get a grip

Quick recap in a moment of calm during the storm.

Workout 14.3

WOMEN – includes Masters Women up to 54 years old
Complete as many reps as possible in 8 minutes of:
95-lb. deadlifts, 10 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
135-lb. deadlifts, 15 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
155-lb. deadlifts, 20 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
185-lb. deadlifts, 25 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
205-lb. deadlifts, 30 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch
225-lb. deadlifts, 35 reps
15 box jumps, 20-inch

Crossfit Games Open for the first time… here’s my thoughts so far:

14.1 – I wish I could have done better.  But wishing won’t get double unders for me, so practice I will.

14.2 – I know I could have done better.  A good lesson in heading into each WOD with a strategy.

14.3 – I DID my BEST!  No regrets with this one.  I gained a better appreciation of the benefit of mixed grip when the weight gets heavy!  Tried a deadlift with strict grip (if that’s what you’d call it) and just… couldn’t… hold… on!!  “NO REP!” has got to be one of the worst things anyone can ever say to you :p  No hard feelings Coach Sharon 😉

STILL – Very happy with my 95 reps 😀 A box mate asked after I finished “what’s your 1RM deadlift?”  “#225” I responded.  “Not anymore!!” he said!  This may be true 🙂

Anyone else find that this WOD completely kicked their BUTT??  I was yawning incessantly while cheering on my CFD family, and falling asleep on my couch before 8:30.  Also, frozen solid.  Crawled into bed in socks, pj pants, a t-shirt and a hoodie!  Say what??  Strange.  Thankfully after a solid 9 hours of sleep I woke up feeling my usual awesome self 🙂

Downside to my post-WOD uselessness – didn’t cook anything for my Henry’s/Sport Chek double header today.  So breakfast was the usual egg whites & sweet potato, but lunch is meatballs w/salad, dinner is meatballs with eggplant, and if I need a snack?  A meatball?  Can you tell what was the only protein I had left in my fridge?  Here’s hoping inventory doesn’t run till tomorrow… I don’t have enough meatballs for that.

 

fitness and food frustration

So, I’m going to throw in a few random updates since I haven’t said much in a while.  Winter ball hockey has wrapped up and the summer sessions are in full swing.  Playing Wed. and Sun. nights and have found adding jump lunges and mountain climbers to my regular workouts has very possible helped my speed and agility running the larger summer hockey surface.  I’ve also added a run or two back into my week now that the weather has finally turned more favorable.  It would have been better if I had tossed this back in earlier leading up to the 5km run at the Toronto Marathon, but it is what it is!  :p  I survived 😀  Finished the run in 27 min and change, coming in 16/128 in my category.  Not my best time ever, but more than 2 1/2 minutes faster than last year so I’m ok with that.

This past Tuesday, my love-hate relationship with box jumps lost any remaining love.  I did my first set of 10 reps like a champ, then half way through the second set… I ATE IT.  HARD.  Gashed my toe pretty deep, cut/bruised my shin and bruised my knee.  I’ve decided I’m done with box jumps in the gym.  :p  At least in the privacy of my own apartment I can wear my shin pads!  haha…

Now here comes the NUTRITION part of my ramblings…  Listen, I get it.  When it’s a physical change you are after in terms of losing weight or building muscle, nutrition is way more than half the battle.  I know that it won’t matter how many hours of grunting through even the toughest of workouts I do if I don’t hold up the nutrition end of the deal.  I get it… well the concept side of it anyway.  I thought I was doing everything right.  I eat well.  I’ve been following a Paleo life for more than a year now which is full of plenty of fresh veggies, meats, eggs and healthy fats.  My diet is FREE of legumes, grains and dairy.  My diet is relatively FREE of the processed, pre-prepared, “convenience” foods.  With the exception of the odd protein bar (only the Quest variety, which is the cleanest thing I can find…).  I eat REAL food.  I prepare my own meals and have gotten used to the time it takes to do so.  So where am I going wrong?  April 21st I finished a 100 day transformation challenge with a goal to gain muscle.  Five-six times per week, I did the work.  I went to the gym and followed my “recipe” of heavy lifting for an hour or more.  But at the end of the 100 days, while I can say I noticed a fairly impressive improvement in how much I can lift, the muscle building I was looking for fell a bit short.  Don’t get me wrong, I know that females have a harder time building muscle than males.  Bla, bla, bla…  Two days ago, I was chatting with a friend at a local nutrition store and he told me a few things that led me to believe I had possibly been looking at things a little backwards.  My mind had only considered the importance of eating more protein to build muscle, but in actual fact I’m told that carbs are just as important (if not more so).  Carb cutting not the best way to go?  Based on my height, age, weight and fitness level I should be consuming 2200 calories a day (without workout calories) to build lean muscle mass is the goal.  2200 calories?  That thought seems crazy to me!  That’s a LOT of Brussels sprouts!  That also would have been good to know back in January…

I need to go back to school…  Nutrition is a topic I find absolutely fascinating, but really feel there is so many elements I know NOTHING about…

Paleo vs. the flu

Yup, bad news.  What are the most common things to turn to when trying to get over the flu?  Chicken noodle soup and crackers.  Paleo?  No, and definitely not.  Great.  Wednesday morning I woke up feeling incredibly weak, run down, and sweating like crazy.  And that was just the start.  Spent the day either sleeping, or practically crawling from my bed to the washroom to bow to the mighty porcelain thrown.  Throwing up sucks.  Not as much as dry-heaving, but yeah…  Only happy note from the whole experience, my jeans fit great again 😀

Enough of that lovely conversation.  Two days later I AM feeling considerably better, but still weaker than I’d like to be considering tonight is the start of a little hockey marathon.  Tournament tonight, tomorrow and possibly Sunday (if my team manages to squeak through by some random act of god).  Then regular Acton league game Sunday night.  Then Championships for my other league Monday night.  By Tues, I should be dead if I can’t come up with a means of building my energy back up again :p  Ah well, here’s to trying…

pain and pleasure

I suck, I know!  I’m not generally one to make excuses, but here comes a big one.  I haven’t been blogging cause the pain in my leg has been SO bad lately.  To the point I have given up on my stubbornness towards taking something for the pain some nights…  The morphine numbs the pain, but it also numbs my brain.  Not a huge fan of that, but sometimes there’s only so much one person can take.  As for the blog drought, sitting at my computer is agony.  Don’t get me wrong, I feel bad.  😦  And there has been lots I have wanted to write about!  My 100 day challenge ended Sunday.  I will be taking some “after” photos in the next few days, but will have to try to get ahold of “before” pics from my trainer.  This smart guy didn’t take any.  Awesome.  :p  Not really sure they will show a whole lot of a difference, but I KNOW I do feel stronger!  Yesterday I was supposed to meet a coworker at the gym.  I had planned 2 hours of gym time into my day to fit in my workout, and help her out as well.  When she didn’t show up, I was SO excited!  Two hours to do nothing but kick MY a**?!?!  Right on!  😀  So I did!  It’s crazy really, when it comes to physical activity, my leg is FINE.  Also the part of the day when I am completely happy 🙂

Wanna talk HAPPY??  Let me talk about accomplishments for a minute.  😀  Box jumps.  I can do them physically, but my head prevents me from doing them well sometimes.  Some days I stand in front of the box and we just connect.  I spring up onto it like it’s nothing!  Other days though, my head tells me I can’t do it before I’ve even tried.  It’s usually those days that I smash my shins.  Why is it our subconscious can sometimes set us up for failure?  Anyways, enough of that.  Yesterday I had one of my best leg workouts to date, which included 40 brilliant box jumps.  That’s right 😉 

One more accomplishment I’m proud of is chest dips.  When I started my 100 day challenge back in January, I was barely able to perform one quality chest dip.  Since all the workouts in my current program involve 4 sets of each exercise, I have worked HARD to build up my performance with these.  I was happy with the progress I was making… had built up to 4 sets with 5, 4, 4, 3 reps consecutively.  Then today, something was different.  I don’t totally know what happened, but chest dips and I became best friends for a moment.  🙂   It was the weirdest thing… I felt like I weighed nothing for a moment or two!  Very strange, but I’ll take it!

The last two weeks (ish) I’ve not felt my usual strength through my workouts.  My mind was telling my arms/legs to LIFT, but they were not so willing to oblige.  I just figured I was over training and needed a bit of a break.  While this may have been the case, I also decided to switch back from banana pancake breakfasts to my old routine of 1/2 a baked sweet potato mixed with a dash of cinnamon and a scoop of protein powder.  I figured that adding a little extra carbs back into my life might be just what I needed to get things back in gear.  After two days of incredible workouts, I’m getting the feeling I may have been right!

Strong kicks skinny

Ok, if you’ve read my blog at all before this point, you already know that “legs” is my favourite workout by far.  I look forward to “legs” day every week… but the day after is often one I dread 😦  Ever have one of those days where you contemplate throwing in the towel completely?  The reason I hate the day after legs day, which sometimes turns into a multi-day hatred, is NOT because I’m sore or stiff (LOVE that part!).  Not because walking up the stairs at work is sometimes a real challenge (LOVE that part too!).  It’s because I HATE when I put on a pair of jeans and feel like my quads are sn’aussaged in!  Sn’aussage should be a word… it fits when the pants don’t.  I should be happy, I know.  I’m getting wicked strong quads and hammys, but… ya. 

Let me ramble about the pressures society places on females for a moment.  I may be gay, but I’m still a girl.  Part of the reason for this rant comes from a comment made yesterday at my gym from an older gentleman who suggested that I shouldn’t be lifting the weight that I am.  “Girls meant to lift like that…”  Was mumbled as he walked away.  REALLY?!?!  I would love to take this as a sign that he was impressed with my strength, but that’s not the way it came out.  Take a look in a magazine for a second, and I’m not talking Oxygen or anything body-building related.  They get it.  Every where you look the media portrays the female “ideal” as a skinny, scrawny stick figure who barely has the strength to lift her mucho-grande-non-fat-no-taste latte to her lips.  A while ago, I saw a bunch of ads out there promoting a shift in this mentality that were inspiring in my mind.

 

I totally agree!  Girls who buy into this mentality can be a force to be reckoned with!  Strong bodies and healthy lifestyles should never be anything to be ashamed of.  hypocrite?  Yes, maybe…  I never find myself ashamed or embarrassed that I can crush 4 sets of squats with 135lbs rested on my shoulders.  That’s right!  🙂  Personal best yesterday!  AND I do get over the tight jeans eventually.  I also don’t complain about it in public :p  That’s what blogging is for…

fork in the road…

March 19 – early morning:

Confusion has set in for me a bit right now.  Today is day 67 of the 100 day transformation.  It’s also a month until the start of summer ball hockey.  Summer ball hockey is a LOT different from winter ball hockey cause we shift to playing on a full-size arena.  To stick to the plan my trainer gave me for the 100 day thing would mean to keep away from the treadmill as much as possible.  Something I already have cheated on several times… BUT to start a hockey season without the endurance I am used to having, I might die.  Or barf.  I’m not into that…  I mentioned before that I was considering venting a little of my frustration and disappointment with this 100 day thing anyway.  FIrst off, I guess I should be mad at myself for not taking the time to think things through and do a little research before handing over the $$.  The gym is about 40 minutes away.  It’s winter and I live in Canada, which means the driving conditions can be sketch.  And I already have a gym membership at a club that is on my way to work.  My thought process was: I can take the workout routine I get and just use it at my home club.  Yes, this is true, but the amount of $$$ isn’t really justified when all that I got out of it was 6 personal training sessions and a workout plan.  I wasn’t really bothered by that considering it was MY choice to not go workout at their gym, but when I was wandering around aimlessly on facebook the other day, I realized there WAS a lot more being offered which I was completely missing out on.  There are group bootcamp sessions 4 times per week.  There is a little “community” of people working together to achieve their goals.  There have been check-in sessions and weigh-in sessions that I was completely unaware of.  Thanks facebook :p leaning this stuff made me feel jaded…

So now I have a decision to make.  Do I continue to push forward on my own to try to achieve the muscle-building goals I set for myself?  I will admit, I DO notice a big difference in my strength, but at the cost of a lot of other things.  I used to be able to pound out chin-ups like they were childs play.  I used to be proud of my stamina and endurance at hockey.  The personal little challenges I set for myself up until this point were never ones that took away from the fitness side of life that I already had…  OR, the other side of the coin.  Do I jump back into running a few times per week and cut back a bit on the weight lifting?  Sigh…

*******************

March 19: evening:

So, the dust settled after my morning rant and I dragged myself to the gym after work.  Still not sure which way I’m going, but I hopped on the treadmill for a 5km run.  For the first time in a looooong time, I had to fight to keep running!  Pretty much every step of the way…  I hated that :p  Running has always been the easy part.  After my battle on the treadmill, I crushed out a modified chest routine.  Despite the heavy weights, this felt like a walk in the park compared to the treadmill!  Yet another reason I tend to do cardio at the beginning of a workout :p  For now anyways, I think that’s my plan.  Keep the weight lighting a constant, but build my cardio back up at the same time.  I know the extra calorie burn will take away from my muscle-building goals (unless I’m eating like crazy!) but I think I would rather not die at hockey than get all Arnold at the moment…

blood, sweat and tears got me here… dedication will let me stay…

No patience…

Just waiting (not so patiently) for my bananas to thaw so I can make some pre workout pancakes…  If I keep poking them will it happen faster?  Please?  Haha…

Not really sure why, but lately I’m not sleeping as much as I used to.  It’s a whole new experience for me… I used to be ready for bed every night at like 10-10:30!  Now, I’m still messing around on my iPad or whatever and realize it’s almost midnight!  Still wide awake friggin early in the morning too.  Sometimes too early. This morning was around 5:15 and I couldn’t get back to sleep. Ah well… Not like I don’t keep myself busy during the day…

So, still waiting for the damn bananas.  This mean, no fitness ramblings quite yet.  Although I may share a bit of my frustration with my training program later…  For now, let’s talk FOOD!  🙂  My grocery store had ground chicken and turkey ridiculously on sale last week and I went a little crazy!  Thank god I have a good-sized freezer, cause I may have picked up 14 packs…  :s  I couldn’t resist.  Don’t judge.

Last night I tried another new creation involving shredded rutabaga, which I thought sounded exotic and fancy until I realized it was just another name for turnip. Hmmm.  Anyways, shredded rutabaga, minced garlic, turkey breakfast sausage, and an egg.  All messed up together and tasted pretty good.

Then I also made some balsamic broccoli and chicken, cause chicken breasts were on sale too, which I haven’t tried yet but they smell amazing…  Meat on sale makes me happy.  But I can’t wait for summer when we get to the point where veggies don’t break the bank so badly.  The chicken bake almost didn’t happen when I saw broccoli was $2.99.  I shopped around 😉

Facing fears

Since beginning my 100 day challenge, it’s been no secret which workouts I like/dislike.  After injuring myself when I got home from vacay, I’ve had even more reason to avoid some of the workouts I already wasn’t a fan of.  Today was a day of “‘eff it!”  I sucked it up and jumped into a kick-ass back routine.  Probably my least fav., but today I was just in the right frame of mind for ANYTHING.  :p  Decided to throw some chest dips into the mix too, just cause the love/hate relationship I have with those is pretty intoxicating at times…  My chest is going to be deliciously sore tomorrow!  lol

Why am I so gullible?  I think it’s hereditary.  My mom is even worse!  Anyway, a coworker sent me something that talks about raw food and ya-da… part of it mentions that you should drink 2 litres of water in the first 30min of getting out of bed in the morning.  WHAT?!?!  I know, right?  But I’m a sucker, so today I tried it just for fun.  Only got to 1.5 litres, but actually didn’t feel like as much of a blow fish as I had expected…  When someone tells me it can’t be done, I’ll probably try to prove them wrong.  When I tell myself it can’t be done, I will DEFINITELY try to prove me wrong!  Freak.

Yesterday was potluck day at my store 🙂  I was lazy… http://paleomg.com/sweet-potato-brownies/ 

sweet potato brownies

Food, gym, food…

People just don’t get it sometimes…  Just because I am no longer “in a relationship” doesn’t mean I’m suddenly fair game…  While I’ve stopped looking for the ring that used to sit on my ring finger, my heart hasn’t forgotten just yet.  I’m not looking to find anyone other than myself right now.  Could sometimes just use a friend…

I got out of bed first thing this morning and headed straight to my kitchen to make miracles.  Ok, I consider them miracles in the form of a new version of meatloaf muffins.  After last night, when I got home and realized I had nothing stashed in my fridge and ended up eating a bowl of steamed Brussels sprouts and broccoli for dinner.  Anyway, the meatloaf is so ridiculously tasty and easy… just 2lbs ground turkey, a cup of salsa, 5 cloves garlic, grated fresh ginger, finely grated carrot, an egg and black pepper.  Mmmm…  I learned a pretty important life lesson during my early morning cook-fest.  Taking the turkey out of the deep freezer and into the fridge the night before is NOT adequate.  I’m pretty sure I gave my hands 3rd degree frostbite when trying to make the bastards.  Does that even exist?  Hmmm…

I did have a good workout this morning.  🙂  First time I’ve pushed myself after breaking myself last week.  It felt great to be back at it.  Unfortunately I ended my workout a bit sooner than I was planning though cause these 3 people really seemed to be stalking me around the gym and smelled really bad.  :s  When the one guy approached me as I was finishing my 3rd set on the leg press machine to ask how many reps I had left I was annoyed enough that I did my fourth set and called it a day.  Rude.

Oh my… I just realized I still have some Brussels in my fridge!  Happy day! 

 

bump in the road

Today… I’m a big 30-year-old baby.  There.  You were warned.  Usually I try to take the “it could be worse” approach to life, but I’m struggling with this one…

It’s day 58.  Six weeks remain in the 100 day transformation challenge.  Six weeks is plenty of time to drive it home, but two days ago I did something to my back 😦  Don’t know what, but it’s getting in my way.  After a week away from home and away from my vigorous weight lifting routine, this is NOT what I need to get back on track.  The hardest part of it all is weight lifting and running are usually how I DEAL with emotions of sadness, frustration and anger. 

I’m years beyond the days where I turned to food for comfort, but it still haunts me at times.  :s  The last two nights when I haven’t been able to go to the gym, I’ve used my free time to cook shit.  Seems kinda backwards, but it keeps me busy and from sitting on the couch with a whole bowl of cranberries and walnuts!  Two nights ago I tried a Mushroom Masala recipe.  Sounded wonderful, but FAIL.  Not at all impressed and a crap load of work.  BUT – last night I turned back to my favourite source of recipe inspiration at paleOMG and Juli didn’t let me down.  The Breakfast Lasagna is UNREAL!  So delicious!  And yes.  I did end up having some breakfast for dinner.  Couldn’t help it…  Also, yes, this has to be the most disappointing picture I’ve ever taken, let alone shared, but I was hungry by the time I took it and the food smelled sooo good!  Besides, when does the first piece of anything (pie, cake, LASAGNA) not come out like a mangled hot mess?  Seriously?

Just holding onto the hope that my back will feel better soon…  It’s really weird.  I can do a pull-up or push-up painlessly, but lifting up the bottle of dish soap on the counter almost had me drop to my knees.  WTF?  To the chiropractor on Tues…