WOD

Today I went to Crossfit and wanted to share a fun little Crossfit WOD {Workout Of the Day} that was mingled in with our WOD today! It's called "Cindy". Try this at home. No equipment required. Okay, maybe a pull-up bar, but you could modify the pull-ups by doing chair dips instead. Although nowhere near the full body experience. But do what you've got to do!

If you cannot do a pull-up well, just try it! Eventually you will get it :) Other ways to modify the pull-ups are (1) jumping pull-ups {this is what I started out with for WOD's} and (2) kipping pull-ups using a rubber band or without a rubber band {I now no longer need a rubber band!}.

Here is a great video showing the two modified pull-ups:

I love what he says at the end about a "real world situation"when discussing why we have the back of our hands face us rather than our palms when performing pull-ups. This is a functional movement, folks!

"Cindy"

AMRAP {As Many Repetitions As Possible} in 20 min

5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats

*To modify push-ups, use your knees instead of feet. Remember to keep hands out and close to your sides rather than aligned with your shoulders.

Here is what our WOD consisted of today in honor of Coach Jay E's Birthday from Crossfit Inguz:

AMRAP in 20 min

1 hang clean {135/95#}
1 round of "cindy"
2 hang cleans
1 round of "cindy"
3 hang cleans
1 round of "cindy"
and so on and son on....

I love the clean! We can discuss the clean and hang clean in detail this coming Fit Friday.

I was able to complete exactly 9 reps of the hang cleans and rounds of "Cindy" with my specified bar weight and doing kipping pull-ups. But with the humidity....

My callouses ripped.

Be sure to chalk up or do this in your air-conditioned house ;)

Enjoy!

Fit Friday

I hope you enjoyed Cecilia Wong's guest post by me this past Monday! If you haven't read it, you can check it out here. 

I have been a little MIA this week because one of my younger brothers flew ALL the way from Arizona to visit :) 

{Chalking up my hands during a workout.}

My brother and I went to Crossfit the other day and we did a WOD {Workout Of the Day} which included deadlifts. I love the deadlift. I do not have a lot of strength in my lower back and now that I am starting to get older {emphasis on starting} this lift is helpful in strengthening those back muscles to help prevent future injuries {plus it gives you a great looking back}. This functional movement also works on your legs and gluteus muscles. 

Here is quick video teaching the deadlift.

I love how coach John Benz focuses on the posture before the lift. No matter how many times you have done a lift, it's always important to focus on your posture in order to have efficiency and to prevent injury. So, head neutral, chest up, shoulders back, abdomen tight, bar close to legs, switch grip {one hand facing up and the other down}, follow the bar up the shins and thighs, and finish with your hips forward/open. Never pull with your arms. Use your legs and tighten that stomach in order to not hurt your back.

It might also be helpful to review squats from last friday's 'Fit Friday' post. 

Enjoy!

Check out my guest post for Cecilia Wong!

http://ceciliawongskincare.com/the-paleo-diet/

Cecilia Wong Skincare post tomorrow!

Check out Cecilia Wong Skincare tomorrow to see my guest post on her blog!

Cecilia Wong is a brilliant woman with an amazing story that got her to where she is today. 

She has a holistic skincare salon in New York City where she performs special facials {my favorite is the Oxygen facial using a hyperbaric oxygen spray infused with Cecilia Wong Skincare's Black Currant Serum. Amazing!}, LED light therapy, Microcurrent Therapy, and Oxygen Treatment {the oxygen facial}. This woman has been in magazines and on TV!

Cecilia has an incredible chemical-free skincare line using ingredients grown on an organic farm in Colorado. These products are handcrafted to help others achieve beautiful skin. This really impressed me and I had to try Cecilia Wong Skincare!

I have been using Cecilia's skincare products for about 6 months now and LOVE them! I use them everyday from face wash, toner, lotion, to a blemish free mask that I also use for spot treatment.

These products are gentle, yet powerful. When I use the blemish free mask for spot treatment at night my blemishes are usually gone in the morning or at the most they disappear within 1-2 days.

I also can't get enough of the toner! I spray it on throughout the day especially in this humid, summer weather to keep my skin hydrated and clear.

With 'being primal' and using Cecilia Wong Skincare, I am achieving my goal of clear, healthy and beautiful skin!

Fit Friday

Happy Friday! I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July yesterday. It is one of my favorite holidays to spend time with family and friends, eat food outside in the summer warmth, and celebrate our country's birth!

Today I want to share with you some tips on fitness.
To be primal, it is important to ensure that you are moving around throughout the day at a slow pace along with throwing in some short, intense workouts. Remember...do not stress out about missing a workout! If you are eating primally, then working out is like an extra bonus :)

Here are some things you can do to get in a lot of movement throughout your week:
1) Park far away from work, so you have a longer distance to walk.
2) When you take a lunch break, or any type of break throughout your day, take a stroll.
3) Take a walk after dinner with your family, friend(s), or dog(s)!
4) Go for a hike on the weekend.
5) Do fun activities: swimming, tennis, throw a frisbee, volleyball, basketball, etc.

Not only is this a great way to stay fit, but it also decreases stress, increases endorphins, and allows quality time spent with the people that you love!

It is also important to include short, intense workouts a few times a week that are less than 30min long.
This includes sprints, lifting heavy things, and performing functional movements. This is one reason I love Crossfit because you get short, intense movements that increase your strength, mobility, flexibility, agility, and endurance. Crossfit is defined on crossfit.com under 'What is Crossfit? as, "that which optimizes fitness (constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively high intensity)". This will allow you to perform functional movements in everyday life with more ease and safety from common injuries.

Here is one functional movement I have been working on at my local Crossfit gym lately:

The Back Squat

I found this to be a great video explaining the back squat...

If you are using a bar, remember:

-bar on the meaty part of your back

-chest up and head looking straight ahead

-hands and feet shoulder width apart

-knees OUT and butt BACK

-weight on the back of your heels

-knees behind your toes

If you are not using a bar and just want to work on squats, again, remember:

-chest up and head looking straight ahead

-feet shoulder width apart

-knees OUT and butt BACK

-weight on the back of your heels

-knees behind your toes

*Make sure you get your butt down low!

Squats are used a lot in Crossfit and, if you think about it, everyday life. Also, think of our hunter-gatherer folk who performed this functional movement all the time!

Now start squatting! Not just for workouts, but use this functional movement in your daily life to prevent back and other injuries.

Message me for tips!

My Story

I was blessed without weight problems growing up, but that doesn't mean I had other mild, yet annoying, health issues.

For one, I always felt sick and bloated after eating {especially after eating out}.
But, I thought that was normal.

Two, I wasn't regular and often struggled with constipation.
But, I thought that was common for women.

Three, I had breakouts occasionally, but especially while on birth control pills filled with hormones.
But, I thought that was a normal side effect.

Lastly, I  worked out and ran a lot to keep a lean, toned physique. I had been a runner all my life and my knees were starting to kill me after cross country in college!
But, I thought that working out chronically to stay in shape was normal for everyone.

A year and a half ago, my husband heard a podcast interview with Mark Sisson {the same podcast I posted a few days ago}. He was intrigued and told me all about it.
I didn't buy it. If it were true, then everything I had learned in school and our country's knowledge of nutrition would be wrong.
After learning that grains and legumes are avoided in The Primal Blueprint and Paleo diet, I questioned my husband which went something like this:
"But, you need grains."
"Why?"
"Well... I'm not sure, but it's part of the food pyramid."
Honestly, have you ever thought about why we need grains and legumes? Have you ever thought about why the government came out with the food pyramid recommending 6-11 servings of grains per day?
Sure, there's some protein, but the rest is all carbohydrates.

Digression:
If you think about it, our country eats carbohydrates to burn carbohydrates. If you don't have enough, you'll crash--get tired, hungry, fatigued, etc. We are like cars, you need gas to keep going, but what if there is no gas available? What if one day there was no food to consume {drastic, I know}?
Our bodies rather have fat to burn and store, so if something were to happen, we could use the fat to burn for energy. Sounds like cavemen, right? Right.

I like to explain to others the way Mark Sisson discusses eating primally: we are turning our carb burning bodies into fat burning bodies.
Now who doesn't want that?

Back to my story...
I finally did my own research and became fascinated about this Primal/Paleo lifestyle and it made complete sense. So, for the past year and a half I've been eating mostly Primal/Paleo.

Then, I had another issue after trying a low-dose hormone pill for birth control. My skin was not happy to say the least and I was so embarrassed. I decided to take the bull by the horns and really try the Primal lifestyle...no cheating, no every-other-day Primal eating...the real deal.

I started 'The Primal Blueprint 21 Day Total Body Transformation' challenge.

What's 21 days? Nothing. You could do anything for 21 days.
I wanted to see what results I would have and I also wanted this lifestyle to become a habit {ever heard of 21 days = habit?}

My results were transforming and they started to show in the first few days of starting the challenge:

First, I did not have bloating, pain or any other unwanted digestive issues.
Second, I was regular and my abdomen was always flat {again, no bloating}.
Third, I did not have breakouts, my skin felt smooth, the redness and inflammation went away.

{I took a before and after picture of the severe side of my face and, although embarrassing, my purpose in showing this picture is to help someone}. 

Last, I did not have to work out hard to keep a lean, toned body. As a matter of fact, it almost seemed like I was doing nothing and still having the results I wanted! I didn't have to spend long hours at a gym, run far distances, work out everyday, and I didn't have to stress over missing a day of working out. I only did quick workouts in less than 20 min and was done {this "less than 20 min." workouts will later lead me to discuss Crossfit}.
Again, I have been blessed with no weight issues, but by day 21 I had lost the extra inches around my abdomen, knees, and arms.
I was stunned and so happy with all my results.

The biggest blessing from eating primally is the energy I feel all day long and simply feeling great.

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

I love the summer time! Especially when the farmer's markets open up. It's a great way to get fresh, organic produce for a fraction of the cost.

Last week I went to a farmer's market with my husband. As I was browsing the produce I saw baskets full of squash blossoms, so I had to ask the guy selling them what on earth they are used for? I found out that many people pan fry the blossoms or, even better, stuff them and fry! As we were checking out, the very nice man gave me a bag full of squash blossoms to try :) {thank you!}

So, when we got home, although hot and humid, I turned on my stove and went to work.

This is how I made the squash blossoms:

First, I made some bacon, let cool, and then broke them into pieces.
Then I shredded some cheese {I used parmesan, but next time I will choose another cheese. I felt the parmesan was too overpowering}.
Next, I carefully opened the blossom petals and stuffed with bacon bits and shredded parmesan cheese.
Then I mixed up a couple of eggs and dipped the blossoms in the egg mixture.
With a little bit of olive oil heated in a pan over medium-low heat, I placed the stuffed squash blossoms in the pan and cooked until golden brown like an omelet and then flipped to cook the other side.

It was different, new, but good!