Welcome to 2014

We loved our lives in 2013 and all the amazing memories we've created!  We've made some really amazing friends and love all of them!

2014 is upon us and most people are making resolutions that they won't keep after January is over.  Let's get real and face the facts folks...we all slip up and life takes over!  Steven and I have certainly struggled with our healthy lifestyle over the last 5 months.  It's been a train going full speed ahead with no stopping in sight.

Instead of making resolutions that we knew we couldn't keep we decided to make commitments instead to each other (we've even got a little shaming system setup with each other for when we fail).  We started with making a list of things we wanted to accomplish in January.  We planned out on which weekends we would complete the items.  We are off to a great start...ok let's get real we are only 3 days into January and we completed 2 whole tasks on a list of about 10!  The important thing is that we are making a commitment to each other.  It's time to learn how to say NO and commit to doing what we need to get done in our lives.  Some of our big goals in 2014 include the following:

*Run a 1/2 marathon
*Build our home gym
*Take a few hiking trips in the fall throughout Texas

I will wake up tomorrow refreshed and ready to start my day off in a positive spirit.  The negativity hurts and drags us down.  Life is full of ups and downs so embrace them!  Don't be afraid to always start over on your goals because you don't accomplish them the first, second or tenth time!  I've lost weight, gained weight, lost, gained, gained, gained but I'm still going to wake up tomorrow and do another workout!

Been A While...

It's been a very long time since I sat down and focused on myself.  This morning I decided to do just that.  I had the chance to do a very challenging workout at Crossfit called 31 Heros but time to myself for reflecting and recharging was much more important this morning.

My life has been upside down and absolutely crazy the last 60 days.  I'm working all kinds of crazy hours including working on the weekends at home.  My workouts have been fewer and fewer as each week goes by because I'm choosing to let it be that way.  My clean eating habits rarely exist as I make excuses why it's "ok" to eat the crap food!  Mentally and physically I'm worn out and needed to take this morning to spend time reflecting.

So what did I figure out?  Not only am I suffering by living/letting myself live this way it's also affecting those around me.  When I'm bitter and angry it flows out of me and into every aspect of my life.  I have so many positives in my life why in the world would I choose to be this way?  That's just it...IT'S A CHOICE TO LIVE YOUR LIFE WITH ANGER AND BEING BITTER!

It's time to wake up and take back my life!  I have so many great things in my life and I've been ignoring all of them (family, friends, Mary Kay, Crossfit).  My Mary Kay business brings me absolute joy and happiness.  Just this last Tuesday I was my units first runner up in Queen's Court of Sharing!  Woohoo!  That's two years in a row of being recognized in my unit and I've only been in this business for two years!  It's not about getting rich for me because I absolutely love the women and products.  The girlfriends that I have made are friendships to carry for life and all because of Facebook and a spa afternoon!

Crossfit is another joy for me.  I feel amazing when I workout and I'm stronger every time I walk thru those garage doors!  I placed 2nd in a beginners competition in June and it's time to get my rear in gear to move out of the beginners category.  Can't do that though if you don't show up for your workouts!

Are you letting all the negative things run your life?  Are you doing what your truly love?  Are you spending time with only people who make you better?  If you aren't then stop and restart!  The only people who fail at something are those who never try again!  Life isn't perfect and never will be; we all have to keep trying!  We all deserve only the best that life has to offer!

Big Thighs

Strange title to my post right??!!  Don't worry it will all make sense after you finish reading.  So I'm just completing my ninth month of Crossfit at Crossfit Champions.  It's been a roller coaster of emotions and struggles during these last nine months.  I find myself in a constant state of comparison against others; weather it's at the box or other women I see in throughout my day.  I look them over head to toe and compare my own size against them.  It's a vicious cycle that I have ultimately paid the price for.  Did you know that stress and depression have a negative impact on weight loss?  Constantly comparing your body to other women or men is horrible!  All of us eat different foods, workouts vary and our overall body make-up is just different.

This weekend Steven and I went to the South Central Crossfit Regional competition in San Antonio.  We had a blast!  It was the most inspiring Crossfit activity that I have been to yet!  It was a chance to see some of the fittest women in South Central competing to go to the Crossfit Games.  The inspiring part was that all of these women were built differently.  Tall, short, small, medium and large.  They were all athletic but all different!  Not all of them had the body that you see sculpted for the photograph in Men's Health magazine either!  Don't take my last statement the wrong way but let's be realistic people...athletes posing for magazines like that spends hours taking thousands of pictures to get the one perfect shot, then the one perfect shot is enhanced with computers.

It's back to reality tomorrow for me but with a different attitude and outlook on myself.  I'm starting a 90 day challenge of health and fitness!  That's right, I'm going to commit to 90 days of getting stronger and healthier all while during the summer time!  I've got big goals on my poster and the only way to achieve them is to STOP COMPARING MYSELF TO EVERYONE ELSE!  I'VE GOT BIG THIGHS BECAUSE I'M AN ATHLETE!!

I'm posting my goals on the world wide web so they can never be erased:

1.  Run 2 miles
2.  Get a double-under
3.  35lb kettle bell during a full WOD
4.  No Mexican food for 90 days (yikes!!)

       

Been A While...

It's been over a month since I've last blogged!  I'm going to get back on track with this because it's really a great way for me to be able to not only share my journey but I've met some pretty amazing people who read my blog.

So what have I been doing the last six weeks...

I competed in the Crossfit Open 2013 this year which was a big first step for me.  I was pretty impressed with my overall performance.  All the workouts were on different levels for me physically but the mental aspect was about the same.  Just don't quit was my motto going into every workout.  I completed all five weeks and was happy with my results.  Overall I was stronger physically and mentally by the first week of April.

This picture is from 13.2 I'm pretty sure but I could be wrong...That's 75pds for those who are wondering!  It was darn heavy!

The Open came to end but then I started the Spring Into Summer 24 Day Challenge with my AdvoCare group.  It was time to drop a few pounds, inches and increase my cardio performance.  I started out strong the week of April 8th...then it all came to a screeching halt this week.  I was mentally exhausted, frustrated, depressed and my stress level was thru the roof!  Why?  I'm my own worst critic in life and I'm not talking about a little bit harsh.  I'm talking about failure is what I see most days in my own life as I reflect on my over all health and workouts.  I am terrible about hiding all my feelings inside and then they blow up like a bomb (right Jana and Pam!!).  

I've done a lot of self reflecting over the last three weeks and I refuse to let myself see the progress that I've made in my lifestyle over the last five months.  The positive things I seem to forget is that my marriage is stronger than it ever has been!  Steven and I rarely have arguments (if any) and we've found the perfect balanced of happiness while working on having a successful future together.  There's just one thing holding us back and it's my mental weakness.  I've got to believe in myself and my abilities. 

I'm not telling you all this for pitty or sympathy votes; I'm telling you because it's reality.  Everyone of us is faced with the reality of life and not believing in ourselves at some point.  What makes us successful is overcoming these obstacles and becoming a better person from the lessons you learned along the way.  

It's only failure when you give up completely and never try again.

13.1 In The Bag

The Crossfit Open officially kicked off Wednesday evening after the announcement of the first workout.  As the news quickly spread about the details of the workout my heart quickly sank.  The more that I read the workout the more that I let fear set in.  I've been doing Crossfit for seven months and there are three things I haven't been able to make much progress on which are running, burpees, and manmakers.  My running is getting better every month and I just completed my first mile a week ago.  Burpees and manmakers are horrific.  Anytime I see them listed in the workout I cringe!

13.1 Workout Details:

17 Minute AMRAP
40 Burpees
30 Snatch (45lbs)
30 Burpees
30 Snatch (75lbs)
20 Burpees
30 Snatch (100lbs)
10 Burpees
Max rep Snatch (120lbs)

Now you see why my heart sank and fear set in...LOOK AT ALL THOSE STINKING BURPEES!!  Saturday was getting closer and closer but the fear only got worse.  I had lots of uplifting positive people providing endless support for me (Pam, Matt, Jason, Clay, Jana, Steven and the list goes on).  They had the faith in me that I was going to do great.  Saturday arrived and it was time to kick some butt!  I woke up positive and refreshed, ready to face my fear of burpees!  This would also be the first time I have ever competed in an athletic competition.  It was my turn to do the workout and something absolutely amazing happened...I KICKED BUTT!!  My burpees were stringing together smoother than any workout I had ever done before.  I was physically exhausted but mentally I was racing so I kept going.  In the end I survived the workout and had a great score!  I even set a PR during my workout by doing a 75lb snatch!

75lb Snatch

Kicking Burpee Butt

Can't wait to see what 13.2 brings this coming Wednesday!!

Ready, Set, Go!!

February 18th is almost here which means it's time for me to buckle down with my health and fitness goals!  That means it's AdvoCare 24-Day Challenge time! The cleanse starts tomorrow and I'm so ready for it!  I'm ready to clean out all the funk from my body from the last 7 weeks of a crazy busy life.  Ready for some awesome workouts and moving myself to the next level of training.

The challenge isn't all about weightloss.  For me personally, it's a spring board in my workouts.  I also run faster (ok jog faster), lift heavier and push myself past my mental limits.  I'm 31 yrs old and have honestly never felt better in my entire life!  I'm feeding my body great clean food and amazing supplements!  

Bring on Monday because this girl is ready to blow it up!!

Frustration

Today has been a day full of frustration, anger and confusion.  Steven and I have dreams that are wonderful and amazing but they will take hard work and dedication to accomplish them.  At what point though do you ever feel like your on the "right" path to accomplishing those dreams?

Our dreams take big sacrifices that can take a toll on our emotions.  For the couple that doesn't have any kids we aren't home very often.  2013 was the year to have a baby...yeah right!  Not sure when we are suppose to fit that in!  We seem to over commit ourselves to everything else and in the end we pay the price.  The price being that we don't focus enough on our own marriage and dreams.  We push those things to the "next free weekend" and then that never seems to roll around.  But we feel selfish when we tell family and friends no.  

Now here we sit 6 weeks into the new year still not focused on our financial dreams, health and wellness to the level that we want to.  We makes excuses constantly but we never put ourselves first!  So how you do press the reset button on life?  It's hard!  We've tried about 4 times in the last 3 weeks and still haven't reset.

We are faced with how to move forward and start living the life we have always wanted to.  We've done it before but somehow we have to get back on the right track!  So if we take a step back from the social calendar of life, don't take offense.  We're focused on starting a family, financial freedom, and accomplishing our goals for 2013.  

Scared to Post

Strange title right?  Don't worry it will all make sense very soon!

I've been doing Crossfit for about 5 months now.  Some might think that's a long time but it's really not.  When I started Pam Munson asked me had I ever done any sports when I was younger.  I literally LOL'd at her.  I mean seriously...was she looking at the same person that I saw in the mirror each day?  She then started to tell me that I was an athlete and I again chuckled because I honestly thought she was just blowing smoke.  In January my attitude FINALLY changed about my athletic ability.

At Crossfit Champions they post the WOD on their website and ask you to post your results after completing that particular WOD.  I was determined to NEVER post my results because I was embarrassed by them.  Then I thought why?  Why was I am embarrassed?  Those people posting all had to start somewhere on there own journey right?  I continued to watch as people would post and I continued to do nothing with my own results.  Then I changed my thought process and started wondering how many other people are having those same thoughts?

Then the day came and I posted my results finally.  You know what?  Not one person said anything negative!  Instead people are encouraging and proud of my success.  I never thought that anyone would be proud of my athletic success.  Then again I never thought I would have an athletic success story.

So yesterday's WOD was very challenging for me and I was again faced with the fear of posting my scaled slow results but I did it anyway!

3 x 300m Run
3 x 500m Row
3 x 150 Jump Ropes
Total Time:  26:46

Don't be ashamed of your results!  Everyone starts somewhere on their journey.  Be proud and post away!  Someone you don't even know will benefit from you being open about your struggle and success!

Stop or Keep Going?

Steven and I have truly struggled over the last three weeks with our workouts and eating. We've made poor food choices which have lead to average workouts for us. Some people might be happy with average but I'm not! I'm better than that, I'm an athlete now and I need to train like one! It's not just about the workouts but its also about the fuel you feed your body. Have you ever spent time to read the labels that junk food is made of?

Lots of our friends and family don't understand why we are eating the way we are. My answer is simply because we want to feel better! I'm 31 and at times you might think I'm 60!

2013 is the year that Steven and I change our lives! It's more than eating and working out, it's also about becoming a better wife and husband. We deserve the best that life has to offer but we have to WORK at our success! No one is going to dump happiness and success in your lap! You have to work at it!

So are you going to stop or keep going towards your own happiness?

Closing Out 2012

Well it's New Year's Eve and another year is coming to an end.  2012 has been a roller coaster ride for Steven and I.  Our lives together started out with lots of bumps and we are ending on such a high.  It's hard to even figure out where to start...

Our year started with us struggling financially and living two separate lives in the same house.  We hadn't quite made the one year mark of marriage.  Many friends told us the first year would be the hardest.  Not because we weren't meant to be married but because we were both older when we got married (lets face it, when you get married and your both in your thirties your "older").  We were both pretty much set in our ways as individuals and we struggled with communication as a couple.  Then reality hit us in the face at the beginning of February.  Our dear friends Steve and Jen Martin told us that Steve had stage 4 melanoma.  Talk about kick you in your face!  Here we were arguing over leaving a dirty bowl in the sink for someone else to clean-up and they were dealing with the reality of STAGE 4 CANCER!  Funny thing is that they didn't dwell on the negative and sadness of the cancer, instead they started a war against cancer which has lead to Steve still being here 12 months later!  Here's a link to Jen's blog http://martinfamilyjourney.blogspot.com

Our one year anniversary arrived in March and we celebrated with an amazing dinner at Damian's in downtown Houston!  Probably in my top 5 awesome moments in life.  I got to cook like a real chef!

I'm even wearing high heels while I cook my master piece!  

Steven and I had overcome a lot of our issues by March.  We were plowing through the first part of the year and creating memories along the way!  In May we took a wonderful trip to New Mexico for some great hiking and relaxation!  It was fantastic!

I was goofing off during this photo and nearly fell backwards down the cliff.  Lesson learned...don't goof off while at the edge!

So the first half of our year was pretty exciting and we had overcome our bumps in our marriage!  The second half of 2012 was very busy and lots of fun!

My Mary Kay business was having it's own success!  I was the first runner up in the Rockstar unit for court of sales.  My good friend Lori was the queen!  Steven and I went to our very first Mary Kay Seminar in August.  It was lots of training and we got to play fancy dress-up a couple of nights for awards.  It's always fun dressing up for events!  My success in Mary Kay allowed me to donate $450 to the Martin Family's AIM for Melanoma walk in September as well!

Steven decided to leave 24 Hour Fitness where we had been kind of working out together and joined Crossfit Champions.  I stayed at 24 Hour since I had a personal trainer.  Our weight loss was up and down all summer long.  Not really seeing any progress because every time we lost weight we had a bad weekend or week(s) and gained it back.

In last August I took the plunge and joined Crossfit Champions.  I thought it was the dumbest decision I made at the time but whatever I was giving it a try.  Immediately after I joined Steven left on an out of town trip for the ENTIRE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER!  Oh great, I joined this new place and my husband left!  In September the gym had an AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge which I participated in and didn't have much success.  The only real improvement was that I took 2 minutes off my workout.  I will stay the unsuccessful challenge was COMPLETELY MY FAULT!  I quit the last 2 weeks of the challenge and the results suffered because of it.

October was about the same.  We were working out and taking our AdvoCare supplements but not really eating clean and healthy.  In November we took our annual trip to San Antonio to watch the lights come on the Friday after Thanksgiving on the River Walk.  We had a great time!

After Thanksgiving we decided to do a 24 Day Challenge together. This my friends was the turning point in our weight-loss and life that Steven and I both needed!  We had amazing results with weight and inches lost.  We both felt great and had energy that we had never had before.  We didn't eat out for 24 days!  Our checking account was gratefully for that!  At this point I had figured out that Crossfit was EXACTLY what I needed!  It was a giant family and I loved it!

So now the end of the year is here and what's next?  2013 is going to be full of greatness and lots of success!  We will continue to get healthy together and we will also start helping others.  There are so many people out there that want to get healthy but just need help from real people who have been through the same struggles!  We're hoping to do just that!

Happy New Year to everyone and may your 2013 be a great one as well!

What's a 24 Day Challenge?

Cheris and I recently did the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge.  I've never done one before even thought Crossfit Champions has done a couple of them since I have been a member there.  Cheris has done a couple without success and follow thru.

The first ten days are a herbal cleanse.  Don't worry it's not a make you have the poops cleanse.  That is the first question I got when I told people what I was doing.  Most people say that the first ten days is the hardest.  To me its just the first couple minutes of the day that were hard.  You take a fiber drink in the mornings on days 1-3 and 8-10.  The taste of the drink is not bad but the texture is a little on the blah side.  I did learn a good way to drink it is to take a big breath of air and drink as much as you can and then repeat.  So really you just have to muster a minute or two of courage and its over.  Through out the first ten days I only experienced one day of carvings/hunger but i said on course I would just eat my snack earlier than I plan that day.  my first ten days consisted with having fruit for breakfast, turkey jerky for a snack during the day.  Thankfully we went to San Antonio the day after Thanksgiving and we got to load up on turkey jerky from Buc-ee's.  For lunch I usually had a protein and veggies.  Dinner was a protein and a veggie also.  No processed foods nothing came out of a box or from a restaurant.    Its easy to control what goes in your body when you are the one making the food.

For the next 14 days is the fat burn stage.  You have a meal replacement shake for breakfast.  I decided to have vanilla shakes.  They were very good a little thick but it tasted like vanilla cake batter.  It reminded me of my childhood days of licking the mixer blades when my mom was finished making a cake.  As far as food, it was basically the same as the cleanse but I did add a couple of foods back into my diet like eggs and bacon.  I did not go overboard on them but it was nice to have them again.  During this time I got a new boss that was a tech in my crew in the past. Right away he noticed that I was looking thinner since the last time he had seen me.  This is always a cool feeling when you are working towards something and someone else notices it.  I will not lie I did have once bad day while on the 24 day challenge.  It happened on a Sunday there was some dark chocolate morsels that Cheris uses when she makes her paleo cookies.  I had a couple hand fulls of them which after eating them I felt like pooh.

All in all the challenge was a complete success!  I would recommend this to anyone to get jump start on your weight loss, healthy eating habits, need to drop a quick 10 pounds or whatever your reason might be!  

So what's next??  We are continuing on with the the healthy/clean eating habits and taking our supplements.  Why change something that is working?!

Cheris and I are kicking off another group 24 Day Challenge, Monday 1/7/13.  Join us as we all work towards living longer, looking better, feeling better and just finishing our goals! 

Little scale humor for Thursday...

 

24 Day Challenge Results

Recently Cheris and I took the AdvoCare 24 Day Challenge.  It combines clean eating with wellness and weight loss supplements.  The challenge is broken into a ten day herbal cleanse and a 14 day fat burn process.  We will post a more detailed blog about our experiences on the challenge in the up coming days.  But we are so excited by our results that we wanted to post a short results blog.

BEFORE PICTURES:

AFTER PICTURES:

Cheris lost 3/4" off her flexed arm measurement, four inches off of her waist, and three and  1/4 inches off her hips.  That is a total of 8 inches lost in 24 days.  She also lost 8 pounds too.  Cheris is able to wear clothes that she has not been able to wear in three years!!! Truly amazing results.

I lost 1/2' off my arm flexed measurement, 3 and 1/4 inches off the my waist and gain 3/4" in his shoulders for a total of 3 inches lost.  I also lost 13 pounds in 24 days.  Some people might wonder about the gain in the shoulders but it's OK because remember part of my success is CrossFit workouts and I've set some serious PR's in the last 24 days as well.

These results are by far the best we have seen in our dieting over the last 2 years!  Our challenge isn't over though.  We took a small 5 day break for Christmas and are right back on track today!  Success isn't easy to achieve unless you work hard at it which is exactly what we did.

We are kicking off another challenge Monday, January 7, 2013.  Let us work with you to help achieve your goals!

www.advancedadvocare.com

Whose the bomb?!?!?!

For the first time ever, I pretty much felt like a bad ass tonight during my workout!  I'm normally not one to toot my horn quite so loud but I pretty much rocked my workout!

Let's see...Back Squat 145lbs (PR) and Shoulder Press 90lbs (PR)

What I did learn tonight is that I'm a strong person who has come a very long way in a short amount of time. I started Crossfit just a short 3 months ago a very weak and broken woman.  I had little self-confidence that I could actually succeed at Crossfit.  I thought I would have quit by now actually.

I haven't quit though and it's because of the Crossfit family environment.  Everyone supports each other through everything.  You could be the fastest but also be the weakest, you could be the weakest but be the fastest it doesn't really matter because we all support each other.

Black Friday WOD

The gym that we train at was closed the week of Thanksgiving but our trainers had "special" Thanksgiving WOD's and we were able to get in a free workout for the week!  Friday morning happen to be when Pam and Matt had their Black Friday WOD.

I now know that anytime the word "excited" is used with WOD, it really means...Get ready for a killer workout that will make you never want to eat carbs or pie AGAIN!  Seriously folks, it was probably the hardest workout I've ever done!

Black Friday WOD (partner workout):

Run 600M (200M each round)
45 Burpees (15 each round)

180 Jump Rope (60 each round)
45 Pull-Ups (15 each round, jumping pull-ups)

Rowing 600M (200M each round)
45 Box Jumps (15 each round, 20" box)

Steven and I actually completed the WOD!

So what did I learn on Friday?  I'M AN EXTREMELY STRONG WOMAN!  3 months ago I would have probably taken an entire hour to complete this workout but it took just a short 29 minutes (my time, combined it was 34 minutes) to complete the entire thing!  I'm sure their are people that did it faster but I don't really care because this was a huge milestone for me personally!  I'm not saying I need this type of WOD every week but it's good to have something that challenges you beyond your comfort zone.  If you stay in your comfort zone all the time then how to you measure progress?

My personal challenge going forward is to always push myself out of the comfort zone!  If I can complete this hard cardio workout, then I can complete anything that I put my mind to!

Small Things

This weekend Steven and I celebrated "Steven's Day".  It's a completely made up day obviously but we had so much fun with it! We created a day built of doing that that Steven wanted to do.  It was nothing special or fancy just a day of being together.  Here's a run down of what we did:

*Shopping at Old Navy, Michael's, Barnes-N-Noble, Gander Mtn

*Dinner at Salt Grass while sitting at the bar watching football

*Grocery shopping at the new Fairfield HEB (it was awesome)

While this doesn't seem like anything special, it meant a lot to Steven.  THAT'S WHAT MATTERED THE MOST!  It wasn't about how much money we could spend or what kind of adventure we went on; it was about doing things he wanted to do for the day (I must admit Michael's was my idea but he found a great treasure).

His Christmas guy he bought from Michael's below.

Back at it: "Murph"

For those of you who have not had the pleasure to experience the joy that is Crossfit let me give you some knowledge.  There are certain workouts called "Hero WODs".  They are workouts that honor servicemen, police officers, and firemen that have lost their lives in the line of duty.  These WODs are very challenging since they are made to honor these men and women.  On Monday I had the pleasure of being introduced to "Murph".  The prescribed workout is one mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 push ups, 300 squats, and to finish it off one mile run.  Oh yea almost forgot you are doing this while wearing a weighted vest.  The workout is in honor of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy , 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.   This was his favorite workout.

Well since I am not close to being an elite athlete yet and struggle with cardio based workouts I did a half Murph.  So my runs were 800m instead of the full mile.  I started out strong I was able to run first 800m leg without stopping.  I am very proud of this because that is the farthest I have ran without stopping in years.  My plan for the movements was just do as many as I can and then move to the next one and so on and so on until I had finished all of my push up and pull ups and squats.  Then came the last leg of 800 meters. 

I was tired and my arms were dead.  I would run/jog as much as I could and then fast walk.  While fast walking I would think about Murphy and what he and his fellow brothers went through and it would give me the drive to start running again.  Now I am not saying that my struggles compare to his but sometimes you need to focus on something to get you through the wall.  To realize what you are going through is not that terrible at all that it is just a short inconvenience.  I finished strong and completed my WOD in 31 minutes. 

But for me the WOD is not done.  I want to learn more about this man and his fellow brothers.  There is a book that was written about his unit called "Lone Survivor".  I plan on reading it this weekend.  So thank you Murphy for your sacrifice for this country and thank you for making me a better person. 

Bad=Good

My morning started off with tears.  That's right, at 5:45AM tears are rolling down my face as I'm getting ready to head out the door to work for the day.  Thanks goodness for waterproof mascara!  I decided to weigh this morning for the first time in a month and was rather disappointed in the results...putting it mildly!  What a way to start a Monday! 

On the flip side of Monday, I found AMAZING success in my workout today!  When Pam first sent out the workout, I thought "she's lost her mind"!  My workout today was:

200 M Slosh Ball Run (40lbs)
300 M Sand Bag Run (50lbs)
300 M Run

Followed by:
90 Second Workout-50M sprint then max rep front squat (55lb, 21 reps)

I kicked total butt on this workout today which for me is unheard of when it comes to any cardio workout!  I normally pretty decent at holding my own on strength workouts and completely SUCK at cardio!  Not today though, I was determined to do more during my workout today and I accomplished just that!

It's time to raise the bar on myself and push myself way out of the comfort zone!  I'm so proud that I was able to use my horrible morning as a spring board to have a fantastic day!  Ate 100% clean all day and had an amazing workout!  Look out world because I'm ready to take you on!

Cooking for a Week

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

Sunday Rambling...

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 

Attitude and Food

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!