"Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves

I absolutely loved this song as a child.  My sister loved it.  That's probably why.  Anyways, I miss the surprise and anticipation of getting letters in the mail and I am SO glad that the sun is out, now!  Yay, driving with the windows open and blasting my tunes.  I like that this nutrition challenge is 2 months long, because I don't feel as hopeless when I fuck up on occasion.  This is a smattering of the foods I've eaten.  I'll be sure to post the new recipes I have tried and liked.

Egg salad (which always looks disgusting in pictures), sweet potato noodle "pad thai" and blurry vegetable soup.

Egg salad again, but with crackers.  Panera Thai Chicken salad, and watermelon from Kroger salad bar.  Not a great nutrition choices day.

Scrambled eggs for breakfast, Wendy's bbq chicken salad (womp womp), and melon soup for dinner.  That my mother made.

Smiley hard boiled eggs decorated by my 4 year old niece and banana.  Chicken drumsticks and curry.  Grassfed beef burgers with lettuce and caprese salad.

Grainless granola (ground raw pistachios, raw almonds, raw cashews, mixed with coconut oil, honey, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger...baked low and tossed periodically, with banana and coconut milk.  Like "cereal."  Curry chicken and beef burgers again.

Berry Carrot Dream smoothie from Smoothie king (hold the turbinado) and chicken with broccoli slaw and Vegenaise.

Being ultra Chinese for this day!  Bubble tea for breakfast (so nutritious, right?), dim sum for lunch (turnip cake, greens, shrimp stuffed jalapenos, other things I don't know the English names for), and chicken with chestnuts and dried Chinese mushrooms (again courtesy, of my mother).

Grainless granola, watercress soup, and Against the Grains pesto pizza with paleo bison meatballs and pineapple.

Breakfast was strawberry paleo bread with bacon and pineapple.  Lunch was a salad with feta cheese.  And dinner was a bacon, basil, lettuce, and Vegenaise wrap with Chinese greens.  Followed by a few mini Easter chocolate bars.

 

I had taken a few days off work and kind of went on a free for all.  I had Skyline, Wendy's, ice cream from Aglamesis, Popeye's Chicken, and I think cheese sticks somewhere.  Oh and Froot Loops.  I didn't eat all of that in a few days' time; I just remember these things from the last two weeks.  But boy, did I pay for it.  I had the craziest dreams and was super cranky and sleepy.  Not worth it.  What I am realizing (and probably already knew) was that if I am going to eat a little junk, I need to pair it with good food.  Otherwise, instead of being coated by the good nutritious food that my body knows how to process, it wreaks havoc on my digestive system and makes my glycemic levels jump around.  Not pleasant.  Whatsoever.  On the other hand, I don't like to feel like I am wasting a good meal by just using it to prevent a bad meal from making me miserable.  So that, should, keep me from eating too much junk when I do decide to indulge.

 

Workouts have been good.  I PRed my snatch by another 5 lbs (1 rep max is now 80 lbs).  We've been doing a lot of pull ups, which I hope to achieve without the aid of a band by the end of this year.  Also worked on front squats (this video is a little too specific, in that, each person squats a little bit differently, but it does have some good tips), and pushed myself to go a little heavier, and to not be afraid to bail if I need to.  Also got three double unders in a row with two singles in between!  A new PR!  I would love to get double unders, consistently and soon.  I enjoy partner workouts and the camaraderie that comes from perfect strangers.  Crossfit would be a great icebreaker to use!  I've been told that I have good form for my cleans and power cleans.  And I was coached to "look up" when doing snatches, with a visual cue written in chalk on the ground in front of me.  That worked, too!  I hadn't been going as consistently as I wished, too, but that's over.  I'm back in.  I am surprised by how much Crossfit affects the rest of my life, too.  I couldn't quite articulate it, but this article sums it up nicely.

 

"6 Powerful Ways Crossfit Changes Lives"

 

#6 is my favorite: They let go of judgement.

 

Anytime we think something about another person, positive or negative, we are making a decision about them that may not even be true. I made this mistake early in my CrossFit career when I thought I could determine a person’s strength based on his build. I quickly ate my words when a 5'5, 115-pound female competitor out-lifted everyone around her.

Some people who join CrossFit are indeed very fit and step into the gym with a certain bravado. For these individuals, I sit and quietly and wait for the moment when they become completely humbled by some unassuming veteran in the gym. It usually depicts a turning point in their attitude as they realize there’s no room for judgment in CrossFit; there will always be someone faster and stronger than you.

CrossFit changes people’s perspective of themselves and the world. I speak confidently to each of these points as just over five years ago, I was the one stepping into a CrossFit gym, looking like a deer in headlights. I have seen firsthand what CrossFit has done for my life and for me. Now, I’m lucky enough that everyday I get to wake-up and see what it does for others.

 

I feel so privileged to be a part of this kind of movement.  It is cultish.  "Drink the kool-aid."  But it is definitely something I can talk about with conviction.  It makes me a prouder person, and that is not an easy feat to accomplish.  I am frequently confronted with the challenge of becoming a more confident person, while also realizing how relative my place is in the world.  I already felt fairly confident, so this is very challenging for me.  Crossfit is one way that I can express those struggles and achievements.  I couldn't be more grateful.

I leave you with this; I wanted to share the wise words of a friend that I had in college.  We met because she started a club that centered on positive body image.  It was something that I really wanted to be a part of, but I lacked the confidence to really throw myself into it.   Of course, I felt like I was the fattest or grossest person in that group.  I went to Miami University, after all, and even when most of the girls aren't trying to, they are just those pretty kind of people.  But anyways, you get past those things and thought I am not close friends with this person, I still draw inspiration from her pictures and posts.  She is a yoga instructor and Lululemon ambassador in Seattle.

Dear friends, I have some important things to say!

YOU will *not* be more valuable or more loved or more successful when you're 5lbs lighter or "toned" or run 26 miles. You are worthy now, believe that. 

You CANNOT fulfill your body's need for nourishment by counting calories. Counting calories is a useless way to spend your valuable time and energy—focus instead on eating foods that make you feel good and help you live life to its fullest. 

If you're chasing an “ideal” body, you're NEVER going to catch it. Ever. You'll always be chasing, and it will always be running. Stop reading shitty deprecating magazines, stop comparing yourself to movie stars, stop assuming everyone on Facebook has a perfect life and you don't, stop weighing yourself and letting that number determine your success or failure. 

Someone else, who doesn't give a shit about you, decided to sell you ideas on what beauty is so that they could make money—don't be so readily convinced! Your ideal is *now.* Your beautiful reality is fully YOU. Be above all that bullshit, because YOU ARE!

Start striving to feel awesome. This means taking care of yourself, eating wholesome food and exercising. This helps you show up for your dreams and for those who you love. Start loving food, and it will love you right back! When you don't believe in restrictions, you stop the shame and the guilt, and you actually start eating what makes you come alive.

Happy trails, to you.