KnitFit

Get under the bar (again)

2012-02-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday's Workout:

Oly class: skill work on snatch

I worked on dropping into a squat snatch and got up to 65#. I've spent the last year only doing power snatch, so it's time to learn how to get under the bar again. Ryan is going to hold me to it!

The mover is coming to do an estimate today, and we may be moved as soon as Saturday. If there's not too much snow for the truck to get through. Lots of packing to do!

Links

How to organize your kitchen pantry from Unclutterer
Realistic Duct Tape Roses via Craftzine
Recipe: Chocolate Filled Raspberries via Craftzine (with extra dark chocolate!)
Boobie beanie for breastfeeding via Knithacker (love this but Alek would never forgive me)
Baby takes a trip from Things Organized Neatly
Winter Survival Guide from Things Organized Neatly (sub out potato whiskey to make it gluten free):

Moving!

2012-02-07T13:29:00.002-07:00

Yesterday's workout:

Strict press 1 rep max

62.5#

then

5 rounds for time of:

7 muscle-up progressions
21 KB SDHP 16 kg

11:48

Finally moving!

Well, we found a townhouse to rent in South Boulder, so we're going to wait there for our mountain house to sell. I think we're moving this weekend. It's been more than a year and a half since we decided to move, and I can't believe we're finally going to be in town. Definitely downsizing for now, but it's not forever, and it will be so much more convenient to be in town. Working from home, I was starting to feel very isolated, and it was such a production to come into town for a workout. Even with Boulder traffic at its Bouldery worst, I will now be able to make it to the office or the gym in 15 minutes. And hopefully we'll get to see a lot more of friends. I won't feel guilty inviting people over because they won't have to drive up a mountain!

We've done some packing, but there's so much more to do! But I'm eager to get settled in the new place, and Mike and I always like a challenge.

The best part of the new place? It's a 4 MINUTE drive from the yarn store. :)

Back to the gym

2012-02-01T21:07:00.001-07:00

I waited my two weeks, my back is better, and now I'm back in the gym.

Yesterday's workout:
3 strict presses on the minute for 12:00

45#

then

7 rounds of:

7 deadlifts 85#
7 ring rows

6:40

Today's Oly workout
3 x (1 clean, 3 front squats)
3 x (1 clean, 2 front squats)
3 x (1 clean, 1 front squats)
1-1-1-1-1 clean

55-85#

then

4 x (2 hang power clean, 2 hang squat clean)

55#

Today Nicole posted about the importance of tracking your workouts, and I've been thinking about it. I got myself into trouble before by sort of obsessively writing down every workout and analyzing them. It got me in my own head too much and stressed me out. So I was resisting the urge to record every workout. But I like blogging about my workouts, and I think being able to follow my progress helps to motivate me. I'll avoid analyzing what went well and what went badly, and how I could have done better. Just the facts.

My goal right now is getting stronger and fitter, getting back to where I was before pregnancy. I want to take my time, do it right, be careful not to sacrifice form or risk (another) injury. I just need to focus, but not the manic, stressed out kind of focus I've had in the past, but more of a calm focus. Without the pressure on myself to go heavy in workouts right away.

Exercise is what grounds me, and CrossFit is the most effective and motivational form of exercise for me. So I won't be quitting anytime soon. And soon I'll have a shorter commute to the gym - we found a townhouse in town and are hopefully moving sometime in February. Back to civilization! Looking forward to a fresh start in an awesome new location.

Tiny socks

2012-01-27T13:46:00.000-07:00

Little baby socks - so cute! Of course he wouldn't keep them on.

I had maybe a tablespoon of goat cheese on a salad yesterday, and there was a good hour of shrieking last night before bed, plus a very fussy and puke-filled day today. After almost two weeks of really, really good behavior.

So I get it. NO DAIRY. He sure does keep me honest. I hope it gets out of his system soon. I wonder how many people think they have fussy babies but they're just sensitive to what mom is eating?

A little on edge

2012-01-25T09:38:00.003-07:00

Handpainted herringbone mug via Craftzine

House Woes

I've been a little on edge lately. My house in the mountains has been on the market for a year and a half now. Since the housing market in the mountains is not showing signs of improvement, Mike and I decided a while ago that we were willing to move to a rental in town while we waited for it to sell. But it's tough to swing both a mortgage payment and rent, so we needed something budget friendly. The search has been frustrating - we are willing to make compromises to stay under budget, but seeing as we're currently living in a nice house (though inconveniently situated), it's hard to ditch it for something that seems seedy, run-down, or tiny.

So I've been diligently (obsessively?) scouring Craig's List for possibilities, putting the word out to friends, with no luck. It's been stressful and putting me on edge a bit. Well, yesterday I finally found one that *might* work, and we went to take a look at it yesterday, and I had the wrong address written down! (Can I still blame that on mommy brain or am I past that point?) We'll try to see it again, hopefully tomorrow. It would be so nice if it worked out, so we could finally go forward with moving plans. I'm ready for a fresh start in a new location where I don't feel isolated, where I can run out to the grocery store or the office or a friend's house, and where Mike's commute is shortened enough that I actually get to see him for an extra hour a day.

Of course, I've tried to keep sight of the fact that we're very lucky to have a place to live, even if it's a little inconvenient/isolated for a new mom. We're lucky to have the financial means to do this rent and wait plan. And it will work out eventually. I'm just someone who makes a decision and then acts right away, and delays (especially ones that are out of my control) drive me crazy. So I've been a little stressed lately. When the move does happen, I'll be so relieved.

Links

Printable calendars from Getting Stitched on the Farm
3 ingredient guacamole from Three Squares via Chowstalker
Complete the Circle from 365 Less Things
An amazing art piece made of 1.4 million sheets of paper in 40 different colors, by Peter Wegner, via Things Organized Neatly:

Infinity scarf

2012-01-23T13:42:00.000-07:00

Made some progress on my infinity scarf:

Mike competed in the Mile High Sprints on Saturday, got a new PR on the 500 m. I had hoped to compete in these too but I just didn't feel ready, in shape, or motivated. I guess it's not weird that I don't feel like competing in athletic events 4 months post-partum, but it surprises me anyway. Oh well. I need to get back in the gym, it bums me out to be so sedentary. But I don't want to risk messing up my back, so I still have another week off.

I don't know if I want to keep doing CrossFit. I just don't care about it the way I used to. I feel like a failure. I got kicked out of my gym. I lost my friends. I lost my fitness. I haven't been successful at making friends at the new place. Then I got hurt. Gah. I could change the name of the blog to KnitLazy I guess.

Creativity and simplicity

2012-01-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

As I am currently benched (self-benched) from workouts while I wait for my back to heal, I have some non-training-related thoughts to share today. One area in my life that I try to nurture is creativity. Creativity doesn't just mean being artsy or being different from other people. Creativity is essentially a way of thinking. It is getting out of a rut, solving problems, trying and making new things. You can be creative in your work, your hobbies, even your approach to everyday tasks.

An interesting thing I've discovered is that my creative process works best when I can simplify. First, I need to simplify my surroundings. That helps me to simplify my thoughts, often going back a couple of steps to re-think my assumptions. Sometimes I need to simplify a design (in making something) or a process (writing a paper or building a model for work).

I came across two examples of this yesterday. In the first example, I was working on a proposal and just getting stuck. I don't know much about the topic but they asked me to pitch in so I did. I decided to focus on a single reference and try to really understand that reference and draw simple diagrams of the process it was describing, then simply write about that process as if I was explaining it to someone. It got me out of my rut, and I ended up with something where I was afraid I might end up with nothing.

In the second example, I was working on my infinity scarf that I posted the other day, and I was just losing interest. It was curling, which drives me nuts, and I just didn't like the way it looked and I wasn't enjoying the process anymore either. I knew I needed to rip it out, even though it was already half finished. So rip it went, and as I was ripping I thought about what I should try next. I have accumulated a lot of patterns for loop scarves and cowls because I've wanted one for a while. They come in all kinds of crazy textures. But when I stepped back, I realized I just wanted to do a simple seed stitch (1x1 checkerboard knits and purls). It makes a fabric that lies flat and has plenty of texture. I started over with seed stitch and I'm much happier with it. And I'm no longer knitting from someone else's pattern.

In everyday life we have so many opportunities for creativity. But so often I see people just doing the same thing they've always done. It's unnecessarily complicated or awkward or just not what they like. We all get stuck in ruts. I can see how new moms suffer from this because it's just so tiring taking care of a kiddo, you don't seem to have much left after all that effort. But little things like trying to cook a new dish or or trying a different order for getting ready in the morning can get me unstuck. And using the guideline of "simplify" helps me find that creative solution that's been eluding me.

Mike's picks

2012-01-18T13:30:00.000-07:00

One of the benefits of having a smart husband is that he sends me lots of interesting articles to read. So I'll share some with you today:

Getting a Degree: Less Rigor, More Value from Economix at the NY Times
All 123 Cars Being Liquidated From Saab’s Museum from Jalopnik
A tale of two espresso machines from The Endeavor
Do you have a grain brain? from Dr. Jack Kruse (the comments on this one are worth reading too)

And here are a few of my picks:

An interesting interview with designer Jean Moss from Zeneedle. Jean is a synesthete, so her take on combining colors is fascinating!
Primal Kitchen: Getting Buy-In for Real Food Lunches from Paleo Parents
I disapprove of beer, but anyone who went to college in Pennsylvania has to be excited that Yuengling Is Now America's Largest Brewer (from The Consumerist)
Inhumanity from Unhappy Hipsters

Also, today Alek is 4 months old! He is celebrating by snuggling with his stuffed bunny and whining. We are also listening to Sirius Jam On while I try to write a proposal I know nothing about. He does not like the Disco Biscuits but I do.

I love being a mom. Today he passed out after eating and then smiled in his sleep. And I went from a sarcastic, educated adult to a sappy, cooing idiot. Awww. Really, even though he has his moments (screaming meltdowns), he's a great kiddo, very enjoyable.

You're getting so big, baby boy! Happy 4 months!

Ouch

2012-01-16T09:23:00.001-07:00

Warming up on a super light deadlift Saturday I tweaked something in my right lower back. So frustrating! I could barely move on Saturday, couldn't even pick up the baby. I felt a little better yesterday, and today my mobility is much better, though I'm still a bit sore and feeling off-kilter. My post-pregnancy body is just not the same as my pre-pregnancy body (despite the hard work I've done). My core is weaker, my hip flexibility is not the same, and there are some left-right imbalances. I tried to be careful but I guess I wasn't careful enough. I just don't know my new body's cues. Anyway, I'm taking at least a week off to heal.

I'm set up in an armchair in the living room with my laptop, plenty of work to do, and a new project for when I need a break:

Pattern: 5th Avenue Infinity Scarf (Ravelry link)

Paleo pumpkin biscuits

2012-01-13T15:44:00.000-07:00

I know Mike says if it's prefixed with paleo, it's not really paleo. But whatever, sometimes you just want a treat. Especially when you've been putting some snowboarding miles in. I try to stay away from too much nut flour and sweeteners, and these biscuits kept both to a minimum and seemed to hit the spot. I had them with eggs and bacon for breakfast and under beef stew for dinner. I made up the recipe based on what I had on hand. Didn't get a photo because they went too fast!

Paleo pumpkin biscuits
1 can pumpkin
1 cup coconut flour
2 eggs
2 tbsp melted coconut oil
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp almond flour
dash salt
optional: 1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
unsweetened almond milk as needed (about 1/4 cup, maybe more)

Mix all ingredients well - it will be fairly dry. Add enough almond milk to moisten the mixture into a sticky batter that holds its shape. Drop by large spoonfuls on a cookie sheet. Bake about 20 minutes at 375F.

Big kitty

2012-01-13T15:31:00.000-07:00

A kitty was in the driveway. I didn't see it, but it left some evidence behind. (My hand for scale. Hint: that is way too big for a bobcat.)

Resolutions and commitment

2012-01-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

image from Things Organized Neatly

I go back and forth on the value of New Year's resolutions. One year I think they're stupid and the next year I make a huge list. What I like about resolutions is the idea of being open to change and trying to improve yourself. I think too many people settle into a way of being, when they could be be better, do better. Complacency is mediocrity. We can all improve in some way, and when we work on ourselves, we improve our circumstances too. What I don't like about resolutions is that most people don't mean them, they just throw them out there and then don't work on them. Commitment to change is about more than just a list of improvements you want to make, it's about making a plan and working on it every day.

Yesterday at the gym I was trying to encourage someone to try to get unassisted pull-ups, and I said that it took me 9 months to get one. To me, that seems like a long time, so I meant it like, "Look, it may take a while, but you can and will get it eventually." Someone else chimed in and said she had been training much longer than 9 months and she still wasn't any closer to unassisted pull-ups. I realized that she thought I meant it was just a matter of waiting. So I added - I worked on them every day. Every day that I was in the gym (4-5 days a week), for 6 months (the first 3 months I was just figuring out how to survive CrossFit). Really. I would get there a little early, and I would work on it for a few minutes. And eventually I got it. That's how you get something you want. You work on it, consistently. You have to be dedicated. It doesn't always come easily, but most things that are worth getting don't come easily.

Anyway, that's my approach to resolutions, when I make them. I work on them every day. I set specific goals. I measure progress. I stay focused. Here are the three areas I'm going to work on this year.

Relationships. This is the area I need to work on the most. Friends, family, marriage, kiddo. I have some specifics, but that's too personal for the blog and I won't get into it.
Habits. There are a few things that fall into this category, but the main idea is being aware and in the moment and taking my time to build good habits and not be reckless. From not slamming cupboard doors to not losing time with aimless web surfing to taking a deep breath and not losing my temper. Avoiding what is automatic and being more mindful.
Big dreams. This means I'm not going to put off the "someday I'm going to" stuff anymore. I took the first step by finally starting my Etsy store. I'm going to do some serious writing. I'm finally going to take the steps I need to change my living situation and move back into town. I'm going to make short and long term plans and take concrete steps to achieve the major life and career goals that I have.

Notice there are no "get in shape" resolutions. I do have a goal in that area: to get back to my pre-pregnancy level of fitness. But I know that this is enough of a habit and a part of my life that it will happen. It doesn't require a resolution. Same thing for the "eat healthy" and the "save money" resolutions.

Enough preaching. Here are some links to enjoy. I thought the first one from the WSJ was particularly interesting (and it's short too).

Links

The Rise of Consumption Equality from the Wall Street Journal
The Important Difference Between Correlation and Causation from Graph Jam
Where To Get Free Books For Your E-Reader from The Consumerist
Couple Finally Retrieves Engagement Ring Stuck In The Toilet For 36 Years from The Consumerist
DIY Milk Glass via Craftzine

I can't walk up the stairs

2011-12-29T13:09:00.000-07:00

Well, 2 days of (fairly) heavy squats and the stairs are pretty difficult for me. Here's what I've been up to:

Tuesday was:

1 rep max of back squat and strict press

I was fairly conservative and got up to 105# and 65#. I did try 115 but didn't get full depth. I feel like my body's cues are not the same as before pregnancy (stretched out ligaments?) and I need to relearn body position. I could have done more on the press I think. Next time!

Wednesday I came in for strength class and we did:

6-6-6-6-6 good morning into low bar back squat

55-60-65-70-75#

then

6x3 narrow-grip dead-hang chin-ups

I used 2 bands.

They also did push-ups, but I'm still not allowed to do those so I snuck out early. My abs are healing and I should have my restrictions lifted in a few more weeks. I'm not ever supposed to do sit-ups again though, because that risks reopening the diastisis (the separation of the muscles). Fine by me, I think situps are pretty useless. I'd rather get up the right way - TGUs! And I'm a fan of strengthening the core with coordinated whole-body movements, like the Olympic lifts or overhead squats or toes to bar, rather than isolation movements like crunches or sit-ups. I always found it odd that CrossFit includes sit-ups in workouts - kind of like including bicep curls.

It has been a lot of work and some discomfort to heal this separation, but it's worth it - my stomach looks much flatter and my core is getting stronger. I highly recommend Abby, the therapist who's been helping me. You can find her at Pea in the Pod Fitness.

Etsy shop

2011-12-27T15:32:00.002-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice holiday. Mine was relaxing, we just stayed home and hung out with the kiddo.

Now for some news:

I've been talking about it forever, but I finally followed through - I have an Etsy store! Check it out: Gina Santari Handknits

(Note: Gina Santari is me, it's like a pen name. Just wanted to separate the knitting stuff from my professional life, so I didn't want to use my real name.)

I only have a few things listed so far, but I have plans to make and post more soon. If you know anyone looking for a special handknit gift, send them my way! I only have baby stuff on there now, but I may expand beyond that, and I'm also open to doing custom orders.

Pairs

2011-12-19T18:24:00.002-07:00

I paired up some links for you today:

Scientific and personal takes on EATING MEAT
Practical and decorative FELT PROJECTS
BRIGHT GRAPHICS in seasonal and year-long

Christmas tree desktop wallpaper via How About Orange

Friday links

2011-12-16T10:06:00.001-07:00

Links

Talking Race Because No One Else Wants To from CrossFit Drywall
Norway Is Running Out Of Butter Amidst High-Fat Dieting Fad via The Consumerist
Plastic Bags from xkcd
Unitasker Wednesday: The Elf on the Shelf from Unclutterer
Cute Book Alert: Makes & Takes for Kids from Modern Kiddo
Peppermint Soap Stocking Stuffer via Craftzine:

OHS, booyah

2011-12-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

In strength class today we got to do my favorite lift, the almighty overhead squat.

OHS 3-2-2-1-1-1-1-1-1

55-60-65-70-75-77.5-80-75-65#

I maxed at 80, felt like I was pushing it, and backed it down so I could get a couple more lifts with good form.

And here is Alek in his new hat that matches Daddy's new hat:

When he gets bigger I'll fold the brim down. He is being considerably less cute right now as he's been maintaining a constant whine for oh, I don't know, an hour now. Nerve fraying. Please chill out, kiddo.

Catch-up

2011-12-12T18:44:00.002-07:00

A little catching up today:

Friday was lifting again - 1 rep max clean and jerk. I worked my way up to 85# - the jerk was what limited me because I couldn't keep my core as tight as I wanted because of the ab separation. But it was good to go a little heavy with low reps.

Today was a named workout - Eva. As prescribed, it is 5 rounds of run 800 meters, 30 KB swings and 30 pull-ups. But I did half the reps/distance: 5 rounds of 400 meters, 15 swings and 15 pull-ups. I went too light on the swings (only 8 kg, I could have easily done 12 or even 16), but I have been tending to go too heavy and so I went too far in the other direction. Oops. Used bands for the pull-ups too. When my abs are healed I'll get to work on unassisted pull-ups. Even with all that scaling, I did feel challenged, and it was a good workout.

I'm trying not to be too analytical about my workouts these days, but I'm also not feeling very motivated. Do I need to be analytical to be motivated? I don't know. I feel kind of negative about it lately. Just don't have the passion for it that I once did. Maybe I'm just tired. Maybe it's cortisol. Maybe it's my wacked out hormones. Maybe it's being at a new place - that I'm feeling like the new kid and I have a hard time making friends and fitting in. Maybe it's just that everything is different.

Anyway, before I wallow too much I'll switch topics to knitting. I needed a quick knit this weekend to give me a sense of accomplishment, so I made father-son matching hats, a waffle texture beanie in blue wool. They're very cute. I think I'd make more of those beanies - they're quick and easy but interesting, and a good gift. It took a little math to scale it to the baby size, but the decreases on top turned out looking just like the ones on the adult hat. (link to the pattern on Ravelry)

Some other things I've seen lately on Ravelry that I like (note: you need a Ravelry account to go to these links):

And some other non-knitting links

The problem with errorbars from Graph Jam
Salmon chowder from Everyday Paleo
Caroling monster ornament from Craftzine
Printable holiday gift tags on How About Orange
Americans dread being nice this time of year from The Consumerist

Going overhead

2011-12-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

Today in strength class we went overhead:

5-5-5 Strict press
45-45-45#

3-3-3 Push press
50-55-60#

1-1-1-1-1 Push jerk
65-70-75-75-75#

I deliberately stayed pretty light to protect my separated abs. Tried for really good form. It went well! Everything felt good. I really like strength class.

Links

Tips to better enjoy your sub-zero outdoor pursuits from the Boulder Rock Club
Knitting Group Provides Zen Moments For Male Convicts via Craftzine
Are you hungry? from the Heart Scan Blog
DIY Vanilla from Carole Knits
Normal Person vs. Statistician from Graph Jam
Elk MALM Dresser from Ikea Hacker:

Fast and free knitting patterns

2011-12-01T10:49:00.001-07:00

The snow is falling (a lot of snow is falling), so even though the baby is asleep and I should be working, my mind started to wander to warm and wooly thoughts. I started browsing the new patterns in Ravelry and found three simple quick patterns that are perfect for last-minute gifts. And they're free! For the first year in a long time I'm actually not knitting my Christmas gifts, but maybe I'll get a head start on next year. Any knitter readers who are panicking about gifts, maybe this will help you out.

Remember, when a pattern calls for bulky or super bulky yarn and all you have in the house is worsted weight, you can always double or triple strand it!

A super bulky winter hat pattern for babies and toddlers (and here's the one for adults) from A Crafty House
A buttoned scarf from Handspun Heart
The eleventh hour blanket from the Purl Bee:

Deadliftin'

2011-11-30T16:21:00.001-07:00

I went to strength class today, and we did:

5-5-5-5 low pull deadlift (standing on a plate) at 115#
3:00 rest between sets

then

touch and go set of 10 regular deadlifts (from the floor) at the same weight

then

3 attempts at max hang from the bar (for grip strength)

I got 30 sec, 45 sec, and 1 minute. Either I figured something out or I was sandbagging it on the earlier attempts. Actually I just pretended I was climbing and hanging on a hold for the second and third attempts and that put me in the right frame of mind to hang longer.

All in all, the workout went great. The weight was fairly light for me, but good for just starting back. It seems my metcon has suffered more than my strength. I always like lifting and it's good to get back to it. I'll try to attend the strength classes once a week now.

In knitting news, the booties I knit for Alek fit him now. Yay! So adorable, and his feet will be toasty warm .

A Primal Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T14:26:00.001-07:00

I went in for an atonement workout the day after Thanksgiving, and it was Murph. Murph is a hero WOD, and it's a long one:

Run 1 mile
100 pull-ups
200 push-ups
300 squats
Run 1 mile

The work in the middle can be broken up however you like so I did 20 rounds of 5-10-15. I substituted dumbbell press for the push-ups because of my ab separation restrictions, and I used one band for the pull-ups. It took me 60 minutes to do the whole thing, and even though the squats hurt pretty bad, the worst part of it by far was the run. I haven't run in almost a year, and the first mile wasn't too awful, but I ended up having to walk some of the second mile. I am so not a runner. Anyway, just glad I finished!

What did I have to atone for? Well, it was an almost Paleo Thanksgiving. 100 percent grain free. But there was dessert: Flourless Chocolate Cake

Basically just chocolate, butter, eggs, and sugar. I cut out most of the sugar, but there was plenty more sugar in the chocolate. I'm not a big fan of Paleo-prefixed desserts because they tend to be very heavy in nuts and sweeteners and not really in the spirit of Paleo at all. So I just went for a regular dessert that happens to not contain any grains. It was pretty easy and very successful - tasted rich and decadent like restaurant flourless cake. The rest of dinner was quite primal - turkey legs basted with bacon fat, gravy from the drippings and arrowroot powder, baked sweet potatoes mashed with heavy cream, green beans, and a big salad. Nope, I didn't miss the stuffing, rolls, corn, or pie. I think my favorite part (other than that super indulgent cake) was the crispy skin on the turkey, which rendered with the bacon fat. People who won't try going Paleo focus on the things they'll miss, and they forget that you pretty much eat like a king. All that fat and protein is very satisfying and doesn't leave you feeling bloated and tired like the usual carb fest does. And skipping the wheat means you're saying "no thanks" to a whole host of health problems, from arthritis to heart disease. This was my easiest Thanksgiving dinner to cook too. The leftovers were great - lots of meat and I made turkey soup from the bones.

Enough going on about food - I'll end with some links:

Painted Into a Corner from Everyday Paleo
Walking Through Doorways Can Possibly Make You Forget Things from The Consumerist
Kermit the Frog Finger Puppet via Craftzine
Purl Soho's Holiday Gift List 2011
Ziggity Shawl Pattern from Through the Loops
Winter Stitchettes from Wee Wonderfuls:

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-22T13:18:00.001-07:00

I haven't done one of these in forever, but this one is a good one.

10 Things For Which I'm Thankful

My baby boy. It's not easy being a new mom, but I'm grateful every day.
My husband, for being such a rock and turning out to be a kind and patient daddy.
My job, for letting me work from home.
The friends who stuck by me and supported me during a tough year.
My parents for being good grandparents, and my brother, who will be an awesome uncle.
A new place to train. It means a lot to me to have a community, an outlet, and a place to work towards my goals.
Colorado. I love living here. It's beautiful and exciting and truly is my home.
Good health, and the knowledge of how to stay healthy.
Financial stability. I'm at a point in my life where I can afford to plan fun things and not sweat the small stuff.
A day off!

Balance

2011-11-16T09:33:00.001-07:00

Whew. I finally have a whole day at home where I'm not desperately playing catch-up, so I can get back on track with a blog post.

I've been back to CrossFit for over a week now. It's really rough to come back. Yesterday we did 150 wallballs for time and I couldn't even finish. My body just failed. It's definitely a process to get back to where I was. I have trouble getting myself to scale the workouts down enough. And during pregnancy and childbirth my abdominal muscles separated, so I'm basically working with an injury, which I've never had to deal with before. I saw a physical therapist yesterday and am starting work on repairing my abs, plus I have a better idea of what exercises I need to avoid, so I think moving forward I'll just treat postpartum like an injury and really try to be smart about what I'm doing, and not beat myself up so much for going easier. That requires setting ego aside, which is difficult for me! But I need to do it.

It's always easy for me to write about the ins and outs of training, but the bigger life issue I'm dealing with now is balance. I feel like I have a dozen balls in the air and I don't even know how to juggle. I was doing okay with baby care and part-time work and an occasional climbing date or doctors appointment. But last week I added workouts (3 a week) and this week I'm adding more hours at work and physical therapy, and so I'm getting pretty overwhelmed. The key is to prioritize the different areas of my life, but the problem with that is that while I'm pretty disciplined, that means I don't have much experience prioritizing. I tend to say, well, just work harder and do it all. But taking care of an infant all day and never getting an uninterrupted night's sleep takes its toll on my usual ability to always dig deeper.

The areas of life I'm trying to juggle are: child care, work, exercise, physical therapy, home stuff, social life, and me time. And that's about the order of priority. But that doesn't mean they're not all important and often interconnected. And that's where I struggle. Let me set the scene.

I'm working on my laptop with one eye on the baby, and I realize I'm stressed out by the mess in the room, so I start cleaning up, then I realize I didn't thaw any meat for dinner, then the baby starts crying and how long has it been since I fed him? Oh, I didn't do my physical therapy exercises yet. And I'm exhausted from the drive down the mountain this morning and the workout and errands and the drive back up the mountain. And has it really been only 3 days since I did laundry? Did I feed the bunnies? But now I need to get on the phone for that telecon, and the baby is still crying and will they hear him eating if I put the phone on speaker? And I really just want to sit down with a cup of coffee (decaf so the baby's not crazy) and knit a few rows on my shawl, maybe take a picture of it and write a blog post about knitting lace, but wasn't I going to email someone about getting together for lunch next week? Wait, I didn't schedule the doctors appointments yet - put that on the list next to the groceries I forgot to pick up and the automated bill pay I have to reset because I lost my wallet Saturday and had to cancel all my credit cards. (Yeah, that really happened.)

Ughhhh. But the good part is that I'm staying afloat. The house isn't a disaster, I manage to get dinner made every night, I haven't gotten fired yet, my kid is growing and thriving and I haven't dropped him on his head, and my body is getting stronger too. I've seen friends a few times, and I'm learning how to work fast whenever a nap happens.

Anyway, that's why I haven't been posting, even though I really want to. I was so consistent about posting for years, and now I've probably lost all my readers. But I'll keep writing when I can because the blog has been an important outlet for me, and I still love writing about CrossFit, and knitting, and nutrition, and all the other random stuff. I hope you'll keep reading, even if it's not what it used to be.

Back to CrossFit

2011-11-10T21:20:00.001-07:00

After much soul searching, I decided to start at a different CrossFit gym, CrossFit Roots. Monday was my first day, and we did weightlifting (yay)! I went again today, it was my first WOD in a long time, and it was HARD.

Monday's workout:

1 rep max of: clean, bench press, and overhead squat

We worked up to it with a rep scheme of 5-3-2-1-1-1 for each lift. I got 90#, 85#, and 70#, not near my previous maxes for those lifts, but I need to work back up to where I was! Very happy with those weights for only 7 weeks post-partum.

Today's workout:

7 rounds of:

10 burpees
1 snatch - 55#

It took me 12:30 - I think I was the last one done in the class. The burpees were really tiring because my abs are separated and my core strength is really lacking right now. I'm getting physical therapy next week to address it. The snatches weren't bad, but I need to work hard to get my technique back!

I'm excited to get back to CrossFit. It has been such a positive and inspiring thing in my life and I've missed not just the workouts but being a part of a community. I hope Roots will be a good place for me. I will try to keep a positive attitude and not get kicked out of this place.

Reality TV

2011-11-02T12:23:00.001-06:00

The other day Mike and I were talking about one of our favorite things, reality TV. And because we are both compulsively analytical, we decided we needed to come up with a categorization scheme for reality TV. And that is the kind of topic that needs to go on my poor neglected blog. Enjoy!

Level 1: Celebrating Stupidity and/or Money
Examples: Jersey Shore, Real Housewives
This is the lowest level of reality TV. No educational value, no celebrating anything about the human experience. I'm not judging. These shows are escapist and allow you to tune out mentally. I love Real Housewives - I watch both NJ and Beverly Hills, mostly to gawk at the money and the fights. I can't bring myself to watch more than a minute of Jersey Shore though.

Level 2: Dream Crushing
Examples: American Idol, The Bachelor, America's Next Top Model
This takes the experience of reality TV up a bit. Sure, these shows are great for the WINNER, but everyone else just gets their dreams crushed. Mike is a huge fan of dream crushing. I feel bad for the crushed, but these shows have been around for so long, the contestants know what they're getting into.

Level 3: Self-Improvement
Example: The Biggest Loser
The next level of reality TV is self-improvement. I'd put most of the weight loss shows in this category. There's also an awesome dating one that I'm forgetting the name of. People come on these shows to try to improve themselves in some way. They go through a transformation that is dramatized incessantly and there are lots of tears. But at least the contestants are seeking something bigger than just undeserved fame.

Level 4: Talent/Strategy
Examples: Top Chef, Project Runway, The Amazing Race
This is the highest level of reality TV. There's a reason The Amazing Race wins Emmys. They draw on contestants' innate talent, intelligence, ability to think on their feet. You don't have to feel guilty about this kind of reality TV because it's actually educational and inspirational.

Other
I'm not sure how to categorize some of the classics, like Survivor and Big Brother. They seem like strategy, but also celebrating stupidity. My general rule is that if it generates "reality TV stars", it's Level 1.

One more. Fear Factor is coming back. With Joe Rogan! That gets its own category. The Awesome category.

First postpartum workout

2011-10-23T17:11:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I did my first postpartum workout. I've climbed twice but hadn't ventured into the weight room. I tried to keep it pretty simple and take it easy so I wouldn't hurt myself. I did:

3 rounds of:

10 pull-ups
10 push-ups
10 kettlebell deadlifts 24 kg
10 each arm kettlebell strict press 8 kg

then

25 air squats

I didn't time it, just worked through it slowly. I can't do pull-ups again yet, so I used bands, and the push-ups were not great. But it felt good to get back to doing something. I've had about two months off, and I've lost a lot of strength, not to mention some weird things happened to my core muscles. So it will take some time to get back to where I was. Slow and steady, and I'll get there! I'm sore today, but it feels good.

Links

Open kitchen pantry remodel and how to keep it pretty from Small Notebook
I eliminated wheat and I didn't lose weight from the Heart Scan Blog
Natural beauty options from Everyday Paleo
Hand stitched handwriting via Craftzine
Coats coat coat store from Things Organized Neatly:

Overdue post: some links

2011-10-17T16:12:00.001-06:00

It's been a while since I posted, so I need to get on it. No time/motivation to write today, but I can share some links at least. Stay tuned, I'll write something soon!

Links

Tiny appliances from Wee Wonderfuls
Carrot cake recipe from The Heart Scan Blog
These oil-based and fabric sharpies look fun for crafts - on How About Orange
Cast silver knitting and crochet jewelry via Craftzine
Great photograph via This Animal is Awesome:

Paleo and pregnancy weight gain

2011-10-05T13:35:00.000-06:00

Paleo and pregnancy weight gain (and losing the baby weight)

I have a rant today about pregnancy weight gain, and the subsequent dreaded "losing the baby weight". I heard horror stories from lots of people about ridiculous weight gain during pregnancy and how Very Long it takes to lose said weight after the baby comes. A complete stranger at the climbing gym told me that she gained 70 pounds with her first pregnancy and 60 with her second! NOT twins by the way.

The weight issue has been a non-issue for me, and I think that is because I kept a strict Paleo diet throughout my pregnancy and after giving birth. I gained a total of 25 pounds during my pregnancy (started at 127, ended at 152), and I went 10 days past my due date. By the 10th day post-partum, I was down to 133, within 6 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight.

Throughout pregnancy (and after), I never dieted, and I never thought about food quantity, only food quality. I strictly avoided gluten grains, indulged in other grains very rarely (maybe once a month), dabbled a little in high-fat dairy but had to scrap that experiment when I broke out, and kept my sugar intake pretty low. I didn't even worry about total carb intake too much, increasing the amount of fruit and sweet potatoes I ate and adding in occasional white potatoes. Most of my diet was grass-fed/pastured meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit, butter, coconut, and plenty of dark chocolate. I felt satisfied and had plenty of energy.

I wanted to put this out there because a lot of women feel powerless over their bodies during and after pregnancy, and they can gain control by cutting out those stupid "healthy whole grains". I read so much bullshit nutrition advice on pregnancy websites, encouraging snacks like low-fat yogurt, peanut butter, bread and crackers - not to mention all the excuses about how you need to "treat yourself" and the cultural indulgence for downing large quantities of ice cream and candy when you're pregnant. It drove me crazy. This is the worst advice, guaranteed to make you put on too much weight. And we wonder why the numbers of women with gestational diabetes keep rising?

I'm awfully glad I didn't listen to conventional wisdom about pregnancy nutrition and instead made an effort to understand the actual research and mechanisms. People will say that I'm "lucky" because I didn't gain much weight and lost it so quickly. But I bristle at that. I worked hard to eat healthy foods, I didn't indulge in junk food, and it was not always easy. But I knew that by choosing the right foods and avoiding problematic ones, I was doing the best I could for my and my baby's health, and as a nice benefit (or even as evidence of the healthiness of this approach), I kept control over my weight.

Yes, every woman's body is different. Not everyone is going to have the exact same experience as I did. But how many women could reduce or even eliminate their struggles with baby weight if they just gave a grain-free diet a try? Most will never know because they will never hear about it, are afraid of contradicting their doctor, or just don't want to be bothered to give up their favorite foods. I just want to encourage people to give it a try and see how nice it is to retain control over your body. It is empowering and will only bolster your and your baby's health.

Bribes

2011-10-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

Trying to get back to blogging. It seems every time I start a post I wander off and do something else, like change a diaper or fetch a pacifier. All is going well with the baby. He sleeps great, for long stretches at night. He's a good eater and is growing well. He definitely has his fussy periods and can scream outrageously loud, but for the most part he is happy and mellow. I credit much of this with my diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding - this kid is getting the best nutrition I can give him and has from the beginning. More on that later. For now, I just want to ease in with some knitting.

My new fall scarf:: feather and fan pattern with narrow garter edging, made with some wool/nylon sock yarn. This was about as complicated a project as I could handle the last couple weeks. And it still took forever.

When the baby was almost a week late, I was rather uncomfortable. I may have gone a little crazy and decided that I could bribe him out by knitting him nice things. I started with a cool stripey hat I found on Ravelry:

Then some colorblock booties:

A simple soft white hat:

Then I got ambitious and designed my own vest and knit it up in wool leftovers. He was born the next morning.

Lesson learned. He either likes vests or wants me to work hard.

Welcome baby Alek

2011-09-24T12:07:00.001-06:00

Alek was born Sunday, September 18 at 6:00 AM. He's pretty much the best baby ever.

He:

was 7 pounds 1 oz and 20 inches long, with a 14 inch head (people always want the stats)
was 10 days late but I'm over it now
sleeps great
is a good eater
soothes to Rage Against the Machine
loves his bouncy chair
finds diaper changes and swaddling demeaning
punches and kicks with surprising accuracy and force
is super cute

I'll be back to blogging soon, just wanted to give you an update. As much as I want to jump back into everything, I need some more time for rest and recovery. Giving birth is kind of insane physically and emotionally. Also, you end up with this little person to take home with you. It's all a bit surreal still!

New socks, no baby

2011-09-09T09:24:00.002-06:00

Yarnbombing spotted in downtown Boulder.

Update: no baby yet. I did knit some socks though.

I know I've been absent. I'm taking a communication break. Being very pregnant (and now, past my due date) is extremely tiring and stressful. I'm fine/healthy, but frustrated and pretty much everything sets me off. I've found it's been much better to be offline - not checking email, not IMing, not blogging, not talking on the phone. If you haven't heard from me, that's why. I promise I'll go back online after the baby arrives. But for now, just pretend I'm on a deserted island with no internet connection. And lots of sock yarn. Oh, and pretend someone did this post for me.

A few links for you:

Koala from This Animal is Awesome
Holy (guacamole) eggs from Primal Women in the Kitchen
Family Decals from xkcd
Heel stitch hat pattern from the Purl Bee
Inigo Montoya velvet painting via Craftzine

Going back offline now...when I'm back there will be a new little person in the world. Come on, kiddo!

Wheat Belly: A cardiologist weighs in on wheat and health

2011-09-01T10:23:00.005-06:00

Dr. William Davis from Heart Scan Blog just published a book called Wheat Belly that looks terrific. Dr. Davis is a cardiologist/surgeon who has seen hundred of patients cut out wheat and make life-altering changes to their heart health and way beyond. And he's a smart, articulate guy who's really done his homework and thought clearly about the science, the practical issues, and the big picture. I've been following his blog for a while now. He just gave a compelling interview on Robb Wolf's podcast that is NOT to be missed. So stop what you're doing right now and check it out:

Dr. William Davis on The Paleo Solution

I'm not even going to post any other links today because I don't want to distract you from going and listening to this interview. If I could only get people to listen to one thing to convince them to try giving up wheat, this would be it.

Traps

2011-08-30T13:40:00.006-06:00

We made it through the weekend (it was HOT), I didn't go into labor, and Mike did a great job with five grueling workouts in two days.

Here is serious Mike, focusing before the competition:

But it wasn't all serious business (so cute!):

On a related note, I had to include this photo of some tiny shoes we got as a gift for the baby. There is just something so sweet about little bitty shoes.

Traps

I was writing up some stuff for a friend who's trying a paleo experiment, and I stumbled across an idea - traps. Traps are things that derail you from your best paleo/primal intentions and keep things like weight loss and that magic promise of no hunger elusive. Here are four traps that I've identified in my 2+ years of paleo experimentation that keep people from achieving their goals.

THE TRAP OF PALEO BAKING AND DESSERTS. I try to avoid Paleo baking or desserts and only do that on special occasions. If you do some searching, you'll find a million "paleo" cakes and cookies and snacks that really won't do you any favors because they're still full of sweeteners (and those nut flours aren't the best thing either). If I have dessert, it's usually a piece of fruit and/or a square of dark chocolate and/or a handful of nuts. By sticking to whole foods like that you can control portions better because you actually get full. It's so much easier to eat a half dozen "paleo" muffins than a half dozen apples.
THE TRAP OF GLUTEN-FREE GOODIES. Gluten-free is great. Gluten-free products are not great. They contain a) substitute grains, which aren't as bad as wheat but lead to a similar endocrine response and make you put on weight, and b) sugars to make them tasty (which also make you put on weight). It's brilliant marketing and I'm a sucker for that, so I just don't go near the gluten-free aisle in the grocery store. I try to think of it as Not Food.
THE TRAP OF HIDDEN SUGAR. Sugar is in everything, so you have to read labels. It's in every sauce, every packaged snack, every bottle of iced tea, and remember that fruit juice IS sugar. Same with dried fruits.
THE TRAP OF DRINKING YOUR CALORIES. Protein shakes, smoothies, juices, alcohol - these will all get in the way of leaning out. The problem is that they're very carb-dense without the fiber, so you just don't realize how big of a portion you're getting and how fast it's getting absorbed. So you have too much. All of these things should probably come in a shot glass, but it's always big bottles and cups, isn't it? Try to opt for things you can chew whenever possible.

Links

Know Your Online Baby Photo Rights from Alpha Mom
Primal/Paleo Parent Bloggers and Their Favorite Reads from The Primal Parent
You could take vitamin D or... from Heart Scan Blog
Stay tough, stay employed from Fortune
How to: Turn a Book into a Gadget Case via Craftzine
Fruit salad from Things Organized Neatly

Coming up: The Colorado Open 2011

2011-08-26T13:23:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow we head down to Denver so that Mike can compete in the 2011 Colorado Open. The workouts for Saturday have been posted:

Workout #1

5 rounds for time of:

10 back squats, 205 lbs (135 lbs)
10 pullups, chin over
150 meter run

Workout #2

3 rounds for time of:

10 stone shoulders, 115 lbs (70 lbs)
50 double-unders

Float Workout #3

1000 meter row

All good events for Mike. We'll try to get his game-day nutrition dialed and I will work on getting him to not stress out so much! I can't believe I did this competition last year. It seems like a lifetime ago. This year I will be cheering and also sitting in a chair and knitting. I'll try to find a good portable project or projects to work on!

Lifting at 38 weeks

2011-08-25T15:05:00.004-06:00

Yesterday's workout:

5X8 pull-downs 70#
5X8 push jerk 45#
5X8 back squat 45#

Lotsa reps, not much weight. Seemed about right, a good balance of stuff. Laurie's being a great sport keeping me company on Wednesday lifting days, and yesterday Steve was on hand too to watch with anxiety as I cleaned the bar around my increasingly ginormous stomach. I think I'll probably be sore from the squats tomorrow. I already feel the push jerks in my traps. Today was a rest day, then tomorrow a bit of climbing. I swear the little guy is at his calmest and happiest when I'm on the wall. I'll keep climbing, buddy!

Saturday and Sunday Mike is competing in the Colorado Open at Front Range CrossFit, and I'm going to cheer him on. Skip always puts on a great event and it should be a good time. I'll try to get some good photos to share. And I'll try not to go into labor while in Denver...

Links

Good news on coffee prices via The Consumerist
Seven essential knots from Whip Up
Cool kitty hideout from Ikea Hacker
Why anger spurs creativity from Freakonomics
How to: Paper Cranes from Craft Leftovers
How to: Dixie Cup Light Garland via Craftzine:

Weekend knitting

2011-08-22T09:24:00.004-06:00

This weekend I whipped up two baby hats (the left one is very stretchy):

And rounded the corner on a sock:

I was hoping to have some photos from Friday's baseball game, but we ended up not going because it was raining. We did get a hike in on Saturday - the 3 mile loop at Betasso Preserve. It was nice, not too steep, pretty shady. And I got to visit the scene of my head injury bike accident (9 years ago?? not sure). Which of course Mike had to point out to me because I couldn't remember where it was! I was definitely tired after three miles in the heat, but it was worth it to get out and enjoy the day.

Two finished objects

2011-08-18T18:05:00.003-06:00

A tiny sweater:

And a green lace shawlette (closeup):

The sweater was a huge pain, mainly because it required a ton of sewing, but I totally love the end product. The shawlette was more of a process project - it went fast and I enjoyed the whole thing.

Yesterday's workout:

5x5 sumo deadlifts 95#

5X8 press with 15# dumbbells

10 each side KB clean and squat 12 kg

Still trying to bring some knitting and some fitness to KnitFit. Can't cop out with a list of links all the time...

Linky Wednesday

2011-08-17T09:17:00.003-06:00

It's time for another linky Wednesday.

Funny Links

Perils of talking to non-CrossFitters from Drywall
Hand soap via Craftzine (hee hee)
Tornado guard from xkcd

Pretty Links

Same outfit, two ways from Oh Joy (Maybe it's just because I've been in flip flops every day for months now, but I LOVE those shoes.)
Quiz: What's your fashion style? via How About Orange (I was couture. Mike was cutting edge - yes I made him take it, but he said he just picked what "looked hot".)
Yarn and patterns to covet via Mason Dixon Knitting
Typewriters and alarm clock collections from Things Organized Neatly:

Updates

2011-08-16T10:07:00.004-06:00

Knitting Update

Baby projects that need to be finished

orange tube socks (see above)
DK-weight Brooks Farm sweater (blocked, needs to be seamed)
MDK dark gray kimono (needs to be seamed and washed)

Other projects

green shawlette (almost finished, just need to do the edging and block it)
variegated premium yarn purple socks (not started, they will be my labor project)
log cabin blanket (yeah, still not finished)
Estonian lace shawl (setting aside until I attain some mental clarity)
Mike's fall hat (not started)
a new fall scarf and hat set for me (not started)
a sweater out of the Knitscene magazine I just bought (not started)

So plenty to keep me busy. I also picked up two knitting books on super clearance at Barnes and Noble the other day for...TWO DOLLARS each. Crazy. Chock full of patterns. I wouldn't have bought them at full price, but for two bucks, if I like just one pattern in the book it's worth buying. So I'm feeling a lot of knitting inspiration lately. Not doing much reading because I'm reading all day long at work and burned out on it by the time I get home.

Activity update

I'm trying to stay active without overdoing it, so I'm on the every other day plan. Yesterday I climbed, today I'm resting, tomorrow I'll lift. Not feeling super inspired to work out but I get too antsy if I don't do something.

Baby update

He's doing good, measuring on target and still super active. I guess he had a bit of a growth spurt over the last week. He gets the hiccups a lot, and I feel bad for him until he kicks me in the ribs yet again. Sleep is elusive. Heartburn and nausea are competing with shortness of breath for my current least favorite pregnancy symptom. At this point, EVERYONE wants to know his name, but I'm not telling. I'm ready to meet this little guy. Going to start taking evening primrose oil and raspberry leaf tea and doing lots of jumping jacks (sort of kidding about that last one).

New project

2011-08-12T09:40:00.006-06:00

I finally got the knitting done on my dk-weight Brooks Farm baby sweater yesterday and blocked it (still needs to be seamed). But as a reward for getting it almost finished, I let myself start a new project, just for me. It's the Live Oak Shawlette (Ravelry link) from Knitscene, Fall 2011, in Fleece Artist Sokomo.

I needed something that wasn't baby knitting or dishcloth cotton, something sophisticated. But not as hard as my Estonian lace shawl - every time I work on that I screw something up because I'm not paying close enough attention! I rarely buy knitting magazines, but I had some time to kill on Wednesday so I went to Barnes and Noble. When I go there I inevitably end up in either stationery or periodicals. I looked at ALL of the knitting magazines, and this one was by far the best on the shelves in terms of patterns I actually wanted to knit. I think this is my fastest magazine purchase to cast on time ever. It helps that I had the perfect yarn just sitting in the stash! There's a lot of good patterns in that magazine, including a really nice pullover that I want to make. And some hats, and this, and this too (all Ravelry links).

Links

An end of summer hurrah from top to bottom from Oh Joy
64% Of Americans Can't Pay For $1,000 Emergency from The Consumerist
Stitching Concrete via Craftzine
Cool kitty from This Animal is Awesome:

Bear cubs

2011-08-11T10:52:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I saw a mama bear and her two cubs on the drive home. Baby bears are ADORABLE. One was peeking around a tree at us, so curious! Don't worry, Mike and I stayed in the truck, and I won't be going for any long walks by myself today. I wish I'd gotten a picture, but I couldn't take my eyes off them to grab my phone.

I know I said I wasn't going to post every workout, but each one feels like such an accomplishment these days, I want to write them down.

Yesterday's workout:

2 rounds of:

20 KB deadlifts 24kg
20 pull-downs 50#
20 knee raises
20 incline ring push-ups

Maybe in a couple of months I'll redo this as regular deadlifts, pull-ups, toes to bar, and regular push-ups, for time. Could be a good one.

I keep thinking that maybe the baby is dropping, then I feel feet in my ribs. I don't know if the birth is getting close or still quite a ways off. I'm struggling most with the difficulty breathing. It will definitely help if he drops. Drop, drop, drop.

Just links

2011-08-10T10:11:00.004-06:00

novastructura by Giuseppe Randazzo. Stone Fields, 2009
via Things Organized Neatly

Links

Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal by Joel Salatin of Polyface Farms (link to pdf)
Sex Ed for Adults: The chart every woman should see from Hunt, Gather, Love
Want A Starbucks? Use Jonathan's Card from The Consumerist
Sandpaper Crayon T-Shirt Transfer via Craftzine
Felt Flower Wreath via Craftzine
Password Strength from xkcd

Workout at 36 weeks and bunny snuggles

2011-08-09T09:01:00.004-06:00

Last night I spotted some bunny snuggles across the room:

I actually made it in for a close-up:

Bunny snuggles are the best. A good reason to have two bunnies.

Yesterday's workout

Back squat 5-5-5-5-5
45-50-55-60-65#

(doesn't sound like much, but at least add 20 pounds of hard-to-balance weight to those numbers)

20 walking lunges

3 rounds of:

15 double KB push press 8kg
10 ring dips (band assist)

I forgot about ring dips, I can still do those. I tried the push press with the bar but I felt it in my back too much, so I went with the kettlebells instead. I'm taking today off, not sure yet about tomorrow.

A month away!

2011-08-08T11:35:00.004-06:00

My due date is now exactly one month away. So excited! Although a month still seems like a really frickin' long time, especially given Mr. Ribkicker's favorite hobbies: kicking, punching, and some kind of weird pushing possibly to make more room for himself in Hotel Amy. So kid, here's the deal. I'm a fan of full-term delivery, and I guess that's 37 weeks, or 10 days from now. So feel free to hang out there for a while longer. But just so you know, your room is all ready, I washed your blankets and tiny clothes, and I packed my hospital bag and put it in the car. Dude, I'm ready. So when you're ready, come on out. Sure, there's a little more knitting to finish, but I can do that when you sleep, right? :)

Mike told me today that he only follows SOME of the links I post. Shocking, huh? Thought he'd be hanging on my every interest. My only criteria for posting links is that they have to be things I find interesting. So I'm wondering if other people find my links interesting. Sometimes I just put them there as a bookmark for myself, but I do try to pick a variety and share with you the best of what I'm reading. Well, here's today's selection, which includes a cute kitty sitting on pillows, a post about breastfeeding, a story about China's economy, a recipe, and of course an octopus craft project.

Links

Feeding your baby: you only know what you have been told from primalmeded
China's Hypergrowth Fueled By Building Giant Cities No One Lives In from The Consumerist
Selling Lamb Chops and a Summer Mint Pesto Recipe from Getting Stitched on the Farm
Handpainted Octopus Shower Curtain via Craftzine
Linen Stacking Pillows from The Purl Bee:

Nursery photos

2011-08-06T14:04:00.003-06:00

A small rant on form

2011-08-03T09:33:00.005-06:00

Form

One thing that struck me when watching the CrossFit Games this year was the wide variety in form and movement quality, even at this very high level of competition. It was especially apparent in the masters divisions, but I even saw it in the men's and women's Open division final events, with people who had really inefficient rowing form.

Here is an illustration of what I mean (image from Flatirons):

Rosanne is in the blue shirt, showing great form at the top of the clean. Her posture is straight and stable, her elbows are out, allowing the bar to sit on her chest, and the bar is just resting in her hands. Now look at the woman in the back, in the green shirt. She is straining, leaning back, unstable, gripping the bar tightly in her hands, with her elbows directly below her hands, putting lots of pressure on the muscles of her arms and shoulders. These are both very strong, competitive athletes. But which position do you think is more efficient and safe?

It confuses and disappoints me to see athletes who are competing at such a high level not taking form seriously. Yes, it's a lot of work to get good form, especially on something difficult and complicated like Olympic lifts (I saw firsthand how hard Rosanne worked to improve her form on the lifts). But there are great experts out there to help you with any kind of movement - you don't have to figure it all out on your own.

I suspect that for some of these extremely strong and capable athletes, there is a bit of arrogance, a failure to recognize that they are not experts at sports-specific movements, and therefore a failure to seek help and work on those movements. When you're really fast and good and can beat everyone at your affiliate even with sloppy form, I could see how you would get drawn into just going hard every day and neglecting skill work. But training is more than just going hard. You need to be honest with yourself about where you can improve.

You might say that lots of people do just fine in these competitions despite iffy form. But I would argue that they could do even better with improved form. And on top of that, they would reduce their chances of injury by just moving in more efficient and natural ways. Remember the postural differences in the photo above - who is more likely to hurt her back? It's like the nutrition argument - sure, there are world-class athletes that run on pizza and beer, but couldn't they be even better eating grass-fed beef and coconut?

I didn't start with much talent or ability, but I've always tried to maximize my potential by paying close attention to and working hard at form (and nutrition too). I think this allowed me to make gains that I never could have made if I had just tried to blast mindlessly through every workout.

Okay, enough seriousness. If you'd like a humorous look at the "World Series of Exercise", check out the Twitter summary from Drywall.

More Links

How to Achieve Uncluttered Without Going Bare, Cold, or Minimal from Small Notebook
Living Very, Very Narrowly from NPR
The new fall issue of Twist Collective - so many wonderful patterns here!
Ads On Widely-Used Medical App May Wield Dangerous Influence On Doctors from The Consumerist
Love this rig barstool from CB2:

Not taking AMRAP literally

2011-08-02T09:41:00.006-06:00

Yesterday's workout (almost 35 weeks)

AMRAP in 20 minutes:

10 KB clean and jerk each arm 8kg
8 ring rows
15 squats

I took it slow and got 6 rounds. Plenty of water breaks. It's getting even more challenging finding things I can still do without being too repetitive from workout to workout. This one worked well. At this point, to keep my motivation up, it helps to do CrossFit-style workouts (scaled and slowed way down), and it's kind of a fun mental challenge to try to piece together the things I can do like a puzzle. I got a little extra inspiration from watching the CF games all weekend.

I have some good links for you today, including a great treatise on overhead squats, my favorite exercise. Happy reading!

Links

The Overhead Squat Article from Dan John
The Produce Delusion from Hunt, Gather, Love
Is self-esteem overrated? from Barking up the wrong tree
CIA from xkcd
Great modern crosshatch onesie from Winter Water Factory, linked via Oh Joy:

Dishcloth knitting

2011-07-29T09:35:00.003-06:00

Some car knitting: a patchwork dishcloth. I figured out a pattern based on this photo from Mason Dixon Knitting:

Mine is pretty close, just need to finish that last strip and put a crochet border around the edge. This seems like a good way to use up all my cotton yarn leftovers.

Figuring out a simple pattern from a photo is fun. I've done it before, for an eyelet triangle scarf I saw on Brooklyn Tweed. I doubt I'd think it was fun if I was trying to make up a pattern from a picture of a shaped sweater or a complicated lace shawl. But when you're dealing with simple shapes and stitch patterns, it's a good exercise. I'd love to design more of my own patterns, and this is a good step in self-teaching that skill.

CrossFit Games

Don't forget about the CrossFit Games streaming coverage today! I'm hoping to watch a little before I head out to the climbing gym.

A great tweet, from the famous Drywall on location at the games: "Right now at the HDC, teams of people are moving sandbags to prepare for teams of people moving sandbags."

The sad thing is that I think that sounds really fun. And I'm not alone, because they don't seem to have any trouble finding volunteers for the games!

Friday Links

What’s a Good “Doomsday Currency”? from Freakonomics
Man Rescued Twice In One Month By Rangers In Rocky Mountains via The Consumerist
Things my bunny likes to eat from Things Organized Neatly (what, no cords??)
Short Hair For The Short Fused from Not Always Right
Laptop for a little one from Knit Hacker

Still rockin' the OHS

2011-07-28T09:29:00.005-06:00

Pretty yarn gift wrap idea via Knit Hacker

This morning's workout:

21-15-9:
OHS 45#
incline ring push-ups
knee raises

Took a long time. I went pretty slow. But the workout felt good, and it was nice to do a CrossFit-style WOD. I managed the OHS unbroken with the 45# bar and that felt awesome given that I've been feeling low energy and wobbly lately. My shoulders just locked in and everything worked. Can't drop below parallel (or bounce out of it) easily, so I went with third-trimester range-of-motion instead of strict standards, but it was pretty decent.

I can't stress enough how important exercise has been during my pregnancy. Now, nutrition is primary - the benefits of exercise pale in comparison to avoiding grains, legumes, dairy, and sugar and moderating carbs in general. But eating well has given me the energy to WANT to exercise and be active, and that exercise has kept me sane in the midst of some major emotional challenges.

No, I'm not doing CrossFit. I wish I could have. But I had enough years of experience and have done enough reading about this stuff that I had lots of ideas of things to do. I've tried to balance strength work (deadlifts, squats, presses, pull-downs, push-ups, etc.) with some more dynamic movements (kettlebells, some Oly lifting), and round it all out with fun functional stuff, like climbing and hiking (and some cautious snowboarding in the first trimester).

As your body becomes less and less your own, and as people start treating you like an invalid or a fragile flower (ugh), being able to stay active, do some difficult things, and push yourself a little gives you a sense of strength and confidence. I hold myself up straight when I walk - I won't waddle. I won't let people wait on me. I won't let someone give up their seat for me. I'm a strong woman who happens to be making a person too. Sure, I'm often tired and it's hard to take a deep breath. But knowing I can still go into a weight room and knock out some solid overhead squats, something the vast majority of the population can't do, makes me feel good. This is our evolutionary history - we women are meant to be active and strong and healthy, pregnant or not.

The CrossFit Games

The CrossFit Games start tomorrow. Looks like it will be an amazing competition this year. There's even an ocean swim for the Open division! Rosanne and Greg are both competing in Masters and I know they're going to do great. Check it out here.

Trying to keep moving

2011-07-27T11:13:00.006-06:00

24 cents via Things Organized Neatly

Yesterday's workout:

Warm-up:
20 air squats
3X10 KB snatches each arm 8 kg

5X12 KB deadlifts 24 kg
5X5 back squat 45# bar
5X5 press 45# bar

I was a total zombie when I walked in there, but the workout gave me a bit of energy. Not much (or much weight) I can still do, but it's enough to keep me moving. I just tried to focus on good form and lots of deep(ish) breaths.

While I was there someone thanked me (and all women) for doing the hard work of perpetuating the species. No problem.

Links

Why Isn’t This Working?? from Everyday Paleo
Man Uses Goat, Pizza & Darth Vader Costume To Test Limits Of Apple Store's Hospitality from The Consumerist
Cutest kitten ever from Wee Wonderfuls:

Two baby sweaters

2011-07-26T08:51:00.003-06:00

As promised, here are the photos of the two finished sweaters.

The baby surprise jacket, complete with fabulous orange buttons (click to see bigger):

And the MDK kimono in humble dishcloth cotton. There's a second one in darker gray that I still need to seam up, but it should look pretty much like this one:

Time to go for (yet another) appointment and see how big the little guy has gotten. My guess based on my discomfort level: a lot bigger. I also think he may have unusually large feet and unusually pointy knees and elbows. Or else just a ton of pent-up aggression. I'll leave you with some links.

Links

Did Women’s Lib Movement Increase Income Gap in the U.S.? from Freakonomics
Elite Media – More T Shirt Fun from Drywall (see anyone you know there?)
Columbo Amigurumi via Craftzine
Modern art potholders via Knit Hacker
Sweet Home Sweet Pillow from the Purl Bee
How to make boxes from paint swatches from How About Orange:

Red Rocks

2011-07-25T13:21:00.008-06:00

Saturday concert at Red Rocks (Buddy Guy and Steve Miller Band)

On Saturday morning we got the crib assembled. I found that print on Etsy - getting a frame for it today. Gotta show the kid that his parents are cool, right? The log cabin blanket makes me so happy. A nice mix of homemade and modern and I love the colors. I'm very proud of it.

In knitting news, I did finally sew some buttons on the Baby Surprise Jacket, so it's finished! Along with one of the two cotton MDK kimonos. I'll try to remember to get a picture. I'm in finishing mode right now - lots of projects that just need a little attention and they'll be ready to go in the drawer to await their small model's arrival.

Links

It's All Caffeine to Me from Graph Jam
Soylovers (or, why my kid will not eat soy) from Hunt Gather Love
Obligation Clutter from 365 Less Things
Knitting Knit Octopus via Craftzine
I KNOW I had these "fashion plates" spotted on Wee Wonderfuls (NOTE: I disapprove of the vegan cookbooks, but approve of the Legos and the embroidery.)
Pee Wee Herman Embroidered Pillow via Craftzine:

Station wagons and other fun links

2011-07-21T13:01:00.003-06:00

Check out Vintage Road Trip:: Station Wagons from Modern Kiddo. This 60s Volvo was my favorite!

Nostalgia

2011-07-20T10:42:00.004-06:00

The other day after my workout, I was feeling nostalgic and for some reason, I remembered that I had written a post at the end of my first year of CrossFitting. In that post I made a list of ten things I had learned over the year. This morning I dug into the archives to re-read it and see if that list still rang true. It does, even though I wrote it almost two years ago. Though I have a little different perspective on some of it now.

The whole post can be found here, but for a quick recap:

Intense exercise is the most effective exercise.
Pull-ups are not impossible. They just take a lot of practice.
(Dietary) fat is good for you.
Grains and starches are bad for you.
Body shape can change.
Fear is surmountable.
Coordination can be learned.
Strength breeds confidence.
Social support is key (even for introverts).
It takes a special kind of person to be a CrossFitter.

My reaction today:

Yes, still a big fan of intensity. I'm more aware of the role of rest and recuperation now. But I've really missed intensity in my programming and I hope after the baby comes, I can bring that back into my life.
Pull-ups were one of my proudest accomplishments. I had to work very hard to get them and it took a long time. They were sort of symbolic for me, overcoming an impossibility. I got so I loved workouts with lots of pull-ups and even saw them as a strength in the CF competitions I did. I'm not doing them now, but I hope they come back quickly.
Along with #4, the "fat is good, grains are bad" nutrition information has been even more valuable to my health than I could have imagined. Absolutely life changing.
(See above)
My body shape changed even more after that. I really looked like an athlete. It was a good feeling to carry with me all day, every day.
I used my experiences overcoming fears at CF to face some fears outside the gym. I learned how to snowboard. That was a big one. I got back on the climbing wall. And I think I'm ready to face the mountain bike again.
I continued to work very hard on my coordination, especially on the Olympic lifts, and I got pretty good at them. I even competed in a few meets. To actually get to the level where I could compete at a sport was immensely rewarding and not something I thought I'd ever accomplish as an adult.
I grew to value strength even more over the last two years. It helped me jump right in to climbing. It helped me avoid injury. And I've seen how valuable strength has been to me as I reach late pregnancy with good flexibility and energy and no back or joint pain.
With the loss of my social support network, I realize just how right on this one was. Losing my workout buddies has been like grieving a death. Except it's worse because I can't blame anyone but myself. When you work hard to build a community for yourself, it is not something that is easily replaced.
Even if I can't work out with them, I do get to see people from the gym because Mike is still there. To witness them continuing to succeed and make progress makes me really proud. Watching the Saturday morning group workouts and seeing how hard people are willing to go brings tears to my eyes sometimes. I am extremely proud of Mike and how his dedication has paid off in performance - he is one of the leaders at the gym now. The world is full of excuse makers, and this is a little corner of the world where people push themselves and do not make excuses, and that gives me some hope for the next generation.

Workout at 33 weeks

2011-07-19T10:12:00.006-06:00

Yesterday's workout

Warm-up:
15 each of good mornings, back squats, overhead squats, hang power snatch with the light bar

KB deadlift 10-10-10-10-10
20-24-32-24-20 kg

KB clean
3 sets of 10 each arm at 8kg
3 sets of 5 each arm at 12 kg

double KB press
5X5 with 8 kg KBs

ring push-ups (with incline!) 2 sets of 10

I'm not blogging every workout, but I do want to continue to describe some workouts here and there for an example of what I'm doing at different stages of pregnancy. For the record, I'm almost 33 weeks (about 7.5 months). Weights are getting very light. This took about half an hour including some breaks. I felt good during and after.

People are definitely staring at me in the weight room now. You don't see many visibly pregnant women lifting I guess. Or maybe it was my fashion choice that drew attention. I wore a pink Nike tank top that, when stretched over my stomach, made me look like a bubble gum bubble. I like pink, but maybe I shouldn't be wearing it at this point!

Links

A Teaching Moment on Numeracy from Freakonomics
The Simple Meal from Unclutterer
16 printable party invitations (free!) via How About Orange
When it's okay to "like" your own status from Graph Jam
Some camera-friendly baby ducks from This Animal is Awesome:

Low-carb diet and prostate cancer, plus some bunny pics

2011-07-18T12:52:00.009-06:00

I want to start with an important article. People will believe that diet can affect weight, maybe heart disease or diabetes. But for some reason, it's really hard to get anyone in the medical community, or the community at large, to accept that diet can affect the risk and growth of cancer (other than the usual "eat more broccoli" vague nonsense). No, cancer is not "just genetic", and it's not inevitable. Check out this research paper from 2006:

Article: Is there a role for a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet in the management of prostate cancer?

Now I'll move on to the regularly scheduled knitting and furry critters.

Red baby socks: pattern here (Ravelry link), leftover Knitpicks Risata

I got some cute bunny pics yesterday. Greta found my lap quilt and decided to investigate.

Dirk needed to check it out too. Mmm, squishy and foldy.

Greta lost interest and wandered off.

Eventually, so did Dirk. "Hey Dirk!" "What?"

They don't lead exciting lives that anyone should feel compelled to document, but the cuteness gets me reaching for the camera anyway. They do love folding. You should see all the "help" I get when I fold the laundry on the living room floor.

Q and A

2011-07-15T09:42:00.004-06:00

I've always wanted to do a Q&A on the blog, and I got a great question, so here I go!

Disclaimer so no one sues me: I am not a medical professional. I have researched this issue on my own. My response is based on what I have observed and read and thought about, and it is my opinion.

Ashley S. wrote:

Can you tell me how much fruit you ate during pregnancy? Right now I'm hoarking down fruit left and right just to maintain my weight to hopefully get pregnant. I went too far for my body apparently and stopped cycling. However, when I finally get pregnant, I'm afraid of eating too much fruit. It's still sugar I know, but if I can't keep weight on not eating fruit I don't see much alternative since the baby will need a lot of sustenance in the second and third trimesters. Right now I eat some raspberries with my breakfast, a peach after lunch, and usually some berries or cantaloupe after dinner...sometimes peach coconut milk ice cream with a tablespoon of raw honey. I'd appreciate your advice. Thanks!

Hi Ashley,

My fruit consumption has been up and down. More in the first trimester because it helped with the nausea, but now that it's summer and fruits are in season, I'm indulging again. It doesn't look to me like you're eating all that much fruit - you're sticking to berries and melon and other relatively low-fructose options rather than, say, eating 5 bananas a day or something. I think your fruit consumption sounds totally in the realm of normal.

But as to your concern:

If your cycle stopped, that's kind of a big thing. I don't think that I would attribute it to fruit consumption. There is probably something else going on there. I'd look at lifestyle factors - are you overtraining (especially chronic cardio), are you getting enough sleep, how are your stress levels? Do you have any history of autoimmune disease? I'd also look at the gluten strictness - are you getting any accidental gluten contamination or having some gluten-containing cheats? Are grains or legumes sneaking in on a more than occasional basis? And a biggie - are you getting enough fat? I'd try to get lots of saturated fat into the diet through coconut products and butter, and personally, I eat a lot of bacon and eggs and some dark chocolate too. I can't stomach organ meats like liver, but if you can, that's a great option and also gets your Vitamin A levels up, which is helpful for fertility.

To get/keep your weight up, you might want to consider adding in some starch to the "standard" Paleo diet, especially if you're pretty active. Sweet potatoes are great, other roots, various kinds of winter squash, and I even do some white potatoes (no skin) sometimes.

Above all, keep the big picture in mind. Don't be too hard on yourself for the small things. Make sure you're eating and living in a way that you feel good about, that gives you energy rather than drains it out of you.

Hope this is helpful. I suggest you check out Chris Kresser's Healthy Baby Code (see this link on Robb Wolf's site) - he has done a ton of research on this issue and has some great information.

Thanks for the great question! I wish you the best!

Wednesday links

2011-07-13T10:25:00.004-06:00

From Graph Jam

Links

Friendship Bracelet Tutorial from the Purl Bee. I made a ton of these when I was a kid. This is making me nostalgic.
Seasoned Coconut Chips from CFSCC
Get Supermarket Club Discounts With "Jenny's" Phone Number from The Consumerist. Ha, I have given out this phone number before!
Is It Time to End the “War on Salt”? from Freaknomics. Answer: YES. Replace it with the war on grains. I love salt. Not getting enough salt will do very bad things to your body.
Why am I linking to this post from Oh Joy? Look at that blue Eames rocker in the background. First piece of furniture ordered for the baby's room. Here's more info at DWR. I love midcentury modern!

Cute fluffy animals and other links

2011-07-11T11:07:00.005-06:00

Some fluffy chicks in a pile:

Not much to write about today. Going through another stretch of being realllly uncomfortable and I'm not making much progress on knitting projects or reading or work or anything. I'm so uncomfortable that attempting to find a position to sit on the couch tires me out. The laundry is backed up, the bunnies' room looks like a cardboard hurricane hit it, and my entire meal planning capability has gone out the window in favor of the "what do we have in the fridge/freezer whose preparation will require me to stand up for the least amount of time" approach. About a third of my calories are now coming from sunflower seeds, cherries, and dark chocolate. Plus things are so squished that I feel a bit like that kid on Malcolm in the Middle who had to take a breath after every word when he talked.

But the good part is that I get a ton of feedback from the little guy as he is ALWAYS moving. Not always kicking or rolling - he also seems to enjoy pressing an elbow/knee/foot/fist/who knows what outward slowly but with a great deal of force. I think he's going to be very strong. Maybe he thinks he's pushing a tiny prowler in there. It's painful but reassuring that there actually is someone in there and he seems to be thriving.

I'll take a cue from his level of activity and try to lift some weights today. Just really light Oly lifts from the hang, I think. Maybe I'll lie down in between reps.

Links

Owl feathers from Things Organized Neatly
Some sketchy math from Not Always Right
Cool scissors packaging via Craftzine
Don't like cake from Graph Jam
The very handsome Stewart from Disapproving Rabbits:

Good climbing day and a muddy adventure

2011-07-08T14:03:00.007-06:00

I had a good climbing day today, nothing too hard but I did easily top out a 5.9+ that I had trouble with last week. So that felt good! I'm so happy that I can still climb and I don't totally suck at it.

I got back to the office and wolfed down my lunch in approximately 30 seconds. I think I could eat another one. This extra 300 calorie nonsense (not that I actually count calories) is a crazy low estimate! Given the incredible shrinking stomach that means I have to forgo my big meals, I could pretty much eat all day long, I think. But I'm a predator, not prey, so I don't want to graze. Just need to do more calorie-dense foods. Coconut milk and avocados, I'm looking at you.

Yesterday we had a bit of an adventure getting home. As a result of some big storms, there were a few mudslides near the burn area that turned the road into a mess that resembled a muddy riverbed.

While I stayed nice and clean in the car, Mike forged ahead to check it out:

Then he took matters into his own hands to clear away some of the larger debris (branches and boulders):

We got through the mess in our lifted truck with its brand-new mud tires and made it home before dark. The bunnies were very relieved to see us. I was very relieved not to have to walk 3 and a half muddy miles uphill in flip flops to get home.

Crews had it mostly cleaned up this morning, so the drive down was fine.

Borrowed smackdowns

2011-07-07T09:13:00.004-06:00

I do love to write smackdowns, but there are so many good ones out there on the blogosphere, it sometimes seems a shame to keep reinventing the wheel. So today I have borrowed a few smackdowns. Enjoy, learn something, or feel guilty, whatever is most appropriate.

How just doing it can create some INCREDIBLE test results from Paleo Parents

From the post:

The lesson to be learned here is personal accountability. No one else can force you to do anything you do or do not want to do. If you know what Paleo is, you’re more educated than most on what true health and nutrition is. If you choose to ignore it and eat other items, don’t complain about a lack of support, information, access to the right food – own it. No one will begrudge you saying, “I know Paleo is best, but I would rather have non-Paleo food items and suffer the consequences.” After all, it’s your body – we here in the US (on most days) do after all, have the right to choose what to do with our own bodies.

So, let me be clear here – if you are overweight, unhealthy, suffering from personal ailments that are caused by being overweight and unhealthy – it’s you who can fix it. It’s you who can save yourself. You just have to find the will to want to change your life and then do it. Make a promise to yourself and find the self-respect to stick with it.

I know most of you are saying in your head right now 1) Yea! or 2) but, my thyroid and metabolism don’t function properly; I have PCOS; they bring bagels to work on Friday! Guess what? YOU can help those things. No, not everything can be cured, but even cancer can be seriously improved by Paleo – so tell yourself you deserve health and just do it.
Read the whole post

Women and Muscle from Everyday Paleo

From the post:

In my gym, the girls with the heaviest lifts and the best overall physical capacity are also the girls with bodies that are envied by the rest. I think that most girls who are new to fitness would assume that you can either be strong or you can be cute. I think most men would disagree – at least men with any fitness experience.

...

Another reason women need to lift weights is to maintain bone density. Any women reading this who are over 40 years old have probably been emphatically prescribed copious amounts of calcium by their doctor. What the doc neglected to consider is the lack of stimulus necessary for your body to use valuable energy to build more bone. Maybe you should drop off a bunch of lumber in your doctor’s yard without mentioning why, and then get mad at him when he doesn’t use it to build a deck. He’s playing the same game with your body. Why would your body assume that you need more bone density if you never bear loads that would necessitate a stronger frame? In reality, if your diet and exercise are on par with the needs of your species you probably don’t need calcium at all.

Read the whole post

Yes, we are smothering our children from Hunt, Gather, Love - brief but thought provoking, and the comments are worth reading too.

And a little humor: This is why we hate vegans from Passive Aggressive Notes

Baby Surprise Jacket

2011-07-06T09:45:00.006-06:00

I finished knitting and seaming the Baby Surprise Jacket. Now I just need to sew on some buttons. Here it is with some almost-finished booties:

And here's a close-up:

Even Mike, who is very anti-sweater, had to agree that this is a pretty clever design. It was a lot of fun to knit too. I just had to figure out the rather terse written directions in the back of Knitting Workshop, but I just went with what seemed to make sense and tried not to overthink it, and voila! This is a little big and probably won't fit the baby for a while, but it's a long winter, so I think the timing will work out just fine.

I have a lot of finishing to do, including

sew buttons on the BSJ
sew buttons on the bibs
seam the MDK baby kimono
finish the laces for the 3rd pair of booties
finish the blue wool hat I started ages ago

And still on my to-knit list:

another cotton kimono
some more burp cloths (probably can't have too many of those)
a sweater with the Brooks Farm DK I bought at Estes
more hats
tiny socks

When I get close to my due date I'm going to do a big photo shoot and post all the things I've made for the little guy. Yes, he is already spoiled. But how often do you get a person that HAS to wear what you knit for him? Oh, I get a little giddy with the power.

Just one link today - the Paleo Parents blog, suggested by Angelo on Latest in Paleo. Check it out!

3 mini-hikes for the 4th

2011-07-05T10:40:00.005-06:00

Mike and I spent the holiday doing three mini-hikes - one at Hall Ranch near Lyons, one at Lily Lake near Estes Park, and one at Settler's Park at the west end of Pearl St. We both got a lot of sun and were pretty tired by the end of the day, but it was good to get out and enjoy the sunshine and the views.

We took a break on the Pearl St. pedestrian mall between hikes 2 and 3 and met my parents (who are in town for the month) for a happy hour drink/snack. I got a no-jito, my new favorite pregnancy drink. It's a little too sweet to be paleo, but it's mostly just lime juice, club soda, and mint, so I try not to feel too bad about the added sugar. Especially on a 3-hike day. Also got some spicy habanero pork tacos (no tortilla or cheese) - a little painful but very tasty! I'm very glad that I've had minimal pregnancy heartburn and can eat as much spicy food as I like. It's a great strategy for cooling off in hot weather!

I didn't take any pictures of the beautiful scenery we saw on our hikes because I don't like to carry anything (including a camera) with me on short hikes. But I did get a couple of unrelated pictures.

Mike's back at a coffee shop:
Pretty elite. He's been following a strength program and getting his nutrition dialed over the last couple of months and it shows.

My nails painted in a festive glittery blue:

I went pretty hard yesterday, given the sun and the heat, so today I'm not working out and focusing on getting some work stuff accomplished.

Links

Crab cakes from Everyday Paleo. More evidence that you can always find a way to capture the essence of your favorite foods without resorting to the poison trifecta of grains, legumes, and dairy. I love crab cakes, and guess what, they don't have to have cracker crumbs to hold them together.
Gym map from Graph Jam
Extreme Couponer Arrested For Stealing Coupon Inserts via The Consumerist
Life-size balloon dinosaur via Craftzine:

Work, weeping, garter stitch, and meatballs

2011-07-01T09:24:00.006-06:00

Yesterday was a work-at-home day. I had a 7AM phone call (thanks a ton, East Coast Lt. Colonel customer), so I figured if I went in I'd end up with at least a 10 hour day, which is not cool.

I actually got a fair amount done, in between the uncontrolled weeping over songs, headlines, weather, etc. (Tip: do not listen to your Emmylou Harris Pandora station when pregnancy hormones are rendering you an emotional basketcase.)

Other than getting actual work done (I did!) and dealing with the intermittent crying jags, the day went something like this:

Rain.

Knitting.

Meatballs (recipe here).

I'll end with some links. Have a fun holiday weekend!

Friday links

Would You Pay Me to Mock You? from Drywall. Warning: lots of foul language, sarcasm, and CrossFit inside jokes.
Cows Live Off The Fat Of The Land from Not Always Right. They're mocking him, but the dude was just looking for heavy cream, which WOULD be healthier!
I like this gazillion pockets trench coat reviewed on Unclutterer.
Pretty free printable thank-you notes via How About Orange.
Plastic Animals For Communication via Craftzine. I would like to transition all my professional communications to plastic animals - so long, email! How about this for my inbox?

Working out at 30 weeks

2011-06-29T09:15:00.003-06:00

Workout

Just in case anyone is coming here wondering what kind of workouts you can do at 30 weeks, I'll post yesterday's workout.

Warm-up with a 20# bar
15 good mornings
15 presses
15 overhead squats

3 rounds of:
10 knee raises
10 pull-downs 60#
10 walking lunges

then

50 double kettlebell clean and jerks with 8kg, broken up into sets of 10

So I'm 30 weeks tomorrow, 3/4 of the way there. Despite some good resources out there, I feel like it's hard to get a sense of what women actually do for exercise at different points in pregnancy. My first trimester I had to make myself do less because I felt fine (other than getting lightheaded a little more easily). Second trimester I felt some more limitations but could still do a scaled-down metcon no problem and most of the lifts felt pretty normal. Again, I had to make myself go lighter. I could totally understand how people can keep doing CrossFit throughout pregnancy and had visions of doing pull-ups and snatches right up till the end.

But once I hit the third trimester, I felt myself skidding to a halt. A lot of days I just can't get myself to work out at all. I'm actually worn out from the constant motion of the baby. It's not the fatigue/sleepiness I felt early on, which I could work through. Instead, I feel like I've already done a tough workout! When I do get myself to the gym, my stamina is minimal. I'm short on air, even when I go really slowly and take lots of breaks. My muscles tire quickly. I keep cutting movements out of my repertoire. Things that were relatively easy a couple weeks ago are near impossible now. I had to make the tough decision to stop going to my strength class, because I just can't keep up and I can't keep going for an hour anymore, even though it's relatively mellow and I've been scaling down in weight and difficulty.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this, given that the baby and I have both gotten so much bigger in just the last few weeks. He's an estimated 3 pounds and 17 inches long now! But I read about people doing CrossFit up until the day they give birth, and I just can't wrap my head around it. I was in very, very good shape, training hard right up until I got pregnant, and then keeping up with training even though I scaled back the intensity. I read posts and comments on sites like CrossFit Mom, and I wonder what these women at 7, 8, 9 months are actually doing in the gym. Maybe they're just coming in and stretching out and moving a PVC pipe around? If I were still at my CrossFit gym, I don't know if I would be able to scale the workouts enough to still be able to participate at this point. On my own, I can come up with stuff and I can go at my own pace, but I'm struggling with enough things now that I can't imagine doing even a scaled CF metcon in another month or two. Maybe it would be different if I had been able to keep working out at a CF gym throughout my pregnancy, maybe I would be used to it. But it's not like I was sitting around sipping lattes either.

I'm not feeling guilty or anything - I know my limits and am happy to stay within them - I'm just puzzled I guess. I feel like there's representation at the two extreme ends of the scale - the women who say they're not doing any exercise during pregnancy or think that a slow walk around the block is exercise, and the ones who are still doing full-on CrossFit the day before they give birth. So anyway, if you come across this post and you're in your third trimester and you also feel puzzled, at least you know you're not the only one.

The Whole Foods parking lot and other links

2011-06-28T09:23:00.005-06:00

I have some good links for you today.

First, a little music video:

I actually like to think of myself as a little bit Whole-Foods-counter-culture, with my gas-guzzling truck, my 5 pound bacon purchases and my pugilistic nature. But the fact that I go there means I'm as much of a yuppie as anyone. Oh well! At least I don't buy tofurkey.

Links

Taking Lab Rats Seriously: The Case Against (Most) Animal Testing from Freakonomics - It's a morally complicated issue, and there are important questions for scientists to ask.
What? Food companies lie about the health benefits of cereal? Story at the Consumerist
Packaging-Free Grocery Store To Open In Texas via The Consumerist
25 Great Movies About Money from Wise Bread
Abby's Blanket (pattern) from Through the Loops:

Knitting update

2011-06-27T08:55:00.004-06:00

I got some knitting done this weekend.

First, I finished the retro redux shrug (from Lace Style). I'm wearing it today! I just used some wool-ease I had sitting in the stash. This one is fine, but I'd like to make another one with nicer yarn. It's a little more substantial than most sewn-together-rectangle shrugs - the wide ribbing from the short rows at the neck helps it stay in place and gives it a more finished look, and the sleeves are a good length too. The back has a nice drapey look, and I think this would work well in a bamboo blend or something similar.

I also did some bootie knitting. I've made these for a lot of people as gifts, so I figured my kid should get at least two pairs. I may even make more. They're kind of addictive.

Finally, I started the obligatory Baby Surprise Jacket (Ravelry link). It's from some beautiful worsted weight superwash yarn from Brooks Farm that I bought at the Estes Park Wool Market three years ago. It's impossible to capture the real colors on camera. They look different in every light, from brown to navy to dusty purple. Mike is worried this will look too "knitterly" (homemade/crafty/lame), but I told him I have no choice - as a knitter I HAVE to make this classic pattern, and I have to tell you, it's a really fun knit. Here it is in its early stages:

Zombie

2011-06-24T09:12:00.005-06:00

I can't think of anything to write about. I'm kind of a zombie today. I sat at the kitchen table for about 10 minutes after breakfast, just staring at my almost empty coffee cup. And I totally forgot to pack a lunch so I'll have to make an emergency run to Whole Foods. I'm hoping some brain cells kick into gear soon.

Knitting

In more productive news, I've almost finished the Retro Redux Shrug from Lace Style (Ravelry link) - I should finish it up tonight and get a photo shoot this weekend. Along with all the baby knitting, my plan is to knit a bunch of shrugs because they are pretty flexible with regard to fit. Also, they're not too hot for summer, and they don't require a sweater quantity of yarn, so I can use up some stash. This one was a little fancier/more structured than most shrugs and it still wasn't that hard. I think this pattern plus another couple of patterns I have on deck will give me a useful general recipe for designing my own too.

Friday Links

As Venerable Soap Operas Die Off, Fans Fight for One More Life to Live from the Wall Street Journal. Really? I have nothing against bad TV, but I just don't get soap operas. I think it's time for them to fade into the past.
Retractable Kitchen Island from Ikea Hacker
Greek lamburgers from Getting Stitched on the Farm
Gluten-free junk foods are still junk foods from The Heart Scan Blog
Cities Made of Zip Ties via Craftzine
Clever Manufacturers Turn Barcodes Into Art via The Consumerist:

Today is better

2011-06-23T09:36:00.005-06:00

I instructed the bunnies to "be cute" and this is all they gave me. Minutes before this they were snuggling and ear washing and being adorable. But the camera comes out and...icy stares of disapproval.

Better

Okay, today I'm feeling a little better. It seems I go through these cycles where my belly takes a couple of agonizing days to stretch out some more, and then it's stretched and I'm more comfortable for a little while. Yesterday I felt like I just didn't fit in my skin, everything hurt and I couldn't get comfortable no matter what. I was so uncomfortable I didn't even want to knit. I know, SCARY. Today I can actually take a deep breath and sit in a chair. So I guess I need to keep in mind that if I'm getting super uncomfortable, it should get better in a couple of days. I should not panic about the looming months of increasing misery.

Workout

I did manage to get myself to the gym yesterday (thanks for the nudge, Laurie!) and did some slow lifting:

5 rounds of:
3 sumo deadlift (65-75-85-95-100#)
5 double kettlebell press 8kg

then

4 rounds of
10 seated crunch thingies (40-50-60-60#)
10 pull-downs (40-50-60-60#)

Then Laurie showed me some side-laying floor work.

Sumo deadlifts are much more comfortable for me now - I tried regular deadlifts and my belly got in the way and put me in a weird position. But sumo works great because my feet are far apart, which puts the final position of the bar lower.

Today is climbing with the hubby and tomorrow, probably more climbing. Then this weekend I'd like to go hiking and soak up some sunshine.

Links

If you think I might be overstating the benefits of this whole Paleo thing, check out this list of testimonials from Whole Nine. Allergies, arthritis, fibromyalgia, IBS, high blood pressure, migraines, bipolar disorder, and more, all reversed or greatly improved with a Paleo diet. Just amazing. Of course, if you cure your problems with diet, the pharmaceutical industry doesn't make money. So that's why you don't hear about this stuff on the Today Show. There are tons more testimonials on Robb Wolf's site as well.
The “Ready to Tear” World of Vintage Paper Dresses, a great piece from Modern Kiddo
The Love Boat in Lego via Craftzine
Printable to do lists via Craftzine
Beautiful vase cozy via Knit Hacker:

Complaining

2011-06-22T10:12:00.006-06:00

Some things I miss today

Being able to breathe normally when I'm sitting down (I feel like an elephant is sitting on my chest)
Being able to concentrate on ANYTHING for more than 5 minutes
Having the energy and motivation to work out and use that as an outlet
Feeling like a calm, confident adult rather than an emotionally volatile, insecure teenager
Not being sleep-deprived

I know I shouldn't complain. I'm very excited to become a mom and grateful that after so much time and struggle it's finally happening. But it gets pretty hard, with the day-to-day pregnancy stuff and hormone levels that I DO NOT do well with. Along the way, everyone tries to scare you with their horror stories of labor and delivery and the early sleep-deprived weeks with an infant. But none of that scares me, I actually feel no anxiety about any of it. By then the goals will be concrete: get baby out, feed baby, take care of baby. I know I can do all that and he'll be a real person that I can actually see. I'm eager to get to that point. Now I feel like crap and can't do anything right, but I know I can't afford to fail now, and it's a lot of pressure. But I get that complaining is really not cool because after all, I wanted this. I just don't know how people cope with the pressure and stay positive, because I feel like I'm running on empty a lot of the time.

Anyway, it's just 11ish more weeks, I'll make it.

On a lighter note, here are some links for you to enjoy.

Links

Homemade Paleo mayo from Everyday Paleo
The importance of zombies from Angry Chicken
Connoisseur from xkcd
Cute little knit necklace via Knit Hacker
Chic wedding chalkboards via Craftzine:

Tuesday links

2011-06-21T12:42:00.004-06:00

The hospital where I'll give birth (if all goes as planned). What a horrific setting.

Links

You know the sunscreen marketers have been successful when people are more afraid of the sun than cigarettes - Let there be lighters from Not Always Right
No More Chocolate Milk, Corn Dogs Or Chicken Nuggets For L.A. School Students via The Consumerist
Carole's Ten on Tuesday: 10 Books you would recommend to a friend
Knitted drainpipe covers via Knit Hacker
Amazing photo of a mass ordination in Thailand from Things Organized Neatly
I know they're making fun, but I really like this elitist living room from Unhappy Hipsters. So 60's waiting room!

The elevator rant

2011-06-17T11:39:00.004-06:00

Thursday's Workout:

warm-up: 15 each: good mornings, back squats, ohs, snatch push press, hang power snatch, all with a light bar

some work on clean and jerks, sets of 2 and 3, 65#

30 kb snatch each arm 8kg, broken up into 10/10, 10/10, 5/5/, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5

5x5 front squats at 45#

Rant: The Elevator

I always take the elevator at work. The stairwell is creepy and smells like paint. I have a fear of getting locked in there. The elevator is well-lit, large, and pleasant. It requires no effort. It makes me feel elegant. I've timed it many times, and unless you take the stairs at a full sprint, they take the same amount of time as the elevator, so there's no time-saving argument for the stairs.

But every time I try to hold the elevator door for someone, they look a little disgusted, and say no, I'd better take the stairs, I need the exercise. Every time! Trust me, these are not people that are fitter than me. They seem puzzled that I can be so fit and yet so obviously lazy.

I think this is predicated on a basic misunderstanding of exercise. People think that every little bit counts, that it all adds up and "burns calories" - agghhh. (Getting cause and effect backwards - go read Good Calories, Bad Calories for the way it really works.) My philosophy on physical activity is that you should rest when you can, have fun when you want to, and when you work out, make it count. Exercise should never be a chore. In fact, I hate the word exercise because it implies that it's a chore. There should just be different things you do throughout the day, like getting somewhere, or playing outside, or training because you want to.

Why do we have an obesity epidemic in a country of Puritans? Everyone wants to paint Americans as lazy, but I think this isn't really true. We are a bunch of workaholics who drive ourselves into the ground, who barely sleep, who structure our play, who live and die for deadlines. Who has longer work weeks or less vacation? If hard work really made you slim and fit, obesity would be a tiny problem in the US. The problem is what we eat, and what looks like laziness is metabolic efficiency brought on by a problematic diet. But that's another rant for another day.

What kills me is this idea that just WON'T DIE, the idea that we have to burn calories and that we can tick these off by dutifully "exercising", by taking the stairs, by parking farther away. How well has that worked out for you? For anyone? And how happy does it make you? Perhaps there's a smug self-satisfaction when you see someone taking the elevator and you take the stairs. But you're really just fooling yourself.

A healthier approach is to 1) fix your diet so that you have the energy to LIVE, and 2) do what's fun and effective. Stop toiling away trying to count calories (both in and out). Eat the right fuel and then use that fuel, like we humans were meant to.

People think I train hard because I'm disciplined, that it takes this incredible will to go to the gym and I'm doing it out of obligation. But I train because I love it! When I don't feel like training, I don't. I take the day off. I took a whole week off, just going back yesterday. Even yesterday, I didn't feel great, I didn't really want to go to the gym, so I gave myself an out. I said, I'll warm up, I'll do a couple lifts, and if I'm not having fun, I'll leave. I finished the workout because once I got myself started, I was having fun.

No, I'm not setting any PR's and it is a bit frustrating to watch my strength and coordination slip away from me. But hell, I'm 6 and a half months pregnant, and I'm proud of what I can still do. I have a skill set, I have a strength base, and I walk around without the fatigue and pain and cravings and crashes that are typical of pregnancy these days. I feel strong and in control, and I love being able to put some plates on a bar and throw it over my head and have people look a little alarmed at what the pregnant lady is doing. That brings me joy.

Likewise, if I'm antsy and want to go for a hike, that brings me joy. Climbing until my forearms burn brings me joy. Before I was pregnant and I wanted to go all out on some crazy metcon, that brought me joy. Would trudging up the stairs out of some sense of calorie-burning obligation bring me joy? Deliberately walking an extra 30 yards in a hot parking lot? Or putting in an hour on the treadmill? No. So I don't do that. And I'm stronger and happier because of it.

We should move our bodies in a way that makes us strong, proud, and confident, and happy. I wish I could free the masses from their dutiful hours of exercise and their compulsions about "discipline" and introduce them to the joy that is being healthy.

What I did on my summer vacation

2011-06-16T10:16:00.005-06:00

Eldorado Canyon State Park

Great views.

Big rocks.

Estes Park Wool Market

The sheepdog demonstration.

A close-up. These dogs are good at what they do.

The haul: Brooks Farm worsted for a Mike hat, Brooks Farm DK for a baby sweater, and some pinky-purple splurge sock yarn for me (can't remember the seller).

Knitting

The finished bricklayer baby blanket from MDK. You can't see it too well in the photo, but I put a navy blue crochet border on that finishes it nicely.

A close-up.

Closer-up.

A teeny vest in Knitpicks Crayon. The yarn and the pattern did not play nice together and I had a major headache working on this, but the finished product is adorable. And so soft and snuggly.

Reading

See the spreadsheet for progress. Three down, making good progress on the current two.

It was a much needed extra-long weekend with lots of downtime and sunshine on the front porch. Now I get a nice short two-day work week, and another weekend!

Updates and rambling

2011-06-09T09:57:00.007-06:00

Summer reading update

So the reading plan has been going pretty well so far. I just make sure I find at least 20 minutes each day to sit down and read, and I'm getting through my two current books. The hardest part is not picking up another one. Really short attention span! But when I force myself not to be a dilettante, I can actually get into a book (and get more out of it).

On Writing by Stephen King has been a treasure trove, really. I love the insights into how he writes in general and his decisions and inspirations for specific books. His advice makes a lot of sense and is given with a good dose of humor. And plenty of dark stuff too, of course. I've always loved his writing style, and it's fun to get a behind-the-scenes view. Despite his popularity, I think he is an incredibly underrated talent. I'm not sure if I'll ever write fiction, but he makes me feel like maybe I could.

The American Idol "expose" book is about what I expected - too long. The first couple chapters were entertaining, but now it's rambling on. Still some good nuggets in there, but they are getting sparser. I'll try to zip through the rest of it, shouldn't take long.

Other updates/rambling

I'm making some decent progress on things at work, and for the first time in a while, the house has managed not to become a disaster throughout the week. Workouts have been so-so. Just trying to keep active and keep up my strength to some extent. Climbing has been good for that, and there's plenty to do in the weight room with modifications. The hardest part is the lack of motivation. I'm in my third trimester now, so I'm lowering my expectations a bit, but it makes me sad that something I used to look forward to so much has become a force of habit, even a chore.

Lots of people want to tell you how to feel during pregnancy. "You should feel beautiful!" "You should enjoy taking it easy!" "You should want to document every moment!" Nope. I hate how I look, how I feel, how I'm stupider and more emotional and incapable of things that used to be a part of my normal life. I don't like the extra attention. And yet I feel alone much of the time. I don't know what to do except just continue to try to get through one day at a time. I'm hoping that my little vacation will help me to reset mentally and emotionally. I know in three months my life will be completely different, and there's only so much I can do to prepare for that. But I really want to get these doldrums under control.

Anyway, enough self-pity. I'm starting my blogcation now, so I'll be back in a week. Have a good one, and here are some links to entertain you in the meantime.

Links

Baked eggs from Craft Leftovers
After Dominating At Jeopardy, Watson Computer Becomes Med Student via The Consumerist
An Anthony Weiner-inspired Venn diagram from Graph Jam
A wine rack that stores yarn via Craftzine
Keyboard frequency sculpture via Craftzine:

Debunking a few myths

2011-06-08T09:27:00.003-06:00

Today I have some myth-debunking nutrition links for you.

Myth: Soy is good for you.
Debunked: Zen Habits: Stupid about Soy from Hunt Gather Love

Myth: You should eat a low-fat diet to keep triglyceride levels down.
Debunked: Eat Triglycerides from The Heart Scan Blog

Myth: Reproductive problems cannot be fixed with dietary changes.
Debunked: Real life testimonial: Paleo for PCOS & infertility from Robb Wolf

Myth: Your total cholesterol tells you something important about your health.
Debunked: Total Cholesterol 220 from The Heart Scan Blog

Amycation coming up

2011-06-07T09:23:00.006-06:00

Blueberry coconut ice cream pop.

Not much else to write today. I'm trying to get stuff done at work so I can reward myself with a little Amycation next week. This weekend is the Estes Park Wool Market, which will be a nice kickoff to Amycation. If you want to go hang out with some sheep and goats and alpacas and llamas and gawk at ridiculous amounts of yarn and fiber, let me know. Otherwise I will drag Mike with me.

Links

Discussion on sun exposure for infants on Paleo Hacks
100,000 dollars on the wall via the Consumerist
Luggage handle hack via Knithacker
Slouchy hipster hat pattern from Crazy Aunt Purl
Bike owl is watching you! via Jalopnik:

Summer reading program

2011-06-06T09:30:00.008-06:00

More ice cream this weekend. This was 3 ingredients: 1 can of coconut milk (water drained), 2 tbsp maple syrup, and about 1/4 cup of blueberries. Soooo good. And Mike made a version on Sunday with 1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and about 1/4 cup almond flour. It tasted like cookie dough ice cream, particularly when I topped it with bittersweet chocolate chips. Mike said it tasted like vanilla ice cream with shortcake crumbled in it.

Oh, and the coconut ice cream pop? Awesome. The texture was just like the old pudding pops. I made two more with the leftover blueberry stuff and I'll have them sometime this week. But I think we'll try to hold off on making any more ice cream till this weekend. It's easy to get carried away.

Summer reading

I grew up as a book nerd. I used to love reading, but especially in the summer. I joined summer reading programs at the library and read competitively. I filled my canvas bag to the brim with books in eager anticipation of two weeks at the beach to read, read, read.

But I don't read books that much anymore. I've lost my zest for it. I never seem to finish anything. I still read a ton, just usually blogs and other stuff on the internet. Unfortunately, this leads more to information overload and reduced attention span than to the satisfaction of enjoying a good story or getting an in-depth look at a new subject.

This summer took forever to get here, with a couple false alarms, but it was hot all weekend and I do think it's finally here. So now that it's summer, I'm going to reclaim my love of summer reading. But I need to set some rules:

No more than 2 books going at a time. I need to be firm on this, otherwise I'll just keep starting things and not finishing them. I'd go with just one, but it's more practical to have one on my Kindle (because I always have it with me) and one hard copy (because I have a huge shelf full of books that I've already paid for).
Be accountable. I'll let you know what I'm reading. I'm posting a spreadsheet with my summer reading info on it. There is a link in the sidebar under DATA/TOOLS if you'd like to follow along.
Set aside time each day to read. Even if it's only 20 minutes. I have plenty of time to read, I just watch too much TV. Don't get me wrong, I love TV. But it is not fulfilling, it simply allows me to tune out. I would like to be more fulfilled, so I need less TV and more books.
I will not be picky. I'll read crap if it's fun. Even my imposing, uber-literary 9th grade English teacher, Mr. Sheaffer, said it was okay to read crap in the summertime. I'll read fiction and nonfiction. I'll read contemporary stuff and classics. I'll read stuff I've already read, maybe. The point is to recapture my love of books, not to meet some intellectual agenda.

My current reading:

Hard copy: On Writing by Stephen King
E-book: American Idol Exposed by Aaron Bale and Justin Buckles

Happy summer! What are you reading?

The new USDA Nutrition Plate, and my Nutrition Plate

2011-06-03T09:12:00.007-06:00

This is the new face of USDA recommendations (link from The Consumerist):

It's meant to replace the food pyramid, which I loathe. (And so should anyone who is not making a ton of money off agribusiness.)

So, how did they do? Is it an improvement? I'd say it is definitely an improvement, though they're still missing the mark by a lot.

How it is better:

I like that they have abandoned the notion of a pyramid. A pyramid implies that there is some kind of base (most unfortunately, grains and starches). That is not necessary. I might eat more veggies than meat, someone else might eat more meat than veggies, and heck, the Katavans ate more tubers and fruits than anything else. All are healthy options. Having a pyramid implies that ratios are the most important thing, when instead food quality and the absence of gut irritating and inflammatory foods is key.
I have to admit, I really like the idea of a plate. It sends the message that you are sitting down and enjoying a meal, not rushing to eat something out of a box or wrapper. And the divided plate suggests a more meat/potatoes/veggie approach, which is a huge step in the right direction from the giant bowl of pasta with low-fat sauce on top and no protein to be seen. There is something nurturing about the plate, about taking the time to put your food on a plate and take care with what it looks like.
Protein gets some love. Not nearly enough! But at least they're calling out the need for protein.
Grains have gotten smaller. They should be gone, but it's a huge step in the right direction, as it treats them as simply a component and not the foundation of a good diet. (Still wrong, but it's easier to cut out a component than a foundation, right?)
Dairy is on the side. Dairy causes a ton of problems for a lot of people, especially the low-fat highly-processed (cheap to produce) nonsense they recommend. But there can be a place for high-fat dairy for many people - things like butter/cream, raw whole milk, unpasteurized cheeses, and cultured high-fat, no-added-sugar yogurt. So I'm not going to be too upset it's on there, as it is on the side and you can do some creative interpretation of it.

How they still don't get it:

Grains and dairy are not a necessary part of a healthy diet. Period. They are largely harmful, especially wheat and low-fat, pasteurized dairy. But we need to be realistic, The US Department of Agriculture puts this out, and they are basically owned by the agribusiness lobby, who makes all their money off cheap grain and dairy. As long as that interest holds the power it does, there will NEVER be recommendations from the USDA that do not include grains and dairy. This sucks, but it's true.
The actual written recommendations are extremely fat-phobic and way too pro-carbohydrate. This will ensure that people continue to get fatter and sicker, all the while thinking they're "eating healthy". But then, maybe people won't bother to read the written recommendations. We can only hope.
Protein is not big enough. Not even close. Fruit is one of those "moderation" things, but it is the the same size as protein, which is essential! And there is no mention of healthy fat (read: not trans-fat, not industrial seed oils).
The plate is almost all carbohydrate. Carbohydrate is 1) only one of the three macronutrients (fat, protein, and carbohydrate), 2) the only non-essential macronutrient (we can burn ketones for fuel or make glucose from protein via gluconeogenesis), and 3) by far the most problematic in terms of widespread illness and obesity.

But like I said, I kind of like the idea of the plate metaphor. So how would I construct a Nutrition Plate?

What do you think? (Notice I put a knife on there instead of just a fork. You need that to cut your meat.) Of course I would argue that there's not a great one-size-fits-all plan. The wedges really should be different sizes for different people, depending on their health, their body compositions, their metabolism, and their goals. But I think this is a decent starting point.

Ice cream and blankies

2011-06-02T09:03:00.004-06:00

I hope every had a good Be Nice on the Internet Day. Were you nice?

The blog has been a bit heavy lately, so today I have some lighter fare for you.

Ice cream

We finally broke down and got an ice cream maker. In pre-Paleo days, Mike had a bit of an ice cream "problem". He claimed he was past that, never needed to have ice cream again. But I started having mad cravings for ice cream, and we realized that it doesn't have to be the lactose/casein/sugar fest of typical ice cream if you make it yourself.

We splurged and got the $50 Cuisinart model. Totally worth it - it's fast and easy to use, and easy to clean. Seriously, soft serve ice cream in 20 minutes. You start it when you sit down to dinner and it's ready for dessert.

Our first ice cream attempt was on Memorial Day. We used only heavy whipping cream and a little bit of maple syrup for sweetener. Wonderfully rich, like frozen whipped cream, but it lacked a little flavor, so we topped it with some almond butter and dark chocolate chips:

The awesome 70s cup was a gift from my brother years ago.

Last night we tried a coconut milk version - I drained off the water from the can and just used the coconut cream. Added a couple of tablespoons of maple syrup and some shaved mint chocolate, and here's what we got:

Not as pretty as the last picture, but this was sublime. So creamy and dense, sweet but not too sweet. For my next batch, I want to do the same thing but with a little instant coffee powder instead of the mint chocolate. Mike prefers the heavy whipping cream, and it's good, but I am sold sold sold on the coconut version. Plus it's a lot cheaper (do you know how much good-quality heavy whipping cream costs? Yikes.)

This was so rich I couldn't finish it, so I put the leftover ice cream in one of those freezer pop molds in hopes of recreating a childhood favorite, the pudding pop. I plan to eat that when I get home tonight, so I'll let you know if the experiment was successful.

If you're on the fence about whether to get an ice cream maker, go for it! You won't regret it. I'm usually not a fan of unitaskers and extra kitchen gadgets, but this is an exception. I am so excited about making lots of different flavors all summer.

Blankies

So I finished the first baby blanket a while ago. Not sure I ever got a finished shot of it, but you can see it in progress here. I love it - it's organic cotton in a nice earthy color, lots of texture. But it's a little small, more of a stroller blanket. I wanted something that was bigger, brighter, more contrasty and fun.

I've had this second blanket in my head almost since the beginning of my pregnancy. I even figured out which yarn and which colors I wanted to use. But for whatever reason, it took me a while to get the yarn ordered up. I finally ordered it, it came last week, and I started the blanket over the weekend. I've already made a lot of progress:

The photo is a bit blurry, but I seem to take all my knitting photos with my iPhone camera a minute before I walk out the door in the morning, so...that's what you get. The colors are true. It's based on the bricklayer (or courthouse steps) pattern in Mason Dixon Knitting, using Shine Worsted yarn from Knitpicks in clementine, marmalade, robot, and platinum. Don't you just love those color names?

I think it looks cute and fun without being too "baby", a bright modern design with lots of visual interest. It's just how I pictured it in my head. And the Shine yarn is sooo soft. It's a combination of cotton and modal (made from beech trees) and is just a dream to work with, plus it's machine washable. Mike informed me that he wants his OWN blanket made from this yarn. Only thing is, he's six feet tall and likes to have his feet covered. So that project may be a ways down the road.

Workout

Yesterday's workout was:

Pull-ups 5-5-5-5-5 (band assist)

Back squat 5-5-5-3-3-3
45-55-65-75-85-95#

Kettlebell sumo deadlift 5-5-5-5-5
12-16-20-24-32 kg

Everything at a slow pace, lots of breaks. My energy was low, so it was a good day for some low-volume lifting. Today I'm skipping strength class and climbing instead. I think I'll stick to 5.8's and 9's and really focus on balance. Then gluten-free Chinese food for lunch, yay!

Links

Argyle business cards from How About Orange
A homemade journal from Etsy seller Paper Cake Creations featured on Craft Leftovers
Paleo recipes on Jen's Gone Paleo (via Julie)
The irony section from Not Always Right
The twilight of our literacy from Not Always Right
Clockbuster movie quizzes from Veer (I got 35/50 on my first time through. Can you beat me?)

Be Nice on the Internet Day

2011-06-01T09:24:00.003-06:00

Yesterday I got some relevant material from the two Joes I know:

and

Haters gonna hate

Thanks, Joe and Joe! And thanks everyone for the great comments yesterday. Maybe this incident was just random trolling, but when you take a risk and put yourself out there and then you get feedback like that, it's hard not to take it personally. But I feel a lot better about it today.

Now let's make today "Be Nice on the Internet Day". Go forth and be nice on the internet.

Serious business

2011-05-31T09:23:00.009-06:00

I have serious business to address today. I read a lot of blogs, and sometimes I read the comments. But I know for sure that I don't read comments on old posts, so my regular readers probably did not see a comment that got left on this post from last week: Not broken by default. No need to go there and read it, because I'm going to reproduce that comment here and address it in its entirety.

I'm a little torn about this. First, I hate to give this person attention just for being negative, especially when there are so many kind comments that show up - people that I don't even know (and people I do know) say supportive things all the time. I'm so grateful to my readers for taking the time to check out what I have to say, and I don't expect them to agree with me all the time - I'm just happy that they're reading. I have no idea who is out there most of the time, and often it feels like I'm just talking to myself. But then I'll get a comment from a stranger and I'll realize this blogging thing is a way to connect to people, and that's very rewarding. But on the internet, just like in the real world, there are people who know how to behave, and people who do not. With the positive comes a bit of negative.

The other reason I feel torn is that this comment was not just negative, but quite cutting and personal, and it is painful to write about it at all. I kind of want to pretend it didn't show up so I don't have to deal with the distress of responding to it.

But the bottom line is, some accusations were made, and I want to defend myself. And I also want to make the point that there are polite ways to disagree with someone that do not resort to getting personal. I am always happy to debate an issue on the blog, and I understand that reasonable people can disagree about all kinds of things. The key, I believe, is to keep it polite, specific to the issue you really care about, and focus on issues or behaviors and not people and their motivations. Judge arguments, not people. Here is how the comment/criticism could have been worded:

I take issue with your stance on doctors' advice. I personally feel that doctors' advice is really important and valid, particularly advice on heart rate limits for exercise. My reasons for feeling this way are ... (personal experience, friends' experience, different perspective or evidence, etc.)

Then I could have responded to the specific issue. But I'm totally getting ahead of myself here. I'll get to the actual comment now. I hope that we can have some discussion about this here on the blog, make something positive out of something negative. If you would like to chime in, I encourage you to leave a comment here or on the original post. Probably here would be best. Don't just think it, write it. Okay, here is the comment, and I will address it one paragraph at a time because it is long.

You sound kind of like a guy I once knew who said it was cool if we had unprotected sex, because he knew his body, and "knew" he didn't have AIDS. Ha!

Wow, that was some start. If you want someone to take you seriously, make sure your first sentence isn't an insult. And that is not just a low blow, but an odd analogy. But let's move on.

I know you don't like hearing what your doctor says, because it goes against your personal beliefs/obsessions. But from an outsider's point of view, you do sometimes sound like a cult member. You won't be "talked down to" by outsiders, you don't want to hear a different point of view (even if the person has good intentions), and you want to do exactly what you want to do for your own reasons, whether or not it alienates those around you. It makes me sad, and yes, I'm worried about your baby.

Obsession. Cult member. Those are very hateful words. Name calling is for first graders. Talk about the issues. And you're worried about my baby? Wow. I'm so fucking touched. But let me get to the thing that bothers me most. I don't make decisions based on personal BELIEFS. I made decisions based on evidence, mechanism, and logic. If I see evidence, mechanisms, or logic that challenge my current view, I read more. I learn more. I'm a Ph.D., I'm a scientist, research is what I do. I have changed and adapted my views on nutrition, fitness, and health a great deal over the last several years. Maybe you should go read the archives and catch up.

And I don't just buy in to all the CrossFit guru talk - if you've read my blog at all, you should see that I differ from CrossFit's official stance on many, many points. A major point of my writing on the blog is to analyze fitness and health issues, to try to understand them for myself and not just parrot what other people think. If I don't have anything original to say, what's the point of having a blog? By the way, I'm not even a member of a CrossFit gym, I have no affiliation with CrossFit. At this point, I occasionally do a CrossFit workout, and I do some scaled-down lifting and other strength training. For the record, I don't think there is any conspiracy (anti-CrossFit or anti-Paleo) on the part of doctors or the medical establishment, just massive self-delusion about what actually works for short and long-term health. Read Gary Taubes' 500 page treatise on this subject to get more informed about how the medical establishment can and has unintentionally twisted decades of research. When you're done with that, I have about a dozen other books, 20 or so blogs, and hundreds of articles for you.

You know what? Maybe I am a little bit obsessive. So is anyone who cares enough about something to write a blog five days a week for more than two years. I appreciate obsessive people. They give the world great gifts - art, literature, music, scientific and technological advances. I'm not saying I'm doing that, but at least by caring about something enough to write about it every damn day, I'm trying.

As one small example: the heart rate guidelines, as far as I remember from when I was pregnant, were about making sure you keep your body temp. in a healthy range. Too high, and it CAN risk damage to your fetus' brain. It's not some anti-Cross Fit conspiracy invented to give you, Amy, a hard time.

You say this is one small example. Does that mean you take issue with all of my points, some of them, or just this issue? Is it exercise that concerns you most, or are you criticizing my turning down unnecessary tests or my nutrition plan? If this is the only concern, your reaction seems to be a bit much. If it's more, why didn't you address the other issues?

But I'll answer this one. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology revised their 140 bpm guideline years ago, but many practicing ob's don't know this and continue to preach it. My doctors never gave me this specific number but I read it all over the place and so I wanted to bring up the specific number. It does not have any basis in data or observation, it was just a number some guy picked fifty or more years ago. I am completely aware of the overheating recommendations and have been careful to avoid that. In a fit woman, going over 140 bpm heart rate does NOT equal overheating. More on this here.

Also, I had a midwife for my first pregnancy, and believe me she was no angel. When I called her one night after the birth to ask a breast-feeding question, she got very annoyed with me for interrupting her dinner and actually told me I can't "just call her like that" to ask questions about something that was scary to me (as a first time mom). She was a crank and a quack. Just because you might find someone who will go along with everything you want, and will support your supposed "empowerment," doesn't mean that person is looking out for you. She may have just as much of an ideological agenda (on the other side) as you ascribe to the so-called western doctors who you presume are motivated simply by degrees of liability.

I never said that all doctors are bad or all midwives are good. I'm sure there are good and bad of each. I only spoke about my personal experience. I'm sorry that you had a bad experience. Having your concerns dismissed by a medical professional feels bad, doesn't it? It breaches trust, it is upsetting. I do believe that doctors are less likely than nurses to question themselves or learn new things because they are used to being in a position of authority, they are used to not being questioned. There are exceptions, of course. There are great, open-minded, intelligent, analytical doctors out there (Dr. Michael Eades, Dr. Kurt Harris), but that was not what I observed from the doctors I personally interacted with. And I don't expect anyone to look out for me. That's why I do my own research and take care to understand every aspect of my health, nutrition, fitness, and medical care and don't trust someone blindly.

You are a smart woman, and clearly you have lots of ways to talk yourself into whatever you want. But there is nothing wrong with loosening up a bit for the sake of the helpless life growing inside you; he is completely at your mercy and your decisions now WILL affect his development. Go easy for a few months, then when the cord is cut and he's physically independent from you, go back to whatever harsh regime you feel you need to maintain to make yourself happy. What on earth do you have to lose?

This is just a horrible thing to say to anyone. You are judging me without knowing me. You are assuming I am doing harm to my unborn child based on something I wrote. Have you ever worked out with me? Throughout my pregnancy I have noted the changes I make in my workouts. I'm not doing anything close to what I did before I was pregnant. OF COURSE I put my child first. OF COURSE I don't go to overexertion. I'm just saying that one set of guidelines does not fit all. For someone who is overweight and out of shape, I would not advise lifting heavy or getting out of breath and then recovering. But for someone who is starting out as a competitive athlete, as I did, recommendations can and should be different. What on earth do you mean by take it easy? What behavior of mine exactly are you protesting? Getting my heart rate over 140? Lifting weight? Getting off the couch? And "whatever harsh regime you feel you need to maintain to make yourself happy"? What do you know about my training? What do you know about what makes me happy, about my years-long journey, about my struggles and what fitness means to me? What the fuck are you criticizing?

You came to my website and attacked me personally. This is what really gets me. I didn't ask you for your opinion on what kind of a person I am. Do I think that pregnant vegans are taking serious health risks for their unborn children by not eating animal products? Yes. Do I go find their blogs and tell them that? NO! That is completely disrespectful and inappropriate. Women should support each other as mothers, not tear each other down. You don't have to agree with someone to respect their right to make their own decision.

And what do I have to lose by complying with whatever the medical establishment tells me? I'll tell you, because I already lost two babies. I got sick of them shrugging their shoulders and telling me there must have been some genetic defect. I did my own fucking research and found out that I miscarried because I am celiac. I strictly cut out gluten and ate Paleo for a year and a half, and I got myself strong and healthy with exercise and lifestyle changes. Then I got pregnant right away, and I've had an extremely healthy pregnancy with absolutely no sign of problems. If I had continued to listen to the medical establishment, I would have continued to eat a grain-laden, low fat diet, I would have been overweight, suffering from gastrointestinal problems, pre-arthritic knee pain and migraines, I would have gone through expensive and invasive fertility testing and treatments, and I would have continued to lose babies.

Everyone needs to stand up for his or her own health and well being. Do not be bullied. Do not be judged.

More about metcons, and Friday links

2011-05-27T09:27:00.007-06:00

Wow, I am so tired/sore. Just two FCF metcons this week (done on my own) took a lot out of me. But it's a good reminder about the dangers of doing your own programming. No matter how hard you try, you will avoid certain things and spend too much time on the things you like/are good at. Did I want to do burpees? No. Did they work muscles and test coordination I had forgotten about? Yes. And sure, I'll do kettlebell snatches, but I stop when I get tired and don't work past that point - Wednesday's workout made me keep going. Push jerks when my legs are tired from goblet squats? I wouldn't even think to do that.

The benefits of a "random" programming style like CrossFit promotes are totally overstated. The whole "training for the unknown/unknowable" is kind of silly. But if you don't take it to the extreme, if you still do some periodization and plenty of planned strength training and skill work, the crazy CrossFit metcon really does help to fill in gaps, expose your weaknesses, and keep you motivated.

Metcon workouts are good in moderation, kind of like macadamia nuts. :) If you're doing six of them a week and never doing any strength or skill training, well, you might have fun but you'll probably never recover properly and after a while, you won't see progress. And you're likely to get hurt eventually, or burn out your adrenals. But if you only ever do carefully programmed strength training and never sprint or try to gut through something, well, you'd better be a competitive lifter (i.e., you live and die for lifting, it is Your Sport), because you won't be as well-rounded an athlete and you will probably get kind of bored. At least that's my take on it.

This afternoon I'm checking out a new practice for my ob care - it's actually a group of certified nurse midwives. Fingers crossed it's a big improvement. Even if it's a small improvement, I'm switching. The number of medicine-related rants appearing on the blog in a week is a good barometer for my unhappiness with my own care. And that number has gotten rather high, in case you hadn't noticed. Why fight battles you can't win? And why set yourself up for a stressful birth? I need someone who respects my decisions even if they don't agree with them. And who maybe remembers my name.

I'll leave you with some links for the long weekend. Enjoy the holiday!

Friday Links

Rabbit Awareness Week from The Life and Times of Bunnies
This is how TV ads are so loud from The Consumerist
Cool table makeover from Ikea Hacker
Memory game from The Purl Bee
Want to do some grilling this summer? Mike cooked me up some tasty burgers and eggplant on the gas grill last night and I made a big salad and roasted sweet potatoes to go with. But our grill from Home Depot is just so...functional. Instead you could get a pig-shaped hibachi from Anthropologie for almost 500 dollars! Seriously, I love Anthropologie, but this is insane. I hope it's a joke somehow.

Some CrossFit workouts

2011-05-26T09:40:00.005-06:00

Today I thought I'd post a couple of workouts I've done this week. I decided to try a few of Tim's workouts since they're just up there on the FCF page staring at me. I go in to pick up Mike after his workout sometimes, and it kills me to not be able to do what I see everyone doing. But that doesn't mean I can't do the same workout on my own. It's better than nothing. And yesterday I had Laurie to join me, so it was a lot of fun. Also, Laurie is a rock star. She climbs all the crazy mountains you've ever heard of and she is an amazing and well-rounded athlete who is totally up for learning new things (and she learns them FAST, too).

Monday:

AMRAP in 10:00 of:

3 S2OH 135/85# (scaled to 65# - all push jerks)
6 push-ups
9 goblet squats 24/16kg (scaled to 12 kg)

Wednesday:

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 reps of:

Ring dips (band assist)
Burpees
KB snatch each arm (8 kg)

Neither of them were tricky to scale - just decreased weight or an added assist. And while both were challenging and got me a good workout, it also wasn't hard to take it at a lower intensity. The lesson is that if you have some experience with CrossFit but you're training on your own during pregnancy, take heart. Many CF workouts can be scaled to meet your needs, as long as you keep yourself in check and don't go all out. I got six rounds on the first workout, taking it pretty slow, and I did the second workout untimed. Burpees for two are a lot more challenging, but still doable! God, I would just die of boredom if the only "exercise" I was allowed to do during pregnancy was the recommended walking and swimming and prenatal yoga. Today I have strength class - I'll keep taking that as long as I'm allowed in.

Links

Real life testimonial: Scarlet’s turnaround (Autism & Paleo) from Robb Wolf
Bison Ribs w/Egyptian Walking Onions & Sorrel from Paleo Zone
Organizing and uncluttering strategies for people with ADHD and visual processors from Unclutterer
Pink Petal Carpet from Getting Stitched on the Farm:

Not broken by default

2011-05-25T09:36:00.009-06:00

Okay, I'm still spun up and stressed out about yesterday, but I'm trying to come to grips with my frustration and come up with a game plan for dealing with the medical establishment. Because it's not like this is going to get easier.

My philosophy going forward is in line with Angelo Coppola's catch phrase: "Humans are not broken by default." The thing that really bothers me about medicine+pregnancy is that the most natural and important human function, MAKING MORE PEOPLE, is treated as a condition, an illness, something to closely monitor and test and treat and overanalyze. Sure, a lot of people today, even women of child-bearing age who should be in prime health, are pretty sick. They're sick because of the way they eat, because they don't sleep enough, because they work too hard, because they forgot how to play and have a good time. But when you address those lifestyle issues, when you eat a healthy, ancestral-inspired diet, get the rest and the play you need, and take care of yourself, you will not be sick. You do not need to be fixed, or supplemented, or monitored, or tested.

If something goes wrong, as it sometimes does, that's when medicine is there for you. This is the country to live in if you have a preterm birth or delivery complications or neonatal illness. That's modern medicine's job, and I consider myself very lucky to have access to that kind of advanced care and technology. But a healthy, normal, well-nourished, well-rested, strong pregnancy? Stay the hell out of my business.

I call bullshit on:

Prenatal vitamins. If you're eating a grain-free diet, your body is actually able to absorb the nutrients you need from the food you eat. Supplementing is unnecessary, often doesn't work (for example, minerals and fat-soluble vitamins are notoriously hard to absorb from a pill), and can even be harmful if you get too much of certain nutrients. I make sure I'm getting plenty of folate from eggs and meat, and I supplement Vitamin D, fish oil, and magnesium. I don't have a problem with supplementation per se, and multi-vitamins may make sense for some people, but the idea that every woman needs to take a prenatal vitamin is wrong.
Heart rate restrictions. Don't get your heart rate over 140! That's absurd and outdated. Toss that heart rate monitor. There are much better guidelines for avoiding overexertion.
One-size-fits-all lifting restrictions. Strength training is invaluable during pregnancy. No, you won't be going for your PR back squat or repping out heavy snatches. But challenging yourself and lifting at 50-80% of your max (depending on various circumstances) feels great and keeps you strong. Yes, what you can do depends on how strong you are when you start out. That is common sense. I did 65# push jerks the other day and didn't really think about it. If you've never hauled a barbell over your head, that would be a bad idea. But the combination of your own intuitions and a coach who knows your abilities is a better guide of what you can do than a doctor who's never seen you lift more than your purse.
Oral glucose testing for gestational diabetes. Fat burners are naturally insulin resistant. Giving someone who is not used to large doses of carbohydrate a huge dose of glucose and then seeing that they have trouble releasing insulin to deal with it does not mean they have diabetes or dysfunction of any kind. It just exposes them to an unnecessary physical stressor and introduces a not-small likelihood of a false positive diagnosis.
Iron testing. Testing for iron in your blood does not test how much iron is in your body, as your body hoards heavy metals (this is very bad in the case of lead and mercury) and releases them selectively into the blood. If you are eating eggs and red meat and not blocking nutrient absorption with grain consumption, you are getting enough iron. Supplementing with iron can be dangerous, as you can end up with too much, or it can be useless if your body can't absorb it, not to mention iron supplements have some nasty side effects.

Yeah, there are more, but I'll burn those bridges when I come to them. Now, I know a lot of women are willing to follow their doctors' guidelines even if they are active and strong and eating healthy. You know what? I'm fine with that. We should all be able to make our own decisions about our health without some know-it-all (me included) telling us what to do. I support every woman making her own decisions. But what I hate is when doctors have this air of authority and use that to bully capable, healthy women into doing things they don't want or need to do.

I was willing to go along with some of it, especially testing, just to keep my doctors happy. But I knew I was going to draw a hard line on the glucose testing. And since I got such a negative reaction, I'm going to draw a hard line on everything now. I AM NOT BROKEN BY DEFAULT, so my default now is that I'm a healthy pregnant woman who doesn't need every test and intervention in the book. If I'm convinced that something is medically necessary or useful FOR ME, I'll do it. Otherwise, I'll pass. And yes, I'm looking into switching to a different practice, though I might not follow through since I only have about 3 months left and there could be insurance issues. But I am looking into it.

Let's make this post a little more positive. I've found a few resources that have been much LESS about frightening women and much MORE about women being empowered adults.

CrossFit Mom. A great resource on real fitness during pregnancy and postpartum.
Alpha Mom. A no-nonsense blog about pregnancy and parenting with a wonderful sense of humor peppered throughout.
The Strong Mama. My friend Alex's blog. She is my role model when it comes to strong pregnancy, standing up to modern medicine, and sensible parenting.

If you've found other sensible resources, please let me know about them in the comments.

Knitting

Now, I need to do something other than rant on here. So here are some in-progress knitting photos. See, I'm really a sweet, mild-mannered domestic type. Ha ha.

The front and back of a pillow. Still needs to be blocked, sewn, and stuffed.

Some silver-gray booties in progress:

Yet another MDK burp cloth. These things are like potato chips (can't stop at one), and even more fun in variegated yarn. When I knit from cones, Mike accuses me of running my own sweatshop.

The problem with doctors

2011-05-24T09:54:00.005-06:00

The problem with doctors is that medicine is more religion than science. That means there is a belief structure and knowledge hierarchy that CANNOT be challenged. And that there are moral implications for challenging it. Science, on the other hand, is all about challenging what you know and trying to get closer to the truth, changing your views based on new evidence and new understandings of how things work. The scientific method is my guiding principle.

No, I am not taking the glucose tolerance test. I am a consumer, an individual with choices. I choose not to take this test based on the risks to me and my baby, the meaninglessness of the result, and the sheer idiocy and inconsistency of the medical recommendations surrounding nutrition. I have done my research, and by that I don't mean I read some magazine article, I mean I delved into the biochemistry and the mechanisms and read hundreds of pages and dozens of explanations on the regulation of insulin. I do not have gestational diabetes. Choosing not to get this test does not put my baby in danger and it does not make me a bad mother. My choice does not give you the right to speak disrespectfully to me. It does not give you the right to dismiss my concerns by saying "actually, you're wrong" without even trying to understand what I'm saying.

Want more info? Here - Robb Wolf has a very good explanation. I tried to suggest a reference, but my doctor let me know in no uncertain terms that she had nothing new to learn, at least not from a moronic baby-hater like me.

I might as well argue with UFO abuctees about alien landings. They already know the truth, and so does my doctor.

My son is going to be strong and smart and healthy, and he's going to go back in there some day and explain it to you.

Reality check

2011-05-23T09:24:00.013-06:00

Reality check

I'm getting a little tired of Whole Nine. First no coffee, then no TV, and now bacon is bad?

I'm not saying they're mean or they're wrong. I get where they're coming from. And I'm all about optimizing nutrition for health. I understand that they're trying to get the clearest message out there, with the best information about nutrition.

But I'm also a psychologist and so I think about the psychology of the situation. We're all HUMAN. We can't be strict about everything. Trust me, I've tried. I've tried to be perfect, I've tried to eat only grass-fed beef and coconut and salads, and I just can't do it. At some point you just can't handle being the weird one anymore and you cave and eat a handful of mini Snickers bars from the office kitchen. And then you spend the rest of the day hating yourself. And guess what, that's not healthy either.

Remember the whole inspiration behind the Paleo lifestyle? It's not about rules and regulations, it's about simplifying and enjoying life. It's about understanding the WHY and making informed decisions, based on what makes sense for us as a species, as human animals (not machines). That doesn't mean you can't have hard lines about things (my hard line is gluten, because it makes me sick). But it does mean that if you find yourself weeping at your desk because my god, can't I just be normal for one day of my life and why is there this ever-growing list of things I can't eat, and there's just nothing left and I hate food and I hate life - well, it's time for a reality check.

The emotional and social toll

As humans, we need to seek balance. Having ever-multiplying hard and fast rules about how we eat and how we live our lives will take an emotional toll and a social toll. We have spent all of our lives building emotional ties with food. It is greatly exaggerated, I think, and you can loosen these ties more than you think you can, once you break physical addictions to grains and sugar. But emotional ties to food will always be there to a certain extent. You can get yourself out of the habit of having something sweet after dinner, but are you really not going to order the creme brulee after your birthday dinner out? (Maybe that's just me...) Does the added health benefit warrant the sacrifice? Are you striking a balance?

Socially, food and drink are important. Every culture has their shared food and beverages, and it is front and center in Western culture. Even the most die-hard Paleo-lovin' CrossFit affiliate is going to have a picnic with margaritas once in a while. People are still going to meet up for coffee, they're going to go out to dinner (which you can't do if you're freaking out about what kind of oils they might be using in the kitchen), they're going to have weddings and business lunches and happy hours and potlucks.

We don't have to let cultural food conventions control us. We don't have to feel guilty because we're not partaking of the birthday cake at the party or the morning donuts at the office or because we get a salad when everyone else gets a sandwich. But we all need a social outlet, and living and dying by rules denies us this social outlet. It's not just the awkward explanations of why you eat so weird (you learn how to deal with that). The stress of following our own increasingly strict rules can make us bitter, it can lead us to avoid social gatherings where there will be temptations to avoid, and that is not good for us!

Exceptions

There are a few exceptions, however, some circumstances where you need to hang on and really be strict, if only for a certain period of time.

When you're first starting out, I think it's a good idea to be strict. Really, NO grains, legumes, or dairy for some specified period of time (30 days is a good start). It's an experiment, and a useful experiment needs control. You don't know what you can live without until you try it. You don't know how you feel without something and how much of a difference it makes until it is truly out of your system.
When you have an autoimmune disorder, you need to be strict. If I had multiple sclerosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or one of a host of the nasty autoimmune diseases, I would definitely try to optimize my diet. These diseases are so awful, the increase in quality of life is worth the sacrifice of some of your favorite foods.
When you're otherwise really sick, you need to be strict. Diabetes, morbid obesity, heart disease - they may be common, but these are not things to mess around with. It's one thing when you're trying to prevent them (as we all are), but if you're SICK, you need to get well. That needs to be your first priority.
When you're not meeting your goals, you need to be stricter. I can't tell you how many times I've heard or read someone complaining that this Paleo thing isn't helping them lose weight, but when you press them on it, they're eating 3 cheat meals, a dozen bananas, and a 3 lb bag of nuts every week. If it's not working, tighten up the rules and give it a real chance. You can play around with cheats AFTER you've reached your goals, or when you're satisfied with the progress you're making.

Do you agree?

You may not feel 100 percent on board with this post. You may feel like a hard line is the best approach for right now. You may feel that any hard line is not the right approach. Another part of being human is that when we're trying something new, we will flounder a bit, we will have to figure things out. My position on specific foods and the best overall approach has not been consistent since Day 1 of my going Paleo. We can be wrong, we can change, we can change back. That's okay, it's a journey, and we learn from experience.

We each have to find our own way, discover our limits and also our potential. You might think that you could never give up your favorite chocolate chip cookies for all of time, but a few months down the road, it's not such a big deal anymore. You might be a long-time vegetarian who thinks they could never eat meat, but that can change, especially when you notice big improvements in your health. On the other hand, you might think that you'll never, ever drink coffee again, or eat grains or sugar, or bake with almond flour, but one day you're at a party, and you just decide to have that almond flour cookie or sushi roll or margarita, and it's not the end of the world.

I'm not saying that because we're human, food is a free-for-all and it's okay to make excuses for everything. That is the opposite of everything I stand for. I hate excuses. We absolutely need to take responsibility for the choices we make and understand that everything has consequences. And there is a slippery slope, where one excuse leads to another and another. So we have to be careful.

But we need to acknowledge psychological realities and understand that we have emotional and social needs as well as physical needs. We can optimize or we can satisfice. Very few people can actually optimize, and trying to do so may just make you crazy. So rather than adhering to every piece of advice, every rule, and every regulation, make your own decisions, understand the consequences, focus on foods and behaviors that truly make you happy and feel good, and enjoy life.

Friday Links

2011-05-20T14:38:00.007-06:00

Serious Links

Pushing Through the Pain from Everyday Paleo
Clearing up Kidney Confusion: Introduction from Robb Wolf

Graph Jam Links

Names for Pet Turtles after 1984 from Graph Jam
Feelings Toward Joggers from Graph Jam
Clothing wearability/looks graph from Graph Jam

Knitting Links

Bamboo wedding shawl pattern from the Purl Bee
Neuron and Red Blood Cells via KnitHacker
Big pillow via KnitHacker:

Lemonade (or chicken salad)

2011-05-19T13:08:00.007-06:00

When life gives you lemons (snow in late May):

make lemonade (or chicken salad):

No-mayo curry chicken salad

6 oz cubed cooked chicken breast
a few baby carrots, minced
1-2 tbsp minced sweet peppers
1 green onion, chopped fine
1/2 a small apple, cubed
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1-2 tsp curry powder
drizzle of agave or honey
1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
salt to taste (don't skimp on it)

Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir until well mixed.

Not as good as a mayo-based chicken salad, but store mayo contains industrial seed oils (canola, soybean, etc.) and I didn't feel comfortable making my own because of the raw egg. This was a pretty good substitute, just make sure you use enough salt! If anyone has found a Paleo-friendly store mayo, let me know because this recipe would be even better if you replaced the olive oil and cream with mayo! Also, I really wanted to use either grapes or raisins for a strong sweet flavor to counter the curry, but I only had apples on hand.

Workout

Yesterday's workout was a good one for a tired and awkward pregnant lady:

walking lunges and crossover step-ups (my balance is GONE)
good mornings, back squats, and OHS with the bar

3x3 press 45#
3x3 push press 55#
3x3 push jerk 65#

kettlebell clean and jerks - technique
mini kettlebell workout :
5 cleans each side
clean then 5 jerks each side
5 full-cycle clean and jerks each side

We ran out of time to do more, but this would be a good workout with more rounds, or more reps per round. Maybe increasing weight each round. Light kettlebell stuff still feels very comfortable for me as I get a little bigger and more awkward, and it's easy to tune to the point where I break a sweat but don't feel like crap. We've done TGUs in strength class last week and this week, and I think that ALL fit pregnant women should do them. Holy pelvic floor, Batman.

Knitting

The knitting is done on the baby kimono, just needs to be blocked and seamed. (The pen is for scale, to show this is a little sweater!) I don't want to guild the lily, but I might be tempted to put a bright color edging on this to fancy it up a little.

Sausage Egg Casserole

2011-05-18T12:06:00.009-06:00

If you're invited to a potluck brunch and don't know what to bring, and you want something tasty and satisfying and Paleo that will still please the non-Paleos, here's your solution! This is tasty enough to work for any meal, in my opinion. But I'm an egg fan! My office mate Corey tipped me off to the original recipe and I made a few changes - took out the cheese, adjusted some seasonings. Here is what I ended up doing.

Sausage Egg Casserole

about 1/2 tbsp butter (or coconut oil)
1 1/2 lbs bulk breakfast sausage (I used the pork/sage sausage from Whole Foods)
assortment of seeded chopped peppers (I used 1 anaheim, 1 pasilla, and 3 fresnos)
10 eggs
1 tbsp heavy whipping cream (optional)
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
pepper to taste
1 small can of tomatoes with green chiles
a few large spoonfuls of jarred or canned green chiles
Brown the sausage in a nonstick frying pan and drain off the excess fat with paper towels (there will be a lot of fat).
Preheat the oven to 375.
Butter (or oil) a 13x9 inch glass baking dish. Spread the cooked sausage evenly over the bottom. Sprinkle the peppers on top.
Beat the eggs with the cream and then add in the spices. Pour egg mixture into the pan. Gently stir in the tomatoes and green chiles.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, until it is no longer liquid in the center. If it's starting to brown too much at the edges but is still liquid in the center, lower the oven temp to 350 and keep cooking.

Note: 2 potential problems may arise - it is too salty or too greasy. Sometimes green chile or canned tomatoes have a lot of salt and then you're also adding salt and you have salty sausage, so you may need to omit the added salt. If you find the sausage too greasy or just don't like sausage, you can substitute lean ground beef or buffalo. You might want to add some more spices though.

This is awesome left over and you will probably be microwaving it at work for lunch . Or if you have a busy week and won't have time to make breakfast, make a pan of this on Sunday and you'll be set for the week. Yum!

Links

Profile of neuroscience researcher David Eagleman in the New Yorker. I saw him give a talk at CU 5 or 6 years ago, and his work is super interesting. I may be biased - time and the brain was my dissertation topic!
Online SLR camera simulator via How About Orange
Bunnies CAN smile and it's kind of scary from Disapproving Rabbits
Religions from xkcd
Lego necklace via Craftzine:

Blah

2011-05-17T14:12:00.008-06:00

Ugh, I'm struggling today. I wanted to post a happy post, but I'm just feeling blah. Didn't even feel like taking a picture of anything.

I've been really uncomfortable lately - not sure if it's Braxton Hicks contractions or just expansion and stretching. Or both. But it feels weird, and it wears me out, and it makes sitting at my desk for hours on end a special kind of torture. I'm trying to feel motivated at work, I even have something semi-interesting to work on. But I'm uncomfortable and cranky and I feel more like a surly teenager refusing to do homework. Even my workout today was blah and that's usually a high point. I walked out of class early because I just couldn't face any more reps.

I'm stressed out about my house not selling. I want a vacation but I know I shouldn't spend the money. I miss seeing friends on a regular basis and I miss my old workout schedule. I have no energy and no focus and I feel like a loser. I'm tired of defending my health/medical/nutrition choices and having everyone think I'm stupid or crazy. And I know all of this feels worse because I just don't handle the high hormone level very well and I get down in the dumps. And at the same time, I feel guilty for feeling bad because after so many years of waiting, I finally have this wonderful thing happening, just a little more than 3 months away now, and I should be overwhelmingly happy.

I guess I'm just venting. If you have a blog, you get to vent. Even if it's just into the void of the internet.

I'll shut up now and give you some links that I found interesting.

Links

Why we burn our pastures from The Pioneer Woman
Smokey roast from Everyday Paleo
1 Backpack of Toys, 2 Kids, 3 Months from Small Notebook
How-To: Cross-Stitch a Donkey Kong Bookmark from Craftzine
Another disapproving rabbit:

The Foot Book

2011-05-16T11:14:00.007-06:00

Thursday's post is finally up again - I guess Blogger was having some technical difficulties. Not much new to report on since then, though. I forgot to take photos of my knitting. Baby knitting currently stands at:

1 blanket
4 burp cloths
4 bibs (still need buttons)
1 hat
1 washcloth
MDK baby kimono (half done)
started a pair of booties (need to be re-started)

I also have an Estonian lace stole going and some Jaywalker socks. But trust me, there's lots more on the baby/nursery knitting list.

Reading

I'm trying to read more, and the snow/fog we had blocked our satellite signal so we actually had the TV off most of the weekend. So I started reading On Writing by Stephen King, and it's quite interesting. I do love his writing style, but even his autobiographical stuff is a bit disturbing. His discussion of how he wrote Carrie was an interesting glimpse into his writing world. I'm also making my way through Anthony Trollope's Framely Parsonage. I like Trollope, very sensationalist for his time and the characters are ones you love to hate. But it gets a little dense, and this one has a lot of incomprehensible (to me) politics. So it's slow going.

Toy store

I went to lunch with a friend today, and I was just next door to a great toy store. My pregnant brain short-circuited, and I found myself walking in there. And for the first time since I was a kid, I didn't feel totally freaked out being in a toy store. It was actually kind of nice to look around. I guess reality is finally sinking in?

Anyway, my little guy has some clothes and lots of knitted things, but not much in the way of entertainment yet. So I got him a little Gund rainbow worm. It was soft and the only rattle that didn't scare the crap out of me (some of those baby toys come with terrifying faces and seizure-inducing color combinations). And I found a board book version of The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss. I love that book!

This is my favorite illustration in the book:

That guy is just so proud of his fuzzy fur feet!

A tiny hat two ways, a spring scarf, and a list

2011-05-12T11:46:00.000-06:00

Tiny hat

Yesterday I knitted a quick baby hat for a coworker whose wife is due two months before me. The cool thing is, it can be worn two ways!

With a stylish knot at the top:

Untied for some festive sproingy-doodles:

In the second photo I also folded the brim up to show that it is customizable to different-height baby heads. The yarn was something from a local store, a bright emerald semisolid superwash wool. Perfect project for using up a little bit of leftover yarn. I also have some of the same stuff in blue (and a stripe's worth of the green left over), which I'll use for a similar hat for my little guy.

Spring scarf

I also finished my spring scarf:

You might say that scarf season is kind of past, but it's been snowing for two days at my house, so I actually wore this today. Berroco Comfort, very soft. The stitch pattern is:

Cast on a multiple of 2 stitches
Row 1: purl across
Row 2: knit across
Row 3: k2, *sl1, k1, repeat from * to end
Row 4: *k1, sl1 with yarn in front, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2
Row 5: k1, *YO, k2 together, repeat from * to last stitch, k1
Row 6: purl across

You just cast on, repeat the stitch pattern till you're almost out of yarn, and bind off. I did an all knit bind off after row 1.

More details: I used US 10.5 needles and about 4 oz of worsted weight yarn and cast on 24 stitches. My scarf is about 60" long and 4.5-5" wide. My knitting gauge is very loose.

Wow, you got a recipe yesterday and a pattern today. I guess I'm feeling generous.

Happy list

I'll end with 10 things that are making me happy today:

My baby shower at work is now going to be a joint venture with above-mentioned coworker, and we are requesting an anti-shower instead, with grilled meat instead of cake and no baby talk or games or fuss or opening of presents. (I am SO not girly. Is it any wonder most of my friends over the years have been guys?)
My little guy now kicks me in the ribs to let me know he's hungry. I ate a "snack" (meal) and he's all settled down now. Communication is good.
Speaking of food, the freezer is now full of meat, and the pantry is full of canned tomatoes and coconut milk.
Still speaking of food, I'm going out to lunch today! Gluten free Chinese food, skip the rice. Yum.
I got a new idea for a fun writing project and have started already.
Someone who I expected to be rude to me yesterday was pleasant instead.
Jane Brocket put up the archives to her old blog, yarnstorm. I'm reading through all the years-old posts and they are so beautiful and inspiring. She is one of my favorite bloggers (and writers and photographers). The next time I get an Amazon or B&N gift certificate, I'm just going to buy all of her books (including a new children's book!).
Mike was feeling sick the last couple days but seems to be doing better today. I actually got enough sleep last night. And Dirk only had one wet sneeze this morning instead of his usual pitiful bunny coughing fit. So we're all feeling better. (Greta is never sick.)
I have a kick-ass workout planned for this afternoon.
I got to make a list today. Making lists makes me happy.

Paleo pan-fried chicken

2011-05-11T10:02:00.010-06:00

One thing I miss from my pre-paleo days is breaded chicken. You know, dip a chicken breast in flour, then in egg, then in seasoned breadcrumbs, drizzle with olive oil and bake. It was just a tasty way to eat chicken, and Mike loved it too. I've tried a few different substitutes. I like a version with a shredded coconut coating, but it can be a little dry and Mike won't eat it because it's coconut. I tried the almond flour version that is pretty popular, but it was a pain to put together and the coating wouldn't stay stuck to the chicken whether I baked it or pan fried it. I wasn't all that motivated to find a way to make it work given that I'm trying to cut down on nut consumption.

So recently I tried something different. Arrowroot powder! This stuff acts kind of like cornstarch and I've seen it recommended (and used it) for thickening sauces and stews. So I figured I'd try coating chicken cutlets in it and frying them up in some butter. Actually, I tried it first with butterfly boneless pork chops and it was amazing! But it also created a huge mess, so last night a tried the "shake and bake" coating method and that helped a ton. Next I want to try it with pounded steak, as a kind of homage to my grandmother's amazing breaded steak. And I want to try the chicken as a base for chicken parmesan, with a nice garlicky tomato sauce and some spaghetti squash. Or picatta or milanese, or an Asian stir-fry - oh the mind reels with the possibilities.

Anyway, without further ado, here is my basic recipe. Enjoy!

Paleo pan-fried chicken(/pork/steak)

2 lbs chicken cutlets (you can just slice boneless chicken breasts thinly)
about 1/2 cup arrowroot powder
2-4 tbsp butter (can substitute coconut oil)
salt and pepper to taste

Put the arrowroot powder in a sealable plastic bag. Throw 3-4 cutlets in the bag, shake until coated, shake off the excess powder inside the bag, and remove cutlets to a plate. Repeat until you have coated all the cutlets.

Heat the butter till foaming in a big nonstick skillet. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until it's turning golden brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let rest for a few minutes.

You will probably need to cook the chicken in 2 batches, or you can just do what I did and use two pans. More dishes but less time. Use however much butter you need to coat the pan and get a good sizzle while the chicken is cooking.

Serve with a nice crunchy salad. Some sweet potato oven fries would be a great companion too. Please ignore the ketchup in the photo - I've been on a ketchup bender and I'm not proud of it. Substitute something healthier. :)

A tale of two bunnies

2011-05-10T09:47:00.006-06:00

I think Dirk heard somewhere that I posted a pic of ANOTHER bunny doing a toes-together side flop and wanted to show that he could too. I found him enjoying the sun in just that position this morning:

See, I can flop with the best of them!

Don't worry, he has front legs too, he just likes to tuck them under for maximum relaxation. Sometimes Dirk's napping prowess is challenged by too much female attention:

But he held firm to napping position and Greta quickly gave up on him and came to me for attention:

Hi there! Mind if I get a ridiculous amount of fur on your black skirt? Oh, and do you have any treats???

For two bunnies that look so much alike, they are so different. Greta could be special forces, she is so alert. She even sleeps with one eye open. Dirk, on the other hand, could be a Zen master.

Workouts

I'm not posting about them much, but I'm still doing regular workouts. Strength class twice a week, lifting 1-2 times a week, climbing 2 times a week, an easy hike on the weekend. No metcon. Yesterday included:

25 push-ups
crossover step-ups (for balance, which seems to have abandoned me)
walking lunges (also for balance)
5X5 back squats at 85#
split jerks with just the bar (45#) for speed and coordination

Fun, reasonably mellow (except the back squats were a bit challenging), and a good variety. Today is class, so Chris can do the programming for me.

Link
Why We Get Fat: a review of Gary Taubes' new book by Dr. Michael Eades
READ THIS, and be sure not to miss the great little tidbit at the end of the post.

Less

2011-05-09T10:41:00.007-06:00

Diesel from Disapproving Rabbits

Look at this bunny. What do you suppose he's worrying about? His self-image? His health? His career? How many friends he has? How dirty his house is? What he's going to make for dinner, the bills he has to pay? Who is mad at him and why?

Answer: none of the above. He is able to do a good toes-together side flop and completely relax, because he has none of this going through his head. And I think this bunny has it right.

I'm tired. I'm worn out from trying to be too many things. I need some flop-on-the-floor peace. So I'm going to do less.

I'm going to shop less. This one is pretty easy. The only thing to watch out for is online shopping, deals I just can't pass up. I'll delete coupons and deals as soon as I see them in my inbox and simply not process them mentally.

I'm going to travel less. This one is also pretty easy - as I get further along in my pregnancy, travel becomes more difficult. The hardest part is not daydreaming about and planning all the trips I wish I could take. And then agonizing over whether I should spend the money. So I'll just decide to stay home and then I don't have to think about it anymore.

I'm going to compulse less. That means stop making so many to do lists, stop checking Facebook or my email so frequently. Stop feeling the need to read through every single post that comes through on Google Reader. Stop fighting so hard for control on go-nowhere projects at work.

And most important, I'm going to think less. I'm going to make a more concerted effort to quiet my mind and my worries. There are a lot of things that weigh heavily on my mind these days, the biggest one being feelings of isolation. It's one thing to feel lonely, but thinking about feeling lonely is much worse. Thinking too much about why you feel bad about something is called rumination, and it is a fast track to depression. When I can clear regrets and criticisms from my mind and focus on the present and what's around me, I feel pretty good, pretty optimistic. So when I find myself going down the rumination road and feeling bad, I'll just say to myself "less, think less".

Something for myself

I wanted to make something for myself, so I started this scarf yesterday. It looks green in the photo but it's actually more blue. The pattern is the open check pattern from the 365-day stitch calendar I got years ago, with 24 stitches cast on and no border. The yarn is a worsted weight Berroco acrylic/nylon blend, and it's knitted on US size 10.5 needles, so it goes fast. That means I'll be able to wear it soon. It's nice and airy and shouldn't be too hot for spring mornings.

Meatless meat???

2011-05-06T10:17:00.004-06:00

Ron Swanson is the best character ever.

Links

Conspicuous conservation and the Prius effect from Freakonomics
Home Alone house for sale ($2.4 M) via the Consumerist
Bunny with a fez from Disapproving Rabbits (not one of mine, though he looks like them!)
Tube sock legwarmers from the Purl Bee
Soda tab prom dress via Craftzine
Knitted deer on the street via Knit Hacker:

Linky Wednesday

2011-05-04T11:16:00.005-06:00

Daffodils from While She Naps via Craftzine

I'm still tired, so I don't feel like writing. Fortunately, plenty of other people are busy putting cool things on the internet, so I can share some favorite links with you today.

Interesting Links

When Is It Better to Be Frugal? When Is It Better to Earn More? from The Simple Dollar
Was coupon fraud shown on TLC's Extreme Couponing? from Jill Cataldo
How to Simplify Your Filing System; or, Why Stacking Just Doesn’t Work from Zen Habits

Funny Links

Summer reading from Unhappy Hipsters
Over or under? from Graph Jam
Bella's take on Easter from Disapproving Rabbits

Shopping Links

Modernica, Inc. - cool modern furniture
Sleeper Premium Full-Zip Hoodie from Burton
This and That feature in a tranquil shade of turquoise from Oh Joy

Creative Links

A tape-bound journal from Make a Book a Day
Sweet sewn bag from How About Orange
Felt daffodils (see above) and a felt ET: (both via Craftzine)