feed your mind

In the spirit of holiday giving fathlete style, I have decided to dedicate today's post to reading material you can share with you and yours. First up is Robb Wolf's The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet. I downloaded the kindle edition and have been reading through it slowly. So far, so good. Wolf is a great writer and he makes the science stuff easy to understand. fathlete confession: I ordered four copies of this to give as gifts. I'm wondering if I should have ordered more. Gah!

As you already know, I'm a huge fan of Mark Sisson and his blog Mark's Daily Apple (MDA). If you don't have a copy, I recommend picking up (and gifting) The Primal Blueprint. If you're extra generous or want to give something to your favorite wannabe chefs, then definitely pick up a copy of The Primal Blueprint Cookbook. I own both and am looking forward to putting them to good use! fathlete confession: I'm thinking that my next health challenge will have something to do with a primal/paleo cooking challenge.

These last two gift ideas come from Balanced Bites, a website run by Diane Sanfilippo. Personally, I downloaded The 21 Day Sugar Detox when we were doing the LBN Challenge. I like how user friendly it is and the lists are really helpful! Sanfilippo just released a new book, Practical Paleo Nutrition Guide Book, which I just downloaded!

Wednesday, December 8th
One hour of yoga. And then...

CrossFit One World WOD
Complete five rounds for time of:
5 hang squat cleans 63#
10 hip extensions
15 box jumps (12")

Joanne's Final Time - 13:20

Notes (to myself) about this workout:
Yoga was awesome. It was harder than usual, but I really loved it! For the WOD, I was really thankful to get some help from Angela. I'm not good at the clean, so to have her watch my form was helpful. (Yeah. I need to do a better job at "bumping" the bar.) I kept it light because my shoulders are kinda wrecked.

Thursday, December 9th
One hour of spin. And then...

CrossFit One World WOD: Blame Brad
Complete the following for time:
10 ring dips (band assisted)
20 pull-ups (band assisted)
30 kettlebell swings 25#
40 barbell push press press 33#
50 med ball cleans 10#
150 jump rope skips
50 med ball cleans
40 barbell push press
30 kettlebell swings
20 pull-ups (band assisted)
10 ring dips (band assisted)

Joanne's Final Time - 24:01

Notes (to myself) about this workout: Spin was really rough this morning. I've never done that many isolations in one class. OMG! There was a lot of buzz about the One World WOD because it was the longest of the week. fathlete confession: It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then again, my shoulder is quite tweaky and I had to go lighter on some things. The good thing is that I maintained full range of motion in all my movements. The pull-up is still tricky for me, but I am s-l-o-w-l-y getting there. Yea.

Finally, this WOD was workout #30 for me. Yes, I finished my challenge. Thirty workouts, thirty days, hello to the big 3-5!

nerdy things to do

Me and la familia at the Oakland
Museum of California.

I'm not a mom and my biological clock isn't exactly ticking. However, I am a very active aunt and I'm always trying to think of different ways of educating, yet entertaining the kiddos in the family. Yeah. I'm that aunt. I'm not big on giving toys and sweets for Christmas. Instead, I've been known to give books (such as ethnic story books) and movie tickets to the kiddies. I'm sure they hate me now. But when they grow up, they can at least tell all their friends that they had an aunt to tried to keep them informed in the midst of a society that rewards stupidity.

Anyway... my cousin and her kids (age 10 and 12) visited for Thanksgiving. Instead of staying in and playing video games, I suggested we check out Pixar: 25 Years of Animation at the Oakland Museum of California. Dude, it was soooo cool! There were tons of kids there and they were totally jazzed at seeing the exhibit. If you haven't been by, I highly recommend you go. It's bart-able too! They also have other exhibits such as the interactive Gallery of California History going on. In fact, I want to go back and see this one in more detail. Again, very educational, cool, and kid-friendly.

Speaking of exhibits, I'm really interested in checking out the Body Worlds Vital exhibit at the San Jose Tech museum. Um, any takers? We can watch Harry Potter on IMAX afterward! (As you can see, I make a great date. Hence, my perpetual state of singledom!)

Monday, December 6th
1 hour of yoga. And then...

CrossFit One World WOD
Complete the following for time:
10 dumbbell press 20#
1 long shuttle (5yd/10yd/15yd)
10 dumbbell push press
1 long shuttle
10 dumbbell push jerk
1 long shuttle
10 dumbbell press
30 yard bear crawl
10 dumbbell push press
30 yard bear crawl
10 dumbbell push jerks
30 yard bear crawl

Joanne's Final Time - 6:07

And then... Tabata Squats. My lowest round was 12 squats

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I like yoga and feel like I'm getting better at it. The downfall is that I've had more yoga "injuries" than CrossFit injuries lately. There's something about the way yoga pulls at certain muscles. At CrossFit, I discovered a little tweak in my shoulder. Boo! For the WOD, I wanted to do 25# as rx'd, but I scaled back because my shoulder was tweaked. Gah!

Tuesday, December 7th
CrossFit One World WOD
Complete seven rounds for time of:
7 pull-ups (band assisted)
7 push-ups (on knees)
150m row

Joanne's Final Time - 12:37 (?)

And then... Stretching

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I was aiming to finish this in 14 minutes and was glad I accomplished that. I also used the band assisted pull-ups which made me the slowest in the class. What took long was actually getting into the band. I still feel out of control in them. I'm going to try using just the large blue band and tough it out that way. Gah!

i sweat CrossFit luv

I have to say thanks to Caleb D. for taking this photo of me. When I was writing my times on the board, he stood behind me and just told me to freeze. I wasn't sure what he was going to do. I thought for sure that I had something on my butt. When he showed me this photo I nearly died of laughter. It is true. I love CrossFit so much that you can see it in my sweat... literally!

Thursday, December 2nd
1 hour of Zumba. And then...

CrossFit One World WOD
Complete the following for time:
Row 250m
25 burpees
Row 250m
Rest two minutes and repeat for a total of four cycles.

Joanne's Final Time - 4:59 / 5:17 / 5:48 / 5:45

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I need to tell myself that Zumba just isn't CrossFit. I like dance classes like Zumba and bellydance because they work the hips and lower back in ways that makes your CrossFit workouts more efficient. However, the sweat is different. I'm used to falling over and dying after a workout. Zumba, while you get a sweat, just doesn't kill me in that sick way I like to be tortured. As for the WOD, I hated it. Two days in a row of a lot of burpees just sucks! However, I was really proud of my times. I hoped to stay within 5-6 minutes in each round, and I did it. Yea.

Friday, December 3rd
CrossFit One World WOD
Complete five rounds for time of:
15 kettlebell swings 30#
6 broad jumps (6'...sort of.)

Joanne's Final Time - 5:30

And Then...
Five rounds:
100 jump rope rotations
10 kettlebell swings 35#

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I was surprised that I did the WOD so quickly. 30# was a little too light, which is why I added another mini-WOD. For my mini-WOD, I wanted to work on my jump rope skills. I'm not near doing a double under, but I'm trying to make peace with my jump rope. We're not best friends. but we're doing okay so far. By the way, I LOVE kettlebell swings:)

Saturday, December 4th
CrossFit One World WOD
Complete three rounds of the following for time:
10 deadlifts 135#
150 jump rope skips
500m row

Joanne's Final Time - 17:04

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I wish I could workout on more Saturdays. It's fun, low key, and I get to see cool people like Angela, Maria, and Mary. I also get to do a Russian Milk Bread run. (Granted, I nearly sacrificed my life to do it, but I did it. haha!) Back to the WOD... I missed doing this WOD on Tuesday, so I went to the box to do it today. I actually liked this WOD. My goal was to finish under 18 minutes and I did:) I also went over on the deadlift. (Note to self: Don't wear booty shorts on deadlift day. The bar will scratch against your legs. Boo!)

color code mode

I have no idea how in the world I forgot my most favorite fathlete tool EVER! For years I've been bragging about how much I love my streaming colors monthly calendar! I need to place my order soon. I'm so thankful that they're out early this year. FYI - These things, paired with some highlighters make an amazing gift!

Today's Small Victories
I'm back on track with my bday challenge. It's been tough because I don't do well with the cold. Gah!

Warm-up
I did one hour of yoga. And then... we did a very cold run around the building. It was topped off with "The Perfect Warm-up"

CrossFit One World WOD
Complete six rounds for time of:
6 overhead squats 63#
6 push-ups (on knees)
6 handstand push-up on box

Joanne's Final Time - 10:24

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I should have pushed the weight on the OHS. However, I didn't realize it until the WOD was over. I finished three minutes before everyone else in class. Not that it's a bad thing, but it would have been good to push the OHS. It used to be one of my favorite movements. Now, I struggle with it. Ugh!

these are a few of my favorite things...

Hello everyone! I hope you all had an amazing holiday. Though I've been working my ass off this year trying to incorporate healthy habits into my life, I do firmly believe that the holidays are a perfect time to loosen up and have a few of those naughty treats you've been craving for. Granted, I did have some of those treats. However, I had way less than I normally do. Translation: I didn't gorge on holiday eating as much as I used to. This is mainly because I can't stand the post-sugar coma. It makes me feel like crap!

As for the bday challenge, I completely slipped this week, logging in only two workouts. I'm not sad though because overall, I'm only down by two workouts. I suspected this would be a tough week to train, so I "deposited" as many workouts as I could before this week. That way, I wouldn't fall way behind. I have a plan of attack for next week and I should be on track in no time!

Now that Thanksgiving is over, people are in a mad frenzy trying to get some Christmas shopping done. In the spirit of that, I've decided to list some cool gift suggestions for the fathlete in all of you. (Also, I'm kinda hinting that I wouldn't mind getting a few of these things too. Did I mention that my bday is coming up soon? haha!) So here it is. My list of cool things to give and get for Christmas (in no particular order).

This is the new ipod shuffle. Small,
convenient and amazing!

ipod shuffle. There is nothing cooler and more convenient than an ipod shuffle for your workouts. I live, die, and swear by mine. I'm overjoyed that they went back to the old style shuffle. That way, you can use your own headphones. Speaking of which...

airdrives earphones. I think the ipod shuffle would go great with a pair of these earphones. These are fantastic because it gives you your music as well as your safety. For those of you who run outdoors, you can run and still be aware of your surroundings. In CrossFit, you can listen to your tunes and still hear the trainer's instructions. These things are amazing!! (I personally own the original airdrives, but I'm curious about the Fit airdrives. If any of you have any input, I'd love to hear from you!)

itunes gift cards. When people ask what I want for my birthday or Christmas, this is always the first thing that comes to mind. This is one of the best gifts EVER (especially since I can buy iphone apps with it too)!

I'm sure I love Nike Free way
more than Oprah does!

Nike Free. Oprah isn't the only one who loves Nike Free shoes. I adore mine! My only complaint is that they're way too expensive for what they are. Luckily, I bought mine during the Nordstrom Anniversary sale in July. If I were in my right mind, I would have bought two pairs! These are perfect for CrossFit and other gym type workouts.

lululemon gift card (or pretty much anything from lululemon). My goal is to one day own a pair of groove pants, lulu's signature "my ass looks amazing" pants. Though they're worth every penny, $98 is still a bit steep for me. Still, a girl can dream, right? I recently scored on the groove shorts (they were marked down to $19) and I LOVE them! Guys, if you wanna please your athlete gals, lulu is definitely the way to go! (I hesitate to write "fathlete" gals because lulu only goes up to about a size 12, sometimes a size 8 on certain items. BOO on you, lulu! Note: I would have added a lulu jacket to the list, but since they run small and only go up to a size 12, it's a no-go for me. The bust is way too uncomfortable. BOO!)

lucy gift card (or pretty much anything from lucy). I've written about lucy before. I find that their stuff is more affordable (especially since they have better sales and offer 20-30% discounts, depending on the promotion). Also, they're totally underrated. I was a lucy gal before I was a lulu gal, so lucy definitely has a special place in my heart. In particular, I'm all about the hatha power pant (in the short length, of course). It's pretty awesome.

I have have to remind myself
that this isn't edible! 

charity shower gels by philosophy. fathlete confession: I have a special relationship with philosophy. Regardless of that, I do think these shower gels are amazing. Besides, if you have to wash away the stinky, don't you want to shower for a good cause? The proceeds from purchasing these shower gels (and lotions) go to some fantastic charitable foundations. Note: I only linked the charity shower gels. However, philosophy has an amazing shower gel collection (that are not charity items)! Currently, I'm all about the hot buttered rum!

purity made simple cleansing cloths. fathlete confession: When I first used these, I wasn't a fan. However, I've definitely grown to love them. I keep them in my gym bag to clean my face before a workout. They're fast, convenient, and I'm in LOVE! another fathlete confession: My biggest pet peeve is watching women workout with a fully made-up face. It makes my stomach turn. Seriously.

Oh tea, how I love thee.
You put me in such a
zen state.

teavana gift card. I haven't mentioned this yet. But as of today, I'm officially trading my coffee and latte habit for tea. (Note: My personal deal is that I'll only have a latte if I have a certificate from Starbucks for a free drink!) In particular, I adore green and white tea from teavana. I have some tea at home and I've been dying to get their tea maker. If you know someone who is all about their tea, this is an amazing gift! (I know because I bought this for my sister a while back and she LOVES it!)

sports bras. Granted, this isn't exactly something you would give as a gift. However, as I've mentioned before, I do recommend getting a good bra fitting and I think Nordstrom is the best place to do it! (Maybe a gift card to Nordstrom so that your person could get a sports bra? I don't know. Use your imagination.) I think every fathlete needs a good sports bra. My recommendation is this one by Donna Karan and this one by Freya. fathlete confession: When it comes to sports bras, every person has her own favorites. I like these two because they're built for a bustier frame. A tip to save money is to get fitted at Nordstrom and maybe buy one bra from them (it's good to support the workers there; it's also good to form a relationship with a good bra fitter). From there, go online and see where you can get the same thing for less. That way, everyone wins!

For now, that's it for my gift suggestions. In truth, I haven't really hit the mall to see what's hot in all things shopping. However, I'll let you know if I find other cool things!

Today's Small Victories
I hit the gym and did better than I thought.

Warm-up
Row 800 meters

CrossFit One World WOD: Barbara
One round is the following for time:
20 pull-ups (band assisted)
30 push-ups (on knees)
40 Abmat sit-ups (feet unanchored)
50 air squats
Rest three minutes and repeat for a total of five rounds.

Joanne's Final Time - 5:38 / 6:17 / 8:27 / 7:36 / 7:28

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I was feeling really bummed about this WOD because I was beyond dead last in class today. I knew I'd be really slow because I did band assisted pull-ups. Since I have TERRIBLE upper body strength, I knew it would slow me down (I had to use two bands - the blue one and the beige with green one). However, I really wanted to start doing more band work with the pull-ups. For the most part, it wasn't pretty. But I'm okay with that. I need the practice. I got home feeling defeated because I took forever! However, I looked back at my previous Barbara times here and here. Turns out, today was really good! I logged in my fastest round time even though today was more challenging than I've done it in the past. Wa-hoo!

i'm rooting for ada!

I'm not usually into watching The Biggest Loser. However, for some reason, I got sucked in this season. It's not a bad show. Granted, I disagree with some of the health advice and some of the form is off. But that's not my business. I just wanted to take some time out to say that I'm rooting for Miss Ada! Take it home, sister! (And shame on your family for not sending you a video!)

Today's Small Victories
I had every reason to not show up today. But I did it. Yea!

Warm-up
Run 800+ meters; Stretching

CrossFit One World POWER HOUR
Back Squat 5x3
95/125/145/165/170

Overhead Squat 3x3
65/70/75

Press 5x3
55/65/75x2 +2fail

And then...
8 minutes jump rope work
30 GHD sit-ups
30 GHD hip extensions

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I got to class late. Therefore, I opted to do the power hour. It was a blessing in disguise because I really wanted to do some lifting. Overall, I was happy with all my lifts. I do wish I could go heavier on the OHS, but my grip is off. It's just an unnatural lift. Gah!

ode to young coconut

In case you haven't guessed, I was totally inspired by this post and decided to reclaim the coconut. (Note: I stopped paying attention to the coconut in high school when I discovered that "fat makes you fat." Now I now better!) I'm a HUGE fan of the coconut. I'm from Guam. It's in the blood. However, I've also witnessed first hand how beneficial it is to add young coconut to your diet. (If you don't want to take my word for it, check out this article from MDA.) While living in the Philippines, my mother drank young coconut juice every day. It was accessible and cheap (we're talking less than fifty cents for young coconut juice that was placed in a plastic bag complete with the meat inside - no sugar added!). My mom is always swollen and while we were in the Philippines, the swelling was minimal. She attributes this to the coconut juice. In fact, coconut has a ton of uses - both for cooking and non-cooking. Currently, I eat about 4-5 young coconuts per week, usually after a tough WOD. It's very refreshing and coconut water is nature's version of gatorade. Plus, the meat makes me feel like I'm having dessert without all the guilt. You can buy young coconuts at your local Asian grocery store for under $2.

Friday, Nov 19th
Today's Small Victories
I didn't mean to show up to the box. But with my challenge going on, I have to be strategic about making sure I hit my 30 workouts in 30 days. This meant having to go to the box. I fought it tooth and nail, but I decided the challenge was more important than lying in my warm bed watching TV.

Today's Workout
One hour of yoga in the morning. And then...

CrossFit One World WOD
Complpete five rounds for time of:
10 squat snatches 33#
20 wall balls 10#; 10ft. shot

Joanne's Final Time - 17:33

Notes (to myself) about this workout: I failed to stay for belly dance this morning because my shoulder just wasn't agreeing with me during yoga. This was another reason why I opted to workout tonight. Let's face it. Tonight just wasn't my night. I had to scale the scaled version of the WOD! It's been ages since I've done the snatch and my left side just couldn't shrug 53#, so I just went for the bar. It was good practice, but I felt like a schmuck going so light. Gah. Don't get me started on those damn wall balls! Originally, I was going to do 30 wall balls per round. However, it didn't take long to figure out how much those things suck. Usually, I do 14# for the wall ball, but only hit the 8' mark. I've decided to go lighter and hit the 10' mark. I'll then go heavier as I progress. My shoulders are still tight, so is the back of my right leg. I'm not sure if it's because it's been so cold or if it's because I'm getting old. Bleh!

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.

Birthday Challenge: 30 days to 35!

I'm turning the big 3-5 next month. In order to celebrate the milestone, I've decided to participate in a special birthday challenge. I'm calling it "30 Days to 35!" Here are the parameters of the challenge:

- In thirty days I will complete thirty workouts.
- The workouts will consist of things I love: CrossFit, yoga, dance, and spinning.
- Each workout will be at least 45 minutes long.

I am participating in this challenge for the following reasons:

Reason #1: At One World, I know it's customary for a birthday WOD to be designed for the birthday person at hand. While I like the idea of a birthday WOD, some of the WODs have been insane. Seriously. If you're going to honor me with a birthday WOD, please let it be a WOD that I actually look forward to doing. It doesn't have to be a whimpy WOD, but it can't be as brutal as 235 burpees for time. Really.... Design a WOD that will push and challenge me, and allow me to feel accomplished. Ahem. Thanks. With that, I decided to push myself. Instead of having one major birthday WOD, I'm celebrating the big 3-5 by committing to thirty workouts in thirty days. I want to celebrate my new age with a new outlook on working out.

Reason #2: I've been in a workout funk for a while now. If you give me permission to be lazy or not show up for a workout, I'll do it. I'll be a lazy ass. This challenge should help me get out of my funk and back into workout mode.

Reason #3: As a self-described "casual CrossFitter," I'm trying to explore the other things I like to do to stay healthy. CrossFit is not gospel. I can't stand these narrow-minded people who, in their love and passion for CrossFit, decide to write off every other form of exercise out there. Love CrossFit all you want, but do you have to shit all over globo gyms in the process? Ahem. When you start naming your children after WODs, you're insane and I refuse to be a member of your crazy club! Different strokes for different folks, people. I love CrossFit, but I acknowledge that it has its limitations. This challenge is helping me touch base with these other interests while allowing me to add more tools to my workout toolbox.

Reason #4: I want to see how this affects my new way of eating! I'm taking my official blood test a few days before my birthday in order to see if eating with a new sense of purpose makes a difference in the numbers.

My challenge started last week and ends on my birthday (12/10). So far, I'm on track, averaging one workout (sometimes two) per day. I'll let you know how it turns out;)