it crossed my mind to update the blog after feeling extremely sore all weekend...man, i had almost forgotten what it felt like to be a crossfitter! you know the feeling....every morning, you roll over and slowly sit up in bed, listening to the aches in your body from the previous day or two of crossfit activities. it's like being a crossfitter and soreness just plain go hand in hand!
unfortunately, work has been taking precedence over my crossfitting life. i spent a week in park city, utah on a business trip, however i was so sad as to not be able to visit spealler's gym while there...sniff, sniff. i've been getting in 3 crossfit wods a week, with about a week off for the utah trip. time just hasn't been on my side. dave and i also partnered with our friends drew and amber at carport crossfit, and we've been busy restructuring the gym and trying to launch a new and improved carport on september 1st. http://carportcrossfit.blogspot.com/ we're super excited to see growth in this gym!
anyway, i digress: so back to why i feel like a crossfitter again! saturday i did "linda" for the first time EVAH! for those of you that don't know, "linda" is a.k.a. "the three bars of death." dum-dum-duuuuuummmmmmmmmmm. it's the following:
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of
1 1/2 times body weight deadlift
1 times body weight bench press
3/4 times body weight clean
now, i did linda, but i definitely did NOT do linda rxd. i don't think i could do linda rxd BEFORE pregnancy. (the bench press would've gotten me.) however, my numbers on saturday were as follows:
135# deadlifts
75# bench
#85 clean
and my time was sub 30 - of course i stopped to rest as much as i needed to so as to make sure i had a steady breathing pattern! it was so nice to be moving some weight...
afterwards, i knew i was going to be sore on sunday b/c i had that jello leg and arm feeling; i just felt like rubber! and sure enough, sunday morning, the initial rollover in the bed and grooooaaaannnnn. boy was i sore! i know those deadlifts had correct form with the way my hammies are still screaming today! man, do i love me some crossfit!
as far as paleo is concerned, this blog should be changed to the name "pregnant and occasionally crossfitting diva." oh well....i still eat a paleo breakfast....that counts for something, right?
updates:
still doing pullups rxd (up to a 12# perma"vest" these days)
burpees rxd
pushups, had to go to knees b/c of a weird pull in my belly, it was a sad day.
squats rxd
box stepups
did some double unders the other day just to make sure i still could
and i made the mistake of trying one handstand pushup for the sake of seeing if i could. and i can. but i will not be doing that again!
and i've set a new pregnancy crossfit goal! 10 unassisted ring dips to full depth. i'm doing three sets of 10 purple banded ring dips every time i go in the gym to catch a wod. hopefully if i keep doing that, then post pregnancy, my ring dips will be fab, and i'll just pop right up in a muscle up!
we find out if we're having a future boy or girl crossfitter in 2 weeks! yippee!!!!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
how to stay positive and.....man food sure does taste good!
ok. i have a problem. food tastes SO INCREDIBLY good to me right now! it's like the loveliest thing in the world. every savory bite beckons me for more and more and MORE!!!!! i hope i don't give this baby diabetes. is that possible?
i just ate an orange scone from panera bread company. and let me tell you folks, i sat in my office chair, staring into space, enjoying every single bite...i think i might even have let out a couple of "mmmmmm"s. used to, i would eat for function. i would get my food, put it on my desk, and i would work, and take a bite, and work and take another bite. it would sometimes take me an hour or more to eat my lunch. but not anymore. my attention is 100% focused on the food. and i have to say, i'm really enjoying it. has food always been this good? have i just now realized what i've been missing?
cfr is having a nutrition challenge on saturday. it's intended to help people achieve their goals. whether you drink too many carbonated beverages or you want to go 100% strict paleo, saturday is D-day. i guess i'll join the masses. my goal will be to eat 2 out of my 3 meals as strict paleo every day. i know this doesn't sound like much, but it's progress people! progress! i think i keep making these promises on this blog, but i keep falling off the horse. i'll try to get back on once more!
to keep me motivated, my friend amber posted this on her facebook page. it is the most awesome thing i've seen in a long, long time. i will watch this video every single day...because it is the cutest thing in the world and why shouldn't we ALL do this every morning before leaving the house? I CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD!
i just ate an orange scone from panera bread company. and let me tell you folks, i sat in my office chair, staring into space, enjoying every single bite...i think i might even have let out a couple of "mmmmmm"s. used to, i would eat for function. i would get my food, put it on my desk, and i would work, and take a bite, and work and take another bite. it would sometimes take me an hour or more to eat my lunch. but not anymore. my attention is 100% focused on the food. and i have to say, i'm really enjoying it. has food always been this good? have i just now realized what i've been missing?
cfr is having a nutrition challenge on saturday. it's intended to help people achieve their goals. whether you drink too many carbonated beverages or you want to go 100% strict paleo, saturday is D-day. i guess i'll join the masses. my goal will be to eat 2 out of my 3 meals as strict paleo every day. i know this doesn't sound like much, but it's progress people! progress! i think i keep making these promises on this blog, but i keep falling off the horse. i'll try to get back on once more!
to keep me motivated, my friend amber posted this on her facebook page. it is the most awesome thing i've seen in a long, long time. i will watch this video every single day...because it is the cutest thing in the world and why shouldn't we ALL do this every morning before leaving the house? I CAN DO ANYTHING GOOD!
Monday, July 26, 2010
happy 12 weeks!
woohoo! happy 12 week birthday to my little baby peanut! time is really flying! it feels like it was just a couple of weeks ago that i found out i was pregnant!
i have been extremely fortunate during my first trimester. the nausea has not been pleasant, but i haven't thrown up 24-7 like some women do. for the most part, so far, i am enjoying being pregnant. unfortunately, my paleo diva-ness is suffering quite a bit. but since the nausea has somewhat abated, i am going to try my best to start being more dedicated. i know it is best for the baby.
i made it to the gym 4 times last week, as i had hoped! and there is good news on the horizon. crossfit rebellion and i are partnering to start a bootcamp on august 16th! please tell your friends! i hope for it to be a success!
here is my wod summary for last week. until later, kids, happy woding and stay strong on the paleo! i will be extremely busy this week with work, so i might not write again until next week...unless i find something really juicy to post!
monday: 50 Thrusters 95/65#. Each time you stop, you must complete 5 knees to elbows before you start your thrusters again.
* i did 65#, reps of 10, so i had to do 20 k2e.
wednesday: Four Rounds for Time of Run 400m, 15 ground to overhead 95/65#
* i rowed since it's too hot for this pregnant lady to run. g-to-o at 65#.
friday: 6 rounds for time of 10 ring dips, 10 squat cleans 95/65#
* this seemed to take forever. i did band assisted ring dips and 65# squat cleans.
saturday: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of KB Swings 53/35#, Push Ups (games standards), Sit Ups
* this was a fun one, but the first round of 21 kb swings took me off guard, and i had to slow down for the sets of 18, 15 and 12. i did the 9, 6, 3 unbroken.
i have been extremely fortunate during my first trimester. the nausea has not been pleasant, but i haven't thrown up 24-7 like some women do. for the most part, so far, i am enjoying being pregnant. unfortunately, my paleo diva-ness is suffering quite a bit. but since the nausea has somewhat abated, i am going to try my best to start being more dedicated. i know it is best for the baby.
i made it to the gym 4 times last week, as i had hoped! and there is good news on the horizon. crossfit rebellion and i are partnering to start a bootcamp on august 16th! please tell your friends! i hope for it to be a success!
here is my wod summary for last week. until later, kids, happy woding and stay strong on the paleo! i will be extremely busy this week with work, so i might not write again until next week...unless i find something really juicy to post!
monday: 50 Thrusters 95/65#. Each time you stop, you must complete 5 knees to elbows before you start your thrusters again.
* i did 65#, reps of 10, so i had to do 20 k2e.
wednesday: Four Rounds for Time of Run 400m, 15 ground to overhead 95/65#
* i rowed since it's too hot for this pregnant lady to run. g-to-o at 65#.
friday: 6 rounds for time of 10 ring dips, 10 squat cleans 95/65#
* this seemed to take forever. i did band assisted ring dips and 65# squat cleans.
saturday: 21-18-15-12-9-6-3 of KB Swings 53/35#, Push Ups (games standards), Sit Ups
* this was a fun one, but the first round of 21 kb swings took me off guard, and i had to slow down for the sets of 18, 15 and 12. i did the 9, 6, 3 unbroken.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
hmmmmmm.....
interesting read from a fellow blogger. i'm not sure how old her blog is, but i like her style. present two sides of the issue! :) her blog is www.wonder-ing-land.com
Why to vaccinate?
Vaccines have improved the lives of people since they were first introduced. The incidences of diseases have been so greatly reduced that we are getting complacent about them and have turned our worry on the side effects of vaccines rather than the dangers of the diseases they prevent. This is a luxury that will go away if the majority of people stop vaccinating and epidemics emerge.
While most of the diseases we vaccinate against aren’t all that dangerous, they can be fatal or can cause lasting problems (brain damage, sterility). While there are side effects to vaccines, the link between autism and MMR vaccine is unsubstantiated.
Vaccine ingredients are all necessary. For example, aluminum makes a vaccine work better. Compared to the amount of aluminum ingested in our everyday lives, the quantity injected through a vaccine is much less. There is no longer any mercury (thimerosal) in vaccines (and some never carried it).
New York State law requires it. Children can’t go to public schools unless they are up to date with vaccines.
Why not to vaccinate?
Ascribing the decline in contagious diseases only to vaccines diminishes the socio-economic factors that have contributed to this decline. The quality of life has improved. For example, incidences of diphtheria steadily fell after the vaccinations started in 1920, but so did incidences of yellow and scarlet fever without vaccinations.
We carry trillions of bacteria and viruses in our bodies: micro-organisms do not necessarily come from the outside but live in us as well. We vaccinate against 26 of them (though the number keeps rising). New diseases will be born out of this imbalance - other strands of a virus or bacterium that are not immunized against rise to fill the void. When the body has an opportunity to fight off a disease, it acquires a full cellular immunity to it. Antibodies, acquired by vaccination, are just one part of this immunity and that immunity is incomplete.
Being sick and letting the body do the work of fighting off a disease also affects children developmentally. A high fever fights an infection and helps in the ‘pruning’ of older brain cells. Post sickness, it’s been noted that children experience growth spurts both mentally and physically (for example, a child is found to talk or walk better than before).
One in 5 American children have some kind of developmental delay, autism being just one of them. Our vaccination rates are the highest in the world and they correspond to high atopic disorders such as allergies, lupus, asthma.
Vaccine ingredients include heavy metals, animal serum and known neuro-toxins (i.e. formaldehyde and some others). While it’s true that we do ingest or inhale heavy metals in food and air naturally, injecting them into the bloodstream exposes our bodies more directly. The body has natural filters such as the skin, the mucous membranes, and the digestive system. Injecting a vaccine directly into the bloodstream bypasses all of them. The vaccine additive polysorbate 80 enables a virus injected into the bloodstream to easily pass into the brain, bypassing important natural barriers.
A notorious example of vaccine composition is the original polio vaccine invented in the 1950s. The polio virus was cultivated on shredded monkey kidneys, then made inactive by dunking in formaldehyde, and then the mash was made into vaccines. But the monkey kidneys bestowed this mash with something called SV40 (simian virus 40) which also got injected into people, millions of them. SV40 has been found to cause brain cancer. (Of course, there are studies that show that this monkey virus has no effect on people, but beware of statistics). This was in the past, right? Well, as late as 1999, this virus was found in the blood of a vaccinated child or two, during an autopsy…
What are we going to do?
Read. Think. Pray.
On our reading list:
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, by Robert Sears
The vaccination dilemma, edited by Murphy, Christine.
Recommended by Tribeca Pediatrics
Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States, 2006: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/summary.html
Possible Side-effects from Vaccines: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
Afzal, M.A. (2006). Absence of detectable measles virus genome sequence in blood of autistic children who have had their MMR vaccination during the routine childhood immunization schedule of UK . Journal of Medical Virology, 78, 623-630.
and more…
Recommended by Dr. Palevsky
Vaccines and Their Specific Ingredients: http://www.informedchoice.info
Fear of the Invisible, Janine Roberts (book)
The Virus and the Vaccine, Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher (book)
Research by Boyd Haley.
and more…
Why to vaccinate?
Vaccines have improved the lives of people since they were first introduced. The incidences of diseases have been so greatly reduced that we are getting complacent about them and have turned our worry on the side effects of vaccines rather than the dangers of the diseases they prevent. This is a luxury that will go away if the majority of people stop vaccinating and epidemics emerge.
While most of the diseases we vaccinate against aren’t all that dangerous, they can be fatal or can cause lasting problems (brain damage, sterility). While there are side effects to vaccines, the link between autism and MMR vaccine is unsubstantiated.
Vaccine ingredients are all necessary. For example, aluminum makes a vaccine work better. Compared to the amount of aluminum ingested in our everyday lives, the quantity injected through a vaccine is much less. There is no longer any mercury (thimerosal) in vaccines (and some never carried it).
New York State law requires it. Children can’t go to public schools unless they are up to date with vaccines.
Why not to vaccinate?
Ascribing the decline in contagious diseases only to vaccines diminishes the socio-economic factors that have contributed to this decline. The quality of life has improved. For example, incidences of diphtheria steadily fell after the vaccinations started in 1920, but so did incidences of yellow and scarlet fever without vaccinations.
We carry trillions of bacteria and viruses in our bodies: micro-organisms do not necessarily come from the outside but live in us as well. We vaccinate against 26 of them (though the number keeps rising). New diseases will be born out of this imbalance - other strands of a virus or bacterium that are not immunized against rise to fill the void. When the body has an opportunity to fight off a disease, it acquires a full cellular immunity to it. Antibodies, acquired by vaccination, are just one part of this immunity and that immunity is incomplete.
Being sick and letting the body do the work of fighting off a disease also affects children developmentally. A high fever fights an infection and helps in the ‘pruning’ of older brain cells. Post sickness, it’s been noted that children experience growth spurts both mentally and physically (for example, a child is found to talk or walk better than before).
One in 5 American children have some kind of developmental delay, autism being just one of them. Our vaccination rates are the highest in the world and they correspond to high atopic disorders such as allergies, lupus, asthma.
Vaccine ingredients include heavy metals, animal serum and known neuro-toxins (i.e. formaldehyde and some others). While it’s true that we do ingest or inhale heavy metals in food and air naturally, injecting them into the bloodstream exposes our bodies more directly. The body has natural filters such as the skin, the mucous membranes, and the digestive system. Injecting a vaccine directly into the bloodstream bypasses all of them. The vaccine additive polysorbate 80 enables a virus injected into the bloodstream to easily pass into the brain, bypassing important natural barriers.
A notorious example of vaccine composition is the original polio vaccine invented in the 1950s. The polio virus was cultivated on shredded monkey kidneys, then made inactive by dunking in formaldehyde, and then the mash was made into vaccines. But the monkey kidneys bestowed this mash with something called SV40 (simian virus 40) which also got injected into people, millions of them. SV40 has been found to cause brain cancer. (Of course, there are studies that show that this monkey virus has no effect on people, but beware of statistics). This was in the past, right? Well, as late as 1999, this virus was found in the blood of a vaccinated child or two, during an autopsy…
What are we going to do?
Read. Think. Pray.
On our reading list:
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child, by Robert Sears
The vaccination dilemma, edited by Murphy, Christine.
Recommended by Tribeca Pediatrics
Summary of Notifiable Diseases, United States, 2006: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/summary.html
Possible Side-effects from Vaccines: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm
Afzal, M.A. (2006). Absence of detectable measles virus genome sequence in blood of autistic children who have had their MMR vaccination during the routine childhood immunization schedule of UK . Journal of Medical Virology, 78, 623-630.
and more…
Recommended by Dr. Palevsky
Vaccines and Their Specific Ingredients: http://www.informedchoice.info
Fear of the Invisible, Janine Roberts (book)
The Virus and the Vaccine, Debbie Bookchin and Jim Schumacher (book)
Research by Boyd Haley.
and more…
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Heart rate not to exceed 140!?!?!?
So, last night at CF, I made the mistake of saying my doctor suggested I not let my heart rate get over 140. BIG mistake! There are a couple of doctors that go to my gym, and well...they are trying to help. I know this! They are my friends! They are concerned for my safety and the safety of my baby. One of my friends that is currently in medical school - actually I think he's a resident - said "You should buy a heart rate monitor. If your doctor says 140, then you need to do what your doctor tells you!" I didn't have the heart to tell him that I think that most (NOT all!) doctors are motivated more by money than concern for my well-being. (Sorry doctor friends....just my opinion...not ALL doctors are like that.)
So I got to thinking this morning. And I started to doubt myself! I started to doubt everything I had read and everyone I had gotten advice from. Even after all of the other research I have done, it never crossed my mind to get to the bottom of this "heart rate not the exceed 140" stuff. The first time I ever even heard it, I thought it was crap. Why 140!? What happens if it gets to be 141? What about 145? I mean, heck, the last time I did Fran at max capacity, there is NO TELLING what my heart rate got up to. (Pre-pregnancy, mind you.) I mean, if I walk briskly through the mall, I could get to 140. And one time at the beginning of my pregnancy, in the middle of the night, my heartrate got over 120 - AND I WAS SLEEPING! (That is another story for another day)
But, as I said above, I got to thinking...and doubting...and I thought "well maybe he's right...." So I did a little research this morning, and like my gut told me, I am correct! There is absolutely no scientific evidence supporting the "fact" that pregnant women should not let their heart rate exceed 140 bpm, Here is an exerpt from a published article by ACOG, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology:
"Dr. Artal urged his colleagues to drop, once and for all, the notion that a pregnant woman's maximal heart rate should not go above 140 beats per minute. This widely circulated idea originally appeared in a 1984 ACOG-produced video developed by Dr. Artal and several other ob.gyns. interested in exercise. The ACOG guidelines of 1994 did not mention this idea.
" 'There is no science to support this,' he said, explaining that the idea came out of the fact that target heart rates were commonly used when speaking about exercise in nonpregnant women. 'We had to come up with a guideline in a short period of time. Nobody had data on pregnancy so we guesstimated.' "
See article below if you're interested in reading the entire version.
I really appreciate everyone's concern and suggestions. I really do. There are so many things to learn about being pregnant! It's all very overwhelming...but I sometimes feel judged, you know? I promise, I am not doing anything to harm my baby. I would never put crossfit or my fitness over the well-being of my child. And the thing is, my body will tell me what to do. So far, it hasn't failed me yet. I will continue listening...to my inner voice and to suggestions of my friends (I just might do a little research first). :)
Erik L. Goldman "ACOG releases new guidelines on exercise: 30 minutes per day in pregnancy". OB/GYN News. FindArticles.com. 31 Jan, 2009. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYD/is_2_37/ai_82393730
Oh yeah....and an update from yesterday: I won the Paleo one-day challenge. Ha! I think I'm going to make it a 30 day challenge! Wonder what I can win after 30 days if I won a massage after the one day challenge.....hm....
So I got to thinking this morning. And I started to doubt myself! I started to doubt everything I had read and everyone I had gotten advice from. Even after all of the other research I have done, it never crossed my mind to get to the bottom of this "heart rate not the exceed 140" stuff. The first time I ever even heard it, I thought it was crap. Why 140!? What happens if it gets to be 141? What about 145? I mean, heck, the last time I did Fran at max capacity, there is NO TELLING what my heart rate got up to. (Pre-pregnancy, mind you.) I mean, if I walk briskly through the mall, I could get to 140. And one time at the beginning of my pregnancy, in the middle of the night, my heartrate got over 120 - AND I WAS SLEEPING! (That is another story for another day)
But, as I said above, I got to thinking...and doubting...and I thought "well maybe he's right...." So I did a little research this morning, and like my gut told me, I am correct! There is absolutely no scientific evidence supporting the "fact" that pregnant women should not let their heart rate exceed 140 bpm, Here is an exerpt from a published article by ACOG, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology:
"Dr. Artal urged his colleagues to drop, once and for all, the notion that a pregnant woman's maximal heart rate should not go above 140 beats per minute. This widely circulated idea originally appeared in a 1984 ACOG-produced video developed by Dr. Artal and several other ob.gyns. interested in exercise. The ACOG guidelines of 1994 did not mention this idea.
" 'There is no science to support this,' he said, explaining that the idea came out of the fact that target heart rates were commonly used when speaking about exercise in nonpregnant women. 'We had to come up with a guideline in a short period of time. Nobody had data on pregnancy so we guesstimated.' "
See article below if you're interested in reading the entire version.
I really appreciate everyone's concern and suggestions. I really do. There are so many things to learn about being pregnant! It's all very overwhelming...but I sometimes feel judged, you know? I promise, I am not doing anything to harm my baby. I would never put crossfit or my fitness over the well-being of my child. And the thing is, my body will tell me what to do. So far, it hasn't failed me yet. I will continue listening...to my inner voice and to suggestions of my friends (I just might do a little research first). :)
Erik L. Goldman "ACOG releases new guidelines on exercise: 30 minutes per day in pregnancy". OB/GYN News. FindArticles.com. 31 Jan, 2009. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CYD/is_2_37/ai_82393730
Oh yeah....and an update from yesterday: I won the Paleo one-day challenge. Ha! I think I'm going to make it a 30 day challenge! Wonder what I can win after 30 days if I won a massage after the one day challenge.....hm....
Monday, July 19, 2010
another year to the crossfit games comes to an end....and the one-day paleo challenge?
well, another year of the crossfit games is over. sniff, sniff. i'm very sad b/c i love the preparation gearing up to the cf games! wow! how incredible were the athletes this year!? it was absolutely amazing! i'm truly grateful that i was able to compete in the sectionals and regionals this year, since i will definitely be "out" for next year. i felt so bad for rich froning on that last wod, bless his heart. crossfit will ALWAYS find your weaknesses. and michelle kinney did AWESOME! she is truly an amazing athlete.
so...this is week 12. i can feel my butt expanding as i sit here typing this blog post. sigh. for real, my intake of disgusting food has hit an ALERT status. we went to atlanta this weekend for a braves game and the nastiness i consumed was off the chart. last night, as i was laying on the couch with a nasty migraine (most likely from preservative, sugar, carb, and yellow number 5 overdose), i told dave i was going to be paleo starting first thing monday morning. he actually laughed at me!
me: "what? you think i can't do it?"
him, said very sarcastically: "oh babe, you can do it! i'm sure of it! (ha. ha. haaaa!)"
me: "that's not funny. i can to do it."
him: "ok...care to make it interesting then?"
me: "heck yeah! this is exactly what i need! a friendly competition to motivate me!" (i mean, i AM a crossfitter...just make something a competition and i'm game!)
him: "alright. let me think about what we'll bet."
me: "bring. it. on."
he took the trash out and when he came back in he suggested a back massage for him if i didn't stay paleo or a back massage for me if i do.
me: "how long do i have to stay paleo?"
him: "just for tomorrow." (does he really not have any faith in me at all!?)
me: "PIECE OF CAKE!" (no pun intended.)
so far today, i have remained paleo (it's only 8:19 a.m.), BUT if i have to PUKE my GUTS up from morning sickness, that is really afternoon sickness, then so be it. i am winning this competition. period. if i can get him to keep the betting up every day, then maybe i will finally get on a paleo pregnancy.
last week, i only made it to the gym twice. here are my wods.
monday - 10 pullups, 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats, 10 rounds. my time was pitiful, but i'm not supposed to be worrying about that, daggumit! still, i completed the wod as rxd. it wrecked me for DAYS! on wednesday i could barely lift my arms, but it really felt great to be sore again! i think my diet had something to do with my nasty soreness.
friday - 7 min AMRAP of 7x65# power snatches, 7 pullups, rest 1 min, the 8 min AMRAP of 7x65# sdhp, 10 burpees. i got 4 rounds of each, as rxd! woot! ain't nothin' stopping this pregnant girl!
this week, i hope to make it to the gym 4 times. tonight's wod is disgusting. i think someone pissed off kyle. it's 50 thrusters 95/65#, but each time you stop, you must complete 5 knees to elbows before you start your thrusters again. i predict that i will be doing at least 25 k2e.
cravings: only paleo food items. (hahahaha...i'm trying to trick myself.)
i'll keep you posted on the one-day paleo challenge. i'm confident i will win. :)
so...this is week 12. i can feel my butt expanding as i sit here typing this blog post. sigh. for real, my intake of disgusting food has hit an ALERT status. we went to atlanta this weekend for a braves game and the nastiness i consumed was off the chart. last night, as i was laying on the couch with a nasty migraine (most likely from preservative, sugar, carb, and yellow number 5 overdose), i told dave i was going to be paleo starting first thing monday morning. he actually laughed at me!
me: "what? you think i can't do it?"
him, said very sarcastically: "oh babe, you can do it! i'm sure of it! (ha. ha. haaaa!)"
me: "that's not funny. i can to do it."
him: "ok...care to make it interesting then?"
me: "heck yeah! this is exactly what i need! a friendly competition to motivate me!" (i mean, i AM a crossfitter...just make something a competition and i'm game!)
him: "alright. let me think about what we'll bet."
me: "bring. it. on."
he took the trash out and when he came back in he suggested a back massage for him if i didn't stay paleo or a back massage for me if i do.
me: "how long do i have to stay paleo?"
him: "just for tomorrow." (does he really not have any faith in me at all!?)
me: "PIECE OF CAKE!" (no pun intended.)
so far today, i have remained paleo (it's only 8:19 a.m.), BUT if i have to PUKE my GUTS up from morning sickness, that is really afternoon sickness, then so be it. i am winning this competition. period. if i can get him to keep the betting up every day, then maybe i will finally get on a paleo pregnancy.
last week, i only made it to the gym twice. here are my wods.
monday - 10 pullups, 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats, 10 rounds. my time was pitiful, but i'm not supposed to be worrying about that, daggumit! still, i completed the wod as rxd. it wrecked me for DAYS! on wednesday i could barely lift my arms, but it really felt great to be sore again! i think my diet had something to do with my nasty soreness.
friday - 7 min AMRAP of 7x65# power snatches, 7 pullups, rest 1 min, the 8 min AMRAP of 7x65# sdhp, 10 burpees. i got 4 rounds of each, as rxd! woot! ain't nothin' stopping this pregnant girl!
this week, i hope to make it to the gym 4 times. tonight's wod is disgusting. i think someone pissed off kyle. it's 50 thrusters 95/65#, but each time you stop, you must complete 5 knees to elbows before you start your thrusters again. i predict that i will be doing at least 25 k2e.
cravings: only paleo food items. (hahahaha...i'm trying to trick myself.)
i'll keep you posted on the one-day paleo challenge. i'm confident i will win. :)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
week 11
well i'm officially a fat cow. sigh. it's probably all of the non-paleo food i've been eating. my day starts off on a good paleo foot, and then nauseau sets in. did i say this on my last post? i probably did....this baby is sucking my brain out of my head. but yeah. that's my paleo update. not much to update.
my crossfit update is a little different, though! last week i ended the week on thursday with 150 x 1 pood kettlebell swings not for time (but i timed it anyway...and i'm not going to tell you my time b/c it was pathetic). on friday i did 21-15-9 of 55# thrusters and push presses, not for time but for time (ehem). I should've gone heavier, but it was day 4 in a row of woding and i coached all week - so i wimped out. i tried woding on saturday but only got in 2 rounds of 60x26# kb swings, 20 shoulder presses @ 45# and 40 situps due to a new person coming into the gym when i was mid-wod. not bad for "only 2 rounds."
i rested sunday, and i was back at it yesterday with a broken up angie type wod. ten rounds of 10 pullups, 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats - 100% rxd. again, not for time...but for time. i should just stop with the time thing because it's seriously depressing. dave beat my time by half. HALF i tell ya! i used to whoop his butt. but he better watch out...i'll only be pregnant for 7 more months, and then i'll be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
now...if i could just get my diet reigned back in.....
cravings: cheese please! and ceaser salads have been a big thing this week.
my crossfit update is a little different, though! last week i ended the week on thursday with 150 x 1 pood kettlebell swings not for time (but i timed it anyway...and i'm not going to tell you my time b/c it was pathetic). on friday i did 21-15-9 of 55# thrusters and push presses, not for time but for time (ehem). I should've gone heavier, but it was day 4 in a row of woding and i coached all week - so i wimped out. i tried woding on saturday but only got in 2 rounds of 60x26# kb swings, 20 shoulder presses @ 45# and 40 situps due to a new person coming into the gym when i was mid-wod. not bad for "only 2 rounds."
i rested sunday, and i was back at it yesterday with a broken up angie type wod. ten rounds of 10 pullups, 10 pushups, 10 situps, 10 squats - 100% rxd. again, not for time...but for time. i should just stop with the time thing because it's seriously depressing. dave beat my time by half. HALF i tell ya! i used to whoop his butt. but he better watch out...i'll only be pregnant for 7 more months, and then i'll be baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!
now...if i could just get my diet reigned back in.....
cravings: cheese please! and ceaser salads have been a big thing this week.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Blog Name Change! And HUGE news....
So if you can't discern the big news from the blog name change, then I'm not sure we should be friends. :) Just kidding. Welcome to my new and improved blog! For those of you that are not in the immediate loop of my life, I got married a few weeks ago. Oh...and by the way, we're pregnant! 10 weeks pregnant in fact, give or take a few days. Now, modern medicine (aka my obgyn) has had me pretty freaked out about miscarriage, so I was trying my hardest to hold off on this announcement to the world until week 14...however I had a safety issue come up at CF the other day, and after discussing, Dave and I decided to go ahead and tell the world. So...SURPRISE!!! We know it's still early, but God is behind the wheel. He will give us what we need at the perfect point in time.
To go ahead and answer a few of your questions, here you go:
- We found out Sunday of Regionals.
- Yes, we were surprised....but thrilled!
- Due at the beginning of February.
- Yes, I will continue doing Crossfit my entire pregnancy, God willing.
- And yes, I will try my hardest (and it is definitely hard) to maintain my Paleo lifestyle.
Now, I went from training my butt off for Regionals, to finding out I was pregnant. Yikes! I was scared to death of miscarriage, so I immediately emailed Andrea from Crossfit Mom. She was great in telling me what I should and should not do. It was easy enough to scale my wods when I went back to the gym after Regionals...I simply told my fellow gym members that I was scaling for recovery. (I was hoping they would forgive the little white lie after I told them the news.) But after scaling the wods and weights for a few weeks (I went from doing Fran rxd in sub 6 to an untimed Fran at 45#...sniff, sniff), I just didn't feel like I was putting in any effort at all. Now I know, I know. You're supposed to TAKE IT EASY...DON'T EXERT YOURSELF TOO MUCH....DON'T LIFT TOO MUCH WEIGHT....but I've realized that EVERYONE ELSE has been telling ME what my body should or should not be doing. Shouldn't I be the one listening to myself!? So last week, after reading a couple of other blogs by Crossfitting, Paleo Mommies-to-Be, I realized that I should start calling the shots. And last week, I went back to rxd wods, with a little less weight if it's heavy, and decreasing the intensity (aka not timing my wods). And man do I feel better!
For those of you wondering what this means, please understand that I am not doing anything to harm myself or especially my unborn baby. I am listening to my body. And I have prayed about this too. Here is an example:
Grace - 65# full squat cleans instead of 95# power cleans (next time I might go a little heavier) but I did not worry about my time.
100 burpee boxjumps - I did burpee step ups, 100. I didn't worry about time.
Run 400m, 50 Squats, 4 rounds - I rowed 500m instead of run and I did the 50 squats, not worrying about time.
Now, when I say "not worrying about time" I mean I timed it, but I didn't worry about how fast I was going. I worked out, but I made sure that I could talk while working out and I made sure that I didnt' get too hot. I achieved those things by stopping when I was out of breath and drinking lots of water throughout the wod.
And I am so glad to be woding again.
This blog is my attempt to put further information out there for other crossfitting, paleo, pregnant mommies-to-be. There isn't much out there, so I am going to post what I can about my experience. The only way to learn is from others that have laid a path before you.
Oh...and about Paleo...well, morning sickness (aka all day sickness) struck on Thursday, June 10th while in the back of a cab in Chicago, IL. Yep. That's right. I almost vomited in the back of a cab. And until the other day, I couldn't stomach anything other than pizza, mexican food, fried southern food, fast food and the like. I know, I know....it was a disgrace. And you honestly cannot possibly get any further from Paleo than what I was eating! But this past Saturday, I woke up feeling fabulous! And so far, I've been able to maintain Paleo MOST of the time since then....and when I say Paleo, I mean Paleo with a twist! I'm allowing dairy. The reason for this is, to be honest....I freaking can't eat enough cheese. It is so beautiful and delicious and I can't get enough of it. And well, it's my body and I'm saying it's ok! Now please don't get me wrong...I'm no Paleo angel, but hey...at least I'm trying! (I'm telling you, I can't get enough pizza...it's completely out of my control.)
I'll keep you posted on the Crossfitting wods and the Paleo foods. And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me or post. And if you disagree with what I'm doing, I will gladly read your comments. (But if you disagree, please share your reasons WHY you disagree however I must say that if you have never been pregnant and you have never done crossfit, I'm not really sure you should put in your opinion! That might sound a little harsh, but it's how I feel. Sorry.)
Tonight, the rxd wod at Crossfit Rebellion is deadlift max. Since I'm out of maxing out weights for now, I've decided to do 100 kettlebell swings at 26 or 35#...I haven't decided the weight just yet. The kb swings will maintain strong hamstrings, core and back. What a great ode to deadlifts!
And, in honor of my original purpose of this blog, here's a new recipe for ya. I made it this weekend and I can't get enough of it! It's dedicated to my craving for ITALIAN!
Eggplant Ragu
1 eggplant
2# grass fed ground beef
2 jars marinara (trader joes has a good brand, no sugar)
1 white onion
1 pack mushrooms
garlic
rosemary
red pepper flakes
olive oil
Combine ground beef, diced onion, diced mushrooms, 2 tbsp garlic, 2 tbsp rosemary, 2 tbsp red pepper flakes and a dash of olive oil. Mush it all up and brown the ground beef. While that is browning, dice the eggplant and spread it on the bottom of a large, deep baking pan. After the ground beef is browned, drain off fat. Pour the ground beef mixture over the eggplant and spread evenly. Pour the 2 jars of marinara over the eggplant and groundbeef. Put in a preheated over at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and voila! It's DELICIOUSNESS! (I, of course, sprinkled...ok more like I poured fresh mozzarello over the top, but you can leave that out.)
To go ahead and answer a few of your questions, here you go:
- We found out Sunday of Regionals.
- Yes, we were surprised....but thrilled!
- Due at the beginning of February.
- Yes, I will continue doing Crossfit my entire pregnancy, God willing.
- And yes, I will try my hardest (and it is definitely hard) to maintain my Paleo lifestyle.
Now, I went from training my butt off for Regionals, to finding out I was pregnant. Yikes! I was scared to death of miscarriage, so I immediately emailed Andrea from Crossfit Mom. She was great in telling me what I should and should not do. It was easy enough to scale my wods when I went back to the gym after Regionals...I simply told my fellow gym members that I was scaling for recovery. (I was hoping they would forgive the little white lie after I told them the news.) But after scaling the wods and weights for a few weeks (I went from doing Fran rxd in sub 6 to an untimed Fran at 45#...sniff, sniff), I just didn't feel like I was putting in any effort at all. Now I know, I know. You're supposed to TAKE IT EASY...DON'T EXERT YOURSELF TOO MUCH....DON'T LIFT TOO MUCH WEIGHT....but I've realized that EVERYONE ELSE has been telling ME what my body should or should not be doing. Shouldn't I be the one listening to myself!? So last week, after reading a couple of other blogs by Crossfitting, Paleo Mommies-to-Be, I realized that I should start calling the shots. And last week, I went back to rxd wods, with a little less weight if it's heavy, and decreasing the intensity (aka not timing my wods). And man do I feel better!
For those of you wondering what this means, please understand that I am not doing anything to harm myself or especially my unborn baby. I am listening to my body. And I have prayed about this too. Here is an example:
Grace - 65# full squat cleans instead of 95# power cleans (next time I might go a little heavier) but I did not worry about my time.
100 burpee boxjumps - I did burpee step ups, 100. I didn't worry about time.
Run 400m, 50 Squats, 4 rounds - I rowed 500m instead of run and I did the 50 squats, not worrying about time.
Now, when I say "not worrying about time" I mean I timed it, but I didn't worry about how fast I was going. I worked out, but I made sure that I could talk while working out and I made sure that I didnt' get too hot. I achieved those things by stopping when I was out of breath and drinking lots of water throughout the wod.
And I am so glad to be woding again.
This blog is my attempt to put further information out there for other crossfitting, paleo, pregnant mommies-to-be. There isn't much out there, so I am going to post what I can about my experience. The only way to learn is from others that have laid a path before you.
Oh...and about Paleo...well, morning sickness (aka all day sickness) struck on Thursday, June 10th while in the back of a cab in Chicago, IL. Yep. That's right. I almost vomited in the back of a cab. And until the other day, I couldn't stomach anything other than pizza, mexican food, fried southern food, fast food and the like. I know, I know....it was a disgrace. And you honestly cannot possibly get any further from Paleo than what I was eating! But this past Saturday, I woke up feeling fabulous! And so far, I've been able to maintain Paleo MOST of the time since then....and when I say Paleo, I mean Paleo with a twist! I'm allowing dairy. The reason for this is, to be honest....I freaking can't eat enough cheese. It is so beautiful and delicious and I can't get enough of it. And well, it's my body and I'm saying it's ok! Now please don't get me wrong...I'm no Paleo angel, but hey...at least I'm trying! (I'm telling you, I can't get enough pizza...it's completely out of my control.)
I'll keep you posted on the Crossfitting wods and the Paleo foods. And if you have any questions, please feel free to email me or post. And if you disagree with what I'm doing, I will gladly read your comments. (But if you disagree, please share your reasons WHY you disagree however I must say that if you have never been pregnant and you have never done crossfit, I'm not really sure you should put in your opinion! That might sound a little harsh, but it's how I feel. Sorry.)
Tonight, the rxd wod at Crossfit Rebellion is deadlift max. Since I'm out of maxing out weights for now, I've decided to do 100 kettlebell swings at 26 or 35#...I haven't decided the weight just yet. The kb swings will maintain strong hamstrings, core and back. What a great ode to deadlifts!
And, in honor of my original purpose of this blog, here's a new recipe for ya. I made it this weekend and I can't get enough of it! It's dedicated to my craving for ITALIAN!
Eggplant Ragu
1 eggplant
2# grass fed ground beef
2 jars marinara (trader joes has a good brand, no sugar)
1 white onion
1 pack mushrooms
garlic
rosemary
red pepper flakes
olive oil
Combine ground beef, diced onion, diced mushrooms, 2 tbsp garlic, 2 tbsp rosemary, 2 tbsp red pepper flakes and a dash of olive oil. Mush it all up and brown the ground beef. While that is browning, dice the eggplant and spread it on the bottom of a large, deep baking pan. After the ground beef is browned, drain off fat. Pour the ground beef mixture over the eggplant and spread evenly. Pour the 2 jars of marinara over the eggplant and groundbeef. Put in a preheated over at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and voila! It's DELICIOUSNESS! (I, of course, sprinkled...ok more like I poured fresh mozzarello over the top, but you can leave that out.)
Friday, July 2, 2010
Back on the Paleo Train
Well, I'm back on the Paleo Train. I've been on a Paleo hiatus for the past three weeks. I finished the last regional event in Jacksonville on May 30th, and within three hours I was eating at the closest Cracker Barrell! I got back on the wagon the next day, stayed on it for a couple of weeks, and then life started a-happenin'...and Paleo went down the tubes. And because I wasn't training (ha, ha, no pun intended) for anything specifically, it was easy to fall of the wagon once again. There were a few days of hit or miss Paleo, but for me, it's all or nothing...
Today has been a good day so far. It's 2 p.m., and due to my Paleo diet (for today and hopefully more), I have not crashed and burned like the past few afternoons. That was the first thing about Paleo that I ever loved....I didn't crash in the afternoon after the carb-fest lunch I'd consumed. The second thing I loved - my cravings for sweet things and for sugar completely disappeared. Don't ingest it = don't want it for this sugar-holic. And the third thing I loved about Paleo is my wods didn't hurt as much.
I think going off Paleo for a minute is a good thing for me. It reminds me of how BAD I feel when I'm not eating Paleo. I have such a huge power of denial, that when I'm Paleo, it's easy to convince myself that I didn't feel THAT bad when I was eating a bunch of crap! I need these little reminders! As long as I eventually get back on that train....sooner rather than later...that's all that matters I guess. Progress IS perfection in my world. Plus it really sucks when your pants start feeling a little snug. I'm thinking I shouldn't have had that last piece of pizza last night.
Today has been a good day so far. It's 2 p.m., and due to my Paleo diet (for today and hopefully more), I have not crashed and burned like the past few afternoons. That was the first thing about Paleo that I ever loved....I didn't crash in the afternoon after the carb-fest lunch I'd consumed. The second thing I loved - my cravings for sweet things and for sugar completely disappeared. Don't ingest it = don't want it for this sugar-holic. And the third thing I loved about Paleo is my wods didn't hurt as much.
I think going off Paleo for a minute is a good thing for me. It reminds me of how BAD I feel when I'm not eating Paleo. I have such a huge power of denial, that when I'm Paleo, it's easy to convince myself that I didn't feel THAT bad when I was eating a bunch of crap! I need these little reminders! As long as I eventually get back on that train....sooner rather than later...that's all that matters I guess. Progress IS perfection in my world. Plus it really sucks when your pants start feeling a little snug. I'm thinking I shouldn't have had that last piece of pizza last night.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Paleo....?brownies?
Shane from CFR has a fab girlfriend. He is Paleo, she is not. HOWEVER, she IS a Paleo-FRIENDLY girlfriend that researches fun new recipes to satisfy his sweet tooth! She found a paleo brownie recipe, in which I was skeptical at first especially since I've found loads of paleo brownie, cakes, cookies, pies, etc "recipes" only to be disappointed when I got down to the ingredient "agave nectar." The recipe that she found has agave nectar in it, BUT it is in the ICING. :) I don't need icing for my brownies!!!
Anyway, it's basically a Lara Bar, but who cares! It tastes like an ooey gooey brownie! And if we're splitting hairs here, it probably isn't technically paleo either....is powdered unsweetened cocoa TRULY paleo? Probably not, but, today...for me...it is!
Enjoy everyone! These are the easiest brownies you will EVER make!
Paleo Brownies
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Put ingredients in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Pour mixture into a small baking dish. Press down the mixture until formed into the dish. Put in freezer at least 30 minutes. Cut and ENJOY!
Anyway, it's basically a Lara Bar, but who cares! It tastes like an ooey gooey brownie! And if we're splitting hairs here, it probably isn't technically paleo either....is powdered unsweetened cocoa TRULY paleo? Probably not, but, today...for me...it is!
Enjoy everyone! These are the easiest brownies you will EVER make!
Paleo Brownies
1 cup pitted dates
1 cup walnuts
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Put ingredients in a food processor and blend until finely chopped. Pour mixture into a small baking dish. Press down the mixture until formed into the dish. Put in freezer at least 30 minutes. Cut and ENJOY!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
This diva's been not so diva-like...
SO one of my friends from Georgia told I needed to update my blog. Sorry I've been such a slacker! That isn't very diva-like, but hey....a diva sometimes falls off the diva wagon.
I've been so busy with work (gasp!), training for sectionals, and cooking Paleo food on a regular basis that my blog has had to take a back seat. But no worries, people, I'm back with a fab new recipe and a couple of personal Paleo updates. So...here's the news:
- Since I've been at this Paleo life-style since September, I've gone to a one cheat meal a week plan for the past month or so. This has been enough to keep me sane, and I've found that it hasn't really interrupted my training progress nor has it been hard to "get back on the Paleo train" after the cheat. I typically reserve it for Saturday night (date night!), and I always, always have dessert. What's a cheat meal without dessert?! I was worried at first that I would have a hard time on Sundays and Mondays, but it hasn't seemed to affect me at all.
- We started a 90 day Paleo challenge at the gym about 30 days ago. One of my gym buddies is thinking about letting me post her before and after pics...so definitely stay tuned! She is super dedicated to Paleo and to her wods, so I'm sure we'll see a HUGE difference. She's totally a paleo diva.
- Sectionals, sectional, sectionals....GA sectionals this weekend, AL sectionals the next, and FL sectionals the next. SO exciting to see the outcomes!!! I'll post results of anyone I know qualifying for Regionals here as they are announced.
- And finally, a new recipe is listed below courtesy of Robyn. She's also a fab paleo diva! Thanks Robyn!!!
Diva on, peeps, diva on....
Shepard's Pie
1lb. Ground whatever! (I use beef, feel free to use turkey or something else!)
1 good sized head of cauliflower
1 can tomato sauce
2ish cups of any vegetable you'd like! (I use sliced zucchini & yellow squash!!)
This is really easy, you are going to want to get the cauliflower boiling first. Cut into florets, get it into a saucepan of water and simmer on medium.
At the same time you want to brown your ground meet and season however you'd like, some Italian seasonings work great in this recipe. Once browned, drain your meet and place it in the bottom of a round (or square I suppose!) casserole dish, but not one of those long rectangle ones. You want something with about an 8" diameter and 6ish" high sides.
Next, layer your vegetable of choice on top of the ground meat. If it is a thicker/tougher veggie like broccoli or carrots, you may want to steam them first!
Once softened, remove your cauliflower to a few sheets of paper towel and allow some of the water to be absorbed. You can squeeze them if you'd like, but they will be hot!! I then place the cauliflower in a separate bowl and mash with a fork. If you have one, it would be ok to use a blender or food processor. Spread your mashed cauliflower on top of your meat/veggies and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes to warm through. You can also try to put it on broil for a minute at the end to brown the cauliflower but this has never worked for me.
While baking, I warm the tomato sauce in a saucepan. Once everything is done, I plate the Shepard's Pie and use the tomato sauce like a gravy. This recipe is so simple and delicious, I usually make myself sick eating every last bite because it is so good! I hope you enjoy it!
I've been so busy with work (gasp!), training for sectionals, and cooking Paleo food on a regular basis that my blog has had to take a back seat. But no worries, people, I'm back with a fab new recipe and a couple of personal Paleo updates. So...here's the news:
- Since I've been at this Paleo life-style since September, I've gone to a one cheat meal a week plan for the past month or so. This has been enough to keep me sane, and I've found that it hasn't really interrupted my training progress nor has it been hard to "get back on the Paleo train" after the cheat. I typically reserve it for Saturday night (date night!), and I always, always have dessert. What's a cheat meal without dessert?! I was worried at first that I would have a hard time on Sundays and Mondays, but it hasn't seemed to affect me at all.
- We started a 90 day Paleo challenge at the gym about 30 days ago. One of my gym buddies is thinking about letting me post her before and after pics...so definitely stay tuned! She is super dedicated to Paleo and to her wods, so I'm sure we'll see a HUGE difference. She's totally a paleo diva.
- Sectionals, sectional, sectionals....GA sectionals this weekend, AL sectionals the next, and FL sectionals the next. SO exciting to see the outcomes!!! I'll post results of anyone I know qualifying for Regionals here as they are announced.
- And finally, a new recipe is listed below courtesy of Robyn. She's also a fab paleo diva! Thanks Robyn!!!
Diva on, peeps, diva on....
Shepard's Pie
1lb. Ground whatever! (I use beef, feel free to use turkey or something else!)
1 good sized head of cauliflower
1 can tomato sauce
2ish cups of any vegetable you'd like! (I use sliced zucchini & yellow squash!!)
This is really easy, you are going to want to get the cauliflower boiling first. Cut into florets, get it into a saucepan of water and simmer on medium.
At the same time you want to brown your ground meet and season however you'd like, some Italian seasonings work great in this recipe. Once browned, drain your meet and place it in the bottom of a round (or square I suppose!) casserole dish, but not one of those long rectangle ones. You want something with about an 8" diameter and 6ish" high sides.
Next, layer your vegetable of choice on top of the ground meat. If it is a thicker/tougher veggie like broccoli or carrots, you may want to steam them first!
Once softened, remove your cauliflower to a few sheets of paper towel and allow some of the water to be absorbed. You can squeeze them if you'd like, but they will be hot!! I then place the cauliflower in a separate bowl and mash with a fork. If you have one, it would be ok to use a blender or food processor. Spread your mashed cauliflower on top of your meat/veggies and pop it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes to warm through. You can also try to put it on broil for a minute at the end to brown the cauliflower but this has never worked for me.
While baking, I warm the tomato sauce in a saucepan. Once everything is done, I plate the Shepard's Pie and use the tomato sauce like a gravy. This recipe is so simple and delicious, I usually make myself sick eating every last bite because it is so good! I hope you enjoy it!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
New info re: Agave Nectar
Hello all! Sorry I've been a slacker on posting. Training is keeping me super busy. Oh...and my real job is keeping me busy too! (I know! I actually have a j-o-b!)
So today's post is about agave nectar...again. A few weeks ago, Kyle from Crossfit Rebellion, posted a link on his site to the Paleo Treats website. I checked it out, and I immediately dismissed these "treats" as non-Paleo due to the agave nectar ingredient. Apparently, the Paleo Treats peeps found these comments and contacted him to state their case. They have sent him info to post on his site, which is posted under January 26 at www.crossfitrebellion.com. I am also copying and pasting the info below. I'm sure that Kyle, nor the Paleo Treat people, will mind.
In summary, the paleo treats are just that...they're treats. They are not meant to be meal replacements or treats to eat everyday. In my opinion they are for the post 90 day strict Paleo people that have pretty much earned the cheat, while staying as close to paleo as possible. A paleo treat with agave nectar would be much better to cheat on than say a piece of chocolate cake (or two). So....here's they're rebuttle. Let me know what you guys think.
Agave Info (From Paleo Treats People)
This is all the info that Paleo Treats sent me. Read it, think about it and see what you think. If you have additional questions please let me know. I will set up an online discussion if need be.
So, here's all the info I have, feel free to post it where you think it'll be appropriate on your site. :)
I've found it helpful when talking about agave in Paleo Treats to remind folks that these are treats, not meals. While they do taste totally BA and are rad and over-the-top delicious and all the rest of it, they're still meant to be a replacement for the occasional dessert you eat as part of a majority lean meats-fruits-nuts-vegetables-seeds etc diet that makes us all feel so damn healthy.
Now, on to the agave info:
First, a short treatise on agave by the president of the company that supplies us. This was pulled from "Natural News".
"NaturalNews:
Last week, NaturalNews published a Citizen Journalist article on agave nectar that criticized the sweetener, saying it was a refined sweetener much like syrup. That article created quite a stir and raised many questions from health-conscious consumers. To tell the other side of the story, we invited the president of Madhava, Craig Gerbore, to submit a response.
What follows is a very thoughtful rebuttal to the original article on agave nectar that appeared on NaturalNews (http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html). It explains in great detail some of the behind-the-scenes issues involving agave nectar, and it describes how modern agave nectar processing is very different from the outmoded methods described in Nagel's article. It also points out many apparent errors and misrepresentations in the original article. I must emphasize that the original article was a Citizen Journalist article, not an in-house article, and thus it represented the opinions of its author, not NaturalNews. Here at NaturalNews, we continue to publish contributed articles that vary somewhat from our own opinions in order to allow the reader access to more diverse information on important topics.
NaturalNews has promoted agave nectar for many years, believing it to be a healthy, low-glycemic alternative to conventional sweeteners. We hope that this rebuttal from Madhava will help bring more clarity to the agave nectar issue. Here is the full rebuttal from Craig Gerbore:
In response, I must first point out that Mr. Nagel's article is based on the view of a sole individual, Russ Bianchi. I suppose we should thank Mr. Bianchi for pointing out some issues that may have contributed to Iidea's (the initial manufacturer of blue agave nectar) demise from the market, however I want to be clear, this is not about Madhava or our agave nectar. Once a dominant supplier, as of this past summer Iidea is no longer a major supplier in the agave syrup business. The distributors using them as a supplier have quietly switched to newly formed blue agave companies for their supply. Madhava has always worked exclusively with Nekutli, the producer of agave nectar from the agave salmiana, a very different species of the agave.
However, there is no mention of our agave nectar from salmiana in the article, nor of the differences in the plant, the collection and production of our product. So, the author has blurred the line with his all encompassing attack on blue agave nectar, by his failure to present complete information on the subject of agave nectars. For what purpose was this article written? If it were to educate the public, I think it would include all the information available. With the errors and misstatements and half-truths, I don't think this article is about education, it is an all out shotgun attack.
I believe Mr. Bianchi, presented as the sole authority on agave nectar, was initially introduced to Iidea's blue agave syrup product on their entry to the market in the late 90's. At that time, Iidea was promoting a 90% fructose agave syrup. This is what I believe Mr. Bianchi is referring to. Unfortunately, he ignores the fact that this is not the agave sold on the market today, nor is it representative of Madhava's product. In fact Mr. Bianchi has never even acknowledged the existence of our agave nectar from the salmiana variety. So, all his comments are apparently based on his experience with Iidea's product, but I find ourselves caught in the blast.
In their zestful attack against the blue agave syrup he was introduced to initially, Mr.'s Bianchi and Nagel have also made inaccurate comments which reflect on agave nectar generally. As such, I take issue with several of their statements and claims and want to clarify some things as regards Madhava's Agave Nectar from agave salmiana.
Their discussion of the processing of agave nectar is in no way reflective of how Madhava's agave nectar is produced. There are three ways to convert complex sugars into a simple sugar sweetener such as agave syrup. It can be done thermally, chemically, or enzymatically as ours is. There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production of Madhava's agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice.
The author states "The principal constituent of the agave is starch, such as what is found in corn or rice."
This statement, which is the foundation of much of their argument comparing agave nectar to corn syrup, has no basis in scientific fact, THERE IS NO STARCH IN THE AGAVE.
How can the author and his source be so mistaken on this statement on which he bases his attack?
All plants store energy in one of two ways, as starches or fructans. All agave plants create fructans as their energy storing means.
So, agave plants have fructans, not starch. From Wikipedia: Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of fibers know as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and it typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants which synthesize and store inulin do not store other materials such as starch.
There is no starch in either species of agave, and agave nectar is not from starch as the author and Mr. Bianchi claim. They have tried very hard to propagandize the public with a false fact, either by design, or ignorance, for which there would be no excuse.
Such an error of fact certainly casts doubt on the validity of the rest of Nagel's article, as the lack of depth of his research has to be apparent to all. Really, he is just regurgitating the singular views of Mr. Bianchi.
I personally spoke with the author during his "research", as did at least one other in the industry. He chose not to include one word of the information given to him by us, which I will repeat below, and failed to make any distinction between Madhava's Nekutli agave nectar from salmiana and that from the blue agave plant. He only mentions blue agave. The plants differ, the locations differ, the methods and production differ greatly. The information we gave him did not fit his purpose and so was omitted in favor of a generalized attack.
Madhava's source is exclusively agave salmiana. If you haven't already reviewed our site at www.madhavasagave.com , you will find background information there. Briefly though, the native people supplying the juice collect it from the live plant, by hand, twice daily. There is no heat involved in the removal. The juice is immediately brought to the facility to remove the excess water as it will ferment rapidly if left standing. It is during the removal of the moisture that the only heat is applied. The juice is evaporated and moisture removed in a vacuum evaporator. The vacuum enables the moisture to be withdrawn at low temperatures. The temp is closely controlled. Subsequently, our agave is handled and packaged at room temperatures. No other heat is applied. And, rather than convert the complex sugars of the juice thermally, we use gentle enzymatic action. Just as a bee introduces an enzyme to flower nectar to make honey, we introduce an natural organic vegan enzyme for the same purpose. The technical term for the conversion of complex sugars into their simple sugar components is hydrolysis. Inulin is a fructan which is hydrolyzed into the simple sugars composing agave nectar, fructose and glucose. Honey is composed of the same simple sugars.
The blue agave plant is harvested and the blue agave nectar is produced by a completely different method. I will have to leave it to the blue agave nectar sellers to comment on the production themselves. While I know of it, I have not witnessed it as I have Nekutli's. Unlike the author, I won't comment publicly on something I cannot verify.
To clarify further on another claim, "Agave Nectar as a final product is mostly chemically refined fructose". As regards Madhava's agave nectar, there are no chemicals involved in our production whatsoever. The sugars in our agave nectar come from the breakdown of the inulin molecule through the introduction of the enzyme to break apart that molecule. It is in no way chemically refined, there are no chemicals involved in any part of the production or packaging process. Our agave nectar is refined only in as much as the excess moisture is removed from the juice of the plant.
"HFCS is made with GM enzymes". Bianchi's states "they (agave and corn syrup) are indeed made the same way" This is another false assertion as regards Madhava's agave nectar at least. Our agave nectar is certainly and clearly not made the same way as corn syrup. There is no starch in our agave. There are no chemicals, no refinement beyond the evaporation of water. And, there are no GMO's whatsoever. The agave salmiana has never been subject to this and the enzyme is a natural, non GM organic, vegan enzyme.
Other points regarding fructose apply to sugars in general and are a consumption, or overconsumption issue. Certainly consuming large amounts of sweeteners of any kind will be detrimental to one's health. Suggesting fructose could cause health issues when concentrated amounts are eaten is a statement which should really apply to the overconsumption issue. The information the author links to agave nectar is the result of megadose testing of pure clinical fructose. Not the same thing as normal daily use of agave nectar in the course of our meals.
The antisweetener advocates just have to admit that it is the overconsumption of sugars that is the problem. Used in moderation, sugars serve a purpose, to make other foods and beverages more palatable. Imagine a world without sweeteners if you can. Affinity for sweet taste is a human trait that most want to satisfy. For those who use sweeteners, there are limited choices available and many choose agave for its particular attributes. It is a good choice. Madhava Agave's neutral flavor suits the purpose. It is in fact low glycemic, organically certified and non allergenic. Many with diabetes and other special diets find it suitable for their use where other sweeteners are not. It's easy to use and you can use less.
And, we guarantee the purity of our product. Attached is a letter from the CEO of Nekutli stating this guarantee that Nekutli agave syrup is pure and unadulterated, from the natural juice of agave salmiana.
While it remains up to the individual to maintain balance in their diet and monitor their overall consumption of sweets, Nekutli/Madhava's Agave Nectar does have advantages over other sweeteners and that is why it has become so popular and received so much attention today."
Then some links to both pro/con agave stances:
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html
http://www.allaboutagave.com/agave-vs-liquid.php
http://thursdaysgirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/is-agave-nectar-good-or-bad-for-our-health/
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/grains/gigl.html
Finally, I've attached a glycemic index list with agave in it.
This info should give anyone a clear enough view on agave to decide whether they'll incorporate it (hopefully with Paleo Treats) into their Paleo diet or not. Enjoy the reading!
Cheers,
So today's post is about agave nectar...again. A few weeks ago, Kyle from Crossfit Rebellion, posted a link on his site to the Paleo Treats website. I checked it out, and I immediately dismissed these "treats" as non-Paleo due to the agave nectar ingredient. Apparently, the Paleo Treats peeps found these comments and contacted him to state their case. They have sent him info to post on his site, which is posted under January 26 at www.crossfitrebellion.com. I am also copying and pasting the info below. I'm sure that Kyle, nor the Paleo Treat people, will mind.
In summary, the paleo treats are just that...they're treats. They are not meant to be meal replacements or treats to eat everyday. In my opinion they are for the post 90 day strict Paleo people that have pretty much earned the cheat, while staying as close to paleo as possible. A paleo treat with agave nectar would be much better to cheat on than say a piece of chocolate cake (or two). So....here's they're rebuttle. Let me know what you guys think.
Agave Info (From Paleo Treats People)
This is all the info that Paleo Treats sent me. Read it, think about it and see what you think. If you have additional questions please let me know. I will set up an online discussion if need be.
So, here's all the info I have, feel free to post it where you think it'll be appropriate on your site. :)
I've found it helpful when talking about agave in Paleo Treats to remind folks that these are treats, not meals. While they do taste totally BA and are rad and over-the-top delicious and all the rest of it, they're still meant to be a replacement for the occasional dessert you eat as part of a majority lean meats-fruits-nuts-vegetables-seeds etc diet that makes us all feel so damn healthy.
Now, on to the agave info:
First, a short treatise on agave by the president of the company that supplies us. This was pulled from "Natural News".
"NaturalNews:
Last week, NaturalNews published a Citizen Journalist article on agave nectar that criticized the sweetener, saying it was a refined sweetener much like syrup. That article created quite a stir and raised many questions from health-conscious consumers. To tell the other side of the story, we invited the president of Madhava, Craig Gerbore, to submit a response.
What follows is a very thoughtful rebuttal to the original article on agave nectar that appeared on NaturalNews (http://www.naturalnews.com/024892.html). It explains in great detail some of the behind-the-scenes issues involving agave nectar, and it describes how modern agave nectar processing is very different from the outmoded methods described in Nagel's article. It also points out many apparent errors and misrepresentations in the original article. I must emphasize that the original article was a Citizen Journalist article, not an in-house article, and thus it represented the opinions of its author, not NaturalNews. Here at NaturalNews, we continue to publish contributed articles that vary somewhat from our own opinions in order to allow the reader access to more diverse information on important topics.
NaturalNews has promoted agave nectar for many years, believing it to be a healthy, low-glycemic alternative to conventional sweeteners. We hope that this rebuttal from Madhava will help bring more clarity to the agave nectar issue. Here is the full rebuttal from Craig Gerbore:
In response, I must first point out that Mr. Nagel's article is based on the view of a sole individual, Russ Bianchi. I suppose we should thank Mr. Bianchi for pointing out some issues that may have contributed to Iidea's (the initial manufacturer of blue agave nectar) demise from the market, however I want to be clear, this is not about Madhava or our agave nectar. Once a dominant supplier, as of this past summer Iidea is no longer a major supplier in the agave syrup business. The distributors using them as a supplier have quietly switched to newly formed blue agave companies for their supply. Madhava has always worked exclusively with Nekutli, the producer of agave nectar from the agave salmiana, a very different species of the agave.
However, there is no mention of our agave nectar from salmiana in the article, nor of the differences in the plant, the collection and production of our product. So, the author has blurred the line with his all encompassing attack on blue agave nectar, by his failure to present complete information on the subject of agave nectars. For what purpose was this article written? If it were to educate the public, I think it would include all the information available. With the errors and misstatements and half-truths, I don't think this article is about education, it is an all out shotgun attack.
I believe Mr. Bianchi, presented as the sole authority on agave nectar, was initially introduced to Iidea's blue agave syrup product on their entry to the market in the late 90's. At that time, Iidea was promoting a 90% fructose agave syrup. This is what I believe Mr. Bianchi is referring to. Unfortunately, he ignores the fact that this is not the agave sold on the market today, nor is it representative of Madhava's product. In fact Mr. Bianchi has never even acknowledged the existence of our agave nectar from the salmiana variety. So, all his comments are apparently based on his experience with Iidea's product, but I find ourselves caught in the blast.
In their zestful attack against the blue agave syrup he was introduced to initially, Mr.'s Bianchi and Nagel have also made inaccurate comments which reflect on agave nectar generally. As such, I take issue with several of their statements and claims and want to clarify some things as regards Madhava's Agave Nectar from agave salmiana.
Their discussion of the processing of agave nectar is in no way reflective of how Madhava's agave nectar is produced. There are three ways to convert complex sugars into a simple sugar sweetener such as agave syrup. It can be done thermally, chemically, or enzymatically as ours is. There are no chemicals whatsoever involved in the production of Madhava's agave nectar from agave salmiana, nor is it cooked. Our agave is subject only to low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice.
The author states "The principal constituent of the agave is starch, such as what is found in corn or rice."
This statement, which is the foundation of much of their argument comparing agave nectar to corn syrup, has no basis in scientific fact, THERE IS NO STARCH IN THE AGAVE.
How can the author and his source be so mistaken on this statement on which he bases his attack?
All plants store energy in one of two ways, as starches or fructans. All agave plants create fructans as their energy storing means.
So, agave plants have fructans, not starch. From Wikipedia: Inulins are a group of naturally occurring polysaccharides produced by many types of plants. They belong to a class of fibers know as fructans. Inulin is used by some plants as a means of storing energy and it typically found in roots or rhizomes. Most plants which synthesize and store inulin do not store other materials such as starch.
There is no starch in either species of agave, and agave nectar is not from starch as the author and Mr. Bianchi claim. They have tried very hard to propagandize the public with a false fact, either by design, or ignorance, for which there would be no excuse.
Such an error of fact certainly casts doubt on the validity of the rest of Nagel's article, as the lack of depth of his research has to be apparent to all. Really, he is just regurgitating the singular views of Mr. Bianchi.
I personally spoke with the author during his "research", as did at least one other in the industry. He chose not to include one word of the information given to him by us, which I will repeat below, and failed to make any distinction between Madhava's Nekutli agave nectar from salmiana and that from the blue agave plant. He only mentions blue agave. The plants differ, the locations differ, the methods and production differ greatly. The information we gave him did not fit his purpose and so was omitted in favor of a generalized attack.
Madhava's source is exclusively agave salmiana. If you haven't already reviewed our site at www.madhavasagave.com , you will find background information there. Briefly though, the native people supplying the juice collect it from the live plant, by hand, twice daily. There is no heat involved in the removal. The juice is immediately brought to the facility to remove the excess water as it will ferment rapidly if left standing. It is during the removal of the moisture that the only heat is applied. The juice is evaporated and moisture removed in a vacuum evaporator. The vacuum enables the moisture to be withdrawn at low temperatures. The temp is closely controlled. Subsequently, our agave is handled and packaged at room temperatures. No other heat is applied. And, rather than convert the complex sugars of the juice thermally, we use gentle enzymatic action. Just as a bee introduces an enzyme to flower nectar to make honey, we introduce an natural organic vegan enzyme for the same purpose. The technical term for the conversion of complex sugars into their simple sugar components is hydrolysis. Inulin is a fructan which is hydrolyzed into the simple sugars composing agave nectar, fructose and glucose. Honey is composed of the same simple sugars.
The blue agave plant is harvested and the blue agave nectar is produced by a completely different method. I will have to leave it to the blue agave nectar sellers to comment on the production themselves. While I know of it, I have not witnessed it as I have Nekutli's. Unlike the author, I won't comment publicly on something I cannot verify.
To clarify further on another claim, "Agave Nectar as a final product is mostly chemically refined fructose". As regards Madhava's agave nectar, there are no chemicals involved in our production whatsoever. The sugars in our agave nectar come from the breakdown of the inulin molecule through the introduction of the enzyme to break apart that molecule. It is in no way chemically refined, there are no chemicals involved in any part of the production or packaging process. Our agave nectar is refined only in as much as the excess moisture is removed from the juice of the plant.
"HFCS is made with GM enzymes". Bianchi's states "they (agave and corn syrup) are indeed made the same way" This is another false assertion as regards Madhava's agave nectar at least. Our agave nectar is certainly and clearly not made the same way as corn syrup. There is no starch in our agave. There are no chemicals, no refinement beyond the evaporation of water. And, there are no GMO's whatsoever. The agave salmiana has never been subject to this and the enzyme is a natural, non GM organic, vegan enzyme.
Other points regarding fructose apply to sugars in general and are a consumption, or overconsumption issue. Certainly consuming large amounts of sweeteners of any kind will be detrimental to one's health. Suggesting fructose could cause health issues when concentrated amounts are eaten is a statement which should really apply to the overconsumption issue. The information the author links to agave nectar is the result of megadose testing of pure clinical fructose. Not the same thing as normal daily use of agave nectar in the course of our meals.
The antisweetener advocates just have to admit that it is the overconsumption of sugars that is the problem. Used in moderation, sugars serve a purpose, to make other foods and beverages more palatable. Imagine a world without sweeteners if you can. Affinity for sweet taste is a human trait that most want to satisfy. For those who use sweeteners, there are limited choices available and many choose agave for its particular attributes. It is a good choice. Madhava Agave's neutral flavor suits the purpose. It is in fact low glycemic, organically certified and non allergenic. Many with diabetes and other special diets find it suitable for their use where other sweeteners are not. It's easy to use and you can use less.
And, we guarantee the purity of our product. Attached is a letter from the CEO of Nekutli stating this guarantee that Nekutli agave syrup is pure and unadulterated, from the natural juice of agave salmiana.
While it remains up to the individual to maintain balance in their diet and monitor their overall consumption of sweets, Nekutli/Madhava's Agave Nectar does have advantages over other sweeteners and that is why it has become so popular and received so much attention today."
Then some links to both pro/con agave stances:
http://www.living-foods.com/articles/agave.html
http://www.allaboutagave.com/agave-vs-liquid.php
http://thursdaysgirl.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/is-agave-nectar-good-or-bad-for-our-health/
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/foods/grains/gigl.html
Finally, I've attached a glycemic index list with agave in it.
This info should give anyone a clear enough view on agave to decide whether they'll incorporate it (hopefully with Paleo Treats) into their Paleo diet or not. Enjoy the reading!
Cheers,
Monday, January 11, 2010
Congrats to Laura B on her first marathon...completely Paleo!
Paleo's making the news!
Carter ran across this article yesterday....seems that Paleo is making some waves in the headlines. Awesome!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/fashion/10caveman.html?emc=eta1
I wanted to ask how everyone has been doing since the holidays are over? Is anyone struggling to get back into the swing of things? Has anyone discovered new recipes? Has anyone seen new benefits from Paleo?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/fashion/10caveman.html?emc=eta1
I wanted to ask how everyone has been doing since the holidays are over? Is anyone struggling to get back into the swing of things? Has anyone discovered new recipes? Has anyone seen new benefits from Paleo?
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Sharing Paleo Info with Friends! PLUS PALEO CHALLENGE WINNER!
Hi all! :) I've been emailing back and forth with Laura B from Crossfit Garage in Woodstock, GA. She decided to go Paleo! Woohooo Laura! I'm always excited to see people's progress! Anyway, Laura has a marathon coming up on Sunday. I've talked about pre-race fuel before when Jackie was doing her half marathon, and the same situation has come up with Laura. Her marathon is roughly 10 days from her Paleo start. Because I have lived and learned (I ran a half 10 days after starting Paleo and bonked big time!), I sent Laura a big ol' email advising her of some pre-race fueling. A friend from CF Garage wanted to see the email too (Jennifer P!)....so I'm posting it here. It's a long one, so forgive me. If anyone else has any pre-race fueling tips, please post them to comments. I'm running a 10 mile race on Saturday, so I'd love some more advice. However what I've listed below is what has worked for me on my 10k's and long runs on the weekends.
Dear Laura,
Go girl with your marathon bad self! Have you trained for it!? I definitely suggest going slower than you think you can sustain. The last 6.2 is the whole entire race. Just know that is how it is going to be and be prepared for it. Also, something starts happening in your brain where you think it is a sick joke and it is never going to end. Know that the finish line WILL appear. A good mantra towards
the end is "My mind is not tired."
Ok....marathon eating. This is gonna be a tough one. you'll be, what, about 10 days into paleo? i started paleo and ran a half marathon 10 days later and it wasn't pretty, however i tweaked my pre-race eating after i read paleo for athletes so i'll pass my info along to you. I need you to start increasing your carbs NOW. within 30 minutes post-wod, eat a handful of almonds and raisins (1/4 cup of
both). even if you aren't hungry. then within 1 hour of that, eat your dinner with plenty of protein. increase your fruits throughout the day.
2 days before the marathon, i want you to eat in the evenings a banana with almond butter before bed the first day, the next morning eat the same, the next evening eat the same, and the morning of the race eat the same IF your stomach agrees with this that morning. increase your fruits throughout the day as well. this is where you are storing up the glycogen in your muscles. Also increase your salt intake 2 days
before the marathon. salt your food with celtic sea salt. also increase your water intake. this will help you retain much needed water for race day. do NOT eat salt the morning of...i speak from experience.
now during the race fuel: you will need to tweak this over the next couple of days. do NOT use gu or power gels or gatorade or whatever. this will throw your whole paleo thing off and you'll have to start over at day 1. (but decide now that it is OK to do this if you have to during the race. if you feel like you cannot go on unless you drink gatorade or take a gu, it is ok!!! you can begin again the next
day.) a friend of mine that was in her 10th day of paleo ran a half marathon, and we came up with a carb plan for her race. she packed raisins and honey sticks. you can get the honey sticks at whole foods or trader joes. also, during a marathon, they usually have oranges and bananas somewhere along the last 10 miles. EAT THEM! even if you have to stop for 5 minutes to eat a banana b/c you can't run and eat,
that will be the smartest thing. they don't have these things during a half....so you're at an advantage. email the race director or race contact to ask about where these might be along the course. it will help you prepare mentally also.
how does all of this sound to you? sound do-able? it's your first marathon, so have NO expectations. this is the best thing! i'm so excited for you! it's quite an accomplishment! i'm super duper jealous!
:)
As a side note, I wanted to CONGRATULATE Robyn, winner of the Crossfit Rebellion Paleo Challenge!!!!!!!!! She has made HUGE strides in her wods AND she lost mega inches! She's working HARD on her LBN! (Look Better Naked!) I am going to try to talk Robyn into letting me post her before and after pics, and I will post mine as well...and maybe Jackie's too (Jackie was an honorable mention in the Paleo Challeng). But I gotta talk 'em into it first! It's probably not going to happen, but hopefully they'll take one for the team so we can spread some Paleo LOVE!
Until next time!
Dear Laura,
Go girl with your marathon bad self! Have you trained for it!? I definitely suggest going slower than you think you can sustain. The last 6.2 is the whole entire race. Just know that is how it is going to be and be prepared for it. Also, something starts happening in your brain where you think it is a sick joke and it is never going to end. Know that the finish line WILL appear. A good mantra towards
the end is "My mind is not tired."
Ok....marathon eating. This is gonna be a tough one. you'll be, what, about 10 days into paleo? i started paleo and ran a half marathon 10 days later and it wasn't pretty, however i tweaked my pre-race eating after i read paleo for athletes so i'll pass my info along to you. I need you to start increasing your carbs NOW. within 30 minutes post-wod, eat a handful of almonds and raisins (1/4 cup of
both). even if you aren't hungry. then within 1 hour of that, eat your dinner with plenty of protein. increase your fruits throughout the day.
2 days before the marathon, i want you to eat in the evenings a banana with almond butter before bed the first day, the next morning eat the same, the next evening eat the same, and the morning of the race eat the same IF your stomach agrees with this that morning. increase your fruits throughout the day as well. this is where you are storing up the glycogen in your muscles. Also increase your salt intake 2 days
before the marathon. salt your food with celtic sea salt. also increase your water intake. this will help you retain much needed water for race day. do NOT eat salt the morning of...i speak from experience.
now during the race fuel: you will need to tweak this over the next couple of days. do NOT use gu or power gels or gatorade or whatever. this will throw your whole paleo thing off and you'll have to start over at day 1. (but decide now that it is OK to do this if you have to during the race. if you feel like you cannot go on unless you drink gatorade or take a gu, it is ok!!! you can begin again the next
day.) a friend of mine that was in her 10th day of paleo ran a half marathon, and we came up with a carb plan for her race. she packed raisins and honey sticks. you can get the honey sticks at whole foods or trader joes. also, during a marathon, they usually have oranges and bananas somewhere along the last 10 miles. EAT THEM! even if you have to stop for 5 minutes to eat a banana b/c you can't run and eat,
that will be the smartest thing. they don't have these things during a half....so you're at an advantage. email the race director or race contact to ask about where these might be along the course. it will help you prepare mentally also.
how does all of this sound to you? sound do-able? it's your first marathon, so have NO expectations. this is the best thing! i'm so excited for you! it's quite an accomplishment! i'm super duper jealous!
:)
As a side note, I wanted to CONGRATULATE Robyn, winner of the Crossfit Rebellion Paleo Challenge!!!!!!!!! She has made HUGE strides in her wods AND she lost mega inches! She's working HARD on her LBN! (Look Better Naked!) I am going to try to talk Robyn into letting me post her before and after pics, and I will post mine as well...and maybe Jackie's too (Jackie was an honorable mention in the Paleo Challeng). But I gotta talk 'em into it first! It's probably not going to happen, but hopefully they'll take one for the team so we can spread some Paleo LOVE!
Until next time!
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