Sugar Shakedown

Confession: I am a sugar addict. Sugar is my white powder of joy. It presses all the happy buttons in my head and then leaves me with the worse headache/hangover, but I always go back to it. This is the time of year where sugar starts ruling my life. It starts with Halloween candy and continues with all the holiday treats right through New Years. I indulge and spend two months in total sugar intoxication.

I walked by the co-workers desk and saw that the Halloween candy is already out!  This means if I start right now, it will be three months of sugar time!  This is not good.   And you know what?  Halloween candy is not actually that good. I mean it was good when I was a kid, but I have more “refined” tastes now.  So I decided to boycott Halloween candy.  I smugly high fived myself for stopping the downward sugar spiral. Go me!

However, I was still eating cupcakes, raspberry truffles and chocolate cheesecake, which were not in violation “no Halloween candy” policy. Oh and there was also a dark chocolate bar from Trader Joe’s.  You see sugar finds its way into my life (into all of our lives) in so many different ways. It is sneaky. The sugar fixes go on and on until not eating sugar actually hurts- oh the withdrawals! As my co-worker pointed out, the best cure for sugar withdrawal is to eat more sugar. 

This needs to stop! How can I best fight this battle?  Saying no to sugar forever is not realistic. I want to be able to enjoy sugar, but not let it be in control of me. Often I let sugar be an emotional decision.  I have developed a million ways to justify why I deserve a “treat.”  A treat needs to actually be a treat, not a daily occurrence.  I don’t want to be a sugar addict.

I don’t know the magical plan for getting sugar under control, but I do know my first step is to start making smarter sugar decisions. Here are some things I’ll start with:

• Quality sugar- skip the crap sugar products.  If I am going to indulge it has to be worth it.
• No more keeping random sugar in my home.  If it is there, I will eat it. If I want sugar, I need to go out and get it.
• Plan sweet treats so I have something to look forward too.

Sorry sugar, you aren’t the boss of me anymore (I hope).

Blame it on the Barbell

I haven't blogged in almost two months...what have I been up to?

I have been on a quest to become friends with the barbell, via a ten week strength program at CrossFit.  Five days a week of  back squats, snatches, cleans, jerks, front squats, presses, overhead squats and deadlifts.  It was an ambitious undertaking because I considered myself "as weak as a kitten,"  but the in-house competition made me want to know my way around a barbell.

Week 1 was almost too easy.  I did my strength workout and then the daily WOD.  I approached Week 2 with caution but still did both strength and the WOD with a smile. Week 3 is when it finally caught up to me- I stopped being able to sleep. I would lie in bed completely jacked up. I couldn't fall asleep because of the physical pain and I was also mentally amped up all night. I tried to continue on in Week 4, but did discuss my sleeping issues with the trainer who said, "that is not good, you are over training."  It was also obvious that I didn't enjoy lifting as much as the WODs. Actually I really didn't enjoy lifting at all.

But I stuck with it- why?  Because the results were undeniable. I was lifting heavier, with better form and with more confidence.  I did alter the program to focus on the lifts that were most important to me (back squats, cleans, snatches and deadlifts).  By Week 7 my efforts were noticed- a trainer said I had made "light years" of progress. That almost made me cry, partially because I was so ground down physically, mentally and emotionally. I really really wanted to call it good and just go back to WODs, but I decided to continue for 3 more weeks.

I just finished up Week 9.   I broke down and got a massage to help alleviate the constant pain I've experienced. The knots in my back were so bad, I have bruises from the massage.  What do I have to show for all my efforts- lots!  My deadlift increased by 50lbs, I can lift half my weight overhead and  back squat my entire body weight. I can execute snatches and cleans without injuring myself (some of the bruises were hard to explain!). I approach the barbell with confidence.  I didn't quit and I also didn't kill myself.

I can't wait to get through next week and be able to say I did it!  CrossFit is never easy, but damn this was hard. So that is why I haven't blogged, I've been battling with the barbell, but we are friends now :)  What doesn't kill you makes your stronger.

Best Huffington Post Article Ever!

When I came across the article, "The Truth is Out There Ladies: Long Hair is Killing Your Career," I was fully prepared for eye rolling and loud sighs. Not another pseudo- study on how some trival physical characteristic will ensure woman will never achieve equality in the workforce. Of course, I couldn't look away from the trainwreck, so I clicked on the title and braced myself.

I wasn't prepared for the author's brillant use of sarcasm and sterotypes to bring home a valid point (a.k.a my personal opinion).  She had my full attention right at "pre-dead lady husks"  and long hair being bad for business.  I thought it couldn't any better but she takes it a level up: "But how will this affect my chances of getting a man? Because science has proven that men prefer women with long hair. They just do. It's science." 

So wait- now the length of your hair determines not only your career, but also your fate in love!!! At this point, I am screaming with glee at how masterfully fabulous this article has become. You can't have it all ladies- either you cut it for your career or grown it out to get a man.  This author perfectly captures the conflicting social messages, women get throughout their lives.

Fortunately, Maria de Cesare is not just about ranting, she actually has a message and in her closing paragraphs she brings us back to reason:  "If you get the sense that your employer is concerned about the length of your hair -- and you have a job as anything other than a hair model -- time to get the hell out of that job, sweetness."

Amen! The only thing wrong about this article is I didn't write it. Here is the link to the full article- Enjoy!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-de-cesare/long-hair_b_1710646.html

Overvaluing the "Struggle"

Doing a handstand is one of the rare athletic skills I have been blessed with. I pop up on the wall and hold my ground.  Others struggle- really struggle.  For some reason, both the yoga and CrossFit worlds in my life have decided the ability to do a handstand is of the upmost importance.  Of course, they take completely different approaches. I have been observing the advice they each give and how successful they are at getting people into a handstand.

At CrossFit there is only one step to doing a handstand: Get on the wall-Now!  Can't throw yourself up on the wall? Climb up the wall with your feet. Do it- Now!  Keep doing it until you get on the wall.

Yoga's approach is very gentle and there are multiple paths.  You can start with a familiar pose like down dog or dolphin and try to climb youself up a wall. You can move from goddess to crow to the beginnings of handstand. You can pair up with someone and take turns helping each other into handstand. I watched an instructor lead a class through 10 minutes of preliminary poses to the handstand.  By the time is was time for the big finale of attempting handstand, everyone looked worn out? I didn't know handstand could be turned it into a 27 step process?

So which method is more successful? Based on my (limited) observations, the CrossFit method gets more people in handstand and gets them there faster. I think this comes from the assumption behind the instructions. CrossFit treats handstand like a skill you need to do,so just do it already. Yoga marinates in the the "struggle" of getting to handstand.

I had a eight month "struggle" with box jumps. My CrossFit trainers repeated the same two part instructions over and over- look beyond the box and jump.    I couldn't get myself to jump on the 20 inch wooden box. So I got the mini-boxes and jumped on one, then stacked on another mini-box and jumped on two. I slowly built my confidence to 4 boxes, which was slightly higher than 20 inches.  I knew I could clear 20 inches, but I still couldn't jump on the wooden box.  So I focused on my feelings. I screamed and had melt downs in WODs, trying to get myself up on the box.  Eventually, I realized "struggling" was getting me no where. I forced myself on top of the box over and over until there was no more struggle, only success.

It is true, you can learn alot about yourself in the "struggle."  However, at some point, focusing on the struggle impedes progress.  You can only learn so much from your failures, evenutally, you need a success. Sometimes you have to stop investing in the struggle and leap onto the box or plant your hands on the ground and kick yourself up onto that wall.

Competition Day

Am I a competitor? Nine months into CrossFit and I entered my first competition to figure out the answer to that question.  It was an in-house competition, so very low on competitiveness and high on encouragement.  I spent 6 weeks preparing, working on the skills we were given hints on, and even had training partners. A week before the event, the workouts were released and I polished up my weaknesses (box jumps, rip digs, knees to elbows and cleans).  I scaled my workout during the week and took a rest day. I was prepared as I could be.

I had three goals: 1) get through all the workouts in the time cap 2) give my best performance and 3) have a good attitude and have some fun! I also hoped this would help me determine if I wanted to compete and of course I hoped to win. I did finish all the workouts in the time cap, I gave my best performance and I had fun. But I didn’t win. I came in last place. I would be lying if I said that didn’t sting. 

I allowed myself a tantrum. I had worked hard to come in last place? I could have done nothing and still been in last place! Not fair! I examined my performance- why hadn’t I done better?  I thought about quitting CrossFit, because obviously I suck! Fortunately, the six weeks of training and competition had worn me out to the point where I didn’t have that much energy to carry on a pity party.

So I got down to business. What could I have done better? Nothing. I can honestly say I did my best to prepare for the competition and then I gave my absolute best performance. If I hadn’t trained for six weeks, I would have never been able to do the workout or finish them in the allotted time. The other competitors were simply better than me.  That realization stung too.

The competition wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would be a straightforward experience- do workouts and get points.  It was much more than that.  It was about summoning every ounce of will you have to keep going, connecting to others and finding determination to carry on, even when nothing goes as expected. 

Will I continue to compete? I don’t know. I will give it a couple more tries, but maybe my “best” will never be at the level needed for competition.   The real question I had to ask myself is “am I willing to do what it takes to be better and faster?” Well, I am a CrossFitter, so of course the answer is yes! The good news is coming in last means I have nothing to lose- I am either going to do the same or improve.  I didn’t “win”, but I also didn’t “lose” and I am far from giving up.  Sounds like a  competitor to me.

The Weight of Numbers

“As much as you work out, how have you not lost weight?” asked a person, who shall remain unnamed. A blunt question, but a fair one.   I’ve been doing Cross Fit 4-5 times a week, yoga at least once a week and eating decently. Yet I look the same? I haven’t weighed myself since January, because I didn’t own a scale.

 I finally bought a scale and was not surprised to find the number hasn’t changed much (I lost 3 lbs.).  My clothes still fit the same.  So according to the scale, nothing much has changed.  According to my Cross Fit log, a lot has changed! I am lifting at least 40 lbs heavier on all movements.  I also have a new mental fortitude- I do hard things because they are hard.  Somewhere along the line, I started chasing performance and forgot about appearance.  

Prior to Cross Fit, I believed I was physically weak and mentally strong. Eight months into Cross Fit, it is the exact opposite. I am physically stronger than I imagined and have lots of room to grow my mental game.  Every day, I look forward to pushing myself to be stronger, faster and better.  Now if that also mean losing lbs and having abs of steal- so be it! 

The reason I finally bought a scale was so I could calculate the percentage of my body weight I can lift.  Body weight does not tell the whole story, so don’t let the scale dictate your fitness experience. For me, performance outweighs appearance. 

So how did I respond to the unnamed person’s question?  I said, “Come do a Cross Fit WOD and then talk to me about my weight.” That shut down inquires about my weight. You get to choose how much numbers should weigh.

Here is some inspiring stuff :
http://www.niashanks.com/2012/07/stop-weighing-on-the-scale-for-weight-loss/

Homemade Bone Broth

Making my own broth from scratch somehow got classified as a kitchen milestone in my mind.  I felt I was missing out on something by not making my own broth.  It was something I kept putting off, until one Saturday, I noticed my favorite grass-fed beef vendor carried beef bones. On a whim, I bought a bag and then searched the Internet for a recipe.  I really hadn't thought out past thinking I should one day make broth from bones. As luck would have it, I found a recipe using my beloved crockpot! Crockpot equals add ingredients and walk away. In fact, the recipe said the longer it cooks, the better!

The recipe link is below:

Ingredients:

4 quarts of filtered water
1.5- 2 lbs of beef knuckle bones or marrow bones
3-5 cloves of fresh garlic

2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1Tsp unrefined sea salt 

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in a 6 quart crockpot and set the heat to HIGH

Bring the stock to a boil, then reduce the heat setting to LOW.

Allow the stock to cook for a minimum of 8 hours and up to 24 hours. The longer it cooks, the better!

Turn off the crockpot and allow the stock to cool.

Strain the stock through a fine mesh metal strainer and throw away what you skim off.

I had made my very first batch of homemade broth. I cooled it in the refrigerator and got the promised gelatinous consistency and layer of tallow.  Success! 

I gently scraped off the tallow and warmed myself up a few bowls, but really couldn't bring myself to do much else.  I was underwhelmed by the homemade broth milestone and uninspired to really do anything with it. I still have half a pack of bones to make another batch?  It was super easy to do and people rave about how nutritious it is, so I will try it again. 

I somehow thought this would be a more exciting sense of accomplishment.  Apparently, making something tasty from a bag of bones is not magical. But it is another kitchen skill to add to the collection. Not all bucket list items are superstars.

http://balancedbites.com/2011/04/easy-recipe-mineral-rich-bone-broth.html