Hola amigos! I've been away for waaaay too long. The end of school and a new job have kept me pretty damn busy the last couple of months, but no more excuse! I came across this video and had to share it with ya'll! Hope you enjoy it!

Double Trouble

Yesterday I spent the day outdoors in beautiful Berkeley. It was a nice day with lots of sunshine and a cool breeze. Afterwards, I headed to CFO for the WOD. It was suppose to be my rest day, having worked out 3 days in a row, but the WOD looked too good to pass up and I knew I would have a hard time getting someone to do it with me on a rest day. Boy was I right! This workout was one of the hardest and it took me a whopping 45 minutes to complete it...scaled! Must work on HSPUs!!!! I used an abmat and 2-5 lb plates as a target. I practiced kipping HSPU a bunch with Audge before the workout but couldn't seem to stay upright at the end of the push up. The L-pull ups were by far the hardest part. I was able to do 2 sets of 2 but did the rest as singles. Needless to say, I'm taking the day off today and mostly likely going to Yoga--thanks to Sierra for introducing me to it:)

Yesterday's wod:

"Twins"
Two rounds, of each couplet, for time of:

750 meter Row

20 Handstand Push-ups (to target)

75 pound Thruster, 20 reps

20 L-Pull-ups

My time--> 44:46

Sleep-->8 hours

Food

8:15Am

Sausage

about 3/4 cup Braised Greens

1pm

about 4 oz Grass-fed Beef

Salad: lettuce, green beans, onions, celery, homemade pesto dressing

Raw Flaxseed crackers

about 1/2 Tbs Almond Butter

Supplements--> Fish oil, Multi, Zinc, HCL

CrossFit Munchies

What a week! Last week I got a lot of solid workouts in and set 3 PRs! Since the NorCal qualifiers two weeks ago, I've been really focused on stepping it up on the training floor. Although I was really happy with my performance at the Qualifiers, I realized that I have a lot of room for improvement. That's one of the beauties of CF; there is always room to grow.

So after a week of breaking PRs and consistant training, I've spent the last two days eating everything in sight! I've always had a healthy appetite but this weekend my appetite was threw the roof. I woke up ravenous on Saturday and Sunday and found myself eating every 2 hours. I felt like a teenage boy! Actually, I kinda look like one too:) I guess I had a case of the CF munchies.

New PRs:

-->Deadlift 185# x 1 (previous 180)

--> "Grace" 10:23 rx'd (previous 11:43 @ 80#)

30 Clean and Jerks for Time, 95#

-->"Diane" 13:45: 155#/1 Abmat+2 5lb plates (previous 27:54: 126#/2 Abmats)

21-15-9, reps

Deadlifts, 155# and HSPU

4 Days left!

With only four days to go until the NorCal Regional Qualifiers, I'm beginning to get really excited and terrified about the workouts. Yesterday a few of us test workout A with the women's Rx'd weight and it didn't go as well as I thought it would. Here's the workout:

Row 500 meters

30 Burpees

95 pounds Shoulders to Overhead, 10 reps

My time 8:57

I didn't kill myself on the row and I took it pretty easy on the burpees but I was surprisingly gassed when I cleaned the wieght for my first rep. My legs were fried and I could barely get the weight overhead. I attempted a second push jerk and failed. The rest were all singles. This was really frustrating because the workout is 10 reps shoulder to overhead NOT floor to overhead!!!! Anway, I am going to give it another go this afternoon and see what happens. Wish me luck!

6 Simple Ways to Improve Your Diet

High quality food is at the core of any healthy diet. These foods fuel the body with the nourishment it needs to function at its best. Fortunately, you can do a lot to improve your diet simply by making better food choices. Here’s how:

1. Chose unprocessed, unrefined, REAL food. Michael Pollan says that you shouldn’t eat anything your great-great grandmother wouldn't recognize as food (In Defense of Food). This means “Go-Gurts” or “Pop-Tarts” are out of the question.

2. Buy chemical-free, Organic foods. Conventional foods are saturated with toxic chemical pesticides, and fungacides that like to linger in the body’s fatty tissue and organs.

3. Load up on fresh, fruits and vegetables. These foods contain very little calories but are packed with nutrients and fiber. Include them with every meal.

4. Don’t skip out on fat. Natural fats such as avocados, nuts, seeds, natural oils, and coconut keep your skin looking healthy and help keep hunger at bay.

5. Drink purified or filtered water. Avoid drinking from plastic water bottles, especially if they have been exposed to sunlight. Try to get approximately 1/2 your body weight in fluid ounces every day.

6. Your protein is only as good as the farm it came from. Buy animal protein that is Organic, free-range, grass-fed or wild. If you can tolerate dairy, look for Organic and raw.

I'm Baaack!

With just a few weeks left until the norcal regional qualifiers, I've put my strength cycle on hold and started hitting the CrossFit wods. Strength training has been my primary focus for the past 9 weeks so this hasn't been the most enjoyable experience so far. I'm looking foward to seeing how my strength gains will translate in the metcons.

Results of last 2 CrossFit cycles:

"DT"Five rounds for time of:

12 Deadlifts

9 Hang power cleans

6 Push Jerks

My time-> 15:11 (89 #)

"Helen" Three rounds for time of:

Run 400m

21 KB Swings

12 pull-ups

My time-> 15:28 (44# KB & 20# pull-ups)

"Danny" AMRAP in 20 minutes of:

30 Box Jumps

20 Push Presses

30 Pull-ups

My time-> 2 rounds+ 20 box jums (80# push press)

Saturday- untimed wod at the track

"Angie"

100 Pull-ups

100 Push-ups

100 Sit-ups

100 Squats

My time-> 33:04 rx'd

Backsquat 3-3-3-3-3

115-125-135-140(2)-140(1)

I'm pretty wrecked today. My hands are ripped and covered in band aids and I have a huge gash on my collarbone that looks like a massive hickey. It's pretty awesome!

Favorite wod: "DT"

More on BioSig

Alright so it’s been almost 4 weeks since the BioSig seminar and I've been busy testing out the insulin protocol. After I returned I was pretty optimistic and eager to try something new. I guess you can say I get bored pretty quickly and have fun experimenting on myself. The BioSig stuff isn't way out there, but it does require a fair bit of discipline and patience.

To be honest, adjusting to the new diet & exercise regimen hasn’t been too difficult. The hardest part is making time to cook. In the last month I've switched from a pretty zoney 10 blocks to a high protein diet (20 blocks protein) with loads of low glycemic vegetables and fat. As Poliquin would say, carbs are not my friend, so I am keeping my consumption of sugary/starchy carbs pretty low. At first I found myself craving sweets and experiencing some minor carb withdrawals but after the first week I felt pretty damn good. Those of us, who don’t typically do well on lots of sugars, tend to crave sweets and have a hard time living without them. Cutting out carbs cold turkey can be really hard so I suggest weaning yourself off them gradually. Once I got off of them completely I found that my cravings disappeared and I felt much more energetic and clear headed. Eating this way will help to teach my body to become more sensitive or receptive, to carbohydrates and insulin.

In addition to the diet stuff, I’ve begun supplementing with lots of fish oil (1 tablespoon/day), fenugreek, taurine, HCL and other vitamins. While I haven’t really noticed any major changes in my body composition, my sleep has improved tremendously. I’ve also found that my energy and mood is much more balanced throughout the day.

Today’s meals:
9am
“Breakfast burrito” - 4 eggs, spinach, and broccoli rolled up in a Nori sheet (see photo).
1 tablespoon raw coconut butter
12pm
3oz Turkey breast
¼ Avocado
1 cup sautéed eggplant and zucchini

Hours slept last nite: 9

Update

As I mentioned in the previous post, I had the privilege of attending the Biosignature Modulation seminar lead by Charles Poliquin. Poliquin uses Biosignature Modulation to determine and address hormonal imbalance through diet, exercise and natural supplements. At the seminar we learned the principles of Biosig and most importantly, we were trained on how to use calipers to measure skin folds. According to Poliquin, the skin folds can reveal a lot about an individuals hormonal make up. It's important to note that while this may seem to be all about body fat percentage, it is more focused on where you store fat and why.

It was interesting to hear him talk about the dietary protocols that he's experimented with over the years and has implemented with great success. Charles has extensive knowledge of nearly every vitamin, mineral and botanical out there and how to use them to treat hormonal imbalances. This was refreshing advice as I am a huge advocate of using food to combat weight loss. Because we are each biologically unique, it is important to get to know your body to understand which nutrients will be useful for you. In addition, Charles reinforced much of what we already know about the components [sleep, whole food diet, low stress, etc.] of a healthy lifestyle. He came across as part strength coach, part scientist and part French-Canadian hippie.

I came away with a new-found appreciation of just how the foods we eat enormously affects our day to day as well as long term health. For the next few months I'll be experimenting on myself with the Biosignature protocol that I received. Part of my own protocol is to eat more protein- a lot more protein (see photo above) and less carbohydrates as I don't do well on a high carb diet. I am experimenting with the time and duration of my workouts. The programming is pretty much the same except I'll be doing less metcons.

To read more on Biosignature Modulation check out Charles Poliquin's website and this brief article in Oxygen Magazine.

Food Today: My goal is 140g protein today.

6AM

2oz Chicken with homemade Pesto

10AM (PWO)

4oz Chicken with homemade Pesto

.75 cup Cabbage, onions, carrots

11:00AM

2 Tbsp Coconut Butter, raw

12:30PM

1.5 cup Goat's milk yogurt, plain

1 Tbsp Almond butter

Workout Today:

Backsquat

120 pounds 5-5-5-5 (120 sec rest between each set)

Deadlift

159 pounds 5-5-5-5 (120 sec rest between each set)

Sleep

7.25hrs

Even though I didn't get nearly enough sleep, I slept incredibly well last nite:)

Biosignature Seminar here I come!

Today I am headed to Vancouver for the Biosignature Level 1 seminar. I have been really looking forward to attending this and gaining some wonderful insight on hormones. Many people have hormonal issues that make their fat loss efforts difficult: poor insulin sensitivity, a sluggish thyroid, estrogen imbalances, etc. I hope to utilize this valuable information to help future clients attain optimal fitness.

Charles Poliquin is a strength coach who does a lot of research on where people store fat on their bodies and why. Most of this research is based on his work with athletes. Biosignature Modulation is a system he developed over the course of 20 plus years of taking clients' skin fold measurements and comparing the results to what their bloodwork revealed about their hormonal status. According to Poliquin, with Biosignature Modulation one simply needs to measure just twelve specific skin folds to get a clear picture of what's going on hormonally inside and address these imbalances through dietary recommendations, exercise and supplements.

I'll be posting more on this when I return...

A word on weight loss

This is a valuable article that lays out some helpful tips for those looking to lose weight naturally. It's written by Dr. Marcus Laux who is a licensed naturopathic physician is the co-author of Natural Woman, Natural Menopause, and Top Ten Natural Therapies.

Step 1: Think Yourself Thin

* A healthy attitude and mindset are the first step in choosing to lose weight. Begin by discovering your reasons for eating. Weight gain has less to do with what you eat, and more to do with why you eat.

* Practice personal insight and honesty. Begin your day with 10–15 minutes of simple meditation or prayer in a quiet place. Focus on your inner feelings and desires. Let the things that are bothering you come to the surface and let them go. Find out if you're an Emotional Eater. Meditate or pray before your meal—it should rejuvenate you.

* Meditation allows you to connect calmly with your deepest thoughts and feelings. Then you should be able to eat with more conscious attention and appreciation and reduce your chances of overeating. Write down ideas, feelings, or revelations for further reflection.

Step 2: Eat Natural Fat-Burning Foods

* Learn to make proper food choices. You were not meant to be overweight. Even if you have a genetic tendency toward weight gain, you can and will be naturally trim if you give nature the opportunity to burn off the fat.

* Certain foods increase metabolism while others bog it down. Forget trend diets that focus what you need to cut out—junk foods, refined foods, and fried foods—and focus on what you need to add to your diet.

* Try a drink before you snack or sit down for a meal. Sometimes what feels like hunger pains are actually thirst pains. Water is your best bet, then fresh juices (the real stuff), iced tea, or herbal teas. * Enjoy red meat in moderation. It's high in L-carnitine—an amino acid that mimics the fat-burning effects of exercise.

* Eat fresh, whole, organic, nutrient-rich—preferably local and seasonal—foods such as vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains, nuts, seeds, and fish. Sparingly eat carrots, potatoes, corn, and peas, because they have a high glycemic index rating.

* Eat as much as you want of cabbage, celery, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, hot peppers, banana peppers, endive, radish, jicama, and all dark, leafy greens. Keep a bowl of your favorite washed, raw veggies in the refrigerator all the time. If you want to use a dipping sauce make it from yogurt or low-fat cream cheese, dill, and fresh squeezed lemon juice.

* Snack on vegetables and legumes that provide fiber, complex carbohydrates, and minerals needed for sustained energy and regularity—so you feel full longer. Fruits are good for you, but fruit sugar burns quickly and your 10 a.m. apple won't last you until lunchtime.

* Aim for 100–150 calorie snacks that consist of some protein, some fat, and some carbs—so enjoy a couple of cubes of good cheese with your veggie snacks, or a handful of almonds, macadamia nuts, or crackers with peanut or almond butter.

* Munch on the right kind of nuts to boost essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A recent study found that individuals who ate 73 grams, or two small handfuls of almonds daily, did not show any signs of weight gain. Nuts are filling and satisfying.

* Replace bad fats with good fats. Decrease polyunsaturated fats and trans fatty acids like margarine, shortening, and partially hydrogenated oils. Use olive oil, coconut oil, or nut oils like macadamia or walnut.

* Use spices such as ginger, marjoram, rosemary, fennel, cardamom, dill, thyme, tarragon, coriander, and basil, because they're tongue-pleasers that will give your meal a flavor boost without adding calories or fat.

* Take a high-quality multivitamin and mineral that includes a complete B-complex. This will enhance your body's ability to digest, absorb, and eliminate foods.

Step 3: Nature's Appetite Suppressants and Fat Burners: Select natural and safe appetite suppressants and fat burners:

* Consider taking 5-HTP to boost serotonin levels. Serotonin deficiency is associated with feelings of starvation and hunger. Taking 5-HTP at low doses effectively suppresses cravings for refined carbohydrates. Always take it with protein (12–25 mg 30 minutes before each meal, and no more than 75 mg per day).

* Use conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) to burn fat and turn it into energy. Without CLA, your body will store fat. CLA can be found in whole milk, butter, whole cheeses, beef, and lamb. Supplemental CLA increases metabolic rate, decreases appetite, and enhances fat oxidation. It has been shown to reduce body fat by as much as 20 percent in 12 weeks without any changes in diet or lifestyle. Because CLA results in more muscle tissue, which weighs more than fat—watch your body fat percentage instead of your scale.

* Drink 2–3 cups of green tea. It contains polyphenol catechins that inhibit the breakdown of norepinephrine, and results in an increased metabolic rate and better fat oxidation so that existing fat cells are destroyed faster.

* Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and other spices can curb your appetite by supporting healthy blood sugar levels. They help improve circulation and increase metabolic output. I recommend drinking teas made with them throughout the day. You can find them at most health food stores.

Step 4: Go Play!Take a break and get a little exercise.At minimum, exercise for 30 minutes every other morning. Then take a "recess break" each afternoon (a light stroll, a good stretch, etc.). I suggest:

* Aerobic exercise that gets your heart rate up for 15 to 40 minutes to boost your calorie-burning. It doesn't have to be overly strenuous.

* Weight training to build muscle and improve your resting metabolism so you'll burn more calories all day long. Ounce for ounce, muscle requires more energy so it burns more calories than fat.

The Last Word:

Hide your scale. Its information is not what's important. Instead focus on how you look, feel, and do what you want to do.

Be patient. Lasting weight loss takes some time. Make the time to incorporate these recommendations into your life, and you'll get satisfying and permanent results.

This article was adapted from a Special Report published in Naturally Well Today. To order the full report, please call 800.264.4871. If you'd like to know more about natural solutions for other conditions, subscribe to Naturally Well Today, my monthly newsletter on healing with nature's medicine.

La Dolce Vita

I recently returned from yet another trip to Mexico...I know it must seem as though I live some luxoruos life that allows me to travel to Mexico twice in one month, but that is far from true. This time I went to attend my cousin's wedding. It was truly a family affair and I met relatives that I didn't even know existed! My parents, sisters and I stayed in my parent's future retirement home in a tiny community in southern Zacatecas. The colonial town is tucked away in the mountains where it remains as one of Mexico's best kept secrets. Driving through the town along the cobblestone streets you feel as though you've traveled back in time. Wherever we turned we were greeted with warm smiles and a generous hand offering up whatever little food/drink they had. As the priest said to the congregation, "en Mezquital hay una mina de Cristianos" (here resides a mine of Christians).

As a foodie, I was particularly impressed by the way in which the community is so tied to the land. With no supermarket or restuarant for miles, there is really no other way of life. Orange, banana and avocado trees litter the streets in Mezquital and even the large cactus plant bears a sweet and delicious fruit. The women rise early to milk thier cows and prepare the cheeses that the town is known for. The day before my cousin's wedding we stopped by her house to find it full of men, women and children plucking chicken feathers, grinding corn and roasting chiles in preparation of the feast. Everyone and I mean EVERYONE, contributes with whatever means possible. What an amazing site to see...I'm really looking forward to my next visit.

Back into the swing of things

I just returned from a wonderful mini-vacation. My love and I spent the last week of December hanging out in Arzona & Mexico where we ushered in the New Year. No, I did not work out, but I slept well and eat my fair share of quesadillas...mmm! Mostly, I just enjoyed spending time with Mike. It was quite lovely. Now that I'm back I feel refreshed and ready to take on some serious training. Although I want to continue lifting, I've decided I want to incorporate 1-2 more days of CF into my training. Truthfully, I miss it. I will try to split my workout in two: lift in the AM and CF in the evening. I hope that the additional CF workouts won't interfere too much with my lifting.

First week back:
Monday
OFF
Tuesday
Backsquat: worked up to a heavy set of 5 for 2 sets
CF WOD 4 Rounds:
400M run 15 HSPU (to a target)
2 Rope Climbs
My Time = 30:33
Wednesday
Bench Press (I am working on keeping my butt on the bench)
5min, 5min, 3min, 3min, 1min, 1min
max reps Clean & Jerk #65
max reps Double Unders
Thursday
Backsquat: heavy set of 5x3 followed by 2 sets of max reps at #75
Deadlift: worked up to heavy set of 3
CF wod:
Ten rounds for time of:
3 Weighted Pull-ups (started w/ #15 ended w/ #0)
5 Strict Pull-ups
7 Kipping Pull-ups
My time= 60:17 all C2b
Friday
OFF

Check out this week's podcast of Your Own Health and Fitness on KPFA at yourownhealthandfitness.org or on the KPFA archives. I am a HUGE fan of Layna Burman who is the producer and host of the show. Layna Burman is a health educator and an integrated health specialist and incredibly knowledgable on the subject of holistic health. She's totally rad and I love her! This program is aired every Tuesday at 1pm and is an excellent (and free) resource for all to enjoy. Tuesday's program discussed the role of exercise in disease prevention.

Day 5

Yesterday marked my 5th day of living sugar-free! It has been a lot harder than I thought. I don't eat junk food by any means but in the past few months I've noticed that I've gotten very loose with my sugar consumption . I've gone from having 1 cheat day a week to eating sugar almost every other day. I've always had a HUGE sweet tooth so giving it up for a month is going to be mighty hard. I've been reaching for nuts or fruit to curb my sweet cravings and this seems to be doing the trick. Wish me luck!

TODAY'S FOOD:

7:30AM

3oz Chicken w/ homemade peanut sauce

braised Kale, Mushrooms, and Onions

1 Tangerine

12:10PM

3oz Beef w/ roasted onions

1 Apple

Lotsa Almonds

SLEEP LAST NITE: 8.5hrs

EXERCISE: Tonite @ CFO