Tasty Tuesday- Not so paleo

Ok, my diet for the past 4 years has been well...not the best ever. 80% of our meals came out of a box. We bought a special non stick pan just to make hamburger helper.......yeah. I spent A LOT of time in the frozen meals section of the grocery store to say the least. I would come home and pack the pantry and freezer with very little going to the fridge. I also have a full blown addiction to soda which I am working on. I've gotten off the diet stuff and have a limit of 2 per day on rest days and none on work out days. I was going through a 12 pack a week so this is a huge improvement.

When we started this journey of crossfit I realized our diet was going to have to change. I don't typically like change, but I don't like being squishy and jiggling when I walk either. I know what I'm about to say may go against a lot of the crossfit world's nutritional values but this is specific to our family and our choices. Trust me I do understand a few of our choices are not perfect and sure we could probably force ourselves to go strict paleo but for right now it's not for us. Maybe someday but not right now.

Now a big thing with crossfit members is something called the Paleolithic diet or just paleo for short. Essentially it's eating like a caveman. If ugg couldn't eat it then you won't be either. There are all kinds of versions of paleo that I have seen. Some people say potato is a no go, yet others say it's fine. Some are cool with certain dairy products, others...not so much. At any rate we are about 3/4 paleo in this house. Go ahead and tell me I'm not allowed to have my absolute favorite candy bar (Hershey with almonds) anymore and see what happens. I assure you that it won't be pleasant. There is also a love for rice in the house which will not be obliterated easily, then there is not much hope I will ever completely get off the soda habit. Sorry, I like it too much. So you see paleo is not really my cup of tea.

Instead of some major undertaking like going paleo I've adopted the rough idea and used it to improve our nutrition by leaps and bounds. I strive to make real food...like food that will go bad if you leave it too long. Unlike the box of tuna helper in our pantry that has an expiration date that is up in about 2 years. I shoot for a balance of a protien, veggie and a smidge of starch/carbs in our meals.

I went grocery shopping today and honestly the only time I was in front of frozen cooler cases was to pick out some frozen yogurt. Don't judge, I needed an ice cream fix. Other than that my cart consisted primarily of items from the perimeter of the store. Very few exceptions were in there.

Gone are the days of bright packaging and crinkly freezer bags. Here to stay are the chunks of real meat, whole fruits and veggies and perhaps some whole grains too. Hey, steel cut oatmeal is my best bud for keeping the milk flowin' round here.

Sure, I might still be eating some processed junk here and there but let me tell you it's a completely different diet for us. We might not be at caveman status but it's an honest effort and that's all I can really promise. To me just making an effort to be conscious of your body fuel is what matters. Try to be smart about things you eat and you'll be fine.

For today's tasty Tuesday recipe I give you
Crock Pot Balsalmic Roast with
Cauliflower Mash

I'm making this for our box's Christmas party this weekend so I will let you know how it turns out!

Tasty Tuesday- Running Behind

I'm a little late on my Tuesday post, sorry bout that. Last night's WOD killed me. I was only able to finish 4 rounds out of 5 and that did not make me happy. What really killed me were the jump ropes. If there is one thing I hate more than running it's jumping rope. I just don't have the cardio endurance for it yet. I lack the ability to do double unders so instead of doing 20 doubles I was doing 60 singles. They were brutal and really slowed me down.

On the positive side I set a new personal record for my clean and jerk. I was able to do 55lbs! Monday I also mastered 12in box jumps! Woo!

I've been doing crossfit for a month now and I do notice small differences in ny ability to work harder, longer and recover faster. Its nothing huge but it is an improvement. I'm really proud of myself that I've stuck with it and haven't given up because it's hard. I am looking forward to even more improvements in the months to come.

For today's tasty Tuesday, or Wednesday, I found this yummy sounding almond crusted salmon recipe. I love fish and I actually have made salmon similar to this in the past and it's great. Perfect entree for dinner!

From Paleo Plan
Almond Crusted Salmon

Tasty Tuesday! Turkey Day is Near!

 

Thanksgiving is upon us, which means we will all be stuffing ourselves to the breaking point and really testing the strength on that pants button. I love Thanksgiving for the food. Honestly I'm not a huge fan of turkey but ham...oh ham how I love you. I also love all the sides. Sweet potatoes are one of my absolute favorites, but nothing tops dessert. I'm one of those people who loves pumpkin and the best part of the fall season: pumpkin everything! So for today's Tasty Tuesday recipe I give you a paleo pumpkin pie!

Paleo Pumpkin Pie
Paleo Pie Crust




     Tonight's WOD was rough. Really rough. I of course modified the ever lovin out of it but it still kicked my butt. The hardest thing I had to do was run. I don't know what my body has against running  but it does not like it. I had horrible asthma when I was really little but thankfully I outgrew it for the most part. It only rears it's ugly head when I run, or have a nasty chest cold. Running is the quickest way to give myself an asthma attack. When I ran track in middle school I was always a short distance runner because anytime my coach tried to make me run a mile I would have an asthma attack right in the last stretch. I have an inhaler but of course I never want to use it because of my stupid ego. I don't want to have asthma, I want normal lungs and bronchus that behave when I exert my self...so if I ignore it then it will go away right?! I will make sure I keep my stupid inhaler with me next time I have to do any running especially because I do kind of like breathing. No matter how much medical knowledge I have and how many attacks I've had I still lose my mind every time. I can't remember how to breathe and the feeling of not being able to move air sends me into a panic. So I guess I'll bring the inhaler.

     Mentally I want to push myself but my body hasn't caught up yet. I did set a personal record for a shoulder press of 55lbs. tonight which made me pretty proud but otherwise I wasn't thrilled with my workout tonight. I just feel like I could have done better. I set unrealistic goals for myself, it's a flaw I have. I just need to work on the patience thing and try to realize I have physical limits. It's not something I enjoy realizing.

I hope you all have a Happy, Wonderful Thanksgiving!

5 Reasons Moms Should do Crossfit

Moms are totally different in their motivations and goals about fitness. We have a billion extra things to consider compared to the kid free woman. So here are 5 reasons why I think crossfit is perfect for moms.

1) Time: As moms we never have enough time, and the idea of finding enough time in the day to work out is kind of in the same league as finding time to hunt unicorns. The beautiful thing about crossfit though is the time commitment. Minimum three hours a week. That's it. Now, you'll probably want to go more but if you can squeak in for just one hour, three times a week, you will see results. I don't know of any other exercise regimens that are that easy to commit to.

2)The Community: There is a cool element to crossfit and that is the sense of family and community. Everybody encourages and motivates each other to do their best and even if your best is a super scaled down work out you still feel great. Being a stay at home mom can be pretty lonely for me at times and I love that I have a great community of support in my fellow crossfitters. 

3)Functionality: Crossfit is all about functional movements. Those being movements you actually do in real life. It focuses on making your life easier and who doesn't want that!? How many times a day do you squat down to pick up a kid, or errant cheerio? Carry a laundry basket filled to the brim and weighing a ton? Lifting a kid up to a sink, or shelf, or anything? Crossfit has exercises that will help make those things, and so much more, easier.

4) Getting Healthy: There is more to Crossfit than kettle bells, medicine balls and burpees.  Healthy or clean eating is highly encouraged. If you want to do well in your work out and see the best results possible you must provide your body with the best fuel possible. Going back to that community thing, you will have a plethora of support from others who are probably struggling just like you. The best part about getting healthy is knowing you are showing your kids that eating right and exercising is important. You are showing them you value them enough to take steps to keep yourself healthy and around for a long time.

5) The Results: Well I couldn't leave this one off. Crossfit can help you look fantastic. You will lose inches in all the right places while gaining muscle to make your life easier. Don't worry, you won't become some creepy buffed up weirdo lady (I mean, if that's what you want go for it but it's not my cup of tea). You will have a toned, and efficient body that will be sure to boost your own self esteem a bit.

So there you have it. 5 reasons to drink the kool-aid and join crossfit. I know as a mom life can be crazy. But please, please, take the time to work in some exercise and healthy eating habits. Even if it's mot crossfit, get up and do something. You want to be around and healthy for your kids and maybe grandchildren someday.

Tasty Tuesday!

     I did my first official WOD today! It wasn't one of the gnarlier workouts but it was still a challenge for sure. I left feeling great though. I felt pretty good about my workout but I'm always anxious to improve and work my way up. Unfortunately my mind goes faster than my body. Part of our workout was doing a type of lift called a clean. I am having a hard time getting my technique down on this one and it's getting pretty frustrating. I know what I want to do but I just can't get my body to cooperate and coordinate. That's the beauty of crossfit though, it incorporates more than just your physical being, your mind is fully engaged too. We are trying to work out what days we can get babysitting arranged and really get into a routine of going to the box at least 3 or 4 times a week.

     Probably one of the harder things I'm working on is my eating habits. I love my junk food and not just candy either I'm talking about the stuff that comes in boxes from my freezer or pantry. I have a pretty strong addiction to Diet Dr. Pepper and I am a habitual snacker. Making the change from eating a boat load of processed food to fresh stuff and being conscious of what I was actually eating has been pretty hard. I am happy to say I have at least made some better choices over this past week. Instead of hitting up a fast food place I decided to go to the grocery store and pick up some chicken to grill at home instead. The allure of the quick convenience food is strong for me. With two kids under two it's a feat for me to eat anything resembling a full meal, let alone actually cook one. It would be so much easier to drive thru some place than go home and cook something. Still, I know the reason for making better choices is to make my life better and I want to show my kids how to make healthier eating choices too. I want to be healthy for my grandchildren and eating McDonalds every other day is not conducive to that outcome.

     So in the spirit of food, I want to officially dub Tuesdays as "Tasty Tuesday's" here on my little blog. I love to snack and finding healthy alternatives to things like potato chips and sugary snacks has been a challenge to me. Sweet potato chips can provide a great alternative to the potato chip and satisfy that snack attack with ease. Thanks to amazingpaleo.com for this great recipe!

Find the recipe here: Amazing Paleo

The Beginning

Where to start? Why the beginning of course. Grab a comfy seat, this is going to be a long one.

     It all started a few years ago when my oldest brother, B, opened a little gym in his garage doing this crazy thing called crossfit. Fast forward to now and B has a booming business and a box (crossfit for gym) with over 200 members! My other older brother, M, is now also a trainer at the box and finally little sis is joining and making it a family affair.

     A little background on me, if you already know me feel free to skip this paragraph. I'm a 23 year old mom with two beautiful little angels, a 20 month old boy and a 3 month old girl. I'm a stay at home mom and a nursing student. Right now I am out of school since I took a semester off to have my daughter. I will be going back to school in January to work towards my RN. I have an amazing husband who supports me in whatever crazy dream I come up with and works hard to provide for his family. He also joined crossfit with me.

     I have never been one to exercise. I ran track in middle school and played a little soccer but that's pretty much it. I have for the most part been pretty happy with how I looked and I really enjoyed eating pretty much any food I wanted, within reason, and not intentionally exercising. I wasn't fit by any means but I looked at least average. My husband would probably object to my description as average but it's true.

     I got pregnant and gained the textbook perfect 25lbs both times. Thanks to the miracles of breastfeeding I lost all of my baby weight plus a good 5-10lbs on top of that. Breastfeeding is the best diet ever by the way. I wasn't overly thrilled with my post 2 kid body but I made my peace with the dark lines across my stomach, the pouchy look of a stretched out belly and the strange new spider veins all over the backs of my legs.

     I had known about my brother's crazy cult as I affectionately call it. Honestly my opinion of crossfitters was one of "there is something very wrong with you people". I was happy for my brother and the success of his gym but it just didn't seem like it was for me. After all I thought eating cake out of a bucket was and OK dessert.

     Then I went to watch both of my brothers as well as some of the crossfit crew compete in a competition. That's when I realized it. I wanted to do that. Maybe I had some kind of stroke, who knows, but I wanted to do crossfit. I dream of one day being able to compete with my brothers, I don't know if that will ever happen but it's a high goal I have. So when I got home I signed up for the orientation at the box and drank the kool-aid.

    The first workout we did was brutal. The most I exercise in one given day involves running around after a toddler, which is a lot but nothing compared to a crossfit workout. I left the box feeling spent, and a little like throwing up. Then I got home and that exercise high kicked in. I caught the bug. I wanted to go back for more. Maybe there is something crazy about crossfitters...we repeatedly come back for brutally intense workouts over and over and over. It feels SO good though. When that clock counts down you just go for it and it's a crazy rush as you mentally and physically push boundaries you have never been close to before. There is nothing like it.

     It's been a week since I joined the crossfit cult and I'm completely in love. I can't wait to keep on trying to better myself. The best part is I'm creating a better, stronger, and more efficient me. I decided to start this blog to chronicle my life as a new crossfit mom. I know a lot of moms who want to get healthier and become more fit but just don't know where to start. That was me. I knew I wanted to be healthier but I just didn't know where to begin so I ignored it and settled for being content. Well, I've finally woken up and believe me...if I can do it...so can you!