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Saturday, August 25, 2012

Busy Week!

 
Tuesday night we celebrated my birthday at my parent's house. My birthday present from Josh also came in that same day, and he met me up at the box so I could wear them for my workout!! Check out our new kicks! (Somehow, he got a pair for my birthday, too....)
 
 
 
These are the Reebok Nano 2.0s! They are super comfy. I didn't realize how much cushion was in between my feet and the floor in my old shoes... I could feel my feet a lot better in these. Also, there's more room and give in the toe, so my burpees and box jumps were better from the extra leverage I could get!
 
 
My dad grilled filets, and mom roasted some vegetables and made sweet potatoes and sauteed onions/mushrooms for the sides. And yes, I even had a roll! Guess what else I had....
 
 
Yep. Happy Birthday to me! Carter ate like a champ, and then played with mom in the kitchen.
 
 
 
 
And later, Aunt Stephanie came over! She's in town visiting from Pennsylvania! She got some good sugar!
 
 
Carter got his hair cut for the THIRD time Thursday. He's such a big boy!
 
 
And I decided to (**drum roll, please!**) go brunette! I really think I'm going to like it once I get used to it. I'm still caught off guard when I look in the mirror!
 
 
My parents got me a gift card to Academy, so after Nichole treated me to dinner for my birthday last night, I went by there and picked up some new workout gear! I even bought my first pair of spandex shorts!! Eek!!
 
 ---24DC Update---
 
Wednesday was day 10 of the 24 Day Challenge. Thursday morning I measured and weighed to see what the results of the Cleanse phase were:
 
4 pounds down
1 inch lost in hips
 
I feel great! Between being without my computer and just being busy in general, it wasn't possible to blog my food every day. To be honest, I haven't been being very good. I'd say I've been at about 70% "good"/30% "bad" for the past week. That means I need to do some serious planning for the upcoming week! I'm now on day 13 of the challenge, so I'm over halfway finished! After seeing such great results in the Cleanse phase and loving Spark so much, Josh and I decided to become Advocare distributors. I can't wait to see what my final results are for these 24 days!

Weekly WODs 8.19-8.25

You've already seen my birthday WOD, so this is the rest of my week!
 
8.21.12
1615
 
WOD
300 jumprope
6 Rounds of:
10 burpee box jumps (20" box)
15 pull-ups (Green&Blue bands)
20 push-ups (girlllyyyy)
(30 minute cap)
 
Completed: 4 rounds + 13 push-ups
 
 
8.22.12
1630
 
Guts
4 Rounds of:
25 weighted situps (15#)
50 toe touches
75 weighted twists (15#)
100 second plank
 
then... I worked on front squats (55#) and jumped on the 24" box just to see if I could. I also attempted a handstand pushup... I can kick up to the wall easily and hold myself, but I am fully aware that I have very little upper body strength! Ha!
 
 
8.25.12
1100
 
Pool WOD with Nichole!
5 burpees
Swim D&B
10 split lunges
Swim D&B
15 situps
Swim D&B
20 air squats
Swim D&B
15 situps
Swim D&B
10 push-ups (boy!!!!)
Swim D&B
5 burpees
 
Completed: 8m 15s
 
Josh made this workout for us. Next time I think I'll go for 2 rounds! I felt strong on my swims during this workout.
 
 

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

24DC: Day 8 & Birthday WOD!

Food for my birthday was as follows:

Breakfast: Fiber drink and meal replacement shake. I finally found a way to mix this shake that is perfect for me (a big thanks to Kelli Rhodes!). My magic recipe is 10 oz of water, 5 ice cubes, and a blender bottle. Success!
Snack: Banana with peanut butter
Lunch: Dad took me to Lek's Railroad Thai... one of our favorites. I had Pud Thai. Yum.
Snack: I had a Spark before I left work for the gym
Dinner: Pork tenderloin and roasted veggies (squash, zucchini, mushrooms, onions)
Snack: Birthday Banana Bowl! A banana, peanut butter, and dark chocolate chips!



Birthday WOD!
Several people wished me a happy birthday as I walked into the box. We worked on Clean and Jerk for strength, and I was able to get a new PR of 75#. Josh Carter helped me fix my power clean... I tend to pull my shoulders forward and down and it puts strain on them, so now I have no pain!

1600m Run for time! (that's a mile-ish)
9m 8s... my fastest mile ever!

30 squat cleans @ 55#
I'd never done these before... and they suck. Better yet - I suck at them. I made a lot of progress, though. It felt good to get them done!

When I got home I was reading through my birthday comments on Facebook, and a fellow Crossfitter friend mentioned "birthday burpees." I thought it was a great idea, so I busted out 23 burpees in the living room! Carter was intrigued, and attempted some himself!


Tonight is my birthday celebration with my parents and Greyson. I'm looking forward to a steak dinner! Yum! And my birthday present from Josh is supposed to be in today - I can't wait to show them off!


Monday, August 20, 2012

Weekly WODs 8.12-8.18

8.14.12
1800

WOD
4 Rounds for time
30 Burpees
400m run

Completed: 29m 50s

I had to do this in the driveway because I worked late. This sucked. There was a 30 min cap. I was sprinting my last 200m to make it in under cap. Boooo burpees!

 
8.15.12
1600

Guts
20 min AMRAP
40 toe touches with med ball (6#)
40 ball overs
40 crunch outs
40 crunch ins

Completed: 2 rounds + 40 toe touches + 40 ball overs

I worked on double unders after we finished this workout. I managed to get 3 consecutive... plenty of room for progress!

8.18.12
0900

Run "Cindy" Run
Partner WOD
400m run
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats

Completed: 9 rounds

One partner ran the 400m, while the other completed as much of the Cindy complex as possible. When the partner made it in from the run, they immediately picked up in the Cindy complex where the other partner left off. Rounds completed are of Cindy complex count.

Hopefully this week I'll be able to make it to the gym more since daycare will be open again!

daddy's big helper
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notable Quotables


"I'm borrowing your jump rope to work on double unders after this WOD"...... after 120 burpees and a mile run.... "Nevermind, I don't need your jump rope!"
- Me, to Josh

"I love doing hobbies with you! And I love sweating puddles with you!"
- Me, to Shannon during Guts

"Your butts even doing that weird 'pop' thing! Good job!"
- Me, on Shannon's front squats

"It's really frustrating when you start messing up on singles."
- Brent, on jumping rope

"I got 3... I'm leaving or I'll be here all night."
- Me, on practicing double unders


Sunday, August 19, 2012

24DC: Days 5-7

Sorry for the delay! Our computer has been down, so I've been unable to blog. I probably won't be able to remember everything I ate... but I'll try my best!

Day 5 (Friday)
Breakfast: strawberry/banana smoothie with almond milk


Lunch: sesame chicken and fried rice... with soy sauce! What was I thinking? I caved. I need rice in my life. I didn't eat all of it.
Dinner: steak fajitas... again, I had a few chips... nothing crazy.


Day 6 (Saturday)
Breakfast: banana with peanut butter (this was around 10:30a!)
Lunch: I wasn't really hungry... so I had a granola thin
Snack: my hungry kicked in. I bought a bunch of bananas at Sam's, and ate one when we got in the car. Then we went to tropical smoothie and I had a Pomegranate Plunge with Splenda. Yum!
Dinner: hamburger patties with homemade guac and Grilled Chili Lime Sweet Potato Wedges
I forgot to get a picture! We grilled half and baked the other half just to see which we liked better. Definitely liked the crispy-ness of the grilled ones! We'll be making this again, for sure.


Day 7 (Today, Sunday!)
Breakfast: strawberry/blueberry/banana smoothie with almond milk



Strawberry/Blueberry/Banana Smoothie
1c frozen whole strawberries
1/4c blueberries
1 banana
Unsweetened almond milk (enough to make it your desired texture)


Throw it all in the blender and let it go! Isn't it a pretty color?

Lunch: I had some roasted turkey lunch meat before I left the house, and then some celery and peanut butter when I got to mom's.
Snack: Breakdown. We went through BK so I could get some sweet potato fries... I got their $1 BK Bacon Burger as well... wouldn't have been so bad if I had ordered it plain. It was loaded with mayo. Blecgh.
Dinner: Mom's cooking roast and vegetables! I can't wait! I'm a little hungry right now. There's a pan of brownies on the counter that I'm trying my hardest to ignore!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

24DC: Day 4

Day 4 food

Breakfast: No fiber drink today! Yay! I took my probiotic restore pills, and was a happy girl! I wasn't super hungry, and didn't feel like a meal replacement shake again, so I whipped up a peach/banana smoothie.


Peach Banana Smoothie
1 1/2 c frozen peach slices
1 banana
Unsweetened almond milk (enough to make it your desired texture)

Throw it all in the blender and let it go! This had a super mild flavor... tomorrow I may try something more exotic. Ha.

Lunch: leftover Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers and Mango Drizzle
Snack: Carter and I went into town to get out of the house, and I was thirsty so we hit Chick-fil-a. I had a diet lemonade and a fruit cup... he had french fries. I was jealous.
Dinner: Mom and I took Carter to Cracker Barrel. I had the grilled chicken tenderloins, baby carrots, and green beans. I've had a killer sweet tooth today, so I had fried apples, too. Shame on me.
Snack: I still had a huge craving for something sweet, so I stopped by Winn Dixie for a beautiful bunch of green bananas. I'm one of those weirdos that likes my bananas really firm... I love when they still have a little green on them! I scarfed one with peanut butter when we made it back to mom's.

This was a hard day, guys! I don't know what the deal is with my sugar craving today... maybe being at home all day? Anyway, I know I messed up with the Splenda in the lemonade and the fried apples... I saw a shirt with this on it, though, and it shall be my motto.

100% Paleo
80% of the time

I'm back to work tomorrow, and will more than likely go out for lunch - hopefully I'll stay on track! We're trying a couple new recipes tomorrow night, so check back for those. Y'all have a happy Friday!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

24DC: Day 3

Today's food is exciting... brace yourself! Besides the grapes... those weren't very exciting...

Breakfast: Fiber drink with orange juice; I was NOT feeling a meal replacement shake today... so I made two scrambled eggs and a sausage patty, and then I sipped an iced coffee made with Stevia and almond milk on my way to work - yum!
Snack: a banana with a huge blob of peanut butter
Lunch: leftover Crockpot Cuban Pork and slaw
Snack: grapes and a Spark... and then Shannon gave me Rehydrate to try after my workout... pretty tasty!
Dinner: Another great recipe from PaleOMG! Bacon Wrapped Chicken Skewers with Mango Drizzle. These were delicious, despite Josh's grill being crappy and catching on fire. Some of our bacon was extra crispy, but still good! We just dipped into the sauce, which is a perfect combination of sweet, tangy mango and honey, and spicy red pepper. We had roasted asparagus to round out the meal.

My friend Michael gave us this super-awesome-ridiculously-amazing Kitchenaid food processor. I used it for the first time tonight to make the mango drizzle. I'm a kitchen tool fanatic... I have just about every Pampered Chef item under the sun. This is going to make my life so easy!


Josh loved this dish! For those of you thinking about delving into the world of Paleo eating... know that our grocery bill has been about $40-$50 lower per week. Also, we tend to have leftovers alot more often. Josh and I both are eaters, but the quality of the food you put in your body makes a difference as to when you're full! We're not only saving money on groceries, but also eating out less often, further decreasing the amount of money we spend on food!


Carter even tried the asparagus! The chicken had a little too much kick with the curry powder for us to feel comfortable giving it to him. We're starting to eat at the table as a family more often, especially now that he's so interested in eating.


Tomorrow will probably be a boring food day. I'll be home with Carter, and Josh will be at work, so no fun-delicious-inspiring new recipes will be made. I've got a good one planned for Friday, though! I won't get to go to the box tomorrow, but may get out in the driveway and do a WOD while Carter naps if I get a wild hair. I felt better during today's Guts workout... but it didn't involve a ton of cardio... I just sweat (sweated?...idk...) about 5 gallons. I even felt good enough to practice double-unders after I finished the WOD! Must've been that giant glob of peanut butter this morning...



Tuesday, August 14, 2012

24DC: Day 2

Day 2 started better. I mixed my fiber drink with 8 ounces of orange juice, and the tang helped me not pay attention to the consistency. Apparently my taste buds are super ADD. Meal replacement shake is still on the rocks. Literally. I tried it with ice today. I threw the powder, the recommended 9 ounces of water, and about a cup of ice in... and I ended up with what seemed like 32 ounces of  smoothie. I liked the consistency a lot better with the ice, and the fact that it was much colder... however, I didn't finish it because there was SO much of it. I'll work on my measurements tomorrow. Here's how the food worked out today:

Breakfast: Fiber drink with orange juice... part of the meal replacement shake
Snack: a plum
Lunch: Dad and I hit a Mexican place to get out of the building. I had steak fajitas sans tortillas, with guacamole and salsa... I confess... I had a few chips
Snack: a banana with peanut butter and a Spark
Dinner: Crockpot Cuban Pork Lettuce Wraps from PaleOMG! Y'all - these. were. amazing. Josh actually loved them, which surprised me... and Carter even ate quite a bit of the meat! I made the slaw as well, and it was super delicious. We're both eating this tomorrow for leftovers. I'm all for a crockpot recipe, and this one will definitely be on the menu again.

I'll be honest... I did my WOD at home today, and while it was a doozy, I felt like T-total crap-ola. I remember when I started Cat Food Diet having a rough time with my workouts the first week or so. My body is so used to giant amounts of carbs and fats, that it's not sure what to do with the smaller amount I'm giving it now. I'm going to try to up my fats over the next few days... lots of peanut butter in my future! I really need to do the whole "3 Macronutrient Meal Deal", but I've been scattered lately and haven't had to time to plan that well. Maybe next week!

Monday, August 13, 2012

24DC: Day 1

Alright, so here's the skinny. I'm doing the Advocare 24 Day Challenge. The way it works - there's a 10 day Cleanse phase, followed by a 14 day Max phase. Sounds fun, right? Before we get too far into this, here are my starting measurements... I have no shame.

Bust: 40 1/2" ....really?
Bicep: 11" ...guns, my friend.
Waist: 35" ...at least I have one now...
Hips: 40" ....thanks, Carter!
Thigh: 24 1/2" ...two words. quad. zilla.

Weight: 162 lbs

My goal with this 24 Day Challenge is to possibly get to my pre-preggers weight of 150. We'll see. I won't be sad as long as I'm losing inches.

Josh called from the station tonight to see how Day 1 went. Our conversation went something like this...

Me: I had to choke down the fiber drink... and as soon as I finished it I was dreading having to do it again tomorrow morning.
Josh: I've heard that...

Obviously, he didn't bother giving me that info - thanks, guy!

Me: The meal replacement shake flavor is GOOD. However, there's a consistency issue, and I had to fight with the 2 year old inside my head... "Just 2 more sips and then you're done!"

FYI, I ordered the Peaches and Cream fiber drink at Shannon's prompting, because she'd heard the citrus was an even worse consistency. I would die. Again, the flavors really are delicious... I'm just having consistency issues... which may be fixable. I'll let you know tomorrow. Also, I got the newest meal replacement flavor - Chocolate Mocha - and it is delish... despite it going down like hot milkshake. Did I mention Shannon is doing this, too? We pick crazy hobbies to do together... it's cool.

I'm incorporating a Paleo diet, because I need to be eating that way regardless. I was home with Carter today because daycare is closed, so my food was something like this:

Breakfast: Peaches and Cream Fiber Nasty and Hot Chocolate Milkshake
Lunch: We met Alisha and Kadie for lunch at Chik-fil-a, so I had a 12 ct grilled chicken nuggets and fruit... I'm a dipper, so I used yellow mustard with my chicken
Snack: a plum
Dinner: celery and peanut butter*, ham (lunch meat), pistachios... I was at my mom's, and she didn't cook, so I just scrounged up some Paleo-friendly items. Carter likes pistachios, by the way.

*Note: Some forms of Paleo are anti-peanut butter. I refuse to give it up, since almond butter is too dang expensive for the amount of nut butter that is consumed between my husband and I.

Hopefully tomorrow morning will go better... send a prayer my way around 8am - I'll probably be gagging in my kitchen. I'm excited about our dinner tomorrow night - can't wait to share the recipe!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Weekly WODs 8.5-8.11

8.6.12
1615

WOD
"Sevens"
7 Rounds of...
7 Deadlifts
7 Power Cleans
7 Front Squat
65# for all movements
2 min max rest between rounds

Completed: 23m 10s


8.9.12
1615

WOD
1 min of work for each movement
* Pull-ups (Green+Blue bands... because I suck)
* Box jumps (20")
* Jump Rope (because I can't do DUs)
* Goblet Squat (35#/26# KB)
4 Rounds - 1 min rest between rounds!


8.11.12
0900 (Heat 2)

WOD
"Grace"
30 Clean & Jerks for time

Completed: 4 min

then...
400m run
60 wall ball shots (10#)

Completed: 12 min (total WOD time)

I should've used 65# on Grace... I was throwing 55# around. I was scared
my form would break bad if I went up, though.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notable Quotables

"Your face is pink instead of pale today!"
- Mandy, on my improvement

Me: "I'm bad about arching my back on the 'down' of my DL... how can I fix that?... Wait... nevermind! Don't say anything!"
Josh: "Just don't do it!"

"Just do all 30 unbroken..."
- Josh, on Grace

"Are these cheese fries Paleo?"
- Me, on Brannon's cheese fries at Dreamland

"You guys took my Devan to that cult and I want her back! We have this competitive history, and I need her to exercise with me to stay motivated!"
- Nichole, on my joining Crossfit

"My back hurts from Dragon Boat practice. Rowing is HARD."
- Nichole, on her defined back muscles


Top 10: Storms are fun... NOT

1. I was at my  mom's Friday night cooking for a wedding shower. Josh was at work, so I had Carter as well. We didn't leave her house until nearly 10:30pm. It was storming, which was cool... we needed the rain. However, what was NOT cool was that all of Holtville was pitch black without power. YAY! My garage door wouldn't open. I sat there for a really long time to see if the Alabama Power guy I passed down the road would have it on soon. He didn't. And then a torrential downpour began.

2. I don't have a key to my house. Cool, huh? I had to wedge myself through our gate since Mav has been Houdini lately and we have stuff blocking it. He was psycho.


3. I had to run through the rain with my half-asleep kid. Carter was pissed. Not pissed enough to not fall asleep immediately when I laid him down, though. Love that guy.


4. I had to run through the rain AGAIN to get our bags out of the car. I was completely drenched by the time I made it inside.

5. A smoke detector was chirping... somewhere. It took a good 10 minutes to figure out which one, and of course it was the last one I checked - Carter's room. He never flinched while I took it off the wall and stripped it of it's right to chirp. Stupid things.


6. I had to make my bed in the dark. After disarming the smoke detector I looked longingly at my bed, only to realize it was bare. I'm just thankful I had thrown the sheets in the dryer before I left for work.

7. I made formula in the dark. I'm pretty sure our mag-lite gives off better light than our fixtures in our kitchen. Whatever.


8. I had to feed my psycho Rottweiler. I panicked a little when I went out to the garage to get his food and didn't see my car. DUH. It's still in the driveway.

9. When I was finally able to crawl in my freshly made bed... I realized it was stupid-hot. Obviously, the AC was out. Beautiful. I didn't even need the covers that I'd just taken 10 minutes to put on my bed.

10. The next day, Josh informs me you can open the garage door manually. Good information. Sorry about that run through the rain, C. My bad.

Friday, August 10, 2012

"Are you having anymore kids?"

Real life conversation with my kid brother:
Greyson: "Are you having anymore kids?"
Me: "Probably. But not any time soon. Why?"
Greyson: "I was just wondering. I really want another nephew... or a niece..."
Me: "Oh. Okay."
Greyson: "So have you thought about where you're going to send your kids to school?"
Me: "Not really."
Greyson: "Well, I think you should send them to East Memorial with me, so I can watch out for them."

Then we proceeded to figure out how old/what grade Carter would be in when Greyson will be graduating. The joys of having a brother 14 years younger than me, and only 8 years older than my kid! Greyson acts more grown up every day... and he just started 3rd grade! This conversation ensued on our way home, since I picked him up for my mom. He has the sweetest, kindest spirit, and I pray that Carter mimics him in more than looks. He's been a great uncle, and absolutely adores Carter. We may fight like we're only 4 years apart, but I love this kid with all my heart.

sharing his milkshake

he couldn't wait for C to try out his new swing

they rode around for half an hour... and smelled like outside
when they were finished! ewww...









Sunday, August 5, 2012

Weekly WODs 7.29-8.4

7.30.12
1600

WOD - For Time!
400m run
30 DL (85#)
400m run
25 DL
400m run
20 DL
400m run
15 DL

Completed: 28m 15s

It was 100 degrees out there... ridiculous heat to run in. I ended up walking half of my runs. There was a 30 min cap on this... I barely finished, but I finished! A big thanks to Mandy for giving me the option to half it, but allowing me the chance to push myself and finish it all!


8.1.12
1530

Guts - with Mandy & Bucky

15 sit-ups
10 knees-to-elbows
200m run

Completed: 4 rounds + 15 sit-ups

then... 50 Russian twists (10#)


8.2.12
1700

400m run for time! 1m 50s (into the box for time check)

WOD - for technique, not time
20 clean & jerk  75#/65#
30 front squats  65#/55#
35 strict pull-ups (green+blue bands)

Shannon and I both were pouty-whiney-butts after this workout because NOTHING felt right. A big thanks to all of our coaches for the help, encouragement, and pep-talks.


8.4.12
1130

Pool WOD with Nichole!

3 Rounds for time!

Swim D&B
10 air squats
Swim D&B
10 push-ups
Swim D&B
10 sit-ups
Swim D&B
5 burpees

Completed: 16 min

This was awesome... I think we need a pool at the box to sub swimming for running in this dang heat! Great, quick workout to start the weekend since I couldn't make it for the Saturday WOD at the box. Thanks for participating, Nichole! :)