Three Things Thursday – Late Again!

Hey everyone! It’s the weekend! WooHoo!

1. I’ve been a little MIA lately…things have been crazy busy – with summer school, hubby working out of town and 2 sick kids, I just haven’t been able to find the time to blog 😦 Snuggles with my kids and sleep have overruled! I hope to get back on track soon 🙂

2. As I mentioned 2 weeks ago now, I went to my first official CrossFit workout with my sister and…I loved it – once it was over, that is! No, it was awesome, but OMG, it was tough!

We started with a warm-up, two laps of the building, lunges, burpees, squats and sit-ups and then we had a little lesson how how to do the two moves involved in the WOD – thrusters and knees to elbows. I think I was the only newbie there, but Coach Ryan was a great teacher.

Here are videos of the 2 moves.

Thrusters

Knees to Elbows

It took me a bit to get used to the thrusters – I was totally using my traps and shoulders to support the bar instead of letting it rest on my upper chest, but once I learned to relax my wrists and keep my elbows up, it got a bit easier.

The workout was a partner workout, so my sister and I were a team, which was awesome. She has been doing CrossFit since January and absolutely loves it. She goes 3x a week and has gotten really good at the moves and has really increased her strength and overall fitness!

We did 5 rounds each of 2 minutes AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of 12 thrusters and 8 knees to elbows.

We used the yellow bar for the thrusters (35 lbs) and since I can’t really do knees to elbows, we did the modified “knees to wherever”, which for me was a little higher than waist height. Man, this workout was HARD!

We did 13 rounds in 20 minutes, which I’m think was pretty good. There was absolutely no way I could have worked any harder!!

I’m actually thinking of joining a CrossFit box before the end of the month. There is a one that just opened in my area that has a wicked deal on right now…50% off…and even tho I’m not sure how often I will be able to get there, at only $75 a month, if I only get there 2x a week, it’s less than $10 a workout!! Which is ridiculously cheap in the world of CrossFit!

3. I think I might start running again! A friend of mine has asked me to run a half marathon with her in the fall and I’m actually considering it!

I went for a couple of run last week, the first was not too bad, the second – well, I hope it wasn’t a sign from the running gods, cause I got caught in a wicked downpour! My plan was to run 4k, but once I got started I could see the gray skies moving in, but figured I would head out and see what happened. Well, I ended up only doing 3k and I got soaked!

And so did my phone 😦 It guess it only got a bit too wet because everything worked but the microphone, I couldn’t hear a thing – not music, not phone calls, nothing! I popped it into a bag of rice, left it for 24 hours, and it was good as new when I turned it back on 🙂

Oh, and within two minutes of getting home, the rain stopped and it started to clear up.

And 20 minutes later… it was bright an sunny again!

I haven’t been out for a run since, but I hope to get out once this weekend since my training program starts next week! Lets hope I don’t get soaked again!

Do you do CrossFit? Is it worth the $$$?

Are you training for a fall race? If so, which one and when?

Three Things Thursday Friday!

Happy Friday everyone!

I hope you had a great week! Here’s what up with me…

1. School finished last Friday! Which would be totally awesome, except that I’ve committed to teaching summer school for the month of July 😦 Its not all bad tho, the paycheck (when it arrives) is pretty sweet and I’m teaching Careers, which is a pretty easy course to get through. All but one of my 32 students is reaching ahead, so they are super keen and very hard working.

I am however, counting down the days…18 to go!

2. My 30 Day Healthy Lifestyle Challenge was super fun, but a lot more work than I had expected! Blogging for 30 days straight is tough! I hope you enjoyed the challenge, any suggestions for my next one?

3. I’m going to my first real Crossfit workout on Saturday! My sister is taking me to her box as a guest – I’m super excited, but very nervous!

Here’s our WOD:

Partner workout – 3 minutes each round per person followed by 3 minute break while the other partner does the work – 5 rounds total each = 30 minutes total

It will be continous so that the partner will take over where the other one leaves off.

AMRAP of:

12 Thrusters #95/65

8 Knee to Elbow

I will be sure to let you know what I think and how I make out, it’s going to be interesting!

Have a great weekend!

Three Things Thursday!

Happy Thursday!

Hope your week is going well, mine has been crazy busy! Here’s what’s up:

1. I’m running again! Each month I give my classes a fitness related challenge and this months challenge is RUN STREAK – run everyday in May. The timing of this challenge is perfect, its gotten me out and running everyday and I’m loving it! Most days I’m not running very far – averaging about 4k a day, but at least I’m out there!

2. It’s that time of year again! I’m back at Brock University for 3 days helping run the OFSAA Coaching Symposium Conference. It’s a bi-annual conference for high school teacher coaches offering a variety of workshops and active sessions focusing on the technical side of coaching and providing sport-specific skills, drills and strategies.

If you’re a high school Health and Physical Education teacher and looking for some great coaching tips in a variety of sports and activities, check out the link and consider coming to our 2015 conference!

3. As I mentioned before, I was at a subject specific (Health and Physical Education) PD workshop on Monday and it was fantastic! I though I’d share with you one if the CrossFit workouts we did in one of the sessions.

Don’t Drop It!

Objective – in partners/teams- complete the following WOD with fastest time, however reps can only be accumulated while one person is holding a 65/85lb bar overhead, arms and ears in same plane.

50 double unders
30 laps of med ball carries (30 lb med ball)
50 burpee plate jumps
10 Handstands – hold for 10 seconds
30 single unders – 2 people in rope

Teams must complete all reps of one movement before moving on to the next. Any team member can rep out a movement and teammates can change up whenever they want. However, only one person can be working at a time. Reps don’t count when arms are no longer in same plane as ears. Officials must communicate well with each other to make this work – make sure someone LOUD is judging the bar!

Penalties – 5 sec
– dropping/picking up ball before feet get on plate during runs
– every other infraction – NO REP!!

Well, that’s it for today! I’m off to the conference dinner and social! Have a great night!

Green Shirt Guy

So, as most of you know, I teach group ex classes – specifically BodyAttack – at GoodLife Fitness. Well, last night was the first Wednesday night class of the new schedule, and although it was a small class we all had a great workout and lots of fun – despite Green Shirt Guy

So, let me tell you what happened…

It’s about 10 minutes before the start of my class, I am hanging around outside the studio waiting for the BodyFlow class to finish,and chatting with a few ladies who are waiting to come to my class. The gym is fairly busy. There are a couple of guys hanging out around the studio as well, comparing workouts, getting drinks, flexing their muscles – you know, guy stuff!

Well, the flow class ends – a couple of minutes late – but it’s no big deal and bound to happen being the 3rd class of the night. Anyways, the ladies and I head in, I get the music started and get things set up. At that point, two guys walk in – one in a green shirt – who wants to skip, and some other guy – who starts setting up a step system to do who knows what. I politely let them know that the studio is being used for a BodyAttack class for the next hour, but that they are welcome to join in. Other guy gives a wave and leaves, Green Shirt Guy throws a mini tantrum and finally storms off. I then see him skipping outside the studio. Perfect – he’s doing what he came to do and so are we 🙂

About a half hour later another guy comes in – yep, in the middle of my classs – and pulls out a mat to do some stretching. Green Shirt Guy sees that this guy has come in and comes in again. I’m thinking, are you kidding me? but being a professional, I once again explain that we are in the middle of a group ex class, and if they wanted to join in they were more than welcome, but, otherwise, they had to go. We’d be done in about a half hour.

So, fast forward about 25 minutes, we’re in the middle of our stretch, and guess who comes in – AGAIN! Yep, Green Shirt Guy comes in with a few others this time. He pulls out a mat and starts skipping, another guy sets up a step and another couple are planning to do some partner stretching. I’m thinking – you can’t be serious! Really? So, for the third time, I politely ask them for a little respect, can they please give us a couple of minutes to finish up our workout. Green Shirt Guy then yells – RESPECT – and continues to shout about how we are 3 minutes overtime – that the class was to finish at 8:45 and he has every right to be in there. I apologize to my members, and continue on with the last couple of minutes of our class, trying my best to ignore Green Shirt Guy. When finished, I again apologize to the group for the disruptions, wish them a good night, and tidy up my stuff.

I then head to the back of the class and approach Green Shirt Guy. He immediately starts in – not quite yelling at me, but almost – about how he had planned to do his skipping workout and stretching in the GROUP EXERCISE studio and how he already had to wait for the Flow class to finish at 7:45, how he left his family to come to the gym, how no one does a skipping workout like him, how he was a personal trainer and, and, and… So I was like, I totally get that this is first week of the new schedule and the first week with 7:45 group ex classes, applogized for the lack of communicaiton about the new group ex hours, but that this was a group ex studio and that that’s what it is to be used for. Being a personal trainer, he would understand that. He continued to argue about how it should be ok for him to come in and do his skipping while I was teaching my class, that there was nowhere else in the gym to skip or stretch, about how much he pays to be member of the gym, was he really going to have to come in a 8:45 to do his skipping routine and saying that if he couldn’t do his skipping workout he was going to change gyms… he went on and on – it was RIDICULOUS! Every time I tried to explain why he couldn’t be in there (liability issues, respect for other people and their workouts) or when I suggested he could skip outside (what??? and ruin his rope – are you serous!!) he pretty much cut me off. Finally after about 15 minutes, I’m pretty sure he understood that he was free to do his workout elsewhere or after the group ex classes were finished. He had calmed down and somewhat acknowledged that his behaviour was inappropriate. It’s all good.

But, I couldn’t just leave it there….

I”m a pretty good skipper. I was on the skipping team in elementary school (yep, 30 years ago) and skip now and then with my fitness classes at school. Since he was going on and on and on and on and on and on about how we were messing with his skipping workout, I decided to challenge him to a doubles contest. He laughed, said there was no way I would beat him, said all the CrossFit in the world wouldn’t make me a better skipper than him – I told whatever, I don’t do CrossFit, let’s go! He then suggested a triples contest and handed me a rope. I told him I didn’t know how to do triples, so we settled on a doubles contest.

Keep in mind, I’ve just done taught a one hour cardio class.

I get started – 1…2…3…4…

He starts 1…2…3…he gets tangled in the rope.

I’m still going 5…6…7…

He tries again 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…he gets tangled in the rope.

I’m still going ….15…16…17…

He tries again and gets to 3

I’m still going…25…26…27…

He tries and fails, tries and fails, tries and fails…

I’m still going ….51…52…53…54 and then I quit.

I did 54 doubles in a row, he did 7 🙂

Take that Green Shirt Guy. I think I just earned the right to the studio. You’d better get outside and practice your skipping!

Can you believe someone would do that?

Is there no such thing as Gym Etiquette?

O.M.Q!

After yesterday’s ‘Tabata That’ CrossFit workout my quads are killing me! Seriously, sitting down to pee is the most painful thing ever!

If you judge a workout by how sore your muscles are the next day, then this one is for you!

TABATA THIS

Instructions:

• The Tabata interval is 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest for 8 intervals.
• Tabata score is the least number of reps performed in each of the eight intervals.

Tabata Double Unders

Rest 1 minute

Tabata Squat

Rest 1 minute

Tabata Pull-up

Rest 1 minute

Tabata Push-up

Rest 1 minute

Tabata Sit-up

What’s your favorite CrossFit workout?

I Am So Sore!

So yesterday I did my first ever Crossfit workout…

And let me just say – it was killer! The knees to elbows are ridiculous! I honestly felt like I was going to puke! No joke!

Since I did my workout in our school’s weight room, and not in the ‘box’I didn’t know how much I should be lifting, but here’s what I did…

– 20″ box jump
– 15lb Kettlebell swings
– 25lb push press
– 4kg wall ball toss

My time was

If anyone knows how much weight I should be lifting for the Kettlebell swings, push press and wall ball toss, please let me know 🙂 In the meantime I will be soaking in Epsom salts, trying to rid my body of all the pain!

I’d love to try a few more Crossfit workouts – share your favourites so I can give them a try! Please 🙂

The Week Ahead – I’m All Set!

So yesterday’s Elf For Health Challenge was to plan this week’s meals and workouts. This is actually part of my weekly routine and I cannot stress how valuable planning is to staying on track.

So, this week looks a little something like this:

WORKOUTS

Sunday

• cardio – 8:15am BodyAttack

Monday

• cardio – 5km Run – Period 1
• strength – 99 Workout – Period 5 class

Tuesday

• cardio – 5:45pm BodyAttack
• strength – Ab Workout – Period 5 class

Wednesday

• cardio – 5km Run – Period 5 class

Thursday

• cardio – Spinning DVD – Period 5 class

Friday

• cardio – RPM 5:45pm
• strength – CrossFit Workout – Period 5

Saturday

• cardio – 5km Run

MENU

I’ve planned for dinners that are substantial enough to provided leftovers for lunches the next day.

Sunday – Ham, scalloped potato, broccoli

Meatless Monday – Vegetarian Frittata

Tuesday – Leftovers

Wednesday – Eat Clean Lasagna – pg. 276 The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook

Thursday – Chicken Fajita’s

Friday – Pizza and Beer – woohoo! made it though another week – only one more week until Christmas holidays!

Saturday – Roast beef dinner

Snacks

• Avocado Chocolate Chip Muffins – p. 22 Clean Eating Magazine October 2012
• Eat Clean Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Backpack Kisses – p. 236 The Eat-Clean Diet Vegetarian Cookbook

WEEKLY GOALS

1. Limit myself to only ONE Starbucks Chai Latte.

2. No eating after 7pm.

3. No pop!

4. Run at least twice, preferably 3 times.

This week’s Elf For Health Challenges are:

Monday – Track your water intake – try to drink your body weight in oz of water.

Tuesday – Clean out the fridge and pantry – get rid of expired and unhealthy things. I will also be gathering some items to drop off at our local foodbank for those in need this holiday season.

Wednesday – Eat veggies at every meal.

Thursday – Buy coffee for the person behind you in line. I’m not a coffee drinker, but will make that my Starbucks day and treat the person behind me as I pick up my chai latte!

Friday – Workout out with a buddy.

Saturday – Donate to a holiday charity in your area.

I’m super pumped for Round 2 of the Elf For Health Challenge 🙂 Can’t wait to find out who my new elf is!

Thanks to Sarah for being such an awesome elf! You rock!

Have you got your week planned out?
What’s your schedule look like?
Any great recipes you’d like to share?