move around, lift heavy things, sprint

I have been neglecting my crossfit gym lately. But I have a good excuse!

I bought a HOUSE.

oh HOUSE. Or really I bought a constant source of stress that requires immense physical, as well as financial exertion.

Anyone who has moved knows how exhausting it can be. As I was collapsing onto my makeshift bed on night two, I was feeling oh so guilty for not hitting up the gym between packing, unpacking, painting, cleaning and tearing my hair out.

But then I remembered that it is not about hours spent at the gym (or box or whatever you want to call it).

I totally fulfilled the the philosophy, as I understand it, behind the paleo/primal and subsequently crossfit, lifestyle during my move.

• Move around a lot at a slow pace: Cleaning, packing, crying for four days straight pretty much covers that
• Lift heavy things: I have a really awesome packing style where I put all the heaviest things conveniently in one giant box. Then I enjoy struggling to carry it out to the car, because of course I don't have a dolly, and then I'll quickly decide to drop set it down in a mud puddle. I'll then lift that beast back up, attempting not to throw my back out, and shove it into the car. 
• Sprint occasionally:  My lovely animals have made sure I get my fair share of sprinting. I now understand the expression "herding cats" but probably more literally than others... sigh....

Six weeks to 50 el bees

New Years is in SIX WEEKS.

Can you believe it?!

My apartment is a hot mess of boxes, animals, clothes and general debris at the moment. I am gearing up to move into my very own big girl house next week.  Yes. I bought a house. Hashtag DEBT.

 

Amongst the mess, I found a craftastic piece of cardstock with very carefully written goals for 2012 etched in colored sharpie. I examined my goals, somewhat skeptically, trying not to be too critical of my ability to stick with a plan. I'm a dreamer, so shoot me!?

    some of my goals: 

• dedicate daily practice time to music (check and shameless self-promotion)
• take an acting class (check)
• apply to grad school (eehhhhhh)
• workout 5days/week
• lose 40lbs

If you had asked me last January, which of my 2012 goals seemed least attainable, I would have begrudgingly pointed to the last one. Lose 40 pounds. That's been on my list for several years. What a daunting number. FORTY. that's like half a backstreet boy.

BUT, as I've tooted several times during the past month. I did it! WOO!

So, now as 2012 comes to a close (WOAH) and I am BACK in action at good ol' Crossfit Stumptown,  I am challenging myself to lose another ten pounds by new years eve. 

So here's to the next six weeks, and ringing in 2013 fifty pounds lighter. 

The stumptown snatcher.

Okay I have been tweaking lately. I've been without my beloved ass-kicking workouts on a consistent basis. I've got LOTS of excuses, even good ones, as for why I haven't made it to crossfit the five days a week I promised myself I would.
 Like the class times are inconvenient, I need to sleep and actually the most legitimate, I dont have a car.

But I'm going to have to say fuck that to all of those excuses. 

1. Class times are inconvenient? I have 8 class times to choose from. Get over it. Get out of bed earlier or good lord forbid cut back on the afternoon tv zoning and get to class.
2. Yes sleep is important. But perchance going to bed on time will alleviate the need to sleep till 7:30.
3. I am indeed without a car. BUT I already solved this issue three weeks ago.

Meet the Stumptown Snatcher

Add caption

 I NEED to get back on track. So here are my goals for the remainder of 2012.

1. Crossfit 3/week

2. Run 2/week 

3. Ride my scooter at least once before Halloween ( I may or may not be terrified of it). 

4. Continue to ride said scooter.

5. Lose 12 pounds by Dec. 31

attack of the frump monster

I spent my entire morning creating an outfit based on a stupid scarf I made this weekend. 

MY ENTIRE MORNING.

Granted, getting dressed has become a decidedly difficult task. Not the actual physical act--- I mean if we are talking about morning battles let's address the whole getting out of warm bed and facing the world at the ass crack of dawn. 

The difficulty lies in my lack of wardrobe choices. Forty-five pounds lighter and with a paycheck that also seems to be shrinking, new clothes don't seem to be in my future.

It also doesn't help that my cat steals my socks.... and I am damn well sure he stole the yellow sweater, that fits, that I wanted to wear today.

Nike+ = Liz+

I've been out of commission on the CrossFit front since last saturday, after a crazy intense workout with CrossFit Stumptown.

My competitive edge won over the common sense telling me to slow down and I ended the workout sweaty, heart racing and with an severely inflamed bicep. And while I'm sure it was comical for manfriend to watch me struggle to put on my jacket (or really move at all), its kept me out of the gym for about a week.

I hate that. 

I've seemed to lost all sense of routine since leaving Portland FitBody Bootcamp. My mornings used to be very particular: Wake up at asscrack of dawn five days a week and sweat with some badass women. But a series of events has made that less of an option these days.

So now I am getting all creative in my workout endeavors. A major saving grace in the grumpy factor has been running. I've long wanted running to be my thing, but always felt like I was failing miserably. I admired my sister and the grueling marathons she'd battle like a pro, but didn't imagine I'd ever get to that point. ( I am still not even close to that).

But I would say that running is slowly, but surely, becoming my thing. The other night, after a particularly tenuous day at work, I laced up my reeboks, zipped up my hoodie and hit start run on my Nike+ Running App.

And off I went.

Goal time of 45 minutes. The first fifteen minutes kind of sucked to be honest. It was cold; dark clouds threatened to test the hopeful waterproof protection of my zip up, but I kept going.

Explosive cheers from fabulous facebook friends "liking" that I'd started a run with Nike+,  interrupted my music from time to time, making me smile and push a little harder

And right as I ran up to my house, Sanya Richards Ross congratulated me on completing my goal of 45 minutes and racking up 4.51 miles.


To be brutally honest, the last time I attempted to run just four miles in a row, it took me nearly an hour and I thought I was going to die.  Forty-five pounds lighter and infinitely stronger, I now feel unstoppable.

rawrsome running.

I have been all about pounding the pavement lately. Its been delightful. Each time I lace up my tennies, I am pleasantly surprised at my ability to run farther and faster than the previous run. I've most definitely been inspired by the lovely Roya over at Life of Roya . She's been blowing up the blogosphere with her fabulous musings for more than a year now--- go check her out. 

 Last week, I did the color run with the lovely Jen and her friend Lauren. Admittedly, it was more color than run, due to the 15,000 other color enthusiasts sharing the track.

We are ready to ROCK this race

Ohhhhh yeah B-)

Color Cloud party at the end. I swear I am still hacking up tickle me pink colored phlegm. 

The day after the race (still covered in pink powder...), I boarded a plane to good ol' Denver, CO for a work conference.

I battled the elevation and ran through the streets of LoDo. Much to my surprise, I managed to PR on my 5K time, clocking at just over 30 minutes. Surprising because 1. I haven't run more than three miles straight since I smashed my ankle to pieces 8 months ago and 2. I'm running at 5000 ft. elevation. My sea-level lungs felt it the next day....



Unfortunately, these days I am without reliable transportation. Getting to Stumptown Crossfit has been no easy feat, so I've been creative in my bootykickin' I stumbled out of bed this morning and on to the streets of nopo. I trotted through the brisk october air and shocking loved every minute of it. Three and half miles later, I clambered up the steps to my apartment to get ready for the rest of the day, barely breaking a sweat.


I've said it a million times before, but I absolutely love challenging my body and pushing myself to the limits and its doubly rewarding when my body responds so positively!

Oh and down another 4 pounds. :)

feeling oh so strong and oh so fine.

CrossFit makes me feel like a BEAST

in a good way...

I think...

I love feeling strong. I love pushing my body to the limits. 

And thank fucking goodness I have found a place to do that. No. Not just do it. But pushes me to push myself. It is amazing. 

I am in the midst of the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge. It's going well so far, but I swear my office is out to get me, ... offering candies... beer... soda... all things I so enjoy, yet cannot touch. On the other end of the spectrum, boyfriend won't even let me have a sip of his soda when I am DYING of thirst. Granted, that is exactly what I requested prior to the challenge, but I am not used to this whole "listening to what I say" thing he's trying ;)

Anywho, my w/o buddy and I are battling our way through the bench mark work outs. So far, we've checked off Randy (75 Power Snatches for time) and Christine (500m Row, 12 bw deadlifts, 21 box jumps; 3R for time)

Honestly, I have been fucking terrified before starting each one. But at the end, I feel AMAZING. Like woah. Holy ballz look what I just accomplished. Christine was tough, but I managed 123lbs for my dead lift!!!

Its moments like this, that I can't help but simultaneously revel in my sense of self-awesomeness and be insanely excited to see what my body can do in another six weeks. 

Milestones

I hit a major milestone on Sunday.

In December, upon joining the fabulous Portland Fit Body Bootcamp, I set out to lose forty pounds in 2012.   A lofty goal, I thought. Secretly thinking there is no possible way I could achieve that. But I worked hard. I mean REALLY hard. And I did it. As of Sunday, I am down forty pounds, two (almost three pant sizes) and countless inches.

This year has been full of changes, both good and bad.  

heart break, new career, floods, finances(or lack of), vegan paleo, 

bootcamp, crossfit, love, music.

Its, admittedly, been a really tough year. Each day brings a new challenge. But with each little victory, I feel more prepared to hurdle the next obstacle.

I am, by no means, finished with my weight loss journey, but I do feel like I need to stop and celebrate! It makes those bad days, bearable, when I say "HOT DAMN LOOK WHAT I DID!"

gym rat? I prefer junkie.

So life has been a bit chaotic lately.

I left my beloved Portland Fit Body Bootcamp for a myriad of reasons, mostly financial, but I wouldn't be 100% honest if I didn't admit I was desperate for something more intense.

Remember my new love crossfit?

Yeah. We are still pretty happy together.

I've settled into CrossFit Stumptown and am LOVING all the people I'm meeting. So motivated, dedicated and encouraging. It's been the energy boost I've needed to get back on track.


I attended the grand opening of CrossFit Milltown in the tiny town of Washougal, WA yesterday with my friend Jenn. The box was packed with 40-45 eager athletes, ready to get a killer WOD in. Brandon, the owner, has developed an awesome space out of an old garage and really has brought an energy to the neighborhood. I love witnessing how the crossfit community really encompasses people of all athletic ability who are driven to make positive, healthy changes in their lives.

Showing off our buff shoulders

Tomorrow, I'm starting the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge: a nine-week body busting, workout-filled, beast of a challenge. Pretty, freakin pumped to start. My adorable sugar-junkie of a boyfriend has even promised to be supportive and keep his sweet treats to himself. (I mean surprise ice cream is nice in thought, but I'd prefer flowers) :)

I have some pretty crazy goals for myself, but I fully plan on not just achieving them, but busting them up! I feel so STRONG and I cannot wait for the battles this challenge will bring!

WOO!

Xfit= love. Plus Lurong Paleo Challenge

OH EM GEEEEEE

CrossFIT. My new love in life.

I've been an avid boot-camper for the past year with the fabulous Portland Fit Body Bootcamp. I have made some fabulous friends, shed nearly 40 pounds and rediscovered my love of intense fitness. 

Because I am feeling much more adventurous in my new athletic physique, I ventured to CrossFit Stumptown to see what this crossfit business was all about.

 Another boot-camper and I battled through an intense WOD and left the gym sweaty, accomplished and with permanent smiles plastered on our faces. I loved it. 

I felt so absurdly powerful, pushing my body to its limits. When my legs said  NO MORE JUMPING, I jumped higher. 

Incredible. I really CANNOT wait until I can sneak out there again. 

I should mention that I don't mean this to be a comparison between the two programs, but rather a sharing of my excitement for some crazy intense exercise.

Now for all you other crossfitters out there--- I highly recommend checking out the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge. Very similar to the Whole30 in diet, but also incorporates WODs, benchmarks, photos and lots of awesome prizes. The nationwide challenge begins September 17 and runs through Nov. 18. 

I am super excited to share my progress!

recognizing success

So I've hit a bit of a plateau. I am SIX pounds away from a MAJOR milestone, but have yo-yo-ed around with two pounds for the last month or so.

This has really been getting me down: to be so close! yet seemingly so far!


Feeling not so hot, I was reluctant about meeting up with a friend, who I haven't seen in more than a year. But I mussed my hair, threw on some jeans and slumped out the door to sip an obligatory beer (that my tummy later regretted).

I showed up and she did a double take, didn't really say anything and then handed me this photo, as a present.

This is me and my fabulous dog Moe at the beach in July 2011. I was shocked by this photo. I didn't really recognize myself or realize how much my body has changed since then. (note I am not the furry creature... jackasses)

20 pounds later, May 25 2012

down 35 pounds, coated in mud after Foam Fest. Aug 2012

I've lost a total of 37lbs since the top photo, I'm down two pant sizes, I found muscles I didn't know existed and I am incomparably happier with my life.


While I am continuing to work my butt off, I am pausing to say HEY LADY YOU'RE FUCKING AWESOME.

So I shake my fist at those last six pounds, I'll get you.

Don't pull the trigger: BAM

Struggling with disordered eating for most of my teenage years, I've developed negative associations with certain foods. Some trigger mindless snacking (hello chips and salsa), some trigger purging (ice cream), some just make me feel sad depressed and generally like BLAH.

I've often wondered WHY that is. Is it something in my childhood? Some traumatic ice cream incident?
Actually, I did vomit ice cream all over my high chair at Old Country Buffet when I was like 3 years old (yes I remember that). But somehow I doubt this is why my stomach churns and my brain goes "behiavbieabvaan" when I eat certain things.

As most are aware, or I hope are aware, certain situations trigger certain behaviors. Example:
Watching tv late at night may trigger the "need" to eat or snack. (breaking that habit is quite the trick)


But it never occurred to me that WHAT I am consuming also has an emotional (hormonal) impact.

Reading It Starts With Food has shed some light on those emotional responses.
Since adopting a paleo lifestyle earlier this year, much of my trigger food doesn't typically find a home in my pantry anymore.
I did the whole30 in January and had great success. I tried to incoporate certain foods back into my diet and found I could eat/process dairy better than I could in the past.

Lately, I went a little too far and started incorporating dairy in the form of ice cream (Did I mention my loving wonderful partner has an insatiable sweet tooth?). While my tummy isn't super rumbly, I notice that my mood quickly deflates post ice cream indulgence. The grumpies stick around through the next day. I didn't really notice this until I found myself eating ice cream (coconut milk sorbet really) and the desire to purge snuck up and ATTACKED me. That's when I put the spoon down. And threw the carton away.

I refuse to go down that road. 

So I am back to ridding my pantry of any sweets and treats. I don't believe in cutting those foods out because they are "bad" or to limit myself so I lose weight or whatever. But really because I hate how they make me feel, they aren't good for me, and I make poor choices when they are in my diet.

Identifying my triggers and adopting the paleo lifestyle have been the two of the best things I've done for my body and my mental health. 

Whole30/9: Slip and Slide

The past couple days have been littered with little slips here and there.

• Clinking a couple PBRs in honor of my lovely lady Danielle, who is leaving Portland for grad school in the exotic land of LA.

• Desperation dark chocolate mid afternoon of stressful days. 

Yes Dove, Someone is thinking I should put the chocolate away and focus.

 

But, I refuse to beat myself up over it.
Instead, I look at the situation and then move on. Why did I make that choice? All in all, I think the importance of the whole30 is being cogniscent of food choices. Why am I doing what I am doing? Boredom? Stress? Social pressures? Doesnt seem like eating should be so complicated.

Yet, it is! I am in the thick of It Starts with Food, by the lovely couple who started Whole9 (and subsequently Whole30). It is fascinating. The book immerses you in all the science behind food; how it reacts and interacts with our body, from digestion to hormonal responses. And it does so in a way that is not overwhelming or too dense to comprehend.

I highly recommend it. It actually helps keep me on track.

We all have those days. "why the fuck can't I just eat the damn cookie" Well.... let me go back to my book and discover alllllll of the sad things that cookie does to my body, emotional and physical. If I understand those and make the decision that it is still okay to eat it then fine, but usually by the time I have thought about whether or not the chocolatey goodness is worth it, the NEED has passed.

How do you handle slips? Can you effectively move on without the guilt?

Whole30/Day 6: Camping adventures

I have the coolest family.

They are crazy. But seriously awesome.

We did our summer family camping trip this past weekend on the Oregon coast. SO beautiful.
I woke up early Saturday morning and went for a run down the coast line. Incredible. My calves were paying for it though.









Staying whole30 was more of a challenge than usual this weekend. We are a family that loves to have a good time, wine and cocktails are free-flowing.
I imbibed a little (a glass of wine and one gin and tonic), but overall was pretty "good" all weekend. I avoided my mother's brownie pizza (This amazing thing she made for us as kids... make brownies in a deep dish pizza pan, cover it with toppings like marshmallows, m&ms, fudge, and other sugary treats).

Overall my family is full of fantastic cooks. Beautiful steaks, nori cucumber salad, paleo granola, fancy shmancy camping cob salads. We eat well, possibly better, when we camp.

My sister put together this amazing vanilla and orange granola for breakfast from Fresh4Five's blog. Amazingly tasty. I highly recommend it.

My contribution to camping was a sweet potato beet breakfast hash, served with eggs and bacon and such nonsense.

Its a breakfast staple in my house.... I shred a bunch of potatoes and beets early in the week and then cook a simple portion for breakfast in the morning. It is perfect post workout recovery food!


Sweet Potato Beet Hash

    (food processor NECESSARY)

• 1 sweet potato
• 2 medium size beets (golden or red)
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbls coconut oil
• 1 tsp  fresh ginger, grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Shred potato and beets with food processor (grate attachment).

Melt coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large saute pan. Add onion and saute until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add ginger to onion mixture and saute for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant. Reduce heat and add sweet potato/beet business. Sprinkle with salt to release moisture. Add more coconut oil if pan gets too dry. Cook for 15-25 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through and start to crisp (hashbrown style). Stir every few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I like to eat mine with a couple eggs on top and some sauteed greens on the side. NOM.

Whole 30/2

Woo. Day two is off and running.

I am seriously reaping the benefits of planning my meals from the week. My fridge is organized, there isn't a question of what to eat for dinner, and I dont make countless trips to the store, loading up on things I don't need.

Praise the lord.

Last night I made Nom Nom Paleo's Asian ground beef mushroom and slaw lettuce cups.

 

Except... as I read the recipe now, I should say last night's dinner was more inspired by that recipe. I used ground chicken instead of beef, forgot the broccoli and added bokchoy and a jalepeno. It was super tasty.
This is my version

Tasty enough I heated up leftovers this morning and through a couple fried eggs on top. Who says you can't have dinner for breakfast?

Whole August

Entering into another Whole30 challenge for the month of August with my buddies at MyFitnessPal. Looking forward to making some drastic changes.

Last challenge I lost 14.6 pounds and four inches off my waist

Hoping to lose 11 more and drop another pants size by August 31! 


Ready set go!

Disorder to Order

I am horribly shy.

kind of.

I mean I consider myself a shy person, my friends, coworkers and relatives may tell a different tale.

Perhaps my enthusiasm masks my shyness.

Perhaps.

But it is my enthusiasm I hope to share with you whenever you read. I am incredibly passionate about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. You'll notice I avoid the word "diet." If I do mention it, it is merely a reference to the food I choose to consume. The connotation of diet is so often ringing with "quick fix," "weight loss," "fat" "skinny" "temporary" that I'd rather not use it.

My diet is my lifestyle.

My lifestyle has changed dramatically during the past few years. I grew up, the youngest of five, in a very loving wonderful family. That being said, I was an extremely overweight child. Adorable, but fat. Let's be real.

No five year old should be worried about her weight. But I was. My weight became an emotional burden well into junior high and high school. Disordered eating became the norm. Bulemia coupled with a restrictive diet and lots of sports helped me shed 45 pounds off my 5'9" athletic frame in mere months. While I was fairly ecstatic about my new shape, my body was pretty angry with me. I was sick. All. The. Time.

I got awful stomachs pains. I was grumpy.

I started to lose my hair.

I have really awesome hair. I am not so keen on losing it.

Blame the media, social norms, obesity epedemic, whatever you like, but blame doesnt fix anything, this was something I did to myself.

Anyway, I tried to turn things around. And I did, fairly successfully. I got a handle on my bulemia. I'd be lying if I said I just turned around over night, but I managed to break the cycle.

I took my no-red meat diet a step further to pescatarian and then eventually to vegan.

I became a fabulous vegan chef. Seriously. I'm good. You do not miss meat when I cook for you.

Unfortunately, my weight started to creep up, I was tired, I was sick and I got these AWFUL doctor boggling stomach cramps.

It wasn't until I started at the fabulous Portland Fit Body Bootcamp in December and was promptly asked to throw my vegan ways out the window that things started to change for me. (I am stubborn, so it took a lot of time, reading, and persuasion for me to even consider eating meat).

 I've always been athletic, inspite of being overweight. I revel in my strength. My thunder thighs are a point of pride. Let me flex my calves for you.

Hauling my ass out of bed at half-past ridiculous five days a week to go sweat and push my body beyond all preconceived limits became my new norm. I loved it. While I could feel my body getting stronger during that first month and few stubborn pounds came off, I still wasn't feeling GREAT. I want to feel GREAT.

We started a New Year's Revolution Challenge in January. The challenge was to follow the Whole30 diet for six weeks, come to class at least four days a week and journal on progress.

Whole30 is a strict version of the Paleo diet: Plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, grass-fed pastured meat, nuts seeds

This was incredibly transformative for me. I eased from vegan to paleo, replacing tofu and tempeh with eggs and fish. And when I couldnt STAND to eat fish ever again, I started incorporating poultry.

Now, much to my mother's surprise, I conjure up a steak for myself every now and again.

And guess what. I feel GREAT. 


So great.


It's been a bit of a roller coaster since then. Slips here and there. But there is an amazing, notcieable difference when I eat grains. I feel like shit. Nothing so awful as stomach cramps, if its just a little bit. But I am sluggish, moody, emotional, and much more likely to return to my binge-purge habit.

We just completed our second challenge and my FABULOUS team of ladies WON! WOOO! I lost a whopping 14.6 pounds and 13 inches off my body.

So my total weight loss since stepping on the scale in december has been 33 pounds.

My goal is to lose another 45lbs by the end of the year. With focus and determination and lots of support I will do it!