Crossfit War Wounds

I've been trying really hard lately to get to the gym.  It has always been a struggle.  Justin and I joined Crossfit Omaha back in the fall (2010).  He goes pretty religiously, but me on the otherhand, not so much.  That is why this post is a celebration!  I have made it 3 days a week the last 4 weeks and that is seriously a record for me!  I am so proud of myself for going and sticking with it.


Justin started this whole Crossfit research sometime last spring or summer.  He explained the program to me and showed me some of the workouts.  I thought it looked interesting but I also thought it was for meatheads and big muscley people.  So after some time, he convinced me to do the 1-on-1s with him.  I liked it, but wasn't thrilled about it.  I had fun, but figured it wasn't for me. I was always thinking I don't fit in here, I won't make it, I don't have time, Everyone is stronger than me, I'll embarrass myself, I don't know what I'm doing and the list kept going and going. So when we completed our 1-on-1s, I went a few times here and there and then totally fell off the "Let's get fit" wagon. 

Fast forward 3 months later to the Paleo Challenge which began January 3rd.  I knew this would be a great way to think about what food I put into my body on a daily basis.  I was being held accountable each week by taking pictures of every meal and submitting them to our trainer/coach/organizer, Ricky.  I liked that I had to take pictures of everything I ate because I knew if it was bad, everyone else in the challenge would see it.  Plus, my whole goal was to get me to think about what I was eating and to fix it.  (Oh, and I forgot to mention there was money involved...this is where the majority of the desire to do this came from.)  The only thing I had not thought about was working out.  I thought, if I eat right, there is no need to go to the gym...right? ha I really know that was my way of trying to convince myself that I didn't need the gym as a part of my life whatsoever.  Seriously, I hate working out!  Why do I want to torture myself? Well...


I didn't work out the first 3 weeks of the challenge, and quite honestly, didn't see much results either.  But I was feeling better mentally; sleeping better, more energy, positive attitude.  Then week 4 hit, and I started to think about the gym.  I thought if I wanted to win the challenge and see any real results, I probably needed to start working out a bit.  After my 1st few visits back at Crossfit (where I was welcomed back with open arms and a ton of encouragement), I started to realize that all the excuses I made in the fall are all the things that held me back.  I realized that I had to quit making excuses and just go. I know my schedule will always be busy, I know I will be weaker than someone else, I know that my goals are different, but why do those thoughts have to hold me back from improving, making change, and reaching goals that I have never set for myself before? 

The last 4 weeks of working out have been amazing!  Crossfit, and of course my awesome husband, have really helped me see what I can truly do by myself.  I laugh when I think about myself doing the "clean and jerk" or "deadlift".  I always thought only meatheads and guys did those things.  Well, I guess I'm a meathead now! Crossfit Omaha is an amazing gym!  They have helped me see some things that I never thought were possible.


So the original reason of this post was to show a picture of my "Crossfit War Wounds" as I like to call them.  Today's workout was 60 double unders, 3 rounds of 10 split clean and jerks, 20 jumping pull-ups, and 60 double unders again.  On my final go at the double unders, the jump rope unfortanetly got the best of me.  It brought back memories of jumping rope in grade school and the sting of the rope on a cold day on the playground.  Jump rope 1, me 0.

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Semi paleo chili

We had our semi 'paleo' chili the other night for dinner. I call it this because it had tomato juice, black beans and beer in it (which are not true paleo items). It looked delicious and smelled pretty good but the taste did not match. I'm thinking it's because of the beer we added in. That's what I'm blaming it on anyways.

Heres the recipe:
1 lb Hamburger and italian sauage
1 12 oz. Can of black beans
Chopped red and green peppers
1 12 oz. Can of diced tomatoes
3 tsp. Chili powder
garlic powder and black pepper to taste
1 small can of rotel tomato/green chiles

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

Paleo Lasagna

Due to popular demand, haha one person (Thanks Ryan!), here is the Paleo Lasagna I had blogged about last week.


2 lbs grass fed ground beef (Whole Foods carries or we go through Thistles and Clover)
1lb mild Italian sausage
1 red onion diced (we used 1/2 of the onion-use more depending on your taste)
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried basil
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes drained
1 small can of tomato paste
1cup organic black olives sliced
4 zucchinis thinly sliced (for “lasagna” like noodles slice lengthwise).

In a large soup pot, saute onions and garlic in the olive oil for about 3 minutes.
Add ground beef and sausage and brown.  Drain grease from the pot, otherwise it will be to runny.
Season meat mixture with all dry ingredients.
Add drained diced tomatoes and tomato paste and mix well.
We used a regular size 8x13 baking dish for 4 zucchinis.  If you want more zucchinis, use 6 and use a larger baking dish.
In your baking dish, place a layer of sliced zucchini on the bottom and then ladle on a thick layer of the meat mixture.
Place a second layer of zucchinis and top with a final layer of the remaining meat mixture.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 30 min.  Let sit for 10 min before serving.

It seriously so good, it's worth a try!  Enjoy!

**Recipe was pulled and modified from "Everyday Paleo" blog.
http://everydaypaleo.com/2010/02/11/paleo-lasagna/

Paleo challenge

The last 5 weeks have consisted of meat, veggies, healthy oils, seed and nuts. At our gym, Crossfit Omaha, a large group of members joined a 5 week paleo challenge. Now, Justin has been trying to convince me of this lifestyle for the past 10 or so months. He slowly led me into this lifestyle without me really thinking about it.  I decided to give the challenge a shot but not for health reasons but to try to win some money. It was definitely a challenge. It really made me think and look at my food and ingredients more closely. Even at lunch, I would look around at my fellow coworkers' meals and think about how many things were processed or just plain, not healthy. I never did that. I used to eat what they ate and never really saw anything wrong with it.  This challenge made me realize a few things. They are:
1. Just because it says 'organic/natural' doesn't mean it's paleo.  It might be cleaner food or healthier than other options but it's not paleo.
2. It's healthy and great for your body and mind. There were so many success stories at the end of this challenge about weight loss, lower cholesterol, eliminating lifelong medication, and mental health (getting better sleep, having more energy). I experienced better sleep, higher energy levels and a better picture of myself. Why would someone want to do diets that are short lived when all they need is this kind of lifestyle that can last forever?!
3. It's made me appreciate foods that I've never tried! Brussel sprouts, kale, cauliflower, etc. are just some of the new things we have tried and stuck with. Without this challenge, I would have never tried or learned to like these things.
4. It's also made me appreciate a treat as just that... a treat. I realized that it should not be part of my everyday life.  I know that a treat is ok to have if it's for something special, to celebrate something, or it's something you only get once in a while. But only when it's special, not just because I'm bored and want something to do.
And finally...
5. Even though people think it's crazy, life is all about enjoying it and why not enjoy it by taking care of my mind and body. God gave me the gift of life, and I want to do my part while I'm here on Earth...taking good care of myself, my family, friends and the people I encounter. It's all about enjoying the time I have and that's my plan.

So, all in all, I encourage others to try it! If not trying it, at least search it. Find out what it's all about. It may make you think a little bit more about what you put into your body. Who's not going to benefit from that?

-- Sent from my Palm Pre

So the last 4 1/2 weeks, I have been 'fixing' my nutrition by eating 'paleo'. It's all based on how humans were made to eat and such. There is quite a bit of info on it if you search it.

Anyways, tonight was my 1st night of actual cooking and following a recipe in, I don't even know how long. We follow a blog by a woman who eats paleo and she had a recipe for 'paleo lasagna'. It turned out great! We loved it but even better, Gracie loved! This will definitely become part of our menu!

-- Sent from my Palm Pre