Rock you like a hurricane

Sep1

Happy Saturday! Is anybody else as jazzed for this long weekend as I am? I just love the fact that I have NO classes Monday! That means no classes to teach or attend! This pretty much NEVER happens, so I plan to take full advantage of it!

In other news… I am excited to announce I will be competing in my very FIRST Crossfit competition next Saturday!!! It’s a partner competition which means I get to have a teammate to help me get through all the craziness, and I’m very lucky because one of my coaches, Erica, agreed to be my partner in crime!!!

Here’s what I’ll be doing at the competition (If you aren’t into Crossfit, you may not understand what a lot of this means, but suffice it to say, it’s gonna be killer!)

Crossfit in the Corn Crib Competition WODs:
WoD 1: (For Time)
200 m Run
100 – Thrusters 95/65 (modified – 65/45)
100 – Over the bar Burpees (modified – bare bar on ground)
200 m Run
(15 minute Cap)

WoD 2: (Combine both Max Effort)
1RM Barbell Ground to Overhead

(3 minute Cap)WoD 3: (For Time)
200 m Partner Wheel Barrow Walk (modified – no feet on shoulders)
50 – Over the Box Jump 24/18 (modified – 18/12)
50 – KB Swings 1.5/1 pood (modified – Russian swing)
150 – Double Unders or 450 singles or 300 tuck jumps – both partners must do the same
50 – KB Swings 1.5/1 pood (modified – Russian swing)
50 – Over the Box Jump 24/18 (modified – 18/12)
200 m Med Ball Toss 20/14
(15 minute Cap)WoD 4:
Will be announced at the Crib!!!
So the way it works is, my partner and I will complete each WOD together, so we split the reps between us and try to get it done as fast as possible!  All teams complete the first 3 WODS and then the top ten teams from each division get to move on and do the final fourth WOD. See how there’s two sets of numbers? The first set is for men/women RX division and the second is for men/women scaled. Since it was my first competition I decided to go with the scaled. The competitor in me wanted to do the Rx division, but the logical side of me reasoned I’ve only been doing this Crossfit thing for about a month now and it would be smart to ease into it since this is my first competition and I don’t really know what to expect! It’s still going to be tough, and if I decide I need more of a challenge I can do Rx next time!!
Workout:
Normally I don’t work out on the weekends, I usually use Saturday and Sunday as my rest days. However, one of the girls I workout with wanted to do a random WOD today at open gym, so I figured why not?!
Here’s the WOD us girls came up with:
 We named our WOD in honor of the hurricane passing through! Admit is, rock me like a hurricane is a pretty awesome name for a WOD!!
So for this WOD you perform the first 3 exercises for 8 minutes, trying to do as many rounds as possible! Then you take a 2 minute break and perform the second set of 3 exercises for 8 minutes, again trying to get in as many rounds as you can!
I gave this WOD a big sweat thumbs up!!
For the first set of exercises I used 135 pounds for my deadlifts and did the double unders instead of the singles (because I can actually do them now!!) and I was able to  get in 3 rounds. For the second set of exercises we did 45 pounds for the push press and again I did double unders and I was able to get in 2 rounds. I was definitely a little burnt out after the first part of the WOD and struggled to move as quickly through the second part! But overall it was a killer WOD and a really fun time! It is SOOO much better to workout with other people, especially the awesome peeps I get to sweat with!
 Here’s the awesome group of ladies I got to do this WOD with!!! Don’t we look sweaty hardcore? I loved working out with these beautiful ladies and I’m so proud of us for coming up with our own WOD and then kicking its butt!!
I’m expecting some really tough workouts this week since they will be geared toward the competition, but I say, BRING IT ON!!! :-) I’m just a *teensy bit competitive, if you didn’t already know…and I’m super psyched to be competing in something again!!
Now I’m off  to go relax and read my new book!
I really like this book so far! It’s kind of like The Giver mixed with  Hunger Games!!
Questions for you:
-Have you ever been to a Crossfit competition?
This will be my first one!!
-Do you have a workout buddy or do you prefer to workout solo?
I used to always work out alone but now I can’t imagine working out without all my Crossfit peeps!
-What good book are you reading lately?

Cycling to N’sync and a 215 lb deadlift

Aug30

So I mentioned the other night I’ve been teaching cycling (aka Spin) class as an undergraduate course at my university. These kids seriously get credit for working out!! Sweet!

Well I have to tell you, I’m loving it! It’s fast paced, challenging and sweaty which are all the things i love most :-)

Yesterday I created a workout for the class that was pretty tough and everyone seemed to enjoy so I thought I’d share it with you! (Lucky!)

N’sync with the music Spin Workout (Yes it is an N’sync themed workout by the way! I stumbled upon some old N’sync songs and just couldn’t resist creating a spin playlist out of it!!)

1. Gone- Warm-up and stretch

2. Bye Bye Bye-Fast spin for 90 seconds, fast out-of-seat climb for 90 seconds, fast spin/sprint until the end

3. Here we go- 2 minute in-seat climb (slowly continue to add resistance); finish with an out-of-seat climb

4. The Game is Over- Fast spin- This is your race pace speed people!!

5. Tearin’ up My Heart- Slow-it-down and perform a seated climb at high tension with increasing tension every 30 seconds

6. Pop-Fast spin with sprints at the chorus and end of song

7. It makes me Ill-Seated climb with increasing tension(gears) every 30 seconds for first 2 minutes, finish the song out of the seat and continue to increase the tension

8. You got it- Keep the tension on from the last song(it will be HIGH-around 16-18) and sit down in your seat and push those legs for 90 seconds. Stand up out of your seat for standing climb and continue to increase tension every 45 seconds.

9. Up against the wall- Fast spin (recovery for those tired legs!)

10. See right through you- Standing sprint for 1 minute, increase tension and grind it out for 30 seconds, sprint for 1 minute, increase tension and grind it out until the end of the song

11. Crazy for you- Slow, in-seat climb with increasing tension every 45 seconds, sprint at the end

12. (God must Have spent) A little more time on you- Cool down and stretching! You made it!!

This workout had us all sweating buckets and kicked our heart rates up really high! You will easily burn 400-500+ calories with this workout! The best part is it’s fast paced and fun so you’ll be done before you know it! Give it a try and let me know what you think :-)

In other news….Crossfit’s still kicking my butt! (Although I’m also starting to kick it’s butt, so booya!)

I PR’d yesterday with a 215 lb deadlift (woot woot!) and am starting to improve on my cleans/snatches/thrusters. I also finally did double unders (getting the jump rope under your feet twice before you touch the ground) consecutively today!

Here’s my whip marks from the evil jump rope! We ended up doing 150 double unders plus MORE in the cash out!! Yowzas!

My pull ups are also improving and I am starting to get the hang of the “kip” motion which helps immensely when trying to do, say, 50 pull ups in a row! So overall I’m feeling great and loving it!

Here’s a snapshot of one section of our “box”! It’s becoming a second home to me!

I can’t even describe to you the amazing feeling you have when you push yourself to your limits and give everything you’ve got during a WOD.

 Yes, these are my sweat marks from lying on the floor after today’s WOD and cash out…..it’s a thing of beauty people!

Well now that I’ve started my day off the right way (with substantial amounts of sweat) it’s time to go teach some kids about CPR and First Aid! I’m creating future life savers here folks, it’s an important job! :-)

Questions for you:

-Have you ever taken a cycling/spin class?

-N’sync or Backstreet Boys? (Is that even really a question?!)

-Do you ever get whipped with the jump rope?

What I’m loving right now

Aug27

Yeah…I’ve been gone awhile, NO I don’t want to talk about it! I’ve got a million excuses for you, I’ve started grad school, i’m teaching undergraduate classes, I have a bajillion clients at the gym…blah blah blah. The point is, I’m sorry, Ill try to do better next time, and I love you all!!

Speaking of love…here’s some things I’m LOVING right now:

This super cute and simple hairstyle that I can do with my hair wet, yet looks like it took time and effort! (It didn’t!!!) This has been a lifesaver lately since I barely have time to shower let alone actually take the time to blow dry/straighten/put forth effort towards my hair!!

This make up remover is awesome! They are little pads, and they are so easy and convenient I can’t believe I’ve lived without them for so long!! (Thanks Mom, for suggesting these!!)

My sweet little teacup yorkie, Leia. She is always such a good little cuddle buddy and keeps me company when the hubs is away!

Ok…I KNOW this isn’t the ideal health drink…and normally I scold my clients for drinking this stuff, BUT given my BEYOND INSANE schedule lately, I’ll take whatever I can get to keep goin! Plus I love this one because it’s a mix of lemonade and tea and tastes soo good! :-)

I am crazy into organizing lately, especially my fridge/cupboards and I found this beauty at walmart for…wait for it…$5!!! Talk about rollin back those prices baby! There are, count them, 7 different containers!! And they are very useful! I’ve used them for making GINORMOUS salads in to take to school or to store my fruit, veggies, nuts, etc. Plus BONUS: They are rainbow colored!!!

You can’t tell but that is a ridiculously HUGE tub of salad! I love making salads but the bagged lettuce goes bad so quickly! I was looking at the blog Undressed Skeleton and I saw she suggested putting all your lettuce into a tupperware container to keep it fresh longer! Love it!

Being a Grad student/Graduate Teaching Assistant. I love every bit of it! I love teaching my undergrad classes, those kids are awesome! I really enjoy sharing my knowledge and passion with them and look forward to every class(The downside of this revelation is a PhD may be in my future….how does Dr. Cabrera the Professor sound?) I also am LOVING my grad classes! Everything I am learning is so interesting and I am so excited to continue to learn more about my passion!

* I am also LOVING teaching my cycling class to the students at ISU and you will be seeing some cycling workouts posted on here soon!!

My blisters from lifting at Crossfit! No judgement people! It’s not weird to love getting blisters….er….well regardless I love it because it means I’m working hard and getting STRONG! I am also LOVING everything about crossfit, well except my sore shoulders(although I kind of like being sore cause it means I’m working hard!) and my mediocre clean(olympic lift), but I’m working on it!! :-) I love love love the people and atmosphere at crossfit and am very happy with the strength gains I’ve made and the skills I’ve learned! I must love it if I’m willing to get up at 4:40 am for it!

Cinnamon cream cheese…and it’s only 45 calories a wedge?! If you haven’t tried this stuff….what is your problem?!! Go try some right now! Then thank me later…

Things I’m not loving:

This movie:

The hubby and I went to see it for date night…I don’t even have words for how bad it was. But in my defense it had Kristen Bell in it who I love so I figured it would be good….oops….BUT on the upside we used a gift card so we didn’t really lose any money AND we got to hold hands and snuggle :-)

Hmm…I can’t think of anything else for this list, which is good I guess! I’m sure there are other things annoying me right now, I’ll just have to let you know later! :-)

Alright well this tired girl is off to bed to rest up for another jam packed day tomorrow!

Questions for you:

-What are you loving right now?

-Have you seen any good or really awful movies lately?

-What do you turn to when you are in major need of energy?

Frustration with food

Aug13

So let’s talk about something I have been struggling with REALLY badly for the last few days, or maybe even weeks…?

FOOD…it is killing me. I don’t know what my problem is but lately my self-control is non-existent. I have been craving sweets like nobody’s business and I have a DISDAIN for any kind of vegetable (seriously, the sight of a salad makes me want to barf)…WHAT IS GOING ON?!

*I was going to post a bunch of pictures of food that I’ve been craving, but decided that would be counter-productive given the fact that I’m trying to get away from the stuff!

While I don’t share everything with you guys, I try hard to keep it real and let you guys know what’s going on in my life because I think you can relate and it’s nice to know others struggle with the same stuff you do. So this is my struggle right now.

It’s especially hard for me because I normally have good self-control and am able to easily turn down food I know isn’t beneficial to my body or performance. But lately….it’s just been such a STRUGGLE. The worst part is every time I give into one of my cravings I am so mad at myself later because I know I should have been strong and resisted. I know the junk I end up eating is in NO WAY going to fuel my body or make me feel good. Not to mention I have one of those bodies that is very sensitive to unhealthy eating and I get bloated and gain weight VERY quickly when I eat bad.

No joke-I can easily gain 5 pounds in a week if I start slipping on my eating. That’s just how my body is! So it’s really important that I keep myself in check! More importantly, when I eat crappy I start to feel crappy, both physically and emotionally. Physically my workouts suffer and I don’t have the energy I should. Emotionally I start to get down on myself and my appearance, which is not cool!

So….what’s the point of this post? I’m not really sure, I think I’m just sort of venting and sharing my frustrations with you guys because I want you to know I go through this stuff too!!! As a trainer and fitness educator I always strive to be the example and live a healthy lifestyle, but it’s not always easy!! The important thing to remember is that we’re all human and we all make mistakes! What matters is that when we fall, we get back up and keep on going!

That’s why my plan from here on out is to start fresh and just do my best to stay on track! I am going to back off of the paleo for now because it seems like when I jump right into something and restrict lots of things, I end up freaking out and craving everything I can’t have! So I think I’m going to go back to a clean eating approach: lots of fruits and veggies, lean meats, healthy fats and good carbs! I’m going to AVOID-junk food, take out, processed crap, etc and try my best to eat wholesome foods that I know will do my body good! I’m going to try to get back to eating 5-6 small meals a day because I know my body does better with that schedule and it helps speed up my metabolism. I’m going to be open to the fact that sometimes I will slip up, but do my best to keep that to a minimum and stick to my healthy eating as much as possible!

I’m going to attack cravings by simply listening to what my body really needs. Craving sugar? Eat some fruit! Craving something savory or salty? Have some peanut butter/nuts or some eggs with veggies…and so on! I know if I set my mind to it I can do this and get my body and mind back to where they need to be! I hope if you are struggling with this right now you will get on board with me and we can do it together!

Sorry this post wasn’t as exciting as my normal posts! Later this week I will recap you on my awesome week spent with my ADORABLE little nephew and both my sisters and brother-in-law! Fun times!!

Questions for you:

-What is your biggest weakness when it comes to food?

Ice cream of course! And lately burgers…which is weird…

-Do you believe in “dieting”? Are you a calorie counter?

I think dieting is terrible and it never works long term. You need to create a lifestyle change you can actually stick with, which is what I’m striving to do! I also HATE counting calories, but I know it works for some people and that’s great! I prefer to just eat healthy and watch my portions

-How do you keep yourself on track when it comes to healthy eating?

 

Running in quicksand and CPR manikins are creepy

Aug9

Just in case you were wondering (and you probably weren’t) getting certified as a CPR instructor is not as boring as it sounds! I went into this whole thing thinking it was going to be a REALLY long 3 days of having boring CPR/First Aid information drilled into my head until I wanted to pull my hair out. In actuality, it was kind of fun and interactive. It was nice to touch up on my current CPR skills as well as delve deeper into first aid and other CPR information I didn’t know. Plus we spent a lot of time practicing the art of actually teaching the class to others, which was really good because I am a bit nervous about teaching this stuff to 28 students!

So this is my slightly creepy CPR manikin before I assembled him!

 

Here he is fully assembled! That weird bag sticking out of his mouth is his “lung”. When you blow into it his chest will rise. Pretty cool huh? Ok maybe not as exciting to the rest of you….I guess I’m kind of a CPR nerd now!!

Guess what finally came in the mail?!

 

My new Polar FT4!!! Isn’t the pink gorgeous?! LOVE! So I was very excited to finally get my new toy and OF COURSE I had to try it out! I wore it during one of my crossfit WODs the other day. The time included our warm up, stretching, etc and the actual WOD was only like 15 minutes, so burning 445 calories was pretty stinkin good! I’ve also worn this beauty for some of my treadmill runs and I have definitely noticed a difference in what my watch says vs. what the machine says for calories burned. Bad news peeps, the treadmill has overestimated by calories EVERYTIME, sometimes by over 100 calories! So keep that in mind next time you are working out on a machine!

So far I am very happy with my new Polar watch and I would highly recommend it!

In other news, I still can’t cook….

 

I tried to make these salmon patties, but I ended up burning the outside and the inside was still super mushy…FAIL

SO since I didn’t feel like attempting another cooking failure mom and I decided to have a food adventure and go to a “towny” restaurant (that’s actually not located in our town, it’s in a small town like 15 minutes from us) but that’s semantics…anyway we’ve heard lots of great things about this place and always wanted to try it so….we did!

Here’s their menu, it’s actually pretty simple and mostly made up of “bar” food, but supposedly they have amazing hamburgers, so of course I HAD to try it!

 

Let me tell you, this burger was AWESOME! I was originally going to eat this without the bun, you know since it’s A) got gluten in it and B) not paleo…but I decided I’d been really good the past few days and deserved a little bit of a break. I decided the possible stomach ache would be worth it, and let me tell you, it SO was!!

Of course no burger dinner would be complete without some ice cream for dessert….

 

I love when they give me eyes :-) Is it strange that I think it’s cute when my ice cream looks at me while I eat it? hmm….

So onto catching you up on my workouts from the past few days:

I have been faithfully attending crossfit every day and I am LOVING it! Today I was able to do the WOD that the rest of the group did instead of a baby beginner WOD and it was AWESOME!!! :-) I am just loving the workouts, the challenge and feeling of being pushed to my limits, plus the atmosphere is one of a kind! Everyone is so encouraging and nice, and the coaches are always giving you attention to make sure you are performing the exercises correctly. Pretty sweet!

I’m sure you are wondering, what about her running? Don’t worry folks, I am still keeping up with my half marathon training. I will say this week has been a bit tougher than I anticipated…I knew doing the crossfit would wear me out a little bit but I didn’t realize how much it would affect my running! Yesterday I did an easy 2 mile recovery run, but the kicker is it wasn’t that easy! I mean it was only 2 miles for crying out loud and at a 9:30 pace! But the first mile I felt like I was running in quick sand and it was HARD. It started to get better by the second mile but since I was only running 2 miles, that means I spent half my run STRUGGLING! But, it’s okay, mama said they’ll be days like this right? Today was a 5 mile pace run and it was a bit better, but still harder than it should be! I warmed up at a 9 min/mile pace and then ran the middle 3 miles at an 8, 8:15 and 8:30 min/mile pace. All 3 of these miles were supposed to be at an 8 min/mile pace, but I just couldn’t push through it :-( While I was a bit disappointed in myself initially, I thought about how hard I’ve been working this week incorporating this new training of crossfit and realized I’m doing pretty well overall!  I warmed down at a 9:30 min/mile pace and called it a day!

 

There’s nothing like a nice sweaty run to finish your day!!

Time to get to bed, I’ve got a WOD bright and early tomorrow morning!

 

Questions for you:

Have you ever taken a CPR class? What did you think of it?

Does anybody else have a polar watch? If so, which one?

Anyone else have any cooking failures they want to share? (Please, it will make me feel better!)

 

 

 

 

Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins

Aug7

Snacks: Those awkward mini meals between the “real” meals when you are hungry but not sure what to eat so you end up turning into the cookie monster and eating everything in sight….

So lately I’ve been doing pretty good with my healthy eating when it comes to my main meals: Breakfast, lunch and dinner that is. Even though I eat about every 2-3 hours and each “meal” is about the same size, I still find myself struggling when it comes to those in-between meals. Breakfast? Easy, eggs with veggies almost always does the trick. Lunch? A ginormous veggie salad with some lean protein on top and BOOM you are good to go. Dinner? A lean protein plus a huge side of veggies and I’m set. But what about in-between those meals? That’s where I tend to struggle. Because while I know I could simply have the same thing for those other meals as I do for my designated breakfast, lunch or dinner meals, I just don’t want to! I like some variety in my life!

So what’s the solution to my snack anxiety?

Usually homemade protein bars, but they can get a wee bit boring. And that’s where this awesome recipe comes in!

Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins (adapted from shape.com)

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Ingredients:

-2 cups almond flour

-5 rounded scoops vanilla whey protein powder(could use any kind of protein powder)

-4 whole eggs

-1 cup unsweetened apple sauce(I actually use baby food because it has less preservatives)

-1/2 cup coconut oil

-2 Tbsp cinnamon (add more to achieve desired taste, I like mine very cinammon-y)

Topping (Optional): 2 tbsp Xylitol mixed with 1 tsp cinnamon

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Directions:

-Melt coconut oil in microwave for 30 seconds, let cool

-Add in eggs and mix together

-Add in applesauce

-Add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well with a wisk

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Don’t stir too hard, you might break your wire wisk :-( I’m such a she-hulk!

-Pour the batter into a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners (I like to spray the liners with some olive oil so the muffins come out easily) Fill each liner about 3/4 of the way.

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-Optional: Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture on top of each muffin before cooking and a little at the end right when they come out of the oven

-Cook in a 350 degree oven for 12-15 minutes (Mine ended up needing about 15 minutes but I cooked two trays at once)

I was able to get 17 muffins out of this recipe!

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Store in a closed container or you can put in individual baggies for an easy grab and go snack!

Nutrition Stats (Based off of My Fitness Pal): For 1 muffin based off of the recipe yielding 17 total

Total Calories: 191

Fat: 14.5 grams

Carbs: 6.2 grams

Protien: 11.3 grams

A great Paleo balance of lower carbs and higher fats and proteins! Score! PLUS these taste REALLY GOOD! I like to reheat them in the microwave for about 30 seconds or just take them in a baggie as a snack!!