Paleo lettuce wraps

I made it to 5 CrossFit classes and one 2.5 hour game of volleyball this week, so I felt today should be a day of rest. I wanted to do some cooking for the week, but I was feeling lazy and uninspired, so I dragged out all my cookbooks and started browsing through pinterest to find something that would make me hungry.

I happened upon these lettuce wraps from Iowa Girl Eats. I stuck to her recipe pretty closely, with a few minor modifications to make them a bit more paleo-friendly, and they were DELICIOUS.

Here's what I did:

Ingredients

• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1lb extra lean ground chicken breast
• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• salt & pepper, a dash of each (I used Chinese white pepper, and it was yum. You can find it at any Asian grocery store. It is NOT like the white pepper you get in the regular spice aisle. I've made that mistake before.)
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 inch nob fresh ginger, peeled & minced
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 2 1/2 Tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp water
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 1/2 Tbsp honey
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp wine vinegar
• 2 tsp chili sauce
• dash of white pepper
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2-8oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained & chopped
• 10-12 large lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Heat coconut oil in a large skillet. Add chicken, onion, salt, and white pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink. 
2. Add ginger and garlic. Cook 2-3 mins.
3. In a small bowl, mix together sesame oil, soy sauce, water, almond butter, honey, wine vinegar, chili sauce, and white pepper. Add to skillet and stir to combine. Cook and stir until the almond butter is all mixed in.
4. Add green onions and water chestnuts. Cook 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Serve with lettuce leaves.

Since it's starting to feel like fall, I also felt like it was necessary to make soup. (I don't really like eating soup, but I love cooking it.) It was fun to make but really bland, so I won't waste time writing it out here.
 
Happy Sunday!

Progress

"Annie" is one of CrossFit's benchmark workouts.

50-40-30-20-10
Double-unders
Sit-ups

 (so, 50 double-unders, 50 sit-ups, 40 double-unders, 40 sit-ups, etc.)

I did this workout for the first time on May 24th. In the 10 minute time limit, I didn't get through the round of 40 sit-ups. I was huffing and puffing and remember thinking that I didn't even WANT to get through the 40 sit-ups because I didn't want to have to do more double-unders.

Today, we did it again. I didn't finish the whole workout, but had finished the 20 sit-ups when the buzzer went. I was breathing hard, but I wasn't huffing and puffing. I could have done many more double-unders. I cursed myself for not running faster from the double-unders (outside) to the ab mats (inside) because I know I could have finished that last round if I'd pushed just a little harder.

Sometimes it's hard to see progress from day to day. My workout today didn't seem any easier than the workout I did on Saturday morning. But, I'm glad I got over my fear of filling out my journal, because I never would have been able to see what I've accomplished. In one of my early journal entries I wrote that a 65 lb power clean "might have been too heavy." Today, I know I could have done the prescribed weight for that workout, which was 95lbs.

There are so many things that are still really difficult - running, pull-ups, muscle-ups, ring dips, running, burpees, handstand push-ups, box jumps, running. But today I'm just going to revel in the small victory of 50 more double-unders and 50 more sit-ups than I could do 3.5 months ago.

Saturday workout

Depsite my history of finding something, obsessing over it, and then losing interest after only 2 weeks, it's been 3 months and I'm still loving CrossFit. I've been pretty consistent, which is a huge victory for me, averaging at least 3 workouts a week.

I love Saturday workouts. There's always a lot of variety and I always leave totally spent. It's nice to be able to take my time getting there and getting home. Weeknights are always a bit more rushed.

Today's workout:

4 rounds

30 double-unders

20 deadlifts (135 lbs)

10 handstand pushups

I did the prescribed workout except for the handstand pushups. I can't do handstand pushups yet –another one of those bodyweight exercises that I struggle with. Instead I did dive bomber pushups, which use some of the same muscle groups, but since your feet are on the floor you aren't moving as much weight. I finished at 16:45. I didn't think I could do 135 lbs for all 80 reps, but as long as I broke them up, I was fine and I felt strong.

Now I'm waiting for some bananas to freeze so that I can try making this Easiest Paleo "Ice Cream" that I found on pinterest. I've read rave reviews. I hope it lives up to the hype!

AMRAP

AMRAP

Like any good discipline, CrossFit has it's own set of acronyms and lexicon of terms. AMRAP in the CrossFit world means As Many Rounds As Possible. There's a number after it usually, 12 in the case of last night's workout, that indicates the length of the workout. This, of course, leads to a CrossFit joke: CrossFitters do it AMRAP 15.

Here's what I put into my journal last night:

AMRAP 12
12 push press (45lbs, Rx 85lbs)
15 pull ups (green band, Rx 12 chest to bar)
12 pistons (45lb plate + med ball)
Score: 2 + 12 p. press + 10 pull ups

Here's what that actually means:

Last night's workout was 12 minutes long. We were to complete as many rounds as possible of the exercises in that time.
I did two complete rounds plus 12 push presses and 10 pull ups in the 12 minutes. I did not complete the prescribed workout, denoted by the Rx. 
For push presses, I used 40lbs less weight than prescribed. Chris, the coach, said the weight I uses was too light and I need to go higher next time.
Pull ups continue to be a weak spot for me. Since I still can't do them very well I used the green band, which offers the most assistance. Additionally, because I unable to do chest to bar, I had to do additional reps.
Lastly for pistons, aka one legged squats, I put a 16lb medicine ball on top of a 45lb plate to lower myself to.

What did this feel like?

Well, dirty. Sweaty. To put this into better context: it was balls hot.

Tracking

When I first started CrossFit, I was tracking every workout in a spreadsheet. I recorded the prescribed workout, what I actually did, added in some notes, and recorded my times/rounds completed/etc. That worked well for... exactly 12 days. From then on my only real tracking was anything I posted here, and that certainly hasn't been after every workout.

So, I figured getting a training journal was essential. This way, hopefully, I won't always be staring blankly into space when we're told to start warming up and figuring out our weights for the workout. When Chris asks what my 5 rep max is for back squats, I can say "145 lbs" instead of "Well, um, I think we did them once, but I don't think I went heavy enough, but I don't really remember what we started at, I remember something about a 25 lb plate, and maybe a 5, and um, yeah... I have no idea."

Maybe it's because of some perfectionist tendencies, maybe it's because of an anxiety disorder, maybe I'm just crazy, I don't know, but I find filling out forms very stressful. Wait -- that's not quite true. I find it very stressful when I am filling out a form and I am not 500% sure that I am filling it out exactly as the maker of the form intended me to. Health card renewal forms, insurance claims, customs declaration cards... I waste 2 or 3 forms, minimum, before I'm satisfied. I don't know why I can't just simmer down - the customs dude rarely glances at the form for more than a minute. (What I really should concentrate on is figuring out where Waterloo actually is. You'd think after 5 years, when a customs officer or a border guard asks me where Waterloo is, I would be able to answer with at least a little bit of confidence. Um.. near Toronto, I think...?)

Where is this going? Well, I think my new journal might be the death of me. It's quite possible that I'm just a complete moron, but I can't figure out what all the damned boxes are for and exactly what I'm supposed to write in each one. Some of the boxes are too small for the information that I think I'm supposed to write in them.

Stay tuned next week for an exciting update on whether I figure out this new journal before my head explodes.

I leave you with some tips for double-unders from the amazing Chris Spealler:

Didn't barf = success

Today's WOD was pretty straight forward.

Prescribed workout:
10 rounds
10 thrusters (thruster = front squat + push press) (65lbs for women)
10 ring push-ups

I did:
6.75 rounds (6 rounds + 10 thrusters + 5 push ups)
10 thrusters (65lbs)
10 push-ups (from my knees)

The warm up included a lot of pressing and squatting, so by the time the 22 minute workout started, I was already tired and VERY sweaty. It was hot and humid, silly me had forgotten a water bottle, and I think I'm still recovering from some bad sushi yesterday. This made for an unfortunate combination.

By the 2nd round, I was pretty sure I was going to barf.

By the 3rd round, I was CONVINCED I was going to barf.

By the 4th round, I got my second wind and was pretty sure I wouldn't barf until afterwards.

By the 6th round, I was pretty sure I had already barfed a little in my mouth once.

By the end of the 22 minutes, I was too tired to think about barfing.

Split jerk PR

Today was pretty awesome.

Today's workout was a SWOD (strength workout of the day) followed by a regular WOD. The SWOD was split jerks, 6 sets of 3 reps, increasing the weight each set. I had a few minutes at the end, so I did a 7th set because I felt like I wasn't at my max yet. Coach encouraged me to go heavier for this workout, and I'm glad I did. This is the first time I've lifted these weights over my head:

95/105/110/120/125/130/135 lbs

Then for the WOD - AMRAP 12 of 20 paralette jumps, 16 pistols, and 12 push ups. Already fatigued from the split jerks, my shoulders protested every push up. I ended 8 push ups short of 4 rounds. Cardio is still a clear weakness. I could have gone much faster through those paralette jumps and pistols if I wasn't so winded!

I spent most of the rest of the day thinking about split jerks and how I could improve my form.

Goals for next week are to add in cardio workouts outside of CrossFit. As I've mentioned before, I hate cardio, which is another clear indicator that it is what I need to work on most. I was visiting family in the States last weekend and was listening to my aunt and cousin talk about marathons and triathlons like I talk about CrossFit. Will I ever get there?

Update on 2 workouts

I'm a bit behind on posting my workouts so you're getting a 2 for 1 deal!

17 May 2012 WOD:
5 rounds for time (who knows what my time was... my brain was mush and didn't look at the clock)
10 power cleans (55 lbs)
15 wallballs (8 lbs)

 This workout wasn't so bad except for the power cleans. I dropped the bar on my left shoulder twice and caught my collar bone too so I have a couple healthy bruises. I need to focus on control instead of speed! For the wall balls, I probably could have gone up to a 12lbs ball, the 8lbs was a bit too easy.

 22 May 2012 WOD:
"Helen" - 3 rounds in 20:00 (finished in 15:50)
400m run
 21 kettle bells swings (12 lbs)
12 pull ups (green band)

 I wish the whole workout was running. That would've been awesome. Instead, there were pull ups. Always with the pull ups.

 Last night was officially the first time I'd ever touched a kettle bell so I learned how to do three different versions of kettle bell swings.

Definitely didn't keep my core tight enough during the second round of the kettle bell swings in the workout (guess who was rushing!) and my back is a bit tight today. Not a big deal, should be fine for tonight's class.

Again last night I was shaking, like a leaf, after the workout. My forearms were spasming a bit immediately after the workout, likely from the pull ups but they settled down pretty quickly. The rest of me however, took longer to recover and it wasn't until I got home and ate a bit that I really started to feel like I was pulled back together!

 Have I told you lately how much I love CrossFit?

 Is the WOD up yet?

Day-after-the-long-weekend WOD (or OW, MY ARMS)

I have a few ounces of strength left with which to write this post.

I started the day with a workout with my trainer. I don't know the reps because she doesn't tell me how many I'm doing, just when to stop, but today's range was in the area of 15-20.

We did 3 rounds of:

• one arm dumbbell split jerk (30lbs)
• sumo squat to upright row (in CrossFit speak: sumo deadlift high-pull) (25lbs)
• 10 burpees

followed by 3 rounds of overhead squats, just the bar (45lbs), pausing for 3-5 seconds at the bottom of the squat.

Then after work, CrossFit. For the warm up, we did a short run, followed by:

• some kettle bell swings
• some pull ups
• some push ups

We repeated this somewhere in the range of 1 billion times.

The WOD was 3 rounds of:

• 400m run
• 21 kettle bell swings (Prescribed weight: 20kg. I did: 12kg)
• 12 pull-ups (I used the green band, and then the green + black band)

I was the last to finish, but I finished, scraping by with just a few seconds to spare before the 20 minute time limit was up. However, I am pretty sure that some of my pull-ups didn't count ("That's a no rep").

My forearms are still cramping and CrossFit ended over an hour ago!

Good workout. I'm pooped!

CrossFit Games and chin-ups

The CrossFit Games...totally inspiring. I've never seen anything quite like it.

I've been hearing a lot about how one of the best things about CrossFit is the community. When I went to watch the Canada East Regionals last weekend, I started to see what people meant by that. In the midst of intense competition there was still a great sense of camaraderie, both within teams and between competitors. People cheered just as loudly for the last place team as for the first place team. When someone was struggling to complete a muscle-up, fighting to lock out a snatch, or collapsing on the ground after the grueling event 6, the whole crowd was into it, sympathizing with the struggle and admiring the accomplishment.

Unfortunately, I only managed to take one picture before my BlackBerry died. Here's the arena set up for the men's snatch ladder:

In other news, I suck at chin-ups.

As hoodie mentioned, Tuesday's workout involved chin over bar holds during warm-up and chin-ups (for those of us who can't do rope climbs) during the WOD.

I remember doing many, many chin-ups and pull-ups as a gymnast. Tuesday's workout would have been no big deal. I usually trained for about 16 hours a week (which, for gymnastics, isn't really that much), and strength and conditioning was a part of every workout.

One time, another gymnast REQUESTED more conditioning. I was aghast. I remember my coach saying that when I was older, I'd understand.

And I do! I do understand! The time has come where most of my day is spent sitting at a desk, my metabolism isn't quite as fast, organized, competitive sports have come to an end, and it takes so. much. more. effort to get my butt moving. I never thought I'd be asking for more conditioning, but I am!

Last week, my goal was 4 CrossFit classes, but I only ended up doing 3. Friday morning I had a session with my trainer and by the end of the day my shoulder was extremely sore, so I wimped out and skipped my Saturday morning CrossFit class.

This week, I'm aiming for 4 again: Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I hope I have good things to report next week!

My First Big Girl CrossFit Class

Holy flock.


Elements did not prepare me for this.

::Warm up::
800m run
3 rounds 15 mins:
5 wall squats
20 lunges with 45lb bar
30sec chin above bar 


I started sweating during the wall squats. All the running I've done has made my hips and hamstrings as flexible as iron. Looks like squats will be a work in progress. 


Chin above the bar was ridiculous. I was too stubborn to use a band and should have so that I'd have actually finished a set... We had five minute cutoffs to complete each round. I whipped through squats and lunges ok and then would get to about 20-25secs (total, not all at once) in the two minutes I'd have left. Arms. They are weak.

::Practice::
3 x 8 back squats with 45lbs; 55lbs; 55lbs

::WOD:: 
20mins (finished in 18:40)
15 chin ups (used big blue band)
25 back squats (55lbs)

I thought I was going to pass out doing chin ups. My arms are absolutely shredded. They are frustratingly weak. For the back squats I was limited by these matchstick arms because I can't press very much over my head.

Afterwards, I spent 20mins lying on the floor of my shower... hoping the jelly feeling would pass.


I'm getting stronger.


Big girls don't cry.

Elements #4 and #5: I'm a big girl now!

Elements #4: Hang Clean
This class was the hardest. Hang clean made me feel stupid and frustrated.  I kept getting stuck at high pull, there was a mental roadblock there. My stupid elbows would not snap through. They still don't. Stupid elbows.

Key take aways: Snap your damn elbows. Stomp your feet.

AMRAP 15
7 hang cleans (35lb bar)
7 knees to elbows
14 180deg lateral twists
30sec plank

Elements #5: Sumo deadlift high pull
After the frustration of Hang Clean, Sumo deadlift high pull was much easier. My confidence was restored a bit. Then the ring dips shredded my arms.

Key take aways: Keep your elbows high, keep your core engaged. It's much easier this way. Also, reminder to not smack yourself in the chin with the bar. It stays bruised for days.

21*15*9*
sumo deadlift high pull
ring dips
*20 lunges

After I finished up my Elements classes, my arms were wiped out. I think I might have mentioned before how weak they are... well, on the weekend, they gave up and started to swell. Ever had elbow swell? No? Well it's weird and awkward and gag-inducing. I don't recommend it.

I've graduated to the big girl classes. Wish me luck.

Falling off the wagon

Well, not so much a fall as a stumble.

When you're sitting at a pub and every item on the menu is either deep fried or covered with cheese, it's hard to make a good decision.

Yesterday I gave in to chicken strips and fries. Today I gave in to sesame chicken (which came with two pieces of california roll, two gyoza...well it came with one, but I ate Trudi's too...some salad, and a whole mound of rice. I didn't eat much of the salad), and then at dinner I had a Carolina Dog from Smokin Tony's (that's right. It is a hot dog covered in pulled pork.) with a side of onion rings. That's THREE cheats in two days.

So, time to take a moment to reflect on this.

While it might have tasted good at first, after a few bites it just felt heavy and sickening. My post-pub workout suffered because I was so full. This morning I was upset because the scale reflected exactly what I feared it would reflect -- that I filled my body up with too much garbage.

Time to hit the reset button. As my trainer always tells me, it's not about being perfect. It's about accepting your imperfect decision, learning from it, and not letting it be the norm.

The plan for tomorrow: steak and Brussels sprouts for breakfast, cantaloupe and raw, unsalted macadamia nuts for snacks, salad with grilled chicken for lunch, and kale & ground beef soup for dinner. Lots of water. Maybe a coffee, but only one.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be filled with good, healthy fuel.

Also, I'm SO excited... I'm heading to Mississauga on Sunday to catch the last day of the CrossFit Games - Canada East Regional competition. I've been spending the last few days watching the video explanations of all the workouts and reading articles about the competitors. If that's not motivation to take care of yourself, I don't know what is. These athletes are incredible. Good luck to the CrossFit Waterloo team!!

hoodie's Elements #3

I'm halfway through the Elements series. The last sessions are lined up back to back this week on Thursday and Friday. Having to just hear about Tetz's big girl class experience, and not get to go myself, is making me crazy jealous!

The weekend was spent recovering. Like really recovering. Ice, Traumeel cream, Ibuprofen and rest. It wasn't until Monday that I could raise my hands to my face without grimacing. When I told Chris about this, I saw a look of glee flash across his face. Evil.

Last night we focused on squats. Pretty straight forward, not very demanding unless Chris was physically hauling my arms and upper body into a (even more) upright position. All the running I've done in the last few years has curbed my flexibility, especially hamstrings and hip flexors. Last night I found them again.

We also learned how to do pull ups. Since I've got matchstick arms, I can only do one... maybe... so Chris taught a modification that still gets you working with your body weight.

Key takeaways: lead with your ass. Open your hips! (aka Squeeze your butt... aka Whistle whistle!) For pull ups, palms are facing away from your body. When doing the modification, jump. Seriously. What would you rather have? Sore arms or sore legs? I pick legs. Every time.

Workout:
AMRAP 10
5 pull ups
10 push ups
15 squats

I finished 4.5 rounds. Push ups suck.
5x(5 pull ups)
4.5x (10 push ups)
4 x (15 squats)

Why are my arms sore!?! I picked legs!!

Tetz's first REAL class

Yesterday I did my first real CrossFit class. The Elements classes are no more. I've graduated.

I was so nervous.

My hands were sweating all day. My heart was racing as I left the house. I'd taken a look at the WOD earlier that day and didn't recognize any of the exercises.

What if I can't do it? What if I don't know what I'm doing and I look stupid? What if I injure myself? What if I pass out? What if I barf? What if everyone judges me?

When I got there, there was a split second where I was about to turn around.

No one has seen you. No one will ever know you were supposed to be here... except the coaches, who saw you sign up. And hoodie, who told you to stop being scared and just do it. And the approximately 4,000 other people that I talked to during the day that I apparently felt needed to know that I was nervous about CrossFit.

So I soldiered on. And you know what... I didn't look (that) stupid. I didn't injure myself. I didn't pass out. I didn't barf. Everyone was too busy thinking about their own workout to worry about judging me. I didn't die... not even a little bit.

Coach Eddie explained every exercise that I didn't know and helped me figure out my weights. Before I started the WOD, my goal was 5 rounds for the AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) portion of the workout, and I met that goal with about 5 seconds to spare.

Success.

I'll be going back tomorrow.

Elements class number 2: Presses

I felt pretty good after my first class Wednesday night; so much so that I thought I was maybe under-weighted for the class and could probably handle more. I was feeling cocky.

Last night's skill was presses.
Key takeaways: elbows stay ahead of the bar, suck your ribs and ass in. Trust, it sucks less that way. Also, do not do a push press because Chris won't let you count the rep. Lastly, wear more clothing to avoid this:

The workout was to be completed in 13minutes (I did it in 12:45) and consisted of:
5 x (5 presses*, 10 burpees)
*I used the medium bar 35lbs, no added weight. Yay! Big girl bar!

Really doesn't look like much right?
Considering I have kindling for arms and burpees make me want to vomit, this workout was challenging for me. Chris was trying to get me to puke during the burpees; he felt it was his personal challenge but nary a dry heave in sight.(WIN!) He was making us lift our hands off the ground while horizontal to force us to use our arms, and not momentum, to push back up. That was killer. No reprieve for my poor match stick arms. The presses stripped me, made me drop my ego into a sweaty, quivering heap on the floor. Thankfully my competitive, stubborn nature helped me grind through the whole workout without Chris dropping my weight. Again, the real time form corrections were awesome, keeping me safe but challenged!

What does this morning feel like?
Muscles that I didn't know existed are screaming. Lifting a coffee cup to my lips makes me gasp. It's a two hand effort this morning, preferably with my elbows resting on a desk. Driving my manual transmission car was a battle of attrition. I am grateful for green lights and a short commute.

My next class isn't until next week. Koach Koala has plans for me in the meantime. #luckygirl.

Lift like a girl

Earlier this year, my personal trainer started teaching me olympic lifts and a whole new world of fitness opened up to me. Every workout gets my heart rate up, challenges my whole body, and I love the sense of accomplishment when I increase my weights or when I master something new.

One day, I'd like to lift like these amazing ladies at California Strength.

(Don't google olympic lifting accidents. I MEAN IT. DON'T DO IT. For those out there concerned for my safety, don't worry - I work with a trained professional. She would never let me lift more than I can handle. And sometimes that means all I lift is wooden stick.)

As much as I love lifting, I know I'll need more cardio in order to reach my weight and fitness goals. Also, I hate cardio. I don't know how hoodie does this running and biking and swimming thing. It sounds like straight up torture to me.

Enter CrossFit. As they emphasised to us during our first class, CrossFit aims to improve ALL the domains of fitness (cardiovascular, strength, flexibility, speed, power, coordination, balance, accuracy, stamina, and agility). I'm only 4 classes in, but so far I'm thinking that CrossFit might be... *sniff*... the one. I'm pumped that hoodie decided to join me. Her exclamation of "THAT WAS AWESOME" to our coach after workout #1 pretty much sums it up.

I'm actually sad that I'm not going back until Saturday, but after 4 workouts in 3 days (2 at CrossFit, 2 with my trainer), my arms and shoulders feel shredded and I need some recovery time.

So it's time to catch up on Game of Thrones. I'm way behind the times and am only at the beginning of season 1. I hear season 2 gets craaaaaazy.

hoodie's first Elements class

Last night I was brought into the CrossFit fold and I loved it. The class was the first of five Elements sessions, where safety and technique are taught for basic lifts.Last night we learned the technique for the dead lift.

Key take aways: keep your shoulders slightly ahead of the bar and ALWAYS keep your back flat. Also, I apparently can't count and workout at the same time...
Warm up was: 3mins of skipping, a handful of reps (12 maybe?) of dead lifts super slow to focus on our form, and box jumps (3x12", 3x16", 3x20") to figure out what we could handle for the workout.

The actual workout was:
15mins (14:33 for me to complete)
3x (150 skips, 21 box jumps on 20" box, 12x dead lifts using medium bar and 10lbs each end, total weight of 55lbs)

I really took my time with the dead lifts, having a tendency to let my knees slip forward. Chris, our coach, was awesome about giving real time feedback to correct form. By the end I was earning "Very smooth" praise from him. As many of you know, I'm aggressively competitive so I was annoyed at finishing last but slightly placated by the fact that I was lifting the most in the beginners class, by 20lbs, and using the highest box (I couldn't convince Chris to let me try the 24" - put that on the to do list for later). And let's be honest, I had better form. God, I'm a competitive bitch.

Thank you to Tetz for the gentle peer pressure to try out CrossFit and for coming with me!
Now to finish the Elements classes as fast as possible to catch up to her...

See you in the box at 8:30 tonight... #addicted