FL Countdown - Day 50: Technique vs. Heavy Weight

This is a topic that came up more than once yesterday while trying to do a 4 set deadlift max.  Being fairly new to crossfit, I find it incredibly rewarding to move up in weight.  It feels awesome to know that through the sweat, soreness, and (damn near) muscle failure I am getting stronger and improving everyday.  With that said, I am making a new commitment to myself today.  Technique is priority.  Weight will come later. 

Too many times we injure ourselves trying to lift the heavier weight because well, let's be honest, being strong is pretty cool.  Add to that the motivation from our peers, our own personal records, gym records, or even just the reaction from others "You lifted how much?  That's amazing! " or "Holy smokes, you're a powerhouse!" etc.. (I'll stop at my dumb attempts to sound motivating).  Anyways, it feels good to increase the weight and really see that progress we yearn for.  However, what I've noticed in the gym is that heavy weight usually means your technique tends to struggle.  Hence the potential for injuries.

Thank goodness for KCF Coaches who help keep us in line when our form is less than perfect.  Brandi kept me honest yesterday.  :)

Today I took full advantage of my commitment to form and technique.  I did not lift as much as I would have liked to, however, I got my ass kicked (in true crossfit nature) and "felt" my workout.  It's not an easy task to keep good form through an entire workout but I did my darndest to do so!

Wednesday's WOD in 19:17.  It was tough and I really struggled on those front squats.

Meals for the day:
Breakfast:  2 Eggs w/ Chicken & Apple Sausage, 2 cups of coffee
Lunch:  AmyLu Chicken Burger w/ greens, Watermelon
Dinner:  Marinara Meat Sauce w/ Spaghetti Squash
Dessert:  Paleo Brownie

Spaghetti Squash (excuse the lighting, darn energy efficient bulbs)

FL Countdown - Day 51: Kids will be... kids!

Having a child is always a challenge.  They are babies, so sweet and tender.  Then they're crawling, cooing, walking, running and saying the cutest things.  But when that child takes a flying leap off the bed and happens to bite through her lip causing her to get 3 stitches, it tends to get a little stressful.  Yesterday was one of those days.  For her.  And me. 

Despite the stitches and 3 nurses holding her down to put the stitches in - Miss Jordan is doing fine, showing off her new "owwie" to everyone she sees.  Definitely Rueben's child, battle scars are the coolest thing!  Anyway, my meals struggled yesterday for sure!   So did Jordan's. 

Meals for the day:
Breakfast:  Stomach growling sitting in the ER
Lunch:  Leftover Salmon, greens and watermelon
Snack:  Two yummy paleo brownies I made the day before
Dinner:  Pork Ribs, mixed veggies, and even a little rice (I told you it struggled)

Hit the gym, worked on deadlift and here was the WOD.  My time was 7:37. 

Gotta keep chipping away... 50 days to go!!

~kat

FL Countdown - Day 52: Happy 4th Everyone!!

The 4th was spent with friends.. and children laughing and playing while throwing pop-it's.  It was relaxing, fairly quiet, and a beautiful day (for once). :)

I had no clue what to bring to the BBQ we attended so I decided to hit my friends with some paleo brownies, recipe courtesy of Paleo Mama. 

I think they tasted great (in a "wow, pretty good for being healthy" way) but I'm sure they were hard to swallow for my non-paleo friends ;)  Sorry guys. 

Paleo Brownies.. a healthy take on dessert

Weird not spending the 4th with my hubby... one week to go til he's home!! 

Meals for the day:
Breakfast:  Eggs with Asparagus & Onions, Leftover Flank Steak
Lunch:  A bowl of fresh gazpacho
Dinner:  Oh geez... chips and homemade salsa (courtesy of Ashley) Steak, Ribs, and Asparagus.

My workout consisted of perfecting my push-ups and stink bugs while watching the 2010 Strongest Man on ESPN. 
~kat

FL Countdown - Day 53: Cooking Finally!!

Wow, me and Jordan were pretty zapped of energy yesterday so I can actually say we stayed home and enjoyed the peace and quiet (with a nice long nap).  Anyway, I was finally able to do some cooking so I'm back to feeling slightly domesticated since my husband has been away.

I have recently fallen in love with eggplant but have been scouring the internet for paleo friendly dishes and came upon this yummy fried eggplant dish courtesy of  Paleo Girls. Sleep. Love. Eat.  I'll add the picture once my less-than-smartphone decides to cooperate with me.  Since I did not have almond flour or coconut flour, I went ahead and used almond meal instead for the paleo breadcrumbs. 

My dad was also having a hankering for some gazpacho, so we tested out a recipe we found online.  Gazpacho is a Spanish cold soup that is usually made in the summer months.  It is refreshing and flavorful during those warm summer days (in Spain, obviously not here in the PNW).

Shrimp Gazpacho:

- 30 shrimp, cooked, peeled, and deveined

- 1 small yellow bell pepper, diced

- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 cucumber, remove seeds
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 water
- 2 cans of diced tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno
- cilantro, we used about 1/2 c packed (or so)
- 2 tbs. Sherry Vinegar
- salt and pepper
- avocado (for topping)

Directions:  Put 1 can of tomatoes, water, and olive oil in food processor and blend.  Add all chopped veggies, shrimp, vinegar, salt and pepper.  Place in refrigerator for a few hours before serving.  Tastes the best the next day after the soup has had a chance to sit.

Good. Refreshing.  Best of all. Healthy :)

Meals for the Day:

Breakfast:  2 Eggs w/ Avocado and Trader Joe's Chicken & Apple Sausage
Lunch:  Uhh.. I slept through it :)
Snack:  Cherries, Blueberries, and Strawberries
Dinner:  Baked Salmon, Fried Eggplant, Corn on the Cob, and a little Flank Steak
Dessert:  Halo-Halo..  Filipino ice-cream dish with black beans and fruits.  Omg, let me just tell you that going dairy-free and finally eating dairy really upset my stomach and add the sugar to that mix - ugh!  It'll be while before I decide to "cheat" again!!

FL Countdown - Day 54: Easy Saturday

Me and my brother Billy hit KCF this morning, here was our workout of the day.  My time - 32:48.  I have yet to master the art of double unders, but I'm sure getting to it could help my times.  Anyway, killer WOD before the holiday weekend!!  

Lil Missy hammin' it up at the Oak Table

Breakfast:  2 Eggs with an Aidell's Chicken and Apple Sausage
Post-WOD:  Protein Shake - Coconut milk, banana, strawberries, blueberries, & chocolate protein powder
Lunch:  BBQ Chicken Salad from the "Paleo Friendly" Menu at The Oak Table
Snack:  Some of Jordan's frozen yogurt

My mom has been super supportive with what I am trying to accomplish here so she picked up some gluten-free hamburger buns today at the Poulsbo Farmer's Market.  Thanks mom!!

Pre-Dinner Appetizer:  Homemade Guacamole with Corn Chips
Dinner:  Hamburger with a gluten-free bun from The Gluten-Free Bakery & Market in Poulsbo
               Watermelon
               Berry Acai Lemonade

Well, I made up for my lack of nutrition yesterday.. Summer holidays can be tough trying to stay on track :)

~kat

FL Countdown - Day 55: FACTS



My favorite treat!



10 facts about me:

1. I feel guilty when I don't get to the gym [KCF]. Especially now that I have been blogging.

2. I use honesty when posting my meals. Criticism or not. I will not fib regardless of how bad I think I ate for the day.

3. I am busy. And I mean really busy. My day starts at 5am and does not stop until 9pm (if I can make it to bed that early).

4. I work better when my plate is full. Sitting around watching tv does nothing for me. I think the only times I've had the tv on since Rueben has been gone is: 1) Zumba Dvd's or 2) Barney.

5. I wish I had more time everyday to focus on the things I like to do: cooking and photography.

6. I'm a closet gangster.  Drake is my all time fave.   I will challenge anyone 8-mile style and you will get served!

7. I come from a tight-knit family.  And that's how it will stay.

Just say NO!

8. I have a terrible sweet tooth.  I fight the sugar cravings everyday!!

9. I do not drink soda (pop, for you Washingtonians).  Neither does my husband.  Sorry Jordan... you'll get to experience it when you can pay for it on your own. 

10. I will NEVER go back to an ordinary gym.  Crossfit has really changed my opinion of "stereotypical" workouts.  Though I'll pop in a beachbody dvd from time to time if I miss a workout, I still feel my absolute best when I walk out of KCF after a brutal workout.  Okay, just a workout.  Every workout is pretty brutal. 

Indian chicken curry

Meals of the Day:
Breakfast:  Apple Pie Larabar
                 Coffee out the ying-yang
Lunch:  Berry Acai Lemonade
Late Lunch: Tinola w/ a cup of rice
Dinner:  I experimented with an Indian curry dish.  Chicken, onions, red peppers.  It turned out pretty good and had some heat on it.  Just how I like it!




~kat

Florida Countdown - Day 56: Sleep... or lack there of..

Britney Spears was amazing last night!!  One of the best shows I've seen by far.  Got home at midnight and woke at 6am.  With that said, can you imagine how tired I am today?  I even felt a little queasy this morning (no, I did not drink last night), but the lack of sleep always makes me a little sick. 

Everyone I know in the fitness and nutrition industries tend to really harp on the importance of sleep.  Its obvious why we should get an adequate amount of sleep, 1) Our bodies need the rest to function, 2) Our brain needs it too, 3) To provide us with energy, etc..

How peaceful is baby Jordan?

I have always been an advocate for sleep. 

Some facts about me and sleep: 

 -   Going to bed at 9pm is late.  "Early to bed, early to rise". 

 -   I'm a morning person.  I can't stay up late for anything.

 -   I can fall asleep just about anywhere.  Really.

 -   A night of consuming alcoholic beverages usually means a sleepless night for me.  :(

 -   My toddler has been sleeping in my bed interrupting my "rules" of sleep. 

Since Jordan has boycotted her bed, my healthy sleep patterns have been struggling.  But what does lack of sleep do to you when you're hitting the gym hard and eating right?

1.  It does not allow your muscles time to recover and repair from a workout.  Your body needs about 8-9 hours to do so.

2.  It increases hormonal stress levels which equals negative impact on performance, mood swings, and depression.

3.  It is a contributing factor in obesity, diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.  Something about not managing glucose levels because your cells become insulin resistant... You know, technical stuff.  I get it though.

Sufficient sleep plays a major role in who we are.  We are better people when we are well-rested.  How great do you feel after a good nights sleep??  You feel ready to tackle the day!  As far as Jordan goes, I know it will be a battle, but one we are going to put a stop to very soon.  Momma is tired!!



Breakfast:  Larabar
                    2 cups coffee

Lunch:   Chicken Salad
Dinner:  A Heaping Spinach Salad w/ Bacon, Red Onions, Eggs, and Tomatoes, oh and I had a roll that came with it.  :\

Yeah, I know I didn't eat much but it wasn't intentional.  I wasn't feeling myself today, must have been the lack of sleep!

Got to bed at 7:30pm.  Perfect.

~kat