Get Pumped!

I'm really excited.

I'm really pumped.

I'm utterly and completely fired up.

CFJ is starting a paleo/zone challenge! Twelve weeks. All out. Take no prisoners paleo. Yes, I have been trying to eat like a cave-women since August. However, I feel like I have become a bit lackadaisical about it. Now is a chance to reignite that flame for good, clean food. I'm not saying I was ever wavering from my culinary lifestyle choice, but it is always good to have something to hold you accountable. That is why I started this blog when I challenged myself to go strict paleo for a month.

It worked. I got hooked.

I'm so excited for all the CFJ members who are going to experience this for the first time.

Yes, it can be a difficult change, but the benefits....Oh the benefits! No more feeling disgusting after a starchy, (bad) fatty meal, more energy, better health and a lean, mean body. I find if very difficult to believe that anyone who takes this challenge for twelve weeks will be able to go back to not thinking about what they eat ever again. Sure, people will tailor their diet to fit their needs after the challenge. I know I did. There are things I let myself have every now and then that aren't paleo.

Honestly, I might go clinically insane if I ate 100% paleo 100% of the time.

90% I can handle. 90% is an awesomely clean diet.

We are also offering incentive to stick with it. Details will be announced soon. This is not my brain child. Nicole and Matt got the ball rolling and got everyone excited. Way to go guys! My husband is convinced he is going to win. Honestly, he probably has a pretty good shot. I have always admired and hated his ability to lean out so fast when he gets serious. I want a male metabolism.

Along with getting strict again with my diet, I have a few goals I am setting for myself before regionals come along at the end of May. I may not reach all of them, but if I don't set them I won't have anything to work towards. Goals are a must. Set some for yourself today. Write them down and tell someone else. That makes it real. Here are mine:

• Get a muscle up
  
• 275lb deadlift (My least favorite lift. I hate working heavy sets.)
  
• 40 consecutive pull ups
• Improve my 400 m run (no time goal, just get faster overall)
• Improve my flexibility so I can do a legit L-sit with my legs fully extended. Currently, I'm not flexible enough to do this. So pathetic. Yoga once a week will help me out tremendously!

Don't be afraid of failure. You learn from failing.

What are your goals? Feel free to post them hear loud and proud for the world to see! 3-2-1- GO!

Enough!

My week of binge eating is over. OK, maybe it wasn't binge eating, but I assure you that I did not worry too much about what kind of food I put in my mouth last week.

Last night I kicked off the week on the right note. I grilled up some delicious, lean steaks for me and the Mr. I also roasted some asparagus and carrots in olive oil and garlic. Yum! Prior to cooking dinner I grilled up four pieces of chicken to have them ready for lunches for the next few days. Sadly, I think something went wrong. The chicken just has a very strange taste. No, the chicken had not gone bad. I did grill some kabobs the day before on my George. I don't think I cleaned it off well enough and some of the remains of the marinade soaked into my chicken breasts. They don't taste bad, they just taste...strange. I love the George, but I'm not the best at cleaning it extremely well every time I use it which is horrible, I know.

Water is my best friend this week. Water makes me feel better than anything else I put in my body. It is fresh and clean and just down right refreshing. I have just over two months until regionals and my diet is going to be clean as a whistle until then. Luckily, I already have my post regionals meal planned thanks to Nicole. Joe T's in Fort Worth...watch out!

A final thought today, take care of your body. You only get one. If it is hungry, feed it good things. If it is tired, give it good rest. If it is weak, make it stronger.

A few other side notes:
I have a sinus infection. Annoying.
I'm going to get a muscle up this week. Determined.

Sectionals Update and More Confessions!

Sectionals was this weekend and it went great! I felt prepared, I felt rested and I felt healthy. I had goals for myself and I achieved most of them. I'm very happy with how it all played out. All of the competitors from CrossFit Jenks did outstanding! It was so awesome to see everyone out there giving it everything they had. No one gave up. Everyone rocked it.

I want to take a quick second to brag on these ladies:

This is a picture of myself (far right) and the three fabulous females from our gym (Jennifer, Christina and Paige) that also competed. We have all been training hard together for months. Any given day in the gym any one of us will beat the other. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. We all push each other. I know that none of us would be the well rounded athletes we are without the others. Way to go this weekend ladies! All four of us qualified to go onto regionals in May. What an accomplishment! Along with us, two other men from our gym qualified as well. Way to go guys! Over all, our gyms will have seven athletes at regionals. We already had one pre-qualified male. Seven athletes! That is amazing.

Confession Time:
I told myself after the competition was over I was going to give myself a treat and boy did I! The very first thing I ate after sectionals was a glorious cookies and cream ice cream shake. I could not tell yo the last time I had real ice cream. Oh. My. It never tasted so good. Since I went on my post sectional binge, it has a bit hard to get back on track. Granted, it is has only been three days and I had been spot on with my diet for months leading up to sectionals. I'm giving myself through St. Patrick's Day to enjoy the ride and then get back on the straight and narrow. I have regionals to prepare for!

One thing I do know, if you are going to enjoy something that is off your normal clean diet, make sure it is worth it. I had a real ice cream shake...not a fake one. My shake satisfied my sweet tooth and I didn't need more. I enjoyed every single bit of it. I enjoyed every bite of my chicken quesadilla that evening and every bite of my Chick-Fil-A sandwich last night! Who is this girl, right? There is never anything wrong with indulging, just make sure that is all it is...an indulgence and not a way of life.

Remember, when you eat clean you can do things like this...fast!

Healthy is Easy

I just have to rave a bit about my dinner last night. I love Mexican food and I love a good salad. Last night I made paleo taco salads. I guess there really isn't much "taco" about it, but still....yum.

I grilled up about 3/4 lb of 93% lean ground beef and split it equally between myself and my hubby. My meant went on top of a huge portion of beautiful, leafy greens.I diced up an avocado and split it equally as well. He got a nice portion of some shredded cheese on his and then I topped both off with lots-o-salsa. I did use some taco seasoning for the meat

It was extremely simple. I thought I would maybe miss the beans and cheese, but I didn't. I devoured that thing like I hadn't eaten in weeks. So good! Meals like that are a good reminder that it is extremely easy to eat healthy and still have yummy food. The whole dish took me fifteen minutes max...and that included cleaning my skillet.

Tonight I am grilling turkey breast chops and roasting some asparagus. I have become an asparagus lover lately. Very strange, but with a little garlic and sea salt it is delicious. I also have a sweet potato that might be calling my name.

Water and lots of sleep are going to be my two best friends over the next few days. Saturday will be here before we know it! I'm excited to see how the last seven months of paleo are going to help me this weekend. I think I'm going to be a big bundle of energy...which is exactly what I'll need!

Sectionals Week!

The week is upon us. This Saturday and Sunday I will be competing in the South Central Sectional along with many other men and women from CFJ. What does that mean for my diet this week? Clean, clean, clean! I plan on keeping my carb portion a bit higher for some added energy...of course this will come in the form of fruits and veggies. I'm planning on having a beautiful taco salad for dinner tonight. Lean beef, greens, avocado, tomatoes and salsa. Yum yum. I'll be grilling up another few pounds of chicken to get me through lunches and snacks.

It is getting close to fruit season. I've been lucky to find some really great blueberries my past few trips to the store. I think blueberries are one of the most fantastic fruits out there. I try to have them on hand whenever they are good. Grapefruits are also a staple of my diet. I wish I mixed it up more sometimes, but hey, I like what I like. I can't help it!

Last night we had some great grilled chicken and zucchini noodles. My husband has become obsessed. I used four zucchinis for the two of us and it was barely enough to satisfy him! I'm so excited he loves them. Pistachios are still a new favorite of mine. I need to find some good raw pistachios in bulk. I can only find them in mixes right now, which of course is fine too. I'm planning on getting lots of rest this week and just taking care of my body in general. There are some nasty colds and stomach flu bugs going around. I'm keeping my hands washed, staying hydrated and running as fast as I can in the opposite direction of sick people!

So do I plan on splurging a bit after sectionals? This might surprise you, but YES! I've always loved ice cream. It is something I really miss when I'm being strict with my diet. I'm planning on treating myself a perfect ice cream treat Sunday evening. I'm looking forward to my sweet treat!

I'm so excited about competing and cheering on the rest of our crew. I think we're going to make a great showing. Everyone has put in a lot of hard work. It is about to pay off!

A Few Things I'm Excited About

• Sectional are less than two weeks away. I've been training hard, my shoulder is showing tremendous improvement and my diet has stayed clean. I'm feeling GOOD!
• Paleo Brands is ready to ship pre-made, frozen, paleo meals! They have five different varieties of entrees for the caveman or cave woman in your life. Pretty awesome.
• Sleep, sleep, sleep. Along with focusing on a clean diet, I have also been making sure other areas of my life are balanced and clean as well. I have been sleeping like a baby the last few weeks which is out of the normal for me. It is amazing what a good eight hours of sleep can do for your body. Make yourself get some shut eye this week!
• Archer Farms Raw Mixed Nuts. I came across this little gem in Target last week. It is a mix of raw, unsalted cashews, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts and walnuts. It is a dream come true. My 30 ounce container cost about $11 and has 30 servings. Who eats just one ounce of nuts at at time though? :) Pick up a jar. You'll be happy.
• Speaking of my shoulder feeling good, I got three consecutive handstand push ups on Saturday. Rejoice! Two weeks ago my shoulder still wouldn't let my head get closer than four inches from the ground. I am on happy lady.