DNF

Did Not Finish.  Those are the 3 letters you never want next to your name as a Crossfitter.  Today I had a big, fat DNF.  The workout wasn't that bad, but I think the lack of working out these past few weeks combined with my crappy diet lately are 2 big contributing factors.  I was going along during my workout and when I got on the treadmill for the run portion, I started to get light headed and didn't feel good.  That was when I knew it was time to call it quits.  After a 3 week layoff, it was too much too soon.

My diet has been put back on track.  I will probably do some other activities tonight, like walk the dog and take a bike ride.  That is the big thing with Crossfit.  It promotes a healthy lifestyle.  You can't just workout and eat a crap diet.  Your entire lifestyle needs to be healthy to make you the best you.

Today's workout:
3 Rds.
30 reps 75 lb. squat clean
30 pushups
1/2 mile (800 m) run

I did 1 round then DNF.  That will not happen again!

3 rounds

That was my workout today, 3 rounds.  3 rounds of jump rope, 3 rounds of shadow boxing, 3 rounds of the heavy bag, and 3 rounds of the double end ball.  12 rounds total.  Each round is 3 minutes, followed by 1 minute of rest.  48 total minutes.  My goal is to continue with the 3 rounds of everything this month, and then bump it up to 4 rounds next month and 5 rounds in Sept.

I will be working out after work tonight, at 3 am.  I have found it easiest to just bring my clothes with me and force myself to go to the gym after work.  Once I warm up, the tiredness goes away and I wake up.  After the holiday weekend and a little too much indulging, today was just what I needed.  Now it is off to work to plan my workout for tomorrow morning.

Blending Together

Losing weight and getting fit, as we all know, is a struggle.  Some people hate working out, and others can't control eating habits.  I am like most, my diet is where I need to really crack down.  I don't have a problem working out.  As a matter of fact, I love to workout.  It is in my nutrition that I am lacking.  My eating habits are just as important, if not more, than my workout regiment.  The key to my success is to blend the 2 together into a healthy lifestyle.  I am following a mostly Paleo diet, which is also referred to as the caveman diet.

Here's an example of what my day of eating is like.
Breakfast:
6 egg whites, a piece of fruit, and 20 almonds.
Snack:
Protein Shake
Lunch:
6 oz. chicken breast, 1/2 avocado or nuts, broccoli or asparagus
Snack:
Zone Protein Bar
Dinner:
6 oz. chicken breast, steak, or fish, small side salad with oil and vinegar, vegetables
Snack:
Casein Protein Shake or 1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese

Meals are spread apart about every 3 hours

I am lucky because I don't mind eating the same thing all the time, and I don't get sick of it.  I need to look at my eating in a different way.  I don't need to eat because I am hungry, I need to eat to fuel my body for my workouts.  8 weeks begins today.

What is 8 Weeks in the Grand Scheme of Things?

That is the question that I need to ask myself.  What is my dream of opening up a box and being in the best shape of my life worth to me?  If I give myself 8 weeks, 2 months, of strict diet and exercise, how much weight can I really lose?  20, 30, or even more?  It took a good friend to really put me in my place.  I have been half assing my diet.  My workouts have suffered and I have not made this a priority in my life.  This vacation is just what I needed to get back on track.

I got a chance to see my buddies new box that he is opening, Crossfit Militia.  And I saw how Paleo and Crossfit has gotten him in shredded shape.  We got to talking about what I wanted to do and he told me pretty much to suck it up and just do it.  Give myself 30 strict days of Paleo and Crossfit.  As the conversation continued, I was telling him that I wanted to lose about another 30-40 lbs. before I apply to get my Crossfit Certification.  So we decided that I would try 2 months strict diet and workouts.  In reality, what is 8 weeks when you look at the big picture.   If all goes well,  I will be ready to get my certification by the end of summer.

Time for Vacation

This week, my wife and I are taking a little trip back to south FL.  I haven't been back since I left in Aug. 09, so I am excited to see everybody.  What I am even more excited about is the fact that 2 of my good friends have Crossfit gyms.  One of them is opening in July, Crossfit Milita.  The other one is Crossfit Carnage.  It is nice to know that there is somewhere I can work out while I am there.

I know that while I am there I am going to enjoy a few adult beverages, and probably not eat the best.  That is ok.  I know that I can stay on my workout regiment while I am there.  As for my diet, there is no need for me to get too off course.  I can still eat fairly healthy and enjoy myself.  I will post all about my workouts at the other Crossfit Boxes and my trip when I return.

Face your Fears

Fear-a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.


Sometimes you just have to face your fears and know that doing what you are afraid of will only make you stronger.  I have been practicing ring dips now for a few weeks, and I have been able to finally do them.  I was never afraid of ring dips.  The one exercise I have always been afraid of is handstand pushups (HSPU).


The fear about HSPU is all in my head.  It is not natural to be upside down, then want to lower your head to the ground then back up.  If I slip, I'll smack my head.  My anxiety about doing them is created in my head and I psych myself out of them before I even try.  Today was going to be different.  I had conquered ring dips, now it was time to work on my HSPU.  It took me a few tries.  First I did a tri-pod against the wall and straightened out my legs to get used to what it would be like.  Then I started flipping my body up, but I couldn't get enough momentum to get my feet against the wall.  This was mostly because of my fear about HSPU.  Once I pushed my fear of doing them aside, it all just clicked.  I flung my body forward and my feet hit the wall.  Then I held myself like that for about 15 sec.  Then I did it again.  Nice!  I still have a ways to go until I am comfortable doing them, but today was a great start.  I have proved to myself in these last 2 months that I am capable of much more than I thought was possible.


Today's WOD:
Annie
50-40-30-20-10
Double Unders
Sit-ups
12:12-an improvement of 9 minutes from last time!

What a Difference 2 months makes!

Today's workout was one that I had previously done back on 3/20, which is right before my journey started.  I was fat and out of shape.  The wod was one used at a games qualifier and had a 25 minute cap on it.  When I did it back in March, I didn't even come close to finishing it in that time.  And I didn't use the rx'd weight for all of it either.  At 25 min. I was 2 exercises away from finishing.  Today, I revisited that workout to see my improvement.  Let me tell you, 2 months of Crossfit and almost 20 lbs. lighter makes a huge difference.

Here's the WOD:
30 wall ball-16 lbs (cause that's the heaviest at the gym)
30 ground to overhead 95 lbs.
30 kb swings 53 lb. kettlebell
30 overhead squats 95 lbs.
30 burpees
30 ground to shoulder

In March, I was only able to make it to the overhead squats, and for those I had to use 65 lbs.  Holy crap what a difference today was.  I finished the workout all rx'd in 24:12.  I had done it under the cap and used all the prescribed weight.  I couldn't believe the difference this time around.  After the workout I was pretty excited with my time.  It is nice to see actual results.  The little everyday victories that I achieve are what keeps me going on this journey.  Today was a great day for me.  And these last 2 months have been a fantastic ride.