Saturday, December 31, 2011

Back to Primal

My biggest regret of my pregnancy was how quickly and easily I abandoned my primal eating habits.  (Check out Mark's Daily Apple for more information about a primal lifestyle).  It was a slippery downward slide.  During my first trimester, I didn't gain any weight and easily fell into the "I'm pregnant, so I can eat whatever I want!" mindset.  I never had morning sickness or any real food aversions, and I gave into those sugar cravings.  Those around me kept on commenting on my tiny size, and I constantly heard about how pregnancy was the time in my life to embrace eating whatever I wanted to.  I lost a lot of will power, and I gave in.  Big mistake.  And the holiday season has only exacerbated the problem.

While I realize my eating habits are probably healthier than most, I miss primal eating.  I'm currently struggling through another cold and have had my fair share of GI problems since slipping on my primal principles.  I should iterate here, that while eating primal last year, I never really got sick and I was able to ditch my Allegra and survive the spring allergy season much easier than in the past.  I'm convinced that clean eating boosts our immune system and I'm certain that CrossFitting and healthy eating habits allowed me to easily get pregnant.

So now, it's time for me to get back to it, stop making excuses, and take back control of all my dietary choices.  It will only be harder to stay on track once the baby's here, so there's no time like the present, right?
To get back on track, I'm doing the following:
1. Cleaning out our pantry and ditching toxic foods.
2. Throwing out all the Christmas cookies we were given as gifts.
3. Enlisting my husband's support to hold me accountable.
4. Making primal meals and freezing them for when the baby comes (more on this later).
5.  Creating food menus of primal foods that I love, and buying in season foods, which just taste better.
6.  Focusing on being healthy for labor and delivery.  This is a huge motivating factor to help me get back on track.  And I hope that primal eating and continuing with some exercise will help me bounce back from labor even faster.

I wouldn't necessarily call this my "New Year's Resolution," since I don't really believe in those, but it's a pretty convenient time to make some positive changes.  Any positive changes that you are committed to making in 2012?

Monday, December 12, 2011

A step back

My ankle is coming along, although it still has a ways to go.  I decided to see my general practitioner on Friday to seek her counsel on my ankle.  She told me I could ditch the crutches, encouraged me to walk on it, but also said I needed to keep it elevated with ice at night and the air cast while I sleep.  It's been immensely liberating being off crutches, and I'm grateful to keep on healing.  Hopefully the soreness will fade soon, and I'll be back to my old self.
It's been quite an experience to have an injury in my third trimester.  While I miss my energy and my "go-go-go" ability, there is something slightly liberating about being forced to be on the couch with my feet up.  At night, I get to stare at our Christmas tree, listen to Christmas music or watch some television, and just be at peace, enjoying the calm and quiet.  I've also taken baths instead of showers lately, and there's nothing quite like soaking in warm water with lavender bath salts and sometimes getting the treat of seeing my lil' peanut wiggle and squirm.  At such a busy time of year, I've been able to find a sense of calm.  With just over four weeks until I'm full term and a little more than seven weeks to go, I'll embrace slowing down, centering myself, and getting ready for this one to make her entrance into the world.  With that said, I do hope to get back to some very modified workouts next week.  But for now, I'll take a good book, my cats, and a quiet evening.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Ankle follow up

On Monday, I went to see one of my midwives who made me laugh as I recounted our ER story.  She was particularly disgusted with the ER nurse who couldn't find the baby's heartbeat and exclaimed in exasperation, "you should have yelled at her that you wanted a new, competent nurse!"  I appreciated her candor.
What was hard to hear, however, is that she thinks the sprain will take a long time to heal.  Since I can't take any anti-inflammatory medication because of the pregnancy, I won't have medication to help me speed up the healing process.  She wants me to take it easy and to take my time.  "That means no aerobics," she sternly decreed.  OK, aerobics is not CrossFit, but point taken.  My hope is that in a couple weeks I can get back to CF to work on some upper body strength and to see my friends and coaches -- and just get out of the house.  But my dream of being the awesome CrossFitting pregnant momma who would WOD up until labor has been shattered, so I have to adjust to slowing down.

So on that note, anyone have any good movies/TV shows on Netflix/books to recommend?  I'm currently finishing up "Animal, Vegetable Miracle" and I got to read a lot of the New York Times on Sunday.  I guess I might as well embrace my mandatory couch "stay-cation!"

And random side note: I never realized how hard it was to use crutches.  Between the crutches and my belly, balance is quite challenging these days!

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Slow down, you move too fast...

As a pregnant, CrossFitting mama to be, I sometimes feel pretty invincible.  Up until two weeks ago, I was still doing 20 inch box jumps and only switched to step ups at the request of one of the coaches.  I still use the barbell (albeit lighter weights and I'll take oly lifts from the hang, not the floor).  And I get pretty awesome pictures taken that look like this:


This is 29 weeks, practicing my snatch balance.  I mean, if I can still work on snatch balances and overhead squats, I've got to be pretty stable, right?  I despise taking help from people who feel like I can't complete simple tasks like carrying a bag of groceries because I'm pregnant.  I pooh-poohed all talk of how my center of gravity is shifting, because honestly, I never felt that my body was changing like that.  Just because my belly is expanded doesn't mean my balance is off.  I'm a strong girl, and a shifting center of gravity clearly didn't apply to me.
Until I tripped and fell right in my own house, slammed my stomach into the ground and somehow landed on my right ankle on Saturday night.  I don't remember that much about my tumble, other then it hurt.  The pain in my right ankle was so shocking, it took me a long time to realize that I also hit my stomach.  It took some cajoling to convince me to go to the ER -- I didn't want to be that pregnant woman who panicked over a fall, but what if something was truly wrong?  I didn't want to take a risk, and my lovely husband coaxed me into the car to head to the hospital.
And that's when I started crying.  I strive not to be the paranoid, over-analytical/hysterical pregnant lady, but the mere thought that my own stupidity could harm my little one was alarming and overwhelming.  Once we got to the ER and my husband wheeled me in (far more anti-climatic than I would have anticipated; I can safely say there's nothing enjoyable about being wheeled around in a wheelchair), it was obvious that the ER was a bit overwhelmed to have a pregnant woman to treat.  The hospital didn't have a maternity ward, and the nurse was nervous about finding the baby's heartbeat and kept trying to tell me that if she couldn't hear it, it didn't mean that it wasn't there.  In the meantime, I sat there sobbing and apologizing for my blubbering nature.  Finally, another nurse found the heartbeat, and eventually, my little one decided to move for me and say hello.  Reassuring.  (She's a good girl).
The doctor had to convince me to get my foot x-rayed as I was nervous about having any radiation near my body.  (At first, he was determined there was a break, and when there wasn't, he claimed that he had always known it was a sprain.  Hmm).  I was told to stay off my foot, and hopefully all would be well within a week. They gave me Tylenol and told me that they were going to send me to another hospital to have the baby monitored and to make sure I didn't start having contractions.  I was given an air cast for my sprain and then waited an hour and a half to be discharged.  I don't know if they forgot about me or what, but it was clearly a slow night, and I was annoyed, bored, and hungry.
When my husband and I got to the second hospital, the ER seemed confused about what to do with me, but the receptionist finally called up to Labor and Delivery, and thus all was right with the world.  "Where have you been?  We've been waiting for you!" the nurses and doctor on call all exclaimed, and I was whisked into a very nice birthing room (although the television reception was iffy), and was told that I would be hooked up to two monitors -- one to record her heartbeat and one to check and see if I was having contractions.  A doctor came in and did an ultrasound to check my placenta, but my husband and I got to see our beautiful little girl.  While I don't believe in having too much medical intervention, it was so wonderful to see that she was there, moving around, seemingly content (although that's me projecting my own feelings onto our baby, but clearly I'm allowed to).  I asked the doctor to reconfirm her gender, and yes, my daughter was spread eagle, clearly a girl.  Seeing her legs, I'm convinced she has my chunky thighs and will obviously be able to squat 200 pounds by her tenth birthday.  The best part, though, was that a medical student was shadowing the doctor, and the doctor pointed out to him that our girl was practicing breathing on her own.  And I could see it.  I started crying all over again, so comforted in the fact that if something did happen, and I sudden went into preterm labor, she'd be able to breathe.
How amazing is it that the hospital bed controls show a pregnant body!!!!!  I totally got a kick out of it and decided it was a photo worthy moment.

And it was a long four hours that I sat in a hospital bed.  One nurse sat with me while my husband ran out to buy us dinner, and I learned that she actually works full time at the hospital where I'll be delivering.  She was charming, sweet, and lovely, and I know that the baby and I will be in good hands in ten (give or take) weeks!  And thankfully, the baby's heartbeat was wonderful, I never had a contraction, and at midnight, the nurse bid me farewell ("Good-bye, Cinderella!") to then notice that I had never received crutches from the first hospital.  So, the nurse tracked down a pair, walked us out, and sent us on our merry way.  The whole ordeal lasted over eight hours and it was so nice to finally make it home.
Perhaps the most difficult part of the evening, though, was hearing another woman in labor.  It sounded somewhat inhuman, primitive, miserable.  My husband squeezed my hand while I sat in horror, wondering how I'd be able to handle it.  I later found out from the doctor on call that it was a very difficult, very pre-term labor.  Of course, she couldn't provide any details, and a million thoughts raced through my brain.  I felt so unbelievable lucky that my little one was safe, and so saddened that another one is not.  There's so much out of our control with pregnancy, and while I'm generally very accepting of it, it's hard not to worry or be concerned.  
So, I have to stay off my ankle, and it's off to the midwives tomorrow.  That means no CrossFitting any time soon, and I'm forced to take a step back and slow down.  (It was fun for a couple hours; now I find it grating).  But, I'm learning that I need to be a bit more accepting of my body's limitations while still being in awe of what it can do (like grow a really amazing person).  Right now, I'm just trying to enjoy her movement and I love when I can actually feel and see her moving -- so bizarre, but so awesome!  And maybe, perhaps, this is my body's way of forcing me to slow down.  I think this time, I'll actually listen (at least for the next few days).

A Thanksgiving dish to try...

This year, I helped make several side dishes for our family Thanksgiving dinner and decided I would throw in a "Paleo-esque" dish to see if any noticed.  After searching online, I stumbled upon The Primal Palate Thanksgiving recipes and decided to give the carrot souffle a try.  It looked pretty tasty, and I figured it would at least be an experience.  Let me preface this by saying that I happily cook with some milk and butter -- I do eat dairy, but I wanted to see what happened when I stepped outside my comfort zone and cooked with coconut.
I always hated coconut as a kid.  There was nothing creepier to me than a cake covered in that horrible shredded coconut, and eating an Almond Joy was out of the question.  So, I've been wary of coconut, although I'm learning as an adult that I think I have greater issues with the texture of shredded coconut rather than the taste of coconut itself.  So, I went to Whole Foods and joined the rest of the holiday crowds to buy coconut flour and oil, and made the dish (along with butternut squash, mashed sweet potatoes, and cranberry sauce) for our celebratory meal.
The squash was technically paleo, but the sweet potatoes were made with organic milk and butter and the cranberry sauce with organic cane sugar.  And out of all the dishes that were eaten, guess which one was gobbled up?  The carrot souffle!  I revealed my paleo secrets to my family, and I'm quite proud of my sneaky dish.  It was delicious, and I highly recommend it for the holidays!

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Some Articles to Check Out!

Just because you should...


Did you know that pizza is a vegetable?  I certainly didn't.  But it's considered a vegetable in our schools because of the minuscule tomato paste content, and Congress wants to keep it that way.  My question: how can we teach children to make smart food choices if we tell them such misguided information about the food they are served at school lunch?


A wheat-free diet is definitely getting more medical attention.  I'm excited to check out Wheat Belly and see what else William Davis says about the harmful effects of processed grains.  Big points go to the fact that he points out that the way wheat is now bred and grown is particularly harmful: "This isn’t your great grandmother’s wheat—or waistline—we’re talking about. Amounts of wheat’s destructive compounds have increased over the past 50 years as the grain has been hybridized and crossbred to be resistant to drought and fungi, produce higher yields per acre, result in better baking consistency, and cost less to produce. Not surprisingly, the increase in wheat in the American diet parallels obesity rates that have nearly tripled since 1960."


According to the USDA, sales of locally grown foods are up!  Local foods are healthier for our  bodies and for the environment since they leave a smaller carbon footprint -- a win/win situation.  And it's so nice to have a personal relationship with the person who sells you your vegetables.   Jump on the bandwagon and find a local farmers market or CSA here.


And finally, it's about time we bring back the local butcher and learn to savor truly excellent cuts of meat.


What have you checked out in the news lately?

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Guest Post -- Journal Menu

Check out my guest post over at Journal Menu!



9NOV/11Off

Lindsey Galvao is a pregnant crossfitter who has agreed to share her experience with us. She is currently ~6 months pregnant and still going strong. Within the past year or so, there have become many more forums and websites dedicated to the pregnant crossfitter, even with that said, the information is somewhat scare, so feel free to ask Lindsey any questions that you may have (if you are or are thinking of being pregnant). She will be guest blogging once or twice a trimester and will answer all your questions in her posts! Pregnant crossfitters make crossfit babies :)

It’s hard for me to believe that I’m almost in my third trimester! The last few weeks of the second trimester has treated me well overall. It’s been a blast feeling the baby move and I’m still able to be fairly active. While I’ve lost my diligent Primal eating habits (Cheerios and hot chocolate cravings have been hard to kick lately), I’ve still managed to make it to CrossFit. In the past four weeks, my body has changed from a miniscule bump that only I noticed to a bona fide pregnant belly that gets smiles from strangers on the street. With my growing belly, anything on my back is out of the question. Instead of sit-ups, I do knee raises, and I’ll usually find something else to sub in for hollow body holds, like planks. I’ve also had to be careful with my lower back. Even though I’ve made sure I have solid form, I’ve had to lighten up my deadlifts and take extra time with my kettlebell swings to make sure I don’t have any soreness (I made this mistake when I did low rep kettlebell swings with 1.5 pood at 24 weeks— while it felt fine at the time, my back killed for the next couple days). For this same reason, handstand push ups are now out of the question, so I’ve just done regular push ups as a modification. I’ve also switched from pull ups to inverted rows. During each WOD, I find a steady rhythm and periodically complete the “talking test,” where I make sure I can say a sentence without being winded. It’s worked well and I’ve kept my pacing in check. At the same time, I’m still able to do box jumps, I can whip out some double unders, and I have a pretty mean front and back squat. I also use the barbell, although I keep the weight light (usually 65 pounds or less, depending on the lift). I’ve managed some decent Rx WODs lately, which is a great confidence booster, and when I know I won’t be able to complete a WOD Rx, I find a reasonable substitution, which usually means lowering my weight. So far, my little girl is growing right on target and measuring perfectly for her gestational age. All signs point to a healthy baby, and I’m grateful. I also know that pregnancy would have been a lot harder if I hadn’t been in shape and didn’t keep up with exercise. I’m sure it’s partly luck, but I’m also convinced that the food and exercise choices I made before getting pregnant have had nothing but a positive affect on my pregnancy. We’ll see what new CrossFit adventures the third trimester brings!

Monday, November 7, 2011

Update: WODing

I've been so neglectful of the CrossFit aspect of this blog as I am trying to wrap my mind around the best baby gear and gearing up to tackle the next big steps of baby preparation (finding a doctor and daycare).
While my food consumption is completely haywire and I don't know how often I'll be at the box this week (I am currently battling some bizarre stomach bug/cold), I have had some great WODs in the past couple weeks that I'd love to share!


WOD: November 4
50,40,30,20,10 reps for time:
Kettlebell Swings
Double Unders
We did this WOD on June 22, when I was 8 weeks pregnant. Back then, I finished it in 16:56, Rx. This time, at 27 weeks, I finished it Rx in 18:48. I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to manage the double unders or if I would be able to finish this one, so completing it was such a huge accomplishment!


WOD: November 1
Bench press x 3
15,12,9,6,3 reps for time:
overhead walking lunges with 25 pound plate, reps are for each leg
Burpees

While I did my pregnant "burps" for this WOD (meaning that I land on my thighs, but keep my stomach elevated, almost like a cobra position in yoga), I finished this one in under 9 minutes. I modified the bench press to a regular press, and easily managed 70 pounds and decided to quit while I was ahead.

WOD: October 29
Front Squat x 2 for strength
40s on, 20s off x 4 Rounds for max reps:
Wall Ball with a 14 pound ball
Push-ups
Kettlebell Swings with 1 pood

If there's one thing I can do, it's squat. I have strong, strong legs. I did 145 x 2, the highest of any woman in my class that day, without much effort. I had to remind myself that it was probably a good idea to stop. While I've had to drop the weight on my squat quite a bit, I can still manage a pretty mean squat, which is awesome. I haven't had to modify my push ups yet, and my KBS are still pretty fabulous.  While I definitely didn't have the highest score of the day, finishing this one Rx was really uplifting.

My score for the WOD: 46 WB, 41 PUs, 68 KBS Rx for 155 total.


WOD: October 28
Skill: number of double unders in 2 minutes
3 Rounds for time:
500m row
12 Deadlifts @ bodyweight
21 box jumps @ 20 inches


I enjoy deadlifting, but I'm now nervous about my lower back, which can bother me at times. I was
going to do my pre-pregnancy weight for the WOD, but 130 lbs felt like I was pushing my luck. I
dropped it to a very managable 95, but I still did the box jumps Rx.  Rowing is my mortal enemy, so I just took it slow and steady.  

DU test: 51 in two minutes
WOD: finished in 15:31


Why am I sharing all of this? A few reasons.

First, I'm proud of the work that I'm still able to do at CrossFit, and I want to be able to share my success. Each week, I wonder if I've had my last Rx WOD, and then I surprise myself!  What I think has enabled me to still be successful at CF is my attitude.  I've slowly morphed from the 'I can't handle not having a PR and pushing myself to the brink!' to 'Let's just see what I can do today -- hopefully I'll be able to finish the WOD; I'll just do my best to get a decent workout.'  I think this change has made a huge difference in my WODing.  I pace myself carefully (which, I think, is the reason why I can still do box jumps).  I make sure I can talk while I WOD and I drink lots of water.  And I just see what happens.  And when in doubt, I back off.

At the same time, I've also developed a greater sense of pride and respect for what my body can do.  It's pretty awesome that I can safely and comfortably weight lift and compete metcons.  No, I'm not PRing, and that's okay.  I'm strong, I'm healthy, and this baby is strong and healthy, which is all I can ask for.  And I can still manage an Rx here and there!

I hope I can also be a model for the physical strength that women are more than capable of.  No, I'm not suggested that a newly pregnant woman run out and deadlift 200 pounds after never exercising, but I'm advocating that women of all ages start slowly exploring avenues like CrossFit (or strength training in general) to be as healthy as possible.

I'm also convinced that CF has enabled me to have a relatively easy pregnancy.  Yes, there's about 12 weeks left of it, but so far, I have no real complaints.  Getting in shape before getting pregnant has made a huge difference in my life.  It's given me a community; a place to go so I don't just end up sitting on the couch watching TV every night, and it's given me a huge amount of confidence.  So, here's to the end of my second trimester, and hopefully continued success with CrossFit!


After my WOD on November 4 at 27 weeks!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Pregnancy surprises

I think the biggest pregnancy symptom I've dealt with so far is immense fatigue.  Yeah, I guess the books mention it in passing, but when I think pregnancy, I think morning sickness, stretch marks, and skipping out on deli meat; fatigue that feels like I've been hit by a bus was never on my radar.  The books go something like this: in the first trimester, you're nauseous, probably vomiting, and only want to eat Saltines; in the second trimester, you get a surge of energy and feel like you're on top of the world, and the third trimester is Dante's seventh circle of Hell as you're just begging and praying for this kid to make his or her appearance in the world since he or she is pushing against your lungs and bladder, making it impossible to breathe and causing you to pee all the time.  While I can't speak to the third trimester yet, my pregnancy has been vastly different than what the books suggest I should feel.  I'm not complaining -- in many ways, I've been blessed to have a very easy pregnancy, and I feel very fortunate for that.  But, for the first time in my life, I feel like I'm finally understanding what fatigue is, and it's way worse than staying up all night in grad school trying to finish a paper.
The other day, one of my students turned to me and commented, "you look really tired."  Crap, I thought.  This really sweet, astute kid picked up on the fact that I feel ready to keel over at any moment.  If this is how I feel at 26 weeks, when I'm supposed to feel blissful and energetic in my second trimester, what will the next 14 weeks bring?  How will I continue to manage working full time/going to CrossFit/tutoring students after school/singing in two choirs while I'm not able to sleep well at night, despite how tired I am?  How can I manage to keep a house reasonably clean and make sure that I'm making somewhat healthy food choices on top of it?  I think it's starting to hit me big time that I can't do it all.  While I know my priorities will shift once my little one makes her appearance, I didn't expect how much life would change now.  My "I am woman, hear me roar" mentality is clashing with my desire to snuggle up on the couch with my cats and my blanket (right now, couch/kitties/blanket = 1; laundry and dishes = 0).
But, I'm slowly learning to be okay with it all.  I know that some days will be less tiring than others and ultimately, my most important responsibility is to listen to my body and take care of this little one and give her the best start possible.  And at the risk of being sappy, feeling her squirm and wiggle around puts a smile on my face like nothing else in this world.  Just like the surprise of fatigue, I figured that feeling her move would be cool, but I could have never been prepared for how amazing and awesome it is.  In the past few weeks, I've felt a new bond with my Lil' Puddin' (her nickname given by my eighth graders -- I absolutely adore it).  And this is perhaps the best surprise of all.
So, for now, vacuuming the house will wait another day (or two).  I'm going to stay snuggled up on the couch a little bit longer, sneaking in some small naps and breaking into ridiculously goofy smiles as she kicks and moves around.  I'm going to enjoy these moments of being at absolute peace, soak in my pregnancy, and take it all in stride as best as I can.

What has surprised you most about pregnancy or life lately?

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Baby Gear

First things first, an updated picture from the box:

Thrusters at 24 weeks, during a WOD.  I adore the For Two Fitness shirt I'm wearing, courtesy of a friend!

With a few weeks left in the second trimester, baby registries and baby gear are my current focus (if nothing else, to stop me from thinking about the whole labor process).  With registering, I find myself completely overwhelmed by the different products that exist for babies, and I find myself hearing mixed messages.  Do you get the Bjorn or the Moby? Do you need the $300 video monitor?  Am I supposed to have baby gates ready to secure my stairs?  How many burp clothes and receiving blankets should I have on hand?  How do I know which swaddling blankets to try?  How many versions of the Jumperoo can possibly exist?   And what do I do about toys?  I already have nightmares of giant, Fischer-Price plastic toys taking over my house. (It's similar to the scene in Ghostbusters where the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man walks down the crowded street).  Am I supposed to have the swing that simulates the motion of a car, and do I need music/white noise playing in the nursery?  What baby books am I supposed to read to prepare for motherhood?  Do babies really need a lot of stuff?  As all these questions and more swirl through my brain, I try to keep in mind my desire to lead a minimalist life and to not get caught up in feeling like I need a bunch of unnecessary, miscellaneous stuff.  I like to keep things simple.  I want to be as natural as possible.  
So, what is the baby gear you thought you needed to have, and then realized you could definitely live without?  Any baby purchases that you're grateful that you made?

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

A new modification

About halfway into month five of pregnancy, I was so impressed with my ability to still do handstand push ups.  (Well, mostly.  I needed an ab mat or two under my head, but before pregnancy, I swear I was decently close to getting at least one HSPU Rx).  Kicking up to the wall and being upside down was such a great source of joy and a feeling of accomplishment.  There was a rush, a surge of excitement, a feeling of bliss in those few seconds.  I don't really understand why I have such a love for HSPUs, especially since I was the child who hated the monkey bars and could barely do a decent somersault or cartwheel.  While I've always been fascinated with gymnastics and used to obsessively watch competitions on TV as a child, I was terrified of gymnastics myself -- what if I fell and broke my arm or my neck?  Overly cautious, I was not an athletic risk taker by any stretch of the imagination.
So as an adult, falling in love with HSPUs was my redemptive moment -- my chance to reclaim was I was too scared to do as a kid.


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Photo from Saint Clair Studio

Today's WOD was "Mary," an AMRAP 20 of 5 handstand push ups, 10 pistols (which are one legged squats) and 15 pull ups.  I needed a band for my pull ups and for support with the pistols-- I can do pistols on my left side, but not my right, and I've never figured out why-- and I put down an ab mat to help my range of motion for my HSPUs.  While practicing my HSPUs before the WOD, my back spasmed as I lowered myself down to the floor.  I shook it off, and figured it was bad form or an off moment.  But when the WOD came, I was barely able to make it through those first five HSPUs.  As I meandered over to the rig and stuck my foot in a band for pull ups, I called my coach over to let him know.  Was my form off?  What changed from the last time I was successful with my lovely, wonderful, HSPUs?

"You can't hollow your body anymore because of your belly.  I assume it's your lower back that's bothering you?"  I nodded.  So, we agreed I would do push ups instead.  Happily, I still have full range of motion for my push ups, and quickly got through the sets of five of "chest to deck" (which is more like "belly to deck") push ups.  But now, almost six months into pregnancy, HSPUs are off the table.

Good-bye, handstand push ups.  We had a great relationship while it lasted.  I'll be excited to see you again in a few months.  And at that point, hopefully I'll be rocking the kipping pull ups by then, too!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

for laughs...

Here's the most hilarious, ill-informed article you will ever read about CrossFit.  It's a shame that reporters and writers are so willing to criticize what they don't understand.  If you could have a five minute chat with Penny Love Hoff, what would you say to her?  Penny, try a box out for a month, and then tell me what you think...

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Modifications and a new PR

I know there are lots of other women out there who wonder how they can still do CrossFit (or exercise) while pregnant, especially as they progress into the second and third trimesters.  Halfway through my second trimester, I'm lucky that my modifications have been minimal so far.  Basically, I've started to lower my weights for barbell work (yesterday I dropped a WOD of cleans and push presses from 80 pounds to 65 pounds), switched from burpees to burps (burps are burpees without flopping yourself on the ground), and am trying to move away from exercises on my back, just to start to get used to the transition.  (This means that planks can show up a lot!)  I've also regressed on my pull up and need to use a stronger resistance band, and sometimes I sub inverted rows on the rings.
But I still have moments of strength, and had a great one today.  Today was "Nate," one of the hero WODs.  It's an AMRAP 20 of 2 muscle ups, 4 handstand push ups, and 8 kettlebell swings (2 pood for men, 1.5 pood, or 53 pounds, for women).  My muscle ups are non-existant, my HSPUs don't come anywhere near the floor, but I love kettlebell swings.  A lot.  They are perhaps one of my favorite CF exercises.  Normally, women use 1 pood, or a 35 pound kettlebell.  I've never even picked up a heavier kettlebell.  But once I knew 1.5 pood was the prescribed weight for women, I had to try it.

Long story short, after warming up to the heavier weight, and with the blessing of my coach, I was pumped to use it for my WOD -- and was successful!  It was a little challenging to balance a heavier weight at first, but the more swings I did, the more I got used to it, and ended up with 88 KBS in all.

So, the take home for me is that there are good days and there are more difficult days at the box.  Regardless, I can still be (safely) adventurous with my workouts, even at five and a half months into my pregnancy.  The human body is strong and capable, and I felt so accomplished when I left my box today.  I did what I've always aimed to do -- I listened to my body, and today was awesome.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

At the half way mark

Now that I'm in the full swing of my twentieth week of pregnancy (where did that time go?), I have to say, the past two weeks have been very exciting. Here's a quick recap:
- I managed four days of CrossFit WODs in a row, and felt great.
- I survived Karen and finished it under 14 minutes!  While I added six minutes to my previous Karen time, my wall balls are so much better than they were in February (the last time we did Karen).  It's a trade-off, and hopefully in a few months post-baby12qw, I'll have a killer Karen time.
- I'm starting to show.  It's a small bump, but it's there.  While I think people who didn't know me would have no idea that I'm pregnant, those around me now claim that they can tell that I am!  How does my bump look at 20 weeks?

- I'm definitely feeling the baby move!  The movements aren't frequent, but they are obvious.  It first felt like a "popping" sensation, but now it feels like a push or a mini-kick.  My baby is definitely saying hello!  And randomly, I usually feel it while driving.
- At Charles River CrossFit, we have a PR chalkboard.  For nearly two months, my "195 3RM Back Squat" was a prominent feature on the board, and it made me immensely proud -- a huge PR at ten weeks pregnant!  But earlier this month, I walked in to CrossFit and noticed that the board had been erased to make room for PRs for the months of September and October.  I was heartbroken, because I figured I had no shot at another PR until well after the baby comes, so it hit hard.  But then, I had a breakthrough:

While I've been doing double unders in WODs for months, I've never managed to string more than four together.  (I always do a "double, single" pattern to make it through).  I finally had a breakthrough this week while practicing double unders before a WOD and managed to string 11 in a row!  My DUs definitely still need work, but they're there!  

And perhaps the best part of the past couple weeks was going for my 18 week ultrasound.  We saw a beautiful, healthy baby, and everything looks great.  And to our great excitement, we learned we're having a girl!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Check it out!

Check out my guest blog over at Journal Menu!



Back in January, when I first started working out at Charles River CrossFit, my goal was to be able to walk into another CrossFit by January 2012 and be able to do the WOD Rx. While I certainly gained significant stamina and strength in the time I’ve been a CrossFitter, pregnancy has thrown quite a wrench in that goal. Still, at 19 weeks pregnant, I’ve managed my fair share of Rx WODs, and I’m glad that I’m still able to CrossFit about four times a week. But, I’m surprised at how much harder CrossFit has become. I assumed that I wouldn’t have to modify my WODs until I was very visibly showing, and I figured that would be to merely accommodate for my large belly. Even though I’m five months along, I’m not really showing. So, it’s come as a bit of a shock when I’ve had to drop down weights or had to slow down on a metcon. I’ve dropped my deadlift by about 40 pounds and my back squat nearly 50. There have been metcons where I’ve barely finished in the allotted time, and one metcon of kettlebell swings, double unders, and rowing where I was cut off with one round to go. Those moments have been hard. While I know that I need to listen to my body and I’m aware that I have more physical constraints now, I’ve been mentally and physically trained to push myself to the brink, and it’s hard to feel limitations now. And double unders are just brutal these days!
With that said, I am beginning to fall in love with oly lifts. I always preferred chipper WODs or low skill, high intensity metcons to bar work, but with the barbell, I’ve been able to maintain a lot more of my strength. I can still easily clean 95 pounds, and I have a lot more confidence in my lifts. Pregnancy has been a great time for me to become a more well-rounded CrossFitter.
My philosophy is to try and do a WOD Rx if I can, and if that means five less double unders or cutting a run short by 100 meters, I’d rather do that then switch to single unders or drop my weight. I’ve gone from being one of the fastest in a class to one of the slowest. But hopefully, come February, I’ll be able to bounce back quickly and regain my stamina. And there are days when I feel invincible at the box, and others where I can barely do the warm up. Each day, I just try and do the best I can.
While there are some people in my life who are supportive of my CrossFit ways, others have been quite critical of my desire to keep up intense exercise while pregnant. Perhaps the most jarring comment I received was that if I continued my level of exercise, my baby would be born with birth defects. When moments like that happen, I just remind myself what my midwife told me: “your great-grandmother farmed, washed clothes by hand, and prepared meals from scratch. Women always had to be physically active and had healthy babies. It’s just in modern day that we’ve become far too sedentary, and it’s not something to be proud of. Good for you for exercising.”

Sunday, September 11, 2011

A quickie post...

... since I've been so negligent lately.  I realize I haven't really updated much on our garden.  While it didn't yield as much as we had hoped (the garlic and squash were a bust), we just realized that our collard greens are beautiful!  I made a soup with them tonight, which consisted of the greens, garlic, olive oil, salt, potatoes, and water.  I'll post the recipe if there's interest!  It's not paleo, but it's great for fall.

I finally bit the bullet and started my maternity clothes collection.  I'm still on the small side for a belly, but I just can't handle the Belly Band, and I need comfort!  I discovered a consignment store near my house where I got a shirt and two pairs of pants for cheap, and I did some damage at Gap Maternity.  Here's the picture I've been meaning to post:


There's a tiny bump!  Woo hoo!  In the picture, I'm 18 weeks, five days.  It's a little dark, but you get the gist.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The start of month five!


At 18 weeks, this cartoon pretty much sums up my current physical state.  I can still get away with most of my pants, although the pants that used to be huge on me are now just comfortable.  But I'm not yet big enough for maternity clothes.  It's a bit of a quandary, so I did end up buying the Be Band from Target.  I wore it for the first time today with my skinny jeans (which had to be retired about a week and a half ago), but I'm not completely sold on it.  I felt like my jeans were going to slip off all day, and I did feel self conscious about not having my pants buttoned.  I could see, however, the psychological merit in using the Be Band post-partum to get back into regular pants faster.  So, I think my clothing goal is to find longer shirts, leggings, and stretchy pants that aren't maternity to make it through until I need to make the full switch.  Any recommendations on places to shop or clothes to try?
I think a little bump is starting to show -- I'm post a picture later this week.  I may regret saying this, but I'm definitely ready to look pregnant.  I'm also ready to figure out if the gurgles and flutters I've felt are actually the baby, and not just a figment of my imagination!
On Monday, I had an amazing CrossFit WOD.  For a strength, we did a dead stop deadlift (where you have to take your hands of the bar during each rep) for a 3 rep max.  I comfortably did a 185 lb deadlift, which makes me feel better about not being about to deadlift 155 last week!  For our WOD, we did cleans and 100 meter runs.  I can still clean the bar!  While the prescribed weight was 115, I was nervous to try and clean that much, so I did 90 fairly easily.  It was nice to feel strong and accomplished at the box.
Today was a more 'interesting' workout of Tabata This.  For those of you not familiar with the CrossFit world, tabata is a workout where you do a movement for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds.  You complete eight rounds of this sequence.  Your score is the lowest number of reps that you complete in the 20 seconds,  It's really beneficial to pace yourself, since eight rounds is a lot, especially when you have five movements to complete.  Tabata This includes rowing for calories, air squats, pull ups, push ups, and sit ups.  Luckily, I can still do sit ups, although I think that soon will change.  I pulled off a score of 39 for my tabata (I rowed 4 calories in 20 seconds, did 16 air squats, four banded pull ups, five push ups, and 10 sit ups).  I try to avoid WODs like tabata since I like to make sure I have the ability to take rests and breaks as needed, but I was able to pace myself, so it wasn't too awful.  
Things I've recently learned about pregnancy:
- I need to eat constantly, and I need to eat a lot.  I learned this the hard way, when I woke up at 3a.m. the other night, feeling extremely nauseous.  After sitting in the bathroom for about 10 minutes, I finally figured out that I was really hungry, so I had a bland, non-paleo snack, and after a few minutes, I felt great.  Lesson learned: this baby needs and loves food.
- Just because my eating is not as clean as it used to be doesn't mean that I'm a horrible eater, nor does it mean that I won't be able to get back on track post-partum.
- People love to give advice.  Some of it is helpful; some of it is not.  I'm trying to ignore the less helpful tidbits!
Any advice for the second trimester?

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Frustrations

I hate to be one to complain, but I'm just frustrated.
At about week 8 of pregnancy, I developed an odd twinge in my left hand.  Occasionally, it was spasm, hurt for a minute, and then it would go away.  I just decided it was a bizarre pregnancy quirk, and figured it would be harmless.  Then, last week, it came back with a vengeance, to the point where I couldn't even do wall balls because it hurt too much to cradle the ball in my palm.  I've spent the past week significantly modifying my WODs and lowering weights.  For a push press yesterday, I stopped at 55 pounds instead of my usual 95 or 100 weight.  In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have bothered push pressing at all.  Thrusters became front squats (with no hands!).  Cleans, snatches, push ups and handstand push ups are out of the question.  Plus, the weight I could lift pre-pregnancy and even in the early stages of pregnancy has decreased significantly.  I dropped my deadlift weight by 30 pounds today; my front squat weight by 35 (even before my wrist problems!)  I'm just bummed out.  It's hard enough slowing down my body from the changes that pregnancy bring, and I'm struggling with the fact that I have to modify, well, before I'll have to modify again to accommodate for my growing belly.  I'm desperate to deadlift and back squat over 200 pounds, to practice kipping pull ups, and to work on my snatches and overhead squats.  Feeling this limited is such a struggle for me.  I miss the days when I could give each WOD my all and collapse on the floor sweaty, exhausted, and out of breath.  I know I'm growing an amazing little person, and why I'm thrilled, it doesn't make these physical changes easier.  I'll give my doctor a call tomorrow and see if we can figure out what's up with this wrist.  And I scheduled a massage for Thursday to see if that might help at all.  If nothing else, it will make this momma-to-be happy and relaxed.  And I'll take it one step at a time.

Any thoughts on ways to overcome frustration?

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Pregnancy Musings

- Everything you've every heard about pregnancy hormones is true.  I'm a pretty emotional girl, but there are days when my emotions have swept me away in a sea of fitful tears (crying at Teen Mom, for example. There's clearly something wrong with that).  Honestly, though, most of my meltdowns happen at Charles River CrossFit, especially after a WOD that I've found to be more challenging.
- I don't think "pregnancy brain" is a myth.  I'm definitely more forgetful than before.  Thankfully, my friends and family send reminders so I can stay on track with what I need to do in any given day.
-Thankfully, while I never had morning sickness of any kind, I've been extremely fatigued and was an insomniac during my first trimester.  Being tired + not being able to sleep = ironic combination.
- In terms of food, however, I find that I am a happier person if I graze throughout the day.  Smaller meals work for me.  I always have a Larabar in my purse for when I have an emergency food need.
- Still on food: when I get hungry, I need to eat.  Immediately.  There is no option for me to wait. Unfortunately, this means that I sometimes make bad food choices (because sometimes, the Larabar doesn't cut it).
- When I cut out grains and processed foods, I feel great. When I don't, I get all those icky pregnancy symptoms people talk about.  For me, I think it has to do more with my diet and less with pregnancy!  Making sure good food is available is key for me.
- But, I do get cravings for processed carbs and sugary foods.  It's frustrating, but I do my best to keep it in check.  It's gotten a little easier to curb in my second trimester.
- There are times when I don't know if it's more important for me to eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom.  In that sense, I feel like a baby myself.
- While I've only gained three pounds in 16 weeks, my body has changed so much!  My stomach is stretched and bigger.  I haven't needed maternity clothes yet, and I'm not really showing.  But, my skinny jeans are starting to give me serious muffin top.  Yikes.
- On that note, I'm trying to decide if I should invest in a Bellaband.  Thoughts, anyone?
- I kind of want to try on maternity clothes.  Is it too early?
- Exercising has definitely helped calm me down and keep me feeling in check.  But, it's also become my biggest challenge.  Some days, I have a great work out, and can still do each WOD Rx, but other days, I struggle through the warm up.  It's infuriating how inconsistent my performance can be, especially since I'm determined to keep on CrossFitting until the end of my pregnancy.  I don't like having to slow down.
- When I tell them I'm pregnant, people often have two reactions.  One is to rub my belly, which does not look pregnant.  The other is to tell me that I don't look pregnant at all.  I'm not sure how I feel about either reaction.
- People have become very protective of me.  Fellow CRCF put away my weights.  They encourage me to scale back my WODs.  I receive constant advice, when asked for it and not.  It's very sweet and charming.  I feel loved.
- I started looking into daycares, but it scared me.  So, I'm looking to put that off for awhile.
- I'm excited to get back to work and see my students.  Working at an all girls school, I know they are going to be so excited about a baby!
- I've developed some weird joint pain in my left thumb bone at the wrist.  Pregnancy related, or CF injury?  I'm not really sure, and I'd prefer it to go away.
- I love the e-mails from babycenter.com and thebump.com that I receive each week which compare the size of the baby to a fruit or vegetable.  Right now, this kid is the size of an avocado.  I can't believe he or she started out as a poppyseed!  They grow so quickly.
- I am absolutely in love with For Two Fitness and already own three of the ruched racerback tanks.  My dear friend and sisters bought me a few.  Even though I don't need them yet, I love, love, love wearing them to CRCF!  Seriously, how cute are they?


- I hope I look that fabulous with a bump!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A midwife story





When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I had to ditch my regular OB-GYN, who I found lackluster, impersonal, and unimpressive.  While I really can't make a huge judgment call on her specific medical skills, I desperately felt the need to have a connection to the person who I would meet with constantly for appointments and who would (potentially) deliver my child.
Very quickly, I reached the conclusion that I wanted a midwife, but I'd like to share a little bit more about how I came to that conclusion.  In college, I was fascinated with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, an historian who basically determined that midwives had a higher success rate of births than doctors in the early 1800s.  (Yes, I am a huge history dork, and yes, I realize that was two hundred years ago, but sometimes we're shocked by what still holds true today).
  So, I began my research, and came to the conclusion that a midwife was definitely worth checking out. Reading articles like this one, which discusses how midwives have a higher success rate of vaginal births, made me think that midwives still might have a leg up on a traditional OB.  And after all the horror stories I had heard about deliveries gone bad, I wasn't convinced that a traditional birth was necessarily the best route.  Plus, with the rates of C-sections soaring, the fact that the US has a higher rate of infant mortality than other developed countries, and knowing that I didn't want medical intervention unless it was absolutely necessary, I decided to go to a "meet and greet"at the Women's Health Associates to learn more about the midwives and see if it was really for me.  We met with Adrienne, and I immediately gravitated to her energetic and kind demeanor.  I appreciated the philosophy that childbirth is a natural process, not a medical condition, and was glad that she spent over an hour and a half answering our questions (four other couples were there with us).  I also appreciate the fact that the midwives have taken the time to get to know me and my husband; in fact, most of my first appointment with Valaree was just to learn about my background, my own birthing philosophy, and to answer any of my questions.  At first, it was a struggle to get used to the fact that a medical professional wanted to take the time to know more about me, but I quickly realized this was a great perk of a midwife -- a true interest in her patient as a human being.
I don't believe that OBs are bad people, but I do think that some of the medical practices that surround birth aren't necessarily the best.  Plus, I love that my midwife will be with me throughout my entire labor.  And, I wanted someone who would be understanding of my lifestyle, and the midwives are completely supportive of CrossFit and my dietary choices.  So far, it's been a highly positive experience, and I'm looking forward to my next appointment with them in September!