It's Man Crush Monday and boy do I have a crush on this guy...

I can go all the way back to 2011 and this is what you'll see.  My man in the background, either standing there with his arms crossed watching me do the workout, counting my reps, holding the timer, taking the video, taking pictures, hollering and cheering! 

He's always got my back. 

He's always there.

That's what he lets you all see.  What you don't see are the days that I'm bawling my eyes out too stressed to even talk about the WOD and him calmly walking me through how I can make it better.  You don't see him get up at the crack of dawn EVERY SINGLE morning and make me breakfast so that I can train until the last possible minute before leaving for work.  You don't see him making dinner almost every evening, so I can train again!  You don't see him tucking me into my bed at 8:30 pm so that I can get adequate sleep for my tired body.  You don't see him placing my vitamins and supplements in a cup next to my dinner so my body is ready for the next day's fight.  He's constantly rubbing my feet, or my shoulders, or putting blue ice on some sore part of my body!  (I know this is a personal sacrifice as he HATES having that stuff on his hand!) 

He keeps me in check mentally, emotionally and spiritually.  He prays for me, and prays over me.  He talks me off the ledge and helps me realize my true potential.  I can go on and on and on about this man that cherishes me. 

This is just one small piece of our lives, although sometimes it feels like a big piece.  But he is like this in every aspect.  And is content to sit in the background without recognition.

Jim Turnbo III I love you with every ounce of my being.  I cherish you.  I cherish us.  Thank you doesn't seem like enough for all the things you do for me each and every day.  You are my best friend, my soulmate, my lover and I am so honored and blessed and proud to call you MINE ALL MINE!! 

Children learn what they live...

I remember as a young child I had these brown plaques hanging on my bedroom wall...one was titled my bedtime prayer, which I can still recite verbatim to you today 40 years later, and the other one was titled "Children Learn What They Live!"

I used to know it all by heart as well, but lost some of that in the last 40 years.  But that doesn't negate my point I'm about to make!

We learn from our parents, grandparents, society, siblings, people that are around us each and every day.  So, as a parent we are responsible for making choices for our child and whether these choices are good or bad our children learn to do them, adapt, and as a parent we hope that what we teach them is taken out into the world and passed on for generations to come.

Which takes me to the awesome picture I received from Brooke the other day.  My kids text me pretty much daily so it's not uncommon to hear from them or get random pictures.

So, she sends me the above pic.  I giggle and immediately send the following pic to her:

Now, you can see why I giggled.  Looks familiar doesn't it.  

Brooke is married and lives 45 minutes away in Winona Lake.  But somehow we've managed to have the same things on our counter tops!

I want my children to be healthy!  I want them to make good choices.  I want them to feel all the benefits of making healthy choices and that not only includes the food I want them to eat but the nutraceuticals and supplements that they take as well.  

So, what all is on "my counter?"

1.  Juice Plus (Garden, Orchard and Vineyard Blend)  

Dose:  1 of each capsule 2 x daily

Juice Plus is a variety of 32 different vegetables, fruits and grains in a capsule.  Juice plus is gluten free and non- GMO.  Fruit and vegetables provide your body with important phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Ideally they should be consumed every day.   Most people (adults and children) are NOT getting the recommended servings of vegetables and fruit daily and Juice Plus bridges the gap between what you eat and what you should eat!!

2.  Juice Plus (Omega Blend)

1 capsule 2 x daily

We've all heard of Omega 3's and why we need them.  Juice Plus has a vegan, non GMO, gluten free option for getting a full spectrum of omega fatty acids which support a broad array of health benefits, especially for the brain, vision and heart.

3.  Vitamin D3 (Now Brand)
I take 5,000 IU 2 x daily in winter 1 x daily in summer

Vitamin D is sometimes called the sunshine vitamin.  Your body actually produces vitamin D when you are exposed to sunshine.  (We live in Indiana where that isn't a year round treat!) Vitamin D is necessary to facilitate normal immune function, fight disease, reduce depression and boost weight loss.

4.  Neuro- Mag (Magnesium L-Threonate)
I take 2 capsules in AM, 1 capsule PM

Enhances memory and cognitive function.  This is also know to reduce anxiety!
Magnesium, in its different forms is responsible for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It helps to maintain normal nerve and muscle function, supports a healthy immune system, keeps the heart beat steady, and helps bones remain strong. It also helps regulate blood glucose levels and aid in the production of energy and protein.

5.  Magnesium Citrate (Natural Calm)
I take 3 tsps every night before bed.

Anti- stress drink, aids in a nice stress free sleep.  And of course is responsible for all of the functions listed above!

6.  Echinacea
I take 1 capsule 2 x daily in winter or when exposed to colds or viruses.

Immune system support -  needed in winter to fight off colds, flu and other seasonal viruses.  

We all know that we can get most of what our body needs by eating real food.  I like to keep my supplements to a minimum and I have found that this is a perfect combination along with a healthy diet to keep my body running at optimum performance.  Sometimes, depending on life's situation's I'll mess with the dosage of some of the above items.  If my workouts are harder or right now being in competition I've doubled my doses of Omega's and Vitamin D to provide my body what it needs to recover each week.  

I'd love to talk with anyone who needs help finding the right combination of healthy food and proper supplementation to reach the best you.

We have a weekly event for Juice Plus where you can learn more - click link Juice Plus Call 8:30 pm Thursday's! for more information.  I co-host this event with Dr. Jeff Borders and we'd love to answer any questions you may have.

I also offer private nutrition consultations.  We would spend an hour together going over where you are now and you'll leave with a clear picture of how to start your future of healthy living!!  Feel free to contact me at (574)261-6268 to schedule your session today.  

Eat, Sleep, WOD Repeat...for real, that's all I do!!

So, I've finished my first 6 week training cycle and just came off of a two week deload to start my second cycle of training for the 2018 games.

I had many successes in my first cycle and learned a lot about myself:

1. My 5 rep DL went from 215-240# BUT (there's always a but) I am doing some sort of romanian DL and using ALL hamstrings.   Really need to work on form here, I can be SO much stronger!
2. My 1 rep clean and jerk went from 155-170#!  (Here is my video @ 170#)
3. My 1 rep snatch went from 115-130#.
4. 5 Min of HSPU went from 32 reps to 50 reps.
5. 5 Min of push ups went from 75-98!
6. Death by GHD went from 51 reps to 106 reps!  That's more than DOUBLE!
7. I consistently ran, rowed, or biked 5 times a week! (This was probably my biggest accomplishment)

Some things I learned:

1. I really need to work on my OHS.
2. I tend to pace - always - when I do burpees.  I got the exact same number 5 weeks in a row for my 5 minutes of burpees, why couldn't I do at least 1 more rep each week?  On week 6, I got 1 more rep. (Need to push out of my comfort zone.)
3. Anything power (clean or snatch) is hard for me, I'd love to SQUAT everything;0)
4. Remember that pushing out of my comfort zone?  It needs to happen on the bike, row, and run as well!  
5. At approximately 4 weeks into this cycle, my body crashed hard and I had to adjust my food and supplementation to accommodate for this!  I'll give details on that below;0)

During my deload/ rest period I hit some PR's that I have been trying to get FOREVER!  I finally got 175# on my jerk and I got 5 reps 180# on my front squat.

As I move into this next phase of training, Nick is working on pushing me out of my comfort zone.  Speed, Endurance, Heavy breathing are all in my future!  

FOOD IS SO IMPORTANT:

I noticed right away that I needed to up my carbohydrate's on my workout days.  Which happened to be every day but Sunday.  I added rice, sweet potato, red potato to my meals and tried to get those in at least 2x a day.  

My body adjusted well for the first few weeks but in week 4 I literally felt like I was falling apart.  I know this was my body adapting to the work load - I had added 8-10 workouts weekly to my already full schedule.  At that point I decided to add a post workout protein powder,  I had been mixing my own with collagen, chia seeds, maca powder and greens and would eat that with a banana post wod.  But here lately I wasn't recovering, always sore, and so so tired.  

I added SFH Pure Whey Protein post wod and continued to eat the banana as well.  This helped but I still noticed soreness like I've never had before.  About a week later, I added a pre-workout of SFH Push, this seemed to make a difference mostly during the workout, I felt like I had an increase of energy mostly during the WOD.  I still had unnecessary soreness the last two weeks of this cycle.  

During my deload weeks I sought out other possible solutions for recovery.

SLEEP IS SO IMPORTANT:

I started going to bed earlier and making sure I got a nap EVERY day.  Even on days that I didn't train, I would still follow that same routine.  I worked on getting 7-9 hours of sleep at night and at least a 1 hour nap during the day, sometimes 2 hours.  This seemed to help a lot!  

PROACTIVE STRETCHING, MASSAGE and ART are SO SO IMPORTANT:

I added a biweekly massage to my schedule. Weekly yoga sessions usually on my rest day. And started seeing Dr. Leffler for ART on my neck and shoulders (where I was holding ALL of my soreness!)  As I move into the next cycle I am focusing strongly on warm-up using the crossover symmetry, flossing exercises for my neck and shoulders, core strength through baby rolls and belly breathing.  I will also do these as a cool down.  Sticking with the yoga on rest days and getting my bi-weekly massage along with my weekly ART session should help relieve some of this muscle soreness. 

So, I am heading strong into my next cycle, I'm excited to see what Nick has put together for me and as I start this first week I get flutters every time I walk into the gym.  Good flutters.  I love what I do and can't wait to see what the future holds for me as a CrossFit Masters Athlete!!

 

What I like to buy from Walmart...Yes, I shop at Walmart!

I've been eating primal/paleo/local/grassfed/organic/gluten free/ ...for almost 8 years now.  And to be honest it's been an evolution of sorts seeing this trend become more and more popular.  Back when I first started eating this way, there was NO WAY you would find anything that you wanted to eat at your big chain stores like WalMart, Meijer, Kroger, Martin's etc.  Nope.  You had to go to a "nutrition" store like Garden Patch or Down to Earth or DC Meats to find anything and it cost at least one arm and one leg to make a batch of pancakes!!

Sooooo, to be able to run down to WalMart (which is approximately 35 seconds from my house) and pick up a container of organic spinach or grab some tapioca flour to make Friday night pizza is BEYOND exciting for me.  They seem to get more and more items all the time.  My most recent highlight was finding my Kevita's there!  Really, Walmart you know how to make a girl happy!

If you eat yogurt, my hubby will tell you that hands down Fage is the creamiest tastiest greek yogurt out there.

Unsweetened Cashew Milk - I prefer getting it at Aldi's because it's cheaper, but Walmart is closer.  I love warming this up and adding some cacoa and coconut sugar for a warm "hot chocolate" treat.

Just like most stores now, Walmart carries your cage free eggs.  Cheapest I've seen are actually from Sam's as you get 18 eggs for $3.00 but when you need eggs;0)

This condiment I CANNOT live without.  Between Frank's Red Hot and Spicy Mustard...I use it almost every day.

I'm all about stocking the freezer with easy things to heat up and eat...and when it comes to broccoli, the little tree part happens to be my favorite.

I don't use these very often, but I do keep a couple in my freezer for those emergency situations when I need some veggies and I've either run out or I don't want to take the time to cook them.

Same with this one, what I look for in all of the frozen veggies I buy is to make sure they aren't adding any weird sauce or oil or MARGARINE of something funky.  I want a good old fashioned frozen vegetable.

I use this to make cauliflower fried rice when you can't find a good head of fresh cauliflower.

Some simple lunch ideas for kids.  Rolled up turkey.  No added hormones or antibiotics and nitrate free.  They have a more choices than turkey.  But I noticed that the ham typically has added sugar in it.  

I use this every once in awhile, if I can't get to DC Meats to get my meat.

This bacon is also an option - I prefer DC Meats.

Now to the fun stuff...I use Chia seeds in my post workout shake every day.  You can also use them to make your own jelly.  They pack a good protein punch!!  Add them to your smoothies or baked goods.  This huge bag is like $4.52

Back in the day we had grainy yucky almond flour and my poor children had to eat pancakes that tasted like grit.  Now, you can find blanched almond flour almost anywhere.  It's SO much better!  I use this mainly to make my biscuits and almond flour bread and sometimes I use it in cookies.

Hands down the cheapest place to find coconut flour.  I buy it here always.  This is like $6.75.  I use this in almost every baking recipe I have.  Pancakes, pizza, cookies, 

Love this starch!!  It's cheaper per pound at Garden Patch ($1.70 vs $1.96) but it's nice to know they have it here if I am not prepared and run out.

Cacao Powder  - need I say more?  CHOCOLATE

Raw nuts:

I drink A LOT of coconut water.  Be careful some brands add funky stuff.  Make sure your's says coconut water only on the ingredients.  I don't buy it at Walmart because Cotsco sells it for super cheap - but I wanted you to see which brand I bought.  It's $3.96 for one of these at Walmart if you buy a case at Cotsco it averages out to $2.25 per liter;0)  

If you enjoy "paleo" baking then you can't live without these chocolate chips - They are dairy, nut and soy free.   Which is pretty hard to find!  Walmart has them for the best price - but you can find them at Meijer and Garden Patch as well.  They now have chocolate chunks too!!

Not sure how I went from yummy baked goods to tuna, but I feel finding the right tuna is important.  I have read every tuna can in the entire world...I like to make sure there isn't added soy or vegetable oil!  YUCK!!  This one is more expensive $2.96 a can.  

We use turkey A LOT!

And I had tons of peeps as me where I got my turkey drumsticks;0)

And I cannot live without dark dark coffee - hands down the cheapest for this big box,

Just like Aldi's - they have grass fed beef..It's like $0.25 more here.

And my beloved Kevita - coconut water probiotic drink.

Organic red potatoes.  I love how they put that they are naturally gluten free...watch out for this gluten free craze the marketers are on!!  They put that on the marshmallow packages too!!

They have everything you need to make your own laundry soap and the good news is, it's all in a row (someone must be onto something)  I used to have to get the baking soda in the baking aisle!

And....I also found these in the freezer section.  I will tell you that I have never tried them, I did read the ingredients and it seemed decent.  I prefer to cook on my own, but I suppose if you were in an emergency situation or you just had no idea at all how to cook...then maybe this would be worth a shot.  I heard they were only at Walmart...to me it kind of looks like my kids plastic play food.  If anyone tries this, I'm curious to see what you thought.  Portions?  Taste? Etc? 

Like I said, organic spinach.

And this tuna doesn't have anything yucky and it's only $1.49.  I know you can also find Polar Tuna at Meijer for $1.19 and today I was at Fresh Thyme and they have SkipJack in water for $1.25.  

Those are my picks at Walmart. I will post Meijer next week and then I have a couple of random stores that I will collaborate into one final post for the following week.  They are what I like to call my specialty stores...Garden Patch, DC Meats, Sam's Fresh Thyme.