WOD: SDHP and push press

Today's WOD:

21-18-15-12-9-6-3 reps for time of:

SDHP 55#
Push press 55#

My time: 15:52. I actually did this one before, in April, at 48#. I wish I could say I increased weight AND crushed my time, but I actually took a minute and a half longer today. Oh well.

Knitting

I promised you some knitting pictures, so here you are. First, a sock I finished this weekend. Simple gray stockinette with navy blue heel and stripes on the leg.


No, I haven't started its mate yet, because I got distracted and started this sock. It's a garter rib leg, and it will have a plain stockinette foot. The garter rib is alternating rounds of 1) knit all and 2) K2 P2. Kind of hard to see in this picture, but it makes a nice squishy texture. The green is more forest-y and less minty than it appears in the photo.


Serious Link

• Is the Primal Blueprint a Type of Asceticism? from Mark's Daily Apple

Funny and Crafty Links

• Putting Your Foot In It from Not Always Right
• At Least They Made It to the Paper Anniversary from Not Always Right
• Needlefelted monsters in a pitcher via Craftzine

WOD: OHS and pull-ups

Today's WOD:

Press 3-3-3-3-3 at 65#

then

21-15-9 reps for time of:

Overhead squat 55#
Pull-ups

My time: 8:37. The pull-ups did not go well - forearms were killing me and my grip strength fell off fast. The OHS went okay - I wish I could have done them at 65# but it would have been too slow. The 65# press was a new PR. I know, it doesn't sound like much, but I did try and fail at 70.

Sunday's snowboarding lesson went pretty well, no crying, no breakdowns, no injuries. Plenty of falling, and I think it's going to be a long slow learning curve, but I'm willing to stick with it until I get it.

Saturday's weightlifting clinic went great. Learned a lot about going overhead in the snatch and the jerk. We had a pretty big crowd, see below. Got to meet Carissa Gump, who went to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, and heard about her experience. She was really nice and had lots of great advice, and it's so inspirational to meet someone at that level.


And there has been lots of knitting but not enough photo taking. Stay tuned for a knitting update tomorrow or Wednesday.

WOD: Great Balls of Fire

Today's WOD:

Deadlift 5-5-5-5-5 at 145#

then

8 tabata intervals each of:

Wallball 14# 8 ft target
Ballslams

My score: 149. Deadlifts and wallball are an evil combo. My legs are shaky - walking will be tricky today.

I'm glad I had Wednesday off because this is going to be a tiring weekend! Tomorrow is the 3-hour clinic on going overhead in Olympic lifting, and Sunday is my first snowboarding lesson. Here's the board I got (it's the Burton Feather). Isn't it pretty? I'm really excited to learn!


Crafty Links

I'll end with some typographic/techie crafts, all via Craftzine:

iphone home button earrings

typewriter key ring

typographic coasters

Have a great weekend!

Some thoughts on body image

Today's WOD:

5 rounds for time of:

15 pull-ups
20 push-ups
30 KB swings

My time: 19:35. Very painful. The swings killed my grip strength so I was doing sets of 2 and 3 on the pull-ups. Mostly sets of 2. I know I can do better than that, but at least I got through it.

Some Thoughts on Body Image

So some interesting stuff came up at the 9:30 class today. Specifically, the issue of body image.

It kills me to hear the things women will say about their bodies. The most beautiful woman in the world will find flaws in her body and tell you all about them. Today, I heard three women, all of whom are physically elite, extremely strong and lean and fit, say negative things about their bodies and express concern about their bodies changing in a way they don't like.

I think that, as women, we need to love our bodies no matter what.

Someone once said to me that you should not say something to or about yourself that you wouldn't say to or about someone you love. So I don't. I would never tell a friend that her thighs were too big, so I never said that to myself. Instead, I would say she was curvy, so I said that to myself. When I lost weight and my chest shrank down to pre-pubescent levels, I just laughed and said, I look slim and athletic now, and hey, models don't have breasts either. I think it is critical to use kind and positive words with ourselves and to understand that it is in our own power to love our bodies. It is not just about words, but it starts with words.

And it doesn't have to be empty statements, that self-affirmation crap. When you walk across a room, think about what you LIKE about your body. When people compliment you, thank them and smile. And BELIEVE them. It feels good. It doesn't make you a bad person. We're often raised to think that humility means denigrating ourselves. But there's a difference between being humble and being negative and self-destructive.

Every woman I train with is beautiful. They are beautiful because they are strong and disciplined and committed. They are beautiful because they are warm and supportive and kind. They are beautiful because they take care of their bodies. They are beautiful because beauty is subjective, and we see beauty where we look for it. I look for it, and I see it.

Paleo Pot Roast Chili

I'm home sick today. So no workout, but I'll share a paleo recipe. If you're a paleo-type, or thinking about trying it, be sure to check out the Paleo Resource Page (link on the sidebar) and let me know what you think.

Paleo Pot Roast Chili

This ended up as a combination of pot roast and chili. It's the best of both worlds - all the tenderness of pot roast and all the flavor of chili!

1 medium onion, diced
handful of peppers, minced (whatever kind you like)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5-2 lb eye round roast
1/2 cup red wine (could use beef stock instead to make it 100% paleo)
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
1/3 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1-2 tsp chili powder
2-3 tsp agave
1 can diced tomatoes

Put the diced onion in the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle the peppers on top. Drizzle the olive oil over the veggies.

Season the roast with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste and place it on top of the veggies.

Pour the red wine or stock over top, then add the chipotles in adobo sauce, then sprinkle chili powder on top. Drizzle agave on top of that.

Set it to cook for 8 hours on low.

When about 3 hours are left, pour the can of diced tomatoes on top.

When the 8 hours are up, pull the roast out, cut it into large pieces, and shred the pieces with two forks. Return the shredded meat to the crockpot and stir well. Season the chili to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce.

Just some links

I have a cold. I barely slept last night. I'm loopy on dayquil. I had a bad workout, during which I tried very hard to not have a bad attitude. I lost a proposal at work (no, not the BIG one - just a small one). I'm feeling pretty worn out. So today you're just getting some links.

Know It All Pencil Set via Craftzine


A Snowman Kit via Whip Up (Mom, I know you love snowman kits)


A cool Tree Rug from Dwell Studio, via Oh Joy

WOD: AMRAP thrusters, burpees, and box jumps

Today's WOD:

AMRAP in 20:00 of:

5 thrusters 55#
10 burpees
15 box jumps 20"

I got 6 rounds + 5 + 10 + 3. That was a rough one. And I did it on cold medicine. I think it would have gone better if I had been feeling healthy. I was a little wobbly especially on the box jumps. But the workout energized me and lifted my mood - I'm all about exercising when (a little) sick.

Paleo Experiment

If you're an FCF member and you're thinking about maybe doing the Paleo experiment in either the control or the paleo group, even if you're just a tiny bit interested, check out the announcement on the FCF News and Events page. You can learn more about Paleo on the Paleo Resource Page (click on the link in the sidebar). If you have any questions at all, or if you just want to talk to someone about what participating in the experiment entails, drop me an email or leave a comment on the blog and I'll set up a time to call or meet with you. Thanks!

Speaking of Paleo, I got myself an impulse-buy present at Costco this weekend:
A new crock pot! I love it! I used it to make some amazing shredded beef paleo chili yesterday. I'll try to get an approximation of the recipe written up and post it this week.

Knitting

In knitting news, apparently I really like green and blue. The hat for my coworker's grandson (too-small and hopefully just-right versions), green monkey socks, blue mystery Xmas socks, and a blue lace scarf that is on hold for now. I'm just loving these colors now! I'm even wearing green and blue today!


My Dad

I just wanted to write a note about my dad. He has just recently started a program of workouts on the rowing machine, and he is doing great and showing huge time improvements already. He has already exceeded my expectations a couple of times. Way to go, Dad! Keep up the great work. We're going to get you back up to that 10k row you used to do, and you're going to be embarrassing CrossFitters with your sprint times too.