Crossfit Day 95

December 13, Tuesday
Workout – I’ve been gone from CF for 5 days & I’m really not feeling motivated. I didn’t get enough rest either since I just came back from Toronto last night. But I know I’ll feel better once I’m there, so here’s hoping for the best.

WOD – 4-8-12-16-20 reps of Pull Ups (red), 2 for 1 Jumping Lunges, Ring Dips for Time. My Results: 12:57 minutes. Rest 3 minutes. Run/Row 1000m For Time. My Results: 6:42 minutes.

I think the pull ups went fairly well. I didn’t burn my stomach this time, though I still have a scar mark from Bradshaw. The jumping lunges got annoying, but still were okay. The ring dips went ok. I wanted to row, but since I was the 7th person to finish, I didn’t want to have to wait another 3+ minutes until someone was done, so I went for the run instead w/ MV. It was dark & cold outside & I was wearing a tank top, but I still went out there w/ my light. I know I could have done faster, but it was dark & I really didn’t want to risk a twisted ankle. Plus I was wearing my new New Balance Minimus Train sneakers w/ Vibram soles, so I was afraid I would be extremely sore afterwards since I’m not used to running in “barefoot” technology & am trying to ease myself into running barefoot. Luckily, my legs felt okay afterwards. We ended w/ 4 min plank. I did 3 mins uninterrupted, then the last minute w/ rest in between. I was a bit slow today, but I still felt good afterwards.

Week 23 Summary

No weekend work-out.

Results – I think I’ve hit a plateau w/ my progress. Or maybe it’s because I’m no longer following the diet & I’ve been gorging on all the foods I’ve missed out on. I don’t know, I don’t feel like I’m seeing anymore results. I feel stronger, but I don’t see any physical changes. I think I need to push myself harder, but I’m finding my right arm/shoulder isn’t getting any better. My arm has been a bit painful since I’ve gotten up to Toronto, but it has subsided a bit after a few days. I am thinking I might need to add more weight to everything I do in order to see results again, but I’m afraid of aggravating my arm anymore than it already is. I think I desperately need physical therapy but I am waiting until the New Year so I can use my insurance to it’s fullest. I am getting a bit discouraged by my lack of results, but I will keep up w/ CF & work harder to see the results I want.

Crossfit Day 94

December 7, Wednesday
WOD –5 Rounds 3 Rope Climb (15ft) (sub 1 Rope Climb & 10 Pulls Ups (red) or 9 Rope Climb from the Ground (RCG)), 10 Toes to Bars, 21 Overhead Walking Lunges (25lb), 400m Row for Time. My Results: 38:42 minutes.
Today’s WOD was incredibly difficult. I was excited about the rope climb, but quickly realized all the exercises were upper body intensive, so I was fatigued by the time I finished the first round of full rope climbs. I was 1 of only 2 people (CM) that attempted to do the full rope climbs. I was doing well for the first 2 climbs, but by the time I got to the 3rd one, I was tired & made it ¾ of the way up. I asked P for a sub so he told me to do 1 full rope climb plus 10 pull ups. I did that on my 2nd & 3rd round. By the 4th round, my arms were shot, so I went for the sub that most everyone else was doing, the 9 rope climbs starting from the ground & you pull yourself up to a standing position. Even that was difficult for me after doing all the full rope climbs. I knew I was way behind most everyone else at this point & somewhere in my head, I wanted to quit & end it after the 4th round. When I finished the 3rd round, P thought I was entering the 5th round, but no, I was only entering the 4th round. I was exhausted, but I kept myself going & finished dead last. I was ok w/ that because I was the only girl that did the rope climb & I’m pretty proud of myself for going for it & I ended up doing 5 full rope climbs. It was an excruciating painful & tiresome WOD, but I finished nonetheless!

Crossfit Day 93

December 6, Tuesday
WOD – 10 min AMRAP - This workout is an increasing ladder rep scheme. Your first set will be 5 burpees & 10 double unders. After that you move to 10 burpees & 15 double unders, then 15 burpees & 20 double unders. You keep going until you reach 10 minutes. My Results: 30 Double Unders + 3 Burpees.
We started w/ Back Squat – 1×20. I used 83lb & it got heavy by the 10th rep. For today’s WOD, it doesn’t sound too hard but it got really tiring really fast. The burpees were a killer, like usual. I messed up pretty badly w/ the first 10 double unders & was really kicking myself for not warming up properly. I was still doing them while others were finishing their 2nd round. But I kept going & got progressively better. I finished doing 25 Burpees & 30 DUs, then started on the next 30 burpees, but only got 3 reps in before the 10 minutes was up. I’m still happy w/ the results. We finished w/ 2 x 30 Hip Extensions

Crossfit Day 92

December 5, Monday
Workout – Another Monday & I feel like the weekends are making me sluggish & unmotivated, but I will still go into CF. I love it too much to stop & it pushes me to do things that I normally wouldn’t want to do or even think of to do, so that’s my motivation. The foods I’ve been eating after the Nutrition Challenge isn’t agreeing w/ my stomach too well. I know I need to curb my food intake but I’m finding it difficult to go back to that lifestyle (Whole30 diet). MM. won the challenge (5.67%), but they decided to have a 2nd winner which turned out to be Mo (lost 5.5%). I’m happy for her. She lost a significant amount of weight that she needed to lose. The thing w/ these contests is that it’s hard to go by only the percentage of weight loss because some people, like me, don’t have much weight to lose to begin w/, while others do & a whole lot more of it. They don’t factor in your height & weight together, as well as how closely someone actually followed the Nutrition Challenge & the points system. But whatever, I tried my best, but I doubt I could have lost another 3.2 lbs to win the challenge. That would have been too extreme & stressful for my body to handle.

WOD –Run 900m 21-15-9 Kettlebell Swing (53/35), Ring Dips, Wall Balls (20/14 6), Run 900m For Time. My Results: 19:22 minutes.

It’s a bit chilly out so I wore a sweatshirt w/ a hood to go for the run. Right before the WOD, CM was telling R that they would need to catch up w/ me on the run. I was flattered that they think I’m a fast running, but I pointed out that D is so much faster. But it was nice to hear anyway. I was behind the boys & D on the run, but I kept a good steady pace. After the 900m run, I was hot, so the sweatshirt went off for the rest of the WOD. The KB swings went okay, but the ring dips really took a toll on my shoulders. And going into the Wall Balls afterwards wasn’t so pleasant. The ring dips got me each time & I started lagging behind. On the last 900m run, I saw CM not too far in front of me (100 ft or so), but I was not able to catch up, or maybe I didn’t push myself hard enough to catch up. I still finished in a decent time, but I wished I had pushed myself a little harder on the last 300m of the run. Oh well, next time. We finished w/ 1 x Max Rep GHD Sit Ups (Goal – 25-50) – I ended up doing 28 maximum.

Week 22 Summary

No weekend work-out.

Results – I don’t see any changes this week. I feel like I’ve gotten plumper since the Nutrition Challenge is over, but I think it’s all in my head. I’ve incorporated everything back into my diet, but I am definitely trying harder not to eat too much carbohydrates. I do eat desserts though without remorse. I am trying to keep away from buying bagged potato chips since I’ve been without them for over 56 days now. I’ve opted to bake my own sweet potato or taro chips since they are healthier & I know exactly what goes into my own chips. I’ve noticed getting food coma more now but that’s because I’m added carbs back into my diet. This weekend was the CF Xmas party, but I had to miss it due to another Xmas party I’ve already said I would attend. It’s a bummer I missed it but I still had a good time at the Xmas party I did end up attending.

Crossfit Day 91

December 1, Thursday
Workout – Not sure what I’ll be doing today. Maybe practice some Back Squats & Double Unders. Or do a missed WOD, but I don’t feel like doing anything too strenuous.

WOD – 100 Singles, 60 Jumping Lunges, 45 Ring Rows, 30 Abmat Sit-ups, 15 Box Push Ups, 30 Burpees, 45 Push-Ups (knee), 60 Air Squats, 100 Singles for Time. My Results: 16:57 minutes.

There was a WOD that someone had done on the white board, so I decided to do it w/ Mo. My arms were still sore from doing “Bradshaw” on Wednesday, so we opted to remove the pull-up element & sub in sit-ups. The single jump rope is super easy for me. The Jumping lunges eventually takes a toll on you. The Ring Rows was gruesome. I had to rest after every 2 or so. The sit ups went find, but the box push ups were slow for me since my arms were already shot. Like usual, I dread the burpees & the push-ups. The air squats were okay but halfway through my legs were really feeling it. At least we ended w/ the singles because I breezed through those as well. I did them in about 30 seconds. I tried to practice some back squats afterwards, but my shoulders were super sore (from pull ups) that I wasn’t able to do them anymore. I practiced hand stands w/ Mo as well & I was finally able to get up & stay up for about 30 seconds on my own! I had to keep my hands further away from the wall to get more leverage to stay up. Yippee!

Crossfit Day 90

rudie2shoes vs kipping pull-ups (red band)
Winner: kipping pull-ups
(now I need to switch to the purple band so the line on my tummy will be 1/2 the size of the red band) :(

November 30, Wednesday
Workout – I’ve been up reading The Hunger Games, so I haven’t slept as much as I would like. This reading this is not doing me any good, so I’m tired today. I only have myself to blame. Anyway, We’ve done double unders for the past 2 days & we have to do more today. My abs feel a bit sore from Monday’s WOD, but otherwise, I feel pretty good. I feel like the WODs are more challenging now than when I first started CF, so that’s a good thing. I definitely feel stronger.

WOD –”Bradshaw” – 10 Rounds 3 HSPU (modified Box Push Ups), 6 Deadlifts (modified using 88lb KB), 12 Pull-Ups (red), 24 Double Unders for Time. My Results: 29:27 minutes.

I practiced my deadlift & felt something funny going on w/ my left knee/shin area. I asked trainer & he said it’s probably because we have a bursa there & it might be inflamed. So instead of using the bars for deadlifts, I used the 88lb KB to do them, which didn’t cause me any pain. Thank goodness, I really didn’t want to hurt myself any more than I’ve already had. The 1st round is always easy. The box push ups & KB deadlifts went fine. I even did 12 kipping pull ups in a row w/ the red band. My double unders got progressively better as the WOD went along. My pull ups got progressively worse after the 5th round. I started noticing the red rubber band was causing friction against my stomach & it started hurting. Now I have a stomach rash from the pull ups. :-( 10 rounds was a killer though because the WOD seemed to not want to end. By the last double unders, I looked at the clock. It was at 29:12 minutes & I wanted to come in under 30 minutes, so I went at it w/ the double unders. I finished the 24 in 15 seconds w/o missing one! Whoo hoo! I practiced more double unders afterwards, but I was too exhausted by then to keep them going to try to attain my 50 double unders in a row goal.

Crossfit Day 89

November 29, Tuesday
Workout – I didn’t really feel like going in today, but since we’re doing Front Squats before the WOD, I really wanted to work on my goal. I want to achieve at least one of my goals this year & figured today would be a good time.

WOD –12 min AMRAP 5 Hand Power Clean (42lb) , 10 Ring Dips (blue), 20 Double Unders. My Results: 7 sets + 5 HPC + 8 Ring Dips.

We first worked on Front Squats – 3-3-2-2-1-1 starting at 1RM. I worked w/ B! since we use similar weights. We practice a bit w/ 65lb. P showed us how to push the bar further up our shoulders & right into our neck so we’re barely breathing. I ended up trying that & kept my head up & it worked so much better than when I was looking down at my knees. We ended up doing 84-95-100-105-110-115lb. B! initially failed at 115lb, so I went after her & did it. She tried again & was able to do it! YAY! So I met one of my white board goals for this year, to do 115lb on Front Squats. YIPPEE! Now I have to work on my 50 Double Unders & 145lb Deadlift before yearend. YIKES! The 12 min AMRAP wasn’t too bad. I think I can move up in weight for the Hang Power Clean & possibly change to the red band for the Ring Dips. I’ll have to see how my shoulder feels. Otherwise, I think I did pretty well w/ the Double Unders & for the WOD overall.

Crossfit Day 88

November 28, Monday
Workout – I emailed the owner to have a birthday WOD for me on Monday & gave him a list of items. Since they call me C-squared (C^2) at CF, I decided everything would be squared. Most people were confused about the number of repetitions for the WOD & didn’t quite get it, but I thought it was fitting & appropriate for me. I wanted exercises that I can do pretty decently, but the owner changed some. I didn’t have a Rope Climb in it initially since most people couldn’t do it, but he added it in. I was a bit nervous going into CF today because it’s been 5 days since I’ve gone in w/ the Thanksgiving holiday & so many days off. I thought I would be unmotivated & fat from all the foods I’ve been eating especially since the Nutrition Challenge is now over.

WOD –C^2 Bday WOD 100 Air Squats, 81 Abmat Sit-ups, 64 Push-Ups (knee), 49 Double Unders, 36 Box Jumps (20”), 25 KB Swings (35#), 16 Toes to Bar, 9 Burpees, 400m Row, 1 Rope Climb. My Results: 23:57 minutes.

When I walked into CF today, JR. complained to me that this was the 1st time he’s felt like he wanted to puke during the WOD. Haha I’m glad it was a challenging WOD. Most people looked miserable doing it, but I was ready for it. We practiced Hand Power Cleans first for 10 minutes. To be honest, I really don’t think I like them much. Then we started my Bday WOD. The Air Squats & Sit-Ups did get tiresome since there are so many reps of them. The worst for me was the Push-ups since my upper body strength is still very weak. The Double Unders weren’t too bad. The Box Jumps could have gone better because my legs were pretty shot from the air squats, but still not too bad. The Rx for KB Swings was 53lb for girls, but it was too much for me to handle. I couldn’t find a 44lb, so I went w/ 35lbs. The Toes to Bars, Burpees & Row were okay. I wasn’t sprinting through the Row so it was all good. Finally, it was the Rope Climb. I was tired, but felt I could do it & I got up to the top & climbed back down. I didn’t think it was that bad of a WOD, & it was challenging. All in all, it was good. I enjoyed it & felt awesome afterwards. I had nothing to be nervous about earlier. :)

Week 21 Summary

November 26, Saturday
Workout – 30 minute bicycle ride.

November 27, Sunday Workout – None.

Results – I don’t see any new changes this week. But I started eating regular foods again since the Nutrition Challenge ended on Tuesday. I thought I would slowly ease myself back into all the other foods, but that plan didn’t quite work out. I started incorporating a little bit of everything at once & I didn’t care about the consequences. The foods I haven’t eaten for 44 days tasted glorious. I was finally able to bake & eat what I made. And it was Thanksgiving as well as my bday weekend, so I went out to eat often. The foods were definitely tasty, but I also know I will keep an eye out on not overdoing it w/ carbs & sugars. I am definitely more aware of everything I put in my body now, but I refuse to limit myself so much that I crave things I never craved before (i.e. chocolate).

Crossfit Day 87 | Last Day of Nutrition Challenge Day 44

November 22, Tuesday
Workout – Today is the last day of the Nutrition Challenge. I’m excited that it’s over, but sad at the same time. I did get used to eating this way & it’ll be hard to incorporate everything back into my diet now. It had its frustrating moments but I did enjoy cooking & trying out new recipes. It was definitely challenging & trying at times, but I got through 44 days w/ only 5 cheats. I’m pretty proud of myself. I weighed in before the WOD. My starting weight on 10/7/11 was 116.6lb. My ending weight on 11/22/11 is 113.2lb. I lost a total of 3.4lbs!!! With some fancy calculations, I lost 2.9% of my total body weight. I was SHOCKED because I didn’t feel like I lost any weight & I’m amazed because I don’t lose weight easily. I basically lost an average of 0.5lb a week. Wow. No one thought I had any weight to lose, even myself. I was okay w/ the weight I was before & I’m okay w/ the weight I am at now. I just wanted to see some changes to my mid-section since that’s the area I wanted to see results. I have more definition of a waist, but it’s only slight. I think I might try to keep going w/ this diet, but slowly incorporate back some things because there are just too many restrictions w/ the Whole30 diet. I am still shocked by the results & surprised this diet really does work even though I feel like I’m ingesting the same or more calories per day. I guess you’ll never know unless you try it out. I’m glad I tried it & challenged myself. I feel pretty darn good about myself now that I am done & am happy that I do have enough dedication & drive to finish the challenge.

WOD –Katie’s Bday 1) 5 min AMRAP – 11 Pull Ups (red) & 22 Double Unders. My Results: 3 sets + 3 Pull Ups. Rest 1 minute. 2) 5 min AMRAP – 11 Ring Dips (blue) & 22 Box Jumps. My Results: 3 sets + 19 Ring Dips/Box Jumps. Rest 1 minutes. 3) 5 min AMRAP – 11 KB Swings (35lb) & 22 Reverse Lunges for Reps. My Results: 4 sets + 9 KB Swings.

I used the red band for pull ups & I was able to do at least 7 in a row w/ the kipping motion. That’s more than I’ve ever done, so I’m getting stronger, slowly, but surely. I didn’t do too well w/ double unders but after a little while, I got the hang of it. For the 2nd AMRAP, I did the best out of everyone in my class, although I did have the blue band to aid my ring dips. I do pretty well w/ the box jumps & I can do them faster than the others in my class, so I’m pretty psyched by that. The last AMRAP also went really well. I breezed through the KB swings & the reverse lunges weren’t too bad. Again, I did the best out of everyone in my class so that made me a happy camper. That was a great way to end the rainy day. We finished by doing 4 minutes of front planks. I held it for 2 minutes straight & couldn't hold it any longer. I finished the rest  in 30 sec increments.

Crossfit Day 86 | Nutrition Challenge Day 43

November 21, Monday
Workout – The food I ate didn’t agree w/ my stomach today so everything was purged. I feel empty & tired. The raisins are the only thing left inside me & I know they will soon purge itself as well.

WOD –Jake’s Bday 10 Front Squats (65lb), 26 Box Jumps (20”), 9 FS, 26 Double Unders, 8 FS, 26 Push Ups (knee), 7 FS, 26 Box Jumps, 6 FS, 26 Double Unders, 5 FS, 26 Push Ups, 4 FS, 26 Box Jumps, 3 FS, 26 Double Unders, 2 FS, 26 Push Ups, 1 FS for Time. My Results: 19:20 minutes.

I was feeling sluggish today. I felt like I was in slow-motion. I know I could have done the WOD faster if I had done a proper warm up. I only had time for the foam roller so I was still pretty cold before the WOD. I think I still did okay though. The Front Squats were pretty challenging. We had to do a deadlift, then a power clean to get the bar onto our shoulders, & then we’d do the Front Squats. It was best to do them unbroken, meaning to do all 10 reps without putting the bar down on the floor, so I did that w/ all my reps. They were pretty tough & takes a lot out of you. I breezed through the box jumps, which is one of my strong exercises. I know I could have done the Double Unders better & the Push Ups are always hard for me due to my shoulders being so weak, even though I did them on my knees. I did the best I could for today. Afterwards, we did 50 Toes to Bars for Time. I was able to do 7 in a row this time, which is the most I’ve done thus far! I was lax w/ doing 50 for time because I was helping K out in between, but I finished them in 11:03 minutes. It’s not a great time, but I can actually put a time for it now. I wasn’t able to even do 50 before, but now I can. I hope I only get better as I practice more.

Week 20 Summary | Nutrition Challenge Day 40, 41 & 42

November 18, Friday
Workout – None.

No weekend work-out.

Results – Going out to eat is not getting any easier because I’m restricted from so many things & it’s not satisfying at all. I am constantly feeling hungry when I’m out & it makes me angry. As of the end of this weekend, I would have been on the Nutrition Challenge for 42 days. Only 2 more days of this & then I’m done. I didn’t really see any significant changes to my body, until this weekend. I’ve noticed that my waist is a little more defined now, meaning I look like I have a waist now. My body type has always been pretty boyish & rectangular. I might be imagining things, but I really think it’s a slight change due to the diet. I’ve noticed my mid-section is looking better but I still have a long way to go. If it took me 42 days to see this change, I wonder how much longer until I see really drastic results? If I continue to see results, I think I might stick to this diet, but w/ fewer restrictions. I can’t restrict myself so much that I’m angry all the time, but I can modify it so that I’m satisfied, but still eating really healthy. Even though the Nutrition Challenge was difficult at times (I guess that’s why it’s called a Challenge), it has opened my eyes to what I put in my body & I will be pro-active about what I eat in the future & try to find healthier options. I’m not saying I won’t eat unhealthy foods at all because that’s just impossible for me, but I will be more conscious & aware of everything & make better choices in the future. It was a tough lesson to learn, but I’m glad I went through it.

Crossfit Day 85 | Nutrition Challenge Day 39

November 17, Thursday
Workout – Not quite sure what I’ll be doing today. I’ll see how I feel once I get to CF. I am waiting for the day the Nutrition Challenge is over. It’s driving me a little crazy. I like it in one respect because I am eating healthier, but I hate it that it has so many restrictions. Less than a week left, so I have to stick w/ it a little longer.

WOD –300m Farmer’s Carry (70lb), 300m Overhead Walk (25lb), 300m Walking Lunges, 300m Sprint for Time. My Results: 22:34 minutes.

I actually did this WOD on 9/16, but w/ 60lbs for the farmer’s carry w/ a time of 21:30 minutes. My time today was slower but I used a higher weight & the weather was cold & it was dark outside so I was more careful about where I was stepping. I really didn’t want to walk/run into a ditch or small hole in the back of the CF building & sprain an ankle. I think I could have done better if it were a little warmer & brighter out. I’m still happy w/ my time. I definitely like holding kettlebells better for the farmer’s carry compared to dumbbells. I had poor grip last time & had to re-adjust one too many times.

Crossfit Day 84 | Nutrition Challenge Day 38

rudie2shoes vs Rope Climb
Winner: rudie2shoes (I think I conquered my fear of the full rope!)

November 16, Wednesday
Workout – Tonight at CF, the owner will bring in his wedding photographer to get some shots of us in action. I decided to take 2 hs off work early just to go. I want to see how good this photographer is. Can’t wait! I’m feeling much better today. I don’t feel so sluggish & I’m getting my energy back. No more PMS-ing for me. The Nutrition Challenge has caused me to PMS! For some strange reason, it made me more emotional too. I don’t like it at all, so once this challenge is over, I’m going back to eating everything, but I will definitely look at the labels to make sure I’m not putting certain crap in my system.

WOD – 4 Rounds for Totals 1 min Rope Climb, 1 min Wall Balls (20/14 8lb), 1 min Hang Power Cleans (42lb), 1 min High Box Jumps (24”) My Results: 43-35-35-41 = Total 154 reps.

The photographer was here for the 4:30pm & 5:15pm class. I went to the latter class, but saw the tailend of the earlier class. It was all girls in the class. My class had all guys & 3 girls (including myself, but Karen Kelly was doing a really modified WOD, so she wasn’t in the middle of things). It was pretty intimidating w/ all these guys, but I was willing to take on the challenge. I wanted to do the full rope climb, so I raised my hand when Tim asked who was doing it. With so many people in the class, we had to do 2 heats. The first heat started w/ the normal progression of the WOD, while heat 2 (my heat) started w/ Wall Balls, then onto the Rope Climb. Then we switched progressions every round, so I would do Rope Climb first on Round 2 & so forth. I was able to climb the rope 2x in the first round, which made me extremely happy to know I can climb all the way to the top. Round 2, I did 1 full climb, then tried a 2nd climb but only got halfway up. 3rd Round I did 1 full climb & was too tired for anything more. 4th Round I went up ¾ of the way, but got exhausted & had to come down. I didn’t do great w/ the wall balls & hang power cleans. Most of my reps came from the box jumps, which I am pretty good at. All in all, it was a great WOD!

Crossfit Day 83 | Nutrition Challenge Day 37

November 15, Tuesday
Workout – I’m still feeling a bit unmotivated today, but I’m going to force myself to go in anyway. I felt like I could have done better at yesterday’s WOD, but I was feeling sluggish. I hope today is a little better. I am going insanely mad due to the Nutrition Challenge. I have had PMS for a whole week prior to my period & I NEVER get PMS, so it’s definitely the foods I’m eating (or not eating) that’s causing me to be emotional. I don’t think this is a good thing. I want this challenge to be over already, but there’s another week left, which is completely maddening. I want to eat everything I can’t eat right now!!!

WOD – 20min AMRAP 4 HSPU (modified box push ups), 6 Ring Dips (blue), 8 KB Swings (70/53 35), 10 Toes to Bars. My Results: 8 sets + 4|6|8|4.

I did decent for today’s WOD. The Toes to Bars were the toughest for me to do. The rest were simple & low reps so they were easy. I took a long time to do my toes to bar. I hate them because my arms are so weak & I get tired very easily when I just hang on the bar. I was able to do 3 in a row, but then I can only do 1-2 after that. I need to keep getting stronger because it’s taking me too long to do them.

Crossfit Day 82 | Nutrition Challenge Day 36

November 14, Monday
Workout – I’m very tired today. I don’t feel like going to CF. I feel slightly burned out, but that could just be the time of the month. I just renewed my membership for another 3 months, but I’m doing 12x a month instead of unlimited due to my remaining vacation days I would need to take before the year is over. I have to say, this Nutrition Challenge is really taking a toll on my body. I didn’t realize how much until my period was way late (for me anyway). It was nearly 5 days late! That never happens to me. I was once 3 days late before, but never again. I was worried that it wouldn’t come. It felt like it was coming over 7 days ago, but day after day, nothing came. I’m just glad it finally came. I hope I’m not damaging my body due to this challenge. I’m getting really antsy from this Nutrition Challenge. I can’t wait until it’s finally over. It’s been 37 days now & only 7 more to go. I want to eat tons of the bad foods I’ve been wanting (i.e chips, donuts, bread, pasta, etc). As you can tell, I’m definitely not losing weight on this one. I definitely can’t keep up w/ this diet, but it makes me think outside for the box when it comes to creating foods & I will try my hardest to be better w/ everything I put into my body.

WOD –500m Row, 21-15-9 Burpee Box Jump, 2-for-1 Reverse Lunges, 500m Row. My Results: 15:22 minutes.

I was feeling really unmotivated today, but I still went into CF anyway because I should. We did Overhead Squats first, but the 22lb bar was making my shoulder hurt, so I stopped. I just stretched out & practiced w/ the PVC pipe instead. I really don’t want to aggravate it anymore than I already have. I was sluggish & slow today. I was the slowest one w/ the rowing, then I was nearly crawling when I did the burpees box jump. I was in slow motion today. The only saving grace for me was the Reverse Lunges which went fairly quickly. I didn’t finish last, but I know I could have done better if I had more sleep & if I had something to eat before the WOD. I did 40 Reverse Hypers afterwards to stretch myself out a little bit w/ weights.

Week 19 Summary | Nutrition Challenge Day 33, 34 & 35

November 11, Friday
Workout – None.

November 12, Saturday
Workout – None.

I totally cheated today on the Nutrition Challenge. It was for my engagement dinner w/ my family & there was no way I’m not eating for this one. I didn’t go overboard & overstuff myself. I ate a little bit of everything & it felt good. Today was the first real time that I cheated on my own accord & it felt good that it took me 34 days to really cheat. I am so close to finishing w/ this w/ only 10 days left. I’m quite certain I won’t cheat again because I do have a lot of willpower when I really want to. This was the most satisfying cheat. :) My body feels a bit bloated. My hands definitely feel like sausages. They seem swollen. And my skin around my lip feels blistery & there’s already a new breakout on the corner of my lip. I have a feeling the bloating is due to the Thai food I ate tonight. Oh I think my body is rejecting the salty & tasty foods I had tonight. What am I to do?!?

November 13, Sunday
Workout – None.

Results – I feel I am stronger, but I think my bodily changes have hit a plateau. I think the next step is to really watch my diet. I am currently into 33 days of the Nutrition Challenge, but I think I am still eating too much food. Although I feel like my body needs it & I’m not gaining any weight, I do think I need to learn to control my food portions better. That will probably be my next personal challenge to myself. It’s harder when it’s a self-imposed challenge. People have noticed my skin has been better since I started the Nutrition Challenge, so there must be something in the foods that I am no longer eating that is causing my skin to react badly. I will have to experiment once the challenge is over by slowly adding some items back into my diet to see what effects it has on me. Otherwise, there isn’t anything noticeable about my body that has changed. I haven’t stepped on a scale for 33 days, so I don’t know what I currently weigh.

Crossfit Day 81, Nutrition Challenge Day 32

November 10, Thursday
Workout – I feel much better today. The Tex Mex tacos I’ve made for this week has been delicious. I wish I had more to eat, but I know I can eventually get tired of eating them, so I should lay off after this week & try out something else. I’ve admitted to another cheat on the Nutrition Challenge, again for bologna from last week.

No WOD today. I decided to work on double unders, which wasn’t really going according to plan. I am still trying to figure out how to be more efficient. I get really tired from doing them, so I’ll keep practicing. I ended up doing a whole bunch of exercises. I stopped practicing double unders, so I went to do single jumps. I was able to do 500 single jumps in a row w/o stopping! That was about 5 minutes or so. After 500, I felt I probably could have continued, but decided to stop. I did another 130+ single jumps after & figured that was enough. I practiced kipping w/ the red band. I was able to do 6 in a row, which is 1 more than before. I ended up doing 30 w/ the red band. Then I did 2 unassisted kipping pull ups. Then I did 100 Ab Mat sit-ups. I was there for a good 45 minutes & I was sweaty from doing a little of everything. Little did I know that 2 pretty well known Crossfit trainers (Camille Leblanc-Bazinet & Dave Lipson) were visiting our CF box while I was doing my own thing. Too bad I didn’t get to officially meet them. I looked them up after the fact & realized Camille & Dave are both just amazing athletes.

Crossfit Day 80, Nutrition Challenge Day 31

November 9, Wednesday
Workout – I was having a really crappy day yesterday. My mood was gloomy & sad the whole day & night. I figured the WOD would keep my mind busy for 45 minutes & it did for the most part, but there were a few moments that made me think of my crappy day. I need to learn to let things go & be more patient, w/ everything. After a long talk w/ V in which I was pretty down & harsh on myself, but at the same time it was a great catharsis of all that I’ve been holding back. I’m so grateful for him. Back to discussing the workout. After doing 250 double unders from yesterday’s WOD, my calves/legs are really feeling it today. It’s a good thing because I know my body still isn’t used to all the CF exercises & is still being constantly challenged. I’ve admitted to cheating on the Nutrition Challenge again. I realized the bologna I ate last week might have added sugar, although I can’t be 100% positive because mom gave it to me. This diet is pretty hard to keep up w/ but I’m doing the best I can & I think I’m sticking to it for the most part.

WOD – Lara’s Bday WOD – At the top of every minute, do 3 Burpees – 28 Deadlifts (42lb), 28 Toes to Bar, 28 Hang Cleans into a Squat (42lb), 28 Overhead Walking Lunge (25lb), 28 Push Jerk (42lb) for Time. My Results: 23:40 minutes.

Lara’s Bday WOD was tough. The deadlifts were probably the easiest part of the whole WOD. The most annoying were the 3 Burpees at the top of every minute. I ended up doing 69 of them in total. I hate Burpees w/ a passion! I tried my best w/ Toes to Bar. I still can only do 1-2 at a time, but I think I’m slowly getting better. The Hang Cleans were extremely tiring because you have to do a squat each time. Boy did they burn. I always have trouble w/ the OHWL because my arms just get so darned tired. And the Push Jerks were last, so we’re already dead tired at this point. I was doing about 6-8 of them per minute & it seemed to have taken forever. It was definitely tough today, but it felt great to finish.

Crossfit Day 79, Nutrition Challenge Day 30

November 8, Tuesday
Workout – After yesterday’s WOD, I feel more energized & motivated to hit CF. I think I was in a slump all of last week when I missed most of the week due to the freak snow storm we had. Now I’m pumped up again. Thank goodness I haven’t lost my motivation. My 4th month of CF is officially over this coming weekend. I think I won’t be doing unlimited month for the next 3 months due to holidays & vacation times, which will cut into my time at CF. I’m not sure how I’ll feel or if I’ll see progress w/o going to CF so often as I’ve done in the past 4 months, but I’m hoping I can keep up w/ some of the WODs at least in my office gym or at home, if at all possible.

WOD – 5 Rounds 50 Double Unders, 5 Muscle Ups (sub 15 Pull-Ups (red band) & 15 Ring Dips (blue)) for Time. My Results: 28:50 minutes.

We did a WOD from 7/12 & 8/23. The first time I did it, I didn’t do all double unders because I was pretty bad at it. And did pull ups (green band) & ring dips (blue). The 2nd time I did it, I used red/purple band for pull ups & my time was 33:10 minutes, so I was actually faster this time around by 4:20 minutes! I’m a happy camper knowing I’m progressing along. I’m much better w/ double unders now, but I still need a lot of work. I’m getting at least 5 kipping pull ups (using red band) now, which is more than I’ve ever done. I’m really forcing myself to kip so I can do more in a row so I don’t kill my shoulders. It was a tough WOD, but it did feel great to finish.

Crossfit Day 78, Nutrition Challenge Day 29

November 7, Monday
Workout – I’m feeling unmotivated today. I seriously think I’ve been away from CF way too long that I don’t even really care to go back. I think (hope) it’s just mood swings. I’ve been pretty good about cooking over the weekend so I’ll have food for the work week, but again, the weekends are absolute killers for me. I hate sitting there & watching others eat while I munch on nuts or bananas. It’s such torture. I shouldn’t even go w/ them, but sometimes I have no choice. This Nutrition Challenge is driving me bonkers. It’s the 5th week now & I think I’m nearing my breaking point, but I’m trying to keep strong & continue w/o cheating.

WOD – 12 minute AMRAP – 9 Kettlebell Swings (35lb), 12 Hand-Release Push-Ups, 15 Box Jumps (20") for Time. My Results: 6 sets + 9|12|4 box jumps.

Back Squats 5 sets of 3 reps starting at 80% 1RM. I was able to do: 78-93-103-113-123lb today. It was not my best (135lb) but I didn’t feel like I could handle anymore today. The cold weather is making me take forever to warm up so my body is still cold. If it were warmer, I think I would have been able to do 135lb again. I’m still happy w/ my back squats though. My goal for the 12 minute AMRAP was to do at least 6 sets, which I was able to do. The 1st set took me 1:30 minutes, so I estimated my time will only increase as I fatigue, so 6 sets would be a good goal. I wish I could have finished the 7th set, but I got as close as I can. The hand-release push-ups take a lot out of me. The kb swings & box jumps went smoothly. I practice a few kipping pull ups afterwards. I can do 2 in a row, but I’m hoping I can continue to get a few more in a row w/ more practice. I finished w/ 60 GHD Sit-ups.

Week 18 Summary | Nutrition Challenge Day 27 & 28

November 5, Saturday
Workout – We went hiking up in Harriman, NY. It wasn’t a rough hike, but it was still a good workout. It was a little chilly, but we warmed up pretty quickly. We only did 2 hours since daylight is getting shorter & shorter now that Fall is here.

November 6, Sunday
Workout – None.

Results – I haven’t noticed anything significant in on my body. I only went to CF 2x this week & I wasn’t in a really motivated mood either. I think I had too many days away from CF & it made me a tad lazy. The Nutrition Challenge has been going ok. It’s been easy during the week when I make my own food, but the weekends have been killing me. I’m starving more & more as we go out to eat w/ friends. I hate it. I get extremely grumpy & my face gets really hot (almost to the point of feeling like I’m getting a fever), but that could be due to low blood sugar & increase blood pressure to my face when I’m hungry. I hate that feeling. I hate watching other people eat while I sit there w/ barely any foods to eat. There are so many restrictions w/ this diet that I know I will not be able to keep up w/ it after I’m done w/ the 44 days. However, at least 3 people have commented to me that my skin has gotten better/clearer. It has been 4 weeks on the diet, so it might be a result of the diet, which is one of the pluses. Once the challenge is over, I will have to slowly add the items back into my diet (carbohydrates, sugars, dairy, legumes, etc) to see which item I should not have too much of so that I can keep my skin clear. Well, at least one good thing came out of this challenge. And the fact that I do love cooking & trying out different & healthy recipes. We don’t always have to add flour or sugars to everything to make it taste good. There are alternatives to everything if only we make an effort to search for them.

Nutrition Challenge Day 26

November 4, Friday
Workout – None.
I’ve confessed that I technically cheated on the Nutrition Challenge. It pains me to think that because it was not intentional nor was it even satisfying. I ate broccoli that was cooked w/ peanut oil that V’s dad made for me about a week ago. It was freaking broccoli for goodness sakes. I was highly upset about it when I found out, but of course, it was only AFTER I’ve already eaten the broccoli. Grrr…it annoys me to no end. We’re approaching the end of the 4 week mark & I’ve been finding myself getting restless w/ this challenge & I find myself wanting potato chips to no end. But, again, I think this is hormone related, so I need to get through the next few days & I should be back to myself again.

Crossfit Day 77, Nutrition Challenge Day 25

November 3, Thursday
Workout – I’m sore from yesterday’s running clinic, but that could also be due to not working out for 4 days, which is the longest I’ve been away from CF thus far. Man, I really am addicted to CF. My name is rudie2shoes & I am a Crossfit Junkie.

WOD –None.

I decided not to do a WOD. It’s just one of those days that I don’t feel like doing much. Instead, I worked on my Front Squats. I did 5-5-3-3-1-1 starting at 80% 1RM. My max was 96lb, so I started at 80lb & did 5 reps. I went up to 90lb & was not able to do 5 reps & my wrist was hurting. R told me it’s my flexibility so I should work on stretching my wrist and arm out. I was getting frustrated w/ myself because I didn’t feel like I could even do 90lbs. I think it’s my hormones talking. Anyway, I went up by 5lb instead & was able to do 5 reps at 85lb. Then I stretched in between & did 3 reps at 90lb. And then I did 3 reps at 95lb. I was afraid of going up any higher, but I tried 100lb & I was able to do 1 rep! I was super ecstatic but was even more afraid of trying 105lb. It was just so heavy, but I tried it anyway & I was able to do 1! That is officially my Personal Record thus far. I need more practice so I can meet my 115lb goal before the end of the year. I practiced my double unders, then did some kipping pull ups. I was able to do 2 in a row, which is still difficult for me, but I was able to do it, so I’m super psyched. Next time I might be able to do 3 in a row! Hehee I hope so anyway.

Crossfit Day 76, Nutrition Challenge Day 24

November 2, Wednesday
Workout – There’s a 2 hr POSE running clinic held at CF tonight, so I’ll be attending & learning how to run better & more efficiently. I’m actually pretty excited about it & I’m so glad I was able to come back last night so I can attend this today.

WOD – Death by 10m Results: 15 Rounds (total of 1200m)

Today’s POSE clinic taught by Paul was awesome. We got good tips on what is considered good form & what not to do. He also did plenty of running drills for us to see how we are running. He first had us put a lacrosse ball under one foot to find a tender spot. Then he had us press down onto the sore spot for 5 seconds, rest 10, and repeat a few more times. Then we did the other foot. We noticed we were able to stretch towards the ground & up into the air higher after doing this exercise. Then he had us run around so he can pinpoint what we are doing wrong. He told me I had good form, but I need to work on getting rid of my kickback (kicking my feet too far behind me). We learned the 3 points of running – Posture (keep your body upright & aligned from head to toe), Lean (lean 1-2 degrees forward but do NOT bend at the waist), & Lift (pick up your feet square to your body & land on the ball of your feet & your heel will only gently “kiss” the ground). We did single jumps on a jump rope to teach us to land on our balls of the feel & also we did running while using the jump rope. We were also standing w/ our backs to the ball & an inch off, then we started running in place. Many of us wandered forward about a foot or so. So this taught us to stay in control of our running & that your feet never kick back, otherwise it would have hit the wall. We also stood in front of the wall w/ our arms stretched out & then leaned onto the wall. We would run into place & he would tap us on our shoulder & we would turn & run as fast as we can. We hopped on our feet (balls of feet touches ground first, then the heels) & when he told us, we would lean slightly & that would move us ahead. The lean uses gravity to pull us forward making running easier & more efficient. We then hopped on one leg, while bringing the other leg high up (like high knees) & did that the entire length of the gym. Then we switched to the other leg. This is to help us focus on keeping our legs square to our body & not behind our body. Then we did both legs (high kick) across the gym. Then we were partnered up & one person holds the other one by the shoulders while the other person starts running against your partners hold. The partner lets go & you run as fast as you can. I did this a few times & once I actually fell to the ground. Haha At the end of the 2 hours, we did the “Death by 10m” workout. The first minute, you run 10m, then rest the remaining of the minute. 2nd minute, you run 20m, then rest, 3rd minute, you run 30m & so on & so forth. It will get to a point where you won’t have anytime to rest in between rounds or you just don’t finish your round. When you don’t finish, you are eliminated. I was determined to stay as long as I can. I finished the 15th round & was almost done w/ the 16th round & missed it by 5m. That stinks, but only a few lasted as long as I did. And only 2 people finished the 16th round, but didn’t finish the 17th round (Erin & a guy). I think I did pretty well. Then we learned to stretch by doing downward dog & alternating bending of the knees, then rest (you can do child’s pose). Then slowly walk your feet closer to your hands & bend knees again. You’ll become more flexible as you continue to do this. It was an awesome clinic. I hope he comes back again to give us more tips. I loved the clinic!

Nutrition Challenge Day 23

November 1, Tuesday
Workout – None. The darn snow from the weekend has kept the power out at the house so I’m still stuck here in NY. I really am getting antsy about not being able to Crossfit. Although the CF gym has no electricity either, they are still opened, even though it might be a little dark in there. I’m having major CF withdrawals. This is the most time I’ve been away from CF, 4 days & counting. I’m already feel like a lard @ss.

Nutrition Challenge Day 22

October 31, Monday
Workout – None. There was wet snow on Saturday that caused NJ to go into a state of emergency. Many homes & CF were affected w/ power outages, so the morning & night classes have been cancelled since it will be dark out & we can’t workout in the dark. I stayed in NY last night because I didn’t want to go back to a dark home w/ no electricity or running water.

Week 17 Summary | Nutrition Challenge Day 20 & 21

No weekend work-out.

Results – I’ve looked at my hamstrings in the mirror & I’ve noticed they are pretty defined when I squat, but when standing, you won’t really notice. I’m still happy w/ myself. The Nutrition Challenge has forced me to try out new recipes & I actually really like cooking for myself. I do get tired of eating certain things over & over again, but I make sure I make different things every week to keep myself excited about eating better. I love experimenting w/ foods, although I haven’t quite developed a knack for being creative just yet, but I’m at least trying.

Crossfit Day 75, Nutrition Challenge Day 19

October 28, Friday
Workout – Another AMRAP today. I was thinking I probably shouldn’t have done Monday’s WOD last night because I did box jumps as well, but that’s ok, I think my body can handle it.

WOD – 15 minute AMRAP – 9 Deadlift (155/105 85), 12 V-Ups, 15 Box Jumps (24”/20”). My Results: 7 sets + 7 deadlifts.

I was aiming to do 95lb deadlift, but then the trianer told me I should do 50% of my max (125lb), which is 62.5lb, but I thought that was too little weight, so we settled on 85lb. The deadlifts were making my left knee feel a bit funny & not in a good way, so I was really careful w/ them. The v-ups weren’t too bad when you do only 12 of them at a time, & the box jumps are still one of my strong points. I was proud to do a little over 7 sets. We finished w/ 2 minute Hollow Holds, which hurts like a mofo. I was able to do 1 minute straight & the rest in 10 seconds spurts. Oh how it makes my neck strain.

Crossfit Day 74, Nutrition Challenge Day 18

October 27, Thursday
Workout – Since I missed Monday’s WOD, I decided I’m going to do it today. I am doing okay w/ the Nutrition Challenge. I don’t feel any differently actually. I doubt I’ve lost any weight, although I haven’t weighed myself this whole time & I refuse to until the end of the challenge. I eat tons of foods, especially meats, veggies & fruits. I haven’t cut down on my fruit intake because I like them for snacks. I know they have carbohydrates & sugars, but I still feel like I need them. I should try to limit my fruit intake though. Maybe that would make the difference, but I get so hungry throughout the day if I don’t snack constantly. I don’t eat as much nuts as some people, which is a good thing because they’re good for you, but you can pack on some major calories eating them if you have no self-control.

WOD – 20 minute AMRAP 10 Ring Rows, 10 HSPU Box Push-Ups, 10 Burpee Box Jumps (20"). My Results: 7 sets + 10 ring rows + 10 Box Push-Ups.

It was pouring rain today so there were very few people at CF. I was the only one doing a WOD, which was ok. I still tried to push myself & do the best I can. I was happy w/ my results. It was my first time doing Burpee Box Jumps, but I think they went fairly well. You start off w/ a normal burpee & when you get up, instead of doing a jump & clap, you jump onto the box. It does get tiring, but I like box jumps. I was tired after the 20 minutes, but it felt great to finish. I practiced some hand stands again, but didn’t do too well. I notice that from time to time, after I attempt a hand stand, I see tiny stars. I think it’s my body not being used to being upside down. I don’t like the stars. This was the 2nd time I’ve seen them. I wonder when I won’t struggle w/ hand stands anymore. *sigh*

Crossfit Day 73, Nutrition Challenge Day 17

Wall Balls - must be over the 10ft line.
I made it! Yippee!

 
Workout – Today’s WOD is for R’s dog, Jayda, that passed away over the weekend. It’s so sad. He left her in the backyard while he was running errands. She must have slipped out the door & ran into the street, where she got hit by a car. It’s such a tragedy. She was such a beautiful dog.

October 26, Wednesday

WOD – “Jayda” – 3 Rounds 300m Run, 33 Wall Balls (8), 33 Farmer’s Lunge (36), 33 Hand Release Push Ups (knees) for Time. My Results: 24:21 minutes.

I think I did fairly well in today’s WOD. The run was easy. The wall balls are always a struggle for me, but I made sure I didn’t tire myself out, so I would rest after every 4 or so reps. I used an 8lb ball because I really didn’t want to aggravate my right shoulder/arm anymore than it already is. I had to use 36lbs for the Famer’s Lunge because the 20lb dumbbells were all taken. I think I could have gone up in weight. The hand release push ups were done on my knees, again, I didn’t want to aggravate my arms too much. I finished fairly ahead of the pack. I think I finished 3rd or so in the large group tonight. But, I’m sure others were doing higher weight for wall balls & farmer’s lunges as well as doing real hand release push ups compared to myself. I know I’m doing the best I can for my ability right now. We finished w/ 2 min Hollow Hold, which gets really intense. Your abs & head gets really tired. I did 1 min straight, but the rest were done in 10-15 second intervals.

Crossfit Day 72, Nutrition Challenge Day 16

October 25, Tuesday
Workout – I’m looking forward to tonight’s WOD because it looks like it’ll be hard & I feel like I’ve been lazy the past 3 days, so I need to push myself hard. I cooked a lot on Sunday so I’ve been pretty good w/ the Nutrition Challenge & I do not feel like I’m starving. The weekends are still the hardest part because I can’t control what others put in the foods, especially in a restaurant, but I’m trying to pick the best options for me.

WOD – 1200m Run, 120 Double Unders, 900m Run, 90 Air Squats, 600m Run, 60 KB Swings (35lb), 300m Run, 30 Ring Dips (blue) for Time. My Results: 29:40 minutes.

There were a bunch of guys & 4 girls doing this WOD. For the run, I was actually 2nd to last for awhile, but then I ran ahead of Danielle when she got tired & I was getting my rhythm going. I was able to do the double unders fairly quickly, which surprised me. I am definitely getting better at them. 2 of the guys were way ahead of so they started their 600m run when I was going for my 900m run. I was ahead of them & I heard them behind me, but I made sure they never passed me. I kept a really good pace & I was able to finish w/o being completely winded. The air squats were exhausting. I kept going on my toes instead of staying on my heel, but I tried to correct myself. After about 40, they got really difficult. I continued slowly & didn’t stop. Once done, I did the 600m run. My legs were feeling funny after the air squats, but I got my legs back after 100m. The kb swings are always tiring, but I got though them okay. After about 30, I started only doing sets of 3-4. Another run, then it was off to the ring dips. I still use the band to assist me, so they weren’t too bad. I don’t think I’m ready to downgrade the band just yet because the ring dips put a lot of strain on my shoulders that I don’t want. I can’t afford to injure my shoulder any more than it already is. I finished ahead of at least 2 of the guys & all of the girls, so that was pretty satisfying. We had to do 50 Toes to Bars for Time afterwards. I was able to do 10 in 3:30 minutes, which means it would have taken me over 15 min to finish. I didn’t even attempt to finish. I practiced a few kipping pull ups instead. I can still only do one & need to rest, but I’m still happy I’m able to do them.

Nutrition Challenge Day 15

October 24, Monday
Workout – My car made funny grinding sounds when I was on my way back home, so I turned around to go back to V’s house instead. I was a bit upset because I really wanted to go to CF today. I am THAT obsessed w/ CF, but it’s a good thing. It keeps me on my toes & I’m doing tons of stuff I normally wouldn’t push myself to do on my own. I like the torture they put me through.

WOD – None.

Week 16 Summary | Nutrition Challenge Day 13 & 14

No weekend work-out.

Results – It’s been 2 weeks since I started the Nutrition Challenge. I have not gotten on a scale to weight myself, but I don’t think I’ve lost any weight. Even though we won’t eliminate the dairy until this coming week, I have been ingesting minimal dairy products. I do not see any noticeable changes, but I’m definitely eating a lot more meats than I did before. I do get hungry faster so I still snack a lot. I am eating tons of vegetables & I have not cut down on my fruit intake. I feel like I still need the natural sugars from the fruits considering I do workout almost every day. I think my thigh muscles are stronger, but no one would really notice except me. I’ve been good thus far & I hope to continue to be good for the next 30 days.

Crossfit Day 71, Nutrition Challenge Day 12

October 21, Friday
Workout – I’m feeling okay w/ the foods thus far. I like it that I’m making my food & trying out new recipes. It’s actually fun & I love experimenting & finding something that actually tastes good. It’s Friday & I’m looking forward to practicing my front squats. That’s on my list of goals for the end of the year so any practice is helpful.

WOD – Tabata – Row – Ring Dip – Air Squat (20 sec reps, 10 sec rest for 4 minutes for each exercise) My Results: 7 Row + 3 Ring Dip + 14 Air Squats = 24 reps. (Only counted the lowest reps for each exercise).

Front Squat – 5-5-3-3-2-2 Start @ 80% of 1RM & attempt to increase each set. I did 43-54-64-74-84-94lb. I’m happy w/ the Front Squats. I think I am getting stronger, so I’m hoping to do about 105 next time & maybe 115 soon to meet my goal. This is so exciting! My personal best is 96, which I didn’t do this time. We started the WOD w/ one group starting w/ the Row, which I was in the 2nd group starting w/ the Ring Dips. I was doing about 10-12 at the beginning, but then my arms started to get really tired & I ended up doing 7 as my lowest rep, which was still decent. Then off to row. The highest I got was 4 calories, but I ended up w/ 3 as my lowest. Then off to do the Air Squats. My legs were tired from the Row, so my first 2 sets were really low coming in at 15 & 14. The rest of the 4 minute Tabata, I was doing 16 or more. At the 7th set, I was able to do 20 in 20 seconds. I don’t know why I torture myself because only the lowest one counted, but I still pushed myself even until the end. I was still happy w/ my performance though. We finished w/ 2 min Front Plank & 1 min Side Plank (on each side). I was able to hold each one for the full time. I actually like planks because I can do them well. If only my abdominals will show. *sigh*

Crossfit Day 70, Nutrition Challenge Day 11

October 20, Thursday
Workout – I haven’t been going to bed as early as I would like, so I’m not really motivated to go workout. And then, there’s the Nutrition Challenge which is going ok, but I crave so many things, especially chips, noodles & cake/cookies. All the things I’m not allowed to have. I’m not starving myself, I actually feel like I eat more meat than I used to, but I don’t think the foods I’ve been eating has been fulfilling me as much as I’d like. I guess it just takes some getting used to.

WOD – None.

I didn’t do any WODs today. I just wanted to practice my double unders & kipping pull-ups. I wasn’t doing too well w/ the double unders & kept whipping my right arm & the back of my right leg pretty badly. I kept trying & I was finally able to get some consecutive double unders, but it was only 5 or 10. Then I got up to 21. And my best thus far is 31! I need 19 more to make my goal of 50 double unders. I know I’m expending too much energy doing them & I’m doing them too fast, so I’m trying to slow down a little so I don’t waste so much effort doing them. Also, I need to keep my arms closer to my body because Jim R. noticed my arms keep getting further & further in front of me, which makes it easier for me to step on the rope. There are so many things to consider, but I just need to practice more. I also attempted kipping pull-ups again. My arms are super tired from the week’s workouts, but I still managed to get 3 in, although not consecutively. I always rest on the box, & then try again.

Crossfit Day 69, Nutrition Challenge Day 10

October 19, Wednesday
Workout – I’m getting antsy. I’ve noticed I’ve been scrounging for snacks late at night only to come up w/ a banana or some meatballs to fulfill me. I want chips, cakes & pastas, but I am trying to keep focus. It’s only the 10th day of the Nutrition Challenge & it’s not getting any easier. The day is not even over yet & I want to eat, eat & eat some more! It’s so hard looking at food blogs & just wanting to eat everything on the screen. I am dreading when the weekend comes because we’ll be going out w/ others & I might not be able to eat anything off the menu. Oh the horrors of a starving rudie2shoes. I can get quite Incredible Hunk when I am hungry. I am also dreading the WOD because when it’s a “Heroes” WOD, it usually means it’s really difficult. I think the cold weather is making me dread working out more than anything. That, & plus the fact I’ve been feeling under the weather the past few days aren’t helping the cause either.

WOD – “Brenton” 5 Rounds 100ft Bear Crawl, 100ft Standing Broad Jump – Every 5 Broad Jumps you must complete 3 Burpees for Time. My Results: 14:53 minutes.

“Brenton” was majorly tiring. 100ft is 3 times back & forth inside in my gym. The bear crawl looks easier than it really is. You are using your entire body & gravity in the movement so it takes a toll on you. 3 times back & forth, then we did standing broad jumps. They require effort & you want to jump as far as you can. I fell on my ass a few times doing them because I jump really far but then lose my balance when I land. After doing 5 of them, we have to do 3 burpees. If you don’t know already, I really hate hate hate burpees! It’s a funny sight seeing everyone bear crawling on the floor. At least it’s a good total body workout. We finished w/ 3x20 GHD Hip Extensions & then, 2 minutes of Hollow Hold.

Crossfit Day 68, Nutrition Challenge Day 9

October 18, Tuesday
Workout – Today’s WOD sounds brutal. I am so not looking forward to it. Just thinking about it is making me quite nervous. I got a lot of rest last night since I was feeling a cold coming on & had a rummy nose, but I think my body needs more rest. This cooler weather is not agreeing w/ me whatsoever & I know it’s only going to get worse.

WOD – 100m Overhead Carry (25lb), 50 Jumping Lunges, 30 Toes to Bar, 100m Overhead Carry (25lb), 35 Jumping Lunges, 20 Toes to Bar, 100m Overhead Carry (25lb), 20 Jumping Lunges, 10 Toes to Bar, 100m Overhead Carry for Time. My Results: 15:44 minutes.

I did Shoulder Press – 5-5-3-3-2-2 & I was able to do 33-39-45-49-54-54lb. This is my new best for shoulder presses. They’re hard because you can’t do a dip w/ your knees to help push it up. I tried to do 59lb, but it was just too much for me, but I’m still happy w/ 54lb. It was another brutal WOD. I was happy the Overhead carry walk was only for 100m. I tried not to take any breaks & I was doing great until the last one, which I took a small break & continued along. The jumping lunges gets long & tiresome & then I had little to no strength for the toes to bar. I barely was able to get my toes to the bar on 95% of them. We finished w/ 3x20 GHD Sit-Ups.

Crossfit Day 67, Nutrition Challenge Day 8

October 17, Monday
Workout – I’m happy I was able to cook foods yesterday so I’m not starving today & I won’t be wasting a lot of time during the week to cook & end up eating dinner extremely late. I’m feeling okay today w/ the Nutrition Challenge. It’s Monday so I usually have tons of food, but come Friday, the stash usually dwindles & I end up not having enough food to last me the day. I will try to ration the best I can but those sweet potato fries, although not baked to the way I would like, are still mighty yummy.

WOD – 30 Wall Balls (8lb), 30 Box Jumps (20”), 30 KB Swings (35lb), 30 Burpees, 30 Pull-Ups (red) – Part 1 – 3 minute AMRAP, 1 min rest, Part 2 – 5 minute AMRAP, 1 min rest, Part 3 – A for Time. My Results: Part 1 – 40 reps, Part 2 – 75 reps, Part 3 – 15:19 minutes.

The air is crisp & cool now, which means it’s downright COLD for me! I hate this weather. The gym was freezing to me & I wasn’t really warmed up before we started the WOD because it was just so cold in there. We did the 3 min AMRAP & the wall balls were killing me. I just couldn’t get it over the line & had to re-do them. It was so frustrating. I was the last one out of 6 people to finish them to get to the box jumps. When the 3 mins were up, my throat was burning from the cold air. I needed water to help me breathe properly. Then it was onto the 5 min AMRAP. The wall balls were brutal again, but I whizzed through the box jumps faster than everyone else. It’s one of my few strong exercises. I was happy I got to the kb swings. I was happier this time w/ my performance, but my throat was still burning from the cold air. More swigs of water for me, which I almost never do during a WOD. Then it was onto doing the entire WOD for Time. I was able to control my wall balls & get it over the line & hit the wall each & every time, so I didn’t struggle at all this time. I had brief rests in between to ensure I didn’t get air balls. I actually finished it 2nd this time! Whoo hoo. I was tired for the box jumps, but I did my thing steadily & finished it before anyone else. Off to do the kb swings & I was getting even more tired so I rested every few reps, but I finished that before anyone else & then got to the darn burpees. Gosh I really do hate them. I was nearly crawling on the floor, but still finished & was the first up for the pull-ups. I am still using the red band because I don’t think my shoulder can handle it. I got through about 10 before anyone else was on the bars. Then I had to rest after every one pull-up because my arms were failing me. K, the only guy there finished before me, but I wasn’t too far behind. Afterwards, I just couldn’t feel my upper arms anymore. It was pretty brutal. I did 3x20 GHD Hip Extensions afterwards to stretch myself out a little bit.

Week 15 Summary | Nutrition Challenge Day 6 & 7

No weekend work-out.

Results – The Nutrition Challenge has been pretty difficult & it is only the 1st week. I was doing okay for the first few days, but then I was getting the munchies often towards the end of the week. I was able to continue without cheating, but it was hard. Then the weekend came & it is even harder now. V’s family seems to use soy in everything (tofu, soy sauce, shrimp paste has soybeans in it, etc) along w/ corn startch & other ingredients that are not allowed in this Whole30 diet. *sigh* And then going out to eat w/ my family posed a horrible dilemma because everything is carbs – noodles, dumplings, rice cakes, etc. as well as it being stir fried in soy sauce. I was sitting there watching everyone else eat, while I only ate the filling of the dumplings & left the skin for V. My stomach was grumbling the entire time. I brough a Larabar w/ me but it wasn’t enough. Thank goodness V brought me to Five Guys to buy myself a burger w/o a bun, & added the mushrooms, onions & peppers otherwise I would have starved to death. We attended my Crossfit 2 year anniversary party this past weekend & thank goodness the CFers understand a lot of people are doing the Nutrition Challenge or are eating Paleo, so I was able to gorge on most of the foods. I made Lavender French Macarons w/ Honey Vanilla Mascapone, which few like hotcakes. I was ecstatic that they tasted good (well, that’s what everyone told me, I didn’t actually eat any). I decided to go grocery shopping Sunday & do most of my cooking for the week then, so I won’t have to waste my time cooking during the week. I made a bunch of foods: tomato & red bell pepper soup, beef/pork meatballs, roasted red pepper & walnut dip, baked sweet potato chips & fries, Larabars (pineapple, apple pie, fig & banana), & I’ll be making Lemon Pepper salmon this week. I’m excited about trying new recipes that are good for me. At least something good is coming out of this. We’ll see how week 2 of the Nutrition Challenge goes for me. We are now eliminating added sugars of any kind. It’s only Day 8 of this 44 day challenge. Time is going by so slowly…

Crossfit Day 66, Nutrition Challenge Day 5

October 14, Friday
Workout – I’m feeling tired today. I get the munchies more often now that I am restricting my diet. There’s so much foods out there that has soy products in it. Chocolate bars has soy lechitin for goodness sakes. Why would a chocolate bar have soy in it?!? Grrrrr. Not that I crave chocolate much but I wanted the boost of energy from a chocolate bar. We’re not allowed soy so that is out of the question. Lucky I brought my remaining soup to work because that really helped stave off my hunger pangs.

WOD – 10-20-30 Goblet Reverse Lunge (2-for-1) 35lb, Pull-Ups (red) for Time. My Results: 17:15 minutes.

We started w/ 5-10-15 Deadlifts. We start with a heavy set of 5, then drop ~10% off the bar & do 10. Then drop another 10% off & do 15. Sets should be touch & go, no releasing of the hands. I was able to do 115-95-75lb for the deadlifts. They got really tough when we added more repetitions to the lower weight. I need to keep working on my deadlifts. We started the WOD. The 2-for-1 Goblet Reverse Lunges (holding the kettlebell on your check & up to your chin) were really difficult. I felt like my arm muscles were going to pop out of my arms. Then we had to do pull-ups afterwards. My arms were exhausted. The bad part of this WOD is that the numbers goes UP instead of down, so we have more reps to do as we progress. My arms were failing for the remaining pull-ups so I had to rest after each one. I don’t know how others do it unassisted. I went down to the red band now but it’s still very difficult for me.