CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
1 hour of heated yoga
Run 800 meters
THREE sets of TEN reps of:
Samson Stretch
10 Shoulder rolls
10 Overhead Squats
10 Lunges (each leg)
10 Wall balls

WOD: "Blackjack"
Complete the following for time:
20push-ups/1 sit-up
19 push-ups/2 sit-ups
18 push-ups/3 sit-ups
17 push-ups/4 sit-ups
16 push-ups/5 sit-ups
15 push-ups/6 sit-ups
14 push-ups/7 sit-ups
13 push-ups/8 sit-ups
12 push-ups/9 sit-ups
11 push-ups/10 sit-ups
10 push-ups/11 sit-ups
9 push-ups/12 sit-ups
8 push-ups/13 sit-ups
7 push-ups/14 sit-ups
6 push-ups/15 sit-ups
5 push-ups/16 sit-ups
4 push-ups/17 sit-ups
3 push-ups/18 sit-ups
2 push-ups/19 sit-ups
1 push-up/20 sit-ups

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I was happy that I could do the push-ups better. It's a tough exercise for me and I was glad that I was able to keep my hands and elbows in the position that I needed it to be in. This is actually one of my favorite WODs because it's challenging and uses no equipment. Again, no timer was used.

Eric, one of the other CrossFitters offered to help train me just so I can get my feet wet again. We agreed we'd start training next week Monday. I'm thankful that he's willing to help me out because I've been in such a slump lately. In truth, I haven't had the greatest week and it's only Tuesday.

I will say that in life matters, I'm ready. I'm ready. I'm ready to conquer CrossFit again. I'm ready to run again. I'm ready to get moving with the dissertation and such. I'm ready for what life has in store for me. No fear. No pain. No turning back. I'm diving in head first to reach all my goals - physical, personal, spiritual. That's my life's theme these days: I'm ready.

today's workout

Today I did an hour of heated yoga followed by an hour of belly dance.

This is my standard workout on Fridays. I've decided that Fridays are dedicated to mind/body/pleasure workouts. I'm still rusty in belly dance. But luckily, I kept up with the routine better than before. Yea.

Cheers to a good weekend!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
Row 1000 meters
Three sets of 10 reps of:
Samson stretch
Shoulder Rolls
Overhead Squat
GHD Sit-Ups
GHD Push-ups

WOD: "JT"
Complete 21/15/9 reps for time of:
Modified Handstand push-ups
Bar Dips
Push-ups

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I hate handstand push-ups. They make me fall. I can't check my form because I think that having your butt stick up in the air is totally inappropriate. Thank god there were like 5 of us in the studio this morning. Unfortunately, I was the only girl. So me having my butt in the air was so not cute. (Note: The photo features Julia demonstrating proper modified handstand push-up form. See what I'm talkin' about?)

Today was a rest day, but I went in and did this particular WOD because it required more upper body work. I suck at push-ups. I just feel like my entire upper body is so damn heavy. I really gotta work on those.

Finally, my bra left some weird strange bruise on my upper back. Hmph.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
1 hour of heated yoga
Row 1000 meters
Three sets of 10 Reps of:
Samson Stretch
Shoulder Rolls
Push Press
Overhead Squats
GHD Sit-ups
GHD Back Extensions

WOD: "Nancy"
Complete five rounds for time of:
Run 400m
15 overhead squats 30#

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Yoga has been challenging lately because the room is heated. In fact, yesterday was hotter than usual. I think 3-4 people walked out! But I stuck it through. It was great.

I then went to One World to do their WOD. It was pretty good. I'm not as strong as I'd like to be, but I'm glad I got it done. Yea! Pat me on the back when I see you, huh?

I still don't time myself because I just want to finish. The other WOD they were doing was Fight Gone Bad. It sucks. I refused to do it, but I did promise Eric I'd show up the next time they did that WOD. You can run, but you can't hide from "Fight Gone Bad." In all, I'm feeling better and now that I've settled into my new place, I'm getting back to my normal workout mode.

OWMA Quotable Quote
Eric: Come on, Joanne. Do "Fight Gone Bad" with me. We'll scale it down so you can do it.
Me: No way! I'm not ready for a crazy WOD like that. Besides, I'd like to maintain my sexy!

proud of me

I worked out last night at One World, so when 4am hit, I really didn't want to get up to spin class this morning. Oddly, I was up at 4am - going in and out of sleep. I just wasn't sure I wanted to go to spin class so early. But I did it. I got my fat, lazy and now sore from all those sit-ups yesterday ass up and went to spin. The class starts at 5:30am. However, I have to leave the house before 5am in order to sign up for a bike and set it up. It didn't used to be this big ordeal, but for some reason, while I was in Pinas, a shitload of people decided they'd take spin class at 5:30am. Bastards! So this is why spin is such a negotiation for me.

Today's class was actually really refreshing because it was a solid, let's-sweat-it-out session that included a "race day ride." It's a 10 minute portion that simulates what real cyclists do - keep a steady pace and just switch the gears while doing it. Meaning, no matter how hard the ride, you're supposed to keep the same leg pace. It was tough. But man, it was a great class.

I'm slowly but surely getting back into the swing of working out. Getting back into CrossFit shape has been challenging. But for now, I think if I just stick to going in and doing the WOD myself with no timer, I'll be fine. I'll do that for the next three months. By fall, I'll go back to being timed and such. It's a long process, but I'm willing to work on it.

Running is another thing I need to break through. I'm running my three mile practice runs which are fine right now. But when I get into higher mileage, I know I'm going to have to do the 4:1 run/walk pace I did for the Maui Marathon. Truth is, I hate running. I'm not even convinced that it's good for me. What I do like is the discipline of running. The challenge of running. That's why I do it.

But today, I'm proud of me. I got my fat, lazy and now sore from all those sit-ups yesterday ass up when I could have just stayed in bed.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
1 hour of yoga - hard yoga
1.1 mile run

WOD
Complete the following for time
50 sit-ups
100 jump rope turns
50 sit-ups
50 squats
50 sit-ups
50 push press
50 sit-ups

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I modified the posted WOD because I'm still trying to get into CrossFit shape. It was a shitload of sit-ups that I know I'm going to have to pay for tomorrow. One World is closed for the next four days for remodeling. That's fine because I just have to focus on spinning, running and yoga for the next two days.

Notes (to myself) about the Challenge:
So far so good. It does help to keep a food journal because not only am I recording what I eat, I'm taking a mental note of how I actually feel. I'm trying to avoid feeling overstuffed and so far it's been fine. I just went to the doctor today. UGH! But I'm ready and working on getting back on track.

decisions, decisions!

I've decided that the whole giving up red meat thing just isn't going to work. Sorry Oprah. You're on your own with that one. Though I enjoy the discipline involved in doing something like that, I just don't like the idea of being forbidden to have something. I liked my no fried food challenge and that's that. In fact, I may do that soon.

Right now, I'm doing this as my next 30 day challenge: keep a food journal. I'm starting today. 30 days of keeping a no-holds-barred completely honest food journal. That's my challenge. Studies state that food journals really help people make better food choices because they have to write those choices down and confront them head on. I think this is what I need and it's what's gonna help me get back on track. In my journal I'm also recording the time so that I have a better understanding of how much time passes in between meals and at what times I tend to get hungrier. Right now, it's the late afternoon, right before dinner that I tend to have the munchies.

I decided to commit to a food journal because I just haven't been feeling good lately. I've been feeling completely off balance. I'll have a light breakfast, a way heavy lunch and then a late dinner. This just doesn't work for me. This is where I begin to miss the Philippines because good eating habits are automatically built into the lifestyle there, where they eat 5-6 small meals per day. There, you have to do it because the heat. You need your energy. I think it's the heat.

Naturally, I have some personal goals to go along with my journal. Here it goes...
My ultimate goal is to have 6 servings of fruit/veggies a day. Broken down, that's one fruit and one veggie per meal. I think it's doable. I'd like to have 3 servings of dairy per day. That can be a meal or snack thing. Again, with the right grocery shopping, it's totally doable. I'd also like to cut down on the fried food and the carbs like bread and such. Again, totally doable. Following these simple guidelines will help me out tremendously. Wish me luck!

I've been trying to incorporate a salad and a fruit for dessert at lunch and dinner. So far so good. Then again, it's only been a day.

Another thing I've been trying to get back into is consistently working out. I ran three miles today. Not bad. Tomorrow is CrossFit and yoga. I'm committing. I unpacked my gym clothes so I have no excuses. Gym, here I come!

today's workout

After skipping yoga for a whole week, I came back and did an hour of yoga followed by an hour of belly dance. I was spent. To me, yoga isn't hard, it's just challenging (go figure). I was sweating buckets. But it was a good, energizing workout.

Yoga was followed by bellydance, which I'm pretty rusty at. Dolian put me at the front of the class. Meaning, I can't f--k up because other students rely on watching me to get the routine. I'm usually good at picking up the routine (something I thank my Filipino genes for). But Friday just wasn't my day. I f--ked up royally. I just couldn't get the first combination down. Stupid, because it was the easiest. I felt like I had two left feet.

Dolian could tell I was struggling. Bless her heart. But she came up to me afterward and said, "That's what you get for missing so much class. Make sure you come in from now on." Okay Maestra! I hear you!

Lesson learned.
Enough said.

finding footing (again)

You'd think that after posting that "motivational" article I would have been happy to work out this week. No go. Today was my first workout this week. I went to spin class and did that for an hour. Bally's in Fremont has shitty bikes. I'm not going to lie about it. They just do. Luckily, I left the house at 4:50am. That's no typo. 4:50AM! I got to the gym by 5am and signed up for a bike. The room was open, so I got to choose a decent bike. They really need to update or repair what's there. The instructor even busted his bike during the workout and I thought he broke something. It weirded me out. So there you have it. Fix the damn bikes you Ballys cheap asses!

It was good to be back in spin. I like that workout. Afterward, I finally got my ass to One World, not to do the WOD, but to calibrate my Nike Sportband. All I gotta say is that it's a fabulous tool. During my test run, I did a 1.1 mile around the block and as expected, the band read 1.1 miles. I didn't even have to calibrate because the calculations were on. I'm excited about running now.

The whole no red meat thing isn't working because... I'm Filipino. I can't help it. I am trying to make a point to eat more fish, fruit and veggies. I think I'm doing okay.

Right now, I need to get into training mode. I signed up for the Nike Women's Half Marathon through Nike Plus. Apparently, if you are part of the Nike Plus family and log in 13.1 miles on the day of the Nike Women's Marathon in San Francisco, Nike will send you the finisher's gear - Tiffany necklace and all! Of course, you have to pay the entrance fee. But that's expected. On the day, there's going to be a 13.1 run at Valley Fair in San Jose and I think I'm gonna do that. Anyone with me?

Though I've been lazy, I have a fabulous and optimistic outlook on my workout future. I will be healthy and am making the proper adjustments.

I'm trying to find my footing. My motivation. It's going to work this time.

motivation?

Freddy posted this article: Exercise: Key to good sex, good sleep on the One World site.

Okay. I'll admit that I've been lacking motivation lately when it comes to working out. And I'm not saying that article has sparked a new fire up my butt. I will say that knowing exercise leads to good sleep and a better sexual response for women is quite enticing.

So off to the gym I'll go this week ;) heh!

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
Tabata Row - Calories
Three Rounds:
Samson Stretch
10 Shoulder Rolls
10 Overhead Squats
10 GHD situps
10 GHD back extensions
10 Burpees

WOD: Karen
Complete 150 wall balls for time.
Joanne's final time - 13:54

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
So I whimped out on this WOD by only using a 4# ball. But I did use the bigger ball, which I don't normally do because I just don't like the bigger balls (stop laughing). I was glad I did it and it was painful. I'm sure the soreness will last. But this is what getting back into the swing of things is like. I just need to suck it up and get back in the game. I'm hydrated now. Yea.

CrossFit One World W.O.T.D.

Warm-up
I arrived early and ran 800 meters to warm up. Austin was teaching, so he had his own specialized warm-up, which I loved. It basically went over running technique, stretching, etc.

WOD
Complete five rounds for time of:
Run 400m
Row 500m

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
I got spanked. Period. I've never not finished a WOD. EVER! The only exception was when I sprained my ankle. That's it. I don't know what happened. I did three rounds in 20:58. Just to give you a picture of how slow that is, most athletic types finished the WOD in that or less time. Boo! This tells me that getting back in CrossFit shape is going to take a while. I just have to be patient.

I've never taken a class with Austin, so it was good to have him there. I like it when people give you technical instructions and things. Every little bit helps. I'm also happy he was so forgiving with my poor performance.

After talking with a few people, including my chiropractor, I realized that though I had the determination to finish, I just didn't have the stamina to do so. My body felt so heavy after the first round. My legs felt as heavy as bricks and I was sucking air. I now know that I was dehydrated and needed food and water in my system. (Stupidly, I went to the gym without eating breakfast or drinking water.) I decided to throw in the towel after the third round because I started to shake and my hammies started to cramp. Though disappointed, I needed to feel this in order to learn that nutrition and hydration is important for basic body function. I'm back in the US and the lifestyle here isn't as conducive to healthy eating as it is in the Philippines. I need to adjust.

OWMA Quotable Quote
Austin: Damn! I need to get a tan. I'm so white!
Joanne: Yeah. You do.

Notes (to myself) about the Challenge:
This is tougher than I thought because I simply forget that I'm not allowed to eat red meat. It restarts again tomorrow.