PALEO Challenge!

So my box is having a 60 day Paleo Challenge and I'm uber excited!

My first thought was holy shit 60 days?!?, but then thinking about it a bit, I realized that I am about 52 days away from my Cancun vacation, so a 60 challenge will get my butt ready for the beach and a bikini!

So here are the details:

• Cost: $100 $85 for 2 dunks, remaining $15 goes into the "Paleo Pot".
• When: October10th- Dec 9th (60 Days)
• Details: Fitness Wave will be coming out to our box and dunking us before and after.  Winner will be determined based on the following 3 criteria:

1. body fat percentage
2. PR percentage increase on 4 lifts. (Front Squat, Dead Lift, Cleans, Snatch)
3. Before and after pics

•   Winner takes all.  There's a minimum of 20 so that's at least $300 for the winner

I'm really excited to do the dunk as I talked about Fitness Wave in a previous post about Weight being just a number.  I will get to find out how much of my weight is fat and muscle! 

I have meal plans figured out already thanks to eMeals (amazing recipes and weekly grocery lists) and my amazing coach Michelle will push me and keep me on track at the box!

This is exactly what I need to kick my butt in gear!  I will be posting often to keep you all updated and to share my recipes!

Do any of our AMAZING followers have any tips or tricks to keep me motivated and on track for this challenge? PLEASE SHARE!!!

Weight is just a number!!!

How many of you are OBSESSED with the number that you see on the scale?  I know I have a hard time realizing that the number on the scale is just that, a number.  There are so many factors to consider when analyzing that number, such as how tall you are and how much muscle mass you have.  Below is a great picture of what the difference in height can do to that number you see staring back at you.

Now lets dissect this a little more and compare fat to muscle.  Although one pound of muscle and one pound of fat weigh exactly the same, one pound of fat takes up more space in your body.  So when you get disappointed over only losing ONE POUND, think of how significant that ONE POUND is.

As you work out, you may not be losing weight.  Don't judge your success by the number on a scale, but by how much fat you are losing compared to how much muscle mass you have gained.

If you want to know your actual percentage of fat compared to muscle and want a more accurate method than calculating your BMI, you can have a Hydrostatic Underwater Weighing done that will give you the precise number you are looking for.  There are many companies that provide this service all over the country and some even have mobile testing labs that will come to your gym if enough people sign up.  If you are interested in this service Fitness Wave provides this service for under $60 in the Orange County, CA area. 

So when you look at the scale tomorrow morning and you've only lost one pound, CELEBRATE!!!

Summertime Blues

Summertime and its joys of laughter and sunshine are coming to an end for many of us!  For some of the writers here at MM&M, kids will be heading back to school soon, making way for more hours available in the gym for the stay at home moms, for others the end of summer means returning to work as dedicated teachers and finding less time for themselves.

As for me, I really have no excuse not to make it to my box as my hours are the same regardless of the time of year.  I have the same job at the same company that I have had for the last 7 1/2 years, however I can't figure out where my time goes!

Time management is one of my biggest downfalls, especially since graduating in December.  I have no more homework and after work I have a tendency to not want to do anything unless it involves hanging out with my hubby!  This week my time has been sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing trying to get rid of the migraine I have had since Saturday.  But what about next week?

What do you do to keep you motivated and on track with your workouts? 

On a side note, I am making progress at my box and am appreciative of the dedication that my coach has to push me as hard as possible.  I went out with friends last week in a dress that I would never have worn before.  I felt great!

T-Rex Arms

So typing right now isn't the easiest of things so this won't be a super long post.

On Saturday I had the WOD from hell and I'm still paying for it. 

"The 100's" - Partner WOD

100x Pull-ups

KB Rack and Hold

100x Wall Balls

KB Rack and Hold

100x Cal Row

KB Rack And Hold

100x Burpees

KB Rack and Hold

1 Mile Farmer carry

My partner and I divided everything in half and did sets of 10's.  While one person was doing their set, the other had to rack and hold 2 Kettle Bells. 

This my friends was the first WOD that I've ever thrown up on, and the one that has left me with the most pain. I'm dealing with T-Rex arms!  I can't straighten either arm completely and my left is far worse than my right.  I believe in technical terms it is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and will go away (hopefully) with some rest and ice.

This is the frustrating part of Exercising!  I want to go more frequently, but my body is rejecting the thought!  Hopefully I will get over this quickly so I can get back to my WOD's.

Have you ever suffered from T-Rex arms??  What is the best method to get the pain down and get back to exercising?

Third times a charm!

I think I've found my Box! I've researched every CrossFit location in North Orange County, tried Groupon and Living Social deals and have driven miles and miles hoping to find a home and finally found one - practically in my own backyard (Ok it's 2 1/2 miles away but that's pretty damn close). 

From the moment I met the owners of CrossFit Structured in Fullerton, Freddie Moore and his wife Michelle, I knew I had found my niche. 

I decided to start fresh, I've gone through their 101 courses and although I am struggling and learning what my body is capable of (and especially what it's not), I'm dedicated to making the changes that I need to in order to have the body and health that I want. 

In my wod today I thought I was going to die; I'm still getting dizzy and light headed, hoping that it's just from not being super active or because I have so much compression around my chest to harness in my ginormous girls.

I got super frustrated with myself as I felt like I should have been able to do more today than I did. Freddie noticed this frustration and reminded me of something that I thought was meant only for the hard bodies: check your ego at the door. This is great advice for me as I have a tendency to be very hard on myself and to get frustrated and intimidated by things I have no control over. All of that sh*t needs to be left outside.  I need to concentrate on doing the wod to the best of my ability and not stress about the things I have no control over. 

I am determined to put everything I can into my new box. I think I will have the encouragement I need to succeed and the heart and dedication to make it my home!

He said what??

So, for my first post I had a sort of light-hearted, funny, out-of-left field kinda topic.  I changed my mind and, instead, I'm just going to share something sweet my 11-year-old said this afternoon.

As we were leaving his school, I commented on how dark and nasty the sky was.  Out of nowhere, he responds, 
"You know, Mom, we have to go through the dark and cold to get to the light."  (Mind you, my son is bright and he often says things that you may not normally hear an 11-year-old boy say, nevertheless this comment made me stop and smile.)

Now, I'm sure he meant it in the literal sense regarding the weather, but the way he said it... his tone was just very sweet.  I'm not sure where (or even if) he has heard that saying elsewhere before, but somehow it came unexpectedly and at just the right time.  I have had a few things on my mind lately (nothing dramatic) but what he said made me stop, think and smile. 

I suppose it's advice we all can use at some point in our lives.