Week 1 off Splenda!

I am really digging Art Devany's Evolutionary Fitness blog. He offers some unique and thoughtful insight on health, fitness and diet.

Last month De Vany’s wrote on a study published by Susan E. Swithers and Terry L. Davidson of Purdue University called A Role for Sweet Taste: Calorie Predictive Relations in Energy Regulation by Rats. Their research suggests that the human body is "thrown off" by the sweet taste of artificial sweeteners, releasing insulin in the same manner it would respond to sugar...Eeek!

Although they taste delightful, artificial sweeteners may not be as sweet and innocent as they appear. The zero calorie substance contains zero calories, making them a hot item among those seeking the sweetness of sugar without the caloric impact. Unfortunately, this is tough to swallow for those of us who are calorie-conscious but have major weakness for sweets.

Tis' the season for a variety of nice lettuce. I am definately taking advatange of this opurtunity to enjoy some delicious and wholesome salads. Its fun to experiment with the ingredients by adding various fruits or nuts to come up with your own tasty little creation. Have fun.

On today's menu:

1 small head of Romaine lettuce, chopped

1 small head of Red leaf lettuce, chopped

3oz Buffalo Sirloin, cut into small strips & served cold

.5 Avocado, sliced

1 Tangerine

1 cup Strawberries, quartered

1 large Lemon, squeezed

Dash of olive oil, optional

(Lettuce-1 carb block, Strawberries-1 carb block, Tangerine-1 carb block, .5 Avocado-3 fat

blocks, Buffalo-3 protien blocks)

Workout: None, Rest day

Yesterday's wod @ Crossfit Oakland:

"Michael"
Three rounds for time of:

Run 800 meters

50 Back Extensions

50 Sit-ups

Time 21:31

Zonalicious!

A nice little 3 blocker.

3oz sliced Turkey

1 small head of Iceberg lettuce, chopped

1 large Cucumber, sliced

1 small Avocado, sliced

1 Tangerine

1-2 Limes

Once you chop up all the ingredients just pile them all up in this order and squeeze the lime juice on top. Its a healthy and fabulous lil' zone lunch that leaves you feeling nice and full. Enjoy.

Ropes O'Glory

Tamara (my idol) climbing the rope

Alright ya'll I apologize for the lack of attention I've been giving my precious blog these days. I've been a bit busy lately. You see, I turned 25 last week and I've been doing a lotta celebratin'!!!! Ya'll know what I mean.

As much as I would love to continue the partying, its time to get down to business.

I jumped right into it at 6am today along side my fellow Crossfitters, with this nasty one from the National Crossfit site:

"Tommy V" - in memory of yet another fallen soldier

For time:

85 pound Thruster, 21 reps (women's weight)

15 ft Rope Climb, 12 ascents

85 pound Thruster, 15 reps

15 ft Rope Climb, 9 ascents

85 pound Thruster, 9 reps

15 ft Rope Climb, 6 ascents

**Scaled down to 70 pound thrusters

Time 1:01:50

This was a first for me in two respects. First time doing more than 65 pound thrusters. I think I probably could have handled another 5 pounds. Next time. Also, the first time I've ever done that many rope climbs in a workout. I felt like I could have gone faster but then I had to slow down and remind myself that I had to complete 27 ascents!

Overall, it was a great workout and a lovely start to my day! Good work 6am-ers, ya'll were lookin' xtra strong this morning!

8:45am

3 Eggs scrambled w/...

2 cups Cauliflower

.5 cup onions

1 head Bok Choy

3Tbs. Avocado

Large coffee w/cream

=3 zone blocks+1 fat block

Give and Take

On Sunday I did “Angie”

100 Pull-ups
100 Push-ups
100 Sit-ups
100 Squats
Finished in 37:08
This was a whopping 10 minutes faster than my previous time!

Woo-hoo!

An another note, it took me almost an hour to slogg through “Linda” yesterday, which by the way is my all time favorite Crossfit wod. Its one of those workouts that makes you see stars while you’re doing it and then feeling like a star after you’ve completed it. Okay, so that’s a little cheesy, but you know what I mean.

“Linda”
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:
Deadlifts at 1.5x Body Weight
Bench Press at Body Weight
Cleans at ¾ Body Weight

***Since I cannot yet do all of Linda as Rx’d, this is my modified version of “Linda”:
Deadlifts: 143 pounds (1.29 x Body Weight)
Bench press: 85 pounds (just over ¾ Body Weight)
Cleans: 83.5 pounds (Rx’d)
Finished in 57:30

This was brutal and I truly did slogg through this workout 1 rep at a time. I was about 12 minutes slower than my previous time back in November, but this time I increased my total poundage by 22.5 pounds! Not too bad considering all the extra weight. If I stay on track, I hope to be able to do it as Rx’d by the end of the year! Maybe.

5am
Venti Coffee w/ lots of cream
=2 Fat blocks

8am
3oz Chicken
1 Orange
1 sliver of Chocolate cake (Chocolate is my favorite, what can I say?)
9 Almonds
=3 zone blocks+1 unfavorable carb block

12pm
3oz Tuna Salad w/ mayo
1 Cucumber
¼ cup garbanzo & kidney beans
6 cups Romaine lettuce
9 Almonds
=3 zone blocks+1 fat block

Today's wod: "Filthy 50"

Scheduled to do at 5pm at CFO

Gettcha mind right!

This morning I glanced at my calendar and had to do a double take. I remember the New Year’s celebration as if it was just the other day, yet March is just around the corner, yikes! How easily I get swept up in the whirlwind of life and completely lose my concept of time. Where have the past 8 weeks gone? Sometimes I feel as though living one day at a time can be somewhat of an uphill battle.

To kick off the beginning of the 2ND quarter of 2008, I’ve decided to reflect upon this year’s goals. In doing so, I hope to regain some focus and like my good friend Angela always says, “get my mind right”.

1) 1 Muscle up: Still have a ways to go, but I've been practicing like crazy.
2) 10 consecutive Kipping Pull-ups: I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I think I have about 3-5.
3) 1 Ring Dip: I am happy to report that I finally got a dip on the rings! I can do about 4. One step closer to that muscle-up!
*I also want to commit to really focusing on lifts that I am exceptionally weak in: OH Squat, Snatch and Shoulder Press.

8:30AM
3oz Chicken
1.5 cups steamed Chard in tomato sauce
.5 Apple w/ peanut butter
Coffee w/ cream
=3 Zone blocks+1.5 fat blocks

When Eva Strikes

Yesterday’s wod on the CrossFit national site was named “Eva” but I think they may have left out an “L” at the end of that name; it was down right ugly. Although my body may have been ready for her after having taken Saturday off, I’m not so sure anything could've really prepared for this one. It can best be described as Cracked-out Helen, as it resembles Helen in movements but at a far greater volume, making it physically demanding in addition to being incredibly challenging mentally.

"Eva"

Five rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
2 pood Kettlebell swing, 30 reps (I used 1 pood)
30 Pull-ups

55:19 (i was trying to finish in sub 1 hr)

Named after Crossfit superstar and athelete Eva T, the wod is a brand new addition to the Crossfit black box. Eva, who recently said in an interview that she's a fan of Helen because its her mother’s name, shows us just how much she loves her mom in this grueling workout. Congrats to Eva for her namesake wod and a big high 5 to all of those who survived yesterday's workout!

8:45am
4.5oz Ground beef w/ marinara sauce
1 Blood orange
6 Almonds
2 Tbls. cream in Coffee
=3 blocks+1 fat block

1:15pm
4.5oz Ground beef w/ marinara sauce
1.5 cups raw Spinach w/ dressing
1 Tangerine
.25 cups Blueberries
.75 Tbls. peanut butter
=3 blocks+1 fat block