The Whole30 ("Re-evolving")

Been a while, hasn't it? Things have been a little off balance lately and I surely haven't had time or energy to post. I am going to do my best to make sure that I am posting as frequently as I can. Which, hopefully, means every day.

So, I've decided to finally fully take on Paleo by kicking it off with the Whole30 program. It's a program of 30 straight days of paleolithic nutrition. No grains, no dairy, no legumes, no refined sugars. Lots of meat and veggies, some fruit and nuts, no alcohol (yes, I said it), and a pretty high fat intake (good fats and essential fats. so obviously no trans fats). The basic idea? Eat like a caveman. Consume food in the way such as "our paleolithic ancestors did." I put that in quotes and meant to...

Some side notes:

• Many of my fellow friends who haven't spoken with me in a while may be surprised that I may be taking on such an endeavor due to the ideas behind the diet. Ideas such as cavemen, evolution, etc. Especially knowing that I don't believe in the theory of evolution.
• Many of you may think I'm a crazy person for not believing in the theory of evolution and be wondering why a silly creationist would be taking on a diet based on a Dawinian theory.
• The honest truth is that I still do believe in God and creation and I also believe this diet works. It sure has been showing results since I started dabbling in it with my 5-14 day sprints on it. Believe what you will about God (or about me), but for me, I know it is said that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I have definitely started to take part in taking care of that temple so that it is clean. So, I will still eat the Bread of Life.

Now that you know a little about my personal life and beliefs, I am going to get back on subject to avoid being controversial. This Big WODea isn't about controversy and ticking people off. It's about my life in the world of Crossfit and what I am doing within all of it (and posting evil WODs for the crazy people to try out).

Now, halfway through day five, I can definitely say that it has been a shift in the lifestyle. Growing up in a household dominated by rice was one thing to overcome. We have a rice cooker and a rice dispenser filled with ten to twenty-five pounds of rice at any given time. On top of rice, we were also big on bread, milk, and we definitely loved sugar. Mom loves sugar, and you know kids... Child see, child do.

Needless to say, I grew up to be a fat kid. Not morbidly obese by any means, but definitely significantly fat. My mother sat around yelling at me about how I needed to workout and eat better as she nibbled away at way too many fruits, cookies, ice cream sandwiches, candy bars, buttered up breads... you get the picture (Now she says I train too hard and need to eat more like a normal person). With all this, I already knew that getting in shape at home was going to be nothing short of difficult (although, so far I have lost sixty pounds).

Looking into Paleolithic nutrition, I didn't really know where to start. I read part of the book The Paleo Solution (and am still reading it) and a good amount of online articles. From there, I started cutting out grains and legumes. Soon after I cut out dairy. I ate as much as I could during meals because I work at a coffee shop and there is nothing but crap food there. Everything has grains (pastries) or way too much sodium in it. Also, every drink is milk based. I started to bring almond milk to work for some lattes, but realized later that there was sweetener in it. Later I moved to the unsweetened kind, but have become concerned with a few ingredients that are a bit difficult to pronounce. It was all crazy challenge of figuring out right and wrong and my head was spinning. It wasn't really that it was hard to figure out, it was (and is still) more or less about figuring out how to adapt to it. Things like grains were staples in my diet and were the reasons that I became full (more like stuffed).

So far, in five days (along with my other short endeavors) I've learned a lot about myself and food:

• I sure love me some sweets! My fruit intake is the thing I am most careful with, due to the fact that I want to use fruits for replacing candy. Making sure I am having the Whole30 recommended fruit portions is a top priority.
• Grains are addicting... very addicting. I really love carbs... way too much. I would often find myself standing in front of the pastry case trying to convince myself that having a cheese danish or an apple fritter was okay. Often times, I was a pretty good seller on the point. Next thing  I knew, danish/fritter in the oven and on the way into my stomach. 
• Trying new vegetables is always scary.
• I love to cook.
• Unfortunately, I hate cleaning up.
• Going out is quite a difficult task at times. Sometimes, so difficult, I just say forget all about it.
• As someone who doesn't drink all that much, getting rid of alcohol for a month is proving to make going out to have fun hard and awkward. "Yea, I'll have two hoegardens, a fox and barrel, and a water for myself." "Can I get another refill on my water?... and another?"

Health has become important enough for me to change the way I live in the way of a complete 180 degree turn. I want to feel better, live better, and be better (Not to mention have a tight looking butt and a set of abs to make the ladies jumps for joy). Athleticism has also paved the way for all these changes. I want to be bigger, faster, and stronger. I want to be an athlete, something I had always wanted to be, but was never able to reach for. My mother would not let my brother wrestle or let me play football. I took Crossfit as my chance to reach for such a goal. Getting into the games may seem unrealistic and disgustingly lofty, but I like to dream (and why not? at least I am becoming better), at least I may be able to compete in smaller scale events.

I've seen quite a bit so far in this Whole5. Let's raise a glass of coconut milk to a Whole25 more...

AND A WODea!

WODea 2/20/2011

"The Enduro-con"

For time:

20 Burpees

Run 800m

50 Double Unders

30 Box Jumps 24"/20"

Row 500m

50 Box Jumps 24"/20"

30 Double Unders

Run 800m

50 Double Unders

30 Box Jumps 24"/20"

Row 500m

50 Box Jumps 24"20"

30 Double Unders

Run 800m

20 Burpees

Post thoughts, times, and videos (including run ins with pukie) to comments.

Reinvention is Never Finished

The fact of the matter is, I pay a lot for my training. A lot. Especially for a barista at Starbucks, it takes up a good chunk of my monthly income. Of course, my coach was right, I wouldn't miss the money. I never have. In a situation like that, the one thing I make a note of never doing is taking my training for granted. Every single day, I push past the pain, past the fatigue, past the weakness, and through what I once thought was my threshold. Whatever it takes, I get it done. If I must do the whole work out with a grimace because of the unbearable pain, I will. Quitting is never an option; the more unbearable it becomes, the harder I push. From that point, it's just telling myself how close I am to finishing. It is a reinvention and I, as the craftsman, must take care and be thorough so as to not miss a spot or a moment so crucial whenever it may turn up.

Reinvention. It's why we do these things. The reason we work out, diet, and push. Why would anyone want to cut out grains and dairy? These are major staples in the American diet... in fact... any diet, and they taste so damn good. We want to be recreated. Turned into a thing much better than we ever were before. Reinvention is not easy, it's not quick, and at first, it is barely anything you would ever call "convenient." But, we could say the same for anything that is ever necessary. Why would anyone ever want to work out so hard and so fast that they find themselves almost lifeless on the floor, even puking. To be better.

Be reminded, the road to true reinvention is difficult and, from what I've learned, looks nothing like what I've seen before. The American way of dieting and exercise has been a huge gimmick to latch on to as many passers by as possible to leech time and money from them. Phrases such as, "easy!", "fast!", "eat whatever you want and still lose weight!", etc. The commercials are filled with reassurance and stripped completely of truth. Why wouldn't they be? The fitness industry is one of the most under regulated industries on the planet. There are supplements out there that have some seriously terrifying ingredients, but we just take it in because some freakish body builder said, "It makes you bigger!!! *grunt*"

"Taking Super Xplode Max 5000 makes you bigger than a camel's hump!"

Forgive me for sounding like Al Gore, but the truth of the matter is quite inconvenient. True reinvention is far from the reassuring infomercials and magazine ads. It's a seemingly barren place with a population of few, but those who are there are strong and far from foolish. I've also come to discover that they are full of encouragement and love for the few who have chosen to brave the rocky road to reinvention.

Consider some things tonight. Consider why you do it. What is the driving factor? For some of us, it is undeniably shallow. You just want to get laid by tons of people, usually met in a dark night club where conversation is irrelevant due to the sound drowning speakers. I will have you know, it won't last. True reinvention is a constant search and journey, a thorough and constant self investigation. Only the mighty at heart are humble enough to tackle such a task. Ask yourself, are you following the path of reassurance, comfort, and complacency? Or are you blazing a trail down a narrow road that veers off into the dark night? The path that makes your friends call you crazy, that your doctors swear will kill you, and makes your mother say that she raised you better.

For those on the highway, I encourage an exit. To discover a journey that will change way more than your image. It will transform your life. It's not for the wishy washy or faint of heart. There are many exits, get off when you grow a pair and get determined for real change.

For the trailblazers, I commend you. The world thinks you are crazy, but you know what is right and will not waver. Continue to push the envelope and ride against the grain (Paleo pun! *chuckle*). Never give up my friends.

Be thorough, craftsmen, you are the masterpiece, take care of it.

WODea 2/2/2011

Run 1 Mile.

During the mile, every minute, on the minute, do 3 burpees.

30 Squat Snatches 135#/95#

Row 1500m

Post time to comments. Post thoughts to comments. Post revelations to comments.

Don't Mess with Stress!

After everything I've tried... maybe this is the answer?

I know, I know. I, too, think the same thing about stress, "How the hell do I not get stressed?" In the end, it's a choice and a perspective thing, but as humans, we like to not take the time and effort to calm ourselves down. It's a whole lot easier to freak out. Let's not forget the other factors of stress. Lack of sleep and hunger. Pack your lunch and go to bed. You should be crying about the fact that you only got three hours last night. You're killing yourself. 


Hormones... get your mind out of the gutter. Cortisol is the devil incarnate (why is my computer trying to correct cortisol... it's a real word...). It is known to have destructive and catabolic (that's a real word too, computer) effects on your body, degenerating and breaking down muscle, packing on the tubb n' chubb (ok, fine, those aren't), and raising your blood sugar and pressure.

In short, freaking out, being hungry, and being tired is a slow, torturous suicide. College and work are important, but degrees and paychecks don't mean a damn thing when you're dead. Not to mention those degrees in exercise science and nutrition (and other fields of the nature) don't mean a thing when you're a stressed out fatty!

Balance is a hell of a thing to find, ain't it? Sure would knock all that stress junk right out of the window as you cruise right on down the highway of relaxation and awesome sauce. But, we have to address the issues we have at hand in our lives. Where can we cut the stress? What unnecessary loads am I taking on? For those who have anxiety, find a counselor, take a class (stay the hell off the drugs! There is a legitimate underlying issue that isn't gonna get fixed by a band aid in a Rx bottle).

Seriously, I know. It is nothing short of a daunting chore to fix it. In fact, it's stressing me out just thinking about handling my stress, but it has to be done. Not only will it make life more wonderful (or better than crap for those who aren't in happy town), it will aid you on your road to becoming a sexified beast-o-matic, and you're be clicking your heals in the air until your almost ninety (possibly more, granted if you're eating right and exercising... don't ask you're doctor what those things look like. Ha!). I know for sure I don't want to end up in a home, although, if I'm clicking my heels in the air at ninety, I might end up in an institution (I figured one day I'd grow up and stop being so obnoxious... one day).

So let's all sit down this week and take some time. How can we cut back on the stress?
I know I can ___________.
Well, hell. I have a list... Stop spending till I am close to broke just before pay day, sleep more (speaking of which... it's quarter past eleven...), pack my lunch, get a job that doesn't require me to wake up at 3:30am (bingo!), stop fighting with the rest of the family (I've yet to figure this out... It'd probably be a good idea, though...), re-learn to love my job (for now), and stop being so cynical and negative possibly (hmmmm... let's disregard all the parenthetical comments... d'oh!).

I encourage you to take some time this week and write it all down, keep it somewhere you know it is and reference it when you can... or... you can get those ever so sexy crow's feet with a side of muffin top... just sayin'...

Oh, yeaaaa!

Now... On to the WODea!!!

WODea 2/1/11

For time-

21-15-9-15-21 of:
Dead Lift 225#/185#
Dumbbell Thrusters 45#/35#
Box Jumps
Use a weighted vest/body armor for the whole WOD (Do you hate me yet?)

Post time to comments. Post thoughts to comments. I just want to be loved!

The Constant of 3,5, and 6

Now that is some hard work

I've gotten to know a lot of different people through my journey of losing weight and getting fitter. People who follow a lot of different programs, diets, routines, etc. Some with valid points, many with points that, well... points that provoke a monologue full of profanity in my mind. Though, this is a little bit off the track I want to be on, so let's get rolling.

Everyone has a set number of training days throughout the week. It looks different for us all. Some train six days a week and a different muscle group. This is typical of body building traditions (maybe not so much the 6 days, but you understand). Back and biceps one day, chest and triceps the next. Definitely something I do not prefer. Others, especially those who follow main site programming, do three on, one off, working up to six days in their week. Some, like myself, drop five straight and rest on the weekend (speaking of which, back to it tonight). Whatever it may be, there must always be a constant. Not just that you're doing work. If you workout, you are of course doing work. There must be a constant that runs through the full seven days of your week, without fail.

The aftermath; soreness. That feeling that slows you down at work, the one you forget about after a day of squats until you finally have to stand up from that desk chair to take a leak and a loud groan resonates from within you, the reminding ache that tells you, "You are becoming better."  It is a feeling that sometimes seems debilitating (or after you hit Angie for the first time ever after a WODless month, IS debilitating), that sometimes makes you wonder why you keep coming back for more.

Soreness is a must, no matter how many days you workout (unless it's one... in that case, man up). If ever you wake up the day after a WOD and there is little to no pain, you didn't work hard enough. In that case, hit it twice as hard the next day. Never lose the intensity, never lose the drive. Had a bad day? All the more reason to hammer it through even harder than usual. Make sure you have no more energy to be angry after it is all said and done. Let it cause you to lay prostrate on the floor (unless you're Mikko, of course).

Prostrate... or something like it.

Of course, it's difficult. As it should be. It always gets worse before it gets better. To build muscle you must break it down first. To build endurance, you have to push until you can no longer endure. Find your limits, destroy them, and they will return anew. The best athletes in the world don't have it easy in training. They work hard, they break themselves down, over and over and over again. They have become the best because they beat themselves down.

The constant is pain. Even on your rest days it must be present. Even now, my quads still feel some of the effects of the over 300 total squats I did combined last week, and I'm going back to it after two rest days. It sounds sadistic, sadomasochistic, and twisted. You must conquer the feelings, control your mind, and make strong your heart. The rest of your body will follow.

WODea 1/31/2011

For time:

Burpee broad jump 200m

30 Dead Lifts 225#/185#

20 Hang Power Cleans 135#/95#

15 Push Jerks 135#/95#

Row 500m

"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey."

Post times, videos, and thoughts to comments.

Eating good, could be better, but always improving.

 Paleo 

So far, I've been following Paleo to the best of my abilities. It can be hard with a house full of people who don't really care all that much. Though, my brother is getting on board with Paleo full steam, my mom just doesn't care. Which is tough to watch with her debilitating health and her not letting go of her old ways. Dad is never home, so he eats whatever he pleases out on the road.

From time to time I have my cheats, they do become less frequent as I find more of a groove in the Paleo world. Yesterday was a sushi day, with some boba tea, not to mention a cheese danish (I indulged a little more than usual), but today I've been right back on it. It's becoming much less difficult to bounce back from wild days in nutrition and get on track. Still, I have yet to go long enough to kick this "leaky gut" as Robb Wolf calls it. Fifteen days is a long time... or so it seems. So far, the record is fourteen days. I know, I know... "Why not just go a couple more days???" Don't ask, I'm weak.

Today, we are back on schedule with the Paleo Train. I'm still figuring out this thing as I go. For now, it's just paleo. Once I figure out everything, the workings of food, things of the sort, I'll move to Paleo-Zone and really get it all going.

Breakfast:
Six strips of bacon
One egg
Five Pineapple spears
One Kiwi

Could have definitely added veggies there.

Lunch:
One Bell Pepper, stuffed with:
Chicken breast seasoned with garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper
Chicken was wrapped in bacon strips
Baked this in the oven, then placed it on a bed of spinach and topped off with avocado.

Can you see I like bacon? Really, my brother just bought a ton of it, so I'm using it.

Dinner:
Tonight, I'm shooting for another Paleo pizza. Using the almond meal I have left, the rosemary, and olive oil. Going to top it with some chicken sausage link slices and maybe more bacon (stop laughing at me), and some spinach leaves and bell pepper, and whatever else my close to empty fridge decides to cough up (maybe some pineapple slices?).

My first experience with Paleo Pizza (Mmm...)

Let's call this day one of the beginning of another Paleo journey. They get longer every time I hit the reset button, maybe this time I'll make Robb proud. Working on it, guys. Working on it.

On another note, it's rest day for most of us who train at a box, unless you did the CF Endurance WOD today with some of the people from the box I train at (Crossfit East Sacramento), unless you follow the 3-1 on the main site, which, coincidentally, is also a rest day! For those of you resting a bit too much, take on something today. Go run 5k (for time, pick up the slack and don't be a loser. It's still considered a WOD, so go PR), or find a random WOD from another box's site and get down and dirty on it, at the very least, go hit up KStar and do the mobility WOD (that's good for you, like eating you meats). Go here in case you had a brain fart (or are just trying to avoid being a good boy/girl). I plan on trying to improve my double unders today and go hit that rope for thirty minutes (more like the rope hitting me... but you get it). Either way, don't just rest on rest day, be active. Do something like... CONQUERING THE WODEA!

WODea 1/30/2011
Clean and Jerk 135#/95#
Every minute, on the minute squat according to how many minutes you've been working (1 squat the first minute, 2 squats the second minute, etc) until you cannot finish the required amount of squats in one minute or cannot get at least one clean and jerk in before the minute is up.


Post reps to and minutes to comments. Also, feel free to post suggestions on my paleo journey. I could always use the help!

What's the big idea?

Time's are moving along in life, and, to the best of my abilities, I am doing what I can to keep up. I've been wanting to document my progress via blog, but also be able to add a twist of my own to make it fun and more interactive. That's the big idea... er... WODea.

I'm a future games hopeful here to talk about my life, my training, my nutrition, my experience, and to throw out these crazy concoctions I come up with to see if anyone want to do them (or check if anyone is even listening).

Here's how this works! First, I talk about some space wasting useless junk like nutrition and WODs... and THEN I post a WOD I've thrown together from the G-14 Classified WOD File (or more than one). Where do you come in? Well, just like the main site (www.crossfit.com) you post time/scores/lifts to comments (videos along with  scores are greatly encouraged. Adventures are always so much more fun in groups. I will try to post WODeas as much as possible and you can cherry pick. Yes, I know, cherry pick... I said it. Take these WODs and supplement them to your programming that you are receiving from your box. Also, remember do not over train! Listen to your body! Some of this might be stupid programming, some of it might just not be good for you to do after or before whatever WOD you did already, so tread carefully. This isn't programming for any specific box, which is why you will never see me throw up a rest day. These are just idea WODs (hence, the cheesy coining of WODea). Also, I am not level 1 certified (yet) and am not using this to try to profit off of crossfit. In the end, I'm just blogging. Maybe, one day these things will get their own names and we can all come back to them and try again. Maybe you'll add them into your programming. Who knows? Also, feel free to track back to any other WODeas and try them and post. These don't have to be done in any order. They don't even really HAVE to be done. But, if you are willing to take the challenge... well... you know what to do.

Anyhow, before I babble on some more, you get the idea. Let's get going!

Let's start this adventure right. Why do we train? Ultimately, we train to be better. What we are better at is the variance between us all. We want to be stronger, faster, hotter, push harder, go longer, etc. Whatever it may be, we must dedicate ourselves to it. For some, it is for themselves. Years of being out of shape and fat lead one to draw the line and say no more. There is a yearning to live life better. To be able to spend hours in their garden or tool shed, doing the things they love the most. For others, it is for the ones they love. To be able to play with the children they love so dearly.

For some, it's to be better at what they do. Especially with athletes. "If I was just a little faster, I would have been in that end zone before the corner back caught me." "If I could jump higher, I would have gotten over that center." "If I was more agile, I would have been able to track that ball as it came back over the net."

Whatever our variance, the constant is betterment. To be a better you, whatever you are (unless you are a jabroni... just kidding). No matter what, attack the training. The WOD that feels like your enemy in the midst of the battle with it will later become your best friend. Conquer the mind, conquer the weight, conquer the WOD, conquer life. Everyday, approach with the same intensity, if not more, never less. If your day sucked, attack the WOD and embrace the suck it brings, then all the suck you felt before will fade. If your day was awesome, attack with the same intensity in which you attacked your day. Make it necessary to conquer and succeed. Always do it, for it is necessary.

"I will do today what you will not, so that I may do tomorrow what you cannot."

WODea 1/29/2011

AMRAP 20
Max reps thrusters 95#/65#
Every minute, on the minute, do 15 abmat sit-ups (if you have a GHD, use it).

Post number of thrusters done to comments. Post thoughts to comments.

Lastly, scale appropriately! Don't get rhabdo. Remember to listen to your body and know your abilities.