Challenge Over--ish

So the 30 day challenge was officially over on Sunday, but I was working a 48 so I'm just now getting around to writing about it. It's funny...things have not really changed all that much since it finished. I'm still eating pretty much paleo--with a few minor adjustments. I missed you oatmeal! My body seems to crave mostly protein, healthy fats (mmm...avocados), and veggies now. I feel like I am more in-tune with my body, I eat when I'm hungry and have given up the "eat every 2-3 hours, even if you're not hungry" mantra. It's almost as if the challenge hit the reset button on my body.

So let's look back on a few of my reasons for doing the low-carb paleo challenge and see if it accomplished what I was hoping:
1) Lean up. 
I may not have made the unrealistic drastic changes I was secretly hoping for, but this is the beginning to lasting changes. A few wise friends pointed out that the scale only gives us an arbitrary number and that what we see in the mirror and how we feel are the real gauges to health. So how do I feel? I still struggle with what I see in the mirror but I do appreciate my clothes fitting better and my legs and butt look especially fantastic :p I have noticed I'm getting more vascular...even the veins in my feet are starting to pop out. A fun little sign that I'm heading in the right direction.  
2) Dominate fitness/competition. 
This one for sure is improving.  My run times are slowly improving...here I come sub 25min 5K! My strength is improving...I did 7 legit strict pullups the other day!! 10 is just around the corner.  Oh, and I can still throw over 140 feet in hammer even after a year off of coaching and four years since competing.  I am less than 12 weeks away from the police and fire games and feel like I am right on track. 
3) Shake things up & tear down the mental barriers.
This is probably the most difficult for me.  I've struggled my whole life with bouts of self-doubt and low self-esteem.  Only those closest to me have really seen this side, until now that is. It is embarrassing yet therapeutic to publicize my fears and struggles. It's kind of like AA (or so I assume)...the first step of any problem is to admit you have one. The next step is to conquer my self-doubt and see myself for all the wonder that is me.  So I'd say things are shook and those barriers are slowly getting chipped away.


So what does the future hold? Guess you'll just have to check back for updates...

Day 28- Filthy 50

After a somewhat busy day and night at work, I chose to forgo a much needed nap and get my ass handed to me at Crossfit Southwest.

The morning session started off easy enough, some rowing on the erg, KB strict shoulder presses, and quadrupedal movements. QM's are great ways to increase flexibility, speed, and coordination. Think bear walks, crab walks, spider-mans, cat walks (like bear walks but hands and feet must stay in one line), and frog jumps. All very primitive but effective movements to get the heart pumping.

After the warm-up, the WOD (workout of the day) was written on the whiteboard-- FILTHY 50! For those of you unfamiliar with Crossfit, the Filthy 50 is a benchmark workout and pushes your body physically and mentally. It crosses the threshold of aerobic and anaerobic. The Crossfit Southwest website sums it up well:

The “Filthy 50″ is a brutal test of your physical abilities as well as your mental strength. If you have a weak mind, or a chink in your armor, this workout will likely exploit it. We jump, pull, push, squat, and lunge (among other things) our way to 500 reps as fast as we can.

The workout as RX'd: 

Everything was as RX'd except the wall ball...I only used a 12lb ball but went the full height--10ft. My time was 28:33! 

I blew through the swings, lunges, and presses, but the KTE's kicked my butt! One more thing to work on, I guess. Anyways...I invite you all to give this WOD a try if you haven't done it already. If you have, give it another go and see if you can't PR. 

I was dreading it at first but felt like I had accomplished something great afterwards There is no better feeling than pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and triumphing.  Plus a nap is so much more enjoyable after you earn it.

Day 27- Making strides

Just a quick blurb since I'm at work.

It was brought to my attention that the last few posts were somewhat negative or at least made it seem like I was struggling. Well I am happy to report that yesterday & today (as well as many of the other days) have been a success!

Yesterday, for example, was a day full of great workouts & tons of energy! Even better was that yesterday was an IF (intermittent fast) day! I used one of the many methods of IF and skipped a meal.

It seems like all you hear is "eat 5-6 meals a day." Well pretty sure our cavemen ancestors and even our grandparents/parents did just fine with 3 or less. Our bodies are able to adapt to stesss and change so why would we keep our eating habits on a strict timeline? Eat every two hours??! Personally I've found that this schedule has made me a food addict. I no longer eat when I'm hungry...I eat because that's what all the diet books are telling me. Well not anymore. The occassional IF is the perfect way to reset my hunger gauge and help me take back control.

Yesterday reset my clock and today I felt strong and not stressed about food. What a concept! Rather than stress about food, I could just enjoy it. Even better is that my natural appetite kept me well within my paleo guidelines. Winning!

Day 26- Passing the buck

I get a daily email from "Mark's Daily Apple" and read it religiously. Today, especially, his blog hit home. It was about blaming others, our situations, basically everybody and everything but ourselves for our own problems. Here's a blurb:

"Blame admittedly allows us to languish in the presumed comfort of bad habits. It allows us to wallow in laziness, to accept inertia for the sake of ongoing bitterness."

Wow! I don't tend to blame others but I can't tell you the amount of times I've blamed a situation for my shortcomings. Too exhausted from work to take the dogs out. Too broke to find a gym to swim at. Too busy to cook a healthy meal. Too hot to go for a run. Or my personal favorite: I can eat this (fill-in-the blank fatty/sugary food) because I worked hard today. All lame, no super lame excuses. All are ways for me to pass the buck onto something else since I'm not seeing the results I want in the mirror. All force me back a step (or two) and shake my self-confidence.

So what should I do? The answer is simple though difficult to put into practice. Accept that I am not perfect and that I will hit roadblocks along the way. Some will be self-created and some will be thrown at me by chance. How I recover from these setbacks will be the true measure of my progress.

Mark summed it up well:
"Life, as we will eventually come to understand (hopefully before it’s too late), will never be perfect. It will never be easy. There will always be obstacles, annoyances, and limitations to contend with on the path to health and well-being. Regardless of what our lives look like next to someone else’s, ours is still the one we go home with at the end of the day. Ours is the one we get to live – for all its possibility as well as challenge. What will you make of it today?"