Dug Deep and Working Out

I have been meaning to write on here for quite some time now. It has been over a month since my last post and OH so much has happened around here. But every time I felt like I could get around to writing, something always came up. And then once it got to a certain point i had dug myself into such a hole that I didnt know where to start.

I use this blog primarily for ME as a way to remember and document the things that happen in our lives. The good, the bad and the ugly. I like that it also is a place that others can read/comment on the crazy things I have to say, but that is not why I am writing this blog. So back to my point, I am going to try and catch up on the past 5-6 weeks or so and then work hard not to get myself behind again.

About 2 months ago I bought a groupon for 6 weeks of CrossFit classes. I was so eager to start and excited for finally getting to do something I wanted to do (sans kids). Dont get me wrong I get to do things I want to do but this was something that I have been dreaming about for years now. I have neglected my body since having kids. I have made half-hearted attempts to "workout" but none of them led to any results. Insert groupon

So the 1st class I attended I was nearly shaking I was so nervous. Would I be able to keep up? Would i fall out and die? ok maybe not DIE but I was scared I would injure myself or end up in the hospital  Would I make a complete fool of myself? That 1st class was ROUGH, but aren't they supposed to be? It felt so good! i couldnt walk for a couple days afterwards and it hurt to sit down but it was just what I needed! I continued on and attended ALL 12 (3 classes a week for 4 weeks) classes without missing a single one. I was pretty proud of myself for that. But what I was more proud of was the changes that I was making with my body. It made me look completely different. I had many people point this out to me before I actually saw the changes myself. My clothes were getting looser and looser. I was sleeping better at night. I had more energy. I looked forward to working out. I was LOVING it! After the 4 weeks of classes I still had 2 weeks of "unlimited" classes. Sadly I was only able to make it to 5 classes in those 2 weeks. And now this is my first week NOT working out. And I am saddened. I cannot/will not pay the price of a membership to this particular gym. But more importantly it is a small gym therefore there is no childcare, which is a major reason why I cant afford to join. I would have to find someone to keep my heathens and it just isnt feasible right now. Sooooo instead I have decided that I am going to attempt the workouts on my own at home. I know that this route is not the "best" but I am going to try and make it work. I will miss my friends at the gym, I will miss my trainer, and most of all I will miss the motivation that the other guys and girls provided. In order to keep up my workouts at home I am going to make a small investment towards the equipment needed; some of it I will make and others I am going to buy. I am excited about this new adventure. I am excited that I can do this at home on my time and not have to drive an hour (round trip) to the gym, and I am excited that I can get the girls involved. I want them to grow up with a passion to live healthy lives, I want them to eat right and I feel like the best way for me to instill this in them is to lead by example. And secretly I am hoping to get Marcus involved too!

When you hear about CrossFit training you most likely will hear about a diet that goes along with it. I really dont like the word "diet".  For me, I like to say "way of eating". Maybe it is the same thing, but to me the word diet has taken on a negative connotation. The way of eating that is encouraged in the CrossFit community is called Paleo. I tried super duper hard to stick to this while CrossFitting. I did have some cheats, but overall I'd say i did a good job. I have continued to eat better even after my classes ended.

So if you want something that will make you look better and FEEL better and overall live a better life.......try CrossFit! Oh and what I love most about CrossFit is..... I wasnt just running on a treadmill or riding on an elliptical the entire time. I was engaging in purposeful movements, things that will aid me in my everyday life.


Here are some of our favorite recipes....

Kale Chips The girls couldnt shove these in fast enough

Steak Ive made this twice now and it is a HUGE hit!

Peach Crisp I made this 3 times with some of the 25lbs of peaches I got from the bulk co-op (more on that later) I joined. It is divine!

Pad See Ew I made this last night for dinner. It was my most favorite meal at this Thai restaurant we used to eat at. The last time I ordered it, I ended up in bed for like 3 days because of the gluten content. Needless to say, this version does NOT contain gluten!

Pork Chops Im not a big pork fan, but this was pretty good

Mashed Cauliflower (I loved this, but the girls wouldnt touch it, in fact it nearly made them gag. But then again they dont really like mashed potatoes either)

Dates watch out! these suckers are ADDICTIVE!!! YUMM-O!

we love making homemade lara bars too. Our recent favorite is dark chocolate macadamia nut!

and of course we make smoothies almost everyday too which is a fantastic way to get in more veggies and fruits and healthy fats

Here's to living a healthier, happier life!

and not abandoning my blog for weeks months at a time

Our Day

My day is only 1/2 over at this point and I am about to pass out already. This morning I awoke at 3:30AM and luckily was able to get myself back to sleep after being up for 2 hours. I was woken up, for the 2nd time, by a certain 4 year old who thought it would be cool to give me a little tap tap tap on my forehead. Sweet! Thus my day had officially begun. Since then I have successfully gotten out of the house ON TIME, stopped on the way in to town to pick up eggs from our local "egg lady" (as Kaylee and Ainslee call her), then stop at my parents to drop off the eggs and other items to be put in the frig, then on to the bank, and finally to drop Kaylee off at school. After drop-off some of the moms went for another walk, this time 2 laps instead of 1, so it was probably about 3.5 miles. I feel so good after I get my heart rate up a bit, I dont know why I dont do it more often. After the nice brisk walk Ainslee and I headed to the chiropractor, then back to my parents for lunch and nap. Immediately after I put her down, I had to leave and pick up Kaylee from school, brought her back to moms to take her nap (since she doesnt nap at school). Today she HAS to take a nap because she has her first soccer practice tonight. And when I say toNIGHT I dont mean this afternoon! Her practice is from 6:30-7:30! Who in their right mind thinks that it is appropriate for 4 YEAR OLDS to have practice that late??? Can you tell how happy I am about this situation? But I feel like "how will she ever follow in her mother's footsteps, in the soccer playing department, if she doesnt go to practice?" HAHAHAHA! who am I kidding? But it sure does make me laugh to think about her playing tonight, I am quite eager to see her skinny little self out there attempting to play the sport i LOVE! I will remember my camera I will remember my camera I will remember my camera I WILL remember my camera, maybe if I type that enough I will actually bring the camera with me! Ok back to my day, so after she naps I have to take her to the chiropractor for her adjustment, then to the dry cleaners to pick up daddy's pants for work, he would be REALLY mad if we forgot that tiny detail of the day. Then home to eat dinner. After dinner we will head on over to the fields, get some exercise and have a little laugh at Kaylee's expense, before heading home for baths and bed. It is so nice to be busy, I love having activities to do, it makes me feel like I have an interesting and fun life. And you know whats funny, on days like today I always feel "normal", on regular old blah days I feel like I have lost my head, I forget everything EVERYTHING, I cant get myself together on those days, but it seems like the more stuff I have to do and think about the more focused I am. Crazy I know! Hope y'all had an interesting, fun, and productive day too!

Sled Dog

I have been watching as my body grows bigger and bigger.......and NOT because I am pregnant! It is like it is in slow motion watching a spare tire develop around my waist line! And it is disgusting! Im quite sure my husband has noticed it as well, although he would never admit it! My clothes arent fitting, I can feel a difference in my energy level, among other "problems". So I decided to do something about it. I am starting, for the first time in my life, to "watch" what I eat. And I dont mean, watch as the food goes from my plate to my big ole mouth! I am being more conscious of what I eat, my portions, and frequency. I have never been the one to participate in fad diets, or counting calories, but for some reason I feel my body is not as forgiving as it used to be. And considering my complete lack of activity I really cant blame it. For my entire life I was an exercising machine, going from one sport to the next competitively, and then it all STOPPED! I remember wishing and waiting for the days where i didnt have practices and games everyday, now i wish i had something to keep me active (besides chasing childre). So I am also starting to exercise a bit more. This poses as quite a problem since we dont have any exercise equipment, a gym membership, or a double stroller. So the only way I can get the girls around is in the wagon. Any of you tried pulling 70+ lbs in a wagon........well it aint easy! The hardest part is walking with one arm behind you pulling the wagon, and your feet constantly hitting the front of the wagon. I decided to modify our wagon. I made the handle a bit longer and attached it to a belt that I wear high up on my waist. This way I have both my hands free, I wont hurt my shoulder, and my feet wont hit. I took the contraption out for a test drive Wednesday. My plan was to walk at least an hour, and NOT flip the wagon over. I am very pleased to say that I didnt flip the wagon, but sadly we were shy of my hour mark. The girls wanted NOTHING to do with being in the wagon for 10 minutes, let alone 1 hour! But besides that it worked fabulously! The hills were tough and I mean T.O.U.G.H! like the last one in front of the house, I could totally feel the burn. Going downhill wasnt as easy as expected either, my body wanted to go faster, but i feared the wheels might just come right off that wagon. Either way we made it home safe and sound.......maybe my next wagon modification will include some sort of child entertainment. Any ideas?

Today was my 2nd "trial" run with the wagon. When i say "run" i dont mean RUN! I (semi)speedwalked, except when i jogged down the hills. But this time I was armed with snacks, which if you know my girls REALLY helped matters out a BUNCH! So while they lounged I was able to get in a bit of a workout, and im telling you I can tell the difference now more than EVER. I think I just might get addicted to this working out thing. I wish I had more time to do it!

here they are lounging and eating

Yes it was like 48* this morning, and WINDY! I would much rather walk in those conditions than 100+

And here is the contraption, YES that is a strap to an old soccer bag (I think from high school) that I am using as a belt, and the strap from Marcus' old tennis bag as a handle extension.

and here is a close-up of the contraption, well at least it is supposed to be. i had to take these pics with the timer on the camera, and it wasnt necessarily easy. But see what I mean about my gut and thighs? And I cant say "they are soccer thighs" anymore, I havent touched a ball in years! They are plain ole disgusting, and I am going to fix that! and you can see where the title of this post came from, I felt like a sled dog the entire time. And Im sure I got some funny looks from the cars that went speeding past me.

oh and when I get home I try and do some abs on my big giant exercise ball thingy. But man that thing has gotten h.a.r.d! I vividly remember before we got married doing my ab workout on the ball and I would do somewhere between 300 and 500 reps a day. Now I am lucky to get 40 reps in without falling out on the floor. Maybe I just need a little more practice. Oh and the look on the girls faces when I am attempting the ball is enough to make anyone laugh, they are like "what the heck does she think she is going to do on that thing?" SO FUNNY!