Uncategorized

In the absence of personal photos from the gym last week, I thought I’d link a great video I came across last week. If you’re unfamiliar with Barbell Shrugged, it’s a great video/podcast for not only CrossFitters, but athletes or the fitness-enthused altogether. Lots of great info and tips, and in this case, some ways to adjust the Paleo/Primal diet for active lifestyles.

For those who are training heavily or looking to increase load or overall training volume, some have found a strict Paleo diet is difficult to maintain without feeling like you’re eating all the time or just not getting enough. We’ve fallen in this category and have adapted our diet as necessary to include rice, oatmeal and some homemade sourdough bread just to feel satisfied and energetic enough for our volume. While it’s definitely not a reason not to engage a clean eating or Paleo/Primal lifestyle, realistically we’ve found it difficult to do without some accommodation.

I’m currently in LA for AdobeMax, so posting is a bit slow as I try to write entries for what I’ve been doing here, and just taking in the sheer amount of information to be found everywhere. I packed my conference scheduler with everything they’d allow me, so literally back to back sessions from 8:00-5:00 every day.

That being said, last week was a great week for programming and I am still really enjoying the OPT programming. I’m feeling stronger, and definitely more sore than I have in a long time. I can’t wait to see how I feel at the 6-week mark, and as we head into the summer and into a few competitions in the fall.

Neil’s hamstring is still sore, but as you can see below, he really didn’t let that stop him from doing whatever he could in the gym. Lots of upper body, with some light lower-body work. He messaged me today and said he managed a 145 lb squat and that he was only feeling a little sore, so I think he’s on the mend.

I’m excited to get home this week because we’re having another Friday Night Lights as well as a BBQ on Saturday. It’s crazy just how much I miss everyone!

Monday

Jessica

A1. Press; 12-15×5; rest 30 seconds (65 lb)
A2. Weighted chin up clusters @50×1 (1 set of as many as possible to tax), then 5×5; rest 15 seconds/rest 3 min

B1. Bench press 3×5; rest 10 seconds (75 lbs)
B2. Incline dumbell bench press 3×10; rest 10 seconds (2 20lb weights)
B3. Static headstand hold; amsap (as many seconds as possible) unbroken x3; rest 3 min (30 seconds each time)

C. Bent over supinated grip barbell rows @41×2 or 6-8×4; rest 2 min

Neil

Strength:
3×5 Squat – Air squats due to pulled hamstring
3×5 Strict Press @ 120lbs

WOD: 21-15-9
Horizontal ring pulls
Hand-release push ups

Tuesday

Jessica

A1. Front squat 3×5; rest 10 seconds (115 lb)
A2. Back squat; 3×10; rest 10 seconds (115 lb)
A3. Barbell walking lunges 3×24; rest 3 min (45 lb)
+
On the min for 20 min:
Odd- 30 seconds max double unders
Even- 30 seconds max goblet squats 1.5 pood (55 lb – managed 12 per round)

Neil

Rest Day

Wednesday

Neil

WOD: 3 Rounds Each For Time

250m Row
10 Roll-Outs
10 Abmat sit ups
10 Wood Choppers

Thursday

Jessica

A. HSPU eccentrics; accumulate 30 perfect reps with as slow of a tempo as possible (full range of motion)
+
7 TnG push jerk (75 lb)
Row sprint 20 seconds @100%
rest 3 min
x3
+
7 unbroken chest-to-bar chin ups (amrap if this above pr)
Row sprint 20 seconds @100%
rest 3 min
x3
+
Row sprint 30 seconds @100%
rest 3 min
x3

Neil

Strength:
3×5 Squat – Air squats due to pulled hamstring
3×5 Strict Press @ 120lbs

WOD: 21-15-9
20 inch box jump
Ring dip

Friday & Saturday

Travel days, no scheduled workouts

Have you had to adjust your diet to accommodate your fitness goals?

{ 0 comments }

We were hit with some crazy weather this past weekend. I’m really not trying to start every post with the weather, but this is worth noting.

On Saturday, it got into the 60′s. Neil washed and waxed the cars AND cleaned the garage (he loves his domain) while I got a nice run in — in a t-shirt.

DSC_1847

Sorry, no selfies, just a pic of my shoes (I LOVE my New Balance Minimus’s — Christmas gift from Neil). It was so nice to run in less than three layers and weird to see everyone either spring cleaning or barbecuing.

DSC_1756

I mixed together my first loaf of sourdough bread from a starter (!!) and considered opening the window for some fresh air because the starter was stinking up the joint.

DSC_1718

We took the dogs on a nice long walk and then set to work making the baked hot wings I was craving after our Paleo Hot and Spicy Ribs last week.

DSC_1721

DSC_1739

We made traditional hot and a sesame-ginger and burnt our fingers and mouths eating them right out of the oven.

DSC_1749

Spicy sweet potato wedges on the side…

DSC_1758

Sunday morning Neil got up for his run and it was about 40 degrees colder. I felt so bummed for him, but he seemed unphased about the whole thing. We’ve been tossing around the idea of signing up for a group relay or adventure race this year, so more cold runs could definitely become the norm.

DSC_1752

Post-run lunch: Super spicy stir fry and…

DSC_1751

Hot chocolate!

MLK Day was all about the great bread experiment around here. I like doing a super-slow rise, so after spending 10 hours in the refrigerator, my bread spent 18 hours on the outside…

DSC_1764

Definitely had the sourdough smell going…

DSC_1769

For lunch, we made an easy Bacon, Egg, Avocado and Tomato Salad from Mark’s Daily Apple we’re now obsessed with. My sister is constantly sharing food recipes she finds online on Facebook (she’s mostly Paleo/Primal too), and this one just looked to die for. So yummy and ridiculously simple, I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it myself. What’s better than eggs, bacon and avocado? Nothing.

DSC_1773

Spent a good portion of the rest of the day with this…

DSC_1844

And then…

DSC_1791

Bread! Amazing bread! Don’t worry, I’m not overlooking sharing my experience, I’m working on a post!

So, awesome weekend! Just one more before we get to our crazy traveling February!

{ 2 comments }

DSC_3267

Neil, the dogs and I would like to take a few moments and remember our fridge, Ms. Superba KitchenAid, circa 1994…

DSC_3268

Oh Superba, you’ve served us well…

DSC_3274

Okay — Who we are kidding. She was a complete pain in the ass. Despite cleaning this fridge from top to bottom countless times since we moved in, the freezer continued to smell like mildew, causing the ice and water from the dispenser to taste like outright shit. We could never use it, and the dives in front of it to prevent our guests from using it could have earned us Olympic qualification in several of the smaller lesser-known countries. And the crisper drawers? No longer temperature controlled, they seemed to freeze or rot food without rhyme or reason. Not to mention the drawers fell off the tracks every time we opened them.

And Superba wasn’t looking so hot anymore; her yellowing doors, handles and permanent stains made the rest of our kitchen (which lets face it, is not winning any awards) worse. We’re saving for our dream remodel, but for the time being, we thought we’d do something we knew would help things a bit.

Having watched consumer reports and holiday sales since Memorial Day, we finally took the plunge and got a sleek, albeit nameless Samsung fridge over Labor Day, with french doors, freezer drawer and some pretty cool features. Neil and I have always had the most basic of refrigerators, so this feels pretty fancy. Still, we kept it pretty basic, opting out the digital displays and water/ice dispensers because it just felt like another thing to clean, service and eventually break on us. I know, we’re shocked we did that too. At least Superba taught us something.

You could say I was thrilled (and apparently huge-armed)…

DSC_3275

Matilda was too, though you’d hardly know it. The staring, she’s such a creep.

DSC_3272

Stop it!

DSC_3276

The space in this thing is incredible. What you see was stuffed into and falling out of Superba. Now, I think we could fit another Thanksgiving meal’s-worth of food. Plus, it really helps the kitchen overall, and I no longer feel like I’m entering 1994 when I walk into the kitchen — though I’m sure Alice in Chains and NIN will still be heard from there fairly often.

Have you ever had a nightmare appliance you were happy to see go?

{ 6 comments }

Spicy White Chicken Chili

September 16, 2010

I know we’ve already covered our now famous Spicy White Chicken Chili recipe, but since it was so long ago (before we took pictures really) I wanted to cover it again and offer it up as another great tailgate recipe idea! This recipe is infamous in our circle of friends. If we have a party, [...]

Read the full article →

Nate and Sarah’s Wedding Weekend

June 30, 2010

We had a blast at my cousin’s wedding in Minnesota this weekend. It’s always an awesome time seeing my family. Throughout all the changes, the moves, and distance, they are a constant and an amazing support system to both Neil and I. The weather this weekend however, was the complete opposite. I’ve never been under [...]

Read the full article →

Our First Foodie Guest Post! Jason and Aurora’s Yummy Hibachi-Style Fried Rice

March 30, 2010

If you’re like Jason and I, you love food. The problems is often what to make, not where to eat. We love Japanese food. Sushi, teppanyaki, you name it and we’ll eat it. After a recent trip to our local Hibachi grill, we realized that copying the food wouldn’t be that difficult. So after a quick [...]

Read the full article →

Bringing Back Sweet Finds

March 3, 2010

Eighties-tastic huh? I used to do these all the time before our blog moved over to self-hosted WordPress. Neil and I find awesome stuff all the time that doesn’t necessitate a full-blown blog post, but is so jawsome we’re always looking for people to share it with, so I’m bringing it back. Here it is, [...]

Read the full article →