Weigh-in

At work yesterday one of my coworkers called me over to him and whispered to me, "so how much weight have you gained, you know after xmas and all"? So naturally, I woke up this morning and weighed myself just to see how much damage I did over x-mas.
111.8 lbs /19.3% bodyfat.
Not too bad considering the amount of alcohol and sugar I consumed and the very little exercise I did. Now, if I can just make it through the new year's parties, I'll be one happy (and lean) girl!

8:30 am
500mg Arginine
Egg white Omelet w/ Spinach
1.5 cups of berries w/ 1/3 cup Almond meal and Flax seed meal
=3 Blocks

11:00 am
2 oz Chicken breast
1 Orange
1 piece of chocolate
6 almonds
=2 Blocks

3:30 pm

3 oz chicken breast

1 grapefruit

1 small apple

9 Almonds

=3 Blocks

Workout Today: Crossfit Wod-Run 5k
Normally I would skip this wod because I hate running but I did it this time= 24:27

Supplements

I have recently been reading up on the benefits of taking amino acid supplements. In doing my research, I discovered that aside from whole foods, amino acid supplements may just be the best legal thing you can take, particularly for weightlifters and those participating in strenuous exercise aka Crossfit. Fortunately, the information available on the web is endless. A Google search will result in scientific study after scientific study that strongly concur that amino acids are very valuable compounds. Now that we have decided that they are essential supplements that support human function, the question remaining is which ones to take. I think that it is very easy for most people to get carried away and start popping pills, but one should really do their research to find the ones that will benefit you the most.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins and muscle tissue. All types of physiological processes relating to sport - energy, recovery, muscle / strength gains and fat loss, as well as mood and brain function - are intimately and critically linked to amino acids. It's no wonder amino acids have become major players in athletes' supplementation, especially among bodybuilders. -Bodybuilding.com

L-Arginine and Glutamine are the two that I have recently started taking.

Workout: 3 out of 5 Rounds of "Barbara": 20 pull-ups, 30 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 50 squats (3 min. rest between each round)

I hate being sick!

I recently caught a nasty cold and am not taking it very well. It just crept up on me literally knocked me on my ass. I'm slowly starting to feel better but am still not fully recovered, until then I will take it easy and listen to my body.

10 am
Scrambled Eggs w/ jalepenos, onions, salsa, guacamole
Fruit Salad w/ grapes, strawberries, melon
2 pieces of Dark Chocolate

3pm
2 Poached eggs w/ spinach and a small salad
1 Apple

8pm
3oz ground beef
1 lb mixed greens w/ apple and onions
1 cup strawberries
2 pieces of chocolate

Total Blocks today=7 Blocks (very low as a result of my sickness)

Workout Today= "Fran": 21-15-9 of Thrusters & Pull-ups
***I had to scale it down to 45# thrusters-Time 10:21

Tis the Season

Today was my sister's annual Gingerbread House decorating party (I know, that's a long name for a party). Anyhow, my sister makes the gingerbread houses the week before the party and then we all get come over and decorate them with all kinds of candy. This year there was a prize given to the person with the best house, adding a touch of healthy competition to the party. In the spirit of my recent health kick, I brought along some fruit & nuts instead of candy. I also thought it would be only be appropriate to convert my "healthy" gingerbread house into a gym. It was sweet! The gingerbread gym was fully equipped with all the fixings of a true gym including rings from gummy LifeSavers, dumbells made out of toothpicks and Juniormints, a pull-up bar and it even had a licorice rope hanging from the ceiling of the roof. Aside from the awful tummy ache I got from munching on all the sugary treats, I had a blast creating my little gingerbread gym, even if it only got one vote.

No Workout today:)

Rest Day

I woke up feeling super sore from yesterday's killer wod. It was the very first time I was able to complete it as Rx'd: 100 pull-ups, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats. It felt great to be able to finish it with out scaling it down, even though it took me almost 48 min and I came in dead last in the 6am class. Still, I am glad I did it. But boy am I paying for it today! My entire upper body is sore and I just feel wiped out. I don't know how much of it is due to the lack of sleep I have been getting the past few days but I am gonna listen to my body and REST!

7:30AM
Egg White Omelet w/ Spinach
1.5 cups Mixed Berries w/ 1/3 cup Almond meal & Flaxseed meal

12:15PM
18 Asparagus Spears
1.5 oz Grilled Lamb

4:45PM
3 oz of Chicken
1.5 cups Mixed Berries w/ 1/3 cup Almond meal & Flaxseed meal

Going out for dinner :) I'll try to keep it zone.

Total BLocks= 7.5 (Target tonite =10 blocks total)

Workout: NONE

The Contents of my Paper Bag

Almost on a daily basis my fellow co-workers ask me, "what's in your bag today?" Well, it's pretty boring, it usually consists of 6 blocks of protein, fresh fruit, an avocado or nuts and some veggies on a good day. A very good day. In the morning I weigh and measure my food into two 3-Block meals to equip myself with the food necessary to stay in the zone through the greater part of the my day. This also prevents me from "cheating" as there is always a taco truck that rolls into our site at break and lunch with an abundance of greasy Mexican food and sugary treats.

Food Eaten Today:
7:30Am
3oz Roasted Organic Free-Range Chicken
1 cup Organic Strawberries
1 Persimmon
3 Tbs. Avocado
12:10 PM
4.5oz Baked Salmon
1/2 cup Pineapple
1 Orange
3 Tbs. Avocado
4:00PM
2oz Roasted Organic Free-Range Chicken
1 cup Organic Mixed Berries w/ 1/3 cup Almond meal & Flaxseed meal
7:00PM
Egg white omelet with Organic Spinach and Salsa
1 Persimmon
2 Tbs. Avocado
Total Blocks Today=10 Blocks

Workout: Crossfit Wod-Push Jerk 3-3-3-3-3-3-3
65-75-85-95-90-92-90
(red=weights at which I was unable to get all 3 reps)

Yesterday my family celebrated my father's 65th birthday with a nice home cooked meal. It was a tough decision: make a meal for a family of 12 vs dinning out. While most of my family whined at the idea of cooking a meal at home, I thought this would be a good opportunity to practice my cooking skills and learn a thing or two in the kitchen. My older sister Arcelia, the one who made the "Paleo pecan pie", agreed to teach me how to make a few simple dishes.

This is what was on the menu:
Mixed baby greens salad w/ homemade dressing
Green beans w/ roasted almonds tossed in a lemon -garlic vinaigrette
Quinoa
Main Course:
Roasted Chicken w/ fresh rosemary and lemon zest
Bean & cheese Enchiladas w/ homemade red mole
Dessert:
Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Poached Pears in a Red Wine Sauce (this one was really fun to make)

Total prep time for this entire meal was 3 hrs and 15 min. I never expected that cooking, especially for a large group, could be so fun and stress free. Although it required a great deal of patience and concentration on my part, it was definitely well worth it. It made eating it so much more enjoyable. Here's to good ol' home cookin'!

Today's workout: Crossfit (rest day):
10x10 Back squat @ 75# & Dead lift @ 96# w/ 90 second rest in between each

Weigh-In #2

OK, so it's day 3 of Neolithic eating. I've had pizza twice in the last three days. Eeek!!!!!
Today I did a weigh in and it was a bit surprising.

Weight= 113 (this is 1.4 pounds heavier than 2 days ago)
However, my body fat only increased by 0.1% bringing it up to 19.2%

Initially, I was frustrated to see that I was back at my pre-paleo weight. Then I was happy to see that my body fat percentage didn't go up by much, meaning I'm not getting fat. Could this shift in weight be a direct result of muscle growth? Perhaps. That sure would be nice.

Workout Today: Crossfit (rest day)
***I rested yesterday therefore, I allowed myself to do some major lifting.
1. Snatch
35# 2x4
45# 2x4
2. Shoulder Press
55#x1
60#x3
62#x2
3. Front Squat
85# (3x5)

Re-Cap

The 14 day experiment with Paleo has finally come to an end. Hooray! Now, let's take a closer look at what really went on.

Week 1: Pretty painless however, I was eating like a horse and not keeping to zone portions.

Week 2: Got back into the zone (10 blocks per day) and I began having some serious cravings for fat! By day ten just the smell of peanut butter was making me weak. I was and still am, really jonesing for some cheese!

Day 12: I failed miserably! I threw a birthday bash for a few friends and before the night was over I had consumed copious amounts of wine, tequila and yes....chocolate cake!

Day 13: Feeling really hungover, I somehow managed to eat Paleo all day and even stayed zone but that nite was the Crossfit Holiday party at Luka's and I fell prey to peer pressure. I had 2 glasses of wine followed by super sized tequila shots! Uggh.

Day 14: Barley holding on by a thread, I sucked it up for one last day.

I was pleasantly surprised with the numbers on the scale today:
Body fat percentage = 19.1% (all time low for me) Weight = 111.6
Over the two week trial I lost a total of 1.4 pounds and 0.4% body fat.
Not bad, even with all the tequila.

Quick, somebody get me some cheese!!!

Organic Foods vs Chemically treated Foods

As a Crossfitter, it is extremely important to nourish my body with the adequate amounts of healthy foods, preferably in the form of veggies, fruit and lean meats. Hard, strenuous workouts require plenty of nutritious foods to fuel them as well as help in the recovery process. However, not all of nature's foods are created equal. Recently, there has been a great deal of evidence indicating organic produce contains far greater amounts of antioxidants than conventional fruits and vegetables.

Check out this link:http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7067100.stm

Wikipedia's definition of antioxidant:
An Antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves. As a result, antioxidants are often reducing agents such as thiols or polyphenols.

For more information on the health benefits of Organic foods visit: www.organic-center.org

Day 9

Today is my 9th day on the Paleo Diet and I just passed the midpoint of my 14 day journey into Paleo territory. Although I've been eating good, nutritious foods, I have been very liberal with my portions, drifting bit out of the zone. This week I will commit to getting my zone ratios back on track.

Paleo foods consumed yesterday:
7:30 am

• 6 Egg whites with spinach and red cabbage
• 1 cup raw organic broccoli sprouts
• 1/2 cup organic strawberries
• 1 small organic apple
• 3 tbs Avocado

12:15 pm

• 3 oz Organic turkey breast (deli meat)
• 1/4 cantaloupe
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/2 honeydew melon
• 3 tbs Avocado

4:15 pm

• 1 Venison Sausage-whole foods brand
• 1/2 cup grapes
• 1/2 cup pineapple
• 8 macadamia nuts(2 extra fat blocks)

8:30 pm

• 3 oz ground organic Turkey meat
• Sauteed broccoli, red onion and celery
• 6 crushed walnuts

Total Blocks= 10+2 fat blocks

Yesterday's Crossfit WOD: Weighted Pull-ups 1x7
Body weight - 2.5- 5 - 7.5 - 10 (pr)- 11 (pr) - 12.5 (pr)
***Last time we did this workout I failed at 8 pounds. Last June I couldn't do a single body weight pull-up.

This past weekend I was one of 54 crossfit enthusiasts to participate in the Level 1 Crossfit certification seminar held at the Oakland Fire Tower. The seminar was lead by Crossfit CEO and founder Greg Glassman, Nicole Carol and Dave Castro with the assistance of Northern California Crossfit Trainers Jolie Gentry, Robb Wolf, Rob MIller, Adrien Bozman and or very own Nicole Okumo and Mike MInium. The crew did an OUTSTANDING job of leading us in this seminar, I couldn't have asked for better instructors. Instead of rabbling on and on about the seminar, I'll break it down like this:

The Good:

*A great opportunity to meet/interact with the larger Crossfit Community.
*It provided me with the knowledge and tools that are essential for safe, effecient CF training.
*Learned the correct technique and form used to perform the nine fundamental movements that are at the core of CF workouts and in all functional movements in life.
*Exposed me to a new definition of fitness.

The Bad:

-Lack of instruction on coaching.
-Not enough emphasis on nutrition.
-Not enough lecture on programing.
-Not enough time for questions at the end of the nutrition and programing lectures.

The Ugly:
The look on my face during Fight Gone Bad.

Give Thanx

I'm very fortunate in that I have a very health conscious sister who is also a pastry chief. I am forever grateful for her. She has been a vegetarian for 17 years and raw, meaning she eats foods in their natural state (and ya'll thought Paleo was hard) for the last 6 months. This requires a great deal of planning and patience and I immensely admire her for commitment to optimal health. It's a familiar scene at every family function; everyone eagerly awaits for their share of Arcelia's tasty desserts. Mmmmm....and boy is it worth the wait!
Aware of my enormous sweet tooth and my strict Paleo eating, this Thanksgiving Arcelia made a Paleo Pecan Pie. She didn't share the recipe but she did mention that the pie crust was made of almond meal and the meat of the pie was composed of pecans, dates and natural juices for sweetness. It was the first pie to go, followed by a non-Paleo Pecan Pie and a Pumpkin-Cherry Pie.

Day 1

Before pics taken 11/19

When I ran into my fellow caveboy Max today he wasn't feelin' so hot, but I gotta say that day 1 went pretty smoothly for me. I think this is partly because I didn't just jump right into Paleo cold turkey. Instead, I gradually eliminated non-Paleo foods from my diet in the days leading up to today, making the transition much easier. I must point out however, that Max is being ultra Paleo by not drinking any coffee.
You go boy! I, on the other hand, am not that hard core.

The following is my "Not so Hard Core" version of Paleo:
-Low-fat meat
-Organic Veggies
-Organic Fruit
-Nuts
-Seeds
-Protein Powder (emergencies only)
-Coffee w/ a little cream only
-Olive oil (for cooking only)
-Red Wine (Thanksgiving only @ the request of mi familia)

Foods I gathered & consumed today:
7:45 am
-4 Egg Whites scrambled with mushrooms, bell peppers and tomatoes
-1 small Organic Apple
-olive oil
Approx. 2 Blocks

11:15 am
-(+/-) 3oz Canned Tuna with salt & pepper
-16oz Coffee w/ a splash of cream
-Fruit Salad [cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapes, pineapple]
Approx. 3 Blocks

3:45 pm
-Organic Raw Food Bar
3 Blocks

7:00 pm
-2 oz sliced Turkey
1 small Organic Apple
2 Blocks (subtracted carbs to accomodate for my post workout meal)

8:30 pm
-4 oz Salmon
-2 Tangerines
-1 cup steamed Brocolli
-1 cup Organic Strawberries
2.5 Blocks (added carbs for a favorable post workout meal)

Total= Approx. 12.5 Blocks (Yikes!)

Workout: Crossfit
-Back Squat 5x5 @ 97#
-Shoulder Press 5x5 @ 53#
-Deadlift 5x5 @ 150#

I will officially begin my two week experiment with the Paleo diet tomorrow. I've slowly begun making the transition from Zone to Paleo so I am pretty sure that it will go well and am really looking forward to the next 14 days.
I plan to continue using Zone portions at every meal while allowing more flexibility with the total number of blocks per day. This is subject to change and will vary accordingly as I adjust to the diet.

Food Eaten today:

10:30 am
4 Egg whites
1.5 oz Ground Turkey
12 Asparagus Spears
1/4 cup Peas
1 1/4 cup Berries
1/3 cup Almond Meal & Flax seed
=3Blocks

2 pm
2 oz Grilled steak
3 tangerines
=2 Blocks

3:45 pm
2 oz grilled Salmon
2 small tomatoes w/pesto sauce
1 small pear
=2 Blocks

No workout today

Ouch!

At approximately 5 this morning, I was awaken by an unusually painful cramp deep inside my belly. It felt as though someone had taken a sharp kitchen knife to my abdomen. I couldn't figure out what on earth could make me feel soo terrible. Was it something I had eaten at the Cheesecake Factory? Perhaps it was the martini I had before dinner? Nope, couldn't have been the martini. Strange, I didn't feel nauseous, just complete and utter pain.

Now normally I would've just sucked it up and let it pass, but the pain persisted becoming increasingly uncomfortable by the minute to the extent at which it was almost unbearable to breath. I quickly ate 2 painkillers chasing them down with a few walnuts and a chocolate bar (it was the only food within reach) and prayed. When I finally felt somewhat OK, I went to work. I felt alright when I got there and even agreed to pick up Nation's burgers for the construction crew at lunch. However, when 12 o'clock rolled around I was hunched over in a shady corner with my head between my knees. The pain was back and stronger than ever. I figured I would just sneak outta there at lunch. Unfortunately for me, the guys didn't forget about our lunch date. Auggie honked at me from atop his backhoe waving cash in the air and motioning me to get over to Nation's for the burger pick up, ugh! I don't know how I made it there and back in one piece and avoided barfing from the smell of the greasy bag I had to carry back to the crew who were awaiting me when I finally got back. I quickly delivered the food and was on my way outta there when Auggie yelled to me, "hey, aren't you gonna eat with us?"

There is a lesson to be learned from all of this; don't ever go to the Cheesecake Factory! No really though, this whole mess could have been easily avoided had I just stuck to my Paleolithic diet. Cave people don't eat cheesecake!

A cave girl's diet

As my interest in nutrition grows so does my heightened awareness of my food choices. I have been paying particularly close attention to the physical effects of certain foods. Bread for example, even the Lifestyles brand that is has a low GI, often leaves me feeling sluggish Similarly, large servings of dairy make me bloated and feeling heavy. I have slowly been weening myself off of these types of foods and in effect, modifying my diet to one that more closely resembles that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Yes y'all, I'm talking about the Paleo diet! You have to admit, the name alone draws you in. I haven't entirely crossed over just yet, but I am inching my way toward strict Paleo with each meal that enter my mouth. I am hoping that by next Monday I will be eating like a full fledged cave woman. This means no grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol and sugar. I must admit, I am bit nervous about the no alcohol part, especially around the holidays. Wish me luck!

Anyway, I am going to experiment with it for about two weeks and see where it goes from there. I am hoping to get leaner, meaner and most importantly, healthier.

To read more about Paleo Diet refer to Loren Cordain's The Paleo Diet: Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Food You Were Designed to Eat

Cindy

Don't be fooled by the name, Cindy is one tough cookie. Though she may appear harmless at first glance, this sweet mama can be vicious.

How many rounds in 20 minutes?

5 Pull-ups (I did kipping)
10 Push-ups
15 Air Squats

Total Score: 9 rounds+4 pull-ups
The push-ups were definitely my sticking point. I could get through the pull-ups and squats but I had a hard time cranking out those push-ups. Towards the end I was only to do single reps. However, I still beat my last Cindy score by two rounds, so I pretty happy about that. And boy do I feel it today! My chest, biceps and lats are all killing me-Its wonderful! :)

Food for Friday:
7:00 am
3/4 Soy Burger
1/2 Organic Apple
1 Block

8:30 am
2 oz Tuna w/ mayo
1/2 Organic Apple
1 Organic Plum
6 raw walnuts
2 Blocks

11:15 am
3 Egg whites w/ mushrooms, diced tomatoes, bell peppers
1 organic plum
olive oil (used to cook omelet)
1.5 Blocks

1:30 pm
1 oz chicken breast
1 organic kiwi
6 walnuts
1 Block

3:30 pm
1 chicken & turkey sausage link
2 red bell peppers
1 cup of organic grapes
4 macadamia nuts
3 Blocks

6:30 pm
1 lite string cheese
1 cup organic strawberries
1 Block

9:00 pm
4 oz ground turkey
2 cup steamed broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, green beans
4 oz red wine
2 dark chocolate squares
2.5 Blocks

Total Blocks for the day=11

Gettin' Ripped!

This Sunday will mark my third straight month of Zone eating (yay!). As I mentioned before, I have definitely reaped some of the benefits of eating Zone, one of the most obvious is weight loss. I hear it all the time, "but where'd you loose it from"? Well, as a crazy as it may sound, I've lost it from everywhere! Although now it may appear that I had no fat to loose, I did. And plenty of it. I am glad to have gotten rid of a lot of access fat, now I am focusing on building more muscle mass and gettin' ripped!!!!
As a faithful Crossfitter, I find it disheartening when a WOD comes up that I have to scale down to a fraction of the prescription. Its just plain frustrating. According to Mark Rippetoe, I should just suck it up and crank it out even if it takes me 2 hours 23 minutes and 16 seconds to complete the work out. Hmmm?....no thanks. When it comes down to it, I just need to get stronger. I have a small/petite frame, so this may be bit tricky.
After I attended the weight lifting seminar in late September I was determined! On October 1st I started supplementing my regular crossfit training with additional weight training following Rippetoes 5x5 scheme (refer to Starting Strength).
This is how my quest to get my muscle on went down:
1. Week 1
Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 105#
Shoulder Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 55#
Deadlift (1 work sets x 5 reps): 130#

Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 110#
Bench Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 72#
Power Cleans (3 work sets x 5 reps): 75#

2. Week 2
Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 115#
Shoulder Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 57#
Deadlift (1 work sets x 5 reps): 150#

Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 120#
Bench Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 75#
Power Cleans (3 work sets x 5 reps): 75#


3. Week 3
Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 112#
Shoulder Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 58.5#
(no deadlift)

Power Cleans (3 work sets x 3 reps): 80#
Bench Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 77#

(no squats)
Bench Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 79#
Power Cleans (3 work sets x 3 reps): 82#
4. Week 4
Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 110#
Shoulder Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 59#

Back Squat (112)

5. 10/29-10/31
Back Squat (3 work sets x 5 reps): 103#
Bench Press (3 work sets x 5 reps): 79#
Power Cleans (5 work sets x 3 reps): 77#

***Red Text represents the weight at which I failed.
As you can see, things started out really well and quickly went bad as the month progressed. Weeks 1 &2 were fine but by the third week I was not allowing enough recovery time between workout and became very apparent on the platform. I backed off a bit the 4th week but made sure I hit it hard at Crossfit using heavier weight for the WODs.

For November I plan to back off on the weights a bit more, focusing more on technique & form and will definitely make sure I get plenty more LEGITIMATE rest days. Please post any thoughts or suggestions to my comment. And wish me better luck this time around.

Ah, Monday...

As usual, this Sunday marked another set back for my diet. I went wine-tasting in Sonoma and feasted on excessive amounts of rich food paired with red wine and as if I hadn't done enough damage, we finished off the day with a stop at the local brewery to slug down some beers. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it but I was definitely paying for it Monday morning....ugh....

7:30 am
-3 Eggs w/ spinach, onions and diced tomatoes
-3 tbs Avocado
-1 Peach
=3 Blocks

11:30 am
-2.5 Ounces of Tuna w/ Mayo
-1 Plum
-1 cup Blackberries
=2.5 Blocks

3:30 pm
-2 Lite String Cheese
-1 Peach
-1 Plum
-3 Macadamia Nuts
=2 Blocks

6:30 pm
-1 oz of Omega 3 Cheese
-1 cup Organic Strawberries
-3-6 Macadamia Nuts
=1 Block

8:30 pm
-4.5 oz of ground beef & buffalo
-Organic steamed Brocolli, Peas, Spinach and Green Beans
-1/2 cup of Organic Red Grape
-3 Macadamia Nuts & 3 Almonds
=3 Blocks

Total Blocks = 10.5

Crossfit Workout 7:00 PM:
4 Rounds of:
-400 Meter Run
-2 Minute Rest in between rounds

1:24/1:23/1:35/1:41

Healthy Halloween!

It being Halloween and all, I thought I would share a few words on food. No, not candy.

I started eating in the Zone on July 11th of this year and it has been one of the best things I have ever done for myself. If you are unfamiliar with the Zone diet, I suggest you get with the program sister! Read Enter the Zone by Barry Sears to get started. In a few words, Dr. Sears suggests that eating in the zone (40% carbohydrates/30% protein/30% fat), will produce a healthy and balanced hormonal response to food and effectively ward off many of the diseases and ailments that plague our bodies. It is much more complex than this, I strongly recommend you read the book.

For me and others striving to attain optimal health, good nutritious food is key.
In fact, it was only when I introduced more low GI fruits and vegetables in Zone proportioned meals into my diet that I was able to make tremendous gains in my Crossfit training. In the last few months, I've been able to loose fat, while continuing to make steady progress on all of my lifts and shaved minutes off my WOD time's. Although it can be a bit time consuming, the results are definitely worth it!

Thank Goodness for Mondays....

It’s a funny how every Friday just as my work day comes to an end, so does my diet.
This can be attributed to various things; poor planning, bad decisions, bad influences, being under the influences, etc., etc. Whatever the case may be, it is a sure bet that from the moment I get off work on Friday I am already thinking of where I can catch my next cheat meal!
Monday mornings mark the end of my unhealthy eating binge and get back into the Zone. Thank God for Mondays! Its a vicious cycle, I know.

7:45 am:
3 ounces of Tuna w/ mayo
2 slices of Lifestyle Bread
=3 blocks

12:15:
Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened Applesuce
6 Almonds
sprinkle of Cinnimon
=2 Blocks

3:15pm
1 PowerBar Builder Bar
=3 Blocks

7:00pm
Cashew chicken salad
a few hefty bits of chocalate, peanutbutter pie (couldn't resist...mmm)
=3 Blocks(+fat, carb)

No workout today :(

A good day at CFO

"Lynne"
Today's WOD on the Crossfit National site was 5 Rounds of max number of reps:
- bench press @ bodywieght*
-pull ups
With 3 minutes of rest between rounds

This workout wasn't timed, instead your score was the total number of reps at the end of the 5 Rounds.

*Since, I am far from being able to bench my body wieght, I worked at a wieght that was about 90% of my max: 77#

My final score= 86
Breakdown: 5/10, 7/16PR, 6/13, 6/10, 6/7

Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I did this workout so I can't compare this score to my previous one. However, I can say that I would never have been able to bench press this weight for this many reps. just a few months ago. It felt great to workout with a heavier load and actually get the weight up!!! Today was the first time since I started doing my 5x5 strength workouts that I truly noticed a difference in my performance. I am super excited to see that I am slowly but surely making strength gains.
As if that wasn't enough excitement for today, I also got a PR in kipping pull ups. Hooray, they are finally coming together!

Here I go......

After three days of writing, saving and rewriting this post, I'm finally gonna publish it!!!
The purpose of this blog is to serve as means by which I can effectively record all aspects of my training. I welcome and encourage any comments/thoughts you'd like to offer and hope to gain some new insight from fellow crossfitters, zoners, and anyone that may share a similar interest.

7:30 am

Nonfat Greek yogurt

1 kiwi

3 Macadamia nuts
=2 Blocks

10:30 am

3 ounces of Ground Buffalo meat

1 1/2 cup strawberries
1/2 slice of Lifestyles bread (low GI)

=2 Blocks

1:30 pm
2/3 Raw Food Bar-Protien Bar
=2 Blocks

I am completely hooked on this protein bar!
I know, I know, energy/protien bars get such a bad rap, but as a woman on the go, I have to have a back up plan. As a self proclaimed bar junky, I've tried many and I must say this one has them beat! Although its not comparable to eating a real meal, its carbohydrate to protein ratio are right on. Not to mention raw and organic. And..... it tastes grrrreat!

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: one bar (68g)

	Amount/serving	% DV*
Total Fat	13g	20%
Saturated fat	1.6g	8%
Total Carbohydrate	33g	11%
Total Dietary Fiber	9g	36%
Trans Fatty Acids	0g
Sugars	22g
Cholesterol	0mg	0%
Protein	22g
Sodium	5mg	1%
Calories	330
Fat Calories	117

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% • Calcium 11% • Iron 11%

80% Raw
22g Organic Protein
9g Dietary Fiber
Alkaline Forming
No Soy, No Whey
Non-GMO
No Trans Fats
No Refined Sugars
No Dairy
2000 mg. Phytonutrient Rich Organic BioSproutsTM
***Although this bar appears to be pretty safe, it may have a high glycemic index, which is precisely why I would only recommend it as a last resort meal.

3:30 pm
Crossfit Workout (wod:rest day)
-Back Squat 5x5
45/75/85/90x3/100x2/110 (3 work sets of 5 reps.)


5:15 pm
1/2 cup of egg whites
1 cup of broccoli
1.5 cup Brussels sprouts

1/2 cup strawberries
1 tbs natural peanut butter
=2 Blocks

8:15

3/4 cup Nonfat Cottage Cheese
1/3 cup Almond meal, flax meal (mixed)
162 grams frozen berry medley
=3 Blocks


=11 total Zone Blocks eaten today....mmm....