Thanksgiving induces the brain to reflect on the past year, what you are thankful for, things you wished you did or didn't do and to start thinking about next year, but most of all it is the time to just stop, relax, rest and be thankful.
People forget that the time you build strength occurs while you sleep and when you are inactive. When you are nailing Helen, hitting a PR max deadlift, or running your fastest 5K you are breaking down your muscles. If you do not rest whether every 3rd day, 4th day or 5th day, you will NEVER reach your goals. All of a sudden the PR's become far and few between, you feel like each WOD is draining you and to just start a WOD you wish you had a key in your back like an old wind up toy.
So over this Thanksgiving please rest, rejuvenate, spend time with friends and family and maybe even slightly over indulge at the Thanksgiving table without guilt. Sleep in and take naps! I was planning on hitting the CrossFit box by my parents home but then rethought that maybe a nice easy run along the beautiful Little Lehigh Parkway on Thanksgiving morning would be more rewarding, see/smell the environment with no WOD clock in the back of my mind, maybe even a round of golf on Friday, weather permitting.
Just think how pumped and stoked you will feel come Monday to rock a WOD with a well rested body! (Don't worry about the extra #'s you put on, it will come off quickly)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
To Rx or Not To Rx
It has been way to long since I last wrote, where did summer go? This past week of WOD's plus 9-11 on Sunday has been physically demanding and mentally tough. A challenging week of Girls/Heroes, very appropriate to honor those that have died for our country because of what happened on 9-11 ten years ago. We wrapped up the WOD's on Saturday with Murph, a long painful perfect CrossFit WOD.
As CrossFitters we are always striving to do the WOD Rx and once we can do it Rx then we try to go faster each time. Many times the Rx means prescribed weight but many times it is just a basic body weight exercise such as the pull-up and push-up in Murph. This was the first time I did Murph Rx and I really wanted to meet the challenge of all those pull-ups & push-ups as prescribed: Chin over bar, chest to ground with no snaking. In the past, one could say I mastered the snake on my push-up so it has been a long journey to remove that pesky reptile from my body. However I know my snake comes back when I start to tire. I realized about 50 reps into my 200 push-up that my push-ups were starting to look ugly, so I made myself do game style push-ups: chest to floor with hands off the ground to make sure I was getting full extension, then I worked on making sure my snake was kept in check. So I was doing many 1-2 rep push-ups at a time. I know I did well over 200 push-ups that day but only 200 I felt qualified as prescribed. Same on my pull-ups there were many times my chin did not go over the bar so those did not go into my 100 tally.
I did this workout by myself so no one was judging my form, but do you need someone to judge you if you know you are not doing it prescribed? You are only cheating yourself. If you are going for Rx then make sure you are REALLY doing it Rx. Forget the clock and be proud that you know you do everything as prescribed.
As CrossFitters we are always striving to do the WOD Rx and once we can do it Rx then we try to go faster each time. Many times the Rx means prescribed weight but many times it is just a basic body weight exercise such as the pull-up and push-up in Murph. This was the first time I did Murph Rx and I really wanted to meet the challenge of all those pull-ups & push-ups as prescribed: Chin over bar, chest to ground with no snaking. In the past, one could say I mastered the snake on my push-up so it has been a long journey to remove that pesky reptile from my body. However I know my snake comes back when I start to tire. I realized about 50 reps into my 200 push-up that my push-ups were starting to look ugly, so I made myself do game style push-ups: chest to floor with hands off the ground to make sure I was getting full extension, then I worked on making sure my snake was kept in check. So I was doing many 1-2 rep push-ups at a time. I know I did well over 200 push-ups that day but only 200 I felt qualified as prescribed. Same on my pull-ups there were many times my chin did not go over the bar so those did not go into my 100 tally.
I did this workout by myself so no one was judging my form, but do you need someone to judge you if you know you are not doing it prescribed? You are only cheating yourself. If you are going for Rx then make sure you are REALLY doing it Rx. Forget the clock and be proud that you know you do everything as prescribed.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
30 Days Being a Cavegirl
Yes 30 days of Paleo eating and all is good, well not just good but GREAT. Starting off with a 7-day cleanse was a perfect way to kick start the process, thank you Baltimore Health Coach. http://www.baltimorehealthcoach.com. In my prior blog I had just finished my 7 day cleanse and was a little worried about the go forward food prep; however, I found the food prep became easier because I knew what to do, yes 2 trips to the grocery store per week vs. the typical one, yes 2 times a week of doing some food prep for future meals (coaching at meal times can be difficult.) But the good thing is during this time of year it is much easier to shop for fresh-local food with various farmers markets located around the city and just about open every day. Plus if driving to/from the beach stop off at those road side farmers stands, blueberries $1/pint in Jersey!
After the cleanse I did the following: Added back raw honey, mainly to make tasty nut/seed granola and nut muffins, added alcohol but limited to weekends (except for a weeknight out with the girls & 4th of July long weekend at the beach.) Found beer upsets my new fine tuned stomach more than wine, but then again that is if I had more than 2....my beloved espresso.....Woody introduced me to a very tasty decaf (Counter Culture Coffee), but it was hit or miss on my stomach saying "bloat-yuck get it of my system!" I miss the taste and will experiment to see which brands my stomach do not reject or on certain days I will just Suck It Up to make my taste buds happy. The good thing - I do not need caffeine! Naps are sometimes necessary so I recommend to crawl under your desk and close the door or flop down on the bed/beach chair/bench press bench or curl up with your favorite CrossFit teddy bear aka medicine ball (20# for men/14# for women.)
Things I learned: In the past I was always goal oriented and did not listen-appreciate the path-process to the goal. Having goals is good but do not miss out on what leads you to them, since you will learn more on this path vs. when you attain the goal. The goal is the icing (paleo) on the nut muffin. So in this case I set a goal - 30 days eat like a cavegirl. Half way through I knew this was the way I want to eat going forward since I found the benefits outweighed what I was giving up, but I also was going to make my goal of 30 days, gosh darn it!
I only had one night out that really tested my resolve and the food served looked sumptuous, the majority of the items were healthy except for some desserts over the top, but I did not indulge. Appetizers consisted of fine cheeses, salmon ball & escargot, yes escargot, that was tempting. Dinner, grilled flank steak (+), crab cake - oh they looked good but knew had some grain & probably dairy, several vegetable dishes with either dairy or grain and a zucchini/tomato dish (+). Desserts were mouth watering but all had grain, sugar, dairy. I was honing in on the mixed berries until I saw a cheese/pita chip addition. Needless to say I was a little hungry after the party, but I was happy with my resolve and it made me more attuned to what people eat. I was craving for some kale during the night and when I got home I ate paleo granola with almond milk and berries.
Going Forward: I will add some dairy back but it will be for special occasions like escargot at Petit Louis or some really, really good cheeses. I thought I would miss my fat-free plain greek yogurt but after 30 days I do not need to go buy it. Yes if at a party and there is a tasty crab cake, I may devour, but these will be my fun days, no one can go 365 days eating the same way, plus I want to make my stomach upset & feel weak at a CrossFit WOD to remind me how I should be eating. Mark L & Jerry H - I am going with summer fresh cantaloupe all day long, may not have been around in caveman days but still a darn good treat in the summer. In my mind the key is to eat no processed/sugar/refined foods, eat as local as possible, organic-natural, fresh-in season fruit & veggies, and no grain-dairy-beans. Call it Paleo or just call it eating clean.
Benefits: Facts are in the numbers. Between my BOD POD tests (measures lean body mass & fat mass) 4.2.11 - 6.25.11 I lost 3.6 lbs: Lost 6.4 lbs of fat and gained 2.8 lbs of muscle. I think CrossFit increased my muscle and some fat loss but eating better really helped on the 6.4 lbs of fat loss.
Next Goals: Continue to increase strength so I can get: 10 straight kipping or maybe convert to butterfly, seems more efficient, pull-ups (really need to work on not tearing hands as well as strength) by 9.30.11, Standard hand stand + decent HS push-up by 12.31.11, Muscle up by 6.30.12 (hopefully I will hit all earlier than projected.) Finish reading The Paleo Diet For Athletes, so can help our PUSH511 endurance athletes meet their goals, and finally develop the best post workout smoothie - targeting egg powder as key ingredient for protein. The part I am really excited about is the path-process that will bring me to these goals. Oh yeah - have fun every minute during the process!
What are your goals and how will you reach them?
After the cleanse I did the following: Added back raw honey, mainly to make tasty nut/seed granola and nut muffins, added alcohol but limited to weekends (except for a weeknight out with the girls & 4th of July long weekend at the beach.) Found beer upsets my new fine tuned stomach more than wine, but then again that is if I had more than 2....my beloved espresso.....Woody introduced me to a very tasty decaf (Counter Culture Coffee), but it was hit or miss on my stomach saying "bloat-yuck get it of my system!" I miss the taste and will experiment to see which brands my stomach do not reject or on certain days I will just Suck It Up to make my taste buds happy. The good thing - I do not need caffeine! Naps are sometimes necessary so I recommend to crawl under your desk and close the door or flop down on the bed/beach chair/bench press bench or curl up with your favorite CrossFit teddy bear aka medicine ball (20# for men/14# for women.)
Things I learned: In the past I was always goal oriented and did not listen-appreciate the path-process to the goal. Having goals is good but do not miss out on what leads you to them, since you will learn more on this path vs. when you attain the goal. The goal is the icing (paleo) on the nut muffin. So in this case I set a goal - 30 days eat like a cavegirl. Half way through I knew this was the way I want to eat going forward since I found the benefits outweighed what I was giving up, but I also was going to make my goal of 30 days, gosh darn it!
I only had one night out that really tested my resolve and the food served looked sumptuous, the majority of the items were healthy except for some desserts over the top, but I did not indulge. Appetizers consisted of fine cheeses, salmon ball & escargot, yes escargot, that was tempting. Dinner, grilled flank steak (+), crab cake - oh they looked good but knew had some grain & probably dairy, several vegetable dishes with either dairy or grain and a zucchini/tomato dish (+). Desserts were mouth watering but all had grain, sugar, dairy. I was honing in on the mixed berries until I saw a cheese/pita chip addition. Needless to say I was a little hungry after the party, but I was happy with my resolve and it made me more attuned to what people eat. I was craving for some kale during the night and when I got home I ate paleo granola with almond milk and berries.
Going Forward: I will add some dairy back but it will be for special occasions like escargot at Petit Louis or some really, really good cheeses. I thought I would miss my fat-free plain greek yogurt but after 30 days I do not need to go buy it. Yes if at a party and there is a tasty crab cake, I may devour, but these will be my fun days, no one can go 365 days eating the same way, plus I want to make my stomach upset & feel weak at a CrossFit WOD to remind me how I should be eating. Mark L & Jerry H - I am going with summer fresh cantaloupe all day long, may not have been around in caveman days but still a darn good treat in the summer. In my mind the key is to eat no processed/sugar/refined foods, eat as local as possible, organic-natural, fresh-in season fruit & veggies, and no grain-dairy-beans. Call it Paleo or just call it eating clean.
Benefits: Facts are in the numbers. Between my BOD POD tests (measures lean body mass & fat mass) 4.2.11 - 6.25.11 I lost 3.6 lbs: Lost 6.4 lbs of fat and gained 2.8 lbs of muscle. I think CrossFit increased my muscle and some fat loss but eating better really helped on the 6.4 lbs of fat loss.
Next Goals: Continue to increase strength so I can get: 10 straight kipping or maybe convert to butterfly, seems more efficient, pull-ups (really need to work on not tearing hands as well as strength) by 9.30.11, Standard hand stand + decent HS push-up by 12.31.11, Muscle up by 6.30.12 (hopefully I will hit all earlier than projected.) Finish reading The Paleo Diet For Athletes, so can help our PUSH511 endurance athletes meet their goals, and finally develop the best post workout smoothie - targeting egg powder as key ingredient for protein. The part I am really excited about is the path-process that will bring me to these goals. Oh yeah - have fun every minute during the process!
What are your goals and how will you reach them?
Monday, June 20, 2011
6.20.11 Post Paleo Cleanse
Well I made it through the 7 days, in the last 2 days I felt my energy return, so I guess the toxins had finally worked out of my system. I am sleeping much sounder and waking up early feeling refreshed and ready to go vs. my usual where is my cup of espresso! Learned several things, as mentioned in my prior post preparing ahead of time is critical and making sure healthy food/snacks are readily available. This may be the hardest part going forward. I am truly loving the different greens and no longer afraid to attack them with gusto. Next need to try Petie's Kale "pasta" recipe.
Now that the official cleanse is over my next goal is to try and adhere to strict a Paleo diet (no grain, dairy, beans, sugar, processed/refined foods) for an additional 3 weeks so can see the results of Paleo over 30 days. I will add back alcohol on a limited basis and sugar but only in the form of raw honey. Currently searching for a great tasting decaf espresso (processed the water method) so my taste buds can be joyous while keeping my body happy without the caffeine. Right now the inside of my body is feeling like a smooth running engine with all the gunk removed, now if I can just get my piraformus (small butt muscle) and left rhomboid to loosen up all would be perfect, where is that lax ball?
I ate well over the week, though seemed I needed to eat every 2-4 hours, but in the end I lost 4.5 lbs, so that says something. Below are some more tasty meals I consumed during the cleanse. Dinner: Grilled chicken, 1/4 avocado, raw asparagus, wilted spinach & dandelion greens with a cup of avocado-cucumber soup. Breakfast: 2 eggs + 1/4 cup egg white omelet with mushroom, tomato & avocado, plus a smoothie: 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup almond milk, spinach, 1/2 banana, fresh strawberries & blueberries, 1 TB ground flax seed, 1 TB almond butter. I ate this breakfast about 2-1/2 hours before the "Pick Your Poison" WOD and I felt solid through the WOD and afterwards. Guess this stuff works.
Now that the official cleanse is over my next goal is to try and adhere to strict a Paleo diet (no grain, dairy, beans, sugar, processed/refined foods) for an additional 3 weeks so can see the results of Paleo over 30 days. I will add back alcohol on a limited basis and sugar but only in the form of raw honey. Currently searching for a great tasting decaf espresso (processed the water method) so my taste buds can be joyous while keeping my body happy without the caffeine. Right now the inside of my body is feeling like a smooth running engine with all the gunk removed, now if I can just get my piraformus (small butt muscle) and left rhomboid to loosen up all would be perfect, where is that lax ball?
I ate well over the week, though seemed I needed to eat every 2-4 hours, but in the end I lost 4.5 lbs, so that says something. Below are some more tasty meals I consumed during the cleanse. Dinner: Grilled chicken, 1/4 avocado, raw asparagus, wilted spinach & dandelion greens with a cup of avocado-cucumber soup. Breakfast: 2 eggs + 1/4 cup egg white omelet with mushroom, tomato & avocado, plus a smoothie: 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/2 cup almond milk, spinach, 1/2 banana, fresh strawberries & blueberries, 1 TB ground flax seed, 1 TB almond butter. I ate this breakfast about 2-1/2 hours before the "Pick Your Poison" WOD and I felt solid through the WOD and afterwards. Guess this stuff works.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
6.16.11 Taste Buds a little sad, stomach very happy
Day 4 of Paleo Cleanse and overall like the results. The impact of missing my double espresso each morning has its pluses and minuses. On the minus side my taste buds are yelling at me for a double shot of sweet-rich El Guapo Espresso from the Amaya Roasting Company, and my mind in the morning sometimes seems a little fuzzy. On the plus side my stomach is very happy, no more tossing & turning after the espresso.
I think I finally created the perfect smoothie: 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 TB almond butter, 1 TB ground chia seeds, handful of fresh spinach, frozen berries, with a scant of stevia. What I found so far in the cleanse is that it is really all about planning, making sure the refrigerator is full of healthy food options, doing a little prep work when you have free time so when you do not have time to prepare it is already done, and do not put your self in a position of being in a place without food.
Today was another banner food day, a chopped salad for lunch with hard boiled eggs, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin seeds, grilled veggies & a little tahini dressing. Dinner very satisfying of grilled tuna, mashed cauliflower, wilted spinach & grilled veggies, followed by some sliced strawberries & blueberries with a dash of coconut milk. Now time for bed.
I think I finally created the perfect smoothie: 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 TB almond butter, 1 TB ground chia seeds, handful of fresh spinach, frozen berries, with a scant of stevia. What I found so far in the cleanse is that it is really all about planning, making sure the refrigerator is full of healthy food options, doing a little prep work when you have free time so when you do not have time to prepare it is already done, and do not put your self in a position of being in a place without food.
Today was another banner food day, a chopped salad for lunch with hard boiled eggs, romaine lettuce, dandelion greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin seeds, grilled veggies & a little tahini dressing. Dinner very satisfying of grilled tuna, mashed cauliflower, wilted spinach & grilled veggies, followed by some sliced strawberries & blueberries with a dash of coconut milk. Now time for bed.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
6.14.11 Paleo Cleanse Week
Been awhile since my ast post, quick trip to London set me back. If in London stop by CrossFit Central London nice community and good coaches. CrossFit does prepare you for the unknown as I was able to pull off two dead hang pull-ups from the rafter wall of a 500 year old English Country manor house + 2 Burpees without splitting my dress. However I did remove my hat for the exercises.
This week I am doing a 7-day Paleo Cleanse through Baltimore Health Coach, so I thought I would share my experiences. So far so good, but I did stop drinking my standard double espresso last week so the caffeine craving/yearning is abated, last week was a different story. My goal is to eat clean, no grabbing a handful of nuts/seeds and eating too much almond butter, yes all a good source of fat & protein but not if you over indulge. No glass of wine or beer at the end of the day and to do more with vegetables.
I have found that ground flax seed & chia seeds make a nice addition to a smoothy or in almond milk with some carob powder. Carob will never replace my love for pure dark bittersweet chocolate but for a week it will do. The is discipline and as I have said before Mind Over Matter. Photos of yesterdays lunch-dinner & breakfast this morning. Not bad, not bad indeed.
This week I am doing a 7-day Paleo Cleanse through Baltimore Health Coach, so I thought I would share my experiences. So far so good, but I did stop drinking my standard double espresso last week so the caffeine craving/yearning is abated, last week was a different story. My goal is to eat clean, no grabbing a handful of nuts/seeds and eating too much almond butter, yes all a good source of fat & protein but not if you over indulge. No glass of wine or beer at the end of the day and to do more with vegetables.
I have found that ground flax seed & chia seeds make a nice addition to a smoothy or in almond milk with some carob powder. Carob will never replace my love for pure dark bittersweet chocolate but for a week it will do. The is discipline and as I have said before Mind Over Matter. Photos of yesterdays lunch-dinner & breakfast this morning. Not bad, not bad indeed.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
5.26.11 Persistence Trumps Talent: CrossFit Like Charlie Brown & His Kite
We have the tag line "Persistence Trumps Talent" on a website banner photo because it resonates so strongly with everyone. No one is an expert at everything and CrossFit is about being component not an expert in the 10 Fitness Domains: Accuracy, Agility, Balance, Coordination, Cardiovascular Endurance, Flexibility, Power, Stamina, Strength & Speed. So as a CrossFit athlete we can do anything we set our minds to and that is where persistence comes into play. Because we all have strengths and maybe we are even experts in some of the 10 domains (for me - Cardio Endurance!) however in order for us to become competent in the other domains and become better CrossFit athletes we must be persistent in our training and do the things we do not like to do. Get out of your COMFORT ZONE!
For me it was always the pull-up and push-up, but now I look forward to WOD's with those exercises, yeah I am not fast but I can now do them and I still have a ways to go on improving form & speed. Last week my deadlift showed progress so my persistence is starting to pay off. This week we did Hang Cleans on Saturday, Hang Power Cleans on Tuesday and today Hang Power Snatch. Can you say out of my comfort zone and into my hell house? Good news I actually liked the Cleans for once and could feel, not all reps, but it was there at times, the correct Clean. Snatch well still a work in progress but parts were good and I felt so much better than before. For me, I am going to add in my warm-up more snatch PVC practice.
So train like Charlie Brown and his kite. How many times does Charlie Brown fly his kite and failure happens? Too numerous to count. He runs into a tree and is carried off as a Warrior, his kite is blown up & destroyed in the sky or he flies the kite in the middle of winter and both Charlie Brown & the kit freeze. But you know what .... Charlie Brown will always continue to fly his kite no matter what happens to him or his kite.
Isn't this how you should CrossFit train?
For me it was always the pull-up and push-up, but now I look forward to WOD's with those exercises, yeah I am not fast but I can now do them and I still have a ways to go on improving form & speed. Last week my deadlift showed progress so my persistence is starting to pay off. This week we did Hang Cleans on Saturday, Hang Power Cleans on Tuesday and today Hang Power Snatch. Can you say out of my comfort zone and into my hell house? Good news I actually liked the Cleans for once and could feel, not all reps, but it was there at times, the correct Clean. Snatch well still a work in progress but parts were good and I felt so much better than before. For me, I am going to add in my warm-up more snatch PVC practice.
So train like Charlie Brown and his kite. How many times does Charlie Brown fly his kite and failure happens? Too numerous to count. He runs into a tree and is carried off as a Warrior, his kite is blown up & destroyed in the sky or he flies the kite in the middle of winter and both Charlie Brown & the kit freeze. But you know what .... Charlie Brown will always continue to fly his kite no matter what happens to him or his kite.
Isn't this how you should CrossFit train?
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