Bucket Dipper vs Bucket Filler

So.... 

As some of you may know I have two boys. Beckham is 5 and Christian is 7. In Beckhams kindergarten class they have a saying. Either you are Bucket Dipping someone, which means you are not being nice or you may be saying something mean or not helping your team mate. Or you are a Bucket Filler, which means you may go out of your way to do something nice or you simply may say something that makes your friend feel great.

Today at CrossFit I got my bucket filled!

Never in my entire life have I come across so many peeps that I seem to connect with on so many different levels. I left today feeling like I could conquer the world. I didn't RX this WOD but I worked on my form..... I need to tell myself on a daily basis that its OK to do this.  This group of folks help me realize what is important in life and empower me to want to do better every day! Not only did this WOD work my body and mind but it taught me that we are all in there with our own challenges. We go in everyday looking to do our best and live to come back another day! I admire and love each and everyone of our members that show up every week!

One of the things that Rich and I have talked about that makes going to CrossFit so great is that a lot of us did college sports. One of the things that connects us all is that we all have some sort of competitive bone in our bodies. A big part of doing college sports, even high school sports is that camaraderie that happens before and after. Hanging out, talking about friends, family, vacations and most of all what we just put our efforts into. THE WOD!

So I just want to say I am so glad to be a part of this CrossFit family.

Today's WOD

400 meter run

Front Squats

Pull ups 

400 meter run

Front squats and pull ups are done on the 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 count down. So you end up doing 55 of both!

THANK YOU TO MY BEAUTIFUL FRIENDS FOR THE GREAT CHAT AFTER THE WOD TODAY!

ERICA, AGGIE,  JACQUELINE,  AND RAE!

I posted a pic from this summer.... I would of liked to of had one from today... Darn! But these are some great CrossFit peeps!

Movember!

                                                                       Movember

Take a close look at all these men..... Yes they all are sporting mustaches to help raise awareness for prostate cancer.

This is your last week to enjoy gazing at these handsome men and donate to the cause they have all full heartily supported for the month of November!

As much as I want to be a supportive wife, looking at my husband with that hair on his upper lip has been quite difficult. Who would of thought a little facial hair would make such a big difference in how he looks to me... (lets all be real for a minute, part of the reason we married our men is because we were attracted to them) So needless to say I'm looking forward to Dec 1st. Although Rich threatened to keep it to the end of Dec.... He actually thinks it looks good. Not! I told him if he keeps it till the end of Dec. I get to pluck each and every one of those mustache hairs with tweezers. As you all know I love my husband dearly and I think he is absolutely handsome....... just not as much with a mustache.

I think he believes it looks good because he has had a few people tell him he "looks sexy" or "really handsome" COME ON..... really! What are people gonna say to your face...?

So here are a few men from our Crossfit Box who have joined the cause and raised money! Go to their facebook pages and donate now.

Enjoy!

                                                                          Rich (my husband)

                                                                       Jer and Leif

                                                                             Pat

                                                                             Dave

                                                                    Walt and Ryan

                                                                           Ryan

                                                                  Our dog Chewy

Murph!

Me, My beautiful sister Lucita in the middle and one of our besties, and awesome crossfit coach Michelle after doing Murph.

First and foremost I want to thank every single one of our veterans for their service!

Then I want to thank our veterans for the WOD Crossfit calls Murph....
Murph is a bench mark WOD.

This WOD is named In memory of Navy Lieutenant Michael Murphy, 29, of Patchogue, N.Y., who was killed in Afghanistan June 28th, 2005.

It is done every year on veterans day across the country, but for some reason this is the first time I have had the opportunity to enjoy the pain. I most likely looked at this workout last year, (I started crossfit in Nov) and had to modify it or I missed that day.

This is Murph:

1 mile run
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
1 mile run

Time: 47:56

I lay on the floor of our box for at least 10 Min's after wondering if I was gonna be sick...
I loved it and hated it at the same time. I sometimes wonder whats wrong with me in that I enjoy the pain so much?

Rich suggested that I do it Cindy style... (another WOD)
So I did it by doing :
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats
20 times

I have to say that I am so thankful that my hands didn't rip from the pull ups.  I was able to do all my pull ups butterfly. (yeah for me)

I will say that the push ups were my Achilles tendon in this WOD. I was reduced to doing singles on the last 8 rounds. Every once in a while I did two in a row. But not very often that deep into the WOD. I just told myself that if I did one at a time I had to keep moving.

The squats were not so bad.... with that being said I like to play mind tricks with myself and tell myself that they are active rest.....

Once the work load was done the first 800 of the last mile was HARD.... but being that running is my thang I was able to push it all the way in for the last 800 and promptly collapse once back in the box.

This is my story of Murph. So to all of those of you out there doing Murph today. Enjoy and Kick Ass! (and remember what our service folks have done for us)

Crossfit Confessions....

"Aint it Nifty Karens 50"
(This is a birthday WOD, Karen turned 50"

50 Wall balls
50 double unders
50 push presses 35/55
50 supermans
50 walking lunges
50 jumping pull ups
50 knees to elbows
50 burpees
50 kettle bell swings 35/53
50 box jumps 20/24

(must complete 50 reps of one exercise before moving on to the next. 50 min time limit)

(for those of you who are reading this and don't do crossfit the numbers behind a movement are the RX weight or height of the box for that movement) RX = prescribed weight.

So I thought it would be fun to have a post of members of our box's crossfit confessions... Yes, I still need to get around to asking folks what theirs are but here is one of mine.


Crossfit Confession numero uno.


If I miss a WOD I wonder all day..... and the next day how I would of done. What would my time have been?  What would have been my challenges and what movements would I have kicked ass on?

(don't try to hide that when you hear what the WOD is and its your day off you go in cause you can kick ass!)

You ask, why am I positing one of mine now... Well I can't seem to shake yesterdays WOD out of my brain and how I would of done. I live for these types of WOD's.  I love the long ones that involve not only cardio but technique like double unders and rapid fire box jumps, but lifting movements as well. Like push presses and kettle bell swings Those movements are energy sponges....  Kettle bell swings at 35lbs and knees to elbows.  That $%-t is hard! Wall balls at 14lbs....hitting the white above the red on the wall is no joke. ( what is that anyway 20 feet?? OK, I know its more like 10 or 14 feet)

Yes, Yes, I check the white board on the website and see what every ones times are, who RX'd the WOD.... Who doesn't check??

So the times ranged anywhere from 20 mins to 50.

My back is feeling much better now, but to be on the safe side Im trying to take a week off.... Its killing me!

This is what Crossfit does to the brain.

GRACE!

So for those of you who live under a rock October is breast cancer awareness month!

Kirkland Crossfit among I'm sure Crossfit boxes across the country were participating in Barbells for Boobs!

I was inspired Saturday morning when I walked into Kirkland Crossfit North as saw it was standing room only. Not only is Grace a benchmark workout but it is a true test of mental and physical toughness. 30 ground to overhead is no joke! RX is 95lbs for women 135lbs for men. I am so proud of all of our members (and non-members) who showed up to support the cause. All of us have in some way been touched by someone with breast cancer. It is such an inspiration to be part of a family that helps the community!

Ive included a couple of videos that I think are awesome. The first is a video that KCF has on their website. The other is of Saturday. My handsome husband did amazing!  Yes thats him in the video from Saturday. He did a personal best of 4:20! I on the other hand didn't get to participate...... um, I was pissed! I was sick all of the 5 days before the event and then when I went in to practice my clean and jerks I tweaked something in my back. So I played it safe and just sat it out and went to cheer on my friends! ( I would rant for so much longer but Ill save that for my crossfit friends that I am boring to death with my self pity)

I just want to say great job to everyone who showed up! 

Hope to see you all on Nov 3rd for our grand opening for Kirkland Crossfit North. If for nothing else than taste testing some of the fine Paleo meals our members are bringing.

(Michelle dont be pissed that I included you a video.... ;)

Kirkland CrossFit Barbells for Boobs

3-2-1 Go!  Find a partner and clear your calendar because on Saturday, November 3rd we will be having a “Minute to Win it” grand opening party at Kirkland CrossFit North.

This party will kick off at at 11:30 with food, drinks and some minute to win it games and prizes.  Everyone is invited.  That includes you, your family and any friends.

If you have a delicious dish you have been wanting to share please bring it as we never turn down good food.

Hope to see all of you there!!

Paleo Oatmeal.....say what!

                                                                  Paleo Oatmeal

So this gem of a recipe was introduced to me last week by Jer and Monica Ingersoll. It took me a couple attempts to get it just right but it is totally worth the attempts! I have been eating this post WOD as a recovery meal because of the amount of protein in it but Monica says shes been having it for breakfast for a while. Its so yummy!

So here goes:

1/2 cup egg whites (store bought or 3 to 4 eggs without the yolk)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 T unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or other liquid)
1 T almond meal
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 banana well mashed
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp butter extract (I didn't have this so I didn't add this)

Place all the items in a sauce pan, mix together then turn stove on.
As this heats up you will notice it thickening up. Cook until you see the consistency you like. (on my stove this is about 5 mins) I over cooked this the first couple times and it was a little dry. After that I cooked until still moist.

As you can see I topped mine with two fresh strawberries cut into small pieces.

Its a timing thing

Or is it?

Timing, Technique and Strength..... oh my!


I sometimes wonder if I'm the only one that has some sort of crossfit dialogue going on inside of my head, off and on all day.
Depending on what the WOD is for the day I will think, work through my head and almost always google how to preform a movement better.

When I began crossfit I was  bombarded with so many new movements that I was  really just trying to learn and remember how to do them correctly.  Being a athletic person to begin with and competitive at that, I wanted to make sure I didn't get hurt, and at the same time I wanted to get a great time. This is where I think Kirkland Crossfit really excels cause even though I came in as an athlete they still made me scale all of the weights until I preformed them correctly..... Believe me even after a year I still scale a lot of the weights.

So this is when I decided to work on any movements, that I see as the bread and butter of getting a good time, that didn't require lifting weight. Why you ask??? Well it just seemed like as I observed the best athletes at Kirkland Crossfit get AMAZING  times, it was the pull ups, double unders, box jumps, burpees, push ups, hand stand push ups, toes to bar and knees to elbows to name a few that they would do at record speed. All of these movements require excellent timing!

So I embarked on a quest to improve these movements that took first and foremost timing, which in turn comes down to technique and then the strength and stamina to not rest.

Lets take a moment to talk about resting....

I remember early on Michelle telling me if I need to rest to count down...... 3...2...1 then GO! I took that advice and still use it. The other expert advice she told me early on was when you move from one movement to the other, no matter how tired you are just start. (think of your rest as the time it takes to get from where you are doing one movement to the next movement) I know some of you are thinking that doesn't make sense because you need to take a breath to get more in at one time. For instance, if you are doing thrusters and pull ups. Get your thrusters done and go to the pull up bar, don't think about it, just jump up and go! If you only get 10 in or as little as two and you feel like you cant go again. Jump off and use your 3...2...1 then GO again! Not taking a rest between movements was huge for me and my times!

So now back to the timing.

 Ive been thinking about this because my friend Jacqueline is trying to learn to do double unders. Not to mention I had two guests come with me last week to crossfit and they both struggled with double unders. Once you learn them and can become efficient at them they don't seem so bad and I actually look forward to WODS with them.

 I'm no expert but getting your own rope is important. Why?? because becoming familiar with how your rope feels is important. Having the right fit is also important. In learning double unders, understanding that the movement is in the wrists and not the shoulders was great advice.  Staying tight and narrow and finding a spot a head of me was helpful. I think what helped me the most was learning the jump...  It didn't need to be an over exaggerated jump. (that just makes you more tired, which = more rest, which = worst time) Just a little higher than a normal jump rope jump is all you need. That's where the timing comes in!! Learning the timing of your wrists turning, and the pacing of our jump. Thats when the magic happens! Once you get it and feel it,  they are not so bad.

I have been working on butterfly pull ups for some time now and can not get past doing 6 or 7 in a row because my timing gets off.  I believe I have the technique down and Ive been know to be able to do 100 kipping pull ups.( with minimal rest) So my strength is there. So its gotta come down to timing. I will continue to practice these until my timing is perfect and I can do more than 10 in a row. I love to watch those in our box that make it look effortless. I wanna do that!

This is one of the reasons I love crossfit. No matter how long you have been going, there is always something you can learn and get better at. All the while getting in better shape and living a healthier lifestyle

Yummy Paleo Crunch

                                       ************  WARNING  *************

This recipe is copied from Paleo Table.  Its called Pam's Paleo Crunch.  I have put a warning on it because it is so good you will want to gobble it up. But you cant because it has a ton of calories. A little goes a long way.

Dry
1/2 cup flax seeds ( I didn't add these cause I didn't have them in the house)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups almond meal
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
4 cups raw slivered almonds
1 tsp baking soda

Wet
1 cup liquefied coconut oil
1/2 cup raw organic honey
3 tsp pure vanilla extract (I also forgot to add this and its still yummy!)

Optional
1/2 cup unsweetened dried fruit

1. Preheat oven to 250.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well!
3. In a medium bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk together until well combined.
4. Mix the wet ingredients thoroughly into the dry ingredients.
5. Divide the mixture in a thin layer onto two rimmed baking sheets. It will fill about 1 1/2 jelly roll pans.
6. Press mixture down with your hands or the back of a large spoon.
7. Bake until lightly toasted, approximately 1 hour. Remove pans from oven and gently stir with a large spoon. Carefully return warm pans to the oven and continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes.
8. Let mixture cool completely in pans
9. Store in a lidded storage container with a paper towel placed at bottom to absorb any excess coconut oil
10. Enjoy plain or with coconut or almond milk (my kids like it in their yogurt)

Octsober!

What does Octsober mean to you? Ive been asking myself this question all this week AND last week, what it means to me.... 

So here goes.

I'm not a big drinker and I don't do drugs...... (if you don't count sugar as a drug) I'm pretty much 90/10-80/20  Paleo. 

So in thinking about this for a bit, cause I had all but thrown it out the door thinking I didn't need to do it, (sober = no drinking, I don't really drink) OK lets just be clear about something my husband and friends tease me, that I NEVER drink. That's not really true. I can enjoy a vodka crystal light drink every now and then. I just don't like how I feel the next day so I almost always just choose not to drink. OK back on topic... 

I had decided I didn't need to do this Octsober Challenge.

Enter Dan Carnahan! Damn you Dan Carnahan! So on Monday after doing Barbara (you crossfitters know what I mean) While I could hardly point to the white board cause my arms felt like they were going to fall off. I somehow got caught up in a conversation about doing it. He quickly pointed out that its not just about not drinking...  We went back and forth and I summed up to him my normal day of eating. "Dan, like I do this whole paleo thing and have for almost two years now, but to stay on track I'm more of a 90/10 - 80/20 girlie." So that the rest of you understand that means I eat Paleo all day and then sometime after dinner I eat a small snack. A cake ball or two. A couple of homemade cookies..... Something along those lines, you get it right? He just looked at me like I had a two heads and said,  "well then this should be easy for you, what can it hurt to try?"

Now lets jump to Monday afternoon. Jacqueline, my good friend and neighbor asked me what I eat on a daily basis. She mentioned to me her sister went Paleo a couple of months ago and has lost 14lbs. She wanted me to write down everything I eat in a day.

I would like to take a break in my writing to say, for anyone who is interested in doing the paleo style of eating you should first read "The Paleo Solution" My husband and I both read it. We both needed to understand why were were changing our way of eating. So I'm a very routine person. I'm like that with myself, my kids and my home. I find something that works and I run with it. I'm not the re-invent the wheel kind of person. So that basically says I have no problem eating my protein applesauce in the morning with a few almonds on the side before heading to the bus stop to drop off my kids. For lunch I love hard boiled eggs a banana and a few more nuts. Or a paleo crunch of some sort. ( I just made a great home made one) Ill list it in my recipes as soon as I make a tab for that..... Dinner my friends is usually an awesome recipe taken from paleomg.com or paleotable.com. My two favorite websites for paleo meals, snacks and desserts.  Everyday Paleo is another good one! Dinner always includes a lean meat and either a bunch of veggies either cooked in coconut oil or baked. Or what I like to call "the kitchen sink salad" cause it has every veggie you can think up. I do change it up now and then and eat scrambled eggs in the morning with turkey bacon and a small fruit. If I do eggs in the morning I then will have left over chicken for lunch with a veggie and a few nuts. Then dinner is as I mentioned above. Its not rocket science but I strongly believe you need to understand why you are making the choices you are.

So Rich and I started eating Paleo for a couple of reasons. Ive always been a busy person. Whether it was at work or in my personal life. Rich calls it my busybody mode... I hardly sit. I could go from doing a Olympic triathlon in the morning to coming home, mowing the lawn, pulling weeds, detailing my car inside and out, all the while running 5 loads of laundry. 

Then all of the sudden as I turned 40 I began to feel more tired. I would be mid training season for tri's and I was struggling to get through a workout much less the day. So, I went to the doctor! Something had to be wrong. I had put on weight..... Even though I was training up to 4 hours a day. I was eating what I thought was healthy. Granola, yogurt, etc... So what gives! There had to be something wrong. I remember talking to my best friend Janis and I told her that maybe something was wrong with my thyroid?? Or something worse...

Well,  the doctor couldn't find a single thing wrong with me!! Nothing! He actually said I was one of the healthiest people he has seen according to all the tests they take. I'm like, "but I don't have any energy! I have put on 10 lbs of puff!!" No joke, he looked me straight in the eyes and said welcome to aging. 

Well for those of you who know me, know, and those of you that don't know me, Ill tell ya, that doesn't apply to me. I have always thought of myself as the exception to the rule. I work hard and it pays off.

So that was when we started talking to my brother in law Ryan about going paleo. I have to say I was extremely resistant because I was convinced I needed my carbs for my long workouts. So Rich and I read the book and began Jan of 2010. I have posted some pictures of myself. before and after.. (a little embarrassed to be posting a picture of me in my swimsuit) Rich took that picture as I was walking back to my lounge chair in Palm springs 3 months after starting paleo. The triathlon pictures were taken the summer before we began eating Paleo. I lost 13lbs of puff that I was carrying around and I didn't even realize it had happened. By the way, I never thought I would see my abs after having two almost 10lb babies!  My energy has been completely restored. I'm that crazy can't sit for very long girl! Ive never felt better in my life! My workouts, and I say workouts cause I WOD 3-4 times a week and run the others, are enjoyable and I feel powerful.  Here we are almost two years later and I weigh about the same as I did after we started eating paleo I'm just a lot stronger cause I get to move somewhat heavy weight around at crossfit! I'm getting stronger everyday!

A Picture is worth a thousand words.

So I know everyone who works out thinks that where they get things done is the best place..... Or do they?
Well, ask yourself this, when you go work out, do you sit in your car and check your email to see if there are any that came to your inbox in the last few minutes cause you literally just checked it 3 mins ago. Do you dread getting on the treadmill and tell yourself you have to at least do 20 mins today before you get off and go check your email again. Do you walk into the weight room and turn back around cause you don't really have a plan of what you should be doing. So you slowly walk to the stretching area to see if you can spy someone while you are stretching who looks like they know what they are doing so you can copy their workout. Well these are all things I used to witness at the gym that we belong to.  Notice I said still belong to. (we still belong because my kids love to swim and use the gym to play basketball)
Well this post is about the community that my family has found at Kirkland Crossfit and Kirkland Crossfit North. I will admit, me and my husband had a pretty easy time meeting people since we already knew a few of the members.... Second shout out to my sister and brother in law, Ryan and Lucita Fox. (that's for you Ryan since you wanted more than one) Through them we met a few other couples. BUT I cannot even begin to explain or describe what we walked into when we joined. It is one of the things I try to explain to my friends who don't belong to our Crossfit box. Its like walking into a room full of your own family members.(family members you like)  Really.... that's what it has become for me and my family.

As soon as you walk in the door everyone is either finishing up a WOD, warming up for a WOD or talking about the WOD. "How was it today?" "What did you think?" "What was the hardest part for you?" "How did you approach it?" "What was your time?" These my friends, are the usual questions that we are all talking about before and after the WOD.  Not to mention Michelle (an awesome coach) will sometimes yell at someone to stop talking about what BBQ you went to that night before, and get warmed up. Which by the way is something I'm finding I need to do more and more.  If I want to do well in the workout I need to WARM UP and STRETCH! Well, who says you can't talk while stretching....

OK, so back to the community that will adopt you as one of there own. Crossfit. I was recently talking to Tish after one of the workout. I know I mentioned her name like everyone reading this knows who I'm talking about. Anywho, I was talking to Tish and we agreed that we think that you become so close to the members in your crossfit box because you are always in a constant process of learning and trying your hardest at doing your best and working your ass off. So when you finish you want to share your experience and learn from what someone else did. That builds camaraderie!! For example today was a three person WOD (see below)

100 Med Ball sit ups  (14lb ball for women 20lb ball for men)
200 meter run

100 Med Ball Throw
200 Meter Run

100 Med Ball step ups
200 meter run

200 Med Ball ab pass
200 meter run

600 meter run
everyone has to run with the ball for 200 meters

So to break down this workout for everyone..... NO ONE RESTS. You are always working. If your are not one of the two doing a med ball sit up you are running a 200. When you come in you relieve one of your partners and they go run a 200 and you pick up where they left off..

So needless to say you are not doing a lot of talking during the WOD. So after it seems like we are first and for most cheering on the groups finishing after you, all the while going over what was hard for you, what you found to be a strength.  What you did that helped you mentally to keep pushing.... Other than your partners that were counting on you. I on one of my 200 saw Josh Pratt with his hungry eyes trying to run me down because our all female group was ahead of their all male group. (I had to turn the after burners on) That's when you find the energy somewhere. So all of this seems to bring us all closer together. Coupled with everyone is so friendly, all of our kids are playing together while we are all working out. We have even taken family trips with our crossfit family and had a blast.
Check out photo below.

I really have a hard time explaining this part of crossfit to people because its just something you have to see for yourself. When you become a part of it you just feel it. I had a friend who just joined a couple of weeks ago tell me that she didn't know if all crossfit boxes were like ours, but now she knows and understands what Ive talking about and proceeded to say that we really have something special there! I didn't know what to say other than "I know" and smile.

Everyone Should Try Crossfit!

So its true.... I really think everyone should try crossfit at least once. OK, maybe a few times BEFORE saying the usual comments I hear like "I'm just too competitive and Ill get hurt" (that was MY favorite) or "have you seen the people that do crossfit??? I could never do it" another goodie, "I need to get in shape first then Ill try it." Ill admit its not for everyone, but I guess I'm just one of those "crossfitters" that loves it so much and has seen such great results that I get so excited about it.... I want to tell everyone! Kinda like people who are super religious and like to spread the word.....
Really, it is like that cause I'm sure a lot of my friends tune me out when I start talking about the WOD of the day or what paleo dinner we ate last night. I do have to add that since starting crossfit and doing the whole paleo thing we have converted a good amount of our friends to paleo. Ive also successfully had one or two friends join crossfit. I am always in awe of the individuals I see in our crossfit box that are older or that have a goal of losing lots of pounds. I understand that it can be a little scary to try something new. I was nervous when I started. I think what I would like to get across in this little rant is that a good Ole fashion try is worth it. I understand that its not for everyone. I do. Its just hard to understand why everyone who is looking to reach any health goals wouldn't like it.... You have a program that is pre-programed for your success. You don't have to think about what you are gonna do that day in the gym, you just show up. You basically get one on one training on any movement you would like to work on with the coach who is coaching that day (you just have to get their attention and tell them you need help on something) Not to mention you are walked through all the movements that are in the WOD for the day. That's called personal training sweetheart! (saying that in a french accent)
So I know you are probably wondering why this would be my first post??? Well, I picked it because in thinking about why I wanted to start this blogging thing, it made me think back to when I started crossfit and why. Not to mention all the reasons I thought of on why not to....  My awesome crossfitting sister and her husband had been crossfitting for a year and a half before my husband and I gave it a go. Shout out to Ryan and Lucita Fox.
Now a few words on today's WOD. All I need to say is actually one word:
HELEN
I just took a deep sigh after typing that name. I loved it and dreaded it at the same time. I did OK, I actually think I was putting to much pressure on myself cause my husband had said I would do great.... There's that expectation.
10:42
Ive got a little work to do. :)