lmfao

I'm not big on text/IM language. But LMFAO is the only thing I can say about the two videos below. Ah, CrossFit vids definitely make me smile!




Today's Small Victories
1) I threw in the towel!

Today's Workout
1 hour of yoga

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I stupidly left my gym bag at home. This is why I had to skip out on working out tonight. Oh well. At least I made it to yoga this morning. It was good. I love my new yoga mat. Also, I am enjoying the cleansing sweat that yoga gives me. It's hard, but it's the only place where I'm okay with not doing the sequences "rx'd." Wednesday morning yoga is also great after shredding my back from Tuesday deadlifts. ha ha! (Okay. Not so funny but...)

health stats

Ah yes. Two things that bring a smile to my face. Red velvet cupcakes and my dear friend John W. This was taken at the Fish Tourney when a small group of us shared the cupcakes that Mikee I. brought. I'd tell you about John W.'s vivd description of the cupcakes... but I like to keep things PG-13 around here. And that is the end of all things smiley (for now).

Yesterday was my doctor appointment. I was anxiously awaiting my test results because I was positive that with the challenge and all, my Ha1c was going to rock! In September, it was the lowest it had ever been at 5.8. I did this without even trying! Ideally, I should be in the mid 5 to mid 6 range. However, as long as I'm somewhere in the 6 range, I should be fine. Sadly, my results came back at 6.7! I don't know how the hell that happened. I was so sure I'd hit the high 5 range again. Gah! Note: All of my other readings are fine and my blood pressure is fantastic!

I've spent the last day or so beating myself up for the bad numbers. They just don't make sense. To get 6.7 while making a conscious effort to change the diet and such is discouraging. Yes. It made me want to eat a cupcake. But I didn't because I figured those suckers were the culprits!

For now, I'm trying to figure out a game plan that works. Exercise is fine. I've been back on primal after having a "loose" week. At this point, all I'm focusing on is the diet. I'm taking another test in May because that will be a better indicator of whether eating primal really works. (Note: The 6.7 could be from eating badly over the holidays and such because it covers Nov-Jan.) I let it be clear to doctor that I want to get off the meds. Right now, I've decided to completely cut the lipitor and focus on taking more fish oils. My cholesterol levels were great - especially considering that I rarely took the lipitor (only 2-3 times per week as opposed to everyday). The doc is also pushing real hard for me to take a flu and H1N1 shot. I'm not doing it. Though the doc and I don't see eye to eye, I have to take a stand some time! At thirty-four, I figure the less s--t in my body, the better. I want food to be my medicine. Also, I feel like I'm taking meds just so that I can handle eating s--t. If eating s--t is causing the problems, I should just train myself to eat better and lay off the meds. Period.

It's tough. I hate being a slave to my body. A slave to the diabetes. There has to be a better way to handle this. Right now, I'm still trying to figure out what works...

Today's Small Victories
1) I did some cookin'!
2) I love my back way more than I love deadlifts.

Warm-up
Row 500 meters

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Deadlift 5 sets x 3 reps @ 80% of your 1 rep max
Note: 80% of my 1 rep max is 204#. Since my back is a little sore, I scaled down to 175#. It was plenty.

Conditioning:
Complete as many rounds as you can in 12 minutes of:
3 clean and jerk @ 65% of your one rep max (63#)
6 pull-ups (modified)
9 Abmat sit-ups.

Joanne's Final Count - 6 + 1 sit-up

Notes (to myself) about this workout: There seems to be some mix-up on the WOD because at the box, I swear the sequence was 3-6-9. On the website, it's 3-7-10. Oh well...

Though it's been almost two months, I still don't like the idea of warming up with heavy weights. I think people who can do well are those who come in early to warm-up or do a class before hand. Heavy lifting without a proper warm-up just isn't safe for my body. These days I've been trying to avoid injury by letting go of my ego and going lighter if need be. Besides, it's not like I'm training for the games or trying to be crowned Miss CrossFit. At the end of the day, it's my body and my workout.

I will say that I do like the strength and conditioning combo. I just need to make adjustments accordingly. (Big thanks to Jerry L. for the talk today.)

Today's WOD was fair. My max on the clean & jerk (to my knowledge) is about 93#. I thought 63# was light, but it does get to you in those later rounds. The squat clean is no joke!

battle of the booty: lulu vs. lucy

The hatha power pant by Lucy.

The groove pant by lululemon.

Everyone I know goes ga-ga over lululemon. I think it's a CrossFit thing. Also, when Freddy declares that lululemons make your ass look great, how can you not want a pair of lululemon workout pants? Personally, I own two pairs of lulu capri pants that I managed to get at a great markdown. (Even the sales lady was shocked at how inexpensive they were!) In fact, that's how I manage to get anything at lululemon. Completely marked down, completely by chance. I don't think my pants make my ass look special. But that's because I don't have the groove pant that everyone raves about. I've tried them on and yes, they are magical. The compression smoothes out the cellulite and lifts the butt. But at $98 a pair, it's a tough buy for me. Granted, lulus are worth the money because they'll alter the pant as needed. Plus, they're a quality product. In fact, I LOVE all their products because they're thoughtfully designed!

However, I wanted to draw your attention to another store that I think is under-rated: Lucy. They have stores in Santana Row and Standford Shopping Center. Like lululemon, lucy is an athletic store (unfortunately, they don't have a men's line). I don't think lucy is as popular, but they're a definite gem. If you're looking for the booty-lifting effect of lulus, then I say check out the power hatha pant and the new perfect core pant by lucy. They're a little less expensive ($88/$98 respectively). This weekend I tried on both lucy pants and read some online reviews. The pants fit great. Personally, I prefer the hatha pant because I like a lower rise. The compression on both pants are great (there seems to be more compression with the perfect core pant). Though lucy doesn't do alterations like lulu (lulu will do alterations on sale items for no charge!) does, their pants do come in lengths! Also, people have been complaining about the pilling and linting that happens with lulus. The lucy pants don't have this issue. Woot!

Here's the BIG PLUS... if you go to the lucy website and sign up for their mailing list, they'll regularly send you discount coupons. Right now, they're running a 20% discount on all regular-priced merchandise. (Contact me with your email if you want the code.) Also, their sales are much better than lulu because lucy sales feel like actual sales! (lulu shoppers know what I'm talking about!)

Don't get me wrong, I still love lululemon. I think it's a great brand and a great company. However, if you like high quality and need a little more bang for your buck, then I highly recommend you check out lucy!

Warm-up
Row 500 meters

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Squat 4 sets x 2 reps @ 90% of your one rep max
Note: As usual, I read this wrong. Using 165#, I my sets looked like this: 5/2/2

Press 5x5 @ 65% of your one rep max
Note: I used a 50# weight.

Conditioning: "Air Force"
Complete the following for time: 20 thrusters/20 sumo deadlift high pulls/20 push jerks/20 overhead squats/ 20 front squats. At the beginning of every minute, you must do 4 burpees. 53#

Joanne's Final Time - 20:50

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Air Force sucked! I did okay with the first three movements. I think I rested somewhere in there. When it came to the OH squats, I did sets of 5 with a one minute rest in between. By the time I got to front squats, I did those last three sets with only two burpees. It was killer, but I wouldn't mind doing it again just to see if I got stronger.

SLC Sole Team

I just wanted to give some major kudos to my dear friends Alex and Rex. They just launched a new running group called SLC Sole Team. Please check out their site to find out more information about training for and running a marathon or half marathon.

This Weekend's Workout
Friday: 1 hour yoga
Sunday: 2.5 mile power walk (in the rain!)

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm glad that I'm back in yoga mode. I'm also glad I braved the rain to have a power walk. Yea.

special

I found this on my friend Miam's FB page. It rocks!

Today's Small Victories
1) It's not a victory. But I totally binged today. Bleh.
2) I did that hellacious WOD that ended up being a complete MISPRINT on Freddy's part. I hate you Freddy. I. hate. you.

Warm-up
Two 500 meter row attempts.
Stretching

CrossFit One World WOD
10 minutes of front squat work.

Complete 4 rounds for time of:
5 pull-ups (modified)
10 box jumps 12"
15 dumbbell push press 15#
Rest 90 seconds. Repeat for four cycles

Joanne's Final Time - 6:16/6:47/6:50/6:32

Notes (to myself) about this workout: This wasn't as bad as people described. I think I could have done 18#-20# on the dumbells. Box jumps suck. I'm glad it's over.

downward dog

I have a Ballys membership that I haven't used in months. I used to do yoga there but for some stupid reason I stopped. Yesterday I decided to start it up again. My word. I don't know why I left to begin with. Yoga is fantastic. I'll be spending my Wednesday and Friday mornings doing it. Yea!

Today's Small Victories
1) I started yoga today!

Warm-up
Run 800 meters

CrossFit One World WOD
Pull-up work.

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm glad that Freddy put the rest days back. Wednesdays will now be my "suck days." Last night I worked on the pull-up with the band. At the end of the hour, Girl Crush finally showed up and told me to just do a regular pull-up using two bands (yes, my upper body strength is that weak!). It was hard, but I can see what work needs to be done. Once I develop my upper body strength, then I can move on to the kipping pull-up. Well, that's the plan for now...

new kicks!

Here they are. My new weightlifting shoes. Many thanks to Gwen Sisto from Risto Sports for all her help. I love these shoes! When you see them in real life, they're actually much more subtle. They look like a regular pair of black shoes. However, when you get closer, you can see the details and such. It's exactly how I wanted the shoe to be. Even the "sexy j-ro" is subtle (thank heaven! I really didn't want that gleaming from miles around).

It's funny how different people know you in different ways. When my dear friend Khuyen saw my shoes she was a little disappointed that they were not grand and extravagant "just like the Joanne I know." Funny thing is, I know exactly what she's talking about. In most parts of my life, I'm pretty diva-licious with a touch of nice girl. There are two areas in my life where I fail at this. My CrossFit life and my love life. I should work on this, shouldn't I?

On to some interesting articles...
I pray to the heavens above that when I become a professor, I don't go crazy like this. Recently, a science professor opened fire on her colleagues during a faculty meeting after she found out she was denied tenure. (sigh) Such a terrible story!

Hooray to Kevin Smith for calling out Southwest Airlines on their s--t. The people at Big Fat Blog just posted this entry about Smith getting booted off his flight for being "too fat." Hmph!

Today's Small Victories
1) I showed up for Mr. Josh. Even if I can't stand the bastard, I showed up for him anyway. Showing up doesn't make me like him any more.

Warm-up
THREE rounds of:
50 jump rope skips
100 meter row
100 meter run

Prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD: "Light" Mr. Joshua
Complete five rounds for time of:
400m run
15 GHD sit-ups
10 deadlifts at 70% of your one rep max.

Joanne's Final Time - 28:45 (or something like that)

Notes (to myself) about this workout: 70% of my 1 rep max for a deadlift is about 178#. For this WOD, I scaled down to 165# and even then it was way too much weight. In my book, 70% of your 1 rep max done 50 times spells disaster and back pain. Kudos if you can do this. But I'm just not that girl. It's bad enough that I hate Mr. Josh to begin with. That it was a "lighter" version didn't make it any better. In round three and four I cut down to 5 deadlifts. In round 5, I did 5 deadlifts at 165# and 5 deadlifts at 135#. I then hit the floor and wanted to cry. fathlete confession: Actually, the tears started rolling down in round three. Luckily, sweat and tears look the same.

This WOD makes me feel like Dumbo training on the Olympic team - out of place, undeserving, and here because of some cruel reminder that I'm fat, incapable of doing this shit, and that I simply don't belong at the box. I despise nights like this.

four cupcakes in a day

Part of me wonders if I was an unbearable, cupcake-deprived bitch during the challenge. For now, I'm going to tell myself that I was surrounded by cupcakes because the people around me love me so much that they wanted to see me happy (especially after six weeks of cupcake deprivation). ha ha!

Yes. The challenge is officially over and it looks like the next one is happening in April. I'll do it again and I recommend that more people do it. In an upcoming post, I'll explain why one should do the challenge. fathlete confession: As soon as I took the "after" photo, I spent the greater part of the weekend engaging in gastro-intestinal debauchery. This included a rendezvous with FOUR cupcakes in one day. I know. I'm a cupcake slut. Here are some photos of my conquests...

Cupcake #1 came courtesy of my gal pal Margaret. This was the first time I've ever had one of her home made cupcakes. The batter was a mango spice pound cake concoction with butter cream frosting. (Note: I only had one cupcake. A few months ago I could have eaten this whole box!)

Cupcake #2 was made by Zen. She brought mini-red velvet cupcakes to the Fish Tournament. Like I could say no to red velvet! Also, Rita swore that these bites of heaven were orgasmic. I needed to find out for myself if they were. The final verdict? There are few things that can compare to an earth-shattering orgasm. But I can see how this cupcake can do in a pinch. ha ha!

Cupcake #3 came from my buddy Mikee I., resident kickboxing instructor in our BJJ program. I must have sounded desperate for a cupcake because on Saturday he made the trip to Palo Alto to get me some Sprinkles red velvet. Delicious! (I don't care that Mikee I. swears they taste like every other cupcake he's ever had. That comment alone makes me question our friendship. haha!) fathlete confession: I need to carry a supply of milk with me just in case others shower me with cupcakes too!

Cupcake #4. To end my night of complete cupcake sin, I had Shannon's homemade cupcake. Yes, Miss Shannon brought me a cupcake. Just one. Just how I like it. I ate this at home and had the sense to have it with a cold glass of raw milk. That was my cupcake rendezvous. At the end of the night I was tired and needed a cigarette;P

Moving on, here are some articles of interest...

In honor of Valentine's Day.... OMG. Is this what dating has come to? Mobile GPS dating? Am I the only one who thinks this could be a little stalker-ish?

If you're looking to keep off the weight long term, I found this article.

Per MDA, here's a link to a recipe for meatzza. Yeah. Meatzza. It's like pizza, but with a meat crust. I'm not sure if I should hurl or jump for joy. I'm leaning towards the latter.

My next MDA referral is this article that addresses the FDA's desire to change food labels to reflect actual portion sizes. I hope this actually happens. I just bought ice cream for my sister's family and 1/2 cup serving size is so not realistic!

Finally, here's a recent article MDA wrote about fried food. Granted, fried food is generally a no-no. However, it's nice to see that there are some exceptions to this no-no.

Today's Small Victories
1) After a weekend of cheating, I decided to go back on the primal/paleo train. I did this without batting an eyelash.

Warm-up
Run 800 meters
Prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Squat 3 x 3 at 88% of one rep max
160/160/160

Shoulder press 5/2/1/1/1
45/65/75/80 (fail)/ 80 (fail)/ 75

Conditioning:
Complete as many rounds as possible in 3 minutes of:
4 handstand push-ups (modified)
10 kettlebell swings 35#
15 squats.
Rest 1 minute and repeat for a total of four cycles.

Joanne's Final Count:
2 rounds + 8 squats
2 rounds + 7 KB swings
2 rounds + 6 KB swings
2 rounds + 2 KB swings

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Today was my first day using my new weightlifting shoes. OMG. They make a total difference! They really help to plant your feet on the ground and get the pressure off your knees. I'm glad I got them and highly recommend the investment. I bought mine from Risto Sports. They are a phenomenal company and Gwen is great to work with! I'll post photos of my new shoes soon.

In the strength portion, I didn't PR my press because it was only recently that I realized I'd been doing them wrong all along. My previous PR is 80#, but it wasn't legit because I did a push press. With that, I was satisfied with my lift. 88% is a lot to lift for the back squat. Again, the shoes made the difference.

The conditioning was cool too. I felt stronger with my modified handstand push-up. At some point I need to get out of my head and just do a damn handstand. Bleh...

dinner in a pinch

Sometimes when I get home late from the box, I'm too tired to cook but I'm starved! The above photo is my version of "dinner in a pinch." I took roasted tomato soup from Trader Joe's and mixed it with leftover roasted chicken. I then added bok choy, beets, and avocado with a touch of curry powder. It was a delicious way to get a bunch of veggies in my system.

Here are some articles of interest:
Dr. Oz's 25 Greatest Health Tips from Men's Health Magazine. I find #17 and #23 hilarious and I love #24.

Nutritionize from CrossFit Unlimited posted information about a company called Let Them Eat Cake! They make allergy friendly pastries. I haven't tried them, but their goods look delicious. The head pastry chef has been making goods like these for ten years! They don't have a storefront, but you can place orders.

Call me mean and unfair. But I went ga-ga when I ran into this story about Megan Fox's funky thumbs. I know it's unfair. But knowing that she has toe thumbs just warms my heart. ha ha!

Today's Small Victories
1) I got caught up setting up my new home office that I almost didn't make it to the box. Thank heaven I did!

Warm-up
Watching other people suffer through the last part of Cindy.

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Bench Press 5/3/1/1/1
75/85/95 (PR!)/100 (fail)/100 (fail)

Front Squat 3/3/3
95/115/120

Conditioning: "Cindy"
Complete as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes of:
5 pull-ups (modified)
10 push-ups (on knees)
15 squats.

Joanne's Final Count - 14 rounds exactly! (PR!)

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Though I didn't RX Cindy, I did PR it! One of the first times I did Cindy, I did 13 rounds + 1 squat. However, I know that the movements were totally half-assed. Tonight I felt strong and I moved continuously. Usually, I have to break down the sets and take lots of breathers. I usually have stamina issues (especially when it comes to running), but tonight I felt good, solid, and consistent. I did a swing kip for the pull-up (but could not for the life of me get that damn chin over the bar). Though I looked like an idiot, I could feel that my pull was stronger than usual. Push-ups were on my knees, but I kept my hands narrow and tried to maintain a tight core. Squats were great. I made sure to do them at a steady pace to avoid the quad burn. Overall, I was really happy about tonight:)

rice-less adobo

A few weeks ago I had this mad craving for chicken adobo, so I made some. I did a slight variation of my dad's recipe by adding some coconut milk for thickness and sweetness. Coconut milk also helps to mellow out the obscene amounts of vinegar and soy sauce. (Note: I cut the soy sauce slightly to honor the parameters of paleo/primal.) In college, I discovered the wonder of coconut milk in adobo when I was trying to salvage an overcooked (a.k.a. burnt) batch of pork adobo. It was the greatest discovery I had ever made!

Thing is, adobo MUST be eaten with rice because it mellows out the flavors. Since I was in challenge mode, I needed to find an alternative. At the MDA seminar in December, I met a nutritionist who told me that when finding alternatives to heavy carbs, you have to understand that alternatives are not replacements. There's no sense in trying to trick yourself that fake noodles are going to be like the real thing because they simply aren't. This was my mentality when finding a rice alternative for the adobo. Instead of rice, I ate the adobo with sunchokes and roasted carrots.

The final verdict? Well, carrots and sunchokes are definitely not rice. But it does lighten the the feel of adobo while adding new flavor dimensions to it. Yes, I'd definitely have adobo this way again:)

Today's Small Victories
1) I've been swamped lately. Keeping up with cooking has been challenging, but I've been managing. Taco filling made with grass fed ground beef sure does go a long way!

2) Though breakfast has been challenging, I'm holding on with smoothies. Not the best, but it's something.

Warm-up
Three rounds of:
Row 250 meters
10 OH squats with dowel
10 push-ups

Stretching, prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD: Freddy's Revenge
Complete 5 rounds for time of 5 shoulder to overhead in any manner (83#)/10 burpees.

Joanne's Final Time - 10:22

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I don't get to take Cheryl's classes much. Tonight she filled in for Eric. I LOVE her classes because her warm-ups are comprehensive. I liked tonight's WOD. It was challenging, but also gave me the chance to really work on a heavy push press. I lifted 83#, but Cheryl said that the next time I do this, I need to bump up to at least 95#. This is what I like about training with both Cheryl and Eric. They're both weightlifting pros and can gage what your max is. Usually, I underestimate what I can lift. These two are really helpful at gaging what my limits are - even when I'm in complete disbelief!

As for burpees... they still suck!

sexy chocolate!

If what they say is true... that you are what you eat... then I'm totally stocking up on some sexy chocolate!!!

This weekend, my dear friend Jen T. was visiting from LALA land and I got to meet her new beau. After a lovely brunch, we headed over to Bittersweet. They have a wall of exotic dark chocolate and I found this one. I loved it! (I didn't buy it, but I loved taking my picture with it.) If you must know, I did have a hot cocoa. Spicy. I love the style of cocoa here because it's dark, not sugary-sweet, and has the right hint of spice. Yummy!

I've been out of commission because on Sunday, I met with Jen T. (instead of doing my Sunday morning run) and on Monday, I was held up in school and couldn't make it to class (which was fine because with all the crap Freddy's been giving me lately, I figured I needed a break from the abuse. ha ha!). I meant to post the following links earlier, but here they are:

Here is a recipe for Pistachio Chicken with Coconut Chili Ginger Sauce. I haven't done it, but it looks yummy!

For gluten-free cooking, check out Elena's Pantry. If you're looking for a new salad variation, you might like this recipe. Enjoy!

Recently, Oprah did a show on diabetes. (Kudos to Mikee I. for the tip!) With all the diabetes talk her show sparked, Six Until Me created this post critiquing Oprah's recent episode on diabetes. Interesting stuff!

Today's Small Victories
(1) The challenge is winding down and though I should go full throttle, I'm actually learning to loosen up a little bit. I'm still in challenge mode, but I'm working on changing my recent negative bouts about food and turning up the positive. I hope it freakin' works!

(2) My back is giving me problems. I decided to bite the bullet and go light. Though I partly feel like I flaked, I also know my body needed some TLC. It was tough, but I listened.

Warm-up
Some rowing; some prep for the WOD.

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Complete 2 reps of deadlift at 75% of your single rep max every 45 seconds for eight sets. You are looking to hit two reps fast as hell....

Conditioning:
Perform eight 100m sprints with 45 seconds rest between each sprint. Rest as long as needed. Perform two 400m runs with 2 minutes rest between efforts. Rest as long as needed. Perform one 800m run.

Notes (to myself) about this workout: My 75% max is about 191#. I scaled down to 125# because my back has been weird lately. I didn't want to tweak it and figured a healthy back was more important than my ego. I could have pushed it to 150#, but when nursing an injury, it's best to go safe.

Running sucks. Period. It sucks even more when you have to do interval, sprint type of work. I blame it on the boobs.

get raw milk!

Tonight I went to Austin's box because they were hosting a lecture on raw milk. As I've said before, I think Austin runs a great box and I was glad to make my first visit tonight. Mark McAfee, who owns Organic Pastures reminds me a lot of the cool farmer guy on Food Inc. The lecture was informative and afterward, we were able to taste the regular and the chocolate milk. Raw milk is available at shmancy grocery stores such as Whole Foods. However, if you go to the Organic Pastures site, they list some farmers' markets where their products are available. When you buy directly from them, it's about 30-40% cheaper (according to McAfee). Plus, you'll see the whole line of products. I plan on visiting their stand at Cupertino or Campbell one of these days because I want to try their butter and cheese too!

Some cool things to note:
1) Raw milk is great for the lactose intolerant because it's easier to digest (unless you're EXTREMELY sensitive, but this is rare).
2) Raw milk helps to build your immune system because it is live food and has a lot of much-needed bacteria. (Yes. bacteria is good for you!)
3) The shelf life of raw milk is about 10-12 days from when it came from the cow. The OP site explains what you can do in case your milk is spoiling. Yes. you can salvage your spoiled milk!
4) The cheese, as long as it's refrigerated has a really long shelf life and gets better as it ages. Mark said you can have it up to a year. Wow!
5) The butter doesn't have to be refrigerated (but I'm going to anyway cuz I'm paranoid like that).

I'd go into detail about all the other cool stuff I learned, but I'd do a poor job at explaining stuff. Instead, check out these links:
Organic Pastures FAQ
Campaign for Real Milk
Westin A. Price Foundation

Today's Small Victories
1) I'm transitioning to Alex's meal plan. Man, there is no give on those carbs!
2) I committed to coming in early to make it to the milk seminar. Education my friends!

Warm-up
Prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Bench Press 3/3/3/3/3
63/73/78/83/88 (PR!)

Conditioning:
"Nancy"- Complete five rounds for time of 400m run*/15 overhead squats 63#
Joanne's Final Time - 24:42

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Since it was raining and I like to lift barefoot, I decided to row instead of run. For the first 2 rounds, I rowed 500 meters. For the last three rounds I rowed 400 meters. Um, there's a reason why Nancy is a run and not a row. Rowing is a total body workout and you need the run to rest up your upper body for the OH squat. Rowing made the WOD sooooo much harder! In the past, I've mostly done this WOD without recording the time. The last time I did it, it took me about 26 minutes to finish and I used a lighter weight. With that, I'm happy with today's performance. The OH squat is not my favorite, but I can feel myself getting stronger. Ultimately, I'd like to do it without dropping the bar. Today I did mostly a 10-5 split which was good.

revenge

I know it's all in good fun. But someone's been giving me a lot of shit lately. This one's for you, my friend. (Yeah. You. You know who you are!) Now unless you're pulling my hair, get off my f--kin' ass! ha ha ha!

Here are some articles of interest. Enjoy!
8 Craziest health rumors
9 Reasons to Drink More Coffee!
13 Careers for the Next Decade

Today's Small Victories
1) Back on track with the eating plan. Just made a pot of chicken curry with greens from the farmer's market. Yummy!

Warm-up
Some rowing.
Prep for the WOD

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Deadlift 5/5/5/5/5
125 / 155 / 175 / 185 / 195

Conditioning:
Complete one minute of thrusters for max reps 53#. Rest one minute.
Complete one minute of jumping pull-ups for max reps. Rest one minute.
Complete one minute of GHD sit-ups for max reps. Rest one minute.
Complete one minute of dips (modified on bar) for max reps.
Complete one minute of GHD hip extensions for max reps. Rest one minute.

Joanne's Final count - 16 / 23 / 18 / 27 / 30

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I need to go RX on the thrusters next time. I hate the black bars for the pull-ups. None of my pull-ups cleared tonight. For the dips, I either need to give the rings a shot or do them on the bars with a box. I came up way too easy.

encouragement

It's doppelganger week on facebook. Here's my twin sista' from another mista'. Don't hate. You wish you could pass as the Green M&M! ha ha!

I learned some important lessons yesterday. Oddly enough, I feel good about yesterday's binge. I didn't feel gross or bloated and when I weighed myself this morning, I was within my normal range. I took this as a sign that the cheat and I were meant to be. Granted, I'm not planning on bingeing like that on a regular basis. But I needed to loosen up. My body demanded it from me and it responded by assuring me that bingeing didn't have to lead to suffering.

I feel very fortunate to have such amazing people in my life. When I'm down, there's always someone there to pick me up - even if I don't want them to. Don't believe me? Read yesterday's comments. It meant the world to me to hear from you. This challenge isn't easy. Challenges rarely are. However, I always feel blessed knowing that there are people in my life who stand by me - even when I don't have the strength to do so. Many thanks, my dear friends!

On that same note, I'd like to thank John W. for sending me this link. This totally made my day. To the gym ladies out there, this one is for you!

One Woman's Request

Don’t be nice to me. Not here, not in the gym. Not just because I’m a woman. You can be nice to me in the bar, on the street, in the library, at home. But in the gym I’m no longer your baby, your honey, or your sweetheart. I’m a woman in a CrossFit gym and I’m here to kick ass, not show mine.

In the gym, I’m about performance, not popularity. I’m about achievement, not appearance. I’m about strength, not sex.

Do you get that? Whether you’re my workout partner, my friend, my lover, or my coach, don’t suggest that I go easier, lighter, or with less fortitude than that of which I am capable. You’re not doing me any favors.

The gym is not a place to protect women, nor is it a place to worship them, but it is a place to exalt them. We could grow so much here. Help us to do so.

Help us to elevate ourselves by ourselves. Forget gallantry and remember weights. If our form is good on practice lifts, urge us to go heavier. Please. We often underestimate ourselves. That’s the difference between men and women in the gym. Most men overestimate what they can do, while most women underestimate what they can do. That’s where you can help us most when it comes time for the WOD. That’s where we really need you. Take that bravado and lend us a little. Tell us to go heavier, go faster, get meaner. We’ll look dismissive but we’ll take your words to heart. We will go heavier, go faster, and get meaner – at least with the weights.

Don’t baby us. Not in the gym. Not in words and not in demeanor. If you’re my coach, don’t you dare set out one WOD for the men and one WOD for the women. If my form is good, don’t you dare keep me at a light weight for months or years. Don’t you dare underestimate what my weight should be on the bar. I should know. I’m the one lifting it. And if I let you keep me down, then shame on me too.

My words may sound angry, but I am not. I am resolved. I want to be strong and to grow stronger. I just need your help in not giving me help. I need to stand on my own. Let me do that. Don’t be nice to me. Thank you.

(By Lisbeth Darsh/www.crossfitwatertown.com)

Today's Small Victories
1) I'm past my carbo load from yesterday. Actually, I feel good about it and am moving forward.

Warm-up
Prep for WOD.

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Back squat 75% of 1 rep max 5/5/5/5
I did 135#

Press 75% of 1 rep max 3/3/3/3
I did 52#

Conditioning:
Run 400m/40 kettlebell swings 35#/40 box jumps 12"/Row 500m

Joanne's Final Time - 10:35

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm happy about my performance tonight. I still suck at box jumps, but I'm getting the hang of jumping on and off (as opposed to jumping on and stepping off). Box jumps get to my head. I know one day I'll go back to the red box. Right now, I'm not ready. I'm okay with that. I don't aspire to be Wonder Woman. I'm fine with simply being me.