Yeah Baby, Get Your Competition On

Yesterday I participated in the "No Baby Leave the Socks On" competition at Crossfit 973.

 

Yesterday I pushed myself way outside of my comfort zone (AGAIN).

 

Yesterday I climbed a huge wrung on my crossfit journey ladder.

 

 

Signing up for the open last year terrified me, pushed me, and made me realize that I am capable of more than I tend to think I am. (See previous post for that revelation) I didn't think it was possible to shock myself more because well, I expected to be shocked... If that makes any sense... But yesterday I proved myself wrong. Yet again. See I have been itching to get into a competition ever since seeing how electrifying the Open was. I was hooked on the energy and needed more. HOWEVER, I was also paralyzed and terrified of the idea of competing. I didn't know if I was ready, mentally or physically. I was unsure if I would crack like an egg under the pressure or if I would could possibly hold my own against better athletes... Clearly confidence has never been my strong suit.

 

Almost a year later and that fire for finding a competition to sign up for had all but faded to ashes, especially given my recent struggles with myself and my performance in the box. Then out of nowhere my coach asks me if I am doing the women only competition next month and my eyes lit up and ears perked up like a dog about to get a treat. Fast forward through the determined work day in and day out. Here we are. January 17th. It is the morning of the competition. I wake up at 5am. I'm tired but can't sleep another second. I leave my house at 5 minutes to 7am and get to the location of the competition more than 30 minutes before the designated athlete check in time. I sit in my car for a full 15 minutes just trying not to puke, forcing myself to breathe, and getting up the nerve to actually walk in there. I was a messy ball of nerves and anxiety. In fact that same heart racing nervousness stayed with me through the entirety of the first WOD and up until probably about the minute my legs went numb and I had to start consciously reminding myself to breathe during the second WOD. By the time I finished the second workout I was so deep in just doing the workouts I think I almost forgot to be nervous and my goodness did it feel amazing. In fact I distinctly remember even saying I was excited for the third WOD. Yupp, I was fully invested and ready to bring it on.

 

Now, this new found excitement could possibly have been due to the fact that, as I implied earlier, I surprised the shit out of myself when I saw that I actually was doing well!

 

Let's revisit my lack of confidence for a moment. The competition had an Rx and scaled division. When I looked at some of the weight I decided to go for scaled. I decided I wanted to give myself a chance to do something rather than nothing. My confidence needed to not come in last place and I figured in a scaled division I had somewhat more of a chance to not come in last place. I was told by many I should've done Rx but ultimately I didn't and in the end I am happy I stuck to my gut. Okay, back to the day of...

 

(Successful 125# power clean)

 

I went in with a very simple goal... Work hard and don't come in last. In fact, other than the weight I wanted to hit in the first workout, I had zero goals or expectations for the entire rest of the day other than not sucking. After I hit a PR power clean at 125# during the clean ladder of WOD #1 (in practice I had only gotten that weight in a squat clean - which we found out on competition day would not be allowed), and finished WOD #2 tied for 5th place overall I realized, "Holy crap maybe I really don't suck that much!" After that I was pumped. I was motivated. I wanted it. I was gonna make WOD #3 my bitch!

 

The third workout was 50 double under buy-in, 2 rounds of: 25 box jumps @ 20", 25 wall balls @ 14# to 8' target, and 25 KBS with 35# all followed by a 50 double under buy out. In my mind, I broke these movements down and they really didn't seem that bad at all. However, lets remember I have never done a competition before and I severely underestimated the mental focus and strength it would take to push past the fact that my ENTIRE BODY HATED ALL OF THIS by that point in the day. Ultimately, though it wasn't as well as I wanted to do, I ended up finishing the workout in a respectable 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the longest almost 9 minutes of my life, and taking the 9th spot for that WOD. Disappointingly not enough to get me into the final top 5 but enough to get me tied for 6th. Tied for 6th place out of 37 women. That certainly wasn't anything to sneeze for my very first competition.

 

For a few hours post-competition I kept beating myself up, replaying the second and third workout thinking about everything I could've done. How I should've pushed harder through the burpees during the second workout. I should've started setups sooner in the third workout and done the KBS unbroken. I watched the video of the second workout 3x. And then it took coming home to my dad, who had just been shown the videos of my competition by my unbelievably impressed aunt, and him almost tearing up, telling me how he couldn't possibly do any of time, and being actually - not parent faking it to be nice - but genuinely shocked and impressed by me to make me realize how ridiculous I was being. It was my first competition. So what if it was the scaled division and not Rx like people told me I should've done. So what if I didn't make the final 5. So what if I can't walk today even though I didn't think I pushed hard enough haha. I did something I never in a million years would've possibly seen myself doing 2 years ago. I did better than I ever could've expected to. No matter what I coulda, shoulda, woulda change it didn't happen that way. It ended the way it did for a reason. I did the best I could do. ME. Not anyone else. And that had to be enough. That WAS enough. 

 

So what I take away from this is ... Yesterday, I learned a lot about myself, about my insanely amazing Maxability family, about the beyond impressive women that I have the honor to workout with on a regular basis.

 

 

 

 

Yesterday I impressed myself and got even more addicted to the insanity that is crossfit.

 

Yesterday I decided you haven't seen the best of me yet.

 

 

Pushing Through Plateau

Plateau.

 

The literal definition of this word is "an area of relatively level high ground". Just as we see these in nature, we can experience them in life. A plateau is caused by an ability to adapt; in nature being land adapting to a pressure of water over time. In life we can experience a plateau in many ways. As we grow, we adapt to whatever pressures we may frequently experience and become able to respond. However, once we stop experiencing NEW challenges or facing changes in our daily routine, we can reach this dreaded plateau. We stop growing, stop progressing, stop moving forward. We become kind of stagnant. Recently, I experienced this in a drastic way.

 

I am planning many big life changes set to happen within the next year and while those are extremely exciting, it has led me to feel kind of non-content and stuck in my current routine. Being 24 and having failed at my first life endeavor post-college, I look at myself - paying back loans aggressively, pursuing my future in the counseling world, in a real mature promising relationship - and think I am in pretty good shape life wise. I am proud of myself for being the person I am and being in the position I am in at this point in my life. I wouldn't have it any other way. So why did I experience such a sucker punch to my stomach kind of self-doubting frustration station plateau? Because I have an insatiable hunger for bettering myself.

 

I know most people would say that isn't a bad thing and I don't think it is either. I am constantly reading, researching, looking for ways to feed that hunger. For me that outlet, that thing that keeps me constantly hungry yet always satisfied, is my fitness journey. My crossfit progress. My self. My body. My health.

 

Remember that definition of plateau? A level ground caused by an ability to adapt. Yeah. Well a year and a half into Crossfit I freakin adapted all right and I was stuck. Or at least it felt that way. Stuck in this spot that I had adapted so darn well to I felt like I couldn't get out of. I spent a good month or two being entirely frustrated. Trying to find any little thing to make me feel better or show myself there is still some progress or I should still be proud of where I was. But all I could was so many people around me getting better and doing more and growing and there I was just hanging in there being the same old Kaitlyn I had been for the past few months. November was a difficult month for me and December did not start out much better. For a couple weeks I just had no motivation. It took everything I had to get to Crossfit each day. I was frustrated. I didn't understand the point in pushing myself so hard if I wasn't going to get any better or see the improvement I wanted so badly. One the Friday before Christmas week I remember going off via text message to my boyfriend. I was done with myself. Frustrated. Pissed. I wouldn't be able to get to Crossfit that night and it just ate at me. I remember just ripping myself to shreds talking to him. Saying it didn't matter what I did I wasn't going to get any better. I'm not an athlete anyways. I never have been so who cares. I just can't get to the fitness level some people can. My body isn't made that way... Every excuse in the book... And "AFTER A YEAR AND A HALF WHY CAN'T I DO FUCKING PULLUPS!"

 

My boyfriend of course tried to comfort me and I calmed down after a bit and went to Crossfit Monday morning as usual. I had a great morning and a good workout. I felt okay about it. Then my coach asked me if I was signed up for the competition a bunch of people were doing. Of course I freaked and needed more information. It was a women's competition in mid-January. One with workouts that I could actually do and feel confident in. I was immediately PUMPED. The conversation from just under three days ago flew out of my head and I was like yes I haaaave to do this! After I signed up I couldn't stop smiling all day. I knew this had to be exactly what I needed to get back the motivation I had somehow lost recently. I thanked God and the universe for sending me this at the absolute perfect moment. I honestly don't know if I would've have been quite as excited if this opportunity presented itself at any other time. This was my chance to prove something to myself.

 

Fast forward to Wednesday and some post-wod competition practice. I decided, after wearing my shoulders out to death, that I would use the empty box as a moment to try something which I was deathly afraid of continually embarrassing myself with. I attempted a kipping pullup. And holy mother of pearl! I freakin did it! (If you saw the video I posted you know how shocked of a reaction I really did have haha). Not even 5 days after yell-texting about hating myself for not being able to do pullups I did my first pullup! I mean talk about timing haha. The just two days after that I did real unassisted kipping pullups in an actual workout for the very first time.

 

Now why am I telling you this story?

 

Plateaus are something that we all are probably familiar with; whether they come in your weight loss efforts, in your gains, or whatever else. Reaching that plateau is easy. Pushing through it, not so much. However, as difficult as it is sometimes (both physically and mentally) it certainly is never impossible and just takes so honesty and hard work. In each step of pushing through make sure you pinpoint the physical and mental things that may be holding you back. A plateau is just as much a mental state as it is physical. You need to get your mind right first and believe in yourself to make these changes. And then go kick some plateau butt! :D

 

First, determine whether you are really at a plateau.

This is especially important as related to weight loss. When we begin working out in different forms, our weight changes and sometimes that change isn't what we expect. Before getting fed up with the scales refusal to decrease or constant up and down look at things that may be contributing. Are you losing fat but gaining muscle? Are you constantly sore from your workouts and not hydrating properly? Are you weighing yourself at different times of the day? All of these things could affect the number you see from day to day or week to week. Make sure you are accounting for all variable factors before you start giving yourself the beat down.

 

Second, have concrete, measurable, and realistically attainable goals.

Far too often we look all the way down the road to what we ultimately want to be. What "success" would mean. However, this can be damning in the sense that when it takes a while for us to get to that point it can cause unbelievable frustration. Like my damn pullups haha. Pullups are all I have wanted since starting Crossfit. Rather than commending myself for being the girl who could not even do one single knee pushup or one ring row, I was condemning myself for not progressing at what for me would be super speed. Set small achievable goals that will keep on the path to your ultimate goal. Goals that you can achieve more frequently to keep you aware of your progress and your little successes and results.

 

Third, focus on one goal at a time.

It is natural to have a lot of things that we want to improve upon. When we put effort to a multitude of things at one time we are more likely to find ourselves falling short in all areas and again becoming frustrated with ourselves. If you focus on the primary goal and put all your efforts into conquering that it is more likely that you will find success, have something to praise yourself for and feel good about, and then move onto the next goal with a bode of confidence. One prime example for me was learning to conquer double unders. After last years open, I spent most of the summer in my driveway as often as possible trying to get them down. Now they are easier and easier each time I do them and I am able to focus my energy elsewhere. (For instance on those pullups! Are you sensing a theme? heehee)

 

Finally, switch it up!

As I mentioned previously, staying in the same routine for a prolonged period of time is not only boring and stagnant but a straight path to hitting a plateau. I mean doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity right? Many times we find ourselves hitting a plateau, specifically in muscle gain and strength, when we never change up our routine. Being that my exercise regime is programmed by my Crossfit coaches and "constantly varied" is something Crossfit prides itself on, this is something that I can easily manage with their help. If you have a normal gym routine you do, whether it be weightlifting or cardio or both, switch up the movements you do and the machines you use every few weeks. Your muscles need an element of surprise and change and challenge. Something they have to continuously adapt to in order to keep progressing. Same thing with weight loss. If you are doing the same things you've did to lose the first 20 lbs but it doesn't seem to be helping with that last 10 its because your body has plateaued and it needs a new challenge! Stay thirsty my friends ... thirsty for fitness ;)

 

 

 

 

Calm Down with These Foods

It's no surprise that when your body is healthy, you will feel better overall. When we are healthy our immune system is kicking butt and keeping us from getting sick, we have more energy, we have better focus and cognition, and physically we are just killin it... 

But did you know that the foods you consume can have a huge impact on your mood?

I'm not talking about that chocolate cake or ice cream that "made you feel better" after that awful breakup or those shots that completely reversed the shitty day at the office. I'm talking about a real physiological response... And no not like the coffee that wakes you up in the morning and allows to tolerate all the idiots you will inevitably deal with throughout your day haha... Stay with me here...

Basic foods.

Foods we consume on a regular basis.

Foods that we all eat with (probably) no idea these are making an impact in our stress levels.

Here is a handful of foods and their specific vitamins that can help IMPROVE mood and control those stress and anxiety levels...

Whole grains, broccoli, and vitamin D:

Complex carbohydrates and vitamin D rich foods boost our serotonin levels. Foods such as cod, tuna, salmon, and eggs are all good sources of vitamin D. Broccoli is also a strong ally of serotonin.

Omega-3 fatty acids:

These guys relieve inflammation and improve communication between nerve cells in the brain. People with omega-3 deficiency are more susceptible to mood instability and have a higher risk of panic attacks. So eat your nuts, seeds, oils, fish, and leafy greens everyone!

Arugula and basil:

Certain herbs, these in particular, have a high level of folate which helps to enhance mood. Herbal teas including chamomile and green tea also have a calming effect on the brain due to certain combinations of amino acids and antioxidants. These are often used in stress relief.

Amino acids: 

L-tyrosine is an amino acid used by the brain to make neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine. L-tryptohan is one of the main building blocks of serotonin. Meats, poultry, beans, lentils, and other protein rich foods are good sources of L-tyrosine. Wheres L-tryptohan can be found in turkey, bananas, baked potatoes (with skin), dairy, legumes, and seeds. 

Deficiency in L-lysine is also linked to stress-induced anxiety. Similarly to L-tryrosine, this is found is high protein foods. **Tip: For all you protein powder drinkers, L-lysine is found in many protein mixes, especially those containing an amino complex. So check that label and buy smart ;) ** 

Antioxidants:

Foods rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E tend to have antioxidant properties. These foods include many fruits (berries, pomegranate, grapefruit, and pineapple), vegetables (kale, peppers, spinach, and beets), and nuts and seeds (pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds). 

Sunflower seeds and vitamin B complex:

Sunflower seeds are also a great source of vitamin B5, which is often referred to as the "anti-stress vitamin". Bananas and avocado are also high in B5. Vitamin B6, B12, and Thiamin (B1) also play a part in the balance and communication of neurotransmitters in the brain. B6 assists in the processing of serotonin, melatonin, and dopamine. You can find this in liver, red and green peppers, beef, wheat germ, and nuts. B12 is essential in the formation of red blood cells; a lack of which can lead to mood swings. This is heavy in shellfish, eggs, meat, and lamb. Thiamin converts glucose into energy which, as we all know, if you have none of that can play a gigantic part in depression and anxiety. Peas, spinach, and brown rice are good sources of this. 

Melatonin:

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleep, something that plays a huge role in depression, anxiety, and stress levels. Some foods contain small amounts of melatonin. These foods include oats, rice, tomatoes, ginger, bananas, radishes, and barley.

So like I said...

Foods we consume relatively often can help our body process, fight, and prevent stress and anxiety. Certain foods can also regulate mood in a way to help prevent and reverse depressive feelings and symptoms. Next time you have a super stressful day or are experiencing high anxiety, put down the chocolate and the vodka. Instead have a cup of green tea. Make a fishy meal with leafy greens, brown rice, and basil seasoning. Feel the benefits! 

Fuel your body. Be great. 

My Weeks Without Makeup

After seeing a blog post about a woman who challenged herself to go a week without makeup it really made me think. I am not the type of woman who takes hours to do her makeup in the morning. In fact my makeup routine consists of tinted moisturizer, the occasional mousse concealer and/or bronzer, my favorite blush, and mascara. Never have I ever been good at eye shadow, eye liner, layers and layers of foundation, or whatever contouring is. I don't understand shades and shading and proper things for skin undertones or eye colors. I honestly don't even understand colors in general for that matter. Like what in gods name is periwinkle?! But I digress... I decided that this concept intrigued me enough that I had to try it myself. Since I am an overachiever and into self-challenges aaaaannnddd since I figured my makeup routine isn't nearly the same as many women's I would push myself to go TWO weeks, 14 straight days, without wearing a drop of makeup. This is what I learned...


DAY ONE

I woke up on the first day ready to tackle this challenge and hopeful that I wouldn't be all that hard... Unfortunately I was wrong. I showered and went upstairs only to look in the mirror 9458237x more than the average morning. I got dressed and somehow felt undressed for work. I left the house feeling unprofessional at best. Like as if not wearing makeup would complete destroy my abilities, professionalism, and respect when I got to the nervous. I was NOT feeling this. I wasn't picking apart all my flaws... yet... but I was certainly insecure. The day was much harder than a typical day at the office. I definitely didn't feel like myself and I was not excited for the next 13 days to come.

Fast forward to day seven...

DAY SEVEN

 

I began my little journey on a Thursday. Typically, I go makeup less over the weekend unless I am going out somewhere Saturday. So days 3 and 4 weren't tooooooo bad. Day 2 was just as much of a struggle as the first day and unfortunately it didn't get much better throughout the first week. I spent most of the first week picking myself apart. Every time I looked in the mirror I felt defeated; as though I looked absurdly tired or sick or just awful. I realized it was going to take a lot of self-love to get me through the next week.

 

Day seven was also when I decided to take a deeper look at my skin, which is the problem behind why my non-makeup wearing self struggled with feeling beautiful and wonderful. For the first week of this challenge I used the face wash I had been using, which is one I switched to from a face wash I actually really liked because it was recommended by someone. I decided for the second week that I would purchase my old favorite along with face wipes that I would carry in my gym bag for post-CrossFit. You see bad skin runs in my family, thanks a lot dad haha, so skin care is something I know I have the pleasure of having to be extra conscious of. Rather than covering up the acne and flaws, I was now forced to really attack them head on or be faced with them daily... literally.

 

 

DAY ELEVEN

 

By now I had gotten to a point of self-acceptance. I knew my flaws and I was ready to work through them and love them and accept them as me. Somehow not wearing makeup when I was at home and around my parents and siblings and even my boyfriend was like second nature. I didn't think twice about it and I felt fine. They loved me for me and they accepted my flaws and loved my flaws... and honestly told me repeatedly that they didn't notice any of the things I kept pointing out (though they were probably just being nice). Yet, it was the going out in public around people I didn't know and who didn't matter and whom I would probably never see again that drove me insane. Makes total sense -_-  I was determined to work through this over the next 3 days and made it a point to be in public as much as possible and allow the world to see me for who I was. ALSO, by today I had noticed a difference in my skin. I had begun using my own oil scrub in addition to the Olay Total 7 scrub that I had decided to go back to using on day 8. I ditched my Say Yes to Tomatoes and I returned to the land of Olay. It was making a difference. But the biggest difference I saw was due to using my oil scrub at night. The invigorating and moisturizing and healing combination of the olive oil, coconut oil, epsom salt, and lemon was something my skin just adored and it made me, both in a mental placebo way and an actual physical change way, better. I was gonna get through this challenge with progress wasn't I?

DAY FOURTEEN

 

Ending this challenge I realized just how big of an impact makeup makes on women and their perception of themselves. Throughout the entire two weeks, not once did anyone comment on my appearance in a negative way. Not once did anyone else mention that I looked tired or sick. Not once did someone respond to me differently than they normally do. I wasn't criticized at work for not looking professional. I wasn't disrespected or bypassed. No one looked at me with judgment or disgust. Everything was status quo. The ONLY person that noticed I wasn't wearing makeup and that my "flaws" were showing was me. Ladies, our perception of ourselves with makeup versus ourselves without makeup is something only we notice.

(me with makeup - compared to 2 previous no makeup pictures)

Wearing makeup doesn't make us any better or worse at our jobs, in our relationships, at the gym. It doesn't bring us any closer to that new PR on a lift or make us run faster. It doesn't make us any more or less funny (unless you're a professional clown lol), loving, caring, responsible. It doesn't increase our IQ. It honestly doesn't even make people like or respect us any more or less.

Everything in our lives is about our attitude, personality, and the way we conduct ourselves. The problem, or the benefit, is that the way we conduct ourselves stems directly from the way we feel about ourselves. (aka our self-esteem and confidence) Women allow ourselves to use makeup as a way to cover up our flaws physically in hopes that it covers those flaws emotionally or mentally. Makeup makes us more confident and therefore we believe we need it to be good at our lives. When in fact, the person you are behind that makeup is much more important. Women need to allow ourselves to feel confident and strong and BEAUTIFUL without makeup... And the world will be in big trouble ;)

Barbells For Boobs

This past weekend I was lucky enough to take part, for the second time, in my box's annual "Barbells For Boobs" fundraiser. If you don't know anything about Barbells For Boobs please please check them out! This is an amazing organization which raises to fund mammograms for uninsured women. Early detection and information is the first step in saving lives right?! Okay back to our fundraiser....

Last year, Barbells For Boobs was the first any sort of anything I did pertaining to CrossFit that wasn't just showing up for the 6am WOD every day. I was beyond excited. I made the effort to raise money for a great cause. My father came out to support and watch. It was a great day. So of course going into it the second time around I was just as pumped. You see this year, I was determined to raise more money AND I knew I would be RX'ing the workout for the first time. I was ready.

Let's talk a little about progress and transformation...

In recent months, namely July and August, my life outside of CrossFit had kind of sent me on a detour. All my focus had been put on helping my boyfriend organize, pack up, and move himself and his life halfway across the country. I wasn't going to CrossFit as often as I had been, taking stretches of days off, and I was tired or on the run so often that my eating habits fell off... Except for when I was actually with my boyfriend because he was able to keep me somewhat on track. Thank you love :* ...But I didn't mind because for that time, something big came first. However, after the boy thaaang was all moved in down in Texas and I was back to my life (alone) in Jersey I was frustrated with my lack of performance and progress. Especially physically. I felt as though I had taken 10 steps back in my physical appearance results. For a small wrinkle in time I was so angry at myself and was my own worst critic. Like a super harsh critic. I experienced this fall off in endurance at CrossFit and a plateau in lifts, when others who were at my level had progress. I was PISSED.

But. Rather than allow this feeling to overcome me and succumb to this irritation. I became determined to get myself back to where I needed to be. The latter half of August was were this new journey began. I was BEYOND determined. I was focused. I did have a definitive goal but I had a million goals. I didn't want to just be better. I knew exactly and specifically what I needed and wanted to be better in.

Cue, September. Again I had almost a week off right at the start of the month due to traveling to Texas to visit this ambitious man of mine. Then I returned realizing that I had finished my Saturday classes and could FINALLY return to my favorite of all gym times! Saturday morning workouts... One of the first Saturday workouts I came back to was a partner WOD. Besides the aggressive combination of suicide like sprints and kettlebell swings, part of the workout was clean and jerks. My heart dropped in nerves and anxiety when, in announcing the partners, my coach looked at me and said "95 would be nice to see"

Now I knew we were doing "Grace" soon at Barbells For Boobs and that the Rx women's weight would be 95#. But was I ready? I seriously doubted myself.

I finished the workout that Saturday... Barely and with great thanks to my amazing partner!...  But I didn't really touch 95# for anything over head until the week before. I was (again) in Texas and got to work out at Crossfit Cedar Park, being coached for that one class by a former games athlete. I found myself PR-ing my push press at 110#. Excuse me?! And it seemed relatively, well I wouldn't say easy by any means but as if I could certainly have done more. That moment boosted my confidence like nothing else.


Fast forward to October 18th...

I woke up in the morning telling myself "Just finish. Juuuuuust finish." I had practiced in my attic a few weeks prior with what I thought had been 95# but was informed by my father, to my dismay, that it was actually only probably about 85#... That's what we get for having weird weights with a bar of unknown weight lol... My practice offered a 7:15 finish. Just barely under our 8 minute time cap. Finding out so close to the fundraiser that it was 10 pounds less than I thought was discouraging to say the least. But I kept a positive mindset and made my way over to Hackensack.

Before I discuss how I felt in and after the WOD, let's just touch on WHY this was so important...

Have you ever had a definitive checkpoint with which you could measure your progress and results from all the hard work you've put in? Ya know the kind of checkpoint that means you H A V E to be real with yourself and you can't sugar coat anything because the numbers don't lie?

Barbells For Boobs was that for me. It was something, the same exact workout I had done at the same exact time I had done it the year prior. I had to face myself. I had to see how far I really had come, or not come, in the past year. This was it. All I wanted more than anything was progress and pride.

Needless to say, I looked at that 95# on the bar and I said "Let's FUCKING Do This Shit." I finished in 6:40. Just a little over 1 minute slower than I had performed the year before. However, the real factor that made a difference is that the prior year I did this workout (which by the way was "Grace" - 30 clean and jerks for time) with only 75#. A 20 pound difference. This time last year if I even attempted cleaning 95# I would have collapsed. It wasn't a possibility to be considered by a long shot.

THIS is how far I have come. I have learned so much from these past couple months. Going from feeling frustrated and angry at myself for a lack of progress to showing myself that even with some detours the progress I have made over the last year is immeasurable... Or, literally, actually greatly measurable :)

I am an entirely new person. A year ago in October I was in my 7th month of Crossfit. Even then I was insanely impressed by the person I had become. I had NEVER in my life touched a barbell (or really even a dumbbell over 5 lbs) before. I could not do ONE SINGLE PUSHUP. I actually distinctly remember the coach doing one of my first On Ramp beginner classes laughing out loud at me when I attempted a push-up and even attempted a knee push-up. Hashtag embarrassing.

Moral of the story here is that no matter what is getting in your way, look at yesterday and remember that you are not the person you were then... Be determined. Stay focused. Know yourself.

Always remember that there are enough haters and critics in this world that will "offer" or force their opinion and judgment on you, don't be one of them. LOVE yourself.

No matter where you are in your journey it is where you are meant to be and you are meant to learn from every experience and every step, whether forwards or backwards, in your goals. All you can do is never give up, never quit, and work as hard as your body will let you.

You are all amazing.

Got Water?

Hopefully it isn't news to anyone that water is SUPER important to the optimal functioning of our bodies. We can not survive without water. I mean, come on, our bodies are made up mostly of water. But did you know that feeling thirsty means your body is already becoming dehydrated? 

Most of the time we think of dehydration as what happens when we are out in super high temperatures like in the desert and haven't had any water allllll day and are about to get sick or collapse. When in fact we made be experiencing dehydration before we can even feel it. Not providing your body with enough water with wreck havoc on your health AND get in the way of any fitness, health, or weight loss goals you may have. Let's take a little bit of a further look into this...  

 

Water is essential to your health and wellness is innumerable ways. However, I want to just touch upon some of the most prominent. Starting with your daily functioning...

 

Water is the single most vital source of energy that our body gets. Our bodies can only run the way they do if we have an adequate supply of H2O. Considering our brains are 75% water, to avoid feeling fatigued, tired, and unable to focus and thrive throughout the day, make sure you are waking up and drinking some water. Many people wake up and reach right for the pot of coffee without a single drop of water touching their lips. Now, I have to admit I am a coffee fiend myself and talking to me in the morning before I have a cup in my hand is probably a bad idea haha, BUT when I wake up the first thing I do is sit up and gulp down some of the water I keep next to my bed throughout the night. Your body needs to kick start it's enzymatic activity and allow yourself to wake up and be fed before you start adding other substances that are stressful on your body and brain.

 

Next matter of business is any health, fitness, and especially weight loss goals you may have. Leaving your body, thirsting for water is the worst thing you can do when you are trying to lose weight. In fact, drinking cold water has been proven to increase metabolism. waaahhoo Dehydration can lead to weight gain and therefore undo any progress you are trying to make. Whenever your body feels as if it is going to be deprived or without something it will try to desperately cling on to any resources it is getting; which is also why not eating has adverse effects when trying to lose weight. Research has shown that drinking a glass or two of water before each meal that you consumer helps you to have better portion control and curb cravings. Many times we think our body is hungry when really it is just trying to signal to us that it is thirsty and in serious need of some good old fashioned water. So when you hydrate well and provide it will its most natural and vital source for survival, you are able to eat only what you actually need rather than filling up more than your body needs in a false sense of need. In fact, one study showed that people who increased their daily water intake by 1.5 liters were able to burn an extra 17,400 calories (which equates to approximately 5 lbs).

 

Now if you are extremely active and aren't worried about weight loss so much as you are about your fitness goals, well you aren't in the clear. Dehydration is one of the many sources of injury. The cartilage in your joints is made up so much of water that it relies on that for it's proper function. For those of us who are extremely active, and especially doing activity that is taxing on our joints - i.e. running, aerobics, weightlifting, plyometric movements, gymnastics, etc., we need to hydrate properly in order to ensure our joints will recover. Dehydration leads to weakened cartilage in our joints which means after a hard workout our joint repair is slowed. This lends itself to pain, stiffness, discomfort, and injury. 

Regardless of what your fitness level is or your goals are, one thing we all have in common is a desire for overall health and wellness. Being healthy means having your body in its entirety function the way it was meant to. It means that you get and the necessary nutrients, the vitamins and minerals, to be well. Dehydration can cause and/or worsen a variety of digestive disorders, problems with vital organs such as your kidney and bladder, constipation, reactions to the environment (including asthma and allergies), high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.



The general recommended amount of water intake a day is 8 - 8 Oz glasses. Of course this changes based on personal levels of health and activity levels (aka drink more if you are a gym rat or on certain diet and food regimes). Now you don't need to drink a pool every day so don't go overboard but do make sure you are getting an appropriate amount of H2O for your body and your goals... If this is something you continuously struggle with, maybe look into downloading one of the many amazing water recording apps. I currently use "Water Your Body" for Android... And remember drink before you snack! Stay thirsty my friends ;)

 



On Track On The Road

Ahhhh summer... A time of beach days, picnics, backyard BBQs, and amazing vacations. And while that is all a ton of fun, it also means test after test and detour after detour. Traveling has a tendency of leading to breaking down and consuming awful foods because eating out is easy, faster, and sometimes "more fun." I am here to tell you that vacation does not HAVE to mean straying from that amazing path of healthy living you've been carving for yourself! Saaaayyy whaaattt. 

 

At the start of August my boyfriend and I embarked on an aggressive, long two day drive from my home in Northern New Jersey to his new home in Austin, Texas. After over a year of strict clean eating, my body cannot handle large amounts of crappy food. I seriously go into such a bad mood, my skin is a mess, and I just physically feel awful. I also honestly eat A LOT, like constantly haha. So I knew when I agreed to make this trek with him that food would be of high priority here. When you are already planning 14+ hour long drives, you really ideally want to avoid adding any other factor to make you feel anything less than the best as possible to conquer the road. It took me a couple days but I managed to put together a checklist and packet of everything we would need to keep ourselves going, hydrated, and in the best shape possible physically (and mentally). I am going to share with you some of the tips I have after completing this road trip for making sure you don't get off track when making your own summer trip... Whether it's too the beach or across the country...

1. Have a feel good beverage.

I would say start out with a shit ton of caffeine but I know a lot of people aren't the caffeine type. I bleed coffee so my trip started with an extra large black hot coffee from Dunkin <3 (aka heaven in a Styrofoam cup). We left New Jersey when I got out of work at around midnight, more like 12:30am but same difference. He was taking the first driving shift. However, starting a long journey with your co-pilot passed out asleep doesn't sound like a good time so I knew I had to do my best to stay up for a bit with him before I got my nap in and prepared for the switch. Over the next two days I will just say that we did our best to make sure there was a Dunkin or 7-11 at most of the gas and bathroom stops we made. We are both avid coffee drinkers (well mostly me but I corrupted him and lured him in with the draw of Dunkin iced coffee, oops). I know it is definitely mental but whether I am driving 1 hour or 14, having coffee by my side just brightens my mood and day and gets me through my typical road rage. Coffee may not be your thing but if say coconut water, or even POM with coconut water (which I also had with me), is then make sure you have some of that. Or maybe, like my boyfriend, you are one of those NUUN drinkers. Whatever it is, find that one drink that just instantly makes you feel better and you know will get you out of the HOLYSHITI'VEBEENINACARFORMORETHANHALFADAY mode.

2. Water Water Water

Now that you have your own personal "feel good" beverage to get you through mentally, let's go to your body's feel good need... Good ol' H TWO OH. Iced coffee from Dunkin may make you smile but if you aren't keeping yourself hydrated, especially on a trip to the beach or if you are driving across the middle of nowhere in Arkansas and the traffic is dead stopped and you are forbidden from turning to A/C on in the car and you're sweating bullets, your body will begin to turn on you. Dehydration is not pretty and being stuck in a car for hours is not when you wanted to experience it. When you need your focus and concentration to be on point, you need to not get sick or develop killer headaches, that is when it is most important to stock the car with water. Trust me, when you make it to your destination and through your entire trip and did not feel an ounce of dehydration you will look beyond the 70 bathroom breaks (unless that is just people like me with the bladder of a 3 year old) and thank me.

3. Snack smart.

This means a variety of things. Snacking smart means making sure you pack yourself REAL foods, having the foods packed be things that will sustain you and not leading you down the dangerous path of munching for the entiiiireeee 14 hours, having things that are easy to eat and you don't have to try to unwrap intricate packages while driving 70 down the highway, and knowing when to snack and when to stop to get a real full meal. I would recommend making a list of items and being realistic. Avoid overpacking but be sure not to under pack. Being hangry in a car on an overly long drive is THE WORST. Now, my boyfriend has a nut allergy snacking on handfuls of almonds is perfect for some but unfortunately we couldn't go down that road. Here are some examples of things we packed for our drive:

- Hardboiled eggs
- Sunflower seeds
- Jerky (beef sticks from Steve's PaleoGoods and all natural turkey and buffalo jerky from Trader Joe's)
- Larabars (and/or Questbars, or other filling all-natural protein bars)
- Dried fruit
- Sweet potato chips ... sometimes you need a little indulgence ;)

4. Don't fear the meal breaks.

Whether it is being on a time crunch or just being hesitant of the greasy fried foods in the rest stops, sometimes people are weary of stopping for dinner and lunch on long drives. I am telling you not to be afraid to plan for a meal break on the road. However, again, be smart and PLAN PLAN PLAN. As they say, failing to plan is planning to fail right? While doing our logistic planning I came across a godsend of a website. Road Now can be used for all things from rest stops to traffic to food. The beauty of it is that if you find the Interstate you'll be driving down, the state you will be in while on it, and the direction, it will give you every restaurant and stop along the way. Now this isn't just the McDonalds at the rest stop near exit 30. It is the diner and the Italian restaurant and this and that and everything within 5 miles off each exit. This means that you can find real good food and meals on your drive while avoiding the fast food. Winner winner chicken dinner ... For real. We managed to find good restaurants, and with the beauty of smart phones, were able to get Yelp reviews on each one that peaked our interest so we knew what was worth it and what to skip.


Long road trips across the country do not have to be death sentences for your body or major detours for your weight loss or fitness journey. Of course, if you are looking for an indulgence galore you can certainly make this an excuse to do so. However, I am here to tell you that with a little planning, a little time, and a good dose of being real with yourself, you can ABSOLUTELY do a road trip the healthy way... Tell your digestive system I said you're welcome.