First Crossfit competition

I have been swamped between my full time job and my almost full time job at the county shelter! I did manage to compete in my first crossfit competition recently and was excited to not have embarrased myself.  OK, so the double unders were embarrasing, and I still have the wounds to prove it...but I think I redeemed myself on the overhead squat ladder :)

Looking forward to my first weightlifting competition in a few weeks. :)

meal planning is a big key to success

I get myself in trouble when I am really hungry and have nothing healthy to eat...yep we all crave fast food, carb heavy junk food, etc when we are stressed and hungry. Part of this is completely our bodies trying to get at the energy it requires when we go too long without eating.  Part of this is emotional eating that is so easy to do...
So now what?
Set yourself up for success!
I keep a box of quest bars, dried fruits and nuts and other easy to grab snacks in the car.  That way if I get kept our running errands late, I can grab a quick snack and not be tempted by the zillion drive thru options I am passing.
I spend 1-2 days per week meal planning and cooking for the week.  Main dishes, smaller portions for lunches.  It takes no more work to bake 2 whole chickens than it does to make one, but leftovers can be tossed in a crockpot for bbq chicken, or used for chicken salad, etc.  Leftovers does not mean eating the exact same thing several days in a row :)
For example-I browned and lightly seasoned 6 lbs of round beef last week.  I put 2 pounds in a spaghetti squash lasagna, 2 lbs in a chili, 1 lb in a frittata for breakfast and the rest on a homemade pizza.  That's a lot of bang for your 1 cooking buck :)
Be creative, plan ahead and eat better

realistic body image

This is stemming from a discussion on facebook where several women were mad that Jillian Michaels is doing ads for Curves.  They argue that she is not a "realistic goal" for most women and therefore should not be associated with a gym that generally markets itself to middle aged overweight women.  This mentality drives me NUTS.  When did we become so done on ourselves, our bodies and our abilities? Jillian Michaels is not some genetically blessed goddess who was born looking like that.  She eats well, works out hard and has earned that body.  She will be the first to tell you she was not always healthy.  She was overweight as a teen and still suffers form body image issues herself (recently posting about her "dimpled butt"). We need to take back what is normal and healthy.  Being a size 10-12 body fat precentage of 35-40% is not normal and healthy.  Fitness does not require an unlimited income and spending 10 hours a day in the gym.  Fitness involves eating clean, healthy real food in portions that make sense for your body.  It means 30-60 minutes of physical activity a day, depending on what your muscle definition goals are.  If you want to compete in the fitness/body building industry, then this requires more like 2-3 hours a day and a bit more diet restriction.  But for those of us who just want to be fit, it is very much possible in the time frame of a "normal" life.  You can work full time, raise a family and take care of yourself.  You can work out with your family and use it as quality time as well.  You can involve your family in meal planning and preparation.  You can have your version of Jillian Michaels body!

when i am a parent, i'll never....

Admit it, we have all said this at some point....and most of us have eaten those words at least once.
Yesterday was one for me.  I spent hours sewing a dress for my daughter's third birthday.  We made a big deal out of picking the fabric together and everything.  I had made her dresses for both her first and second birthdays, so I felt I needed to continue this tradition. We moved to our new house 3 weeks before and I intentionally left my sewing stuff behind so I could finish her dress in time.  Then came time to wear the dress for her portraits we do no her birthday each year.  Major tantrum time.  Refusal to even look at said dress.  Expressions of how she doesn't like it, etc.  Mommy trying really hard not to be hurt.....Saved by blizzard and studio closing.  Rescheduled session, canceled by snow again.  Yesterday was take 3 :)
Prepped her all week that I was picking her up from school early to take her for her pictures.  Showed her pictures from past years.  Talked about how special the dress was to mommy.
Pick up from school went great, and she got dressed without much fuss.  Then it took 30 minutes to drive to the studio in traffic.  Then the I do not want pictures started.  "Mommy, I do not want my photo taken, please"  Much harder to deal with reasonable requests than baby tantrums because she has a point.
Discussion ensued while driving that this was really important to mommy, etc.  Then it happened......yep, I offered her a "treat" if she sat for her photos.  I bribed my child.  Not proud, but it did work.....and it's not bribery, it's situation specific motivation....
She first asked for candy.  I said she could pick out food, or maybe a new toy, dvd, jewelry, etc.  Ended up with a princess toy cash register with fake food.  But at least she is now "ringing up" apples, grapes and milk instead of eating candy.

Ah sigh...but i'll post the photos when I pick them up.  They were worth it :)

snow days

How does everyone manage to deal with the major changes from snow days? This week was a Monday holiday (MLK Jr Day), so it was already a short week.  Almost 10 inches of snow on Tuesday led to no school Tuesday or Wednesday and late arrival on Thursday.  Thankfully I was off work Wednesday anyhow, and my husband could go in late Thursday so neither of us had to call out, but what a disruption.  Not to mention the gym was even closed so we got to workout at home as well :)  Ended up doing some squat technique work at home, and a quick workout with squats, push ups and situps (5 rounds of 5 pushups, 10 situps and 15 squats) since we have zero equipment available in the new house.
Managed to entertain the toddler and we all stayed sane (as much as we were before anyhow) and happy to have her back on her normal schedule today.
Still waiting on FedEx to show up with my advocare order that was supposed to be here Monday but got delayed by the storm...but otherwise things seem to be almost back to normal.
Then, poof, it's the weekend already.
 Excited about a potential new part time job opportunity that would be an excellent merge of my interests in fitness and nutrition....we shall see if it works out for all involved :)

like mother, like daughter

My just turned 3 year old has turned into something of an opinionated DIVA.  Trying to find her new balance between wanting to be a baby and wanting to do everything herself translates into a daily battle.  Add in everyday stress of 2 full time working parents with different schedules and a long commute since moving into our new house last month, tantrums are happening on both sides of this relationship.  

Trying to find my inner calm and be patient with her while we are 20 minutes late getting out the door is a real challenge to say the least...
In our continuing to unpack today, I ran across the baby book my mom wrote for me.  Along with the guilt for  not even starting Lil's book and her now being 3 aside, I opened to the section on Threes.  Found a passage my mom wrote about me having to get dressed myself and how stubborn I was and realized that I could have written that exact passage this morning about my daughter....guess the apple does not fall far from the tree :)

Out with 2013, in with 2014

Ah reflection time....

2013 was a big change in my fitness routine.  I started Crossfit in January and went at it 5-6 days a week out of the gate.  What a great year in gaining strength for me! In 2012 I lost 90lbs, with a cardio heavy interval training routine.  Started 2013 at 150, finished at 176 of more muscle on a smaller frame :)  2013 saw my first kipping pull up, first double unders and unassisted ring dip.  I was able to get up into a handstand on the wall and started working on hand stand push ups.  I can now deadlift 225lbs, snatch 75#, overhead squat 100, bench 100, clean and jerk 105 and back squat 150.  Took me 10 months, but I finally can jump on a 20" box, which is a huge accomplishment for me and my fear of heights. I managed to Rx Nancy (one of the bench mark crossfit workouts: 5 rounds of 15 overhead squats at 65# and 400m runs) I cannot wait to see what 2014 brings! 

Fitness goals I have set for the year:

10 unassisted strict pull ups

50 consecutive double unders

deadlift 300lbs

snatch 95lbs

bench 150

back squat 250

front squat 160

overhead squat 125

full range of motion hand stand push ups

jump on a 24" box

run 1 mile in under 8 min and a 5K in under 28min

20 consecutive full range of motion push ups

Rx Isabel, Grace and Fran 

the ellusive muscle up.....

some of these are things I should get by summer, some will be a stretch for the year......but hey, goals are something to shoot for and if you do not make them hard, what is the point? :)

Here's to making progress in the new year!