crazy week

It has been a crazy week and Workouts have been all over the place.  I have been getting them in whenever I can and even at home when I have to.  My eating habits have been very good and if anything I don't think I have been eating enough as I am constantly hungry.  Adding sweet potato after my workouts with a simple protein has seemed to help a little bit with recovery but I am still lacking energy when it comes to performing during workouts.  I am going to experiment with adding more food and see if that helps but have to see how that affects my body composition.  This is the most frustrating aspect for me because my mind is telling me to push through and my body just doesn't have the energy and it is killing me.  I can go without the sugars and grains but I want to excel at the WODs and right now I am not able to.  My plan is to introduce more food a little bit at a time and see how much I have to add to see a difference in performance energy levels.  I don't just want to gorge and over do it.  I will keep you guys posted.

busy, busy, busy

so the last couple of days have been really busy with work, family, dance group, and getting my WODS in.  Yesterday I completed the WOD of 30 muscle ups.  It was really frustrating because I still can't do them progressively, I have to drop after every one.  Just another thing to improve on but I am feeling it in my shoulders today.  I wasn't able to go to the box to get a WOD in so it was cardio in the garage and a  kettle bell work out.  It was Ok, but always better when you have people to work out with.  I ate mostly on the go today but packed most of my food and ate out for lunch.  I was very pleased with lunch because I was able to pick and choose what I ate and I got to make my own salad dressing.

Breakfast - veggie shake (half pound of spinach and some berries) and one egg over a left over burger from the other night, and half an avocado

lunch was at hometown buffet - huge plate of spinach and mixed veggies with dressing (paleo lemon and oil), 2 rotisserie chicken breast with no skin, lots of boiled green beans and onions.

I wasn't hungry and ran out of time for dinner.  I know i should have stopped and eaten somewhere but there was no place that I thought I could get something that I could eat so I just skipped it.  I know I shouldn't do that but I wasn't really hungry and like a few others, I have become a total food snob.

what a difference

So I stated in my last post that I was going to wait the first 30 days to add sweet potato or taro.  Yeah...I changed my mind.  I completed the WOD today and was still feeling the decrease in performance so afterwards I went home and had a post WOD meal of fish and poi (mashed taro mixed with water).  I felt a difference in less than an hour.  I really could feel an "alive" moment.  I will continue this and see if it helps the performance in the gym.  So here is what went down today:

Veggie juice (1/2 lb spinach a few berries and water)

4 eggs cooked in coconut oil and left over paleo spaghetti on top with a whole avocado

pre-work out was a half a palm size of fish (ahi tuna)

post work out was a palm size of fish (ahi tuna) and poi (taro)

lunch was left over paleo spaghetti with spaghetti squash

dinner was home made 50/50 burgers (grass fed beef and turkey) with grilled onions and a whole avocado.  also had more veggie juice.

can't wait to see how the post workout carbs impact my recovery and performance.  I figure if it doesn't help or negatively affects my body composition I can always cut it out of my diet.  I will keep everyone updated on this.

pushing through

So as I am getting used to the "whole 30" I am realizing that even eating primal I was making a few mistakes.  I have been dialed in for a week and a half now and feel good.  I am alert, energized through out the day, and I can see my body composition beginning to change.  HOWEVER, for some reason my performance during the WODs has declined!!!!  Not the results I had in mind for a Performance  and nutrition challenge.  I am not going to do anything drastic but I think I need to add more food.  I also remember when I first went primal it took about three weeks for my body to adapt and I also felt a decrease in athletic performance then.  I haven't tried adding sweet potato or any carbs other than my vegetables yet and will probably wait until after the first thirty days to add sweet potato or taro.  I want to give the Whole 30 a complete chance before I decide what to add or not.  So here is what I ate today:

Veggie Juice (1/2 pound spinach, half an apple, and broccoli)
3 eggs cooked in coconut oil and half an avocado

fresh tuna cooked in coconut oil and garlic

8 oz lamb cooked in coconut oil and spices

apricot and almonds

Paleo Spaghetti (lots of mixed veggies, grass fed ground beef, and bacon; spaghetti squash as noodles)

Water intake was a little low today but I wasn't thirsty so I didn't drink much.  I am continuing with my daily fish oil but I am going to start playing with how much I am taking because my recovery time is not as fast as it should be.  I really hope my body adjusts soon and performing like it should.  I feel like I am pushing during WODs but have nothing in the tank.  Only time will tell, but for now just keep pushing with what I have and getting the most out of each effort.

I woke up this morning feeling better than I have felt since starting this challenge.  I am posting for last night because I got off really late and didn't have time when I got home so I will keep it short.  No workout because I worked a 20 hour shift. Still ate good but was hungry a lot yesterday.  I think it could have been because I didn't have as much veggies as usual, not sure though.  Anyway, here's what I had.

Breakfast - four eggs (cage free organic) cooked in coconut milk with fresh pico de gallo.

snack a fist full of almonds

lunch 6 oz of pork with 1/2 plate of fresh mixed veggies

snack six egg whites (hard boiled)

dinner chicken witch 1/2 plate of mixed veggies

Drank as much water as I needed it and continued with the fish oil.

I am feeling much better and can't wait to do the WOD today.  I am thinking of doing todays WOD and making up yesterdays which was "Diane", depends how I feel after the first.

Really busy day as I am still at work and get off at 10 pm.  Sundays and Mondays I work 16 hour shifts so there is no working out for me.  Kind of forced rest days.  I prepared all of my meals for today and tomorrow in advance so it wasn't too hard to stay on track.

Breakfast was 5 eggs cooked in coconut oil and my usual veggie juice (half a pound of spinach, coconut milk and half an apple)

lunch was a 8 oz steak with sauteed spinach and a small tomato

dinner was the last of the paleo pad thai with 3 egg whites added for extra protein (wasn't a lot of pad thai)

no snacks today just lots of water.  thought I might try going without the snacks because I didn't work out today.  I felt ok but got a little hungry.  water intake was still good and as usual took in my daily doses of omega 3 fish oil.  Can't wait to get off work and head home to bed, I have to get up at 4 am to do it all over.  Then I finally get to hit the Box again for a wod on Tuesday before I go in at 2 pm. can't wait for that either!

Today happened to be really busy but I was Glad I got to get my wod in at the 8am class.  Completed 3 rounds of "fight gone bad" today and was pretty taxed by the end of it.  My energy level felt good throughout the workout, as I can feel the change in diet kicking in.  I actually woke up this morning feeling better than I have in a long time which I also think has to do with the change in diet.

On another note I had my first "party" challenge today.  I attended a house warming party this evening and the first thing I smell as I walk in the door are HOT WINGS!  I love hot wings! Well I was well prepared for the temptations that I knew were going to be there and had prepared and eaten a big Paleo meal right before we left.  I Don't really plan when I am going to eat but I did this time because I knew that if I went to the party hungry I would eat everything I saw.  It worked and I didn't touch any of the food there, being that I was stuffed already. I am really glad that my plan worked out, instead of not attending the party, which was my back up plan.  Anyway on to what I ate today.

Breakfast - 3 eggs (organic caged free) cooked in coconut oil

After workout meal - Paleo Pad Thai (left over from last night, and tasted even better)

snack - an apple and a fist full of almonds

lunch - veggie drink (1/2 pound spinach, coconut milk, half an apple) and more paleo Pad Thai.

Dinner - 8 oz prime rib and steamed broccoli (about 1/2 the plate).

I drank a good amount of water as usual but still don't really keep track just drink with meals and whenever I am thirsty.  Took my omega-3 fish oil as usual.  It was a really busy day but I am feeling really good so far.

Today was a rest day after 3 days of wods.  My body feels pretty beat up but my energy level is up.  Meals today were good and right on point and I tried a recipe from  the whole 30 packet and it came out really good, really couldn't even tell I was eating healthy and my family loved it (I didn't tell them what was in it till after the meal).

Breakfast was a grass fed steak cooked in coconut oil with onions cooked in the left over oil and steak fat.  I also had a vegetable juice that consisted of 1/2 pound of spinach and half an apple (love my blendec blender).

Lunch was 4 egg whites cooked in coconut oil, and another vegetable juice that was the same as the first, 1/2 pound of spinach with half an apple.

snack was a closed fist worth of almonds

Dinner was Paleo Pad Thai! not going to list the ingredients because it is in the whole 30 packet but I did add green onions and about 1/4 pounds of grass fed beef.  I also multiplied the recipe by 4x in order to feed the family.  You guys have to try this recipe! Personally I think it tastes better than any Pad Thai that I have had and I don't have the greasy weighed down feeling afterwards.  Just a side note on this, if you have never worked with spaghetti squash before I would recommend watching a video or reading an article on it first.

I also have been taking my fish oil through out the day and drinking water as I need it.  I don't really keep track of the water but it is all I drink so I figure I am getting all I need.

It Starts!

Aloha everyone, as a member of Canyon Crossfit I am participating in an 8 week Performance and Nutrition challenge.  The challenge is for 8 weeks and consists of 3 components.  The Components are athletic performance in which we have set an athletic goal to reach, body composition that will be judged on before and after pictures, weight lost, and fat%, and finally an essay on how our lives have been impacted by crossfit and this performance and nutrition experience.  There will be a cash prize for the winner but I find it hard to believe that the money is the reason any of us are doing this.  It is about personal reward and accomplishing goals that you never thought possible with the support of the people around you who are going through the grind with you.  I named this blog "the climb" because if we continue to climb upwards, the sky is the limit and possibilities are endless.  We may get tired, fall a few times, and at times feel like giving up, but we won't let each other.  It's about the journey, the experience, the joy in seeing and helping others succeed and reaching all of our goals together.  This challenge truly embraces what "crossfit" and the community is all about.

I actually signed up for the challenge this past tuesday, attended a mandatory seminar on wednesday about the challenge but mainly nutrition, and have been following the nutrition program since yesterday January 19.  I am a pretty basic eater and don't mind eating a lot of the same things all of the time.  I have cleaned up my eating a lot since joining Canyon last March and have seen improvements from it.  As we all know just because its clean doesn't mean that it doesn't need improvement, so I believe that the "whole 30" program will help me to get focused and on point.

I also completed the "performance challenge" this past tuesday which we all will have to perform at the beginning and the end of the challenge.  The Performance challenge consisted of the following wod:

Run 400 M
5 pull ups
10 hands release push ups
15 air squats
21 dead lifts - 155lbs
Run 400 M
5 pull ups
10 hands release push ups
15 air squats
15 front squats - 155lbs
Run 400 M
5 pull ups
10 hands release push ups
15 air squats
9 clean and jerks - 155lbs

My time for this WOD was 12:13.

Here are my initial stats and goals for this challenge:

-body composition is 16.9% body fat at 190lbs.  I don't really care so much about the weight but would like to get my body fat under 14%

-I have a current max snatch of 160lbs.  By the end of the challenge my goal is to be able to power snatch 190lbs.

It took me a little bit to come up with these goals to set because i feel there are so many things that i need to improve on, running, olympic lifts, endurance capacity, etc.  I chose the snatch because it is by far my biggest weakness but I look forward to improving in all aspects of fitness and life through out this challenge.  This challenge happens to be at a great time for me too because at the end of the 8 weeks I will be making one full year of crossfit! What a great way to end the first year and start the second year with both feet on the ground running full speed ahead!