tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15024790311955447562024-03-13T04:37:44.701-07:00Leah KayToday is my someday!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331870835918087741noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-48651981994861582622014-04-16T05:50:00.000-07:002014-04-16T05:50:19.814-07:00The National Pro Fitness League Dallas Combine!There should be a rule on this thing, that if you don't blog for like the last 6 months alarm bells go off, or you get an angry email from blogger threatening to shut you down or something equally as urgent because I have been neglecting this for too long...I'm pretty sure I say this at least twice per year. Is it too late for New Year's Resolutions? I think not, so here goes. I resolve to blog once per month. That shouldn't be so hard right? We'll see...<br />
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Now to the point of this post. Yes some cool s*#t has been happening since December when I last blogged but one of the coolest definitely centers around the National Pro Fitness League!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Athlete Packet</td></tr>
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What? Professional Fitness? Yes, for those not in the know, the National Pro Fitness League is Tony Budding's new baby. Tony Budding was once the head of media for CrossFit HQ but has recently separated to pursue this dream. The basic idea is that he is turning Fitness into an actual team sport, the sport of Human Performance Racing! Sounds cool right? The league this year will consist of five teams, The LA Reign, The San Francisco Fire, The New York Rhinos, The Philadelphia Founders and The Phoenix Rise another 3 teams are slated to form next year and then more teams will follow. The sport will consist of various team "races" each with its own rules and regulations including player substitutions. The learn more about the league check out the <a href="http://profitnessleague.com/">website</a>!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y2Po6lvLd_I/U057kN4PkcI/AAAAAAAAADg/ocMgWEs-mNI/s1600/girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-y2Po6lvLd_I/U057kN4PkcI/AAAAAAAAADg/ocMgWEs-mNI/s1600/girls.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ladies at the NPFL Dallas Combine</td></tr>
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Anyway, this past weekend the National Pro Fitness League held a Combine in Dallas. Representatives from each team came to Dallas to evaluate the athletes who were invited to participate in the Combine Events. Friday the women took on the individual events. It was a chance to show the teams some of your best strengths and skills. There were 20 plus stations to pick from and you had 8 hours to do as many as you wanted. Obviously the point was to highlight your strengths so I picked 7 events that I excelled in and gave it my all. I ended up with 3 new strength PR's (160# Snatch, 350# Deadlift, and 230# Front Squat) and did 11 muscle ups in 90 seconds. Those were probably my most notable finishes. My performance on Friday was good enough to secure me a spot for Sunday when we were actually put on teams and run through the Races that will eventually make up the league sport.<br />
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Saturday was great. It was a rest day for the girls so Neal and I basically had a mini vacation day in Dallas. We NEVER get Saturdays off so it was nice to sleep in, eat a delicious brunch at Breadwinners and then hit up Cryo USA for some recovery. They have a cryo chamber which uses nitrogen to cool your body super fast so you get all the benefits of an ice bath but it only takes 3 minutes and is way less painful! After that we hit up the mall for some shopping and I scored big at lulu and even found a new pair of jeans which for any CrossFit girl is sometimes better than a PR!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PR Face!!</td></tr>
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Sunday we were back in action but this time we were placed in teams of 4 girls and 4 guys and run through 11 races. Each race consisted of its own rules and regulations just like any other sport. I could go into descriptions of each race but it would make this book of a post even longer so if you want to know specifics and even watch some cool videos check out the <a href="http://profitnessleague.com/">NPFL Website</a>! The only thing I have to say about the races is they were INTENSE! As Tony Budding said, there's only one speed when you hit the floor and that's GO! I can really see how incredibly fast-paced and exciting this sport is going to be when it's all said and done. <br />
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At the end of Sunday, the teams collectively selected 23 men and 18 women from to advance to the second draft which will be held in Vegas in June! I got a chance to chat with a few of the teams and have a solid idea of what I need to be working on to do well in Vegas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team CF Katy 2014</td></tr>
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But for now, it's back to training for the CrossFit South Central Regionals with my amazing team at CF Katy. We've got 5 of us returning this year and a rookie that has more potential than she'll ever know. I think this could really be our year to stand on that Podium come Sunday in San Antonio at Regionals! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331870835918087741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-71818288467097657012013-12-29T10:29:00.001-08:002013-12-29T10:29:25.312-08:00It's Almost January........2014 BHAG's part one!Holy Cow has 2013 already flown by?!?! Yes, there's only 3 more days left in 2013! I don't quite know at what point life speeds up but it does. When I was a kid a year felt like a decade, now a year feels like a week...at most. Nobody warns you about that while you're growing up, or maybe they did but let's face, we don't listen. I'm going to be 30 next year! What? Last time I checked I was like 23 or something. But this post isn't really about how fast life is flying by, well it kind of is, it's about goals and what this next year holds, but the fact that time is flying is definitely a driving factor in this post because with limited time, goals become more important. Or I guess it's more like we don't have forever to accomplish the things we want to accomplish and with time speeding up, if we really want to get there (wherever there is) we better knock out a rough path at least or we'll be in the same spot next year that we are this year. Make sense? I'm pretty sure I've written a post like this before. We all have figuratively even if we've never written it down. So in an effort to feel like I actually DID go somewhere last year, I'm taking the first part of this post and dedicating it to the goals that I DID accomplish, then we'll get into the nitty gritty of what I want to accomplish next year!<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><b>My Amazing List of Good Things from 2013!</b></span><br />
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I qualified as an individual for the 2013 South Central Regionals<br />
-It is getting harder and harder to qualify for regionals as an individual with the explosion of CrossFit around the world. It is always a goal of mine to qualify as an individual for Regionals even if I intend to go team. There's just something satisfying about knowing that I am still among the top of the female athletes in my Region and it's something I strive to do every year.<br />
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CrossFit Katy Affiliate Team got 5th at Regionals 2013<br />
-This one was pretty cool! So like I said, I qualified as an individual for Regionals but decided to go Team again in an effort to make it to the CrossFit Games. We had the most amazing performance we've ever have. We got first on Team Jackie (that was me and Adam!), we got 2nd on the Team Lift and we were only 2 spots from qualifying for the Games. Best finish we've ever had!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 2nd Place Finish on the Lift!</td></tr>
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Neal and I got to go on vacation to Cali to watch the 2013 CrossFit Games<br />
-I don't think many people would look at this and think of it as an accomplished goal but it is for me. Vacations are always some of my biggest goals. Vacations take time and money and we were fortunate enough this year to have enough of both to do this! It was a great trip and one of my favorite times to spend with my husband and speaking of husband...<br />
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WE GOT MARRIED!<br />
-Duh! Huge goal accomplished. Our wedding was beautiful at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas and we had an amazing reception at the House of Blues in Houston the weekend after to celebrate with our friends! I am so happy I now get to call Neal my husband! He's my perfect match and I feel very lucky to have him.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside the Wynn</td></tr>
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We had an amazing honeymoon in Hawaii<br />
-Another vacation, YES! Hawaii was beautiful and we spent a week on the beaches of Oahu learning to surf, drinking mai thai's and loving life and the beach. We are both beach people and this trip I think did more to solidify that and make us realize some important things we want to accomplish in our future. All in all, an amazing trip!<br />
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I accomplished two of my strength goals for the year<br />
-At the beginning of each year, I write down some strength and CrossFit related goals and this year I accomplished two of them! I got a 200lb Clean and Jerk and I've reached a 330# deadlift! Sweet! This year, I plan on writing out a few more goals than I did last year but i'm hopeful that with a solid plan, I can accomplish them all!<br />
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I became a sponsored athlete....again!<br />
-What?! Yep, I am lucky enough to have been chosen to represent <a href="http://www.rokfit.com/">RokFit </a>for the next year! So awesome!! These guys are the shit and make some of the sweetest CrossFit gear around! Now I get to wear new <a href="http://www.rokfit.com/">RokFit</a> gear and talk about how cool it is....yeah I'm pretty good at that ;) If you haven't gotten yourself any <a href="http://www.rokfit.com/">RokFit</a> gear yet, what are you waiting for?? Go do it now!<br />
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I hit the re-start button on my <a href="http://leahg.myrandf.com/">Rodan + Fields Business</a><br />
-For about a year, I have been an independent consultant for Rodan + Fields Dermatology. This skincare is amazing and we have products for all your needs....seriously! I have some sweet before and afters if you're curious. Things got so busy with the gym and life that I had pretty much taken a break from this business but I have a renewed attitude now and am ready to hit the pavement with this! This opportunity has proven to be life-changing for many girls on my team allowing them to pay mortgages, car notes, grocery bills, even replacing entire salaries from their previous careers AND I can do it in my spare time....from anywhere! Anyway, if you haven't had a chance to check it out, here's my website. <a href="http://leahg.myrandf.com/">Leah's Awesome R+F Skincare Site!</a> Check me out and see if this is the kind of opportunity that speaks to you (or somebody you know, I love references!) or if you've had some stubborn skin issues that you haven't resolved yet, I bet I can help!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, NOW is the time!</td></tr>
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There were many more little accomplishments throughout this year I am sure. The main focus of this year really was our wedding and that didn't leave as much time for other goals. I think now that we've found a really comfortable place for our lives, 2014 is going to be a year of great things, huge goals, and a beautiful life....and since you're all probably tired of reading, I will wait to post my 2014 goals for another post! I hope you take the time to reflect on your past year and acknowledge all the good things that you have accomplished as well!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13331870835918087741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-70905268197246697502013-09-29T17:39:00.000-07:002013-09-29T17:41:27.656-07:00These are a Few of My Favorite Things...I haven't done a post like this in a while...maybe ever. I'm not a great sales person and I sometimes feel awkward pushing people into purchasing things unless I KNOW that the product I'm peddling is the best! So here goes, my first edition of Leah's Favorite CrossFit Things (insert drumroll and dramatic music!)<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">1) Atlas Power Wraps</span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Btf1lw9Hb9I/UkjGdmrJFLI/AAAAAAAAAi0/ghDIKdZvgqA/s1600/atlas+wraps+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Btf1lw9Hb9I/UkjGdmrJFLI/AAAAAAAAAi0/ghDIKdZvgqA/s320/atlas+wraps+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and My Custom Atlas Power Wraps at the 2013 Regionals</td></tr>
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I pretty much can't say enough about this product or this company. I was approached by the founder of Atlas Power Wraps, Nicko Kazadzis, a few years ago and was asked if I would be interested in being an Atlas Power Wrap Sponsored Athlete. I was, of course, flattered but wanted to know more about the company and its products before saying yes. Nicko was great and immediately shipped me a trial pair of Atlas Wraps to test out in my WOD's and I haven't used any other type of wrist wrap since! Atlas Power Wraps had humble beginnings. Nicko started CrossFitting in early 2011 and was dissatisfied with the standard wrist supports he'd found at his local sporting goods store and decided that if he couldn't find a wrist wrap to meet his needs, he would just create one himself. He started making wraps out of his garage and after receiving rave reviews from his fellow box members, Atlas Power Wraps was born! We at CrossFit Katy love them so much that we have since started carrying custom CrossFit Katy Atlas Power Wraps in our gym. If you don't have a pair yet and have any kind of wrist joint issues, you NEED to get some. We have custom CrossFit Katy wraps available at the box or if you'd like to check out his other colors and prints (yes there are even mustache printed wraps!) you can go to the website <a href="http://www.atlaspowerwraps.com/">www.atlaspowerwraps.com</a> and use the Promo Code LEAHCFKATY to get $3 off your purchase!!<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">2) RokFit Clothing </span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-arOTigmHv_E/UkjG9s073TI/AAAAAAAAAi8/T3E06_96VDM/s1600/RokFit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-arOTigmHv_E/UkjG9s073TI/AAAAAAAAAi8/T3E06_96VDM/s320/RokFit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweet RokFit Hoodie and the Team CF Katy Shirts that RokFit designed for us for 2013 Regionals!</td></tr>
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So this isn't really a single thing, more like a bunch of things, but RokFit clothing is hands-down one of the coolest CrossFit clothing companies around! Honestly, I can't take credit for finding RokFit. One of our trainers starting wearing RokFit gear shortly after the formation of the company, but it didn't take long for me to catch on...I'm a fast learner :) RokFit was founded by Jason Greenwood out of Oklahoma City kind of on a whim. The new CrossFitter started designing shirts, logos and website for local Crossfit boxes in the area out of his newfound love of the sport. Jason had so much fun designing shirts that he decided to launch his own brand in 2010 and RokFit was officially born. It was a labor of love for a few years but things are going well for the company. Now officially co-owned by Jason Greenwood and Jason Boag......"The Jason's" as we like to call them are wrapping up a good year in 2013 and are looking forward to 2014. Personally, CrossFit Katy has been using RokFit for our logo and t-shirt designs for almost 3 years. I always look forward to checking out The Jason's new designs and products. My current favorites are the new black and blue RokFit Compression Shorts with the RF log on the side and my Black/Blue/Orange Striped trucker hat that I picked up at the CrossFit Games. Side-note, The Jason's are also probably the coolest crew to hang out with between WOD's and after competitions in the Vendor Village. So if you see the RokFit tent posted up at the next competition you go to, be sure and stop by to say hi to the guys and grab some of their badass gear! If you're not going to a competition anytime soon, then check out the <a href="http://www.RokFit.com/default.asp" target="_blank">RokFit Website</a>!<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">3) Blonyx HMB+Creatine</span></b><br />
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I just started using this supplement about 4 months ago and the PR's haven't stopped! The first month that I was on the product, I got 7 count them 7 PR's!! Creatine is one of the most highly researched supplements out there. It helps supply fast-twitch, high glycolytic muscle fibers with immediate energy which means it is ideal for high intensity workouts like CrossFit. HMB is a metabolite of leucine and can actually help prevent muscle protein breakdown and signals the cells to preserve existing muscle. Ideally I take 1 scoop of Blonyx HMB+Creatine in the morning (I like to mix mine with my morning coffee) and one post-workout or at night. I must admit that I have not been as diligent with this as I should be meaning I have not been taking it every single day, twice a day and I have STILL been hitting huge PR's. I plan on taking my training to an even higher level starting in October and will be more diligent about my Blonyx Supplementation. I can't wait to see what happens this fall! To try Blonyx for yourself check out <a href="http://blonyx.com/index.php" target="_blank">their website</a>.<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">4) Goat Tape</span></b><br />
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I honestly don't know a lot about this company. The first time I used it was at my USAW cert when I needed something to protect my fingers from all the repetitive snatches and cleans. This was the first time I'd ever taped my fingers and hadn't had it roll up and get all funky. In fact, it was still stuck firmly in place after two hours of lifting! Solid!! It's now the only tape that I use when I lift. If you want to buy it individually, you can get some through <a href="http://wodsuperstore.com/">wodsuperstore.com</a> but if you're super lucky like me, you get to use the Custom <a href="http://www.weightliftingwise.com/" target="_blank">Weightlifting Wise</a> Goat Tape (Thanks Ursula). I know you're jealous that I get such cool tape but I promise that the regular Goat Tape is almost as good ;)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEWEv8Mi60Q/UkjH1eiYRRI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/1YxcuxHDUHY/s1600/happy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XEWEv8Mi60Q/UkjH1eiYRRI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/1YxcuxHDUHY/s320/happy.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No real reason for this pic except I love CrossFit....Happy WOD-ing!</td></tr>
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That's all I got for now. If you have some favorite CrossFit things that you can't WOD without, leave a comment and let me know. I'm always up for checking out new gear, clothes and companies.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-66310111565247696692013-09-25T19:55:00.002-07:002013-09-25T19:55:19.797-07:00Oly Lifting.... I think I caught the bug!Usually when I think about Olympic Lifting, I think about it in the context of CrossFit. How many snatches are in that WOD we're supposed to do? 30 clean and jerks for time?...no sweat. I've been doing CrossFit for about 4 1/2 years now and I've definitely done my fair share of Oly Lifting so when I saw an opportunity to compete in my first ever Olympic Lifting meet, I secretly thought to myself, "This is going to be that hard. We do this stuff in the gym a lot." Boy was I wrong! <br />
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Let's just get a few things straight though so you all don't think I'm just a cocky a-hole. I went into this event fully knowing that I knew NOTHING about how an Oly meet runs. In fact, the only reason I went was because I had a friend who was going to be there coaching his team and competing himself who offered to let me jump in with his team, warm me up accordingly and basically supervise everything I was doing. This would ensure that at least I wouldn't look like a complete dumbass! But I also went into this event knowing that if I hit 5lbs under my current one-rep maxes for Snatch and Clean and Jerk, I would qualify for the American Open in Dallas in December. That in and of itself was enough fuel to make me suck it up, forget about not really knowing what I'm doing, and just go for it, something I think more people should do! Just go for it!<br />
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So the real bitch of Olympic Lifting has nothing to do with the actual lifting part. Olympic Lifting has weight classes. What? I haven't really cared about my weight in years! Yes I said years. Because of CrossFit, I stopped caring about how much I weighed and more about how much the bar I was lifting weighed. I have never had a weight problem or body image issues growing up, sometimes I swear I'm the only female in the world who doesn't have some kind of complex regarding their body, but that's besides the point. For the first time in who knows how long, I was legitimately concerned with my weight! Why? Because I comfortably sit at about 70.5 kilos (155lbs for those that don't speak kilo) and my weight class ends at 69 kilos....which means I needed to lose 1.5 kilos (or 3.3lbs) in order to get into my weight class and 3.3lbs for a person that doesn't have a lot of extra body fat is a lot to lose in a short period of time in my mind! Mostly because I love to eat. To tackle this problem, I decided I was going to eat really clean and really light starting the monday before the meet. That would give me about 5 days to drop almost 4lbs. Easy right?.....By Tuesday night, my body was so fed up with the caloric restriction that I ended up eating a half a pizza from Grimaldi's. Good job me. So scratch that idea. Instead I decided in order to hit my competition weight, I would just fast for most of Friday and Saturday morning and then eat after weigh in. That seemed easier because it was only 24 hours of caloric restriction and not multiple days. And surprisingly, it worked perfectly. I woke up Friday morning and just had a small cup of coffee, then I had a dry cappuccino on my way to work. For lunch I had one can of tuna, half a small apple and a small cup of cottage cheese. For dinner I had 7 pieces of sashimi and some salad. The weirdest thing about the whole day was that I felt fantastic! I had more energy that day than I have had in the past two weeks. I didn't need a nap. I was super productive. It was really strange. Almost makes me want to fast once a month just to see how it goes. Ok so the morning of the meet, I weighed in at 67.9 kilos (149.4 lbs) That's the first time I've been under 150lbs since high school....I still think the scale was a little light. Ok so first concern, making weight, out of the way. On to the actual meet.<br />
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So like I said, one of the only reasons I even signed up for this event was because I had a friend who was going to be there coaching and competing alongside his weightlifting team. I do most of my Olympic training either on my own or with the Advanced Class at CrossFit Katy but I am extremely lucky in that I also periodically get to work with Ursula Garza Papandrea. If you don't know who she is, get to learning. She's the only woman to ever attain a Level 5 from USAW and is the only Level 5 coach in all of Texas.....let's just say, she's kind of a big deal. Now unfortunately Ursula wasn't able to come to the meet but lucky for me some of her athletes were there and one of them, Stephen Galvan from 210 CrossFit, offered to take me under his wing and show me the ropes.<br />
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Oh side note, if you want to lift in a sanctioned USAW meet, you have to wear a singlet. That's like a spandex onesie....so not hott :) Well I guess on some people it is a good look but not me! Warm ups were very calculated. When I warm up, I usually just start at about 45-50% of my max and incrementally move up depending on how I feel. For this meet though, Stephen had a list of his whole team, what their starting weights were, where they wanted to end up and what order we were going to lift in and that made warm ups very very calculated. Obviously you don't want to warm up too far away from your actual lifts.<br />
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So my max lift in the Snatch is 145lbs....in the world of Oly Lifting, they don't use pounds so I had to convert everything to Kilos on my phone...haha! So 145lb is about 66 kilos and my max Clean and Jerk is 200lbs which is about 91 kilos. Now in order to qualify for the American Open (which is like a big deal in Oly Lifting) I had to total 152 kilos. Meaning if you add my Snatch and Clean and Jerk together it has to be 152 kilos or more. So my goal for the meet was to get a 62 kilo Snatch and a 90 kilo Clean and Jerk.....both of which were under my current PR's. Well, you can start out with the best intentions BUT...that's not exactly how it played out.<br />
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My opening lift for Snatch was 57 kilos and I got it pretty easily. Then I jumped to 61 kilos. Failed that one because I was expecting it to be light again and I didn't pull aggressively enough. But since I wanted to hit 62 kilos, I decided to go for it on my third and final lift (oh did I mention that you only get 3 chances for Snatch and 3 for Clean and Jerk at an Oly meet?) Unfortunately I failed 62 kilos out in front and there went my chance to qualify for the American Open. I still had Clean and Jerk so I collected myself and warmed up for it but I wasn't really into it anymore since I knew I would have to PR my Clean and Jerk by 12lbs in order to qualify...not likely to happen. I opened with 80 kilos and failed but I got it on my second lift. Then I jumped to 85 kilos and failed that one out front again. And that was it! My total was 137 which to my surprise at the end of the meet was good enough for a 3rd place finish! But I definitely wasn't satisfied since I was about 20lbs under my snatch max and 15lbs under my clean and jerk max but you live and learn. Overall I am really glad that I did the meet and I definitely encourage all CrossFit Athletes to give it a try. I for sure am going to be putting more work into my Olympic Lifting and I WILL qualify for the American Open next year!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-37945458523963346052013-07-30T19:17:00.003-07:002013-07-30T20:25:35.833-07:00Hello? Anybody still listening?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_zOXp9IcAig/UfhzjHjlArI/AAAAAAAAAhE/wRimVccdZ4w/s1600/regionals+team13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_zOXp9IcAig/UfhzjHjlArI/AAAAAAAAAhE/wRimVccdZ4w/s320/regionals+team13.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our CF Katy 5th Place Regionals Team 2013</td></tr>
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I'm not even going to apologize for the amount of time it's taken me to actually write another post on this blog. Let's just sum it all up. Life doesn't slow down, so you can either roll with it or let it roll over you. A lot has happened in the last 8 months but the real focus of my life right now is CrossFit. Surprise I know, but if I stop to take a look back since my last post, there really isn't much else that I've put much energy into. I suppose I should elaborate on that because I am not just talking about doing CrossFit. That would be cool though but I don't think there's even any big-time CrossFit stars that just get to train. There's always a million other things to do that revolve around CrossFit. For me it's all about running the gym with Neal and coaching a ton of classes including my summer KidFit classes, running a fledging nutrition business with my partner Sheila that does seminars at local boxes, and then of course training. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kid Fit Class Learning to Squat</td></tr>
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Back up a few months and you'll see that the CrossFit Katy Regionals Team did something amazing this year, we finished 5th at the 2013 South Central Regionals...just two spots away from that coveted Games qualification spot! I think we surprised ourselves a little bit this year. Though we have been working out together for the past 3 years, we haven't really put in much Team specific training in those years and we still managed to give an amazing showing. Because of this, my training has taken a little bit more of a priority than it has in the past. This has manifested itself in a few different ways, most notably in my decision to cut back my hours at my other job. This has given me more time to train and also more time to coach. You see CrossFit Katy has continued to grow, we are in fact almost bursting at the seams and, because of this, have decided to expand our endeavors to include a whole array of new fitness programs and classes to keep up with the demand and to give our members more variety! Exciting I know but more on that in a later post!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7wkVyybAhEo/Ufhybl7QLfI/AAAAAAAAAg4/yyySsy-g8K0/s1600/kidfit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7wkVyybAhEo/Ufhybl7QLfI/AAAAAAAAAg4/yyySsy-g8K0/s320/kidfit2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of My Girls!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"></span>I have been focusing this off-season mostly on strength and skills related to Olympic lifting because this is an area that I think I struggle in compared to my overall strength. Also, it is impossible to ignore the fact that everyone is getting stronger! The final WOD at the CrossFit Games this year had 265lb deadlifts in it! I have been using a program from my good friends and coaches over at GrassIron Gym in Austin, Tx for my Olympic Specific programming and then leaving my CrossFit programming in the capable hands of my fiance and coach, Neal. This is sometimes a good thing and a bad thing :) I have been extremely lax lately with my nutrition clocking in probably more non-paleo meals than paleo meals but for whatever reason am weighing in less than I have in two years. Go figure! I am thinking it's about time to tighten things up though. Recently I have entertained the idea of doing another Whole 30 in August but am unsure if I want to commit to it yet. It would be good leading up to CrossFit season but we'll see. My supplementation regiment is on point again at least! I am a huge proponent of supplementation for athletes but I truly believe the best way to find your regiment is to get tested. Spectracell Labs in Houston has a test called the Micronutrient Test that uses your white blood cells to determine your exact need for specific vitamins and minerals. I've had this test done at Specialty Healthcare and Wellness and was shocked to learn that even with a good paleo diet (When I took the test I was eating great!) I still needed B vitamins and Antioxidants! If you're interested in this kind of testing check it out <a href="http://www.specialtyhealth-wellness.com/" target="_blank">here</a>! My supplementation regiment consists of a sports specific multi with lots of B's, Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitamin D, Magnesium, Antioxidants, and N-Acetyl Cysteine. I have recently also been experimenting with some new Pre and Post Workouts. More on that in another post!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y35xegBq3fE/UfiDBksyGxI/AAAAAAAAAhU/dSiwudZi7wA/s1600/me+and+neal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y35xegBq3fE/UfiDBksyGxI/AAAAAAAAAhU/dSiwudZi7wA/s320/me+and+neal.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and My Coach :)</td></tr>
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So with a good nutrition plan, perfect supplementation, great programming and little push, I am ready for this year's CrossFit season which will hopefully conclude with a trip to the 2014 CrossFit Games in Carson, California! Just for a little extra motivation, I'm leaving you all with a pic from this year's CrossFit Games that Neal and I just got back from! Next year, I will not be just a spectator! </div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-45303964869369018822012-11-19T11:11:00.001-08:002012-11-19T11:13:38.659-08:00Outside My Comfort Zone!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ok, so I meant to write this post a week ago, but it has been crazy here. I feel like I say that all the time and it's the truth but you would think I would learn or something. I can't decide if it's a good thing for life to be crazy because that means I'm getting to experience a lot of great things or if it's a bad thing...I mean I feel like I've either been sick or on the verge of sick for the last two weeks. Hmmmm. I guess it's probably a little of both. My goal though for the future is to start saying NO more so I can have a little more balance of crazy and not crazy.<br />
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Anyway, what was this post about again? Oh yeah, my comfort zone. I hate running. Yep, pretty much my least favorite thing to do. I hate WOD's with running, I hate running in general but this past spring I got the bright idea to sign up for another Half Marathon. I know, I'm crazy. Stay with me though...this half marathon wasn't just any half marathon. This one was the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon in Disneyworld! Details....November run (nice weather), Night run (no getting up at the butt crack of dawn), Costumes are encouraged, and it's at the Happiest Place on Earth! Ok no brainer, if there was ever a half to do, this was it! So my friend Courtney and I (you can find her over at <a href="http://thesassyapron.wordpress.com/">The Sassy Apron</a>) signed up and convinced two of her good college friends to do it with us. Neal's parents helped us out with some Disney Vacation Club Points to secure a room at Saratoga Springs and we were set! Since my birthday is November 3rd, I justified the trip by calling it a birthday present even though it was the weekend after. Makes sense to me, plus I got to wear an awesome "Happy Birthday" button all over Disney for three days. Score!<br />
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Some of ya'll I'm sure are thinking "Ok genius, now you signed up, now you have to start running to train" right? Wrong! Haha! Ok I don't really recommend this approach for everybody but I have been touting the greatness of CrossFit for what 4 years now? And it's true. I didn't do any extra running to train for this Half other than what I was doing at CrossFit. So would some extra training have helped. Probably, but I don't think it would have been necessary to do more than one extra run per week really just to get your legs used to the distance.<br />
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So back to the trip. We arrived at Disney on Thursday morning. Our hotel room wasn't ready (obviously) but the great thing about Disney is that the service is amazing. So we got to drop off all our stuff and then headed to Downtown Disney for lunch. We bought two-day park hopper passes and wanted to save them for Friday and Saturday so it was just free stuff on the agenda Thursday. Downtown Disney was followed by a trip to the Outlet mall to check out the lululemon outlet (one of only two in the country I believe...lucky us!) and then back to the hotel to settle into our rooms. Dinner was at an Irish Pub in Downtown, beer flights and Irish dancing included! <br />
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Friday we spent all day running around Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. We had reservations that night at one of my favorite Disney Restaraunts, the Hollywood Brown Derby and we got to see the Osbourne Family Festival of Dancing Lights. Saturday we got up early and went to the Expo. I love Expo's! My wallet, however, does not. I managed to get away with just a few fun purchases (including a $5 light up, flashing jelly ring! Best money every spent) We rounded up that morning at Animal Kingdom then headed back to the hotel to take a nap...and watch the Aggie football game. I am not an Aggie but I was staying with 3 of them so this was a mandatory part of the weekend. <br />
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After the game, we all got into our respective Princess Costumes...oh yeah did I mention we were all dressing up as Disney Princesses?? Tutu's obviously were required and I have to say, we had some of the best costumes in the whole race. I definitely found myself wondering who would sign up for a race at Disney and NOT dress up?? Boring people, that's who! Glad that wasn't us...anyway, huge success with the costumes. <br />
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The race started with fireworks! And we were off in Corral B for 13.1 miles of fun! We started at the ESPN Wide World of Sports and ran first to Animal Kingdom. Got an amazing shot with Goofy at mile 2. Now don't be fooled. We were not running this race for a PR and had all intentions of stopping at every Disney character we could for photos. We met Rafiki at Animal Kingdom with Dana getting the best photo of the night! And raced our way from there to Hollywood Studios. <br />
We got to run through the Osbourne lights at Hollywood studios. This is definitely the part where my legs started to cry! haha! And after Hollywood Studios, we raced to the finish at Epcot. After the race, we got to spend the next few hours walking around Epcot at the Food and Wine Festival. Best after-party ever! Although I was pretty tired. We got potstickers in China, Beer in Germany, and Ravioli in Italy. By then it was 3:30am and we were done. We managed to crawl our way back to the bus and hit the bed right around 5am! <br />
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Not gonna lie, my legs were screamin' especially my knees. Took me seriously a week to recover...ok maybe just 3 days but still! I think that's the main difference between not running at all pre-race and running, the recovery time. It was definitely an experience though and one that I might just do again sometime. I think I've come to realize that I like Half's when they are in cool places with cool things to do. The next one on my list will probably be the lululemon Seawheeze in Vancouver....maybe not till 2014 though. Let's not get too crazy with this whole running thing! :) <br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-10869902457684571642012-10-31T18:39:00.001-07:002012-10-31T18:39:13.210-07:00Competition Time- What to Bring!It's competition time folks! I've already posted extensively regarding competitions but one thing I haven't touched on in a while is how to prepare for the actual day of competition i.e. what the heck do I bring to this thing? How do I eat? What am I going to need?<br />
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Now I'm a pretty seasoned competitor so I've definitely got my go-tos and getting ready for a competition for me really isn't that big of a deal anymore. But as the popularity of CrossFit and CrossFit Competitions continues to grow, more and more people get the desire to compete. Every year in College Station, BoomFit hosts a great competition called the BCS Games. It is one that we always encourage our new gym members to do if they want to compete. It's a great competition and great first competition and it's happening this Saturday (which happens to be my birthday...double awesome!) Since we are bringing a fair amount of Newbies from CrossFit Katy with us to try test themselves in their first competition this weekend, I thought I'd do a little post of things that I bring with me anytime that I compete.<br />
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List of Must-Haves:<br />
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Multiple pairs of shoes depending on the WOD (lifters, runners, nano's)<br />
Atlas Power Wraps<br />
Jump Rope (good for warm up even if it's not in a WOD)<br />
Change of Socks<br />
Change of shorts (believe me, if you plan on going out to eat after, you will want extra shorts!)<br />
Sunglasses<br />
Sunscreen<br />
Bug Spray<br />
Tylenol (I don't use Advil or any NSAID's but I do use Tylenol if I get headaches)<br />
Chairs<br />
Blanket<br />
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List of Must Haves in my cooler:<br />
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Protein Powder<br />
Shaker Bottles<br />
Water<br />
Coconut Water<br />
Baked Sweet Potato<br />
Deli Turkey Meat<br />
Fruit- Usually Banana and Grapes or Strawberries<br />
Nuts or Trail Mix<br />
LaraBars<br />
Applesauce in the easy squeeze packs<br />
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Ok so that's about it. Good luck to all our newbies this weekend! It's going to be tons of fun!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-30873061439211970302012-10-30T19:35:00.003-07:002012-10-30T19:35:29.553-07:00Stop and Listen to the MusicI came across this video from a post that a friend put on Facebook. Usually I don't really pay attention to those "chain" posts. You know the ones that have been posted and reposted and shared and what not and then you wonder if they're even real. Where do some of those come from anyway? But for some reason I actually read this one, and then I looked it up. Turns out that this story was true.<br />
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Back in 2007, the Washington Post did a story...it was really more like a social experiment. They wanted to know if we would still recognize beauty if it was inconvenient. At 7:51am on a Friday, a young man set up post at the L'Enfant Plaza Station of the Washington Metro. This was of course, rush hour, and most people were busy heading to their respective jobs. The young man pulled out a violin and began playing, with an open case, like many street musicians have probably done before him. But this young man wasn't your ordinary street musician. His name is Joshua Bell and he is one of the greatest concert violinist in the world. Just three days before this little experiment, Bell had played to a sold out audience at Boston's Symphony Hall where seats were going for a minimum of $100 a piece! Of the 1,097 people that passed him by that morning only seven people stopped for over a minute to listen!<br />
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I don't know why this story stuck with me today but it really did. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I think I have watched the video about ten times and every time I do I can't help but wonder, would I have stopped to listen to the music? Would you?<br />
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I think we could all stand to take more time to stop and listen to the music.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/myq8upzJDJc" width="420"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-49133118050736830782012-10-28T18:05:00.001-07:002012-10-28T18:05:51.820-07:00Competition SeasonOktoberfest Obliteration is over but the only thing that really means is that competition season has finally begun for the 2012-2013 year. I think I may have bitten off more than I can chew this season but it will be a good test to see how well I can manage a high volume of competition without letting my actual training suffer. It's easy to get caught up in competitions, but if you allow yourself to do that, you may end up sacrificing your training. What I mean is, you end up putting too much into the actual competition so the week before and the week of, you may end up slacking a bit on your actual training to be "fresh" for the competition that weekend. This is all well and good but when you're signed up for as many comps as I am, you have to really prioritize. So far, my competition season looks like this:<br />
<br />
October 20th- Oktoberfest Obliteration IV<br />
November 3rd- BCS Games in College Station<br />
November 10th- Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon<br />
December 8th- ACO in Dallas<br />
December 15th- Get Fit or Die Mayan Team Comp.<br />
January 5th- H-Town Throwdown Partner Comp.<br />
January 19th & 20th- Fittest Games in Austin (as long as I get in)<br />
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Then the 2013 CrossFit Open should start sometime in February! Whew that is crazy! It looks much crazier when you put them all down on paper like that. So like I was saying, if I don't prioritize then I may end up slacking off in my actual training when most of these competitions are just for fun! I mean all competitions are for fun but there are some that I know I want to be totally fresh for and there's some that I am going to treat like just another day of training.<br />
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For anybody that intends to tackle this many competitions along with preparing for the Open, Regionals and beyond, there are definitely a few things that are going to be essential to stay ready and to not become over-trained.<br />
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The first one is obviously nutrition. Right now I am about 85% Paleo. I am not perfect nor do I really intend to be for the long run. I am feeling like I am running with about 5-8 extra lbs on me right now and will need to really buckle down if I'm going to get them off but I still believe the majority of my diet is right on. I get plenty of protein (probably too much) mostly from grass-fed or pastured meats that I buy from Yonder Way Farms. I eat veggies regularly and get enough fat. My non-Paleo treats include starbucks drinks, lara bars (paleo but mostly sugar still), and even an occasional cupcake or pancake (I know, there's my extra 5lbs right there). The core of my nutrition is where it needs to be and I am doing well with nutrient timing so I have been recovering from my workouts and competitions well so far.<br />
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The second important factor to prevent over-training is sleep. You have to get enough sleep if you intend to stay lean, build muscle, recover from your workouts and most importantly manage stress. Exercise is a physical stress. Your job, family duties, finances, relationships....those are all mental stressors. Here's the catch though, your body can't tell the difference between the two. So if you have a shit ton of mental stress right now, and you are trying to work out 5 days a week and you are running on no sleep, you are going to get overtrained and your performance will suffer. You also probably will be no fun to be around. Make it a priority to get enough sleep. There are definitely nights when that is not going to happen. The trick is taking advantage of the nights when you can get enough sleep. Part of sleep is actually training and routine. Meaning you have to train yourself to go to bed earlier. When you first start to do this, you will end up just laying in bed at first wondering why you are there. But eventually, after many, many nights of laying there, your body will begin to adjust and you will fall asleep. So start tonight. Go to bed 30 minutes earlier.<br />
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The third is taking care of your body physically. Whether that means mobility, getting massages, acupuncture or visiting your favorite Airrosti provider, you need to give your body some love (hey nobody said being competitive was cheap).<br />
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Lastly I think the key to keeping it all together is proper supplementation. If we want to be high performance athletes, then there's no way around this. You absolutely can't get everything you need from food alone.<br />
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So hopefully, with this combination, I'll make it through this competition season ready to take on the Open! Happy WODing!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-15627994837818108702012-10-21T19:24:00.001-07:002012-10-21T19:24:49.155-07:00Oktoberfest Obliteration IVWell, I have definitely not been successful with this little experiment of blogging everyday and doing a month-long nutrition challenge. And I guess it's time to stop apologizing for it and just accept it and strive to do the best I can right now. But that's not what this post is about. This post is about Oktoberfest Obliteration IV!<br />
Yesterday was OOIV. This competition, run by the Munson's over at CrossFit Champions, has quickly become one of the biggest competitions in the area, and of course a lot of big names and awesome athletes come out to compete. It's always a ton of fun and this year was no different. For whatever reason, Matt Munson decided it was a good idea to put me in the last heat of Elite Women which was of course STACKED with amazing ladies. Games competitors Candice Ruiz, Jessica Estrada, Regionals athletes Chelsea Lewis and Chely Galvan and many, many more! Not to mention all the amazing athletes in the heats before me like CrossFit Katy's own Brittani Briner...man has she become a serious competitor over this last year! Anway, I was excited to be in such a great heat but I was also pretty apprehensive about it. At least this year some of the WOD's totally played to my strengths.<br />
The first WOD was a short, intense 8 min WOD with 125# push jerks and burpees in it. I had a pretty steep goal for that one and fell short a little but was overall pretty happy with my performance. I pretty much think on the second WOD, Munson thought "what WOD would Leah Goldstein really like to see?" Haha! I mean obviously not but I don't think I could have asked for something better. The WOD was 90 seconds of max Front Squats at 115# That's right, 90 seconds. I know, I know that's really short for a CrossFit WOD but it was awesome and tough. A real gut check to see if you could talk yourself out of wanting to put the bar down. The 3rd WOD had a bit of the unknown and unknowable with a 400m run with a slosh ball. A slosh ball is basically a Bosu ball half filled with water. Man that thing was awkward! After those first 3 WOD's I was sitting in 7th place which was AMAZING! I don't think I've ranked that high in such a tough competition ever. I was really feeling good!...But then WOD 4 happened! Ugg! WOD 4 consisted of three different AMRAP's. Each AMRAP counted as its own workout and you were, therefore, ranked for how you did in each of the different WOD's. I think that actually worked towards my favor because I really don't do well in long AMRAP's. I'm a power athlete. I need short, heavy reps and WOD's. So the first AMRAP which was 3 minutes of 215# deadlifts and burpees was pretty good for me. The other two AMRAP's which were 6 and 9 minutes respectively tore me apart! I ended up falling from 7th to 13th place after it was all said and done. I have to admit, I was pretty bummed about it. But, like all competitions, the point is to make you a better athlete. I know there are some movements that I still need to work on and it's really easy to push those movements aside...until they come up in competitions and bite you in the ass! (I'm talking to you Chest to Bar Pull Ups!) Anway, the next stop for me is All-Cities Open. I've got 7 weeks to prep for it! Watch out girls....it's time for a rematch!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-3047373471174658962012-10-17T19:53:00.002-07:002012-10-17T19:53:35.464-07:00Sleep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I read an interesting article today from the NPR blog about sleep and its affects on body composition, particularly adipose tissue's response to insulin. You can read the full article, you can go <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/17/163018568/poor-sleep-may-lead-to-too-much-stored-fat-and-disease">here</a>.<br />
The point of the article is that if you don't sleep enough, you're going to gain weight or at the best you're not going to lose weight. I think when people make decisions to lose weight or get in shape, they spend a lot of time worrying about their diet and fitness. They painstakingly count calories, cut out favorite foods, carve out time to work out (sometimes even getting up super early to do that) but they never think about going to bed earlier. At the clinic where I work, we see a lot of patients who want to lose weight. They've tried every diet and they work out religiously, but when you ask them about their daily lives, you find that they sometimes are getting a measly 5-6 hours of sleep a night! Yikes. Considering the study that was done in the aforementioned article says a mere 8 days of consistently getting too little sleep can have massive impacts on your fat cells, think about how much damage we are doing to ourselves by routinely getting this little sleep! I hear a lot of people say, "but I can't go to bed early, I have too much to do!" I know that we all have busy lives, but when you ask the average person how many hours of television they watch a night, or how much time they spend on the computer, you realize that there are extra hours in the day and many of us should spend that time in bed!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-29028417159302555172012-10-16T19:16:00.002-07:002012-10-16T19:16:41.615-07:00Test Results!I may or may not have posted this earlier but I have been experimenting a lot with my nutrition and supplementation routine lately and after attending the American Academy of Anti-Aging Sports Medicine Conference in Chicago, I ran some additional bloodwork on myself. Well, those results have finally come back and it is surprising to say the least! For anybody that believes that you can be a competitive CrossFitter and get all of your nutrients just from food, you are wrong! I know for myself at least that there were many nutrients that I readily consume via food like B-Vitamins that were not at optimal levels when tested. That's because we ask so much of our bodies when we CrossFit or really compete at any high level sport. Obviously every individual is unique and it really takes some in-depth clinical testing to find out what your body needs but there are some universal generalizations that can apply to most athletes. Now, that I have my specific micronutrient levels, I am really excited to adjust my supplementation and see if I can continue to improve on my performance, body composition, inflammation and overall health.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-39582772511072440962012-10-15T19:15:00.001-07:002012-10-15T19:15:49.971-07:00Oktoberfest WOD's Are Up!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is the first year that I have done <a href="http://www.oktoberfestobliteration.com/">Oktoberfest</a> as an individual and I'm pretty excited and just a little nervous! I mean even with as many competitions as I have done, I still get a little anxious before them. <a href="http://www.oktoberfestobliteration.com/">Oktoberfest</a> is one of the biggest competitions of the season. Matt and Pam Munson over at <a href="http://crossfitchampions.com/">CrossFit Champions</a> have been putting it on for the last 4 years and it seems like it just keeps getting bigger! As of last year, <a href="http://www.oktoberfestobliteration.com/">Oktoberfes</a>t became the first competition in the Annual Triple Crown of the South Series. It consists of three competitions (<a href="http://www.oktoberfestobliteration.com/">Oktoberfest</a>, All Cities Open, and Fittest Games) and if anyone wins all of them, they go home with some serious cash. If nobody wins all of them, then the person who finishes highest in all three wins a little piece of the pot. This year, I hope to compete at all three Triple Crown Events.<br />
The WOD's for Oktoberfest were announced today. For complete info and video demo's of the WOD's click <a href="http://www.oktoberfestobliteration.com/ooiv-elite-division-wods/">here</a>. I am pretty excited about two of the WOD's and not so excited about the other two. I love the WOD with the heavy push jerks. Push Jerk's aren't my best movement but I'm pretty strong so I'm happy to see a WOD that could play to my strengths. The other short WOD has a sprint and moderately heavy front squats! YES!!! I love front squats. That WOD should have been named Leah! Now unfortunately I think Matt Munson must have known exactly what kind of WOD I also would HATE to see! The Run Forrest Run WOD is going to be my nemesis. It consists of three 400m runs with different weighted implements. I suck at running and three 400's is a lot for me. At least some of them are weighted. I feel like that may even the playing fields just a bit for us bigger girls. We'll see. I think it's still going to kill me!<br />
Anyway, go to the link and check 'em out and be sure to come out to Oktoberfest and yell your hearts out for CrossFit Katy!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-4355876742597093472012-10-15T06:28:00.001-07:002012-10-15T06:28:37.789-07:00Nutrition FailOk, it's time to stop pretending that this little "nutrition challenge" is working for me right now. I started off with very good intentions but just haven't been able to see this thing through. Don't get me wrong, my breakfasts, lunches and dinners have been great lately. But my snacks are killing this nutrition challenge. I can't seem to lay off the dairy and sugars. Maybe I am an all or nothing kind of person. It could be time for a 21-Day Sugar Detox or a true Whole 30. Here's the thing. If I was totally and completely happy with my body composition right now, I wouldn't change anything. I think it's perfectly healthy to eat a 90% Paleo diet with a few weekly cheats in there (like coffee drinks from starbucks or gluten free treats) But the fact of the matter is that I am not entirely happy with my body comp and if I really want to change things, I'll have to buckle down. Programs like the Whole 30 or 21 Day Sugar Detox are great for that because they have very clear cut "rules" if you will. So now I guess the big question is, how bad do I want it? That's the question that I think everybody has to ask themselves before they start any kind of nutrition or fitness program. What are your goals and how bad do you want to attain them? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-33088633642317538552012-10-13T20:31:00.000-07:002012-10-13T20:31:00.791-07:00I Love SaturdaysSaturdays are one of my favorite days. I guess that sounds kind of dumb because most people love Saturdays. Usually because they don't have to work. Well, I have to work on Saturdays but I love it. Saturdays at CrossFit Katy are so much fun. At 8am we have Open Gym/Squat Class. I usually spend that hour though coaching one of my fave little CrossFitters. (She's 10 and thinks CrossFit is the coolest sport ever!) At nine o'clock we have our Saturday morning Team/Partner WOD. I love the Team WOD's because people get so into it! I mean there's competition every day in every class at CrossFit Katy but Saturdays things just get kicked up a bit because there's so many people. The atmosphere is great and it's a fun class to coach. Next we have our beginner class which usually finishes up around 11:30am then it's time for Lunch. I guess I love Saturdays so much because there's kind of some ritual behind it. Neal and I always go out for lunch on Saturdays and usually we get to get together with some good friends. The rest of the weekend is really up in the air for us. This weekend I drove to Austin to visit my mom and step-dad. One of my best friends from high school is moving to Seattle this week so we all got together tonight at my mom's for a good bye dinner if you will. Change is hard for me I think. As much as I would love to say that I love spontaneity and adventure, I think I'm really just comfortable being settled. So as fun as it is I know for my friends to embark on this new journey, I think I'll just keep my Saturdays. Here's to being happy where you are...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-66435436492155129762012-10-12T21:19:00.001-07:002012-10-12T21:19:48.468-07:00TGIFWell it's friday! Made it through another week. I'm happy to report that this little experiment really seems to be working in a lot of aspects. I feel so much better during my workouts. I have motivation and persistence again. I know that seems kind of strange because those are all things that I think people really look at as mental issues. They simply berate themselves for not trying harder at least that's what I used to say. I pretty much thought the reason my workouts and performance were suffering was because I just wasn't trying hard enough, that I just didn't care enough about it anymore and that made me kind of sad. But now I realize just how important nutrient and micronutrient status an be as far as CrossFit is concerned. We tell our bodies to do so much for us and if we don't give it what it needs, how can we expect it to do well. The brain I think has this kind of protection system. It knows that you are not at your peak nutrient-wise so instead of allowing you to barrel through, it tells you to slow down. Anyway, that's the good news. The bad news is I am still a bit heavy. Haven't really budged in the weight department and that's because I am still not being as strict as I need to be I think to see results. I am having to toughest time giving up sugars. Today I had a larabar and an apple and some chocolate milk in my coffee at work and this was all before noon. Those sugars are going to be the death of me. I thought I could really do this whole nutrition challenge thing without having to do a strict Whole 30 but that may not work. It's too late to cut back too much now since Oktoberfest is around the corner. You never want to mess with things too much right before a big competition. We'll see! I'm pretty excited to see what Munson throws at us this year. The WODs come out Monday! I'll be sure and keep y'all posted! Goodnight for now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-50268783031744359262012-10-12T06:15:00.005-07:002012-10-12T06:15:28.076-07:00Shoulder Post Rope ClimbsSorry guys, forgot to get this up last night....<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kHejNtERDnc/UHgXzA2cQQI/AAAAAAAAAdo/nkOMb9MoD-A/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kHejNtERDnc/UHgXzA2cQQI/AAAAAAAAAdo/nkOMb9MoD-A/s200/images.jpeg" width="157" /></a>After having probably the most awesome day possible as far as my shoulder pain is concerned (on weds), I was really anxious to see how it would hold up after all those rope climbs we did last night. Good news is that it really is not that sore! No aching in the morning when I woke up and I hardly noticed it all day. I did test it out by trying to hold the top of a ring dip and that still hurts :( but it's progress! Today is definitely a rest day for me! I love Thursdays because I get up early and knock out coaching the 4 morning classes at CrossFit Katy and then I come home, walk the dogs and eat lunch, then I head out to my other job up at Specialty Healthcare and Wellness for the afternoon. After work, I have the night off! I love it because I get to come home, usually walk my dogs again (I know, they're spoiled but it's good for me too) then I have the whole evening to relax and make dinner. Thursday nights are usually the nights that I get to be a little more creative with dinner because I've actually got the time. Tonight the menu was Paleo chicken fried steak and okra. I know, I know, how do you make Paleo chicken fried steak??? It's actually really easy. I buy the tenderized round steak from Yonder Way Farms. It's actually one of the cheaper cuts of meat that they sell which is a bonus cause Neal loves this dish. So you heat up some coconut oil in a pan. You really have to use coconut oil because you're frying and it has the highest smoke point. Anyway, so you heat it up in pan then you cut your steak into personal sized pieces (it comes in a long strip) dip them in egg and then almond flour. If you want to get fancy, you can season the almond flour however you like. I just do it plain. You fry the now-breaded steaks in the coconut oil for about 4-5 minutes a side. I don't really use a timer. They cook up pretty fast. Ta da! Paleo Chicken Fried Steak! Like I said, Neal loves this dish which is good because there's nothing that will kill your motivation to stay Paleo like boredom! Got to keep mixing it up or you'll be tempted to cheat.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-81097772966055211772012-10-10T20:11:00.002-07:002012-10-10T20:14:36.255-07:00Day Ten<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Holy cow, I think I'm having a breakthrough! So it's day ten of this little experiment of mine. I really can't say that my nutrition has been perfect because it hasn't. I mean I am being really conscious of what I'm eating but I still have dairy and I still have small amounts of sugar. Probably why I have had no weight loss since I started. That and I may have to reevaluate my portions. Anyway, on to the breakthrough. Today is the first day that I have woken up, gone all day, done a tough WOD and have had NO shoulder pain at all!! I mean none. It wasn't even sore to the touch this morning. That is a breakthrough. Honestly, the only thing that I have been religious about in these past ten days has been my supplementation routine. I am not ready to post about it yet because I am still figuring out the perfect combination for myself but things are looking really good. Today in class we had another nasty WOD concocted by Mike that went something like this:<br />
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10 minute cap:<br />
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5-4-3-2-1<br />
10-8-6-4-2<br />
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Rope Climbs<br />
Squat Snatch (increasing weight each round)<br />
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Now, we only have 3 ropes in the gym so we did it in 3 heats (hence the time cap or we'd be there all night) I was in heat two and I got through the first two rounds no problem. Ran out of time during the third round but I really wasn't upset at all. I didn't think I'd get past the round of 4 rope climbs without being wrecked and I did fine. If I had had 5 more minutes, I think I actually could have finished that WOD. That's pretty big for me oh and did I mention my shoulder didn't hurt! :)<br />
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My nutrition today was a little off. I had a bowl of paleo chili for breakfast because I was too lazy to cook and some coffee. The coffee had a little dairy in it and by the middle of the morning classes, I had some serious indigestion/burps. Something definitely didn't agree with me and that kind of set up my whole day to feel bloated. Anyway, lunch was light. Steamed crab and shrimp from Fish City Grill (yummy!) topped it off with a cappuchino which is again more dairy. I really think I need to cut it out for a while looking back at my bloated feeling throughout the day. I had a little hot tea and almond butter for a snack and a pre-workout concoction of some supplements in a little coconut water. After the WOD, I had a post-workout protein shake and then came home and had a few scrambled eggs and an apple with almond butter because I just wasn't that hungry. Tomorrow I am aiming to do no dairy and see if that helps this heavy/bloated feeling. I also think I need to check my portion sizes so a little food journaling might be happening over here. Anyway, it's off to bed before starting another early morning at CF Katy. Hopefully this shoulder continues to behave. I'll be anxious to see how it feels tomorrow after all those rope climbs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-71219996157466057772012-10-09T19:14:00.001-07:002012-10-09T19:14:46.317-07:00My favorite Paleo Pick UpsConfession, I am not as good as you may think I am. I think people are always amazed at how consistently Paleo I am and they read my posts about grass-fed beef and pastured and wild meats and while I really do have my fridge stocked with these items, I definitely get help to stay on track. I think we all try to do it all. We have jobs or raise kids, take care of the house, grocery shop, workout and we're expected to have perfectly healthy, organic, Paleo meals ready for us and our family 24/7. Well, that's just not reality. So a lot of us decide that its just easier to get "convenience food" and give up on our healthy eating habits because we can't be perfect. I think that's just an excuse. That's taking the easy way out. I mean you can't eat out breakfast, lunch and dinner and really expect to be healthy. You are going to have to do some cooking and you are going to have to put in some effort BUT there are definitely some "go-to" for quick Paleo pick ups for those nights or days when you just can't do it all. These are my favorites:<br />
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Rotisserie Chicken from Super Pollo Rico on Mason. Neal and I like to pick up a whole chicken with four sides to eat after class sometimes when we're too tired to cook and don't have any steak thawed. We always get salad and plantains for our sides. That way we're getting some veggies, protein and a starchy carb in the Paleo-friendly plantains. Plus they're delicious.<br />
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Fajitas from El Jarrito or Las Mananitas. We tend to get the big order where you get some shrimp and stuff too. Just tell them that you don't want the chips, tortillas, beans and rice and ask for extra guac.<br />
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War Wonton Soup from Orient Cafe. This is not perfectly Paleo but it's one of the freshest and lightest soups around. We always get two orders even though one is supposed to be enough for two people. It is a clear brothed soup with tons of fresh veggies in it and chicken, beef, pork and shrimp. They usually put 2 or 3 wontons in it which really isn't that much considering the size. I usually finish about 3/4 of mine and save the rest for a snack.<br />
<br />
Barbecue from Rudy's or Red River BBQ. We get the brisket and sausage. Sometimes we get ribs but you're going to want to stay away from them if you're doing a nutrition challenge or are aiming for weight loss because they tend to have a lot of sugars in the rub. At Red River BBQ you can even get a plain, dry baked sweet potato to go with your meat. Sides at BBQ joints are tricky so we tend to stick with green beans and maybe a little coleslaw.<br />
<br />
Lamb and Chicken Gyro Meat from Shishkebob Cafe on Fry. We order it by the pound and it is soooo amazingly delicious. We also get sides of shirazi salad which is chopped cucumber, tomato, and onion with parsley and spices. It is so good and different.<br />
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Those are really our "go-tos". If I'm not cooking up grilled steak or some kind of crock-pot concoction, this is generally what we're eating.<br />
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Side Note: I made a big pot of Paleo chili today with grassfed beef and venison. This is another tip. Make big batches of stuff so you can eat off of it for days.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-13454944972800884772012-10-08T19:45:00.002-07:002012-10-08T19:45:46.011-07:00Suck It Fran!Well it's day eight of this little nutrition challenge/experiment. I may not have really gone into much detail before, but the real reason I am doing this is because I think my performance in the gym (and really in life) has been lacking. I have low energy, I am heavier, more body fat, have felt very little motivation or drive in most of my workouts. My nutrition was poor by my standards, sleep was less and stress was/is higher. And my dang AC joint that I injured at Regionals is STILL bugging me! Ugg, that was 5 months ago!<br />
Along with my job at CrossFit Katy, I work part-time at a Wellness clinic in Bellaire (and Sienna Plantation) doing Paleo Nutrition, Athletic Performance, Hormone Balancing, etc. We're a pretty cutting edge facility really. One of the coolest things we do for our Athletes (and people in general) is Micronutrient Testing and Inflammation Assessments. Then we recommend appropriate nutrition and supplementation protocols. Back when I started in February, I had my blood work tested and got on a concoction of supplements. After about 7 weeks, I was feeling amazing! I was lean, had tons of energy and was kicking ass in my workouts (mostly) Regionals was coming up and I was pumped! But after Regionals was over and my "season" ended, I really slipped into some pretty lax eating habits, stopped working out as much and ran out of my supplements and stopped taking them. I know, I am a bad patient. And while I definitely feel that there is a serious need for "seasons" and periodization (I'll cover that in another post) I let myself slip pretty far. Well, a few weeks ago I went to a Sports Medicine Conference in Chicago and wow my head literally exploded with information. That's when it really hit me. How was I supposed to properly treat athletes to make them the best that they can be if I was so off-base with my own performance?? That's when I really decided to do this thing. I have so far had my blood re-tested (the results are pending) and I have started a new supplement protocol. I have only been doing this for 8 days now, but I am already feeling better.<br />
Today at the gym we did Fran! Infamous Fran! I haven't done Fran in literally months...maybe even a year and I wasn't very optimistic about it because I still haven't had that pop back in my workouts yet and I am still heavier than I want to be. But I sucked it up and pushed through and guess what....I got a HUGE PR! 3:42! That's the fastest Fran time of any girl in our gym so far! So right now, I am feeling pretty optimistic about my new routine. I am still hoping to drop a few pounds and lean out and I am still hoping for some more energy and go in my workouts, but if this is any indication of where I could be going...watch out South Central!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-6658213733676158032012-10-07T18:59:00.001-07:002012-10-07T18:59:52.483-07:00Back to normalcyWell, that whirlwind of a vacation is over. And yes, if you are counting, I did not post last night. We got back to our hotel room late from the last of the wedding festivities and I got lost in packing and getting ready for my 8am flight this morning and forgot to blog! Fail number one. Believe me folks, it won't happen again and I am even going to extend my blog to all of October (that's 31 days!) to make up for it. Anyway, if there's one thing this trip has taught me is that it is possible to have self-restraint even at wedding festivities. Pick your most important meals throughout the festivities and don't get caught up in the "but its a wedding" feeling around you. I made my choices, indulged in the not-to-be missed events (like the hand selected winery reception) and turned down the not as special (like the fancy beers at the Irish pub....that was hard!) You'll feel better about yourself for not going over the edge and it makes coming back home that much easier. Tonight Neal cooked me a delicious sirloin and I made some broiled zucchini with grass-fed butter. I am still dealing with some sugar cravings so I've got myself some different hot teas and decaf coffees to get me through those tough times. A good tip for night time cravings is to make yourself a cup of hot tea and dissolve a tsp or two of coconut oil into it. The added fat gives you some satiety and keeps you from mindlessly munching. Tomorrow I plan on making some paleo chili in the crockpot! yummo! It's finally getting cool enough that hot soups and stews are going to be coming back on the menu. I think my crock pot is going to be my new best friend since it makes prepping food soooo easy! I do have to admit that my pantry is still pretty pathetic. Since we've moved, I have not really stocked up on anything. When you keep a Paleo kitchen, your pantry generally gets neglected in favor of the fresh stuff but there are some staples that every Paleo cook should have on-hand including:<br />
Canned Coconut Milk<br />
Canned Tomatoes<br />
Chicken and Beef Stock<br />
Tomoto Paste<br />
Spices, Spices, Spices!<br />
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A quick trip to Costco should take care of that though and they have a great selection of organic and even some grass-fed and wild caught items. I missed the Yonder Way Farms delivery this week as I was out of town. The next delivery, it will be time to stock up on some stew meats, roasts and chickens for soup.<br />
The next few months are shaping up to be pretty ridiculously busy! My first big competition since Regionals is coming up in less than two weeks and I'm really pumped and a little nervous. I also have a half marathon coming up in November. Suffice to say, it's going to be a busy fall. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Now off to bed for a good night's sleep before the crazy week begins again.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-39337831076123015492012-10-05T19:37:00.001-07:002012-10-05T19:37:08.985-07:00When to say yesToday I got to witness the legal marriage of my amazing aunt Janine to the love of her life Trish at Niagara Falls! Trish and Janine have been together for fifteen years. The first time I met Trish was when my aunt brought her to my 13th birthday dinner. I can't believe it's been that long! In that fifteen years, they have celebrated so much including the birth of my triplet cousins (who are now eleven!) and have been a family in every sense of the word but now they truly get to celebrate their marriage! Obviously weddings present their own challenges as far as nutrition is concerned. Up until this point I have been amazing at sticking to my guns. I did not partake I the casual rehearsal dinner meal of pasta and bread opting instead to have an extra large serving of salad and veggies. I drank no wine and had no dessert. But today after the beautiful wedding on the brink of the falls, we all headed into Canada to a local winery for the reception. The menu was per selected by the brides and included such delicious dishes as tomato bisque, beet salad, salmon with lobster risotto and pumpkin cheesecake. This is one of the reasons why I decided not to do a whole thirty this month opting instead for a personalized nutrition challenge. Weddings are a time for celebration especially when it's family. Because of this I celebrated with my family and indulged in delicious food and two glasses of champagne. Does this mean I have officially failed my nutrition challenge? Of course not! This is just an example of knowing when to say yes. I will never again be at my aunts wedding at a beautiful winery in Niagara Falls. Today I said yes and tomorrow I will again know when to say no. And just for your knowledge, dinner was a steak and salad. :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-19382204430631581612012-10-04T19:54:00.002-07:002012-10-04T19:54:57.385-07:00Paleo on a planeWell I made it to Niagara. I am currently blogging from my dad's iPad so forgive me if this post is short. I just wanted to talk a little about staying on track while traveling. It's easy to get caught unprepared when traveling. We spend so much time figuring out what we're bringing to wear that we forget about the actual journey. Airports are generally not very Paleo friendly so it can be really hard and really expensive to get the right kind of food. On this trip, I knew I didn't want to be caught unprepared so I made sure to include in my carry on larabars, oloves brand olives ( I talked about those in a previous post) easy squeeze applesauce and macadamia nuts. I can safely say that I made it through the trip without resorting to eating those little crackers they hand you on board. In my book, that's success!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-91750602847191612362012-10-03T19:51:00.002-07:002012-10-03T19:51:26.405-07:00Sugar Cravings....nobody is immune!Oh man! It's day three of my nutrition challenge and I am having full on sugar cravings! You see, I've been doing great so far. This morning I had two scrambled eggs and some coffee. Lunch was sauteed zucchini and elk sausage with some homemade Kombucha that my dad made! Wow was that delicious! I was pretty busy this afternoon though, and didn't make it home until 6pm. Since my lunch was at noon, I came through the door starving! That's when the sugar cravings hit. I was so hungry, that all my body was telling me to eat was sugar. You're body will frequently lead you towards the sugary stuff at times like this for two reasons. The first is that sugar is the fastest source of energy for your body. It takes much longer for proteins and fats to digest. Also sugars affect the dopamine receptors in your brain releasing "feel good" hormones when you eat them. So when you're stressed or overly hungry, your body will crave sugar!<br />
One of the beauties of the Paleo diet is that when you remove sugars from your diet, your body craves them less and less. One of the reasons is that you become an efficient fat burner meaning your body will oxidize stored body fat when you don't have any food around and your body needs energy. Unfortunately for me, I have allowed far too many sugars into my diet lately. Now that I am back on track, I will have to fight these sugar cravings off for the next week or so until my body gets regulated again.<br />
Needless to say, I did not give in completely to my sugar cravings. I grabbed a larabar and had some hot tea to tide me over. Ordinarily, I would have just made dinner but Wednesday nights at 7:30pm are Advanced class nights! I love advanced class because I get to get together with my other trainers and advanced athletes and work on some really fun skills and throw down on some great WOD's. Tonight's little number looked like this:<br />
<br />
3 Rounds<br />
18 Pistols<br />
9 Deficit Handstand Push Ups<br />
3 Burpee Muscle Ups<br />
then<br />
Teams of two complete 3000m row switching every 300 meters.<br />
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That row was a serious lung burner!<br />
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Tomorrow I am off to Niagara Falls, NY to see my lovely Aunt get married to the love of her life, Trish. I am bringing my computer with me so I can keep up the blogging. I am hoping to get in a WOD at CrossFit Niagara but we'll see how the wedding weekend festivities go. Stay tuned with tips on how to stay on track while traveling! Goodnight for now!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1502479031195544756.post-56167055981980672822012-10-02T19:29:00.001-07:002012-10-02T19:29:22.477-07:00Staying on Track on a busy day!Whew! What a day! Tuesdays are usually my toughest days of the week. Right now I am working two jobs. The first one being my full time coaching job. I usually coach or co-coach 23 classes a week at CrossFit Katy. My second job is as a nurse and Paleo Nutrition specialist at Specialty Healthcare and Wellness in Bellaire, TX. We are one of the only clinics on the Paleo Physicians Network in the Houston area. We specialize in wellness, women's health, hormone balancing and athletic performance. Now, don't get me wrong, I love both of my jobs, but Tuesdays are rough!<br />
On Tuesdays I get up at 4:50am and get ready to coach the early morning classes at CrossFit Katy. I coach 5:30am, 6:30am, 8:30am and 9:30am. Then I have two hours to come home, make and eat lunch, walk my dogs and relax for a bit until I have to get in my car and drive up to Bellaire to my second job. I usually see three or four patients (working until about 4:30pm) and then I drive back to CrossFit Katy to co-coach the 5:30pm, 6:30pm, and 7:30pm classes. Most of the time when I come home I just want to collapse but a girls gotta eat! So I usually make dinner, watch tv or surf the net and then hit the sack at around 9:30 or 10:00pm. This Tuesday has been particularly tiring but I made a commitment to blog everyday for 30 days so here I am!<br />
The point of this post is that there really are no excuses for eating poorly just because you're tired or stressed or busy. If I can do it on this crazy schedule, then so can you! My secret to success is making sure I'm prepared. Last night, I cooked one pound of ground beef and one pound of ground elk in a pan with some spices and greens. From this two pounds, I had dinner last night, breakfast this morning and lunch today. I had a tub of pre-made guacamole in the fridge from HEB and I just topped my meat with some guac and voila! Meat, Veggies, Fat! Perfect combination. For dinner tonight, I came home and grilled some lamb shoulder chops and sauteed some zucchini. This whole dinner took me 10 minutes to cook and probably 5 minutes to prep. That's pretty good so don't tell me you don't have 15 minutes to cook cause I know you do! Priorities people, get them straight.<br />
Anyway, my go-to's for making sure that I'm prepared and can have a decent breakfast, lunch or dinner cooked in no time flat are:<br />
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Eggs<br />
Thawed Ribeye Steaks<br />
Thawed Ground Beef, Bison or Elk<br />
Some kind of Greens like Swiss Chard<br />
Zucchini<br />
Canned Salmon or Tuna<br />
Frozen Broccoli<br />
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With this combo, I can pretty much make anything. Obviously, the more goodies and the more stocked your fridge and pantry are, the better off you'll be because you will have lots of choices and won't get bored. So that's my story for today. Now it's time for some sleep!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0