It Works!!

One of the Crossfit gym owners said I had to weigh in today to help keep me accountable. Yesterday I gathered some Crossfit peeps together and we did the Navy Seals Deck of Card Cards workout as our last chance workout. It was great, we finished within 25 minutes.

One of my goals for this challenge is mastering box jumps. So I started working on them yesterday. It was nice to not have a lot of people around to work on this skill. I've almost got it mastered, now I have to work on the mental aspect of the game.

Today I had a great challenge met. We did a tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest). The goal was 800 meters in 4 minutes of the tabata or you had to run. I had out of the world coaching and just made it over 800 meters!

I think this is going to be a great year at Crossfit! I'm down 7 pounds in two weeks. I need to lose 3 pounds a week to finish at my goal!

Believe in yourself and you will achieve!

Amazed

So as I reflect on the past week I haven't been as diligent as I was the first week, but seeing results. I can hear the voices of my coach in my head saying, "just think of how much you would have lost if you were on track this week." I don't want to end this competition with regret like I in times past. So, it's time to get back on track!

Goal for this week is to eat protein with every meal. So, it will take some extra prep but I'm up for the challenge. Tonight I'm going to the movie with a friend. So, to keep me full I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up pulled pork, raspberries and some stevia-green tea fizzy drink..

As I said before watching the Biggest Loser has added extra motivation. Bob Harper did a last chance workout last week that we've done at Crossfit before-the Navy Seals deck of cards workout! So, my challenge to start next week with a bang is to do the deck of cards workout! At 10:00AM tomorrow morning I will do the deck of cards workout!


Here's to a great week! Protein and water at every meal! Crossfit is defiantly the change and cause of results.

Movie time!

Life goes on

I felt so blessed by the birthday love I received yesterday. My 6AM Crossfit class probably didn't like the birthday burpees, but it was fun. Did I just use burpees and fun in the same sentence?! Oh no! Lol!

One of my students parents has a client that makes all mine and your favorite baked goods 100% paleo! So the parent brought in for me paleo brownies. They were so yummy!! Instead of my classroom mom bringing in cake, she brought fruit and fruit dip for the kids.

My students must love me. They showered me with lots of love and gifts yesterday. It felt like Christmas all over again! I got gift cards galore, a Lululemon headband (which I really needed), flowers, and jewelry. It was amazing.

Giving myself the gift of health was just what I needed this year! Committing to 5 days a week of Crossfit and paleo made this a life changing birthday!

Cheers!
-Juls

Hello Cupcakes...

I can imagine the punishment my Crossfit coaches are thinking when they read, "Hello Cupcakes"! Thank goodness I'm not going to indulge yet..cupcakes are not worth extra burpees!!

Okay so the last few nights I have been dreaming about cupcakes. Could it be it's because they are all around me or because of my approaching birthday?! Who knows..but either way I'm getting mad sugar cravings! My willpower is getting better. I can now be in the same room with the cupcakes and candy my assistant munches on.

So, what's a good paleo cupcake? I emailed my coach a recipe some friends are going to attempt to make me this weekend. I'll post the recipe here later.

No coaches...I did not eat a cupcake, yet!
Although I sometimes feel like the dog licking the window.

No cupcakes=no extra burpees!!

Juls

I understand

Now I really understand why the Biggest Loser contestants are successful. When you have a coach to help keep you accountable then it helps keep you on track. It also helps you make winning choices.

My co-workers don't fully understand the strictness of my eating and they think I'm snubbing them when I seclude myself. I'm sure seeing what others eat will get better in time, but right now I need to leave out temptation.

I had a little bit of full fat dairy, but didn't eat much all day. I'm super tired after being in a class all day, but I'm going to try to get to bed early.

Keep pressing on and believing in yourself!!

Weak but strong

What do you do on those days when you crave sweets? Do you allow yourself one piece of dark chocolate? On Thursday I had mad sugar cravings. Thank goodness for an awesome coach who I can text when I'm struggling. I ended up not giving into that craving.

I feel a little weak because I don't think eating enough protein throughout the day. I've always been one of those who struggles with protein. I'm trying to train myself to eat more protein, but it's hard. I try to eat some jerky here and there. I did order real paleo jerky but it hasn't come yet. I am eating Jack Links just to get some protein in me.

But on the other hand I'm feeling stronger physically and mentally. I feel like I'm able to lift more and I can go faster. Mentally I feel like I want to eat that junk food, but I don't want to know. Now I crave salty foods instead.

I've lost 5 pounds in 4 days! This is my challenge weekend. I have a business trip for work. I packed healthy treats and picked up salads at Chipotle.

What's your goal for next week!
Julie

Good News and Bad News....

So which do you want to hear first? When someone comes up to me and asks me, "Do you want to hear the good news or the bad news?" Well, I like I like to hear the bad news first because at least you know something more positive is coming after it. Maybe you like to happy first and then disappointed or sad last. A tisket a tasket a brightly colored basket, it's all the same...it's news!

So...read ahead and then come back if you want to hear the good news first. DISCLAIMER!! I am telling the BAD news first!! Okay so here it goes. Remember how I said sometimes goals need to be adjusted and that is okay as long as you keep the bar high. Well, in the busyness of my week I realized I am not going to hit my goal of WOD'ing five times this week. I forgot I have to go out of town for a class. =o( But, I have located a few Crossfit gyms in Orlando I am going to try my hardest to get to if my conference schedule allows it. 

Wait for it....wait for it.!! ( I tell my students this all the time..they just laugh sometimes) the GOOD news is my Paleo challenge and healthy eating is really working because I am down a little over three pounds in just two days!! BAM!!

I ate great today, although I was a little light headed at times. My coach said I probably should add some snacks in there. I got onto www.roguefitness.com this evening and ordered some paleo beef sticks. I also packed some apples and almond butter to take in to my classroom too. 

Tonight I had mad sugar cravings! I was trying to talk myself out of eating the Frosted Mini- Wheats my family left behind. I did it, I talked myself out of eating them! When I went to throw the box away I had tons of stuff in my arms, including a sports bottle (lid open) full of homemade balsamic vinaigrette. You guess it...I spilt it all over the place! A great big brown smelly puddle on my tile floor! Needless to say my sugar cravings are gone...but now I feel like I'm going to puke! My whole condo smells like balsamic! Even my amazing smelling banana candle isn't strong enough to over power the smell. 

I told a competitive teammate today, it is better to set a high goal! You can always strive to get better than not challenge yourself enough!

Till the next time....put all your balsamic salad dressings in sealed containers! LOL!!!

Goal Adjustment

After just a day I needed to adjust my goals. I'm not making them less, I just didn't take into consideration outside factors.

My improve workouts goal originally stated I will WOD 5x/week at 6:00am. Well as a teacher I have to be flexible and I have a meeting this morning. So my adjustment to my goal is: I will WOD 5x/week at the 6am class or the 4pm class.

Also my improve nutrition goal changed slightly. So instead of eating real fit food for my lunches..I'll eat school salad bar-it's healthy. Then I'll eat my Real Fit food for dinners.

I believe goal adjustment is okay as long as you don't make your goals easier and just change the specifics.

Be great today!

Survived

Gotta love technology! I love the fact I can unwind in a bubble bath and blog at the same time. Okay, probably too much information, but I'm just trying to be real here. :-)

I survived the official start of paleo challenge. I went to bed early planning on waking up refreshed today..of course my mind was racing a good chunk of time. I was thinking about all sorts of crazy stuff. Must have been something in those raw almonds I ate before bed.

Truthfully, I was so busy teaching third graders that I really had no time to think about food. After working out I had my egg bake muffins on the way to school. I did get hungry about 10 this morning, but a jug of water and a handful of almonds cured that. If yins (oops Pittsburgh sneak out of me) live close to Naples you should try Real Fit food..awesome stuff!

Each day for the first ten days we have ac challenge to do 21-15-9 burpees, push-ups, and sit-ups. I do feel like a bit of a slacker for not doing these, but I did do 50 hollow rocks. Darn Mother Nature...I hate being a girl sometimes. Nothing like feeling like you're getting stabbed in the stomach and then extra tired for extra days. Guys, you got it easy!

Well time for more Advil, tea, B12 shot, and a heating pad!

Be amazing!
Juls

A Day at a Time

Caveman eating AKA Paleo doesn't officially start till tomorrow, but I started today. Day one hasn't been to bad. I do feel a little hungry and I have a mild headache but I'm doing okay. The goal is to take a day at a time and just concentrate on today. 

I have a great coach that may hate me by the end, but is willing to be there for me for accountability. Accountability will be the key factor for me this challenge. In years past the challenge has been...okay here's the book, good luck and we'll see you in 60 days. This time the focus has changed and it is almost like a mini biggest loser competition. I am ready, I don't want to be fat for another birthday.

My birthday is in 11 days and I told my family, that we won't celebrate my birthday until the end of February. So...no cake..no gifts until the 28th of February. I am pretty sure that eating paleo cake my coach would make me do some insane workout. 

So, I have made it through a day and even though the day is not done...I am okay and ready to refresh and go onto the next day! 

Goals!

Whomever you are that reads this post, goals are so important in your everyday life and when you are trying to accomplish a major task. If you are not setting measurable goals for your everyday life, I suggest you start. You can take baby steps and as you meet those steps then you can add harder and more advanced goals.

Today we set goals at the Paleo Real Fitness meeting. So, in blogging fashion I present to you my goals!!

Outcome goal: To lose 25 pounds because I want to be a better me!

Performance Goals/Process goals

- Improve Nutrition, I will do this by

• Eating Real Fit Food and Sage Private Chef paleo food
• By keeping a daily food log and turning it into my coach weekly
• By drinking 2 liters of water a day throughout the day
• Avoiding circumstances that may cause temptation

-Improve Workouts--Do box jumps; I will do this by:

• Going to WOD (workout of the day) M-F at 6:00am class
• Set goals for each WOD
• Accountability buddy
• Preparing for WOD's by packing my bag the night before and going to be early.

-Improve Mental Skills: I will do this by

• Creating a vision board
• Positing positive affirmations around my house and my classroom (my students will benefit too)
• Blogging-journaling and being transparent

Besides setting our goals today we also met our coaches. I have Coach Jessica!!!

Meeting the Team

If you are in tune with your body you know how certain situations feel. I'm nervous and anxious today. This is the day we meet our Paleo team for the Crossfit challenge and get our coach.

All the coaches at the box are great, but I feel like some are going to coach me and my team harder than others. I really hope and pray that I get a coach who will push me to my max and provide accountability.

My faith will play a big role in this journey too, as I will have to ask God to give me strength and take away the negative in my life.

So here's to embracing change! Looking forward to writing goals today and working on a vision board in the next few weeks with friends.

Getting Real

It's time to face facts and get real! I start all my challenges on January 6th! I am truly embarrassed to say that I weighed in tonight at 291 pounds.  I am finally ready to be able to walk into a store and buy anything I want!

I actually have been really good with my crossfit workouts this week, I'll hit my goal for this week of three times. Today was a hard workout-bear crawls and broad jumps, but I was able to push myself and got a great workout. I am hoping under all this cottage cheese (my fat), I am pretty solid.

So here are the challenges I am starting Sunday and they all go hand-in-hand:

Real Fitness Paleo Challenge-end date Feb. 27th

Weight loss challenge with another friend at another Crossfit box-Ends June 10th

Advocare Can You 24 Member Challenge-end March 15th

So here's to blogging this challenge and seeing results....goal is to stay positive and try not to get discouraged. Bring on your favorite Paleo websites and recipes!!

Juls

Beginnings...

One of my favorite movies is Hope Floats. In that movie there is a saying that kind of goes like this..."Beginnings are often scary, and endings can be sad, but it is the middle that counts the most." Beginning anything new can be kind of scary and hopefully the ending of this journey won't be sad. The sad ending for me is not being able to fit into my favorite Capri's because they will be too big! 

Joey, one of my Crossfit coaches always has encouraging quotes on his Facebook. Today he had this one: 

Success means having the courage, the determination, and the will to become the person you believe you were meant to be.

I want to embrace this journey. I kept hearing from a family member today, well when you don't succeed this year you can always try again next year. WRONG!! I am going to embrace my team members, my positive thinking, and my coaches and I will succeed this time!! 

Saturday is the first workshop with Kathy, the sports psychologist followed by weigh-ins and measurements. Then we get to complete our first team WOD. So beginnings can be scary, but I am ready and determined to fight this battle!

Pre-Game Day 1

Getting up early wasn't so bad this morning. After a somewhat restless nights sleep, I was able to get up at the first alarm and get ready to hit the box. Upon arrival at Real Fitness of Naples, FL I was shocked to see a packed 5am class, but they looked beat at the end. Getting my self ready I warmed up and prepared to push myself and do well.

One of the coaches told me that he hoped that he is my coach, because he is going to push me and break me. I work hard, but somtimes I feel like I could do more. I am the queen of let's make a deal on the WOD. Usually I have to modify the weight and some other area because I haven't mastered that yet at Crossfit.

One of the latest thigs the coaches have been telling all of us is to set goals. We had a seminar one Saturday morning on the importance of goal setting, today each round I set a goal and each round I exceeded the goal I set. The first AMRAP was 5 minutes DL 105#, 8 burpees-I did 3 rounds plus 7. The second. AMRAP was also 5 minutes KB 25# and 8inch set ups-I beat my goal of 4 and did 5.

Go out and make it a great day! Time to enjoy the last few days of Christmas break!

Back in the groove

I love having a vacation as much as the person sitting next to you, but I also crave and love routine. The best part of having a routine is the ability to stick to it. So one of my goals for this year besides Paleo is four times a week of Crossfit. After a long day of teaching third graders, it is so hard to get the motivation to go workout. Some days I am just so tired, but my goals have been keeping me going more consistently.

I'm blessed to have been able to get a job in town which cuts my commute time down drastically. To get my body and mind more in tune, I'm starting my morning routine a few days before school starts back up. Obviously the great thing to do would be sleeping by 9:30pm and not typing this blog, but excitement about the great things coming up I can't. So, tomorrow starts 6:00am WOD (workout of the Day). Alarm is set for 5:15 and my second alarm is set for 5:30. I have to be out of the house by 5:45am at the latest.

Heres's to the start of Crossfit mornings!

Getting My Thinking Clear

One of my coaches told me I need to get my head right as I start into this challenge. I don't know about you, but when I am starting something big like a paleo challenge I can easily talk myself into the bad habits that got me to this point. So, I took TJ's advice and I started surrounding myself with positive sayings and positive thinking all around me. I printed out several signs like the one above and placed them all over my house. I put one by my bathroom mirror, one by my desk and computer, and the last one I placed on the fridge.

I have already starting training my parents who are staying with me through the first part of my challenge to think positively. They are supportive but not always positive in their thinking. I need lots of support and lots of encouragement from those around me in order to be successful in this journey.

So, think positively, exercise daily, work hard, and you can do it too!