{changing lives. one athlete at a time.}

Sectionals.  I jump the morning plane to Denver on March 18th, one day after my one-year anniversary of joining CrossFit.  For me that is a big day.  Eleven months ago I thought I was in shape.  January 2009, I recommitted myself to consistent weight training and cardio (gasp!).  So fourish times a week I would drag myself to a local gym that I had been a member at for eight years.  Drop my little guy off at the gym childcare for two hours and make my journey down and up 65 steps (I know this because I counted one time after hauling my pregnant self up and down those stairs through 8 1/2 months of pregnancy.  Nobody should have to haul 29 extra pounds up and down 65 steps on a near daily basis.  AFTER a "workout") to the "cardio mezzanine" for  my 45 minute date with the elliptical trainer.  Around and around and around my feet would go in perfect little ellipses.  iPod plugged into a station on one of the four flat-screen plasma tvs.  Damn straight, zone out watching something mindless on tv because 45 minutes on an elliptical trainer is bo-ring, my friends!  After that down the stairs for some weight training.  Leg presses, lat pulldowns, bicep curls, lateral raises, tricep kickbacks.  Oh baby, we're working now!  2 1/2 months into my consistent cardio/weight training and no results I hear again about this "garage gym" CrossFit.  I'm very intrigued and immediately think, "Tony would love that!"  I also thought, "So would I", but I have been going to this other gym for over eight years, I've been happy there, but Tony doesn't use it at all.  CrossFit is where he should go so he will start working out.  So Tony joins on Monday, March 9th (you remember days that change your life), and after every one-on-one I would greet him at the door in a state of giddiness anxiously waiting to hear what he got to do for his workout.  On Saturday, I went with Tony to his one-on-one session to check out the gym, suspiciosly wearing workout clothes. ;) And it worked!  I was asked to join in on a workout to see what it was like!  Oh-My-Freakin'-God!  I signed up on Monday and ended my eight-year relationship with my "comfortable" gym!  I stepped into CrossFit Flathead as a member on March 17 (again, you remember days your life changed) and I have never looked back.  One hour/day, five days/week and I am in the best shape of my life, more confident, a strong woman and I get to workout with my family everyday.  The best part is Tony loves it!  He found something that he loves that will keep his heart and body healthy.  I love it!  I can do things that I never thought I would do.  I do pullups (yes, kipping  pullups, for you nay-sayers!), I can do five strict pullups in a row, 10 ringdips, I can deadlift 225 pounds and squat 195.  I can do a clean and jerk and I'm finally figuring out the snatch.  I am olympic lifting people!  Who knew!  I did a musc le up!  In a single workout I ran two miles and did 100 pullups, 200 pushups and 300 squats.  Who does that?  A CrossFitter!  I do workouts that make me look like I have been in a bar fight.  Bruised collar bones from cleans, bruised shins and knees from deadlifts, scraped up shins from missing a boxjump, bruised chin and chipped tooth from missing a push jerk.  I love the CrossFit battle wounds.

But putting all the physical accomplishments aside, the best part about our gym is the community and our coaches.  I always say our gym is 90% the people and 10% the workouts.  The people we have met in the past year are amazing and have become our CrossFit family.  How many of you go to your gym and everybody knows your name and greets you when you walk in the door?  How many of you go to your gym and you are cheered on and encouraged through your workout by a fellow gym member/friend?  How many of you go to a gym and as you are finishing a workout that is kicking your ass a friend, who has already finished the workout, steps in and works out next to you until you finish so you don't quit?  How many of you go to your gym and your coach gives you a huge hug because he can tell by looking at you that you NEED that hug?  How many of you go to a gym that heals your soul and helps you battle your demons?  How many of you go to a gym where the owners open their arms to you and make you feel like family?  If you don't get any of that at your gym, you are missing out.  Everyday at our gym is making us stronger.  Mentally and physically.  We are all better people for stepping into CrossFit Flathead.  There is no place on this planet where I would rather spend my time, working out and becoming a better person.  CrossFit Flathead is changing lives, one athlete at a time.  Thank you Coach B and Coach D!  You changed my life!

So what are you waiting for? 3-2-1-GO!

{paleo shmaleo}

Damn. I'm eating Paleo with some Zone thrown in for good measure. I didn't want to be one of those people, but here I am. It really isn't a far cry from how we ate before, but it does require a little more diligence, prep, and cutting out of a few more food items. I'm okay with that. After a few weeks of tightening up my diet (still not perfect) I can tell a difference in the gym and THAT, my friends, I like! I am not going to preach the wonders of the food I eat or push it on you. This is just how I choose to fuel my body. . . for the most part. I still enjoy my favorite things. I just have to plan for them now, though, sometimes I have to admit I don't even do that. Okay, enough of that. Now onto the real reason I sat down to write this post . . . an amazing Paleo meal!

So, a few weeks ago I started following an amazing blog by a likeminded CrossFitter, Primal Mama Cooks. Her blog has great recipes with pictures, is written by a very down-to-earth busy mom (busy I understand) and is very entertaining to boot. Many times I read her posts and do, in fact, laugh out loud and then read it to my hubby so I can giggle somemore. For Valentine's Day we chose one of her recipes and cooked it together in the kitchen (duh, huh. Of course, the kitchen). It was a-maaaaaa-zing! Wow! Lemon Chicken on Cauliflower Mash. M-m-m-m-m! Not only was it delicious when done cooking it was gorgeous marinading. When does that happen?! Standing in your kitchen drooling over raw chicken in a gallon zip-lock? You know you are in for a treat when that happens! Witness the drool-fest below. How gorgeous is that?

Marinating Beauty

Onto the cauliflower mash. I have seen this suggested as a replacement for mashed potatoes many times, but never took the time to try it. Not because I don't like cauliflower, probably because I was just too lazy to try something new. But, tonight I set lazy aside and we tried it. What a treat and the best part, the kids ate it! Okay, the girls loved it, Tyler not so much. (80% of our household gave a new recipe a thumbs up? I call that a success!) Mashed cauliflower, carmelized onions (I think we will cut way back on the onions next time), garlic. Oh, what isn't to love? And the chicken, I can't say enough about how easy it was and oh so good. You can get this chicken ready in the marinade in minutes in the morning and be ready to cook come dinner time. Open your ziplock, dump in olive oil, cut two lemons in half, squeeze the juice in (Don't bother throwing the lemons away, toss them in, too!), chop up parsley, mince up garlic, throw in the chicken, seal 'er up and your dinner is on it's way to yummy!

Paleoliciousness!

We will definitely be making this again. We decided the marinade would probably be good with fish, also. That may be next on our experiment list. I'm not much of a cook in the kitchen, but I've found that I need to become one if I am going to make eating Paleo a part of our lives. It has to taste good to stick with it. I don't think I will get too competent in the kitchen though because Tony is pretty good at it and I would hate to take away the breakfast he makes me every morning or the dinners that he prepares because I didn't quite get to it. :) That is just smart thinkin' ladies!