Exercise

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Fitness Friday

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kettlebells

Monday:

I still didn’t sleep well Sunday evening but was determined to get to the gym.  I made myself crawl out of bed and GO. I started my strength program over again at Day 1.  Clean slate and all that.  It went well and I was pleased with the progress.  Bench is a challenge for me and I feel like I was able to get through the weight on that because I had so many days off from working out. Last set was 65lb for 3×5 and it was rough.

Deadlifts felt awesome!  That’s my favorite lift and the one I’m most confident doing, curious to see how that progresses.

I did strength first and did the CrossFit workout after.  The workout had a lot of thrusters in it (50) which I got through but struggled. I hate thrusters and this was even with an empty bar.  Legs were shaky by the end!

Tuesday:

Slept well, finally! But I stayed up later than I wanted watching playoff hockey (GO PENS!). I still got to bed earlish, around 9:15 but my body definitely could have used more sleep.

Crossfit workout today was a doozy, we did:

  • 500m row
  • 80 Jump rope (Or 40 double unders if you can do them)
  • 20 pushups
  • x 4

It doesn’t look like much but as you’re doing it, you realize how challenging it is.  Rowing started getting to me towards the end.  UMPH!

Wednesday:

Today was CrossFit + Strength training.

We worked on Turkish Getups today and our workout consisted of wall balls, lunges, and burpees for 4 rounds.  My legs definitely started feeling tired and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to continue with strength training.  I pushed through though and got my training done.

Today’s session focused on squats, overhead press, and cleans.  I worked up to 90lb squat and my coach helped me with technique.  He recorded me doing a squat and we looked at the mechanics of it and how I can improve it.  I loved this! It made it way more clear to me on the areas that I need to improve with my squat.

Press sucked because my shoulders were already tired from training.  I worked up to 50lb press, 1×2.  I was supposed to do 3×5 but that wasn’t happening today.

Cleans are meh.  I don’t love the clean and am still working on getting that technique down.

I made it! While I might not have knocked them all out of the park, I made it through training and walked away from this feeling good.

ETA: GAH! I realized later as I was scrolling through Instagram and saw my picture that I didn’t do the correct weight amount for my squats. I DID NOT reach a 90lb squat.  That pretty much killed my happy mood and made me cranky for the rest of the day.

Thursday:

Last strength session of the week + Crossfit.  Strength sessions are three days  a week and I try to get mine done before the weekend.  After talking with another student who’s doing strength training and chatting with our coach, we realized that the program we’re on needs a bit of tweaking.  It’s going a little too heavy too quickly and that needs adjusting.

WHEW! I admit when I saw the schedule I was nervous and had moments of, “I need to squat how much?!”

So today while I did a strength session I dialed back the weight for the squats and bench. I kept the scheduled amount of weight for the deadlift though because I was confident I could do it (and I did!).

The Crossfit workout today was a partner workout with rowing and kettlebells.

I’m feeling much better about strength training and next week the schedule should be fixed and a little more approachable.  This also erased all the crappy feelings from Wednesday.  Knowing that my program is going to change, not doing the correct weights the day before is not a big deal.

Friday:

I slept like crap and totally missed the 7am class.  Fleeting moments of possibly not getting a workout in today and that wasn’t sitting well. I hustled and hit the 9am class. Mood was instantly better. Fridays are called “F&%$ You Friday” at my gym and our workouts consist of stations.  Today there were five stations, 1 minute at each station rotate through 3 times.

  • Wall balls
  • Sumo Deadlift High Pulls
  • Box Jumps
  • Push Press
  • Row for calories

UMPH  It was hard and challenging.  The recommended weight for the sumo was 55lb kettlebell and the push press was 50lb.  I’m tired as this week was my first full week of Crossfit + Strength. My arms and shoulders are sore. My thighs are sore.  I’m beat.

I could have gone down to a lower weight but I didn’t.  I stuck with the recommended weights and while that made me slower and I didn’t have as high of a score as others, I’m OK with that.

One of the things I’m working on is challenging myself and getting out of my comfort zone.  Sure I could have dialed down the weights and gotten more reps in but if I don’t challenge myself sometimes then I won’t make any progress. It’s not always about the reps or the time, it has to be about pushing yourself as well.

Overall I’m happy with this week. Yes I had some frustrating moments but at the end, it’s not really a big deal. I made it through the full week and added in some additional strength training.  I’m calling that success.

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Fitness Friday

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Deadlift Weight

To be fully honest, these posts are mostly for me to write down how my training went for the week and to just get out all the feels.  Maybe you’ll find it interesting or even helpful so I decided to share the nitty gritty of training.

Like with everything some days/weeks are great and others are not.  Training isn’t always puppies and rainbows and with lifting I’m learning a lot about myself, some positive and some negative.  This is my space to work through all of that.

Monday:

Was rough. I didn’t eat well enough on Sunday and didn’t get enough sleep so I was dragging ass during the workouts.  We did a lot of thrusters and had to do 6 rounds of 10 as part of the workout.  I got through 2 rounds with 55lb weights (just barely) and had to drop down to 45lb for the remaining 4 rounds.  Still chasing that 55lb goal.

I also did baseline testing to see where my max weight was with bench press and deadlift.  I got up to 72lb bench but I think my max is closer to 70lb.  And 120lb deadlift.  I also feel like I can do a heavier weight on the deadlift but my hammies were like, “Nope, nope, nope” that day.

Tuesday:

Missed because I didn’t sleep well Monday night and went to bed too late.  BAH!

Wednesday:

First day of extra strength training and it went alright.  As much as I love lifting weights, I do struggle with it as well. It’s a HUGE mental game that I need to get past because sometimes I let the weight get into my head.  My max squat is 95lb and the program had me squatting 85lb 3×5  (3 sets of 5 reps).  I was intimidated.  I did it but it was challenging.

Bench and press are my weakest areas because my shoulders are my weakest body part.  Benching went OK but I wasn’t able to complete 65lb 3×5.  I did it for 3×3 though.  That’s going to be a tough area for me.

Deadlifts went great and I was able to do 105lb for 1×5.

Thursday:

Missed because again I didn’t sleep well the previous evening.  CRANKY.

Friday:

Missed because of lack of sleep.

Basically this week SUCKED.  I’m crabby that I missed three workouts.  This wasn’t a great week and I got frustrated with my workouts and lack of workouts.

Monday I’m starting fresh.  Brand new week and brand new attitude.  I’m going to start my strength session over at Day 1 again and not look back but focus on my goals. It’s time to get serious about my workouts because if I don’t take them seriously then I’m not going to see the results and progress that I want.

Here’s to looking ahead!

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Upping Strength Training

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95lb Barbell

 

I have fallen completely in love with lifting heavy things.  This is something that I never thought that I would ever say given that my first run in with lifting and CrossFit wasn’t a positive experience.

I’ve found a welcoming gym environment where I can work on getting in better shape without being rushed or judged.  I started looking at other lifters online via Instagram and had a light bulb moment.  Powerlifting is a thing.  This may not seem like huge news to you but it was to me and it was empowering.

Whenever I saw people compete in lifting events it was either CrossFit, Strong Man, or Olympic Lifting.  I have a love/hate relationship with Oly lifts and I knew right from the beginning that I didn’t want to get into that. Competing in CrossFit or Strong Man doesn’t interest me so I assumed that was that and focusing just on lifting was out of the picture for me.

Then I discovered powerlifting which focuses on three moves; deadlift, squat, and bench press.

I LOVE THOSE.  And I can do those! Holy crap, I want to powerlift!  I started researching that a little more, found a nice online community through Instagram, and talked with my coach about doing more strength training.

I start additional strength training on Monday and I’m super stoked about it!  This program will focus on four areas:

  • Squat
  • Deadlift
  • Bench Press
  • Press

This will help me work on building strength and then after that program is done I’ll get a more dialed in powerlifting plan.

I’m able to do all of this at my current CrossFit gym and work on strength during open gym after my CrossFit class. Awww yeah!

Today I did baseline testing for squat and press to establish what my max weight is and tomorrow I’ll do bench and deadlift.  Then I start Monday it’s all in with a new training plan.

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On Starting Crossfit

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Crossfit

If you follow me on Instagram, then you have probably seen that I’ve started doing Crossfit.  I needed a change up.  Running was OK but I was still having some hip issues that were frustrating.  I was stuck at 2 miles because of it.

I’m also pursuing a big career change, one that is more manual labor focused.  You would think these would be unrelated but they are not.  New career would require me to carry and lift 50lbs at a time along with other heavy labor stuffs.  I want to be able to do this on my own without asking for help.  I also want to be stronger so I can handle my job safely as possible.

I have tried Crossfit before and had a really bad experience with it.  I lasted about a month and then wiped my hands clean of the whole situation.  I vowed to never do Crossfit again.

Never say never, is the big life lesson that I learned this year.  Sounds cliche as hell but it’s true.

On paper Crossfit is exactly what I am looking for in a workout.  Varied workouts each session, strength training, and something that is going to kick my butt.  Workouts that are scalable to all levels.  This was not my experience the first time I tried it out but that was three years ago.

I have come to realize that not all gyms are the same, each is going to have it’s own dynamic and community.  Because of this new mindset and determination, I set out to find a gym that fits me and my needs.

Fort Collins is not lacking in Crossfit gyms, that’s for sure.  I checked out gyms that are close to where I live because that plays a big factor in motivation.  I’m not going to go to a gym that’s 1/2 an hour away, I have no desire to spend that much time in the car just to workout. Plus that is a huge demotivator (yup, I’m using this word). If it’s snowy or pouring rain, who wants to drive 1/2 an hour to work out? No one.

I found some gyms that were just like the one I tried before.  I had some gyms that didn’t even respond to emails.  Those were immediately crossed off the list.  Then I found MY gym.  And man do I love this gym.  Ask Scott, because I tell him every time I come back from working out how much I love my gym.

It is everything that I was looking for in a Crossfit gym. The workouts are different each time and the coach is great at making sure that they are scaled to each athlete’s level. I look forward to working out and leave each session with the desire to get better the next time I workout.

Oh, so this is what loving Crossfit is like.  Now I get it.

I will also be starting a Whole 30 on January 1st.  Joining Crossfit and doing a Whole 30 are related in an unrelated way.  I’m not doing the Whole 30 because of Crossfit.  I’m doing it because I want to kickstart my new fitness and health journey this year from the beginning.  I want to start clean and eat well because then I preform better in the gym.  This is my year to get fit and strong, Andrea 2.0, now with muscles is my goal for this year.  I don’t want to just lose weight and be fit, but I want to be STRONG.

If you want to kickstart your health in 2016 and are interested in joining my Whole 30 group, just let me know and I’ll add you in! The group is free and there’s a bunch of us starting on the 1st.

Here’s to a new year and starting things off with a bang!

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Running Free

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Horsetooth Reservoire

Last week I decided to kick running up a notch to see how I would handle back-to-back runs.  I accidentally (trails were blocked off and so I ran more than planned) ran just shy of three miles on Wednesday and then ran 2 miles on Thursday.  I did well!

The three miles went really smoothly.  My hip wasn’t any more sore than after a 2 mile run so I’m considering that a gain.  I stretched really well afterwards and was pleased with how my hip was holding up.

After the run the following day, my hip was a little tight and a little more sore but nothing that would cause me any concern.  I really was hoping that I could push it and go for another run on Friday but that wasn’t going to happen.  When I woke up, my hip was tight and a little stiff.  I didn’t want to risk a run so I went on a 4 mile hike instead.

So far I’m very happy with the progress that I’ve made with this stupid hip issue.  I can still run and even though there is some slight soreness afterwards it’s not a big deal.   As long as I continue to work on stretching it out and do strength exercises I should be back in tip top shape pretty soon.  I’m also going to start rotating in some three miles runs.  It may sound silly but I’m super excited about that!

Hopefully I’ll be able to add running back to my routine full time!  I love working out but nothing makes me feel as awesome as running does.

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Grains and Gains

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cheese danish from farmer's market

Recently I talked about how I was going to start adding in some whole grains back into my diet to see how I handle them.  I’ve been focusing on old fashioned oatmeal and whole grain breads.  So far things have been going well with that.  Those grains aren’t causing me any sleep or digestive issues.  This means I can get back to eating oatmeal (I do love it!) and having a sandwich on occasion.

I pressed my luck and splurged a bit.  I got a cheese danish from the farmer’s market last week and had that for breakfast with coffee.  It was delicious and decadent.  And it caused me a lot of problems.  Booo

It left me feeling bloated and crappy.  Plus I couldn’t sleep that night.  The bloaty feeling stuck around for two days after eating that danish.  Bleck!  So while delicious, I know that those are the types of things I need to stay away from.  I can have a few bites if I really want it but otherwise, white flour based treats are out.  Which is fine because I typically don’t gravitate towards that stuff anyway.

My gains are with running and this makes my heart sing!  I took some time off running since it was starting to bother my hip.  Instead I started focusing more on HIIT workouts (Insanity Max 30) and weight workouts with 21 Day Fix Extreme (21FX). Both of these have helped me get back on track and being able to start running again.

Max 30 helped me keep my endurance and cardio levels up.  21DFX helped me strengthen my core and work on my leg strength.  That program has a lot of one legged exercises (think one legged squats) that helped me with balance and to make my legs and hips stronger.

I started running again last week and it went well.  My hips were only a little sore after the run but the soreness didn’t last. It did not linger through the next day and I could walk up stairs without limping.

Score!  This is amazing!  Running is so much my jam and we have so many amazing places to run here.  I love getting up early in the mornings and knocking out a run.  Nothing makes me feel as amazing as a run does.  It always puts me in a good mood and starts the day off on the right foot.  I love it.  I can’t go run every day but right now I’ll take something over nothing.

Where do I go from here?  Still going to focus on eating whole grains on occasion and keeping that in check.  Along with adding running back in a few days a week.  I’m also getting ready to start a new workout routine called CIZE.  I have a challenge group that starts next Monday and it’s not too late to join in.  CIZE is a hip-hop dance focused workout routine.  No burpees and no weights.  Just shakin’ the booty and getting exercise at the same time.  There’s still time to join the challenge group if you want in.  Give me a shout and I’ll send you all the details!

How are your workouts going lately?

 

 

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Life Currently

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Salad with a mahi mahi burger and smoothieThe radio silence around here is because Scott and I are working hard on launching a beer related site along with getting a podcast up and running.  It pretty much has my whole attention at this point.  Summer is also jam packed with beer events that we have been covering and attending as well.  Our beer life is super busy at the moment.  Not that I’m complaining!  But life is a little hectic right now.

I have not been out for a run since I decided to take some time off from it.  The weather has been amazing lately and finally free of rain so I’m really bummed that I’m missing out on these glorious mornings.

I’m back to doing Max 30 when I don’t get sucked in to doing website stuff.  Sometimes it has been taking up my whole day and my workout slides.  I’m at a point where I need to take my own advice and start scheduling the workouts into my day like an appointment so I don’t miss out.

Eats have been going strong.  You can follow me on instagram to see the meals we have.  I am sticking to a mostly primal diet with the occasional gluten free bread.  I have also been experimenting with adding oats back into rotation to see how my body reacts.  So far the results are inconclusive at the moment.  I have had bites of a few gluteny things here and there.  One or two bites and I’m done.  Usually the item isn’t worth me dealing with bloat and insomnia to keep going.

I’m also starting to keep a food journal which is something I’ll be talking about fully in another post.  It’s something that I feel is crucial when starting a healthy lifestyle.  I have all my health coaching clients keep food journals as well.

This is life currently!  Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon because I have lots to talk about plus several reviews to share as well.

Tell me what life is like on your end!

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June Goals

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Pineridge trail It’s a brand new month which means it’s time to revisit goals from last month and set some new goals for this month.

May goals, on paper, look pretty simple and straightforward; run more and add in strength training.

I failed at both of those but part of it wasn’t my fault.  I’m blaming mother nature for some!

May was a ridiculously wet month.  It was raining all the time which caused the trails to be flooded out which meant no running for me.

Could I have run around my neighborhood?  I suppose but trails are a little easier on the joints while cement makes my knees ache like crazy.  So unfortunately I didn’t get to run nearly as much as I would have liked and I didn’t get a chance to work up to more mileage.

I also didn’t do strength training nearly as much as I should have.  I did a few workouts here and there but nothing substantial.

For June I’m sticking with the previous goals.  The weather is starting to clear up and it isn’t as raining nearly as much and a lot of the trails are back to being open.

It’s also time to kick exercise back into high gear.  I’m at the halfway mark for my weight loss goals and I’m looking to be at my happy weight by this fall.  I won’t be able to do that if I don’t kick up my exercising just a big.

Two goals for this month are:

Run as much as I can and to focus more on strength training again.  I have a lot of professional goals as well (Scott and I are working on some fun stuff for Beer Fort Collins) but for lifestyle goals right now these are the main two.

How about you?  Do you have any exercise or healthy lifestyle goals you are trying to hit this month?

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Non-Food Related Weight Loss Goals and Rewards

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Short purple hairRewards are a big part of the whole diet and weight loss cycle.  “If I do X then I can have Y.”  Which doesn’t seem that bad but a lot of people rely on food or drink as their rewards.  “If I workout all this week, I can have fries this weekend!”

I’m all about rewards but feel like we should start moving away from food/beverage rewards and start focusing more on non-edible rewards for our hard work.  Maybe a massage?  Or a new outfit or pair of shoes?

Setting rewards definitely helps keep us focused and to stay on track.  I don’t think it’s bad or counterintuitive to set rewards.  I do feel that we should make these rewards something that are also going to make us feel awesome and keep us on track with our goals.

I have set up several rewards for hitting my weight loss goals.  There was a time when I didn’t even think that I would make it to any of those rewards.  It seemed so far down the tunnel that I didn’t know if there was light at the end.

This month I have hit one of my goals and was able to reap the reward.  It was amazing!

I have always wanted purple streaks in my hair but never pulled the trigger and got it done.  Lots of reasons why but the most recent one (and most silly!) was because I thought that I was too chubby to pull it off.

Because of that reasoning, I made it one of my rewards.  Something to work towards because I really wanted that purple!

And I made it!  I’m down 25 pounds thanks to working out and eating well.  That was my goal, once I was down that amount, my reward was to go and get some purple in my hair.

BOOM!

Now I have awesome purple hair (it’s hard to capture in a picture but it’s rad, I promise) and I feel amazing thanks to all the hard work I’ve been putting in.

Do I have more goals?  You bet!  I have several for when I reach my happy weight and I can’t wait to get there because I will get to do all these awesome things.

So do you have a reward for hitting a weight loss or workout goal?  If not, set one today and keep a note of it somewhere so you have a visual of what you’re working towards.

 

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This Week In Pizza And Fitness

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Grain Free pepperoni pizzaThe pizza this week was super simple, pepperoni and some pickled jalapeños on top!  The crust was the same base as last week.  I still don’t have any cassava flour so it was all almond flour and tapioca flour.

For some reason, yeast is not an easy thing to purchase here.  All the stores carry only the small little packets of yeast that are on the pricey side.  I recently ordered some Bob’s Red Mill yeast off of Amazon and I love it!  So far it’s been the best yeast that I’ve used and it comes in 8oz bags which is bigger than the jars of yeast that are available.  If you’re looking for yeast, check out Bob’s Red Mill (not an ad, I really like this yeast).

Scott and I have come to a conclusion about Pizza Thursdays though.  We’ve decided that we’d rather have pizza on occasion instead of having it each week.  For me personally, I have found that I really would rather have a big plate of protein and veggies over the pizza.  The pizza is delicious, don’t get me wrong!  But it’s not as satisfying as having veggies and fish, for example.

So pizza is only going to be on occasion and not a weekly thing.  I know, just as we were getting started again with Pizza Thursday, we’re nixing it.  It won’t be gone forever!

Fitness

Fitness has been going strong this week but running hasn’t been at the top.  We’ve been getting hammered with a ton of rain lately and getting out to run hasn’t happened all that much.  I know we need the rain but I have been bummed that running has been mostly sidelined.

Monday and Tuesday I did Max 30 workouts.

Wednesday was a day off.

Thursday, Run!!  There was a break in the rain in the morning so I was able to get out for a run.  It was glorious!

Friday, either another Max 30 workout or a 21 Day Fix workout.

I did get a chance to run last Sunday as well and that’s been all for this week.  It’s supposed to rain the rest of the weekend and possibly snow on Sunday.  Yikes!

How was your fitness this week?