Monday, April 28, 2014

Trust the Process - Capital Throwdown Recap

Saturday was The Capital Throwdown in Sterling, Va. It was beautiful outside, I had a great partner, another team of boys from CFA was competing, and we had lots of cheerleaders. What more can you ask for?

WOD 1: Finished 7th place

Calories: 70
Tire Flips: 14
Thrusters: 31
Bench: 29



rowing for calories. NEVER fun....they tick up soooooo slow

bench time!

Thrusters 



WOD 2: 184 Snatches for 5th place



Snatches for 12 minutes was ROUGH



WOD 3: 13:59 for 15th place


So we did those workouts and found out (as I stuffed a peanut butter cup in my mouth) that we finished 10th overall. What does all that hard work mean? We earned another WOD!!!! Go team CFA!!!! The boys made it too. Awesome-tastic!

The Semi-Final WOD was for time:

20 dumbell snatches
20 situps
shuttle run x 2

My mom came and watched and was SUPER impressed. :) I tell her about Crossfit all the time, but seeing it is a different story. Of course she's super proud of me. My husband was there cheering his head off and my boys saw two workouts!

They might have had TOO much fun


What am I most proud of? Only two bathroom trips. Nervous poo? Not this time! We each did 25 pull ups. BOOM. We completed EVERY movement and EVERY WOD. We were very close to the 1st place team in many events. Our goal was to get top half, 13/14th place. We finished top 10 out of 27 teams. Feels so good! I do have my list of things to work on - but NO REGRETS!



CFA Boys and CFA Girls

You can find Holly and me next at Superfit DC in Oct!!!


Monday, April 21, 2014

Fear of Success - Really?

Fear of Success - it's real. Promise. Google it. Why would someone be afraid of success? It's awesome. It feels good. For some reason I self-sabotage really well. I have a hard time with compliments and I find myself creating excuses for success - "I'm not sure I really did it right", "I'm sure so-and-so could have beat my time", "I'm not sure how I was able to do that at all"....... How hard would it be to say "Thank you. I put in a lot of extra work to make that happen"? I don't know why, but I'm going to try and figure it all out.

You know that phrase:



I have never done that. NEVER. At the end of a game, WOD, competition, etc. I have ALWAYS had regrets. I should have pushed harder, I should I rested less, I should have.....goes on and on (maybe even messing with my nutrition goals???) I actually convince myself that I need to keep some in the tank....what if I need it later? Later? What later? I have never felt unprepared. I'm typically over prepared - but for some reason I tend to choke when it's game time. I played lacrosse in college, then dabbled in road racing and triathlons, and now Crossfit - this is not a new thought process for me. Clearly it's not keeping me from The Olympics, The Games, or world domination. It's frustrating though. Fear of Success.

I've been caught using the word "Can't" a few times. I cannot tell you the %, but let's say 99% of the time I say that someone tells me "let's see what you can do" and then I can do it. Oops. Promise I'm not trying to get out of work. I honestly think I can't do it. Why did I think that? Who knows. I self defeat. My husband hates it. He honestly believes I can do anything. Anything.

I'd never use that word again! #fitness
Something I'm going to start doing


This whole subject came up last night and my husband instantly started Googeling "Fear of Success". See, it's real, it's on the internet. Tons of articles and websites dedicated to not being afraid came up - One really hit home (from www.tinybuddha.com):

1. Be Positive - I'm getting better, but this is hard for me. I tend to doom and gloom and then see the silver lining. I need to keep positive people around me, people that believe in me, people that believe in themselves too. I get sucked into drama, I get sucked into fixing others and worrying about other peoples actions. No more.

I hate being negative...it's pointless. Today I choose to find the good in my life and become the women God wants me to be so that his light shines through me to all the people I meet. I will find joy in The Lord and all I do today because positivity is a choice. I make that choice today :)

2. Remind yourself you are part of something bigger - I'm a control freak. Not everything is in my power (what?!) and that's ok. Things happen for a reason. I need to be able to say "Well, I did my part", take a deep breath, and move on. Being a part of something bigger means helping others too. Encouraging others is something I really like to do - makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Let the cheering begin!

Truth, u have to decide let something or someone stand in ur way... Or u let nothing stand in the way of ur happiness and love.

3. Figure out your purpose - Do you know what makes you happy? What are you passionate about? Make time for yourself - even ten minutes a day - this can make you happier, lower stress, improve health.....I'm pretty good at making time for myself. My husband is VERY supportive in this. I have family around, TONS of friends......you make time for what is important. I am important.

What makes a highly effective weight lifting software? Well, it’s don't assume all in relation to simply just weight lifting. http://the-big-picture-in-body-building.blogspot.jp/

4. Create a success library - Thanks to Pinterest and Instagram I have this already. Do I look at Pinterest much? Nope. Will I now? Yep. Instagram is a daily thing for me. I mostly follow fitness/crossfit/weight lifting peeps with a few fashion people thrown in. I also have a few posters around work and home so that I can see my goals, where I want to be, and where I've come from. I write everything down. I enjoy reading other peoples blogs and talking with others about their successes.

Tips to holding a handstand like a pro- Handstands are awesome for developing all round strength- Is my body straight? #CrossFit
Inspiration for sure

5. Learn - This is not SO scary. I do not pick WODs based on skills. I do WODs Mon-thursday no matter what they are. Friday and Saturday are off and Sunday is "work on the stuff you suck at". I sign up for competitions - even filled in on two that were terrifying, but I learned a TON and I'm still alive. Weird how that works. I set goals. I work hard. I try not to kill my husband when he is coaching me :)

I especially love this because the picture is actually from my gym! Yay Crossfit Resurrection!!!

6. Live in Balance - I hyper focus on things. When I get into something I go full speed ahead. This can be a blessing and a curse. I actually was told to take the week off recently to just be a mom and realize that my strength, abilities, and Crossfit will still be there when I come back. Guess what? They were. I went a week without juggling schedules, rushing from place to place, finding babysitters......it was nice. Glad to be back at it though.

Yes it is. - 849: The battle of your mind will be your biggest opponent #ReasonsToBeFit

So, here's to a positive and balanced life!!!! Time to do work and believe!!!!

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

My plan this week: Relax








The last few weeks have been busy. The Open is done. Whew! I finished 1332 (5596 signed up in the Mid Atlantic) - which meets the big goal I had!!!!! I wanted to finish in the 1,000's - even if it was 1, 999. I was able to complete all the workouts and got my first chest to bar pull ups. Great 5 weeks. I already have my tickets for Regionals, which is across the street from my neighborhood this year!!! I have a few friends that are competing and I will be cheering my head off.

With The Open finished, Crossfit Annandale planned a ladies night. So fun. Awesome turnout of about 25ish women. We did Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 air squats in 20 minutes). I was able to PR - which is always a bonus. Then we all went out for Korean BBQ and ate meat until we popped.

Then Fran was programmed. I had not done a true Fran before. I've done a Fran ladder (15-12-9) but not Rx (21-15-9 thrusters and pullups). I geared up to get sub 2:00 (yeah, right) and tried to muster all my pull up strength. I finished it Rx in 9:18. Not breaking any records with that time, but I'm very happy that I have now done Fran.

Knowing that I was about to take some time off I had to get in a few lifts too. I PR'd my front squat (175#)
and my back squat (245#).



 I Am Beastmode Tshirt - always good for a PR


This week is a programmed break. Thanks Coach. I don't take breaks by choice. I don't like them. I feel like I'm missing out. I don't sit still well. All that. So far this has been a great break though. My son, Mason, turned 6. How is he that old?

Mason the cheeser on the left

I've also been catching up on emails, reading, winning squirt gun fights, cleaning (I'm supposed to do that, right?), and trying out some new products. I've gotten my hands on some Quest Bars (yum) and a pair of Natural Grips (yes!).

Quest Bars. Oh, how I love a pre packaged on the go high in protein low in sugar bar. I've tried vanilla almond crunch, chocolate chip cookie dough, apple pie, and coconut cashew. So far the coconut cashew is my FAVORITE. They all have about 20 grams of protein, 170-190 calories, and no added sugar. I did find out there is a GNC across from my work that sells them - thought that was dangerous - BUT then I found out they are on Amazon. Prime. Don't worry, I ordered a box and they are probably already at my house. How do they do that? My love affair with Amazon Prime is a problem.

so yummy

Natural Grips. These bad boys are gonna save the world.....or at least my hands. I'm not sure what I do, but pull ups and toes to bar can really destroy my hands. First thing I noticed was how SUPER soft they are. They are hand made based on your ring size and they even write a little L and R so you know which hand is which. They are comfortable. Easy to put on. Glorious. They last a few months (depending on how much you use them). I recommend getting these unless your hands are made of steel and never rip. I plan on using these bad boys. A lot.

feature_2
Saving the world. Two hands at a time.



This rest week is also giving me lots of time to figure out my Macro's and meal planning. The saying "Fail to plan, plan to fail"??? Could not be more true with nutrition. Especially for me. If dinner is not planned it's so easy to order pizza, eat a bowl of ceral, eat a bowl of noodles....you get the idea. Last night dinner was shrimp on the grill, hummus, and green beans. Way better than pizza any night. But that took planning. I'm also using lots of measuring cups, a food scale, and a journal. Takes extra time - but it's been great to see what pile of stuff I SHOULD be eating. I'm using my fitness pal so that I know my macro's on the go. I write out my daily totals too so I can see where I am going wrong. I'm hitting my calories mostly, but falling a little short on protein and carbs. Brandon (LBEB) said I need to check my fat intake - that can throw everything off. So I will be paying more attention to that as I plan my meals. Here's to getting lean and strong!

Hope everyone is having a great week and Hump Day!

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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

13 Things you didn't know about Streaky

If only I could say this interview was done in Florida, on the beach, actually getting to meet Streaky (Jenn) Yates. One day.....but for now this was done through the internet. Still super cool. I first heard of Streaky as I was scrolling through The Facebooks and stumbled on Lift Big Eat Big (LBEB). I love to see who the sponsored athletes are, so I scrolled through and found Streaky. I instantly had to do research and find out everything about her. You can also read more about her here, here, and here.

 I reached out to her a few times to tell her she inspired me, I commented on a few pictures.......you know, your basic Facebook stalking. Streaky didn't just let me stalk her though, she actually responded, interacted, and even reached out to me (commented on a few pics!). When I asked her to answer a few questions for my blog she instantly responded "absolutely - I'd love to" - WHAT? So excited. We are obviously friends for life now. 

Doin her thang

1.  If you could sing one song on American Idol what would it be?

The warmth -Incubus

2. If you were on an island and could only bring three things what would they be?
Mascara
Protein
Electrolytes

3. If you were a box of cereal which one would you be and why?

Fruity pebbles -cuz I'm fruity as hell

Being Fruity

4. What was the last song that played on your Ipod?

Rob Zombie-SUPERBEAST 

5. You always have a smile on your face, but what movement or lift just frustrates you?

Butterfly pull-ups-hand stand walks - snatches. Frustrate the hell outta me. So I practice almost erday. 

Awesome action shot

6. You inspire so many people. How does that affect your workouts, or not wanting to do a workout?

I find nothing but inspiration from my peers/followers/friends etc. it inspires the hell out of me to go as hard as I can 

7. What do you hate to do outside the gym?

What do I hate to do outside of the gym? Umm ... Nada. I find the best in all I do. Love my job -social circle-and life. :) 

8. What do you love to do outside the gym?

Love to practice my sweet yoga moves at the beach outside of the gym--corpse pose is my fave. I'm really good at it ;) 

With fellow LBEB athlete BadKat
9.You can be any animal. What would it be? Why?

Pretty sure I'd be a hybrid mutant freak animal- a hippo-QUADIMUS Face with tears of joy or a unicorn hahaha. Mythical-magical-strong-and stealth 

10. What is the one food that you can't say no to, even though you know you shouldn't eat it?

The one food I should say no to ..... Hmmmm .... I eat what I want. No shouldn't a here. Lol Winking face. But sugar is my nemesis 

11. What song best describes you and your work ethic?

Work ethic song- rob zombie SUPERBEAST. 

Always so positive!

12.What is your proudest accomplishment in and out of the gym?

3 proud moments- the day I snatched my body weight 145#
Last year right before the open I got my Muscle ups Smiling face with smiling eyesSmiling face with smiling eyesSmiling face with smiling eyesgreatest day EVER!!! Set a goal 4 years ago to attend Regionals with miki Carey and represent Gardens Crossfit & LiftBigEatBig --ACCOMPLISHED!!!! 

*Streaky is currently sitting in 101st place in The South East Region as an individual and her team Garden Crossfit is currently in 3rd place in the same Region. 

13. What is it like to have your own shirt? (which, of course, i own)

It's very humbling Smiling face with smiling eyes I'm just a normal chick with a big dream to save the world one lift at a time.. Having my own shirt makes me giggle inside but super amped that when people PR in it ITS LIKE IM RIGHT THERE LOL ---I live for this shit. Experiencing others epic moments is what I live forSmiling face (black and white)


This shirt is bound to send me to PR city


I am currently working with LBEB right now on my nutrition. Only a matter of time before I bump into Streaky in real life!