Each Sunday we attempt to cook for the entire week to make life easier and ensure that we eat healthy all week. For the first time in about 2 months we actually cooked enough for our entire week today! Here's a little list of everything that was prepared today (all purchased from Yonder Way Farms):
*Pork Shoulder Arm
*Pork Loin Chops
*Beef Fajita Meat
*Ribeyes
*Chuck Roast
*Whole Chicken
*Bacon
*Grilled Green Beans
*Grilled Squash and Zucchini
*Grilled Bell Peppers
After everything is cooked then comes the task of weighing meat, measuring veggies and putting it all in containers for lunches for the next 5 days. Dinner time is easier because we just weigh and warm up what's already cooked. We also have fruit throughout the week but we take care of that in the mornings along with 4 scrambled eggs each morning (2 for each of us). The bacon is a treat we allow ourselves on days that we have Crossfit. We cooked it ahead of time as well so we just grab 2 pieces and add to our lunch boxes. That's right, I said lunch boxes!!
For weeks we have been wanting to do this but our lives have been really busy and we haven't taken the time to commit to the process. It took us about 3 hours to prepare, cook and measure everything but it will save us many headaches over the coming week as well as bad food choices for lunch/dinner.
We are by no means experts in healthy eating. Honestly this is our first week we are hoping to have 7 great days! By that I mean NO EATING OUT! We seem to always fail on the weekends but the important part is we pick-up our extra pounds and head right back to Crossfit no matter what!
www.yonderwayfarm.com
Oh my goodness...My feet are feeling great but my knees are still aching after spending Friday and Saturday volunteering for OOIV. It was a truly amazing event to not just volunteer at but to also watch some amazing people compete. Most of the people I watched compete are complete strangers but it's funny how spending 10 hours with the same people you just start chatting about random life things. Being a volunteer can be quite taxing on your body but it makes it all worth it when at the end of the day after all the athletes are tired, final WOD is getting ready to start and they give you a simple "thank you" as they walk out to their final WOD! Just melted my heart yesterday because at that moment I figured out my next step!
I have a passion right now for Crossfit that I'm not sure I can really explain. It's more than about just working out 3 times a week in a box, it's about changing my life and finding people that truly care! One of the primary reason I joined Crossfit Champions www.crossfitchampions.com was the family that owns and works the box! I had been a corporate gym member for about 4 years and it had gotten to the point that it just wasn't working for me anymore. I was terrified about leaving what was comfortable but knew I needed to change. Matt and Pam run Crossfit Champions and to them it's more than an income, it's a way to help people achieve whatever goal or dream they might have. I certainly wasn't finding that from the owners of my previous gym (didn't even know who owned the darn thing).
Their PASSION for nutrition, supplements and healthy/clean eating isn't forced down any one's throat. It's advice and guidance they provide for FREE! I decided to take the advice and am 200% thrilled I did. Steven and I are eating amazing food, feeling better, stronger than ever before and most importantly we are HAPPY!
So my life is changing right now which isn't a bad thing at 31! My priorities have been refocused so I can focus on MYSELF! Often I find myself committing to hundreds of things or people and then I always let taking care of myself be last. That's OVER!!!
What is your passion? Do you even know what it means to have a passion? I looked up the word and a description I found was "A strong fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for something". Can't get anymore accurate about my current passion!
GOD FIRST, FAMILY SECOND, CAREER THIRD
Where do I even start...
This weekend has been an OK weekend but I've been in a crappy mood for most of it. Why I'm not really sure. What has happened is that I let my crappy mood allow me to eat awful food. I ate out most of the weekend and went to a wedding on Saturday evening. After all of this my mood is even worse.
I find myself sitting wondering how did I let this happen? The easy answer is to say that I was busy and didn't have time to cook but I know that's not true because I cooked food tonight but still ate out! Seriously what is wrong with me!
I think a lot of us feel this way at times. If we have a bad day then it's OK to have a bad meal but then that bad meal turns into an extra 40 pounds that you are trying to get rid of. Tomorrow is Monday and I'm picking myself up off the ground and getting right back into the swing of my healthy habits that I have created over the last 6 weeks! I don't feel any better for eating the bad food, in fact I actually feel WORSE! Dwelling on the on the weekend won't make me feel better either though.
New day and back on track is what I will wake up to everyday from this point moving forward! I'm even going to post this statement in my bathroom to remind myself everything morning to stay on track! I honestly feel better when I eat the right foods and workout on a regular basis!
Who knew that Crossfit would bring me so many darn stinking tears! It happened again yesterday! It's always tears of joy even though when they are flowing down your face they feel like tears of hate, anger, sadness and fear!
Yesterday's warm-up was high knee skipping for 200M (might as well be jogging for me), strength was weighted pull-ups and our WOD was 21-15-9 of burpees, chest 2 bar pull-ups (ring rows for me) and wall ball shots. I did scale the burpees to a big ole 15-12-9 but then went back to 21-15-9 for the other two items. I was physically exhausted and in pain afterwards! After I finished my workout and was sitting in my car, I cried! Why?? I was happy because I did an OK job during the WOD. Wasn't the prettiest burpees but they got finished! Yet there I sat in my car crying over a WOD all because I felt I should have done better. I felt like my WOD effort maybe wasn't as good as others in my class.
So why tell everyone all of this? It's OK to be the weak or the new person in your class! If each class didn't have that person then how would other people ever feel comfortable to join a Crossfit? It's not about how long you've been working out or how much better you are compared to others in class; it's about always showing up and giving 200% during your WOD's. The person that gives 200% will have much better success results than the person who give 80%.
I'm proud to announce that I AM THE NEW PERSON AND I'M WEAK! Those two items are going to allow to me to grow and becoming a stronger person physically and mentally!
The 24-Day Challenge is officially over. I had many ups and downs during the challenge but ended with success! The most important thing was that I completed my workout 2 minutes faster! That is a huge step for me! I was the girl that hadn't really been working out and definitely didn't push herself to get outside the comfort zone.
So now I'm faced with moving forward. The challenge is over but what's next? What I learned over these last couple of weeks is that it's just beginning for me. My results my be slower than others but I'm changing my entire lifestyle right now. Little run down of what has changed since September 10, 2012:
1. Eating meat ordered through Yonder Way Farms
2. Eating organic fruit and fresh veggies
3. No processed food at all
4. Cage free eggs
5. Raw milk drinker
6. Crossfit 2 times per week
7. Personal training with Crossfit coach once a week
8. No caffeine products
That's a huge list in less than 30 days! So what do I do next? I'm going to continue everything above, that's what! My weight loss and measurements are dropping slowly but my workouts have improved drastically. I'm also going to add interval training twice a week to my schedule. I've been making minor changes to my proteins (less bacon throughout the week) that seem to help with losing some extra weight. I definitely could use to increase my veggies but I'm sure that's most of America!
I'm very excited to see that the rest of the year will bring to me as I move forward! It's a lifestyle not a temporary fix! My big goal through all of this is to be able to show other women who have similar goals that they too can workout with the best athletes and eat good food in the process!
OK by now those of you keeping up with my posts know about the 24 day challenge. Yesterday I was having a large pity party for myself as I feel I haven't lost enough weight during the challenge. Pity party of 1 is a favorite past time!!
The light bulb come on late last night! IT'S NOT ABOUT THE 24 DAY CHALLENGE AT ALL! These last 24 days I have been laying the stepping stones for myself to continue to follow the rest of my life. The healthy eating habits, WOD's, interval cardio training and mental awareness are going to continue to improve of the coming months. So while I may not lose the most pounds or inches, or have the fast improved time in the WOD; I've set myself up for much greater success in the coming weeks and months.
My journey is just now beginning and I have a long road ahead of me. Not only do I need to lose 40pds in order to try and have a baby, I need to figure out how to live a healthy lifestyle forever!
Whatever happens Saturday, I will count it as success in my book! I mean seriously people, I'm competing in a challenge against others who have been eating health and doing Crossfit for months! They had to start somewhere as well in the journey. And then I think, how many of these same people only did the challenge so they could drop a few pounds or percentage of body fat but are going right back to eating crappy food??
So to everyone out there that needs a starting point, remember it's just that! A starting point to lay the stepping stones down to follow for the weeks, months and years to come in living a healthy lifestyle!
Cheris
