Archive for August, 2012

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08
Aug
12

No More Crap Reps

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pull-ups, push-ups.  Give and take.  I’m so stinking close to the perfect pull-up it is not even funny.  What I’ve learned through the process is that I’m about 5# off from getting them both.

I’ve had this terrible habit of worming my push-ups.  I get within 2″ of having my chest to the deck and find myself unable to push out of it.  What does this have to do with pull-ups?  I get my eyeballs at eye level with the bar and then stall, lacking the strength to pull that last 2 inches of my chin over the bar from the dead-hang.  Kipping yes, no problem, but strict pull-ups two inches off. 

Maybe I’m naïve but they must be connected.  They simply must be.

No more crap reps for me.  If I’m worming a push-up I stop.  Even if it means using a harness made out of resistance bands to keep perfect form, I’m doing it.  Crap reps get me further behind.  Instilling in my work bad form & bad habits.  Is it humbling? Absolutely.  Is it necessary? Absolutely.

Letting go of ego enough to recognize your own weaknesses is vital to improvement. 

I tell my friends that want to start CrossFit to focus strictly on the technical part of the movement for the first six months to a year.  No one listens.  We go in and rush more weight on the bar, thinking that some how makes us better.  

Wrong.  

Technique or lack there of will catch up to you.  By then you will have developed bad habits from rushing through the technique to lift heavier.  Then comes the agonizingly slow process of retraining and unlearning.

So I’m a slow learner.  I’m still doing what I need to do to get better.    My mantra has changed to “NO. MORE. CRAP. REPS.”

No matter what the movement is.  Air squats, clean & jerk, snatch, overhead squat, dead lift, push-ups, pull-ups.  No. More. Crap. Reps.

 

06
Aug
12

Paleo Blondies Recipe

By garagegym107 7 Comments
Categories: Recipe
Tags: , , , , , ,

Rarely do I post a recipe.   Scrumptious comes to mind.  As in all things moderation is key only a bite will do, you don’t need to eat the whole pan.  Yes, I know you will be tempted to.  

Almond Butter Blondies:

1 16oz jar Justin’s almond butter (or if you are a purist, make your own, just roast raw almonds then process them.  I’m lazy)

2 large eggs

¼ honey (I would have climbed the tree for honey as a cavewoman, no doubt about it)

1 cup Enjoy Life semi-sweet mini chips

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon KerryGold Butter, (this is grass-fed) melted 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, butter or spray an 8×8 pan.

Mix almond butter, butter, eggs and honey until mixed.

Add baking soda and salt, mix well. 

Fold in chips.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden brown.  Ovens vary.  I prefer them under-baked to too brown.  Who likes burned nuts anyway?

 I under-baked mine intentionally so they’d be a little gooey in the middle.

If you still eat a lot of sugar, these are not the treat for you as they won’t be overly sweet to you.  

These are lightly sweet and satisfying especially if you don’t eat a lot of sugar.

You see if I was meant to be a food blogger, I’d have taken a picture to go along with my recipe.  I’ll gladly leave the recipe blogging to those whom are good at it!

06
Aug
12

Sulking Over Silver

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Random Thoughts
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I’ve got to rant for just a minute and then I’ll leave it alone.

What are our young daughters and granddaughters and nieces to think when they see our beautiful and talented gymnasts sulking over silver medals? 

I mean really? 

Our baby girls are already bombarded by outside influences telling them from the earliest age that perfection is the only acceptable.  Acceptable what??

 Acceptable body, acceptable hair, nails, clothing and now gold for the athlete.  Pishaw!! 

Smile your little glorious behinds off for being an Olympian!! 

Good grief have we ever lost sight of the accomplishment because sponsorships, etc. are determined by all or none? 

I’m so stinking proud of every single American Athlete that has stepped totally out of their comfort zones for most of their young lives to go before the masses and lay it all on the line.   Win or not, they are Olympians! 

Shame on the all or none attitude surrounding those young people setting perfectionists goals and creating self-doubt and sulking over silver!

Have you heard all of the Brits singing their national anthem after each and every gold?  Not the athletes but the whole crowd!!

Hat Tip: selihpxe8

 

 

 

 

03
Aug
12

Let’s Talk About Time

By garagegym107 4 Comments
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How long did it take you to lose all that weight?  I get that question a lot.  Through clean eating and working out 6 days a week in 12 week cycles, it took me the better part of a year to lose the first 125#.  

I’m sure there are people out there thinking “That’s like forever!”.  Well it may seem like an eternity but in reality that was pretty fast and consistent.

What other choice do you have?  You are not going to wake up one morning and be magically thin, so just get busy doing what must be done.

Don’t think I’m unkind or harsh, that’s not it.  But the truth is it is just a waste of precious time sitting there saying I’ll start Monday.  Or I’ll start when I finish this exercise book.  Or I’ll start working out after I lose 10# or 20# or 30#.  Or I’ll start once little Johnny starts school. 

Does it really matter how long it takes?  I used to think that I had to have spectacular results in x amount of time.  Now I just focus on doing the work each and every day and the results naturally follow.

It’s time to get busy!

01
Aug
12

It Is Not About Them

By garagegym107 1 Comment
Categories: Morphing of a Fit Woman
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the world of weight-loss it’s easy to play the victim.  Blame all of our shortcomings and lack of results on our upbringing, our past relationships, our lack of relationships, our jobs, our family time, our lack of money, and the list could go on for a full paragragh.  In all honesty, it is not about them, it is about you.

You can make valiant attempts to make lasting change, but until you realize that you are ulitmately responsible for your food intake and moving your butt, you are playing victim.  Sure life will give us lemons on occasion and we’ve got two choices, sit and sour along with the juice or make some lemonade.

Today I was heading outside to work-out with a coworker.  As I turned the corner to go down to the locker room I glanced to the left and saw two gentlemen coming into the facility to enjoy lunch in our cafeteria. 

One was suffering from health related issues, I have no idea what, but he struggled to walk slowly with his friend supporting his arm on one side and walking with a cane in the other hand. 

I smiled and nodded as I usually do and as I continued on to the locker room I was overcome with gratitude.  Gratitude that the man had a friend to lean on and walk with and emmense gratitude that I am now healthy.

When I weighed 328# I used to see the obstacle of weight-loss as  chore.  I used to pout when I would have to eat a salad and someone around me would be eating crap, that whole “why me” thing. 

Over time (not overnight) I realized that I was starting to feel better, my clothes fit better and then it got easier.  My mind shifted from this is a chore to this is a choice.  That one little switch changed everything.  The sooner you acknowledge that you are willing to do whatever is takes willingly to succeed the easier this path will become.

Hat Tip: Elements of Your Life

 

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