Day 22 - Ouch

I'm already feeling today's workout, but it may be because I might have tweaked something in my shoulder blade. Regardless.

So apparently this week is 1 rep max week because we did more 1 rep maxes today.

Warm-Up:
1000 meter row - I did it in about 4:45

Strength/Skill
5-5-3-3-1-1-1 Overhead Squats
So an overhead squat is essentially a push press and a squat all in one. You pick up the bar as if you're going to do a push press, except your hands are placed a lot wider. You use your knees to get the bar above your head and then you hold it up there until you're done doing the number of squats you're going to do. This is where I have trouble. We've already established that I can squat until the cows come home, but my upper body strength isn't all there yet. It's also tough for me to get the bar above my head with my hands so spaced out. I don't know if it's just a center of gravity type thing or what but by the time I hit the first set of 1, I was really struggling. I got the one done, but had to drop the barbell because there was no way I was getting that bar back down the normal way. For the next two sets my coach had me kind of position my body right under the bar so all I had to do was use my legs to stand up and the bar would already be above my head. It was awkward as hell, but it worked. My final one rep max was 93 pounds, was hoping to get triple digits again but I'll take it.
This is a picture of an overhead squat. Her weight's not completely on her heels!

MetCon:
5 rounds of 10 sumo deadlifts and 10 max height jumps.
Sumo deadlifts are actually kind of easier on me than regular deadlifts. With a sumo deadlift, your feet are wider and your hands are inside your legs instead of outside. I did 93 pounds on that, could have gone higher but I know I start using my back when I start getting tired. The max height jumps were essentially picking something to jump up to and touch. I used the pull-up bar. Finished 5 rounds in 8:42.

Mobility:
We pretty much just did a bunch of stretches at our leisure for the rest of class. I did some hip flexor stretches and shoulder stretches.

My arms are definitely tired after today. Maybe not incredibly sore, but tired. Friday will be interesting.

Tomorrow is officially the end of my challenge. I'll be doing my final weigh-in. It's not really "ending" per se considering I plan on continuing with the lifestyle, but it'll officially be the first thing I started, finished AND plan on continuing for the first time. I wish I had a PR bell in my room that I could ring.

Food today was a salmon salad over lettuce and tomatoes for lunch. I got a couple cans of salmon at Wegmans yesterday so I mixed that up with a little mayo, dill seasoning, walnuts and celery and just put it on the lettuce. Dinner was the stuffed pork chop with balsamic seasoned grilled eggplant on the side. So delicious. I love veggies. So happy I can eat them all I want. I'm probably still not getting the amount of calories that I specifically need, but I don't feel hungry so I guess it can't be all that bad. I actually forced myself to have lunch mostly because I knew I needed to eat, not because I was hungry. Although dinner/afterwards is usually my hungriest time so maybe if I have a few more calories for my other meals I wouldn't have such horrible munchies at this time of night.

Today was a pretty simple day overall. I should be doing homework but I was getting the stink-eye from the dog because I was keeping him up with my desk lamp. So now I'm huddled in the darkness. That little demon is just spoiled rotten.

Day 21 - I Have Food!

Wow...I'm going to have to change the name of this thing. Must come up with something witty.

So last night was a crappy night in the EMS world. We didn't really run our asses off but it was one of those nights were you get an hour of sleep between calls, which just all kinds of makes you hate life. The real defining moment was when I was half an hour to my offgoing and I got dispatched to my apartment complex, literally two buildings away from my bed. That was some EMS god cruelty right there. Finally got home, fed the dog and crawled into bed. Woke up to a sick dog so my afternoon was spent cleaning the carpets *sigh*

I had to go out and get him some pumpkin so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and stock up for the week. Can I just say, I'm so excited for all the delicious things I now have in my fridge. I decided to go simple this week, no recipes or crazy food prepping day. Most of the food I bought can be defrosted the night before and then cooked up with some steamed vegetables on the side. I got a LOT of fish. So excited. For veggies I got cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes and I still have broccoli, sweet potatoes, carrots, and lettuce left over from last week. I got a big bag of navel oranges and a bunch of bananas for fruit. Big carton of eggs so I can boil half and then use the other half for breakfasts. For meat I got grassfed ground beef (figuring I could make a shepherd's pie out of it) and a grassfed sirloin steak. I was kind of hesitant with the organic stuff mostly because of the stigma that it's more expensive but it actually wasn't that bad! I also still have plenty of chicken left over since I got a big club pack last time. For fish I got tilapia and salmon filets. They're the already portioned out frozen kind so those will last me for a few meals. I've never had tilapia but people say it's pretty good and it also has a metric crap-ton of protein. I've also decided to give almond butter a try! While I was at it I also got some pork stuffed with apple raisin stuffing and a tilapia filet stuffed with crabmeat. Wegmans does this really cool thing where they portion an entree out and package them in an oven safe container so literally all you have to do is take it home, preheat the oven, cook them and you're done. It's also fairly inexpensive and doesn't leave you with a whole ton of leftovers. I'm going to miss Wegmans so much when I finally get to leave Rochester.

That's pretty much my day. Had one meal in the 12 hours I've been awake between cleaning up after the pup and trying to come up with a game plan. I was pretty proud of myself. Walked into Wegmans starving (and we all know what happens when you go grocery shopping when you're hungry) and the most "unhealthy" thing I came out with was some sushi for dinner. Walked right by the chips and the Valentine's Day chocolate. A few weeks ago that would not have been possible. I DID almost get a book called Paleo for Dummies haha. I think I'm going to wait until I get my kindle and download it off of Amazon.

I can honestly say that I don't miss the way things were. I don't miss the pasta or the sandwiches. It'll be tough to make that final push and really cut out all the cheats, but I'm looking forward to it. Next two weeks are just going to be gearing up for the challenge. I'm not going to be SUPER strict, considering this weekend consists of the superbowl and the henrietta banquet, but I'm definitely going to stay conscious of what I'm eating and try to stay as true to my plan as possible.

I get to go work out tomorrow! So psyched. I've really been considering making my membership unlimited because my recovery time is not that bad anymore, even when we have rough workouts. Sometimes I'm sore the next day but considering 2 months ago I used to feel like I got hit by a bus, I've definitely improved. I'd like to think some of it has to do with my diet from the past few weeks. One thing paleo is well known for is it's anti-inflammatory properties, which in turn leads to easier recoveries. I find myself craving workouts on my days off, mostly because I don't really know what else to do with myself. I'm still giving it some thought just because my schedule is still so crazy. I may wait until April when it's time for me to renew my membership because I'll at least no longer have school to worry about at that point.

Wishing 4 am would come faster so the WOD would be posted!

Day 20 - Reflections

So my challenge is about to end on Thursday :( but rest assured, I'm going to keep going and keep blogging about it too!

This weekend was pretty low key. Worked (as usual). Sunday was an exciting day though. I put on my jeans for the first time since starting this challenge and they actually fit me which means that I'm now a true size 14. I guess it really solidified in my mind that the weight is really just a number. I've definitely slimmed down a bit and it's awesome. Still not taking measurements though and I'll explain that in a bit.

Got my butt out of bed and went to the gym today. My favorite coach wasn't there but one of the owners was teaching the class. He was the one I talked to about the paleo diet, so I'm starting to like him a little better than I did before. So today's workout was:

Warm-Up:
12 rounds tabata (goddamnit!) rowing or jump roping. I went with the jump rope.

Strength/Skill:
5-5-3-3-1-1-1 Push Press working up to a 1 rep max. Push press is one of those exercises that I've done well at even though it's an upper body exercise, I think it's because it's mostly based on shoulders while you're using some momentum from bending your knees to help get the weight up. My 1 rep max is 103 pounds! Holy cow! So below is what a push press looks like. It's just like a military press except it's heavier weight and you use your legs a little.

AMRAP (10 minutes):
25 front squats (with a 30 lb. slam ball)
10 slams
25 burpees
So a slam ball is essentially a medicine ball, but smaller and filled with sand. It sounds harmless...it's not. The slams were actually kinda cool because you literally lift the ball above your hand and then slam it back down to the ground. If you imagine someone's face printed on the ball, it's very cathartic. And of course burpees...gah. I finished 2 full rounds and then got through 11 more front squats before the 10 minutes was up. Whoever said 10 minutes isn't a long time clearly has never done crossfit.

Midline:
Side planks (1 min. x4 each side) - By the time we got to this part, my shoulders were so dead that I could barely hold myself up for 30 seconds, so I did what I could.

So food today was steak strips with broccoli on the side for both meals. Since I had to be at work tonight I kind of had to come up with something on the fly. I think it turned out pretty decent. Definitely not my best work and I STILL have to go food shopping!

Because my "challenge" is ending on Thursday, I took some time today to look back on how far I've come, even in just 3 weeks and the week leading up to me starting this plan. I wouldn't say I'm a completely different person, but I'm a fairly different person. Every day I get a little more of my self-confidence back and don't spend so much time wallowing and griping about how my body never does what I want it to do and looking back at pictures from high school wishing I could look like that again. Because the thing is, my body is changing in ways that I clearly couldn't see before. I'm no longer plagued by joint pain and I get up everyday feeling strong. Apparently I fit into my jeans again! Not to mention, I feel healthier. It's no longer a huge battle to convince myself to get to the gym and I've actually started making a conscious effort to stick to my diet plan. Did I cheat? Of course I did. I was a bad little girl at times, but the point is that I didn't give up. I just clearly need to stop hanging out at the ambulance base.

So on February 16th, the Crossfit Boomtown Paleo Challenge will officially commence. They sent us an email today with all the info and I have to say that I am incredibly excited. The challenge will go from February 16th to March 30th (6 weeks) and we will be competing with a crossfit gym from California. The challenge is essentially what it's called - 6 weeks of strict paleo. Mixed in with that will also be "challenge WODs" which are spread throughout the 6 weeks and we will put our scores against the other gym's. The reason I'm not taking measurements at the end of my challenge is because I will be doing measurements on the 16th. I'm going to continue tracking my progress and being as strict paleo as possible, mostly to get myself ready for the challenge. I'm basically using the challenge as a way to give myself a little extra motivation. Not only will I be accountable to myself, but I'll also be accountable to my coaches and the rest of the gym. Each week I'll be required to submit reports of what I ate and my exercise and will get points based off of that. At the beginning and end of the challenge we're going to do measurements and pictures. Whoever loses the most weight/inches and has the most amount of points wins. I'm not going to set the bar that high for myself, but I still plan on working my butt off. I'm mostly scared of the challenge WODs. I'm definitely better than I used to be, but that doesn't mean I'll be getting any points based off of how much I can sweat. I think it'll be interesting to see what happens. I've noticed a big difference just during these 3 weeks, even with my cheating, but it'll be awesome to see what happens if I don't cheat. I know, I know, maybe I should have thought of that 3 weeks ago.

You can't even imagine how excited I am for this winter to be over. The biggest thing my gym stresses with this challenge is getting enough sleep. Well...we all know that's a laughable cause with my life. My February schedule has already been set in stone so come March I'll be looking at ways to make things a little easier on myself. It may piss off my boss but after these past few weeks of pretty much killing myself on the weekends, my sleep schedule is definitely one of those things holding me back. With that said, things would definitely be better if it wasn't an arctic tundra out there. Generally in the spring and summer and most of the fall, I'll be up with the sun and ready to go all day. It's just winter...it's blah and I never want to leave my bed.

I'm definitely looking forward at all the things I can look forward to for the summer. I'll have this challenge keeping me busy for 6 weeks. School is over for me in 4 weeks and will leave just a little more me time. I'll be starting grad school apps in the spring. I just get the feeling that this will be an awesome summer.

Day 17

Last night was so blissfully silent in the EMS world. I cannot say how grateful I was for that one. Woke up around 10-ish and hung around base for a bit before I came home to get ready to work out. I don't generally eat before I go to the gym unless it's at least 2 hours before, mostly because previous experience has taught me not to.

The workout today was:

Warm-Up:
8 rounds tabata rowing (freaking tabata!)

Skill:
5-5-3-3-1-1-1 (2 minutes rest between each set) Back Squats with the goal of the last set being a 1 rep max

MetCon:
4 rounds: (3) power clean, (15) box jumps, (15) sit-ups

I KILLED the workout today. Killed it badly enough that I should get my EMT card taken away from me. My PR for squats is now up to 135 pounds...scary thing is I could have gone higher! I started at 75 as a warm-up and just kept going up from there. My legs are literally superhuman. I even got to ring the PR bell! I still don't know what my one rep max is but if I had to guess, I would put it around 150 since 135 was starting to get to that "I don't know if I can pick myself off the floor" point. The MetCon was rough but I got through it. I actually PR'd my power clean too. I usually do 53 pounds but did 73 today. I wasn't exactly throwing a celebration party since it was only 3 reps at a time but that's still pretty sweet. I suck at box jumps though. I can only get up to a 12" box right now. But at least it's starting to feel like I'm not so glued to the ground, so I guess I can't complain. I finished everything in 8:35, which ended up being dead last. I'm not worried about this since I really worked myself with this one. I'm really sore now though and looking forward to 2 days off. Going two days in a row wasn't that bad at all, I could keep doing it!

After working out I had a few errands to run so I stopped at Wegmans for some food. I've been craving a bag of chips so badly for the past few days. I don't know if it's from lack of carbs or the fact that I'm PMSing, but I walked into that place ready to kill someone for a bag of chips. So I got shrimp sushi instead. Wish they had it in brown rice or even one of those sushi bowls so I didn't need to eat the rice at all, but it is what it is. I also made myself a salad with some mixed greens and grilled chicken salad on top with some tomatoes. I was REALLY full after that one. For dinner I just had another salad with leftover chicken and a cut up tomato. I have to go food shopping again...bah. Still resisting a lot of the bad temptations though!

Overall, today was a good day. Honestly I wish my body could perform like this every time I go to the gym. I know I'm still getting used to the change in fuel form and I really need to get the sleeping thing down better, but I think I'm getting there. I just feel a lot stronger and someone told me last night that he can tell I've been working hard! Could be because he wanted to flatter me, but regardless of the motive, it made me feel good. I think my mind is starting to convert itself from not worrying so much about the numbers and just thinking of the final end product. I am a lot stronger now, both mentally and physically. My back is starting to get better and so are my knees! I'm really starting to look forward to this paleo challenge as well because it means I'll get to do something with a group of people.

So, because I'm a weird college student, I've already set rewards for myself when I finally do lose the weight that I want to lose. I'll finally get that belly piercing that I've always wanted and maybe even another tattoo. And naturally a celebratory shopping spree with a cleaning out of the closets, but that one was a given.

Day 16

I was super proud of myself today. I actually got up at 8 to go to the gym. I know this seems like a small success, but this is me we're talking about. I don't simply get up that early on my day off. The workout today was very based upon body weight exercises, not a single barbell was lifted in the making of these sore muscles.

Warm-Up:
50 air squats
40 sit-ups
30 wall balls (15# med ball)
20 supermans (back extensions)
10 push-ups (on my knees -- I really just need to take the plunge and do them unassisted, they're getting too easy)
10 Scorpion stretches (felt amaaazing!)
10 Iron cross stretches

MetCon:
16 rounds tabata burpees (I HATE tabata! It's 20 seconds of activity followed by 10 seconds of rest) My record was 5 burpees in one set of 20, my lowest was 2.

Skill:
Pistol Squats -- don't underestimate them, they are hard! We were supposed to do 40 reps total. I ended up doing a lot more but it was because I was trying different modifications. I'm decent at getting them if I have a box to sit down on, but man are they killer.

Midline:
4 sets of 15 toes to bar...I modified them by doing knees to chest. My abs are not going to feel good tomorrow.

So after our workout today, I had a long talk with the trainer. I've been having some reservations about things for the past few days as far as how sustainable my diet is. I'm totally ok with the paleo, giving up carbs hasn't actually been that awful of an experience. It's the shakes. I'm worried that I'm first of all not getting enough calories for my activity level, and secondly I've been thinking about what happens after I'm done with the 30 day supply I have. I don't expect to keep myself on the 2 shake/day plan, because I would probably just lose my mind. So I wanted to get some advice from a real person, instead of getting the differing opinions from people on Google.

We talked for a wicked long time and I gained some new insight. The gym will be having a paleo challenge with another gym from California starting on February 16th. It'll be strict paleo for a month. Thank God it'll be going on during the time period that no good "adult beverage" events will be going on. I more wanted to talk to him to get advice on what kind of results I could actually see from going strictly paleo. I know the whole "no food a caveman" didn't have access to rules, but I wanted real advice on how paleo and weight loss go together. He told me a lot about how paleo affects people differently and how people get used to it differently. Like he had the "no carb hangover" for a good 3 weeks while everyone else didn't, but since then has felt great. He told me it may take awhile before my body truly converts from using carbs for energy to using fats and proteins, which is why I'm not feeling so amazing even after a week. He also mentioned that I may not be ingesting enough calories for someone who's going to the gym more and spending time running around the world. He didn't tell me to absolutely come off the shakes, but just recommended that I add back a little more real food to truly maximize the energy I'm getting for my workouts, which I agree with. I'm definitely feeling some good effects from getting away from the carbs, but I still have what people call the hangover. I'm still kind of in that lethargic phase, not horribly, but a little bit.

I guess the biggest thing I took away from it is that I need more than 3 weeks to truly see what my body does with a diet like paleo, which I should have realized. I'm basically telling it that it needs to learn how to get my energy from a completely different source. I know it'll take awhile before I'm strictly paleo. I still have my slips, and maybe that's what keeping me sane through this whole thing. The biggest thing he stressed is that all the ripped athletes I see at the gym still have their cheat days. One guy even goes so far as to spend one night of his weekend eating an entire pizza! As long I don't let it get the best of me and I only keep to that one cheat, I'll keep my sanity and my body won't reconvert itself.

While I don't plan on making any drastic changes in the next week, I'm definitely taking what he said to heart. I'm even thinking of increasing my membership so I can go more days a week, because I really want to become part of the family. I'm starting to get to know people by going 2-3 times per week, but I want more out of it and I can feel my body wanting more. My recovery period is definitely not nearly as bad as it used to be, and it's not for lack of trying, so I think I'm ready to take that next step. I'm going to finish this challenge off strong and even if I don't get the measurements I want or the weight I want, I'm still feeling great about myself and I know that things are changing even if I can't see them. Feels amazing to have finally found my place!

I listened to this song yesterday and now I'm obsessed. I know rap may not be at the top of everyone's list, but this one is truly inspirational. Once I get all my stuff converted on my new computer, I'll definitely need to work on a "pump it up" playlist.

Day 15 - A Day in the Life of J. Lo's Booty

Today I woke up around 11, bummed around in bed until noon. Did the normal routine of taking the puppy out and feeding him. I honestly was not in the mood for a shake, like at all. Thinking of one made me want to vomit. So I made scrambled eggs with a couple pieces of bacon and a banana. I don't know if it was the banana but I was stuffed after that.

I can't believe this but for once, I had a real day off! No homework imminently due, and no work. So we stayed in and relaxed all day until it was time for me to head to the gym. I was so excited about Strongman! While I was waiting for 5:30 to come around I watched Biggest Loser and some Deadliest Catch.

I swear I'm truly not destined to get to this class. Class was scheduled to start at 6. I left the house at 5:30 on the dot. Due to a couple snowflakes on the ground and rush hour, needless to say I didn't make it. I am so mad. So I called the gym and told them I wouldn't be there and would register for a class tomorrow. Came right home and registered for the 9:15 class tomorrow, the earliest I've worked out in I can't even remember how long. So it's going to be an early night for me.

After coming home, I realized I was A) hungry and B) searching for something to do. I solved the hunger by making sauteed shrimp, steamed broccoli and a small salad (which was essentially just lettuce and a cut up tomato). Seems like a lot but I only had a couple small broccoli florets, so the salad wasn't like a game changer. Also had a small glass of wine with dinner.

Once that was done, I made the decision that my "workout" for the night was going to be cleaning my room and bathroom. Needless to say, both are spic and span and I can now make another dog from the amount of fur that was vacuumed. I think I'm just going to continue the trend and clean the rest of the apartment tomorrow after the gym.

So today I decided to take some measurements, for S's & G's. Before I left for the gym I shaved my legs and as I was standing up I looked in the mirror and I don't know if it was the pants I was wearing or what but I was just like Holy God J. Lo booty! I haven't decided if I'm going to embrace it yet or not.  So I took some measurements because I actually am curious about where the weight is coming off of. I realize that 26 pounds later is kind of inaccurate, but hey better late than never.

I'm not incredibly proud of any of this but at least I'm doing it while I know I'm improving:
Right calf - 18"
Right thigh - 27"
Hips - 47.5" (damn you J. Lo)
Waist - 38"
Bust - 37"
Right arm - 16"

I'm kind of on the fence about these numbers. The ones like my bust, calf and hips, I really couldn't care less about what they are as long as they're toned. I know squats are only going to accentuate my bubble butt so I'm not worried about its size as much as I'm worried about getting it toned up. Same goes for my calves. My biggest points of contention are my thighs, waist, and arms. If there have ever been body parts that make me hate myself, it's those 3, and I know it's the 3 that the fat is going to come off of the slowest. So incredibly aggravating. I won't be taking measurements again until the final day. I feel like if I take them more often than that I'll just end up driving myself nuts. I got my days mixed up and tomorrow is really weigh-in day. It's looking like I'm going to be the same exact weight as last week, and that's ok, it was just a bad week, but I definitely will be pushing it right up until the end.

Hope everyone had a good hump day!

Day 14

Today was much better - I'm not as sick and I think I've finally caught up on sleep.

Kept it pretty low key. Just hung around the house and did homework. Breakfast/lunch was a shake, cleanse, green tea and some water. Mid-afternoon snack was a Zone bar. For dinner, a few friends wanted to go out so I ended up getting a chicken BLT panini, which was just plain chicken and the BLT parts. Now here's the bad part...I was a very bad girl....I had a cupcake for dessert. It wasn't just any cupcake, it was a Cannoli Cupcake. There's this place near me called Sugar Mountain Bake Shoppe. My friends have been begging and begging to go and of course they do it right in the middle of me being good. Figures. So I had the cupcake. Let me tell you, so worth the diabetes. Alright, I'll stop being bad!

Today was a day off from the gym so I've just been nursing some sore muscles. It's not too terrible. I can feel those push presses and push-ups pretty much from my triceps, all the way down to my shoulder blades. Yikes! Abs hurt a little bit too. I'm going to try out Strongman tomorrow versus my regular Crossfit workout just to see how I like it. I guess it just fascinates me because it has such a focus on lifting strange objects like atlas stones and weighted bags and just overall basic body movements but adding the twist of coordination required to do the movements while lifting something that's not a barbell. After reading the blog from the gym that I go to, they said that the strength components they work on focus a lot on back/leg strength. I don't really need the leg strength but I need the back strength. I've had weak lower back muscles since I was in high school. One day I was running sprints in track and all of a sudden I felt this awful spasm in my lower back, which essentially left me unable to walk for a few days. Ever since then, I have yet to fully recover. EMS doesn't exactly help either. It seems like no matter how much I strengthen my legs, I will always feel a lift in my lower back because I don't have the core strength to keep it tight. So I'm looking forward to this class and seeing if it could be the thing that helps me. Crossfit itself has already helped me slightly in that body area but I'd like to kind of jumpstart it a little bit now that I'm stronger.

I just want to post this link because this is the first video I ever watched about crossfit and it's the one that got me started. Half of those movements scared the shit out of me, and I told myself that I wouldn't be doing any of them on my first day. I was right, I did them on the second day instead. But that's the awesomeness of it all. There's no build-up or suspense. There's "here's what you're doing" and you do it.

Tomorrow is weigh-in day again! I can't believe that a week has already gone by. Well, I guess I can just because I spent a good 4 days of it working my butt off. Time flies! I don't expect huge results this week since I was so bad over the weekend but I at least hope I stayed steady.

Have a happy Wednesday!