Vices

This weekend, I had a fabulous time with my sister and husband as we visited dear friends, and enjoyed delicious, home cooked meals and lots and lots of vino.  Steak, kale salad, peach cardamom pie, blueberries muffins, pico de gallo and corn chips, sharp cheddar cheese... yum.  It was a weekend of savory, delicious food, and when I got home, I discovered my weight was up five pounds from my last weight check a week ago.  Perhaps it wasn't smart of me to hop on the scale so quickly, especially since I knew my body would be in flux, but it's certainly got me thinking about eating.
While I definitely don't regret any of the foods I ate this weekend (gluten included), especially since most of it was organic, fresh, and natural, I know I consumed to excess.  But once in awhile, is it OK to break out of the routine?

I've had several people comment that my "gross looking" fish and chips picture looked really delicious to them.  So, I figured it was time to be honest about my vices (although a conversation about what warrants a vice must be had eventually).  So, here goes:

Dense, fudgy, chocolate brownies:

Coffee Oreo Ice Cream (preferably from JP Licks):

Or just Oreos in general:

Cupcakes, specifically from Treat:

And sometimes, fresh bread or the like:

Clearly, I have a preference for the savory, sugary, and decadent.  So yeah, fried fish doesn't do it for me, but in my opinion, chocolate's where it's at.  I'm currently salivating.

But I just don't always know where to draw the line of when these treats are acceptable cheats.  Is the Greek yogurt I eat in the morning a cheat?  Or the banana I had with peanut butter today?  Is the feta I'll eat with dinner?  If so, can and should the above pictured treats be a part of my diet?   How often?  Or should I try to find ways to make these treats primal friendly?  Or do I throw that out the window and have a gluten-filled brownie?

Well, I do eat these foods -- the savory, sugary treats included.  Pie last Saturday, cake a week ago -- I do indulge.  And yes, I feel a twinge of guilt.  In part, this guilt comes from the blog -- if I am claiming why eating clean is the best thing since sliced bread, I probably shouldn't eat that bread, right?  I'm also terrified of gaining weight (again).  This is the longest I've stuck to an exercise/food plan as an adult, and I'm freaked that I'll fart it all away in a second.  I probably won't, but the fear is paralyzing, and who knows?  I also feel that I'm the kind of girl who looks at food and gains weight.  I watch others around me enjoying Coke and burgers, and while I have a new found sense of smugness, I still have a bit of jealousy.  Man, we had a cupcake bar at work last week, and it was a struggle to resist eating one.  (I did resist; in part because I reminded myself I'd be eating very well over the weekend).  I try to remind myself that I am making good food choices for my health, but I find it hard not to have my weight as a cognizant factor in my decisions to change my food and exercise plans.  Plus, I'm vain and I want to look good -- although I still have a ways to go, I'm definitely in the best shape I've ever been.  I also cognitively know that people who look great exercise frequently and eat clean.  And yes, I understand that body fat is way more important than a silly BMI.  But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that body issues inevitably creep in.

So, I guess I'm still on the never ending quest for balance in my diet, and understanding what balance means.  What is a "cheat" food?  What should my (and your) relationship with food be?

What's your balance?  How do you approach cheat foods?

An Oscar, weekend WOD

Which I tried out on my husband is:

-2 minute jumping jacks
-50 push ups
-1 minute jumping jacks
-100 squats
-1 minute jumping jacks
-150 sit ups

for time

Might be great to try while watching the Oscars!  (Side note -- I hope Colin Firth and The King's Speech do well tonight!)

Stick it to the man! WOD included!

I finally did it.  I quit the gym.  (The Boston Sports Club, to be more specific).  And it feels great.

Let's have a chat about the gym/health fitness center for a second.  Like most people, I joined a gym so I could exercise and "be healthy."  But with the exception of meeting a few great trainers and a great spin instructor, my experience with BSC was lackluster at best.  Initially, I had significant problems with a trainer and a membership coordinator, and the managers were hesitant to handle my issues effectively.  Yet for some reason, I continued to give money to this evil corporate conglomerate, mostly because I didn't know where else to go.  The facilities were dirty, there were frequent problems with the plumbing, the classes weren't that challenging, and even though I was hitting up the elliptical for at least 45 minutes a day, my body wasn't changing.  It was a frustrating, vicious cycle. The gym is incredibly isolating, and even though I tried to create a network of friends, it's hard to get support from others while you're pounding on the treadmill or the only person doing some deadlifts.  Also, when most people at the gym think the best way to get in shape is to lift 5 pound weights and do an hour of cardio, it's hard to push yourself beyond that.

But when I was exposed to the CrossFit world and decided to join Erik and Melissa at CRCF, I assumed I would keep my BSC membership.  I mean, there might be that off chance when I decided to take a spinning class or hop in the pool, right?
After going to CrossFit two days a week for a few weeks, I decided I didn't feel like going to the BSC.  CrossFit is a little bit like Cheers, "where everybody knows your name." I'd be greeted emphatically by a trainer, foam roll with other CrossFitters, and share our latest fitness triumphs or about our work days.  We challenge each other during WODs and support each other if a WOD got tough (which, let's face it, is every WOD). Walking into BSC, I'd be lucky if I was greeted by yet another front desk personnel who had no clue who I was, and then I'd enter a dirty locker room, and after changing, I'd stand on the floor of the gym, staring into the abyss of weight machines, treadmills and ellipticals, and feel lost.  It wasn't fun.  The last time I went to the Boston Sports Club to work out, I entered the gym, looked around like a sad puppy, ran back out, and went straight to CrossFit to increase my membership.  And finally, I quit the BSC (while wearing my CRCF shirt, I must add).  And leaving there felt great.  I stuck it to the corporate man and said, "I don't need your crappy gym anymore.  In fact, I am fitter, happier, and healthier without it."

If anything, I'm learning that exercise doesn't need to be isolating, long, or boring.  In fact, exercise should be none of those things.  I love CrossFit because there's never a dull moment, there are always people around who are excited to be there, and in just an hour, I work so much of my body and challenge it in ways I never thought were possible.  Plus, I'm lazy, and trying to come up with a workout was always difficult for me at the gym.  Now, having a WOD means all the planning is done for me.  Plus, working out with other people makes me work out harder, and having the timer tick away is an added incentive to work as hard as I can.

When I started this journey and this blog, I never meant for it to be a "omgIheartCrossFitandyoushouldtoo," type of thing.  Well, it's turning into that, basically because I'm pretty obsessed, and personally, it's the most fun and effective workout I've ever had, and I'm stronger than I ever thought I could possibly be.  But I also want this to be a place where I can share general health and fitness information that extend beyond my local CrossFit.  I hope that anyone, regardless of them being a member at CRCF, can take something away from my blog.  At the same time, readers, CrossFit and CRCF will come up a lot.  Just sayin'!

On that note, you should try my latest, favorite WOD, courtesy of CRCF.  I love this WOD because you can do it anywhere, and with the warm weather coming, it's a great way to get outside.

Four rounds of:
400 m run
50 squats

for time

Try to find a hill and run uphill and downhill.  It makes a fun WOD, especially if you can do it with someone else!
(Find more WODs here.  I'll mention more in the future!)

Does something smell fishy?

In my desire to be a clean, healthy, Primal eater, I've decided that I should incorporate more fish in my diet.  My problem: I don't particularly like seafood, and I've never liked fish.  I always found it to be tasteless, bland, and with a chewy consistency that I couldn't stand.  Plus, fish can smell funny, and as a child, seeing whole fish in the grocery store with eyes still intact used to terrify me.  The only way I could stand fish was if it was battered, fried, and smothered in tartar sauce.

But now, that just looks and sounds disgusting.  My stomach hurts looking at it.  Yuck.  (Yes, I am turning into an elitist food snob, and the picture above is unappetizing.  I never thought that would happen!).

But I'm reaching the point where I'd like to start eating more fish.  I'm just not quite sure where to start.

My husband has marinated tuna steaks for us in the past, and after eating them a couple of times, I've enjoyed them.  But other than that, I'm pretty clueless.  What are good kinds of fish to eat that aren't too fishy?  How do I prepare it to make it taste, well, tasty?  What kind of fish should the girl who loves steak and chicken try?  How do I get over my fear of fish and start eating it?

Goals and Accountability

At CRCF, we have a lovely new addition: a goals board.  Here, we can write down our performance goals and a date by which we wish to meet these goals.

Isn't it beautiful?  I'm a big fan of the different colored chalk.  It must be the teacher in me.


Anyway, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to solidify the goal I've had for a long time: to be able to do a pull up.  Or a few.  So, I decided to dream big:

Yes -- my goal is ten consecutive pull ups by June 27, my 27th birthday.  I'm terrified.  At the time I made this goal, I felt pretty smug and brazen -- I was feeling pretty cocky (or maybe stupid) as I wrote my goal on the "chalkboard." In that small moment, I felt invincible and believed that I could take on anything!  Now, it seems daunting and I'm petrified of failing.  Maybe I should have played it safe and gone with five consecutive pull ups instead.  But, I felt silly changing it after I wrote it, like I would be completely copping out.  And I'm a pretty stubborn girl.  So now, I have a pretty big (but simple) challenge to face.

Good news towards that goal: I've graduated from using the green resistance band to help me with my pull ups to the blue resistance band.  A small victory!  After the blue resistance band I'll have to face the  red band, and then it's just my own upper body strength.  I have roughly 4 months and one week to make it.  Eek!

But, I think I can do it.  I've already come up with a plan for my birthday: a morning CRCF workout where I start with my ten pull ups and complete whatever WOD Melissa and Erik have in store, followed by a massage at The Boston Bodyworker and a mani/pedi somewhere in the area.  (Suggestions welcome).

I'm sure with all your help, I'll be able to make it there.  I've now made it very public, which will hold me accountable to following through with this.

Any goals that you've set lately?  Or any goals that you've met?

New Motto: ERF

(from http://www.bobgarontraining.com)

I'm sure you can guess that I'm a huge fan of reading the New York Times.  Last Tuesday, food blogger Mark Bittman wrote an editorial in response to the new USDA food guidelines.  In "Is 'Eat Real Food' Unthinkable?" Bittman discusses the pitfalls of the new food guidelines, pointing out that they are too vague, especially in its message of telling Americans to "avoid solid fats and added sugars, or SOFAS."  But, as Bittman points out, what the hell does that mean?  Unfortunately, part of the USDA's initiative to to encourage us to eat highly processed foods that are just processed with more fiber and "healthy fat" additives.  And while we are urged to eat more fruits and veggies, Bittman points out that the easiest way to fix our food issues is to actually cook, and he feels that the USDA has a responsibility to emphasize this point more than the report did.  However, telling Americans to actually eat truly healthy foods would offend too many food lobbyists.  In Bittman's eyes, eating fake, chemically-laden, processed foods won't cut it, no matter how "healthy" these foods are supposed to be.  So, Bittman proposes that we ERF: Eat Real Food.  According to Bittman, "The truly healthy alternative to that chip is not a fake chip; it’s a carrot. Likewise, the alternative to sausage is not vegan sausage; it’s less sausage. This is really all pretty simple, and pretty clear....You want an acronym? Let’s try ERF: Eat Real Food."

 zazzle.com

Overall, I really like Bittman's message and ideas -- it goes along with Primal/clean eating, his message is clear and simple, and he even cites Michael Pollan.  But while I hate to admit it, I still struggle with what I should be eating and what constitutes "real food," even though it seems obvious that real food = food in its most natural form = meat, fruits, veggies, nuts.   I think part of the problem is that I still have those messages in the back of my brain where I believe that I have to eat the burger and the fries to prove that I'm a real person.  Eating clean is taboo in most social circles, and I'm not playing by the rules if I eat the salad.  (Although I haven't eaten a burger since July, and I feel fine about it).  Also important: I struggle with what an "okay" cheat is.  Most days, my "cheats" are chocolate, cheese, greek yogurt, natural half and half, or the occasional peanut butter (not all in the same day, but I do eat dairy daily).  But there are times when the gluten monster kicks in, and as I've said before, I've been known to eat cake, scones, ice cream, or other highly processed, wheat-filled, and super sugary foods.  By eating these foods, am I betraying my values?  Betraying clean eating?  Or am I doing what is "normal" and "socially acceptable?"  Am I simply eating in moderation (whatever that means)?  Are my "good" cheats really bad cheats?  Is it realistic to eliminate all cheats (the good and the bad) from my diet?  Or am I setting myself up for failure?
I do know that I feel like I still have too much body fat, and I want to be as lean and muscle-y as possible, and that this goal won't be realistic if I don't eat clean.  But, it won't happen until I make a commitment and figure out what it is to Eat Real Food (check out this advice for eating real food here).  Some days, it's easier than others, but I refuse to excuse my food habits -- I just want to figure out how to eat!

Do you ERF?  What are your thoughts on cheats, especially cheat foods that are highly processed?  Is it okay in moderation, or unacceptable?

Quick and Easy Dinner

I had part of a sweet onion and some hamburg in the fridge.  Clearly, cooking that hamburg on the stovetop seemed like the natural (and lazy) thing to do.  I scanned my kitchen to see what else I had and came up with the following:

1 pound hamburg (grass fed if you can)
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Put 1 tablespoon EVOO in a saute pan over medium meat.  Add onions -- cook for four minute, or until it begins to brown.  Add garlic.  Mix ground mustard, salt, and pepper in a bowl.  Add to saute pan.  Steam some brussel sprouts on the side.  Add a pat of butter to brussel sprouts.

Voila!  Dinner served.

I added some organic ketchup to mine.  I think it needed a little extra something, but I haven't been able to figure out what.  Perhaps more garlic, or some red pepper flakes.  Regardless, it was a sweet and simple meal.  Hardly glamorous, but easy in a pinch!

Things I'm learning...

1.  I love cooking. 
There are days when I feel lazy or tired, but for the most part, I find nothing more rewarding than eating the meal I've just prepared.  It's a great sense of accomplishment to cook and serve a meal, it forces me to be creative, and I get to read or listen to music while I cook.  Excellent!  There are times when I have epic cooking fails (neither my husband nor I were fans of almond meal pancakes), but overall, I find my own cooking to be tastier than most anything I buy at a restaurant, especially chains.  I had this revelation when I went to the British Beer Company in December, and I found the meat marinade to be slightly gelatinous and bland, and the friend green beans were lackluster, at best.  (The waitress was kind enough to bring me a plate of steamed green beans, which was a great improvement).  Bottom line: I'm losing my taste for junk food.  Even Dunkin' Donuts donuts really aren't that satisfying anymore.
(Exception to the rule: really amazing bakery birthday cake, and fudgy brownies.  But I'm getting there.  I'll discuss this more later.)
2.  Aiming for color makes a diet healthy.  
I find that I'm happier and feel more satiated when I eat foods that are blue, red, yellow, orange, purple, and green.  It's the easiest way to get in produce, it forces me to try different foods, and I've found that as I adapt to eating more fruits and veggies, I find it far more satisfying than the beige foods I used to consume.
3. Advertisements will tell you want you want to hear to get you to buy their product. 
I'll be blogging more about this later, but one thing that I'm learning is that companies will tell you a food is "healthy" to get you to buy it so they make more money.  When I see product placement in "The Biggest Loser," or an advertisement extolling the virtue of the Special K two week diet, I have to remind myself that even if consuming these foods does help a person lose weight, it's only temporary, and these foods lack good nutritional value.  Just because a processed food is low in calories/fat/sodium/sugar, the chemicals in it still aren't healthy, no matter how you spin it.  And really, the latest baked chip isn't going to make me happier/fitter/healthy/mainstream/a better person.  My new favorite concept from food blogger Mark Bittman is "The truly healthy alternative to that chip is not a fake chip; it’s a carrot."

4. Make no excuses.  
When I fall off the Primal/clean food wagon (which, let's be honest, is most days), I don't list all the reasons why I'm vindicated for eating the peanut butter/cocktail/feta cheese/cupcake/ice cream with Oreos.  I don't say that I deserved it for yesterday's workout, that I needed it because I had a hard day, or that I had no choice because I wanted to fit in with friends.  Likewise, I don't justify why I didn't exercise (which, last week, was three days in a row.)  I'm a grown woman who makes choices about what I put in my body, and likewise, I am the person that drives to the gym or CrossFit and makes the time (or not) to make sure that I am active.  Before, I punished myself severely for putting junk foods in my body by feeling guilty, crying, or getting angry and then I just repeated the cycle the following day.  Now, I learn to deal with the consequences of my actions, and try to move forward.  Tomorrow's always a new day, and each day, I definitely learn something new about my food habits (I am falling in love with a clean food lifestyle) and exercise (I'm addicted to working out, and going two or three days without exercise is really, really hard on me).

5. My tastes in foods are changing.  
This goes along with number 1.  Example: on Thursday, I went out to a tapas restaurant for my sister's birthday.  My favorite food was not the gelato, peanut butter and banana desert that I consumed; it was the roasted brussel sprouts with kumquats, bacon, mint, and jalapenos that I could not get enough of.  This culinary combination was so delicious that I have not stopped talking about it to anyone who will listen to me, and I'm already plotting how I can recreate it in my own kitchen.  OMG, it was about the most delicious food I've eaten out at a restaurant.  Likewise, I found it easy to skip over the gluten-laden food items without feeling deprived or left out.  I've lost all desire to eat MacDonald's (or most fast food, for that matter), pizza makes me feel queasy, pasta doesn't excite me, Wonder Bread is terrifying, water is more appealing than Diet Coke, and I get giddy thinking about making a fruit salad or cooking asparagus for dinner.
6. I love feeling strong.  
I was the weakling who couldn't do a push up and could barely run half a mile.  Being strong was something the scary men who consumed protein whey and steroids in their sleep did; I, on the other hand, needed to stick to the elliptical and complete the occasional crunch.  But now, I love that I can carry heavy bags of groceries into the house, or help my husband move pieces of furniture.  (Yes, I'll admit this to him).  Doing push ups makes me feel powerful, handstands make me feel like a kid, and as much as I hate to admit it, trying for that elusive pull up gives me a goal to work towards.  In a way, it's a battle of wits; mind over matter, and I'm determined to win.  It plays into my Type A/perfectionist personality.  I've always pushed myself and challenged myself, but this is the first time I've ever done so athletically.  The hours I slugged away on the elliptical gave me nothing more than frustration, headaches, and the chance to watch some CNN and E!  Now, I get to challenge my body in ways I never even imaged.  I kind of feel like Wonder Woman!

(from live.drjays.com)

7. Learning how to eat is a challenge.  
I know, I know, I can definitely have a smug, "holier-than-thou" attitude about my food habits.  I take pride in the fact that I've been complimented by strangers on how healthy the contents of my grocery cart are.  I secretly love being the one to order a salad, although at times it can be awkward and difficult.  The food I eat is so much better than I used to eat, but it's no where near where I think it should be.  Example: this week, I've eaten peanut butter with bananas, feta cheese on my salads, string cheese for snacks, chocolate and peanut butter chips with mixed nuts (where the ingredients include soy lecithin), two ice cream desserts, and a few celebratory cocktails.  Some people might think I'm crazy for questioning these foods, but I also know that I'm not eating as clean as I want to.  Sometimes, I replace one bad food habit for another.  But I also know that relearning how to eat healthy, "real" foods is hard.  It's hard to undo years of what you believed healthy to be, especially when most people think eating a diet of protein, fruits, and veggies is insane.  But, I firmly stick to my number 4, with the hope that it will get easier for me to hold true to my principles.  I also feel that for now, the "80 percent clean food/ 20 percent non-clean food" will probably be a part of my life, and I believe that it will change for me.  I'm a work in progress.  I don't want to give anyone the impression that I'm a perfect, clean eater.  I certainly have flaws.  But it definitely gets easier and better with time.  And I have my ideals to keep me in line.  Changing my attitude towards food has been one of the most difficult, but most rewarding, challenges of my life.

A Tuesday WOD

On Tuesday, I normally take a spin class, but since my fabulous spin instructor wouldn't be at class tonight, I decided to come up with a Plan B.  Today, I hopped on the treadmill for 2.2 miles (average pace of 6.8 m.p.h with a time of 19:18).  I then did three rounds of:

20 kettlebell swings (20 kg)

15 push ups

90 second plank

90 second wall sit

If I were to do this again, I'd do something else between the push ups and planks -- butterfly crunches, perhaps.

Confession: I'm not a fan of running, although I have a burning desire to run a 5K.  I guess I believe that I should be capable of running 3.1 miles, and it's something I've wanted to do for a long time.  Do I necessarily have to train for it?  What's the best way to find a 5K to register for?  I plan on keeping most of my workouts CrossFit intense, but I know I should also run hard as well. 

Football WOD

This was passed along to me -- I wish I had seen it before the Super Bowl!  I'll repost it in the fall.  It seems like a fabulous to get off the couch while watching the game!  


While watching the big game, do the following:


For every touchdown: 15 crunches

For every flag: 30 crunches

For every field goal (made) 5 push-ups

For every field goal (missed) 10 push-ups

For every interception: 15 squats

For every sack: 10 squats

For every challenge flag: 60 second plank

I'm sure this can be altered for hockey, baseball, basketball -- enjoy!


I'll post another WOD tonight.


Have you tried any great WOD lately?

Easy Weekend Breakfast

During the week, I normally eat plain Greek yogurt with berries.  The weekend, however, is a great opportunity for me to enjoy some relaxing time cooking.  Eggs, bacon, and coffee are usually the staples, and I vary it up depending on what food I have in the house.
Scrambled eggs are such an easy way to get some veggies in!  For this particular Saturday, I had:

4 eggs
1/8 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (omit if Paleo)
1 small head (organic) broccoli, removed from crown, cut into smaller pieces as needed
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons EVOO

After dicing the onions and cutting the broccoli off the stems, I put the coffee brewing.  Then, I heated a saucepan with the olive oil on medium heat for about four or five minutes; I then sauteed the broccoli and onions in the olive oil until they began to get soft.  While the broccoli and onions cooked, I cracked the eggs in a mixing bowl, scrambled with a fork, and added the cheese.  I then dumped my eggs over the delicious broccoli/onion mix, scrambled everything around for a few minutes until the eggs cooked, and voila! breakfast for two:

Not pictured: the delicious Applegate Farms peppered bacon I cooked on the grill pan (I put it cooking while I started sauteing the veggies) or the grapes we also ate with it.

Enjoy!

Advice of the day: eat less

Michael Temchine for The New York Times

Finally, the federal government is making some legitimate, substantiated claims about what the American public should be eating.  Its recommendations: reduce processed foods, drink water above all other drinks, and fill half your plate with fruits and veggies.  Bottom line: eat less.
(Side note: the beige quality of the food in the picture above now really freaks me out).
The NY Times recently published an article (which you should read here) outlining the new dietary guidelines.  What really caught my attention about the article is that it points out that while the advice seems pretty obvious, food lobbyists have tried to keep the government from telling us to not eat their foods.  Lobbyists give lots of money to politicians, and food lobbyists (including restaurant chains, farmers, fast food joints, etc.,.) have had a powerful voice for many years.  But now, with obesity rampant and diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease on the rise, the government is stepping in to take control.  The guidelines for what the government recommends you should ate are here.

This table is so interesting:

Table: Obesity in America: then & now obesity then	obesity now
In the early 1970s, the prevalence of obesity was 5% for children ages 2 to 5 years, 4% for children ages 6 to 11 years, and 6% for adolescents ages 12 to 19 years.	In 2007–2008, the prevalence of obesity reached 10% for children ages 2 to 5 years, 20% for children ages 6 to 11 years, and 18% for adolescents ages 12 to 19 years.
In the late 1970s, 15% of adults were obese.	In 2008, 34% of adults were obese.
In the early 1990s, zero States had an adult obesity prevalence rate of more than 25%.	In 2008, 32 States had an adult obesity prevalence rate of more than 25%.

In the 1970s, 15 percent of adults were considered obese.  In 2008, that number is at 34 percent, or one out of three America adults.  Scary!

You can find more information about obesity from the Center for Disease Control, which includes a pretty awesome graph of obesity rates over the past few decades by state.  For example, in 2009, 21.4 percent of adults in Massachusetts were considered obese -- one out of five adults.

Information like this fascinates me, in part by how powerful lobbyists are at dictating what we believe is acceptable to eat, and it truly helps me feel confident in my own food choices.   And while I hate focusing on calories for anything, I think it's so important to realize that we eat too much, and in general, don't have much concept of what is an appropriate amount of food to eat.  But, I firmly believe that if a person focusing on eating fruits, veggies, nuts, protein, and some dairy, calorie intake won't be an issue.  I remember when Melissa, my CrossFit/nutrition guru told me about Primal eating, I looked at her in disdain and asked, "do I have to count calories?" She looked at me and replied, "if you eat right, you won't have to worry about it."  And so far, she's been right.  There's merit to understanding calorie control, but if you pick clean foods, everything should fall into place.

My advice:
1. Make at least half your lunch and dinner plate vegetables.  The more color, the better.
2. Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food. It's a great way to make sure you're eliminating process foods from your what you eat.  (Blatantly stolen from Michael Pollan's "Food Rules.")

New food that I just discovered that I love: kale.  Check out my new favorite kale recipe, sans cheddar.

Food that makes me ill just thinking about it: deep dish pizza (this is a sad moment for me, but it's true!)

Have you tried to "eat less"?  What foods do you now love to eat?  Any foods that you can't tolerate anymore?

WOD: Meet my friend Karen

My workout of the day:

"Karen"

150 wall ball shots for time.  

My dear friend, meet the wall ball:

(from kettlebellblogger.com)

Today, my friends, I used a 14 pound wall ball and threw it approximately 8.5 feet high against a wall starting in a squat position.  150 times.  Glorious.  All in eight minutes and 17 seconds.  Breaks were necessary, I got a bit lazy at one points, but I plowed on through. (Granted, I should get it 10 feet high against the wall, but I'm working on it).

Karen is a tough girl, gets me breathless and sweating, but I have to say, Karen makes me feel incredibly accomplished and strong.  And she gets me pretty sexy!  

You can watch a tutorial on wall ball shots here.  It's long, but informative.  If you try Karen, post your time!  I love some healthy competition.

Other part of my workout: deadlifts.  Today, I deadlifted 160 pounds, 5 reps, and could have done more.  Just about thirty pounds more than my bodyweight.  I just have to repeat: I officially can deadlift more than my bodyweight!  I feel like a rockstar.  Which is great, considered the snow in the northeast has turned me a bit into a snow bum.  But now, I'm getting back on my game, down to some serious business.

On a more personal note, I made word clouds of what my sixth grade students' impressions of Africa were before we started studying the continent, and their impressions of Africa after we finished our semester long study.  Words they associated with Africa before my class included: "poverty," "The Lion King," "safari," "hot," and "elephant."  Words they associate with Africa now? "Empires," "tribes," "Sahara," "Sahel,""bronze casting," and "Queen Nzinga," to name a few.  I am so psyched.  They listened to me!  They learned!  Overall, it was a pretty sweet day.

What have you accomplished lately, physically or otherwise?

Work out like... a girl?

Back in December, I purchased an incredibly cheap groupon for a local gym (20 uses for $30).  I thought it was a great bargain, and since the gym is less than 10 minutes from my house, it would be convenient for a quickie workout if I wasn't feeling up for CrossFit, or couldn't make any of the CrossFit times.

When I bought the groupon, I didn't realize that it was for an all women's gym.

When I think of female gyms, these are the mental images I have:

Hours of cardio, tiny weights that barely get the muscles moving.  I mean, honestly, those itty bitty weights are insulting.  In real life, are six pounds the most that we women are supposed to lift?  Are we just trained to let men do all the heavy lifting?  Shouldn't I want to and be prepared to lift more than that?

I digress.  When I got to the gym, I entered through the salon, where I was greeted by the receptionist and told to walk into the locker room.  From there, I meandered into the gym area.  There were two women on their respective treadmills.  It was 5 o'clock on Saturday.  No one was working at the gym.

I asked one woman about it.  She informed me that it was now 24-hour gym, so it was rare to find a manager there, and that I would probably have to call or e-mail to join.  But hey, since you were able to get in the building, you might as well work out!

I walked around the gym, which consisted of two small rooms.  In the larger room, there were plenty of cardio machines, a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, a few kettlebells ranging from a measly 4 kg to 10 kg, some jump ropes, some free weights, a couple weighted bars that went up to about 50 pounds of weight, and a carafe of lemon water.  (Why lemon water?  Apparently, the anti-oxidants in lemon are good for you, so this gym has declared if you want to stay hydrated, you're stuck with lemon flavored.  Bleh).  The second room, which was smaller, was all weight machines.

It was underwhelming and depressing.  How would I foam roll?  How could I do kettlebell swings?  What about deadlifts?  The weights were certainly not heavy enough for me.  Even when I started working out this summer, I was uses a 14kg kettlebell for kettlebell swings, and 50 pounds for deadlifting.  I can now deadlift my body weight!  If I had been working out at this "all women's gym," I never would have come close to that!  So, like the pictures above, was I expected to truck away at the treadmill for an hour or two, and then do a handful of five pound bicep curls while chatting about celebrity gossip with the woman next to me?  How could I ever unleash my physical potential?

It was truly my biggest nightmare, and I left the gym near tears.  It certainly got me thinking.  This gym certainly would never provide the community I needed to be successful, and the message I got was "you are not capable of being strong and pushing yourself harder."  Why do women endorse these "female" gyms?  Do we really think we're getting a workout?  Why are we afraid of stepping off the treadmill and picking up some weights?

Yes, I once was the girl who was afraid of "bulking up." I hated watching men heaving weights into the air, in part because I was intimidated.  But I always despised cardio, and the weight machines seemed unnecessary and cumbersome, so in a way, it was much more natural for me to adapt to CrossFit.  But why do we think that workouts like Curves will do that much for our bodies?  Why do we let men intimidate us at the gym?  Is the rationale of "girl power" and comfort of a female gym really helpful or worth it?

Even the Women's Only CrossFit stresses that the workout includes lots of cardio and not to worry about the weightlifting part.  (I'm sure they have great workouts, but clearly, they are trying to appeal to their clientele).

My question is: why are women afraid of stepping off the treadmill and picking up some weights?  How can I encourage women to push outside their comfort zone and make a serious commitment to fitness by embracing weight training?


My photo evidence for why everyone should weight train and CrossFit:

Pre CrossFit (June 2010):

January 2011:

I know which photos I like better!