whole 30

WOD: 15 Burpees
            15 DB Thursters
             5 rounds


If you know me well, you know I'm always up to trying something new. I have a lot of "trying something new"s lately. I got my hair cut. That could be considered new, but it's always the length that is the old me. I am going to commit to getting a manicure every two weeks. Why? Because it feels good and I really like it. I also bought about 8 new dresses for the fall. I dislike wearing pants. they are so uncomfortable. There's nothing like trying to find a pair of slacks that fits your waist, thighs, caves and long legs. I'm either wearing pants the the seam is going to bust at my butt crack or they are baggy and look like bell bottoms.

I had a lot of success on the Advocare 24 day challenge. I love the supplements and have really narrowed down what seems to work well with my body while running/lifting.

There were a few gals in the gym that had tried the Whole 30. I have had a few meals that were whole 30 and decided to continue to make those for my family. They were easy and tasty. So, I decided to go for it. Take the leap. It's only 30 days. I don't consider myself one to jump on the latest trend. Often times I jump on years after the trend started. I'm also up for a new challenge and anything that will help me learn more about food, myself, portions, nutrition and wellness.  I am a perfectionist.

Day 1: I woke up and ate more than I normally do. Whole 30 doesn't count calories (I still do to an extent because it's a habit). Breakfast: 3 eggs and 2 slices of bacon. Lunch: lettuce, ground turkey, sweet potato with coconut oil and cinnamon. Dinner: 2 eggs, bacon, ground turkey. HOLY HEADACHE! I thought I was getting sick. Like flu sick. I have to live without Spark for 30 days. At 9pm, I ran through the Tim Horton's drive thru and grabbed a coffee. It took the splitting pain away until I fell asleep. Success! I survived the first day!

Day 2: Nick was away at drill and he claims that he is going to do this challenge with me. So, I thought it would be helpful to get a 2 day start so I knew what I was in for before I had him asking me a bunch of questions. What did I learn today? No snacking! Three meals. Breakfast: 3 eggs, 2 bacon. Tim Horton's coffee that I drank all day. No way was that headache going to come back. Did a little grocery shopping. Bought a bunch of new meats that I generally don't buy but know I will get sick of ground turkey eventually. Lunch: avocado, pork loin steak, sweet potato, coconut oil, cinnamon. The sweet potato really takes the edge off. Snack: before I learned that you shouldn't snack, diced banana, unsweetened coconut flakes, almonds. Dinner: lettuce, ground beef, avocado.
For a total of 1600 calories.

623 calories (57% fat, 25% carbs, 18% protein)

Monkey Salad (bananas, unsweetened coconut flakes, almonds)

I must admit, I was a little tired the first two days. I'm not sure if it was because of the food or just because it was the weekend, I was running around like a mad woman or that Nick was gone and I was doing a lot of my own. I feel good. I feel full. Also, there is a rule that you aren't supposed to weigh yourself for 30 days. I broke that rule more than once. God, what is my problem. I suck at the scale part. I hate the scale!

*disclaimer: I'm not expert at the Whole 30 Challenge. I don't even own the book. I just google everything. I will probably make some mistakes along the way. Please feel to chime in and correct me if I'm eating something that I shouldn't have.

food is stressing me out

WOD: 50 DUs
            25 Box Jumps
            50 Sit Ups
            25 Burpees
            50 Squats
            25 DB Slams
            50 Wall Balls

 My youngest crossfitter baby has caused me a lot of grief over the last several months. He is a tiny little guy. I can count every rib on his body just looking at him and I don't think he has gained a pound in over a year. He eats NON STOP. This kid will ask about dessert while shoveling in dinner. I started to notice that he wasn't eating his sandwich in his lunch box. There would be mornings that he wouldn't eat breakfast. I'm not a scheduled "eater" and I do believe you eat when you are hungry, but there is always a healthy dinner option available at our house. And you eat when you are ready. Finish when you are done. Snack when you are hungry and have eaten your dinner.

He hides food. I find wrappers in his bedroom, pockets and basement couch. Last night he dumped half of his dinner in his brother's bowl and announced he was ready for dessert.

The snack options available at our house include string cheese, yogurt or pretzels. I know there needs to be a balance. I don't want him to horde food or overeat because he doesn't think there will be anything after. I just need to figure it out.

I was able to go outside a pick a few strawberries. That kept him quiet for several minutes. He's a little stinker, that's for sure!

Are you there blog? It's me, Jenn!

July 1 was my last post. Two months have passed (and probably weeks before that post) where you haven't heard a peep from me.

What have I been up to, you ask?

Well, the month of July I ran 147 miles. That was only running. No walks, no runs during a WOD, only dedicated runs.

And August? That month was in the 100s. It was no 147, but it was low 100s. And then there was my Crossfit totals.....those went way low. Partially because I'm not a fan of high temp days and sweating it out in a box and partially because I was taking advantage of the early morning time I had to myself when I'd rather be running.

My favorite part of my time away from my blog was the Crossfit competition that I did with my team. I had the best time ever! We laughed and laughed and laughed. We hit a PR and even surprised ourselves with one WOD!

Expect more fun posts! I'm back and ready for action!

compliments

WOD: 8 mi run
           5 rounds for time
           12 DL, 9 hpcl, 6 pj

*June running total: 109.68 miles

I always talk about how difficult it is to receive a compliment. We are our own worst enemy when someone gives us a compliment. I can give you at least five reasons why I looked good in that dress. None of which have anything to do with the amount of work I put into my fitness. It's the cut, the hair done differently, the sweater, etc. We all know this about ourselves and I have worked on saying, "THANK YOU" and moving on. Nobody cares about my insecurities.

Giving compliments: I was at the gym a few weeks ago. An older lady (with an awesome bod) gave me a compliment. She asked what I had been doing with my diet and I explained that it was mostly just the consistency, nothing else had changed. We walked outside and she told me that I should be proud. She really likes my body and thinks it looks good. Now, I didn't take this in a sexual way. I didn't take it the wrong way. I instantly said, "thank you" and offered no excuses. While I was running my mile I felt good. That compliment meant so much. Now, I don't expect everyone to agree. Nor should everyone agree. We all have our own sense of what "good" looks like. But hearing something so nice, felt amazing. Especially coming from someone who I know works her butt off.

I check out a lot of women. I instantly look for any sign of strength training: arms, legs, butt, shoulders...anything. I should be giving compliments. I know how hard it is to work at something. I should have no shame telling someone that I think they look good! It's not like they were born that way- they worked at it!

Compliments, either way, are hard. Try it!

hit the "refresh" button

Saturday: 2.5 mi run
                100 DB cleans
                100 Plate Burpees
                1 mi run

Monday morning rolls around. I get out of bed and think, "What the hell did I do to myself this weekend?" It's not always on a Monday that I think that. Sometimes it's even as early as Saturday night. For me, the downward spiral began on Friday after lunch. You know the story (excuse), thick butter cream icing on the ole birthday cake. You can smell it for a mile away. It weighs on my mind like a vest full of bricks. I finally give in and BAM! Next thing I know, I'm two pieces deep and licking frosting off my fingers. Then, Friday night is the cookout. You know where this is going, don't you?! Saturday was Parker's birthday party...oh my.

So, I woke up Saturday morning to a great workout with a friend. Having a buddy to hold you accountable is awesome. She's also a very fast runner (emphasis of very). We had a great run and we both pushed each other. I wish my Garmin was on because I felt like that last mile was a PR.

Sunday, was the day I hit the "refresh" button and back on track I went. Sugar Detox is what's in store. Here's to another new beginning of a great week!

God gave me this body.

This issue has been on my mind and while I was on vacation it resurfaced. I'm not sure if I will finish this post, but I'll give it a try.

I don't want to pin myself as a "typical" thirty something year old that just has image and body issues. I would like to think that this isn't normal and what consumes most of my brain space isn't what others worry about. However, since I began my weight loss journey (that's what I call it, although at the time I didn't even realize weight was what I needed to lose) I had an image in my mind of what I thought I should look like. That image was how I measured myself and determined that I was successful.

I picked this picture because I have another one with the same pose. This picture was taken when I started watching how much food I ate. I still ate whatever I wanted, but it was all about portions. And, this was also in the midst of a lot of race training.

Today, I weigh about 14 pounds more than I did in that picture. I still have the same baby tummy skin and the same bathing suit (ha).

Up until this point, I would have told you that I was SOOO happy with how I looked in the first picture. That is "the body" I keep longing for today. However, when I look at the two side by side, there's not much difference (well....).

While running, I was thinking about how hard I am on myself. How I am constantly aiming for this level of achievement and constantly disappointed in myself when I think I have failed.

Why? God made me this way. This is the body he gave me. I don't starve myself. I don't binge eat. I watch what foods I put into my body and if it's healthy then who cares how much I eat.  I am able to run at a decent pace, I can lift an okay amount of weight, I can keep up in a workout, I can fit in all my clothes, I can enjoy a piece of cake or a bowl of ice cream. So, why in the world do I not like myself?! It's okay. I can't change my broad shoulders or my large arms. I can't make the saggy skin disappear from my waistline. But, I can control my attitude and be thankful for the body I have been given. I can treat it with care and be respectful to what I do with it.

It's a hard shift in my attitude. I don't want to just accept myself. I want to love my "shell" and be thankful because it could be a lot worse!

I have a roof over my head, healthy children, a great career and a loving and hard working husband. That's what matters, right?!

backed up or backed out?!

I would be telling a big fat lie if I said I was going to the gym as frequently as I have gone in the past. The truth is, I am lucky if I make it there once a week right now. I have been running, and running, and running. And frankly, when it's 90+ degrees outside, I'd rather be running and catching a cool breeze rather than sitting in gym with minimal air flow. Call me a fair weather fan if you will. Last month I clocked almost 100 miles and this month I'm raking them up also. I was thinking that I should try another 5k soon. I feel like I am gaining some speed these days. Who knows.

I'm trying to catch back up and stay accountable on here. It does seem to help when I feel the sense of responsibility to write it down.

Summer is here in full force. If you were working for that bikini body, now's the test!