Fight Gone Bad

Well I neglected that yesterday was actually the 30th picture, but here's one more for extra credit.  Today was a classic Crossfit work out at CFC.  Fight Gone Bad is a crazy, hard workout.  Here's my results.  

And here is an explanation of what Fight Gone Bad is all about from the founder of Crossfit, Greg Glassman.

Photo-a-Day Continues: Level One Certification

It's official.  Crossfit Level 1 Trainer.  If you live in the Indy area stop by CFC.

The Crossfit Open 12.4 Workout

Crossfit Carmel athletes getting Crossfit Open Workout 12.4 done this past weekend.

In 12 minutes complete as many reps of the following:

150 wallball shots (see pic)

90 double unders

30 muscle ups

My score:  240:  Just fine with me.  

It's inspiring watching my fellow Crossfitters work out.

Crossfit Kids

My Crossfit Kids at CFC getting some exercise.  

I'm Back: Photo a Day

It's been 57 days.  Why the lack of posts?  I think my Primary Food got the best of me.  With two kids in school and a wife getting back into the work world, life at home is a bit different.  Time becomes challenging, and by the time a first and second grader get to bed, I'm not too far behind.  

However, I am vowing to make a change, as I enjoy the creative outlet keeping the blog provides.

In the past 57 days, I've accomplished a couple of things I'm proud of:  

1.  I'm officially certified as a Health and Nutrition Coach after a year studying at The Institute for Integrative Nutrition.  I'm currently working with a few passionate clients helping them increase their energy, make smarter food choices, and attain optimal healthy habits that are sustainable.  I've also had a couple of speaking engagements at a local university, and I'm looking forward to starting my first women's group with some local educators.  

2.  I'm officially a Crossfit Level 1 Certified Coach/Trainer.  Many of you know, Crossfit has become my sport of choice.  It has changed my life and my outlook on fitness and health.  While many folks think Crossfit is for crazy, young people doing crazy exercises, the reality is this could not be further from the truth.  Crossfit can be for everyone and anyone.  I'm currently coaching a few classes per week at CrossfitCarmel where I love helping others achieve their athletic goals. 

You can check out my Health Coaching page by clicking on the image below.

I'd also love it if you'd head over to my Facebook page and give my page a like.

With all that being said, I am reminded that this blog started as a creative outlet to keep myself accountable to leading a healthier lifestyle.  That was almost two years ago before I knew what health coaching and Crossfit were.  The blog was a way to keep me accountable to me. As a Health Coach, I am always talking to clients about accountability.  So it's time to practice what I preach....

I'm going to steal, lift, pilfer if you will the idea my lovely wife has for her gem of a blog.  Only I'm going to do it through the eyes of being healthy.  Starting tomorrow, I will post a picture each day for the next 30 days complete with a brief caption.  The rule is, it has to relate to living a healthy lifestyle.  Why 30 days? Because it takes that long to establish a habit, and I hope to learn more about me though this exercise as well as keeping the blog breathing.  

So I invite you to stop by daily for a peak.  My hope is that it keeps me accountable to tightening up areas of my own health journey that never ends and provides others with insight, new ideas, or inspiration to do things differently.  

See you tomorrow!

Tough Mudder Indiana: Proud and Stupid

Back in August it seemed like it was a good idea to put a challenge in front of me. Something to aim for.  Some carrot to dangle to keep me motivated to maintain a sound diet and consistent workout regiment. Being a part of Crossfit Carmel means being immersed in a community of like-minded folks. So when a few fellow workout buddies signed up for the 2011 Indiana Tough Mudder, the carrot dangled. Now that the experience is behind me, several thoughts continue to swim through my mind.

Training for the Tough Mudder was simple. Crossfit. It's the perfect combination of endurance, weight training, body weight, cardio, and mental training. While I've listened to my fellow gym buddies discuss how Crossfit Endurance is all that is needed to train for longer distances, and while two fellow workout pals solely used Crossfit as their means for their first Ironman, I continued to have my doubts pinning my thoughts to my 6'2", 240 lbs. frame. "What if....." consumed me. But I trusted what I was told and my gut.

Those who know me clearly know I'm a bit consumed with planning at times. While I want to know directions, departure time, what to wear, where to park, etc., this event was different. I did not take much time to think about the course length, the crazy amount of obstacles, or the weather conditions until the week of the event. For that, I'm glad, because I may have quit before I started.

Plan and simple: The Tough Mudder is NO JOKE. But in the back of my mind I must admit I thought, "They make those videos to intimidate you. There is no way it's all that." Ha! There is not enough room in cyberspace to adequately share what was all entailed. Here's the course map.  You decide. 

Thirty of us all set out on this 40 degree day with a windchill in the 30's and 20's at time. The plan was that we were all to stay together in packs. No one gets left behind. Everyone finishes.  When I said this was no joke, I was not kidding. This realization was never more evident than when the mood shift of all my teammates smacked me in the face harder than the wind that was whipping at my cheeks. Our group went from laughing and tossing a football while running, to a more solemn, introspective quietness. I could hear others thinking, "What have we really gotten ourselves into?" But no one dared say it. I kept thinking, "Now come on. We are not climbing Everest." I was thinking, "Maybe some of my friends were right. Maybe I am stupid. Why WOULD I want to do such a thing?" And as quickly as I asked myself, I answered. "Because it's there. Because I can learn from this. Because I want to see how far I can push myself. Because I can."

And so roughly 4 miles in and with only 25% of the course behind us, two of our most fit athletes at the gym could not warm their bodies and had to call it a day. As I became a bit scared knowing these folks are physcial specimans of fitness, I wondered, doubted, and went through some serious mental ping pong. I was scared I'd get stuck under muddy water. I was worried I might twist an ankle and not be able to make it to the end. I was fearful of hypothermia. I hate, hate, hate being cold and there was no alternative on this day.  Cold was normal. At one point I found myself alone for about 30 minutes wondering how I got separated from my team, but I had to keep my body moving through the course as I felt my quads, hip flexors, and calf muscles tightening up. It was at this point where I was trying to fight off fear. I struck up a conversation with a 48 year old, grey haired guy like me for a bit. He wished me good luck and we separated as I traversed down a steep hill with mud so caked on my shoes you could not really make out that I was even wearing shoes. At the bottom of the hill I saw a pack of red shirts just like mine and had caught up to a group of my teammates. I discovered I was with a middle pack. There were a handful ahead of them and a few behind, so our plan was still intact. No one finishes alone.

I stuck with this group for about two more hours. The mood of the group fluctuated between collegial encouragement, to silent fortitude. We all knew what we were thinking, but we made the most of it. And somehow with about 3 miles left, my teammate Derek and I found ourselves alone the rest of the way. Our commitment: Attempt every obstacle. Keep moving. Be positive. Derek was great. He did not mind that I could no longer run for long periods of time. My right hip flexor was shot and my right calf was cramping. We crawled face down in mud. We got through waste deep water, and we waited 20 minutes to get across a 3 inch wood plank over a pool of freezing waste deep water. (We both made it half way until we dove in.) And when we saw the finish line, we got a bit giddy. Derek, who got separated from his wife on the course three hours earlier kicked it into another gear. We finised together.

Here's what I took from this experience:

Part of this was indeed stupid.

Being pushed to my limits only makes me stronger.

Teamwork and togetherness can make anything happen.

I now know what being uncomfortable really feels like.

I'm in the best shape of my life:  I never questioned my physical condition.

Crossfit and proper eating prepared me for this.

I'm more mentally strong than I allowed myself to think. 

I'm just as happy for and proud of my teammates as I am of myself for doing this.
I now believe in the Tough Mudder Pledge 

Squatting

In a previous post, I listed a few things that I could not do before I discovered Crossfit.  Recently, I thought of another. 

Squatting.

I've always been good at this type of squatting.

And for all practical reasons, squatting to do your business should be similar to the proper technique in any squat.  Here's what it should look like....

Before Crossfit, I was like anyone else who would say...

"Squatting hurts my back."

"Squatting hurts my knees."

"I hate squatting."

When first arriving CrossfitCarmel over a year ago, the above-mentioned statements were met with the following reply:

"Once you start squatting with correct form, you won't have that kind of pain."

Now, 14 months later, I understand that squatting is a glute, hamstring engagement.  Putting less weight on the bar and working on form over the past several months has been the best thing I've ever decided.  And as I look to work on my hamstring mobility, I can only hope that I am able to increase my squat numbers in the future.  

My knees don't hurt when I squat because I make sure my knees track over my toes.  

My back does not hurt when I squat because I make sure my chest is up.  If I can not keep my chest up, then I have too much weight on the bar.  

When I first started Crossfit, I could barely squat 135 lbs.

Now...........

(let the sweaty jokes commence....it's the only pic I had!)

What You Have in Common With an Ironman (No Matter Who You Are)

I've always been in awe of people who can push themselves to extreme limits.  The climbers who tackle Everest, while completely out of their minds, fascinate me.  The first marathon I watched in person, left me in complete awe.  In high school, I remember needing at times to work my tail off to make up for my lack of athletic ability as I was not gifted with great speed or jumping ability, but I knew I could outwork people.  Perhaps that is why Crossfit is so appealing to me.  Each and every workout every time I go to the gym pushes me to my limits for the day.  

And so when I heard that a couple of they guys from Crossfit Carmel were running their first Ironman triathlon, I wanted to learn what I could from them.  I'm pretty sure I'll never tackle an Ironman, but I'm very certain I can learn from those who have.  For that reason, I asked Nick Smarrelli, now an official Ironman himself, to share his experiences here.  Specifically, I was interested in how he and Dave trained because it was fairly unorthodox to say the least.  I also asked him to touch upon his dietary and mental approach to this mind-bending and grueling experience.  It's my hope that no matter where you are with your fitness that you will be able to take lessons from Nick and Dave and apply to your fitness journey.  Enjoy!

Recently, after a grueling 12 hour day, I had the opportunity to complete my first Ironman distance triathlon race with my good friend Dave Juntgen.  The event has been deemed one of the most challenging endurance races in the world.  It certainly goes against the old mantra: everything in moderation – challenging the athlete to complete a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run in a single day.

I should also note that I keep the rest of my life in that state beyond “moderation”.   I am a part-owner of an IT firm based in St. Louis (which requires me to be commuting 50% of the time and work 7-days a week), I am a part-time trainer at CrossFit Carmel, I am married (and very much was still interested in being married after the Ironman) and am lucky to have a fairly active social life both here in Indy, but also across the country.   That said, with my life on permanent overdrive, adding the element of fitness and Ironman training meant compromise.  

Stubbornly, I refused and headed down a training path known as CrossFit Endurance.   As an active CrossFitter prior to this Ironman, I had only had limited interaction with CrossFit Endurance (hereafter known as “CFE”).  The basic premise said that an athlete can improve performance and endurance while eliminating the unnecessary volume of training generally associated with endurance training.  The focus shifts to intensity and recovery integrated seamlessly with the Olympic lifts, powerlifting, gymnastics movements, and mobility of CrossFit.  What does this mean in real terms?

An “Average” Triathlete’s Mileage for the Week:

Miles per week swimming: 7

Miles per week biking:  225

Miles per week running: 48

Dave and Nick’s Plan:

Miles per week swimming: 2                                  

Miles per week biking: 80

Miles per week running: 6

Keep in mind – I had days where I craved a casual long-distance jog instead of putting my recently eaten lunch at risk with grueling 400 meter repeats.  However, the ultimate output meant that I was training 15 hours/week versus 30+ hours a week as prescribed by the “norm”.  Dave and I spent the first few months diligently following the programming and found ourselves on Google nightly trying to find any anecdotes that helped validate this unique way of training.  The scientific data was easy to find, the anecdotes were not.  However, we persevered as a result of input from our two good friends who have been certified in this type of endurance training, but also because we had created a sustainable training schedule that also allowed us to live our lives outside of fitness.  We challenged ourselves to push ourselves hard in our workouts, but to always prioritize recovery as the key to our real improvement. 

In the course of the 8-9 months of training, we followed, about 90% of the time, the CFE and CrossFit lifestyle.  Dave and I both explored nutritional options – and naively demanded our bodies to give us immediate feedback on whether the changes in our diet were making us better athletes.  We attempted to eliminate gluten and 24 hours after isolating this element from our diet, started carefully at our watches wondering if we’d noticed an increase in performance.  The funny thing about nutrition, and training in and of itself, is that daily incremental gains aren’t easy to notice, it does take some time.  I did end up going gluten free for over 60 days and found marginal differences in performance.  As a result, I did go back to eating it, but always in moderate amounts. Dave and I challenged ourselves nutritionally to find what worked best for our bodies – and found that it was different for us both.   

As a tall skinny guy, I required more fat and protein than Dave – just to maintain my energy level and performance.   However, what was constant was the criticality for immediate nutrition post-training, and consistent nutrition during the day.  Fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, the right carbs, and a healthy dose of protein remained constant – we just tinkered with the doses (give or take a few glasses of wine and a beer too, of course).

Lastly – why? Because I can.  Idleness is unacceptable when I have been given so much.  A body that functions, a mind that is reasonably sharp, and the support of a great family and friend network.   But – whatever effort I’ve put into training, it’s given back exponentially - I was rewarded daily with overcoming the challenge of a tough workout – to watch my body improve over the course of time – to be able to get away from a day’s work stress and be focused on a goal just 200m ahead of you.  It allowed me to gain discipline, focus, and time-management mastery.   And now I have a fun story to tell. 

My experience with the Ironman and CrossFit have taught me efficiency. If you eat the right foods – packed with nutrients, you don’t have to eat as much to reap all the rewards.  If you exercise right (for me, that’s CrossFit), you can actually spend less time at the gym, and still be healthier.  Done correctly, being healthy doesn’t require a radical compromise of the days priorities – just a little change in the execution.

Great Crossfit Pub

Even though it's not the Indianapolis Colts, this is great pub for Crossfit and it's benefits.  DO NOT think that just because this is a world class professional athlete that this can not apply to you.  It can.  It does.

If you have never tried Crossfit, you should.  It just might change your life as it has mine.  Thank you CFC.

Gettin' my wallball on

White Men Can Jump

This is my friend Keith, a friend at Crossfit Carmel.  He's a healthy dude and I just thought this was worth posting.  He's a heck of an athlete and I learn a ton from just being around him.  

Yesterday's Crossfit W.O.D. (Workout of the Day) was the following:

AMRAP (As Many Round as Possible) in 20 minutes of:

10 deadlifts (185 lbs.)

200 meter run

1 max box jump

KEITH:  10 rounds/52 inch box jump!

Crossfit Total

BEFORE READING:  DONT' FORGET TO ENTER THE FIRST CSPINHEALTHY GIVEAWAY.  IT'S FREE AND  YOU CAN ENTER MULTIPLE TIMES.
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Saturday, June 4th brought another competition my way.

The Crossfit Total Meet at Crossfit Carmel

For those of you not familiar, The Crossfit Total is a series of three olympic style lifts: 

The Back Squat

The Press

The Deadlift

Here is some information about what the Crossfit Total is and the theory behind it from Mark Rippetoe, founder of Crossfit.

If you don't have time to read the above link, Rippetoe states, "The way to bring more strength to the

CrossFit approach is with the CrossFit Total.  The CrossFit Total is the sum of the best of three attempts at the squat, the press, and the deadlift, the three most effective lifts in existence for developing and testing functional strength."

For those of you not familiar with me....I am the LAST guy who has cared much about lifting weights in my life.  While in love with Crossfit, I've never been terribly fond about lifting.  Growing up a soccer player, it just bored me.  That was for "those guys, the meatheads."  

So that begs the question....Craig.....Why enter an olympic lifting competition, then??!?!!!

Answer(s)

--Because it was there

--Because it was a challenge

--Because I wanted to see where I am strength-wise

--Because when some pressure and competition come into play, you never know what you can accomplish

--Because of the camaraderie

--Being vulnerable makes me better

What I Learned

--Lifting can me fun, energizing, invigorating.....and not for "meatheads" only.

--The mind is a powerful thing.

--I'm stronger than I thought I was.

--There are a lot of smaller, MUCH smaller guys and ladies MUCH stronger than me. (I knew this, but it was amazing to see!)

And the number one thing I learned.......I have a new appreciation for strength training.  Allow me to elaborate:  A common workout schedule at Crossfit is to spend a few minutes getting stretched out often followed by about 15-20 minutes of strength work before jumping into the actual Workout of the Day, or the WOD.  Over the past several months I found myself looking ahead to the WOD, not caring as much about the lifting, and trying to "save my energy" for the WOD.  At 6'2" and around 240 lbs., I SHOULD be able to lift considerable weight.  While I'm not looking to be a bodybuilder or be a competitive lifter, I am someone who is always looking to get better, to learn, to succeed....especially with things I enjoy and that are good for me. (i.e. my health and wellness!)  So when ladies and gentlemen HALF MY SIZE are lifting 50% MORE THAN ME, it becomes inspiring and motivating at the same time.  Yesterday brought a whole new appreciation for strength training, functional strength training.  

So what were my results?  See below with some explanation and information: 

Back Squat:  300 lbs.  I USED TO HATE SQUATTING!!!  It hurt and it was uncomfortable having all that weight on my back.  Quite honestly, I felt like a wimp as I just could not get used to doing it right in order to PREVENT injury.  Too many people refuse to squat stating it hurts their knees.  However, I'm now a firm believer that IF YOU LEARN PROPER FORM, CHECK YOUR EGO AND USE THE PROPER WEIGHT, THEN YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE PAIN.  I am proof of that!

Press:  145 lbs.  FORM.  FORM.  FORM.  My previous PR for this was 165 lbs.  On my first attempt I failed and was promptly instructed to change my grip.  On my second attempt, I nailed it.  I went for a new PR at 166 lbs. and just could not do it.  I was intimidated, anxious, and not confident.  The mind is a powerful thing!

Deadlift:  375 lbs.  My previous PR was 325, so I was thrilled here, and I think I could have gone heavier, however I would have really compromised form and risked injury.  I think I like the deadlift and I'm not sure why.  It is such a functional movement!

My Crossfit Total:  820
*this is the total number of lbs. from all three lifts.

What does that mean?  Well, it depends who you ask.  If someone asks me, it means the following:
--First, I'm proud of my total.  I never really thought I could break 800.
--I'm proud of 820 as the experienced men strive to break 1,000.
--I now know what my max weights are for these three standard lifts, and they are legit.
--I now have a sound starting point when I go into the gym to lift 60-80% of my max.
--I feel like I have something new for which to strive, and I can focus on good form and getting stronger which in turn leads to being more fit, more healthy.
--I want to break a Crossfit Total of 900 in the next year.  This gives me a goal to reach.  At 39, I'd be thrilled with that.  Remember, I've NEVER, EVER strength trained before.
--This score made me think about how my dietary habits can help aid my strength.  Whew...a whole 'nother topic!

I think this sums this whole thing up for me..........

When Last is First

I work in a school, so this time of year, things are a bit busy as we come to the end of another school year.  I know I promised my first giveaway in my last post, and it is coming, but something happened to me today that preempted my first CspinHealthy giveaway.

If you follow the blog, you know that my main source of exercise is Crossfit.  So I stroll into Crossfit Carmel for the hopper workout this morning and I'm the first there.  That means, I get to pick one random workout from a deck of cards.  No matter what I pick, we do it.  No pressure there.  I pick the mother of all workouts.  The granddaddy of them all.  The creme de le creme; the mack daddy; the marathon mind bender of all Crossfit workouts............

MURPH!  If you are not familiar with Crossfit, hero workouts are named for fallen soldiers who have served our country.  Very fitting for the Memorial Day weekend.

This workout is the following:

1 mile run

100 pull ups

200 push ups

300 air squats

1 mile run

If you just keeled over and passed out, you are not alone.  Now.....I've been at this Crossfit stuff coming up on one year this summer.  I've radically changed the way I approach my fitness and my dietary habits.  I've made the best gains I've ever made with any combination of exercise and eating ever.  That being said, MURPH, just the idea of MURPH, put this image in my head....

I've not quit much in my life, but I must share with you the following:  I have literally been S.C.A.R.E.D. of this workout for months.  I used to tell myself that if it were ever posted ahead of time, I wouldn't go, and if it were pulled from the hopper deck, I'd find a way to leave the gym.  It gave me anxiety mainly b/c of the pull ups let alone the high volume of other stuff.  In plain words, it's a crazy workout.  That was almost a year ago.  

But today, on this Memorial Day Weekend, this WOD (Workout of the Day) just seemed fitting.  

My goal alongside guys and gals half my size, some training for a full Ironman?  

Finish!  

And be proud.

My strategy?  

Pace myself

Breath

Piece things together in smaller reps

Think positive thoughts

Visualize how good it will feel to just......finish.

I've learned a lot over the past year about my health, fitness, and my ego.  It's not about what the person next to me is doing.  It's not about what that guy over there looks like.  It's my body.  My life.  My health.  It's about me.  And so........

69 minutes and  49 seconds later, over half an hour AFTER the first two guys finished, 13 minutes after the second to last person finished, I was the last one done, but.....I did it.

And I was proud.  

Sometimes, last can feel like first.  
Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Baby Steps

This poster hangs in my office.  By day, I'm a school counselor, working with kids and families to help solve their problems....to get them to arrive at their own answers for themselves, and give them the motivation to do so.  

By night, I'm a dad and a husband and I try to model such a positive attitude to my kids.    

The other part of me is passionate about eating well and keeping fit.  I say PASSIONATE because I'm not obsessed about it.  While I think about it a lot, I have my ups and downs.  I ebb and flow like everyone else.  I think the difference is, I thoroughly enjoy working out.  I enjoy just about everything about it.  And who doesn't love eating?  (Those who need a counselor is the right answer.)  So because of this, I come to my point before I digress too much......

I've been injured as you may have read in prior posts.  As I fight through this injury, I have found myself craving foods I normally do not eat much of anymore:  chips, cheese, sweets, Chipotle!!!  I've also had a tough time accepting that I can not run right for now.  I've struggled with not being able to do the prescribed weights, movements, etc. of my Crossfit workouts.  For instance, yesterday.......The workout called for the following:

5K run

100 kettlebell swings.  

I can't run yet.  Grrrr!!!  So I took to a 5K row instead.  I can accept that.  But I usually swing a 50 lb. kettlebell.  Lin, the coach and owner of Crossfit Carmel says, "Dude.....swing a 35 lb. kettlebell.  You don't want to tweak that groin any more."  Stubborn me goes over the 44 lb. kettlebell and all seemed well.  Lin, being the great coach that he is says, "Dude....trust me."

And so I did this....

  

Low and behold............28 minutes later............I felt like.......

Well.....maybe not so patriotic, but it was a GREAT WORKOUT and it wasn't what was prescribed, called for or the RX for the day as is the Crossfit jargon.  But it was MY WORKOUT.  So after three weeks of an injury that isn't going away any time soon, I've learned the following:

--Focusing on eating is paramount no matter what I do for a workout.

--It's MY workout.  Focus on me and not keeping up with or beating someone else. 

--Injury is a part of life.  Letting things heal will only lead to a healthier life.  

--Good coaching is undervalued, overlooked, and not appreciated enough.  

--Listening to those I trust is very important and often taken for granted.

And the most important thing I've learned through this injury:  

Staying balanced does not just come to me.  I have to work at it and it takes baby steps!

Yesterday's Motivation and Today

Yesterday........Another day of school called off due to the recent winter ice storm across much of this part of the country. This let me get out of the house again for the CFC lunchtime WOD which was the following:

Todays skill work with be power cleans. Take three warm up sets and find a good weight where you can perform 8 single reps every minute on the minute.

Skill: 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1 power cleans performed every minute on the minute.

wod:   “Birthday Boy”  for time (there is no RX weight for this wod, find a good weight and work on form)

It’s Lin’s 47th birthday today!

47 pull-ups

47 wall balls

47 ring push-ups (modify with hand release push-ups)

47 kb swings

I was pretty sore from yesterdays workout, so I did all I could do to take some of the best advice I've heard in awhile when pertaining to Crossfit, however I firmly believe it can relate to anyone despite what your workout routine, regiment, or schedule may be. That advice is......

You don't have to go all out, balls to the wall, hard as you can every time out.  Some times it's about working hard, thinking about form, pace, or rhythm and getting a good workout. 

So I didn't, and so I did.  What?!?!?!?!?

I went hard, but I did not put my mind in the same place I did when trying to get after a PR i.e. my baseline last week.  My back was sore from yesterday (freakin' 70 lb. kettlebell will do that to ya, huh?!).  But I came away with not the best time on the whiteboard

But it didn't matter to me.  Today, this is what I could do and I did not have to look at that board and see that I was better than someone else, because on this day it was just about getting in a workout that was challenging (ok, what Crossfit WOD isn't?!??) and safe.  Mission accomplished and I felt good!

I'm sore today.  Go figure.  I'm almost 39, and I don't stretch nearly enough.  My lower back is a bit sore and my legs feel like I ran at least a 10K yesterday.  In my home we are on day three in a row of school being called off, so we are swapping kids with our dear friends.  To go to Crossfit or not?  That would be three days in a row.  Great advice #2 I am starting to follow (from the same person...Thanks Lin!!!!) is.......

Rest and recovery is often the best part of exercise.

I used to never pay attention to this and guess what.......

INJURY

Not today.  The WOD at CFC is all squatting and I'm just getting my knee back to feeling pain free.  Couple that with just being too sore, and it's all the motivation I need to focus on other aspects of my fitness:  stretching and eating well today.

My motivation today is rooted in how far I have come since June (update photos here) of this past year.  I debated on how to share this without appearing self-serving, arrogant, or sounding like a braggart.  I was doing some work for my health coaching career with The Institue for Integrative Nutrition  and I got to adding another picture of my progress to the blog.  As I sat and looked over my pictures from the past few months and reflecting on what has worked and what hasn't, that was all the motivation I needed to past couple of days to start thinking that sometimes......

Working smarter is healthier than working harder.  

Rounding Third.......

I think I've shared that I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Home of the Reds, Bungles, Greater's Ice Cream, Larosa's Pizza, and Skyline Chili.  While Indianapolis is home, I remain connected to a few of my roots.  I'm not a huge baseball fan, but I love the Reds.  As I near the end of my 30 Day Paleo Challenge, I can hear Joe Nuxhall with his famous line saying, "This is the ol' left-hander rounding third and heading for home" as he did every.....single....game.

I remember listening to games on the radio and watching t.v. just to hear him say that.  

Well, I'm rounding third and headed for home.  I feel like I'm heading for home like this......

Man....for a jerk who messed up, he was a great player to watch.

I feel great after eating so clean for 30 days straight.  I set out to go 100% Paleo and log all the food, snacks, workouts, etc. for the entire time.  I did have one night, one meal where I was......

CAUGHT STEALING!  

Beer and cheesy potatoes with the bbq sauce on the duck.  Click here to see and scroll to Day 14. 

So I have to say.  I followed the Paleo Way as prescribed by The Whole 30 (part of The Whole 9 Website) 99%.  

The first time I did this I made several observations about my eating habits and the impact of the 30 days on my health and fitness as I was a guest blogger for Crossfit Carmel.  You can see what I had to say here.

That post was dated December 6th, but I had already completed my 30 days several weeks prior.  A couple of months later, I have the following thoughts:

1.  I just flat out feel great:  no stomach bloating.  I'm full most of the day.  No major food cravings.

2.  I have more energy, and I see it in my workouts.  To note (and not bragging here):  Just yesterday at CFC the workout was the baseline.  That is the workout you would first do if you were just joining Crossfit.  Aside from rowing, the exercises are all bodyweight stuff.  It's a "baseline" of your fitness.  

500 meter row

40 air squats (to a medicine ball)

30 sit ups

20 push ups

10 pull ups

My time a couple of months ago was 4:57.  My time yesterday:  4:09.  Huge, huge gain.  Now....I work out 4-5 days per week, and that has something to do with it, but I've also paired that with an almost impeccable diet the past 30 days.  

3.  Paleo is not hard.  Feeling like crap every day is hard.   

4.  This is a sustainable way of losing weight.  I started these 30 days weighing 246 lbs.  Today, as I'm rounding third and heading for home, I weigh 237 lbs.  A lot of that was water weight, I imagine, and remember....I work out consistently.  For some of the four weeks, as you can see in my journal notes, I did not work out as much as others. 

5.  While there are many ways to eat well and be successful, this is just one way.  I believe it's a good way to go if you can commit yourself to it....if you are ready.  Again, check out the Whole 9 if you think you may be ready.  I can't say enough good things about them as a resource!

My plan is to allow some foods back into my diet to see how I react to them.  I can see some pasta and other grains, legumes, and alcohol in infrequent, small quantities making their way back.  The trip to Chipotle, out for sushi, drinks with friends, etc......all those things that I found ways to avoid or politely say no to can have their place.  The weekly cheat meal is also a must.  Food deprivation only leads to food yo yo'ing in my opinion.  But the old me would string too many of those cheats together.  I've come too far to let that happen anymore.  

Well......rounding third and heading for home makes it sound like there is an end to this.  Quite the contrary.  The key for me now is to take this momentum and live it.  It really is a long term lifestyle.  The goal I have is to determine what foods I absolutely will stay away from because they impact me negatively while finding the others I can add back in that work for me.  

This is the almost-40 right-hander.....rounding third and headed for a lifetime of wellness.