Tonights' Crossfit

Todays' workout:

AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) in 10 minutes

10 Deadlifts (30kg barbell)
10 Push-ups
10 Pull-ups

I managed 8 rounds :) I'm happy!

(Great job there's lots of different pics of marilyn lifting weights!)
Here's another pic for thought:

Good stuff! :)
XXX

Feasting and Hibernating

Its cold in Bath, and the snow is thick! I find this weather always makes me want to eat lots, and snuggle up inside. So I cooked myself up a paleo feast tonight.

Sausages with sweet potato cakes
I grated up a sweet potato and mixed with chopped onion, an egg and seasoning, baked for 30/40 mins along with the sausages and served up with home-made paleo mayo:

And for dessert: banana pancakes, so easy: banana mashed up with cinnamon, whisked up with 2 eggs and fried like regular pancakes: I had mine with honey and lemon juice.

 Ok, so I'm not going to win any awards for food presentation! but this is a pretty good representation of my weekend: Snow and Food! Stay warm all.

XXX

Flourish!

I really enjoy Red Magazine: they have a good mix of trashy stories, nice home/cooking ideas and inspirational reads that aren't too flouncy.

In this article 'flourish' the new school of happiness argues that true well being comes from having good relationships, finding real meaning in life and achieving your goals, they call flourishing 'happiness with staying power' well doesn't that sounds nice!

The 5 key pillars they talk about in order to flourish are
1) Positive emotions
2) Interest and engagement with life, for example enjoying trying new things
3) Positive relationships
4) That your life has meaning and purpose
5) That you have goals and are achieving them

Why not go through each one here readers, perhaps you could develop some of your pillars? I'm delighted goals were mentioned, I've got that one covered!

XXX

Paleo

Darlings,

Anyone aware of Crossfit will probably also know that the diet of choice to support training is Paleo, I wanted to get all I could from my crossfit experience so I'm on board!

I will, I hasten to add not be cutting out alcohol: I drink very rarely as it is, and have no intention of giving up my monthly cocktails :P I do intend to follow the rest of the guidelines through the week and relax them at weekends, as I would like this to be a way of life diet rather than one I do for a set amount of time:

Yes
Meat: poultry, seafood, red meats and eggs
Fruits and Fruit Juices
Nuts: Cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts.
Oils: include coconut, sesame, and olive oil.
Vegetables
No
Legumes (Beans, Peas, Peanuts)
sugars
Dairy
Grains
Processed Foods
Most Starches: No corn products, no potatoes, no rice, no breads. 

I have actually found it quite easy and enjoyable: basically I filled my cupboard and fridge full of Paleo friendly produce at the beginning of the month and just eat as and when I like, no measuring no restrictions. Lovely! I'm not tracking my weight religiously as before, I want this to be a lifestyle change rather than a fad: but I have lost 3 pounds since starting 2 weeks ago.

A couple of interested parties have asked what I eat in a day. So I did a little spreadsheet, its sort of an amalgamation of the 2 weeks, just to give you an idea. I tend to cook up big things -like a pot of chilli and that keeps me going for a few lunches, I recommend this highly it makes life easier in the mornings.

	Breakfast	Lunch	Snack	Dinner	Exercise	Snack
Mon	Coffee (black)	2 sausages and roast parsnip	Apple	Scotch egg* with red cabbage + apple salad	Walk to work + Zumba	Banana pancakes
Tues	Glass of grapefruit juice and a scotch egg	Baked sweet potato topped with bacon	Banana	Chilli* with roast veggies	w2w+ Crossfit	Banana + some nuts
Wed	Muscle recovery shake (not paleo but I need it!) + banana smoothie	Chilli with roast veggies (leftovers from yesterday)		Curry – coconut milk, tinned tomatoes, curry spices, Chicken, veg	w2w	Cauliflower (raw) dipped in mayo
Thur	Coffee and banana	Chilli with roast veggies (leftovers again)	Apple	Tuna salad: tuna, apple, onion, mayo* and toasted pine nuts	w2w + Crossfit	avocado
Fri	Coffee and banana	Tuna salad	Coffee + banana	Roast aubergine, and butternut squash with bacon	w2w+zumba	Most likely a bottle of prosecco, knowing my Friday nights!

*Paleo friendly versions

XXX

Fit...

I currently do a few things that I thought classed me as reasonably fit: I walk the 2k Bathwick hill every day to work, I do zumba twice a week, and usually do a Kettlebells or body conditioning class too. I had my first CrossFit training session on Tuesday...I was wrong! now (Wednesday + Thursday) my body aches like it never has before. Among the teaching of technique we had a 'workout' to follow

1) 400m run
2 ) 21-15-9 reps (that's 21 of all, the 15 of all then 9 of all)
Squats
push ups
Ring pull ups
3) 400m run

I did it in 12 minutes, someone else did it in 7!

I couldn't feel my arms when we had finished and they are VERY painful now.

But despite all this I feel happy, I'm really challenging myself - so inevitably this wasn't going to be easy! but I am delighted to have the support of my friends - Johnny: who is doing the class too and says 'come on Miss Robinson' when I'm exhausted, Sarah: who bought me a tub of muscle recovery powder that I'm sure has already helped, Ryan: who walks home from work with me slowly because I can't move very fast. Schmaltzy it may be, but I couldn't do it without them. I'm looking forward to being fit!

XXX

Time...

Here it comes, the inevitable new year lament about time, about getting older, about growing up and wasting time (Hell, I just spent 10 minutes of my day finding a picture to go with this post, I couldn't find a good one about time so I found a lovely one about dancing instead!)

I am fantastic a wasting time, procrastinating and perhaps also not making the most of the chances I am given. As a magpie my attentions are always off somewhere else, rarely on the serious jobs I need to do: Studying, working, reading, cleaning. But then, often I am snapped back to realisation that I am no longer young, no longer a recent graduate: but a full grown adult who hasn't reached many of the goals and potential I wanted for myself.

Time goes so quickly, corny as it is to say: I was so excited to set off for my 2 week Christmas holiday from work, and here I am back at my desk: so quickly it was over. I tried to get the most out of my break: seeing friends, family, dates, a bit of house cleaning: yet it was over in a blink of an eye.

Now I may not be able to slow down time but what I can (and should) do is make the best of the time I've been given: so my goal over all others in 2013, is to (sigh, this sounds so lame) to make each day count. Even if all I achieve in one day is to exercise and eat well: I know I have lost a little weight, gotten a little fitter, or applied for a new job: well then its not a wasted day. I was going to make some kind of journal to remind me of this, but actually and hopefully: doing it here, saying is for you guys: will help make it more real, more pressing for me to do.

Now I've already said I am about to start Crossfit and a Veterinary care course I've been umming and ahhing about both but as a wise author say here even if both turn out to be useless, or not for me, it wont be a waste because "if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something."

So in addition to new exercise and new education, I intend to each day try to eat well and do something towards a more rewarding career, and lastly owning my own home: so essentially, saving. So I'm looking at taking positive actions for Goals 12, 18, 22.

So, here we go 2013!!

XXX