WODs & Well-Being

December 28, 2014 Its no secret the stress that comes with the holidays for me. This year... certainly no different. In fact, without spilling way too much personal information that I would rather not disclose all over the interwebs, Christmas just wasnt Christmas this year. It was not a day that was filled with packages, lights and trees... but was a day that I held my family tight and was thankful for everything in my life. My little peanut, my mom, my dad, my husband... and my close friends and family, that is ALL I need for Christmas. The week at the gym was an interesting one. Always is when there is a short week. They were closed on Wednesday and Thursday so it was important to get a good few good workouts in before two days off. I certainly did that and was ok to take those two days off. I am feeling the baby move a lot more now so it dosent really stop even when I am at the gym. Makes for a very interesting morning sometimes... but hey, this is the life and all I care a

December 21, 2014 Meet... baby... She (yes it was a girl), was our baby at our "Prepared Parenting" class that we took this week! We actually had a lot of fun and learned some things so we are more... get this one... PREPARED... for when we come home with the baby! Trust me, we understand 500% that nothing can actually prepare us for this. We also know that every baby is different and that a lot of people "dont bother" taking these classes. We get it.. but we did it and we learned some things that we didnt know going into it so I consider that a win... We were surprised when we had to change her and found out she was a she... is it a sign?! We will find out in February! I had my 32 week appointment this Friday. Little Monster is progressing on schedule. I was vaccinated for whooping cough... and measuring just a bit behind. My Dr is not concerned at this point. The HR is great and has been pretty consistent for the last few appointments. I did find out that

December 14, 2014 I am approaching my 4 year "work-a-versary" with my company. In being perfectly honest, when I sent my resume in for this job I had no idea if I was going to be qualified for what they were looking for. I know for a fact that I was not. However, as they tell me... they "liked" me so they took a gamble. I am damn happy that they did. I have come a long way not just professionally in these years but I owe so much of that to the owner of my company. I am a very lucky person and realize that not many people can say that they wake up every morning and head to a job that they love, in the field that they studied, working with people they enjoy and find it all very rewarding. Yes, there are certainly busy and hard days... but thats why it is called "work." My boss is a great and kind man. he takes a lot of pride in the people he has working for him and really enjoys spending time with us all. He decided to do something special for us this we

December 7, 2014 If you had asked me last December what I thought I would be doing this December, I am pretty sure I would not have said I would be walking into a daycare to see how much it would be to enroll my CHILD in the fall! Alas, here I am, 30 weeks pregnant and doing just that. My god, its expensive! Anyway, aside from that the Little Monster is moving away in there. I have been feeling it a lot more often and really look forward to the quiet times when I get home from work that I sit back, relax a bit and I can feel (and sometimes see) all the movement going on. I am sleeping ok and have a feeling when I get to the gym the poor thing is sound asleep in comfortable in there... only to be awoken with burpees or cleans... or toes to bar. I have a feeling payback is going to be a bitch! One of the highlights of this week was after the workout on Wednesday, I was spent and laid on the ground after. I had my hand on my stomach and felt for the first time "real" movemen

November 30, 2014 I feel like a broken record every year at Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving happens to be my favorite holiday. No, its not because it is the "gateway" to Christmas... No, it is not for the sales that happen the next day. No, it is not because of the day off from work, the long weekend or the food... in fact it has nothing to do with all of that. Thanksgiving is a day I can sit back and take a real look at everything I have to be thankful for. It makes me sad that too many people let the day fly by without thinking of what its really about. I woke up this Thanksgiving morning with a warm heart. It happened to land on the same day that my Grampa passed away just a few years ago. I decided to take that emotion positively to make me smile. Yes, I miss my Gramp, he was an amazing man... but I thought of all the memories, the life he lived and was so thankful that I had all those years with him in my life. I will never ever forget dancing with him to String of Pea

November 23, 2014 Well, we have completed week 28. The week was capped off with the "dreaded" 1 hour glucose test. I had been given the mystery orange drink at my appointment two weeks ago. I was told all the horror stories of how bad it tasted and what to do to get it down... and to be sure not to throw it up. WHAT?! Geeze talk about expecting the worst. If you dont know what the test is, here is the gist... with the 1 hour test you are told to eat and drink normal leading up to the test. You drink this drink one hour (get it) before you have a blood draw. They draw and send to the labs to check your sugar levels. If you pass wonderful, if you dont you have to take the 3 hour... which I understand is where you have to sit in the lab for 3 hours and you have to fast leading up to it. You do the drink, than they take your blood every 3 hours to see how your body responds to the sugar. If you fail that one, it is determined that you have gestational diabeties and they talk ab

November 16, 2014 I am sitting here recovering from the most massive brunch on the planet... oh what a week its been! Week 27, was filled with an "emergency" dental procedure, a bunch of meetings, my birthday, lots of torturous workouts and my first competition on the other side of the barbell... at least I was greeted at work on Friday with this georgous bouquet of flowers from my parents for my Birthday. I cant wait to enjoy them all next week! The emergency wasnt too bad, I just somehow managed to break a crown (even stumped the dentist as to how I did what I did... I am talented I guess) and had to spend some time in "the chair" on Monday to get it taken care of. Well, half way... if you have ever had a crown you know they do it in two sittings. At least the hard part is over. I got the "all clear" from my Dr to go ahead and have the procedure done. I was a little concerned about novocaine and any possible x-rays, but we avoided those. I am on

November 9, 2014 What a week. This has been a super busy week for me, lots going on at work and lots going on on the weekends. I am like a crazy woman. Today however, got to be a nice relaxing day with the Hubby as we are celebrating his Birthday! Got to go out for breakfast this morning to our favorite place and have just taken it easy. Last weekend we got to go to the Pats Game... Little Monsters 2nd game... with my Brother and his girlfriend. It was FREAKING FREEZING! Seriously, nothing like choosing the first game in November only to have it snow for the first time of the season and have a crazy wind chill in the singe digits. The plus side, I cant drink... so the hot chocolate in the stadium costs a lot less than the beer in the stadium, and its actually not too bad! Finally,  yesterday our friends had our 4th annual "Friends Thanksgiving" which is one of my favorite days of the year its so exciting to me that its a great day that we all get together, have d

November 1, 2014 I cant not even believe that it is November! Time is just flying by faster than I know what to do with. Each week I am so surprised when my phone alerts me that I am yet another week along in this 10 month (see that, I said 10 month) "adventure" in my life. This week... at 25 weeks, I am told that my baby is the size of a zucchini... which is kind of a funny comparison in my opinion. The Little Monster should be about 13.5 inches and 1.5 lbs. Holy crapola, there is a tiny human in there! I know people think Crossfitters are strange enough as it is... but we add to it on Halloween. Yes, we all get dressed up and go to the gym in costume. Weird, I know... but honestly, watching some people work out in their costumes is enough to make you pee yourself laughing. Some people really get into it and others just do something to make it through the class. Others... they just dont play along. This year, I thought it was appropriate, after the suggestion of a friend

October 26, 2014 SIX MONTHS!! Where has the time gone?! I also have a bone to pick with whoever started the rumor that pregnancy was only 9 months long. If it was and I was 6 months, I would have only 3 left. Im due February 13... that would be 4 months from now. Ahhh right, 40 weeks is not 9 months, its 10!! All a bunch of liars!! Actually... I shouldnt complain, I CANT complain. The last 24 weeks have been better than I could have ever expected my first pregnancy to be. I feel great, I have had no sickness, swelling, aches, pains or anything to complain about really. My workouts have not suffered, I have been sleeping just as well as I was before pregnancy. All is good and its a wonderful feeling. Here I am, 6 months pregnant after a full work day, embracing the bump in my sweater for the first time. Still in non maternity clothes but finally feeling like I am looking pregnant. I know, give it a few more weeks, kiddo is growing fast and furious for the next few weeks!! Grow Littl

October 19, 2014 What an amazing weekend! Hubs and I had a fantastic time in Lenox, MA to celebrate our anniversary! This was all him... planning and everything and I coudnt have been happier with the outcome! We had a beautiful room in a little hotel with a hot tub and fire place! What isnt there to love about a weekend filled with alpacas, dessert for lunch, the Pats game from the hot tub, Mass MOCA, the best steak ever, ice cream while walking around downtown and takeout night to just be together alone. The BEST highlight of the weekend was Hubs feeling the baby move... perfect cap to a perfect weekend!     Sad to come home...  The week at the gym was short for me, but I came back refreshed and really well rested. Yesterday at the oly session I was able to hit 125 for my heavy single snatch and 175 for my heavy single clean and jerk. I also hit all my percentages for each of those lifts. I must have really needed that break. Back squat and push jerk were al

October 11, 2014 Lots of great things happening this week. First and foremost, Hubs and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary... who would have thought these two crazy kids would end up married with a baby on the way 12 years after this picture was taken... He certainly knows the way to my heart and is 100% there for me even when the going gets rough. I am not always the easiest person to get along with, live with... love. He surprised me Wednesday (our actual anniversary) with some beautiful roses and we are super excited for our get-a-way! We leave when he gets home from work today and I have no idea where we are going! He took the reins on this one and has planned 4 days of fun to celebrate and relax!  My mom came up this morning and we painted the room that is going to be the baby room... I didnt have time to get through my entire workout and all the oly lifting, BUT my lifting session was much better than it has been the last few weeks. I think passing the 20 week hump

October 3, 2014 Let me tell you... I never ever in 10,000 years thought that I could be in love with something so much that I have never set my eyes on. On Monday, Hubs and I met at the hospital so I could have my ultrasound. The feeling that came over me when the technician placed the thing on my stomach and that tiny little silhouette appeared on the screen is absolutely 100% indescribable. Impossible to put into words, yet so hard not to try. I felt like I was having this crazy out of body experience... but no, it was actually ME and MY baby... holy shit. A perfect little face, arms, legs, spine, bladder, heart, kidney... everything. Perfect. I am going to be a mom. WOAH... This week has been killer... and not in a really great way. Aside from Monday being probably the best day of my life I have been running on empty for the rest of it. Totally strapped at work, stretched to the max... and my tolerance for "annoyance" was at an all time low. I just put my head do

September 26, 2014 Holy moses... I have made it to the 20 week milestone, half way. I cant really believe how fast time is going by. Seems like I just found out I was pregnant. Amazing how things have changed with my body and mind in this short amount of time. This morning was a lot of fun at the gym. I found it kind of ironic that the WOD called for 20lb wall balls to be used in the metcon... 90 of them actually! I was pretty happy with that, and my performance. I am still not having any trouble with my movements though my cardio still seems to suffer. I have a hard time catching my breath and since I am trying to control it a little more I have no choice but to slow down a bit. I am not really too focused on the "dont get your HR above 140" that people like to say. I have talked to my Drs and they tell me that as long as I feel good and am not doing anything I wasnt normally doing before pregnancy, I am ok. So thats what I am doing. I feel good and I push a little more.

September 20, 2014 I have said it before, but I will say it again. Not many people can wake up every morning and love what they do and who they work for... I am one of the lucky ones. We, as a company, spent the last two days on the Cape in Brewster MA at my bosses house. It was relaxing, fun and a really great trip for all of us at my office. Here we are at our morning meeting...   This was my view for my lunch...   A little play time after lunch... Why not have a massive clam bake for dinner... And it was all topped off with a gorgeous morning run on the beach Friday morning... I have to admit, it was a nice few days to relax and have fun with some of my work peeps. We had a great time and were able to cover a lot of really interesting topics and forecasting for our office for the next 6 months. I am feeling great still physically. Mentally, I am still working on this whole "your going to be responsible for a tiny human soon" thing... I am still no

September 12, 2014 Here I am, one more week into this new adventure. Hard to believe that I am 18 weeks today. Things have been going pretty well so I haven’t had much to post about. This week I have really noticed my cardio endurance slipping. I get winded much easier than normal… even before pregnancy my endurance wasn’t very good… so this is getting tough. I am doing my best to keep my eyes off the clock and just keep pushing forward through he workouts. I do have to admit that it is much easier said than done. I am still really enjoying all the lifting. We are in an Oly cycle at CFW right now so I am hoping to come out of this with some improved lifts. As far as adjustments I haven’t made many. When we are working on back squats through this cycle we are focusing on high bar back squat so my weight is much less than my 1RM to begin with. I have been sticking with that lower number to use for my percentages, still squatting below 90. For my snatch and clean

September 5, 2014 Here we go! I reached week 17 in my pregnancy today. Holy crap... where is the time going?! I had an appointment this morning and was basically told that the Little Monster not only has a strong heart beat but is also doing backflips and burpees in there left and right... she could tell that by wooshing noise the doppler made every time it moved. She used the words "very active" and asked if I had felt any movement as of yet... and what do you know, I have! Amazing to say the very least! The sound of my baby's heart beat is just a sound that will never get old. There is just no way to describe my emotions. Everyone has known about my pregnancy now for almost two weeks.The happiness and excitement that everyone has for Hubs and I and our families when they hear or when they see us for the first time is just so awesome! We continue to get more and more excited with each "congratulations" and hug or handshake! Honestly, I still cant even bel

September 1, 2014 Saturday June 21st Hubs and I found out our lives will be forever changed. We are going to be parents! A tiny life has begun... I have had a lot of "feelings" in my life, but the one I had that morning when the second pink line appeared on the test... that is a feeling I can not even begin to describe and certainly one I will never forget. A tiny life, a tiny human, my child... growing and changing by the day, inside me...  A love more powerful than I ever thought imaginable fills my heart. So completely overwhelming and scary, yet completely awesome at the same time! We waited quite some time to announce to our family and friends and once we felt the time is right, we announced at the gym and than on the book of faces. Today I am letting the blogging world know, sorry your the last to be informed. Today, I am 16 weeks and 3 days. Already well into the second trimester. Its been quite some time since I have blogged last. I started to feel like my posts

May 29, 2014 I have sat down to write this blog 4 times over the last week... I have started, deleted, started again, re-worded and deleted yet again. Not quite sure why the words in my head have not been able to make their way out to the screen... Yesterday I heard of the passing of one of the most remarkable, inspirational, talented women in history, Dr. Maya Angelou. Her inspirational words from her books, poetry and movies are shared widely and used by many to get through tough times and hardship. I have read quite of bit of her work and of course have seen many of her inspirational quotes. One in particular came to mind so when I sat down to try blog and yet again... I was inspired. I honestly had no idea 2 years and 9 months ago (August 6, 2011) when Hubs and I walked up to the garage, the former home of CrossFit Wachusett, that my life was going to change forever. I thought I was going to start a new fitness regimen, maybe change my eating habits, perhaps loose a few p

April 4, 2014 Well, now is as good a time as ever to share my thoughts on the 2014 CrossFit Open. I have been asked about my thoughts, read other peoples articles and listened to other peoples thoughts/complaints through all 5 weeks of the open as well as after the last workout was posted. Now it is time to put my half answers and random thoughts into some sort of order.   This year was extremely inspirational and at the same time extremely challenging for me. There are so many factors that had my emotions pulling in every direction imaginable. It took a lot of deep thoughts, talking strength and courage into myself and remembering why I do “all of this” on a daily basis to keep my head in the game and my confidence high enough to move forward. The Open is such a motivational time of year. During a mere 5 weeks, its amazing how many people find something in themselves that they never knew existed. What is even more amazing is to actually witness it happening to them, or ac