How's It Going?

Hope all of our PUSH UP CHALLENGERS are HANGING IN THERE!

We are on DAY 26 today!

Form is looking solid from the reps I'm seeing knocked out at the gym (before, during and/or after class!).  

Keep it up, all!  Only 73 more days left and 5,023 reps remaining!

(Focus on the days... not the reps... unless your name is Mullet and your brain only thinks in numbers.  Big numbers.)

(If you miss a day, remember that removes you from the challenge.  All reps must be completed on that particular day.  Please let me know if you are out of the challenge.  Keeping my fingers crossed that you're ALL STILL IN!)

ON YOUR MARK, GET SET...

GO!

 Shuttle runs & Heavy KBS this week!

 

 

 The Kettlebell Reps = One's Score for This Workout.

Just John and Bean got top "swings" for the day!

CF Games 2012- "Sakamoto Prepares for 2012"

Quick share of my SUPER QUICK lunch that I'm eating at my desk while I work.

I consumed some of the tomatoes before snapping the pic, but that's an entire pint of sunshine cherry tomatoes, a small bison burger (Husband Rich makes the BEST bison burgers in all the land) and 2 leftover pieces of chicken coated in unsweetened coconut flakes and almond meal.  Threw a handful of raw almonds, raw walnuts, and Marcona almonds (I like to mix them up and keep them on hand) on top.

REMINDERS!

1.  Running seminar TONIGHT at 7:30 PM!  Be there or be square!

2.  Guys' Night Friday night at 6:00 PM.  Trainer Tim is bringing loads of A-B products, so he's got you all covered as far as brewskies go.  The grill will be fired up before the workout- come hungry!

3.  SUNDAY GROUP RUN AT QUEENY PARK!  Meet on the Dog Museum hill at 8:30 AM if you're interested!  ALL are most welcomed to attend!

4.  Intro classes begin on MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6th!  Newcomers need to sign up online through the website to reserve a spot!

A very "Harlee" photo with a very "Harlee" story behind it.

Ask a Wednesday early AM'er to fill you in.

Or Harlee D. himself- a passionate topic apparently.  :)

  More Cheers for Coconut Oil!

  

(Thanks for sharing this video link, Grammy!)

KTW Got Her Goal- 2 real deal, hamstring-to-calf pistol squats!

Nicely done, my lady!

"My Top 6 Anti-Inflammatory Foods" from Mark's Daily Apple 

"Peek into the Trainer's Brain"  Part 4 with Meg

1.  How many times a week do you workout?

I shoot for 5- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday

2.  How many of those workouts are CF workouts?  

All of them!

3.  If not all are CF workouts, what do you do on your other days?

4.  Do you do anything on your "off" days or strictly rest?

I plan for Thursdays and Sundays to be my "off" days, and although I might do some extra rumble rolling or lacrosse ball work if I'm super tight, I find that my body needs 2 full days off to recover and feel ready to go for my next workout.  This is where it's key to LISTEN to your body- some people can hit it hard 6 days in a row and take one day off, others do better just working out intensely every other day or just a couple times a week.  

5.  Do you ever switch things up based on how you're feeling that day?  

YES!!  I have my plan each week of what workouts I'm going to tackle along with my skill work, but if I feel particularly beat up by a particular workout or string of WOD's, then I will back off and make changes.  Sometimes that means JUST doing skill work or practicing technique on a movement or lift, sometimes I'll pull out the rower and work on consistency with my stroke, or (gasp!) pound the pavement and force myself to run (particularly after days of heavy lifting).

6.  Describe your diet 

Strict Paleo with Saturday being a little more relaxed.  

A topic I could talk about for days, but I am fascinated with how DIFFERENT I feel since starting Paleo in January of 2010 and how my "free" days have morphed over time.  Be prepared...  I'm pulling out my soapbox now...

 I used to PINE for my Ezekiel toast thickly smeared with Peanut Butter & Company's old fashioned crunchy peanut butter, cheese, glorious cheese, and our Indian feasts on Saturday nights with Basmati rice, palak paneer, and spinach paratha bread.  (Keep in mind that I've never been much of a sugar person, so I wasn't craving cupcakes, cookies, and scones), but even the sprouted grain bread started to sit like a lump in my stomach, so I ditched that.  Then the rice and Indian bread made me wake up on Sunday l..e..t..h..a..r..g..i..c and puffy and not wanting to do much of anything.  Ended up ditching those as well over time...

My body was talking to me, and I decided to listen up!  My Saturdays now include extra fruit (I heart apples with Trader Joe's raw crunchy almond butter sprinkled with Penzey's cinnamon.  I seriously do.), cheese on my eggs and Indian food minus the rice and bread, which means chicken tikka and palak paneer (spinach with cheese cubes and cream).  Not crazy, but they make me happy, AND most importantly, I don't end up feeling TOO terrible the next day.  

One last tidbit- Cravings carrot cake.  It is glorious.  Best carrot cake on the planet, and I used to be a connoisseur.  Granted, I haven't been a candy/sweets person since I was little, but EVERY YEAR for my birthday, on my birthday, I HAD to have Cravings carrot cake.  Well, I started eating Paleo January 1st, 2010.  My birthday is in March, and that year, the Mottl fam went out and each of us devoured a big fat piece of this divine dessert. 

 I 

LITERALLY 

GOT 

SICK. 

 Felt fine, fine, fine beforehand.  Felt increasingly more ill as we got closer to home where I completely lost it.  Right after that epidsode?  FELT FINE.  The sugar did me in, and I have not had it since.  

Long answer to the question, but if you give yourself some time with Paleo and eat REAL, CLEAN food to "detox" your system,  your body will talk to you.  It's a magnificent thing.  

7.  Any supplementation?  

I take 4 grams of the Stronger Faster Healthier lemon fish oil each day- a bit more if I'm super sore, 4,000 IU of Vitamin D as I'm not outside getting natural rays often enough each day.  

Few other minerals as my doctor says I have absorption issues.  Finally back in a low normal range with Paleo, but it's a work in progress.

8.  How many hours of sleep do you get each night?

6 for sure.  If I'm lucky, 7.   Always shooting for the magic "8," but it never seems to materialize.  

9.  Do you do anything before or after workouts in addition to a typical warm up/stretching?

I sometimes do some extra rolling or mobilizing with the band depending on what feels tight.  I also have the yamuna foot savers (bumpy 1/2 spheres) that I use post-WOD's with running as my feet KILL when I run.  Occasionally (note this is a rarity) I'll take a freezing cold shower and stand under the ice pellets for as long as I can take it.  Works wonders, but the dread before and during pushes it down on the list of recovery "must do's."

10.  Have you experienced any tweaks or injuries since CrossFitting, and if so, how did you handle working out?  And, why?

Yup!  A while ago I tweaked my back, which is when I happened upon Dr. George per PMIll's recommendation.  He opened my eyes to a few issues with my breathing, my feet, and my incorrect "order of engagement" of muscles during certain movements.  I had been pulling with my low back FIRST for EVERYTHING instead of recruiting my hips/glutes first.  Has made a world of difference.  Dr. George is a gem- we are so fortunate to have him as a resource.  As Kelly Starrett says, CrossFit is the best tool for uncovering weaknesses.  If you are tight or have mobility issues, CrossFitting will reveal them as you use your whole body to its full capacity.  Dr. George has helped MANY of us fix those faulty movement patterns and get back in the game.

I occasionally tweak my traps/neck when I'm cleaning, jerking and snatching and it's ALWAYS when I'm hesitant as I feel myself tense up first, and then I lose focus and receive the bar incorrectly.  Nothing serious.  Just annoying.  :)

11.  Any recommendations for the community on recovery?

Experiment!  See what works for you!  

Use the bands to keep your joints "open." 

Use the lacrosse balls and rollers to "unglue." 

Stretch post-workout to lengthen muscles if they're "short."

Drink 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces of pure water each day- see if you feel any different.

Take purified fish oil daily- see if you're any less sore.

Force yourself to get solid sleep each night- no TV, no computer, super dark room, completely silent.  Feel any better? 

On that note, here's a pre-workout hip Mobility WOD from KStar to cure "gristly-ness":