playing catch-up

Oh hot cocoa. How I miss thee... Actually, I should stop lying. I haven't exactly given up on coffee and hot cocoa. However, I don't drink them nearly as much as I'd like to. When you're adopting the paleo/primal eating lifestyle, there are some major changes you'll find in terms of eating. For me, I found that sweet things are WAY SWEETER than I remember. This is why I don't really mind opting out of the sweet drinks.


fathlete confession: I'm in LOVE with eggnog lattes. Don't get me started on my love for eggnog. Unfortunately, I won't be drinking many of them this season - and it has nothing to do with the carb count. Simply put, I can't handle the sweetness anymore. Gah!

For now, I still have a love for hot cocoa - the gourmet kind. It's because the sugar content is much lower because they use high quality extra dark cocoa to make it. I don't have it much. But when I do, it's a real treat. Also, I love lattes. They don't have much sugar, but they satisfy my coffee fix. Again, I don't have them often, but when I do, it's a treat. The above photo is of a lovely latte from The Summit, a new favorite hangout of mine.

In fathlete news, here are some articles of interest:
10 Ways Guys Lose Weight
How to avoid holiday family fights
7 Weight Loss Tips from "The Biggest Loser"

Finally, in lieu of yesterday's post, I'm listing the workouts I did since I started myself on my challenge. They're not as detailed as I usually like them to be, but here it goes. My challenge started on Wednesday, November 10th and will conclude on Friday, December 10th. (Note: you don't need to read further. The rest of this entry are notes to myself. Thanks!)

Wednesday, Nov 10th
Today's Workout: 1 hour of Zumba

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I "invested" in this DVD set. While it does the job if I need a workout in a pinch, it's not as rigorous as I'd like it.

Thursday, Nov 11th

Today's Workout: 

Notes (to myself) about this workout: 

Friday, Nov 12th

Today's Workout: 1 hour of yoga; 1 hour of belly dance

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I always enjoy yoga. This was the first time in a long time that I did belly dance. Sadly, there are certain things my body (for now) can no longer do. It was frustrating because I had a hard time keeping up. Bleh.

Saturday, Nov 13th

Today's Workout: 1 hour of Zumba

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I did a different DVD this time. Again, it's not as rigorous as I like. But it did the job. Like belly dance, there are certain movements I'm having problems with. It's just a matter of re-visiting them in the basic DVD. I'm not used to my rhythm being off-beat. It's new to me.

Monday, Nov 15th

Today's Workout:

Elizabeth:

Complete 21/15/9 reps for time of:
Power Clean 65#
Band assisted ring dips

Joanne's Final Time: N/A (I can't remember.)

Work on back squats

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I still need to work on the band assisted ring dips. I didn't go as low as I need to because my right arm just wouldn't bend for some reason. However, I am happy that I'm finally challenging myself by using the actual rings. I should have gone heavier on the clean - like about 5#-10# heavier. I was so spent that I whimped out on the now optional strength portion.

Tuesday, Nov 16th

Today's Workout: 1 hour of spin. And then...

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
400m run
500m row

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I completed a 1600 meter run and a 2000 meter row (4 rounds total). The row/run sucks. Period. In the morning, I did my first spin class in about two years. OMG. It was great. But getting used to the bike seat is weird. Right now, I feel like I lost my virginity... in the wrong place. Gah!

Wednesday, Nov 17th

Today's Workout: 1 hour of yoga. And then...

One cycle is as many rounds as possible in four minutes of:
3 front squats 85#
5 push-ups (on knees)
7 knees to elbows
Rest two minutes and repeat for a total of four cycles.

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I completed 14 rounds. This was WAY more than I had anticipated. Next time, I need to bump up the weight. 85# was good and was over the sx'd recommendation, but I should have pushed it to 95#. This was a great WOD, I must say. Also, I had to change the grip on the knees to elbows so I was holding on with my palm instead of my fingers. There was less pinching that way. To note, my form on the front squat was great! As always, yoga is great.

Thursday, Nov 18th

Today's Workout:
Complete the following tasks within the one hour training session time:
Run 2.2 miles (around the block twice)
100 hip extensions
100 Abmat sit-ups
100 air squats

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Believe it or not, I actually like days like this because you just have to finish. No time (unless you want to), but finish. I did the run first and the broke up the rest of the WOD like so: 25 hip extensions; 50 Abmat sit-ups; 25 hip extensions; 50 Abmat sit-ups; 25 hip extensions; 50 air squats; 25 hip extensions; 50 air squats. I'm not sure if this was allowed, but it's how I had to do it. The muscle behind my right knee started to stiffen, which made the latter part of this WOD extremely painful. However, I stopped, used some of the torture devices to mend it, and then went right back at it. I finished within the hour with about 10 minutes to spare. This is because I didn't really rest in between exercises. I'm really happy I was able to make it in to OW today. With the 7:15 class getting cut, Thursdays are a challenge.