Counting

21 consecutive chest to ground push ups this evening.

*ding*

Burpees for Breakfast

I have been doing between 15-30 burpees every morning, depending on how late I wake up. Getting my heart going without the use of caffeine immediately after waking up sets a great tone for the rest of my day. The fog is wiped from my brain and I feel a noticeable difference in the days that I get lazy and decide not to do the burpees. Those days are few and far between at this point. For those willing to give my morning ritual a go, you won't be disappointed.

Meanwhile in WTF land....

I'm in a weird phase right now with my workouts and have felt less than stellar about my performance over the last few weeks. The previous time I was in this rut was due to upping the weight in the bulk of the movements, which always chops the number of max reps, and ups the time. I need to keep that in mind before developing a complex. I accomplished four unassisted pull ups yesterday morning and the first two were really strong and consecutive, chest to the bar on the first go. The last two were ok; chin over the bar, but I felt less powerful at that point. Yet, I feel slightly disappointed in myself that four is all I got, and those DB presses were barely coming out of me. Hmmm....

Reality Check: The WOD was max reps six times, DB press 30# (60# total) and max reps pull ups. Last year I could hardly eek out more than 10 consecutive box jump pull ups and my max DB weight was 10#. I need to relax.

Tonight starts Day #1 in Week #2 of the 100 Push Ups Challenge. By the end of the week I should hit over 15 perfect form push ups. Operative word being should.

Carob Balls, OH MY!

Wheatsville co-op has these little delights called "bliss balls" that really are blissful. I've decided to attempt my own variation on them, and hopefully won't shove them all into my mouth at once in a fit of food weakness...they really are that good.
Just so we all know....

1. They are really high in fat.
2. They are really high in fat.
3. They are really high in fat.

Get my drift?

They are, however, a delicious alternative to other sweet treats...and they're paleo friendly.

Here is the recipe I plan on making tonight (hopefully):
1c raisins
2T honey
2T carob powder
1c almond butter
roll em up in coconut flakes

y. u. m


(EDIT: These little guys are INCREDIBLE and I highly encourage those who want treats but not the sugar to make these....so....delicious....and I didn't eat them all. Promise. I did nix the honey and they turned out beautifully!)

Well Hey There Grumpy Pants....

I feel like a four year old right now. However, instead of complaining, I'm going to post this hilarious video.



Bon appetit.

Grilled Cheese and Avocado with Tomato Basil Soup

I think I miss this combo the most out of all the usual suspects kicked to the curb during the great Dietary Overhaul of '08. With that went the pastas, heavy cream sauces, burgers from Hilberts and Burger Tex, weekly excursions with pizza and beer...and bye bye ice cream. The swing and surge of thyroid meltdown didn't really make it possible for me to be willy nilly about the food I ate. Until some sort of equilibrium with the medication and my body could be established, I was at the mercy of an ever increasing waist line...all I could to was batten down the hatches and hope for less than 20 lbs of excess.

But OH the grilled cheese... Kito makes a mean one too. Mustard on the outside, avocado and fancy/stinky cheese on the inside with Italian bread, sauteed to a golden brown in butter. Pair that with a high quality tomato basil soup...and...AMEN!

My friend Catherine and I put ourselves through a quick little workout on Saturday and reminisced a bit about the old days of craptastic eating. She recited a quote she read on a website: "If steamed broccoli and steamed chicken do not sound appetizing, you are not really hungry." AMEN times 2!

Obviously when I'm thinking of eating aforementioned grilled cheese holiness, there is little room to entertain steamed broccoli and chicken. The grilled cheese is in the emotional eating category. Actually, it OWNS the emotional eating category.

*Sigh* Maybe one day I will allow myself down that rabbit hole again. I will only do it when I am absolutely positive that it won't be my gateway meal into a month's worth of nutritional debauchery.

After all that what's on the plate for tonight? Mini stuffed pork loin fillets with swiss chard and pineapple for dessert.

Holy Goals Batman! and a very happy birthday....

First off I have to say Happy Birthday to Carey Kepler! Mother, wife, trainer and total bad ass in just about everything she enters into, Carey is redefining peoples' expectations of themselves on a daily basis. I'll toast her special day with 34 burpees this evening!


This is just a few months after having baby Stone. FIERCE!
Thank you Carey for all that you do and helping people down the road to new and better lives.

and now for le goals...

1) Yesterday I got my chin over the bar during pull ups, not once but twice. People this is huge.
The first 3-5 are the hardest and once those are behind you it's all downhill.

2) Push Ups Baby. In a week starts a new challenge, 100 push ups in 6 weeks, on the toes. TRex arms for days.

3) I have been cleaning my house everyday. That includes the dishes. Now, I just need to get unpacked. I want to build a combo floor book shelf that doubles as a window bench....and build a fence.

4) Zone 6 days a week. My 6 days started yesterday, so far so good, but I'm a little snippy in the afternoon. I did great during the IAC challenge, and the month of March just fell by the wayside. Here's to jumping back in the saddle.... When I say "wayside" I mean that I ate tortilla chips and had chocolate/bread/alcohol a few times. I know, big fail, right?

5) Art show, in the next 4 months or less. Seriously.

K, back to work.

Boy Howdy Would I Like a Cupcake

But it ain't gonna happen because today is Monday and Monday is NOT a cheat day.
However, for the sake of my imagination.....








y.u.m.

Spartan Satellite

One of the really annoying aspects of responsible adulthood is being able to admit when you've bitten off more than you can chew, and spitting it out into your worldly napkin while everyone stares at you. All while smiling and apologizing quietly.

The Spartan Challenge registration was that moment for me on Monday. I realized a few hours after my registration that there was no way on God's plastic earth I could afford that right now or at all for the next 8 weeks. Ok. Breathe. It's ok. I did the I AM CROSSFIT and proved to myself that with the right dedication and discipline I can do anything. So....

I'm going to be a Spartan Satellite. I have my boyfriend's curl bar that I can load up to 70lbs. I'll drag that thing down to Austin High and create a little station. I can do this. I know how to make this all happen. It won't be elite weight, but it will be enough. They have pull up bars and a 20" box to jump on. I have a 20# kettlebell of my own. See how this works? I've been telling people for months that Crossfit can be done anywhere, no class necessary... well let's put it to practice.

Anyway, this afternoon I created a fairly brutal WOD for myself. I figured it would be a quick workout when I penciled it down at 2pm, totally unprepared for how exhausted I would actually be at 5pm....

21-15-9
burpees
renegade row 15#'s
squats w/20# KB
mountain climbers

That burpee+renegade row combo was painful to say the least. I got it done and finished the evening with sausage (no casing), collard greens, bell peppers, chives and garbanzo beans. So freakin' delicious.

**********

I have to gush about my mom for a minute. This Sunday she thought she was having a heart attack and spent until Monday afternoon in the hospital undergoing tests. My family's genetics are iron clad and this was more proof for the pudding... Mom has smoked for decades. She, like me, is also a stress junkie; powers through the muck until, whoops, too late... or so we think.

Monday morning I went to Crossfit and powered through Angie, all the while reminding myself that my mother is at the hospital by herself with a potential heart problem. I'm surprised I was able to pull it off actually...

After hours passed, we find out....her ticker is golden. It's perfect. *AND* Instead of continuing her lifestyle with the idea of "well, I'm still ok..." she sees the opportunity. She's going to quit smoking and that is a great thing. Quitting smoking is not a thing that happens in a month. Or year, or decade.... I will be quitting smoking for the rest of my life. This is something that requires your entire body and mind to be present and willing. Sometimes it takes a few months or years to get them in agreement...but when it happens, it's magical. I can tell that she feels the pinch, and it won't be immediate, cold turkey quitting. There is reckoning that needs to happen...and that will come. I am so proud of her for taking that first real step.

Because, in all honesty, this weekend revealed to me that while I will accept and deal with whatever the universe chucks my direction....I am not ready or willing to surrender my mom to the other side.

It'll have to fight me for her first.