Paleo Challenge.

Today I officially signed up for the Paleo Challenge through this website. My CrossFit gym had mentioned it and I thought it would be awesome to try. Through the website you get to keep track of your meals, your measurements, benchmarks (through WODs) and overall progress.  You also get to see your fellow CrossFitters and their progress.

I was a little hesitant to try this "diet", mainly because I don't like trends or fads and certainly don't like eating healthy to be considered a "diet".  I'd rather call it the Paleo "lifestyle", or "clean eating", not a diet.  But I figured this way of eating has some serious benefits, physically and beyond.  I have also been noticing how sensitive my stomach is to certain foods, dairy and grains mostly, and figured I might as well give it a shot.

If you're curious as to what the Paleo diet looks like, this is basically it.

 

So...no dairy food (not a problem for me), no cereal grains (oatmeal, breads, pizza, etc) no legumes (beans, peas, peanut butter, no alcohol.)

Ok, so the peantbutter and alcohol thing is going to be extremely hard. However, I can have 6 oz of red wine a night.

This challenge starts Sept 17 and ends November 18th. This will be my next "hobby"!

Bunion.

I have a  bunion on my right foot and it's gotten bigger in the last year or so.

I guess people get surgery to correct bunions, but I don't want to do that in fear of my running/working out days to be over/significantly limited.  But I guess it's just going to get worse....

So I think in order to reach my running/working out goals I'm just going to plan to work super hard this upcoming year, crank out lots of races and PRs......and then get the surgery.

THEN, if a doctor tells me I can't run as much anymore, I will have already achieved my running goals and won't be too heartbroken.

SO, here's some goals for the rest of 2012 and 2013....

1. Run a 10K in under an hour.
2. Run a 15K
3. Increase my 3 lifts (BP, DL, Squat)
4. Do a powerlifting meet
5. Run a half marathon.

Shove it, bunion!

Squats

We did mostly squats at CrossFit today.

My numbers:

Overhead squat-70
Front squat-115
Back squat-130

Squat Cleans

So proud of my progress. Today, I did:

Squat Cleans 65#
Tricep Dips
30-20-10

Basically, 30 Squat cleans, 30 tricep dips, 20 squat cleans, 20 tricep drips..etc.

I really don't like cleans, but with the squat in there, (which I love) it was bearable. I am so excited that I was able to do Rx (what is recommended weight).  Usually after so many reps of something, my arms give out, but I was able to do the whole workout with 65# :) That's 60 reps!

Oh hey

Yesterday's WOD was exhausting.

First, 50 thrusters (basically squat down and then push the bar up over your head)

 

Then 100 double-unders (the rope goes under your feet twice with one jump) or 300 singles. I alternated, so I did about 250 jumps.

 Lastly, we had to run 400 m with a 25 pound plate (guys had to do 35)

It was really awkward running with the weight. I finished it all in about 12 minutes.

Oh yeah, did I mention I ran my first 10k on Sunday?

Thursday's WOD

Today's workout was great.

10 Power snatches 65/95  I did 45#
20 toes to bar
400 m run
50 sit ups
400m run
20 toes to bar
10 power snatches 65/95

It was raining/storming during the workout so Frank said we could choose between the 400m run outside in the rain or a 400m row.  I chose the row.  I wish I had chosen the run outside since that would have been a nice cool-off. Maybe a little risky with the lightning strikes, but fun all the same.

I've been focusing more on "clean" eating.  The past few months I've been eating oatmeal. I've never been a big oatmeal person but I tried the flavored stuff in the little pouches and I loved them.  Five pouches are about 2 or 3 bucks.  So like I said, I've been trying to eat fresher foods and foods that are not processed.  I decided to make my own oatmeal.  I  bought some rolled oats at the store the other day, put some in a bowl, added a little milk and water, a little sugar/cinnamon and microwaved for a minute and a half. It looks EXACTLY like the pouches of oatmeal I would buy, but without all the added stuff.  Once that is down cooking I add fruit, like blueberries, bananas and grapes to it. Deeeelish!

One thing I must add, like I said before, those oatmeal pouches cost about 2 to 3 dollars for 5. I bought 3/4 of a pound of rolled oats for 70 cents! I can probably make at least 15 oatmeal pouches with that. SO much cheaper.

Anyways, I'm a bit annoyed that I love almonds, cashews and walnuts so much and yet they are so expensive.

Resting on Mondays

I think I will start this thing where I don't work out on Mondays. It's been working out great for me.

On Sunday nights I always feel so blah from a weekend of poor eating and adult beverages that I tell myself a good CrossFit sweat session on Monday morning will do wonders.

Then I wake up on Monday and think...uh yeah no way.  That's kind of what happened today.  And then I feel sorta guilty for not working out at all.

So I'm just going to not plan on ever working out on Mondays so that I won't ever be disappointed.

I did get a little workout in this weekend.....

Overheard squats..my favorite!

Taking it easy

I skipped CrossFit today because my lumbar is a little strained from deadlifts on Friday.  Instead I ran 6 miles and am now enjoying a peanut butter chocolate banana protein shake. Delish!

"Nothing we can't handle!"

Today was the closest I ever got to dying from exercise!

Friday WODs are usually the toughest and today was definitely that. If you're not a CrossFitter you won't understand this (or maybe you will) but this was what we did:

"300" work out
25 Pull ups
50 Deadlifts 135/95 (I did 75#)50 Pushups
50 Box Jumps 24in/20in
50 Floor Wipers with barbell used for deads (Lay on floor, barbell over chest like a benchpress and pendulum your legs left and right)
50 total Single-Arm Clean-and-Press with 35/25 lbs Kettlebell (so alt arms)
25 Pull ups

The time to finish it in was 30 minutes...and I totally didn't make it under that time.  SHIT. WAS. HARD. I was sweating 5 times more than I ever did from Spin class. I had a fly that kept landing on me because of the moisture emanating from my slick bod.  I ended up falling 20 pull ups short by the time the timer hit 30 minutes, but the other three people encouraged me to finish up the workout, so I did (I wouldn't have, otherwise, honestly).

After that I met up with my running friend Kourtney and we ran 6 miles along the Oak Leaf Trail. We intended to go for 7 miles but it was so darn hot. We jogged past a 60+ year old gentleman runner who smiled at us and said "Nothing we can't handle!" referring to the heat and fatigue we were feeling. I felt motivated after that (and decided to name this entry title after his phrase).  I hope to be old someday and still have the strength and motivation to keep active like that.

Anyways...you're stronger than you think you are! Have a great weekend!

Yesterday

Yesterday's WOD was the following:

For Time:
"Chipper Jones"
10 Overhead squats (115/75 lbs)
10 Bar facing burpees
10 Thrusters (115/75 lbs)
10 Power cleans (115/75 lbs)
10 Toes to bar
10 alternating 1 arm ketelbell swings to eye level (so 20 total)
10 Toes to bar
10 Power cleans (115/75 lbs)
10 Thrusters, (115/75 lbs)
10 Bar facing burpees
10 Overhead squats (115/75 lbs)

I did it in 13:58 with my weight at 55. There is no way I can thrust or clean 75# just yet...

Oh! Did I mention I signed up for a 10k? I ran 6 miles last week with my friend Kourtney and it really motivated me to sign up for one. Before last week I had NEVER run more than a 5k, so it was pretty exciting to see growth.