Miss Muffet's Muses

We've moved!!

2009-12-27T15:13:00.003-07:00

Please continue to follow my blog at www.missmuffetsmuses.com

a SWEET time of year

2009-12-10T10:21:00.007-07:00

Poor girl, no pastas, breads or sugars for her....

Not so fast! Have you even heard of Paleo Treats? After my review of Stephanie's delicious Cavemen Cookies, I was contacted by Nik of Paleo Treats to sample some of his paleo friendly, bits of heaven.

Paleo Treats currently come in two flavors, Cacao Now! and Mac Attack. Cacao Now! is a sort of dark chocolate cup filled with pistachios, raisins, almonds and goji berries. Something different for everyone, these treats were right up the alley of my CrossFit BMW trainer Jarrod. He was delighted and surprised to hear that these treats are 100% paleo and could not tell me enough how much he loved it. More my speed, the Mac Attack! I could go on and on about how delightfully amazing these treats are. Coconut, cacao & cacao nibs - yum, yum, yum! I would be able to hand the Mac Attack out to any bump on a log, American couch potato and they would have no idea they were eating like a caveman! If you love coconut, this is definitely the treat that I recommend.

Made from all natural ingredients - sweetened with organic cacao powder and organic agave nectar, Paleo Treats are a great way to satisfy any sweet tooth without the guilt. Thank you, again, to Nik for sending some treats my way, I can guarantee that I will be a return customer!

The dust hath settled...mostly

2009-11-19T10:35:00.005-07:00

It has been almost a month since my last post, wow! I am officially a Michigander...again! The past few weeks have been filled with many sad endings;
-Leaving my amazing job. I am so thankful to have worked for such an amazing children's charity for the past two years. Everyone should take the time to donate this holiday season, you'll feel proud and fulfilled for weeks to follow.
-My last day with the Tribe!! I hated leaving my work-out family. I will miss them so much and am glad to have spent the last 7 months together. Everyone went for drinks on my last night to wish me farewell & good-luck. The whole group also signed a couple of plyo-boxes for my new gym, I cannot wait to put them in their new home along with a stash of awesome hair bands from Jess!
-Saying goodbye to D :(. I have spent the past 4 years with my best friend and I hope to remain close forever. I held tough as long as possible, before falling apart into a red-nosed, sobbing mess. Good thing he loves me - I am not a pretty crier!

With endings come new beginnings, and I am on a roll! I arrived in Michigan late Sunday night and am off to a running start. I have 3 job interviews my first week in-town and have started attending CrossFit BMW in Royal Oak. I am going to be a part of an amazing new paleo blog focused on women (more to come on this!!), I am in the process of finding a location to open my own CrossFit box, I am registered for my level I certification in Ontario, Canada and am expecting some yummy Paleo Treats in the mail (can't wait to review these!)
I finally had the pleasure of meeting Jarrod at CrossFit BMW. We had some time to chat and I think we are about to begin a beautiful friendship. I have such high hopes for all that is to come, and am excited for the opportunity to have a partner in crime. I think that Jarrod's years of experience and expertise mixed with my excitement, enthusiasm & fresh outlook are a perfect combination for something great!
I hope to have many exciting updates on a more frequent basis moving forward. Wish me luck!

Great, great, great, great, great cookies

2009-10-26T08:03:00.038-07:00

It is with great regret that D and I hereby resign our positions in the 100 Burpee Challenge. With our constant skipping of days, I think we have done well to prove that we are able to do 100+ burpees multiple days in a row. Besides, pulling over on the side of the road to complete burpees during my upcoming 32 hour roadtrip - not my cup of tea.

In other news, owner Stephanie Lester of Cavemen Bakery was kind enough to send me a bag of Cavemen Cookies to share with the Tribe. These cookies are delicious and 100% primal (or pretty darn close depending on whether or not you choose to eat honey.) Either way, if honey is a cheat for you, this is a pretty guilt-free way to do it. The cookies definitely have a ginger snap flavor, (the only ingredients are honey, almond flour, walnuts, raisins, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon) but the texture is super soft and super chewy. Not the "chewy" of your typical commercial, chocolate chip, "soft 'n chewy" cookie, these were a different kind of chewy that I am having a hard time finding a comparison for. Regardless, they were wonderful and hit the spot. The sweetness conquered my cravings and prevented me from finishing off the entire bag; the perfect combination!! In sharing this tasty treat with 5 other hungry primal crossfitters, I hope I was able to do my part in sending some business Stephanie's way.

During my remaining free Saturdays before the big move (which means 1) I am extremely grateful and excited/nervous for the opportunity to shadow, learn and train beside my very own CrossFit master Jason "Jakers" Parent. [Side note: I watched 'Kung Fu Panda' this weekend, hence the use of the word "master", I feel that it fits the CrossFit hierarchy wonderfully!] Hopefully in the 1.5 hours time, I will be able to gather some useful information, knowledge and skills towards achieving my own goals & aspirations in Royal Oak. I have so much to do and learn and am extremely lucky to have such savvy and generous people to call my friends.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

2009-10-14T12:20:00.052-07:00

Unenthusiastic 100 Burpee Challenge Update: Today, I will be doing 145 burpees. This wonderful number comes from today's 43 & yesterday's 42, plus 60 undone burpees I managed to rack up over the weekend. It will not be pleasant, it will not be fun.

A lot has happened in a short period of time, so goes most major events in my life. From the top:
D and I have decided that waiting and waiting...and waiting for his relocation to San Diego for the 'big break-up' to happen was like sitting on a time-bomb. We intended our drawn out farewell to last 1-3 months and, unfortunately, it has been over 5. We are very happy with our circumstances and intend to be the best of friends forever...oh how I love intentions!
Next stop, Michigan. Beginning with my found feelings of confidence, hope and "me" while in Ireland, I have come to the conclusion that I have a lost a lot of who I am during my 4 years in Arizona. I miss my family, friends & home. With that, I have decided to move back to the mitten state for at least a small while. I am confident that this is the right decision for me, though I will have a heck of a time saying goodbye to the Tribe.
As long as I am making changes, why not go all out? I am a once a year maintenance type of girl when it comes to my hair. I don't over wash or over style so my hair stays pretty healthy all on it's own. Each of my last 3 appointments (over 2 years!) I have gone with the intention of chopping it off, but have always been convinced "Let's go shoulder length first, than come back for the next chop!" Problem is, by the time I come back, my hair is back down to my butt. (It's the Paleo!) Well this time, no more! I was finally able to go all of the way and I couldn't be happier. (Although, people are questioning why I would make such a decision right before moving back to MI's frigid temperatures! )

With changes, come aspirations. I have big ones, but I'm going to keep these to myself for now. I have been doing a lot of planning & research and hopefully, I will have some amazing news to come!!

100 Burpee Challenge - Update

2009-10-06T06:47:00.006-07:00

Today is day 35! It feels like so much time has past, when really there is still so much to go. Yesterday, D & I had the pleasure of doing 130 burpees for missing days 31, 32, 33 & 34; at least now I know that day 100 will be possible! I know a lot of people have bailed on this challenge, I wonder who has stuck in there? Lesley? Susan? Dylan and I are the only people left doing it at our gym, but we power through at the end of each WOD. The competition of 'who can finish first?' is definitely helpful.

In other news, I recently received a lovely little package in the mail from Larabar. I was anxious to sample their 2 new flavors, but they are still not being stocked at my local healthy kid stores. I sent over an email sharing my adoration for the bars and Harry was kind enough to send me a sample box of 4 flavors, including the two newbies Peanut Butter & Jelly and Tropical Fruit Tart.

*Tropical Fruit Tart: A new favorite to add to my line-up! This bar is the deliciousness and wonderful texture of Coconut Cream Pie, plus a little somethin' extra. It is amazing and I cannot wait until I can buy them locally. In fact, the purchase of a whole box may be in order!

Peanut Butter & Jelly: I ate this bar on a Sunday morning after reaching the top of my nemesis, Camelback Mountain! It was one of the more dense Larabars (more like a Clif Bar) and a perfect pick-me-up when I really needed it. I couldn't believe there were no strawberries or grapes in the bar to give it that exact PB&J flavor, but it was dead-on and delicious!In the next couple days I will be receiving a bag of Cavemen Cookies in the mail! I cannot wait to try them and share them with the Tribe!

I've gone green [Happy Arthur's Day!]

2009-09-24T17:15:00.002-07:00

Burpee Challengers: Day 23! We are almost a quarter of the way there! :)

I’m not sure why it is taking me so long to write my ‘Ireland Synopsis.’ Each time I sit down to do so, I can’t think of a good place to start or the right words to use - my first case of writer’s block. In an effort to get it written before the memories fade, I vow to get something posted. I loved this country; I loved the people, I loved the experience, I loved the pubs, I loved the food. While in Ireland, for whatever reason, I fell back into myself. I felt confident, happy & open to life’s opportunities.

Friday morning, a month or so ago, I flew (Flew? Flied? Fled?) to Ireland on my first “big plane.”

I had two short stops in Chicago & London. The plane & flight were amazing, comfortable, smooth & not nearly as terrifying as I had imagined. The stop in Chicago went off without a hitch, but I highly discourage flying through or into London Heathrow Airport. I felt like I was a mouse in a maze and my next gate was the cheese. Passengers were funneled down 1 way hallways, through 1 way doors, stopping at 3 security checkpoints before (2 hours later!) arriving at the next gate and boarding the plane in the nick of time. Flight attendants on the Air Lingus flight from London to Dublin were the closest I’ve ever seen to what real “stewardesses” look like in the movies; sassy outfits, obnoxiously polite demeanor, blue eyeshadow & frosted pink lips à la Mimi from the Drew Carey Show. After 12ish+ hours of travel and an 8 hour time difference it was Saturday morning and I had arrived in Dublin!

Dublin is not the green oasis you expect when you think of Ireland. From my experience, it more closely resembled Santa Monica Blvd. in California. Dublin is very ‘city’ with modern steel & glass towers squeezed between 1,000 year old beautiful brick buildings and hundreds of people crossing the streets at once to get to their next destination.

I stayed at the Harding Hotel right in the center of central Dublin; I could not have asked for a better location for my first trip to the country. I spent the first couple of days in the city exploring the shops, buildings and best local pubs. My favorite drinking holes ended up being “The Quays Bar” in the Temple Bar district and “Darkey Kelly’s,” a small pub attached to my hotel.

By day 3, it was time to start traveling. I decided to start off easy by using the LUAS light rail and DART train to access cities nearby Dublin. My first destination was Howth. Howth is a small fishing town, with lighthouses, grey skies, a brisk breeze and (from what I’ve read) amazing seafood. Unfortunately, I did not partake; I will definitely have to get lunch here next time.

From Howth, I rode all the way in the opposite direction to the city of Tallaght. This is the mini-city where Crossfit Ireland is located. I would describe the area as very industrial & business. Crossfit Ireland is NOT the easiest place to find on foot, but after a good 2-3 mile walk, retracing my steps multiple times, I made it! I was in no mood for a WOD after my stressful hike, but I didn’t come all the way from Arizona just to say ‘Hello.’ I had the pleasure of meeting Will and he led the group through a quick work-out. Before heading back, I was also able to meet Colm & Tom and purchase my own Crossfit Ireland t-shirt. [Side note: I was drowning in the men’s size small, so D ended up receiving an extra gift. Luckily, Tom was kind enough to let me know that there is now an inventory of women’s sizes and I will be receiving a new t-shirt soon!]

Day 4 I headed down to Cork. This was a hefty bus ride away (about 4 hours) and, from this experience alone, not worth all of the trouble. Silly me, I was wearing a dress and sneakers the day it decided to rain and blow for the first time all week. There were only 5 hours to explore before the final bus headed back to Dublin and the city bus tours were not running on this particular day. So, I did the only thing available to do in the amount of time I had and headed over to Blarney Castle!Although this is a major tourist trap, I am glad that I went. The castle is not so much a castle anymore as it is a hollow, stone tower. I climbed the long, narrow, spiral staircase to the top, set my eyes (not my lips!) upon the Blarney Stone, and was on my way. Another 4 hour drive, a bus out of gas, a short jaunt back to the hotel & I was ready for some shut-eye!

The next day called for sleeping in and a relaxing afternoon in Dublin. I was able to explore the city more thoroughly, now that I was more comfortable in my surroundings and knew my way around on foot. I also made my way over the Guinness Brewery for a tour and a free pint of beer at the Gravity Bar.

[Side note: I had always thought Guinness looked delicious but my taste-buds told me otherwise. Either way, everyone says that you must try a pint of Guinness in Ireland because it is a different experience than drinking a pint in America. Boy, were they right! I am now a Guinness girl through, and through & enjoy sipping this delicious brew whenever I have the chance!] The Brewery got me in the 'gifting mood' that had been missing on my trip so far. I was able to spend a fair amount of money and get a few loved one's souvenirs taken care of.

Since the first half of my trip was spent solo exploring, days 6 & 7 I signed up for guided group tours to see and learn the things more difficult to do on my own. My first tour was to Wicklow, aboard "Wild Wicklow Tours." This was the Ireland I had been waiting for. The countryside in Ireland is breathtaking and absolutely beautiful. Not only were there the bright green, rolling hills, but in the late-summer/early-fall everything blooms with the prettiest yellow and purple flowers.

One of the coolest parts was Guinness Lake; the water has such a high iron content, that it appears a deep brownish-burgundy color (the color of Guinness!) To top it off, the Guinness family had white sand imported to line the beach, giving their giant pint of Guinness the foamy head it deserved.

My second tour was to the Cliffs of Moher. This place is a Kodak Moment in a box! We made it the entire bus ride with no rain, but the second the doors opened so did the sky. The rain didn't last long; after a quick 15 minutes I was able to tighten up my hood and head out to the Cliffs. Knowing that Ireland is an island, I had no idea the country was surrounded by so much beautiful water.

My last night in Dublin I made one last round at my favorite pubs, ate one last great meal, drank one last Guinness and met even more wonderful people. The next morning at sunrise, it was back to the airport for another 12ish+ hour flight back to the desert.

Monday blues

2009-09-14T12:16:00.011-07:00

I always have such a hard time concentrating on Mondays. In fact, I repeated that sentence in my head a dozen times before finally giving in and typing this post. My mind wanders, my eyes wander, my undivided attention is unattainable. My first weekend at home, in over a month, was equally as spastic. Although I had good intentions to have the entire house cleaned, I didn’t quite make it. I managed to get all of my clothes folded and put away & my hiking backpack unpacked from last weekend’s trip to Havasupai. D did the rest, but we still haven’t gotten to either bathroom or the dreaded kitchen floor. On the positive side, we have been eating fantastically! Meats and greens and fruits and fats, galore! I’m so proud of us. I must say that Sprout's Farmer's Market is one of my favorite discoveries of 2009!

Although I am a few weeks later than I had hoped, I intend to type up a synopsis of my trip to Ireland this week. I have finally received and organized all of the photos, so I will be including a handful of those as well. Given that I can remember all the details, it should be posted by next Monday and will *hopefully* be a good read!

Burpee challengers: Today is day 13! Thirteen is supposed to be my lucky number, unfortunately I will be doing 46 burpees tonight to make up for days 10, 11 & 12. Like I said, it was a spastic weekend. Feel free to leave your burpee comments (and any other comments) on the most recent post. No need to go back to the original “100 Burpee Challenge” post. Also, if you are an anonymous commenter, please be sure to sign your name so I know who you are. Thanks!

30 mile feet

2009-09-08T16:37:00.007-07:00

Burpee challengers: We have reached day 8! I have been pretty good about doing my burpees each day with the exception of days 4, 5 & 6. I had to make these up after arriving back home from my weekend trip, something about doing burpees in the dirt was not so fun. I am still feeling good, but know that will not last much longer! I hope everyone is having fun, I think we will all feel so accomplished once we reach our goal!!

Labor Day weekend (after much ado) we finally made it to Havasupai. A trip originally scheduled for Memorial Day ’09, was postponed when the tribe shut down all tourism to avoid the potential outbreak of swine flu. D and I made the 5 hour drive and 10 mile hike into the canyon accompanied by my brother, our good friend B and two new friends, J & G. I have to say that the hike, while definitely strenuous, did not feel like 10 miles! We started out around 5am, after 30-45 minutes of sleep for the night, and made it (8 miles) into the Supai village covered by shade. The final 2 miles into the campground were the hardest part; the sun had come up and we were baking in it the whole way down. My sweet D carried my 27lb. pack (in addition to his 35lb. pack!) the last mile. Still, when we arrived, my feet and calves were not the happiest campers. Day 1 we stuck close to camp, checking out Havasu Falls and taking photos of Mooney Falls from the top of the cliffs. Day 2 further foot punishment was administered, we got an early start and made the 4.5 mile trek to Beaver Falls. The hike was beautiful, I described the way I felt as “A soldier creeping through the Cuban rainforest” if such a thing exists. After crossing the river numerous times aboard my cute piggy (D), hiking through miles of winding foot wide trails surrounded by greenery, climbing a 10+ foot rope up the side of a rock and sliding down the side of a couple sandy & gravely mountains – we made it! Beaver Falls is 4 tiers of pools with small waterfalls pouring from one to the next. We cooled off for about an hour, rested our tootsies and I reminded myself that, yes, I still hate cliff jumping! The hike back went much quicker and smoother aside from the ‘almost attacks’ by a mountain goat & rattlesnake. We arrived back at camp to find that our Crossfit buddy and fellow Tribe member JC had made it in safely! We spent the majority of the evening relaxing and chatting with JC and her 4 friends, ending the night with a chilly moonlit dip in Havasu Falls. Day 3 I woke up to downright furious feet and calves. This was my opportunity to stick back at camp while D and the rest of the our bunch headed up to the village and JC and her crew headed down to Mooney. I spent the morning working on my tan, listening to music and resting up as much as possible. When my group arrived back at camp, we took a quick last trip up to Havasu and that was that. We called it an early night at 8:30pm, woke bright (err…dark) and early at 3:30am and were in the truck driving home by 10am. It was a great hike, an amazing place and a forever memorable weekend! I can’t wait to get out and experience even more of the beautiful places this world has to offer.

100 Burpee Challenge

2009-09-02T15:35:00.021-07:00

I searched and looked and dug and scoured but I cannot find a "Count Up" gadget to add to my blog, which means everyone participating will be responsible for remembering which day we are on in-between updates. I will help you out this time around, we are on day 1! That means 1 burpee, chest to ground at the bottom, air under your feet at the top. If you are unsure what a burpee is supposed to look like, please refer here.

I don't remember where I first read about the 100 Burpee challenge, but it amuses me that the comments that follow always seem to be along the lines of "So easy!" and "I could do that no problem!" My response? Ha! Have your forgotten that burpees suck? And this is doing burpees everyday, for 100 days, and doing 1 additional burpee each consecutive day. YUCK!

That being said, here are some rules that were created by Crossfit Santa Cruz when they did their 100 Burpee Challenge:

1. You can complete each day's burpees all at once, or broken up and done at different times throughout the day
2. If for some reason you miss a day, you have to make up all the missed burpees the following day
3. If you don't start the challenge with us today, you can "buy-in" at any time by doing ALL the missed day's burpees on your first day
4. Any burpees you complete during your regular workout can count towards that day’s Challenge burpees, if you want them to
5. Have fun doing burpees and getting stronger doing it!

Post your whining, complaints and bragging to the comments. I will update every 3-5 days to remind us where we are at and keep the motivation coming. I'm so excited to have a group participating in this challenge and cannot wait until Dec. 10 for 100 burpees!

My taste on Larabars

2009-08-27T09:00:00.009-07:00

I had created a document as I tried each different Larabar, describing the flavor and starring my favorites. No harm in sharing!! I have not yet tried the 2 new Larabar flavors or the 2 containing cocoa powder, but look forward to it! My overall favorite is Coconut Cream Pie. Enjoy!!

Lemon: OK. very fruit & nut texture. subtle lemon flavor.

*Cashew Cookie: Delicious. Tastes very cashew-y. I like it a lot. Almost like an Almond Cookie.

Key lime pie: slight citrus taste, very forgettable. not a favorite.

*Coconut Cream Pie: Delicious. smooth coconut flavor and coconut texture.

Cinnamon Roll: Tastes more like Oatmeal Cinnamon Raisin cookie. Good, tastes like a healthy cookie, not too sweet. Definitely can taste the cinnamon.

Pistachio: The date flavor FAR outweighs the pistachio, though they compliment each other well. It is a nice "Original Bar" Not too special.

Cherry Pie: Sweet cherry flavor. very good fruity Larabar. tastes like dried tart cherries.

Pecan Pie: A nice pecan flavor. would be better with cinnamon. good, but not great.

*Banana Bread: Awesome. Tastes just like homemade banana bread + almonds.

Ginger Snap: Very Spicy. Lots of Cloves flavor. Tastes like a ginger snap!!

Peanut Butter Cookie: Nice soft chewy texture. I thought it tasted like an unsweetened Peanut Butter Cookie!

Apple Pie: Overwhelming cinnamon flavor and not a whole lot of anything else.

Bedtime at 1:40pm

2009-08-25T13:40:00.009-07:00

I am back from Ireland, and I am tired! Taking that trip is the best thing that I have ever done. It is so refreshing to remind yourself who you are, what you can do and what you can be. In the next couple days I will be writing a full synopsis of my trip, but in the meantime I wanted to squeeze in a quick Paleo/Crossfit update.
My first non-paleo food was a bad one, but an oh-so-delicious one! My last day at work I indulged in 1/2 of a cupcake to celebrate a co-workers 10-year anniversary. Mind you, these were GIANT, Starbuck's-sized cupcakes, so 1/2 equates to the the size of a whole, normal-sized cupcake. It was chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting and it was marvelous. Following my cupcake, I described the way my head felt as the little metal post on an old-fashioned alarm clock, hammering back and forth between the brass bells. I do not regret one crumb of that cupcake.
In Ireland, I had my fair share of non-paleo foods. Guinness by the pint (it is Ireland, come on!!), a few bites of mashed potatoes, a couple slices of toast with breakfast and one slice of chocolate cake. All things considered, while I most certainly did NOT eat Paleo on my vacation, I did not eat terribly. Lots of meat; chicken, bacon, beef, sausage and lamb. A fair amount of good stuff mixed in with the bad. I'm sure the amount of beer I drank was a little overkill, but it was all a part of the experience. I enjoyed every sip on my vacation while having unforgettable conversations & experiences with Irish locals and fellow tourists alike. But like I said earlier, a complete diagnostic of that later.
In total, I have had 4 days off of Crossfit, it feels like weeks! I went to Crossfit Ireland my 2nd day in the city (after walking 5 miles in circles looking for the place!) and very much enjoyed experiencing the dynamics of working out at another box. I was able to meet Tom, Colm and Will - it is great to have faces & voices to the names I have been reading about for the past several weeks. Will coached our WOD and proceeded to have me front squat a good 30lbs. more than I ever had before, but I did it (one time)! It was a great workout and a great time. I am grateful for their hospitality and kindness, being American #9564 to visit (this week!). I look forward to getting my women's size Crossfit Ireland t-shirt; maybe one day soon they will get some surprise Tribal shirts in the mail, too!

P.S. I'm back on the 90% Paleo bandwagon this week! Gotta get my body ready for Havasupai next weekend!!

A real boy!

2009-08-10T08:36:00.006-07:00

My original intention in writing this was to tell the progress I have made physically. After 3 months, I now do push-ups like a real boy! I first challenged myself during a recent warm-up, "Number of push-ups/1 minute”. I wanted an accurate number to compare to in the future, so I decided to take my knees off the ground. After completing 20 manly push-ups in one minute, it was decided that I would be sticking to that form moving forward. Well manly push-ups must be a trend, because pretty soon everyone was doing them! It's exhilarating to be able to push each other to that next level. Lucky for me (note: sarcasm), every day that week included some sort of shoulder movement. By Thursday, I was forced to go to my knees during the WOD. My shoulder feels a little tweaked, but I am eager to get back to work today. After all, no pain to gain, right?
Intentions aside, in 5 days L & I will be in Ireland! Away from home, away from D, away from my kitten, away from… Crossfit?! While overseas, L & I plan to attend Crossfit Ireland, possibly Crossfit Northern Ireland, maybe even a Crossfit box in London! When we first stumbled upon this idea, I was sure we would be the first Americans to do so while on our European vacation. Silly me! I forgot that Crossfitters are a sick breed. No amount of air, ocean or land can keep us from our deadlifts and burpees! I am eager to work-out with a new group, show them my stuff, and get a sweet t-shirt! (Even if I’m not the first.)
L & I will also be doing a few WOD’s on our own while in Ireland… or at least that is our intention (and we all know how good I am at sticking to those!) I am determined to not fall behind the rest of my tribe (Tribal Fitness – yo!). More importantly, I am determined to not let vacation get the best of me. With my 30 day Paleo challenge ending the day I arrive in Ireland , I am already putting myself at risk! My goal is to remain 90% Paleo no matter what the circumstances may be. Byers quote: “It’s not that effing hard. Don’t you dare tell me this is hard. Giving up heroin is hard. Drinking your coffee black is. Not. Hard. Substituting Sunday morning French toast in favor of a giant omelet and side of crispy bacon is not hard. Eating fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables every day is not hard. So I don’t want to hear one single complaint.”

Half-time: my nutritional journey!

2009-08-03T12:38:00.014-07:00

Paleo diet is messy. Not only for the person on the diet (me), but everyone I come in contact with over the course of the 30 day challenge. I am on a roller coaster of emotions with the highs being optimistic, happy, skinny & fit! And the lows being grouchy, irritable, mushy & soft. I just want abs! Is that so much to ask for?
The improvements are obvious, my times have decreased significantly, I now finish with the rest of the group every day! It has been a huge help with my endurance (somehow!). I no longer stop because I'm tired and cannot breathe, at this point it is all mental. I think I could get used to this!
With 10 more days to go, I do look forward to a Coldstone ice cream, but other than that...I really have no desire to go back to my previous way of eating. I was a 2 candy bar a day kinda gal. This was the goal wasn't it? This is what was supposed to happen. I am amazed, something health/diet/fitness related that actually works. Crossfit and Paleo, who would have thought?
So, i'm an official Crossfitter, I am thisclose to finishing my 30 day Paleo challenge and have changed the way I will be living my life forever. Where does this blog go from here? I suppose if anyone has found me the slightest bit of interest thus far, I will continue to document my journey of health, fitness and adventures. I plan on doing big things and exciting things during my 20's. I even plan on including photos along the way! So hold on to your hats, things should only get better from here!

The love affair continues...

2009-07-31T10:59:00.007-07:00

So as I said, I have now been doing Crossfit for just over 3 months. I am still enjoying myself as much today as I was the day I started and I plan to continue this lifestyle as far as I can see. It is so motivational to get better, increase you PR's, decrease your times, look better, feel better, recover faster. I have nothing but good things to say about this program. Becoming involved in Crossfit has completely changed my life, I am now one of "those people" who I used to envy. The people who show up at the grocery store at 8pm still in their workout clothes to buy water, fruits & vegetables. It feels great to be a part of the hated!

This is the first program that has encouraged me to make changes in other areas of my life as well. I have been a part of the Paleo Challenge (thanks to L & Melissa Byers) for about 17 days. Prior to this, diet had become a huge concern of mine and I was Google'ing my heart out to learn as much as I could. I had cut grains & sugar on my own, than proceeded to cut legumes & dairy as well after joining the Challenge. At this point, I no longer feel as though I am on a "diet" or part of a "Challenge", I feel normal. My mind instinctively chooses the fruit over the candy bar. My eyes pass right over the Dunkin' Donuts at work. D (the boyfriend) eats his Lucky Charms, Garlic Bread & Hot Dogs, I eat Macadamia Nuts, Ham and Eggs & Mashed Cauliflower. And, mine tastes just as good, if not better!! I'm not going to lie and say I have no desire to eat crap ever again. My 30 days of eating 100% clean are up the day I arrive in Ireland (August 15). I plan on being 90% Paleo in my day to day life, but I will be enjoying a pint (or half pint!) of Guiness. One day, I will eat ColdStone. Protein shakes will be consumed, though I plan on swapping out the regular milk for coconut milk. This is a lifestyle change, but it should not prevent you from treating yourself once in awhile. Treat yourself too much, and you will pay the consequences yourself.

How it began...

2009-07-29T12:22:00.013-07:00

What I’d like to blog about is Crossfit. Fitness, the way I’m eating, WHAT I’m eating, my strength, my body, my clothes, my cravings, my failures, my successes, my adventures. I want to blog about these things but I want to be sure it is known that I am blogging from personal experience, how I feel about things, things I learn from reading articles/blogs/stories on-line (note: not everything you read on the internet is true, though my stubborn side would choose to argue otherwise!).
I have been a part of a fitness program since October of 2008. This was the beginning…really…the absolute beginning. Prior to this, I had not done one active thing in the first 21 years of my life. I did not start because I was getting fat or feeling soggy, I started because I needed to do something already. I did not have 10, 5, or even 1 hobby. I liked to read, but that broadened my social circle to include myself and the characters in my books whom I had trouble remembering if I’d actually known at some point in my life, or if they were just a part of my fictional escapes.
I began my journey with an all women’s boot camp. While looking back on this today I can’t imagine committing to such an easy, lightweight fitness program, It did get me to where I am. I attended this boot camp (and threw up twice – proof it wasn’t easy at the time!) for 2 months. I couldn’t commit, and I was bored!! The best thing that came out of the experience were my first Arizona girlfriends!! L, T & A have put me on a path to a healthier & more social lifestyle. Who knew that obtaining a hobby produced real life friends??
After taking a month off, L suggested a new program involving Kettlebells! Plus, it was over $100 less a month than my previous boot camp, how could I say no? The exercises were effective, but I was still getting bored! There was no motivation to keep going, no motivation to show up for class, no motivation to get better. I lasted 1 month.
Luckily, just a month later (3 months ago, yesterday!) L suggested I try working out at her boyfriend’s new garage gym. He and his friend had opened it and it was free for the first couple of weeks. It was something called Crossfit. Some intense, olympic weight lifting, gymnastics type workout that could supposedly kill you. I went, I sweat, I complained, I (nearly) died…and it was for time. Competition? Positive reinforcement? Visible improvement? (wag, wag – pant, pant) I was in love.

To be continued…