to the finals, but had no idea what to expect. I'm learning CF loves to keep a secret. Sneaky fuckers.

Workout 3: 12 minute time cap
75 kettle bell snatches at 16kg (35 lbs)
Row for calories

Bleh. Row for calories? That's hard. Really  hard. Basically a sprint. We decided I would do most of the snatches (hehehehe) and then we would alternate 2 minutes each on the rower until time ran out. Our score was based on the calories - which we earned 127. We finished the competition in 8th place.

When I got home the first thing my kids asked was "did you make it to the finals?!" They were so excited....I told them "almost, I was so close...." Then they went back to playing and moving on with their lives.

So my first competition went well. Really really well. I hoped to finish in the top half (25 teams were there). I finish top 10 and was in 5th place for two events? Awesome. I had so much fun. I surprised the shit out of myself.  I had never done more than one workout in a day - but now I know I can survive three!

What's next? Keep on keepin on. Hoping to get a 4some together for a Superfit in Delaware. Oh, and conquer the world of course!

Workout 3. That kettle bell was a beast

Workout 2: deadlift

Workout 3: rowin

 

 

Bathroom Breaks....

I am no stranger to nervous poo. Nervous Tummy. What ever you want to call it. If you have run a race with me you have spent time waiting by the porta pottys or even peoples homes. Yep. Twice I have stopped and asked strangers if I could use their bathroom. No one has time to hold that in.

I also get a huge case of nervous poo when big events come up. Meetings at work with difficult parents. Gets me every time. I'm getting better at calming my nerves, but it still happens.

The morning of the Crossfit Total (Press, Squat, Deadlift) I thought I was going to live in the bathroom. I survived and did not shit my pants (whew!). Saturday I'm doing a Crossfit Competition called Superfit. It's with a partner and friends will be there, so it's not too bad, right? Nope. Nervous poo already. I honestly can't even tell you what I'm nervous about. Just happens. Once the event starts I'm usually fine. But if you can't find me Saturday, I'll be in the bathroom.

Yesterday we did a work out that actually made me feel a lot more ready for Superfit.

The WOD: 5 rounds of 5 deadlifts and 10 burpees

In February we did this workout - good thing I write down EVERYTHING. I deadlifted 153# and completed the workout in 6:30. Yesterday I deadlifted 185# (!) and finished in 5:57. I refused to look at the clock during the workout because I thought I was going to much slower.....suprise surprise! I was really really happy that I increased the weight and decreased my time. Makes me realize I'm stronger and faster - which makes me feel better about Superfit.

I also got new shoes for deadlifts and squats. Behold, the awesomeness of chucks:

Cute, right? Guaranteed to get you faster times and more weight. Also, got my hair highlighted. Back to blonde. I didn't realize how much I missed it until it was back. Clearly that also helps in the gym.

Wish me luck Saturday. My first Crossfit Competition. As long as I survive I will write it all up next week. Hopefully chock full of pictures.

Drop it like a squat

This month at CFA the focus is on squats and sprints. I really like one and the other one makes me want to die. It's good for you to work on things you like and things you don't...makes you a better person....right?

Squats. Specifically back squats. Good for your butt, good for your strength, good for your soul.




I have a goal for my back squat, but only since we did the Crossfit Total at the end of August. I was able to squat 185#, went for 200# and failed. Challenge accepted. Then September 1st came around the squats was one of the themes for the month. If only people at the gym knew how much I love a theme....they might think I'm even weirder. I don't just love a theme I completely obsess over it and do all the research I can on it. Luckily one of my BFF's is the same way. I can always count on her to come in costume and totally play the part. My 30th birthday was a white trash bash, my 31st was John Hughes (duh, I was Sloan from Ferris Beuler)......you get the idea. Themes. Love em. 

So, squats. We are doing a 1 rep max everyday. It took me a few days to get a good formula of increasing weight and before I knew it, after 10 days 200# was in sight. I do get really nervous when I start the squat sequence, but the girls I lift with and the coaches make me feel more relaxed. Last night I decided I was going for 200# after hitting 190# on Tuesday. I had butterflies. I had two friends spot me. I took a deep breath, and dropped.  Then I came back up. It. was. awesome! I did have to sit down - little shaky. I also got a little teary. This is what I love about Crossfit. Hitting goals, people cheering and encouraging you, and also getting to see other people hit their goals. It's great. It makes me want to do more. Lift more. Sprint....nope. Not sprint more. :) Maybe once the weather cools off. But lets face it. I'm not that fast. Sprinting is hard work. I will continue to work on it, but bleh. That's how I feel about that.

My mom was cute. I told her I hit my goal of 200# and she said "so you are done?". Nope. Not even close. After 33 years of knowing me you'd think she would understand the level of addiction I have....maybe she doesn't know about the theme yet?




I'm going to keep squatting. I'm also going to keep doing the 1 million other things that I'm not great at. Busy woman here.

I've started changing the way I'm eating this week too. The theme? Fat, Protein, LOW carb. So far I feel better, have more energy, and have lost a few pounds.

Never Have I Ever.....

Been a quitter.

Once I start something I finish it. My mom taught me that. I went through years of asking to do things, join groups and teams to be told "You will finish the season. If you don't like it, then you don't sign back up next year." Done. No negotiating. It was the worst for piano. Ugh. Practicing was torture. I still give my moms piano the stink eye when I see it.

Last night was the first time I felt like quitting during a WOD. It was hard. I was tired. Deadly combination. Hard+Tired = Frustrated. Then I felt the tears coming. Worse than quitting? Ugly cry. Hands down.

The WOD was 15, 10, 5: hang power snatches (65#), high box jumps (24"), and pull ups. My plan was simple. Do 65#, jump 24", and do kipping pull ups. Simple.

NOPE.

I couldn't get my body to move right for the snatch. I got three then failed. The failed again. Then stood there a minute (clock ticking). My husband came over, switched out my weight. Now I'm snatching 53#. I finish the 15 reps and move to the box jumps. No problems there. On to the pull ups. I got three kipping pull ups and just could not get my body up to the bar. Pulled out a band and finished.

Round two. Back to snatches. I hate those things. My form is not good (yet) and I get really frustrated that I can't do them well. I get them up, but it's really really hard. I finish the whole workout - but had to "ask" my husband to leave my line of view. The first round of snatches brought on some tears. I blinked them back - but seeing Sam can sometimes bring on the ugliest of ugly cries.

After the workout I was still upset. I held it together, but frustration mixed with tiredness can be tough. I got in the car, had a quick pity party, had a few friends tell me "it's not always your day", and got over it. Don't get me wrong. I still hate snatches. Snatches and cleans. I need to work on them (more than I do).

So what now? I go back. One workout does not define you. One failure does not define you. I go back because I love it. I go back because I like the challenge. I go back because I'm competitive. I go back because my mom taught me too.

The WOD tonight? Heavy power cleans. Of course it is.

Annoying, Irritating, Boastful, Obnoxious, Stupid......

I've been around the diet and workout block a few times. I've tried a lot of different things, some to success, and some not so much.

I did the shake thing. Drink a few shakes a day, eat some veggies, loose weight. The first time I did this (yes. more that one attempt) it did work - I just had my second baby and had a ton of fat to loose. The shake thing worked because it limited my calories, gave me vitamins, and I had a newborn and a 15 month old. There was NO time to cook, plan to cook, eat, nothing....I just drank. I lost the weight I wanted to loose and then gained some back.

Why did I gain again? I started working out. I really only did cardio, but I wasn't doing anything before. I added some muscle (not a lot) and also increased my food intake for what I was doing. I caught the running bug big time. I signed up for at least one race a month. I did everything from 5k's to the Marine Corp Marathon. I gained 10 pounds training for that. It sucked. I'm still trying to shed that 10!

I started to become frustrated with the running thing. I had done all the distances that I was interested in and felt I had met that goal. I am also not fast. I'm not a turtle, but I'm not quick. I also was not getting any faster. I started to set time goals for races, didn't meet them, and got upset. I know the universe does not care where I place in my age group - but I did. I cared a lot. Some girlfriends caught the running bug with me and did a bunch of races with me. That was super fun. Then we all got really busy. Moms. Geesh.

I spent some time giving the middle finger to the scale and trying to figure out how to be happy with my  body and feel good about myself. I have no will power, so I needed to get on board with some sort of eating plan. I used the MyFitnessPal app for a bit, it helped me really see what I was stuffing into my face. Oops. That is HOW many portions?

Then a friend at work told me to go to Crossfit with her. I was nervous as hell, but thought "sure, why not?" I do know that I can only complain so much about thigh jiggle when I'm not actually doing much about it.

Now I do Crossfit anywhere from 3-6 days a week, I try and eat clean-ish :), and I LOVE it. My body responds to the "lift heavy shit" and my brain loves it. I have a new type of confidence that I didn't have before. I have no worries about getting muscles (I'm not a body builder, duh), I cherish my bruises (that was HEAVY!), and I enjoy getting a good sweat.

So what's with the title of this post? I've heard it all. Since starting Crossfit I've heard "you will get too big", "you will get hurt", "you can't do pull ups, your a girl", "It's too intense", "it's too scary", "you post about it too much", "I could never do that".....it goes on and on. For the most part I ignore it and just do my thing. But why is someone who is happy and working on getting healthy getting so much negative crap?

 It's annoying. I check in everytime I go to Crossfit because it goes to a charity (different every month) - but you know what? I work really hard as a full time mom, full time speech therapist, full time friend - I am proud to check in, sweat hard, lift shit, and tell facebook all about it.

I do have a wonderful group of supporters. I love them all. You all listen, cheer, and support me so much! Thank you!

Homemade - by anyone other than me

I am not crafty. At all. In my head I am - I'm the next Martha Stewart. In reality? Nope. Not even a little. You've seen the "Nailed it" or "Pinterest Fails"? That's me.

This one isn't mine...but I did attempt this cake. Mine turned out SLIGHTLY better. My kids were impressed, but it took forever!

I did this one too. Not my pic, mine actually turned out worse. I try and try. Crafty is not my thing. My husband is pretty crafty. He turned out front hall closet into a wine closet.
This thing is awesome. I love it. Coats can go to hell. Wine is here to stay!

Sam also makes a homemade spice mix. This N That. It's amazing. I can't tell you what's in it. Trust me. It's the bomb.com. He makes batches for anyone who wants it - and they always love it. Goes on everything but dessert.

His newest creation is green sauce. It's three ingredients. It's amazing. I love it.




Homemade guac? Amazing. Put that shit on everything. My recipe? Nope. Sam's.

Homemade gecko cake. Incredible, right? My doing? Nope. My mother in law. Must run in their family.

I would love to tell you I made this fabulous creation. Leggings are NOT pants. Gospel. But, not mine either. It does hang in my office though.

Homemade snack for the movie theater? Nailed it! Yep. That one is ALL me! Jealous?

I continue to let Pinterest take hours of my day, but Sam and my mother in law end up making most of the things I pin. Sometimes I start to try and Sam just shakes his head, or takes over. One day I'll totally Nail It.

Summ summ summatime!

LOVING this. Coconut is my FAV

Got my own! Look out vacations and couch time. Gonna be work time

Tequila fixes all things. mmmmmm

Cherry is my favorite, but this one is good too

 

My favorite is the coconut. Blueberry is pretty yummy too. Great before a WOD

  

Summer love. There are so many. These are just a few. The RXbar was awesome - of course coconut was my favorite. I loved that they came in a resealable bag too. I don't always eat the whole thing at once - sometimes half before a workout and half after. They were chewy and all natural...always a bonus!

I'm pretty stoked to have my own kettle bell. I have high hopes that I will use it to work on my core 24-7. :)  We took it to the beach, used it once (oops)....but the potential is there. The mailman was NOT happy about it though. Asked me if a strong man was home to carry it in. I replied "I got this". 

This summer has been awesome. Filled with the pool, beach, friends, and of course CFA.  I still have a few weeks of summer, but now I feel like I have school, organizing, and shopping on the brain. Not as relaxing as July was. I hope everyone else is loving this weather and is getting their fill of vitamin D.

July - PR's, Detox, Beach, and Birthdays

This month has been great.......not just because I'm off for the summer - but that's a HUGE part of it. I am living at the pool, going to Crossfit, and doing another Clean Challenge. We go to the beach with friends on the 27th, so Sam and I decided to go super clean - no sugar, no alcohol, no processed foods - until we go. I have to admit, it's harder this time around with just me and Sam doing it. When our Box did the challenge it was easier - the whole competitive spirit of it helped me through. This time I'm having a lot more temptations, but I'm trying to make good choices. We also added fish oil to our daily routine.

My first big exciting happening was getting Annie RX (50, 40, 30, 20, 10) Double unders and sit ups. It was really really really hard. I have only just gotten double unders, so I was really nervous to try and do so many in a short time and while tired. My goal was under 10:00. I hammered through and with lots of cheers and encouragement I finished in 9:43. It hurt to walk the next few days - but I limped with pride.



This month is my 6 month anniversary of Crossfit. I have been writing everything down, WOD's and strength sessions, so I can see my progress. This is especially important on those days that you feel like you have been stuck on a weight or skill. I just look back and realize that I've added tons of weight, done something longer or faster......I totally recommend keeping a journal.

I've been trying to hit some benchmarks (like Annie), get some 1 rep max's, and master some skills that I have been working on. Yesterday I did a 500 meter row sprint. It was hard. Really hard. I pulled off a 1:59.3.  It was a really great workout - my legs are feeling it today. I don't have many 1 rep max's for lifts, but I did do a 5 rep max for deadlift this week. I added 20 + pounds to it! I pulled up 203 pounds and felt really really proud. In August we are doing a Crossfit Total (for 1 rep max's) - can't wait to see what I can do.

The most exciting part of July so far? I got not one, but two pull ups!!!! I am still in shock about it. I've wanted to get a pull up my whole life. I honestly wasn't sure if I ever would.....but I sure was going to try. Here's the video of pull up #3 and 4.....#1 and 2 were done a few minutes before. First ones EVER.

I cannot tell you how much the support of my peeps at CFA have helped me accomplish my goals. Everyday someone is helping me, pushing me, challenging me, and cheering for me to do things. It's awesome. Sometimes I fail, sometimes I get it done, and most times I amaze myself. I can't lie - I had tears in my eyes after the pullups. I was so happy......

Also - This is my Birthday month (yep, you read right. MONTH)

Next month I will be doing the Crossfit Total and also tackling Christine. I attempted that one other time and was not able to deadlift my body weight. Now, I most certainly can!

Any goals out there? Any awesome accomplishments happening?