So one of my readers is also a coach at CrossFit Durham, and a friend of mine. I like to call her Coach Actually. Ask her about it sometime.
Remember when I did that post last week about eleven fitness- and appearance-based goals I have? It got more comments than average (and a lot of them focused on the topic of butt dimples. which i still think are sexy, so there). The general gist (and something I should have realised) was that some of them were attributes that, it seems, people are "just born with;" you either have it or you don't, and there's not much you can do body-recomposition-wise, to deal with that. Ashley brought up the fact, in her comment and in the subsequent email convos we had on Facebook, that we (as ladies, even supercool athlete ladies) find it so easy to spout off lists of what we don't like about our bodies, or what we'd like to eventually attain, relating to both looks and abilities. And it's not an argument for complacency or contentment with mediocrity, but we really need to be able to talk about what we do like about our bodies and current abilities in just as much glowing detail. The point is that, regardless of future plans or goals, we are anything BUT mediocre right now. We are freaking awesome. Here's the proof:
1. I love my feet
They're little (smaller than almost all of my family's feet, even counting some of the chilluns). They're kinda weird-looking (super-high arches that have fallen a bit, short scrunched-up toes, some crooked toes. and they can get hairy). But they're strong and flexible and, best of all, useful. I can point them - maybe not a perfect practiced balletic "en pointe" pose, but it looks pretty to me! I can take off my shoes and scramble up rocks at the river, using not just my toes but my whole foot to grip and climb. I can run barefoot over smooth ground, and today I walked some unknown but long distance through the woods over gravel and roots and dried holly leaves, and it was the leaves that hurt my feet the most.
2. I love my squat(ting ability)
I am really good at squats. We did so freaking many of them all throughout my...1.5 years? of bootcamp that I consider myself kind of a pro. I figured out how to avoid the "butt wink" (your lower back rounding out at the bottom of the move) pretty well, which allowed me to get my back squat up to 185 so far. And I can sit in the bottom of a squat so well that when we were all doing it for like 5 minutes straight in mobility class, some jealous person who shall remain unnamed pointed at me and said "that is not normal!" Nope, it's not. It's awesome.
3. I love my tattoo
It's on the back of my neck, which has caused some people to point out that I'll never be able to see it without a mirror or camera. True, but I still know it's there. It's in the shape of an apple star - the five-pointed floret of seeds that you see if you cut an apple in half horizontally. It's known as the Star of Knowledge, and is said to have been the symbol of King Solomon, Pythagoras and other such smarty-pantses. It's also become connected with the pentacle in that they are both five-pointed stars, so it's known (among witchy people, at least) as a "secret" symbol for paganism. To me, it represents the magic, beauty and perfect geometry inherent everywhere in nature, if you only know where to look.
4. I love my burpees
I've never seen myself doing them, obvs (anyone wanna hold the video camera and help me fix that?) but apparently I kick my feet way out and up, and bring my chest to the ground faster. Like the beginning of "the worm." Amy says "donkey kick." Jed says "balletic." I just think it's fun!
5. I love my eyes
I get SO many compliments on my eyes. They're large and dark and my eyelashes have been known to elicit cries of wonder and jealousy from friends, make-up artists and several random customers in various restaurants I've worked in over the years who just walked up and told me how gorgeous they were. The Man tells me that they are two-toned: the insides are a golden brown and the outsides are light hazel-green. But you can only see that if you get really close :)
6. I love my ability to enjoy the hell out of swimming even though I'm bad at it
I took swimming lessons as a kid. I distinctly remember it. Our instructor was named Sheila and, nerdy little rugrats that we were, we called her Shelob behind her back. That's the huge spider from Return of the King, in case you have a life. But now I can barely dog paddle, although I only halfway suck at lying on one side and scooting along. I really don't care. Being in the water - lake, river, ocean; even a pool or bathtub in a pinch - just puts me at the purest ease I've ever experienced. I especially like twirling around like an otter.
7. I love my hands
There's probably not a square inch of skin on my hands that doesn't bear at least a fading scar, handy as I am with the chef's knife. But they're long-fingered and thick-skinned where it counts. My hands aren't white or soft or "pretty," but they're strong and graceful, allowing me to write and sign and lift and climb and caress and poke and anything else I want to do with them.
8. I love my old ballet skills
I took ballet for a good 8 years when I was younger, and while I can lo longer do a pirouette without falling over (but still having fun), I've held on to a number of skills I gleaned from that stint. I can rise up on my toes in demi-pointe and balance there on both or just one foot, which is apparently not something everyone can do. I'm fairly flexible, even without a great deal of intentional upkeep. And, although I don't see it, people tell me I'm graceful, with what seem like normal movements to me appearing as very dancer-like to others. And graceful people are fun to watch. So that's cool.
9. I love my belly button
It's just so darn cute! Even with the scar from the time I pierced it myself with a needle when I was 15, before my sister convinced me that it would go gangrenous and I'd slowly die of omphalic rot, but not before she told our parents, who would of course disown me. It's still cute, though.
10. I love my friends
You might be thinking "no fair! cop-out!" but bear with me on this. My friends are an amazing group of people. They're smart, funny, motivated and interesting, and the fact that they're all damn sexy is just a bonus. I am friends with them because I think they'll make my life better. As such, I've got a pretty high regard for their opinions. And their opinions include the fact that I am amazing enough for them to be friends with me. Therefore, I'm pretty amazing. If I do say so myself.
So that's my story and I'm sticking to it. Although, reading back over this list, I'm struck with a desire to get pictorial or video evidence of each of these things. Hmm...more post ideas....
Check these ladies out! They're all writing about how awesome they are along with me.
Ashley has the funnest laugh ever. Just thinking about her impression of "laughter yoga" has me giggling to myself.
Bea is equal parts adorableness and badassery in a fun-size package. I kind of want to be her.
Lindsay is the main reason that the Sartorialist needs to come visit Durham. Even in her workout clothes. Especially in her workout clothes.
Melinda is not only kicking cancer's ass in a major way, but she's also got one of the most beautiful, authentic smiles I've ever seen.
I don't know Colleen too well, but I do know that she's got legs like yeah whoa and I've never seen her not smiling.
Amy. Oh, Amy. I would KILL for your ass. I might not even kill to actually have it, just because its hypnotic power compelled me to do so. You have a great gift. Never use your powers for evil.
-Nelly
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Big changes
So remember all those times I complained about my bum shoulder?
Well, as it turns out, I had a fairly good reason to be doing so. After over a decade of simply whining and trying to deal, I went to Triangle Orthopedic on Monday for an arthrogram and MRI, and I just got the results back yesterday. Two days ago I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about the labrum, and now I know exactly where it is, what it's supposed to do, and how mine is not doing what it should.
Here's a drawing of a labral tear. Mine is in the back of the shoulder, and there's also a chance that the tendons in the front are overly loose(possibly contributing to or as a result of the injury), which won't be known for sure until they go in there, but will be an easy-ish fix if that is the case.
The doc told me that there's basically two options. Number one is basically just keep doing what I have for the past decade and a half - there's nothing included in conventional injury-specific physical therapy that I haven't already tried. I've done stretching and strengthening of all kinds, periods of immobilisation, chiropractic adjustment, and on and on. And I can still never tell you if today will be the day that I'll be doing a pull-up, or shifting the baby from one hip to the other, or even taking off my shirt and suddenly the joint will slip and I'll gasp in sudden, intense pain and probably drop whatever I'm holding. Note that I have dropped myself off the pull-up bar before but I have never, ever dropped a baby, and I never plan to.
And...option number two is surgery.
Apparently the surgery itself is nothing to worry about. There wouldn't be any metal pins or the like inside me - the only foreign substances would be sutures and this polymer stuff that would eventually melt and be replaced by my bone. I wouldn't even have to stay in the hospital overnight. But I'm still scared as hell for everything that comes afterwards: according to my awesome doc (Dr. Silver at Triangle Orthopedics, if anyone's looking for a nice dude to fix what ails ya, joint-wise), it would be a month with my arm in a sling to start. Then 2-3 months relearning how to do everyday things - driving springs to mind. And THEN it would be a good 6-8 months (I was unsure and forgot to ask if this was cumulative or not) before I could think about doing any kind of lifting or semi-serious upper body exercise again. Read: no CrossFit.
So this is why I'm most scared. Assuming the worst, that each of those specified times are on their own, not cumulative, that adds up to a full year of not being able to lift or do CrossFit. The reason this scares me so much is that before I started any of this, I was fat and sad and had no direction whatsoever in my life. Each one of those things has been reversed as a direct result of doing this stuff. So I'm terrified that without the ability to keep doing it, I'll change course again and head inevitably back to where I started, which was not a fun place to be at all.
I know I really need to get this done, and it's really not that big a deal, considering what some people go through. I'm just worried and scared (I've never been put under before, another point of stress) and bleargh.
People who have had operations that require a lot of recovery time (especially athletes/CrossFitters): how do you cope? I'd really like to know.
-Nelly
Well, as it turns out, I had a fairly good reason to be doing so. After over a decade of simply whining and trying to deal, I went to Triangle Orthopedic on Monday for an arthrogram and MRI, and I just got the results back yesterday. Two days ago I wouldn't have been able to tell you anything about the labrum, and now I know exactly where it is, what it's supposed to do, and how mine is not doing what it should.
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The doc told me that there's basically two options. Number one is basically just keep doing what I have for the past decade and a half - there's nothing included in conventional injury-specific physical therapy that I haven't already tried. I've done stretching and strengthening of all kinds, periods of immobilisation, chiropractic adjustment, and on and on. And I can still never tell you if today will be the day that I'll be doing a pull-up, or shifting the baby from one hip to the other, or even taking off my shirt and suddenly the joint will slip and I'll gasp in sudden, intense pain and probably drop whatever I'm holding. Note that I have dropped myself off the pull-up bar before but I have never, ever dropped a baby, and I never plan to.
And...option number two is surgery.
Apparently the surgery itself is nothing to worry about. There wouldn't be any metal pins or the like inside me - the only foreign substances would be sutures and this polymer stuff that would eventually melt and be replaced by my bone. I wouldn't even have to stay in the hospital overnight. But I'm still scared as hell for everything that comes afterwards: according to my awesome doc (Dr. Silver at Triangle Orthopedics, if anyone's looking for a nice dude to fix what ails ya, joint-wise), it would be a month with my arm in a sling to start. Then 2-3 months relearning how to do everyday things - driving springs to mind. And THEN it would be a good 6-8 months (I was unsure and forgot to ask if this was cumulative or not) before I could think about doing any kind of lifting or semi-serious upper body exercise again. Read: no CrossFit.
So this is why I'm most scared. Assuming the worst, that each of those specified times are on their own, not cumulative, that adds up to a full year of not being able to lift or do CrossFit. The reason this scares me so much is that before I started any of this, I was fat and sad and had no direction whatsoever in my life. Each one of those things has been reversed as a direct result of doing this stuff. So I'm terrified that without the ability to keep doing it, I'll change course again and head inevitably back to where I started, which was not a fun place to be at all.
I know I really need to get this done, and it's really not that big a deal, considering what some people go through. I'm just worried and scared (I've never been put under before, another point of stress) and bleargh.
People who have had operations that require a lot of recovery time (especially athletes/CrossFitters): how do you cope? I'd really like to know.
-Nelly
Monday, June 20, 2011
Eleven Goals Not Based On Weight (slightly NSFW)
I've been thinking lately about my renewed resolve to ignore the scale. I don't care to tie my view of my health to a number that's so wildly variable. And as much as I try to focus on other markers, the feelings associated with specific numbers are insidious - I can't ever seem to forget that the proper "healthy" weight for a woman my height is somewhere around 135-142, even though I know I'm carrying a hell of a lot more muscle than average and the number's probably skewed to start with. I don't like feeling gross when I realise that my weight is nearly the same as my 6-foot tall male friend, when I should be reminding myself of the fact that my bench press is considerably closer to that number than his is.
So the scale is out. Problem is, it's probably the easiest marker of progress to track with any objectivity* - I can go just by how my clothes fit, but it's hard to quantify that. Solution: come up with other goals. I tried to make a mix of both appearance/body-based goals and ones based on awesome things I want to be able to do. Which is of course all that matters in the end. But I'd kind of like to look hot while doing them. These are very roughly in reverse order of want, meaning #1 is definitely #1 but the rest are just thrown about.
11. Have guns like Batty
...meaning not only totally beasting it, but also sporting pretty pretty tats. If you haven't read Batty's blog, you need to go over there and do it like NOW. I yoinked this particular pic from this post, which I absolutely love and advise everyone to bookmark the page. This is the one I used to convince a beautiful healthy teenage employee of mine that she really did not need to lose 20 lbs, nor should she ever shy away from being strong and capable for the sake of some twisted, narrow image of "beauty." And it worked. Yay Melbell!
10. Do a muscle-up
Useful for climbing walls, escaping the bad guys and generally being a ninja. Impressive as all hell. What's not to love?
9. Get to 22% body fat
No matter what my size, I've always been proportionally bigger in the regions of T&A (the former more than the latter, but both overall). I figure 22%, mixed with the fact that a lot of that is going to stay with Ralphie and Louie, is probably low enough to give me abs while staying totally healthy.
8. Do a cat pass/kong vault/whatever you call it
Again with the getting-away-from-bad-guys. This one's an especial dream of mine, as it was the one move in the Fundamentals of Parkour class with Colin that I really couldn't even begin to do, reason being that my shoulder slipped out of joint the first time I tried it. That's an ongoing problem that I'm finally taking care of - I actually got the arthrogram and MRI of my shoulder done today...which is why I'm inside writing instead of at CFD doing presses.
7. Have that line down the middle of my abs
I'm not asking for a full-on six-pack, but I think the look of this is really nice. Plus, it's Maggie Gyllenhaal in Agent Provocateur. No one loses here.
6. Run a 7-minute mile. Preferably barefoot.
I've always been a distinctly "meh" runner. Not too great at either speed (except for really, really short bursts) or distance (I doubt I've ever gone more than about 3 or 4 miles at one time, ever). But it's useful. And fun. And apparently we're all designed to do it. So yeah.
5. Have dimples of Venus
You cannot tell me that's not hot as all hell. Even with the plumber's crack. Or maybe even more so because of it, depending on your taste. Right now, I can feel where those are supposed to be but I can't quite see them yet.
4. Do a freestanding handstand
...unless my spotter is a young, shirtless Sean Connery.
3. Have a perfect 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio
Simply put, it's the universal, evolutionarily-ordained marker of human feminine attractiveness. For a bonus, try and name all the ladies shown above. I got three.
2. Deadlift 300 lbs
That's a hell of a lot. Almost twice my bodyweight. For a lady, that's pretty damn decent. It's also an enormous number that I can brag about.
And the number one thing I'm working towards...
THIGHS THAT DON'T TOUCH!
Partly to look good. Mostly so I can actually buy nice jeans and pants and not have my monster thighs shred the insides of them within months. This has happened to every single pair of real pants I've ever had, and some of the stretchy ones too. When I'm pantsless, I love my thighs and what they can do (just ask The Man, wink wink nudge nudge). But any other time, they are literally Why We Can't Have Nice (leg-covering) Things. And they chafe. Ow.
And there's my list. Hope you enjoyed it. Comments? What would you use for your own?
-Nelly
*since I still can't find the damn tape measure.
So the scale is out. Problem is, it's probably the easiest marker of progress to track with any objectivity* - I can go just by how my clothes fit, but it's hard to quantify that. Solution: come up with other goals. I tried to make a mix of both appearance/body-based goals and ones based on awesome things I want to be able to do. Which is of course all that matters in the end. But I'd kind of like to look hot while doing them. These are very roughly in reverse order of want, meaning #1 is definitely #1 but the rest are just thrown about.
11. Have guns like Batty
10. Do a muscle-up
Useful for climbing walls, escaping the bad guys and generally being a ninja. Impressive as all hell. What's not to love?
9. Get to 22% body fat
No matter what my size, I've always been proportionally bigger in the regions of T&A (the former more than the latter, but both overall). I figure 22%, mixed with the fact that a lot of that is going to stay with Ralphie and Louie, is probably low enough to give me abs while staying totally healthy.
8. Do a cat pass/kong vault/whatever you call it
Again with the getting-away-from-bad-guys. This one's an especial dream of mine, as it was the one move in the Fundamentals of Parkour class with Colin that I really couldn't even begin to do, reason being that my shoulder slipped out of joint the first time I tried it. That's an ongoing problem that I'm finally taking care of - I actually got the arthrogram and MRI of my shoulder done today...which is why I'm inside writing instead of at CFD doing presses.
7. Have that line down the middle of my abs
I'm not asking for a full-on six-pack, but I think the look of this is really nice. Plus, it's Maggie Gyllenhaal in Agent Provocateur. No one loses here.
6. Run a 7-minute mile. Preferably barefoot.
I've always been a distinctly "meh" runner. Not too great at either speed (except for really, really short bursts) or distance (I doubt I've ever gone more than about 3 or 4 miles at one time, ever). But it's useful. And fun. And apparently we're all designed to do it. So yeah.
5. Have dimples of Venus
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4. Do a freestanding handstand
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3. Have a perfect 0.7 waist-to-hip ratio
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2. Deadlift 300 lbs
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And the number one thing I'm working towards...
THIGHS THAT DON'T TOUCH!
Partly to look good. Mostly so I can actually buy nice jeans and pants and not have my monster thighs shred the insides of them within months. This has happened to every single pair of real pants I've ever had, and some of the stretchy ones too. When I'm pantsless, I love my thighs and what they can do (just ask The Man, wink wink nudge nudge). But any other time, they are literally Why We Can't Have Nice (leg-covering) Things. And they chafe. Ow.
And there's my list. Hope you enjoyed it. Comments? What would you use for your own?
-Nelly
*since I still can't find the damn tape measure.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
IF = meh, plus cheat-day madness
So I've been following the IF (intermittent fasting) eating template for just about two weeks now. I've got some mixed feelings about it.
But enough talk about healthiness. Today was Saturday, and that means I get to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. And today was, in general but especially in that regard, AWESOME.
-Nelly
- CON: I feel really kind of restricted by my meal times. The way my schedule works out, I break my fast after I get back from work, around 1pm or so. Because of this, I can't really stop off anywhere on my way - no more river swims or library visits, unless I want to go out later - because I feel like I absolutely have to eat then. I'm sure I could actually go longer without food if I wanted to, but I'm frickin' hungry and really don't want to wait.
- PRO: I can see a difference. It's a little one, and I can't give any concrete proof of it, as I've stopped weighing myself again (reasons why in this post), haven't gotten my body fat tested since the follow-up of Bonesetter Stew's cleanse dealio, and can't find my damn tape measure. But the difference is there, if (so far) slight. My waist is a little less puffy and my arms are a little more defined. Inner thighs, I'm still waiting on you.
- CON: I'm almost certain I am more irritable. Maybe Shirtless Man #1 was right, and I should either eat the first meal sooner (putting it right in the middle of the time I'm usually feeding Baby Bug his third breakfast) or have the last one at...11pm. Um, maybe not. Anyone wanna weigh in, especially ladies who've tried IF? Coach TCTH aka Mike K, I know Paul Po would include you in that category, but feel free to offer advice as a dude.
- PRO: It's fairly easy to follow. There's no weighing or measuring or figuring out blocks, and although Coach TCTH is all finicky about counting calories and I'd probably see results even faster if I did too, I don't think it's entirely necessary. The very act of eating everything within a smaller window means that you unconsciously restrict a bit, or else you'd just be constantly stuffed to the point of discomfort during that time. And that restriction gives me a little leeway to not stick completely to paleo - if I want some cream in my coffee, I'll have some, and not worry about it.
But enough talk about healthiness. Today was Saturday, and that means I get to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. And today was, in general but especially in that regard, AWESOME.
- 6:00am: went running around the Duke Wall with Vivian. Afterwards, we drove to Guglhupf and sat in the parking lot until it opened at 7:30. The cream puffs came out literally five seconds before I got to the counter. Loaded up with delicious flaky sugary goodness of various kinds, we left feeling supremely satisfied, an emotion that only increased when I devoured said cream puff (the size of my palm!) in the car on the way back to my house.
- 9:00am: buckets of coffee with cream, plus a chocolate croissant and a butter croissant (the rest of my haul from the bakery; each one larger than my hand). And then a good-sized plate bacon and liver fried up together. And then I realised that was a hell of a lot of food to eat within an hour of working out. Whoops.
- 10:00am: got to CrossFit, feeling only slightly stuffed. Completed the WOD without puking. I consider this a major accomplishment. Stayed for mobility and then the shoulder health seminar, finally leaving around 2.
- 2:30pm: a good cup of blueberries (3 for 1 at Harris Teeter!) swimming (and I do mean swimming) in whipping cream. Some leftover salmon. A plum.
- 6:00pm: a small piece of chicken. Losing steam here. I think I need the mother of all cheat dinners here. Any suggestions? It has to be supremely non-paleo. Chinese takeout is a possibility if I feel like driving and spending more money.
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-Nelly
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Why I Wear Short Shorts
Full title that was too long: Why I Wear Short Shorts, Even Though I Don't Particularly Like My Thighs All That Much.
This post brought to you by the Sunday funny papers.
I got up early this morning to run the Duke Wall with my friend/client Vivian, and although I was certain I'd want to collapse right back into bed once I returned, there's something about watching the sun rise while running outside that invigorates you enormously. So I brewed up some chicory coffee with a little local cream and sat down to get my early-morning giggle fix. (Pearls Before Swine was especially funny to NPR listeners today, bee tee dubs).
Amidst the chuckles, though, I got a hefty dose of introspection. Check out what Opal's saying in the third and fourth panels there. In case you can't read it, she's looking at an old photo album and muses "It's amazing. At the time these photos were taken, I hated how I looked in them. But looking at them now I think, wow, I wish I still looked that good!"
Um. Hello, soulmate? Well, with me and every other grown-ish woman rich enough to have the luxury of dissatisfaction with looks.
This post brought to you by the Sunday funny papers.
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| one of my favorite strips. official site here |
Amidst the chuckles, though, I got a hefty dose of introspection. Check out what Opal's saying in the third and fourth panels there. In case you can't read it, she's looking at an old photo album and muses "It's amazing. At the time these photos were taken, I hated how I looked in them. But looking at them now I think, wow, I wish I still looked that good!"
Um. Hello, soulmate? Well, with me and every other grown-ish woman rich enough to have the luxury of dissatisfaction with looks.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
The Caveman Ninja Strikes Back
This is part two in a 3-post series on the Fifth Ape Fundamentals course I took with Colin. Here's part one, and here's the write-up of the first class I took from him.
So I had this dream the other night.
You know how sometimes you'll have a "flying" dream? Where suddenly, by some miraculous mechanism, you find yourself floating a few inches off the ground, then higher and higher and before you know it you're soaring, miles high. And it always feels so incredibly effortless and natural - you were born to fly, it couldn't be any other way! - that when you first wake up, the action of remaining tethered to the earth is the one that seems more unnatural.
Well. I had a parkour dream.
I can't remember all the details, but there was definitely some insane intrigue going on. At some point I had to chase someone through an airport terminal that was also somehow a grocery store. But that's not important. The important part is, while chasing this unremembered foe, I had to get myself over a lowish obstacle (I think it was a turnstile. yes I know there are not normally turnstiles in airports or grocery stores). And I vaulted.
When I woke, everything else about the dream faded fairly quickly. But that feeling - of effortless almost-flight through no miracle but the work of my own body - has stuck with me. So it's in dedication to that awesomest of dreams (and in hopes of eventually making them reality) that I'm writing this now.
So I had this dream the other night.
You know how sometimes you'll have a "flying" dream? Where suddenly, by some miraculous mechanism, you find yourself floating a few inches off the ground, then higher and higher and before you know it you're soaring, miles high. And it always feels so incredibly effortless and natural - you were born to fly, it couldn't be any other way! - that when you first wake up, the action of remaining tethered to the earth is the one that seems more unnatural.
Well. I had a parkour dream.
I can't remember all the details, but there was definitely some insane intrigue going on. At some point I had to chase someone through an airport terminal that was also somehow a grocery store. But that's not important. The important part is, while chasing this unremembered foe, I had to get myself over a lowish obstacle (I think it was a turnstile. yes I know there are not normally turnstiles in airports or grocery stores). And I vaulted.
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Monday, June 6, 2011
So many shirtless men (part 1)
SO many. They're all doing something right. And they're all doing something different. It's maddening.
Shirtless Man #1*: Martin Berkhan
Not gonna lie, this guy frightens me just a little. But he gets insane results and backs up everything he says with exhaustive research and scientific studies. He also seems to be the most widely-cited authority on intermittent fasting, heretofore referred to as "IF." The general gist is that you have a window of time in the day during which you eat all of your meals, and outside of which you abstain from anything with more than a few calories, preferably sticking to water.
His method is the one I'm trying first. It seems to be a bit of a magic bullet - that is, if it really works. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that consuming the same amount of calories in a smaller time span could actually work as well as (if not better than) basic calorie restriction, which is what Berkhan puts forth on his site. But it meshes perfectly with my existing schedule - basically, all I'm doing is skipping breakfast, then making my first meal of the day that which I eat after getting back from work at about 1pm. Berkhan mentions that, while men seem to do best on an 8-hour window, women have a little more leeway: a 10-hour window is recommended for us of the fairer sex. Why? Because it makes us less irritable. No, seriously. We'll see about that one. Still, I'm starting with that window and seeing where it takes me.
There's also a note in Berkhan's guide regarding consumption of...well, edibles, if not necessarily food, around training. He's not a fan of completely fasted training (despite a study quoted about Muslim athletes followed during Ramadan - apparently the fact that they consumed nothing at all, not even water, during the day had no real effect on their athletic performance). Instead, he recommends taking a smallish amount of a mixture (powder or tablets) containing branched-chain amino acids, or BCAA; alternately, a little whey protein powder mixed with water could stand in. The purpose of this seems to be to get some of the benefit of eating a little protein pre-workout (as Whole9 recommends in the form of real food, and which I'm used to) without the actual calories. I don't really make it a practice to take regular supplements of any kind (exceptions include Omega 3 fish oil, when I remember it), so I'm a little iffy about this, but the way that my schedule is set up, I doubt I'll even need to consider it very often - most of my workouts are later in the day, and so would fall within the feeding window, negating the need for (according to the forums, pretty damn nasty-tasting) fake-food powdery shit.
This is the end of day one for me, and I think the first things I need to learn from are:
Shirtless Man #1*: Martin Berkhan
Not gonna lie, this guy frightens me just a little. But he gets insane results and backs up everything he says with exhaustive research and scientific studies. He also seems to be the most widely-cited authority on intermittent fasting, heretofore referred to as "IF." The general gist is that you have a window of time in the day during which you eat all of your meals, and outside of which you abstain from anything with more than a few calories, preferably sticking to water.
His method is the one I'm trying first. It seems to be a bit of a magic bullet - that is, if it really works. I can't quite wrap my head around the fact that consuming the same amount of calories in a smaller time span could actually work as well as (if not better than) basic calorie restriction, which is what Berkhan puts forth on his site. But it meshes perfectly with my existing schedule - basically, all I'm doing is skipping breakfast, then making my first meal of the day that which I eat after getting back from work at about 1pm. Berkhan mentions that, while men seem to do best on an 8-hour window, women have a little more leeway: a 10-hour window is recommended for us of the fairer sex. Why? Because it makes us less irritable. No, seriously. We'll see about that one. Still, I'm starting with that window and seeing where it takes me.
There's also a note in Berkhan's guide regarding consumption of...well, edibles, if not necessarily food, around training. He's not a fan of completely fasted training (despite a study quoted about Muslim athletes followed during Ramadan - apparently the fact that they consumed nothing at all, not even water, during the day had no real effect on their athletic performance). Instead, he recommends taking a smallish amount of a mixture (powder or tablets) containing branched-chain amino acids, or BCAA; alternately, a little whey protein powder mixed with water could stand in. The purpose of this seems to be to get some of the benefit of eating a little protein pre-workout (as Whole9 recommends in the form of real food, and which I'm used to) without the actual calories. I don't really make it a practice to take regular supplements of any kind (exceptions include Omega 3 fish oil, when I remember it), so I'm a little iffy about this, but the way that my schedule is set up, I doubt I'll even need to consider it very often - most of my workouts are later in the day, and so would fall within the feeding window, negating the need for (according to the forums, pretty damn nasty-tasting) fake-food powdery shit.
This is the end of day one for me, and I think the first things I need to learn from are:
- I eat way too much fruit (or at least far too high a ratio of fruit to veggies)
- I eat way, way too fast. I don't even know how I choke stuff down so quickly. Even (especially) the delicious food I should be spending as long as possible on!
- DO NOT, under any circumstances, pound back the raw carrots. HOLY BLEARGH. It's like you just chugged a smoothie full of shaved lead. Just don't.
CrossFit!
This week is "back to basics." We're spending time reviewing all the simplest movements that everyone tends to get sloppy on, and making sure we can do them perfectly. Today's programming:
Skill: Push-ups
- 5 perfect-form push-ups on the minute for 10 minutes. "1-Mississippi"-count hold at the top and bottom; chest to deck; straight plank all the way through.
- Tababa push-ups: 20 sec on/10 sec off for 8 rounds, or 4 minutes total. The lowest number of reps that you hit is your score. I got 8 on this, which was tied for the best score of the day!
WOD
Run 400 m
50-30-20 reps of
- Russian kettlebell swings (35lb)
- Double-under jump ropes (or 3x single unders, which was what I did)
Run 400 m
Finished in 14:41. I really need to get cracking on the DUJRs - it's time I had them perfect already, for serious. But then Coach Phil told me I had the most beautiful KB swings of the whole day. Aw shucks, I ain't all that. But I certainly don't mind hearing it :D
-Nelly
*He's not the number one shirtless man in the world. (That honor belongs to a certain caramel-colored cutie up by Cleveland.) I just happen to be testing his method first.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Good for what ails ya
Last night was an absolute BLAST, thanks to the incomparable Ms. Amy Scott, the hostess with the most-ess. Watermelon (which I have been devouring like a fiend lately), guacamole and grapefruit juice + pineapple vodka to start the night, and cornhole, hula hooping, impromptu tango and swing dancing (not to mention the Cleveland Shuffle) as well as 90 push-ups and 20 burpees by the end of the whole shebang.
Side note: apparently I have "balletic" burpees. Who knew? But thanks, Jed :)
And that is why CrossFit parties rock harder than any others. Although next time we try to film the process, we might want to have a couple more of the classic filming essentials. Like, you know, light. Yes, Ashley Thompson Denton, I just called you out.
Here's the link to see the vid on Facebook. If you can't see it you might have to friend me; just drop a note about why you're doing so along with the request so I know you're not a random creeper.
And then today we all got together and did this crazy WOD. Check it out:
15 minute AMRAP* of
15 minute AMRAP of
I teamed up with Amy and Jonathon Johnson, aka JJ, and we killed it. Unfortunately I don't know exactly how dead it got because I neglected to write down how many rounds we got. Amy or JJ, wanna fill me in if you remember?
Then we all got our mobility on. Coach TCTH** and I chatted about IF - he does it and likes it, because he says it helped him stop being fat. Which he never was. So we'll see how well it works for someone who's actually got something to lose.
And then...I went home. And I made myself THE BEST post-WOD/hangover recovery meal of all time. OF ALL TIME, ladies and gentlemen. Check it out:
Can't tell what it is? Look closer...
First I chopped up some bacon into little pieces and cooked it. Then I set it aside, dropped the heat, added a little coconut oil and cooked a whole onion, chopped into strips, for about 20 minutes on low. Then I dropped in a little EVOO, sea salt and some chicken livers, fried that shit up for a few minutes, added the bacon back and HOLY GODS. Yes, all of them. It was just that amazing.
Moral of the story: I LOVE LIVER. And I had no idea. Try new things, people. Worst case scenario, you'll have a cool story to tell at parties.
Upcoming posts: thoughts and research on IF, which I'm probably gonna try starting in the next few days. Also, wrap-ups of the other two parkour etc. classes I took with Colin.
Yay comments!
-Nelly
*As Many Rounds As Possible
**Too Cute To Hate, aka Michael Kelley
Side note: apparently I have "balletic" burpees. Who knew? But thanks, Jed :)
And that is why CrossFit parties rock harder than any others. Although next time we try to film the process, we might want to have a couple more of the classic filming essentials. Like, you know, light. Yes, Ashley Thompson Denton, I just called you out.
Here's the link to see the vid on Facebook. If you can't see it you might have to friend me; just drop a note about why you're doing so along with the request so I know you're not a random creeper.
And then today we all got together and did this crazy WOD. Check it out:
15 minute AMRAP* of
- 3 power cleans (75 lbs)
- 6 push-ups
- 9 air squats
15 minute AMRAP of
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 burpees
I teamed up with Amy and Jonathon Johnson, aka JJ, and we killed it. Unfortunately I don't know exactly how dead it got because I neglected to write down how many rounds we got. Amy or JJ, wanna fill me in if you remember?
Then we all got our mobility on. Coach TCTH** and I chatted about IF - he does it and likes it, because he says it helped him stop being fat. Which he never was. So we'll see how well it works for someone who's actually got something to lose.
And then...I went home. And I made myself THE BEST post-WOD/hangover recovery meal of all time. OF ALL TIME, ladies and gentlemen. Check it out:
Can't tell what it is? Look closer...
First I chopped up some bacon into little pieces and cooked it. Then I set it aside, dropped the heat, added a little coconut oil and cooked a whole onion, chopped into strips, for about 20 minutes on low. Then I dropped in a little EVOO, sea salt and some chicken livers, fried that shit up for a few minutes, added the bacon back and HOLY GODS. Yes, all of them. It was just that amazing.
Moral of the story: I LOVE LIVER. And I had no idea. Try new things, people. Worst case scenario, you'll have a cool story to tell at parties.
Upcoming posts: thoughts and research on IF, which I'm probably gonna try starting in the next few days. Also, wrap-ups of the other two parkour etc. classes I took with Colin.
Yay comments!
-Nelly
*As Many Rounds As Possible
**Too Cute To Hate, aka Michael Kelley
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