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So this week is going to be “weird” for me. I’m upping my cardio and downing my heavy lifting. GASPPPP! Don’t worry, I’m not going to stop CrossFit but I am going to change up my schedule and include 30 minute rowing or running sessions.
Here’s my schedule this wee:
Monday: CrossFit
Tuesday: Rowing & Olympic Lifts
Wednesday: CrossFit
Thursday: Running & Olympic Lifts
Friday: CrossFit
Saturday: Hot Yoga
Sunday: Rest
If you need a work out for tomorrow here you go:
Back Squat
3@70%
3@80%
Max Rep @ 90%
Accessory Lift
3×20(Total)
Walking Dumbell Lunge
WOD
21-15-9
OHS 115/95
CTB Pull Ups OR Muscle Ups
How are you prepping for the OPEN?! SOOOO SOON! I’m excited!
OH and I am switching up my eating as well… lots of changes huh? Since moving to Austin I switched to 3 meals a day instead of 5-6 meals and I have to say, I don’t love it. Often, I will over eat at a meal OR I will not eat enough (thinking I did) and be starving later. *Enter Ms. HANGRY*
So here’s what tomorrow is going to look like:
Meal 1 (7 am): 2 eggs & 2 pieces of bacon + 1/3 c of sweet potato, 2 cups Kale, 1/2 c of onion cooked in bacon fat + 1/4 an avocado
Meal 2: (10 am): 1 oz ground beef, tbsp avocado, 1.5 c brussel sprouts
Meal 3: (1 pm): Can of Sardines in Olive Oil + Spinach, peppers, & broccoli
Meal 4: (4 pm): 1 oz ground beef, tbsp avocado, 1.5 c brussel sprouts
I’m not talking about the kind you got between the summer of 5th and 6th grade when you shot up like a bean stalk. I’m not talking about the kind when you suddenly are tripping over everything in sight as you get used to the new size of your feet. I’m talking about kind of growing pain you go through as you transition from one point in your life to another.
Back in November, my sole focus became finishing school. I literally had blinders on, alienated everyone in my life, quit CrossFit, hardly slept, and became a STRESSED out basket case. My day looked a little something like this: wake up at 6 am, eat breakfast, get to work by 9, eat a bag of frozen veggies with a canned of some sort of fish (yum…ughhh), leave work at 2 pm, coach from 3 to 4 pm, head home, study/read/write a paper, go out to eat because I was too exhausted to cook for myself, go back to studying/reading/writing a paper at some coffee shop, get some of my consulting work done & hopefully get to sleep by midnight.
I couldn’t handle anything else on my plate.
Having friendships became stressful. I couldn’t commit to see anyone because I could not for the life of my figure out when in my schedule I would see them. So it became easier to just shut people out. This makes life miserable by the way.
Over Thanksgiving, I went home to see my family and had a mental breakdown the day of Thanksgiving. I was a sobbing, blubbering bundle of emotions. Due to the immense pressure and stress I had caused myself back in Austin, it expressed itself outwardly when I got home. I felt like a failure and couldn’t face my extended family. No one knew what I was going through but I felt as if I was being judge anyway. Just another set of false stress that I placed on myself at that time. Heading back to Austin, the blinders went on even tighter. I was determined to finish out the last two weeks of December in ATX and then get the heck out. At the time, my body was rejecting me so much that I couldn’t even do 10 minutes of Cindy. Looking at weights made me feel sick. The height of a box jump was unfathomable. The things I used to enjoy seemed meaningless.
Why CrossFit when you suck at every thing else in yourlife? You don’t have time for silly WODs.
That’s what the little voice (aka the Devil) in my head was saying. And I went along with it. It was easier to not fight it. Shortly after the holidays, I left for Dubai and India. It was the escape from reality that I needed. As 2013 loomed in the future, I needed to find myself.
Who was I going to be once I got back? I have been in school for the past 19 years… What is life like NOT as a student?
As my time in India dwindled away the last bit of 2012 creeped in. I fell extremely ill and I know that it was my body purging itself of all the stress and anxiety of the previous year. God was not going to let me go back to Texas without hitting rock bottom. So I crash. Hard. I was hospitalized 3 times, poked with IV after IV and finally on Sunday January 20th I was a new person. Completely reborn.
How?
I couldn’t wait to get back to Austin. I couldn’t wait to get back in the gym, a feeling I hadn’t had in a LONG time. I couldn’t wait to get back to work. And mostly, I couldn’t wait to make amends with the people I had hurt along the way.
My first Sunday back in Austin I went to a new church and heard the most rewarding sermon. It was as if the topic was chosen specifically for me. I was convicted. The sermon was called “2013. Still here; Now what?” and focused on living WITHOUT stress. Living WITHOUT worry.
AHHHHHHH yes. There is such a thing.
As I enter this new phase in my life I want my focus to be on bringing glory to GOD. I have been so wrapped up in ME that I forgot who is responsible for giving me the opportunity to pursue my dream. One of my favorite songs that really encapsulates the reality of what I experienced is “Who am I” by Casting Crowns.
What I’ve learned through all of this is life is SO much bigger than me. We are on this Earth to develop relationships. To build communities. To love one another.
Here is to 2013! A brand new year. A brand new life. Let’s all be reborn and copen up our hearts to God’s plan.
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.” – Robert Frost
The path God has for us is often hard to spot, difficult, and definitely not the easiest. But it is the best option, we just have to be open to it.
How was your weekend? I hope it was fabulous. Mine was… well less than fun but for a VERY good reason. I had to finish my FINAL grad school research paper. 50 pages on… well on this website Thanks to you, I had Google Analytics to provide in my paper. A huge relief. I was fearful that I would post stuff and no one would see it. Ekk!
After the 7 week hiatus from life and full immersion in this last class, I will be finally be able to emerge from my hide away come Wednesday at 10 am. Thank goodness! I was getting tired of being a hermit. Not really my style. I’d rather travel around, meet with new CrossFitters and build lasting friends and connections.
Updates:
a new WEBSITE! YAY! Thanks to my good friend Jake Thompson at Compete Every Day, I will have a new, amazing website design that will be sure to entice you stick around. Until then, you’re stuck with this site, sorry!
Shirt from the Compete Every Day Collection
I’m heading to Dubai & Bangalore?!? YUP! Dec 29th I hop on a plan and land in Dubai to spend New Years with my friend Carmen. Don’t worry, I’ll take a ton of photos, hit a few CrossFit boxes and share with you. Just be sure you are following me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the goodies.
First Stop… Dubai!
The Saadiyat Cultural District in Abu Dhabi… CHECK!
The Bangalore Palace… CHECK!
Need to invest in a personal photographer to follow me around. I always forget to take photos and video of myself before, during, and after workouts… any takers?
I ask the question on Twitter, “What do you want to see on this site,” and received a TON of responses, so thank you. Feel free to reach out on social media, through email, or leave a comment regarding material you want to see. If you don’t ask, I’ll never know you want it!
On to the WOD
MOBILITY: Solving the Front Rack Position
Strength: Front Squat
5 X 3
Devlop 3RM
EMOM: 12 min
3 – Deadlifts 275/ 185#
25 – Double Unders
**Please note, Met Cons post strength are always optional. If you go hard and go heavy during a strength session, you do not need to do a Met Con. If you take it up to 70-75% of your 1RM, feel free to do the Met Con and modify as appropriate**
Obviously, given your athletic ability, you may be able to do these “as prescribed” or you may have to modify. THERE IS NO SHAME IN MODIFICATION! Trust me, I can’t do everything “as prescribed” all the time. As such, here are some ways to modify this workout:
PR. Personal record. They are the moments in CrossFit that we cherish. They make the hard work worth it! As you reflect on the past week, what did you accomplish? What did you do that surprised you? Did you push yourself hard each and every day?
What can you do to be better than yesterday? Show up. It’s simple. It’s easy to convince ourselves to do other things. Laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, washing the car, making the kids beds… the list can go on. But you define your life. You make the rules. If you find yourself making excuses after work, make try working out in the morning. Too early? Then invest in a Hyperwear SandBell, stick it in your trunk, and follow one of the workouts you can find here. They are short, high intensity workouts with weight. What could be better? You’ll do a quick 5-10 minute warm up, followed by a 15 minute workout. Pretty sure you have enough time during lunch for that, right? Don’t you want to be able to say, “I’m better than I was yesterday. I’m better than I was two weeks ago,”? I think so!
So here is to working hard each day. Laying it all on the line. Just showing up.
Click to see my first ever Muscle Up at CrossFit
Today’s WOD:
Strength: 3 rnds
Max Dumbell Press (As Heavy As Possible)
Max Strict Pull-ups (go as little resistance as possible if using band)
METCON *15 min Cap*:
50-40-30-20-10
Lateral Hops (Back and Forth is 1 rep) Hollow Rocks (Back and Forth is 1 rep)
Power Snatch 10 min to build a 1 RM with good form
THEN AMRAP:
10 min
6 – KBS 2p/ 1.5p
12 – T2B
18 – SandBell Wall Throws 20/ 15#
——————————————————————————————————————————-
A lot of people ask me how I program my week of CrossFit WOD and what it looks like. So, without further ado, here is an example of my weekly schedule:
This past weekend was amazing! The photo shoot for Mizzen + Main was incredible. Here are some photos from the shoot!
By the way, it’s really hard to NOT work out when you are accustomed to doing it nearly every day of your life. Wow! But tomorrow is going to be my first day back in the gym after about three weeks of reduced workouts (2 times a week) and one week off completely. I’m nervous. I have butterflies. You know that feeling you had when you first walked into the CrossFit box? I’m experiencing that exact emotion. ”What if I am looked down upon? What if I don’t measure up? What if I come in last…”
WHO CARES!
Allison Belger said it best:
“CrossFit both attracts and inspires people who understand and appreciate the power of group support and a shared commitment to positive change.”
My community will love me no matter what. They will support me as I flop around on the pull up bar or deadlift 50 lbs sub 1RM. You know why? Because they love me for who I am and what I am attempting to accomplish. My time away from the gym allowed me to realized I had bigger fish to fry… my internal health. While on the outside I was “the picture of perfect,” I was suffering on the inside. My inability to consume enough calories during the day and my consistently high intensity workouts lead to my fatigue. I finally started coming to the realization that something was definitely wrong when I would get 8 or 9 hours of sleep and be EXHAUSTED still. Workouts became work and I didn’t enjoy the gym anymore. WOAHHH was that a wake up call.
Why do we CrossFit? To improve our health, not destroy it. I needed time to gather myself, recovery and rest.
Happy monday morning! Guess what? I can’t CrossFit for a whole MONTH! I’ve put my body into overdrive these past two years and haven’t done a proper deload week at all. So, now I live with the consequences of adrenal fatigue.
Straight from Diane Sanfilippo, who has suffered from adrenal fatigue as well:
“Contributors to the stress that leads to adrenal fatigue can be lifestyle stressors including but not limited to: lack of sleep, poor food choices, use of stimulants, pulling “all-nighters” or “pushing through” a day despite being tired, perfectionism, staying in no-win situations for too long, over training, lack of fun or stress-relieving practices.”
Story of my life. Stress. Working 40+ hours a week, pulling late nights for grad school, my incessant perfectionism, overtraining…. Yup! sounds about right!
“What I finally learned after my exhaustion:
People who train hard and look lean are not always healthy.
Eating fat will not make me fat.
Working out smarter, not harder is often the way to achieve performance and aesthetic goals.
Sleep is the cornerstone of being able to eat well, train well and to allow the body to re-set stress levels and lose body fat. ”
Treatment Protocol:
Up the fat intake (Mmm more coconut milk, avocado, coconut oil, and olive oil) + calories.
Long walks (3-7 miles a day)
Lifting two times a week
Eating Protein + Carbs after I lift.
8 hours of sleep MINIMUM
No caffeine
I started Nov 29th and I am giving myself until Christmas. Good bye size 0. Hello health.
Please note that I will post daily WODs for all of you not suffering from my bad case of the blueeeessss.
WOD
Establish a Heavy Clean (this is not your 1RM but a daily heavy. Think 85%)
I’m super thrilled to be modeling at the photo shoot for Mizzen+Main‘s new Spring collection. Myself and Jordan Baum will be the leading ladies of the new men’s clothing line. We will be working along side the two men responsible for the incredible line: Kevin Lavelle and Web Smith.
The product shoot is Dallas all day today and the clothing shoot is tomorrow (Monday). I’ll try and capture some behind the season footage for everyone! Make sure to follow me on Twitter & Instag.am!
My two cents about the line**: If you work in a suit all day, this line is for you. Inspired by athletic apparel companies such as Nike and Lululemon, each piece is designed to work hard keeping you cool as your work hard running from meeting to meeting. As an athlete myself who is more comfortable in a pair of Lululemon spandex than a pencil skirt, I feel for the men that have to look good for 8+ hours a day. Wearing a suit isn’t easy, but someone has to do it. You might as well look good and feel good doing it! Check out their holiday special here.
Recently, this topic has hit me hard as I witness many women in the CrossFit community suffering from variations of Female Athlete Syndrome. For those that don’t know, the Female Athlete Triad consist of the following:
Low Energy Availability: This is often cause from changes in diet. In the CrossFit community, we prescribe “real food” or the paleo diet to our athletes. While this is a wonderful move, many people fail to implement this diet appropriately and fail to get enough carbohydrates throughout the day. Let’s be honest, it is REALLY hard to get enough carbs just from vegetables. To make matters worse, the paleo community is so divided on the “starches” issue that women in particular FEAR the sweet potato… I have been guilty of this in the past. Julie of PaleOMG would be sad.
Amenorrhea: This is the loss of the menstrual cycle for three or more months. It is often caused by weight loss from dietary restrictions and increased exercise. Paleo + CrossFit. Sound familiar? What’s worse? The hypothalamus doesn’t secret sex hormones which reduces sexual desire. Ughh!
Osteoporosis: This is the predisposition of fractures due to bone loss. Often, female athletes will experience increased bone injuries such as stress fractures which they THINK is caused by their sport but in actuality is a result of the lack of estrogen in the system. What does estrogen have to do with bone loss? It helps the body absorb calcium which bones need to be strong.
To summarize, decrease in caloric intake or simply not getting enough calories to support fitness leads to decreases in estrogen which can result in amenorrhea and osteoporosis.
The question becomes when does healthy become unhealthy? When training turns to overtraining. When we forget what it means to incorporate recovery into our programming. When we see real food and freak out (maybe not out loud but we refuse to eat it politely). Do you know anyone like this?
Treatment: Seek professional help from a holistic doctor. If you are paleo, make sure you are getting enough carbs, fats, and protein. Don’t be afraid to add in more fat if you need more calories. Make sure you are eating enough carbs to sustain your activity levels. Your brain literally needs sugar to work so don’t be afraid of carbs. There isn’t a magic ONE SIZE FITS ALL model for nutrition. Sorry to disappoint you. If you are training hard and eating paleo and experiencing these symptoms, you are not healthy Nourish your body both physically and mentally. Take your training down a notch. Up your calories. Here is my take on Paleo Nutrition.
Nourish your body both physically and mentally. Take your training down a notch. Up your calories. Here is my take on 
