Inspiration

Sooooooo close. Between the kippers and skippers workshop last month with Tenacious T, B-rah rah and Coach Hurly and some one on one work with W this past week my kip was starting to look more like...well more like a kip. Then today with the support of Fancy Nancy I was this close to getting my chin to the bar. Pretty good Christmas Eve workout if you ask me!!! It pays to believe in Christmas magic I know that if I get this kip thing down I can do Fran prescribed. After the self doubt that has been creeping in over the last week or two this is just what I needed.

Watch out b$&@#!!!! I'm coming!!!!!

Inspiration

In elementary school, teachers celebrate the 100th day of school.  And because there is 100 days left until FRAN I thought a little song a friend of mine shared might be appropriate.  Considering how often I play the mental game of breaking up my reps in different ways this is quite fitting. 

How Many is One Hundred?

(to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

How many is one hundred,
One hundred, one hundred,
How many is one hundred?
It's ten groups of ten.

How many is one hundred,
One hundred, one hundred?
How many is one hundred?
It's twenty groups of five.

How many is one hundred,
One hundred, one hundred?
How many is one hundred?

It's fifty groups of two.

How many is one hundred,
One hundred, one hundred,
How many is one hundred?
It's one hundred groups of one.

Iram Khan

Blogger's block

I thought a blogger never ran out of stuff to say! Isn't that an unwritten blog rule-rant and rave ALL the time even if its about nothing in particular.  Well its hard for me to admit it but I got nothin'.  There have been very few times in my life that I haven't found something to talk about.  I am good at talking, its kinda of my thing.  So the fact that I have written once in December and have about 6 half written mediocre "essays" that just aren't that exciting or interesting is a little frustrating and has started to wear on me.

To be honest I think that my naive idea to try one of the most famous CrossFit benchmarks was based on very little personal knowledge of what I would have to do to complete FRAN.  And as time has passed this fun way to get in shape has taken a serious turn! In fact I think like many who sample the kool-aid I might suddenly be in "too deep" to sarcastically comment on the things I used to.    

This new respect for the idiosyncrasies of CF combined with a lack of valuable screen time (wait a sec....valuable + screen time = an oxymoron) has left me with a very sparse blog this month.  I find that my time online has been consumed with other things lately.  Who knew that this one time, reluctant, weekend CrossFit skeptic was going to someday be scouring the Internet soaking up any and all information about anything and everything to do with this not so underground fitness phenomenon.  No seriously, I used to surf the web for cool ways to teach balancing equations to grade 10s or fun things to do with your toddler.  Now I am looking up ways to improve my front squat, finding tips and tricks to help my thrusters and the majority of my time I just watch videos from Mobility WOD....oh come on....you would be hard pressed to find a CF lady who doesn't love that guy....for that matter any lady who doesn't swoon over that guy...Sigh....

Inspiration will come...it always does, but for now I will spend my time pretending that K Starr is my personal mobility coach and even if I have nothing to ever say again I will at least be limber :)    

attemptedwriter.com

Inspiration

So this isn't me....don't get too excited.  I have just mastered doing a 30 sec handstand against the wall without falling or freaking out. 

I just joined pinterest.....hello, where has that been all my life!!!! It takes friend stalking to a whole new level. 

Found this picture among other awesome CrossFit inspired stuff on Coach Jazzy J's pin board. 

Family means so much more...

Families take on all shapes and sizes. Ones more traditional than others. They can be called many things; a fellowship, a network, a fraternity.  Some families are referred to as tribes, clans, even cults.  No matter what you name it, it feels good to belong some where,  in one way or another. We all have the desire to feel connected and in times of sorrow it couldn't be more true.  Blood may run thicker than water but family can extend well beyond our genetic makeup. Who belongs or how they "got in" doesn't really matter because those who do, share a bond that bands them together.  The family at Ignite is no different than so many kinships that have developed over time and result in an investment in each others lives.  The folks at there are interconnected and linked,  an entity that at times functions and feels like one unit. When one person hurts, so does the collective.   There to celebrate each others successes and with heavy hearts mourn each others losses.  Like a team of mountain climbers, roped together, standing ready to offer support and open arms when a member losses their footing or at the summit with arms raised waiting to congratulate the epic feat.  Full of understanding, caring and empathy a family is more than just a last name, it is a sense that you will be thought of and loved even when you are in your darkest moments.    

Inspiration

W came across this video on one of his absolute favourite CrossFit sites, CrossFit Connection out of Burlington, Ont.  I have been scouring the Internet looking for a solid tutorial on the "proper" way to do a thruster so I was super excited when W pointed this one out to me.  Who could ask for a better firebreather to teach it either!  

Sidelined

Whether it's because of injury, illness or just life in general, when you have been metaphorically benched from the activities that you love, for any period of time, it can be really frustrating.  Think Sidney Crosby and his suspiciously long absence from the Penguins line up.  Maybe he really is THAT concussed, maybe it is just his GM trying to make a statement to the NHL, either way it can't be easy for arguably, the best player, in the league to sit on the sideline and watch.  All athletes, whatever the sport, elite or not, can relate to the feelings that come with not being able to get in on the action. Feelings of being unproductive, useless, frustrated, angry, worried, anxious swirl in your head. Not being able to work towards a goal you have set for yourself because of circumstances you couldn't avoid can be hard on the psyche. 

Over the remembrance day weekend I went home with one intention, to meet my two new beautiful nieces, but I did so much more.  I gorged like a biggest loser during temptation week, ingested sugar like I was a Dr. Shepard on Private Practice getting her next fix and drank like a recovering alcoholic falling off the wagon on Celebrity Rehab.  The negligence to my health wouldn't have been so bad but mix that with seven kids all fighting seasonal colds, late and/or sleepless nights, lots of running around, driving for a total of 18 hours and absolutely no working out and Voila you have yourself a recipe for germ filled disaster.   I am border line mad at myself and definitely not proud of my choices and now I am paying.  Shortly after starting the trek home I realized that I was coming down with all the classic symptoms of a common head cold.  Sinus congestion, chest rattling cough, splitting migraines and achy muscles.  And just like that my short weekend hiatus from my "plan to pull up" has been unexpectedly extended. 

I can't beat my self up about getting sick, people are bound to get sick, it happens all the time.   You wake up one morning and you feel like you have been hit by a truck.  There are those days when just the idea of getting out of bed  makes grab a family size NyQuil from your medicine cabinet and jump back under the covers.   I have been sick before and continued to do what I always do; go to work, take care of my kids, run errands, do chores around the house, I have even gone to the gym to run on the treadmill (BC of course) and made it through the day.  There are ideas out there that working out through your sickness can boost your immune system but there is something about trying to CrossFit while sick that makes me question this school of thought.   The idea of doing a burpee while fighting the flu, hanging upside down to do a handstand push up while dealing with a case of sinus congestion or trying to carry around a box of Kleenex while doing your WOD because your nose won't stop running makes me wonder how good of a workout would you really be getting anyways?

So I sit idle, taking some time to let my body rest and get better but I worry that I might have done quite a number on my progress and am concerned that I have derailed to the point where a pull up is much farther off than just the end of November.  Argh!

It's DONE!

NEW-vember

Snow and -17 were not the only things that the beginning of November brought.  After a lazy October full of missed workouts and minimal strength training it hit me that this will be my last whole month to really focus on working out and getting Fran-ready before the holiday season and ultimately my return to work in the New Year.  W came up with a more solid plan that will have me start to get more serious.  Controversial I know, to train for a specific WOD or exercise is not looked on kindly in the CrossFit world.  But lets cut to the chase, I gotta do this thing and I gotta do it prescribed. We felt it was time for me to narrow my focus and get down to work on a few key movements and skills that I will need in order to be successful.  The plan is to implement a three day strength program and sprinkle in two WODs during the week.  Three days on, one off, two on and one off.  My thirty day goal is a simple one: By the end of November I will be able to do one dead hang pull up and be able to properly transition from the front squat part of the thruster to the push press.  My warm up has changed significantly as well....I am actually doing one....hahaha.  No really it has changed a lot! I will keep the elements of the traditional CF warm up but will focus on mobility of my wrists, shoulders and hips to help with my front squat.  I will continue to follow Ignite for my WOD days but I will now be doing the following on my strength days. 

Day One
Box Squat 5-3-1
Tabata Front Squat 45lbs
Pull ups 3 x max reps
Core

Day Two
Press 5-3-1
Tabata Push Press 45lbs
Pull ups 3 x max reps
Core

Day Three
Romanian Dead lift 5-3-1
Handstand Push ups 5 x 3reps
Weighted Box Jump 8 x 3 reps
Core

This is my reflection in my WOD book after I completed Day one. 
Full of new things I have never done and have to modify the heck out of! My new warm up and this required more time in the ol garage than I am used to so I am grateful that Max and Ruby is on right after Toopy Binoo. 

Oh Boy!!! Whose dumb idea was this?

A true CrossFit momma

Yesterday the gym was chalk full of kids.  There were little one, big ones, sad ones, happy ones, patient ones and yes some anxious ones.   All with one thing in common, they were all waiting on their moms to finish up so they could get on with their Saturdays.  Most families were on their way to the next event on the schedule.  It made me realize how special and unique this group of moms, who carved out an hour on their busy weekend, really are.  There are all types of mommys out there, its true that it takes all kinds and really no two are the exact same.  There are super moms, stay at home moms and working moms. Then there are the best friend moms, perfectionist moms and the go with the flow moms.   

Tshirt available on Amazon.com

from CrossFit Carmel
(http://crossfitcarmel.com/ )

Since having little Miss M almost three years ago I have met a variety of mommy's.  But nothing could have prepared me for the kinds of moms I have met since starting to CrossFit.  Its like its an undiscovered maternal style, an underground movement, almost cult like, waiting to be unearthed and calling for converts . A CrossFit mom is many things.  She is tough, focused and organized.  A sporty, aggressive, competitive women with a sensitive, caring, feminine side.    Interested in trying new things and going all out when she does.  CrossFit moms love to welcome fresh meat..I mean new moms to the fold, they visit when they should be warming up and don't mind doing their errands with a post workout "glow".   She manages to pack her day full of all the things other mothers do, but knows how important it is to squeeze in a little time to take care of herself and sweat it out at her local box, in her garage or even at the arena between games.   Busy teaching her children by example,she stays active and eats well.  A women all about the team, the community and cheering her friends and family on. She is a true hybrid of some of the best qualities a mom can have.  Her wardrobe is more yoga than couture and her staple hair style is a trendy pony.  A master of multitasking she can perform exercises while holding her child or tend to a crying baby at the same time as opening a snack pack while tearing through her workout.  She carries a bag that holds not just her wallet and cell phone but diapers, wipes, WOD book, runners and her daily organizer.  And although many people have commented on how good she looks and how much of the baby weight she has lost, she has hardly (...I said hardly ;) ) noticed because she is the happiest, healthiest and most energetic she has been in years. 



from East Sacremento CrossFit (http://crossfiteastsac.typepad.com/crossfit_east_sacramento/2010/01/index.html)

 





Inspiration

For the last two Saturdays Ignite has been the place to be for a little warm fuzzy feel good inspiration.

Last weekend it was the "Redefining the Pin up girl" Calendar shoot. And although it was a long and at some points tedious day, eleven of CrossFit Red Deer's finest ladies got together, brought their best paleo dish and spent the day smiling, laughing, posing and stepping outside of their comfort zones.   It was a super special day in an effort to raise money for the Breast Cancer Foundation of Canada.  Whenever a group of like minded women get together, celebrate their strength and their beauty and band together for a cause that is close to all their hearts you know its going to be a fantastic time. It wouldn't have happened without support of many talented folks so hats off the to those of you, but most importantly I tip my hat to the real women of CrossFit and kudos for helping to redefine the pin up girl. 

Then today....A throw down! A "friendly" 4 WOD challenge between two Red Deer boxes. There is something about a CrossFit competition that makes me weep like I am nine months pregnant again.  I can't it explain it but I LOVE it! It must have something to do with  watching a mom of three who only starting competitively training a short time ago face down JACKIE and kick her thruster sucking butt.  Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that you are standing beside a supportive wife who makes sure she cheers just the right amount as not to throw off her husbands rhythm during his row because she wants him to do his best.  It could also be the tension and anticipation in the air as the final three seconds ticks off the clock before the fire breathers are set loose.  Possibly its even the feeling of new found camaraderie between two rival boxes as everyone celebrates the athletes, no matter their affiliation, as they finish their WOD.  Maybe it is so powerful to watch these competitions because you know how hard the athletes are pushing themselves and how each and every person on that pull up rig is doing whatever it takes to finish and are leaving every part of themselves out there.  Whatever it is, it gets me every single time!  

T-Raw halfway through the first WOD of the day

Good times at Ignite Fitness :)

Nothing cooler than a strong women

Dirty 30?

It was the tumultuous teens followed by the traumatic twenties so what the hell are my 30s going to be....all joking aside I am looking forward to the next decade and all that will bring to my life. 

My 20s weren't all drama and tears but they had there share of ups and downs and if I were able to sit down for a coffee with my 20 year old self during one or any part of the roller coaster I would give her some simple advice that I know I had heard before.

"Everything happens for a reason, its hard to see through to the other side of the storm but believe and trust that you will make it through. You might be a little less idealistic, maybe even a little cynical but you will be stronger, wiser and better in so many ways.  Give yourself time to figure things out and don't rush so much, let your life unfold in front of you and have fun.  It will work out. Trust me!"

Easy to say now.  Now that I am on the other side of the nasty breakup, years away from the teaching assignment that almost made me quit and spending significantly less time on the bar scene looking for Mr. Right.  Easy to say now.  Now that I am healing more each day after the loss of a dear friend, realizing how important a supportive family is and understanding that the pursuit of happiness is more complicated than you think.  Easy to say now that I survived!

Here is to the Dirty 30's? maybe not!

Happy Thanksgiving Paleo Style


 



Here is a plate of our first ever
Paleo style Turkey dinner

 

Not a concern this year

Turkey, brussel sprouts, yams, veggies, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and yes, even stuffing.  Our fall holiday had all the makings of a mainstream Thanksgiving dinner, minus a few things like the nap, the bloat and the general guilty feeling that you just ate way too much!  It was fun to "forge" ahead and make our own tradition this year and it was alot easier to cook a meal that didn't have to emulate either one of our mother's. After such a wonderful meal, when all the plates were cleared, the dishes washed, the leftovers tucked safely away for breakfast ;), it was easy to see that I have so much to be thankful for and hard not to feel so good about our very special day. 

182 down, 183 to go

Do you remember when summer holidays seemed to last forever? or when waiting until the morning to get up to see what Santa had left seemed like a lifetime?  Now the days are not long enough and there are not enough hours in the night to rest your weary head.  Time flies! and its hard to believe that its already been the better part of a year and that we are already halfway to the end, halfway to me meeting and completing FRAN.  

In just a short six month period Miss M has developed a textbook case of the terrible two's soon to become the  frightful three's,  J Dawg has grown out of the larvae stage and is on the cusp of becoming a mobile monster and I, well I  have totally transformed my life.  OK that is a little melodramatic but considering where I was at when J Dawg was just a hatch ling its hard to believe where I have gotten.  There have been the measurable, noticeable, external changes like my body, my strength, my ability to do the workouts quicker some even closer to prescribed but the dramatic changes are  the internal ones, the part of my brain where there was once apathy and doubt about being active and eating well has been replaced by a deep desire to live and be the healthiest me I can be.   Fancy Nancy had put it best one day when she reminded me what I was really doing wasn't about FRAN, it was more about the commitment I was making to change the way I lived my life and that I was changing my path and by starting to take better care of myself, what I was doing really wasn't just for me but for my husband, my kids, and our future.

Don't get me wrong the journey so far hasn't been all free flow lanes and green lights, there has been the fair share of potholes, speed bumps and detours.  True to Darwin's Theory of Evolution, the ones who don't adapt won't survive and there were times when my survival seemed ill fated.  The challenges seem to come no matter how prepared or organized I seemed to be.  Sometimes I lost the ability to see the big picture in the last six month and there were times where I got caught up in a failure and focused on what wasn't working, what was too hard or how much trouble it was instead of slowing down, celebrating my progress and then adapting. There are things I wish I had done differently like take a before picture and write down more about my workouts at the beginning.  But there is lots I am proud of too and wouldn't change, like the decision to start working out at home more so that J could have a better morning nap or starting this blog :)   

I am looking forward to what the next six months bring....hopefully an unassisted pull up!!!! YIKES

  

   

Number of Members - 4

Crossfit.com does what they call an Affiliate Snapshot where they profile affiliates from all over giving them a chance to shine and explain what makes them so special.  So even though our Garage box isn't an affiliate I have been spending alot of time out there lately and think its worth a shout out. 

Box Name: "The Grotto" (pre-syphilis)...W wishes...its more like "The Sweatshop"

Owner: Depends who you ask....but all the women reading this know who is really in charge ;)

Open Since: March 2010

Location: Red Deer, AB.

Square Footage: 208 sf.

Number of Members? 4

Number of Trainers? 1 handsome male

Describe your gym culture in one word: Chaos

Most used piece of gear in your gym? T.V. (Toopy & Binoo is on at 830am every weekday morning...perfect time to sweat it up...the kids are too busy in the boob tube zone to be in the way)

Advice you wish you had been given: Working out with your spouse has it pros and cons....be careful of the cons
What question you would love to ask other garage gym owners: How the hell do you keep the garage out of the gym?
Workout or movement that elicits the most groans in your gym: Sex, of course....but we mean the working out.... right...pretty much everything, particularly wall balls
Coolest WOD: I guess by default I have to say FRAN
Favorite CrossFit saying: Don't be a p#&*y and just lift it - Mark Rippetoe (you knew I would pick him even though he is not really associated with CF anymore)
Complete the sentence: CrossFit should . . . .be part of every ones family time. 

W hates that I put a pic up because "it isn't done" but I love it just the way it is!

Welcome to Hell

So I thought?

As soon as you start to think you are really making progress, I mean real leaps and bounds, dominating WODs as they come at you kind of progress, you are quickly humbled and the CrossFit gods bring you down to earth.  Its been a while since I have wanted to vomit, reach for a paper bag to help the breathing and lay down and die, all at the same time post workout.  And then today it happened, Coach IA₂ posted what can only be called Tabata Hell; 20 seconds to go as hard as you can on the selected exercise then a rest for 10 seconds, repeated eight times.  First it was squats, then pull ups, right to the push ups and finishing strong with the sit ups.  Of course he was kind enough to have us rest for a minute between each of the four minutes.  It was 20 minutes of crazy, intense, fire breathing working out that made me realize there is always room to keep getting stronger, fitter and tougher. 

It wasn't all bad, it inspired me to ignore my kidlets this afternoon and blog! We have all been there laying on the floor of the gym, gasping for air, thinking about how that was some wild shiznat and god help the crazy bastard that made that torture up.  You instantly know when you have become a victim of the workout that day there are sure signs shortly after you finish that let you know you didn't "win" today and that you should come tomorrow and try again!  

Here are the top ten ways you know you just got your butt kicked by a WOD:

10.  First thing you do is thank the CrossFit gods for helping you make it through
9. You can't remember hearing any of the 20 minute play list that is now booming so loudly you can't hear yourself think
8. Your breathing is so heavy and your heart is pounding so hard you forget that you even brought your kids even though they are screaming right beside you
7. The thought of having to carry your 7 month old into the house or out to the car to leave is unthinkable
6. The idea of 100 Core sends you into hysterics. Core? You have got to be f'ing kidding me didn't we just do a million sit ups?
5. That mornings Paleo pancakes are threatening to make a return appearance
4. You don't even say DONE, you just raise your hand as collapse onto the ground
3. You start to expel air from your lungs with a harsh noise accompanied by an inappropriate amount of phlegm, often involuntarily, yes my friend you got CrossFitters cough
2. You think about getting air, finding your water and figuring out how to stand up before you even think about your time
1. You drag yourself up from the floor where you have laid your sweat body print, slap a few high fives and say "We did it, we survived but I really wish I had....What time tomorrow?"

CrossFit Trainer's Seminar, Golden Colorado

---

From May 26th 2009 CrossFit.com

Inspiration

from
 http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Mark_Rippetoe

Its been a while since I talked about the Big Guy....here are some of my favourite 'RIP'isms.  I took the liberty of editing for family friendly language. 

"Never ask a question that you may not be prepared to have answered"

"It is important to always stay within your comfort zone. This prevents having to subject oneself to the inconvenience of learning something new and potentially useful."

"Now I also know that you're supposed to 'listen to your body', but my brain says 'don't be a p%*#y, and just lift the f#@$ing weights', and that's just what I do."

"Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general"

"On response to a guy who had some life problems lately and afraid of sounding like a "p%*#y": You don't sound like a p%*#y at all. You sound like a normal human being, just like me, who thankfully has a barbell to keep him sane when things get "crappy"...and realize that one workout out of thousands does not affect your overall progress. Training is a process, not the events of one day "

"Absolutely not. Never -- and I mean NEVER -- try anything that someone in authority, like Me, has not specifically approved in advance. This is not allowed, and is specifically prohibited, because if you do this irresponsible thing -- this Trying Things For Yourself -- you might learn on your own, and again, this is PROHIBITED.
Let me ask you a question: Are you from North Korea?"

Inspiration

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Cheater, Cheater...SUGAR eater

It was inevitable,  the "war on sugar" was eventually going to suffer a setback.  Temporary, but still a step in the wrong direction.  An epic battle was fought in the kitchen tonight.  Good, kind, sweet, innocent sugar free Dana fought the good fight but could not out wit, out last or out play that damn sugar lovin' , chocolate eating, evil Dana.  It had been a long day and "Cindy" had kicked my butt out in the garage so I caved, devoured a peanut butter cookie and now feel super guilty about it, guilty enough to own up to it and even put it out into cyber space for all to read.  Its hard not to be mad at myself considering how much will power I have exhibited up until this point, how much time I have spent searching for alternatives to substitute into my diet, agonizing over labels and avoiding all the regular temptation spots despite Miss M begging to go to "Hortons" in the afternoons.   I kept telling myself if I am going to break I was going to do it for somethingI thought was irresistible, not a frickin' dried out, stale peanut butter cookie.  Yesh! Argh! Phooey! After denying myself a cold beer on a number of occasions during this past long weekend a damn peanut butter cookie did me in! Man!!!!!

W is rolling his eyes at me, he knew he married a Drama Queen when is he going to get used to it?

Inspiration

I love this poem...

Sugar, Sugar

You got me wanting you!!! How did Arch and the gang from Riverdale know just how I would be feeling.   At least once a day, ok once an hour, my mind fills with all things sugar.  But its not just sweet innocent sugar plums dancing in my head, its hardcore sweet tooth candy bars like Reese peanut butter cups and snickers or five cent ju jubes, washed down with by an Arnold Palmer or an ice tea lemonade from Starbucks.

It wasn't until I got on the paleo wagon and read Robb Wolf's "Paleo Solution"  that I completely cut sugar out.  This omission made me realize how much this simple substance had taken over my life.  Back when I started "casually" crossfitting and eating in the "zone"  I had myself fooled into thinking I had my junk food binging under control.  When in fact sugar was in control of me and I didn't even know how much harm it was doing to me. During low sugar times of my day my life revolved around getting that fix of something sweet.  Isn't acknowledge one of the first of 12 steps? Dr Drew would have a field day with my classic case of addiction.

But since making the 30 day commitment to go paleo, sugar just had to go.  What I am quickly learning though is that  ridding your body of the sweet stuff isn't as much fun as it was putting it in there.  The withdrawal as my blood sugar rises and falls with the time of day has been the worst part.  At any given point of my day I can feel weak, tired, dizzy and without warning a raging headache can emerge just as quickly as my mood can take an ugly turn.  I used to call the hour just before dinner "the witching hour" but for so many different reasons.   Sugar is a tricky vice, just because you aren't eating a chocolate bar doesn't mean you aren't consuming mass amounts of the stuff everyday in almost everything you eat.  It hides in almost all the foods that we were keeping in our home.  I mean the tip off that you should avoid having it in your system is that it has more street names than ecstasy. Now obviously sugar in fruits and veggies wasn't what I am going after and I am still debating whether I should bend the rule and allow natural sweeteners like agave or honey, a girl has to have something sweet once in a while.   Regardless life without sugar is tough and right now no amount of tea is going to replace a big gooey freshly cooked chocolate chip cookie.    

Fini

Total number of burpees completed over the last 60 days....1830

Days missed...0

Minutes it took to complete 60 burpees for time....7

Reaping the physical and mental benefits of a total body movement everyday for the last 60 days...PRICELESS

A big shout out to everyone who completed the challenge! I have to credit W for helping me stick with this beastly task without his encouragement and "creativity" this wouldn't have been nearly as fun or easy to stick out.  Most days in the last two months we hadn't even started to think about how and when we would do our burpees until after dinner, bath, stories and little ones in bed so it was nice to have someone to grunt through them with.  Even though I won't miss these horrific daily exercises, I will miss watching Miss M try and count how many we had done or J Dawg giggling as I slammed down on the floor on my first of every set. Its done and that makes me happy and proud but next time I have a freakin' crazy idea like this...hey wait a sec isn't this week two without sugar?

So close...

Only 3 more days of burpee hell!!!!!!!! And this shirt sums up how I am starting to feel!

Never say never

I should have known better than to have swore that I would never try and eat paleo.  It appears that I am about to eat my words.  Actually more likely I will be eating my way through a small herd of grass fed ruminants. 

As the burpee challenge draws to a close and after having some success with the Wendler cycle method for weight training I am realizing what kind of trainee I am,  I need relatively short time frames in which I  reach a very realistic goal.  The ambiguity of it ends when it ends doesn't work well for me. I have decided that if I want to get something done I have to work in shorter time chunks.  So after eating poorly, drinking excessively and working out very little I knew some kind of "cleanse" was in order and during one of the few silent car rides around BC I broached the idea of trying the paleo diet for a month with W.  Understandably he was a little leery as I was the one that got us into this burpee gong show in the first place.  During our holidays the discussion and research began but it wasn't until we were home that we decided that the time to commit was now. 

As a lead up to Thanksgiving, fitting since its the carb lovers favourite holiday, W and I have agreed to "go paleo".  We dove right in and I found tons of resources to help us get started but particularly liked one website called Paleo Diet Lifestyle which provided us with a 14 day meal plan to follow.  My cooking skills leave something to be desired so we had to do some "modifications" and settled on a 7 day meal plan in order to "tweak" it after.  We simply combined the meals we thought we would like and subsisted some of the more "difficult", time consuming dishes for ones that looked relatively more easy, keeping in mind the idea of ratios of fats to proteins to carbs that is suggested by Mark Sisson, the Primal King.  After a relatively quick trip around the outside of the grocery store our freezer, fridge and cupboards are full of things that I imagine would be similar to the foods that would make up Fred Flintstones daily meals. Though some purists out there might scoff at our attempts to eat more primal we are looking forward to all the promises of feeling healthier and better.    

Back to reality...

After a whirlwind trip to BC and back, Alberta's very own Griswolds return happily to our home and not a moment too soon! Little M informed us that she was "just so happy" to be in her bed last night.  It seems though that I didn't learn all that much from my last trip away and ate just about as badly and failed to work out but thanks to the burpee challenge I didn't go one day without a little physcial activity.  And even though there was temptation to skip a day here or there I am proud to say that we never missed a single one.  It wasn't always easy to find the time, the energy or the space but we managed to make them a priority of course not without incident.  Here are a few of the things we learned should never be combined with burpees!!!  If you let your imagination do the elaborating I am sure you would not be too far off what actually went down. 

Top 5 Things to avoid when doing Burpees

5. Second floor condo apartments and hotel balcony's

4. Bathing suits and sandy beaches

3. Chips and birthday cake

2. Driving all day with crying babies

1. Booze (trust me on this one....it any pretty)

Getting closer to the end...only 10 days left!!! Keep it up! 

Progress Update

We are heading out for a two week holiday to BC tomorrow morning so the timing of my last lifting cycle ending couldn't have been better.  W and I both were ready to test our 1 Rep Max (1 RM) and so after the kids were tucked in we headed out to the garage for some romantic us time and gutted out some big numbers.  I am feeling pretty good about things and as you can see from the numbers below I set some really solid PRs.  For the first time ever I am looking forward to getting back into the gym and starting a new cycle.  The koolaid has finally taken effect!!!!

Lift	March 31st	April 29th	Goal (set on April 29th)	August 5th	Goal (set on August 5th)
Squat	35 lbs	95lbs	121 lbs	140 lbs	165 lbs
Press	35 lbs	45 lbs	60 lbs	67.5 lbs	77 lbs
Deadlift	95 lbs	145 lbs	151 lbs	165 lbs	180 lbs
Bench Press	45 lbs	55 lbs	90 lbs	85 lbs	100 lbs
Pullups (3 x 10)	Blue band	Blue band	Green band	Green/Red band	Green Band
Dips (3 x 10)	Blue band	Blue band	Body Weight	Blue band	Green Band