The Good Life

This is a MUST SEE

2010-03-01T18:22:00.000-08:00

HOLY MOLY. Talk about some serious blogging neglect. I suppose I go in phases with this thing. Well, good news- I am emerging from the winter darkness and have TONS of topics to blog about, so I will begin chipping away at them as best I can. The first thing I want to share with you is this PROFOUND video from this year's TED Conference. It is Jamie Oliver (who is apparently a famous chef) talking about the importance of teaching our children about food. Check it out:

Vote to Change the System, Part 2: CHICKEN

2009-11-21T12:02:00.000-08:00

This post is Part Two of a series of posts that summarize what is going on in our industrial food system as inspired by the movie Food, Inc.

"Everything we've done in modern industrial agriculture is to grow it faster, fatter, bigger, cheaper. Nobody's thinking about E-coli, type II diabetes, and the ecological health of the whole system." ~Joel Salatin

Do you like chicken? Do you know where the chicken you eat comes from? How it is raised? What it is fed? If not, you might want to start paying more attention.

Now, this is a good looking chicken!

Similar to the beef industry, only a handful of companies control the chicken industry. Two big names may sound familiar: Tyson and Purdue. After the near death of the tobacco industry in the south, the chicken growers moved in. Farmers who previously grew tobacco started to sign contracts with mega chicken production companies thinking they would be able to make a good living, and the chicken equivalent of beef production began. These farmers are not farmers anymore, they are "growers", and no longer are they in charge of their own businesses. They sign on with the big guns and have to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into chicken houses without any windows or light, into which they cram thousands of chickens. These chickens are fed low quality grain feed that is laced with antibiotics to "protect" them from the immenent infections they will contract in such filthy and cramped living conditions. They are raised and slaughtered in half the time (48 days) they were in the 1950's and they are twice as big. Their breasts are genetically modified to be bigger because that's what people *think* they want to eat. The chickens are so oversized and their muscle and fat mass grow so fast that their bones and internal organs cannot keep up; they fall down after trying to take a few steps, they can't breath, and many cannot fight off infection, even with the antibiotic flavoring in their food. Every day the growers have to go into the chicken houses and pick up the dead ones. The sick ones who aren't quite dead come slaughter time end up in the poultry section of your supermarket, and eventually on your dinner plate. The goal of companies like Tyson is to produce a large amount of food, on a small amount of land, for affordable prices. I suppose "affordable" depends on the context. If one can "afford" to make oneself sick by eating cheap food, then yes, it is quite affordable.

One grower, Carole Morison, shared her story in Food, Inc. She was contracted under Purdue and decided that she had to speak out because what these companies are doing is not right. The companies force the growers to make expensive upgrades for which they have to take out more and more loans, putting them farther and farther into debt and keeping the growers right where the companies want them, under their thumbs. Carole had the "old-fashioned" chicken houses that had windows; her contract was terminated when she refused to convert to the dark tunnel-ventilated houses. On top of the mountain of debt she accrued, she also developed a resistance to all antibiotics from inhaling them for so many years. A typical grower is $500,000 in debt and makes only $18,000 a year. How is this a good living?

Many of these companies, including the leading pork producer with the largest slaughterhouse IN THE WORLD: Smithfield, treat their workers as badly as they do the animals. Smithfield has to recruit people from the outlying areas because they've already burned through the people who live in town. They target very low-income areas and also hire immigrant workers whom they can take advantage of. They hire people who can't afford to leave and they recruit workers from Mexico who lost their jobs and businesses because of the corn industry in the U.S. The government turned a blind eye to this practice because it was cheap labor, but suddenly with the current anti-immigrant movement, they are cracking down- but not on the companies of course- on the workers. Eduardo Pena, a Union Organizer for the Smithfield employees says, "These people have been here for ten, fifteen years processing your bacon, your holiday ham, and now they are being picked up like they're criminals- and these companies are making billions of dollars". Our food system is not about food anymore, it's about money.

Okay, so with all of this negative information about the industrial food chain, I'll end this post with a video of Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms. He embodies what REAL farming is. He raises his plants and animals with respect and integrity. His entire farm is essentially self-sustaining, nature does what it is meant to do; cows eat and fertilize the grass, chickens run around and eat the bugs and worms, pigs get to plow through the mud under the oak trees. He realizes the connection between the health of the food we eat, our own health, and the health of the world. It's about respecting the natural cycle of where your food comes from instead of controlling it. "If we put glass walls on all the mega-processing facilities, we would have a different food system in this country," he says from his open air chicken processing station in his yard. I would love to have the opportunity to check out his farm in Virginia.

If you are in Oregon, I know of one farm who learned how to farm directly from Salatin, it's called Abundant Life Farm and they are located in Peacful Valley. I'm going to look into buying from them. Search farms in your area to find a good place to get your food!

Vote to Change the System, Part 1: BEEF

2009-11-18T11:08:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we watched one of the best movies ever. It was horrifying, empowering, and inspiring all at the same time. Food, Inc. Now, I know that it came out a while ago, and it might even be shocking that I have just now gotten around to seeing it, but I read The Omnivore's Dilemma last year and knew that this movie would cover a lot of the same information. This was true, but I am so glad that I saw it and I think it is a movie that EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE. For too long we have been in the dark as to how our food is grown, processed, and produced. We blindly eat what the government so kindly subsidizes for us in order to make it cheap, without knowing what, exactly, is in it. I'm not just talking about fast food either. We all know that fast food is one of the big contributors to our obesity, diabetes, and heart disease epidemics, but unfortunately the fast food industry is even dictating the quality of the food in the grocery store.

The food that most Americans eat today does not come from farms anymore. The pictures on the packaging have us believe that the milk comes from a quaint little farm in rural Pennsylvania where the cows roam free across the abundance of grass and clover and are happily milked by their loving farmer.. when in all actuality it is quite the opposite. Our food is coming from factories. No longer do the companies who produce our food treat our food with respect, therefore disrespecting the workers and and ultimately us as the consumers. It's not just about food either, it's about what we are allowed to know and talk about. You see, there are these laws called Food Libel Laws (also known as Veggie Libel Laws) that, in 13 U.S. states, make it very easy for food producers to sue their critics for libel (defamation). Remember back in the 1990's when Oprah was sued by a beef producer in Texas, after she heard about the conditions, for saying that she was scared to eat another burger? Well, luckily she is Oprah and she had enough money to hire the right lawyers and win, but the average person isn't able to do that. They will sue the average person. In fact, in Colorado, it is a considered FELONY to speak out against the industrial food industry. And what's worse, now there is the "Cheeseburger" bill (instated in 2005) that make it very hard for US to sue THEM. While I agree that people should be held accountable for what they do to their own bodies by their own freedom of choice (in other words, you shouldn't be able to sue McDonald's for making you fat), I do not believe that a law should protect the corporations who produce the poisonous food from any responsibility whatsoever. The bottom line is that people need to have available the correct information about their food and be provided with better health education. These massive industrial food mongers are in no way helping this to happen.

I am hopeful that the more people see movies like Food, Inc. and read books like Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma the more proactive we all will become with regards to what we are eating. Anyone in their right mind would make a change in their diet after hearing about and seeing where their food comes from. Take beef, for example: as the industry narrows down the amount of companies in charge of raising and processing the beef that is the most abundant in our food chain, the quality of the food along with the integrity of the companies quickly declines. In the 1970's the top five beef packing companies controlled about 25% of the market and there were thousands of slaughter houses all over the country, today the top four (Tyson, Cargill, Swift, and National Beef) control MORE THAN 80% of the market and there are only 13 slaughterhouses. In 1972 the Food and Drug Administration conducted 50,000 food safety inspections and in 2006 they conducted only 9,164. With this dramatic decrease in quality control and a subsequent decrease in quality, it's no wonder that we have had numerous outbreaks of E-coli 0157H7.

It all begins with how the cows are treated. The industry figured out the fastest and most profitable way to produce affordable meat for every American: cram as many cows into a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feed Operation) as you can (this equates to miles upon miles of the most unsanitary conditions you can imagine) and feed them food that they are not meant to eat (corn) so that they can fatten up at an unnatural rate. Cows are herbivores, they are meant to eat grass and clover, not corn with ground up chicken or cow parts mixed in. Someone once said to me, "Cows will eat anything you put in front of them, how is corn unnatural?" my response is this- apparently humans will eat just about anything you put in front of them too, that doesn't mean it's good for them, in fact it will kill them just as feeding corn to cows will kill the cows! The only reason corn doesn't kill the cows (most of the time) is because they are pumped full of antibiotics to stave off infection until they are slaughtered just before the antibiotics stop working. If we let the cows live a bit longer, they would die from being sick. While in the CAFOs, your delicious hamburger meat is standing knee-deep in manure, it's own and that of the thousands of other cows that share the confined space. Their hides get coated in feces and then sent to processing where thousands of different cows and their poo find their way into your cheeseburger. Yum, E-coli. One partial solution to the whole E-coli thing would be to take the cows off of their unhealthy diet and feed them grass for five days; they are amazing creatures with powerful digestive systems, they would shed 80% of the E-coli bacteria in their stomachs. Instead of doing this (and keeping the cows clean) the beef industry decided to create another entirely unnatural solution: they add a "hamburger meat filler" that has been cleansed with AMMONIA to the meat in order to kill the harmful bacteria. This filler is in 70% of the hamburger meat in the U.S.

Once again, this isn't just fast food beef, it's the majority of the beef in the supermarket as well. Even if it has a different name on the package, remember- there are only four companies who control over 80% of the market. You see, the fast food industry controls how MOST of our food is produced, since they are the top buyers of it. McDonald's is the #1 beef purchaser in the U.S. and they want all of their hamburgers to taste the same therefore, all beef is produced with the same [super low] standards. McDonald's is also the #1 purchaser of potatoes and one of the largest purchasers of tomatoes, lettuce, and apples. Yikes. With such high demand for cheap food FAST, quality is a thing of the past.

We must speak out against this.

Step one is to KNOW WHERE YOUR BEEF COMES FROM.

Coming up next in Part 2: CHICKEN

Protest the 40+ hour work week!

2009-11-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

Life shouldn't be as hard as it is. Our American society places upon us these expectations that are virtually impossible to fulfill. We are programmed to think that we must work ourselves to the bone day in and day out for the majority of our lives, so that we can "retire" (if you're lucky) when we are 65 and then really live our lives... if you're not too sick and doped up on 27 different prescriptions with 82 different side effects, that is. This is just plain WRONG. In fact, we are so indoctrinated with this mindset that if someone doesn't work AT LEAST 40-50 hours a week, they are considered LAZY by most other people. The thing is, we are MAKING OURSELVES SICK, and overworking ourselves is the foundation of it. You see, when you work 55-65 hours a week (let alone 40-50), sleep quantity and quality undoubtedly suffer, as does your eating habits (because eating healthy, home-prepared food takes more time), and also your level of activity drops off. Your stress levels begin to skyrocket because of fatigue, malnourishment, and inactivity so you are therefore less able to handle anything upsetting or stressful. Instead of doing things that would be good for your mind and body (like read, meditate, learn something new, or exercise), you are so damn tired and bummed out that all you want to do is to go home, eat some easy to prepare food (or even worse, take out), watch a movie (or even worse, television), and go to sleep. Then, the next day you drag yourself out of bed too early and not adequately rested and do it all over again. By the time the weekend arrives, you are so sick of your reality that all you want to do is go blow a bunch of the money you have risked your health to earn on alcohol and crappy food. And so the cycle begins. Pretty soon you are so completely out of touch with yourself, sick, overweight, and unhappy because of the large scale hormonal imbalances caused by all of this stress. And it all started with working TOO MUCH.

Sound familiar? You are not alone. This is America after all, so the vast majority of the adult population is with you. These are the same people who make up the statistics of sickness and disease- you know: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, etc. Those statistics WILL represent YOU.. if you aren't careful. Some of you are probably such control freaks that you still workout despite your demanding work schedule, lack of sleep, and sub-par nutrition which includes plenty of grains (I'll go into to evils of grains on another post). Well, you people quite possibly might get sick and die sooner. You see, when you are literally running on empty and have hormones that are so out of whack that your body doesn't even know if it is daytime or nighttime, running 5 miles is the worst thing you could do for yourself. When we are exposed to stress and light (as in daylight- or artificial light when we should be sleeping), we produce the hormone cortisol. Most of us have elevated cortisol ALL THE TIME. Exercise is a stressor. So if you already have elevated cortisol from your busy, worker-bee lifestyle and then you hop on the treadmill for an hour, you are only raising that elevated cortisol higher. Too much cortisol equals DISEASE. Oh and it also makes you fat. Do you ever wonder why you exercise all the time yet you don't lose weight, and sometimes you even (gasp!) gain weight? You spend hours upon hours doing "cardio" and you still can't seem to shed that tummy. Well the answer to this dilemma is in your hormones. Your hormones are dictated by DIET, SLEEP, and STRESS. Period. So before you even think about working out, you have to get your sleeping and eating habits in serious check. Otherwise your workout could be detrimental to your health.

As a trainer I have been known to refuse to train clients when they come in after having not slept or eaten well because I know exactly what a workout will do to them and I don't want to be responsible for that. I have learned this after witnessing client after client completely BONK out in the middle of a workout, unable to finish- so now I just don't even go there. If I myself am sleep deprived, feel like my immunity is low, or am otherwise not functioning effectively, I SKIP THE WORKOUT. It has taken me YEARS to learn that this is okay to do- because just like our mentality to overwork ourselves for money, we also have this sick and twisted idea of exercise and how skipping it is just not an option unless you are deathly ill. Which brings me to another point- if you are sick, PLEASE don't be so selfish as to go out in public (work, the gym, or wherever) and INFECT everything and everyone you touch. Stay at home and do yourself and everybody else a favor and just heal yourself. Okay, that was a bit of a tangent... I will make my point now:

If you have any control over how many hours a week you work: WORK LESS. Spend more time with your family (especially if you have kids) and friends. What is the point of working so hard for your family if you are so sick and tired by the time you get to be with them that you aren't any fun to be around? Not to mention, working less (and the subsequent effects) will prolong your lifespan and improve the quality of said lifespan. Do things that make you HAPPY and make you THINK (like, don't just watch t.v. or waste time on Facebook). SLEEP MORE and EAT VEGETABLES. Drink LOTS of water- WATER, not water with some artificial fruit flavored sugar alcohol powder added to it because you, "just don't like water" (WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? Water is life!!) DRINK REAL, PURE, UNADULTERATED WATER. Only when you have created good sleeping and eating habits should you even consider working out regularly.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting more information on how to achieve optimum wellness.
But for now, let's just start with working less.

The world outside of myself...

2009-10-26T10:07:00.000-07:00

The past three weeks I have been very much inside my own little world. I have been consumed in my own issues, decisions, emotions, and thoughts. And I'm OVER IT. While I recognize the necessity of taking time to check in with yourself and make sure you are headed in the direction you want to go, I am realizing (rather gradually) that the reason I have been feeling a little blank and uninspired is because I need to be a part of something BIGGER than myself. Something more than promoting wellness and helping individuals lead healthier lives (which I know is an important and noble thing), but something GLOBAL, something separate from what I do to earn money. Something that is selfless and truly making a difference for people who are in great NEED.

Last night we watched a movie called "War Child". It is a documentary about Emmanuel Jal, a native of Southern Sudan and a former child soldier during the civil war in the 80's and 90's until he was rescued by a British aid worker named Emma McCune. He now lives in the UK and has become a rap artist; he speaks and sings about his story and this is how he is healing from his unbelievable experience. He is only one of millions of people who have similar stories, and he is doing good by helping rebuild the lives of other young people like himself. He started a non-profit foundation called Gua Africa, Gua means Peace in Nuer, a tribal language of Southern Sudan (see above picture). Gua Africa is an effort to raise money in order to build a school in Leer, Emmanuel Jal's home village. Because of the 20 year civil war in Sudan, the children in this village and many others, no longer have a way to become educated. As an up and coming music artist, he has been able to support, not only his own family in Leer, but also young people in Kenya and Sudan who have been affected by the war.

I am going to become a part of this starting with setting up a monthly donation to the "Survivors of War" group of Gua Africa. I am also going to think of a fund raiser that I can organize and put on in Portland, similar to how people run a race for certain causes, but something more creative and fun than just running (although I did realize that although I have no desire to ever run a marathon, I would do it for something other than myself).

With all of that said, I have been thinking about my blog a lot lately: I am going to take it in a whole new direction. From here on out, this blog is not just about me in MY world, it's about me in OUR world. Stay tuned...

More Gluten-Free Goodness

2009-10-05T22:41:00.000-07:00

As most of you (all 3 of you- 2 of whom are my sisters- who read my blog) know, I am an AVID follower of Elena Amsterdam and her gluten-free cooking website and cookbook. I think she is a wizard because she creates some of the most delicious recipes, so delicious in fact, that I no longer crave their gluten counterparts. Well, I have found another amazing woman and her extensive blog about gluten free cooking. She is the Gluten-Free Goddess and I am so excited to try some of her recipes. She is not Paleo like Elana, so not all of her recipes will work for me, but a lot of them will, and the ones that won't can be easily modified. I was on a search for some good soups and stews since it is getting cold here and we are experiencing an abundance of root vegetables like sweet potatoes and squash. Plus I am craving some good quality beef. So stew sounds perfect. Like this one:

I have just begun looking through her recipes and I can tell I could spend hours oohing and aahing at most of them while I try to decide what to make first.

I have been spending a lot of time recently focusing my energy on manifesting financial abundance. With all of that energy going out, some is coming back to me in the form of opportunities to make some cash. Most recently one of my clients asked me to be his personal chef, to that I said YES!!! immediately. How cool is that? I am not "qualified" by traditional standards, but I can cook and I cook healthy food, so it makes sense that one of my clients would hire me to cook for him. It's funny, because as a personal trainer, the hardest part is to get people to eat the right food because I'm not making those decisions for them, but now I am- muah-ha-ha-ha-haaaaa! Well, at least for one person...

I am working up a new idea- A BIG IDEA- that I don't want to go into yet because this one is super special. I have a lot of ideas, and it seems like I bounce back and forth from one to the next quite often, so this one- this one I am keeping close to me for a while until I am sure that I can make it happen. I will tell you one thing though: I am more excited about this idea than any other.

Food and Humans

2009-09-30T12:57:00.000-07:00

As humans, more specifically as Western humans, our relationship with food is interesting. We no longer treat food as a drug, as our means of surviving and thriving. For example: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is in no way about the celebration of the friendship between the pilgrims and the Native Americans, because we all know what really happened.. Thanksgiving is about FOOD (and apparently football for most Americans). Yeah we throw the family aspect and the opportunity to spend time with loved ones in there (which I will go into more later), but really, the entire day or weekend revolves around the food. Is there something wrong with this? In Paleolithic times we did not eat for pleasure, we ate to stay alive and we ate what was available to us in it's natural form. Therefore we ate things that were good for us, things that nourished us as we needed. Now, we as humans, eat for pleasure, and it's actually killing us.

About a month ago, Ramman and I took a trip to our respective hometowns to visit our parents and to just spend some time in two great cities: Seattle and Vancouver B.C. During this trip I realized that my love for certain restaurants or bites to eat had dwindled. Before we went I literally wrote out a list of places that I wanted to take Ramman to so that he could share the wonderful experiences of this food with me and thus share my memory of how delicious it was. Now, I didn't want to go too far off of our regular way of eating because I had been doing very well with healing my digestive system, so I was picking and choosing what might be tolerable but still enjoyable. Once we got to Seattle, none of the places I had initially thought of going to sounded good anymore and I realized that the only reason that I had wanted to go back to them was because of fond memories of eating the food and associations with people and certain times when I ate it. I said to Ramman, "It's funny, because all of my favorite places to eat don't sound good to me anymore because I ate differently back then." as in, I ate poorly, compared to now. The thought of an old fashioned, glazed Top Pot doughnut used to make me drool with anticipation until I could get my hands on one (they always left me feeling quite crappy, but the way it melted in my mouth was worth it).. but now the thought of them and how I will feel for possibly days after is enough to make me say no thanks. The one place we did go (besides Whole Foods so that we could make our own Paleo creations of chicken and broccoli) to have a HIGHLY anticipated "cheat" meal was Taste of India, my favorite Indian restaurant of all time, one that caused me to scoff at all other Indian restaurants. I had been talking this place up for 2 years to Ramman, but when we went, I felt like I would be better off without it. For nostalgia's sake we went anyway. We shared a couple of chicken dishes and some chicken naan and I was pretty disappointed that my memory of my favorite restaurant would continue to be just that, a memory. Needless to say I was a little miffed at myself for choosing naan and so-so chicken dishes with too much rich sauce and not enough chicken as my "cheat" meal. I didn't feel that great afterwards either.

My point is this: it seems that our relationhip with food is a very fragile one. It's okay to have fond memories of this treat or that meal, but when we eat it and feel a certain emotion, we then become addicted to that emotion and think that there is no other way to achieve that elated feeling. When it is in fact the emotion and not the food that we are enjoying. Being aware of this connection is very important, because you can then make the decision to have this experience, knowing exactly what is happening. My tastes for food have changed. I no longer crave foods that I know will make me feel like I've been run over by a truck 70 times. My health is way more important to me than the taste of Hot Lips Pizza. That's not to say that I will never have gluten or dairy again, but I know what I react to and how I react so I can make an educated, rational decision when it comes to what I eat, as opposed to an emotional one.

Two weekends ago we celebrated our 2 year anniversary and I had an entire day (well, 2 meals and a dessert) planned, all of it gluten free and refined sugar free. We splurged with the dairy and the higher ratio of carbs, but hey, it was a planned and well thought out experience:) Here are some photos of what we ate for dinner:

Chicken Parmesan made with almond flour, parmesan, mozzerella, and organic tomato basil sauce, greens and broccoli cooked in olive oil and garlic on the side. Oh, and of course some red wine.

The most delicious Chocolate Cream Pie EVER: made with almond flour and unsweetened coconut in the crust, 72% dark chocolate, agave nectar, and coconut milk in the filling, and well.. regular real whipped cream on top- couldn't resist.

These almond flour recipes are from the wonderful Elana Amsterdam. She makes eating this way EASY.

Until one is committed...

2009-09-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

The past week or so I have been realizing again (because can never realize this too many times) just how much potential each human being has; how great the power of THOUGHT, DESIRE, and FAITH are. One of my favorite quotes of all time is from Jiminy Cricket: "When your heart is in your dreams, no request is too extreme." I have loved this quote since I was a little girl, and I have believed it too.. but since I've grown up and become an "adult" I have forgotten the powerful truth: ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. If you want something badly enough, you can have it, do it, or be it. You just have to commit to your desire and have the determination to make it happen and the faith that it will. As the famous polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said:

Until one is committed
There is hesitancy, the chance to draw back
Always ineffectiveness.

Concerning all acts of initiative (and Creation)
There is one elementary truth
The ignorance which kills countless ideas and splendid plans:

That the moment that one definitely commits ones self
Then Providence moves too.

All sorts of things occur to help one
That would never otherwise have occurred.

A whole stream of events issues from the decision
Raising in one’s favor all manner
Of unforeseen incidents and meetings
And material substance
Which no one could have dreamt
Would have come your way.

Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

I have already begun.

World Peace Day

2009-09-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today is the International Day for Peace.. Did you know about this? I sure didn't. Is it really a "cease-fire" day? Was not one shot fired? Not one person killed by another in the name of war? Doubtful. Here is a documentary that was made by a man named Jeremy Gilly of Peace One Day. In it he tells his story about how he accomplished having September 21st declared as an International Day of Peace. But his journey goes far beyond that- he continued his quest to try and get governments around the world to actually CEASE FIRE.

And here's a video from Matisyahu's latest album "Light"::
It's about PEACE ONE DAY.

Inspired for LIFE.

2009-09-16T18:24:00.000-07:00

Training has been going very well. I am still following all of Ido Portal's floreio workouts as consistently as he is posting them. When he doesn't post one I will usually do something else or go back to the beginning of his workouts and repeat them. This new variety of training has challenged me in incredible ways and I am very much enjoying it. I am able to do most of his "intermediate" skills and workouts now (I started at "beginner") but once in a while I am humbled by a new skill or combination and have to go back to beginner (like part of today's workout). I am not yet completely comfortable linking all of the moves together, but I am improving on the individual skills and linking a few together. This is hard stuff!

This is the workout I did on Monday: (it took 2 hours..)

Workout - Intermediate

Warm Up -

Mobility

A1. 5 min Joint Mobility

A2. Wrists Routine X 1 set

A3. Shoulder ROM and Stabilization routine X 1 set

A4. Ido's Squat Clinic Routine X 1 set

A5. Scapula Mobilization Routine X 1 set

B1. Handstand Body Line Wall Drill X 30 sec

B2. Handstand Straighten Into Line X 45 sec total work

Complete 2 cycles of B1-B2, resting 60 sec between exercises

(This is from the advanced workout, beginner and intermediate did not include the straighten into line drill)

Floreio
C1. QDR Rotational Push Ups -Beginner variation (hardest beginner variation) X 10-14 reps / 3 sets / 60 sec of rest
D1. Corta Capim Spin (beginner variation) X 14 reps / 3 sets / 45 sec of rest

Strength
E1. Gymnast's Extended Set / rest 180 sec / 3 sets(This consists of 4 different types of pull/chin-ups starting with hardest and working down to easiest, doing as many of each variation as you can and resting 10 seconds before moving to the next easiest.. VERY HARD)

Prehab
F1. Shoulder ROM and Stabilization routine X 1 set
F2. Scapula Mobilization Routine X 1 set
Complete 2 subsequent supersets of F1-F2 no rest

I went to Kaila's memorial last Saturday and left feeling incredibly inspired. It may seem weird to think that a memorial service can inspire you, but when it is in celebration of an amazing woman who led an incredible life- it makes sense. She started traveling the world when she was 15. She was a chef, a dancer, a photographer, a mother, and many other things. She knew many languages and had friends and communities that welcomed her all around the world. She was passionate about learning alternative medicine and healing; she was born naturally in her parents home, and she gave birth to her daughter naturally in her parents home. Most recently she was doing humanitarian work in West Africa, with her husband and little girl. They were living in a small village where she had built a well for the people who lived there, before this they had no clean water. I don't know how long they were there, but she and her husband had their wedding ceremony in the village honoring the traditional ceremony of those people. That was only in July. Hearing about her adventures and experiences connecting with people all over the world is only motivating me more to really make my own adventure happen; to make my dream a reality. She inspired people all throughout her life, and is still inspiring even though her physical presence is gone.

I made contact with a few farms in Belize where we can work for a free room and food. I spoke with one person on the phone (he lives part time in Canada and part time in Belize, smart guy) from Utz Kab Farm (Utz Kab means "Good Earth" in Mayan), and we actually committed to being there in mid-March to work on the farms for one month! Utz Kab is in San Antonio in the southern Toledo district, close to the Caribbean coast, and the other location is north of there in the central Cayo district close to the Guatemalan border. It is becoming real! Both places are all about sustainable agriculture and living.. they grow organic cacao, bananas, mangoes, oranges, coconuts (all of which we will be harvesting). We will also help build structures (cabins, fences, paths, etc.)- and there are LOTS of Mayan ruins, caves, rivers, and waterfalls close by. It is all coming together and becoming a reality, and I am so excited. The world and it's opportunities to help on a larger scale are beginning to open up. After Belize, the options are endless. I have a list of places where we can work/volunteer from farms to orphanages to guiding treks in the mountains. Next step: buying a one-way ticket to Cancun for March 1st, 2010!

Heartache..

2009-09-05T16:19:00.001-07:00

Me and my sister Lindsey, Summer 2008

Death is profound. It’s like a whip across the back to bring you back to the reality of the mortal world. I have never felt the grief of someone very close to me dying. I have come close, but thankfully it hasn’t gotten past the doorstep. When my grandparents died, I was too young to really experience what it meant. I miss them now and I wish I had known them better, but I was minimally affected by their deaths at the time.

The death of K is the closest I think I have experienced. She was my friend Z's older sister. Z and I went to high school together and our group of friends spent a lot of time with their family. My older sister Lindsey was friends with K. As Lindsey said, we were mirror images of each other; I am Z and she is K… and when I think about that it just makes my heart ache even more. Today Lindsey and I wept together on the phone.. I just can’t bear the thought of losing my big sister, and I absolutely cannot imagine how Z must feel. I have absolutely no idea how painful losing a sibling, mother, father, or friend is. But I know that I will have to experience it at some point. I feel like that point is getting a little closer. Each death that I hear about is a little closer to me than the one before it, and this completely terrifies me.

Ramman says that to deal with the death of someone you have to have the realization that nobody really ever dies. Their physical body does, and that is what we are affected by.. but their spirit is simply moving on to another physical body. I do believe this to be true, but it doesn’t really make it any easier. You still have to grieve and mourn, and that seems like an incredible amount of pain. Eventually you heal, and you can move forward.. but the pain, the pain just seems like it would be unbearable.

My heart aches for their family.

Be Extraordinary.

2009-09-03T16:13:00.000-07:00

ex·traor·di·nary-
a: going beyond what is usual, regular, or customary b: exceptional to a very marked extent

In the midst of a less than pleasant phone conversation with my mom a few weeks ago (oh, come on, we all have those kinds of conversations with our parents... right?), I took something she said a little too personally, as I usually do with her. She said something that to me implied that I was just average. She said that all throughout my life I was brilliant, I shined, I soared, but now, now I am just mediocre. Now, some of you might be saying, "Your own mother said this to you?!" but keep in mind that I am paraphrasing a bit (like I said, I took it a little too personally) AND my mom decided at some point in her adult life that being tactful, when offering feedback to her own children, is not necessary. She meant the best. She simply was trying to tell me to be extraordinary. And she's partially right, which is why I have this feeling of discontent and restlessness deep down in the pit of my stomach. I am not being as extraordinary as I can be. Which is why I am constantly day dreaming about ways to change my life. I don't mean completely change it, because most of it is wonderful, I just mean... create a better BIGGER picture for myself. This was my mom's way of saying DO THE BIG THINGS YOU WANT TO DO.

I moved to Portland just over two years ago. Before I moved here I was working as a personal trainer for two years at the Seattle Athletic Club in Seattle, my hometown. It was a great place to start out as a trainer and I have a few lasting friendships from working there. But I started to feel stagnant and I wanted to move forward. I felt moving somewhere by myself was something I needed to do (even though I had a lot of friends in Portland, which was another big reason why I moved), and I wanted to experience the fitness industry outside of my Seattle Athletic Club bubble. When I moved, I got similar jobs in Portland, but not before being unemployed for a month and a half. Needless to say I was elated to have two jobs and finally began to feel like I was settling in here. I was playing competitive Ultimate Frisbee and had a busy single girl's social life.. but I still didn't feel right. My health wasn't that great, I was eating poorly (compared to semi-high standards at the time), I was partying too much (again, high standards), and I was trying too hard to make romantic relationships happen because I was craving a real companion. Then I met Ramman.. and my whole world changed- for the better. He has contributed in HUGE ways to my evolution as an athlete and movement artist (I would have never called myself that before), my perspective of myself and my own power, and shifting my awareness of myself within this world. In other words: he has helped me open my eyes a little wider and pay attention to the periphery. I'm not implying that I would not have grown this much with out him.. he has simply helped quicken the process. As individuals, we feel empowered; together, we feel unstoppable. And so the evolution together continues.

I love helping people. And that is what I do. But I am getting tired of helping people the same way I have the last four+ years. I am quickly evolving as a personal trainer (I recently changed this title to "Movement Coach") and my theories and philosophies are leaking out where ever I go and whenever I speak.. sometimes to people who just aren't ready to hear it- but hey, who is ever really ready the first time they hear that they need to make some important changes in their life? I work in a gym, even though I don't completely believe in working OUT in a gym.. this is why I am unhappy professionally right now. Where I spend 20-30 hours a week does not directly coincide with the lifestyle I am trying to lead and teach others about. Sometimes I feel like my growth is being stunted while I'm at my job. But instead of hating every minute of being there, I am infiltrating. While I am here, I am determined to share my philosophies with as many people as possible.. I just have to do it rather quietly, as I might convince a few to quit the gym:) However, most people just smile and nod, and walk away thinking that I am way too uptight about gluten and pull ups... but maybe, just MAYBE, they took something away with them. Ultimately I want to either work for myself (hence, my and Ramman's attempt at creating Rip City Fitness) or a company (like Wildfitness or MovNat) that shares the EXACT same values and philosophies that I do. Not just some of the same ways of thinking- ALL. And to be able to spread this lifestyle (the Primal Lifestyle, that is) all over the world would be incredible.

The world is a very confusing and chaotic place and a lot of people are unhappy, unhealthy, and uneducated as to how to create a change in their own lives. This state of human beings is directly reflected in the state of the world. If more people (especially people in powerful positions) were in balance physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally... well, the world would indeed be a much better place. I am figuring out how I can continue with my personal and professional revolutionary momentum, travel the world, help people, and contribute to changing the world starting with the positive development of people of all ages; starting with each individual I come in contact with. This is how I am and will continue to be extraordinary.

Constant Evolution

2009-08-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, I have been neglecting my blog big time! I have been putting more energy into the blog for our business: Rip City Fitness - and I just haven't had the time to do both. But now, after just over 2 weeks of not posting, I'm inspired once again to pick up the momentum. I have a feeling this might be a mother of a post...

These past two weeks I have been reading, eating, sleeping, researching, working, took a short trip, more reading, and of course TRAINING. (Now it's already 2 days after I started writing this post.. where does the time go!) Here's what I've been reading, thinking, and doing >>>

ALMOND FLOUR COOKBOOK: I finally got my hands on Elana Amsterdam's almond flour cookbook! It is incredible! I thought her website was IT, boy was I wrong. Her website is just the beginning. There are some duplicates of recipes from her website in her book, but the book has SO MANY others. I encourage EVERYONE to explore this method of gluten-free cooking. It has completely changed my perspective on eating gluten-free. When I went gluten-free I thought that I would either have to give up certain things for good (like pizza, cakes, etc) and settle for gluten-free versions that were just 'okay', or that I would 'cheat' with these gluten-filled foods and pay a huge price. NEITHER! Now, when I want something that is not exactly good for me (in it's regular form), I can have my cake (or pizza) and eat it too! These recipes are not bad for you! And they TASTE BETTER than the originals (at least to me and Ramman). I'm not saying that I will never have gluten again, but when I'm craving chicken strips, I now have a delicious, good for me, gluten-free option. This woman is a GENIUS.

CLEAN: I'm reading this book "Clean" by Alejandro Junger, M.D. and it is giving me a little hope for the American health care system. Just the fact that a Western M.D. like Dr. Junger even exists is inspiring, not to mention he has been extremely successful in helping sick people become well with his methodology. He has a very interesting story, in short: he was born and rasied in Uraguay, lived a very simple and healthy lifestyle there. He was very active and ambitious and ate very healthy food. They did not have all of this overly processed and poisonous food where he is from. At a very young age he decided he wanted to become a doctor and so he went to medical school (in South America). For his residency he moved to New York City and over the span of three years of rigorous training in cardiology, he completely lost touch with his physical and emotional self. He gained weight, was fatigued, ate crappy food, and became depressed without even realizing it. After he finished his residency he took a big risk and was thought foolish by his colleagues for taking a job in India where he would be working in an integrative medical clinic. he worked with Aryuvedic doctors, Acupuncturists, Naturopaths, Chinese doctors, etc. and during that time started to develop his own philosophy on being a doctor that largely went against traditional Western medicine. This philosphy is becoming more widely known as "Functional Medicine". Throughout this journey as a young doctor, he developed a method of cleansing in order to completely detoxify and reset the human body's ability to heal itself. Not only is it about physically detoxifying, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. This is profound, especially coming from an M.D. I am about half way through the part of the book that is necessary to read before you actually do the Clean program, which is 21 days long. It isn't a fasting cleanse, although it is a calorie restricted and elimation diet. I'm excited to see how my body responds to it and if I can once and for all heal myself of these chronic digestive probelms. It's all about reprogramming your body, mind, and spirit.

PAYNOWLIVELATER: This is a fantastic blog about Primal eating. The author (who calls himself Methusula) spends a lot of time and energy sharing with people not only how he prepares food and how physically we are a direct result of what we eat, but also the psychology and emotions surrounding food. He also uses himself as a test subject for experiments on physiological reactions to food, which can be quite entertaining. He cites A LOT of valuable references that have to do with the Paleo diet and primal living.

MOVNAT: When it comes to how to physically train your body to be it's best, Erwan Le Corre has nailed it thanks to his extensive research on George Hebert and Methode Naturelle. Check out MovNat for some serious inspiration for changing the way you train. The philosophies that he represents exemplify precisely why I train and what I want to train for. LIFE. It's not about looks- that is secondary; it is about mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical growth through movement, and also a connectedness with ourselves, our environment, and our surroundings.Check out this video of Erwan practicing what he preaches:
BAD ASS.

WILDFITNESS: (wildfitness.com)This is a company based out of London who has teamed up with Erwan Le Corre (I think he is a consultant or something for them). Their philosophy is directly in line with MovNat. They host fitness vacations in Greece and Kenya (right now at least, I can only imagine how they will grow), and the coaches also run classes and training in the parks back in London. I have convinced Ramman that he and I need to apply to be Wildfitness coaches. If they like your application and your phone interview, then they ask you to come to London to train with them so that you can coach either in Greece or Kenya. We could work part-time or full-time. This is a company I would love to work for.. I don't think I have ever thought that of any other company or business.

ADVENTURE: Still trying to save some cash for our Spring 2010 adventure to Central America. It's a little stressful at times when I think that we'll never be able to do it, I just have to keep the faith, otherwise it will never happen. I am thinking of this adventure as a catalyst for change: the time to quit march (and for Ramman to quit the Mac), the time to not have a home (temporarily), to feel uprooted and open to opportunities that we otherwise would not have seen, and really just a time to gain a new perspective on our own lives as they are now. I need this. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step away from the place you are in to really see what it means and where to go next. Plus, saving for this and actually making it happen is such a HUGE goal of mine, that when I actually accomplish it, I will realize even more that I can do anything I want to do.

VISITING FAMILY: Last weekend we took a four day trip up to Seattle and Vancouver B.C. We had a great time hanging out with friends in Seattle, my sister Lindsey, and even my mom. I won't go into it here, but the last year has been a little rough with my mom, let's just say she doesn't believe it's right for a couple to live together before they are married or at least engaged. And she doesn't understand that to Ramman and I, we already are at that level of committment and we don't need some sort of social standard to validate our loyalty or love for each other. I was a little nervous about how seeing her would go, but it actually went pretty well. She and Ramman got a chance to discuss their views (still different) and learn a little more about each other. I think it was a good beginning for the lines of communication to be more open. After Seattle we went to Vabcouver B.C. which was such a pleasant and relaxing trip. We stayed with Ramman's dad, Dave and stepmom, Melody. They fed us well and we slept a lot:) We had a lot of stimulating and inspiring conversations about energy, self-realization, and the power of the human subconcious. After this trip I am fully convinced that I can heal myself of my digestive disorders and manifest my own reality to what I want it to be. We also got to see Ramman's cousins Sene and Chi and Chi's wife Tara and three month old Nyha. It felt really good to be able to connect with that side of Ramman's family. Here's Ramman, Chi, and Nyah:

As you can see, a lot of thoughts, feelings, ideas, and reflections have been happening inside me recently. So much that I hardly feel like I have had the time to process most of it. Writing about it all definitely helps, so I will commit to getting back to writing more often. It's interesting how when we feel overwhelmed with things positive and/or negative, we tend to just freeze, unable to to get anything out or let anything else in. It's all about continuing to move and change and grow.. Constant evolution.

Floreio Art

2009-08-11T16:56:00.000-07:00

I have been doing Ido's workouts for about 2 weeks and I feel like I have made some good progress with the movements and even linking them together a bit. Here is a video of me in my living room doing a little improvisational flow.. Remember- this is very early in my training of this art and so I am still very much a beginner:) This is very fun and a completely new kind of movement I have ever done. I'm excited for my potential and it just FEELS GOOD!

Finding words to describe this::

2009-08-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

"...Sitting and waiting for the politics to fix this, it ain't gonna happen, they all sitting on their asses..." ~Emmanuel Jal

So I am here at march on a Friday night getting some extra hours in.. keeping in mind, every day, my goal for next spring. I was dorking around on facebook when I realized that the other day I found out that I could watch TED presentations online for free, so I clicked over to www.ted.com to have a look at the plethora of interesting videos I can watch. I see a picture of a handsome African man with dreadlocks and the caption: "Emmanuel Jal: The Music of a War Child". Click. About 14 minutes into it I am choking back the tears (because, remember, I am at work) as I watch him dance around the stage and listen to him sing praises to the woman who saved him, Emma McCune. This story moved me an a thousand ways. So I want to share it with you. His story is the story of so many other African children who have had every aspect of their simple lives brutally stripped away from them. It's a story that you and I can't even IMAGINE. A story that some people don't even want to hear because they don't know what they will do with such a tragedy. Emmanuel Jal has turned his painful experiences into a powerful influence to create an educational revolution in Africa. This is the kind of revolution I want to be involved in. When I hear stories like his or of people like Emma, I am affected at a very deep level; it's so profound that it shocks me, but it's uncontrollable. I know that this is part of the reason why I want to travel. I want to see how people live in other countries, and I want to help those that are less fortunate and have less opportunity than I do. Why else would I be riveted by books like "What is the What?" and brought to tears by one man's song about an angel who rescued him?

I think what I am doing with my life right now is noble. I am not after money, driven by material possessions or status, I just want to help people reconnect with themselves through being physical and taking care of their bodies. And it's not driven by narcissism either. What I teach people is focused on helping them function better as a human being; to wake them up from the inside out. The aesthetics of training is secondary; it's not just physical.. it's mental, emotional, and spiritual. I think that if everyone in the world were to do this, to really know and respect themselves, their compassion would spread outward and eventually the world would be made BETTER. Humans are confused now. And it will not take politicians or laws or traditional life-paths to create the change we need. It will require each individual to begin with him or herself. Only when we each look inside ourselves and make a change for the better will we have the ability to reach out to one another and spread love, courage, confidence, strength, and compassion. This is what I do. AND I WANT TO DO IT IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS. In other places if that's what I am driven to do. Or at home.. the location doesn't matter, nor does the vehicle. It can be done however you want to do it, whether it's building schools in Africa, creating sustainable organic farms in Central America, or coaching little kids sports. We each just have to choose to begin.

Okay, I'll try this again...

2009-07-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

FLOREIO ART

This is a video of Ido Portal, my friend from Isreal who we (Ramman and I) met in May when he came through Portland on a U.S. circuit. He held a hand balancing workshop as well as an acrobatics conditioning workshop at CrossFit Portland and taught us lots of valuable training tools for achieving perfect handstands, among other things. He is now developing and posting (for free!) a training program for Floreio Art, the style of movement that he practices and teaches. I started his workouts today and was very satisfied with the difficulty of the beginner movements. I want to do this right, starting with the easiest versions and progressing through the levels as I get better. Floreio combined with Parkour and acrobatic training is going to keep me busy with incredible skill and strength development for a long time. And it is something that I am fired up about.

For the last two years I have lacked a true passion for my training. I have been training just for the sake of training. Ever since I quit playing Frisbee, I have been an independent athlete. Being on a team my entire life, I had goals, personal goals and more importantly a common goal. Now, I am by myself in this sense. And I think for the past two years I have felt a little lost… so I just trained. I have very much enjoyed getting stronger (exponentially!), learning some basic gymnastics skills, dabbling in rock climbing, diving into CrossFit, and experimenting with Parkour, but I have not focused on any one of these because I have not felt a burning desire to. The closest to passionate I have been has been for Parkour, but I have not dedicated myself to training hard for it because it HURTS. These knees can only take so much pounding now. Florieo is much the same kind of discipline as Parkour, and I think it will help develop the fluidity needed to be a good traceuse. But I also want to do Floreio for itself, not as a means to become better at something else. Floreio requires flexibility, controlled breathing, strength, balance, flow, dance, focus, and stamina, many of these things I neglect to train but wish to be good at. Now is the time to practice and become a master of movement.

Finally, I have a focus for my training. Seeing this kind of movement (Floreio and Parkour) is inspiring me to connect with a different kind of athlete inside of me. Not the power athlete, or the teammate, or the play-all-types-of-running-sports athlete, but an athlete who has a way of moving through space that is graceful, strong, meditative, controlled, and beautiful; an athlete who has complete control over and connectedness with her movements. It is just me and my body. Weaknesses are revealed and I am faced with challenges that I have avoided in the past. Strengths are made stronger but are also unable to cover up shortcomings. I am very excited to explore myself in these new ways; on physical, mental, and emotional levels. It is time to evolve as an athlete, person, and movement artist.

And the master plan includes training...

2009-07-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

I just spent an hour writing a very meaningful and important (to ME) blog post.. and then I fucking lost it.

Thinking of a master plan...

2009-07-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

I got to go home and eat my snack and take my nap last Friday. I never went on that 5k run... What I did on Saturday more than made up for it though. It was such an awesome weekend..

Friday night was spent master planning our adventure to Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. We have the route all planned out and we're even going to buy our one-way tickets to Mexico soon! For a three month expedition we figured out that we need $4000 each. This is a GENEROUS estimation, but better to have more than enough than not! We are going to find an organic farm in Belize to work on for free lodging and food through an organization called WWOOF. My friend Melissa is in her seventh month of travels in Central America and spent a few of them working on a farm in Mexico. I read about one farm in Belize that takes care of abused, neglected, and abandoned children. They grow food and have animals and the children go to school and live there. I would love to do something like that. We're planning on spending the first 2-3 weeks travelling around the Yucatan Peninsula seeing the Mayan ruins and caves there and then taking a bus into Belize. If I have extra money before or after the farm stay in Belize I want to get scuba certified. And after we've spent a couple of months in Belize, we will trek across Guatemala and flight back home from Chiapas, Mexico. All of this planning has motivated both of us- big time- to make it happen. It's going to be amazing. And I truly believe that it will change our lives for good.

Saturday we went to the Farmer's Market and loaded up on fresh veggies and even a whole salmon! We have an abundance of food:) After that we went to a 5 1/2 hour Parkour workshop put on by Rafe Kelley from Parkour Visions in Seattle at CrossFit Portland. It was super fun. And SUPER hard. I was glad I didn't do that run on Friday and even took the day off on Sunday too. We practiced a lot of the basics of Parkour: quadrupedal movement, going under things, vaulting over things, rolls and break falls, flying under bars, traversing across and climbing around on bars, and - oh yeah- running. We were so exhausted afterwards. It was well worth the $60 and is something I think everyone should do! After that we treated ourselves to an evening out with sweet potato fries, IPAs, and chicken nachos.. again- worth it. I hadn't had a gluten-filled beer in about a month.. delicious. We watched "The Octogon" with Chuck Norris and I slept incredibly well that night.

Sunday we went to our new favorite organic farm on Sauvie Island, Bella Organic, and picked close to 30 pounds of blueberries. Woah. Freezer is FULL. We will have blueberries and strawberries (from our last trip) for months. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and eating more (homemade this time) nachos and creating our master plan...

I'm feeling pretty good about my life. I have faith that Ramman and I can figure this shit out together and we'll look back on our crazy life when we are old and smile. Now that we have made a decision to go to Central America, we're going.. the journey starts now. After this adventure there will be many more, in all forms that life presents to us.. We are ready to focus our energy and follow our path, side by side:)

Shifting Energy

2009-07-17T16:27:00.000-07:00

I need a snack and a nap. I'm at work until 5:30pm. It's 90+ degrees outside. I'm supposed to do a 5k run today. All I want to do is go home, eat a treat, and fall asleep with the fan blowing on me. Mmmmm.. sounds so nice.

Last night we celebrated the end of our first session of Ninja Boot Camp by inviting all of the participants and their SFs over for some food and a Kung-Fu movie. Lewis, Matt, and Bonnie were the only people who came, but we had quite a wonderful time with them. I love having people over. All of the thought and preparation that I put into making it a comfortable evening for everyone brings me joy. I made some delicious gluten-free brownies from Elana's Pantry and they were devoured. I love it when I bake something without flour, sugar, or dairy and people can't believe how good it is; that it's better than the "real thing".

After our lovely evening with friends and good food, I just had to go ahead and have a "freak out" (as Ramman likes to put it). Usually when I freak out it's related to money. I hate that. When I am stressed about money I have this constant pit-in-my-stomach feeling until I feel more in control of my financial destiny. But the thing is, I still have yet to REALLY be in control. And then there's the question how much control one should be trying to gain over whatever situation is causing distress. At what point does trying to gain control become completely detrimental to the very aspect of your life that you are trying so hard to control? This is what I feel is happening with me and money. And it's been happening my entire life. Was I born into this financial karma? Can I escape it? Ramman thinks there is some deeply rooted issue with my perspective on not only how to acquire money, but also the thought (and emotion!) that none of my dreams or goals can be accomplished without a great amount of it. In my mind one has to work work work and save save save to make things happen. To go on the adventure, to start the gym, to be comfortable... But the thing is, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO WORK THAT WAY.

Last winter we both read a book called "The Four-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferriss. Here is a guy, in his early thirties, who GETS IT. He has mastered the game of life by first recognizing that he didn't have to buy into to the norms, and then refusing to play in it. He teaches people about how create an automated income so that you can dramatically decrease the hours per week you work, while dramatically increasing the amount of money you make. This liberation allows you to experience life the way it should be experienced- all over the world, learning languages and unique hobbies and helping people in whatever way you want to. He is THE example of what people should be doing with their lives. Read it. I'm reading it again. And I will read it again until I GET IT.

VagaNation!

2009-07-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

Who knew brown could look so good.

Last weekend was Potlatch. It's Wednesday now and I think I have finally recovered. What an amazing weekend. For three years (at least) I have wanted to play for Vagabonds; I wanted to wear brown, so after last year when my Vaga friends were wondering why I wasn't on the team I decided to just invite myself onto it. And I'm soooooo glad I did. This is an incredible group of people, not to mention damn good ultimate players as well. We finished the weekend 8-1 losing to Team Canada in the semifinals, and if it had not been a worlds year, it's quite possible that we would have won.

Potlatch is such a unique experience. What other sport would you spend an entire 3 days at one location, with over 100 other teams, camping out, playing games (other than ultimate), hugging opponents, jumping in lakes, "showering" in spigots, and completely forgetting about any other reality..? NONE. When you are at Potlatch, you are no where else. It feels so good to be surrounded by all of your friends, laughing for 3 days straight, and making new friends while you are at it.

I started this post on Wednesday morning but this week has been such a whirlwind that I am just now trying to get it out on Friday. The past two weekends quantify my ultimate season for the summer. Potlatch and then the beach tournament. Today I am leaving for Seaside, OR where some crazy fun beach ultimate and hanging out with friends is going to happen. Two years ago I went with the same crew (a bunch of friends from Seattle and a few Portland representatives) and this year with the addition of Jill and a few others, this weekend promises to be EPIC.

Last weekend I managed to stay away from gluten (with the very small exception of two bites of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream, which was honestly a space out and a complete accident). With all the beer and crappy food around I was quite proud of myself, not because I didn't have any, but because I didn't WANT any (except for, obviously, the cookie dough ice cream). Often, when I go to these frisbee tournaments I come back with a massive carb hangover that lasts for like two days. This week i have definitely had a difficult time recovery from Potlatch, but I think it was more the running around in the hot sun all day for three days than it was the carbs. I managed to keep my intake pretty low and ate mostly protein. Same plan for this weekend. I get wrecked enough just playing frisbee now, I don't need to make it worse by drinking and eating too many carbs! It's crazy how sensitive my body is to carbs and processed foods now.. it feels good to not be desensitized to it; to actually know what it feels like to have an insulin spike and drop (it doesn't feel good).

Ramman and I are cruising with Rip City Fitness as much as we can. We just completed our first Ninja Boot Camp and next week we will start another. I've been training Schwa and a couple of other clients, so we're bringing in some extra cash, trying not to find reasons to spend it. My goal is to save all my money from what we are doing with RCF, and hopefully this fall and winter we will get a lot of people enrolled in boot camps and Ramman's acrobatic training course. As far as saving money goes, it has been easier to do than in the past now that I have an ACTUAL GOAL, not just a dream. The most current update of our travelling goal for next year is to leave in February/March for the Yucatan Peninsula and explore all of the Mayan ruins there and hike/chicken truck it into Belize. A 3 month adventure. Then we will come back to Portland, work and train for the spring, summer, and fall and then leave again in the winter for Southeast Asia for 3 months.. etc, etc, until we have satisfied our travel and adventure bug (which may be never..?) But then again, Belize... When we get there, we may not leave..

Treat yourself RIGHT.

2009-06-29T17:41:00.000-07:00

Me, Robb Wolf, & Ramman

On Saturday, I went to the CrossFit Nutrition Certification which is put on by Robb Wolf. It was even more entertaining and informational than I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I knew going in that I would learn a TON from this guy, but I figured I knew the basics enough to understand all of what he would go into. Let me tell ya- this guy is SMART. And extremely funny. I suppose he has to be, how else would 70 people sit through 8 hours of him talking about the biochemistry of food interaction with your cells. His main point, the point that he is trying to convince people all over the world of is: Gluten is THE reason people get sick. He proposes that gluten is at the root of all incommunicable, auto-immune diseases- and when you get down to the scientific facts of the properties of gluten and how the lectin essentially puts little holes in out intestinal lining (no matter who you are), it makes sense that disease would occur. (If anyone sciency is reading this, please don't rip me apart for summarizing VERY poorly, I have the notes from the lecture if you want to discuss.) Robb also believes that ALL people are intolerant to gluten on some level, whether they have apparent symptoms or not! I have thought this for some time, before I even read his work. What it boils down to for me is that I am now completely convinced and empowered to rid MY diet of this toxin for good. I'm not saying that I will never ingest it again, likely I will, but VERY few and far between. As many people who know me know, I struggle with a myriad of digestive symptoms (as does/did Robb Wolf), and I am ready and willing to pull the stuff out of my diet completely for one month to see how things change. I already avoid it at a level that others might think is extreme, but now I am kicking it all the way out. Stay tuned for updates on how my gluten-free, Paleolithic eating habits are treating me:)

I would like to convince everyone that I care about to go completely gluten-free for one month. I know that some people are hard to convince (like I was) that it's worth it to take it out of your diet. All you skeptics need to do is read some of Robb Wolf's work and then go visit a retirement facility, like the one where Ramman's Grandpa lives. Seriously. Go visit your Grandma or great Uncle, and if you don't know anyone who lives in one of those places (lucky you), go volunteer at one for a few hours. See what poor lifestyles lead you to. If you are not convinced to take care of yourself after seeing someone who needs to take 24 DIFFERENT pills a day who couldn't walk a mile in faster than 40 minutes (if they could even walk that far at all) and can't stop their hands from shaking, who eventually will need someone to wipe their ass for them, well then you're an imbecile. I am DETERMINED to NEVER, EVER, EVER end up in a place like that. When I die, I am just going to die (this is what Robb Wolf says of CrossFitters:)).. there will be no long, painful, drugful, drawn out process. Nope, not me.. I am going to live, live, live, and then just die. And I will be very, very old.

When we got home from the certification, Ramman received news that a friend of his had died. Keith Goodman, only 53 years old, was an influential teacher in the Portland dance community and Ramman had known him from his Capoeira group. The past few summers Keith has invited Ramman to teach at his dance camps and they had actually just wrapped one up the day before he died. Keith often taught and performed contemporary dance in which he would dramatically collapse to the ground. This is the way he ended his final performance. He was dancing with some of his students during a performance and at the end of the piece he "lowered himself gracefully to the ground", as his partner, Bill Flood, recalls. A very sad and premature, yet fitting ending to a beautiful life.

That kind of story reminds me how temporal life is. It also makes me wonder what could have been done to prevent his death at 53. IS it all diet related? Keith was a giving, loving, gentle, happy person. He was passionate about dance and teaching dance. He had a family. He was seemingly fulfilled with is life. Was what he had been eating his entire life the cause? Is diet the only factor? These are questions that need to be addressed and experimented with.

We are complex creatures and so many of the things we expose ourselves to, things we think are good for us, could be the very things that kill us. Avoid misery and sickness. Eat foods that come in their natural form. Use your body. Use your mind and heart. Treat yourself right.

Fight the Power.

2009-06-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks Ramman and I have been getting up much earlier than usual on Tuesdays and Thursdays to run our "Ninja Boot Camp" at the Duniway track. When the alarm goes off at 5:45am it's pretty brutal, but once we get out there, breathe some fresh morning air and start moving around, it feels amazing. I know that our ninjas in training feel the same way too. We all show up a little groggy and fuzzy eyed, then we center ourselves with a 5 minute meditation, do some joint warmups, move into a more dynamic warm up with rolls, balancing on railings, jogging.. and then the wod.. Today I got to participate in the wod because it was a partner workout and we had an odd number of proteges. It wasn't too grueling of a workout but it was a perfect example of why one should do CrossFit style training: because I was ready. The time of day didn't matter. Whether I had or hadn't eaten didn't matter (actually, not having eaten probably helped). What the workout was didn't matter. I had to do it, so I just did. And it felt great to have already put in some training by the time 7:30am rolled around.

Latest thoughts on traveling: I figure if we each need to save $5000-$6000 to do the teaching English thing, why not just save that much and travel, sans teaching English, for 6 months. How awesome would/will it be to go to 6 different countries in 6 months?!?! I want pick 6 countries (that are cheap to live/eat in) that have something culturally that I am interested in learning. For example: Mexico: Spanish or Thailand: Muay Thai or Belize: Scuba Diving.. To spend a month in a country and choosing something specific to intensively learn, oh man, that would be amazing.

I've seen so many videos posted online about Neda, the young woman who was shot dead during protests in Iran. I've avoided watching the video of her being killed in order to selfishly spare myself from the emotions that would come along with watching it. I haven't had the courage to press play, for fear that what I would see would upset me an incredibly deep level. I didn't watch it BECAUSE I HAD THE CHOICE. I sit here in my comfortable apartment in peaceful Portland, Oregon, on my nice computer listening to reggae, choosing not to let disturbing images permeate my walls. Until today. I finally watched it. I decided that I can no longer protect myself from the gruesome details of our chaotic and corrupt world leaders and governments if I am going to refer to myself as anything even resembling a freedom fighter. Yes, seeing these images of innocent people's lives being stripped away at the whim of a sniper with a rifle and an order are extremely upsetting, but without witnessing the brutality and knowing what exactly is going on, how can I expect to be a part of the fight against it? And what about the people who HAVE NO CHOICE. It's in their cities, it's in their schools, it's in their homes, right in front of their faces. People, family members and friends, are being killed and brutally beaten right next to them and yet THEY KEEP FIGHTING. It's getting to the point that those of us who have the choice to live in a safe bubble, who have the choice as to what we expose ourselves to must FORCE ourselves to SEE WHAT IS HAPPENING. Because before we know it, it will be right in front of our faces and we won't know what to do.

Despite my liberal education and my alternative upbringing, I am politically ignorant. I am making the choice NOW to change my level of involvement in the fight for the greater good. I have always been on that level in my mind, but the fact that I choose not to read about or watch or listen to disturbing stories and images means that I am not fully dedicated to fighting back. I watch documentaries. I live as simply as I can. I try to make ethical choices when purchasing products and food. I do not support mainstream media. I do things on the surface that up until now make me feel as though I am doing my part. But now it's time to do more. Even if it is just reading, watching, listening.. It is KNOWING. And with knowledge you are armed.

So now I reach out to you who are reading my humble note. With all of the bullshit in American media, what are the best, unbiased, resources for learning what is happening world-wide? I'm assuming the BBC offers legitimate information.. What else?

Fighting the power..

Random thoughts from this week:

2009-06-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Belize.

I know I keep posting these pics of tropical places, but they are my

motivation to stay focused and make it happen!

(On Thursday)

What is with these allergies??? I've never had it this bad. It's taken me 4 days to realize that it's not a cold, it's just stinkin' allergies.. which feel the same, really. I'm tired, I can't sleep at night, my head hurts, my nose is runny, and my throat is scratchy.. pretty much the same as a cold- except it's not going away! I had/have certain goals for June that I wanted to accomplish as far as training goes, and this week has messed it up a bit. But today I am going to do something, maybe if I train it will help move this crap through and OUT of my system, and maybe I'll be able to to fall asleep tonight. Another reason why I would like to experience a different climate!

My goals for training included really working hard on my handstands, backbends, and muscle ups (by sticking to the schedule I devised back in May), and doing a lot of metcons and running to prepare me for Potlatch in 2 weeks and the beach tourney in 3 weeks. I want to feel strong running-wise for these tournaments so that I can play well (since I'm playing on really good teams) and so that I'm not COMPLETELY wrecked for 3 days after they're over. Doing that much running (Potlatch= 3 days, Beach= 2 days IN SAND) after not really running that much is just asking for some sort of injury or incredible soreness. So today I am back on the running/metcon horse, despite my runny nose and clogged sinuses. It's not a cold, so I'm pushing through this crap.

(On Saturday)

Thursday I did a great metcon that worked me but was also focused on my strengths:

4 Rounds for time of-

Run 400m (the Rip City 400- we don't actually know how long it is, but I think it is more than 400)

20 KB Swings

10 Pullups

I completed it in just under 20 minutes which was my goal (my exact time is in my wod book which is not with me at the moment).

Then on Friday I decided to do a metcon that would challenge some of my weaknesses:

From crossfit.com- "J.T."

21-15-9 reps of:

Handstand Pushups

Ring Dips

Pushups

This one was officially a painstorm for me at 29:25.. A far cry from Annie doing it in 9:49 here.. It was pretty brutal.. All pushing. Even though pushups are a strength of mine, after doing HS pushups and ring dips, the regular pushups felt like I had 100 pounds on my back. Good, hard workout. And humbling.

I am still feeling the effects of this allergy/cold thing. But besides a clogged head and a slight cough, I feel great. I am the perfect amount of sore:)

Last night we spent some time hanging out with friends and being social, going off the diet (the true meaning of diet: habitual nourishment) a bit, which was good for us. We find that we are most likely to "cheat" when we are out socializing at parties, etc. We usually "go off" of our clean eating once or twice a week and it seems to work well for both of us. It's amazing, though, how different I feel when I do go off. After spending so much time and energy creating a clean and smoothly running system, when I have a couple drinks and sweets, I really feel the difference the next day. A slight headache and a little more groggy than normal- but not bad. I'm just glad that I am sensitive to it now.. Two years ago I wouldn't have noticed- in fact I didn't!

I'm still planning on teaching English and travelling next year. I found a good program in Phuket, Thailand that is a bit cheaper than the other one I mentioned a couple posts ago. I can make it happen with about $3,000.. that's including airfare, food, a place to stay, the course, and some extra cash for emergencies. And that's considering airfare from Mexico or Belize, which is where I want to go first for like a month. Add on another $2,000 for after Thailand while getting a job and setting up living space in Japan or where ever I/we get jobs. So, I'm looking at saving between $5,000-$6,000 by next February... hmmmm... need to scheme up some more ways to make money and save it! I have never saved this much money, not even close, but I know I can make it happen! I want it badly enough..

Liberation!

2009-06-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday evening I got in my car to drive out to Beaverton where Ramman was already at the adult gymnastics class we like to go to. I was going to be late so he got a ride with someone and I was going to get there just in time to do a few handstands and flips into the pit and then go home. But the car didn't want to go. It tried, bless it's heart, it tried. I had to turn around, say a prayer that it wouldn't crap out on HW-26 and that I would get home safely. I did. The next day I take 'er in. A few hours later they call to give me the news... the Honda is real sick. And old. 21 years old to be exact. 152k. And it was running on 3 out of 4 cylinders. Now, I don't really know what the hell a cylinder is or does. But now I know that it is a part of the engine.. and the engine needs all 4 of them.. and anything having to do with fixing an engine is ridiculously expensive. Like more than what my little '89 Honda Civic is worth. Like at least a GRAND. And that's not including the other shit that was wrong with it. So, it's time to say farewell to my cute little car, it has served me well.. and GOOD RIDDANCE. Ever since I started driving, I have had car issues after car issues. So instead of being stressed 'Oh no! What will I do without a car?' or upset 'I'm screwed without a car!' -I am free. Free from paying for car insurance. Free from paying for gas. Free from worrying if it will make where I am going. Free from expensive repairs. FREE FROM CAR STRESS. I have a TriMet pass. I have a bike. Portland is small. I signed up for ZipCar. And we can rent a car or take the train for trips to Seattle or the coast. No problem. I might even be able to get some cash for the old Civic- lots of good parts in there!

Liberation feels good.

Training is all effed up this week. I can't tell if I am getting sick or if I just have allergies.. But I feel like poo. So I'm taking it easy until I feel ready to go at it again.. Bah! Scratchy throat, I hate you. Just when I am cruising along and feeling good, ready to kick it up a notch, you show up and ruin the fun..

Mexico.Belize.Thailand.Japan.

2009-06-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

Phuket, Thailand: I could study here.

Oh my, the possibilities are ENDLESS. As I sit here on a Saturday afternoon at the march wellness fitness floor computer, I am getting more and more excited with every thought, every click of the mouse, every page I read, every idea I have while researching teaching English in another country! Just the thought of being in another country by itself is enough to get my daydreaming, idealistic self all riled up. I am going to make this happen. I am going to travel. If I end up not enjoying teaching English, then I'll just stop.. and do something else. I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE. So I might as well try anything that I want to try. As long as I am smart about it and I make the appropriate plans and take the necessary precautions, why not just DO IT. Worst (realistic) case scenario (realistic meaning, nothing involving injury, illness, or death of course) is that I end up back home in the good ol' USofA sooner than I anticipated with little to no money and I go back to training and/or go back to school. That's a pretty good 'worst case' if you ask me.

The thought of doing this with Ramman makes it that much better. Ever since we met we've been dreaming about going on adventures together and seeing the world. Now we can give ourselves that opportunity. By doing our research and carefully planning (as carefully as one can plan when deciding to travel the world sort of open-endedly), and setting up an ideal situation for ourselves in someplace like Japan, we could open up all sorts of other opportunities. I truly believe that we can create our ideal lifestyle in a place with white sandy beaches, living simply, with frequent trips to visit family and friends, and minimum stress and maximum creativity. How, I don't exactly know- but if I knew that now, I'd be there already! That is the fun of life, figuring IT out as best you can, and having fun along the way. I refuse to buy into the program that so many people have fallen victim to, without even knowing it. It's the program of a "9-5" and being part of a machine that is only meant to improve the lives of the chosen few who are already at the top and coincidentally (or NOT) aren't the ones who need lifestyle improvements or assistance. This is not to say that I just want to sit on the beach and drink pina coladas for the rest of my life and let my mind and heart wither away with inactivity. No, actually, it's exactly the opposite that I am after. FREE TIME. To do the things that really light the fire. Help people, teach people, make things with my hands, grow things, fix things, build things, contribute to humanity in tangible ways. To be able to do all of these sorts of things without the stress of American life as I have experienced it thus far. I want to be an ex patriot. I want to come back, but I have to leave for a while.

Some of you nay-sayers (not all of you, but there are a lot of them out there) might be asking how the hell I'm planning on achieving this lifestyle by teaching English in another country... Well, I'm not- that is just the beginning. I know that once I do something big like leave home to go live in another country for a year, the lights will come on and the doors will open. ALL. OVER. THE. WORLD. I have an amazing partner, we don't have any kids or property (except Toro, who I will have to place with somebody while I am gone), now is the time to start this adventure.

So far it looks like for the actual teaching job itself Japan will be the best option. Ramman and I have a friend, Jenni, who taught there for two years and can hook us up (if not help us, or one of us, get hired there) with contacts. Japan pays the most and in the smaller cities outside of Tokyo and Osaka, the cost of living modestly is not too high. And even though we bombed the shit out of them in World War II, thanks to the tried-and-true war games executed geniusly by Roosevelt, the Japanese people LOVE them some Americans. It will be so incredible to be in the Japanese culture and living a completely different lifestyle than what I am used to. And even though Japanese isn't the first on my list of languages to learn, hey it's a start. Plus, I LOVE Japanese food. Jenni lived there in 2000 and paid $400 a month for a 1 bedroom with shoji screens and tatami mats that was big enough for two people. And she surely was paid at least $2000-$2400 a month. She taught people of all ages, from babies and moms to business men and doctors. She said she would have stayed had 9/11 not happened.

So, next up: find the course to take and register. CELTA is the best course to take as it is the most highly accredited certification. Then there is a TESOL/TEFL course that is almost just as good (I am still a little confused about what course is what and if some of them are the same with multiple names). These courses run anywhere from $1200-$2600 depending on where you take it. Phuket, Thailand offers the course for $1600 including accommodations (a modest room or hotel room) and possibly even some food. The course is 4 weeks long and goes from 9am-6pm every weekday (Fridays you are done at 3pm). In Thailand you can eat for $5 a day. And if we didn't want to stay in the accommodations provided we could find a nicer place for like $300 for one month. There is a course that starts pretty much every month of the year, so you just pick the month you want to go and register for it. The ONLY thing I have a reservation with is registering for the course which costs A LOT of money, online. A little sketch. So hopefully more research and answered questions will shed some light on this matter.

The MOST IDEAL situation for us would be this: save money like our lives depend on it, leave the US around January, go to Mexico and/or Belize for a month, fly to Thailand from there, take the month long CELTA course, apply for jobs in Japan, travel around a bit more, go to Japan and teach English for a year, and then..........

Possibility.

2009-06-09T13:16:00.000-07:00

Today I had a revelation of sorts. Once you realize that anything is possible, like REALLY realize.. it can become a little stressful. And once you realize that EVERYTHING is possible, well- it can be even more stressful and overwhelming. And if you're not careful, you could even get depressed by thinking 'Well, if anything and everything's possible, why the hell haven't I done it yet??' It adds to the irony of life I suppose..

So here I am in the midst of realizing the possibilities, like REALLY. People (parents, teachers, mentors, family, friends, spiritual gurus, etc.) have always told me that I can do anything I want to do; that nothing is impossible; the world is mine. But it's something different now that I actually BELIEVE that I can do anything I want to do. And I didn't even realize that I didn't entirely believe this, until now. It's quite empowering.. and quite intimidating.

The next plan: live in Portland until our lease is up in February next year and then go to Mexico (the Yucatan Peninsula) for a month or so. In Mexico we'll learn some Spanish and live simply and just have a good time. Then we will leave from Mexico to where ever we end up getting teaching jobs and stay in that country for the length of whatever teaching contract(s) we get (hopefully 6 month contracts, so we can go on to somewhere else). In the meantime, here in Portland, we will figure out what English teaching certificate to get (if any), start applying for jobs in the countries that pay the most (Japan and Korea happen to be at the top of the pay scale), and network with people who have contacts overseas- who knows, maybe there are some other jobs that we could apply for that have nothing to do with teaching English.

Everything is possible.

"Suicide Stairs"

2009-06-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is how I felt by the fifth set of stairs today.. But it felt good. There is a crazy set of stairs by my house that is fondly referred to by some as the "Suicide Stairs".. it ascends for probably about 100-150 feet up a ravine and consists of 202 steps (which someone so kindly marked at the top, although I have counted them myself too). It was humid and warm and I was drenched in sweat. By the time I was done I had ascended a total of 1,010 steps and done 100 push ups. It was wonderful:) Although I can't believe that there was a time once (or twice) a couple of years ago that I ran DOUBLE this amount of stairs.. much slower, I'm sure.. yikes.

The Storm

2009-06-04T19:10:00.000-07:00

The Northwest is so funny when it comes to weather. So many times have we been caught off guard by "extreme" (for such a mild climate) weather conditions- example: the snow storm this last winter that gave us about a foot and a half of snow. But the funny part isn't when the weather actually happens; the funny part is when there is all of this anticipation for some huge storm and then it doesn't happen. Like today.

It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day up until about 4:30pm. Then these evil looking dark clouds began to blanket the sky in a seriously threatening manner. It has been very humid the past few days, so I've been waiting for it to rain so that I can stop sweating CONSTANTLY.. so I'm thinking, 'Yes. Finally.' I was at work training a client and the t.v. was on (because it is ALWAYS on unless I turn it off, these people don't know what to do without information overload- ALL THE TIME..) and I noticed that there was some text written across the screen, I read it and it said "Severe thunderstorms for the following counties:" and my county was listed. I looked outside again and the sky was almost BLACK. I thought, 'I wonder if I can get home on my bike before it's too nasty out." But by the time I was done training my client, the Emergency Broadcast System had come on, no, not the test, the actual Emergency Broadcast System. Damn. I don't think I have EVER seen that (of course I don't have a t.v.)- it was as if we were being attacked or we were waiting for a tornado to hit.. in OREGON. I was about to get on my bike and race home, but my boss/friend advised me not to because he thought I would get caught in the worst of it. So, I waited... about 45 minutes later, still nothing had happened except for a 30 second downpour and a couple small flashes of lightening. I looked outside and it looked like it was clearing, so I hopped on my bike and pedaled my heart out so that I could get home before it REALLY hit. Here I am, almost an hour and a half later and still NOTHING has happened.

And I was getting all amped up for a thunderstorm.

Catching Up..

2009-06-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is Gabe and Maren, two of my dearest friends from Summit..
It was so good to see them:)

I missed logging a couple of workouts from last week:

Thursday 5.28
Ran the waterfront loop, about 3 miles, did not time
Gymnastics at Omega: handstands, trampoline, back tuck drills, one spotted back tuck off of spring board onto 8 inch

Friday 5.29
2 basketball games at Summit, 2 hours

Sat & Sun: Rest

Monday 6.1
Back on schedule with training
1.5 hours

Tuesday 6.2
2 hours

I am going back to keeping track of my training in a notebook. I would like to be able to do both a notebook and my blog, but it just takes too much time. I am trying to do as Tim Ferriss, author of "The 4 Hour Workweek", teaches in his book: simplify things. So my blog now is only going to be for writing. I'll still write about training, of course, because it's such a big part of my life, I just won't be tracking the specifics on here.

I have a focus now. Ramman and I are going to let Rip City Fitness live throughout the summer in the parks outside.. and if it goes for longer than that, great. I am going to keep working and save some money. We are going to finish our lease at our apartment and when it is up, we will be outro. I am doing a lot of research on teaching English abroad: which certifications are the best, which countries offer the highest pay and accommodations, where Ramman and I can both work, and where we want to go. So far it seems that Korea, Japan, and Thailand have the most ideal set up. Teaching English abroad will be a smart way to travel.. start out in a place with good pay and enough hours, and then move on to other countries once the money isn't as much of a factor. And just travel. Not to mention, there are numerous places where we can take the certification course (CELTA is the one I am looking at, it's like the NSCA/ACSM certification of TEFL, although it is also the most expensive and it might be better to do a cheaper one...) like NY, DC, Thailand, Costa Rica, Mexico, etc, etc. Today I am finally going to the post office to turn in my passport application.. It's been in my bag for over a month waiting to be dropped off.. Procrastination at it's best- er worst. And the research continues.....

I've been able to reflect a little bit on my weekend up in Seattle. On Saturday morning I went to see this incredible woman, Ann Reese. She used to be a counselor but she gave up her license because she didn't agree with the lack of ethics in the processes that counselors have to take, specifically taking notes on patients and handing the notes over to the state. So she is now an Existential Phenomenologist. Now, some people might say she's a kook with a title like that, but she is philosophical, intelligent, insightful, and intuitive, and talking with her empowered me. I went to her with an open mind and curious to see what sort of insight on my own life she could offer, and it was an affirming experience. We mostly talked about my relationship with my mother and how I can be more assertive in setting boundaries with her as well as be more inviting. These two things may seem like opposites, but exercised together, hopefully, will lead to more mutual respect and understanding. She reminded me that I am a strong individual and that I am doing well. She could see things about me that I have been confused over or forgotten.. I am doing well.. and nothing is wrong with any aspect of the way that I am living my life. And I am ready to make the changes in my life as I see fit.

I'm ready.

Summit K-12

2009-05-31T21:21:00.000-07:00

Friday May 29th:

I'm about to leave for Seattle for the weekend. The school I went to for 7th grade through senior year is being closed so there is a farewell reunion/celebration this weekend. I'm really looking forward to seeing all my old friends and teachers and being in the Summit building one last time. When I found out about this months ago I really wanted Ramman to come (I still do). I wanted him to see where I came from and meet some of the people who helped shape me into who I am now and who I am still becoming. As the weekend approached it seemed as though it would be somewhat difficult logistically for him to make it. The reunion starts today (Friday) in the afternoon with an alumni basketball tournament, and he has an obligation here in Portland until 6pm.. So he would already have missed the basketball games, which I am playing in, and we were unsure how he would get up here later. But I was going to figure out a way to make it happen so that we could spend a nice weekend together in Seattle. Just when I had figured out a plan, my mother decided to spaz out again and go on a rampage of sending messages about how awful Ramman is and how he is not right for me, etc etc.. (This has been happening off and on for about a year now.) So I made the decision to ask Ramman to stay in Portland so that I could make an attempt at connecting with my mom over the weekend and I knew she would unfortunately not be open to this if he was there (for whatever reason or lack thereof, because there actually is NO logic behind why she says she doesn't like him). So here I am about to leave, and I'm regretting making that decision for a few reasons. First, I want Ramman to be there. That in itself is reason enough. Second, I'm only encouraging her manipulative behavior by giving in to what she demands, which will only make future attempts at having them be around each other all the more difficult. And third, same as first, I should have just done what I wanted to do. I feel like I've gone against my philosophy about only doing what it is that I want to do and not being forced into doing something I don't.

All I am trying to do is make this better. It has been stressing me out for a year. The fact that my mom has decided that Ramman isn't the right man for me has made having a good relationship with her absolutely impossible. And she is not open to getting to know him. She has already cast her judgement and nothing can be done to change her mind, unless of course she decides to.

And in the midst of trying to make this better, I am making the wrong decisions and crying way too often.

Frustration.

Sunday May 31st:

I just got home from a very long and eventful weekend. And apparently I'm not home yet. I have not had one second to reflect on the last three days and their profound impact on me. And now that I am home, I am regretting even more that Ramman wasn't there. He knows that I have just gone through this amazing experience with old friends, my mother, Ann Reese (whom I will write more about later), and myself but he is not connected to it. Since he wasn't a part of it, he seems frustrated that I am not all the way home yet. I understand his frustration. But I still need time to decompress and reflect on all that has happened this weekend. I'm unable to put it all into sentences and paragraphs at this point....

Friday: basketball tournament, Mama came and had so much fun, seeing everyone for the first time in years- Dharma, Gabe, Adam, Yuuki, Jessica, Sita, Devin, Carley, Corey, Jared, Justin, Crystal, Carrie, my teachers, etc..

Friday Night: hanging out with Jasen, Adam, Jess, Dharma

Saturday: went to appointment with Ann Reese, cried, and had profound realizations of my strength and individuality.. Met up with Mindy, went to Glimpses, saw more old friends and two of my favorite teachers: Andy Bell and Cora Mackoff.. Watched Glimpses and cried with the slide show of pictures and quotes, saw Maya dance..

Saturday Night: went to Jalisco's with EVERYONE. Visited, hugged, laughed, reconnected.. Went with Gabe to see my dear Maren<3

Sunday: hung out with Mama, left to meet up with Rachel who I haven't seen since I moved to Portland.. drove home..... reflection.. gratitude.. looking forward..

Profound

2009-05-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night:
I just don't know what to do. Right now I just feel like running away. Far away. Seriously. I'm thinking that I will get my ESL certificate and just go. Ramman may come too. Maybe I need to do it alone..? Maybe it will be wonderful with him.. I just don't know. But I do know that I want to leave. I want- no I need to experience life in other cultures, learn other languages, and just be away from all of this.. This that is our society, American culture and the expectations and standards of the people that buy into it. It's all bullshit.

On Wednesday night:
I just watched the second Zeitgeist movie: Zeitgeist Addendum. It was incredibly profound. I remember crying after I saw the first Zeitgeist movie because I felt so helpless.. This one was quite different. It was empowering. Knowledge is empowering. Just when I started to feel lost and out of control of my own destiny, this movie reminded me that I can be free. I can achieve what I want to achieve, despite the system constantly trying to keep me, and others like me, down. I say fuck that. I'm going to do great things and experience life how I want to experience it. Mistakes will be made along the way, victories will be had, and it will all be wonderful. People may not agree that my decisions are the best, but they are my decisions, and I will own them no matter what they are. No decision I make is going to ruin my life. No regrets will fill my heart throughout this journey and when I'm done I will rejoice in all that was: my miraculous life.

Here is the movie.. Take action- watch it..

Taking it easy this week

2009-05-26T20:09:00.000-07:00

This week I am listening to myself.. Other things are going on in my life that are requiring a certain amount of energy, so I am only training if I want to. It is a good time to just take it easy and only do what I want to do.. Next week I'll be back on track with my regular training schedule.

Today I just felt like doing a bunch of different things instead of a WOD:

20 V-Ups
20 Arch-Ups
20 Side Arches each side
20 Lemon Squeezes
40 Russian Twists
2 Sets of stairs
(all with client Zach)

10 Muscle Ups from knees
10 Dips
3x5 Strict Pullups
3x10 GHD Sit-Ups
3x10 GHD Back Extensions
3x5 GHD Side Arches
100 Double Unders for time= 3:23
2x20 Squats & Lunges + 45# weight vest
10 Bent knee wall handstand drill
Hips, Knees, & Ankles Pre-hab (Ramman learned at the GB Seminar, really good stuff!)

It really is a good life..

2009-05-25T22:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday as I was getting ready to ride my bike up to Council Crest and spend some meditative time alone, my friend Tad calls.. A few of my friends were hanging out, having a barbecue and jumping into a 3 foot pool filled with freezing cold hose water.. So I said, "I'm in, be there in a bit." So I quickly did a workout and hopped on my bike and pedaled over to Hawthorne in the sunshine. It wasn't exactly meditative time alone, but it served the same purpose: joy and resolution.

This weekend I didn't expect to figure it all out. I didn't expect that three days of spending time alone would lead me to any grand conclusions about what career I next want to go into, or how to heal my relationship with my mother. I know that it will take more than just one long weekend. But what I did realize is that I have a good life. I have a few problems, yes, but so does everyone else.. ultimately my life is wonderful. I have love and companionship, I have incredible friends, I have a comfortable place to live, I have plenty of food, I have a healthy and able body, I have good jobs that provide me with enough money, and I have ambition. So even though I am questioning certain things about my life, I know that it will come to me. My questions will be answered, well- at least the ones I need the answers to. And for the time being, I am happy and safe and healthy. I have abundance.

One thing I did decide this weekend is that this summer I am committing myself to experiencing joy. I am going to hang out with my friends more, be a bit more spontaneous, spend lots of time outside, and take spur of the moment adventures on days when I don't have much going on. I am going to do all the things that fill me with joy and grace.. I am going to surround myself with happiness and light so that my life will continue to be abundantly filled with exactly that. By making my journey a fulfilling one is how I will get the answers, how I will gain perspective and realize exactly who I am.. It's life.

Today Ramman came home around 1:30pm and I was thinking that I would do a workout and just hang out at home, but instead we spontaneously went to a river with his friend who is visiting for a week or so. His friend is from Portland originally and so he knew of a secluded spot on the Sandy River, about 45 minutes away. It was such a magical place. We got there and as it turned out it was a watershed and we had to hop a fence and walk about a mile (above picture) in to this bridge that was about 100 feet above the river. Nobody else was there. The river was pretty high, so instead of being able to just walk along the shallow rocks, we had to make our way down small cliffs, over rocks, and through brush until we got to one of the pools. We were all scratched up and stung by a few nettles so even though it wasn't too hot, we jumped right into the FREEZING water. It felt so amazing. The river wasn't the only thing that refreshed me.. I felt very calm in this place. I even could hear what sounded like voices as we were trekking through the woods.. happy voices.. river voices. It was the strangest thing; it was comforting. This is the way that I want to spend my summer.. my life. Enjoying the unknown experiences that make me feel alive and connected with the worlds around me.

The view of the river from the bridge:

Here's the WOD I did yesterday:
Half "Barbara"
5 Rounds for time:
10 Pullups
15 Pushups
20 Situps
25 Squats
17:45

A Weekend Alone

2009-05-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

Ramman left yesterday for the Gymnastic Bodies Seminar down in California. Besides having to be at work today, I am enjoying my time alone. Apparently I have a lot of things to think about.. I think tomorrow I am going to ride my bike up to Council Crest. In the two years that I have lived in Portland, I have never been up there. I've heard you can see all of Portland and it will be a beautiful, clear, sunny day. My focus this weekend is to just be in the moment, alone.

I was planning on driving up to Olympia to celebrate my brother's birthday tonight, but driving for two hours only to not really get to hang out with him (he'll be spinning records at a dance club) and be with a bunch of strangers dancing until 2am is pretty much the opposite of what I want to do. And what I need. If I went, I wouldn't be able to take full advantage of this weekend alone, and this is something I need right now. I'm sorry Ira, I love you and happy birthday.. Linz and I are getting you an iPod:)

This week has been very challenging on a few different levels. But I think what it all boils down to is that I need to pay some serious attention to myself for a while so that I can figure out what it is that I want to do. More on that tomorrow...........

Friday's WOD:
(I had low energy and just wanted to move a bit, so this wasn't timed or too intense..)
4 Rounds:
10 GHD Situps
10 GHD Back Extensions
10 GHD Side Arches
10 KB Swings 16kg

My life is like the weather in Portland.

2009-05-20T22:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted my workouts for a few days, here's what I've been doing..

Monday-
GB WOD:
3x5 Heavy Weighted Deck Squats
3x5 Half GHR (negatives)
3x10 Hip Circles
Stretch

Also:
3x10 GHD Situps
3x10 GHD Back Extensions
3x5 GHD Side Arches
Jog 1 mile (with clients)
30 Divebomber Pushups (with clients)

Tuesday-

5 sets of 202 stairs, 10 pushups at the top

Total Stairs= 1,010
Total Pushups= 50

Wednesday-

Inspired, once again, by CrossFit 603:

Lift 40x my body weight (145x40= 5,800 lbs) from the ground to overhead..

I decided to turn this into lifting the weight from not quite the ground to overhead :l seeing as how I have hardly done ANY Oly lifting in the last 6 months (at least)

**So- I used 75 lbs and did 77 Hang Clean /Split Jerks for a total of 5,800 lbs moved. Boy was that rough. During the first ten reps this is what was going through my head, "EFF.. I don't know if I can even do 50.." But I did all 77 of them, it took me 20:14, but I did them all.

This has been an incredibly challenging week so far. Ramman and I found out on Monday that we can no longer use our garage for our training business. The agreement we made with the landlord should not have been made because as it turns out, the whole thing is not okay with the owners of the complex, Norris & Stevens (only one of the biggest real estate/property management companies in Portland). We were under the impression that we were allowed to do this, based on what our landlord said. This is the ONLY reason we moved to these apartments, and now it has to be shut down. We aren't even sure if they are okay with us using it for ourselves, and if we can't even do that, we definitely want OUT. We've written a letter to Norris & Stevens (currently being proofread by one of my clients) to request to be let out of our lease because of the false pretense which we were operating under. Hopefully they will grant this to us along with permission for personal use of our garage until we move. This week has just been a nightmare. However, I do not regret taking part in this endeavor. I can just hear my mother saying that she "told me so!" or she "knew it!" and that it's "all Ramman's fault!" (this is the other stressful thing happening in my life at the moment)- but in no way is it his, or my, fault. We invested our time, energy, and money into this project together. We went into this together and we are sticking together through it.. And whatever we do next will most likely be together, if not in support of one another. All I can do is hope that the big guys at Norris & Stevens agree to grant us what we are asking for. After all, to them it's nothing, but to us it's huge.

The next plan? Well... I don't know. I am struggling with figuring out exactly what I want to do with myself. I know what kind of life I want to ultimately have; a simple one. I want to travel. I want to train. I want to have a fulfilling job. I want to learn other languages. I want to experience love without any outside pressures from family. But I do not want any one of these things to be my identity. I want to be secure and stable. I want to be comfortable. But I do not want to be just another cog in the wheel of American society. I want to be FREE. How do I acheive all of these things? My mom would say to marry someone who can provide them all for me, I wouldn't have to do anything. But that is not what I want. I want to create my own reality. I want to create it together with Ramman. I can see clearly what I want, but what is unclear is how to get there, the most important part, right? The journey... I don't know what my journey is.. my path. I feel a little lost. I feel like being a trainer is over for me. I'm ready to move on, to focus on something new. I know I am a good trainer, and I have succeeded at this.. But I cannot picture myself doing this in 10, even 5 years. I don't picture anything. I enjoy training people, I know I help people, and I am a good teacher and listener. I have developed some incredible relationships through this career. But I just don't know if really "does it" for me. I will always train. I will always be passionate about moving and using your physical body as much as you can, and even teaching it to some people.. but the actual jobs and business ideas in this industry seem so temporal.. for me.

Should I go back to school? Get my teaching certificate (sounds of mother cheering, off in the distance).. Work abroad as a teacher? Do I want to work with kids? Teens? Adults? Teach ESL? I do want to travel. Working abroad seems like a smart way to do this. Getting a teaching certificate would make working abroad easier. Seems like a smart thing to do. But- WHAT DO I WANT TO DO?

It's time for some serious soul-searching.

Channelling Energy

2009-05-17T22:21:00.000-07:00

Ape Cave last summer

Well, of course I was a little too ambitious going to into today, I knew I would not get to everything.. but it was still a pretty good day (minus some drama with my mama!) I got to sleep in until about 10am, had a delicious egg and veggie breakfast, spent some time alone, sat in the sun, trained for over three hours, had my brother over for a delicious chicken and veggie dinner, played around on the Internet, and chilled out. That's a good Sunday.

Shoulder stretches and prehab
Handstand work:
bent knee wall drill x10
partner drill facing wall (shift weight back & forth)
Partner backbend stretch 3x10
Backbend kickover progressions w/ panel mat- 4 panels to floor (x2)= 12 total
Muscle up work:
about 10 attempts, getting very high on rings but going out too wide at the top...

Then on to a WOD (that I made up):
Buy In:
GHD work
3x0 front
3x10 back
WOD: 21-15-9 for time 10:50
Pullups
KB "wall ball sub" 12kg
KB Snatch 12kg (21 stronger arm, 15 & 9 weaker arm)
Cash Out:
10 TGU's each side 12kg (2x5 each)
Stretch

That was about 3-31/2 hours of training today. Good stuff. I felt like I did pretty well at channelling some intense energy from my personal life into my training today. It was a rough start to the day, but I decided to take that energy and turn it into something positive, something that would bring me joy. It made me feel better. Hopefully my mom and I can get through this.

With the summer approaching I am getting excited to go on some outdoor adventures with Ramman. Hiking, climbing, the coast, Seattle, Spokane, Vancouver BC.. We have lots of places to go, people to see, and things to do!!

Missed a few days..

2009-05-16T13:52:00.000-07:00

It's been a few days since I posted.. here's what I've done the last two days..

Thursday: Gymnastics Class at Omega

Stretching

Lots of handstand work- facing wall, free, hs roll, tuck up, pike up, straddle up, pirouette attempts, etc..

Tumble Track- punch jumps, straight jumps, hollow jumps, arch jumps, front handsprings, jump back drill for back handsprings, front tuck attempts onto big mat

P-Bar walks, P-Bar Hops, P-Bar L-Sit walks

1 Rope Climb- 5 steps without feet

Friday: My WOD

Buy In-

10 TGUs each side 12kg

30 Double Unders

WOD- 5 Rounds for time 14:42

10 Knees to Elbows

10 KB Snatches- 5 each side 16kg

10 Box Jumps 24 inches

Cash Out-

Accumulate 1 minute Hollow Hold

Accumulate 1 minute Arch Hold

I've been using this "Buy In & Cash Out" used by CrossFit 603. It's a pretty cool concept of just adding in a few more exercises into a one hour workout. On days that I only have one hour (which are not preferable over days with 3+ hours) to train I have implemented their idea of Buy Ins and Cash Outs. That way I have a little more structure and efficiency to my hour. Obviously it is more ideal to have multiple hours a day to train so that I can spend plenty of time on skills, strength, and metcon.. But unfortunately not everyday allows that. By the way, CrossFit 603 has some killer wods too:)

We got our GHD!!! It's assembled and tested, and it ROCKS. The thing is HUGE. It's a step up from the ones I've used before, it's actually quite a BEAST of a piece of equipment. I'm excited to incorporate it into my training. Soon I will have such a stable and strong core that I will no longer be dealing with sciatic pain:)

Our garage is looking pretty nice these days.. We've organized and cleaned up a bit, still more to do, and a few more things on the wish list to buy (like a Concept 2 Rower!), but it's getting there! Now it's time to pick up our marketing so we can get some more people in there! Exciting times for us.

Tomorrow is Sunday. My favorite day. I am usually overly ambitious about how much stuff I want to do on Sunday. Tomorrow I am planning on finishing up filming for our video for The Amazing Race, doing some bouldering at Circuit (or Parkour outside), in addition to a couple of hours of training (handstands, backbends, and muscle ups) in the garage, working in the garden (which is sort of pathetic right now), having my brother over, and of course all of the chores like sweeping and laundry. Phew! Seems like I might not get to all of it, but it will be a great day any way! I'll just be glad to get outside.. Today I am missing the entire beautiful sunny day, stuck inside at work........

This is not okay..

2009-05-13T08:13:00.001-07:00

Portland sunrise.. a picture will do- no really, I don't need to see it..

Here are a few clues as to how effing early I have to get up on Wednesdays:

1) The sun isn't up

2) It's May, however it's cold enough to wear my puffy coat

3) The parking meters don't accept money yet

4) I'm at work before the construction workers

5) I'm at work an hour and a half before the coffee cart opens

6) The night security guard is still at the concierge desk

Last night I could not fall asleep. With this new Wednesday opening (4:45am!!!!!!) shift at March Wellness (my craptastic part-time, steady income, benefits job), I have pretty much resigned mayself to sleeping very little, like 4 hours, the night before, and taking a very long nap when I get home around noon. However, while I normally have no problem falling asleep around midnight (and waking up about 8:30, to no alarm, so nice..) on Tuesday nights I find myself anxious and wide awake until well after I attempt to go to sleep. Last night I was lying awake until after 2am, only for my alarm to go off at 4:15am. This is not okay. I don't normally drink coffee, since I quit last year, but these Wednesdays it is an absolute necessity. Why did I take this shift in the first place? Because in order to get benefits (medical and dental insurance) I must work at least 20 hours a week here. And the shittiest shifts were what I got.. low end of the totem pole, even though I've worked here for 2 years now. I am beginning to hate this place. While I am here, I dream about my garage and how nice it will be when I make more money training out of it 10 hours a week than I do with my two jobs and 25-30 hours combined. I am seriously considering dropping this early shift, and thus dropping my benefits for a while, for the sake of my physical and mental health. Some of you might say, "But it's only one day a week, not such a big deal!" Yeah, that's what I thought too.. but this is not the case. It makes it harder. And I'm not going to do it ANYMORE.

Okay, it's later in the day now, I'm home, had a nap- but still exhausted. It's a good day to take a rest since my body and brain are not actually fully functional. I spoke with my boss about this opening nonsense and hopefully I will be able to trade a shift with someone. Fingers crossed.. otherwise, I'm just going to have to say fuck it and lose some hours for the sake of my health.

All the more motivation to get my own thing going and stop working for others.

Goal Achieved: Backbend Kickover

2009-05-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Shoulder Stretching/Opening
Partner back bend stretch 3x10
Backbend kick overs x12 (6 each side) 4 panels down to the floor(!!)

RCF WOD:
7 rounds for time-
Run 200m
10 Burpees
10 Pullups
24:20

That was a tough metcon.

I'm super stoked that I FINALLY achieved my backbend kickover from the floor. I have been working on this for quite some time using panel mat progressions and some shoulder opening stretches. But NONE of the stretching or kicking over from an elevated surface has worked like the partner back bend stretch that Ido showed us. After a good warmup and working my way down the stack of panels; when I finally did it from the floor, it was EASY.

This WOD made me furious..

2009-05-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

Shoulder pre-hab & stretching
Bent knee wall handstand drill x10
Muscle Up Attempts x10 (FURY)

GB WOD:
10 Depth Jumps
30 seconds Jumping Deck Squats (FURY)
40' Arch Hollow Snaps (these really suck=FURY)

2x30 seconds Weighted Pike Stretch

Also:
10 minutes on Step Mill= 62 floors
20V-Ups
40 Lemon Squeezes
20Arch-Ups

It was strange. I felt okay going in to the workout, but once I got to the first set of arch hollow snaps, I just got angry. Plus, I was a little frustrated with my muscle up attempts because I have started to feel somewhat apathetic about actually ACHIEVING a muscle up, since I have ben trying for so freakin' long. I know that attitude won't get me there. Sometimes this is how workouts are for me, but not often. I just feel furious. Why? I can't quite explain. I think it's mostly from frustration of not being good at one particular thing.. Or I feel like my body isn't cooperating.. Or it's just plain hard. Sometimes the fury can be detrimental to training, but sometimes it can add fuel to the ever-burning fire.

A Barbell and a Jedi

2009-05-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

This is the beautiful barbell I am manifesting for the garage.

Today I worked on a little bit of barbell stuff. I haven't worked with a barbell in a LONG time. I want to get one for the garage, along with some bumper plates, but it's not at the top of the expense list.. So, I did it while I was at work. Nothing too serious, just light weight and a few movements:

3x5 Deadlift 45#/65#/75#
3x5 Front Squat 45#/65#/75#
3x5 Overhead Squat 45#/65#/75#
3x5 Hang Squat Clean 45#/65#/75#

Ab Series:
20 V-Ups
20 Lemon Squeezes
20 Side Arches (each side)
40 Russian Twists
40 Arch Ups

Tonight= Watching "Return Of The Jedi"

Friday Night in the Garage

2009-05-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight Ramman and I had a great training session in our garage. 2 hours of uninterrupted skills training and a WOD at the end. It is so nice to be able to just go downstairs to our own little sacred place and do what we love to do.
Here's what I did:

Ab series (as part of my warmup)
-20 V-Ups
-20 Lemon Squeezes
-20 Side Arches each side
-40 Russian Twists
-40 Arch-Ups
Get Up-Sit Ups 3x5 each side- 8kg
Bent knee handstand drill x20
Partner backbend stretch 3x10
Backbend progressions on panel mats x6 (3 each side) 4 panels down to 2
Queda De Rins x12 (6 each side)
WOD:
3 rounds for time-
3 TGUs each side- 12kg
10 KB SDLHP- 20kg
5 KB Clean & Press- 16kg
10 KB Swings-16kg
Time= 11:15

Then off to New Seasons we went for some Dragon Thighs (YUM!).

Last night I also made these delicious little gluten-free carrot muffins. Since they are made with coconut flour, really the only carbs that they have come from the carrots, currants, and the tiny bit of honey (about 1/8 cup) I used (instead of 1/4 cup yacon syrup). And they are delicious. Of course I made them a bit non-paleo by adding some maple syrup-cream cheese on top. But I figure having a little bit of organic dairy is better than having gluten and refined sugar. I don't feel at all guilty about this treat!

Finding Balance

2009-05-07T22:20:00.000-07:00

(This is not me:))

Today we went to CrossFit Portland again to do the Gymnastic Bodies WOD. Ido was still there, so he offered up some more tips and exercises. I tried a muscle up after which Ido said, "Oh, give me a break!" meaning, cut the bullshit and just do it! No kidding. I did some negative transition drills, or at least tried, and practiced some handstands. A great drill for finding your line in a handstand is kicking up against a wall, bend the knees so that your feet are touching the wall. Tilt your pelvis and push through the shoulders until your feet come off the wall and then try and straighten your legs. If you lose balance and your feet go back to the wall, start back at the bottom of the knee bend. Also important: placement of the hands and fingers, and pressure applied to the different parts of the hands. Hands should be shoulder width apart and index fingers parallel to one another. Finding balance has a lot to do with controlling imbalance with your fingers and heel of your palm.

Then we did the GB WOD:

3x5 SLS jumping for height (single leg squat)

3x5 GHR (these are HORRIBLY PAINFUL.)

Finish with 60 seconds total aggregate work of a straddle L variation.
6x10 on parallettes

Later Ramman and I did a nice 1.5 hour long partner stretching session. I am usually resistant to this kind of thing but I am trying to reverse my aversion to in depth active stretching. We are going to start doing this 2 days a week.

Equilibre

2009-05-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

As it turns out, I lost the Gymnastic Bodies Contest. Coach Sommer offered me 50% off the price of tuition for coming in second, but all together the trip would cost me about $700, and I just don't have that extra cash right now.. Sooo, I will be staying home. I'm okay with that. It's actually the same weekend as my brother Ira's 30th birthday, so I will be able to go up to Olympia and celebrate his birthday, which is important to me. There will be more chances to meet and learn from Coach Sommer, I'm sure. Thanks to all of you who voted for me!

Last night Ramman and I went to the Parkour class and afterward did not feel like cooking anything so we stopped at Ole Ole, one of our favorite Mexican places, to pick up some dinner and grab a margarita. Big mistake. The dinners we usually get there are pretty well balanced, and although they are not Paleo (a little bit of beans and rice), they are Zone. We usually enjoy it and feel fine afterwards. Well we thought we would treat ourselves to a mango margarita, again something we have enjoyed in the past, and were sorely disappointed. After we finished them and were at home we both started feeling icky. Not like food poisening or anything that bad, but just OFF. The margaritas were WAY TOO SWEET. Although we didn't feel that great it was kind of cool to see how something that we used to think was a delicious treat was now something we never wanted to have again. Don't get me wrong, I will have a margarita again, probably a few in my lifetime, but just not those ones. The same goes for the food. There are plenty of much better Mexican places where you can get good quality meat and veggies, we won't be wasting our precious eating out dates on that crap anymore. Ole Ole, we are breaking up with you.

Now it is Thursday.. I am not being very good at finishing posts on the same day I start them! But, training comes first- blogging about it second. Yesterday was AWESOME. We went to CrossFit Portland for Ido Portal's workshops. The first session was on Equilibre, the art of balancing. As Ido said, Equilbre is not something that is very well learned in a 2 hour workshop as it takes years, a lifetime, to master it, and actually he says that no one ever acheives a perfectly straight line. I understand what he means, but I still learned a TON in 2 hours. He showed us some very good techniques and drills for achieving a straighter line and thus balance in the handstand. He also showed us some more grounded hand balancing positions used in capoeira and breakdancing.

The second session was more focused on gymnastic/acrobatic strength and conditioning. This session was VERY hard, but also fun. When one of the first exercises he showed us was Japanese Pushups (which I cannot find a video for on YouTube, so if you look it up and see a Japanese guy doing atrocious pushups, this is not what I am referring to!), I knew it was going to be a hard session. I learned a lot of cool, extremely difficult strength exercises, some of which I could not even do, like the Japanese pushup and the single leg squat holding your other leg behind you with both hands (for all of them there are modifications, of course). Ido is an endless resource for exericises that will help with acrobatics and hand balancing. After it was all said and done we had 5 full hours of learning and training.

Thank you Ido!

Cinco de Traino

2009-05-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Lots of people are referring to Cinco de Mayo as "Cinco de Drinko" on Facebook, which I think is kind of embarrassing. So I'm calling it Cinco de Traino (even though it doesn't make sense gramatically), because instead of drinking my life away like all these other people, I'm going to be training.

Okay.. I'm alive. I'm still not 100%, but I am alive and I'm glad that I feel better. It's Tuesday, which means that Parkour class is tonight. Normally I would do a WOD before I go to the class, just to make sure I get my metcon on.. But today I think I will just do the class. Whatever he has us do I'm sure will be enough for my not-fully-recovered-self. Last week was the first time I went to the class and I was a little disappointed when I got there and found out that it was open gym. I was looking for a structured class and I went on a day that was open gym. Don't get me wrong, I still practiced a lot of skills and got some instruction, but this week should be a little better for learning. We'll see..

Being a personal trainer is tough sometimes. It's nice being able to create your own schedule and set appointments when you want to, but it also is sometimes a pain in the neck trying to coordinate with other people's schedules. Sometimes it takes MONTHS to get someone on my schedule for their first FREE session. You would think getting someone in for a free session would be easy, afterall, people like free stuff. But NOOO, not so easy! And the cancelling and rescheduling, oh man, some weeks it's enoughto make me want to scream. Afterall, training people is the only way I get paid. Consistency, commitment, and flexibility are the most important qualities in a client. If I could have like 15 clients all with those three characteristics, I would be stoked. I have a few now.. But a few ain't gonna cut it. I know it can happen though!

I signed up for Robb Wolf's Nutrition Certification (CrossFit) which is coming in June to CrossFit Portland. I'm super stoked for this. Many people go to it and rave about it afterward and the changes they were inspired to make in their own lives. I'm already inspired to make some changes toward a strict Paleo diet, but I guess I just don't fully BELIEVE that I can do it. It doesn't seem that hard in writing: Eat meat, vegetables, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. EASY. Until I am faced with a piece of carrot cake when it's not time for a cheat meal, or I get home from work have a delicious Paleo dinner and have serious hankering for some dark chocolate. Are they SURE there wasn't chocolate and wine in the Paleolithic times?! And then, just like that, I'm not on a Paleo diet. Now, for the most part, I am doing it. But it's those tiny little, kinda crucial parts that I need help with. I ordered two books (that will hopefully help me focus!) to study up on before the cert: "Lights Out: Sleep, Sugar, and Survival" by T.S Wiley, and "The Paleos Diet For Athletes" by Loren Cordain. I'm super excited to read both of these books and will surely be posting about what I learn. Meanwhile, I am doing my best with the Paleo thing.

Now it is the next day- at 5:25am. This Wednesday shift might be the end of me.. Okay, I'm being dramatic, but really, it sucks. I can't go to bed early one night of the week, my body is used to going to bed at midnight and waking up between 8 and 9am. So this waking up at 4:15am business is NOT COOL. But these are the kinds of things we have to do when we work for people and their establishments. Well, I'm over it.

Here's what we did in Parkour class last night:
LOTS of Bear Crawls up and down stairs
Rail Balancing & Walking, Pivoting
LOTS of Safety Vaults & Lazy Vaults
Precision Jumps
Conditioning: The workout we did was pretty easy, used dumbbells for some pressing variations, old fashioned, non-functional exercises, some good core work, and more bear crawls... I worked up a good sweat but none of it was very hard.

I was a little disappointed with the class structure, or lack thereof. I would like for it to be a little more structured with more specific direction by the teacher, but he is kind of young and obviously has experience doing Parkour, but not a lot of experience organizing effective classes with large groups of people (and lots of unfocused & hyper kids). I'm going to continue to go for the rest of this month because I paid for the whole month, so maybe each class will be a little different. Not sure I like his workouts for conditioning. Yesterday it was fine because I was getting over being sick and didn't want to do too much, but next week I might risk doing a WOD before I go to class.

Looking forward to the hand balancing workshop put on by Ido Portal, this guy from Isreal who is incredibly good at hand balancing, acrobatics, and capoeira. Scott (Hagnas) got him to come to CrossFit Portland for an afternoon, so I cancelled a couple of appointments so that I could go. It should be pretty cool! Here's one of Ido's videos on YouTube:

Super Sick

2009-05-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have been incapacitated all day today.. Everything I do requires a tremendous amount of energy.. I feel like absolute shit.. Everything from the outside in hurts.. I have watched about 8 episodes of The Office alternating with sleep.. Ramman brought me some stuff that should help me feel better.. Hopefully.. This is lame..

It's a TIE..

2009-05-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

(This is what we make Toro do on his 3 ft tall scratching post/perch...)

Wow. I went to bed last night and I was down by 4 votes. I woke up this morning and it is tied. Incredible! So now we are in the middle of a tie-breaker.. We have until Monday to get as many votes as possible, and then that's it. Just when I thought it was over, I got another chance! So, if anyone out there who reads my blog and hasn't voted yet, vote for me! If you don't know how, let me know and I'll send you the info.

Today I felt super tired and sluggish. I think I am slightly affected by the abundant pollen in the air. A lot of people, including Ramman, have super bad allergies this time of year, luckily mine aren't that bad- but just enough to throw me off. So I ended up taking a SUPER long nap. I peeled myself out of bed to go down to the garage for a wod. I was extremely unmotivated and fatigued, so naturally I threw something terrible at myself. Melissa Byers, co-owner of CrossFit 603 in New Hampshire, talked about this wod on Facebook a few days ago.. So of course I had to check it out. Silly me... I went into it trying to beat her score, and ended up getting the EXACT same same score. Here's what it is:

20 Minutes for Rounds:
12 DB Squat Cleans (I used KBs)- 12kg
9 Pullups
6 Burpees

Those squat cleans SUCKED. I got 6 rounds + 3 cleans..

At 603 they have a pretty cool WOD structure with a "Buy In" which is not necessarily part of the warmup, but it's what you do before you get to do the WOD. And then there's the "Cash Out", which is performed after you are done with the WOD. I think this is genius because it gives you the opportunity to have a more structured hour, getting a good warmup, some skill work (usually what the Buy In is), th WOD, and a little extra work with the Cash Out. I think I'll start incorporating this style more with my own workouts and my clients'.

Buy In: 5 TGUs each side
Cash Out: 3 rounds of 5 each side of "Get Up, Sit Up" (see it at the wod link above..)

8 hours left..

2009-04-30T22:33:00.000-07:00

..In the Gymnastic Bodies contest and I am down 24-21.. Bummed. There's still time for a miraculous comeback, so I am keeping my fingers crossed, but it's not looking good. Super bummed. Thank you to all my peeps who took the time to register for the forum and vote for me! Your support is MUCH appreciated!!

Did the posted GB WOD from yesterday today with my CrossFit Portland training crew :D Thanks for all your support guys!! I love training with you!

Complete four rounds:
1 minute Wall Runs (I was SUPER stoked that I was actually able to do this for the full minute every round!! Form isn't that great but so much stronger!)
10 Korean Dips (I did 8 each round, also MUCH stronger than the last wod with korean dips.)
20' Arch/Hollow Snaps (Always nervous about the sciatic pain with this one, but did not feel it this time :D )

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

Then went to gymnastics class tonight (at Omega) worked a lot of BASICS, which was great:
Pullovers x5
Arch/Hollow Swings
Leg Lifts
P-Bar Handstands x10 (actually held one by myself for about 4 seconds, progress!)
Various trampoline skills..
Support holds on rings 3x10
Inverted hang to back lever attempt x3

Video: Wall Runs-

I've been reading up on a lot of nutrition stuff this week and will write about it over the next couple of days. I have finally admitted to myself that I have a sugar problem :( It is slight compared to most people, but CrossFitters are not like most people.. so I need to address it. I am going to Robb Wolf's Nutrition Certification in June here in Portland, and I'm fired up to make some changes! More to come...

"Annie"

2009-04-28T22:38:00.000-07:00

Today I did a CrossFit wod, some backbend kickover practice, and I went to a Parkour open gym and practiced some Parkour skills.. Fun stuff!

"Annie"
50-40-30-20-10 reps of
Double Unders
Sit-Ups
11:28
Better than my last time, but still pretty slow.. Messed up too many times with the double unders.

16 reps of backbend kickovers (8 each side) with feet landing elevated on stacked panel mats.. Lowered the mats with each rep, down to 2 panels.

Parkour skills:
Precision Jumps- from 1 ft high to 4 ft high
Lazy Vaults
Speed Vaults
Wall Runs- 7 ft wall, got it!
Rail balancing and walking (walked twice across a 20 ft rail, about 3 ft high)
Rope Climb x2 (the rope had knots in it about every 1.5 ft so I was able to do NO FEET for about 5 grips! Never done that before!)

I have to wake up a 4:15am tomorrow morning. At work at 4:50am. That is an OBSCENE time to have to be awake. It's my newly acquired shift at march wellness (waking up that early definitely does NOT equate to "wellness" in my opinion), every Wednesday 4:50am-noon. OMG, this is going to suck. I think I deserve a 12oz soy latte every Wednesday as long as I have to do this.

Monday:Strength

2009-04-27T11:39:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:
Perform-
3x5 SLS (Single Leg Squat)- 8kg/18# KB
3x5 Natural Leg Curls

Finish with 3x10 Hip Extensions.

Also did some muscle up strength training:
False Grip Pullups 3x4
Ring Dips 3x4
Band Assisted MU 3x4

And Handstand Press Training:
Headstand Pike Press 2x5
Headstand Straddle Press 2x5

Here is a video of my SLS:

Melissa Byers put me on her blog! Sweet! She is doing a series of postings featuring "Hot Chicks Doing Pull Ups" so I sent her a video of me doing 8 strict pullups.. My max is 9, the video she posted was my second set of the same day I did 9. She has like 150 followers of her blog, so I'm semi-famousish now:) Thanks for the props Melissa!

Sunday is my favorite day..

2009-04-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

Cleaned the house.
Ran stairs--- 6 sets, 202 stairs each set= 1,212 steps.
Planted seeds in the garden.
Did laundry.
Visited friends.
Ate non-paleo food.
Got their video camera.
Now we can film our video for The Amazing Race.
Sweet.

*GB Seminar contest: I'm down 12-13 to "Ortprod" (John)... NEED MORE VOTES.

Four Days of Rest

2009-04-24T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today was my first training day in four days.. So of course I decide to throw something really hard at myself: CINDY. Here's what Cindy is-

20 minutes for rounds:
5 Pullups
10 Pushups
15 Squats

Last time I did her I got 14 rounds plus 6 pushups, in August '08... This time, I was shooting for 15. I figured I was rested and I had the energy. The results= 14 rounds plus 10 pushups. Arg. Better, but not quite 15. I would probably get it if someone else did it with me, someone to compete with, because that's just how I am. Oh well, I can't be disappointed with improvement!

The colonoscopy went well, everything looks normal. They took a biopsy of my colon and I will find out in a couple of weeks that everything is all good. I was a little bothered by the fact that the dr. was talking to me during the procedure when I was all doped up (or down?) on these crazy sedatives that made the whole experience feel like a dream. So, of course I don't remember all of what he said and whether or not it as important. I remember opening my eyes in the middle of the procedure and looking up at the screen and seeing my colon. The dr. was asking me if I use laxatives and I was like "No, but I used to until I found out it was bad for you then I stopped, now I use a fiber supplement" and he said that using laxatives can make your colon appear blotchy and discolored, which is what mine looked like. But I was high and so I fell back asleep until they were done.. And then of course the dr, did not come talk to me when I was leaving. So now I am unsure if it was a bad thing that my colon was discolored and if I should stop using my fiber supplement or WHAT. Frustrating. So I will call the dr. next week to find out more. Other than that, everything was fine.

I am looking forward to the start of my newly re-vamped training schedule. I am picking certain skills to focus on, what days to focus on which ones, what days to do strength and what days to do metcons. The skills I am going to be focusing on are: muscle up, straddle handstand press, front handspring, and back handspring. Also, we are going to start going to a couple of other gymnastics classes and I am going to going to go to a Parkour class on Tuesdays, I am SUPER excited for this one. So this is what my schedule will look like:
Sundays- MetCon, Parkour outside or Climbing
Mondays- MetCon or Strength WOD
Tuesdays- MetCon or Strength WOD, Parkour Class
Wednesdays- Rest
Thursdays- MetCon or Strength WOD, Gymnastics Class
Fridays- MetCon or Strength WOD, Gymnastics Open Gym
Saturdays- Rest
Of course I will be doing the appropriate amount of stretching and icing and massage (when I have the money for it) to ensure proper recovery. I think this schedule will keep me from over training, and it is structured enough so that I will be able to focus on my skills practice and achieve them!

The voting for the Gymnastic Bodies contest is in full swing and I am currently in second place with 9 votes to the other guy's 12. We have until the 1st of May to get people to sign on to the forum and vote, so I am pushing my peeps to get on it for me... We'll see what happens!

SO HUNGRY!

2009-04-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

Wednesday = Prep day for colonoscopy on Thursday..

It's 8:19p and I haven't eaten anything in about 22 hours. I have had 3 lemon popsicles today and a half gallon of my laxative drink that is also lemon flavored. Not sick of the popsicles yet, but definitely felt like gagging while drinking the "Golytly". I'm not one to wish myself into the future, but right now I wish it was Thursday afternoon and I had a huge chicken burrito and some tortilla chips with home-made guacamole in front of me.

I do not do well with no food. I could never have an eating disorder. Anorexia? Are you effing kidding me?! No way. I love food and having energy WAY too much. I got through the day pretty easily.. had some tea and a couple popsicles, was able to get through training a few clients just fine. But then I came home and had to start "the drink", and now, four hours later, I am sitting on the couch feeling rather zombi-ish. I feel hungry, but mostly I just feel very fatigued. And a little shaky. I'm supposed to wake up at 8am tomorrow and finish off the remaining half-gallon of nastiness. Brutal. I have to drink one whole cup (8 fl. oz.) every 15 minutes until it is gone and it looks the same coming out as it did going in. Oh man.. I don't know if I can do it..

Or maybe I will just have some chicken pho when I get out of there tomorrow... Mmmm, avocado-coconut milkshake from Pho Jasmine.. That sounds incredible.

Ramman was nice enough to go out to eat tonight after work instead of coming home and cooking a delicious meal right in front of me. What a sweet heart. I think he's eating mexican... lucky.

I just need to watch a movie to take my mind off of feeling hungry, go to sleep, soldier through another intense cleansing session, get to the doctor, get sedated, wake up, be done, and go home to eat and sleep the rest of the day. I can do it.

The past few days Ramman and I have been seriously re-vamping our training program. Since I have had to rest because of my strained neck and my colonoscopy, it has been a perfect time to take a good look at how I am training and how it can be improved so that I can reach my skill and strength goals. I'm super excited to finish putting together my program and get started on it next week. More to come on that.

Parkour & Margaritas

2009-04-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Sunday was the best day. We slept in until about 10, had a balanced and delicious breakfast, and then set out to wander the PSU campus and downtown Portland for places to practice Parkour moves. We were originally going to go to Adapt Training in Beaverton for open gym, but we found out that it wasn't happening. I'm glad we didn't end up going because it was the nicest day of the year thus far and we spent a good chunk of it outside, relishing the sun and climbing all over whatever we could find. After making our way (doing plenty of wall runs, precision jumps, vaults, etc.) to a track and doing a very short, very hard partner workout that included running on all fours and lots of burpees, we set out on a search for a margarita. Our usual Mexican place was closed (lame) so we ended up in the Pearl District at one the best and cheapest Mexican restaurants in town- Cha Cha Cha. Yes, finally! We sat outside and enjoyed each others company in the shade with delicious Mexican chicken salads and margaritas. It was the perfect meal after 3 hours of playing and training in the sun. We got home and, it being a Sunday afternoon and all, crashed into a two hour nap. Perfect.

Here's a picture of me doing quadrupedal movement over the "Walk of Heroines" memorial on the PSU campus, a great wall to practice tricks on, and appropriately named:)

Today is an even nicer day here in Portland.. It feels so good when spring FINALLY arrives. I know that we have some more stretches of rainy days coming, but just to be out of the winter darkness is so refreshing.

We went up to CrossFit Portland today to do the Gymnastic Bodies WOD with the guys there and lo and behold: I tweaked my neck. Half way through the first round of a four round WOD I had to stop. Major bummer. So now I'm at home, icing and massaging myself so that I can make it to work in a little bit. Part of me just wants to call in sick, but I know that I could put those sick hours to better use another time, so I will go, reluctantly.

Supposedly, last Wednesday was the day to vote on the Gymnastic Bodies forum for who should get to go to the seminar for free. Nothing was posted until Friday, so hopefully this week we will find out the results. It would be pretty cool to win and go on a little adventure down to California with Ramman and our friends from CrossFit Portland.

It looks like I'm going to have to take it easy for the next few days.. Tomorrow I will force myself to not even think about training so that this stupid neck spasm will go away.. and Wednesday I have to fast all day to prep for my colonoscopy on Thursday, so no training either of those days. The competitive athlete/addicted to exercise part of me is screaming inside about having to rest four days in a row, but the logical trainer/more evolved, smarter athlete in me is okay with it. I'll feel even better when I get back to it this weekend.

Stupid Men Piss Me Off

2009-04-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

I have a client who's boyfriend is a complete douche bag. In fact, he used to be my client. I used to like him, I thought he was a good guy. But then he had me train his new girlfriend and stopped training with me- big mistake on his part. He trains with me once in a while and when he does, he is certainly in for an unbelievable ass-kicking. See, when I first met his girlfriend, I honestly couldn't stand her. I saw (er, judged) her as a drama queen, hella tan, unintelligent, superficial airhead. I was wrong. While there are some aspects to her personality that definitely puzzle me, after almost a year of training her, I really like her now. She has gone through a lot to get to where she is now. When we met, she was pretty insecure (although, she wouldn't admit it), and had way effed up eating habits. She was a bit of a wild-child. She's had a sketchy history with dating some total assholes who treated her like crap, but now she is realizing her own self-worth. She still takes some shit though. Yesterday she told me that "he" said her arms were getting too big. I could literally feel my blood start to boil. This woman is about 5'7"-5'8" no more than 135, and between 19-21% body fat. Not that any of that matters in relation to his comment.. but, really? 'He is intimidated by strong women' I tell her.. 'He needs you to be completely dependent on him to make him feel like a man'. It makes me want to vomit, all over HIM. Up until recently, she has depended on him for money. Pretty sure this is how some of her past relationships were too. Now she's starting a career so that she can be more independent, which is awesome. Imagine what this is doing to her 'my money = my worth' boyfriend. He is threatened by the possibility of her independence, and he should be because during all of the self-realization she has been going through, she's also realizing (hopefully) that he is manipulative and emotionally abusive (to me, they are the same thing). I ask her why she is with him when she tells me some of the things that he says to her (like: My money is appreciating, therefore I am appreciating. You- your looks are depreciating, so you're depreciating. --- OhMyFuckingGod), and she says that she really thinks that he is just stupid, that he doesn't realize the mean things he says or does. OH PLEASE. And she loves him, he's not like that all the time. Sounds like an abusive relationship if I've ever heard of one. Now, I know that she exaggerates a little. But what she talks to me about has to come from somewhere, she can't possibly be making all of it up. I just pray to the Goddesses that once she feels like she can leave him financially, she will. Otherwise I throw my arms in the air. What a pathetic, sorry excuse for a man.

Today is a rest day, hallelujah. We are having our friends Ben and Lorraine over for dinner tonight after we both get off work. They are the first dinner guests we've had since we moved, we still don't have a table so it looks like we'll be going Japanese style:) It's not as nice of a day as I thought it was going to be today, which is okay, because I'm stuck inside all day. As the summer approaches, I may have to tell march wellness that this Saturday thing isn't working out! I'll give it a couple more months and see where things go, because after all, change always happens in life. Health insurance is nice, however. I went to the digestive doc on Tuesday and I am getting a colonoscopy next week. It's weird to say that I actually WANT to get a colonoscopy, it's such a dreadful experience. The worst part isn't the colonoscopy itself, it's the day before. I can't eat and I have to drink this gallon jug of salty, sort of gelatinous liquid that causes the gag reflex. One cup every 15 minutes or something horrendous like that. We all know how empty you need to be for this procedure, so you can imagine what this juice does. Needless to say, I'll be out of commission on Wednesday and Thursday. But, in spite of going through the unpleasantness of it all, I am glad that I have the insurance to cover getting this done. Then I will know that I am okay and how to proceed treating my symptoms. You better believe I'm eating whatever I want to eat on Thursday when I'm all done and the sedatives wear off.

Peep this insanely strong dude doing Parkour tricks. It is unreal what he can do!

Handstand Wall Runs Suck..

2009-04-17T22:39:00.000-07:00

This picture is from last summer on the beach in California, trying to learn the macaco (a capoeira move).

GB WOD + Stairs:

Perform:
10 minutes of HS Wall Runs (5 minutes total, sets of 30-38 seconds, SUPER HARD)
rest 5 minutes
2x6 Wall Pike Press HS (2x6 Straddle Negatives)

Finish the workout with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:
1) Spend 10 minutes performing HS Wall runs. Time spent resting DOES NOT count toward the 10 minute total. Ideally the 10 minutes of HS Wall Runs should be performed in a single set. (UM, YEAH RIGHT..)
2) Rest as necessary, but strive to keep rest to an absolute minimum. (HAD TO REST A LOT.)
3) Alternate one straight arm repetition and one 90 degree bent arm repetition during the Wall Pike Press HS sets.

ALSO:
Ran 5 sets of stairs = 1,010 steps
Stretch

Tomorrow we are having some friends over for dinner so today I made this chocolate cake (awesome website, btw) for them (of course we had some tonight with Coconut Bliss, vanilla flavor= YUM). It's not paleo, it has whole wheat pastry flour in it. I thought about changing the recipe myself and substituting almond flour instead, but I didn't want to risk messing up anything involving chocolate and real maple syrup, so I said screw it, we're cheating. It is UNREAL delicious. Instead of the frosting recipe she uses, which I'm sure is equally amazing, I opted for a non-dairy chocolate frosting (another awesome website) and subbed maple syrup for the agave nectar just to keep it consistent with the cake. HEAVEN. Good thing I ran stairs today.

Helen rocks my world

2009-04-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

GB WOD-
Perform the following:

3x5 Weighted Box Jumps (28 inches, 17# weight vest)

3x5 Half GHR (band assisted, these are brutal on the hammys)

Finish with 60 seconds total aggregate work of your most challenging straddle L variation.
(straddle L hold, 7 sets of 10 seconds on parallettes, legs were not up very high as you can see in the picture)

Helen-
3 Rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
21 KB Swings (16kg)
12 Pullups

PR=11:25

Last night I was feeling a little lost. You see, my entire life I have had a team sport to train for, a season to look forward to, and specific goals in relation to my team, my season, and my own performance. That was my identity. For the last year or so I have been away from team sports and focusing more on individual sports like gymnastics, rock climbing, and parkour. And sometimes I momentarily lose sight of why I am doing all of this, I wonder what my identity is. Why do I train? Well, after it's all said and done- I train for LIFE, that is the main focus, everything else just comes with it. Being healthy, fit, and able to do extraordinary things throughout my life is the ultimate goal. Whatever I choose to do to make this happen is just a vehicle. I can set goals to acheive certain skill goals, make that team, win that contest, get that certification, learn that move.. But it is all for the same purpose: to live my life to it's fullest physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual capacity. My identity is not dependent on any one thing I do. I am all of it.

Just a regular Wednesday..

2009-04-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is Monday's GB WOD:

Perform 3 sets each of:
1 Embedded BL (tuck) + 5 XR Bulgarian Rows
1 Embedded PL (frogstand) + 5 XR Bulgarian Pushups
1 Embedded FL (tuck) + 4 Circular HLL (5 leg lifts)

30-20-10
Arch-Ups
V-Ups

Plus Gymnastics Class:
Cartwheels x10
Round Offs x10+
Front HS onto port-a-pit x10+
Front Tuck practice on mini-tramp into pit/mat x10+
Pullovers x3
Beam QM* forward and backward
Rail QM* Balance
Rope Climb x1
*The pic above is of a girl doing a QM (quadrupedal movement) on a rail- this is very hard.

I was pretty stoked to practice some front tuck(ish) things into the pit today. The first time I practiced these I was super scared and now I'm totally over it and think that flipping through the air is super fun. Now, I just need to learn how to land on my feet. With summer approaching, Ramman and I are both shifting our training focus a bit more towards Parkour training. This Sunday we are going to a place in Beaverton called Adapt Training where they have a Parkour open gym. I'm psyched!

Time To Vote!

2009-04-14T22:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day before everyone on the Gymnastic Bodies forum votes for who they think should win free tuition to the Seminar in May. I hope I win. I've been working really hard with these workouts that are pretty much meant for male gymnasts. It's a difficult program and at times I just want to stop doing it because I feel like I'm not making very many strength gains (and because I haven't gotten my muscle up yet). But then, I'll have a good day and I'll see how much stronger I have gotten in other areas (like the ring handstands), and I keep going. Why? Mostly to be able to achieve certain gymnastic and parkour skills, and partly just because it's a challenge.

Here's today's WOD..

Complete four rounds:
30 Bucket Circles
20 Wheels
30' Ag Walks

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:
1) Go directly from Bucket Circles to Wheels to Ag Walks.
2) Rest 2-3 minutes between rounds.

My Bucket Circles:

What a fun weekend..

2009-04-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend I went to Bend, Oregon with some of the most fun people I have in my life. Every year we go to this frisbee tournament called Gandy Goose and every year we lose in the final and come in second. But every year it is an EPIC weekend. We always pick a theme so that we can dress and act accordingly.. two years ago we all dressed as WHAM! and wore as many florescent colors as we could. We showed up at the party on Saturday night wearing all white and singing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go!". We definitely won the party that year. Last year our theme was "onesies", so what we wore on the field had to be one piece. Mary brought this amazing skin tight denim jumpsuit with a zipper down the front that was so tight it kind of sling-shotted my legs forward as I ran. I think it may have made me run faster. All the women on the team passed that baby around. This year we were "The Outsiders" fully equipped with Greaser outfits that consisted of switch-blade combs and cigarettes (which were lit and "pretend smoked" by some, but even that is too disgusting for me so I just posed with an unlit cigarette behind my ear), bandanas, jean skirts, and jeans. And Soc outfits of polo shirts and pink lipstick. It was awesome. Our team name this year was "Stay Silver" since that's what we do every year. It's not that we don't want to win, or don't try to win. We all are competitive athletes. But somehow, we just never win the final.. and it's always against the same freakin' team. So, inevitably with this group of people, even thinking about actually winning has turned into a huge joke. But, at the same time, it's pretty aggrivating to lose to the same assholes every year. Oh well, maybe next year..?

So after a weekend of debauchery and lots of running, I am completely wiped out. It's hard to eat well and not party at these tournaments, sonce partying is one of the major aspects. But a couple of cheat meals and having some beers with good friends is worth it. Besides, we run our asses off too.

Today I didn't do anything but get an hour long massage from my new favorite person, Amy. She worked the sh*t out of my back and it hurt like hell. A good hurt, a hurt that needed and still needs to happen. I would like to get to the point financially where I can afford a massage once a week, because my body needs it for sure.

This week I'll back on the good eating and smart training. Today my waking pulse was 66 beats per minute, about 10 beats per minute higher than normal (a sign of over training), hopefully that will go down tomorrow because I don't feel like taking a break. I think today was a good recovery day so we'll see.

Tired Today..

2009-04-09T21:27:00.000-07:00

GB WOD-
Complete four rounds:
10 Hopping HeSPUs (not very good at these)
40' Senders
30 seconds of Arch/Hollow Snaps (I thought these would hurt my back and sciatic nerve, but as long as I focused on my deep ab muscles, it was alright.. these are hard!)

notes:
1) Rest 20-30 seconds each between each movement.
2) You may rest 2-3 minutes between rounds.
3) Do not pause during the 30 seconds of Arch/Hollow Snaps. (um, yeah right)

I felt super tired when I woke up this morning and was NOT motivated to do a WOD.. But a few hours later I was at CrossFit Portland jumping over tall obstacles and trying to bounce on my hands. And then I felt better. It was the fourth training day in a row for me today, tomorrow is a rest day and then this weekend is another long weekend of ultimate. Monday, I'm looking forward to a massage........

Gymnastics Day

2009-04-08T23:36:00.000-07:00

Today I stretched and rolled for about 45 minutes and then I did some back bend kick over work using the panel mat to elevate my feet about 8-10 inches off of the ground. I still have yet to be able to do a full back bend kick over from the ground but I have gotten very close in the recent past. A big set back right now for me is this sciatic pain in my low back and legs. It only happens during certain movements but it is enough for me to stop what I'm doing a stretch. And it's getting worse. Bummer. Serious bummer. Sciatic pain (I refuse to call it sciatica, because it's not that bad and I won't let it get to that point) does not usually just go away on it's own, and it can get to be debilitating very quickly if not addressed. So on Monday I am getting a massage by a woman who knows how to help with athletic injuries. I'll start with that and tons of stretching (like I did today) and go from there.

Gymnastics Class:
Warmup 30 minutes- lots of stretching
Roundoffs x8 (felt good)
Front Handsprings x1o (mediocre)
Precision Jumps x10 on high beams (these were okay, still scared of the last one)
Monkey Vault (these are awesome)
Muscle Up Attempts x5 (still not there)
20' Rope Climb x2 (rope climbs suck)
30-20-10 Pushups (felt weak after the rope climbs)
15-12-10 Squat Throughs (I hate these, I wish I had a video so you could see how much they suck.. next time)
10-10 Reverse Leg Lifts (felt the nerve so I stopped)

Overall, it was a pretty good gymnastics session. However, I feel like I am going nowhere with my front handsprings and I don't practice back handsprings enough (with a spotter) to even think about doing them on my own... I wish I could go to gymnastics class like 3 days a week. I do feel more confident with the monkey vault, which is huge, and I have faith in myself as far as the muscle up goes- I didn't allow myself to get frustrated with it tonight. I know I can get it, I'm just not obsessing over it. Tomorrow will be training day #4 in row, risky, but I will rest Friday and play frisbee this weekend. Good stuff.

Strength Gains!

2009-04-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

GB WOD-
Perform:
12 cycles of XR Strap HS (Ring Handstands)

Finish the workout with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

notes:
1) Each cycle consists of 30 work followed by 45 seconds of rest. Go directly from one cycle to the next with no additional rest.
2) Do not come down during the 30 seconds of HS.
3) To perform XR Strap HS drop your Xtreme Rings down to 6”-8” from the ground. Now kick up into a handstand widely straddling your legs so that they wrap around the straps. Straighten and lock your arms as much as possible and begin timing your HS.
4) If XR Strap HSs are currently too demanding, perform Wall HS instead; although every effort should be made to complete the workout with XR Strap HS.

Just when I thought that I would end up on the wall for this workout, I was pleasantly surprised that I have made enough strength gains to complete it pretty much as rx'd. The last XR strap HS WOD that I did was BRUTAL. It took me over an hour to accumulate just under 7 minutes of being in the handstand. I was able to hold each attempt for about 37-45 second, but I needed several minutes of recovery in between attempts. This time was much different. I needed some spotting getting up into the handstand but I was able to complete each of the 12 cycles with the prescribed amount of rest (give or take a few seconds on the first few attempts). Today I saw and felt how much stronger I am now compared to just a few weeks ago. Awesome.

This is obviously the tale end of one of the reps. My hands are supposed to be facing the other direction- not there yet.

Worship the SUN

2009-04-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:
Perform:
3x5 SLS-single leg squat (plus 15# medicine ball)
3x5 Single Leg Archups (used a GHD)

Finish with 3x10 Hip Extensions
4x10 GHD Situps

RCF WOD:
4 Rounds for time-
15 KB Thrusters (12kg)
15 Pullups
15 KB Swings (16kg)

On Sunday (yesterday) I held true to my two main goals for the day. I spent some time on the Park Blocks practicing some VERY basic Parkour skills while passersby looked at me, intrigued. It took me a little while to get over the whole 'people are watching me' thing. But when I realized I was holding back for fear of what other people would think, I quickly set myself straight and let them look. It felt great to get out there and take a step toward being good at Parkour. A small step, but a step none the less. I practiced some speed vaults, cat leaps, precision jumps, and quadrupedal movement on ledges (low ledges!). Soon, I will be that bad ass Parkour chick in the videos:) I also got out in our garden and pulled up all of the old stuff. I didn't get anything planted yet because I don't exactly know how to get the soil ready, hopefully this week Ramman and I will get those seeds in the ground.

Yesterday and today have been like the nicest days Portland has seen in MONTHS. Sunny, 70+ degrees, pretty much my perfect kind of weather. I said to Ramman that today makes me so excited for summer and he quickly reminded me of how miserable I get when the temperature is above 85 degrees. I'm a wuss when it comes to the heat. Especially when there isn't a sanitary body of water within 10 miles to leap into for relief. That's what I miss about Seattle. There's so much water up there that even when it's hot, it's not too bad because the breeze cools you off a bit. And when you just can't stand it, you just jump into Lake Washington (which at this point, sadly, is not terribly clean either). I think even just having the option of water to jump into makes me handle the heat a little better. In Portland there's nothing close (except the Willamette, which is all sorts of polluted) to give some sort of respite from the hot summer air that seems to sit still in this city.

It's always a bit amusing when the first warm, sunny spring day arrives in the Pacific Northwest. All of the sudden people are everywhere, in tank tops and shorts, laying out on blankets in the grass, blinding everyone with their pasty skin. And their moods! Everyone emerges out of their deep, dark, seasonal depression and exclaims at how wonderful life is! I admit, part of me is one of these people. Seeing the sun and feeling it's warmth makes me feel great. In the spring and summer I wake up earlier and usually just feel better about life in general. But who wouldn't. We spend so many months of the fall and winter with sloped shoulders and down turned heads simply as a natural defense against the rain and cold wind. We plod through our winter days almost forgetting what it's like to feel warm, what our own legs look like. People who aren't from here don't understand how we north westerners do it. Honestly I don't really know either. I think we are just so used to it that we don't even realize the effect it has on us.

I need a tropical vacation.

Sunny Saturday...

2009-04-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

...And I'm stuck inside!! Everyone in Portland is praising the heavens because we finally have some sun, and of course it happens on a day when I am at work from 10am to 7pm. LAME. It's okay though, because tomorrow is supposed to be even better and I am determined to do AT LEAST these two things: spend some time in our new garden plot getting it ready to plant some seeds for veggies(!) and jog down to the Park Blocks and practice some Parkour. If I don't do anything else with my Sunday, I will be thrilled. However, being that Sunday is my only TRUE day off, I inevitably have TONS of things to do.. But I am determined to enjoy it however I choose.

I have never gardened before but this year we managed to grab a plot in the community garden at our apartment. After we signed up for it we had a moment of 'Oh crap, when the hell are we going to have time for this?!' But, like I said, I am determined (by nature) and this is something I have wanted to do for a long time. Now that I have the opportunity, I'm going to make it happen. So, we are going to plant some zucchini, cucumber, peas, peppers, tomatoes, green onion, and a few other things... The trick is getting them planted at the right time. Some of them should be planted now and others should wait a few months until it's warmer. I'll be so pleased when my little seeds start yielding beautiful vegetables for us to enjoy:)

I am obsessed with becoming a Tracuese (a female Parkour practitioner). Here is a link to the definition of Parkour, it is basically the "art of movement", moving from one place to another as quickly as possible, overcoming obstacles and using just your own body. I have been dreaming of becoming this bad-ass Parkourista (I like this name, it's kind of like Capoierista) for over a year now and I have done very little to become comfortable practicing these skills outside. I have been doing gymnastics and Parkour skills inside with the safety of soft mats and spring floors, which is great, but I want to take it outside. Part of me has been waiting for Ramman and I to have time to go do it together, but that time rarely comes. We have had a few training sessions outside in the parks, but a few times a year isn't going to cut it. Ramman started teaching a Parkour class which is so great, the only downfall is that it is on a day that I can't go. So, it has come down to me getting out there, Ramman or not, and practicing it on my own. I feel more comfortable with him there because he knows more about the skills than I do and he can help me get it right, but at this point I am still such a beginner that I just need to get out there and run through the basics. So tomorrow my challenge to myself is on. Just make it happen!

Rip City Fitness is coming along. We hit a speed bump last week with our logo and the process of getting business cards and fliers (and possibly some other paraphernalia) printed, thus prolonging our marketing efforts which of course delays the amount of business we can get right now. A bit frustrating, but I know we will be able to make it happen soon. Other than that, things are going very well. We have a few people coming to group workouts and even more on a list of those who are interested. The main focus now is just to get people in there for a free session so that we can get the word out! Plus we have a few things that we have been lusting after: a video camera (so we can film our gymnastics tricks and hard workouts) and a GHD (Glute-Ham Developer), among other things. Yes we are true fitness NERDS. Two peas in a pod!

So, back to being stuck at work on this gorgeous day in Portland.. I work at a Globo-Gym. It drives me nuts. I feel silly complaining about my job when a) a lot of people don't have jobs right now and b) I get paid pretty damn well to do next to nothing (especially on Saturdays, I mean- I'm writing on my blog while I'm here, not bad..). The problem is that this "gym" hardly entails anything that I believe a gym or wellness facility should be. We don't have any music and we have a shit-ton of Life Fitness machines worth hundreds of thousands of dollars (yes, they cost that much!) that when potential members see, lure them in with their whirring motors and sleek and shiny appearance. Little do these people know that these machines are WORTHLESS. What the mainstream fitness industry has become is a disgrace, and March Wellness contributes to it. My responsibilities include the following: I give new members "Health Assessments" that in actuality are a JOKE. We use the BMI (which was originally developed for an obesity study in the late 19th century!) which measures your height to weight ratio and takes into account absolutely zero of your lean muscle tissue. We also use a 3-site skin fold body fat percentage test with a margin for error of like 4 to a gazillion percent depending on who's administering it. What else, oh my favorite- the grip strength test. REALLY? So, I'm supposed to tell this person that they're total upper body strength is determined by the GRIP STRENGTH TEST?! Um, I don't think I can do that.. so I don't. And finally, we have the sub-maximal VO2 max estimation (could we be any more vague about the results you get?) on the bike. Oh one more! Let us not forget the one we all remember from the Presidential Fitness Challenge, the sit-and-reach test.. Give me a break! Now, I realize that if you aren't a totally jaded because of what corporate America has done to fitness, cynical, know it all trainer, you probably don't even know what I'm talking about, but trust me- this entire "Health Assessment" is CRAP. So, I usually end up telling people just that when their BMI says they're obese and there estimated VO2 says they have the lung capacity of our dead grandparents. It's actually quite embarrassing. People come to our "wellness" center for guidance, for help in achieving their, in some cases daunting, fitness goals, and we give them a worthless assessment and pass them off to someone else to give them a free session and a cookie-cutter workout routine. THIS IS NOT FITNESS. Nor is it wellness. Another responsibility: free sessions. When I have to give these I can't help but feel like a rogue. What we are "supposed" to do is fill out a nice little workout sheet using the pretty Life Fitness machines and hand over a routine for the member to do "3 days a week". What do I do? I try to tell the person as much about CrossFit, functional fitness, constantly varied, high intensity, body weight exercises, metabolic conditioning, etc. as I can in an hour. The response? Most people get a glazed over look in their eyes because 'I thought I was just going to learn how to use the machines' and will usually be seen over the next couple of weeks doing what every body else is doing in the gym. And then they'll disappear. Oh well, at least I tried. But some, SOME people LOVE it and it lights the fire inside them. It's times like this when I really love teaching people about fitness and about themselves. THIS is why I wanted to open my own place with Ramman. THIS is why I love training people. THESE are the kind of people I want to train. And I want to train them in my own place, with my own rules, and lots of loud music. I want to get OUT of here. People like me aren't meant to work under other people. Me and bureaucracies don't get along.

Here's to a rest day and getting some thoughts out of my system!
Peep this all girl Parkour video:

I Love Kettlebells

2009-04-03T18:20:00.000-07:00

My WOD:

50 KB Swings- 16kg
50 KB Snatched- 16kg (25 each arm)
50 KB Clean & Press- 12kg (25 each side)
50 Double Unders
50 Box Jumps (24 inches)
50 V-Ups
50 Arch Ups
For Time: 23:58

I warmed up with some TGUs.. Haven't done those in a while so it felt good- it's such a unique movement.

Good WOD, Tough Day.

2009-04-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a well-deserved and much needed rest day. I did absolutely nothing (except for ride my bike into work to train one client who didn't even show up, arg!). I slept a lot. Today I was back at the Gymnastic Bodies WOD with the GB crew up at CrossFit Portland and it was, as Jason would say, a "bear" of a WOD. It was great walking in and immediately forgetting what was making us (me and Ramman) angry just a few minutes before (I'll get into that in a minute). We got there and couldn't help but feel good doing something we love with some really cool people, it was awesome. Not to mention I felt super strong in just about every movement. Finally I felt like all these workouts are making a difference in my strength level. Here's the workout and what I did in parenthesis: Peep the videos too!

GB WOD-

Complete 3 sets each of:
1 Embedded Back Lever + 3 assisted OAC
(tucked BL) + 3 Rope assisted OAC (One Arm Chinup)
1 Embedded Planche + 5 elevated HeSPUs
(frogstand) + 5 elevated (about 1.5 inches) HeSPUs (couldn't do 5 in a row but was stoked with the elevation!)
1 Embedded Front Lever + 5 L-sit Lifts
(tucked FL) + 5 L-sit Lifts (using parallettes)

Finish with 10 Bridge Wall Walks
(still can't go all the way down, mostly for fear of falling on my head)
Also 3x10 GHD Situps and Back Extensions

My HeDSPUs:

My Assisted OAC:

Now, about the thing that Ramman and I were so mad about, never mind. I wrote this big ol' long post about how shitty my day was but then I decided to delete it. I vented in writing, and even though I was the only person to read it, I feel better. There's no point in dwelling on the bad things that happened today, they are not world ending problems, there will be solutions. So instead I will continue manifesting greatness. These things are just speed bumps on my road to success and freedom. Soon I will look back, as I lay in a hammock on the beach in Belize with my sail boat waiting to taking me on another adventure, on my 20's and exclaim at how far I've come.

Foolish Me

2009-04-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

First sign that I needed a rest day: I woke up at 9am and couldn't drag my ass out of bed until 11.
Second sign I needed a rest day: Digestive symptoms flared up.
Third sign I needed a rest day: Gymnastics class didn't even sound fun.

I am exhausted. I went too many days in a row with out a rest day. I need to be more disciplined with 3 days on 1 day off, and maybe even 2 on 1 off when I'm tired. I also need to pick better days to try and do 2 WODs... Monday was not the right day to do a double because both workouts were super intense. Even though I KNOW that it's better to train SMARTER than HARDER, I still strap myself up once in a while trying to be super woman or something. So today, mad chillin' is in order since I only have 2 clients all day. Watching "The Biggest Loser", drinking lots of water, and eating plenty. Sounds like a good day to me.

Serious Rings

2009-03-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

GB WOD-

Perform:
3 sets of Muscle Up - Bulgarian Dip - roll backward to Back Lever - pull out to Front Lever - Muscle Up - Bulgarian Dip - roll backward to Back Lever - pull out to Front Lever.
3x5 Body Levers

Finish the workout with 2x10 Wall Extensions

HOLY CRAP. That was a hard ring series. I was able to go through each move continuously with a spotter. The only move that I didn't need the spot for was the bulgarian dip, all the rest I needed a little support getting from one to the next and going to the right spot in the levers. It was interesting doing the whole series. This was the first time that I haven't broken up the series into each separate exercise and it was super hard, even with a spotter. The backward roll into back lever (tucked for me) was sort of scary to do while I felt my grip getting weaker. Plus I didn't quite "get" the bending of the elbows to slowly lower myself back. Check out set #2:

I also did 3x10 GHD Sit-ups, I've never really done these and now I'm in love with them. We are saving up to get a GHD for the garage, want it so bad!! Also up high on the wish list are: Concept II Rower, Barbell, Medicine Balls, Sandbags, oh and a video camera. This is where our clients' money is going to go, so come on people!

Muscle Up Update: Still don't have it. Did a total of 6 spotted in the ring series today, and then 3 attempts after the WOD. I am so sore and tired that my attempts left a lot to be desired, um, like getting it..? Yeah. Tomorrow is gymnastics class and I am determined to put some good work in without tearing my wrists open.

I'm feeling super good so far this week. My diet has been great and I haven't written a lick of down:) The question is, when should I rest? At this point I may not take a rest day until Friday, unless my body tells me otherwise. We'll see. I need to be careful to not wait until my body starts freaking out to take a rest day. I've done something for 5 days in a row, although I am not really counting Sunday since it was just my basketball game and it wasn't all that strenuous.

Off to make some chicken and black bean chili!

Daily Double- Yikes!

2009-03-30T11:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite pics from a frisbee tournament a couple of years ago. Yes, I caught it.

Holy Painstorm!

Rip City WOD:
7 rounds for time-
Run 200 meters
15 Jump Squats
10 L-Pullups
10 Divebomber Pushups

34:38

*For my pullups I did 2 real L-Pullups in the first round then switched to Leglift-Pullup (basically just doing a leglift and then a pullup each rep) for rounds 1, 3 & 5. Rounds 2,4,6 & 7 were regular kipping pullups.

Later in the day: (maybe it wasn't such a good idea to do that first WOD)

GB WOD-
Complete four rounds:
1 minute Wall HS
15 Swinging Dips (these were super hard and ugly)
20' L-sit Walk (even though Coach Sommer said not to substitute anything for these, they are not physically possible at this point for me so I did 20 seconds of L-Sit Hold each round)

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

I don't really know what I was thinking this morning when I woke up and decided to do two WODS today. I like to do this a couple days a week ONLY if the GB WOD isn't super intense- but today it was and I went ahead and totally pre-fatigued myself for it. Both WODS were super hard and I'm tired. I was planning on doing some muscle up work today too, but it might have to wait until tomorrow. The last thing I need is for overtraining to rear it's ugly head. I will eat plenty of food and drink lots of water today, STRETCH and ROLL.

On another note: Ramman and I are applying for the reality show "The Amazing Race". While I am not a t.v. watcher at all, I have gotten hooked on watching this show online. We have to fill out this super long application and make a 3 minute long video. The video can be anything- however we think we can get the casting peoples attention. So we are going to put together a highlight reel of as many of our workouts, tricks, and impressive athletic moves that we can. Plus we have to talk a little about why we would be good on the show and why we are a strong team, etc. Are you kidding me?! If we get on this show, we're winning that shiz. I'm super excited for this possibility. We're going all out to get on.. what an awesome adventure that would be! Plus, I've travelled so little that I don't even have a freakin' passport. I NEED something like this in my life. Super stoked..

Competition & Aspirations

2009-03-29T18:39:00.000-07:00

Semi-rest(ish) Day:
Going to do a bit of bouldering (it's been a WHILE!)
Then I have a basketball game tonight.
TOMORROW: muscle ups and GB WOD

There are a couple of things I'm striving to achieve right now: getting my muscle up and making it to Coach Sommer's Gymnastic Bodies Seminar for free. There are of course numerous other goals in the hopper simultaneously, but these two are the focus right now.

Muscle Up: This is extremely frustrating. I have been trying to get it for like a YEAR. I haven't been seriously training it for the entire year, but I have had a few periods of time where I trained it a lot and came very close and then just sort of fell off the muscle up training wagon for a little while. This time I'm going to get it. I am painfully close. What's frustrating about it is that I know I am strong enough to do it, and I haven't gotten it. Is it a mental block? I'm afraid that I might be obsessing over it so much that I am blocking myself from actually achieving it. I've had plenty of experience with this when I was playing college basketball. I used to TRY SO FREAKIN' HARD that I would continuously fail. I realize that I just need to trust my training. Once I let go of TRYING and TRYING and TRYING so hard, I will get it. I am strong and I can get it, I just have to completely believe in that. It's just like shooting a jumper.

Gymnastic Bodies Seminar: Check out Gymnastic Bodies, these are the workouts I have been following since January. Ramman decided to register for the seminar and I had been loosely following the GB WODS for a couple of months while he was more serious about doing them. I still love my CrossFit metcons, so I was having a hard time choosing which WOD to do. But then Coach Sommer announced a competition, and being the competitor that I am, I joined- naturally. The winner of the competition wins free tuition to the GB Seminar in May down in Cali. It's going to be at this crazy state of the art facility that appears to be a heavenly dream-land for anyone interested in gymnastics. The contest entails following the GB WODS which are posted every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. These WODS consist of some CRAZY HARD strength exercises on rings, in handstands, on the bar, mostly with your own body weight with the exception of using a weight vest for some things. These workouts are pretty much meant for men and boys trying to become good at the things male gymnasts do, like rings. Did I mention that it is CRAZY HARD?! So I figure even if I don't win the contest, I will be a lot stronger from doing these workouts. And I will get my muscle up. With these WODS being prescribed 4 days a week, I am still able to mix in some regular CrossFit and kettlebell WODS to satisfy my craving to make myself want to throw up from exercise (I'm a rare breed). Along with doing the GB WODS, I have to post everything I do on the GB website under "workout logs". This is where everyone who is trying to win the competition posts workouts, pictures, and videos. In mid-April, Coach Sommer will ask for everyone on the forum to vote for who they think should win, then he will announce the winner. I'm one of two girls doing these workouts, as far as I know at least. It seems like there aren't too many people trying to win, but you never know! I have been diligent with following the WODS and posting on the forum, so we'll see what happens:)

So those are the big two right now. Along with getting Rip City Fitness up and running, these goals are keeping me pretty busy. The garage gym is coming along nicely and we've got a handful of people in there so far. Big marketing push is coming up, making it happen. 6 months ago I didn't think we would have our own gym already.. Dreams becoming realities.

A Fresh Start

2009-03-28T16:43:00.000-07:00

Somehow I ended up with 3 blogs. It started with "Laney's Blog", a somewhat pathetic attempt at letting out some frustrations that had built up inside over a few months of dealing with some communication issues with my mom. After about 10 posts of unsatisfying, poorly written, sentimental crap, I gave up on it. Then I started keeping track of all of my training on a new blog "Laney's Gymnastic Training" (I know, very clever names). Then, after being a little "off" with my diet over the winter, I decided to Zone up again and hold myself accountable by tracking all of my food intake on yet another creatively named blog: "Laney's Food Blog" (sheesh! booooring..). Finally, after some inspiration from my new favorite pseudo-friend (basically, a girl I came across online, she has no idea that I exist, but I wish we were friends) Melissa Byers and her blog Byers Gets Diesel, I am combining all of my blogs into one (hopefully, eventually cool) blog.

I read this article by Melissa about CrossFitting and Zoning as a woman and it struck a chord with me. I have never had any sort of eating disorder or disordered eating to speak of, but I have struggled (and still do) with my fair share of body image issues. Entering into CrossFit was easy and enjoyable for me. I seriously lacked upper body strength (just like everyone who doen't train it that much) and I was tiring of the same old training for myself and for my clients. CrossFit lit a fire under my ass to change the focus and philosophy of training. I ate it up. Then I started The Zone diet and immediately saw changes in my strength, workout performances, and physique. It took a while to figure out the amount of food I should eat, and in the meantime I was starving and wanted to punch everyone in the face. Finally I settled in on a good block prescription (10-12 blocks per day, triple fat blocks) and I was cruising in The Zone. But soon enough, it started to consume me. While Melissa's article is full of her confessions of being a control freak and deprivation of proper nutrients for the sake of getting leaner, my experience is not as intense. None the less I still experienced (and continue to experience) the guilt associated with "cheat meals" or days when I'm a little high on the carb side. What she writes about is a way to remove yourself from that. The Zone gives us great structure for our diet, but if you have ever had any sort of weird emotions attached to food and eating, it can become a not-so-healthy-obsession.

Currently I am trying to switch to a more Paleo type of diet (Paleo with a few high quality, nutrient dense grains like wild rice and quinoa here and there, plus some yogurt once in a while). I have been back in The Zone (strict- read: measuring and weighing) for about 3 weeks and I feel a little bit of the obsession coming on. I don't really want to keep track of everything I eat every day. Because the reason I am doing it is so that if I "mess up" one day I can make myself feel bad for it. I'm pretty sure that's not the point of tracking your food. So, I'm doing away with my food blog. It's monotonous to say the least and it's self-depricating. Food should not make a person feel this way. I know what the portions I should eat look like and I know which carbs are "favorable" and which aren't, I don't need to look at the block sheet every time I cook. Furthermore, if I want to make a batch of gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free cookies, I should feel good about it- after all they are the closest thing to a Paleo treat that I can think of.

The one thing I will continue to track meticulously is my training. This, when it's all said and done, is where I see the fruits of my labor. This is what I am passionate about. So expect this blog to contain a wide array of topics from gymnastics to CrossFit to recipes to family drama to exciting news about Rip City Fitness because this is The Good Life.

3.28.09

2009-03-28T13:08:00.000-07:00

My WOD:
(Stairs were done on Stepmill)

For Time: 19:46
10 Burpees
25 Floors
15 Burpees
20 Floors
20 Burpees
15 Floors
25 Burpees
10 Floors

Abs:
20 V-Ups
20 Lemon Squeezes
20 Side Arches (each side)
40 Russian Twists
40 Arch-Ups

Stretching and Rolling

3.27.09

2009-03-27T23:42:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:

10 minutes of HS Wall Runs
(40, 42, 32, 30, 23, 20, 25 seconds)

rest 3-5 minutes

2x6 Wall Pike Press HS
(1x6 Pike Negatives, 1x6 Straddle Negatives)

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

Jumping Muscle Ups x3
Muscle Up Attempts x3

"Dip Cindy"
5 Ring Dips
10 Pullups
15 Squats
20 minutes for rounds: 5 rounds+ 7 pullups

Stretching & Rolling

Today I felt super weak and heavy.. Very frustrating. I was going to do Cindy but then when my muscle up attempts were so bad (due in part to the rips on my wrists) I got mad and decided I needed to do a "Dip Cindy", going all the way down to the sticky spot EVERY time. And it sucked. Hopefully I put some good stuff in my strength bank.

3.25.09

2009-03-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics Class:

30 minute warm up and stretching
HS Rolls x10
Cartwheels x16
Round Offs x10
Front HS x5 (not so good)
5 Pullovers
3x15 V-Ups
3x15 Arch-Ups
80 Bucket Circles (40 each direction)
Muscle Up Training:
I lost track of how may attempts I made at getting my muscle up today, but if my wrists are any indication, it was A LOT. At least 15. I got videos of 9 of them, here are 2 from somewhere in the middle of them all. The first is me trying to not kip too much, then I said screw it in the second video and decided to kip and got a lot closer. Not there yet, but painfully close!

This was attempt 8 or 9:

This was attempt 12 or 13:

3.24.09

2009-03-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:

Complete four rounds:
10 depth jumps- about 2.5 feet
30 seconds weighted jumping deck squats- 15# weightvest
30m sled/tire sprints- partner drag using a band

Finish with 2x60 seconds seated toe point stretch.

20 minutes of stretching and rolling.

Picture of me and Ramman doing our depth jumps:

3.23.09

2009-03-23T20:08:00.000-07:00

Woah. What a weekend. I played 7 games of ultimate in 2 days and my legs are FRIED. I figured I would be alright with an upper body workout, but it was still pretty hard! My diet was really off this weekend at the tournament, which definitely plays a big part in how trashed my body feels today..

GB WOD:

Complete 3 sets each:

1 Embedded BL + 3 Back Lever Curls

(tucked) + (3 spotted Back Lever Curls)

1 Embedded PL + 5 Korean Dips

(frogstand) + (5 Korean Dips)

1 Embedded FL + 5 Weighted HLL

(tucked) + (5 knees to elbows- hip flexors were not functioning enough to do straight leg lifts!)

Finish with 10 Bridge Wall Walks

(5 Wall Walks & 5 Backbend Kickovers- kicking off of wall)

Korean Dips

3.19.09

2009-03-19T18:12:00.000-07:00

Took a rest day yesterday after I realized that I had trained 5 days in a row and done 7 workouts. When I started feeling irritable I thought I'd better take the day off. Today I did a metcon, tomorrow will be another rest day so that my legs are fresh for tons of running on Saturday and Sunday at the PLU BBQ! Should be fun :) Will stretch a lot and get back on the GB WOD track on Monday next week. Muscle up, here I come!

MetCon WOD (mine):

4 Rounds for time:
20 KB Swings (16k)
15 KB Thrusters (12k) these were especially hard two days after doing the XR handstands!
10 Box Jumps (24 inches)
15:45- Killer

Foam rolling & stretching

3.17.09

2009-03-17T22:06:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:

Complete the following:

10 minutes in XR Strap HS

I ended up doing 10 sets as long as I could in the XR Strap HS:
1-37 sec
2-40 sec
3-38 sec
4-45 sec
5-41 sec
6-45 sec
7-45 sec
8-45 sec
9-37 sec
10-41 sec

Finish with 2x10 Wrist Pushups

Later- "Burpee Fran"
21-15-9
Burpees
Pullups
Time: 9:50

3.16.09

2009-03-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:

3 sets of each (rest 2-3 minutes between sets)
3x5 Weighted Jumping Deck Squats- 20# weightvest
3x5 Natural GHR
3x10 Hip Circles (these are hard!)

Also:
Lots of lacrosse ball rolling and stretching
3xMax Pullups:
8,7,6

3.15.09

2009-03-15T22:40:00.001-07:00

GB WOD from Thursday 3.12.09

Complete 3 sets each:
1 Embedded BL + 4 Front Lever Circle Pulls
(spotted BL) + (Pullovers: set1=1 on my own & 2 spotted/set2=2 spotted/set3= 2 on my own & 1 spotted)
1 Embedded PL + 5 Chest Roll HeSPUs
(spotted PL) + (10 modified chest roll to HeSPU using an octogon- see video)
1 Embedded FL + 4 Windshield Wipers
(spotted FL) + (4 Half Windshield Wipers, last set knees bent)

Finish with 10 Bridge Wall Walks
(forgot these! But did 60 Bucket circles- 30 each direction)

Modified Chest Roll to HeSPU video will not load:(

3.13.09

2009-03-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

GB WOD-

4 Rounds:

10 Cast Wall Walks

(I couldn't do 10 in good form so I did 7/7/6/6)

30 Sec. Wheels

(I couldn't do wheels on my feet so I tried the first set on my knees, and then the other sets I did Wallabys)

30 Wall Runs

(I couldn't do these close to the wall, so I set my hands out further and straddled my legs, did 20 instead of 30)

These workouts are definitely humbling!

Later:Ran 5 sets of stairs (202 stairs per set)= 1,010 steps

2 Rounds-

10 V-Ups

10 Lemon Squeezes

10 Side Arches each side

20 Arch-Ups

60% of 60% of pullup max: 3/3/2

3.14.09

2009-03-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

Half "Angie"

For Time: 15:05

50 Pullups

50 Pushups

50 Situps

50 Squats

Lots of foam rolling and stretching.

3.11.09

2009-03-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics Class:

Lots of warming up and stretching
Roundoffs x10
Front Handsprings x15
Monkey Vault x10 (much better this week!)
60% of max pullups: 5/5/4
Obstacle Course: have video, will post tomorrow..

Me doing a monkey vault:

3.10.09

2009-03-10T22:10:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:

Perform the following:
3 sets: 1-3 XR Strap HSPU to 1-3 Bulgarian Dips to 1-3 MU Transitions to 1-3 Bulgarian L-sit Pull-ups to BL to FL
3x5 Tick Tocks

Finish with 2x10 Wall Extensions

Since I can't exactly do anything consecutively on the rings, I broke it up into modified movements, one after another.
Here's what I did:

3 Rounds-
R1=HSPU on parallettes w/ band assistance and a bit of a spot 3x/R2=on rings w/ band assistance and spot 3x/R3= same as R2 2x
Bulgarian Dips 2/2/2 (this was my first time doing these so they weren't that great..)
MU Transition w/ band assistance 2/1/2
Bulgarian L-sit Pullup R1=1 on my own, 2 spotted/R2=1 on my own/R3=3 spotted
Tucked BL 1/1/1
Tucked FL 1/1/1

Seeing as how this workout completely fried my upper body (and was also extremely humbling and frustrating) I didn't do the tick tocks after my 3 rounds. The "ring series" was plenty of strength work for me today, I would have needed a spotter and I'm guessing that the tick tocks would have been hideously poor form.

2x10 Wall Extensions

3.9.09

2009-03-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

GB WOD:

Complete four rounds: (what I did in parentheses)
10 Hopping HeSPUs
(Single rep Handstand Hops- see video)
30 seconds under-grip HLL
(7,9,8,8)
40' Senders*****I twisted my ankle playing basketball yesterday so I didn't do senders, instead I did-
(20 calf raises, 20 squats)

Finish with 2x60 seconds seated toe point stretch
(Did not do this because of my swollen and sore ankle..)

20 Kipping Pullups
Max Reps Strict Pullups x3
set 1= 9
set 2= 8 (see video, tiny kick at the top of #8, call it 7 if you must)
set 3= 6

oops, i meant to post me doing HS Hops, but that's Ramman!

Here's me:

3.7.09 & 3.8.09

2009-03-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday:

4 Rounds-
Row 500m
10 Pushups
Stair Climb 10 floors
20 Squats

Sunday:
1 Hour Basketball Game

**** MONDAY: GETTING BACK ON THE GB TRACK (missed some of the wods last week)****

3.5.09 & 3.6.09

2009-03-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

3.5.09- Rest day, put my back out pretty good.. in pain..

3.6.09- Back feels a little better but still resting.. need it to feel better tomorrow so I can catch up on my missed GB WODS!

3.4.09

2009-03-06T18:07:00.000-08:00

Went to gymnastics class:

Long warmup with lots of stretching
Cartwheels x10
Roundoffs x18
Front Handsprings (into port-a-pit) x8
Monkey Vault (more like attempts- these were so incredibly bad today, very frustrated) x10
20' Rope Climb x1
2 Muscle Up Attempts
3x3 Spotted Muscle Ups (felt weak today)
3x5 Spotted Handstand Pike Press
3x5 Spotted Full Range HS Pushup on Parallettes

3.3.09

2009-03-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

Kettlebell WOD:

5 Rounds for time-
10 Swings- 16kg
10 Clean and Press (5 each arm)- 16kg first set, dropped to 12kg for the rest
10 Wall Ball Substitute

17:32

3.2.09

2009-03-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

GB WOD:

3 Rounds- (what I did is in parentheses)
1 Planche + 5 Muscle Ups
(frogstand) + (set 1=5 band assisted, set 2=2 attempts & 5 assisted, set 3=3 attempts & 5 assisted)
1 BL + 5 HLL
(tucked BL) + (5 HLL)
1 FL + 5 L-sit Lifts
(tucked FL) + (5 not-very-good L-sit Lifts)

Later:
Ran Broadway Stairs (202 steps)
4 sets in 17:57

*Ab Routine
Here's one of my muscle up attempts for the day:

2.28.09

2009-02-28T16:10:00.000-08:00

My WOD:

Row 1500m
Stair Climb 10 minutes: 69 floors

3 Rounds (not timed):
3 Weighted Pullups- 15#
3 Strict Pullups
5 Kipping Pullups
11 Dips (bar)

I haven't been doing very many pullups lately (compared to heavy CrossFitting) so they feel very weak. Will be working pullups more!

2.26.09

2009-02-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

GB WOD (from last week, I did part of it on Monday, but did the exercises wrong):

4 Rounds:

10 depth jumps
(Did box jump to deck jump: 3 feet)

30 seconds jumping Graduated SLS
(Did SLS deck squat jumps: alternating 7, 7, 6, 6)

30m tire/sled sprints
(Used partner and band for 30m up an incline)
(Took 18:13 with partner, we had to alternate the run)

*Abs x2
20 Roman Chair LL
40 MB Twists
10 Side Arches (on hand) each side
20 Arch Ups on back extension

*Calf Raises (20 both, 20 each, 20 both)

2.25.09

2009-02-25T22:29:00.000-08:00

My WOD:
5 Rounds (not for time)

15 KB SDLHP
10 KB Swings
5 Burpees

Gymnastics:
Cartwheels
Roundoffs
Handstand Rolls
Spotted Muscle Ups x6 (felt strong, but still not strong enough!)
3 Rounds:
1 Minute Wall Handstand
5 Leg Lifts
10 Squat Throughs on Pommel

Me doing a spotted muscle up:

2.23.09

2009-02-23T21:05:00.000-08:00

GB WOD (2 of them):

3x5 SLS
3x5 SL Arch-ups (used a slanted back extension thing)

4 Rounds: [12:44]
10 Depth Jumps (2.5 feet)
30 sec SLS Jumps (5R, 5L, 5R, 5L)
20 Double Unders
(Did not have a tire, sled, box, or partner to do the tire/sled sprints)

*Ab Routine 2x

2.22.09

2009-02-23T21:04:00.000-08:00

Basketball Game: 1 hour

2.21.09

2009-02-22T13:58:00.000-08:00

Run 1 mile
10 minutes on stepmill for max floors: 67
Ab Routine

2.19.09

2009-02-19T17:42:00.000-08:00

GB WOD:

Complete 3 sets of each:

Embedded BL (1-2 reps) + Front Lever Rows (3-5 reps)(Tucked BL x1) + (Tucked FL Rows x3)
Embedded PL (1-2 reps) + XR PPP Plus (3-5 reps)
(Frogstand x1) + (XR PPP Plus x3 - "plus" was a tiny hop)
Embedded FL (1-2 reps) + HLL V to L (3-5 reps)
(Tucked FL x1) + (HLL V to L x3 - knees bent)

Finish with 10 Bridge Wall Walks(Started to do bridge wall walks, lower back is a little out, it hurt, so I stopped after 3)

Later: 5x500 meter row
2:15, 2:08, 2:07, 2:09, 2:04

Me doing a tucked back lever:

2.18.09

2009-02-18T22:05:00.000-08:00

Mixed GB WOD(s)- Ring Work and Legs:

Earlier in the day:
3x5 Weighted Jumping Deck Squats (holding DB 10#,12.5#,15#)
3x5 Natural Leg Curl

At gymnastics later:
Stretch
Bucket Circles 4x15 (2 sets each direction) way better than last week!
Hip Circles 2x10
Front Hip Extensions 2x10
Side Hip Extensions 2x10
Band Assisted Muscle Up 3x5
A few attempts at the shoulder stand in a tucked position
Band Assisted Bulgarian Dips 3x5
Ring Dips 3x5
Wall Extensions 2x10

*Very sore from yesterday's workout!

2.17.09

2009-02-17T21:31:00.000-08:00

4 Rounds for time:
Run 800 meters
20 Pushups
24:30
*Ab Routine
*Later in the evening: 14 total backbend progressions w/ panel mats

GB WOD (from Monday):

(In parenthesis is what I did)

Complete four rounds: (Did 3 rounds)

10 Clapping Pull-ups (5 Kipping Pullups with release at top)

10 TOPs Pulls (5 Tucked TOPS Pulls- see video)
5 360s (5 Skin the Cats)

This workout was super hard for me. I can't do clapping pullups, so I just tried to release at the top. I can't do any sort of straight body lever movements so I tucked for the TOPS, and just did the negative portion. And I tried but couldn't do a tucked 360, so I did skin the cats instead. 3 rounds of 5 reps each. HARD!