Happy Halloween :)

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??

Bootylicious!

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! ;)

9 More Days

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 nights! 

But it will all be worth it to see him on that stage. :)

What I Ate and WOD Wednesday

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.

LOVE This-SO True

"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

There is No "Try"

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.

A Little of Everything

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 Disney cartoon, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".  I just love that little movie! I grew up watching it every year around Halloween, and it just brings back good childhoon memories...it's a little bittersweet, though, because it makes me think of my dad.  He was the one who loved all those little shows like this around Halloween and Christmas. I really miss him!

Anyways, here was today's workout: 3 sets of push presses for 3 reps, working up to 100lbs. Then I did 4 sets of dumbbell overhead presses and a few sets of weighted pullups(20lbs). After that, I did my WOD, which was 3 rounds of: 7 handstand pushups and 12 lateral burpees(doing a burpee then jumping over something and doing a burpee on the other side). Took me about 6 minutes, but it kicked my butt!

What I'm eating this week: I cooked up a batch of chicken burgers using lean ground chicken breast. I also baked some of Jamie Eason's protein pumpkin bars(I'm really liking these now!) I also have some boiled eggs made for snacks, and one day this week I'll probably make a batch of chili. YUMMY....Remember-it's all about planning-if you fail to plan, then plan to FAIL.

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

My Take on "Cheating"

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 cheat day, but sometimes they do happen (holidays, family functions,etc). What I’ll do after a cheat day is just cut back on carbs the next day, or even a few days afterwards.

What it really comes down to is that you have to find what works best for you. If having a cheat meal causes you to crave bad food even more, or if you have a hard time getting back on track with your healthy eating plan, then don’t have one! If you are not seeing the results you want or if you have hit a fat loss plateau, that is another reason to consider taking out your cheat meal and seeing if that has been what is stalling your progress.

There's no reason that you HAVE to have a cheat meal. It all comes down to your goals and where you are in your fitness journey. You can actually have more "cheats" the leaner you are and the more muscle you have. ;)

For me, having a cheat meal is largely psychological, so that I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself from all the foods I love. Even though I enjoy eating healthy and wouldn’t have it any other way, I still love my junk food, fried food and sweets! I don’t feel the need to ever give those things up completely. :)

1 Year CrossFit Anniversary!

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, but it is a better fitness program than what 95% of the population is doing.


 CrossFit may not get you to look like a bodybuilder...but CrossFit is about more than just looks.  It may not get you to be as strong as a powerlifter, but you'll probably still be 10x stronger than the average gym goer.  CrossFit combines every aspect of fitness into one program, and THAT is what I love about it. 


Why just be super strong if you can't even run or jump rope for 2 minutes without feeling like you're going to die?  Why have an amazing body with bulging biceps and popping shoulders if you have absolutely no power and can't jump onto a 20" box? Why have the endurance and stamina to run marathons, yet have NO strength??? 


I think CrossFit works. Maybe not for everyone. But for most people,  it WILL get you stronger(okay, maybe not if you're already a powerlifter), and it will give you more endurance, stamina, and power. At least it has for me. :)


Before I started CrossFit, I was so out of shape, even though I looked like I was "in shape" on the outside! And I wasn't near as strong as I thought I was. Now I'm doing deadlifts, muscle ups, power cleans, double unders, and handstand pushups-all things that I didn't do and couldn't do before CrossFit. Because of CrossFit, I'm stronger, fitter, and really, it's just plain FUN.

New Workout Program

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't do a met-con, but I really fatigued my muscles with the bench press, dumbbell chest press, rows and pullups. I haven't had that feeling in a while! It was fun doing dumbbell chest presses and rows since I haven't done them in so long. I did 50lbs for my rows, and it felt awesome! I have to say that 1 arm rows are probaby my second favorite exercise, after pullups. I love them!

I felt so puny today looking in the mirrors in the gym...I just want these muscles to grow! I think that if I could get over my fear of getting "fat", then maybe they would....But I like to see my abs, and I don't want to lose that! My midsection is my weakness-that is where I store all of my fat, and I would really prefer not to look like a pregnant person. ;)

Do The Work

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

Do What You LOVE

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 and what keeps you motivated to get to the gym every day, then that's what you should do. 

 It doesn't mean you should never try something new, or something out of your comfort zone, but if you absolutely hate doing something and have no passion for it, then find something that you enjoy and can stick with for the long run. That may be kickboxing, running, biking, weight lifting, bodybuilding, Zumba, P90x, CrossFit, or even just walking. Anything that gets your body moving is going to be better than doing NOTHING at all.


Just remember that some things may take a while to grow on you, so don't give up on something just because it's not much fun to you at first. If you've never lifted weights before, and you hate it at first-just stick with it and give it time, and you just may get hooked(I bet you will)! :)

How I Made These Guns

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, and fish in order to get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight.

-Lifting heavy. In the beginning, I trained with reps in the 8-12 range, but in the last few years I started lifting heavier with reps in the 4-6 range.  I focused on big, compound lifts with fewer isolation exercises.
-Tracking workouts.  This helped me to make sure I was getting stronger and increasing my weights progressively. I kept track of exercises, weights, reps, and rest time in between sets. I really think this helped tremendously.

-Eating REAL food. This made a huge difference in my physique. I used to eat almost everything out of a can or a box, thinking that it was healthy if it said on the label that it was! I finally learned how to cook fresh meat and started eating more vegetables, more healthy fats, and less processed foods.

-Learning the importance of pre and post workout nutrition. I studied about what foods to eat before and after workouts in order to maximize muscle building.  I never trained on an empty stomach, and made sure to get in a fast digesting protein and carbohydrate source within 30 minutes of training.

-Progress pictures. It's sometimes hard to see how your body is changing because you look at yourself every day! I wouldn't have been able to tell such a huge difference in my physique if I didn't have pictures that I took over the years, showing how my body has changed.  The scale is not the best way to measure progress, whether your goal is building muscle or losing fat.
-TIME and patience.  These two things are key.  It took years to build the muscle that I have today, and I'm still working on it.  Don't give up on the weights if you aren't seeing the results fast enough.  Keep at it, and the results will come if you are doing the right things.  Just. be. patient.

Weekend Recap

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 and not anything super heavy.

Random Thoughts

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 that I crave to have for my treat meals?? Seriously, how good does this look????

Today's WOD for me is "Diane": 21-15-9 reps of 155lb deadlift and handstand pushups. I've done this workout twice before, and I am hoping to be able to beat my previous times! Yesterday I did "Cindy", which is 20 minutes as many rounds as you can get of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 air squats. It kicked my butt! I got almost 15 rounds-so I ended up doing 150 pushups, and I am feeling it today, but I love it!

Oh-and by the way, I am having problems with my email, so I can't respond to comments or comment on other people's blogs! I just didn't want anyone to think I was rude by not responding! :)

Have a great weekend!!

I "GET" To

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."

This is True!

    "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 would normally quit."

      -Brian Tracy

What I Ate and WOD Wednesday

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

It's About Being Healthy

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 work, while everyone else went to Wendy's across the street. It really got on my nerves that people always assumed I was on a "diet", when really I was just wanting to be healthier!

I mean, it's pretty sad that it's so abnormal to choose healthy food simply because you want to be healthy.  It's pretty sad that you're looked down upon for eating healthy foods, while no one thinks anything of someone stuffing their face with a cheeseburger and fries, or a big plate of pasta, or whatever.

I am NOT on a diet. Eating healthy is not about being on a diet, which is sadly what most people automatically think. It's about loving and respecting yourself enough to want what's best for it!

Anwyays, I actually really enjoyed the meal that I ordered and didn't wish at ALL that I could've had a big plate of pasta (like my friend had). 

Okay, I'm done. :)

Train Insane

You DON'T Need Hours in the Gym

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 because you spent 2 or 3 hours in the gym, does not necessarily mean that you're doing what is needed to get results. I think that if you can be in the gym for hours at a time, then you probably aren't working hard enough. Remember, it's more about intensity than duration.


Sometimes less is more. You can get a great workout in under an hour by focusing on just a few exercises that hit multiple muscle groups at a time.  And by doing fewer exercises, you can put more intensity into your workout by lifting heavy and giving each set everything you've got, rather than just going through the motions.


For example, you could get a full body workout just by doing a few sets of heavy squats, pullups(or some type of row), and pushups or bench presses. Maybe do some plank holds at the end of your workout and a circuit or some sprint/jog intervals for cardio, or even 15-20 minutes on the elliptical or stair stepper if you must. Train your whole body on non-consecutive days, 3 days a week, focusing on trying to improve on each exercise week to week by increasing  the weight or getting a few extra reps.


So when you aren't seeing results, rather than thinking about what more you can do IN the gym, try putting more effort into what you do outside of the gym(your DIET!!). I promise-the right nutrition is the key to fat loss. No matter WHAT you do, you CANNOT out train a bad diet. It's just the way it is, so stop trying!


I promise, if you put most of your effort into eating healthy and fueling your body correctly, you WILL see results.  Not instant results, but they will come if you have patience and be consistent.

I'm a Worrywart!

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 loved not knowing what my next workout was giong to be.

I don't know how I lost that, how I started to make it more complicated. I guess I felt like I wasn't getting enough lifting weights in, even though many workouts include heavy weights! I was afraid I was getting weaker, smaller. But I think it's all in my head! I feel like I look better now than I ever have, so why am I worrying??

So today, I was in my car, praying, and the thought came to my head once again, "None of this matters."

Yes, I do believe that God wants us to take care of our bodies and be healthy and do things we love, but fitness should NOT be the main thing in our lives. It's not who I am, it's just PART of who I am. It's not what my thoughts should constantly be fixated on! What really matters is how I treat people, helping people, setting an example, being a positive influence in people's lives. Not how much I can squat. I have to remind myself of this often.

So enough worrying already!! Geez, I am so over it.

I just want things to be simple again. I want to be excited about getting to the gym and doing this because I LOVE it. Not worrying if I should be doing CrossFit, if it's going to make me weaker or not help me gain muscle-I just want to have FUN and challenge myself and get better and stronger every day.

No Fear

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 of Love

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. :)

Deadlift PR

Today I maxed out on deadlifts, and was able to get 240lbs, 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 tracking my calories and I probably average around 2000 calories a day, with pretty equal amounts of fat, protein, and carbs. I get more than my bodyweight in protein on a daily basis and have added in more carbs recently.  I think the thing is that I'm not consistently getting the same amount of calories every day-some days are high, then other days are lower when I take out some carbs.  I'm thinking I probably need more calories on a consistent basis to really grow.

Anyways, I'm going to have a light/recovery/deload week next week with just some relatively easy WODs, and then try to figure out what my plan is next. Do I continue CrossFit by itself, do CrossFit with a powerlifting program, like Wendlar's 5-3-1, or do I go back to just a basic strength training routine with a few CrossFit WODs added in each week for conditioning?? I think what I really need to do is just pick something and stick with it.

Time to get huge. ;)

What I Ate Wed. + Other Stuff

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 bread with all natural fruit only strawberry preserves, coffee
Snack-2 Jamie Eason pumpkin protein bars
Dinner-homemade vegetable beef soup(stew beef, canned green beans, diced tomatoes, organic low sodium beef broth-cooked in crockpot)
Bedtime snack- 2 tablespoons peanut butter, all natural whey protein shake with almond milk

Persist

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 pretty bad at them at first-it took SO much effort just to do one or two in a row!  But you know what? Today I did double unders in my workout, and I was FLYING! They seemed SO easy!  Did they get easier? No, I just got better at doing them because I practiced and practiced!


Persistence pays off. And this applies to life in general as well, not just CrossFit.

Persistence

Spiritual WOD

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)

Family Fun

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 enjoy life sometimes, then get right back on track!

 Of course, I couldn't leave the pumpkin patch without getting a handstand pic! :)