I’m back! It’s been a bit of a busy week around here so I have been focusing on work. I’ve been teaching a lot of yoga and we have so much going on at Metro. We’re preparing for the opening of our second location and there is so much happening. It’s so exciting and I love being a part of all of it. We have a construction meeting at the new location this afternoon and I can’t wait to check out the progress.
Here’s a snapshop of my meals + workouts since I’ve missed updating you the last few days.
First, it’s noteworthy to share that I haven’t had coffee in three days.
I’m trying to clean up my eats a bit to support those who are embarking on a Paleo Challenge at the gym (rest assured, I am NOT going Paleo on you!) so I’ve been switching out my coffee for tea, kombucha and tons of water and trying to avoid a lot of processed foods. So far it’s going really well and I’m feeling great. My hunger levels have actually decreased since I’ve been focusing on eating real, healthy foods.
I made a delicious stir-fry on Monday night with tofu, mushrooms, edamame and baby bok choy. I used Trader Joe’s Island Soyaki sauce with the tofu/veggies and then added in some cooked rice noodles and a hefty dose of Sriracha. This dish reminded me how much I enjoy bok choy. I hadn’t cooked with it in forever.
I’ve had Coach’s Oats every morning this week for breakfast. My favorite mix so far has been chocolate almond milk, bananas, chia seeds, golden raisins and cinnamon topped with peanut butter.
I spent Tuesday morning practicing and teaching yoga and stopped by Earth Fare on my way into Metro to make a big salad to fuel me through a long afternoon of work, working out and teaching.
CrossFit was quite a challenge last night. The Workout of the Day kicked off with a “buy in” of 50 wall balls. Me and throwing balls is NOT a good combination. My coordination leaves something to be desired and I was pretty much a disaster during these wall balls and felt like I was going to die as the ball continued to slam into my chest. I was the last one to finish the 50 wall balls.
But then I redeemed myself because the WOD contained running and burpees. Two things that I excel at! 😉 If you can’t make sense of what’s on the board…
50 Wall Ball “Buy In”
Then 3 rounds of…
800 Meter Run
3 Deadlifts (heavy…175 was prescribed for ladies but I did 105)
6 Bar facing burpees (you had to jump over the bar when you came up from the burpee…so fun)
9 Kettlebell swings
12 Ring dips
It was a good one! I am so sore today because during the skill portion of class we worked on kipping pullups. My lats are screaming at me today! What is a kipping pullup you may ask? Well, I put together a short iPhone video for you where our Director of CrossFit demonstrates the kipping pullup…and then I attempt it. Yes, you have permission to laugh.
It wouldn’t be any fun if I could do everything on day 1. Love having goals to work towards! 🙂
Finally, dinner last night was a little sad. I made an egg scramble with black beans, spinach, goat cheese and salsa with some Wholesome Goodness Grilled Vegetable tortilla chips for dipping. My scramble was supposed to include a diced sweet potato but I burned it while I was in the shower. It turns out that sweet potatoes cannot stir themselves in the skillet. Oops. I made up for it by eating a banana with sunflower seed butter after dinner!
Have a great day!
Oh my gosh I am impressed that you can even do two!! Especially on film! Love it. Thanks again for the guest post yesterday. Your readers are the sweetest!!
🙂 Nice work! I know you will be able to get it!
Totally making scrambled eggs tonight.
Great job on those pull-ups, Jen! Could you do a crossfit post sometime? I’ve been thinking about trying it, but wanted to know your thoughts and a little bit about the workouts in general. Thanks!
yes, although i may have our director of crossfit do a guest post because my knowledge of it is very baseline and i’m sure he’ll do a much better job with giving an overview for beginners. thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Those are impressive especially since you were sore! Does the swinging make them easier or harder? I’ve never done crossfit so I’ve never tried. Back in my soccer days when we had a pull-up test during preseason (dumbest test for a soccer player ever) I could do 11 regular pullups….now I’m not sure I could even do 1!! Food looks delicious as always!
i think the swinging makes them a bit easier but it’s hard to get into the rhythm of it and figure out the movement. 11 regular pullups is AMAZING bess!
Kipping pull-ups are definitely a skill to be learned. I can do… ONE… right now, but hope through practice that I’ll be able to do them consecutively. My husband (a chiropractor) adjusted at a Regional CrossFit competition last year and will again this May and some of the women just amaze me with their strength and agility! I love that Crossfitters come in all shapes and sizes too!
Nice job! Love the video.
You don’t need to clean up your eats, they are already so healthy!! Have a great rest of the week.
Isn’t is crazy how intimidating Crossfit looks on the wod and then you do it…and come out the other side still alive? Looks like your trainer has been talking to mine…has the yoga helped balance the grueling workouts? I am planning on taking up the practice again this spring.
Okay, so I bought that same kombucha? I have never had kombucha?
This morning, I accidentally shook it up (stupid) and it mildly exploded on my desk and then made everything smell slightly of vinegar and NOW AM I SCARED TO DEATH OF IT. It’s currently chilling in my work fridge, but based on the smell, I’m letting it intimidate me. HALP.
I think it’s very cute and humble of you to post the pullups video: you made a far better attempt at it than I would!
That oats combination sounds utterly divine. We don’t have chocolate almond milk in the UK, but I’m eager to have a go at recreating it with Chocolate Coconut Milk.
xxx
Hey.. but be proud you completed those wall balls and the kipping pullup. i tried a pull up today… ya right. i can barely lift anything. its pathetic. any tips for pulling up to the bar? you eats look great. I am going clean eats too. its not easy when co workers bring in Panera bagels. haha.
it looks like theres some sort of a drop down thing that you do your wall balls against? I would be missing that all the time. We use an actual wall!
I really love the results I get with crossfit. I am probably older than your average reader and it really helps me keep up with my horses. I get a bit preachy about it sometimes. I appreciate you defining some of the moves. I still get hung up on the abbreviation AMRAP. one of today’s moves was hug a twinkie, which was much more unpleasant than it sounds.
As for bok choy, I grew quite a lot in my garden last fall – it worked really well, and I had tons to give away. I was surprised that almost no one knew what it was. I got kinda tired of my feeble explanation and ended up saying as unrudely as possible ‘google it’.
Looking strong, Jen! You’ll be kipping before you know it! I’m still working on 1 unassisted pull up. I can’t afford my box this month, so I’ve been collecting workouts to do at my ‘regular’ gym. I’m totally trying this workout and challenging myself with the buy in!
Hey, have you tried Yerba Mate tea? It’s a great substitute for coffee drinkers. I get the Matevana from Teavana and am addicted to it. You can also mix it with other teas, but the Matevana if perfect for coffee drinkers. Also, was in California this past weekend and picked up some Coach’s Oats from Costco and brought them home. Can’t wait to try them tomorrow morning! And I love all your oatmeal toppings. I’ve been hooked on banana, cinnamon, peanut butter and a little soy milk…but I think I’m ready to switch things up!
i have tried yerba mate! i totally forgot about it though…thanks for the reminder. and loose tea is so good!
you’ll love the coach’s oats. i’m totally hooked on them now.
I’m so impressed with your pull-ups! No laughing here. I doubt you’d even be able to tell I was trying to pull UP if I tried those 🙂
thank you! 😉
Ha! If it makes you feel any better not too long ago I was doing wall balls and totally missed the ball and gave myself a black eye. Yep! In front of others. I finally got the hang of kipping, but it is definitely a funny feeling at first. I still have to use a band but the kipping gets me way further than a straight pull up!
oh no! i cannot believe the wall ball accident you had. that sounds terrible. i hate them!
i can do the jumping kipping off a box and kipping with a band. i just need to get a better feel for the hip explosion and get in a rhythm so i can do them on my own.
Definitely better pull ups than I could manage! Congrats on kicking coffee!
thanks! the coffee won’t be forever…i just love it too much!
Hey Jen —
I’m looking for a new water bottle, and I was wondering if you had any input. What kind do you use? Do you like it?
Haha at least you have a new goal now! Your pull-ups look far better than mine I’m sure! I still can’t believe your managing without coffee, kudos to you! Have a great Thursday!
the coffee hasn’t been so bad this time around. it’s crazy. usually i get terrible headaches and am tired when i try to stop drinking it. yay!
You are strong! I think two is great!
thanks! 🙂
Your gym sounds so cool. I wish a gym around here would offer CF classes. I can’t justify joining the box for just CF when it’s $145-$175 a month because I don’t want to do ONLY CF, ya know?
we are unique in that we are a full-service gym that also offers crossfit. many boxes do not even have locker rooms, showers or heat and air. we’re spoiled! 🙂
Hi! I was wondering where you found Kombucha in Charlotte. I love it, but can never find it!
hi mandy – earth fare and healthy home market carry it and have the best prices. you can also get it at places like laurel market and common market but it’s more expensive there.
Hi Jen,
I thought you would appreciate this message. I used to workout intensely and see working out positively until my energy started dropping for some reason. I was convinced it was physical and went to the doctor, had blood work done etc, and everything except low iron stores (vegan) came out to be normal. I kept working out and trying to just accept that I wasn’t ever going to like it again. After reading your dead-lift blog and remembering how hard even fitness enthusiasts still work to keep pushing themselves for progress, I became super motivated yesterday at the gym. It was my birthday and I got it done first thing in the morning and at the time didn’t feel great but was sweating hard and thinking about how good it would feel after. Sure enough, endorphins kicked in and I remembered why I love working out and leading a healthy lifestyle so much. My whole day was made because of a great workout inspired by your blog. Sometimes we just have to kick our own ass and get back in the game I suppose. Though there are limits to pushing, I believe our mental strength and perception play so much into what we put into our workouts. Keep up the awesome posts and motivating your readers.
–Charlotte
charlotte – thank you so much for sharing your story. it’s crazy how our bodies go through ups and downs. sometimes we just really need the break from a physical standpoint. you can’t constantly maintain a super intense workout schedule. other times it is more mental and sometimes just switching up your training/workouts can have so much impact on your thinking and how you feel. i’m so happy to hear that you had an awesome workout on your birthday! happy birthday and have a great weekend!