Is that paleo? Or zone? How many blocks is that?

UGH. These past two weeks have been ROUGH. Not only crossfit wise, but work wise, and just life wise. As most of you know, the RCFBC nutrition challenge started two weeks ago. You get points for each day you eat paleo, zone your meals, go to crossfit, or do some other activity. We are in teams of 4 (My team is the best, obviously!) When I first started at RCFBC, they did the first paleo challenge, and I was just thrown in there. I know how to eat paleo, and have adopted it as a new lifestyle. Now my friend Mike adds in this twist of "Zoning" your paleo meals. Just google the zone diet, and you'll figure it out- it's a lot of math and figuring out your blocks and equal numbers of carbs, fats, and proteins.  Basically, just a boat load of planning and preparation. It is definitely a much different challenge than the first one. My team is awesome though! Rose & Pete are amazing. They have 4 kids all under the age of 10, and our absolute rock-stars at paleo-zone. I'm just a single lady, and am having a hard time- I don't know how they do it with those kids (who are absolutely ADORABLE!). Our other teammate is Jess. I had never met her before, and didn't know what to expect. Well, she's awesome. And super nice. And amazing at paleo-zoning and cross-fitting! So glad to have all of these people at our box! We are rocking this- the only thing is that we need a team name!
Last week,  a few of our members were in a competition up in Rye, NH to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. I was there as a judge. I was absolutely humbled by the whole thing- the athletes, the cause, the community- everything. The ride up to NH was absolutely hysterical. I drove, and had Colleen, Gareth, & Marvin in my car. Needless to say, it was amazing. We belted out DMX the whole way up & had a lot of laughs. It was beautiful up in Rye- we were right on the water, it was a little cool and windy, but overall a gorgeous day. We had two teams- scaled and Rx. On the scaled team was Kevin, Brian, Alex, Colleen, Melissa, & Nanette. The RX team consisted of Marvin, Gareth, Mike Monarch, Lauren, Kyla, & Kaylee. Mike L. & I were both judges (obvi not for our own team, hehe). Before the competition started, the guy who started it gave a speech. If you know me at all, you know that I obviously cried (and tried to play it off like it was the wind). He just told everyone there his story about how his son was diagnosed with CF & how he was in the hospital this time last year. Then they introduced his family- and a few young adults who are living with CF. It was just so amazing to see how much money was raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation just through this crossfit competition. There was even a team there from Georgia! Our RCFBC teams were amazing, but it was so awesome to see teams from all over and how they represent their box. It was an honor to be a part of the crossfit community not only that day, but everyday.
What was so amazing to me was how welcoming and friendly everyone was. It truly shows the spirit of the crossfit community, and the main reason why I love it.
That night ended in a lot of alcohol, and shenanigans (which I will keep to myself), and subsequently my pact with Mike Monarch to give up alcohol until the end of the nutrition challenge. So far, I'm week without alcohol- I feel great, but I do miss my tequila, soda, limes! We only have to go until November 2nd, and I think we'll be able to do it.
Crossfit wise, these two weeks have been awesome. I HATE running- hate it. One of the past weeks' wods included 5 rounds of an 800m run, toes to bar, and burpees. 800m is 4 laps around the building. Usually, I have to stop a bunch of times to walk and catch my breath. I made it the first round, the whole 800m WITHOUT stopping. Granted, I wasn't going fast - but I didn't stop, and I couldn't believe it. I felt pretty jazzy that day. Another PR I got was on my clean and jerk. I've had a few setbacks with these movements because of my wrist mobility, but I was able to clean & jerk 80lbs from the ground twice. I cannot thank Zoe and Hilary enough for their encouragement and motivation while I was trying to get that up. I tried for 85lb, but it wasn't happening. A few days later, we did bench press. We hardly ever do them, so it was awesome. The last time we did them, I got 65lbs. This time, I got 85lbs. It was amazing. Colleen was with me & she is CRAZY strong! At the competition last week, she carried Kevin on her back for a long time- nuts!!!  I think she got all the way up to 115lbs!  That's nuts! I love PRs. They make you feel so amazing, and give you the confidence to go into wods.
The only thing I'm not so crazy about is Hatch. My back-squat has been looking rough. I always look like I'm going to tip forward, and then my back starts to hurt. Because of that, I've had to really cut the weight down on my back-squat, and really work on my form. As much as I hate it, I know that Mike is looking out for me, and having good form will ultimately help me in the long run.
There has also been a ton of burpees this week- I HATE burpees too. I wish I was more efficient at them- maybe one day. I just looked at the wod for tomorrow- Hatch, followed by burpees, and box jumps- AWESOME. hahahahaha.

I have the day off tomorrow, so I'll get to go to the 9am class and see people I never get to see! I can't wait! Now, for the rest of the Patriots game...Enjoy the rest of the weekend!!
-A <3

Our amazingly awesome RCFBC team!! <3

TRUTH.

Question of the day, everyday. 

Getting back on track!

Hi everyone!

I have been feeling so much better since getting myself back on track. It's amazing how good your body feels when you work out and treat it right. Although, I am very sore from this week's wods! This week has tested my mental toughness over everything else.
Tuesday we had a chipper wod. Chippers are just how they sound- it's a long workout, and you chip away at it, until you finish or time is called. I LOVED this one. Here's what it consisted of:

30 Deadlifts (225/165)

50 Pull Ups

30 Clean and Jerk (135/95) (using same bar as DL)

50 Push Ups

100 Double Unders

My one rep max deadlift is 165, so I most certainly was not using that weight for the workout- I ended up using 85lbs. I really like deadlifts- Mike always tells me I have super long arms, so I'm a deadlift machine. haha. Since I have back problems (from that fateful zumba class where I threw my back out during a Pitbull song- lol), my form is super important so I don't hurt myself again. I ended up splitting the DLs into two sets of 15. Then I moved on to the pull ups. For the past few months, I've been doing ring rows instead of pull ups, to get some of my strength back, but for this workout, Harrison suggested that we do jumping pull ups instead. It felt good to get back on that bar! A jumping pull up is just like it sounds- stand on a box and jump up to get a pull up. Those I had to split up a little differently- I ended up just doing as many as I could to start, then doing sets of 10. Next, were the clean & jerks. 95lbs was definitely NOT happening, seeing as my one rep max C &J is 75lbs. I tried 75, and could still only get one. I moved down to 65lbs, and got maybe 5 reps. My arms were smoked from the pull ups. I stripped the bar down again, to 55lbs. That's where I was able to get in a good rhythm, and get through the C&Js. That is one of my favorite crossfit moves. It really engages your whole body, and makes you feel like a boss when you can do it. haha. Next, came the push ups. I was so sore- my arms, shoulders, entire body was hurting, but I had to push through- there was still plenty of time before the time cap. I broke the push ups up into sets of 10. I just kept thinking back to when I first started CF, and Mike made this apparatus on the rig for me- with three very thick bands- it basically just propelled me up so I could get a modified push up in. Although, they are still modified, I am able to do a push up on my own, and it just amazes me how far I've come from that. I completed the push ups, and then it was time for double unders. I still can't even do single unders that well, so doubles were definitely out of the question. If we did single unders, they counted 3 to 1. So that means for every 3 singles you got, it would count for 1 double. Essentially, I would have to do 300 single unders. At this point, there was only about 10 minutes left before the time cap. I knew I would never get up to 300, but I gave it my all anyway. I still have a hard time with the flow of jumping rope, and truly envy people that can do it so effortlessly. I can get a few and then I get caught in the rope, and have to reset. When time was called, I was up to 70 singles! I couldn't believe it! The most I've ever got in one workout was around 25. Crazy. Just absolutely crazy. Right when we finished, I immediately had the urge to puke. I busted a move to the ladies room, almost took some one out while trying to get there- and met with pukie again. It happens to me at least once a week. Crossfit is the only place where people high five you for puking. I love it. I felt so good after completing that workout- it was great. 

A few days ago, I was helping a patient off of the treatment table, and he must have grabbed me the wrong way, and some how hurt my scapula. It's been killing me since Wednesday. Awesome. I just felt like I was getting back into the swing of things, and then boom, another injury. I feel like I'm always the CF problem child- always something wrong with me! We were doing snatches on Thursday and things just went awry for me- physically and mentally. I tried using the lightest weight I could, and still couldn't snatch without being in so much pain. Mike could see I was in pain, so he shut me down- and I had to go back on the kettlebell. It was so frustrating. But now that I look back, I'm glad he shut me down, before I hurt myself even more. Although my scapula is still killing me, I got some good mobility pointers, that have been helping. I finally realized on Saturday, that if I mobilize, my body gets better at stuff. I don't know why I never listened to any of the coaches when they told me that before- only took me 8 months to figure it out on my own! So, I will most definitely be working on my mobility, if it can help me get better.

Another blow to the ego came this week as well. There is a competition going on in NH next week. There is both an RX and scaled division. I thought that at this point in my crossfit life, I would be able to participate in the scaled division. I looked up what the workout were from last year, and they looked pretty doable. Except for my old nemesis, the box jump. I asked Mike if he thought I should enter. Overall, I just didn't want to be humiliated in front of a bunch of people I didn't know, or the people from my box. The only thing Mike would tell me was that I would have to complete several step ups on to a 20in box- everything else he was sure I could do. I kept thinking of that box. That was the only thing holding me back. I tried to figure out ways that I could pump myself up to get on that box- I researched "ways to get over box step up fear" all to no avail. I wouldn't be able to complete several of them in a row. I might get one or two, but not several. So there I was again, feeling defeated. But then I thought to myself, that's my goal. Next year, I will enter that competition, and I will be able to step up on that box- easily. That's what I'm working toward.

My crossfit family is something that I will never take for granted. They are the only people that I truly have in my corner, that support me no matter what. My family is a little less than thrilled that I'm doing crossfit over just the treadmill or elliptical. I wish they would be a little more supportive, but that's fine- that's where my CF family comes in. I have never felt more myself than with these people. I couldn't ask for a better second family! I know I'll have these people in my life forever- it's great. I can't say thank you and I love you enough to my crossfit family that continue to support me always. <3

The next nutrition challenge starts this week, and I'm very excited! It's just what I need to get myself together and absolutely back on track. I can't wait to see the progress we'll all make once the challenge is over!
I hope you all have a great week!!!

Snatch Demo- from youtube

Basically, my life. hahaha

SO. MANY. MUSCLES. 

Rich and Dan- my faves! <3

T-Rex tail is equal to my pony tail...hahahahahah

Off the wagon....

Hey everyone!

So it's been a tough couple of weeks for me. I felt myself losing control, and slipping back into my hold habits. I can't believe how fast I could go back to my old way of life. After all of the hard work I've put into this life change, why would I ever go back to the way I was? I don't know. Maybe I'm a self-saboteur, maybe I was feeling bad about other aspects of my life, and looked to food to help me get through it, maybe I saw my other friends not suffering as much as me to be healthy, and got depressed. Maybe it was the sligh t man troubles I was having.  Whatever the reason, I let it happen. I found myself missing workouts because I was tired, aka I didn't want to go. I know we all have those days where we just can't go, but how did I let it turn into 4 days??? Today I realized that I've worked too hard to let it all go now. Also, I've been feeling terrible both physically and mentally since skipping all of those wods. I never realized how much they actually affect my mood. My body feels like that of an 80 year old woman- my back hurts, my knees hurt, and even though they still hurt when I crossfit, it hurts in a different way. A good way.
Food wise- I've been eating awful stuff. Subs, calzones, breadsticks, mozzarella sticks, cookies-  like what am I doing?? I just don't even know why I thought that any of that would ever be a good idea. EVER. I felt like a drug addict getting my fix. It is so strange to think of food as a drug, but that's exactly what it is. I could very well be going through the same thing, but with heroin instead. That's what scary. My mentality is that of a drug addict. I then started to feel like a hypocrite, because my best friend, Laura was asking me for advice on meal planning, and how I get ready for the week, etc. and I'm giving her this info while eating Sunchips. How awful is that? He asking me for help really helped put my struggle back into perspective. It was just the kick in the pants I've been needing.
Along with Laura, one of RCFBC's members, Tammy is a certified health coach, and she posted a link to sign up for a late summer detox that she is running. She couldn't have posted that at a better time. It's a week long detox, where she'll be there to coach me and the other people in the group, every step of the way. I am very excited to start that next week. I think it's going to give me a lot more momentum and help me find my way back on track.
It's hard for me to talk so openly about my struggle with food. Obviously, I didn't get to be this way by eating salads and chicken. Food has always been my number one drug in life. But it's a drug that you can't live without, so I must learn to live with it. Growing up in a large Italian family of 6 has not made this process any easier. There is food everywhere- at all times. No one is forcing it on me, but I need to figure out how to process my own thoughts toward food. I know what I need to do in order to lose weight, but I am so easily tempted. It's a problem. I just don't understand how I became this way. How does my brain process food this way? This is definitely something I need to explore more with my therapist. I hope there is a way that I can change my thinking of food how I use it as a drug.

In addition to slipping off the healthy eating wagon, I have also missed the past week of crossfit classes. My back has been killing me- I think I hurt it during our heavy hatch squats, but I'm not sure. Still, I did wods with a broken wrist, I definitely could have done them with a hurt back. I was using it as an excuse. I don't know why I didn't want to go- I just didn't have the motivation to get there. So I just skipped. I thought it would only be one day, but then it turned into two, and so on and so forth. I can't believe how guilty I felt after missing so many classes. Like guilty as in robbed a bank- but all I did was miss a few workouts. Why should I feel guilty? I'm only hurting myself, right? I think I feel guilty, because I have so many people rooting for me, who want me to succeed, and I'm letting myself down, and I'm letting them down. And that's not cool.

So now that I finally have my head on straight, after a couple of weeks of craziness, I'm ready to bring it. I did my meal prep for the next few days, and I'm feeling more than excited to get back to my regular crossfit routine. I miss being in that atmosphere, having everyone rooting for one another. I need that in my life. You would think I missed like 2 months of classes- it's not even been a week. That's how much this is a part of my life. I need it.

Whatever happened is done- it's time to move on, and focus on getting back into the game. I'm ready to get after it. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me through this whole process- I had a temporary setback, but I'm ready to get back to it. There is no reason why I can't do this- I deserve it. I'm focused and  ready to go. See most of you in class tomorrow!!

Love always,
-A

A little eye candy- Garret Fisher <3

Rich, Matt, & someone else so hot. haha

And for the Gents, Here's Camille Leblanc Bazinet!