So the "I can't eat anything bad" aspect of the last month of my life has been replaced with the "I don't want to eat anything bad" frame of mind. I ate really well on Sunday considering I had no food in the house and I could cheat and not have to feel badly about it...I mean really, mac and cheese and a pumpkin donut were it...well..and some beer...that is my next challenge...while I like the taste of a good pumpkin beer...(well...any good beer if we are being totally honest here) my body doesn't much like the after effects. Any woman of a certain age knows what I am talking about...unless I consume said beer at 4:00pm and have lots of food and water afterward I am UP ALL NIGHT... I totally get why old people go to restaurants at four o'clock for dinner...I am turning into one...cocktail hour for adults (read anyone over 30) is at 5:00pm...only college students, people in their twenties and people who work late (and thus can sleep late) drink at 10:00pm...nothing good comes of late night drinking....trust me on this one...and although the occasional holiday or celebratory event may include late night drinking, for the most part, it needs to occur early in order for meaningful sleep to take place...(why am I talking about this???) Oh yeah, the next challenge.
So it hasn't been lost on me that it was easier to say no to my daily Honey Bun than it was to say no to an overpriced beer...so my next challenge is to really be in the moment and ever present when I go out to eat. I don't drink at home...too much alcoholism in my family to promote regular use of alcohol as a choice for my daughters. I am pretty open with them around addiction and behaviors that are dangerous for our family. We all have allergies...so alcohol consumption and the prevalence of alcoholism on both sides of the family is an easy conversation to have when framed in the "what runs in our family" conversation. I used this logic with my health students too...rather than lecture them on the evils etc. I turned their attention back to them and their families so that they could make their own assumptions and assertions as to what they might be able to get away with. (So I know...drinking secretly is a tad hypocritical) but I will fall back on the "because I said so" logic of parenting in the 70's. "Do as I say not as I do" (and then do it secretly) seems successful thus far. I'm not teaching anymore so I don't have to address any hypocrisy there...although I got alot more flack from my students over the diet coke can on my desk than I ever did over my lectures on alcohol...funny...
Addiction is a funny thing...in the sense that we all deny it when it applies to us and quickly point it out when we see it in others. Then there are those people who look at your good habits and project their own insecurities on them by turning them into addictions. I get this with Crossfit sometimes, and I always got it from running..."You are obsessed with running".."I can't believe how addicted you are to running", You know you spend a lot of time at Crossfit when you could be doing other things", or my favorite, "Are you sure all this Crossfit is good for you?" No...I'm clueless... so that's why I go every day and work my butt off in the gym....duh...
There are people who worried about me because I was following a food challenge...and my blogs about it generated provocative conversations...human behavior is personal and emotional...what we look like, how fit we are or are not, what we eat...all of these things can be used to judge us...(and I find that people are their own worst critics) but I will say this...it does take a rather compulsive (or maybe obsessive, and perhaps somewhat of an addictive) personality to achieve greatness at anything. Yo Yo Ma is a gifted cellist...but he has to practice hours and hours a day to be as great as he is.
I was a good runner immediately...6th in New England after just 10 weeks on the track team... but I also worked really hard at practice...and trained like a fiend for all of the years I was a competitive runner. My athletic experiences, and my coaching experiences have helped me tremendously in life. Distance runners learn to live with pain...a 5K race isn't excruciating from start to finish...the early miles are okay if they are paced properly...but it is quite difficult at two miles to keep going...there is alot of self talk...running hurts...and the difference between the winner and the runner-up is typically which one can tolerate the pain best...this training has helped me deal with losing my job and it has helped me excel in the gym. I know how to hurt. As a survivor of child abuse I also know how to separate myself emotionally and mentally from my body. I am never surprised when I read a biography about a famous athlete and discover that they were abused, or neglected or suffered great tragedies as a child...we learn from our struggles...our addictions...our responses to life events.... we compartmentalize our lives and carry on...
I learned a ton from my eating challenge...so I will continue on with it...and it has inspired me to reflect a bit more deeply into other areas of my life that need attention...I can't say that it will be easy, or always fun, but it will be provocative and challenging...one day at a time:)
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
WMCF 30 for 30 Day 30.....I DID IT!!!!
Today was the most difficult day of the 30 days...not because I was craving anything...not because I was busy...and not because I was at a Halloween Party surrounded by amazing treats that i was just hours away from eating....nope...it was hard because we were out of food and I had too many things to do to go buy anything. There were four eggs and some cheese so breakfast was good. I also had the last of the trail mix and coffee. Then at the road race I had two bananas... lunch was carrots dipped in almond butter and dinner was sauteed lunch meat and the last pepper...so I managed...I drank alot of water and two protein shakes...(water and powder only...no yummies left to add...) so it was a day that in my old life I would have grabbed chips or raided a vending truck or driven through a fast food restaurant...I can't do that now...and even though I will be able to tomorrow, I know that I won't....
Too many good things have happened to me this month to consider going back...I am done circling the airport...in many ways and areas of my life. I can spend so much time treading water and trying to keep everyone floating that I make no progress in getting to shore...I am done with this way of living. I want to be purposeful and focused. I want to be positive and helpful but not at my own expense. I want to be my best Barb and not a shadow of what I know I can be...completing Grace was big for me... as it would be for anyone doing it for the first time...and I know that re-focusing myself in the gym and adding in the extra behaviors such as daily stretching and mobility work, diet changes and sleep has paid off...this 30 day eating thingy has been wonderful... and I am a different eater today than I was 30 days ago....
I am finishing this blog at 4:45pm on Sunday...this morning when I got up at 5:30 I had MACARONI AND CHEESE...there were left over noodles so I took the deli cheese and broke it up all over them and microwaved that big ole bowl of happiness...then I went get gas and got a Pumpkin Donut, a banana and a LIFE WATER (strawberry dragon fruit)...I also took a small bag of Smartfood Popcorn and ate the trail mix WITHOUT taking out the M&Ms....oh the sheer beauty of it all....my lunch was a giant bowl of chicken salad and dinner will be streak and veggies...ooohhh such a big cheater am I (said in a Yoda voice). SO I am not sure what my blogs will be...I have enjoyed writing about things because it has kept me honest...and hopefully some of you entertained...at any rate...I did it...and a the end of the 30 days it was mac and cheese not diet coke and chips that made me happy....so I got that goin' for me...(said in my best Bill Murray in Caddy Shack voice.)
Too many good things have happened to me this month to consider going back...I am done circling the airport...in many ways and areas of my life. I can spend so much time treading water and trying to keep everyone floating that I make no progress in getting to shore...I am done with this way of living. I want to be purposeful and focused. I want to be positive and helpful but not at my own expense. I want to be my best Barb and not a shadow of what I know I can be...completing Grace was big for me... as it would be for anyone doing it for the first time...and I know that re-focusing myself in the gym and adding in the extra behaviors such as daily stretching and mobility work, diet changes and sleep has paid off...this 30 day eating thingy has been wonderful... and I am a different eater today than I was 30 days ago....
I am finishing this blog at 4:45pm on Sunday...this morning when I got up at 5:30 I had MACARONI AND CHEESE...there were left over noodles so I took the deli cheese and broke it up all over them and microwaved that big ole bowl of happiness...then I went get gas and got a Pumpkin Donut, a banana and a LIFE WATER (strawberry dragon fruit)...I also took a small bag of Smartfood Popcorn and ate the trail mix WITHOUT taking out the M&Ms....oh the sheer beauty of it all....my lunch was a giant bowl of chicken salad and dinner will be streak and veggies...ooohhh such a big cheater am I (said in a Yoda voice). SO I am not sure what my blogs will be...I have enjoyed writing about things because it has kept me honest...and hopefully some of you entertained...at any rate...I did it...and a the end of the 30 days it was mac and cheese not diet coke and chips that made me happy....so I got that goin' for me...(said in my best Bill Murray in Caddy Shack voice.)
WMCF 30 for 30 Day 29...G.R.A.C.E.
I woke up jittery..but ate my omelet and got the girls off to school. I went to The Mount for my usual 8:00am workout. On Friday's we squat....and I wanted to see if I could maintain my depth to parallel at heavier than 155....I was doing barbells4boobs later on and even though Grace is a tough workout I didn't want to let my routine fall by the wayside...I ended up squatting 5 reps at 165 with good depth...I then spent 30 minutes on mobility and went home.
I have had this goal...RXing "Grace"...a workout where you clean and jerk 95 pounds 30 times for time. I am not concerned with the time...I want to lift that 95 pound bar over my head 30 times....so I have been jittery for a month and today I felt like I used to feel before races. I ate some bananas, I had veggies, I drank a protein shake...I accomplished a bunch of school work...it was a good morning... but I was anxious and nervous...at 12:45 I strapped on my new pink sports top, my Barbells4Boobs tee-shirt and got my ass on down to White Mountain Crossfit. Robyn, Regina and Miss Joan were already there...they were doing it with me. The actual formal fundraiser is tomorrow...but per usual I have to time a race...once Robyn knew I couldn't go on Saturday she immediately offered to do it with me on Friday. That's the kind of friend she is...Miss Joan (Dance teacher...can't drop the Miss) and Regina (my other new bff) Robyn and I all put on pink ribbon tattoos and pink football paint beneath our eyes...bring it on.
I remember it now, hours after Jon's "3-2-1 Go!!" as a bit chaotic in my mind. I kept telling myself to relax...I tried to remember all of the little hints and cues we learn to maintain proper technique...I knew, after the first three, that I would get to 30...I also knew that it would take me a long time. The clean part of the lift felt really good. I was able to jump the off my hips and get under it...the jerk part of it eluded me somewhat and I remember thinking "holy crap I'm push pressing this...." A push press takes alot more arm work than a jerk...but I was way too scattered to figure it out. I was at 16 reps when I had to stop and walk away from the bar because I couldn't straighten out my arms...I had to re-try three times during the workout. (I didn't care. another three opportunities to have performed a clean...) I was pretty close to Robyn for a while...maybe 4 reps behind...but those last 5 took me long time...everyone else was done and in typical usual "this is how we do" Crossfit style everyone gathered around to cheer me through the last ones... I had to take a re-try on my 30th rep...couldn't straighten out my arms...but I did it...I got to 30, in 7:49...I had RX'd Grace...and then I cried...I wasn't going to share that part...later on in the Day Miss Joan asked Robyn if I was okay...she thought maybe I was hurt...you know physically hurt... but what Miss Joan doesn't know...and actually what most people in my life don't know is that in the days and weeks after I lost my job I couldn't leave the house without tremendous panic and anxiety. I needed and wanted to workout. I used to run one time around White's Park and call it a day not because I was tired but because running reminded me of coaching which reminded me of all I had lost. It made me so sad that I would cry...right there...as I ran around the park. I went to the Y and would piece together workouts there and that was a bit better, but I couldn't;t keep it up...
Finding Crossfit and having immediate (6 weeks of three times a week=20pounds and 11 inches lost) results was a life changer. I read the testimonials and many people in this amazing community have much more compelling stories than mine, but our pain is ours and how we deal with it through Crossfit is incredibly unique and similar all at the same time. I have cried about accomplishment before at Crossfit but it has been very private...as much as I can high jack a work out and make Jon use his Dad voice to quiet me down there are layers to me that are finally peeling away. This Grace experience was very public and I didn't want to fail. As an athlete I knew that I could do it, and I know Jon wouldn't have let me attempt it if he didn't think I could do it as well... but still...it is way outside my comfort zone...
Robyn was done her 30 days on Thursday so she and Miss Joan went out for Macaroni and Cheese. I have another day yet...so I went home to a protein shake and sauteed veggies and meat...today was a good day...and Grace will always be one of my favorite benchmark workouts...for a hundred million reasons...but mostly because it scared the hell out of me and I did it anyway....
I have had this goal...RXing "Grace"...a workout where you clean and jerk 95 pounds 30 times for time. I am not concerned with the time...I want to lift that 95 pound bar over my head 30 times....so I have been jittery for a month and today I felt like I used to feel before races. I ate some bananas, I had veggies, I drank a protein shake...I accomplished a bunch of school work...it was a good morning... but I was anxious and nervous...at 12:45 I strapped on my new pink sports top, my Barbells4Boobs tee-shirt and got my ass on down to White Mountain Crossfit. Robyn, Regina and Miss Joan were already there...they were doing it with me. The actual formal fundraiser is tomorrow...but per usual I have to time a race...once Robyn knew I couldn't go on Saturday she immediately offered to do it with me on Friday. That's the kind of friend she is...Miss Joan (Dance teacher...can't drop the Miss) and Regina (my other new bff) Robyn and I all put on pink ribbon tattoos and pink football paint beneath our eyes...bring it on.
I remember it now, hours after Jon's "3-2-1 Go!!" as a bit chaotic in my mind. I kept telling myself to relax...I tried to remember all of the little hints and cues we learn to maintain proper technique...I knew, after the first three, that I would get to 30...I also knew that it would take me a long time. The clean part of the lift felt really good. I was able to jump the off my hips and get under it...the jerk part of it eluded me somewhat and I remember thinking "holy crap I'm push pressing this...." A push press takes alot more arm work than a jerk...but I was way too scattered to figure it out. I was at 16 reps when I had to stop and walk away from the bar because I couldn't straighten out my arms...I had to re-try three times during the workout. (I didn't care. another three opportunities to have performed a clean...) I was pretty close to Robyn for a while...maybe 4 reps behind...but those last 5 took me long time...everyone else was done and in typical usual "this is how we do" Crossfit style everyone gathered around to cheer me through the last ones... I had to take a re-try on my 30th rep...couldn't straighten out my arms...but I did it...I got to 30, in 7:49...I had RX'd Grace...and then I cried...I wasn't going to share that part...later on in the Day Miss Joan asked Robyn if I was okay...she thought maybe I was hurt...you know physically hurt... but what Miss Joan doesn't know...and actually what most people in my life don't know is that in the days and weeks after I lost my job I couldn't leave the house without tremendous panic and anxiety. I needed and wanted to workout. I used to run one time around White's Park and call it a day not because I was tired but because running reminded me of coaching which reminded me of all I had lost. It made me so sad that I would cry...right there...as I ran around the park. I went to the Y and would piece together workouts there and that was a bit better, but I couldn't;t keep it up...
Finding Crossfit and having immediate (6 weeks of three times a week=20pounds and 11 inches lost) results was a life changer. I read the testimonials and many people in this amazing community have much more compelling stories than mine, but our pain is ours and how we deal with it through Crossfit is incredibly unique and similar all at the same time. I have cried about accomplishment before at Crossfit but it has been very private...as much as I can high jack a work out and make Jon use his Dad voice to quiet me down there are layers to me that are finally peeling away. This Grace experience was very public and I didn't want to fail. As an athlete I knew that I could do it, and I know Jon wouldn't have let me attempt it if he didn't think I could do it as well... but still...it is way outside my comfort zone...
Robyn was done her 30 days on Thursday so she and Miss Joan went out for Macaroni and Cheese. I have another day yet...so I went home to a protein shake and sauteed veggies and meat...today was a good day...and Grace will always be one of my favorite benchmark workouts...for a hundred million reasons...but mostly because it scared the hell out of me and I did it anyway....
Friday, October 26, 2012
WMCF 30 for 30 Day 28 You scratch my backI'll scratch yours
So there is this great thing about Crossfit. Not everyone is good at everything...(this even includes Chandler Pellock who is pretty darned close to perfect!) Some of us are good at the cardio stuff(me) others are good at the lifting stuff (Robyn) still others have amazing technique (Jen B.)...we all balance each other out. Today Allison and I were workout buddies. She has been battling a cold and I have been battling with, well, myself...and we were working on a 5 rep max for bench. I got all cocky on myself and thought I could get 95 since that is my 2 rep max. I was very wrong...Allison, on the other hand schooled me and got 105...now don't misunderstand...I am wicked happy for Allison...she works very hard...and has very strong arms. This is a lift that she excels at and I...do not, so my 85 pounds would have to suffice...(weak triceps Babs)...says Jon and I believe him because I now believe everything he says...
The Conditioning Workout was completely suited to my strengths, 500M row, followed by 20 goblet squats, then 20 kettle bell swings (35lbs) then a 400M run...THREE TIMES. Alison was struggling on the very first row. So Benny and Chandler and I did what any good Crossfitters would do...we encouraged her...we told her to keep it up...we cheered her on in the rowing...and when we were all done and Allison still had to run her last 400, I went out and ran I with her... it's what we do.
We are also very hard on ourselves...I know that Allison can feel intimidated by athletes like Chandler (and maybe even me a little) because we look all muscular etc. but what Allison and other Crossfitters like her don't realise is that they are incredibly inspiring to us. Running is my gift...my talent...I didn't have to try hard to be good at it...I worked very hard to get a college scholarship and my workouts were very painful...but average runners should not compare themselves to me...and I am not a better athlete or more important in the gym simply because I am good at this. I struggle too and I would want my struggles to be as inspiring to the newbies as their struggling is to me. Allison has strengths in the gym that I don't have...I look to her for encouragement and reinforcement... and...her bench press 5 rep max is better than mine...
I had another breakthrough today...I actually cooked...(as in used the stove) three times today making myself tasty meals with veggies and meat...I have been cooking alot of meat ahead of time and then gnawing on it cold through out the day...but today...three hot meals....I just might master this food thing after all...I need support though...maybe I'll ask Allison:)
The Conditioning Workout was completely suited to my strengths, 500M row, followed by 20 goblet squats, then 20 kettle bell swings (35lbs) then a 400M run...THREE TIMES. Alison was struggling on the very first row. So Benny and Chandler and I did what any good Crossfitters would do...we encouraged her...we told her to keep it up...we cheered her on in the rowing...and when we were all done and Allison still had to run her last 400, I went out and ran I with her... it's what we do.
We are also very hard on ourselves...I know that Allison can feel intimidated by athletes like Chandler (and maybe even me a little) because we look all muscular etc. but what Allison and other Crossfitters like her don't realise is that they are incredibly inspiring to us. Running is my gift...my talent...I didn't have to try hard to be good at it...I worked very hard to get a college scholarship and my workouts were very painful...but average runners should not compare themselves to me...and I am not a better athlete or more important in the gym simply because I am good at this. I struggle too and I would want my struggles to be as inspiring to the newbies as their struggling is to me. Allison has strengths in the gym that I don't have...I look to her for encouragement and reinforcement... and...her bench press 5 rep max is better than mine...
I had another breakthrough today...I actually cooked...(as in used the stove) three times today making myself tasty meals with veggies and meat...I have been cooking alot of meat ahead of time and then gnawing on it cold through out the day...but today...three hot meals....I just might master this food thing after all...I need support though...maybe I'll ask Allison:)
WMCF 30 for 30 Day 27 Raw Fish!!!
So I have this friend. He is a very good friend and although we do not see each other much he has been an incredible support for me during my recent life trauma...from moral support to ideas and suggestions to an occasional ass kicking we all need people in our life like this person... We spent some time together Wednesday catching up and sharing the details of our lives and he suggested that we have Sushi for lunch...I have never had sushi...well not real sushi anyway..I have had fake sushi made with things other than seaweed and raw fish...but today I went for it. IT.WAS.AWESOME.
My taste for fish and meat was tarnished by two pregnancies. I could not eat meat or fish wen I was pregnant and my taste for them has been slow to come back...so yeah...a Paleo Diet has taken a long time for me to buy into...but buy into it I have...and as I have gone through the process of giving myself over to it I have realised that chicken and beef are going to get real old real fast...so these lie seaweed rolled fish yummies, along with some fearsome slabs of raw fish have opened up a whole new option for me...and the health benefits are, well, obvious. I was full but not stuffed, I felt nourished for the remainder of the afternoon...the hot tea was a treat that I foolishly don't give myself enough and of course the company was superb...raw fish...me...who knew.
I am not afraid of trying new things...and I love adventure...so many of my little quirks in the gym, in my family life, in my professional life, in my social life, and in my eating life don't always match my fearsome self... I have no trouble jumping off an abandoned railroad trestle into the murky waters of a river but won't eat raw fish...this makes no sense...but it is me...and all I can do is analyse and act....
I had a great workout today...I finally surpassed the 200 pound mark and did 5 reps of the dead lift at 205 pounds....I am really proud of this accomplishment...my lack of flexibility kept me doing Romanian Dead lifts for the first 8 months I was at WMCF, when I went to the traditional style of dead lift I backed my weight down from 185 to 155. I do not want to be hurt..I have taken my time coming up but this was a big PR...20 pounds!!! I have a whole new love for those Planet Fitness commercials now..."I pick things up and put them down" no longer makes me laugh at the big ole neanderthal actor they having uttering these words...I have become that neanderthal...and I have done so happily....so bring on the raw fish, bring on the weight, and bring on all of the life decisions I have awaiting me....I am strong enough to do it all...
My taste for fish and meat was tarnished by two pregnancies. I could not eat meat or fish wen I was pregnant and my taste for them has been slow to come back...so yeah...a Paleo Diet has taken a long time for me to buy into...but buy into it I have...and as I have gone through the process of giving myself over to it I have realised that chicken and beef are going to get real old real fast...so these lie seaweed rolled fish yummies, along with some fearsome slabs of raw fish have opened up a whole new option for me...and the health benefits are, well, obvious. I was full but not stuffed, I felt nourished for the remainder of the afternoon...the hot tea was a treat that I foolishly don't give myself enough and of course the company was superb...raw fish...me...who knew.
I am not afraid of trying new things...and I love adventure...so many of my little quirks in the gym, in my family life, in my professional life, in my social life, and in my eating life don't always match my fearsome self... I have no trouble jumping off an abandoned railroad trestle into the murky waters of a river but won't eat raw fish...this makes no sense...but it is me...and all I can do is analyse and act....
I had a great workout today...I finally surpassed the 200 pound mark and did 5 reps of the dead lift at 205 pounds....I am really proud of this accomplishment...my lack of flexibility kept me doing Romanian Dead lifts for the first 8 months I was at WMCF, when I went to the traditional style of dead lift I backed my weight down from 185 to 155. I do not want to be hurt..I have taken my time coming up but this was a big PR...20 pounds!!! I have a whole new love for those Planet Fitness commercials now..."I pick things up and put them down" no longer makes me laugh at the big ole neanderthal actor they having uttering these words...I have become that neanderthal...and I have done so happily....so bring on the raw fish, bring on the weight, and bring on all of the life decisions I have awaiting me....I am strong enough to do it all...
30 for 30 Food Fest 2012...When did you learn to squat?
Best.Day.Ever. Well..in the gym anyway...we were working up to a front squat max for 5 reps. I have strong legs and have always been a pretty good squatter...strength wise anyway...flexibility and mobility allude me and even with lots of stretching and tennis ball therapy I am still wound up like a top ready to explode like a whirling dervish at any moment. You can strum my scalenes like a harp.
So the front squats. We did a "death by' workout some months back...(maybe March) where we had to do front squats on the minute. I had made good progress in the gym but had never done this lift. When I attempted to pick up the bar and hold it properly in front of me on a "shelf'" created by thrusting my elbows up I completely failed. I could not hold that bar up. I ended up having to modify the lift, crossing my arms and holding it like an old lady...(no pointing out the obvious here...I know how old I am). I had NO mobility in my shoulders and could not do this lift. I completed the work out using a 35 pound bar...not my best day...I am still at this place with the overhead squat...my shoulders hold me back....BUT....TODAY....for reasons unknown to me I had a 30 pound PR on the front squat. Some weeks ago I was encouraged (read...Babs you WILL...) to cut back on my weight in the back squat and concentrate on depth. It has made a big difference. I am starting to feel the lift and how my body really is designed for these deep squats..when I am squatting I stop at the point I can't make it to parallel...so the front squat...it was one of those times where all the planets line up and crazy good stuff happens...my prior PR was 115 done roughly 6 weeks ago. Today I passed that by and did 145... then we took 80% of that weight and did max reps...so there I was, squatting away at 115 (my former PR) for a max of 19 squats...seriously...I was stoked...Brad was watching and he got all pumped too..."Damn" he said, "when did you learn to squat!" I love these compliments...I am a bit insecure sometimes, I also get a lot of critique from the boys at the mount...(which I love because it makes me better) but Brad getting excited about it made me excited about it....these little moments of exultation over the improvement of someone in the gym...I killed the WOD...dumbbell push up/rows, dumbbell rows, and sit ups...and the 500M time trial on the rower...a four second PR for me here...
Not all days are like this...yesterday I left the gym despondent...today my feel floated across the pavement as I ran home...(no car, long story)... I know that perhaps this day would have happened on my own eating plan...but I feel like the food piece has been a major part of my improvement...at any rate...yay me!!!
So the front squats. We did a "death by' workout some months back...(maybe March) where we had to do front squats on the minute. I had made good progress in the gym but had never done this lift. When I attempted to pick up the bar and hold it properly in front of me on a "shelf'" created by thrusting my elbows up I completely failed. I could not hold that bar up. I ended up having to modify the lift, crossing my arms and holding it like an old lady...(no pointing out the obvious here...I know how old I am). I had NO mobility in my shoulders and could not do this lift. I completed the work out using a 35 pound bar...not my best day...I am still at this place with the overhead squat...my shoulders hold me back....BUT....TODAY....for reasons unknown to me I had a 30 pound PR on the front squat. Some weeks ago I was encouraged (read...Babs you WILL...) to cut back on my weight in the back squat and concentrate on depth. It has made a big difference. I am starting to feel the lift and how my body really is designed for these deep squats..when I am squatting I stop at the point I can't make it to parallel...so the front squat...it was one of those times where all the planets line up and crazy good stuff happens...my prior PR was 115 done roughly 6 weeks ago. Today I passed that by and did 145... then we took 80% of that weight and did max reps...so there I was, squatting away at 115 (my former PR) for a max of 19 squats...seriously...I was stoked...Brad was watching and he got all pumped too..."Damn" he said, "when did you learn to squat!" I love these compliments...I am a bit insecure sometimes, I also get a lot of critique from the boys at the mount...(which I love because it makes me better) but Brad getting excited about it made me excited about it....these little moments of exultation over the improvement of someone in the gym...I killed the WOD...dumbbell push up/rows, dumbbell rows, and sit ups...and the 500M time trial on the rower...a four second PR for me here...
Not all days are like this...yesterday I left the gym despondent...today my feel floated across the pavement as I ran home...(no car, long story)... I know that perhaps this day would have happened on my own eating plan...but I feel like the food piece has been a major part of my improvement...at any rate...yay me!!!
WMCF 30 for 30 the final stretch Day 25
So this marks the final Monday of my challenge...I am both relieved and saddened at the same time. There are many ways that I am incredibly internally motivated. I do not need prodding to go to Crossfit, I love it....I go running on my off days because I love it...I fall asleep early because I love it...(well that and I am old and tired by 9:00pm). Food, preparing it and eating it correctly...making good choices etc. has always required EXternal motivation. In college the dining hall was AWESOME! I made really good choices...(as well as a number of bad ones) but every meal consisted of a salad and a hot main course, I ate fruit...I also ate dessert... but there were so many healthy things to eat that I was very well nourished. When I moved off campus and had to cook for myself it all fell apart...canned ravioli replaced breaded haddock, cheerios replaced eggs and bacon...I really didn't eat well on my own.
Taking part in this challenge and blogging about it has kept me honest....I really don't want to have to share that I ate something I had committed to avoiding...and thus far my biggest discretion has been that evil Pumpkin Head Draught Beer....(evil evil lovely Pumpkin Head)...so I worry a bit how I will behave once I am not beholden to this diet...I know that I will stick to it...I feel too good....AND...I am performing like a mad woman in the gym.
Today we did out maximum weight for five rounds for the over head press. This has been a tough one for me...although I can do pull ups now...pushing that bar over my head with more than 65 pounds on it has eluded me since joining WMCF. So today...I did 5 at 75!!!! I was pretty excited....so excited that I pushed 80 pounds up over my head (only once, but still) ...this is a big PR for me and did alot for my confidence..until the WOD that is...we were doing 4 rounds of clean and jerk separated by a 400M run. I should have put 95 pounds on that sucker...but I chicken out and only lifted 75...until Tom snuck an extra 5 pounds on after my second round...when I came in after my last round he had added 5 more...so I did 5 more reps...and it was fine...so I walked to Alaka's bar which weighed 95 pounds and did 5 more... yeah...I should have done the workout as prescribed and not been a baby about it... this was a good lesson for me...most of my workout buddies assume I am chasing a fast time in the WOD's but really...lifting weight over my head scares me...so i hold back... and I guess committing to an eating plan scares me as well...and so I hold back...but I am so much stronger than I was four weeks ago that I am wondering if all those crazy paleo people are right....(God help me if I have to get a big old Paleo "I told you so") but I think it is coming....it could be coincidence, it could be that sticking to the eating plan is giving me confidence which allows me to take bigger chances in the gym, who knows...but I do know that not unique in my transformation...let them eat meat!!!!
Taking part in this challenge and blogging about it has kept me honest....I really don't want to have to share that I ate something I had committed to avoiding...and thus far my biggest discretion has been that evil Pumpkin Head Draught Beer....(evil evil lovely Pumpkin Head)...so I worry a bit how I will behave once I am not beholden to this diet...I know that I will stick to it...I feel too good....AND...I am performing like a mad woman in the gym.
Today we did out maximum weight for five rounds for the over head press. This has been a tough one for me...although I can do pull ups now...pushing that bar over my head with more than 65 pounds on it has eluded me since joining WMCF. So today...I did 5 at 75!!!! I was pretty excited....so excited that I pushed 80 pounds up over my head (only once, but still) ...this is a big PR for me and did alot for my confidence..until the WOD that is...we were doing 4 rounds of clean and jerk separated by a 400M run. I should have put 95 pounds on that sucker...but I chicken out and only lifted 75...until Tom snuck an extra 5 pounds on after my second round...when I came in after my last round he had added 5 more...so I did 5 more reps...and it was fine...so I walked to Alaka's bar which weighed 95 pounds and did 5 more... yeah...I should have done the workout as prescribed and not been a baby about it... this was a good lesson for me...most of my workout buddies assume I am chasing a fast time in the WOD's but really...lifting weight over my head scares me...so i hold back... and I guess committing to an eating plan scares me as well...and so I hold back...but I am so much stronger than I was four weeks ago that I am wondering if all those crazy paleo people are right....(God help me if I have to get a big old Paleo "I told you so") but I think it is coming....it could be coincidence, it could be that sticking to the eating plan is giving me confidence which allows me to take bigger chances in the gym, who knows...but I do know that not unique in my transformation...let them eat meat!!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)