i knew it!

I've been waiting for the day that Arnel Pineda would sing the Philippine National Anthem at a Pacquiao fight. It finally came true! (Yeah. It's late. I know.)

Warm-up
Prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD
Back Squat
5/5/5
67/85/105

3/3/6
115/130/145

Press
5/5/5
33/33/45

3/3/9 + 1
45/55/60

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Today was a rest day, so I decided to work on some lifting that I needed to make up. Yea. But like an idiot, I did the wrong rep scheme. Can you tell that I don't know what to do with this new programming?! Gah! I'll get it. I swear I'll get it.

water bottles

Big thanks to Chris S. for posting this. My favorite water bottles are by kleen kanteen. I like the variety of sizes, colors, and the wider mouth. It makes it easy to clean! Plus, you don't get that nasty taste. I have two of them, the 27 oz for my gym bag and the 12 oz for my purse. I used to be big on plastic water bottles, but when I visualized all the waste, I decided to go stainless steel. These days, I'll use one plastic bottle at best (in case of emergency). I'm sure the environment has been better because of it.

Articles of interest:
Eight Foods that Fight Stress
Beaming Obama Signs Historic $938 Billion Overhaul
The Final Health Care Vote and What it Really Means
Exercise Can Help Prevent Weight Gain, But It Won't Be Easy
It breaks my hear that now even babies can't be fat! Here's the article: That cute chubby baby? It might be a problem that he's fat

Here's some feel-good stuff:
101 small pleasures you can enjoy every day
5 habits of happy people even the biggest grump can borrow

This is just pure hi-larity!
10 THINGS THAT SHOULD WARRANT AN ASS KICKING

Today's Small Victories
1) I was 100% primal. Admittedly, when not in challenge mode, bad food manages to make its way into my system. But not today. Oh no. Not today.

Warm-up
40%/50%/60% of working one rep max for press (68#). To avoid confusion with bars and such, I did 33#/35#/43#

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength: Press

Set #1 is 3 reps @ 70% of your "working" one rep max. (48#)
Set #2 is 3 reps @ 80% (55#)
Set #3 is 3 reps (or more) @ 90% (63# x 5)

Conditioning:
After sufficient rest from the strength workout, complete each of the following tasks for time (in any order). Rest as needed between efforts

Run 400m for time.
100 dumbbell shoulder to overhead in any manner (W:15#) for time. Stopping for longer than 3 seconds or putting the dumbbells on the ground constitutes a 100m run penalty (1600m cap). Add all penalties up at end and run the accumulative distance at one time upon completion of training. (Around the block at One World is 1600m...more or less.)

Joanne's Final Time:
Run - 2:08
Dumbell portion - 4:00
WOD - 6:37

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm still adjusting to the strength portion. I hate working with dumbells. Bleh.

the people i've slept with

While away last week, I caught a screening of The People I've Slept With. It was entertaining. Hopefully, it gets good distribution and you all get to see it at your local theater.

Today's Small Victories
1) I'm back in challenge mode. I wasn't as successful as I would have liked, but I'm giving it that old college try!
2) When I got to the box, I was hit with this odd wave of depression. I just wanted to cry. I don't know why. But I got out of the car and just got dressed and headed to the floor.
3) I told myself I'd only do 50 burpees, but I did the whole hundred. Even through the power outage, I did it.

Warm-up
Five reps of the back squat at 65/86/105

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Set #1 is 3 reps @ 70% of your "working" one rep max. (120#)
Set #2 is 3 reps @ 80% (135#)
Set #3 is 3 reps (or more) @ 90% (155#)

Conditioning:
Complete 100 six count burpees for time.

Training Tips: Six count burpees mean each movement of the burpee is very deliberate:
Squat
Kick legs out so you are in the planked push-up position
Touch your chest to the ground
Push-up back to the planked position
Kick your legs back to a squat postion
Jump up 6" (touch a target suspended 6"higher than you highest reach)

Joanne's Final Time - N/A

Notes (to myself) about this workout: This was the last time I did 100 burpees for time. I can't remember what my time was. Tonight I may have taken longer, but I did do a more definite burpee as opposed to a floppie. I also tried to hit my 6" mark. The yoga and strength training are definitely kicking in because my push-ups were better. It should be noted that I did the push-ups on my knees.

For the strength part, I only did three reps for the last set. I didn't know that we could do more. I missed all of last week, so I'm still adjusting.

get your bra on!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you'll know that I'm a HUGE proponent of getting a proper bra fitting and wearing appropriate support gear. You just need to. In fact, when people sign up for gym memberships (yes, CrossFit included), I strongly believe that there should be a conversation about gear - especially about sports bras. Granted, I'm sure the guys LOVE watching the ladies bounce around in all sorts of ways. However, I'm talking about sports bras as a health issue. Proper support is important. I urge ALL WOMEN to get a bra fitting and find out what bras are best for you and your workouts.

With that, I wanted to let you know that Nordstrom in Valley Fair is hosting a Komen event this Friday and Saturday. All you have to do is come in and get a professional bra fitting. I swear by the Nordstrom specialists! When you decide to buy a bra from a participating brand, Nordstrom will donate $2 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for every bra you buy! Some of the brands include: Calvin Klein, Chantelle, DKNY, Wacoal, and a slew of others! For more information, call the lingerie department at Nordstrom Valley fair at (408) 248-2180 ext 1240. Please note that different stores have different dates for this event. If you can't make it to Valley Fair, I suggest calling your local Nordstrom to find out when their Komen event is.

Here is what's going on in some fashion news... as always, the fat vs. thin debate is always heating up - especially with Fashion Week around. It looks like Paris has done some interesting things in trying to diversify. I have lots to say, but I'll keep this rant short and sweet. Unless I see women of different sizes (and I'm talking in the double digits, like size 10 and up) and racial and ethnic backgrounds, please don't bother talking about embracing diversity. Thin is not the new thin, folks! And here is another reason why I hate the fashion world. Oh Mr. Lagerfeld, it's not that no one wants to see round women, it's that ignorant people like have no idea what women actually look like.

Today's Workout
Run/walk 5k

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I've been out of commission because I've been nursing some major congestion and trying to catch up on some work. My last workout was last week Friday when I did an hour of yoga. Today was my first day back. The run was difficult, but we started off at a faster pace than normal, which felt good. However, by the time we reached our half way mark, it just felt better to walk it. I'm totally looking forward to training this week!

enough said.

Happy Birthday to the twins. 4-6 is fabulous! xoxo

Today's Small Victories
No victories today. It was tough.

Warm-up
Row 500 meters

CrossFit One World WOD
Front squat 3/3/3
75/85/95

Bench press 5x5 @ 68% of 1 rep max (65#)

Conditioning:
"Fran" Complete 21/15/9 reps for time of thrusters (65#)/ jumping pull-ups

Joanne's Final Time - 8:53

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Fran is a bitch. I hate her! But I rx'd the weight today. Woot!

gabourey vs. howard

The Huffington Post just posted this story about Howard Stern and his feelings about Gabourey Sidibe, star of Precious. Below is the radio excerpt.



Luckily, the Huffington Post does have a voice of reason. And here she is. I was prepared to go off on this issue. But I'm tired. And Howard Stern's stupidity isn't worth my time.

boot camp!

One World recently launched Boot Camp (powered by CrossFit One World), a fitness program headed by Chris Stroud (pictured). Here's a little about Boot Camp:

Boot camp is a Strength and Conditioning program based upon the CrossFit methods. During Boot Camp we will focus on total body conditioning, core strength, and lowering body fat. We provide the facility, coaching, and nutrition guidance to help you get to your desired body type.

Though based on CrossFit, Boot Camp is great for those of you who want to get fit, but find CrossFit a little too intimidating. Chris designed a great program that focuses on total health and nutrition. Therefore, you're not just getting a workout (that includes a warm-up, core strengthening, stretching, etc.), you're getting sound advice about developing a healthy lifestyle from someone who knows what he's talking about. Also, Chris is a great coach who can work with you regardless of what your fitness level is. Another great thing about Boot Camp is that you don't have to be a One World member to do it. It's open to anybody and is available at a very reasonable price! Finally, Chris isn't a drill instructor and to my knowledge, isn't military affiliated in any way. Therefore, you don't have to worry about being yelled at by some a-hole in faux fatigues. And if none of that convinces you, visit the site to get more information. fathlete confession: Rumor has it that you may be able to check out a class for FREE. I say do it ASAP because I'm not sure how long this offer will last!

Today's Workout
One hour of yoga today.

Notes (to myself) about this workout: For the first time in a long time, I felt like I could hang in the class. Ah!

skinny fat

OMG. It does exist. SKINNY FAT! Yeah. That's right. The Today Show just did a segment called Skinny Fat, where their health expert explains that even though one has a "normal" BMI and looks skinny, you could still have a high body fat percentage and be susceptible to the same health conditions as clinically obese people. That's right. Skinny does not equal healthy!

Not that this is new to me. But that someone actually named the condition skinny fat is fascinating. After some searching, I found this piece on MDA regarding the subject. Here's another article from truestar health. Finally, here is what Newsweek had to say about the matter.

fathlete confession: Knowing that there are skinny fat people warms my heart. That such people will NEVER experience the ridicule and harsh judgement I do because my fat is public and noticeable makes me want to poke someone's eyes out... and that's how screwed up society is...

In other health news, if you're looking for information on the carbohydrate debate, check out this post.

Today's Small Victories
1) I started a day with a 30 minute walk. Despite the endless battle between walking and staying in bed, I'm glad my walking shoes won!
2) I went to the 4pm class when I could have ditched the WOD all together.

Warm-up
Prep for WOD.

CrossFit One World WOD
Tabata row for calories. Rest 5 minutes.

Then, complete 5 rounds for time of:
10 deadlifts at 60% of 1 rep max (I scaled to 145#)
100 jump rope rotations

Joanne's Final Time - 40 calories; 14:53

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I hate jump ropes. I'm glad we had the day off from strength training... sort of. For the tabata row, I did 5 calories through each round. Weird! It was frustrating because the first 10 seconds only got me one calorie. The last four were done in the last ten seconds. Boo! Kudos if that made sense to you.

role model

It's International Women's Day. In honor of the holiday, I'd like to introduce you all to Haunani Kay Trask. Here's a snippet of her bio:

Haunani-Kay Trask is a riveting public speaker, indigenous leader, and human rights organizer in her Native land of Hawai‘i. She has spoken at venues across the Pacific, including New Zealand and Australia, in the United States and Canada, in Europe, including at the United Nations in Geneva, the Human Rights forum in Strasbourg, and the Basque country in Spain, and in Africa at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa.

For the past twenty years, Trask has enlightened audiences about conditions facing indigenous peoples, including the global struggle for human rights. Described by the San Francisco Examiner as the “radical firebrand, feminist author and native daughter of royal blood who is one of the leaders of a growing sovereignty movement in Hawai‘i,” Trask was ranked one of the top Native leaders in a 2001 poll taken by The Honolulu Advertiser.

Trask has authored four books, including the bestseller, From a Native Daughter: Colonialism and Sovereignty in Hawai‘i. Alice Walker has called the book, “A masterpiece on decolonization,” that is “so powerful, it will change the way you think about Hawai‘i and all the lands seized by force forever.”

Trask's book From A Native Daughter changed my life. It shaped my political and academic thinking and inspired me to take a stand for things I truly believe in. Trask is the embodiment of strength and beauty. This is why I honor her on this day.

Speaking of International Women's day... what the f--k is up with the 7:15pm CrossFit class?! It used to be almost all women (with an occasional visit from Jerry L., Chris L. Alex C., John W., etc.)! Tonight the obscene 7:15 had sixteen people in it! By far, it was the largest class of the day. WTF?! fathlete confession: Okay. I know this is unfair of me. Anyone is free to go to whatever class they want to. But when your presence interferes with me getting a rack for the back squat and I have to proxy as a human weight rack because none of the guys were gentlemen enough to give up their rack, then we have problems! (insert mad face)

Today's Small Victories
1) Despite the weight rack fiasco, I was still nice! (insert mad face)

Warm-up
Prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Squat 1/1/1 Go for new one rep max!
165/175/190 (PR!)

Conditioning:
Complete 10/9/8/7/6/5/4/3/2/1 reps for time of:
wallballs 10#
jumping pull-ups
burpees.

Joanne's Final Time - 14:50

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Tonight was my first night on the new floor. I'm still adjusting. I think it's a great space, but I miss seeing the krav and BJJ folks. However, I know the expansion is needed. Yes, I acknowledge that for the other programs, the CrossFitters aren't the easiest to deal with. We're loud, pretentious, and take up a lot of space (and I mean that in every way). I was thrown off even more by the size of tonight's class. Sixteen people?! It was double the size it normally is and equipment was scarce. I'm a princess when it comes to that stuff....

I got a new PR on the back squat. I wanted to try to hit 195# or 200#. Unfortunately, time was running out and with 5 people on the same rack, it was hard. (Again, BOO! to the guys who wouldn't give up their racks! Thank you to Jerry L. and rack partner for letting the girls share.) Of course, any WOD with burpees sucks!

Other notes on this weekend's workouts.... On Saturday I took a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. It's a good way to start the day. On Sunday I ran 5K with Miss Lori.

friday light

This is a poster only a CrossFitter could love... fathlete confession: I don't love this poster. Hopefully that doesn't mean that my CrossFit card will be taken away.

Sigh. Tomorrow is the Rob Wolf nutrition seminar at One World. I wish I were going. Unfortunately $195 is a pretty penny that I simply can't afford (insert sad face). Will someone please take good notes? Thanks!

Today's Workout
1 hour yoga
1 hour belly dance

Notes (to myself) about this workout: It's been a long time since I've done this. A few months back I contemplated canceling my membership to the local globo-gym. However, my yoga teacher urged me not to because in case I ever wanted to take yoga, dance, or spin, I'd never find a gym that would do all that for $19 a month. She's right. Though it's been a while since I've been to globo-gym, I'm glad I'm back. Believe it or not, CrossFit isn't everything!

I was nervous to go back to belly dance because it had been ages. What made it worse was that my teacher made me dance in the front. That means the rest of the class has to follow you... that means if you mess up, so does the rest of the class. I did okay, but I'm a bit rough on the edges. Gah!

this can't be good.

It's not a good sign when I have this on my ipod's rotation...

It's even worse when I find myself lamenting on the fact that I'm thirty-four and I'm still wondering what the hell this feels like. In addition, I want to throw rocks at the schmuck who invited me to a seminar called, "We're in a Relationship, Now What?" If I were in a f--king relationship, "Now What?" would be the last question on my mind. In the name of avoiding slitting my wrists, I think I need to call an official ban on Sade and Sex and the City on DVD.

Today's Small Victories
1) I PR'd on the bench press!

Warm-up
Prep for WOD.
Bench Press: 10x45#/6x65#/3x75#

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Bench Press 1/1/1 (Go for new one rep max!)
85/95/100 (fail)/100 (PR!)/102 (fail)

Conditioning:
Complete 3 rounds for time of:
5 overhead squats @ 60% of 1 rep max (53#)
7 burpees
15 jumping pull-ups
Rest 90 seconds. Repeat for a total of 4 cycles.

Joanne's Final Time - 5:48/6:04/6:27/6:08

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I'm not sure what my 1 rep max is for the OH squat. I do know that my 3 rep max is 80#. Therefore, I settled on 53#. It was a good weight. This was a tough WOD that completely beat the shit out of me. I'm sure I cried sometime after the first cycle. I don't even want to go into it right now. I didn't even jump for the burpees in the last cycle. I was thrashed!

twins

I'm not a big fan of this film. But I love this movie poster. It reminds me of two people I know and on occasion, adore. Heh:)

Some health articles for you:
The Five Foods You Should Eat Every Day
Seven foods chefs avoid right now
If you want to know what produce is currently in season, click here. What an amazing resource!

Today's Small Victories
1) I missed going to the box today. Though a rest day, I wanted to work on pull-ups and GHD sit-ups. Instead, I chose to help my students with their papers. I refuse to feel bad about this.

Morning Workout: 1 hour yoga

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Yoga rocks. I'm not a fan of the downward dog. It hurts my upper back because I'm still trying to get used to it. Oh well...

kudos

I just wanted to give kudos to Roya. She really worked through tonight's WOD. It was tough, but she made it! Congrats chica!

Today's Small Victories
1) I tried to have a morning walk but the rain stopped me. I didn't feel guilty about it.

Warm-up
Prep for WOD

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Deadlift 4 sets x 3 reps at 82% of 1 rep max
Note: I needed to protect my back. Therefore, I scaled down to just 175#

Conditioning: "The Horrible Hundred"
Complete the following for time:
25 deadlifts 163#
25 squat clean and jerks 73#
25 thrusters 63# (rx)
25 overhead squats 33# (rx)

Joanne's Final Time - 20:45

Notes (to myself) about this workout: This was every bit of awful as I had remembered it. Bleh.

is it ok to be fat?

A very BIG THANK YOU to Miss Angela. A group of us had dinner on Friday for Chinese New Year. It was delicious! This photo was taken before the LBN challenge in January where Angela and I negotiated her participation over cupcakes!

I found this link via Big Fat Blog. ABC Nightline recently hosted a debate titled, "Is it OK to be Fat?" You can watch it here. Here's the description:

The "Face Off" is a recurring series where opposing sides debate hot topics. In the fifth installment of the series, Crystal Renn, model and author of "Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves" and Marianne Kirby, co-author of "Lessons From the Fat-O-Sphere" will face off against MeMe Roth, president of National Action Against Obesity and Kim Bensen, author of "Finally Thin," on dieting, obesity and whether it's OK to be fat.

For the record, I have a newfound respect for Crystal Renn and when I get the chance, I'm totally buying her book! I also think MeMe Roth has some issues that need to be sorted out. Seriously sister. You honestly believe that the brain of an obese person is smaller than that of a normal person? Well, this is where I get to shove my elite Berkeley post-graduate education up you ass! Heh!

In related news, check out this article about Kirstie Alley's new show A Big Life. I agree with the author. Miss Alley, please quit your whining and love thy self!

On another note, here's an article that outlines what food is worth buying in organic form. Very informative!

Today's Small Victories
1) New month. New goals. New focus! Admittedly, I've been slacking since the challenge ended. My meter readings have showed it. Also, my weight is at a standstill. I can't seem to shake off this 3 pound range. (Um, the bad eating doesn't help either.) Here's an article that talks about getting through the plateau.

Warm-up
In the morning, I rolled out of bed and took a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. Great way to start the day!

CrossFit One World WOD
Strength:
Squat 3 sets x 2 reps @ 92% of your one rep max (170#)
Push Press 3/3/3/3
75/85/95

Conditioning:
Complete as many rounds as you can in 3 minutes of:
10 box jumps
3 handstand push-ups
6 star jumps
Rest 90 seconds. Start next cycle where you left off the previous cycle. Complete four cycles total. Your score is total rounds completed in all four cycles.

Joanne's Final Count - 9 rounds + 1 star jump

Notes (to myself) about this workout: For the strength portion, I was a little nervous because Miss Angela was there and I just get nervous lifting around an oly lifting pro like her. She is just f--kin' mad strong! I was surprised because 170# felt really good. I'm hoping to hit a good 1 rep PR next week!

I'm not sure what my push press max is. I don't think I've ever done one. If I did, it was ages ago. If I recall correctly, I think my 1 rep max was somewhere in the 90# range. Tonight's 95# was a little tough. In fact, my last rep looked the best. The first one looked more like a push jerk. The second looked more like a push press and the last rep was a true push press.

For the conditioning, I was happy to find that my handstand push-ups were much stronger. The next time we do them, I'm switching over to the higher box at a 90 degree stance. I'm also happy to announce that my star jumps were consistent (ahem, consistently ah-may-zah-zing!). I was not going to have Freddy take photos of my craziness! I still suck at box jumps and almost tripped once. Bleh!