15.1 and 15.1A recap

That. Was. Awesome.

The Open has begun and it has not disappointed. I love competing and LOVE cheering for peeps.

We watched the announcement live with friends from Crossfit Annandale. These guys made it look tough!

Lots of sweat. Lots of movement. Lots of weights. 

I talked with my coach and we had a game plan. Number 1 thing on the list? DON'T GET IN YOUR HEAD. Yep - that's what I do. I freak myself out and screw up. I am prepared. I am ready. I have done harder workouts. My goal for myself was to leave it all out there. No regrets. No second chances. I need to do it the first time like it's the last time. No "I wish I could have....." No. Give it my all the first time.

Now, the workout:

Can we talk about Brooke's sick body? 

Brooke, I literally can't even......

Ok. Focus. The workout. My plan. 

My goal for 15.1 was 4 rounds (and hope to fall in the 3 1/2+ range). Toes to bar: start with sets of 5, quick shake, and back on the bar. Go RIGHT into the deadlifts, unbroken, and then power through the snatches. I had 9 minutes. I needed to go. No rest. No questions. No second guessing. I ended up with 4+12. I did EXACTLY the plan. It felt awesome. Nothing but smiles.

My goal for 15.1A was hit 125# for the clean and jerk and then go from there. 125# was my 1RM.....so anything else would have been gravy. I set up the bar for 95# and did that to calm my nerves. Then I hit 125#, then 135#, then 140#. Holy. Shit. 140# was a power clean too. I could not have asked for anything better. SOOOOOOOO happy. No regrets.

The rest of the night I cheered for my friends. I drank a beer. I laughed. I smiled. I love The Open. 

End of the night

My husband. He put the hood on for the pic. He got pretty sweaty in that onesie!

One of the best parts was my partner in crime, Holly, hitting a 155# clean and jerk. So glad I was there for it. That hug was everything. 

The other great moment of the night was telling my coach how it went down. He has spent countless hours - specifically 52 weeks from the last Open - answering my questions, programming, answering more questions, talking me off a ledge, pushing me, and knowing what I need to make me better/stronger/faster. You want that? Hit him up: info@knighteliteperformance.com   He is the shit.

Hope you all had a great weekend and, smashed 15.1/15.1A or whatever you chose to get that heart rate up!!! 15.2 I can not wait!!!!!

19 months, 82 weeks, 578 days

My first day of Crossfit was Dec 9, 2012 at Crossfit Annandale. I was nervous, but Sam was with me and we were going to suffer together. My first WOD? Glad you asked:

5 rounds: 7 thrusters and 7 burpees. Took me 7 minutes.

That sounds horrible, even now. Thrusters and burpees are hell - so my first workout was killer and I still came back for more.

literally day 1

The epic picture of day 1. Workout had not started yet. We were being silly, meeting the owner of CFA, and hoping that we would not die. Look at us - a bunch of rookies. Running shoes, cotton shirts, big ol shorts....hahahaahhaha. No Crossfit gear yet ;)  So glad I'm growing my hair out now - man that was short!

Of course I took pictures, measurements, the whole deal. I was doing Crossfit to get in shape and loose weight. I didn't even know about the strong part....yet......the BEST part! I started with some serious inches everywhere (hips 44.6, waist 37.1.....). Thankfully everything has gone WAY down. My BMI stated at 33.2. I know. EEK! A few months ago it was checked again and I was down to 25.9! Progress Progress Progress. Thank you to CFA for taking measurements and having a cool machine that does BMI - it's never fun hearing all those high numbers at first, but you gotta start somewhere.

So we started Crossfit three days a week. The first week was rough, so hard to move. Everything hurt. Places hurt that had never hurt before. For whatever reason I NEEDED to keep going. I was hooked. Right from the beginning. I do have an athletic background - played sports my whole life - and I think that helped....sorta.....kinda....wishful thinking?

Field Hockey at Longwood

Lacrosse at Longwood

Then I did running and triathlons:

Burke Lake with my girls

Wine Country 1/2  marathon

Marine Corp Marathon

Reston Tri

I got to a point with running and tri's that I wasn't as motivated to train. I wasn't very fast and was getting frustrated with that. I needed something else. Crossfit fit the bill! So starting at three days a week I was very happy. I scaled EVERYTHING and loved it. As I started getting stronger, learning lifts, and becoming more confident I was able to do more and more. Which, really just means more soreness. I also made great friends at CFA - which helps keep you accountable and coming back. Who doesn't love to die workout with friends?

Then my first competition. It was last minute, I was helping out a friend with an injured partner. I was SUPER nervous - but was on a team with a VERY experienced crossfitter. I had a great time and have wanted to do every competition advertised since then. 

This picture makes me laugh. I look like I'm dying - maybe i was :)

I'm competitive. With myself. With others. I LOVE to compete. Doing crossfit competitions for me meant I needed to do extra work to place and perform how I wanted to. Insert my coach - Bijan (blkstrengthandconditioning@gmail.com). If you want to do competitions, if you want to kill those weaknesses I highly recommend contacting him. He is awesome. 

Superfit Delaware. 3rd place after the first workout. Mary, Me, Bijan, Phil

Doing competitions are fun for me, but I also have big goals for each one. I now have an unlimited Crossfit membership at CFA and I am in week 34 of extra programming with Bijan. I would probably make progress without working with a coach, but not as fast and not as focused on my weaknesses (and remember I'm an intense competitive nut), and certainly not to the level where I want to be. My typical week looks like this: 4 WODs at Crossfit Annandale, 3 WODs in my home gym from Bijan, a set of sprints, and 3-ish skills to work on (chin ups, farmer's carry, handstands, etc) - also from Bijan. I email him each week and give him the results of my work, we text, email, call, and do some workouts together. It's the push and guidance I need to reach my goals. 

Since working with Bijan I have made gainz (that's right.....it's serious with a Z) in all areas. Strength, mobility, form, nutrition - all have improved. Confidence is the biggest area for me. I go through ups and downs with it, but Bijan helps put it all in perspective (mandatory rest and "remember it's just a workout"). I can get very intense about sports and he pushes me at the right times and reins me in at the right times. I also share all my goals with him. All of them. Even the silly/stupid/embarrassing ones. He tells me which ones are do-able, works them into programming and also tells me which ones are not appropriate.

I participated in The CrossFit Open in 2013 (ranked 2020) and 2014 (ranked 1321). My goal for the 2014 Open was to place somewhere in the 1,000's. I was VERY happy with 1321! I have currently competed in 3 scaled competitions (Superfit DC 8th place, Superfit Delaware 15th place, capital throwdown 10th place) and 2 RX competitions (Cold War 3, Rehoboth beach battle). My goal is to get top five at Superfit DC in October with my awesome partner Holly!!!

Jake, Bijan, Me, Holly - my partner in crime

Crossfit can be anything you want. A place to sweat. A community of people that want to work out. A place to get stronger, faster, and more awesome. I have met so many great people, have changed my body image and improved on my nutrition. Whatever Crossfit is to you, as long as you are working towards improving that, I think you are doing great! If you are looking for a little more shoot Bijan an email at blkstrengthandconditioning@gmail.com and I'm sure he can help you reach your goals!

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.

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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Burpees are always the problem......

The final workout. I KNEW it would be thrusters and burpees - they hadn't shown up yet and I'm not that lucky for burpees to not make an appearance.

14.5:
21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:
65-lb. thrusters
Burpees

I didn't give the burpees much thought, they always suck - no matter what. I was worried about the thrusters getting heavy. So, I got my plan and started wrapping my brain around this hell. I wanted to finish under 20:00, no reason other than I didn't want to have to keep working after that. :) I also wanted needed to follow the plan. 100%.

Of course, these guys made it look like a walk in the park.

I'm not even sure Froning broke a sweat. I'm pretty sure he is a cyborg. 

I warmed up, put on my Oly shoes and my wrist wraps and got ready to die. My plan was to break the round of 21, 18, 15, and 12 into two sets so I didn't burn out my shoulders or my brain. Then I was going to do 9, 6, 3 unbroken. The burpee plan was to just keep moving. All sets unbroken, but steady. Active recovery. On a burpee. Right. I realized with my first burpee (don't worry, it was a no rep) that I had been practicing these all wrong. I typically do them in a WOD by skipping over the bar one foot at a time - get nervous I'm going to trip. Well, you play like you practice and that's what I did for burpee #1. No rep. I spent the rest of the 20 minutes over thinking "feet together. ready. jump!" It helped me keep a steady and SLOW pace, but I wanted to die. 

Shit got real during the round of 15's. It was never the thrusters. It's always the burpees. At one point I was laying on the ground and I thought "I'm an adult. I can do what I want. I'm going to lay here." Nope. I got up. I kept getting up. This was mentally the most difficult workout I've done in a while. I did not walk away from the bar. I did not spend time catching my breath.....I just kept moving. Not fast. But moving. I couldn't even talk during this. There were no words. My husband would cheer some encouraging thing and all I could do was look (ok, glare) at him. He tore his rotator cuff. He doesn't have to do this workout. He just doesn't understand my pain - dramatic enough? I did apologize for giving him the finger, ok BOTH fingers. I cannot be held responsible when burpees are paired with thrusters. 

So what now? Well, naturally I stay fit and ready in case a huge measles or chicken pox epidemic takes out the top 1000 ladies. Then I'm off to regionals! Otherwise I will be sitting here compiling my list of what I need to work on thanks to the ever watchful eye of The Open.

Hope everyone enjoyed their Open experience!

My 14.4 and a chat with Stacie Tovar

 Well, there you have it. 14.4. Row, Toes to Bar, wall balls, cleans, muscle ups. Whew. That's intense. I am not a professional rower (what?), but I have never rowed for calories. 60 calories? Not so bad. Right? Right guys? I found out it's a decent row....about 1000 meters. It took me 4 minutes. Not a sprint. At all. Get off the rower and go hang on the bar and throw your feet up. Tap that bar. Each. Time. I was VERY happy to only have 3 no reps on 50 toes to bar. My strategy was small sets. DO NOT FAIL. I needed to save my grip and not rip my hands. Success! I did sets of two and then quick sets of one. No hand ripping. Winning.

Now. Those wall balls. Ugh. I hate them. I need to learn to be ok with them, but now I just hate them. Those were mentally tough. I was tired. I wanted to stop. I wanted to just stand there. I wanted my wall ball to some how magically roll away and then I could just say "Well, I guess I'm done". The plan was to do a set of 12, 8, then 5's. I did all sets of 5 and then the last set was 2 then 3. It was hard. Breathing was hard. Arms were dead. Legs were burning.

My whole goal was to finish the cleans. All 30. 95# is not heavy for me - after everything else it's heavy - but I was not worried about my ability to lift it. I just needed to get there. I did singles and squeaked out 9 cleans. I wish I could have gotten a few more - but it would have been tough. I worked hard. I kept moving. I did not waste time (other than a moment taping my hand). It took me a day or two, but I'm very happy with my score of 159. I did play with a muscle up - disclaimer: I have NEVER even come close, this was just for fun!


I really just like my socks. They rock. I'm pretty sure they loved flying through the air.

Today I am sore. My abs are dying (stupid toes to bar) - laughing hurts. A sneeze? Forget about it. I might die. My upper body is sore too. Feeling more and more comfortable with that score - no redoes for me this time.

Now. Our favorite white shorts wearing crossfitter. Stacie Tovar.




There are many many reasons I dig Stacie. First, she always has a smile and seems to be having a great time. She has a signature hairstyle - the side swoop. She has fun with it. I like that. She kills a pair of white shorts. That is pretty amazing - and don't worry, I will be purchasing this shirt when it comes out. Obvi

She is more than a side swoop and white shorts. Promise. She has been to The Games 5 times. That's some serious training, passion, and drive that she has and can execute. She is currently in 2nd place in the North Central Region and 14th Worldwide (when I hit submit on this old blog of mine). Stacie swears by journaling her workouts, food, and sleep (gets a solid 9 hours every night!). I wish I could say "I sat down with Stacie to chat......" but she is busy. She lives in Omaha, Nebraska. Oh, and it's The Open - she is all over the map! So we did this little interview over the computer. I was so stoked to get in touch with her.  Here it goes:

1. What do you like to do in your free time - Crossfit free?

I love to sit in the sun, hang at the lake in the summer, garden, and play with my dog Louden.

2. What is your ultimate comfort food?

My Granny J's homemade eats, or my Daddy's famous grilled steak, chicken in foil, farm grown sweet corn, and mashed potatoes!

3. Is there anything about The Games at The Ranch that you miss?

Not really :)

4. What is the hardest Crossfit move for you to master?

The Snatch. Still trying to figure that one out.

5. First thing that went through your mind when you heard 14.1?

I remembered this one and it's a lung burner!

6. Do you and your husband workout together?

Yes!

Thanks Stacie and GOOD LUCK!!!!

I've tried the side swoop. It's not easy - she has clearly mastered this. We all know white shorts are not easy to pull off. Stacie has put in hard work and has zeroed in on her nutrition to make those shorts possible and drool worthy. I may have tried the swoop but I know better than to try white booty shorts. Yet. Maybe one day. :) 

Cracks me up. Every.Time.

This one is my favorite

Redo, Repeat, Do Over, Rerun, Replicate, Rehash, Again Again Again......and a little Beast Mode

The Open. 14.3. Whew. A doozie for sure. Here's the workout:



Not terrible, right? Deadlifts start at 95 pounds. I got that. Box jumps (bleh) - oh wait....you say I can step up? Killin it. I watched the cool kids do it online:



Of course Tovar nailed it in her white shorty shorts. Man, those legs......killer. So, watching them I realized perhaps this will more difficult in reality than it sounds on paper. Weird. That's almost every WOD of my life. When they sound easy/do-able you need to RUN. It's going to suck. Bad. And this one did.

The worst parts? My grip started to go towards the end. It got heavy. My lower back was on fire. There was no time to catch your breath. I didn't wear a belt (stupid and it was part of my plan). AH! 8 minutes of hell. I got 113 reps, almost cried out of frustration, and was hurting for two days. I seriously thought I would do this one again. Get a few more reps - every rep counts. I did it originally Friday night. I spent all day Saturday stretching, doing mobility, staying warm, etc. Sunday morning rolled around and I had to text my coach "Not gonna happen. Still too sore. 113 is fine with me". He said that was the right choice and let's focus on 14.4. Not all workouts are made to repeat. This summer? Sure, I'll give it a go. This week? Nope. I did do 14.1 and 14.2 twice, but I was not sore, I did not have injuries, ripped hands, etc. Honestly, I'm not sure at this point how many more I could get after 113. A belt - might add a few. Quicker transition times with weight changes - maybe a few more. Not enough to make killing my back worth it.

Here's the first two rounds of 14.3 - deadlifts only.

I know what your thinking...."Tovar wore her white shorts......Ann, what were you wearing?" Glad you asked. My favorite Reebok nano speed shorts (I'm obsessed. I love them so much). My favorite knee socks - skull on back. My new Reebok Nano 2.0's (the hubs designed them for me!). My new t-shirt from I Am Beast Mode.  I love this thing. First of all the length is perfect for me. I do NOT like shirts that ride up. This is a good length, I didn't have to mess with it once. It's super soft. I mean, SUPER soft. I dig the logo on the front. Clean. Black and white. Perfect. The back?

How do you NOT love the back? People were reading it and commenting on it all night. Pretty great. 

I also got the tank. Also SUPER soft. Who doesn't love a wolf? A kettlebell? A wolf biting a kettlebell? Nailed it. The cut on this is great - not so narrow that a side boob pops out (I hate that) and again, the length is awesome. Best way to test length? Thrusters. I was in thruster hell for this WOD. Do you see it? Of course you don't! No belly hanging out. None. I'm officially in love with this one. 

I Am Beastmode is a company in California that was founded by athletes for athletes. They have a bunch of great stuff up on the website - I've been hearing talk of a commercial and a new Spring line coming soon too!

Check them out on instagram (@iambeastmodeusa) and facebook. 

Hope everyone is recovering for 14.3 and is making awesome guesses about what might be in store for 14.4. Muscle ups???? Will burpees appear? Where are those wall balls???

Hard Ass Work and 14.2

So The Open has been a roller coaster of emotions for me so far. Two weeks in and I have said they are lame, awesome, too exclusionary, stupid, amazing.....you get the idea. The only thing I haven't said is "I wont do this again" - I love this sport, it's my crack. I'll totally sign up again next year no matter what 14.3, .4, and .5 bring us.

So, 14.1 I was unhappy about the double unders. Why? They are a weakness. Duh, of course I'm not happy to have that highlighted. So what am I working on now? DU's. Trying to hit sets of 30+ consistently. Thanks CF.

14.2: over head squats and chest to bar pull ups. What? Ok, over head squats I've been practicing. So no big whoop. Thankfully you start with that, so I knew I would get 10 points. Whew. Chest to bar? I thought MAYBE I could get one. A score of 11 would be fantastic. A score of 12? I'd cry. My coach said I should do it a second time IF I got less than 5 CTB pull ups and think I can do a few more BUT if I got 30 or more I should not (don't want to rip my hands). 30? or more? Bwahahahahahahaha. I laughed and told him if I got 30 or more then I would cry and declare myself queen of CFA.

Well? I present to you Queen Ann

33 Chest to bar pull ups!!!!!!

And my reaction?

I spent a lot of time being excited - but also being nervous. Why? I kept thinking "did I do those right?", "did I REALLY do them?", "can I ever do them again?", "how in the world was I able to do that?". To answer: yes, I did them according to the standards and had many many people watching. Yes, I really really did do them. Yes, I can do them again (did them Friday and again Sunday). How in the world did I do them? A lot of hard ass work. Prior to The Open I did 21 weeks of straight EXTRA work in addition to showing my shiny happy face at Crossfit Annandale 5-6 days a week. I recorded it all, reported it to a coach, analyzed it, and worked my butt off. Why? Because I want to get better, faster, stronger......I love this shit! When The Open is done I will be back on the extra work - working on things I learned from the open and working on things that are already planned.

Hard work, consistency, awesome support from CFA - that's how I went from a goal of 11 reps to 77 reps for 14.2.

Then I got to enjoy my boys putting in their work. They are in super speed - so pardon the blurs :)

7 year old wisdom and Patience - 14.1

As I waited for the 14.1 workout to be announced I was thinking about my back. I am not sure one thing hurt it - but more a combination of lots of clean pull drills, pull ups, and WODs. I don't do hurt well - but I'm trying to just recover. Luckily I have until Monday night to do this workout and get credit for it.

Tuesday night was my last workout. I have been taking it easy, stretching, using Biofreeze, more stretching......it sucks. Each day I have felt better, which can be dangerous for me because I will jump back in too early. Luckily I have Sam and a coach that have kept me in check. Thanks guys!

10 minutes: 30 Double Unders, 15 Snatches (55#)

I went to CFA on Friday night to cheer on my friends in 14.1. It looked tough for sure. I had a game plan of "steady eddy" before watching people do it. I also had a # goal. I suck at Crossfit math, so that # goal was quickly revised when I realized I didn't do the math right. :) It was great cheering on my friends and helping them hit their goals (either getting just some double unders, unbroken snatches, or just making it 10 minutes). I walked away with a few more things to add to my list: don't walk away from the bar, it's ok to break the snatches into sets of 5, RELAX on the double unders. 

I did 14.1 on Sunday - waited for my back to feel better and it did. Whew. Still sore, but didn't feel it at all during the workout. Double unders messed me up. Snatches and cardio were good. Great even. First two rounds I did the snatches unbroken, then broke them into sets of 5.

Goals for 14.1:

1. don't pee my pants (double unders.....yeesh)
2. don't poop my pants (nervous poo reality)
3. stay at the bar - do not walk away from it
4. stay calm. stay calm.
5. keep tight. don't hurt my back

I did all these things. No pee, no poo. I did not walk away from the bar and waist time. I stayed calm. My back did not bother me at all. I did not hit the number I wanted, but I also did not do the double unders well enough to do that. I was on the phone with my husband telling him I was embarrassed, wanted to do it again, didn't like my score - you know....pitty party. My 7  year old, in the back seat, told me this:

"Mom, you did great! You worked so hard and you tried so hard. I think you are great and so strong. 190!?!? I couldn't get anything close to that! I'm proud of you!"

Yep. The 7 year old gets it. I did not hit my number BUT I tried, I gave it my all. My family is proud of me. I'm proud of me. I did 14.1. I will do the rest of the workouts and give it my all.

I went in and gave it one more shot today. I relaxed, followed the plan, and did what I know I can. I improved by 29! Day two of snatches were a little heavier - but I did it.

Hope everyone out there gave it there all this week!

9 days!

9 days until The Open! Have you registered? Do you know what it is? It's one of many things the Crossfit Community does to get the average Joe involved in The Games. The Open is one of many steps that can lead you to Regionals and The Games. It can also lead you to PR's, a chance to see progress from last year, a chance to bond with your box (hehehehehe), a way to have some fun, etc. It's a good time, at least at Crossfit Annandale. 

To get ready I've made goals (you know I don't share those much), been working hard, doing mobility, and checking out new products that will help with my goals, fitness, sanity........

First thing I have found that I LOVE is Fuel for Fire. Wow. I tried two flavors, both amazing. The sweet potato apple one tastes like sweet potato pie. The banana cocoa tastes like heaven. I used them before, during, and after workouts. So yummy, so portable, and a lot of nutrition. I was surprised by how much they filled me up - they got a lot of sweet potatoes in that yummy little pouch. 10 grams of protein and the carbs are natural from fruit. No crazy add-ins. No chemicals. Clean and easy. 

My husband also got me something fun - a new wedding band. It's from Qalo and it's made of some stretchy silicone type material. Sam and I have not been wearing our rings due to increased Crossfit/Weight lifting. Have you tried to wear a ring and do pull ups? Cleans? Dead lift? Nope. You will rip your shit. It hurts. I just didn't wear them because I didn't want to loose them at the gym. Then Sam found Qalo. Now we each have a ring that we can wear at the gym. I love it. I've done rope climbs (my first ever), kettle bell swings, cleans, kettle bell snatches, rowing, and handstand walks with it on. No pain, no rubbing - I didn't even notice it!

My Ring

Sam's ring

I love it. We thought about getting tattoos, but that part of your finger is so small. I'm also not creative, so I couldn't think of what I wanted. This is perfect and I love it!

The other thing I have recently found - that I hope saves my hands - is Goat Tape. I got the sticky for olympic lifts and soft for gymnastics moves. I used it to when I ripped my hand, but needed to do a bunch of cleans and kettle bell snatches. Perfect!

 This stuff is great, is super affordable and the guys at Goat Tape are doing awesome stuff with charities and savings peoples hands. I dare you to not fall in love with this. I ordered mine through Rogue Fitness. 

So I've got my fuel, my ring, my tape, and my plan. I think I'm ready for The Open!