Hello my friends...Hello!

I still miss you all, that hasn't changed.  I suck at blogging...that still hasn't changed.  But just wanted to give a shout out to ya'll!  Today was a most excellent day.  My good friend Dan Leslie was back in town today (for those of you that don't know Dan moved to FL a few weeks ago) and I programmed a nice tester WOD for us to see our progress (well Jason did tweak the WOD a bit so I can't take full credit).  Dan is an amazing athlete and he's my bench mark.  With that said we killed the WOD and he did beat me, but I was pleased with my performance.  I made some errors in judgement which hurt my time, but in the end I'm glad we did this because I desperately needed the practice and practice is where you need to make your mistakes and learn from them.  And boy did I learn alot today.  I've gotten much better, feel better, faster and stronger.  The programming is sick.  I know I say it all the time but I truly mean it and completely believe in it.  I've been through some serious shit in my life, ups and downs, bad decisions that really hurt my bottom line...you name it, I've screwed it up.  But I feel now, what's happening right now at this moment was meant to be.  I'm not the best athlete, I don't have elite talent...but I will make the sacrifice and work harder then anyone else to get where I need to be.  I made some promises, not only to myself but to others, and I fully intend to keep those promises!!!  Here was today's WOD:

30 Front squats @ 225#
150 DUs
1000 meter row
For time: 9:55
+
800 meter cool down run ez pace

I had a convo. with Jason earlier last week and we decided I needed more carbs training at this capacity.  So now I get to have 250 complex carbs per day for the next 2 weeks.  My diet has faltered lately but I'm back on track today.  I was really eating like crap on Sundays and having  a cheat meal every day for like a week.  I clearly see the difference so I won't be doing that no more.

I want to quickly touch base on a common theme I've been seeing lately.  Self doubt, letting other people's thoughts/views/comments effect you.  There can be none of that!  Here's something to ponder...what we do is not for everyone.  You have to have a certain mentality, a certain thirst to work hard, a constant feeling to thrive and become the best that YOU can be.  People that talk negatively about CrossFit or speak ignorance are just that...IGNORANT.  Until they step foot in a box and leave their guts on the floor...they'll never understand it or get it.  Don't let them bring you down...WE'RE TO STRONG FOR THAT!  Believe in yourselves and you will achieve!  

Amanda M...Day 188

Sleep: Went to bed way too later. Really felt sluggish all day

Food: Ate well but didn't prepare lunch so I had a protein shake.

B: Greek yogurt
S: Hard boiled eggs
L: protein shake and apple with almond butter
S: red peppers
D: mexican meatloaf over spinach with bleu cheese crumbles and light sour cream

WOD: back leg elevated lunges...YIKES! those sucked. My legs were shaking so bad afterwards. Started to bother my foot so on the last set I only did 5 each leg instead of 8
Rows and sled pulls

Going running in the morning! I am saying it now so I can hold myself to actually doing it lol

Amanda M...Day 185, 186 & 187

Hi All,

Friday: Ate well, worked out as hard as I could considering how gross it was outside and how horrible the workout was. 3 rds of 400m and 20 clean & jerks....this was AWFUL! I have never felt that slow and sluggish. Hands had blisters all over them afterwards too

Sat: Had leftover chinese--steamed chicken and broc w/ brown rice. Dinner was grilled chicken, potato salad and some cupcakes for my boyfriend's birthday celebration. I meant to workout on Sat but I was feeling pretty beat up from the week and had a bunch of running around to to do.

Sun: Bacon, eggs and pancakes for brunch. Dinner was a quiznos sub and leftover cupcakes.

Weekend wasn't nearly as bad as it has been lately but still not as good as it could be. I need to workout at least one of the days and try to stay away from eating out so much. No more big plans coming up, so hopefully that will be easier done than said :-) Can't wait for summer to be over already! lol

Maria 7/29 OFF TO BERMUDA!!!

Quick Post- I have my WODS and I am all packed up, PLEASE send me positive thoughts for success!

Maria Week 27 Day 4

B: 3 Omega 3 eggs, spinach, 1 TBSP EVOO
L: 2 chicken thighs (skinless), cucumber and tomato (from Mom's garden yumm-o), homemade veggie soup, 1 TBSP EVOO
D: 3 oz salmon, 1 oz steak, okra, 1 tsp ghee, 2 tsp EVOO, 2 TBSP Tahini (pureed sesame seeds)

WOD
A. Hang Squat clean, 5.5.5.5, rest 2 minutes: 75.80.85.95- I can tell I am getting stronger, in the past 95# squat clean for 5 would have been SUPER tough, today, I felt that I could have done 105
B.1 Incline CG bench press w/ fat bar, 3 x 10-12, 31X1, rest 1 minute: 50#/10.50/12.50/12- tough!
B.2 feet elevated ring rows @ 20#, 3 x 60 sec. amrap, rest 1 minute:OMG these were hard 8.9.9
+
2 minute amrap kb swing @ 35#: 61 reps
2 minute amrap double unders: 104 DU- could have done better but my shoulders were shot!
2 minute amrap airdyne for calories -- hit this hard: 33 cals

This 6 minutes of work KICKED MY ASS!

Having a hard time sleeping this week, I think it's hormonal- One week a month I have terrible insomnia and it effects EVERYTHING else in my life.  Stressed about packing and making sure I don't forget anything- especially for the kids.  It's a good stress though, I am not complaining!  Hope everyone is doing well!  I will be at CFM on Saturday and then leaving on Sunday.  Hope to see some of you before I leave!

James P......maybe this can help you kick the diet soda

For some god awful reason diet soda has always been a thorn in my side.  Little by little it has finally starting to make its way out of my system thanks to great tasting alternatives such as coconut water and good ole fashioned water with a lemon!  After reading the following post day after day I am working hard to eliminate it completely!   You should do the same!

After taking this nutrition class, your friend notices that you no longer drink diet coke or use an artificial sweetener in your coffee.  When she asks why, you list the 3 ingredients found in aspartame, describe some negative effects it produces in the body.

Aspartame is made up of 3 components 1) aspartic acid 2) phenylalanine 3) methanol.  Excess aspartic acid in free form can accumulate in the brain by-passing the BBB causing overstimulation of neurons killing them.  Excess phenylalanine competes with tryptophan for absorption in the brain leading to lower serotonin levels which can contribute to depression and anxiety.   Methanol breaks down to formic acid and formaldehyde which is a cumulative poison, the EPA recommends no more than 7.8 mg/day of methanol and one cup of diet beverage contains 14 mg.  Another by-product of aspartame is diketopiperazine which may promote brain tumors.   

If all the above reasons are not enough to avoid aspartame and its toxic components, how about the fact that diet sodas made from aspartame does not aid in the weight loss effort?  Aspartame is 200-400 times sweeter than sucrose which tricks the brain into thinking that an abnormally high amount of glucose has entered the blood stream.  The pancreas reacts to what it thinks is appropriate by secreting insulin in response.  When the anticipated glucose is not delivered to the brain, hypoglycemia can result.  This causes the brain to panic and send out food craving messages.  The person finds himself/herself eating more foods typically high fat/high sugar sabotaging weight loss.

Amanda M...Day 184

Slept great, as usual. I was supposed to go running in the morning with Chris but once that 5:20 alarm went off he turned to me and popped a question I was desperately waiting to hear...."do you just wanna not go running?" Of course my answer was yes haha and we passed back out.

Food was good. Still need to tweak it a bit as I get really friggen hungry between breakfast and my snack time. I have only been eating yogurt with blueberries in the AM, may need to add a little something else.

WOD:
-Squat cleans 5.3.1.7 75/95/125 (failed first attempt) 125/75
-Rope slams
-Max box jumps--back to being terrified of these since I havent done them in a month. But happily got onto the blue box with no problem. Did 6-7 of them
-Parallell bar hold/FLR 5 min...I lasted 15 sec on the bar and 15 seconds with FLR before completely breaking down and storming out of the gym to walk away the tears. I was getting so good at these before my injury. I could barely hold myself up without shaking like crazy. WTF!!

Definitely was another discouraging workout but I'm not going to let it hold me back. I can only keep moving forward, I just hope there are no more bumps in the road for a while. I can't handle anymore setbacks

James P.

Had a good workout this morning led by Coach Albie.  Squat cleans are my favorite. Felt great to get back to back days in! Brought an awesome salad with Bok Choy, grilled chicken, and a ton of veggies for lunch can't wait to kill it.

Got a great night of sleep last night which I really saw the difference this morning. Starting to get into a routine and it feels wonderful.

Hope everyone is well.
James

Amanda M...Day 183

Hi all,

Yesterday was a much better day. Had a better outlook on the future and went in and did the WOD as best as I could.

Food was on point again. However, I slipped and had a few marshmallows with chocolate chips right after work. I enjoy the 630pm class but having that hour and a half between work and working out leads to way too many temptations...especially if I am sitting there watching food network--stupid move! Tonight is back to 530 so there shouldn't be any cheating happening.

WOD was good. Definitely can feel how much endurance I lost but I will have it back soon. My hands are KILLING me from all the gripping we had to do yesterday. My callouses are quickly building back up.

Have a good day everyone

Maria Week 27 Day 3

Hey Guys!  The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.  I left my job of twelve years and had a birthday. There have been lots of celebrations and lots of temptations which I DID succumb to.  As a result I am starting to get that insecure panicky feeling about my weight.  ESPECIALLY because my AWESOME UNBELIEVABLE husband bought me a week long cruise to Bermuda for my birthday and we are leaving on Sunday.  I am SOOOOOOOO nervous about the food situation.  Jay gave me travel WODS, but I just hope that there is stuff that I can eat like VEGETABLES cooked without frying, you know just plain.  that is not easy to find at an all you can eat buffet. 

Still keeping up with my WODS, I LOVE THEM!!!  Sorry I have not been posting about them- I want you guys to see what I have been doing.  Jay has me facing my anxiety every day by making me do some kind of handstand in my warm up.  I really feel that by the end of the year I will get my HSPU- I will be happy with 1 legit Rx HSPU.  WOD today:

90 second hill sprint @ 80% effort
slow jog back down x 8
30s sprint @100% effort
30s walk x 8

yeah, this was fun- again only 16 minutes work total but it was tough!!!

Food:
B:uncured turkey bacon, roast beef, ham and turkey, spinach, 1 TBSP EVOO
L: at the METS game (they sucked today) I brought my own food- 4 oz salmon, broccoli, spinach, 1 TBSP EVOO
D: Homemade Veggie soup (cabbage, Kale, yellow squash), 1chicken thigh, one bite of salmon, 1 bite of steak

James P.

Back to CFM this morning after a 10 day leave of absence! Went OK, but over the past 8 weeks I have fallen way off. Time to pick myself back up and get back at it. Weight has stayed down, but my endurance is not the same and I am sure when we hit strength days I will see a few steps back. Either way just ready for the challenge. Some many things in life to be grateful for and the ability to make each down count is huge. Everyday provides a new opportunity to make yourself better....physically, mentally, and emotionally.


Gail starts back next week!

Amanda M...Day 180, 181 & 182

Hi all,

Back from my 5 day vacation in NH. Had an absolutely amazing time, but I ate way too much and didn't workout as much as I had planned. There was a festival in town soooo..fried dough, ice cream, fries, pizza, corn dogs happened. Wow, I feel like such a fat ass. Seems even worse when you write it down!

Food was good today. I am switching from eggs to greek yogurt from breakfast. I need a break from eggs...been eating them every morning for a year. Brought turkey and red peppers for snacks and had a salad for lunch--spinach, salsa, tuna. Had mexican meatloaf in a low carb tortilla with some light sour cream. I am going to try being 80/20 paleo. I just never seem to have enough energy by the end of the week from the lack of food so I am going to see how it goes. Right now its just lack of motivation to cook because I know there are paleo tortillas I can make...

WOD was awful tonight. Just couldn't get in a groove. Really feeling beat down today from taking so much time off. I gained back all the weight I lost, my athleticism is shot to fucking hell and its just making it harder to feel motivated. But...one step at a time. I WILL reach my goals by the end of this. I refuse to have another year go by and be stuck where I have been stuck for the past 2 years

Night all

James P.

Hello All,
I hope all is well. I have been busy busy. Last week in Boston was great! one class away from finishing my Masters of Sports Leadership from Northeastern University. Very exctied for the things to come!

As for the diet and this YLA it def has helped me change my life health, fitness, and wellness wise. To say I ordered Salmon for dinner one night, and baked Haddock another in Boston required me taking me pictures for my wife as proof! I did find the time to have  a few beers with my colleagues, but getting out and running the city streets of Boston at 6am was very nice. I hopped on the scale when I got home and realized I stayed the same weight. A big accomplishment because I did have some gluten which I was sure to think that I would have gained a few lbs back from that. Overall I am feeling great, but need to get back to my schedule at CFM. The last 8 weeks have been a wild ride with the birth of beutiful Ava Skye. For those of you who havn't heard yet she was born with down syndrome. A big shock to us, but it is turning out to be a true blessing. We have her in so many different treatments from phsycal therapy(working on jaw muscles and neck), occupational(helping with her feedings), cranial sacral adj, naturoupathic dr's accessing her viat and Gails breast milk nutrients. Pefection has been redefined with this experience. Gail now has her thesis topic for her Masters in Nutritrion from UB that she is finishing up this last semester!

ALL I CAN SAY IS LIFE IS GREAT! It truly is what you make of it and how you react to adversity and attrition. We all need to stay the course and keep plugging away. We have all seen some positive changes from appearance to energy level with this YLA and we have 6 more months to work to create a positive life style change. So dig deep and lets get it.

Best,
James

Maria Week 26 Day 7

Howdy Everybody!
Well, yesterday my AMAZING husband threw me a surprise birthday party.  My actual b-day is tomorrow, but he gave me an early gift- He is taking me on a week long cruise to Bermuda!  I hear the average weight gain in a week on a cruise is 15 pounds!!!!  I actually spoke to a women who gained 12 pounds in one week.  THAT WILL NOT BE ME!!!  I have already asked Jay if he can give me some travel WODS for the trip.  I also had a family party today- today I ate well, salmon, steak, and chicken with roasted vegetables (it was a buffet) egg.  I had a few tastes of things, and I admit yesterday I had some birthday cake.  I feel f-in DISGUSTING.  I actually do not want birthday cake tomorrow...

Have not missed a workout, today was a much needed rest day!

Amanda M...Day 176, 177, 178 & 179

Hi All!!

Long time no chat! But don't worry...I came to check in :-)

Absolutely loving my time off here in New Hampshire. It is beyond relaxing and having so much fun spending time with Chris and my parents. We've gone for long walks down to the lake, morning runs, kayaking and today we are going to hike the summit. Pictures to come! Food has been whatever the f I want. My mother likes to spoil me since I don't get to see her often so what kind of child would I be to say no? lol Don't worry...there is tons of fruit in the house and dinners are usually meat and potatoes so it's not all that horrible.

Cant wait to get back to CFM on Tuesday and really hit hard. There are no more distractions in the way...foot is healed, vacation will be over, so it's time to get back on track. Most people have a hard time staying focused in the winter but for some reason, that's the easiest time for me.

Short post! Hope everyone is doing well :-)

Maria week 26 Day 4

Warm up
EROM HSPU 3 x 5 5-7 sec on the way down- these are getting easier!
dead hang PU 3 x 3-6 6.6.6- I cheated and kipped a little
20 sec hollow rock

Airdyne 30 sec 90%
30 sec off x 30

Then ski erg 30 sec 90%
30 off x 10

If you do the math, this is only 20 minutes f work, but let me tell you, this kicked my ass!  I was drenched in sweat, and my arms were toast by then end.  Loved it.

Food was good, I didn't measure today, but I ate turkey breast for breakfast and lunch and then went out to dinner and had chicken with prosciutto and eggplant.  Came home and ate more turkey breast
Slept almost 8 hours- first time in a long time, it felt great, I felt strong in the workout today.  Speaking of which I have to get to bed!!!

Maria Week 26 Day 3

Wed 7/18/12
A.1 DL, 8.8.8.8, rest 10 seconds- 115.115.125.125

A.2 Ring push ups, 4 x 2 minute amrap, rest 3 minutes- 20.19.18.20

+

800 meter run

75 burpee box jumps

800 meter run

Totally forgot to time myself, but I estimate that it took me around 20 minutes- this was great!  Of course the run felt incredibly slow...

Today was my last day at work, and of course I was so busy that I didn't really get to talk to people and say good bye.  I think it was better that way, or else I would have been too emotional.  I have two weeks off and then I start my new job.  I am pretty terrified, and my eating has reflected that.  I have always been an emotional eater; stress= cravings.  I ate some pretzels today and a non paleo protein bar, and 2 pieces of chocolate.  My new favorite saying is "You can either have excuses or you can have results but you can't have both." 

Amanda M...Day 175

Stressful day. Going away for a long weekend so that will be 3 days off of work. NOT GOOD! I am already freaking out about everything I will have to catch up on when I get back. However, I so desperately need this mini-vacation. It has been non-stop at work ever since my promotion and it is really beating me down.

I'll be heading to NH tomorrow after work and will be back Monday. Usually when I go home to visit my parents, there is ALOT of eating and laying around. However, I'm hoping that since the weather will be GORGEOUS I'll be way more inclined to go out. There are plans for kayaking, hiking, and morning runs around the lake.

No workout today. I had alot to do in my room, but dont worry...I think I sweat just as much cleaning as I would have had I gone to the gym.

Food was good except for a spoonful of nutella around dinner. Container is now empty...it is bittersweet haha

Maria Tues 7/17

Tues 7/17
A. Front rack rear foot elevated split squat, 4 x 8-10/leg, 41X1, rest 1 minute bt. legs
33#/ 8reps. 33/8. 45/10. 45/10- these are pretty challenging
B. OHS, 5.5.5, rest 2 minutes, 52X1
45.50.55- yeah I know that this looks light, but have you ever held an OHS at the bottom for 2 counts???  It SUCKS
C. Pull ups - 60 AFAP... don’t go to failure
6:21
D. Reverse Hyper - 3 x 10-12, rest 45 seconds
0#/12 reps, 20#/10 reps, 25#/10 reps
E. Rope climb - 5 minute amrap... just lay down then pull yourself to standing position
w/out using legs
14 reps- harder than it looks

Let's be honest, my food has pretty much SUCKED this whole past week.  Tomorrow is my last day at Bridgeport Hospital, and there have been parties for me and temptation everywhere and I have given in.  I feel like I am surrounded by the enemy and without blogging or being honest I can't stop!  My birthday is on Monday and I don't want to feel fat and disgusting!!!!  Sleep had been awful too, it is all connected people!  I feel like I am at extremes either spot on or a total mess!  It was great to be back at the gym today....

Maria checking in

what week is this?  I have been so out of touch with summer, and the tough mudder. I SURVIVED TOUGH MUDDER #2!!!!  I am a little scraped up and sore as hell, but it was a blast!!!  When you do something like that, you really see how much your training pays off.  I had no problem completing the event and the only obstacle that I could not do were the monkey bars.  I just can't hold myself up with one arm- kind of bummed about that.  I had to face a lot of my fears but my husband talked me through the scary stuff (he did it with me) and I was able to get it done!  Food has been out of sorts this week, and I need to get it back on the straight and narrow.  Goal is to blog every night this week.  It really helps me to stay on track!  Hope everyone is doing well!

Amanda M...Day 172

Day 5 of being alone in here...that's a new record. I do not like it.

Bad day. Slept great, ate well, but the my morning really fucked with my head and totally ruined my workout.

I am in a weight loss competition and seeing that I was up .5lbs from last Monday was really rough on me today. On Friday I was at a 8lb loss, but over the weekend I gained back 8.5? I really need to stop being an asshole and get back to taking this thing seriously. Weekends are so hard for me, all I want to do is eat eat eat. I know I shouldn't pay attention to the number but its a requirement to weigh in every week.

WOD:
FS: only up 5lbs on my PR for front squats bringing me to 150#. Should have tried more
BB bent over row: 75#
OH lunges: 45#...didnt do all the reps, my wrists were on fire. At this point I was just so not in the mood to be there anymore. Couldn't get out of my own head

Hoping that my mini-vacation to New Hampshire this weekend will help set me back into a good mood. Right now all I want to do is suffocate in a gallon of ice cream.

Emotions are sucky.

Amanda M...Day 170 & 171

Had a good weekend. Saturday I spent the day floating around in a pool. Man, was it hot. Sunday was a day spent walking around the mall (not much of a shopper so we only did one round--only went into two stores, one of which was the pet store lol)

My eating was....better than it has been on weekends. Chris had to save me from myself quite a few times and as much as I hated him for it at the time, I appreciate it now lol

Rich and Annie again huh?! When is someone from CFM going to take the top spot?? :-)

Short post...have a great day everyone

Amanda M...Day 169

Sleep: Slept great. Nice and solid...woke up once to use the potty but that's a normal. I suck down water like its my job during the summer, especially after a good workout.

Food: Did not eat enough today...like, at all. Its insane how it affects my workouts but it makes total sense. Next week I am really dialing in on my food so that by Thursday I don't feel like I've been hit by a bus. I've been eating really REALLY simple meals because I am always afraid of eating too much. Sunday I will be making some chili for lunches which I'll probably eat with cauliflower rice or plantain chips. I need FUEL! Especially with my double workout days

WOD:
Sumo dead lifts: so awkward. Really don't like these...I feel like my ankles are going to cave from all the pressure of pushing my feet out to the side.
Parallell bar holds: arms were shaking like crazy

5 rounds for time
20 KB @ RX of 35#
15 hand release pushups

Going to try to make it in tomorrow morning. I haven't gone to a Sat morning class since the games open!

Goodnight all

Amanda M...Day 168

Sleep: Didnt sleep well at all. I woke up in the middle of the night from drinking too much water...went to the bathroom and just couldn't get back to sleep. Definitely felt a bit sluggish today because of it

Food: On point...except I bought some candy for a friend and ate a few pieces.

WOD:
Went running this morning. Was supposed to do 3 miles, but I could barely get through 2 miles. My legs were shot and was having a hard time breathing. I might have done too much too soon but hopefully I will progress next week.

3x5 Back squats @ 95lbs
HPC 1 rep every 30 seconds for 3 minutes. I wanted to PR so bad today but I should have known it wouldnt happen. With barely enough time to even add weight, nevermind rest between sets, I didn't get to where I wanted. I got up to 145, failed at 155--that last rep was really rushed as everyone was heading to the white board for instruction for the next part

25 back squats @ 95lbs
50 Hang split cleans @ 65lbs...knocked these out pretty quick.
75m bear crawl...pure torture
500m row in 2 min flat. Not bad for stopping a few times...man I was really hurting at this point

Amanda M...Day 167

Sleep: Slept SOLID. I slept so well that when my alarm went off in the morning I couldn't, for the life of me, figure out what day it was or why my phone was going off.

Food: On point. Feels so good to be back on track, my body is loving it.

Mood: All time high. I can't believe how much not working out for 3 weeks affected my mood, especially at work. I was always on edge, cranky, didn't want to talk to anyone. I feel like a whole new person

WOD: 35# was the RX but I went for 30# because my left is so much weaker than the right...by round 5 I was really happy with the weight I chose even though I flew through the workout
7 rounds
7 DB Push Press Right side
20 m waiters carry
5 T2B
7 DB Push Press Left side
20m waiters carry
5 T2B

Great workout, totally up my ally. I think I was the second or third person who finished. I was over by the 'big girl' pull up bars because I'm too tall for the shorter ones to the left lol so I was surrounded by the guys which is always more motivating for me. I like to show off, what can I say.

Tonight's workout is another good one! Can't wait! I actually lost sleep over thinking about what weights to use tonight. Does that happen to anyone else or am I abnormally obsessed with power cleans? lol

James P.....7/something

Sleep has been better  11-5ish
6:30am WOD  Great to see so many of you there.
8am Shake
12pm   Garden Salad with Grilled Chicken
2pm   serving of pulled pork
6pm     Meat sauce over steamed Zuhcinni.

Finally getting back into a routine. Ofcourse next week I am up in Boston all week at Northeastern finishing up my Masters so another road block.  Everyone keep up the nice work

Amanda M...Day 166

The boyfriend slept over so we could go running in the morning yesterday. He is such a great support for me and an even better motivator. He can run a 7:15 mile but he was hanging back with me at 10:15 just to make sure I was doing okay. "You can run to that stop sign, let's go" :-) I'm a lucky gal!

I slept great-like a rock. Him, not so much. I think I'll have to buy him a winter hat to wear when he sleeps over lol poor guy. I tend to blast my a/c on 65 deg and somehow I still wake up in a sweat. I'm awesome to cuddle with in the winter, let's put it that way.

Food was great. Paleo all day. Only had a protein shake for dinner because I was in a rush to get to the movies. Went to see Magic Mike but it was sold out! Saw Savages instead....I highly recommend.

WOD:
CG Bench: 4x4-6 reps. I got up to 100lbs, and was still able to knock out 6. Felt really strong
90 shuttle sprints- these kicked my ass but I tried my best to stay at the same pace
8 min AMRAP:
2 DL: RX @ 135#. These went up with no problem
4 Box Jumps: did the smallest box...still weary of my foot and being 3 weeks out, I was back to being scared of the 20" box
6 ring rows

Not sure how many rounds I got but I barely stopped for a break so I was happy about that. Glad to see I didn't totally lose all my strength and endurance!

Maria Week 25 day 2

Hellloooooooo!
Warm Up

handstand holds, 3 x AS long as possible.. goal is 1 minute

muscle work on harness

 

A.1  Power Clean, TnG style, 10.10.10.10, rest 20 seconds 65.65.75.80- should have gone heavier
A.2  Handstand hold, accumulate 1 minute x 4, rest 3 minutes- took me about 5 min just to get 1 min
+
30 minute amrap
7 TnG Hex bar DL @ moderate weight- 50 lbs on the bar, I could have done 70 on the bar
800 meter row
7 dips on still bars
800 meter AD
7 T2B

 

Yeah, I was at the gym for like an hour and a half today.  My anxiety messes me up.  Jay doesn't tell me what weight to use, so I sit there wasting a lot of time trying to decide what I should do.  I don't want to go too heavy, and I don't want to go too light, etc, etc.  Not to mention that I am still terrified of even kicking up to the wall so I waste a lot of time getting up the guts to kick up too.  BUT I can now kick up from standing which is a huge accomplishment, and I am confident that I will be able to get at least 1 legit Rx HSPU by the end of the year.

 

Up until today my food has been stellar over the last couple of weeks.  I even dropped another 5 pounds.  Today there was a going away party for me at work and there was this amazing cake.  I had no intention of touching it, but by the end of the party, I caved and had some cake :-( which of course turned into a sugar fest for the rest of the day.  It is hard for me to admit it.  As I am writing I am thinking, "What's wrong with you, how could you be so weak?" So back to square one tomorrow.  Tomorrow is my wedding anniversary and my husband wants to go out.  I am putting it out there that I am eating ACAP (As Clean as possible, I stole that from Nitro) tomorrow no matter what.

Amanda M...Day 165

Hey all,

Slept great. Ate great (minus a few spoonfuls of chocolate ice cream post WOD--hey, after 3 weeks of eating shit and not working out, that's a pretty successful first day!)

WOD: Front squats- the tempo was rough, 3 count down, 2 second hold. 5.3.5.3...we got up to 85lbs

I did 65lbs for the TNG hang snatch...went up easy with no problem. I should have added more to the bar but being my first day back I wasn't sure where I should have been at.

Broad jumps- didnt go 100% on these because I'm still a bit worried to over do it with my foot. 200lbs slamming down on them first day back worried me a bit.

Sprints-these felt good. Definitely felt how much strength and speed I've lost over these past few weeks. No need to feel sorry for myself about it, just have to work hard to get back to where I was.

Have a good positive day today everyone :-)

Day 165ish

Whoa, 2 blogs in one week...what what!!!  Ok so I knew I was going to eat like complete shit this whole weekend and drink my face off and oh did I ever.  Now it's all over.  Dialed in the diet today like when we first started and I'm completely done drinking or doing anything harmful to my body.  For me to get to the next level and start getting good at this I have to make the sacrifice now.  I still have so much work to do and there's a ton of room for improvement and I want to see how far I can really push it...so I guess me being 100% committed to CrossFit started today.  Giddy up!!!  Food was good, my typically tilapia and chicken and blah blah blah.  I'm cutting back a little on protein cause I still need to drop body weight.  Shooting for 10lbs less by August 17th.  WOD:

Monday

A.  Snatch Grip OH BB walking lunge steps, 3 x 24 unbroken, rest 1 minute (95#)
B.1  Muscle up, 1-2 reps x 3, rest 30 sec. (0,0, 2 assisted)
B.2  cTB pull ups, 3 x 10, rest 30 sec.
B.3  Pull up, 3 x amrap, rest 3 minutes (13, 11, 10)
C.  Front Rack bulgarian split squat, 4 x 8/leg, 41X1, rest 1 minute bt. legs (95#)

As you can see we've turned it up a bit and my WODs are becoming more demanding, which was inevitable cause for me to get better I need to pushed hard and Jason knows it!  What's happening is just amazing...that's all I have to say about that!

I just want to remind everyone we're past the half way point.  This isn't easy...none of it.  Not the diet, not the training, not the stress, not the disappointment (sometimes).  It beats you down mentally and physically but you gotta just keep digging and moving forward.  Some of us may not have lost enough weight, don't look as good as you wanted yet, haven't reach those strength goals yet but the bottom line is you need to overcome those failures and use it as fuel to persevere.  You must believe in yourself, work hard and you will control your own destiny.  Remember, the hardest thing we have to do all day is walk through that door at CFM, everything else is a breeze.  Believe...Achieve...Succeed!!!     

Amanda M...Day 162, 163 & 164

Hi guys, Hope you all had a great weekend. Man, it is been SO HOT. All I've wanted to do is stay inside in the cool air. I hate constantly being sweaty--swamp ass is not attractive

Just relaxed all weekend. Didn't eat at much as I normally do, so that's good.

Got new running shoes and insoles so hopefully my feet will stay unharmed as I try to get back on track. I haven't really worked out like normal in 3 weeks...I feel horrible! And fat!! But, I have high hopes of looking like a skank in a skimpy dress for my birthday in September :-)

Short post--have a great day!

Amanda M...Day 161

Hey all,

Had a really rough day yesterday. Got into a mini-fight with a good friend over something really stupid and it really put a damper on my mood. I am a pacifist at heart, I don't like drama, I don't like fighting. Shit was said to me that made me question a lot about my life and it made me wake up and realize what and who was really important to me and deserved my time and attention.

Found another weight loss competition online through this blog Ben Does Life...look him up on youtube, his story is awesome. He lost 115lbs in 7 months, went from barely running to completing multiple marathons and an Ironman. The extra motivation will be nice. And I'll be competing against people from all over the US which is kind of fun.

Didn't go to the gym last night. I was moping around the house like a loser and the workout just didn't appeal to me and I knew I would half ass it anyways. I will be going tonight because clean and jerks are my favorite....

Have a good day guys and gals

Maria Week 24 Day 4

A.  Thruster, 5.5.5.5, rest 90 seconds- 55.60.65.70- should have gone heavier, doubted myself

B.1  Wide Grip BB Bent over row, 3 x 5-7, rest 1 minute- 75.75.75

B.2  CG Bench Press, 3 x 5-7, rest 1 minute 75.85.90

+
3 sets of
5 squat cleans, 95#- tough for me
50 double unders- first set was 40 unbroken, the last 2 sets were 50 unbroken
5 burpee box jumps, 20"- I love these, but I am so slow
20 sec. sled push @ 90# on top AFAP- fun
rest walk for 2 minutes

totally forgot to time myself, I would say it took me almost 5 minutes to do each round Had trouble sleeping last night, not a good night at all and no explanation.  I gave up coffee a couple of weeks ago, I am not worried about anything, I just had terrible insomnia.  I felt like I was moving in slow motion today for the WOD, but I was sweating like crazy!  I LOVED THIS WOD!!!

9:30am- 6 oz steamed calamari, 1 C spaghetti squash, 1 C broccoli, 1 TBSP EVOO
2pm- 6 oz chicken breast, lots of brussels sprouts, cabbage, okra, 1 TBSP EVOO
6:30pm- 6 oz tilapia, romaine lettuce, 1 TBSP EVOO

Meeting with Jay tomorrow for measurements and I am all nervous about it!  I hate that feeling....

July 5th

Hello All,

Meals today consisted of protien shake in the morning. Had a busy morning at work so ate nothing until lunch where I had a spinich salad with grilled chicken. Dinner consisted of chicken sausage on the grill with squash and sweet potato.

Today was week 5 of our CSA share at Robert Treat farm. We received a few heads of lettuce, squash, napa cappage, cucubmers, zuchinni, and several other items. For those of you dont know wha tthe CSA is...well its a 20 week long summer early fall pick up. You pay a fee in the spring and just pick up every Thursday and it has different items all fresh from their farm. Its awesome!

Hope to see some of you soon. Overall all is going well. I have had a few more beers and I can feel the bad carbs bloating me. The biggest changes I made that helped me lose the weight  was becoming 95% gluten free and avoiding dairy. As I reintroduced some of these over the past weeks (had some pasta, pizza, beer, cheese all in the past month) I can feel the negative changes happening. I use having a newborn as an excuse, but in reality I don't know why I brought these things back into my life. As always it starts with the next meal. At this point in the past it would be gaining all 24 lbs back, but because of the changes I have made this time I realize its time to get back on track.

Best,
James

Day 160ish

Checking in...hope everyone is well.  I've seen you all occasionally and you guys are still doing great.  It's the summer, there's parties, gatherings all the good stuff.  Just try to satisfy your cheats quick and get back on track.  If I know I'm cheating I eat ACAP (as clean as possible haha) up to that cheat and then I just really destroy and indulge.  Then immediately get back on the wagon.  You all know exactly what I'm talking about!!!  I really enjoy the comraderie we share.  Though I don't blog enough or see any of you on the regs this assessment is still really super important and awesome and means a hella lot to me!  Keep crushing and the results at the end will be WELL worth all the hardwork and blood/sweat/no tears.

I am doing pretty good.  Training is just beyond awesome.  The programming Jason has me doing is amazing to say the least.  These WODs often kick the shit out of me and beat me down but I just love it.  Super sore after today's WOD: (and this is a de-loading week)

Warm up:
One Arm DB snatch
alternating arms
6 x 25#
6 x 55#
4 x 70#
2.2.3.3 @ 100#
then,
3 kb swings 100#
5 burpee squat box jumps 24" box
50m sprint @ 100% (flat out as fast as you can sprint)
x 6 rest 3 minutes
then,
Hang power clean practice
5/7/9 @ 95# practice catch and high elbows

My ass, hammys, and heals are all killing me right now so I know I crushed that shit today.  But I actually didn't eat enough.  Ate clean except 4 oreos.  After this weekend I will completely dial in the diet for as long as I can keep it together mentally.

Lastly,  I'm having a huge mega rager at my house on Saturday starting at 2PM in case some of you didn't receive the invite.  PLEASE COME!!!  I promise you all it will be the party of the year...PROMISE!!!

Sleepy Time : )
 

Amanda M...Day 159 & 160

Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you all had a great day!

The past two days were so-so. Tuesday I went to work and right afterwards I had to attend a party with the bf. Had a cheeseburger and some fruit salad. The Stratford fireworks were good!

Yesterday I went into Port Jeff. Got some seafood (not a favorite, but I go where everyone else wants to go) aaaand some ice cream. Whatever, it was hot as balls and I had been walking around all day. WITHOUT my boot, might I add. My foot didnt and doesn't hurt one bit. I'm beginning to question my doctor's diagnosis. Maybe it was just tendonitis or something simple like that. I'll be going to the store to get some real inserts for my shoes this weekend. Hopefully I won't continue to have any problems.

No WODs the past two days. Summer is always nuts. Back at it tonight :-)

Maria Week 24 Day 3

HAPPY 4th OF JULY!!!  Slept about 7 hours, woke up a couple of times but went back to sleep easily.  Started the day off with a sweat fest on the Airdyne:

 

5 minute AD warm up
+
20 seconds on moderate pace
20 seconds all out effort
2 minute rest

x12

+

5 minute cool down

 

When I did the math this was only 4 minutes of work (not counting the warm up and cool down), but I was SOAKED.  I love sweating like that.   Food today:

 

7:30a- 3/4 C egg whites with LOTS of spinach and broccoli, 1 TBSP fish oil

10:45- 16 oz organic juiced greens

2pm- 2 chicken thighs, a BOAT LOAD of cabbage, brussels sprouts, okra, and lettuce

7:20pm- 6 oz tilapia, 2 C cooked Kale

 

Total temptation today at a family picnic, lots of tortilla chips, potato chips, cake, cookies, cashews (I really had to pray to God to keep me away from those), and I didn't touch any of it!  It is so easy to start feeling sorry for myself when I see everyone else enjoying those things, but after the temptation is gone it feels so good to not have any guilt about what I ate. 

Week 23 or 24??? Day 2

I am still here!!!  Actually, I have been great, just very busy and exhausted at night.  Summer time with the kids!  Things have been going really well, I have really cleaned up my food, basically eating only lean protein, green vegetables, and olive oil.  No fruit, no nuts.  I have been feeling so much better.  My only problem has been getting enough sleep.  I know my workouts would be better if I went to bed earlier! 

WOD today:
Warm Up:
Handstand Holds as long as possible
muscle up work on the harness

Deadlift 8.8.8.8 rest 10 seconds: 95/95/115/115
Ring PU 2 min AMRAP rest 3 minutes 20/18/15/15

Then 25 min AMRAP:
5 TnG Power Cleans 80% 1 RM- 100#
20 sec handstand hold- this was more like 10-15 seconds
20 meter plank drag
800 meter Air Dyne

4 rounds + PC+Handstand+ 10 meter plank drag

I think Jay is trying to cripple me but I LOVE IT!!!!!!

Amanda M...Day 158

Sleep: Finally gave in and put my window A/C unit in my bedroom. Been sleeping like a teenager--I think this is the more appropriate term as babies don't sleep through the night. Who came up with that analogy??

Food: Paleo all day besides dinner. Had some shredded cheese and ranch on my salad. And perhaps a spoonful or two of nutella--not on the salad, but as a dessert I guess you could say. That shit is addicting. My roommate always buys the damn stuff. I like how commercials make it seem like its healthy. That is why Americans are obese!

WOD!!!!! Finaly!! I got back to the gym. Went easy on the front squats just because I haven't technically been cleared by the doc to workout so I didn't want to go crazy. In fact, my doctor hasn't said or told me a damn thing so F him, I'll feel it out on my own. I did the fitness workout instead of performace too...KB swings, lunges and sit ups. Man, my ass is sore lol it feels so good to be sore again. Had to remind Jay of my foot when he came over and 'yelled' at me for not putting enough weight on the bar. He was a bit concerned for me but I know my body, its all good!

No pain in my foot this morning but still wearing the boot to work just in case.

Happy 4th of July everyone!!! Try not to indulge too much :-)

James P

Sleep 12-5am

pre wod: handful raw almonds
6:30 am WOD
Post wod: shake

9:00am  Black decaf coffee
10:00am  5 chicken meatballs trader joes
12:00pm   spinich salad, bell peppers, grilled chicken breast, cocounut water
3:00pm    mixed nuts
6:00pm    homemade grilled turkey burgers, corn on the cob(i know its evil), asparagus.

Hope everyone is doing well. I got a little off track the last few weeks as we finally get into a routine with Ava.

James

Amanda M...Day 155, 156 and 157

Hi All,

Hope you had a great weekend. I know I did! I walked around all weekend without my boot and had no pain in my foot at all. So, I don't really know if it is completely healed but it feels pretty damn good to not be limping around. I will still wear my boot this week at work but you better believe my ass is getting back in that gym today. For this week I'll be skipping any running, jumping or DU's and will stick to the Fitness workouts just in case and to see how my foot holds up. I don't want to rush back into performance workouts and chance hurting it again.

Did you know that On the Border puts their calories on the menu now? Man, was that a wake up call! The salads were 1200 calories on their own! I'm excited for more places to be doing this...America needs to realize what they are doing to themselves!

Have a good day guys! Blog blog blog