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?

Dear Diary......

I got my first diary when I was little, maybe 3rd grade? I LOVED it. Of course, it had a lock. I wrote songs, I wrote happy, I wrote sad (you know, sister taking my stuff, etc). When I finished it I got another one - what I had to say was clearly gold.

Yep, the real deal from when I was little. 

I still love to write my thoughts, happenings, and things my kids say. I don't write it down, I don't remember it. Like the next day I wont remember it. I use Facebook to write down the hilarious shit my kids say....trust me, it's hilarious. I use a Journal Menu PR book for my crossfit lifts and gymnastics moves, and I write EACH WOD down on a monthly calendar too. Overkill? Maybe. Do I care? Nope.

The workout on Friday was a perfect reason why I write things down. We were working on deadlifts. I had written down that my last attempt (2 months ago) I did a 1 deadlift rep at 183 pounds. I pulled it up Friday and was able to get it 3 times. I wanted to add more weight, but didn't have time. I wrote it down, felt super smiley about it, and moved on to the workout knowing I'm getting stronger. The workout was 15, 12, 9: deadlifts, pull ups, hand release push ups. The last time I did a similar workout (3 months ago) I wrote down (good thing) that I did the pull ups with an orange and black band. Friday I did them all with just the orange band. Super smile. I also looked back at the calendar and saw that I did the hand release push ups on my knees last time. Not this time - all man baby!

Also comes in handy for weight. The scale may get stuck, but measurements don't lie! Down 13.3 inches from Jan!

Sometimes progress is slow, sometimes it's fast, sometimes it feels stopped. That's why I journal, write it down, take notes, etc. I will never remember. On hard days it's great to look back on how far I've come. It's also a great way to keep in check too. I can tell you I've gotten very excited about a lift, went to write it down and realized that I have done that before but heavier or faster. Oops! I try and always check pre workout now to mentally get ready and have an idea of where I should shoot for.

Now, something I don't need a diary to tell me is that I wore a two piece today. Yep, outside. At the pool. First time in two years. Other than my terrible tan lines Sam agreed that it was fine to wear. I didn't even feel like I was embarrassing myself! Score! Hopefully I keep working on getting lean and also evening out that crazy shorts tan.

Mindset

Over the last few years I have completely convinced myself that I NEED rest days. Plural. Many. Multiple. I could not possibly do back to back or 6 days a week. I wouldn't be able to move! Apparently in my head I work out like these guys:





Let me clarify. I do not work out like these guys. I promise. Some days it feels like it, but I know in my tired little brain that I don't. Why all the rest then? No clue. I think it was a way for me to feel balanced at first, and then it became a "rule" in my head. As I get more drunk on the Crossfit Kool-aid I need to be working out more days to make the progress that I would like to. Change? Scary, I know! This week Sam and I decided would be our week to add workouts and see if logistically it would work. With work, kids, and life it can get a little busy.

The plan:

Sam: Crossfit 6am class M, T, Th, Fri
         Team Fexy Track Night: Wed

Ann: Crossfit 6pm class M, T, Th, Fri
        Team Fexy Track night: Wed

We can bring the boys to track night and we don't need sitters for the WODs. Pretty great plan. Until.....Yep, Sam got sick. Got a nasty bug Monday. I've been following my plan this week and so far so good. I'm tired, but apparently just life will do that to you.

I've been going strong this week:

Saturday: Olympic lifting seminar (3 hours)
Sunday: Girls on the run 5K
Monday: Crossfit
Tuesday: Crossfit
Wednesday: Track
Thursday: Crossfit - Girls night "Grace"
 Friday: Crossfit (that's the plan)
Saturday: Murph with CFA
Sunday: Rest

I'm doing more stretching and mobility to keep the soreness away. So far so good. Turns out I don't need 3 rest days a week.  Weird, I know. I'm not sure every week will look like a 6 day a week workout, but I can/want/need to do more than 3. It's almost bathing suit season - gotta get toned!

* Funny story - if you have read my blog for a while (thank you), have raced with me, or even know me - you know that I'm not scared of a porta=potty and there are few in the tri-state area that I haven't used. I've stopped at more than one house during a race to use the bathroom if I have too. There was even a squat behind a dumpster moment. Yep. When you gotta go, you gotta go. Sunday was no different. The 5K traffic was terrible and there were no porta potties in site. Solution? Pulled over and went in the bushes. Keeping the tradition alive!

Ripping off the bandaid

I have been thinking a lot about Triathlon lately.....do I want to still do them or hang up my Tri shoes? Sam and I talked about selling my bike, but I just couldn't commit to it. I felt like a quitter and getting ride of my Tri stuff just didn't feel right.

I reached out to a friend on my Tri Team and asked for some guidance. She basically told me that I should do one more - can't end on a DNF - and see how I feel. If after a successful Tri I feel done then I have some good closure and know that Tri's are not for me. On the other hand, maybe it's what I need to catch the bug again.

So, what did I do? I promptly registered for a Sprint in July. It's a race I've done before (I do love to compare data) and it's close to home. The Colonial Beach Sprint Triathlon. Sam is going to do it "with" me so that takes away some stress. A few teammates are doing it as well. After I felt like throwing up I did start to get excited. Getting back into this is going to be good. Closure or rekindle my love of racing - I'm ready for either one.

A few things that are different this time around

1. Sam and I do not qualify for Clydesdale and Athena categories anymore. What!??? Clydesdale for men is 220+ and women is 165+. I am pretty excited about that!

2. Went for a run/jog with my Garmin for the first time in a LONG time. Had to change the settings because I'm down 10 pounds since the last time I wore it! Need the accurate weight for the heart rate monitor :)

3. I have not worn my Tri kit or racing gear in about a year because it didn't fit. Tonight I will go home, try it on, and hopefully have some more breathing room.

Here's to ripping off the band aid and seeing what Team Hardman is really made of!