On April 2, I started the 21 Day Sugar Detox by Balanced Bites. Why, you ask, would I do that???
For a number of reasons.
1a) My eating had gotten out of control. I was being cavalier about eating since I'm in training for the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC), eating waaaaay more than I should and not necessarily eating the right things. I was eating paleo friendly treats as meal replacements or in conjunction to meals. I was eating a TON of fruit. I was eating dark chocolate EVERY night, and not just a square of it. I was consuming large amounts of raw honey during the day in my smoothies and tea and sometimes just eating it straight up. I was chewing a ton of gum - not sugar free. All around not ideal situation for training my body; not an ideal situation for a healthy body in general.
1b) I seemed to have forgotten my portion control skills. This still remains an issue, even after the 21 days, however, it is much more in check than it was prior.
2) I want to keep my weight in check. For RKC, there is an extremely physically demanding test I am going to have to do, the RKC Snatch test: If you are under 123.5 lbs, you qualify to use a 12kg bell...over 123.5lbs, you must use a 16kg bell. I am under 123.5lbs, but would like to have a nice, wide buffer going to my certification.
3) I want to maximize my diet for training purposes. Detoxing/Reducing the sugary foods meant replacing them with healthy fat sources, high quality protein, and veggies as well as some dense carb sources, all things necessary for a body in training.
What was the program all about?
I chose to do the most strict of 3 levels of detox available.
For the 21 days, I was to have no fruit, other than 1 green-tipped (not fully ripened) banana OR 1 green apple per day, no sweeteners whatsoever, natural or synthetic (no honey, maple etc), no grains, no beans/legumes, no refined carbs, no dairy, and no alcohol or other sweetened beverages. Coconut water (in limited amounts) and unsweetened nut milks were fair game.
I could have all meat and fish, veggies (limiting intake of beets and squash), nuts and seeds (other than cashews and peanuts), and healthy fats (avocado).
The one caveat I had going for me was since I am considered an "athlete", I could have some of the dense carb sources that were off limits to the non-athlete on the detox, such as sweet potatoes and yams.
How did I do?
I think I did pretty well. The program changed my perspective on eating in many ways.
The first 3 days were TORTURE for me. I came off of snacking on fruit all day long and putting raw honey in everything (smoothies, tea, a spoon, you get the idea).
I felt like crap - my body was cold and headachey.
To stave off hunger, I ate nuts, nuts and more nuts, and then nut butter. I went nuts.
But then I figured it out.
I figured out when to eat my dense carbs to maximize my workouts. I figured out what veggies to snack on. I figured out that I LOVE hard boiled eggs! I figured out what high quality proteins to eat. This all took the 21 days that I was on the detox, and I'm still figuring it out.
It was not easy, at all but slowly the cravings went away. I started to realize that with a craving, I didn't need to turn to chocolate, fruit or dare I say it, ice cream....I learned to enjoy a nice hot cup of tea.
I lost 1 lb.
1 lb you might ask, that's it??? Well, to tell you honestly, I don't really need to lose that much weight. As I said, I would just like to cushion my buffer zone going to RKC. You also need to understand the level of training I am doing as well. It's 6 days a week, working the kettlebells and teaching spin 2x. I am made of a lot of muscle. I feel that with my current level of training and the changes I made to my diet towards the end of the 21 days, and will continue to finesse, that I will shed a couple more pounds.
I've been feeling good and strong in my workouts and definitely progressing. My energy levels are high. My mood has been lifted. I've noticed less inflammation in my lower back, where I have facet joint arthropathy of my lumbar spine.
I am waaay more mindful about eating - more so than ever before. I need to be in the best shape of my life to go to RKC and everything I eat depends upon it.
What do I eat now then?
Pre/Post-workout I drink an amazing smoothie made from frozen banana, almond butter, homemade almond milk, coconut water, chia seeds, raw cacao, maca, and coconut creme (which is pure coconut, just in a concentrated form). I'll also eat a sweet potato post a heavy kettlebell workout.
Breakfast is usually my pre-workout smoothie and a hard boiled egg, or scrambled eggs w. canadian bacon or bacon or smoked trout or whitefish or smoked salmon.
Lunches have become mega salads, with greens, mixed veggies, a protein such as wild caught salmon, or tuna, or trout or sardines, or maybe a grass-fed beef burger, avocado and a chopped hard boiled egg, topped w.a squeeze of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.
Dinners are paleo friendly meals again with high quality proteins (grass fed beef, pastured pork and poultry or fish of some sort) with different veggies.
Snacks are nuts or a green apple w.a nut butter or paleo approved jerky (which from Steve's original is the best I have tasted)
I'll enjoy fruit post workout or as a dessert.
It's all working for me.
Would I recommend this detox?
Absolutely, Yes! There are 3 levels that you can chose from, with level 1 being the least strict and level 3 being the most strict. There is a very comprehensive guide that you get when you purchase the detox. There are several sites that have 21 Day Sugar Detox approved recipes to follow, some even with meal plans for the 21 days.
Is it easy? No.
Is it worth it? Definitely.
To find out more please visit: 21 Day Sugar Detox website
Feel free to contact me w.any questions you might have about my experience.
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Southwestern Deviled Eggs
For some reason, my entire life has been spent throwing out the yolks of hard cooked eggs. The hard cooked yolk, utterly disgusted me. This past week, I got a Cobb salad. I figured I could pick the yolk out and eat just the white. When the salad came, the egg was all chopped up, white and yolk together. Hmmm, I thought, do I bail on eating the egg completely, or go for it, and eat it w.the yolk. Well, I did the latter and really LOVED it! It was like an epiphany!
What had I been missing my whole life???? The yolk of hard cooked eggs, that's what!
I think over the past week, I've eaten over a dozen hard cooked eggs. I wanted to come up with a fancier way to eat them though. I knew that a fellow blogger, kettlebell nut and friend, Adrienne from Giryagirl.com liked to make deviled eggs. So I asked her what her favorite recipe was....her answer included using Beyond Organic Amasai, a fermented grass-fed dairy, very similar to buttermilk. I followed her lead and used that instead of mayonnaise and put my own spin on it, making the eggs Southwestern style.
Let's talk hard cooking eggs: it's so simple. Put eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover pot. Allow the eggs to sit undisturbed for 10-12 minutes. Drain eggs from pot, and shock in cold water to halt cooking process. That is it! This method of cooking ensures an nice yellow yolk. No ugly green yolks here :)
Ingredients
4 hard cooked eggs, cut in half, lengthwise, whites reserved, yolks placed in a bowl
1 small leek, whites only, chopped and washed well
1 Fresno chile or other chile of choice, diced small
1/4 cup Plain Amasai or mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
2-3 TBS chopped cilantro
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, plus more for dusting top of eggs
Juice of half a lime
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Technique
1. Saute the leeks and chiles until softened, over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper; add the leeks and chiles to the bowl with the yolks.
2. Using a fork, start to mash up the yolk into the leeks and chiles. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well, using fork to mash up lumps of yolk. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
3. Fill the hole of the white of the egg with the yolk mixture.
4. Dust the top with smoked paprika.
5. Try to eat just 1.
Enjoy!
What had I been missing my whole life???? The yolk of hard cooked eggs, that's what!
I think over the past week, I've eaten over a dozen hard cooked eggs. I wanted to come up with a fancier way to eat them though. I knew that a fellow blogger, kettlebell nut and friend, Adrienne from Giryagirl.com liked to make deviled eggs. So I asked her what her favorite recipe was....her answer included using Beyond Organic Amasai, a fermented grass-fed dairy, very similar to buttermilk. I followed her lead and used that instead of mayonnaise and put my own spin on it, making the eggs Southwestern style.
Let's talk hard cooking eggs: it's so simple. Put eggs in a pot and cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Place on stove and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cover pot. Allow the eggs to sit undisturbed for 10-12 minutes. Drain eggs from pot, and shock in cold water to halt cooking process. That is it! This method of cooking ensures an nice yellow yolk. No ugly green yolks here :)
Ingredients
4 hard cooked eggs, cut in half, lengthwise, whites reserved, yolks placed in a bowl
1 small leek, whites only, chopped and washed well
1 Fresno chile or other chile of choice, diced small
1/4 cup Plain Amasai or mayonnaise or Greek yogurt
2-3 TBS chopped cilantro
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp smoked paprika, plus more for dusting top of eggs
Juice of half a lime
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Technique
1. Saute the leeks and chiles until softened, over medium heat, seasoning with salt and pepper; add the leeks and chiles to the bowl with the yolks.
2. Using a fork, start to mash up the yolk into the leeks and chiles. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well, using fork to mash up lumps of yolk. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.
3. Fill the hole of the white of the egg with the yolk mixture.4. Dust the top with smoked paprika.
5. Try to eat just 1.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Woah! Paleo Wings! And why not, an RKC training update
I've made some good progress over the past week to week and a half w.my training.
I hit a couple PRs this week:
1) Chin-ups - I was able to do 2 consecutive, unassisted chin-ups just yesterday...3 sets of them! That is pretty huge for me. I've never been able to do consecutive chin-ups, ever!
2) 16kg TGU! I'm now able to do 16kg TGUs on both sides. The arm bars have really been helping. I've been doing them w.an 18lb bell, and my mobility is getting better.
Here's a recap of my workouts for the week:
04/07/12
5x10 2 hand swings 20kg
5x5 2 hand swings 24kg
5 rounds of 5R/5L single arm deadlifts 24kg, 3R/3L single arm swings 20kg, 5R/5L single arm swings 16kg
5X 5R/5L snatches- 12kg
04/09/12
Arm bars 18lbs
3 TGU R/L 12kg
3 TGU R/L 14kg
5 rounds of 5R/5L single arm deadlifts 24kg, 3R/3L single arm swings 20kg, 6R/6L single arm swings 16kg
9 rounds of snatches, R/L 12kg, 1 min on/1 min off, , switching arms at 30(s) mark - here's my min-min break down R/L:
13, 10
10, 12
10, 11
10, 10
10, 10
9, 10
8, 9
8, 8
8, 8....if I did my math right = 174 snatches
04/10/12 Chin-up and TGU PR!!
3 rounds of arm hangs off pull-up bar 10(s), 2 chin-ups
3 TGU R/L 12kg
3 rounds of arm hangs off pull-up bar 10(s), 1 chin-up
3 TGU R/L 16kg
Press ladder: 3 X 2,3,5 R/L - 12kg
Single arm swings 10X 5R/5L - 16kg
Long Cycle Cleans 5X 5R/5L -16kg
04/11/12
Arm bar - 18lb
2 TGU R/L -12kg
2 TGU R/L -14kg
2 TGU R/L -16kg
5x5 deadlift - 32kg
3x 5R/5L single arm deadlift -24kg
5X 3R/3L single arm swing -20kg
5X 7R/7L single arm swing -16kg
2 hand swing ladder, 8x5 each 24kg, 20kg, 16kg
So, I'm working hard. Hopefully I can stay on this track w.my training for the next 5 months....To train, you must eat, so here's a clean recipe for chicken wings!
I'm not a huge chicken wing fan, but the other day I saw some local, pastured, chicken wings at the market and picked them up.
My traditional wing recipe has soy in it and vinegar.....I decided to keep it Paleo and try something new.
I made a basic marinade out of 5 ingredients (other than the wings):
1/2 cup coconut water (for sweetness)
1/4 cup mustard
2 TBS coconut aminos (for saltiness)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
That's it! Mix all ingredients together and place in a bag. Place wings in bag and mix the marinade all over the wings. Refrigerate to marinate, for 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Note: I used a pound of wings for the ratios above, scale up ingredients as needed.
Note: Coconut aminos is a liquid made from the sap of the coconut tree. It is very similar to soy sauce, dark in color and salty. It has approximately 17 amino acids in it as well as minerals and vitamins.
Remove from refrigerator about a half hour before baking, and set oven to 425 degrees.
Place wings and marinade in a single layer in baking dish.
Then bake for about 40-45 minutes. Turn wings over after 15 minutes and after 15 more minutes, turn again. Turn one last time for the last 10-15 minutes. The wings self baste and get gooey and yummy.
The marinade is tangy from the mustard, salty from the coconut aminos and sweet from the coconut water. Nice tender meat and lots of flavor. Definitely crowd worthy!
Enjoy!
I hit a couple PRs this week:
1) Chin-ups - I was able to do 2 consecutive, unassisted chin-ups just yesterday...3 sets of them! That is pretty huge for me. I've never been able to do consecutive chin-ups, ever!
2) 16kg TGU! I'm now able to do 16kg TGUs on both sides. The arm bars have really been helping. I've been doing them w.an 18lb bell, and my mobility is getting better.
Here's a recap of my workouts for the week:
04/07/12
5x10 2 hand swings 20kg
5x5 2 hand swings 24kg
5 rounds of 5R/5L single arm deadlifts 24kg, 3R/3L single arm swings 20kg, 5R/5L single arm swings 16kg
5X 5R/5L snatches- 12kg
04/09/12
Arm bars 18lbs
3 TGU R/L 12kg
3 TGU R/L 14kg
5 rounds of 5R/5L single arm deadlifts 24kg, 3R/3L single arm swings 20kg, 6R/6L single arm swings 16kg
9 rounds of snatches, R/L 12kg, 1 min on/1 min off, , switching arms at 30(s) mark - here's my min-min break down R/L:
13, 10
10, 12
10, 11
10, 10
10, 10
9, 10
8, 9
8, 8
8, 8....if I did my math right = 174 snatches
04/10/12 Chin-up and TGU PR!!
3 rounds of arm hangs off pull-up bar 10(s), 2 chin-ups
3 TGU R/L 12kg
3 rounds of arm hangs off pull-up bar 10(s), 1 chin-up
3 TGU R/L 16kg
Press ladder: 3 X 2,3,5 R/L - 12kg
Single arm swings 10X 5R/5L - 16kg
Long Cycle Cleans 5X 5R/5L -16kg
04/11/12
Arm bar - 18lb
2 TGU R/L -12kg
2 TGU R/L -14kg
2 TGU R/L -16kg
5x5 deadlift - 32kg
3x 5R/5L single arm deadlift -24kg
5X 3R/3L single arm swing -20kg
5X 7R/7L single arm swing -16kg
2 hand swing ladder, 8x5 each 24kg, 20kg, 16kg
So, I'm working hard. Hopefully I can stay on this track w.my training for the next 5 months....To train, you must eat, so here's a clean recipe for chicken wings!
I'm not a huge chicken wing fan, but the other day I saw some local, pastured, chicken wings at the market and picked them up.
My traditional wing recipe has soy in it and vinegar.....I decided to keep it Paleo and try something new.
I made a basic marinade out of 5 ingredients (other than the wings):
1/2 cup coconut water (for sweetness)
1/4 cup mustard
2 TBS coconut aminos (for saltiness)
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
That's it! Mix all ingredients together and place in a bag. Place wings in bag and mix the marinade all over the wings. Refrigerate to marinate, for 2 hours and up to 24 hours.
Note: I used a pound of wings for the ratios above, scale up ingredients as needed.
Note: Coconut aminos is a liquid made from the sap of the coconut tree. It is very similar to soy sauce, dark in color and salty. It has approximately 17 amino acids in it as well as minerals and vitamins.
Remove from refrigerator about a half hour before baking, and set oven to 425 degrees.
Place wings and marinade in a single layer in baking dish.
Then bake for about 40-45 minutes. Turn wings over after 15 minutes and after 15 more minutes, turn again. Turn one last time for the last 10-15 minutes. The wings self baste and get gooey and yummy.
The marinade is tangy from the mustard, salty from the coconut aminos and sweet from the coconut water. Nice tender meat and lots of flavor. Definitely crowd worthy!
Enjoy!
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Paleo friendly Charoset
Happy Passover to those who observe!
Here's a quick and easy paleo friendly and kid friendly version of Charoset.
This recipe makes 4 servings, scale up as needed; to make a more traditional version, add 2 TBS of a red wine of your choice.
Ingredients
3 green apples, peeled, diced into 1/2inch-1inch pieces
3/4 cup raw, unsalted nuts, chopped (I used pistachios, but use whatever nut you like)
Juice/Zest of 1 lemon
1-3 tsp maple syrup or honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt
Technique
1. Mix everything together in a bowl.
2. Eat and enjoy :)
Hope your seder is quick!
Here's a quick and easy paleo friendly and kid friendly version of Charoset.
This recipe makes 4 servings, scale up as needed; to make a more traditional version, add 2 TBS of a red wine of your choice.
Ingredients
3 green apples, peeled, diced into 1/2inch-1inch pieces
3/4 cup raw, unsalted nuts, chopped (I used pistachios, but use whatever nut you like)
Juice/Zest of 1 lemon
1-3 tsp maple syrup or honey
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch sea salt
Technique
1. Mix everything together in a bowl.
2. Eat and enjoy :)
Hope your seder is quick!
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Breakfast for Dinner and an RKC training update
I made some strides this past week in training, specifically in my Military Press. In between the last 2 weeks I had a session w.Mike Perry of Skill of Strength. We worked on a bunch of things, w.one thing being the position of my arm in the rack. That subtle shift caused me to be able to press better. 2 weeks ago in my Clean, Squat, Press complex, which I do 4 sets of (2,3,4 reps each side), I used the 12kg for 3 sets, and had to drop down to 10kg for last set. This past week, after changing my arm position, I was able to use the 12kg for all 4 sets.
I've been swinging the 16kg single arm and it seems to not be getting any easier for me. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not strong or if it's just poor technique. Probably the latter.
It's a real downer, because I've been working very hard. Not progressing makes it probably seem like I'm not putting the time in, but that's just not the case. But it just gives me the drive to make it work because like I've said before, making RKC is a personal goal of mine for 2012. I have to believe that I will prevail (or I won't).
I took away from this week's session w.Mike some exercises to do which will (hopefully) improve my arm strength - one is the heavy Single Arm Deadlift, doing it prior to swinging the bell. This morning I did 8 X 5 R/L SADL w.24kg and then did 15 X 5 R/L SAS w. 16kg. I already see a small gain in strength, helping me to nail my form. So, for the next couple weeks, I'm going to concentrate on nailing down my single arm swing. I feel confident that I can do that.
The other thing we spent some time on is the RKC Arm bar (straight and bent). I had never seen these exercises so it was a real eye opener for me in terms of getting my lats to engage and increase my T-spine and shoulder mobility. That area on my body is my least mobile (confirmed by FMS) so it's important that I improve it. I'll be working on these exercises as well to help w.my arm stability in the TGU.
All this training makes me hungry so, here's a recipe for you.....
Sometimes I want something for dinner which might not be dinner, but rather breakfast. There's nothing wrong with eating breakfast for dinner!!!
Here's a real quick, protein packed dinner idea, a riff off the LEO (Lox, Egg, Onion)....here I make the BELS - Broccoli, Egg, Lox and Scallion....scallions are sauteed, chopped broccoli is added in, then lox and lastly, the egg, to bind it all together. It's a great savory and salty dish.
Take 2 scallions and a few florets of broccoli and chop them up. You'll need some lox as well. Lox is smoked salmon, and it's luscious. I used wild Coho lox for this recipe. I used about 2 oz per serving. Plan for 3 eggs per serving as well, which you whisk up until frothy.
Saute your scallion over medium heat until softened.
Add in broccoli and saute for about 2 minutes, then add in lox, continuing to saute for about a minute.
Pour in your eggs.
You can leave the egg to set around all your ingredients or scramble the egg up with the ingredients. I chose to scramble :)
The lox is salty, so watch how much salt you use to season the dish.
If you don't have broccoli, feel free to substitute any fresh ingredient you have such as asparagus or even cauliflower.
Enjoy!
I've been swinging the 16kg single arm and it seems to not be getting any easier for me. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not strong or if it's just poor technique. Probably the latter.
It's a real downer, because I've been working very hard. Not progressing makes it probably seem like I'm not putting the time in, but that's just not the case. But it just gives me the drive to make it work because like I've said before, making RKC is a personal goal of mine for 2012. I have to believe that I will prevail (or I won't).
I took away from this week's session w.Mike some exercises to do which will (hopefully) improve my arm strength - one is the heavy Single Arm Deadlift, doing it prior to swinging the bell. This morning I did 8 X 5 R/L SADL w.24kg and then did 15 X 5 R/L SAS w. 16kg. I already see a small gain in strength, helping me to nail my form. So, for the next couple weeks, I'm going to concentrate on nailing down my single arm swing. I feel confident that I can do that.
The other thing we spent some time on is the RKC Arm bar (straight and bent). I had never seen these exercises so it was a real eye opener for me in terms of getting my lats to engage and increase my T-spine and shoulder mobility. That area on my body is my least mobile (confirmed by FMS) so it's important that I improve it. I'll be working on these exercises as well to help w.my arm stability in the TGU.
All this training makes me hungry so, here's a recipe for you.....
Sometimes I want something for dinner which might not be dinner, but rather breakfast. There's nothing wrong with eating breakfast for dinner!!!
Here's a real quick, protein packed dinner idea, a riff off the LEO (Lox, Egg, Onion)....here I make the BELS - Broccoli, Egg, Lox and Scallion....scallions are sauteed, chopped broccoli is added in, then lox and lastly, the egg, to bind it all together. It's a great savory and salty dish.
Take 2 scallions and a few florets of broccoli and chop them up. You'll need some lox as well. Lox is smoked salmon, and it's luscious. I used wild Coho lox for this recipe. I used about 2 oz per serving. Plan for 3 eggs per serving as well, which you whisk up until frothy.
Saute your scallion over medium heat until softened.
Add in broccoli and saute for about 2 minutes, then add in lox, continuing to saute for about a minute.
Pour in your eggs.
You can leave the egg to set around all your ingredients or scramble the egg up with the ingredients. I chose to scramble :)The lox is salty, so watch how much salt you use to season the dish.
If you don't have broccoli, feel free to substitute any fresh ingredient you have such as asparagus or even cauliflower.
Enjoy!
Monday, March 26, 2012
RKC Training round up week of March 19th
I earmarked Monday March 19th as the kick off for my RKC training.....I had a substantial break from my program last month when having to deal with my son. I kept my fitness up, but wasn't able to follow my training plan w.any regularity.
RKC is 6 months away. It's now or never....
Here is what I did for the week:
03/19/12
3 TGU on each side before switching, holding 5(s) in each position - 12kg
2x5 Chin-ups - I can (barely) do 2 consecutive unassisted chin-ups...I put a little step stool down under the bar to help finish my sets
4X5 KB Deadlifts - 32kg.....can go heavier, but my 32kg is the heaviest bell I have.
Press ladder - 2,3,5 R/L X2 - 12kg
One arm swings - 6R/6L X 10 sets - 16kg
03/21/12
4 TGU on each side before switching -12kg
4X5 KB Single arm Deadlifts - 24kg
Clean, Squat, Press complex - 2,3,4 R/L X 4(!!!)- not putting bell down until both sides are done - did 3 sets w.12kg, 1 set w.10kg
Alternating Swings 8R/8L X 6 sets - 16kg
GTG Chin-ups throughout the day
03/24/12
5 TGUs R/L, switching sides after each one - 12kg
KB Deadlift - 2x5 - 32kg
Press - 2x5 R/L - 12kg
Goblet Squat 2X5 - 24kg
5/5/5 2 hand swing ladder X 8 w.16lg, 20kg, 24 kg
03/25/12
Had a session w.Mike Perry of Skill of Strength, in their new spot. What a beautiful room to train in! The session went great - went over TGU, Press and swing....just barely had time to get into snatch....I've been working on it on my own. It's coming along, slowly, but surely.
Things I need to work on:
In my TGU, slowing down my roll up to my elbow and engaging my lats.
In my single arm swing, keeping my lats engaged and my shoulders square...also, keeping my arm/elbow in tight against my body until my hips pop.
In my swing, making sure I hinge when the bell hits my crotch and not before.
On my in between days, I did KB fusion classes (Tues/Thurs) as well as taught spin (Wed/Fri).....cardio endurance can only help me during the snatch test :)........
6 months to go!!!! Feeling good :)
RKC is 6 months away. It's now or never....
Here is what I did for the week:
03/19/12
3 TGU on each side before switching, holding 5(s) in each position - 12kg
2x5 Chin-ups - I can (barely) do 2 consecutive unassisted chin-ups...I put a little step stool down under the bar to help finish my sets
4X5 KB Deadlifts - 32kg.....can go heavier, but my 32kg is the heaviest bell I have.
Press ladder - 2,3,5 R/L X2 - 12kg
One arm swings - 6R/6L X 10 sets - 16kg
03/21/12
4 TGU on each side before switching -12kg
4X5 KB Single arm Deadlifts - 24kg
Clean, Squat, Press complex - 2,3,4 R/L X 4(!!!)- not putting bell down until both sides are done - did 3 sets w.12kg, 1 set w.10kg
Alternating Swings 8R/8L X 6 sets - 16kg
GTG Chin-ups throughout the day
03/24/12
5 TGUs R/L, switching sides after each one - 12kg
KB Deadlift - 2x5 - 32kg
Press - 2x5 R/L - 12kg
Goblet Squat 2X5 - 24kg
5/5/5 2 hand swing ladder X 8 w.16lg, 20kg, 24 kg
03/25/12
Had a session w.Mike Perry of Skill of Strength, in their new spot. What a beautiful room to train in! The session went great - went over TGU, Press and swing....just barely had time to get into snatch....I've been working on it on my own. It's coming along, slowly, but surely.
Things I need to work on:
In my TGU, slowing down my roll up to my elbow and engaging my lats.
In my single arm swing, keeping my lats engaged and my shoulders square...also, keeping my arm/elbow in tight against my body until my hips pop.
In my swing, making sure I hinge when the bell hits my crotch and not before.
On my in between days, I did KB fusion classes (Tues/Thurs) as well as taught spin (Wed/Fri).....cardio endurance can only help me during the snatch test :)........
6 months to go!!!! Feeling good :)
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
RKC update, and a Paelo/Primal treat, Chocolate Chip Cookie
Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) update! It's official...I'm headed to the RKC, in Philly, September 28-30th. When the dates were announced, I screamed with excitement and groaned with nausea from getting that sick to my stomach feeling.
For those who might not understand why I would have these feelings, to make RKC would fulfill a HUGE personal goal that I've set for myself. I will be just shy of 43 yrs old when I go for the certification and I've made it a personal goal to see if I can make it through the weekend and become certified. Not everyone who goes to the certification passes; there is a 25-30% failure rate.
From what I understand, it's a weekend of learning and intense exercise. There are a number of physical tests that one has to pass in order to make RKC, and your performance the entire weekend is also taken into consideration.
I've met some super RKCs on line (Facebook and Twitter), as well as in person when I did my entry level kettlebell certification, called Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC), this past September, 2011. There is a camaraderie that is felt amongst the RKCs/HKCs, and it's been great to get their support.
I've enlisted an RKC II to help me train, Michael Perry of Skill of Strength (skillofstrength.com). I met Mike at my HKC certification, where his wife Amanda, was doing the cert as well. Amanda is going for her RKC in 1 month's time in St Paul, Minnesota. You can read about her training at sistasofstrength.com.
I've already had a number of setbacks to my training that make me wonder if I'll be able to do it; More often than not, I'm left with a feeling of self doubt. Mike wrote me a great program to do for 4-6 weeks. I was feeling very strong doing the program for about 2 weeks. Then I woke up with a pain under my collar bone, which radiated into my shoulder and arm. I'm not sure what happened. The pain persisted for a number of days and eased up enough for me to pick up the kettlebells again, but still hasn't totally gone away.
Shortly after that, my son, whom many of you know has Asperger's Syndrome/ADHD, was having many problems at school and home, and eventually ended up needing a 2+ week hospitalization. I can't put into words what it feels like to leave your 9yr old child at a pediatric psych unit. I just can't. The past month was exhausting, both emotionally and physically, and following a kettlebell program just wasn't in my cards.
Most recently another injury kicked in: my facet joint arthoprathy of the lumbar spine presented itself as I was working out last Thursday. It's basically arthritis of the joints of my lumbar spine. The area where my lumbar spine meets the sacrum seized up on me and I've been in agony since. Today is the first day that it's felt better. I actually picked the bell up today and tried a few swings. Felt ok, some pain upon hinging back, but gave me hope that I can start swinging fairly soon.
I feel terrible about not being able to work out and my diet has suffered since I was basically going back and forth to the hospital, every day for 15+ days, and got totally off of my diet and food routine. I just need to feel strong and grounded again......
So, I hope to be back on track with the program that Mike wrote for me w.in a few days. I will keep you posted. Until then, please enjoy these treats, Paleo/Primal friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies. I adapted the recipe from the folks at Primal Palate. Their website is fantastic - check it here: The Food Lover's Kitchen. I made a couple changes to the recipe, one which was to omit some of the almond flour for some coconut flour, and the second, reducing the amount of salt by half. The cookies came out great! SOOOO delicious!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe adapted from The Food Lover's Kitchen)
2.5 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
2 eggs
1.5 cups chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand which are gluten and dairy free)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; mix your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a separate, large bowl, beat the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla together until well combined. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and beat until combined.
3. Pour the melted coconut oil over the mix and beat until combined.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. On parchment paper lined baking sheets, drop tablespoon sized balls of dough, then press them down slightly prior to baking.
6. Bake for 10-14 minutes; check at 10 minutes and let them go another couple minutes if the cookies are not firm enough, or are not brown enough.
7. Remove from oven and transfer to rack to cool.
The cookies have a great texture and flavor and I seriously have been ODing on them the past few days (which is unfortunate given that I haven't been able to workout....can you see why I'm itching to get back on the wagon??)....
Enjoy!
For those who might not understand why I would have these feelings, to make RKC would fulfill a HUGE personal goal that I've set for myself. I will be just shy of 43 yrs old when I go for the certification and I've made it a personal goal to see if I can make it through the weekend and become certified. Not everyone who goes to the certification passes; there is a 25-30% failure rate.
From what I understand, it's a weekend of learning and intense exercise. There are a number of physical tests that one has to pass in order to make RKC, and your performance the entire weekend is also taken into consideration.
I've met some super RKCs on line (Facebook and Twitter), as well as in person when I did my entry level kettlebell certification, called Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification (HKC), this past September, 2011. There is a camaraderie that is felt amongst the RKCs/HKCs, and it's been great to get their support.
I've enlisted an RKC II to help me train, Michael Perry of Skill of Strength (skillofstrength.com). I met Mike at my HKC certification, where his wife Amanda, was doing the cert as well. Amanda is going for her RKC in 1 month's time in St Paul, Minnesota. You can read about her training at sistasofstrength.com.
I've already had a number of setbacks to my training that make me wonder if I'll be able to do it; More often than not, I'm left with a feeling of self doubt. Mike wrote me a great program to do for 4-6 weeks. I was feeling very strong doing the program for about 2 weeks. Then I woke up with a pain under my collar bone, which radiated into my shoulder and arm. I'm not sure what happened. The pain persisted for a number of days and eased up enough for me to pick up the kettlebells again, but still hasn't totally gone away.
Shortly after that, my son, whom many of you know has Asperger's Syndrome/ADHD, was having many problems at school and home, and eventually ended up needing a 2+ week hospitalization. I can't put into words what it feels like to leave your 9yr old child at a pediatric psych unit. I just can't. The past month was exhausting, both emotionally and physically, and following a kettlebell program just wasn't in my cards.
Most recently another injury kicked in: my facet joint arthoprathy of the lumbar spine presented itself as I was working out last Thursday. It's basically arthritis of the joints of my lumbar spine. The area where my lumbar spine meets the sacrum seized up on me and I've been in agony since. Today is the first day that it's felt better. I actually picked the bell up today and tried a few swings. Felt ok, some pain upon hinging back, but gave me hope that I can start swinging fairly soon.
I feel terrible about not being able to work out and my diet has suffered since I was basically going back and forth to the hospital, every day for 15+ days, and got totally off of my diet and food routine. I just need to feel strong and grounded again......
So, I hope to be back on track with the program that Mike wrote for me w.in a few days. I will keep you posted. Until then, please enjoy these treats, Paleo/Primal friendly Chocolate Chip Cookies. I adapted the recipe from the folks at Primal Palate. Their website is fantastic - check it here: The Food Lover's Kitchen. I made a couple changes to the recipe, one which was to omit some of the almond flour for some coconut flour, and the second, reducing the amount of salt by half. The cookies came out great! SOOOO delicious!
Chocolate Chip Cookies (recipe adapted from The Food Lover's Kitchen)
2.5 cups almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
2 eggs
1.5 cups chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life brand which are gluten and dairy free)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees; mix your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a separate, large bowl, beat the eggs, maple syrup and vanilla together until well combined. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and beat until combined.
3. Pour the melted coconut oil over the mix and beat until combined.
4. Stir in the chocolate chips.
5. On parchment paper lined baking sheets, drop tablespoon sized balls of dough, then press them down slightly prior to baking.
6. Bake for 10-14 minutes; check at 10 minutes and let them go another couple minutes if the cookies are not firm enough, or are not brown enough.
7. Remove from oven and transfer to rack to cool.
The cookies have a great texture and flavor and I seriously have been ODing on them the past few days (which is unfortunate given that I haven't been able to workout....can you see why I'm itching to get back on the wagon??)....Enjoy!
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