Saturday morning fun

This morning I dragged DH to the community Crossfit workout at Town Lake. DH did NOT want to get up and work out, but he was a good sport about it and ended up have a good workout.

We did the normal warmup - squats, pushups, quarter-squat rotations, Bergener's warmup, a few line drills...then we did agility ladders for a bit, nothing too intense. Then we did something like 20/10, rotating through 4 stations, 3 times, of dumbbell push presses, KB swings, pushups with an open up at the top, and some sort of fast feet thing, holding a pvc pipe and pushing it out and bringing it back in, in front of the chest... After that we did 50 cleans. I used a 16kg...I felt like I could've done it with a 20 kg (but they didn't have a 20 kg there, so it didn't matter). Then we did 4 minutes of incline plane, with the option to take a 10 second rest every minute. DH and I took the rest breaks...but it sure didn't seem like it was really 4 minutes. I think that was about it. It was a fun workout, and I felt pretty good.

Then we went home, and I did 60 more pushups, and 60 situps.

I've never been one for making New Year's resolutions, but this year I was thinking about it. Maybe not resolutions, as much as goals. But for one of them, I was thinking of doing at least 15,000 pushups during 2007. That averages to 41 a day...but some days, obviously, I'll do more, and some less. I would like to eventually get to the point of being able to do 50 without stopping. Right now I can do about 25 without stopping...so this would make pushups more of an endurance exercise for me. I don't want to set myself up for overtraining, but I don't think its that extreme....thoughts?


Be strong!

back in the gym :)

Hi all! I actually got to workout at the MBG Thursday! It was so good to be back. I did the assigned workout: 90/30 of exercises in groups of 3. Running, sliding/skaters, crawling/mountain climbers, etc. It wasn't too bad, but today my legs are SO sore! Running is just no substitute for this stuff. Then I taught guns' body synergy, which was a fun class to go back to basics with. All in all a good day. Today is a 15/15 :)

Diet: eh. Breakfast was ok, banana and rice milk. Lunch was fried badness, but it was delicious. I made Texas caviar, and that will be most of my dinner (yum!)

I can't say how good it is to be back at the gym. I love it here, the people and everything. Its such a unique place.

Ouch

Warm up: Easy run jog around the block with DH

Workout: 3 rounds of 50 pushups, 50 situps (hands behind head), and 50 squats

DH hasn't worked out in a loooooooong time, so he did 3 rounds of 20/20/20.

Be strong!

Sunny and cool Christmas

Today I ran 4.1 miles. It was 60 degrees out and sunny...wore a short-sleeve shirt and pants, but I would've felt better in a long-sleeve shirt. Anyway, I did the run in just under 39 minutes...I need to take my running more seriously again, and get that time down. My long-term goal is to be running 8-minute miles, and that's not going to happen unless I start running more consistently again.

Last Friday I did the Fight Gone Bad workout from Crossfit. It was good...I hate sumo high pulls...

Even though DH and I have been married 6 years, and this was our 7th Christmas together, this was the first time that we've ever cooked our own holiday dinner...we always went to my parents house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since that wasn't going to work this year, we bought a fresh turkey, and roasted it. We packed fresh rosemary, oregano, thyme, and parsely under the skin and in the cavity, and rubbed it with olive oil, before throwing it in an oven bag. That worked quite nicely, and the meat was delicious. We also made a wild rice and mushroom dressing, homemade cranberry sauce, bourbon pecan smashed sweet potatoes, whipped golden potatoes, sauteed rapini, and sauteed green beans. Yes, that is a ton of food for three of us (DH's sister came over for dinner), but I don't have to cook for a few days, and we packaged up a whole bunch of complete dinners and threw them in the freezer. Good stuff.

I hope you are all having a wonderful Christmas! Be strong!

Sandy beaches, family, and burpees - what more could you want?

Last Friday - 3 rounds of 25 KB clean and jerk, 20 burpees, and 15 jump chins...plus crawling for about 200 meters.

Friday night, my brother and his wife arrived for a short visit, so I spent a lot of time walking and driving, and showing them the sights all weekend.

Monday morning - went for a nice 40 minute run on the beach on South Padre Island!!!! That was heaven. Then I spent about 30 minutes crashing around in the waves in the Gulf with my brother, while our spouses stayed on the beach pondering why they married such weirdos. South Padre was so awesome...and it's the off season, so there wasn't any annoying partying going on. Our hotel (which was super cheap but super nice) was right on the beach on the Gulf side of the island. Awesome. We bought 36 lbs of fresh grapefruit at a roadside fruit stand in the Rio Grande Valley...YUM!!! We kept about a third of it, and sent the rest home for my brother and my family.

Tuesday - walking and driving all over Austin before my bro and sis-in-law left last night.

Today - 150 burpees for time. I did it in 10 minutes 11 seconds. Then we did situps - 2 minutes, 30 second rest, 1 minute, 30 second rest, and then 30 seconds. I did 91 in 2 minutes, 42 (I think) in 1 minute, and I cannot remember how many in 30 seconds...either 22 or 27...I know - huge difference between those two, but I cannot remember.

Anyway, I didn't try to eat healthy while my bro and sis-in-law were here...we ate on the go a lot, and out a lot....so I had Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, good ol' Texas barbeque, gelato, and a ton of grapefruit.... Salad is what's for dinner tonight!!!

Spinach and Tofu

I am having a late dinner of Spinach and Tofu. Yummy! This is one of my favorite recipes. I like to saute onion in water, tamari and a bit of hot sesame oil, then add herb tofu and when it is almost done, I throw in a pound of fresh spinach and cook it for about 30 more seconds. It is simple, super healthy and SO yummy.

Today I had a great workout! We bought new kettlebells for the gym, so I helped carry them to the car at lifeline and then again into the gym. We even have two 44k's now. That was a lot of kettlebell carrying, but still not quite enough of a workout so when I got home, I rode my bike for 30 minutes, then did cable cleans and swimmers with the double red cable.

Yesterday was a 5x5. I did:

Negatives with a 25 lb red ball
Down Dogs with my feet on the tire
Slow Knees to Elbows
Pwr Wheel Leg Curls resisted with the red cables
Windmills with the 28 k on the bottom half

It kills my shoulder to hold weight on the top when I do windmills...do you guys still think the movement is effective without upper weight?

Be Strong!

Still struggling

O.K. So, I've done some very short little workouts at home while I've had this cold/whatever it is/thing. This morning I got up and did a 60s workout with:
60 pushups, 60 jump lunges, 60 touch downs with 6 kg resistance, 60 full extensions using the 6 kg of resistance again, and 60 hindu squats. It took less than 30 minutes, and the pushups were hardest... My breathing is still not as good as it used to be. My lungs feel fine, I just can't get air into them. I used my inhaler before I started and had a couple cups of hot coffee too which seems to help clear out my chest, but as I was working out, I could really hear and feel it. I guess I'll just need to learn how to work with this. If I stress my body too much, I know that the allergies and asthma symptoms can get worse, so I'm committed to learning how to work with it.

Nutrition has been good. Chicken soup, black bean soup, tea, cereal and soy milk with berries, coffee. That's about all I know... Be strong!!

I'm baaack!

What a long month and a half!! I've been going through a lot of changes, working a lot! and trying to figure out how to change my fitness routine to accommodate my work life. I haven't had two full days off in a row for so long, I mean months!! that I finally hit my limit. So, I'm not teaching a regular class anymore, I have a portable MBG, and am getting myself set up to continue working out at home for a while as I get a better sense of what I need. I haven't danced for months either--apart from the usual jump around by myself in my living room dancing.

Nutrition, I've had a hard time with that too...I did start making sure I had one healthy meal each day by going to the salad bar in the cafeteria at work and making a nice spinach salad with tuna fish. I know that this time of year is hard because of all the cake, candy, etc., but that isn't really a temptation for me. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, usually. When I'm feeling really stressed, I start to want cake, but that's not an issue right now, although it has been in previous months.

I know I will miss working out with people eventually, but right now, it feels good to take ownership of my fitness and do my own thing. The only thing I like about this time of year is that once the solstice passes, I know days will begin to lengthen. Just that seems to help.

I'm sick right now. Bad cold, lost my voice, coughing and wheezing. I feel happy, though. I'm strong, and I have all my strong beautiful friends to keep me company!!

this has been awful

Hi all, I'm still alive. Barely, since my muscles are wasting away and the only vegetable I've seen in awhile is cheesy broccoli.

This interviewing thing is getting exhausting. I'm either driving to an interview, at an interview pretending to be absolutely enthralled, or driving back to Black River Falls to work for a day, only to leave on yet another trip. Oh, yeah, I forgot, sometimes I'm on a plane instead.

All in all, this is awful for trying to be healthy. I try to run when I'm back in BRF, usually doing a 4-5 miler, or 1/4 mile sprint sets, or something. I've also done my favorite run, 1/4 mile sprints alternating with bodyweight exercises (the jungle gym goes nicely over the stationary climbing machine :). But I feel so weak, haven't been able to make my own meals in a looong time (I eat whatever the interviewing places elect to make me, or cafeteria food here in BRF.) Ugh. Sorry for the ranting, its over now.

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm alive, that's all. I'm counting down the days until I'm back in Madison (7!) Miss you guys!

Tough Chicks Rock

Hey everyone! After a chat with K-smash earlier, I realized that I have been bad about posting! Things are crazy, absolutely crazy, but good crazy. I am always amazed at what life throws at me and how you really do have to just make up your mind to do great things and you will! I really love my life...all of it...and I owe a lot of that love to the Monkey Bar. Ok, enough of that!

My diet was great up until last week, when I moved and ran out of time and energy to go to the store. I have been eating at the co-op a lot. Tofu and greens, tofu and greens....I really like the Hummus Pita sandwich too.

Workouts have also been great. I have been doing the at-home MBG workouts with my portable MBG gym, just to see how they go and to work out the kinks. So far so good, but I miss working out with people. I think I will go to BP on Friday. So for the prison workout today, I did cable cleans, with two red cables and presses with one red cable. Whew, that was a lot of resistance on the cleans, but I made it through...barely :(|)

K-smash, you are working really hard! Keep up the good work! Be strong!

Warm and Sunny Wednesday

Sunny and 76 degrees. This makes the 100+ degree heat in the summer worth it. Wow, its beautiful out this week! I hope it continues, at least through Tuesday, because my brother and his wife are coming to visit for a few days.

This morning we did KB snatches, swings, contra lateral jerks, snatch balances (more like a dynamic push press with a simultaneous squat), overhead lunges, jump chins, and a quick half mile run.

Then throughout the day, I did sets of pushups, 15 to 20 per set. I did 125, so I think that'll be it for the day.

Be strong!

Back on the water

I went rowing for an hour today. That was great - it was 74 degrees, and not a cloud in the sky!

After taking a short break, I ran 4.1 miles.

Where is everyone?????

5x5 with barbell squats, benchpress, and deadlifts. Situps. 4x15 pushups.

Short and sweet

I wanted to go to the Crossfit community workout this morning, but I went to bed really, really late, and didn't feel like working out in the cold at 8:30 a.m. with only a couple hours sleep. So later in the day, I did my own thing.

I warmed up with a bunch of KB stuff...some cleans and snatches, and then a ton of 1-arm swings with no breaks. Then I gave myself 20 minutes to do as many rounds as I could of 10 chins (90 degree) + 10 pushups + 10 body rows + 30 situps. I got through 5 rounds. Then I did a few extra pushups.

Be strong!

Energy Crisis

I had a good workout this morning. I really like this place where I am training. It is so motivating to work out with a group, and I really think that the trainer who runs it is great. Its as close to the MBG you can get without being the MBG. There is no place like home, no place like the MBG. :)

Med ball stuff to start...then as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of KB swings, presses (push), bentover rows, situps.

As far as healthy eating, I wonder if my calorie intake has been too low lately. My energy and motivation on solo training days has been really lacking lately. It could be stress...I do feel a lot of stress right now, and I know that I am not sleeping well. Or, is it nutritional? I don't know, but its not helping the stress level.
Dr. Burpees, I have a question for you. What do you think of multi-vitamin supplements, and do you think there is really a difference between cheap vitamins and expensive vitamins?

Anyway, for Hollis and anyone else looking for more healthy recipes, here's what to do. First, go to Penzey's and check out all the awesome spices. I like Penzey's because the prices are great, and the spices are fresh and strong. They have a lot of really tasty blends too, that make cooking some dishes a heck of a lot quicker and easier. Second, go to the library and get some healthy and ethnic cookbooks. Dane County library has a decent selection. I recommend checking out the following (some are "diet" books - but they have some good info and great recipes):
-Eat to Live by Dr. Fuhrman
-The McDougall Quick and Easy Cookbook by John and Mary McDougall
-The Zone books by Barry Sears
-Health Promoting Cookbook by Alan Goldhamer
-The Moosewood Cafe cookbooks (there's a lot of them!)
-The Voluptuous Vegan
-Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian
-The Whole Foods Cookbook

Online Recipe Sites:
-Nutrient Rich
-Cooking Light
-Runner's World
(You can check out epicurious and allrecipes too, but there is NO focus on health there)

I've gathered a lot of recipes from all these sources, however I often (almost always) modify recipes to make them healthier or more nutrient rich. I'll still post some of my favorites, but check out some of those books! Be strong!

Winter is over

The low last night was 53 and today its supposed to get up to 70. Whoooo-hoooo!
Yes, I realize that we might get a little cold weather later on too, but I get a kick out of saying we had one week of winter...

Anyway, this morning we did swings, box jumps, cleans, situps, back extensions,jump chins, burpees, and a short run. I did swings first, and I think my brain was still sleeping. I did 50 swings with a 20kg KB. Why a 20? Because I'm stupid. I really should've grabbed a heavier KB for that one. I did 25 cleans on each arm with the 16kg. Box jumps with a 20" box... What really killed me,and I found this very surprising, were the back extensions. It'll be interesting to see if I feel those tomorrow.

Right now I am working on pushups. I just did 40 and I'll do at least 10 more. Maybe even more than that. I'm getting really hungry, so 10 more and then breakfast...and maybe I'll get my lazy butt to do more pushups tonight instead of falling asleep all evening, like I did Monday night.

Be strong!

Monday Workout....

Well, I'm back after a long month of intense work/work, not workout/work. Have managed to get in for workouts at the gym pretty regularly since the start of last week. Went for a run last night (here, where it REALLY is winter the temp was in the teens). Slathered my face with baby oil and covered everything else up. Went for 3.5 miles, not too fast, but felt good. Got my workout in this morning. The challenge for me working out mornings is that I shut down around 4:00, head home by 5:00, in bed by 8:00. Not very exciting. But, eventually I'm sure I'll find the balance. Nutrition is good too, for now! Good to be back! Be strong!!!

Winter in the Lone Star State

Ran 3 miles last night. It was cold...well, I felt cold. It was in the 40's. Shortly after leaving the house, I had to return to add another layer of clothing. My sister-in-law saw me and called me a Texan. :D

Good workout this morning. Descending sets of KB front squat to overhead press, alternating with sets of throw-backs. I used the 12kg's, which was challenging because it was a continuous workout. The sets were all completed with minimum rest.

Its really hard for me to get up at 5 a.m., but I feel AWESOME when I workout first thing in the morning. I wish I had the discipline to train this hard this early on my own... 29 degrees when I left the house, by the way...winter does come to the Lone Star State, too.

I need to start getting more pushups and chinups in during the week. I did not do a good job of that last week. I think I may do a pushup-chinup-situp workout this evening. Be strong!

Even in Texas...

Yesterday morning when I left for my workout, it was 27 degrees!!! I was wondering which state I was in for a while.

The workout yesterday was great - snatches, swings, and burpees! Whooo-hoooo!
Warmed up with a bunch of med ball stuff. Practiced snatches with a 20 lb dumbbell, and then for the actual workout, used a 16 kg KB. I did a total of 45 snatches with each arm, 45 swings, and 45 burpees in a bit over 13 minutes.

Today I went for a 3 mile run.

I was really lazy this week, and didn't run on Tuesday or Thursday, as I intended to do. I've felt more tired than normal, and I'm trying to figure out if its the calorie restriction, a nutrient deficiency, the weather, or a bug (I've had frequent mild headaches too - unusual for me).

I made some really yummy food this week - you guys will have to try these recipes. First, I made Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic in my slow cooker. One whole chicken sprinkled with black pepper; two tablespoons of white wine and 40 whole cloves garlic sprinkled around the chicken, and cooked on high for about 4 hours. We ate this with steamed broccolini. I saved the juice, skimmed off the fat, and made a delicious chicken and vegetable soup the next day. Yesterday I made homemade mole sauce and used it for chicken mole enchiladas. That was awesome. If you want the mole recipe, email me, because its a little more involved, and I'm too lazy to type it out here.

Well, hopefully I will be able to get my lazy butt out for a run tomorrow too. I'll keep you posted! Be strong!

I love mornings

As much as I dread waking up at 5:00 am, I love the accomplishment of getting a good workout in before 7:00 a.m. Todays workout: three rounds of KB high pulls, situps, and running 1/2 mile - for time. I did 50 high pulls and 50 situps per set (feet unanchored, hands over chest), and finished the whole thing in just over 26 minutes.

I intend to go for a run and do some pushups later today...but I have a ton of stuff to get done today too.

I had a hard time sleeping last night...I'm not sure why. It could've been that I have a lot on my mind, or it could have been because it felt really warm. The overnight low was only 70 degrees.

So since we're on such a tight budget, I'm making some homemade gifts for family members. I didn't think we'd be able to get a tree, but I found a pretty decent 6' tree at Target for $17. I found some ornaments at the dollar store, and I'm going to try to make some too. I have a recipe for cinnamon ornaments: you make a dough out of cinnamon and applesauce, cut out shapes with cookie cutters, bake, and decorate. Two of my homemade gift ideas are sugar and/or salt scrubs and pomander balls. If you guys have any other good ideas for homemade gifts or ornaments, throw them my way!

Be strong!!!!

Started the day out right!

Worked out first thing in the morning, before DH even woke up! I decided to take a Crossfit bootcamp for a month. I've really missed working out with a group on a regular basis and I figure this is the closest I'll come to MBG. There are two Crossfit groups in Austin; I decided to try the one that I was less familar with. I think it really makes a difference having a group to workout with. I can train on my own for a while, but sometimes I need someone to push me.

Anyway, we did different range of motion stuff to warm up - some was normal familiar stuff, and some I hadn't done before. Then we practiced snatches and swings, before we started the workout. The workout consisted of three descending sets of snatches, swings, and running, done for time, very similar to some of the MBG workouts. We followed that with some medball stuff, including throwbacks with a partner. I think my time was 11:45. Maybe it was 10:45. No, must've been 11:45.

Then I came home and did some pushups. I lost count of my sets, so I'm not sure how many I did, but at least 40. Possibly 50. Probably 40. Why can't I remember anything???

Anyway, where is everyone? I guess busy...I hope I see you guys online again soon! Miss you! Be strong!

Back in Texas!

So I got back earlier this week. I really enjoyed being back in WI and back at the Monkey Bar. Training went well, but would've been even better if I hadn't been sick the whole time. I am finally starting to feel better. It helps that its in the mid to upper 70's and super sunny everyday!

So today, DH and I went to a Crossfit community workout. We did a warmup typical of this group, including squats, pushups, various range of motion exercises, a couple line drills, and then some agility ladder stuff. Then we did three sets of running, then squats, then pushups. The length we ran was the same every time...up a little hill and then to a marker. We did descending sets of squats and pushups: 50 squats + 25 pushups; 40 + 20; 35 + 15. Then we did some med ball stuff after that. DH has been working so hard this past month that he's been consistently lacking sleep, and probably not eating enough. After the first round of running/pushups/squats he was done. When we got home, I did 10 more pushups, to make it an even 100 for the day. Then I did 60 situps.

I made a pretty yummy dinner tonight. Saag paneer (pureed spinach and cheese) and rajma dal (kidney beans), two of my favorite Indian dishes. I made my own paneer for the first time too. To make the paneer, I used a quart of skim milk and 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice - brought the milk to a boil, removed it from the heat, added the lemon juice, and stirred until the curds formed. Then I drained it and compressed it. For the spinach, I used an onion, fresh ginger and garlic, jalepeno, tumeric, cumin seeds, ground cumin, and ground coriander. For the kidney beans, I used onion, ginger, garlic, jalepeno, canned tomatoes, and garam masala. DH and his sister had it with basmati rice and yogurt; I skipped the rice.

I will post again SOON! Be strong!!!

Looks like everyone's busy

So now that I need you ladies more than ever, being stuck here all alone, everyone's too busy to post. Ah well. I'm usually too busy too. I've been on call both weekends I've been up here, but I did get Thursday and Friday off for the holiday. I didn't workout on Thanksgiving, except horsebackriding.

Today I did 4-10 minute blocks: jump rope, then run, then burpees, then jump rope. I finished that up with 100 situps and 100 PW pikeups. It felt pretty good. As much as I try, I'm still pretty tired most of the time. I'm not sure if its being away from my normal routine or what. I'm trying to eat well, but its hard with the cafeteria choices I get. Maybe I should do some yoga.

All the way from the booming metropolis . . .

of Black River Falls! I'm finally settled in here, and getting used to my new schedule. Monday I did get to do the house of pain workout with K-smash and Chad, and it was great! All of those chins made my back feel great the next day. I need to squat heavier though; I'm so lazy with weighted leg exercises!

Tuesday, I did the pyramid workout as posted, in my hotel room. I actually have about a 6 yard length to use, so I could even crawl, lol.

I've also been running daily, which is great. Tuesday I did my favorite ascending sprint pyramid (courtesy of K-smash). 1 mile warmup, 1 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 3/4 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1/2 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1/4 mile run, 1/4 mile walk, 1 mile jog cooldown. The last 1/4 mile was at a 7-minute mile pace.

Wednesday I was talking to my sister, who mentioned that she has gotten her mile down to 7:15. So I was like "I wonder if I can do that?" To be fair, I did use a treadmill, which is easier, but I did a mile in 7:22! That's pretty good for me, but I'm going to work towards sub-7:00 while I'm here I think.

Thursday was a steady 2-miler, nothing fancy. I was barely awake this morning at 6, I was on call last night until midnight. So just making it down to the exercise room here was an accomplishment.

I miss you ladies tons! Stay strong.

Hey Everybody

Hey Ladies! I decided that my lack of posting has been going on for way to long. Sorry that I have been away. I have been training really hard and still working a ton of hours, but everything is really coming together!

I have been eating a lot of greens and tofu and I feel really good. I am forever fighting my sweet tooth, but have been allowing myself a handful of unsweetended dried papaya everyday. That helps along with a piece of fruit too.

I have the same cold that K-smash has and am fighting it hard. I went to the MBG today and once I got there, I decided to listen to my sick body and not work out. That was a good idea. Instead, I went to the co-op and made a salad of Spinach, tofu, and red onions. Yummy

Monday's prison workout was nice. I decided to go heavy and it took an hour and a half to complete it. Now I know why we called it the house of pain! Ha! I did full chins, with asst. from my partner, full push-ups, 20k for front squats and 28k for swings ( I alternated the swings with 16k one arm snatches).

I finally climbed the Rope! I have been trying for a couple of years and last week, I finally did it. All the way to the top! YAY!

Yesterday, I did my own workout. 20 one arm snatches with the 12k followed by a 50 lb D-Ball carry for 30 yards, then rest one minute. I did this 10 times. It was a killer. Then I climbed the rope for a cool down. heh! (just kidding about the cool down, but I did climb the rope)

I hope everyone is doing well. Be Strong!

Happy birthday, T!!!!!

Today is my sister-in-laws birthday! Yay for T!!!!

I am finally feeling better! Much, much better! I was so miserable Friday that I finally went to a doctor and was diagnosed with a sinus and inner ear infection...

Today I went to Body Power and Combat Conditioning at the MBG. We did a workout with pushups, chinups, squats, and swings. I did regular pushups, 90 degree assisted chins, front squats with a pair of the 12kg KBs, and swings with a 28 kg KB. Chad spent some time correcting my form with pushups, which was great. I really need to spend more time doing HEY when I'm home. I felt like I could've gone harder, but after being sick all last week and still on antibiotics, I thought maybe I should ease back into it. However, after class Super J said that I should check out the Combat Conditioning class this evening. That class rocked! It was super awesome! Casey is a great teacher and really kept us moving. I'm so impressed with Casey - she is really tough! I can really see why she's the U.S. champ...she's awesome!

I really miss the classes at the MBG, and its so fun to be back. The place is super motivating. I love the atmosphere. Everyone is always encouraging. People are always pushing each other to challenge themselves more and more. All the instructors are awesome, and Jon is amazing.

Well, I'll be seeing you ladies again soon! Be strong!

In a slump but still healthy!

Didn't work out this weekend and my diet sucked, but I did get some really good sleep, so 1 out of 3 saves me from complete failure... Will work out tonight, then back to morning workout on Wednesday. Hm. Still working on figuring out how to take good care of myself for myself. I think I do really well when I have someone else to focus on and keep myself organized for. It's harder (but I've learned much more important) to create a lifestyle that supports health, fitness, and balance. Anyway, that's all I have for today. Be strong!

Sick of being sick!!!!

(I wrote this yseterday, but it didn't let me post until today).

Jeez, how long is this stupid cold going to last? Grrrrrr!!!!!

I did the 5x5 workout today with Guns and Super J. Started out doing swings with the 32kg and front squats with 2x12kg. Moved up to 40kg swings and 65 lb dball squats. Did pushups with 30 lb pball on my back for 4 sets and the green PPU (1 set of cables) for 1 set. Chins - regular chins, and didn't finish them. Chins are still a huge weakness for me.

I had some chicken soup at Willy St. for lunch and made some more chicken soup for dinner for my Mom and I. That was really good. My Dad had some too, but he fished out the chicken and didn't take any of the veggies...what a cheater! I used some salt-free veggie boullion, a couple huge boneless skinless chicken breasts, half an onion, a ton of minced garlic, and chopped celery, zucchini, mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots. Oh yeah, and I added parsley and dehyrated red bell pepper, and finished it off with Penzeys Red and Black pepper. Yum. I think I might take tomorrow easy. I'm planning to walk with my Mom, and maybe I'll get some running in. Well, ladies, be strong!

It's October in November!

Just loving this little window of genter autumn weather we are finally having... Managed to get up early again, and work out this morning. 5x5 for push-ups, chin-ups, swings, front squats. I used 2 purple bands on the power push up for 2 sets and then upped it to 3 bands for the remaining sets. I made myself do full chin ups, no resistance (apart from my lower body which I count as resistance enough!) and swings and front squats I used 40K. (1 for the swings, 2 20s for the squats). I feel great! Finished with a nice shaky side warrior... Have a powerful day!

Still sick, but trudging through it

I went to FIT class tonight, and worked out with Guns. After the warm up, we did agility ladder stuff, jumprope, and broad jumps and sprints. That was great, although its difficult to breathe because my throat is so raw, and my ears are still a bit clogged. I did well on the first two sets (agility ladder and jumprope) but then I pretty much flopped on the broadjumps and sprints.

I'm drinking tons of tea - green, white, chrysanthemum, pomegranate...and taking cod liver oil...that's always helped me get over colds and stuff. Hopefully I'll get over this quickly so that I can start kicking some butt at the gym!!!

Back to it!

Hey! I mean that...HEY! I took the high energy yoga workshop a little over a week ago with Kari, and it was really awesome. As always, the process brought up more than I bargained for. I had a private session with Kari to work on my feet (my arches are too high...everything that made me a "good" dancer is undermining my strength now!). I took the week off after that workshop and the session just to let the imprint of the yoga work settle.

My new favorite asana: side warrior.

Did the BP workout Friday and Monday, and a jump rope workout this morning. My diet has been bad, I'm working through some delayed, post-divorce anger right now, so I'm cutting myself slack around this and just knowing I'm doing the best I can.

Looking forward to lunch from the salad bar, and a dinner of kale and tofu! See you soon at the gym, K-smash!!

Sick and tired...literally

DH and his sis made it back to TX safe and sound. It was so good for them to come back to WI and see everyone, even though it was under such heartbreaking circumstances.

I wanted to go to the gym today, but I've developed a cold. When I woke up this morning, my ears were a little blocked up and I was dizzy and had no sense of balance at all. I'm feeling better now, so I think I'll make it to the gym tomorrow. I haven't worked out in a over a week now. Now only that, but over the past week, I've been perpetually dehydrated and sleep-deprived. So, the plan is to jump into the fire and start going full-force again tomorrow. See you girls soon!

Its been awhile!

Once again, life has me pretty busy. I have been working out everyday though! Saturday I did back-to-back partner C-band workouts. Both of my classes had odd numbers of people, and I can't say no to that workout! Its so fun.

In short, the workout involves 2 people and a large elastic tube, shaped into a circle about 3 feet in diameter. Both people get inside the tube, and one person does an exercise (ex: running) while the other tries their best to hold them back. Then you switch. Its not only a ton of fun, its a killer leg workout.

On Sunday I did the LAST Power60 class (its being canceled due to lack of attendance). Which is pretty sad, because I love that class. But we're going to keep a group working out at Power level at the same time as Sunday FIT, to keep it alive.

Diet, as always, could be better. I wish it was warmer, so I could talk myself into smoothies for breakfast. Any ideas for good, fast breakfast foods?? I mean able to make+eat in less than 10-15 min. Energy level has been good, this rotation is low as far as time commitment, so sleep is not an issue.

K-smash I can't wait to have you back. I'm really looking forward to working out with you, although I bet I can't keep up with your running! I've been doing sprint work mostly, with the ultimate goal of running a sub-7-minute mile. I love the toning effect on my legs. That sounds vain huh? Ah well, I still like it!

Ah, this is getting long. But I have one more amazing exercise. Phoenix showed it to us in Sunday class. Basically its a supine bridge, with one foot on a medicine ball and the other one in the air. Move the foot back and forth on the ball for even more hamstring work. It made me unable to bend over today, my hammies were so sore!

One more hour!

I hate standard time. I wish that we had Daylight Savings time year-round. So what if the sun doesn't come up until 7 a.m.? I don't know anyone that doesn't like being up before the sun...oh yeah, DH....DH doesn't like being up before lunch! Ha ha! :D

So I ended up taking three days off due to knee pain (and an insanely hectic schedule - but that's not a valid excuse). Saturday, DH and I went for a 4 mile run. When we went out, we hadn't eaten in about four hours, and a mile into our run, we both realized our mistake...oh well...we still managed to run the whole thing.

Last night, DH and I were up baking cookies until 4 a.m. A group at church is collecting cookies to give soldiers returning from Iraq. Needless to say, I was pretty tired today, so I decided to go for an easy run. I ended up running 3 miles at a pretty good pace. DH was surprised when I got home and said I made good time. Back to the knee pain....its pretty much gone, except when I start getting tired. When I'm running, if I really focus on keeping the hamstrings activated, there's no pain.

As far as diet - still pretty good. Lots and lots of veggies, some fruits, some meat...I did taste the cookies we were baking, and indulged in a couple today, but still managed to keep my daily caloric intake under 1200 calories by loading up on the veggies. I'm now under the weight requirements for the job, but I intend to give myself a good safety zone before I start ramping up the calories to maintenence levels. I am still freaking out about losing muscle...but my workouts feel pretty good. At my strongest, I was able to do a few 1-arm pushups and a few pistols. I can't do those now, so I know that I've lost some strength...on the other hand, regular pushups are getting easier, and I think I'm getting faster with running...I guess we'll see how I do when I come home and you girls start kicking my butt!

I'll see you ladies soon! Be strong!

Yes, I am still alive

Hey everyone! I feel really disconnected from everyone right now! My change in employment has me working from sun up to sun down on most days. Hopefully that will even out a bit in the near future. Workouts are great and so is nutrition. All in all, I am really happy! Welcome to the blog Tex! Okay, more details later! Be Strong!

Fry-day

Not really, but like the notion of hitting the day with enthusiasm. Slept great and woke up early for a change! I think Burpee-girl's suggestion about taking my meds at night earlier in the evening is working out for me. Went for a slow run last night, only about 4 miles, actually walked for about a third of the distance, running/walking off and on. Had a beef flavored soy patty with kale and brown rice for dinner with bengal tiger spice herbal tea. Delish! Oh, I had part of a cookie too. Molasses.

What else? Going to do a workout on my own with some work colleagues later this afternoon. Won't be as good as the gym, but I'll be sure to do it which is what counts. Also, having a private yoga session with Kari tonight. She is so good. I hope she can help me with my foot alignment and all associated toubles. Have a beautiful day!!

Back to gray

I don't mean to become a blogging weather report, but I'm really struck by the change in energy level I feel with the weather. Anyway, my presentation yesterday went great, I ate really healthy except for dinner which I used as a celebration---good cheese, crackers, wine, fresh spinach, and some prosciutto.

Today, was oatmeal with cranberries and a sausage flavored soy patty for breakfast, a tuna salad sandwich for lunch, and probably pumpkin soup for dinner with a soy burger. Need to force myself to go to the gym after work. I always feel a little more optimistic about it after I visit our blog! Be strong!

Pretty good day

In the afternoon, I ran 3 miles. Steady medium pace.

This evening, I started working out and got interupted several times. Finally, I was starving, so I gave up and ate dinner. But before that happened, here's what I did:
Swings to warm up (1 12kg KB) ...didn't count reps
4x5 1 arm cleans
4x5 1 arm snatches
20 pushups
8 KB military presses
14 90 degree body rows
10 squat cleans 2x12kg
2x8 1-leg deadlifts with 24kg
20 pushups
15 90 degree chins
20 pushups
some squats while on the phone during one of my interuptions
20 pushups
10 front squats 24kg
20 pushups
60 situps

Food today - oatmeal with protein powder; watercress salad; granola bar; anti-cancer soup with Italian seasonings; salmon, green beans, and acorn squash for dinner.
I'll probably have some berries and soymilk for dessert later...

A few more frustrations on the job front, but I believe progress is being made. I had an eye exam this morning (for the job, not because I wanted one), and they dialated my eyes. My eyes were so dialated, that I couldn't read the spedometer on the way home. Then, when I went for my run, it was overcast and raining, and I wore sunglasses...got a couple weird looks. If its raining tomorrow, I'll run in the rain. If there's lightning, I'm not sure what I'll do. I guess go jump rope in the racketball court.

I feel encouraged by my five sets of 20 pushups. I only started struggling on the last set. Be strong, ladies!!!!

Sunshine!!

Even a little like right now at the end of the day gives me such a boost!! I have a big presentation at work tomorrow, and am feeling really good and prepared. Can't make it to the gym, but will be taking a run when I get home. Still seem to need a lot of sleep, but whatever. I'll be fine. Just wanted to share, K-smash, that I have a similar sort of story for myself regarding weight/build/lifestyle. I'm healthier, stronger, now than I have ever been in my life. I think that on some charts I would be considered in the overweight category. My weight pretty much stays at 150-155. Last fall, I was 145-150 for about 4 months, but I was not eating more healthy, I think I was overtraining and just eating less. My evidence for that is that I developed my allergy problem which I think was exacerbated by the physical stress my body had been under. Weight change, I experience, as both a cause and a symptom of stress. So, while I would like to be lighter, hope to be leaner, I'm approaching that now with a perspective of overall training, and not a goal in itself. Whatever I'm doing, I try to reallly appreciate my health and strength each day. Just really live in the moment of good health. To life!

So this is what's up...

Today I ran 3 miles. Yesterday I took off. Saturday I spent the entire day hiking with DH - up, over, and around Enchanted Rock.










I was so depressed and discouraged last week, that I didn't really want to get into details. Anyway, I feel like I've been given an ultimatum. Basically, a couple weeks ago I was told, "If you really want this job, you need to weigh less than xxx lbs." When I joined the MBG in 2004, my weight dropped from about 180 to 160 and then stayed there. I played tackle football in the NWFA at about 165 lbs, and ran my marathon at about 160 lbs (but with much, much, much less muscle). At my very worst, while writing my thesis in grad school, I could have weighed up to 190... Of course, I wouldn't make it an issue if my (hopefully) future employer didn't make it an issue. So anyway, now I am jumping through yet another hoop. I'm eating nutrient rich, trying to get enough protein every day, but simultaneously tracking and limiting my calories. I've been averaging 1200 calories a day, while consuming large quantities of tasty veggies. I just have this fear that I am going to lose muscle too, but if I keep training and keep making sure that I get protein, that shouldn't happen, right? This morning, the scale was just under 155 lbs. So, progress... So the plan for tomorrow is a run and a hard strength-training workout and 1500 calories.


I made Dr. Fuhrman's anti-cancer soup on Sunday. I like it, except I cut the quantity of carrots in half and it's still too sweet. And I didn't use the celery (the pots were too full already and I don't have a juicer). Its a little bland, but I have a nice selection of Penzey's spices to make each bowl different. I've had it with curry powder and aleppo pepper, zatar, and tomorrow I am going to try Italian herbs. I think it would also taste good with chili powder and adobo seasoning. Well, I'll need you girls to kick my butt when I come back next month. :D I'm looking forward to that. Be strong!

Happy Monday!

Had a great weekend! Of course, it was cold, and we still have some snow in patches, which means running/biking are not as fun, but...healthwise, energywise, I feel like I'm doing better. Slept a lot. Worked out on Sat...Jump rope, own pace, 20 minutes on Saturday, then easy run on Sunday, body power this morning---a repeat of the 15/15 from last week. It probably did help to take my meds earlier in the evening, so that I had more time to sleep off the effects. Had pumpkin soup for lunch on saturday, seafood salad for dinner. Sunday had a homemade apple tart for breakfast (not very substantial), and sauteed kale with onion and garlic with a veggie burger for dinner. Optimum power back to nature cereal for breakfast, veggie wrap for lunch, pumpkin soup for dinner tonight. That's all I have. I did about the same resistance with the 15/15 this morning. My foot felt good by the end of class, which makes me think working out in the morning could be beneficial. Stay strong! Love hard! Be good!

I don't know where I am

"I don't know where I am. Actually, I know where I am, but I don't know if I can get to where I need to go from where I am."

That's the quote of the day. I said that while driving yesterday...and had no idea how applicable it was to the rest of my life, until today. And let me tell you, today was so frustrating. Its this whole job application process...having my dream job so close, yet also knowing that the stupidest things could keep me from getting it...

So anyway...Wednesday I had job stuff to take care of, and that took most of the day, so I didn't work out. Thursday was busy too, so in the evening I did sort of a playground workout - pushups, KB cleans, presses, swings, and snatches, mountain climbers, situps, foot-up lunges...no counting, no order...just a free for all... Today, I went rowing, for maybe an hour and a half. I'm not sure - my mind was not on rowing. Tonight DH and I went for a run, a little under 3 miles...we started out at an easier pace and keep progressing to a harder pace. At the end I sprinted up a hill, and according to my heartrate monitor, I got up to 180. My resting heartrate is generally around 55 or 56 when I'm sitting. I had an EKG on Wednesday, and my heartrate then was 48. Tomorrow we're going hiking at a state park...that will be fun! I can't wait.

Today in the morning I had some soymilk with some extra soyprotein...I had no time for breakfast, so that's why I had that. Lunch was canned salmon with fresh spinach, raw broccoli slaw, a flax-oat bran-whole wheat pita, and some yogurt mixed with curry powder and a little water. I had granola bar before rowing. Tonight I made baked tilapia, steamed broccolini, sauteed mushrooms, red bell pepper, and broccoli slaw with a little teriyaki sauce, and 1/4 baked acorn squash. I really want to make that anticancer soup this weekend...the recipe looks really good. Maybe Sunday.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day...be strong, girls...

Whatever it takes...

So, the week is flying by, and you all have been so good and encouraging to me! I think I'm adjusting to the change of season, and beginning (just beginning) to re-orient toward working out. I'll also say that I think my allergy medication (I take a LOT, I mean a LOT) of medicine before bedtime, and that may be what is leading to my slow mornings, which I seem to be experiencing as a failure because my ideal situation is to workout in the morning and then have a jog or bike ride in the evening if I want. Bookending my day with exercise seems to really help me. I know many would say, cut back on that medication, but for the first time in over 8 months, my allergies are under control so I'm sticking with my current program. In the meantime, diet was better yesterday and today so far. Will be hitting the salad bar for lunch (yum) and can I just say I really miss spinach? I really do. Making pumpkin soup for dinner. Saute one finely chopped onion, add One can of pumpkin, two cups chicken broth, 1/3 cup of peanut butter, red pepper flakes to taste. I have some fresh apples from my neighbors so I'll have an apple for dessert. Maybe if I get to bed early enough I'll get up and workout friday morning. but sleep comes first! Be strong!

How long can I keep this up?

This morning...rowed on the lake for 1 hour 40 minutes. Rowing isn't really a workout for me; I'm not good enough, technically, for that yet. But it is a nice, active leisure activity.

This afternoon...walked 1 hour 20 minutes. I needed to clear my head...but being alone with my thoughts for an hour and 20 minutes didn't really clear anything...but I think I might go for walks more often anyway.

This evening (as in after 11 pm!)...ran with DH for 20 minutes.

Discipline

I'm not saying I have any. I just want it. But obviously not enough to have it! Yesterday was a 15/15 workout for 5 minutes with 4 stations. First was d-ball cleans alternating with d-ball presses. Then d-ball snatches (have to really accelerate through the clean to press transition) alternating with front squats. The chin ups alternating with push-ups. We finished with core...pike-ups with leg curls or prone thinker with supine thinker. I used a 60 or 65# for the cleans and presses, two 25# power balls for the snatches and a 65# again for the front squats. I did jump chins and push-ups with my feet up on a tire. I just did a really extended, planked-out prone thinker and worked hard on my supine thinker pose. The thing I feel best about with that workout is that I feel like I was able to find an extended action in my feet in the supine thinker. That is a very hard pose for me. Getting the action of my heels and shins is a real struggle.

Diet...I can't remember breakfast. Had a salad at the salad bar for lunch. Had an asian veggie noodle salad with shrimp for dinner and lemon drop cookies for dessert. So after the lemon drop cookies settled, I went for a short run and ended up going to bed too late. I read this and is "sounds" like I'm very dedicated, even disciplined about my fitness, and compared to how I used to be, I am. Yet, I know that my diet yesterday was more of an exception than a rule and if I want to move to a higher level of fitness I need to cut down on the portions of food that I eat, and improve the balance of protien and greens to carbs in my diet. I just don't have that energized feeling that comes with a really healthy balance of diet and exercise. I feel like I'm struggling. I won't beat up on myself, but I need to figure out how to get more structure around my time spent working out and preparing my own food. Between work and having a social life, I've lost the priority I once placed on working out and preparing healthy meals for myself. Well, I guess priority is the operative word here. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow! Keep that energy high!

"DH" stands for "Dear Husband"

Too many people have asked who this DH guy is, that I am working out with all the time...it's my dear, sweet husband!

Saturday evening before dinner, I did do pushups and situps. Three rounds of 15 pushups and 30 situps...then my sister-in-law and I made this awesome dinner...I'll have to post the recipe, because it was soooo good.

Sunday, DH and I went for a 3 mile walk together, at a nice, brisk pace.

Today, I ran three miles. Then I did a card deck workout with hindu pushups, body rows, stability ball curls, and v-ups. The v-ups seemed too easy at first, so I slowed them down, and then for some sets, I did slow tucks instead (with my hands in the air, not on the floor). After I was done with the card deck, I did 60 situps. The hindu pushups were by far the most difficult part of the workout...I really need to do those more often.

OK, here's that recipe...we made an enchilada casserole. I was going to make enchiladas, but the tortillas were way too small, and the ratio of tortilla to filling would have been too great.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, baked and shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
12 to 16 oz fresh spinach
8 to 12 oz mushrooms, sliced
minced garlic
1 to 1.25 lbs tomatillos
1 bunch cilantro, washed and leaves picked off stems
1 lb fire roasted Hatch chilis or roasted Anaheim chilis - seeded and peeled
12 to 18 corn tortillas

Sauce: Peel and destem the tomatillos. Boil them for about 10 minutes, until tender. Combine tomatillos, cilantro, 1/4 cup onion, the chilis, some minced garlic, and maybe some chicken broth or water in a blender. Blend until smooth.

Saute the rest of the onions and mushrooms until tender. Add the spinach and continue to saute just until the spinach wilts. Add some minced garlic and the shredded chicken and mix well.

Spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray. Place a layer of tortillas down in the pan. Spread the chicken-spinach mixture over the tortillas. Cover with another layer of tortillas. Pour the sauce over the top of the tortillas. You can put some cheese on top if you want. I put sharp cheddar on part of it for DH and his sister, and left the rest plain. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

I baked the chicken in a little organic chicken broth with cumin and chili powder on it. The amounts of ingredients can all be easily adjusted...I pretty much made the recipe up anyway.

I hope you ladies had a good weekend! Be strong!

Top of the week

Had some good workouts lately...Friday was a long circuit 1 time through, as many reps as possible in 1 minute of: military press, cleans, clean and press, (I was toast at this point), k-bell pulls, k-bell pushes (basically turn around and pull the k-bells dragging them behind you so it's a pushing action), straddle ups with rope or pole vaulters with chin-up bar or rings, power wheel roll outs (did this twice), then finished with foot up lunges 1 minute each leg, first thirty seconds were slow and controlled, second thirty were as fast as possible. It was a good workout. I used a 60# d-ball for the military presses, an 80# for the cleans, back to 60 for the clean and press. Saturday, I took yoga class instead of teaching. Then had a run later in the day. Run was about 4 miles, sprint then slow jog, sprint then slow, then a pretty plodding pace for the rest of the run. My feet and ankles still are not pain free, but getting better. Sunday, no workout, but did rake my front yard. Was thinking about my core strength as I worked so that action came from the twist of my hips and legs rather than spine.

Nutrition is not good. Mostly, I just don't have any motivation to prepare my own food. When I eat healthy it's something that requires minimal effort---cereal and soy milk, apples and peanut butter. I'm not being too harsh with myself about it, but am feeling the effects in terms of energy and body fat (too much carbs, not enough protein and greens).

Planning to workout tonight at 5:00. That's it!! Be powerful!

Long week

Wow...its been a long week, with plenty of ups and downs...

Workouts:
Today DH and I worked out with Crossfit Central. Great group of people. We did a kettlebell workout (I brought my KBs). Started out with a farmers walk, while walking around looking for the group. :) Warmed up with squats, pushups, line drills, Bergener's warmup, and a little KB practice. The workout was three sets of 50 pullups and 50 single KB swings with a partner - so you and your partner had to get to 50 together, not each. The swings were to straight overhead with two hands on one KB, and the pullups were all different variants - regular, jumps, or body rows. I was partnered with DH, so I tried to do more of the reps so that DH wouldn't strain his injured hand too much. On the third round, I pumped out 40 body rows divided up in three sets - 15, 10, and 15 - because DH was wasted. Then we finished with KB bear crawls. I need to work on those!

Friday - ran 3 miles (steady med-hard pace)
Thursday - way too busy to fit a workout in - I know, I stink.
Wednesday - ran 3 miles (hard intervals)
Tuesday - 15/15 workout with 10 minutes of pushups and pullups; 10 minutes of KB front squats and deadlifts; 6 minutes of situps.
Monday - I was a lazy@$$ - no workout
Sunday - sprint pyramid

OK, the 15/15 was cool. DH kept track of my reps:
Pushups: 11, 10, 9, 10, 9, 9, 8, 8, 10, 10...then I did 6 more to make it 100 total
Pullups (with assistance from DH): 3, 2, 4, 2, 2, 2 (jumps), 2 (jumps), 1, 0, 0
Front squats with 2x12 kg: 10 sets of 5
Deadlifts with 2x12kg (way too light): 8, 7, 9, 9, 9, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9
Situps (this is what was really cool): 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 15, 14, 15
The last set of situps took a little longer than 15 seconds, but I wanted to hit 15...

Food:
Trying to eat clean...breakfast has been either oatmeal (real oatmeal) with blueberries and soy protein powder, or a ton of sauteed veggies (broccoli, onions, mushrooms, zucchini, cabbage) and some eggs (usually 1 egg and some egg whites). I have been really bad about eating lunch. Sometimes I manage a salad, sometimes its cottage cheese and fruit. Snacks are usually apples, almonds, a whole-grain granola bar, some plain yogurt, or raisins. Dinners have been pretty good - lots of broccoli, some squash or sweet potato, cauliflower. This week I've made some baked mango-chipotle chicken...some Thai curry tilapia...watercress salad and teriyaki tofu...last night was teriyaki salmon, baked sweet potato, and steamed asparagus. Drinking lots of green tea, some soymilk, some skim milk, and tons of water.

OK, so I have a weakness...raisins. I cannot keep raisins in the house!! I obsess over them and crave them constantly...so no more raisins. :( Writing about them now makes my mouth water...


Frustrations and incidents:
OK, so a few frustrations on the job front...some of its pretty personal, so email me and I'll tell you about it...I'll be back to visit and deal with job stuff next month sometime...I'm planning to stick around for a couple weeks, so I'm going to email Jon and let him know that I will be available to teach and sub anytime while I'm back.

So last night when I was running, there was this couple walking on the path. They had that wussy fake-gangster look. As I run, I always stay to the right side of the path, which is wide enough for 5 people to walk side by side. The girl moves over so that she is directly in my path, and tilts her head way back so that she's looking down her nose at me. She had a really smug look on her face. It was pretty obvious that she purposely moved into my path to make me move out of her way. I had this hilarious thought to drop my shoulder and tackle her, but I have too much common sense for that...and my training is way too important... So I just moved to the left side of the path and ran by them while they snickered. She has no idea how stupid she looked...but whatever. Why are people so stupid?

Well, that's my week. I am thinking about doing some pushups and situps later today...maybe...
I hope you have a great weekend! Be strong, ladies!

How can you go wrong with the Renegade Rows?

I really liked yesterday's workout, especially the Renegade Rows. I worked out with another super, duper, tough chick that is not on our blog spot... I shall call her Super J!

It was a pyramid 6,10,12 of:

traveling alligators
Renegade Rows with the 24k's (yeah)
overhead lunges
1-arm snatch with 16k's

I tried to snatch the 20k again and couldn't quite do it. All in due time :)

Diet yesterday was a veggie wrap for lunch, apple for snack, and a Tuna Caesar salad (no cheese) for dinner. Still upping my protein. I have been drinking the IsoPure's after my workouts which are nice cuz they have 40 grams of protein. Speaking of food, I think it is time for lunch...Be strong!

BURPEES!

You know how I love them. The Thursday workout was burpee workout, and it was so fun! All in all I did 300 burpees of varying types. That is a humbling workout for sure.

Yesterday was a day off. I did a pretty good job eating: granola + rice milk for breakfast, brown rice n veggies for lunch (ooh, and tofu, yum). Oh yeah dinner was at Unos but I had their flatbread pizza with tomatoes, feta, spinach and olives on it. Delicious. I need to cook more at home though.

Tonight I believe I will be going for a run. Perhaps a roadwork type, with intermittent pushups, squats, jump lunges and thinkers. Brrr! Its so cold out today. 30 degrees right now.

A little down time

Last workout was Saturday FIT. Card deck with burpees, russian twists, hindu squats, and running in place. I had to change a couple exercises to take care of my ankle/foot, but it worked out fine. I was pretty sore from last wednesday's body power workout too. The plyo push-ups really did me in. Nice bikeride on Sunday and took a 4 mile run that night. It helps to write this out, because I've been feeling like I haven't been very active, but I realize my expectation is a little off. Anyway, that's my story. Massage tonight, so no workout, but will be taking FIT tomorrow I think...Stay strong!

Hey

Hey tough chicks!

Whew...I have been so busy. Went to Door County last weekend and didn't really workout, but did a lot of hiking in Peninsula State Park.

I over-trained last Wednesday and couldn't move for a few days. It was a 15/15 of lunges, swings ( I did 1-arm snatches with the 16K instead), Plyo Push-ups and body rows. I did the full plyo push-ups and I did cliff hangers. WOW! talk about sore!

I was able to snatch the 20k kettlebell the other day!!!! I have been trying to get it up for a while now.

Be Strong!

A couple good workouts and a rant

Tonight DH and I went to the track and did a spring pyramid. We warmed up with line drills, then sprinted: 100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m. We took a short rest inbetween every sprint to walk to the starting point of the next sprint. We ran a couple of them in the opposite direction on the track to balance out the muscles working on the curve. I was really mad at myself after the 400m, but DH said, "Sweety, this is a crazy workout. You're tough. You can do it." He really kept me going.

Friday I did the MBG online WOD, but I added a couple more exercises. I warmed up with JR 150's, so during the workout I substituted mountain climbers for the minute of JR. Then I added on a minute of situps, and as I promised, thinker. I used my KBs for everything (except pushups and PW stuff, of course). I felt pleasantly sore the following day. :)


So here's my rant - completely unrelated...I am really sick of companies trying to make money off of people by tricking them into thinking that the products are healthier than they really are. I am not a soda drinker, but when I had the flu a couple weeks ago, DH bought some 7-up for me. The label states "Now 100% natural." However, when I read the ingredients, ingredient #2 was high fructose corn syrup. Since when is HFCS natural???? HFCS is soooooo bad for you. I hate it. So I wrote 7-up a nice little letter telling them that I think their label is misleading and thus unethical.

DH has been working really, really long hours lately, and so I picked up a couple instant soup cups for him to keep at work. They are by Fantastic Foods, which is a company that makes natural convenience foods like hummus, falafel, couscous, and soup mixes. Their target customer is obviously someone who is more concerned about health. So I start reading the label, and what ticks me off about this product is the insane amount of salt they add. Using the standard 2000 calorie a day diet, the caloric value of the soup is 8% of your daily intake. The sodium content, however, is 30% of the maximum allowance for sodium. Is it just me, or is this just ridiculous? Anyone can pick up a salt shaker and add salt if they really think it needs it...but if there is already too much salt, there's no way to take it out. So I wrote Fantastic Foods a nice little email too. If enough people comment on things like this, maybe they'll improve their products...so read your labels, and if something could or should be improved, write the company!!

Well, that's it for now. Be strong, ladies!!!

Machines are for Sissies

This past week I was on a neurosurgery rotation, so my workouts were pretty minimal. Except my call night, which consisted of sprints between the OR, floor and ER. :)

I taught Saturday classes, and did the card deck (JRX10, burpee, skater, heavy russian twist) with the 9am class, which was nice. I also went on a short bike ride, around the Cap City loop. It was the most gorgeous fall day thus far. I love fall in Wisconsin.

Today I am teaching Power60, and hopefully working out as well. Its gauntlet day. I'm trying hard to get people to come to Power60, many are intimidated by its name or something, and always tell me they are afraid to try it. I wish I had a way to get the word out there that it is a good hybrid class. Haven't had much support from Jess and Jon though, so that makes it hard too. Ah well.

You all sound so happy and FIT! I'm glad, but very jealous. My stress level + time spent with school stuff is wearing on my fitness right now.

October 5...my brother's birthday!!!

So this year, the older of my two little brothers not only got married, but he turned 24!!! Happy birthday, dear brother!!!

Last night, by the time I finally got around to my workout, I felt drained. I think I kept putting my workout off because I felt tired...so I had planned on doing a prison workout, but it turned into a free-for-all...so I did a bunch of KB cleans, snatches, and presses. Then I did a bunch of situps.

Tonight DH and I went for a run. We warmed up for about 10 minutes, with jogging and line drills. Then we did three x four minute intervals of hard running. It was good. I love running with DH, because he pushes me to go faster.

That's it for now. You know how I haven't done line drills or jumprope until recently? Well, I remembered something else I haven't done....I haven't done any thinkers!!! I do it when I am doing HEY...back and forth between DD and thinker and all that, but I haven't done it and held it for as long as I can... So tomorrow, the dreaded thinker.... :D

Be strong!

Yoga me

Forgot about HEY tonight at mound street. I think I'll be heading to that instead of jiu jitsu drill workout... I think.... I've needed to get back into yoga for a while, and I feel like I'm finally ready to take on a little more activity. Well, I don't have much else that is new. Except my bike. Did I mention I have a new one?

Rain, no ride...

So, managed to squeak in a workout this morning. Plyo push-ups, rope or bar climb, foot up lunges and snatches. I did three sets of the push-ups and bar climb. skipped the lunges and snatches---instead did power wheel leg curls and pikes. It was a little something. Tomorrow I think is a jiu-jitsu style FIT class so I'm definitely looking forward to that... Diet has been o.k. except for six pieces of candy corn, consumed yesterday after of course demonstrating the fang use for my work colleagues. That's it for now!

Fun on the football field

I went to a football field for a line drill workout. I did three sets of:

1. run 3x
2. high knees 3x
3. buttkickers 3x
4. skipping 3x
5. skaters 3x
6. lateral slides 6x
7. kareoke 6x
8. crawling 4x
9. 20 burpees

Then I went rowing for an hour (that part wasn't on the football field). :D

The line drill workout was hard. I want to work up to 5 times through the whole thing, but my legs were still sore from Saturday's workout anyway. It was also hot and sunny...91 degrees when I was out there. Now I'm sitting in DH's lab, waiting for him to finish so that we can go home and make dinner. I'm hungry! Be strong!

I have a new bike!!

So, I've been riding! Last MBG workout was Friday. Burpee-girl and I started the BP workout and then jumped in on the combat conditionning class. Fun! Class ended with 40 chin-ups and 40 hindu or downdog presses with a wall sit at the end. We did jump chins. Today is the first day my triceps and lower traps are not sore! That's good news because it means that even though I overtrained, I had good form. Did I mention I have a new bike? If you can't be strong, be fast!

Still sore from Saturday!!

Oh goodness...my butt, my thighs...they hurt....when will it stop?

OK, so you know what I said about line drills? Same thing for jumping rope. Yeah, I've been an idiot.

So today, I warmed up with jumping rope on the tennis court next to my apartment. It felt great. I did two sets of 150s and then a series of skills intervals. I need to start jumping rope regularly again. I love it.

Then I came inside and did three sets of pushups (15 reps per set), chinups (2 reps per set), and situps (60 as fast as possible, followed by 30 as fast as possible).

I was going to do more tonight, but I'm too tired. I'm still not decided on whether to do the line drill workout or sprints tomorrow...

Welcome to the blog, Phoenix! I'm glad your online with us....and I love the name!

Be strong, ladies!!!!

Thurs-Sunday

Where does the time go?

For Thursday's fit we did a 15/15 of log jumps, skaters, burbees, sprints and lateral slides. It was a nice workout. They keep getting easier :D

On Friday I was sad that I missed the LOBO workout, but went to the noon BP, which is always a challenge. I did 100 cable presses, alternating between the blue and the green, 100 kettlebell swings with the 24k and 150 hindu squats.

I took Saturday and Sunday off.

Diet has been great. I won't give you every detail, but have stayed with the increase in protein and am starting to notice a difference in the intensity of my workouts. I have remained caffeine and coffee free and am still drinking a lot of herbal tea. YUM!

Be Strong!

My opinion of line drills

Today DH and I went to a local track in a county park, where we can also use the football field. A lot of tracks at local high schools are open to the public, but you have to stay off the field. So anyway, we warmed up by doing MBG style line drills on the field...3 sets of 15 yards for each exercise, just as if we were at the MBG.

Then we did the workout:

100 meters walking lunges
800 meter run
100 squats

I got this workout from Crossfit, and the objective was to get this done as quickly as possible. I wasn't too terribly pleased with our time. We finished in 13:32...I did the whole thing; DH stopped at 75 squats. Its OK though...I'll improve....this is definitely a workout to keep.

So here's my opinion of line drills...they're awesome. They are really, really, really good for fitness. I know people at the MBG complain about doing line drills too much, but they want to be fit, right? Then tell them to do their line drills and eat their broccoli and stop complaining. I have to admit that I have been bad...very undisciplined. I haven't done REAL MBG line drills since I moved down here...until today. And they kicked my @$$!!!!!!! I felt like I was losing a little of my fitness edge on the FIT side of things, and I think I know why now. Yeah, I run and I row, but I haven't done line drills... I decided that this week, one of my workouts is going to be a pure line drill workout. I think I will do 5 sets of line drills...and maybe a set of burpees or something like that between each full set of line drills. Or maybe I should do that line drill pyramid workout, but with all the line drill stuff, plus frog hops, and traveling burpees...that would be good...what do you guys think?

Still on that green tea...

Have been fighting something off... Hope it's not what burpees and smash have/had, but it was feeling like that Tuesday. Went home from work, slept deeply for 3 hours, ate a little dinner (don't remember what) slept for 9 hours, and have slept 9 hours each night since then. I've been keeping (more or less) to the fruit and veggie fast, and between the sleep and diet, I feel really good!! I'm knocking on laminate. Oh yes, and tea. Lots of green and white tea. I basically need massive quantities of a hot beverage especially in the morning. Taking yoga tonight. Be strong!!

I'm Baaaack

I feel amazing! Getting sick sucked, but I took that opportunity to do a fruit/veggie fast like guns did. Then I went back to a real diet, but have really been upping the veggies. I gave myself a full week off of working out (exception: long walks whenever I wanted and stretching).

Diet so far today: raspberry/strawberry/kale/banana smoothie, couscous with veggies and shrimp, and a plum. And a Diet DrPepper, those are such a problem for me!

I came back to workouts Tuesday. I was supercharged; I haven't gone that hard in FIT in forever! I woke up this morning and my butt/thighs hurt from our lunge to sprint combo. Hurt in that good way, you know?

Today I went to the noon BP, which was static holds. I left there both spent and refreshed, I felt really activated holding poses and it really did good things to my posture.

I think my body needed the break, so in some ways I'm glad I got sick. I've been working out maybe too much. At any rate the intensity was gone, but I think I've got it back!

Free for All

I had a great workout yesterday. I didn't feel like doing the regular class so I did my own thing.
I did three sets / 10 reps each of the following:

cable cleans w/ green cable
cable presses w/blue cable
snatches with 12k's

Then I did 50 reps of the reverse burpees. The ones where you squat and roll back on your shoulders and then stand up. I LOVE THOSE. I love them because they don't hurt my hips or knees and I can really feel my legs working. I also did the burbees that are like dips, but I did them like BBG by lifting my legs up instead of putting my heels down.

Diet has been great. Yesterday I ate yogurt with source of life and fresh strawberries, left over guacamole chulupa with Black beans, a banana, edamame, a salad, some 7 grain crackers, a green naked juice, steamed kale, and a mint chocolate truffle :)

Be strong!

Monday

DH and I worked out together tonight. I did:
1. KB Swings :D
2. Pushups
3. Chinups (with DH's assistance)
4. Presses
5. Sit-ups

DH has a torn tendon in one of his fingers, so he did pushups and HEY.
Yes, I got my KBs!!!! Whooooo-hoooooo!!! I got two 12kgs. When Lifeline has theirs available, I'll probably get two 16s too. So needless to say, I also played around doing random cleans, bottoms-up cleans, and snatches as well.

DH and I had a nice track workout planned for tomorrow morning (er, this morning)...but I don't think its going to happen. Its now 3 a.m., I can't sleep, and I just puked my guts out a little while ago. Yeah... My feet feel a little achy and my head hurts a little, so I think I'm sick. I'll probably have to take tomorrow off...but we'll see. Even if I don't, I won't be able to go to the track before DH goes to work...grrrrr...

Alrighty ladies...hope you are having a better night than I am!

Protein Power

Hola! Had a great weekend. My weekend started with a card deck workout on Friday night. The exercises were push-ups, chins, squats, and choice of extensions, sit-up and reach, touch downs or cable cleans. I did a combo of all of those. I forgot how much I like cable cleans and decided that I should do more of them. My push-ups are getting better everyday and I did full range for most of the workout, only giving in to halvsies a few times. BBG pointed out that I collapse at the bottom and let myself hit the floor hard, so that is something to work on.

I got up early on Saturday morning and went to FIT. It was also a great class, really tough, but good. I am noticing that the FIT classes are getting easier, but are still really challenging for me. The workout was all burpees and some of the variations were actually fun :) After FIT, I shadowed the yoga class. I got home and felt just completely spent, so I thought I would lay down for a bit and wound up sleeping for 4 hours. oops!

Thanks for the link to that nutrition web sit burpee girl. I really stepped up my protein intake. We went out to eat on Friday night and I had steamed scallops and a salad. On Saturday I ate a grilled chicken breast after working out and yoga and then I made the anti-cancer soup after my nap. It is really yummy. It is a lot of work, but worth it. And it makes a lot, so I froze about half of it! I bought some frozen soy walnut burgers from nature's bakery and had one of those, with some soup and strawberries for dinner.

Yesterday we made a lovely brunch of scrambled eggs with veggies and whole wheat organic pancakes with organic raspberries. I had a banana and peanut butter for a snack. For dinner I went out for a friends birthday to the El Dorado. I had the guacamole chalupa.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Be strong-

Sunshine and Green Tea

Had a terrific week last week, and Saturday was awesome. FIT workout---all different variations on burpees. Taught yoga, then went to a Kari Tomashik HEY workshop for the afternoon. She is such a wonderful teacher, and I always learn so much at her workshops. I was toasted from my workout in the morning, but it was still good for me to work with the poses, and with my own issues around form. I really feel the need, more than ever, to get back to the Thursday night class at Mound Street. I'll also say that my hips are still sore---I always end up finding muscles that are not used when I take an intense HEY class. I had thought I had made a lot of progress with my hips, and Kari said I had made progress when she looked at my back, but I still have a lot of instability and underactivation, especially along the outer hamstring. Of course, my feet and ankles are another story. HEY is such a humbling practice. I can only come away from poses like side warrior feeling like my feet and ankles are an abomination.

Let's see. Took Sunday off. Made a yummy soup---creamy garlic with one bag of dried white northern beans, covered with boiling water in the crock pot, one whole bulb of garlic, cloves peeled and put in the soup whole, 2 teaspoons of tarragon, and salt. I set it on low and left if for 5 hours. I mashed the soup a little with a potato masher. I'm loving it!

Triumphant Day

I went to a free community workout given by Crossfit Central. They are having a big fundraiser workout next week to raise money for prostrate cancer research, so today's workout was a practice for next week. Next week they are doing Crossfit's "Fight Gone Bad" workout.

So we had five stations, and we spent about 5 minutes at each station, rotating within our small group and getting coached on technique.

Stations:
1. Rowing on the Concept II rowing machine
2. Box jumps
3. Push presses
4. Sumo deadlift highpulls
5. Wall ball

First station was a nice warm up - I need to learn to go faster on the machines though. I did 3 x 1 min on an ~18 inch box for the box jumps. Felt good. Third station was push presses with Olympic bars. I did my first minute interval with 55 lbs. Then in the second and third minutes, another lady and I traded on and off with the 45 lb bar. One of the coaches pointed out that I stopped doing push presses and started doing military presses with the 45 lb bar.
Highpulls were very challenging for me, as I haven't done those before with the bar, and I had this fear of smashing the bar into my knees...I'm sure I'll be better at it next time I try it. Wall ball was OK. I was tired by that point. This workout actually made me feel very out of shape. I was thinking that I really had to step my training up a notch.

After the Crossfit workout was over, I headed down to Town Lake to go rowing. I almost didn't go because of the weather, but I decided to go see how the water looked. It looked fine, a little choppy, but not bad, so I went out for a little over an hour.

So why, if I felt out of shape, was this day triumphant? This morning when I got up, I was very, very close to wimping out and not going to Crossfit...and if I hadn't gone to Crossfit, I probably wouldn't have gone rowing either, because the weather looked iffy...but I told myself "no excuses!," got my butt out the door and got both workouts done, and now I can enjoy the rest of this beautiful day!

Oh yeah, and I did three sets of pushups before I hit the shower! Alrighty ladies, be strong!!!

Feeling the change of season

Worked later than planned yesterday and missed FIT. Figured that I needed an extended night at home anyway...Bernie (my 20 pound housemate) has been missing me. Feeling really sluggish. It's hard to get going in the morning, hard to find energy. I know it's just an adjustment to lost daylight, at least that's what it feels like. On the plus side, my allergy symptoms are gone. Won't say the allergies are though, taking too much medication to pretend that! Looking forward to a hard workout tonight. (Gunshow? 5:00?). That's all I have. Have been drinking a lot of coffee lately, compensation for my low energy levels due to allergies and now change of season. I'm contemplating switching to green tea---I know it's better for me. I'm not in a place to force anything yet though.

Bon Courage, Mesdames!

Wed. and Thurs, workouts

I've been feeling really tired lately. I don't know why...

Tonight DH and I went for a run. The route was 3.4 miles and moderately hilly. None of the hills were extremely steep, but they were loooooooooooong!

Yesterday I was super tired, so I did two rounds (instead of three) through this circuit:
1. hindu pushups
2. body rows
3. stability ball pike-ups
4. cable presses
5. 90 degree assisted chins
6. stability ball curls
7. situps

I found the stability ball pikes to be much harder than the power wheel pikes. I think its just a matter of getting used to the ball...you guys should try it and tell me how you think they compare.

My eating is fairly decent...kale-blueberry smoothie for breakfast, half an acorn squash for lunch, a raw cookie (made with apples, cashews, cranberries, and something else - don't remember - got it at Whole Foods), an apple and some almonds, and for dinner, whole wheat and flax pasta with tomato sauce, steamed broccoli and homemade meatballs. The meatballs were really good - 95% lean beef, shredded zucchini, parsley, garlic powder, onion powder...I think that's it...and I baked them. My downfall was some salt-water taffy...don't know what possessed me to give in to the refined sugar, but it was good. Yesterday I had oatmeal for breakfast. I can't remember what I had for lunch - it was either a watercress salad or a hummus-veggie wrap. I think I also ate a nectarine, and dinner was chicken breast baked with tomatoes, onions, and red peppers, and steamed broccoli. I ate something else yesterday too - I think I ate some of that Optimum Power cereal during the day. Like I said, I was REALLY tired....

Alrighty...be strong!

Feeling Frustrated

Thanks for the workout yesterday BBG. I did enjoy myself, despite the fact that I spent most of it feeling frustrated.

I tried to do hindus and my shoulder hurt too bad, so I did down dogs for most of our sets and at the end I switched to the green cable and just did presses. The body rows felt challenging and I can feel myself wanting to cheat my way through them. Then my knees were hurting on the lunges. I wanted to do the hang and v-up, but BBG pointed out that I couldn't even get close without collapsing my shoulders. My ego took over and I just felt frustrated for most of the workout. GRRRRRRR. I decided to do some snatches at the end and those made me feel better :)

Thanks again for the feedback BBG, I really appreciate it and know that I won't get stronger if I continue to cheat!

My diet has been great. Yesterday I ate yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch and veggie soup, edamame, and strawberries for dinner. Today I have eaten two plums, a cucumber w/hummus, some low fat plain yogurt with source of life mixed in, and left over veggie soup. Oh, and some dried fruit and nuts!

Be strong

Sick

This all started Monday, with my mediocre 100 yard workout. I made it through only 40 yards of everything, and had to leave before cooldown when I wrenched my neck lifting the 70# DBall.

Tuesday, still couldn't move neck, so I didn't workout. Later in the day, started feeling queasy. Ended up throwing up dinner, threw up all night and into Wed. Started having explosive you-know-what too, so was having stuff coming out both ends. Absolutely disgusting. I've never been this sick before. Still unable to eat anything but saltines and 7up, still feeling nauseated but at least the vomiting's over. To make matters worse, still can't move neck properly, which adds to the fun of sprinting to the bathroom.

Just thought I'd share. Not sure where I caught this bug, but I hope it leaves me alone soon. (Haven't eaten spinach, in case that's what you're thinking. Have eaten kale, though?) At any rate, no working out for the rest of this week, I get teary when I think of it. Haven't had this much time off in, oh, EVER. It's killing me. But if I do anything more than sit up in bed, I feel nauseous. Grrrr

On the upswing!

Good workout yesterday with gunshow. Had a 15/15 that we adapted to counting reps for 10 sets of each exercise so that we weren't locked onto the clock. In the end that was:
5 hindu push-ups
6 body rows (with the rope rather than jungle gym so I could work my grip for aerial dance)
5 hanging leg lifts with straight legs
8 lunges each leg (no resistance) jumped for last 3 sets

We took a break after our ten sets of the first two exercises and then did the lower body/core. I felt refreshed, could have pushed harder, but it was good overall.

Nutrition wasn't so good. Had a breakfast social/staff meeting at work which, when everyone is asked to bring something is basically a fat and carb feast. Need to plan better how I'm going to approach those situations so that I don't lose the social experience. Ate a very light dinner much later. Will have a delicious salad today for lunch. Taking FIT at 5:00.

Be strong!!

It's all about the goal...

Funny story K-smash! I can imagine how someone who's been rowing for 34 years might not be interested in feeling a tug, but I find resistance gratifying... Had a great workout yesterday---FIT pyramid of reps 15-20-25-20-15 for 6 stations: r-twist (2 70# cables), high bounce 6K med ball, resisted running (reps X 2) with blue cable, burpees, box step ups, cone jumps. I finished in time and didn't have to shave any reps on any station! I can remember when I couldn't finish this workout. It feels good to be at this point, even knowing that I've lost fitness over the last few months. Forgot to use my inhaler before I started and felt the effects of it by the end of class. Won't do that again, but I'm also appreciating learning my symptoms.
Food: splurged for breakfast---coffee, bacon, croissant (delish!)
Penance for lunch: salad--romain, beets, carrots, chick peas, sunflower seed, vinegar, olive oil
Veggie stew (again!) for dinner. My veggie stew was made in the slow cooker with about 5 whole garlic cloves, 6 small potatoes, 4 beets, 6 carrots, chicken broth, 1 bunch of swiss chard. I've been eating it since last week, not everyday but still, I'm ready for it to end. I should have just frozen a bunch into servings the day after I made it instead of taking this endless voyage to veggie stew land, but on the otherhand I don't have to plan a menu or cook when I get home.

Working out with guns tonight!!

My oars are idiotic

Today was a good day. This afternoon I went to the track and did 10 x 100 m sprints. I didn't let myself rest nearly as much as I did before. I did two sets of 5, with a short water break in the middle.

Then this evening, I went rowing. This time I decided to select a pair of oars that had the collar closer to the boat, and thus a longer lever arm...all that's important about this is that the oars I picked made the load heavier. It was a little more challenging to row, though not straining or difficult in any way. The air temperature and humidity were absolutely perfect, and the water was as smooth as glass. I had a GREAT row.

Here's where it gets funny. I found this quite amusing. I was putting my oars away in the boathouse, when this woman with a British accent starts talking to me.
British Woman: "How did you like the collar set that way?"
Me: "Very well. It felt good."
BW: "How old are you?"
Me: "30"
BW: "Well, as a very experienced rower, who's been rowing for 34 years, I will tell you that those oars are idiotic."
Me: "Oh?"
BW: "Well, come on. It's a simple lesson in physics. You want to take advantage of the lever. You don't want to feel like you are tugging every time you row."
Me: "Oh, OK. Thanks."
BW: "Fix that collar next time."

Wow. I don't think she was trying to be friendly. I tried to be respectful, especially since she's experienced. I figure people who have been doing something longer than me deserve some respect, even if I disagree. Anyway, I liked the way these oars felt, and it was one of my best rows so far. I felt much more in control of the boat. I still intend to experiment with different oars, but I will say that oars with less load feel like air to me. Sometimes that's OK, but sometimes I want to feel my muscles working more. Anyway, I found the whole exchange very amusing.

Alrighty, girls! Have a good night! Be strong!

Feeling Great

I actually quit caffeine. I haven't had any since Friday morning. Saturday and Sunday were pretty hard, but I have felt great for the last two days. I started my fast on Friday evening and continued through Sunday afternoon. I decided to ease back into eating by just eating fresh veggies and fruit for the rest of Sunday. My diet has been excellent for the last two days.

I didn't work out much at all over the weekend, as I was fasting and felt like shit from no caffeine. I couldn't get out of work in time to go workout and make it to my class last night :(

I am planning on doing BP on Wed and Fri and FIT on Thurs and Sat. I should go to yoga too... sometime :) I know I need to be doing more of that.

Still Improving...

Had a good workout last night...100 yards of alligator push-ups, d-ball carry, cliff hangers, with some box step ups (not too heavy on that yet because of my ankle). Really kept focused on form with the alligators, I can feel myself make a cheat with the position of my right elbow on the "short side." I lever it into my body instead of stabilizing from the shoulder. Used the 20Ks for the overhead carry on 30 yards, then lost the kettle bells to some rope pullers and dropped to the 16s (tried the 24s, but that was too much, 16s were too light, going to "guard" the 20s next time, arrrrrh!). I didn't actually travel 100 yards with the cliff hangers, did go up and down 8 times total. Hands and forarms are a little stiff this morning!! Still getting better with the feet and ankle, but it's still twingy.

Had veggie stew with chamomile tea for dinner. Like a little old lady. Went to bed at 8:30. Maybe I should get a cat and start going to church to complete the personna.