Friday, August 30, 2013

Fit Friday

Hey Primalites!
Do you remember my favorite olympic lift?

I'll give you a hint...


Okay, that is probably hard to read... My favorite lift is the hang power clean!
Here is a video to jog the memory:


Do you remember this video? Miranda Oldroyd is amazing :)

Miranda points out the difference between a power clean and a squat clean: there is a slight squat in the power clean and a full squat in the squat clean.
She also points out to use a hook grip {remember, when you are pulling the weight to use a hook grip by wrapping your fingers OVER your thumbs on the bar}.

So, let's review: Feet shoulder width apart. Hands are slightly past shoulder width on bar. Hook grip. Deadlift {back flat, butt out, head forward, bar close to legs and using legs pull the bar up along legs} to above the knees-this is the hang position. Keep back flat. Head neutral and looking forward. Knees bent in that slight squat. In a fast movement, slightly jump and shrug shoulders. Now as that bar is moving up, get under the bar with the slight squat and ensure bar gets to the shoulders and then stand up while keeping elbows high. If you let your elbows down, that bar is most likely going to go down or pull you forward.

Here is the WOD we did today:

500 meter row

21-15-9

Hang Power Clean (95# for men/65# for women)
Hand Release Push-ups

500 meter row


Here was my finishing numbers for the last 500m row.

Also, if you haven't heard or done a hand release push-up, this is done by going down into a push-up until your body touches the floor, then lift your hands up off the ground, put them back to the ground and push back up.


Don't forget to eat primal!
Here are my recent breakfasts': frittatas and eggs with avocado {and, of course, bacon on the side!}



Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Friday, August 16, 2013

Fit Friday

It was a rough week back at Crossfit for me with being out of town and having visitors these past two weeks.
My first WOD back was tabatas. Tabatas are fun {and fun to say! tabata tabata tabata.}, short and intense workouts. Like, 4 minutes short. That's it.

Tabata: 8 intervals of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for a specified exercise or movement {eg. squats or kettle bell swings}. To "score" yourself in Crossfit you use the least amount of repetitions from the 8 intervals. Tabatas are great to use to determine progress, just like we discussed with the WOD "Fran" to use as a basis for progress.

Explanation of tabata and the research behind it.

An example of a tabata workout using squats. 
Do not feel inclined to watch the full 4min because I am sure you will get the picture within the first minute.
But, it is fun to watch how fast these women are!

Now you try!

WOD:

Tabata of one of the following...

squats
push-ups
pull-ups
box jumps
burpees

Have fun!




Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Why you should NOT let yourself go

Hey primals!
I have missed being on the blog. For the past month I have been busy with visiting family and friends, vice versa, and other festivities! Recently, my brothers came to visit. We explored New England, celebrated a belated birthday, and showed them the best treats in the area {which are NOT primal}! 
Last week I volunteered as a camp nurse at my church's Girl's Camp {which is why I missed the Fit Friday!} and it was a blast! The conclusion of all this rambling {besides my absence} is a point I want to make:

Do NOT let yourself go!

With all the birthday bashes, New England exploring with family, Girl's Camp, and road trips I let myself go with my primal habits. I started with foraging and then let myself have a treat every once in a while which turned into a more often occurrence even while eating primal during meals.

My results: I feel sick. I am bloated {I look 3 months pregnant!}. I am no longer regular {TMI?}. I constantly have headaches. I have zero energy. I feel like I am in a mental fog. I am sleepy. I do not think clearly. I have difficulty focusing. I have a difficult time working out. I have gained some unwanted inches on areas of my body.

Pardon my bluntness, but...

I FEEL LIKE CRAP!!! 

Did you know that when you have sugars it affects AND effects your body for 2 whole weeks?!

It is not worth it, folks. I do not feel we should be strict with ourselves and stress over the littlest thing, but...

Do NOT let yourself go. 
Your WILL be miserable.

P.S. My little project is taking longer than I thought and is turning into a bigger project than planned, so please be patient :)

Friday, August 2, 2013

Fit Friday

I apologize, I have been MIA this week, folks! {due to visitors and an upset stomach} 
So, I'll leave you with an easy home WOD that my brother and I did the other day {after my stomach calmed down-too many nutty bars during the weekend, perhaps? I try to live a little;)} 

Here it is:

For Time

100 Burpees

Do you remember how to do a burpee? This will jog your memory:


FYI: you do not have to do a muscle up at the end ;) 

A couple tips... those of you with long legs {like me} spread your legs when you go into the push-up to reduce the amount of length you have to move your body to and from as well as time taken to do so. Another tip, bring your hands behind your head and clap when you jump up from the push-up to extend your abdominal muscles creating a contraction in your abs.

A quick review on the primal blueprint pyramid...


The majority of your food should come from saturated fats and vegetables. This gives your body healthy fats to store and burn {when needed} for energy as well as nutrients and carbohydrates.
I remember talking to a Nurse Practitioner who I used to work with about 'The Primal Blueprint'. She exclaimed about not eating grains/wheat, "But you need carbs!" I explained to her yes that is true, but do vegetables not have carbs? We can find other healthier sources for carbs. But in the end, it's really animal fat that our body rather store and burn for energy.

Here is what I had for breakfast the other morning!


Saturated fats, vegetables, and healthy fats :) and SO delish!