WODs & Well-Being

April 5, 2013   Whats on the menu? Bacon Beef Butternut Squash (find it HERE ) How easy was it to make? So I really wanted something simple this week. I didnt want to have to come up with a side, or have sweet potato AGAIN. Came across this one and thought that there was no way I could go wrong with bacon, butternut squash and balsamic vinegar! Hello match made in heaven! I stopped and grabbed what I needed (at Hannaford, no more of that Market Basket mess). It was easy, I flew through the store because all I really needed was the beef, squash and onion. I think the hardest part to this one was cooking the butternut squash. Usually I peel and cube the squash when I make it and either have it that way or mashed. I have baked it, but not whole, which is the way this recipe called for. I cut it in half, scooped the seeds and put it in the dish face down with water like it said, but it took WAY longer that the 30 minutes it said it would to be soft enough to scoop. I made the...

March 5, 2013 WARMUP: 3 Rounds - 2 X Shuttle Run - 5 Ring Rows - 10 Pushups - 15 Squats Couch Stretch STRENGTH: OH Press 2 X 5 @ 85% - 85 2 X 3 @ 90% - 90 2 X 2 @ 95% - 95 WOD: Cracked Up 10 Min AMRAP - 5 Snatch (55) - 10 Wall Balls (14) - 15 Abmat Situps (8+13 Rx) .

February 8, 2013 In the words of Tim Gunn (yes I love and watch project runway)... MAKE IT WORK!   I will do what I can to modify workouts so I will not miss any training!  WARMUP: 3 Rounds - 10 Squats - 10 Inchworms - 10 Abmat Situps - 5 Burpees to Target STRENGTH: 1 Squat OTMEM 3 X 1 @ 70% - 165 3 X 1 @ 80% - 190 2 X 1 @ 85% - 200 4 X 1 @ 90% - 215 WOD: 12 Min AMRAP - 10 Pushups - 20 Jumping Squats (45lbs) - 30 Abmat Situps (5 + 10 Rx)

February 2, 2013 I have been very happy with the new Saturday format. After talking to M and K I have decided to attend both the Oly class as well as the skill/WOD following. I typically spend a few hours there anyway when I can, so this way I have a program for the whole time. Plus, more often than not, the WOD and skill is based around something I need working on (cough cough... everything... cough cough). Snatches were feeling good during the start of the Oly hour. I have been really focused on my form and fee that even though I havent been able to stick my previous PR of 125lbs agian, I have certainly been more comfortable getting up there close to it. My clean and jerks have also been benefiting from this work as well. Of course in conjunction with the few Thursdays in a row that I was working on full squat cleans from the boxes as well as the first pull off the floor. Last week I was amazed when I got up to 185bs... and today I got under 195lbs! I shocked myself that I actu...

January 18, 2013 I cant help but laugh at myself these days when I arrive at CFW. I get out of my car and head into the gym with my duffle filled with clothes and toiletries for my shower and work day, armed with my notebook, protein shaker and water bottle… I drop my bag in the locker room and head to the workout area. This is where it gets funny. I grab my notebook, protein shaker and water bottle… than fumble around with my wrist wraps, lifting shoes, jump rope and belt. Its almost as if I need a second bag to get myself from the locker room to the gym! One of the things I cant seem to wrap my head around are the knee high socks that a lot of CrossFitters like to wear. I do have a pair… I bought back in October at the Beast of the East. They sat in my drawer for a while when one day JM was at the gym wearing hers… she loves them. I happen to have the same pair as one of the pairs she has. They have been hanging out just waiting for the day that I decided to wear...

January 9, 2013 Its so important to visit your goals daily. Look at where you are, where you have been and where you are trying to go. Sometimes taking a look back at where you have come from allows you to push harder towards future goals. When starting something new its common to set unreasonable goals... you want what you want badly but have no idea how long it will take to accomplish. However, when the time finally comes that the goal is attained, its an incredible feeling. Suddenly, the urge hits to set another goal... something you feel that might be out of reach but "hey, anything is possible." You just want that feeling again. Time will go by and maybe you will set more goals while still reaching for the ultimate, or maybe you will sprint towards that ultimate and hit it again... just in time to set another. Goals are so important in life, but almost as important is the ability to celebrate your milestones... slow down and take a look back at where you have come ...

November 16, 2012 22 Days of Thanks 2012 - Day 16 I am thankful for my kick ass friend and hairdresser! She is amazing, fantastic, and one of the best people I have been lucky enough to meet! We have been together for as long as I can remember. She has seen me through my first perm (hello 80's), all 4 proms starting my freshman year and continuing through graduation... my wedding day and everything in between! Convinced me to get highlights, wax my eyebrows, chop my hair for locks of love... twice, and with every step I trust her 100%! Thanks Jen! You are one of a kind! Keep kicking ass! WARMUP: 3 Rounds - Row 250m - 10 Walking Lunges - 10 Ring Rows - 10 Hollow Rocks - 10 Toy Soldiers WOD: Barbara 5 Rounds for Time - 20 Pullups - 30 Pushups - 40 Situps - 50 Squats (42:28 Rx) .

November 9, 2012 22 Days of Thanks 2012 - Day 9 I am thankful for pumpkin! Why not? Pumpkin is fantastic! Whats not to love about pumpkin!! - You can decorate with it - You can decorate IT - You can carve it - You can cook it - You can puree it - You can bake it - You can eat its seeds - You can make a pie with it - You can make a cake with it - You can make brownies with it - You can make pancakes with it - You can make smoothies with it - You can make martinis with it - You can make chili with it - You can make beer with it - You can make coffee with it - You can burn a candle that smells like it - You can make a planter out of it - You can make THESE for your pumpkin loving husband for his birthday!! <----shhhh its a surprise! http://fastpaleo.com/pumpkin-butter-truffles/ I cant let today get by without talking this! I have been thinking a lot about how I am feeling about my workouts and what my mindset is going into and coming out of the g...

**Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** July 14, 2012 WARMUP: 400m Run 3 Rounds - 10 Step Ups - 10 Toes Through Rings - 10 Squats - 10 Around the World WOD: Annie 50-40-30-20-10 - Double Unders - Abmat Situps (8:11 Rx) .

 **Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** July 4, 2012 I got me some good genes! These are 3 of my Great Aunts. My Papa (mom's dad) had 7 sisters and one brother. These three are amazing women and have such wonderful young souls! I am so happy to have them in my life! This is a smidgen of what I get to take part in when I see my PA family! I love every minute and look forward to all the laughs, smiles, story telling and did I mention LAUGHS when we get together!! Travel WOD with Hubs WARMUP: 2 Rounds - 400m Run - 30 Double Unders 2 X 9 Fundamentals WOD: 20 Minute AMRAP - 5 Pushups - 10 Squats - 15 Abmat Situps (16 Rounds) SKILL/STRENGTH Aviator (got to 40) .

**Had to post some of the few dates I missed back in June/July for my archive** July 2, 2012 Travel WOD WARMUP: 400m Run 3 Rounds - 10 Inchworms - 10 Spiderman - 10 Air Squats 400m Run 2 X 9 Fundamentals Rolling/Lax 5 Minute Squat Sit WOD: 3 Rounds 20 Double Unders 25 Abmat Situps SKILL/STRENGTH Death by Pushups (10) .

September 26, 2012 WARMUP: Row 500m 3 Rounds - 5 Ring Rows - 10 Spiderman - 5 Medball Clean - 10 Shoulder Dislocates - 5 Pistols Row 250m WOD: TABATA HSPU - 14 Pullup - 40 Back Extension - 75 Situps - 91 SKILL/STRENGTH: - 3X3 Rope Climbs - 50 Hollow Rocks (day 17) .

 August 7, 2012 I feel like I have had the same conversation a lot lately. Maybe its just me, maybe I have been thinking a lot about how other people perceive the way I think about the gym and how some feel I am "obsessed" ... I am not sure. What I do know is that what I feel is something that I can not and do not want to let go of!! Whats so wrong with being "crazy" about the food that you choose to eat, the workout you choose to do and the lifestyle you choose to live? I guess one of the biggest things is that I know what its like to be on the other side. I have totally been on the "I want results right away" side. In reality its not going to happen that quick and its not going to happen at all if you dont commit yourself to the changes necessary to make it happen. I think there has been a moment in everyones life when they want something so bad but dont have the push to get there. However with CF, we are lucky enough to have people to push us. ...

August 3, 2012 ... another dollar. Today was going to be a vacation day for me. Hubs and I won a pretty kick ass prize back in June at Blogaplaooza when I decided to buy some raffle tickets for an overnight at a bed and breakfast up in North Conway. We were pretty excited for it and I called right away to book one of the only weekends we had available to do anything for the rest of the summer (man they fill up fast). We had decided that it wasnt really worth it to go up for ONE night so since one night was going to be free we would purchase a second night and make a weekend out of it. Thus, I took today off. Things worked out a bit differently than we had planned and I decided to go in for at least a half a day than be home to get things ready for when he got home from work.  Well, I wound up having a meeting I had to drive to that didnt make too much sense to go into the office than drive to, so I was going to just leave from my house. This would hhve allowed me to sleep in ...

June 11, 2012   I am a strong believer that if you think you can do something than you can… you know, to an extent of course. I mean don’t jump off a bridge and try to fly, because even if you REALLY think you can do it, its not going to happen. But if you think about how much our mind is in control of our emotions and feelings… almost like it is programmed and expected to act a certain way in certain circumstances not allowing us to push out of our comfort zone without a fight. When we are in the act of doing something more often than not our brain tells our body that we need to slow down and/or stop well before our body actually needs to.   Why is that? Why are we so worried about being uncomfortable and why do we automatically stop when things get that way? In the past I would go to the gym, I would work out and push myself to where I was “comfortable” pushing. I was working hard, I was sweating, I would get sore the next day or two and I would go back and repea...

June 8, 2012 Ever do something so many times it feels like you can do it in your sleep? You get so use to doing something the same way that if someone/something was to throw a wrench into it and it feels like its completely thrown off? I remember when I learned to roller-skate at a young age. I went from those little plastic fisher price skates that you clipped over your shoes… to the perfect white skates with a little strip of color over the toes that my Papa bought me (of course that was after he bought me a pair of red and white ones that I had to return because they were both the same foot… oh what a memory). I was pretty good, skated a lot with my friends in the neighborhood, my cousins and friends at roller kingdom (which is actually still there and still looks exactly the same). Finally there came a day when I decided that I was going to transition to roller blades. It was the “cool” thing to do and since my brother had a pair I had to get them so I could be just like him, not...

May 24, 2012 WARMUP: 3 Rounds - Run 200 - 5 Pushups - 10 Squats - 15 GHD Situps SKILL/STRENGTH: Core Circuit 4 Rounds - 10 Toes to Bar - 20 Weighed Twists - 10 Abmat Situps (2 min rest between rounds) .

May 21, 2012 There is almost nothing more satisfying than reaching a goal... what comes a close second is "almost" reaching it! Proving to yourself that the commitment, dedication, practice and hard work is paying off! Of all people, I know how frustrating it can be to work at something for hours and hours and see no improvement. Its hard when you actually understand what it is you are doing wrong but cant seem to correct the problem. I have been struggling with double unders for a while. When I started CF 9 months ago the thought of getting the rope around twice on one jump was a far far far fetched goal. Finally after a few weeks I was able to get one here or there, and eventually I could link a few together. All of a sudden it ended, I was frustrated beyond belief that my double unders were gone. I had no idea what happened. Every workout with them in them I was pissed by the time I was done with them and the more frustrated I got, the harder it was for me to relax and...

May 15, 2012 This morning was another classic example of how the dynamic of a crossfit workout can push you to new limits. Not only is working out with a group of people fantastic because you feed of of other peoples energy but I am lucky enough to have someone at my box that as soon as the timer buzzes the pure push of working together is enough to get us both to do things we never thought we could do. KP and I have a certain way...its not a "competition" is not about "who can do it faster" or "who is stronger" but the fact is when we are WODing... if one of us is right on the tail of the other, we will do everything in our power to push to keep up with them... and if one of us is just ahead of the other... we will do everything in our power to stay in that position. We both have different body types, we both have different strengths and weaknesses... and in the 9 months we have been working out together we know what "pushes each others butto...

May 8, 2012 I have to say... even though I just posted about it yesterday, the change in attitude started the middle of last week. I was given some pretty horrible news, as I mentioned and my mind filled with many thoughts. Mostly about the person who the news was about... when I think about this person I can not help but see her bright shining smile and the twinkle in her eye right away in my mind. She is one of the most influential women in my life, ranks right up there with my mom. Always always there for any person who comes to her... never turning her back on a friend when they need her, giving, loving, compassionate, caring. I have many wonderful thoughts filled with her and she has been there for most of the milestones in my life. My proms, my graduations (from all three schools), arguments with friends when I need an ear to talk to, a good laugh and a smile at a cookout, a family Easter dinner, Thanksgivings, Christmas parties, my wedding... and she is always gathering togeth...