Lindsay's Ramblings

Happy Halloween!! I can't wait for all the trick or treaters to come tonight! I have a big bowl of candy that I have to try to keep my hands out of.  Or not... ;) I had so much fun dressing up my husband this morning!  Can you guess who he is? Haha. Over the weekend, some of the family got together at my grandma and grandpa's house to celebrate their 60 year anniversary! 60 years !! WOW, that is a long time. Matt and I only have 55 more years to go! Aren't they just so cute? Some of the grandkids and great grandkids with "mamaw and papaw" My cheat meal for the week was a couple slices of this yummy caramel cake: Along with ice cream, of course! :) As always, I had just a little too much! So Matt's show is this Saturday!! I can't wait . He is looking awesome. Can you say shredded ??

Just a little quote I found on facebook: "Pants that make your butt look good? How about a butt that makes your pants look good?" Yes, please, I think I'll take one of those! ;) 

My husband is 9 days out from his show! Yesterday was the first day of his diet having NO carbs. You have no idea how hard this is for my pasta loving Italian boy! We probably need to put this on our front door for the next 9 days!  I can't wait to fatten him back up a little! But with the holidays coming up, I don't think that will be too hard to do. I'll be doing lots of baking this winter, too. :) I really just can't wait for these 9 days to be over with and for our life to go back to normal! My life for the past 6 weeks or so has been cooking meat, cooking meat, and....cooking more meat! And boiling eggs. We can't go out to dinner or be gone from the house for more than 3 hours. Our life basically revolves around his eating schedule. I can't eat anything that's not on his plan around him, so I haven't eaten a lot of things we used to have like steak, pork chops, and our yummy salmon patties...Oh, and I miss our popcorn and movie n...

Breakfast : Chocolate peanut butter protein oats+ 1 cup coffee Post workout : Green smoothie(1/2 banana, 1/2 cup frozen fruit, 1 cup almond milk, handful of spinach) Lunch : Almond butter and jelly(all natural, FRUIT ONLY) sandwich on toasted Ezekiel bread, 2 fried eggs, 1 slice organic turkey bacon Snack : 1 pumpkin protein bar, 1/2 an apple, small chicken breast, 6 almonds + 1 cup coffee Dinner : Lean chicken burger on romaine lettuce leaf "bun" with a little ketchup, 1 cup steamed broccoli sprinkled with parmesan cheese Bedtime snack : 1/2 cup cottage cheese, 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter WOD : Deadlift-3 sets of 3 reps(last set w/185 for 8 reps), then 4 sets of 10 deadlifts (pyramiding down in weight each set), 4 sets of hanging leg raises. Then 4 rounds of: 7 squat cleans with 85lbs and 14 dumbbell swings with 30lbs.

"So what’s the secret? How do you stay disciplined and consistent, when your mind and body say no? You go on auto-pilot. You see, you don’t have to be motivated to do the right stuff all the time - you just have to do it.    It’s kind of like going to work -- Monday rolls around and you hate to see the weekend go, but you still drag your ass to work and punch in. And again the next day. And the day after that. You figure out a way to make it happen .  The motivation WILL return. It may wane at certain times of the year, but if you’re truly passionate about your endeavor, it will most certainly come back. And when it does, you’ll be thankful for all that time you kept plugging away at your goals." -Shelby Starnes

Do or do not. There is no “try ”. I hate the word "try". Whenever I tell my clients to eat good over the weekend and they say, "I'll try", I know that means they are most likely NOT going to eat good-and they know it.  Saying I'll "try" is a copout. It makes yourself feel good by saying that at least you're going to "try" to eat good, even if you know you're not going to. "Trying" to eat good does nothing for you. You either do or you DON'T. It's that simple. No one ever succeeded saying, "I'll try". Success in anything comes from having the mindset that you WILL accomplish what you set out to do, no matter what. You won't let anything stop you. There's no I'll "try"-it's,"I WILL do this". There's a huge difference, and your mindset will determine whether you succeed or fail at your fat loss efforts.

It's beautiful out today! 70 and sunny. Tomorrow is going to be the last warm day for the rest of the week...and then it's going to be in the 50s! Boohoo. :(  So... my weekend wasn't too exciting. With Matt not being able to have a treat meal, I realized that most of our "fun" on the weekends revolves around our "treat"... which is pretty pathetic, actually! But he only has 2 weeks to go before his show! I really can't wait for it to be over, honestly... Well, I did go out with some friends Friday night to a "haunted place" called Darkness Falls, where we basically walked around in the woods in the dark to get scared! It was pretty fun-I've always loved going to those things! We went to Texas Roadhouse before that, where I had TOO many of their wonderfully delicious rolls with cinnamon butter. Oh. my. goodness . It was like a dessert. Then I had a big cheeseburger and mashed potatoes! Last night Matt and I watched the old Disn...

"One splurge is not what stops results - its day after day after day of poor choices that does." -Holly Rigsby

I just recently read an article that talked about how "bad" it was to have a planned cheat meal or cheat day. It causes you to feel “deprived”, and it’s not good to use food as a reward for eating good all week, or something  to that extent. Well….I disagree. Not only because I love my cheat meals, but because I think they have their advantages. I have been having a planned cheat meal for years with no negative effects. It hasn’t affected my physique, and I’m always ready to get back on track with my healthy eating the next day. I never feel guilty afterwards because it was planned , and I don’t really even consider it a “cheat”, but a treat that is part of my weekly diet plan. *It works for me .* However, I am NOT a big fan of having a whole cheat day , especially if you are overweight or have excess fat to lose, or if you are not consistently eating a healthy diet 90% of the time. My goal is NOT losing fat, but rather gaining muscle. I rarely have a whole ch...

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I starting doing CrossFit! A year ago on October 18th, I quit my bodybuilding style workouts completely and did my first CrossFit WOD.  I absolutely loved it from the very start. There are a lot of anti-CrossFit people out there who think that it's the worst program ever, but all I know is what it has done for ME.  I have gotten stronger, SO much fitter, more powerful, and bigger! To say CrossFit doesn't work is just crazy. It may not make any sense at all, but it works. Although I have changed up my program just a little, I still love CrossFit just as much! Many critics of of CrossFit say that it won't get you strong, it won't get you big and lean, and they often like to say we're a "cult." Okay, whatever. We're a cult. And all CrossFitters are weak and fat or puny.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions though, I guess. I can understand some of the criticism-CrossFit isn't perfect,...

No, I'm not quitting CrossFit!! What I'm doing now is a powerlifting program, with some strength training and metabolic conditioning WODs mixed in. I'll be training 4 days a week. Here's what it looks like: MONDAY: Push Press- 3 sets of 3 or 5 reps(whatever week I'm on with the Wendlar program), with a certain percentage of my one rep max Dumbbell overhead presses-5 sets of 10 Pullups-5-10 sets of 4-6 reps, either strict or kipping 10-15 minute CrossFit WOD WEDNESDAY: Power cleans-3 sets of 5 Deadlift-3 sets of 3 or 5 reps Deadlift-5 sets of 10 Hanging leg raises-3-5 sets of 10-15 10-15 min CrossFit WOD FRIDAY: Bench Press-3 sets of 3 or 5 reps DB chest press-5 sets of 10 DB 1 arm rows-5 sets of 10 Pullups(kipping)-5 sets of  8-10 NO WOD SATURDAY: Power snatches? Squats-3 sets of 3 or 5 reps Squats-5 sets of 10 Back Extensions-3 sets of 10 10-20 minute CrossFit WOD So far I'm liking it. Today's workout felt so good! I didn'...

"Don't be upset by the results you failed to get with the work you didn't do." -Jen Comas Keck

While I do think that there are certain forms of exercise that are more effective than others(strength training over aerobics, for example!), what it ultimately comes down to in fitness is finding something that you love ; something that gets you excited and keeps you motivated.  Something that you couldn't imagine your life without. For me, that's lifting heavy and getting stronger.  It's training like an athlete and pushing myself to the limit with short, intense workouts. CrossFit gave me that.  No longer do I find bodybuilding routines fun, and I've never EVER enjoyed running or doing cardio on an elliptical, or any other machine. I'd much   rather jump rope or run sprints.  That's what I love; it's what makes me feel good, like I'm doing what my body was meant to do. That's what gets me excited every day to go to the gym. I'm not a fan of aerobics, or dance classes, or bodypump classes, or Zumba-  BUT - if that is what you love an...

I am not yet where I want to be in terms of muscle mass, but I have come a long way from where I started. When I first started training with the weights, I really had no clue how to build muscle. I just did exercises and routines that I found in magazines and didn't put that much focus into my nutrition because I didn't understand it's importance in building muscle. After doing research online and reading tons and tons of bodybuiding books, I learned quite a few things over the years about gaining muscle mass. So I thought I'd share some of the things that I learned and applied that I believe helped me in my quest for building muscle: - I didn't go crazy with cardio . Actually, I didn't do any cardio at all. Only weights, 5-6 days a week with a bodybuilding split. - Increased protein intake . I started having a protein shake immediately after workouts, and also before bed, as well as increasing my intake of lean meats, eggs, an...

Ahhh, what a beautiful weekend it was!  I'm really not looking forward to the cold weather that's supposed to be coming this week! It has been such a nice fall. So anyway, my cheat meal this weekend consisted of a little barbecue pulled pork, a little Reese's no bake, and...a little of this: And then a little of this: Look at the excitement on my husband's face! It was his last cheat meal for 3 weeks!  He ate the whole pizza, minus the one slice I ate. :) Since it was such a beautiful day yesterday, we drove around in the Jeep, and then went on a short little hike at a park nearby.  Of course, I just had to do a random "L-sit" hang when I spotted this branch!  Well, today I am starting the Wendlar 5-3-1 powerlifting program, and I'm so excited! I am really getting more into the powerlifting stuff-I just love it! I'm going to do 3 CrossFit workouts a week after my strength training days, but they'll be short an...

It's a gorgeous fall day outside! It's going to be a beautiful weekend. I am SO glad it's Friday. Tomorrow is my treat meal, I can NOT wait. I SO need it. My husband is getting pizza(of course), and we're having Reese's No Bake dessert bars. This is seriously one of my favorite treats ever.  It's amazing.... My husband has been dieting for a physique show coming up in November, so this weekend will be his last cheat meal! I don't know what'd I'd do without having something bad for 3 whole weeks! I guess I could do it if I really had something I was doing it for. Honestly, though, I can't wait for him to be done with this diet and we can go back to eating "normal" again! Healthy, of course, but not so strict and planned out! It's insanity. So I have been really craving pumpkin pie lately...and oreos! I'm thinking those will have to be my "treats" in the upcoming weeks! Is it crazy that I make lists of things t...

I love this, so I thought I'd share! This was CrossFit Faith's spiritual WOD post from yesterday: Catch yourself saying, or thinking, the words “have to” - and substitute “get to” every chance you can. Example: “I HAVE TO go to this meeting!” Substitute: “I GET TO go to this meeting!” It's all about your attitude! Be positive and thankful in all things, and it will change your outlook on life. Mine today would be: "I GET to train people and help them become healthier, fitter, and stronger." "I GET to go to the gym and workout to better myself and give my body what it needs." "I GET to walk my dog, to see the joy it brings to him and as a chance to just be thankful that I have legs to walk and eyes to see all of God's creation."

      " You feel better about yourself whenever you push yourself to do your best. You increase your self-esteem whenever you go beyond the point where the average person w ould normally quit."       - Brian Tracy

WOD : Bench press-3 sets of 3 reps, working up to 115lbs, then Tabata double unders(20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, repeated 8x). Those tabata double unders were SO much harder than I thought they would be!  I mean, it's basically like doing double unders for 4 minutes straight, and those things take a lot out of you! Those measly 4 minutes kicked my butt! What I ate: Breakfast- PB protein oats+coffee Post workout -all natural whey protein mixed with almond milk, half a banana Lunch -92% lean beef, with 1/4 cup spaghetti sauce, spaghetti squash, diced tomatoes, mushrooms +coffee Snack -12 almonds(forgot to bring my real snack to work, so this was all I had on hand) Dinner- Turkey breast tenderloin, 1 cup of steamed broccoli sprinkled with parmesan cheese Bedtime snack -2 tbsp peanut butter, all natural whey protein shake with almond milk

Just a little rant here. So I went out to dinner last night with an old friend to Olive Garden. Now, I don't eat out often, but when I do, I usually plan it so that it's a treat meal rather than try to order something healthy.  Well, since I just had a major treat meal at a restaurant over the weekend, I wanted to choose something relatively healthy this time. (I even had really good self control when they brought out those yummy breadsticks and only had two bites of one!) For my meal, I ordered grilled chicken and vegetable skewers with a side of steamed broccoli. When the waitress brought out the meal, my friend mentioned something about me being so healthy or something, and the waitress goes, "You don't need to be on a diet", as she walked away. I just smiled at her, when I really wanted to roll my eyes. I HATE when I get comments like that. People used to say things to me like that back when I worked at Kroger and would bring my own lunch to ...

There is this misconception out there when it comes to exercise that  MORE is better; that spending hours  and hours in the gym every day is what is needed to get results. Well, its NOT.   For most people, if they aren't seeing any changes in their bodies, they mistakenly think that the answer is to get in more days at the gym, do more cardio, more repetitions, more exercises....So they end up being in the gym for 2 hours, thinking they got a good workout and that they'll get results this way. When really, I believe you can get a much more effective workout in HALF the time. I personally am very rarely in the gym for more than an hour, and that includes my warmup, my workout and stretching afterwards. You see, it is all about intensity . My workouts are so intense, that I can get an awesome workout in 10-20 minutes.   It does NOT take hours in the gym to achieve a great physique. Just b...

I'm finding that I am an anxious person. I worry a lot. About the stupidest things. I used to not be this way, but I guess the older you get, the more anxiety you have. Or maybe it's just me! It's usually not big things, but like I worry about all the things we need to get done around the house, things we need to buy, and how much it's going to cost and I hate spending money....and I stress about my workouts, my eating, wanting to build muscle but stay lean at the same time..... Am I doing the right type of exercise? Is CrossFit right for me? Am I building muscle or losing? Am I eating right? Am I getting stronger or weaker? These are things that are always in my head lately! What drew me to CrossFit in the beginning was that I could just follow the mainsite, and I didn't have to worry about programming workouts for myself or what I was going to do in the gym that day. I just did whatever workout was posted for that day. It was simple, and it was fun, and I lov...

Don’t let fear hold you down. Not today. Walk right through your fear. In the gym. At the barbell. At the rings. At the wall right before you flip up into that handstand. At that big stupid box jump. And then do the same thing in your life too . -"CrossFit Lisbeth"

8 years ago, I met the love of my life, the guy I had been waiting for and praying for. Yes, even though I was only 18 at the time, I NEW without a doubt that he was "the one." I knew after our very first date that I would marry him. When I met Matt, my life became better, and nothing has changed! He still makes me the happiest girl in the world, and he's still my favorite person to be around.  Actually, I love him more than ever. :)

Today I maxed out on deadlifts, and was able to get 240 lbs, which is basically twice my bodyweight! (I weighed in at 121lbs today.)  That has been my goal  for a while now, and even though it wasn't pretty, I'm just glad I got it. It's so ugly, I don't even wanna post the video, so here's me lifting 230lbs, which was a PR itself.  So it's been almost a year now since I started CrossFit! I still love it, but I am really wanting to build more muscle. Getting stronger and BIGGER are my main goals right now. Most average people will get strong with CrossFit, but sometimes I think that it's just too much conditioning for me if my focus is purely to build muscle. And that's what I want SO bad. I wanna be huge! Okay, I know I will never really be huge , but I do want more muscle than I have right now. Why is it so hard to build??? I know a lot of it is going to be my diet. I need to eat a LOT . But I feel like I already do eat a lot-I've been tracki...

The weather this week has been AWESOME!! It's nice to have near 80 degree weather after the chilly weekend we just had. It's supposed to be sunny and 80 the rest of the week-PERFECT. :) Anyways, this week is the last week of my strength training program. I can't believe 6 weeks flew by so fast!Today I maxed out on back squats, and was able to get 205lbs! I am pretty happy about that weight, since right before I started this program I went for a squat 1RM failed at 195. But my one rep max when I first started CrossFit was 205, so I would've hoped that after almost a year, my squat would have gone up. But that's okay.  My goal is to get 210lbs soon, and I WILL ! So here's what I'm eating today for "What I Ate Wednesday": Breakfast- The usual: peanut butter chocolate oats + coffee Pre-workout snack -1/2 cup 2% cottage cheese, 1/2 banana Post workout -Protein smoothie Lunch- 2 fried eggs/1 white, 1 turkey sausage patty, 2 slices Ezekiel bre...

I just LOVE this quote I came across the other day. That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved. - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you don't have persistence, if you become easily discouraged and give up on things you're not good at, then you will NEVER be good at anything. You'll never succeed.  If I just gave up and quit when I got frustrated that I couldn't do something, then right now I wouldn't be able to do so many things- handstands, muscle ups, handstand pushups, snatches, or double unders, for example. It wasn't like I just got up on the rings one day and did a muscle up. NO-it took persistence . It took lots of practice and many, many times of trying and failing before I got my first one . Same thing with double unders. I didn't just pick up the rope, try a few times, and then just start busting out double unders.  Nope, I was ...

I follow a blog called CrossFit Faith , and much like the mainsite page posts the workout of the day(WOD), CrossFit Faith posts a daily spiritual WOD. Today's spiritual WOD was: Start a timer, and list as many blessings you can think of in 3 minutes. 3-2-1 GO! So here goes: My husband This beautiful day My health My job My house This cup of coffee I'm drinking :) My family A warm bed to sleep in at night A strong body Food on the table God's peace, love and provision My 3 minutes are up! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)

This past weekend was our annual family trip to the pumpkin patch. I just love family traditions! :) It was a nice day but just a bit too chilly for me. I'm still not ready for it to be cold yet! Despite the cool weather, I still had a fun time with the family, riding the wagon to the pumpkin patch, eating yummy food, and taking TONS of pictures of my adorable baby cousin, Landen! He's such a cutie, I love him!!! Well, it pretty much ended up being a whole cheat day. I had a hot dog and 3 pumpkin donuts for lunch, and a few bites of pumpkin icecream(yummmyy!!!). For dinner on the way home, I had a double butterburger from Culver's with fries and then a reese cup mixer. That was one of the best burgers I've had in a while!  It's not every weekend that I have a full day of bad eating, but sometimes it happens and you just have to go with it and not stress over it! I'm okay with it and know that it will not hinder my progress. Gotta just relax and enjo...