Tuesday Tabata

Hi friends!

Today I went up to Kelly Rec (where you only pay $3 a visit) to see what kind of equipment they have for CrossFitting. It's literally right by my place, like a one minute jog and you're there. I went with my workout buddy Mike and we were planning on doing some dead lifts (we're both still sore from Angie on Sunday).

But lo and behold, I was thrilled to find a Rogue Fitness Plyo Box!  YESSSSSSSS. I immediately decided on box jumps because they're one of my favorite things, even though they're exhausting. I think this was a 20 incher. Want to buy one of your own? They're effing expensive, but here ya go:

 

http://www.roguefitness.com/rogue-wood-plyoboxes.php

We had already planned on tabata intervals because I just downloaded the "My WOD" app, and wanted to test out my tabata timer. Tabata is interval training where you do the exercise for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest. Since there was only one box, we decided on alternating box jumps with burpees for a total of 16 rounds and an 8 minutes workout. It was exhausting, but we still managed a 3 minute plank "cash out." 

You can say it was a success because a freelance personal trainer came up and told us we were wearing her out! Hah! We win. :)

I saw on my old gym's website (crossfitrebels.com) that their WOD today was run 1 mile and 100 situps for time. I think I'll try that one tomorrow!

Ta ta for now!

Andrea

Angie, Mercy Me and Bacon!

Hi friends!

Just a little update... it's hot outside, in case you didn't know.

I have been unemployed for almost 2 weeks now! Yay? I've applied for a few jobs, but haven't heard back from any yet (boo).

Anyway, exciting news! I've been wanting to continue Crossfitting, even though I can't afford a gym right now. So I went on amazon.com, aka my favorite website ever because everything's cheaper there, and ordered a couple pull-up assist bands. These bands are awesome, because they make pullups possible for us weaklings, and helps us become strong. You should see the "guns" I'm developing.

Here is a pic of my bands on his pullup bars:

This is what it looks like when you use them (sorry, no action shot of me):

I tested out my new bands yesterday with my friend Mike, who does Crossfit workouts in his backyard, and is my closest thing to a CF gym at the moment. I should post pictures of his yard... it's pretty cool. I promise you that for my next blog! The workout (or WOD, which is the CrossFit term) we did is a common CrossFit one called "Angie." 

ANGIE

100 Pull Ups

100 Push Ups

100 Sit Ups

100 Squats

It's no easy feat, and it takes awhile for a newbie to do this WOD "as prescribed," meaning no bands. I however, am still training to get prescribed pull ups and push ups, so I used my pullup bands and did push ups on my knees (lame). Last time I did this WOD was at my gym, CrossFit Rebels, and I did the intermediate version which was 75 reps of each. Since I took about a week off of CrossFit and we did this WOD at 1 pm, I only did 50 of each. And it was HARD. The sit ups and squats are a piece of cake to me though, so I think I should do 100 of each of those next time.

Anyway, it was a great workout and a good jump start back into CrossFit!

This morning I did "Mercy Me." This WOD was named after a Rebel girl named Mercy, and she loves to run. Here's the workout:

MERCY ME

1600 meter run, 3 minute rest

1200 m run, 2 min rest

800 m run, 1 min rest

400 m run

 It's SO HOT outside, so this was a tough one. But I ended the thing out of breath and drenched in sweat so I consider it a success! It took me a minute and a half longer to run this than the last time I did it, but it's probably because 1) I ran it at 9:30 am instead of 6:30 am, and 2) I was measuring out the distances with my MapMyRun app on my iPhone. I expect better results next time!

After my run, I was inspired to have some Paleo breakfast: bacon and coffee. Yep, I had 6 slices of bacon. Sounds fattening? Yes, but in a good way! Bacon is actually good for you! Quoted from bacontoday.com: 

"Bacon helps to fully satiate our appetite with high protein / low carb energy, helping the body lose weight, raise one’s metabolism and build leaner, stronger muscles."

My breakfast wasn't "legally" Paleo, because my bacon was cured, and I put creamer in my coffee but, hey. It's better than my normal bagel with laughing cow! I also decided to make some "protein muffins" that my friend Mary Kate eats pretty much daily for breakfast. She is a strict Paleo eater, so I'm always interested in the things she makes. These "muffins" are as simple as a slice of bacon and and egg in a muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, and voila! Protein muffins! Here are my before and after pics, although I haven't tasted them yet:

Before

After

I'll let you know how they taste, but for now: Happy Monday and have a great week, everyone!!

Andrea

30 day update!

Hello friends,

I want to apologize for being a blogging slacker… I’ve been super busy because hubby and I moved, then we were on vacation, and THEN I made the bold move to quit my job (more on this later).

 Anyway, just wanted to give my 30 day CrossFit update! I realize this is a month and a half late... damn I really am a slacker. I hit 30 days on May 31st. I mostly have been putting this off because I didn't have a computer to use to put the before & after pictures together. So here they are...

These two look pretty much the same to me.

As do these...

Okay, I know, I know. They're not really super impressive. But you can kinda see a difference. I am definitely more toned than I was, and it probably helps to know I was not eating healthy during this 30 days. I had this whole mentality of "oh, I'm doing CrossFit so I can eat what I want." That's actually not true...

The preferred diet for CrossFit is Paleo. Look it up. It's from the caveman days. I wouldn't have a problem eating like this except there are 2 food items I am not willing to give up: cheese and bread. And we might as well add wine to that list. However, I HAVE been more mindful of adding lots of protein to my diet. I've also started taking Amino Energy before my daily morning workout. 

Holy cow, this stuff is amazing (I recommend the orange flavor)!!! It wakes me up immediately, and I don't get tired or weak during my workouts. This might be a new addiction... you should try them!

Since I've become unemployed, I can no longer afford a membership to a CrossFit gym. Until I do, my friend Mike is going to help me with my pull ups and toes to bar! My goal is to do them unassisted by the time I can afford CrossFit again. I will keep you posted on my progress!

Until next time! 

A.