Challenges

Hank's mom forwards me (and others) e-mails called "A minute with Wiley" from her pastor-- here is one she sent a few weeks ago that has stuck with me and become my mantra:

Psalm 107:1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.

The steadfast love of God is greater than anything by which you will be challenged.

In my last post, I talked about looking for challenges that would drive me, and would help me blog more, give me something to talk about. Well I found my challenge, and its actually causing me to blog less: LIFE.

While life has become increasingly busy---- wedding getting closer, to do list getting greater, spring cleaning, car totaled from hail and I need to buy a new car, diet fading and skinny jeans getting tight so signing up for a mini challenge with the gym that equals more cooking, changes in work causing double the work, spring in the air and all I want to do is play outside, wanting to visit friends in Atlanta, missing my family, the list goes on and on--- the good news is God's love is truly greater than all of this and I know all of these things are truly a blessing. 

And in all of the busy time-- I work to slow down and spend more time with God and less time in front of the computer and TV (so....one challenge I came up with was giving up TV, Hank wouldn't agree to it, haha), less time making to do lists, less time blogging!

So, I don't plan to blog a bunch moving forward, hopefully I'll check in every once in a while with something fun, interesting or motivational--- but its not going to be one more thing on my to do list that I feel bad about not getting done. :)

I did have a few suggestions for my challenge from Emily last month: work on double unders and kipping pullups and I am proud to announce that my new record for DU's in a row is 20 and I did my first WOD on Friday doing pull ups without a band. :) So I do have challenges, with activity, eating, work, balance, spiritual life and more I am working on every day, and I hope you all are blessed to have them too.

So, I'll be back at some point-- but in the meantime, I'm going to shut down the computer and cozy up with Hank!

For fun, here are some of the "good" meals/ snacks I've made over the last few weeks and remembered to take pictures of:

almond meal chk & zucchini salad         mexican turkey burger & sweet potato     paleo sauce-less spaghetti

Have a good healthy balanced week! 

Drop Kicked & Rx'ing

My friend Lauren drop-kicked a pumkin one time when she was angry, it was pretty funny. I feel like I've been drop-kicked.
Maybe it has a little to do with what I consumed this weekend. I didn't plan for this to happen, but am not surprised. There was a lot going on with good friends, work event, feeling terrible on Sunday and just wanting to eat terrible.

To summarize: Friday night through Sunday night. Pizza, wine, greek yogurt & a banana, larabar, beef quesadilla from mojo, a taco without a tortilla, sweet potato fries, beers, a tequila drink from my days of waitressing- a cozumelpolitan, velveeta mac & cheese, french toast (first bread besides pizza bread) & bacon immediately followed by coldstone chocolate ice cream, a lil chicken alfredo, a little pizza. I'm pretty sure that = the 5% body fat I lost! Ugh...

I wanted Friday to be a paleo night--- but after getting in the bathroom at our gym because I thought a tornado was coming + severe hail damage to my car--- not complaining there, very happy that was it, could've been soo much worse just stating the facts--- I thought pizza & wine were the better choice.

However, I must say, there is nothing like eating like crap and feeling terrible to make your body and mind, and probably soul, crave healthy options. Hank and I bought our pre-made paleo, we are ready to get serious this week. I still want my julie darling donut, I'd say that is the one thing I haven't had since the end of the challenge that I was always craving. Maybe that could be my Saturday treat if I'm good this week--- that and ONLY that! Well, that and our weekend pizza. :)

Other than my one pancake on National Pancake Day at IHOP to benefit CMN, I did pretty well last week. I did have gluten free noodles with beef & sauce only because I couldn't find any spaghetti squash...coulda went with another meal but I had my heart set on some sort of spaghetti!!

Its amazing how much more energy I have when I am treating my body better, and how much better I feel waking up  ready to take on a day as opposed to feeling like I want to sleep all day. I mean its not worth beating myself up or anything...the way I feel is punishment enough!  Its okay every once in a while for sure- and I had a good time this weekend, but I think I'm good for a little while anyway, haha. I am ready to eat well, train and get adequate sleep.

In other news, speaking of training- I Rx'ed my first workout at Crossfit Brigrade today!!! Woohoo. That means I did it as prescribed by the main Crossfit! I finished in 18:54. Typically I can rx parts of workouts, but not the whole thing because I can't get the weight, or it calls for pull ups- which I can't do during a WOD without a band yet, etc., so I was pretty stoked to be able to get one! I know I could've done even better if I was good this past weekend. Here is the workout:
For time:
20kg Back squat, 50 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 5 ascents
20kg pound Back squat, 40 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 4 ascents
20kg pound Back squat, 30 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 3 ascents
20kg pound Back squat, 20 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 2 ascents
20kg pound Back squat, 10 reps
15 foot Rope climb, 1 ascent

Now, I still need to land a handstand, or even a handstand progression that Maggie has taight me, kipping/ butterfly pull ups, and real push ups all the way through a WOD, yet again I say- one thing at a time. :)

So, I've come to realize that I have a hard time writing if I don't have something to chronicle. The last time I really sat down to think to write before I started this blog was three/ four years prior when I wrote an essay on my first sprint triathlon, I'll have to post that for y'all soon for those of you who haven't seen it. So I'm trying to think about what I can chronicle. Here is what I've thought of but argued against.
1. A handful of people in the gym are doing Whole30. Don't think I want to do this, yet. I really want to work on eating primal with some responsible and controllable cheats. Once I can master that- maybe I'll consider Whole 30-- or maybe I'll do that after the wedding or when the gym offers it up as a sponsored challenge with points, etc-- then I'd know I could be successful. Plus its another diet thing.
2. Wedding stuff- may get me into trouble. :)
3. Training for a marathon- one day, still can't run a few miles without pain- starting to take some action here again though, we'll see what happens.

Any ideas on a challenge I could take on and chronicle? Something you want to try and want me to be the guinea pig for? Something to add every day for 30 days, something to take away? It could be health related, or something different. I won't promise I'll do it right away-- but interested to see what ideas you all may have? I'll think as well. :) If we can't think of something I'll at least try to be entertaining, insightful and fresh a couple of times a month...

Happy week to everyone!

Spiritual WOD – 3/5/2012

March 5, 2012 in WODs | Tags: Faith | 3 comments

What, or who, do you see every day that increases your faith in God?
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“A man can banter with his friends and colleagues about whether God exists.  But a father looks at his daughter and knows.” (Meg Meeker – Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters)
“You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other. ³⁶ From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you. On earth he showed you his great fire, and you heard his words from out of the fire. ³⁷ Because he loved your ancestors and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out of Egypt by his Presence and his great strength, ³⁸ to drive out before you nations greater and stronger than you and to bring you into their land to give it to you for your inheritance, as it is today. ³⁹ Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. ⁴⁰ Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.” (Deuteronomy 4:35-40)