How The Roomies Got Their Groove Back (and you can too)

The roomies have been sending emails back and forth that contain an increasing number of words in ALL CAPS. You know what this means: we're starting another challenge and we're pumped about it. (Nothing gets us quite as pumped as a challenge.)

This time we want you to join us.

Starting August 1, we're doing a challenge and inviting all of our friends to join in. If you ask our trainers Tony and Karen, they'll tell you that our enthusiasm is contageous. If you ask my boyfriend, it's annoying unless you're in on the venture. So start thinking of fitness and dietary goals that you want to achieve over the next six weeks, and we will cheer you to success.

This is all about choosing your OWN goals. Make it ambitious but doable. We encourage you to get fairly specific in your goals (it will help you feel more accomplished, I promise), but with measurements that are meaningful to you. If your goal is going to the gym three times each week for the next 6 weeks, that's great. Tell us what kind of exercises you'll do there (this will help keep you honest and on track). If it's doing a sub 4 minute Fran, that's also great. We don't judge where you're at, just that your goals are a good faith effort to find yourself healthier six weeks from now.

Oh, and, do not set yourself up for failure because, well, with our enthusiasm, it's not going to happen.

Badass Inspiration Thursday

Sometimes, when I think that eating paleo/starting back up at CrossFit after almost a year off is *ohhhh sooooo haaaaaaard* and I just want to feel sorry for myself while munching on the Hershey bar my client sent to me and sticking out my bottom lip as far as it will go, I turn to the internet for inspiration.

Let's talk about hard. I don't know the meaning of the word, I realize, after watching this clip. And I need to buck up and get it together, because there is someone out there who is doing something much harder, with a smile on her face.

So, may I introduce you to Irene? Irene is this Thursday's badass inspiration:



Watch this and tell me you don't feel kind of awed.

Not just for a hot bod...

We all have different reasons for exercising. I recently started up crossfit again because I was tired of feeling (and looking) weak. My boyfriend is probably the #1 fan of my doing crossfit, because he thinks it makes me a nicer person. (Apparently I get cranky when I don't get my endorphin high. Harumph.)

But if a better bod and a better 'tude don't convince you/r friends, how about a stronger brain?

Having had one grandparent who died in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's, and another who lived for ten years with really bad short term memory loss, this is no joke.

If this is what they mean by "fiber," count me out.

15 food companies that use wood (cellulose) in their products. 

Just more reason to eat from the source.

Ever have one of those days...

When you're doing pushups (on your *ahem* knees) and you look down and can see your belly through the neck of your shirt, and you think "omg I have an obese-person belly?!"

And then when you're doing back squats (again in front of the dang mirror, which admittedly helps with reminding yourself to keep your knees out), and you think "man, my hips used to not protrude so much!"

And then when you're putting on your moisturizer, you think "do I look JAUNDICED?!"

And THEN when you're eating your bacon tomato three-egg omelette, you think "meh. I am so bored with paleo eating."

It's just a pity party around these parts today.

Small victories

Sometimes celebrating the small victories is enough to keep me on track. Example of two of today's small victories:

1) Not letting snomaggedeon keep me from exercising. Although CrossFit was closed for my 6:30 am workout, I woke up and worked out on my own. Tabata Push ups, sit ups, squats. So I didn't even wuss out on my own workout! That might count as two small victories, come to think of it. I have been known to not push myself, when left to my own devices.

2) I was just really craving sugar. Hard core craving sugar. I want to go ravage through a forest of milk chocolate, gummy worms, and maybe some peanut butter cups while I'm at it kind of craving sugar. (You know, the kind of craving that has very little to do with the sugar and much to do with the bandaid the sugar coma would provide.)

The choices I made instead: some nuts (almonds, hazel nuts, and cashews), and some unsweetened dried apple.

Now, is this the awesomest paleo snack in the history of paleo snacks? No. Nuts have anti-nutrients (I'm too lazy to link to it, google it), and dried apples are sugary. But is it better than the peanut M&Ms I ate last week after keeping paleo at a delicious and posh restaurant where the serving was one sausage link, leaving me still voracious? Yes. Small victory achieved. Small pat on the back.

Opening the hips.

So it took a few weeks, but the goal posting was totally worth it. I'm back on the workout bandwagon with a vengeance. 6 days a week, and going to each day happily. Last night, I went to the conditioning skate and learned 1) I am totally capable of doing 1 legged squats now, but 2) I cannot do them for a half an hour.

I also took a stab at sideways skating.



Having done some training in jiu jitsu, I thought keeping my hips open would be way easier than it is.  I can definitely go sideways, but it takes some thought to open up all the way. Any advice on how to train for that off skates?