countrymama

Or Ho-Hos. Or Doritos. Or any of those terribly processed things we deem delicious at some point. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for the concern. It was a supply line (cold water) for the furnace - a baseboard boiler system. We use a woodstove as primary heat and the boiler is backup. This past week, Monday & Tuesday, we had wicked cold (Mon morning was -59F), and the woodstove wasn't keeping up. We tried to turn on the boiler to help catch up, and it wouldn't work. We weren't sure why, but assumed there was an air bubble in the lines, which can happen, and just shut it back off. Now we know why it wasn't working; it was froze up! Damage wasn't bad. All the floors that were affected are either tile or concrete, so it was more that I had to spend nearly 3 hours vacuuming up water. One area rug got soaked, but I hated it anyhow, so no big loss there. I was drinking a lot of water, and had gum. When I quit smoking years ago, I used gum to keep my mouth occupied. I also have a problem with biting my fingernails, and find gum helps me with that too. I guess I just have a problem with putting crap in my mouth that doesn't belong there. [easy on the innuendos...! ] This weekend, I ended up making some Paleo fudge. Its quite good. Its made with dark cocoa powder, coconut oil, honey and almond butter. I made a bunch and cut them into 1" squares so when I'm fighting a hardcore chocolate craving, I allow myself one of those, and don't feel I've completely failed. I also made some dried sweet potato chips lightly salted with Himalayan Sea Salt to help when I have a salty craving. Still might be considered caving in, but at least they are healthier alternatives. I also tried Almond milk this weekend, to help with the dairy I’ve been missing. Its pretty good. My next trial will be either coconut milk, or coconut/almond milk blend. End of Week 1 Update Paleo Challenge 10RM Baseline, 1/10/14. Goal: Determine 10 rep max of strict press, back squat and deadlift to use for comparison at end of challenge. Results – used women’s bar (33#) strict press – 53# total, back squat – 85# total, had a potential for +5 reps deadlift – 105# total, had a potential for +5 reps CrossFit Class WOD, 1/10/14. WOD: Skill portion – handstand pushups (HSPU); Rx = regular, Sc1 = kipped or banded, Sc2 = feet on box, Sc3 = knees on box For Time portion – 5 RFT (20 min cap): 10 Romanian dumbell (DB) deadlifts (DL); Rx: 35#, Sc: 25#, Bg: 15# 10 DB front squats; same Rx/Sc as DB DL above HSPU; Rx: 7 strict, Sc: 10 kipped/banded, Bg: 10 on box Results – Romanian DB DL – 25#, DB Front Squats – 25#, HSPU – ½ kipped, ½ box; Total Time: 9:15 Goals for this week – Going to have a fair amount of stress going into this week and through the weekend. My sister is getting married on Saturday. So, all day Friday and Saturday will be spent with my family & the wedding party. I am the black sheep of the family, for various reasons, and I’m not looking forward to the wedding. I am in the wedding, as are my kids, and so I’m planning on focusing on my workouts this week to help manage the stress. It may sound silly, but I’ve basically scheduled just about every hour of my week, including sleep, in order to maximize my sleep and workouts. It’s the only way I know how to not break down this week. I’m planning on workouts everyday Mon – Fri, as I’ll not be able to workout on Saturday or Sunday. M/W/F are WOD based, T/Th will be weight lifting days. I enjoy the weight lifting more. Alright; that’s what I’ve got for now. Have a good week all.

I am definitely noticing a direct relationship between my willpower/cravings and level of sleep! Had a pipe break today and flood my basement. Only had about 4 1/2 hours of sleep and my food wants are certainly not good ones! I keep thinking: Mind over matter! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great job! I, too, am a former smoker. Quit cold turkey about 9 years ago. The only exception I make is my hubby and I get some really good cigars and occasionally smoke them in the summer time when we're enjoying a nice fire and the stars in our backyard. You don't inhale cigars, either, so all good for me there. Doesn't ever make me crave a cig. You're doing great recognizing your triggers and avoiding them. Thats a huge part that I think many people miss! Can't wait to see more of your success!

Thanks for the encouragement! Mid-week 1 update: Going into week 1, I had wanted to be full into myCrossFit routine, but the holidays, scheduling difficulties and a 4-days of the whole family having a über stomach-bug that literally brought us all to a halt changed that a bit. I had my intro-to-CrossFit classes (3 sessions with a coach) called CrossFit Essentials and have now started Classes. Here are those results: Essentials #1 - 1/2/14 “Square One†Prescription: 1 rep for time: 500m row, 40 squats, 30 situps, 20 push-ups, & 10 pull-ups. I learned that I can do one full pull-up unassisted and needed resistance bands for the rest. I was very happy with the 1. Results: Time: 07:38 Essentials #2 – 1/3/14 Prescription: AMRAP (as many reps as possible) in 10 min of increasing reps/round (i.e.: start at one each, then 2, then 3, etc.): push press (empty 33# barbell for beginners’ form), 20†box jump, burpee Results: I completed 8 rounds total in 10 min. Specifically, this looks like this: 1 push press, 1 box jump, 1 burpee 2 push presses, 2 box jumps, 2 burpees 3 push presses, 3 box jumps, 3 burpees 4 push presses, 4 box jumps, 4 burpees etc… up to 8 Essentials #3 – 1/6/14 Prescription: 21-15-9 for time: 20# medicine ball cleans, 20# kettlebell swings, eggrolls (standing à backwards roll to shoulderblades à standing) Results: Time: 9:06. I was pleased; my coach said I was her first to complete under 10:00. First CrossFit Class WOD, 1/8/14. Group Paleo Challenge started Monday as well, and they have 3 WOD’s that they are doing as a Challenge group to establish a baseline and we’ll do them again at the end of the 6 wk Paleo Challenge to compare. WOD: Strength portion – complex OTM x10 (on the min for 10min) clean + hang clean + split jerk. I was at 42#’s. I am still struggling with my coordination on cleans. I am not getting under the bar correctly. For Time portion (15 min cap) – 100 DU (double unders) or 200 singles [jump rope] THEN decreasing reps 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of: Plate OH2G (overhead to ground) 45# plate Plate burpee (burpee and finish w/ jump onto your plate) THEN 100 DU or 200 singles (whatever you started with) ADDITIONALLY, E2MO2M (every 2 min on the 2 min): 10 sec OH Plate lockout Results: 200 singles, Plate at Rx, hit time cap with my last 100 single jumps remaining. This frustrated me a lot. But I reminded myself it was my first class, and I’m here for improvement. Can’t start out perfect. Workout thoughts I’m loving the workouts. I love the layout and structure of the CrossFit classes and community. This particular gym is amazing and they have been so awesome and encouraging. I’ve only been going there a short time, but I’m already feeling very at home. They also have a CrossFit kids program and offered a “free preview day†a couple Saturdays ago. I took my kids (boy – 12, girl – 9) and they loved it, too. So they’ve now been going 2x/wk as well. Its really been pretty awesome for us. My son has never enjoyed exerting himself athletically. He’s more of a Sheldon Cooper, but loves football, and got pissed that he wasn’t any good at it. After the preview day, he begged me to sign him up. I’ve already seen an increase in his confidence and he reminds me every day that he’s scheduled to go. I’m totally impressed by the changes I’m seeing in him, both physically and emotionally. Food thoughts I’m missing dairy. I don’t over-indulge, but prior to the challenge, I had used dairy for a protein (Fage Greek yogurt), as well as a little shredded cheese on salads, and full-fat creamer in my coffee. I also like to make my post-workout protein drink with milk (its so blech with water), but I’m choking it down w/o the dairy. Was thinking I’d look for some almond milk to try it that way. The gym’s Paleo Challege specifically calls out no dairy in the rules, so I’m abiding for now to see if it makes a difference in how I feel. The non-grain part of Paleo isn’t difficult for me, as I’m not a big bread/pasta eater anyhow. I am missing chocolate in a nearly indescribable way. I know Paleo allows for dark choc, but again, this group challenge doesn’t, so I’m sticking to the rules. Other general thoughts I added a mini goal of at least 64-96 oz of water a day. I have a big 32 oz Nalgene bottle so its 2-3 per day is the goal. Another mini goal I’ve added is at least 7 hours of sleep a day. I am the 3rd shift manager at a food manufacturer, so I have kind of a jacked up schedule. My home shift is 11pm-7am Sunday thru Thursday, but due to meetings, etc, I’m often in during the day as well. Add in the family life and their needs, this girl’s sleep is often minimal. The last year on this shift, I’ve been lucky to get 6 hrs/day, and its never in a solid chunk. Most often I sleep in 2-3 hour increments. And I know this is very bad for me. So I’m trying to fix that. This week, I’ve scheduled a solid 7-8 hour window for sleep, but I’m still waking up, even if only briefly, every 2-3 hours. Its ridiculously frustrating. Due to my work schedule, I’m more able to do intermittent updates. We’ll see how things go, but this might be more of a highlight-type thing. Please feel free to give me suggestions, pointers, or call me out on any dumb-ass moves… If you made it this far, thanks for reading! That ended up being more of a rant/ramble than I intended…

Thanks for all the input! I've seen a lot of the women lifters at my box wearing the black, what we call "booty shorts". And they've said most of the same reasons as you all. I'm just not all that comfortable with my thighs yet to try that. But maybe the UA capri tights I've been wearing aren't staying up because of the slippery-ness of them combines with undies. I can't do thongs in the gym. Squats or lifting + thong just does NOT work for this girl. Thanks again for your candid feedback! I knew I could count on the rebellious gals!

LoL! That's exaclty what I was thinking when I typed it. Its kinda a double meaning... if I fail (not gonna effen happen), I will have to do that to myself. Meaning 2 - I'm gong to be kicking my ass into shape as I succeed!

I was extremely happy & surprised with myself at being able to do one pull up at my first session at CrossFit. I did not expect that at all. So, yay!! It is certainly on my list of goals for 2014 to increase that number.

countrymama’s 6-wk Challenge Main Quest – Decrease body fat and increase strength measured by WOD performance (basically, I want to look good naked) Measurables: 1. Successfully Compete the Paleo Challenge at my CrossFit (FitELITE, Eau Claire, WI) – 1/6-2/15 2. Complete a minimum of 3 WOD per week 3. Complete at least 1 additional day of activity per week of 20-30 minutes minimum Life Quest – contribute $500/mo to savings and begin the snowball payments on credit cards Motivation – I am here on this challenge to begin to ensure that my children have a healthy relationship with food and activity as well as knowing I can treat my body better than I have. Additionally, I want to be able to participate in life to the fullest and enjoy as many years as possible with my husband and kids. Starting Photos – I may share more later, when I’m more comfortable, but here’s one I’m ok with now (attached). Starting measurements – I will update later, don’t have them with me right now (at work). Update: Measurements Height - 5'2" Weight - 147.8 lbs Chest/Bust - 36.5" Under Bust - 32" Bicep - 12" Waist - 31" Hips - 38" Thigh - 23.5" Calf - 14" BF% - 25.8%

Alright ladies, I've done a search of the forum, and didn't find anything but feel free to point my dumbass in the right direction if I missed it ... I've recently started lifting again as well as CrossFit. I need help figuring out what fellow ladies have success with underwear for workouts. Requirements: stay up at the top and down in the back... I think you might know what I mean... Thanks for any recommendations!

This is one of my newest favorites. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks! To make it even better, heading to Christmas Eve mass tonight, in wearing a "favorite" skirt I couldn't get into for too long. These are the things that motivate me. Another mini-woot: this morning, my son (12) and I did a crossfit style workout together at a local small gym. It was his first. He rocked it. It was so cool to share the fitness bug with him. In typical pre-teen "enthusiasm", he said he didn't hate it and will think about joining me for the next session on Saturday. LoL. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Mom of a 12 yr old middle school boy and 9 yr old 4th grade girl. Boy recently started thinking girls are "maybe ok" rather than gross and irritating like his sister. This mom isn't sure how she feels about that... I don't feel old enough to have a child that old... I'm looking at enrolling the boy & I into crossfit. The one here by us has youth classes. He plays FB but is tall and thin for his age, so need some help with strength and agility. Thought maybe that might help... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Soooo - last night as I was getting ready for work (I'm a 3rd-shifter), I went to grab my belt. Or, rather my hubby's belt that I'd stolen, because I'd gotten too big for mine in the recent past. I hadn't needed to wear it in a little bit, but my jeans are now starting to be "slippery" <YAY!>. So I went to fasten it, and I wasn't really paying attention, and I was feeling like a complete gomer trying to get it situated. Suddenly, I realized my problem... I had run out of belt holes... IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!! I couldn't believe it. I've been weighing my self every few days, but hadn't done measurements since I started my Paleo transition. Its been about a month and a half, and I've been basically 80/20 Paleo to break myself into it easily. Been exercising as I can, but decided to take baby steps and commit to one change at a time. [side note - I took an unintended break in Paleo the week of rifle season, and ohmygoodness! I felt like absolute crap! My joints ached, I had this irritating nagging headache and my guts were seriously not happy with me... Back on track following, and I felt amazing again. I'm hooked and convinced Paleo is so much healthier!] Anyhow, I grabbed my favorite old belt, that I've not been able to wear in 2 years - AND IT FITS!! I did my measurements this am, and I'm down only 4 lbs, but I've lost a total of just over 10 inches in bust, arms, waist, and hips. And, I've got the start of some nice sexy definition going on in my biceps... WOOT!! Can't wait to keep this trend going!!