Wednesday, June 1 - Time to be a kid again

I can't believe it is June 1, well, I guess I can since it is 100 degrees - literally - in Baltimiore.  Holy Hell!  In many areas of my life I am a woman of extremes, but when it comes to weather - if it could be 70 degrees year round I'd be happy!  :-)

Today I'm having 2 work outs.  I went to Crossfit this afternoon.  The work out was front squats - I made it to 100 pounds!   I like squats.  Did I just say that?  Yes, yes I did and I DO.  Then the fun started - jump rope and sit ups.  since I'm not quite there yet for "double unders" - what's that you might ask?  I asked the same thing.  You rotate the rope twice under your feet with each jump - ummm yeah!   So I needed to do 150 jumps, then 90, then 30.   As I was jump roping I kept thinking - there was once a time when I was REALLY good at this.

Just another thing to add to the list to work on.  :-)  But there is something therapeutic about jumping rope. 

Tonight I'm going to go to the Body Back work out.  We're doing a free demo for the summer session. We're really excited!  The 10 moms doing the program now are making such great progress. Our instructor is fabulous and the group is amazing!

I'm really excited to have a week coming up where I will be on my own.  Never thought I'd be this giddy at the thought of cleaning my house.  I will spend the week decluttering everything and working out and eating well.

Off to get the kids to bed so I can go to my work out!

Wednesday, May 25 - I RAN - ok, maybe run is a strong word

So I've been feeling a bit harried lately.  Wake up, get the kids ready, take Leo to school, do whatever morning activity I'm doing with Dylan, rush him home, feed him lunch, put him down for his nap, make sure he doesn't need me in there more than 5 min b/c I need to GO GO GO to Push 511 for my work out.  By the time I walk in I feel like I just really need to sit for 15 min and just be.  Well, no sitting around in a place called Push!

So I'm starting to feel at home in our 12:30 class.  People always rotate in and out of classes, but by now I'm recognizing most of the faces, and since I'm the unofficial mascot (the underdog everyone cheers on) they all know by name. 

We're doing the warm ups and Ardy mentions something about never posting work outs in advance and scathing emails...huh?  Did I miss something?  Better start warming up enroute to the WOD (work out of the day) board.  OH NO!  RUNNING.  That's it.  Just running.  Damn.

So despite my self-proclaimed great improvements in strength, and feeling better and better every day about conquering new things, I was not prepared for an all running work out.  You see ladies and gentlemen, in my best months, I was a mediocre jogger at best.  I have not taken to a pace faster than a speed walk in well over 4 years, maybe more.  Well, not unless you count the handful of sprints taken when one child or another heads into oncoming traffic.

Well, I was already there, what the hell.  Let's try shuffling, err, I mean running.

So 4 rounds of 400 meters.  400 meters is about 1/4 mile.  Ok, that's not bad.  So off I go.  I get to the half way turn around mark - damn, really, that was only 1/2 of a 1/4 mile?  But I did it in just under 3 minutes.  If I actually would have done all 4 rounds back to back I would have done a mile in less than 12 minutes.  That's very respectable in my book!  But of course in between rounds I took a 3 minute break to ease the hyperventilating that was ensuing.

But I did all 4 rounds.  I RAN.  I guess I need to start working on that every work out now.

Friday, May 20 - Friday

What else is there to say!  A blog follower pointed out that it had been 10 days since I posted.  I thought she was mistaken, I feel like I write every other day, but that's what happens when you spend most of your waking moments (and some times non-waking) keeping track of 2 boys under 5.  Last weekend feels like such a distant memory I'm having a hard time remembering where I was and what I did.

But there is certainly no point in looking backward, must look forward, except to update you all here.

I've been very remiss in telling you all about Terrific Tuesdays.  Every Tuesday for 5 weeks now I've had Sarah from Beaming Woman doing a chakra balancing private yoga session.  I really look forward to Tuesday afternoons.  I've never done private yoga before and it's so nice to have an hour a 100% focused on yourself.  I've noticed I'm much more relaxed after those sessions.

But speaking of looking forward, I'm really excited for the weekend.  It is ACTION PACKED!

First thing in the morning - a Body Back class with Kristin M.  I'm really looking forward to it b/c I've been missing my Tues/Thurs work outs due to child care issues.  The summer session starts June 21 and I'm really looking forward to doing the program fully.  Then I have 2 kids birthday parties and then the Orioles game with the kids. 

And if that wasn't enough excitement for one weekend, I am going to another Push 511 Crossfit work out on Sunday morning,  I can't wait to see what Kevin has in store for us.  Last time I went to a Sunday work out there was an insane obstacle course in the parking lot.

Have a happy weekend!

May 11, 2011 - SUCCESS

Drum roll please.......I had my 1 month measurements today.   The first moment of truth was very disappointing - I had not lost one single ounce on the scale.  I was quite ready to abandon the box jump work out today.  But knowing I've been working so hard, I was hoping for some inches lost.  Back to the drum roll......a FULL INCH off each thigh and an inch and a half off the lower belly!

So in this particular case, I really have lost some fat and built up muscle.  I'm hoping to really focus on my nutrition this month and see some actual weight loss in addition to the inch loss, but frankly, if I had to pick between the 2, I'd pick inches any day!

I've been working on the spring cleanse with the Baltimore Health Coach.   I'm on day 3 with no sugar and I'm hoping to make that a mostly permanent thing  - at least until I'm more in maintenance.   I still crave sugar and starches like crazy, but do find that if I eat good fats that seems to subside a bit.

I am also very excited that today's work out was 400m, 30 box jumps, and 30 wall balls (prescribed was 5 rounds I did 3) I actually did all the box jumps (in the past I had done a few box jumps, then step ups - today only jumps!).

I've also decided that I need to reward all of this hard work with nutritious food.  I'm only making myself work twice as hard if I feed myself junk.

The next 30 days - really focusing on nutrition.

But for now, I'm happy with my lost inches!

Sunday, May 8, 2011 - AHHHH HELL NO!

So today's is mother's day and despite going for a yummy, but starchy early breakfast, I still went to my first weekend Crossfit work out.  So every time I've ever gone we've done our work outs inside.  As I pulled in, I saw medicine balls, weighted plates, dumb bells, and kettle weights spread out all over the parking lot.   My first thought was "ahh  hell no."  I've been doing Crossfit long enough now that I knew this was going to be some sort of insane obstacle course.  I know I'm supposed to go there to push myself farther then I can push myself on my own, however, there is a limit.

Rats - someone saw me, and waved - can't sneak away now.  I was thinking a pedicure would be a much more pleasant way to celebrate mother's day.

For those not familiar, Crossfit puts the work outs on the board.  So as I'm doing the warm up, I'm reading - all partner stuff - hold a weighted plate over your head while your partner runs 800m - yeah right!  and if you lower the plate even for a second, your penalty is 10 squats.  That's the first of 5 stations.  There were also long jumps, box jumps, sit ups, kettle bell dead lifts, shoulder raises, and some other things I probably blocked out.

The nice thing about Crossfit, once you start, you can't back out.  You command your body to do what they tell you and you have to just get through it. 

In my wildest dreams, I never thought I could do a work out like that.  But I did.  I was back to last, but I did it.  Barely got out of the car my legs were so rubbery, but it feels good to push myself like that.

I definitely feel stronger - I'm improving in most of my strength measurements, but I'm still having a hard time with the food.

Tomorrow, I'm going to start another cleanse with the Baltimore Health Coach.  I'm hoping it sticks this time.  more on that tomorrow.

Time to enjoy my evening!

Monday, May 5 - I was not last

So today is probably the best day I've had in a month.   I was not last!  Now, for the most part, that sounds awful.  What kind of goal is that, really?  Not last?  That's a far cry from my normal over-achieving self. 

But today ladies and gentlemen, I managed to not be last, I wasn't even second to last.  When you see the athletes I train with, you will jump for joy for me.   It has become some what of an expectation, that I just aim to do the work out.  I don't look at the clock.  I don't really care that people are out on their 3rd round and I just started my 2nd.  I'm in my own little sweaty world, but today, wow, what a feeling.

I rowed 400 meters and did 50 squats - 4 times.  As soon as I saw the work out I instantly knew what my blog post was going to be "200 squats - WTF?!"  That's before I came in "not last" and that was even a bigger deal.

I feel like I'm rocking the work outs - in my own slow and steady way.  What I really need to work to master is cutting the unnecessary processed carbs and fruits from my diet.  Starting tomorrow, I'm embarking on a 30 day challenge to go without those things.  To really eat cleanly and from the earth.  I tried a few weeks ago, did well for a few days, and then I went back to my old ways.  This time I need to succeed - I WILL succeed.  But more on that later this week.

I can go to bed feeling very successful this evening.  Thanks Crossfit!

Friday, April 29 - The evil box

So - every time I go to Push 511 - the BOX stares at me.  Everywhere you look there are these wooden boxes - 16" , 20" , 24" - maybe more - not sure.  They make great step stools to reach the pull up bar, but what they are really there for is BOX JUMPS.  Yes, ladies and gentlemen, you're supposed to jump - both feet at a time from the ground onto the box - without falling over, falling off, or nose diving off the front. 

For weeks, I managed to avoid the box jump.  But today, that was the work out - walking lunges and box jumps.   I don't think I was ever so petrified in my life.  If you fail at a pull up, you just hang; if you do a bad squat, you just look funny, if you miss the box, at best you look like a fool, at worst you break your nose.

I now know how a 1 year old must feel when (s)he learns to walk.  With every ounce of energy you have you will your body to do something, and the body just doesn't move, or worse, says HELL NO!   So after many a beat staring at the box willing it to get shorter, my trainer says - try stepping up a few times.  So I did.  I finally looked around and made sure no one was paying attention and I jumped. 

WOAH!  I landed - ON THE BOX.  No one was more surprised than I was.  And then I did it again.  I promise you if it was an inch taller I would not have cleared it - I was coming that close - but I conquered the box, and it felt GOOD!

I was supposed to do 30 every round, and I probably manged about 10 per round and stepping up the rest, but I will no longer be tormented by the box.

This is a good day!