8:15am - Bacon and eggs. Black tea and honey.
10:30am - Cherries, almonds and macadamias.
12:30pm - Home made burger with raw salsa, cucumber and lettuce
4:00pm - Almonds, macadamias and a nectarine.
6:15pm - 20 chicken nuggets. Ended up with about 15 minutes to eat in McDonalds so tried to make the best of it! I don't think there was a best to be made though. Way to go out on a high!
8:00pm - Paleo brownie with a black tea and sugar (not honey).
10:00pm - A banana.
Aaaaand finished!
Friday 8 July 2011
Monday 4 July 2011
Day 29 Summary
Penultimate day. 3 weeks ago this seemed like it was an eternity away and suddenly its gone by really fast.
8:15am - Bacon and eggs from Over the Gate Farm Shop. Great bacon, average eggs (they were chicken so maybe the duck eggs have spoiled me). Some blackberries (Wow! I did enjoy these and they were only from the local Co-Op so nothing fancy) and some almonds.
10:30am - One of the guys at work has a very large cherry tree and more cherries than he knows what to do with. A handful of cherries was very quickly eaten.
12:00pm - An apple.
1:00pm - Tandoori chicken and BBQ pork with home made raw salsa, cucumber and lettuce. Some almonds and macadamias. A lot of cherries!
4:00pm - A banana with some more nuts.
6:30pm - WoD - 5km (3.1 miles) run in 23:48. I lead our little pack almost from the start so it was a tough run and I now have a blister from my Vibrams on my long middle toe!
A quick calculation tells me that's 7m 40s per mile approx. My previous PB (when I was running intensively for a 10 miler) over 8k is 38mins, which is about the same pace give or take a few seconds. I have never, ever come close to that kind of pace over anything more than about a mile before or since so this is a great result for me. And I did it in Vibram Five Fingers this time!
Box Challenge - Pull up static hold for time. As soon as the arms go past 90 degrees it's over. I went palms down to save my dodgy wrist (palms up seems to twist it in a way it doesn't like). This also meant I was the first person to attempt palms down and that made me leader by default. Awww yeah! Managed 60s and was shaking like a leaf at the end. A leaf with Parkinson's during an earthquake! Another pleasing result though.
8:00pm - Lamb leg steak with Rose Farm mint sauce (has a couple of un-paleo ingredients) and mixed veg (courgettes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower).
9:30pm - Made a new batch of paleo brownies with macadamias and dried cherries to top them (Urban Fruit are the only supermarket brand of dried fruit I've found that are unsweetened). Ate just one (that's a first!). Black tea and honey to wash it down.
As always there was lots of water too.
8:15am - Bacon and eggs from Over the Gate Farm Shop. Great bacon, average eggs (they were chicken so maybe the duck eggs have spoiled me). Some blackberries (Wow! I did enjoy these and they were only from the local Co-Op so nothing fancy) and some almonds.
10:30am - One of the guys at work has a very large cherry tree and more cherries than he knows what to do with. A handful of cherries was very quickly eaten.
12:00pm - An apple.
1:00pm - Tandoori chicken and BBQ pork with home made raw salsa, cucumber and lettuce. Some almonds and macadamias. A lot of cherries!
4:00pm - A banana with some more nuts.
6:30pm - WoD - 5km (3.1 miles) run in 23:48. I lead our little pack almost from the start so it was a tough run and I now have a blister from my Vibrams on my long middle toe!
A quick calculation tells me that's 7m 40s per mile approx. My previous PB (when I was running intensively for a 10 miler) over 8k is 38mins, which is about the same pace give or take a few seconds. I have never, ever come close to that kind of pace over anything more than about a mile before or since so this is a great result for me. And I did it in Vibram Five Fingers this time!
Box Challenge - Pull up static hold for time. As soon as the arms go past 90 degrees it's over. I went palms down to save my dodgy wrist (palms up seems to twist it in a way it doesn't like). This also meant I was the first person to attempt palms down and that made me leader by default. Awww yeah! Managed 60s and was shaking like a leaf at the end. A leaf with Parkinson's during an earthquake! Another pleasing result though.
8:00pm - Lamb leg steak with Rose Farm mint sauce (has a couple of un-paleo ingredients) and mixed veg (courgettes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower).
9:30pm - Made a new batch of paleo brownies with macadamias and dried cherries to top them (Urban Fruit are the only supermarket brand of dried fruit I've found that are unsweetened). Ate just one (that's a first!). Black tea and honey to wash it down.
As always there was lots of water too.
Day 28 Summary
9:30am - Sausages with mustard and scrambled egg and oregano. Black tea with honey.
12:00pm - A banana and some almonds.
1:00pm - Was out touring local farm shops and bought some cherries from Mile Oak Farm which I promptly ate! Liked the farm, with lots of animals about for kids to feed and stuff. The shop had plenty of cheap fruit and veg, their own honey (which I bought) and some lovely looking but sadly not paleo jams and sauces. I did get a whole grain mustard though that had no added sugar and only whole ingredients. Score!
2:30pm - A medley of courgette, carrots and freshly bought cauliflower and broccoli from Mile Oak Farm with BBQ pork and tandoori chicken skewers from Over the Gate Farm Shop. I liked this place. A very good selection of meat and fresh produce. Also lovely looking cakes at reasonable prices...
3:30pm - An enormous slice of coffee and walnut cake that was definitely NOT paleo. It was as delicious as it was bad for me though ;P Black tea and honey.
9:00pm - Notice the large period with no food? That's what eating super high calorie cake does to me now. Beef burger with lettuce, cucumber and raw tomato and onion salsa.
Saturday 2 July 2011
Day 27 Summary
8:30am - Sausages with mustard and scrambled egg and oregano.
9:30am - Black tea with honey and some cherries.
10:30am - Bought a wheat, gluten and dairy free chocolate bar from Tesco on impulse as it looked interesting. Not strictly paleo but mostly whole ingredients so not that bad in the grand scheme of things. Tasted very good although it was more expensive than a regular chocolate bar!
11:00am - Gymnastics. 2 min handstand hold in as few sets as possible. 60s, 40s, 20s. Very pleased with these.
Free handstand to a partner. Did a couple and managed a 2s or so hold on the last one. Probably my first ever actual handstand!
Strict pull ups. 5, 3 with 4kg added and 2 partial reps, 2 with 8kg added with 4 partial reps, 1 with 12kg added and 2 partial reps. Need to incorporate more of these to get monster strong!
1 min tuck hold in as few sets as possible. 45s then 15s. Tried to extend 1 leg on the 15s set and kept cramping up but I'll have to keep trying!
2 set of press up to dip on the paralettes. 10 and then 8 (knackered!)
Great session!
12:30pm - A banana.
1:30pm - Cooked up a storm in the kitchen! Made some burgers to Barney's recipe (these are amazing!). Had them with lettuce and cucumber with a generous helping of raw tomato and onion salsa over the top. The salsa juices worked as a dressing for the salad. Followed it with some fresh cherries.
9:30am - Black tea with honey and some cherries.
10:30am - Bought a wheat, gluten and dairy free chocolate bar from Tesco on impulse as it looked interesting. Not strictly paleo but mostly whole ingredients so not that bad in the grand scheme of things. Tasted very good although it was more expensive than a regular chocolate bar!
11:00am - Gymnastics. 2 min handstand hold in as few sets as possible. 60s, 40s, 20s. Very pleased with these.
Free handstand to a partner. Did a couple and managed a 2s or so hold on the last one. Probably my first ever actual handstand!
Strict pull ups. 5, 3 with 4kg added and 2 partial reps, 2 with 8kg added with 4 partial reps, 1 with 12kg added and 2 partial reps. Need to incorporate more of these to get monster strong!
1 min tuck hold in as few sets as possible. 45s then 15s. Tried to extend 1 leg on the 15s set and kept cramping up but I'll have to keep trying!
2 set of press up to dip on the paralettes. 10 and then 8 (knackered!)
Great session!
12:30pm - A banana.
1:30pm - Cooked up a storm in the kitchen! Made some burgers to Barney's recipe (these are amazing!). Had them with lettuce and cucumber with a generous helping of raw tomato and onion salsa over the top. The salsa juices worked as a dressing for the salad. Followed it with some fresh cherries.
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| Perfect post workout nutrition! |
5:00pm - Some fresh cherries and strawberries with some almonds and macadamias.
8:00pm - A not very creative burger with lettuce, cucumber and raw tomato and onion salsa.
Day 26 Summary
8:15am - Bacon and eggs. Black tea and honey.
10:30 am - Half a paleo brownie.
12:30pm - Chicken and ham salad with home made honey and mustard dressing. Some almonds, macadamias. An pear.
4:00pm - An orange. Half a paleo brownie.
7:30pm - Pork chop with garlic and spices, courgette, brocolli. Some fresh cherries and strawberries.
9:30pm - Black coffee with honey and a paleo brownie.
Day 25 Summary
8:15am - Bacon and eggs.
10:30 am - Almonds, macadamias, an apple.
12:30pm - Chicken and ham salad with pesto. A pear.
4:00pm - A banana. A paleo brownie.
6:00pm - Focus - Barrell runs. 5 minute relay. WoD, tabata you gotta be kidding me. Tabata wall balls (8kg) - 64, tabata pull ups (toes to assist only) - 27, tabata squats - 103, tabata SDHP (20kg) - 67. Total - 261. Pushed myself with the weights on these and was pleased with how it went!
8:00pm - Pork chop with garlic and spices, carrots, brocolli.
9:30pm - Black tea with honey and a paleo brownie.
10:30 am - Almonds, macadamias, an apple.
12:30pm - Chicken and ham salad with pesto. A pear.
4:00pm - A banana. A paleo brownie.
6:00pm - Focus - Barrell runs. 5 minute relay. WoD, tabata you gotta be kidding me. Tabata wall balls (8kg) - 64, tabata pull ups (toes to assist only) - 27, tabata squats - 103, tabata SDHP (20kg) - 67. Total - 261. Pushed myself with the weights on these and was pleased with how it went!
8:00pm - Pork chop with garlic and spices, carrots, brocolli.
9:30pm - Black tea with honey and a paleo brownie.
Wednesday 29 June 2011
Day 24 Summary
8:15am - Ran out of eggs! Bacon, sausages, almonds, macadamies and cherries. Black tea with honey.
11:00am - A pear.
1:00pm - Lunchtime workout. Run 500m and stretch to warm up. 1 set of pull ups to failure - 7. 1 set of full dips to failure - 7. Trail run up the hill near work (it's about a mile with a fairly consistent upwards gradient). 1 min rest at the top. Jog down the hill and then a last short and steep tarmac hill sprint to finish.
2:00pm - Burger and salad same as yesterday.
4:00pm - Almonds, macadamias and an orange.
7:00pm - A nectarine, some cherries and a paleo brownie. Black tea with honey.
9:00pm - Two sausages and a paleo brownie. Black tea with honey.
Water for the rest of the day.
Odd eating pattern today due to being out and about doing stuff.
11:00am - A pear.
1:00pm - Lunchtime workout. Run 500m and stretch to warm up. 1 set of pull ups to failure - 7. 1 set of full dips to failure - 7. Trail run up the hill near work (it's about a mile with a fairly consistent upwards gradient). 1 min rest at the top. Jog down the hill and then a last short and steep tarmac hill sprint to finish.
2:00pm - Burger and salad same as yesterday.
4:00pm - Almonds, macadamias and an orange.
7:00pm - A nectarine, some cherries and a paleo brownie. Black tea with honey.
9:00pm - Two sausages and a paleo brownie. Black tea with honey.
Water for the rest of the day.
Odd eating pattern today due to being out and about doing stuff.
Day 23 Summary
8:15am - Scrambled eggs and peppered mackerel.
12:30pm - Home made beef burger with a salad of lettuce, red pepper, red onion and tomato. Added some olive oil and paleo ketchup. Some cherries.
3:30pm - Almonds, macadmias and a banana.
7:00pm - Skills class. 2 min handstand hold in sets of 30s. 3 handstand negatives. 20x leg raises with back against the wall. I can quite get these to 90 degrees so that's something to work on. Some double under practise, managed to string together 3. 2 min sit ups - 53 (for the challenge board). 5x skin the cat working on form. 30s upright hollow hold on the rings to finish.
9:00pm - Pork chop with cabbage and carrots. Some paleo brownie after.
Water throughout the day.
12:30pm - Home made beef burger with a salad of lettuce, red pepper, red onion and tomato. Added some olive oil and paleo ketchup. Some cherries.
3:30pm - Almonds, macadmias and a banana.
7:00pm - Skills class. 2 min handstand hold in sets of 30s. 3 handstand negatives. 20x leg raises with back against the wall. I can quite get these to 90 degrees so that's something to work on. Some double under practise, managed to string together 3. 2 min sit ups - 53 (for the challenge board). 5x skin the cat working on form. 30s upright hollow hold on the rings to finish.
9:00pm - Pork chop with cabbage and carrots. Some paleo brownie after.
Water throughout the day.
Monday 27 June 2011
Day 22 Summary
8:15am - Scrambled duck eggs, leftover paleo pancakes and bacon.
12:30pm - Italian chicken salad same as yesterday. Some fresh strawberries.
3:30pm - A banana and some almonds and macadamias.
6:30pm - Focus. Shoulder press 5 x 5. 35kg, 37.5kg, 40kg, 40kg x 3, 37.5kg. Very happy with this as my current 1 rep max was 42.5kg. In fact only a couple of months back 40kg was my 1RM so delighted with 8 reps at this weight. Great progress!
WoD - 25 pullups (foot in blue band), 200m run, 15 thrusters @ 35kg, 400m run, 15 thrusters @ 35kg, 200m run, 25 pullups (foot in blue band). 11:59.
I indulged in a little moaning after this (thanks for listening Ami!) about how being last in these things can be a little disheartening sometimes but then I remember that I'm always pushing myself. Maybe I am last quite often but I never feel like I took it too easy for the sake of a low time. 35kg on the thrusters is 5kg more than I've previously used at this volume and progress with the pull ups on the blue band is coming along well. In hindsight I'm very happy with how today's class went. Bloody tough on my wrists though. I MUST remember to keep the weight in the heel of my palm!
9:00pm - Made some of the Plan P burgers and had them with cabbage and broccoli as they required the least amount of chopping. Had some paleo ketchup on the side and they were lovely! Finished off with some strawberries.
Drank nothing but water today. No tea at all as it's been too hot (for a change)!
12:30pm - Italian chicken salad same as yesterday. Some fresh strawberries.
3:30pm - A banana and some almonds and macadamias.
6:30pm - Focus. Shoulder press 5 x 5. 35kg, 37.5kg, 40kg, 40kg x 3, 37.5kg. Very happy with this as my current 1 rep max was 42.5kg. In fact only a couple of months back 40kg was my 1RM so delighted with 8 reps at this weight. Great progress!
WoD - 25 pullups (foot in blue band), 200m run, 15 thrusters @ 35kg, 400m run, 15 thrusters @ 35kg, 200m run, 25 pullups (foot in blue band). 11:59.
I indulged in a little moaning after this (thanks for listening Ami!) about how being last in these things can be a little disheartening sometimes but then I remember that I'm always pushing myself. Maybe I am last quite often but I never feel like I took it too easy for the sake of a low time. 35kg on the thrusters is 5kg more than I've previously used at this volume and progress with the pull ups on the blue band is coming along well. In hindsight I'm very happy with how today's class went. Bloody tough on my wrists though. I MUST remember to keep the weight in the heel of my palm!
9:00pm - Made some of the Plan P burgers and had them with cabbage and broccoli as they required the least amount of chopping. Had some paleo ketchup on the side and they were lovely! Finished off with some strawberries.
Drank nothing but water today. No tea at all as it's been too hot (for a change)!
Day 21 Summary
9:00am - Sausages and some paleo pancakes with fresh strawberries. Black tea and honey.
12:30pm - Chicken with italian herbs with a salad of lettuce, red onion, tomato and red pepper. Added a little balsamic dressing, olive oil and some raw salsa, which I'd made previously. A pear.
4:00pm - Handful of macadamis and almonds and two small oranges.
8:30pm - Curry night round a friends house! I had some boiled rice with tandoori chicken, tandoori prawn skewers, lamb kofte and a courgette curry (tomato sauce). There are some non paleo items there but given the naan, poppadom, chutneys, daal and beer on offer I think I did well.
Drank water all day.
12:30pm - Chicken with italian herbs with a salad of lettuce, red onion, tomato and red pepper. Added a little balsamic dressing, olive oil and some raw salsa, which I'd made previously. A pear.
4:00pm - Handful of macadamis and almonds and two small oranges.
8:30pm - Curry night round a friends house! I had some boiled rice with tandoori chicken, tandoori prawn skewers, lamb kofte and a courgette curry (tomato sauce). There are some non paleo items there but given the naan, poppadom, chutneys, daal and beer on offer I think I did well.
Drank water all day.
Saturday 25 June 2011
Day 20 Summary
9:00am - Sausages and eggs with paleo ketchup. Black tea and honey.
11:00am - Gymnastics class. Lots of different skills practised. My hand stands sucked as, for some reason, I just couldn't get up on against the wall, which is not usually a problem. In contrast I felt very strong on the rings and with my tuck holds, so that was nice.
1:00pm - Ate out and had zero paleo choices so had an all day breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms (these were probably ok) with black pudding, beans, toast and chips (these were not).
2:30pm - Still out with the family and had 2 coffees with milk and sugar and a millionaire's shortbread. A bit of a 'fuck this paleo shit' moment unfortunately. These are becoming more common as I get sick of being so limited in my choices when I'm out! It's really no excuse for my lack of willpower.
7:00pm - After all the excess earlier I didn't really want to eat. Honestly felt a bit sick and bloated. Figured I should though so I had a sausage, an orange and literally about 8 nuts.
10:00pm - Black tea and honey.
Today was an odd day. Lunch was a mess as far as the diet was concerned and it had a knock on effect for the rest of the day. I didn't feel good after indulging in all that wheat and sugar, which meant I didn't really want to eat in the evening.
It also seems to have made me really thirsty, which is odd.
11:00am - Gymnastics class. Lots of different skills practised. My hand stands sucked as, for some reason, I just couldn't get up on against the wall, which is not usually a problem. In contrast I felt very strong on the rings and with my tuck holds, so that was nice.
1:00pm - Ate out and had zero paleo choices so had an all day breakfast. Bacon, eggs, sausages, mushrooms (these were probably ok) with black pudding, beans, toast and chips (these were not).
2:30pm - Still out with the family and had 2 coffees with milk and sugar and a millionaire's shortbread. A bit of a 'fuck this paleo shit' moment unfortunately. These are becoming more common as I get sick of being so limited in my choices when I'm out! It's really no excuse for my lack of willpower.
7:00pm - After all the excess earlier I didn't really want to eat. Honestly felt a bit sick and bloated. Figured I should though so I had a sausage, an orange and literally about 8 nuts.
10:00pm - Black tea and honey.
Today was an odd day. Lunch was a mess as far as the diet was concerned and it had a knock on effect for the rest of the day. I didn't feel good after indulging in all that wheat and sugar, which meant I didn't really want to eat in the evening.
It also seems to have made me really thirsty, which is odd.
Day 19 Summary
8:15am - Burgers with raw salsa and eggs. Black tea and honey.
10:30am - Handful of mixed nuts.
12:30pm - Homemade chilli with steak mince, courgettes, mushrooms and tomatoes.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie.
7:30pm - Salmon fillet with cajun spices, salsa and brocolli.
9:30pm - Paleo brownie and a black coffee with honey.
I don't think I'm eating enough calories at the moment as the brownies are not supposed to be going down in that kind of volume but I am getting reeeaaally hungry!
10:30am - Handful of mixed nuts.
12:30pm - Homemade chilli with steak mince, courgettes, mushrooms and tomatoes.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie.
7:30pm - Salmon fillet with cajun spices, salsa and brocolli.
9:30pm - Paleo brownie and a black coffee with honey.
I don't think I'm eating enough calories at the moment as the brownies are not supposed to be going down in that kind of volume but I am getting reeeaaally hungry!
Day 18 Summary
9:00am - Bacon and eggs. Black tea and honey.
11:00am - Paleo Brownie. Black tea and honey.
1:00pm - Thai red curry and rice.
3:00pm - Shared a non paleo chocolate brownie ice cream sundae!
6:00pm - Focus, push jerk. 35kg x 3, 40kg x 3, 45kg x 3, 50kg x 3, 55kg x 1. Found the technique for these bloody tough and wasn't dipping under the bar properly. Had to bail out twice :/
WoD - 21, 15, 9 SDHP x 20kg and burpees. 5:46.
8:00pm - Gluten free butchers burgers with a raw salsa of tomato, onion, parsley and lemon juice.
9:30pm - Black tea and honey.
11:00am - Paleo Brownie. Black tea and honey.
1:00pm - Thai red curry and rice.
3:00pm - Shared a non paleo chocolate brownie ice cream sundae!
6:00pm - Focus, push jerk. 35kg x 3, 40kg x 3, 45kg x 3, 50kg x 3, 55kg x 1. Found the technique for these bloody tough and wasn't dipping under the bar properly. Had to bail out twice :/
WoD - 21, 15, 9 SDHP x 20kg and burpees. 5:46.
8:00pm - Gluten free butchers burgers with a raw salsa of tomato, onion, parsley and lemon juice.
9:30pm - Black tea and honey.
Thursday 23 June 2011
Day 18 - Using Up Some Leftover Tomatoes
As the title suggests I had some tomatoes to use up so first thing I did was make some more paleo ketchup and pop it into some handy spare jars. Instead of tinned tomatoes I used two fresh tomatoes that I diced and then simmered for 5 minutes to soften them a little before adding the rest of the ingredients. You'll see it in the background of the picture below.
The next thing I did was make a raw salsa that I've made for friend's BBQs before. It's very easy, very healthy and I personally think it's delicious. I had to modify it to allow for the ingredients I had to hand as it was a spur of the moment thing.
I diced (reasonably small) 3 tomatoes and half an onion. popped them in a handy bit of tupperware and chucked in about 1tsp dried parsley (I forgot the recipe is supposed to be coriander haha but it worked out well!), 1 tsp hot chilli powder and squeezed in the juice of half a lemon. Mixed them up and then served over gluten free butcher's burgers for a light dinner as I wasn't as hungry as usual due to my earlier *ahem* indulgence!
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| Focus is crap and I didn't find out till it was too late, sorry! |
Day 18 - My Mum's Birthday
Happy birthday mum!
I met mum for lunch and broke the diet quite badly. I had a thai red curry with rice, which was the best of the options available. The thing about rice is that it is basically just a filler and bad because, as that link puts it, it crowds out more nutrient rich foods.
The real sin happened after, when I shared a large chocolate brownie ice cream sundae with her. This was very bad because it's obviously full of sugar and dairy and to a lesser extent (it was mostly cream and ice cream) wheat. Sugar and wheat being the worst possible things to eat. I have my own opinions on dairy, which I'll share in a later post.
Lunch aside I'm back to full paleo.
Interesting to note that even sharing a dessert is enough for me to feel the food sitting very heavy in my stomach. The rice did it for about 15 minutes after I ate it (there was a gap between curry and dessert) and the dessert for the last couple of hours and, as I can't see into the future without my glasses, maybe longer.
I met mum for lunch and broke the diet quite badly. I had a thai red curry with rice, which was the best of the options available. The thing about rice is that it is basically just a filler and bad because, as that link puts it, it crowds out more nutrient rich foods.
The real sin happened after, when I shared a large chocolate brownie ice cream sundae with her. This was very bad because it's obviously full of sugar and dairy and to a lesser extent (it was mostly cream and ice cream) wheat. Sugar and wheat being the worst possible things to eat. I have my own opinions on dairy, which I'll share in a later post.
Lunch aside I'm back to full paleo.
Interesting to note that even sharing a dessert is enough for me to feel the food sitting very heavy in my stomach. The rice did it for about 15 minutes after I ate it (there was a gap between curry and dessert) and the dessert for the last couple of hours and, as I can't see into the future without my glasses, maybe longer.
Day 17 Summary
8:15am - Sausages and eggs with home made honey and mustard on the side. Black tea and honey.
10:30am - A few almonds and macadamias. An apple.
12:30am - Chicken and ham salad with honey and mustard.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie.
6:00pm - Salmon salad in a lemon dressing (ate out and this has a few beans in).
7:00pm - Black tea with honey and a paleo brownie.
9:30pm - A couple of plums.
10:30am - A few almonds and macadamias. An apple.
12:30am - Chicken and ham salad with honey and mustard.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie.
6:00pm - Salmon salad in a lemon dressing (ate out and this has a few beans in).
7:00pm - Black tea with honey and a paleo brownie.
9:30pm - A couple of plums.
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Day 16 Summary
8:15am - Bacon and duck eggs. Black tea and honey.
10:30am - Handful of macadmias and almonds.
12:30pm - Some of the previously home made chilli (see Day 14 I think) with extra cabbage and brocolli. An apple.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie.
7:00pm - Skills class. Was tired going into this so didn't go crazy. Weekly challenge attempt - 8kg kettlebell in each hand held in a crucifix for time. 27s, which was lame! I have to try this again.
5x skin the cat at a controlled pace. Must make sure to keep straight arms and palms facing downwards.
Ring dips. 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 (the beginnings of a third maybe). A big improvement on last time.
Tuck holds for time. 43s, 33s, 27s. 43s is a PB so happy with the progress on these.
8:00pm - Pork chump chop in garlic and spices with carrots and courgette.
9:30pm - Paleo brownie with a black coffee and honey.
10:30am - Handful of macadmias and almonds.
12:30pm - Some of the previously home made chilli (see Day 14 I think) with extra cabbage and brocolli. An apple.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie.
7:00pm - Skills class. Was tired going into this so didn't go crazy. Weekly challenge attempt - 8kg kettlebell in each hand held in a crucifix for time. 27s, which was lame! I have to try this again.
5x skin the cat at a controlled pace. Must make sure to keep straight arms and palms facing downwards.
Ring dips. 2, 2, 2, 2, 2 (the beginnings of a third maybe). A big improvement on last time.
Tuck holds for time. 43s, 33s, 27s. 43s is a PB so happy with the progress on these.
8:00pm - Pork chump chop in garlic and spices with carrots and courgette.
9:30pm - Paleo brownie with a black coffee and honey.
Monday 20 June 2011
Day 15 Summary
8:00am to 8:15am - 7 pull ups, 26s tuck hold, 7 pull ups, 22s tuck hold.
8:20am - Bacon, duck eggs, black tea and honey.
12:30pm - Chicken and ham salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion) dressed with a home made honey and mustard dressing (1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2tsp honey, 1 1/2 tsp Biona dijon mustard, squeeze of fresh lemon juice). Apple.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie and a banana.
6:30pm - Focus - Front squat, working weight for 7 rounds of 2 reps. 2 x 70kg, 2 x 72.5kg, 2 x 75kg, 2 x 77.5kg, 2x 77.5kg, 1x 77.5kg (went really deep on the second rep and had to dump the weight), 2 x 75kg.
WoD - Cut down Chelsea - On the minute 5 pull ups, 10 press ups, 15 squats for 20 minutes. If not completed in the minute then complete the round and rest till the next round. Did my pull ups strict for 3 rounds and then using just toes to assist for the rest. Managed 12 rounds. Yesterday's burpees and push ups probably didn't help ;P
8:00pm - Post workout paleo brownie.
9:00pm - Pork chop in garlic and pisces with brocolli and cabbage. Two plums.
9:30pm - A banana. Probably ate too much fruit today but the workout left me starving!
10:00pm - Black tea with honey.
Throughout the day - Water
I think one of the things I'll take away from the challenge is things like the paleo ketchup and the home made honey and mustard dressing with no crap in it. Likewise with the brownies. Little things that don't take much effort but end up being nicer than the shop bought versions and without any of the additives. Next on my list to try is paleo bbq sauce!
8:20am - Bacon, duck eggs, black tea and honey.
12:30pm - Chicken and ham salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion) dressed with a home made honey and mustard dressing (1 tbsp olive oil, 1/2tsp honey, 1 1/2 tsp Biona dijon mustard, squeeze of fresh lemon juice). Apple.
3:30pm - Paleo brownie and a banana.
6:30pm - Focus - Front squat, working weight for 7 rounds of 2 reps. 2 x 70kg, 2 x 72.5kg, 2 x 75kg, 2 x 77.5kg, 2x 77.5kg, 1x 77.5kg (went really deep on the second rep and had to dump the weight), 2 x 75kg.
WoD - Cut down Chelsea - On the minute 5 pull ups, 10 press ups, 15 squats for 20 minutes. If not completed in the minute then complete the round and rest till the next round. Did my pull ups strict for 3 rounds and then using just toes to assist for the rest. Managed 12 rounds. Yesterday's burpees and push ups probably didn't help ;P
8:00pm - Post workout paleo brownie.
9:00pm - Pork chop in garlic and pisces with brocolli and cabbage. Two plums.
9:30pm - A banana. Probably ate too much fruit today but the workout left me starving!
10:00pm - Black tea with honey.
Throughout the day - Water
I think one of the things I'll take away from the challenge is things like the paleo ketchup and the home made honey and mustard dressing with no crap in it. Likewise with the brownies. Little things that don't take much effort but end up being nicer than the shop bought versions and without any of the additives. Next on my list to try is paleo bbq sauce!
Sunday 19 June 2011
Day 14 Summary
8:30am - Westdene Butchers bacon and duck eggs. Black tea with honey.
11:00am - Focus - 1 handed deadlift, 2x30kg each side, 3x50g, 3x70kg, 1x75kg. This was my max and a little unstable even with a hook grip.
WoD - 3 rounds of 20 burpees, 20 sit ups, 20 push ups and 3x 20m shuttle sprints (120m total). 14:46.
12:30pm - Banana.
1:30pm - Porc Provence (pork chump chop with garlic and spices) with carrots and cabbage. Amazingly good! A fresh baked paleo brownie.
3:00pm - Walked from Hove Park to the North Lanes. Had a white coffee with half a tsp sugar. Would have been a bit too socially awkward to have a tap water ;P
5:30pm - Walked back to Hove Park from the North Lanes. Had a second paleo brownie.
8:00pm - Butchers best mince with courgette, mushrooms and broad beans in Biona passata, tomato puree, garlic, cumin, paprika, a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. This was basically a paleo chilli (broad beans excepted). Two plums.
9:30pm - A third paleo brownie (I know, I know!) and a black tea with honey.
Throughout the day - Water
11:00am - Focus - 1 handed deadlift, 2x30kg each side, 3x50g, 3x70kg, 1x75kg. This was my max and a little unstable even with a hook grip.
WoD - 3 rounds of 20 burpees, 20 sit ups, 20 push ups and 3x 20m shuttle sprints (120m total). 14:46.
12:30pm - Banana.
1:30pm - Porc Provence (pork chump chop with garlic and spices) with carrots and cabbage. Amazingly good! A fresh baked paleo brownie.
3:00pm - Walked from Hove Park to the North Lanes. Had a white coffee with half a tsp sugar. Would have been a bit too socially awkward to have a tap water ;P
5:30pm - Walked back to Hove Park from the North Lanes. Had a second paleo brownie.
8:00pm - Butchers best mince with courgette, mushrooms and broad beans in Biona passata, tomato puree, garlic, cumin, paprika, a pinch of cinnamon and cayenne pepper. This was basically a paleo chilli (broad beans excepted). Two plums.
9:30pm - A third paleo brownie (I know, I know!) and a black tea with honey.
Throughout the day - Water
Day 14 - Playing with Fitday
So I mentioned previously that I was playing around with a site called Fitday. It's basically an online food database with a free food diary tool. I see it recommended a lot if an online food diary is your thing and you're an American. For us Brits I recommend Food Focus if you want an online diary that'll include a lot of UK foods.
Anyhow, inspired by a post by Mark Sissons, in which he demonstrated his daily diet, I thought I'd plug an example paleo menu into Fitday and see what the verdict was. Now I did have to use some approximations with measurements and foods but as a guideline I think it's pretty accurate. The menu was along the lines of sausages and eggs for breakfast, chicken salad with balsamic dressing and olive oil for lunch and a pork chop in a home made tomato sauce with veggies for dinner. I included some fresh fruit and some almonds, macadamias and dried fruit as snacks and a couple of black teas with honey. If you look back through my diary so far I think it's a pretty fair representation of how I've been eating (when I didn't cheat!). Here's what it looked like.
So about 2.5k calories, assuming I know how much a 'cup' is, which I really don't. I tried to be generous with my measurements because I am in real life! The split is an even amount of carbs, protein and fat. In fact more protein than I would have expected and, actually more carbs. Guess that's all the meat and veg!
Here's how the calories break down.
1g of fat has twice the calories as a gram of protein or carbs so my intake is about 50% fat. given the nuts, oils and the fat on the meat I eat that seems fair and contrary to popular belief, fat is actually good for you. Well actually not all fat. That last link talks about why saturated fat is not the evil the food industry would have you believe. Even worse though is they tell you that Polyunsaturated Fat Acids (PUFAs) are the healthy alternative. They're not. Margarine as an alternative to butter? Bad idea. Low fat foods made with vegetable oils? Also bad. Cooking oils high in PUFAs? You get the idea.
Monounsaturated fats are ok too. That's why I go for olive oil when I can although it's not the best option for cooking with at very high heats. I also picked up some hazelnut oil earlier rather than walnut oil due to the higher MUFA content. Anyhow plenty of MUFAs above so we're ok.
The last bit of useful info I dug up was my RDAs. Now these are American RDAs and a lot of people would dispute if they are even right but let's use them as a starting point. Am I getting everything I need by eating what I do when I'm paleo?
So actually that's pretty damn good. With what I'm eating I'm probably doing better than most, although only just getting enough potassium. There is a bit of red on there though. Calcium is about 50-60% RDA. I'm getting some from the Brocolli but really I need to be eating a LOT of leafy greens (the dark kind like Spinach and Kale) each and every day or I need to be taking a supplement.
This Calcium deficiency is actually one of the reasons that, outside of the 30 Day Challenge, I'm not paleo. I think dairy in moderation is not only ok but a good thing although I'll cover this more at the end of the challenge. For now I'm playing by the rules.
The big one is the Vitamin D. My recommended RDA of Vit D according to the US is 600IU. Now I think I should be getting some from my eggs but it wouldn't be enough on it's own. I'd really need to be eating oily fish most days to be getting enough and that's unlikely to happen. I do eat some each week but not enough. So my options are to supplement or to get some sun. Direct sunlight exposure generates Vitamin D an order of magnitude higher than it would be possible to get in my diet. No sunscreen either.
I try to get some sun a couple of times a week and I've now discovered I can sun bathe for half an hour in my lounge when I get home from work as the sun angles in through the windows. Perfect! I make sure they're open though because glass blocks the UVB needed. In the winter the sun isn't strong enough so I think I'll use the sun in the summer and supplements in the winter.
A few other random bits.
I made paleo brownies today and then proceeded to eat 3 of them :)
The 'porc provence', which was a pork chump chop marinaded in garlic and spices, I ate for lunch was one of the nicest pieces of meat I have ever eaten. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest with that statement. It was incredible! I'm beginning to think Old Spot Farm Shop is worth the trip (and extra expense) to stock up the freezer!
Anyhow, inspired by a post by Mark Sissons, in which he demonstrated his daily diet, I thought I'd plug an example paleo menu into Fitday and see what the verdict was. Now I did have to use some approximations with measurements and foods but as a guideline I think it's pretty accurate. The menu was along the lines of sausages and eggs for breakfast, chicken salad with balsamic dressing and olive oil for lunch and a pork chop in a home made tomato sauce with veggies for dinner. I included some fresh fruit and some almonds, macadamias and dried fruit as snacks and a couple of black teas with honey. If you look back through my diary so far I think it's a pretty fair representation of how I've been eating (when I didn't cheat!). Here's what it looked like.
 |
| A day's worth of paleo food. |
Here's how the calories break down.
1g of fat has twice the calories as a gram of protein or carbs so my intake is about 50% fat. given the nuts, oils and the fat on the meat I eat that seems fair and contrary to popular belief, fat is actually good for you. Well actually not all fat. That last link talks about why saturated fat is not the evil the food industry would have you believe. Even worse though is they tell you that Polyunsaturated Fat Acids (PUFAs) are the healthy alternative. They're not. Margarine as an alternative to butter? Bad idea. Low fat foods made with vegetable oils? Also bad. Cooking oils high in PUFAs? You get the idea.
Monounsaturated fats are ok too. That's why I go for olive oil when I can although it's not the best option for cooking with at very high heats. I also picked up some hazelnut oil earlier rather than walnut oil due to the higher MUFA content. Anyhow plenty of MUFAs above so we're ok.
The last bit of useful info I dug up was my RDAs. Now these are American RDAs and a lot of people would dispute if they are even right but let's use them as a starting point. Am I getting everything I need by eating what I do when I'm paleo?
 |
| I see some red... |
This Calcium deficiency is actually one of the reasons that, outside of the 30 Day Challenge, I'm not paleo. I think dairy in moderation is not only ok but a good thing although I'll cover this more at the end of the challenge. For now I'm playing by the rules.
The big one is the Vitamin D. My recommended RDA of Vit D according to the US is 600IU. Now I think I should be getting some from my eggs but it wouldn't be enough on it's own. I'd really need to be eating oily fish most days to be getting enough and that's unlikely to happen. I do eat some each week but not enough. So my options are to supplement or to get some sun. Direct sunlight exposure generates Vitamin D an order of magnitude higher than it would be possible to get in my diet. No sunscreen either.
I try to get some sun a couple of times a week and I've now discovered I can sun bathe for half an hour in my lounge when I get home from work as the sun angles in through the windows. Perfect! I make sure they're open though because glass blocks the UVB needed. In the winter the sun isn't strong enough so I think I'll use the sun in the summer and supplements in the winter.
A few other random bits.
I made paleo brownies today and then proceeded to eat 3 of them :)
The 'porc provence', which was a pork chump chop marinaded in garlic and spices, I ate for lunch was one of the nicest pieces of meat I have ever eaten. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest with that statement. It was incredible! I'm beginning to think Old Spot Farm Shop is worth the trip (and extra expense) to stock up the freezer!
Saturday 18 June 2011
Day 12 and 13 Summary
Day 12
8:00am - All meat sausages and scrambled eggs. Black tea and honey.
10:30am - Orange.
12:00am - Cajun chicken salad with lettuce, red pepper and tomato. Dressed with olive oil and balsamic dressing.
3:00pm - Loads of almonds, macadamias, coconut, linseed, dried fruit, almond butter and honey. Don't know what got into me but I was so hungry!
5:00pm - Orange
8:00pm - Went to the pub straight from work and didn't have any food with me! Mixed salted nuts (inlcuded peanuts) and one small slice of ham pizza. I am weak!
10:00pm - Sausages, scrambled eggs, lettuce and tomato with some Biona dijon mustard. Used up some leftovers.
Day 13
9:00am - Salmon fillet with scrambled eggs and basil. Black tea and honey.
11:00am - Two plums.
2:00pm - Some bacon, a banana and some almonds, macadamias and dried fruit. I had about 5 minutes to prepare something :)
3:15pm - Spent a couple of hours power kiting. Probably counts as gentle exercise :)
8:00pm - Rump steak, cabbage and broad beans (the beans should be a no no but helpfully abel and cole sent them to me this week haha! Luckily there isn't that many). Black tea and honey.
The promised fitday update will come tomorrow now instead, sorry!
8:00am - All meat sausages and scrambled eggs. Black tea and honey.
10:30am - Orange.
12:00am - Cajun chicken salad with lettuce, red pepper and tomato. Dressed with olive oil and balsamic dressing.
3:00pm - Loads of almonds, macadamias, coconut, linseed, dried fruit, almond butter and honey. Don't know what got into me but I was so hungry!
5:00pm - Orange
8:00pm - Went to the pub straight from work and didn't have any food with me! Mixed salted nuts (inlcuded peanuts) and one small slice of ham pizza. I am weak!
10:00pm - Sausages, scrambled eggs, lettuce and tomato with some Biona dijon mustard. Used up some leftovers.
Day 13
9:00am - Salmon fillet with scrambled eggs and basil. Black tea and honey.
11:00am - Two plums.
2:00pm - Some bacon, a banana and some almonds, macadamias and dried fruit. I had about 5 minutes to prepare something :)
3:15pm - Spent a couple of hours power kiting. Probably counts as gentle exercise :)
8:00pm - Rump steak, cabbage and broad beans (the beans should be a no no but helpfully abel and cole sent them to me this week haha! Luckily there isn't that many). Black tea and honey.
The promised fitday update will come tomorrow now instead, sorry!
Thursday 16 June 2011
Day 11 Summary
8:00am - 7 pull ups (this was a PB!) and a 27s tuck hold.
8:15am - Last of the previously made pork curry with carrots and broccoli. It's still odd having stuff like this for breakfast. Black tea with honey after.
10:30am - A nectarine.
12:00pm - Two home made burgers cold with a salad of lettuce, tomato and red pepper. Added some olive oil and paleo ketchup. An apple.
3:00pm - A banana.
4:30pm - Some mixed almonds, macadamias, coconut, linseeds, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried goji berries, honey and almond butter. I love this stuff!
6:00pm - WoD 1 - 3 rounds of 5 x 1min push ups, row for calories, 4 mini hurdles out and back, 8kg medicine ball floor to overhead, 60kg deadlift. Total score per round of 95, 78, 72. Went full tilt on the first round and managed 37 push ups :)
WoD 2 - Wrecked myself practising the turkish get up with a 12kg bell. Oops! 10 mins AMRAP of 200m run and then 10x turkish getup (5 per side) with an 8kg bell. Managed 2 rounds and an extra run. Didn't realise there would be a second WoD and had blasted my arms with approx. 85 push ups so the turkish getups were very tough!
8:00pm - Chicken breast in Cajun spices served with a mountain of carrots and cauliflower.
9:30pm - Black coffee with honey. Wondered if it would taste OK and it did.
Throughout the day - Water
I was curious so I started playing around with Fitday today. Interesting results, which I will share in a proper post on Saturday.
Buh-bye for now!
8:15am - Last of the previously made pork curry with carrots and broccoli. It's still odd having stuff like this for breakfast. Black tea with honey after.
10:30am - A nectarine.
12:00pm - Two home made burgers cold with a salad of lettuce, tomato and red pepper. Added some olive oil and paleo ketchup. An apple.
3:00pm - A banana.
4:30pm - Some mixed almonds, macadamias, coconut, linseeds, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried goji berries, honey and almond butter. I love this stuff!
6:00pm - WoD 1 - 3 rounds of 5 x 1min push ups, row for calories, 4 mini hurdles out and back, 8kg medicine ball floor to overhead, 60kg deadlift. Total score per round of 95, 78, 72. Went full tilt on the first round and managed 37 push ups :)
WoD 2 - Wrecked myself practising the turkish get up with a 12kg bell. Oops! 10 mins AMRAP of 200m run and then 10x turkish getup (5 per side) with an 8kg bell. Managed 2 rounds and an extra run. Didn't realise there would be a second WoD and had blasted my arms with approx. 85 push ups so the turkish getups were very tough!
8:00pm - Chicken breast in Cajun spices served with a mountain of carrots and cauliflower.
9:30pm - Black coffee with honey. Wondered if it would taste OK and it did.
Throughout the day - Water
I was curious so I started playing around with Fitday today. Interesting results, which I will share in a proper post on Saturday.
Buh-bye for now!
Wednesday 15 June 2011
Day 10 Summary
8:15am - 100% meat and spices Toulouse sausages with scrambled eggs. Black tea and honey.
11:45am - Handful of almonds, macadamias and dried cherries, blueberries and goji berries. A nectarine. Needed something pre run.
1:00pm - 6 pull ups in the park, 6 full dips in the park and 2.2m run.
2:00pm - Chicken and avocado salad w/ lettuce, tomato, red onion and cucumber. Dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
2:30pm - Handful of almonds, macadamias and dried cherries, blueberries and goji berries.
6:00pm - Ate out at Bella Italia. Pollo Cacciatore - chicken in a tomato, mushroom and bacon sauce served with roasted onion, green beans and mixed peppers. Asked for no potatoes but did have a little mozarella on the chicken which I knowingly ate!
7:00pm - Cinema. Black tea with honey (people must think I'm mental to bring my own honey to the cinema to add to tea!). Some almonds, macadamias, dried cherries, blueberries, goji berries coconut and linseed mixed in with a little honey and almond butter.
9:30pm - Two of the previously made burgers as a snack.
Throughout the day - Water
I have snacked a lot today. I only do it when I'm hungry but I guess I've not filled up at meals as much as I might have or something.
11:45am - Handful of almonds, macadamias and dried cherries, blueberries and goji berries. A nectarine. Needed something pre run.
1:00pm - 6 pull ups in the park, 6 full dips in the park and 2.2m run.
2:00pm - Chicken and avocado salad w/ lettuce, tomato, red onion and cucumber. Dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
2:30pm - Handful of almonds, macadamias and dried cherries, blueberries and goji berries.
6:00pm - Ate out at Bella Italia. Pollo Cacciatore - chicken in a tomato, mushroom and bacon sauce served with roasted onion, green beans and mixed peppers. Asked for no potatoes but did have a little mozarella on the chicken which I knowingly ate!
7:00pm - Cinema. Black tea with honey (people must think I'm mental to bring my own honey to the cinema to add to tea!). Some almonds, macadamias, dried cherries, blueberries, goji berries coconut and linseed mixed in with a little honey and almond butter.
9:30pm - Two of the previously made burgers as a snack.
Throughout the day - Water
I have snacked a lot today. I only do it when I'm hungry but I guess I've not filled up at meals as much as I might have or something.
Day 9 Summary
8:00am to 8:15am - 6 pull ups, 28s tuck hold, 5 pullups, 21s tuck hold.
8:15am - Black tea with honey. Sausages, chicken eggs and paleo ketchup.
12:30pm - Chicken and avocado salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion) dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. An orange.
3:30pm - A nectarine. Some dried cherries, blueberries, goji berries with almonds and macadamias.
7:00pm - Skills class. Weekly challenge, managed 8 monkey bar traverses in 3 minutes. Ripped up my hands nicely. 4x10 reverse iron cross with the 4kg kettlebells (ow!). Ring Dips. Full depth with strict form. 2, 1, 1, 1, 2. I can do 2 if I keep the elbows in properly but this needs work. Wall handstands. Didn't time them as they were just a finisher but approx. 10s, 5s, 3s.
8:45pm - Post workout banana.
9:45pm - Made the PlanP burgers (easy to make and super tasty!) with farm bought steak mince and basil instead of oregano. Dusted them variously with cajun and peri peri spices. Served with mixed salad leaves, red pepper, tomato and raw carrot sticks. Paleo ketchup on the side.
Throughout the day - Just water even though there more cakes in the office!
8:15am - Black tea with honey. Sausages, chicken eggs and paleo ketchup.
12:30pm - Chicken and avocado salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion) dressed with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. An orange.
3:30pm - A nectarine. Some dried cherries, blueberries, goji berries with almonds and macadamias.
7:00pm - Skills class. Weekly challenge, managed 8 monkey bar traverses in 3 minutes. Ripped up my hands nicely. 4x10 reverse iron cross with the 4kg kettlebells (ow!). Ring Dips. Full depth with strict form. 2, 1, 1, 1, 2. I can do 2 if I keep the elbows in properly but this needs work. Wall handstands. Didn't time them as they were just a finisher but approx. 10s, 5s, 3s.
8:45pm - Post workout banana.
9:45pm - Made the PlanP burgers (easy to make and super tasty!) with farm bought steak mince and basil instead of oregano. Dusted them variously with cajun and peri peri spices. Served with mixed salad leaves, red pepper, tomato and raw carrot sticks. Paleo ketchup on the side.
Throughout the day - Just water even though there more cakes in the office!
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Tuesday 14 June 2011
Day 9 - What a Great Start to the Day
So just a quick one to remind myself how my morning went. First up was a black tea with honey. I have slightly reduced the amount of honey I'm using in my tea and am drinking the tea much weaker than before. When it's black, a more subtle flavour is much nicer.
I don't know whether it's that change or whether it's not drinking any tea at work or maybe something else entirely but I'm not craving the tea like I was. Whereas before the tea was an all day thing, now it really serves as a gentle pick me up. I suppose that's the effect of the caffeine and sugars. Whatever the cause I'm finding one in the morning to get me going is about all I want or/need now.
I then got the pull up bar out as it's been away for too long. 6 pull ups and a decent 28s tuck hold. Then I got breakfast going and came back to the bar 10 minutes later for 5 pull ups and a 21s tuck hold. I need to learn how to breath during these tuck holds as deep breathing makes me relax too much and then I untuck!
Finished up with a breakfast of Toulouse Sausage (these Old Spot Farm Shop sausages were excellent and both gluten, additive and filler free!), scrambled chicken eggs and a little paleo ketchup. It seems like the lower protein content of the chicken eggs means they have a better scrambled consistency when milk isn't allowed.
I'll post the paleo ketchup recipe onto Facebook this evening for those not reading the blog as it was easy to make and I've been very impressed by it.
That's all for now!
I don't know whether it's that change or whether it's not drinking any tea at work or maybe something else entirely but I'm not craving the tea like I was. Whereas before the tea was an all day thing, now it really serves as a gentle pick me up. I suppose that's the effect of the caffeine and sugars. Whatever the cause I'm finding one in the morning to get me going is about all I want or/need now.
I then got the pull up bar out as it's been away for too long. 6 pull ups and a decent 28s tuck hold. Then I got breakfast going and came back to the bar 10 minutes later for 5 pull ups and a 21s tuck hold. I need to learn how to breath during these tuck holds as deep breathing makes me relax too much and then I untuck!
Finished up with a breakfast of Toulouse Sausage (these Old Spot Farm Shop sausages were excellent and both gluten, additive and filler free!), scrambled chicken eggs and a little paleo ketchup. It seems like the lower protein content of the chicken eggs means they have a better scrambled consistency when milk isn't allowed.
I'll post the paleo ketchup recipe onto Facebook this evening for those not reading the blog as it was easy to make and I've been very impressed by it.
That's all for now!
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Monday 13 June 2011
Day 8 Summary
8:00am - Paleo Banana Pancakes with honey and fresh strawberries. A bit sweet and I ate the lot, which I probably didn't need to, but they took the edge off my need to overindulge occasionally.
12:30pm - A portion of yesterday's pork curry with carrots.
4:00pm - Some mixed nuts and dried fruit. The usual combo.
6:30pm - Focus. 1RM back squat. Managed a PB of 110kg but the depth needs work.
WOD - 400m run then 21, 15, 9 reps of 20kg KB swings and pull ups (using foot through the blue band). Finish with a 400m run. Managed it in 10:33 which wasn't stellar but the weights/difficulty level were hard for me.
8:30pm - Salmon fillet with brocolli, cauliflower and a corn on the cob (that's them evil corns gone now). No spices or anything, just a dollop of freshly made paleo tomato ketchup.
Throughout the day - Water
The Ketchup
Very easy to make.
I used about a third of a tin of chopped tomatoes, 3 dessert spoons of organic tomato puree, 3/4 teaspoon garlic granules, 1/2 teaspoon onion granules, 3 crushed cloves, 1/3 teaspoon Schwarz 'mixed spice' which contains cassia, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and 2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar. Chuck it all in a small pan, mix and simmer for 15 minutes. You could probably add chilli or garlic or anything you like to this to make variations.
I had a handy pot spare.
It needs to be kept in the fridge and I have no idea how long it will last. I don't plan to find out though as it is delicious :)
That's me done for tonight. Till tomorrow!
12:30pm - A portion of yesterday's pork curry with carrots.
4:00pm - Some mixed nuts and dried fruit. The usual combo.
6:30pm - Focus. 1RM back squat. Managed a PB of 110kg but the depth needs work.
WOD - 400m run then 21, 15, 9 reps of 20kg KB swings and pull ups (using foot through the blue band). Finish with a 400m run. Managed it in 10:33 which wasn't stellar but the weights/difficulty level were hard for me.
8:30pm - Salmon fillet with brocolli, cauliflower and a corn on the cob (that's them evil corns gone now). No spices or anything, just a dollop of freshly made paleo tomato ketchup.
Throughout the day - Water
The Ketchup
Very easy to make.
I used about a third of a tin of chopped tomatoes, 3 dessert spoons of organic tomato puree, 3/4 teaspoon garlic granules, 1/2 teaspoon onion granules, 3 crushed cloves, 1/3 teaspoon Schwarz 'mixed spice' which contains cassia, coriander seed, caraway, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and 2 teaspoons of organic apple cider vinegar. Chuck it all in a small pan, mix and simmer for 15 minutes. You could probably add chilli or garlic or anything you like to this to make variations.
I had a handy pot spare.
It needs to be kept in the fridge and I have no idea how long it will last. I don't plan to find out though as it is delicious :)
That's me done for tonight. Till tomorrow!
Sunday 12 June 2011
Day 7 Summary
Had planned to do some training today but yesterday was more knackering than I'd thought it would be. Back on the WoDs tomorrow.
9:00am - Black tea and honey. Chicken with paprika rub and scrambled eggs. A nectarine.
12:30pm - Chicken with paprika rub. Salad of lettuce, tomato, red pepper and onion. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress.
2:00pm - Black tea with honey.
4:00pm - Almonds, macadamias and some dried blueberries, cherries and goji berries.
6:00pm - An orange.
8:15pm - Pork shoulder cooked with onions in garlic and ginger, curry spices (garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper) in chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Chucked in some carrots to fill it out.
8:45pm - A few fresh English strawberries.
Rest of the day - Water.
9:00am - Black tea and honey. Chicken with paprika rub and scrambled eggs. A nectarine.
12:30pm - Chicken with paprika rub. Salad of lettuce, tomato, red pepper and onion. Olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress.
2:00pm - Black tea with honey.
4:00pm - Almonds, macadamias and some dried blueberries, cherries and goji berries.
6:00pm - An orange.
8:15pm - Pork shoulder cooked with onions in garlic and ginger, curry spices (garam masala, cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, paprika and cayenne pepper) in chopped tomatoes and tomato puree, added a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Chucked in some carrots to fill it out.
8:45pm - A few fresh English strawberries.
Rest of the day - Water.
Day 6 and 7 - I've Been Busy!
Hello again my regular readers (all three of you!)! I'm going to update you chronologically on the last couple of days.
Day 6 - A Trip to Thorpe Park
Nothing has been as tough as yesterday was for sticking to the diet. I knew that there would be nothing I could eat at the park so I stocked up on foods to take with me. A chicken and avocado salad dressed with thai dressing would serve as lunch but it was going to be a very long day out so I needed some extras to take. I decided that I would pre cook the gluten free sausages (I don't know if they are paleo or not but I do know that all Middle Farm sausages are minimum 75% meat) and take them as a snack. I also filled up a couple of bottles of water so that I had a litre with me.
The whole day was spent surrounded by signs with giant pictures of burgers, by people eating candy floss and constantly being tempted by the smell of freshly cooked donuts. It was hell! I had to watch my friends eat a KFC whilst I diligently ate my salad and banana. There was also a lot of boring queueing and I'm a sucker for snacking when I'm bored, which is when I ate the spare sausages.
Finally I ended up eating a corn on the cob in the evening which I bought by accident. Abel and Cole very kindly substituted my potatoes again this week for fresh corn! I hadn't realised that might happen but now I've got them I can't afford to waste them. There is a recession on after all :/
Still that was yesterday and today I'm back to 100%!
PS Total money spent at Thorpe Park - £0.00. I could easily have done £20 with my previous impulsive ways.
Day 7 - A Trip to Old Spot Farm Shop
Day 6 - A Trip to Thorpe Park
Nothing has been as tough as yesterday was for sticking to the diet. I knew that there would be nothing I could eat at the park so I stocked up on foods to take with me. A chicken and avocado salad dressed with thai dressing would serve as lunch but it was going to be a very long day out so I needed some extras to take. I decided that I would pre cook the gluten free sausages (I don't know if they are paleo or not but I do know that all Middle Farm sausages are minimum 75% meat) and take them as a snack. I also filled up a couple of bottles of water so that I had a litre with me.
The whole day was spent surrounded by signs with giant pictures of burgers, by people eating candy floss and constantly being tempted by the smell of freshly cooked donuts. It was hell! I had to watch my friends eat a KFC whilst I diligently ate my salad and banana. There was also a lot of boring queueing and I'm a sucker for snacking when I'm bored, which is when I ate the spare sausages.
Finally I ended up eating a corn on the cob in the evening which I bought by accident. Abel and Cole very kindly substituted my potatoes again this week for fresh corn! I hadn't realised that might happen but now I've got them I can't afford to waste them. There is a recession on after all :/
Still that was yesterday and today I'm back to 100%!
PS Total money spent at Thorpe Park - £0.00. I could easily have done £20 with my previous impulsive ways.
Day 7 - A Trip to Old Spot Farm Shop
Took an afternoon drive to another farm shop that's open on a Sunday. This time the Old Spot Farm Shop. It's about 30 minutes out of town in piltdown.
No duck eggs to be had so settled with chicken this week. Also picked up some diced lean pork shoulder for stir fry and a couple of lovely looking rump steaks. Everything they sell is local and additive free.
The best part was their sausage selection though. Now, excuse the innuendo, but I really do love a good sausage. Westdene Butchers had no gluten free sausages when I asked and the gluten free sausages from Middle Farm were average and may have had a non paleo rusk substitute for all I know.
Firstly I noticed that at least 4 of their sausage varieties were gluten free. They're also all in natural skins. No idea if my previous sausages were but it sounded good. When I asked the nice lady what was in their gluten free sausages her reply was meat, herbs and spices and nothing else. Perfect! I took 4 of their Sussex garlic and 4 of their Toulouse. Even better she said that, if I give them a couple of days notice before I go in, they'll make me any variety of sausage I like without the rusk. How's that for service!
Here's the haul.
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| I only discovered on getting home that the 'Sussex Garlic' obviously contain Brandy! What a delicious mistake-a to make ;P |
I also grabbed a bit more honey as my supply is just over half gone. That's about 120g honey in a week mostly used in my tea and occasional snacks. About 350 cals in total in case you're wondering but we're not calorie counting are we.
Day 7 - One Week Update
So the one man entrepreneurial machine that is PlanP/Caveman Snacks/Crossfit Connect/Barney has asked us all how we're doing on Day 7 of the challenge sponsored by PlanP. Here's my blogger's response.
Pretty damn good! Day 1 and 2 saw a brief dip in mid afternoon/evening energy but now I'm back on top! Do I feel better than before? Well, it's hard to say. I was already following a lot of the guidelines and I can say for sure that they made a huge difference. The changes now are more subtle as is the relative shift in my diet. I don't find myself flagging late evening like I used to even when I've had a hard day but conversely when I want to sleep, I can with no problem. I'm also a bit more alert first thing in the morning. Both big pluses.
Appearance wise I really can't tell but apparently I'm not good at noticing these changes. That previous running, weights, Crossfit comparison photo was as shocking to me as it was arousing for you loyal readers! When I mentioned it to a friend, she said that I had changed shape quite a lot in the last few months. I just had no idea. I think that makes me ill qualified to pass judgement after just a week. I hope for a similarly pleasant surprise at the end of challenge photo shoot but I'm not going to ruin that by taking early pics.
Well that's it for now. Nero has made Banana Pancakes and posted pics on Facebook. They look great so that's going to be my breakfast tomorrow. TTFN!
Day 6 Summary
Will go into more detail about some of today's dubious choices in the next post.
7:00am - Black tea with honey. Gluten free sausages, bacon and eggs.
12:30pm - Chicken and avocado salad (lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato) with Sussex Valley Thai dressing. Banana.
3:30pm - 2 gluten free sausages.
5:30pm - Hand full of mixed almonds, macadamias, dried blueberries, dried cherries and dried goji berries.
8:00pm - Rest of the gluten free sausages, pan fried onions (coconut oil), brocolli and a corn on the cob.
Throughout the day - Tapwater brought from home.
7:00am - Black tea with honey. Gluten free sausages, bacon and eggs.
12:30pm - Chicken and avocado salad (lettuce, onion, cucumber, tomato) with Sussex Valley Thai dressing. Banana.
3:30pm - 2 gluten free sausages.
5:30pm - Hand full of mixed almonds, macadamias, dried blueberries, dried cherries and dried goji berries.
8:00pm - Rest of the gluten free sausages, pan fried onions (coconut oil), brocolli and a corn on the cob.
Throughout the day - Tapwater brought from home.
Friday 10 June 2011
Day 5 Summary
It'll be just summary posts for the next couple of days as I'm going to be quite busy.
Today was a rest day
8:15am - Black tea with honey. Bacon and duck eggs.
10:30am - Apple
12:15pm - 30 minutes very brisk walk trying to find a pack-a-mac for tomorrow. Made it round a few shops in my lunch break but none to be had!
1:00pm - The last of yesterday's steak mince, onion and courgette combo.
3:45pm - Almonds, macademias and dried pineapple.
7:30pm - Sirloin Steak pan fried with onions in garlic and coconut oil. Served with a salad of lettuce, red peppers and tomato dressed with fresh squeezed lemon juice and a twist of pepper. I'll admit I added a little bit of Schwarz steak seasoning to the meat, which does have a few forbidden ingredients (salt, vegetable oil and some kind of stabiliser). Not the greatest crime but it'd be nice if I could find an alternative without the added nasties.
9:30pm - Black tea and honey.
Rest of the day - Water.
That's all for today. I'm going to Thorpe Park tomorrow so will be taking lots of food with me to avoid temptation :)
Today was a rest day
8:15am - Black tea with honey. Bacon and duck eggs.
10:30am - Apple
12:15pm - 30 minutes very brisk walk trying to find a pack-a-mac for tomorrow. Made it round a few shops in my lunch break but none to be had!
1:00pm - The last of yesterday's steak mince, onion and courgette combo.
3:45pm - Almonds, macademias and dried pineapple.
7:30pm - Sirloin Steak pan fried with onions in garlic and coconut oil. Served with a salad of lettuce, red peppers and tomato dressed with fresh squeezed lemon juice and a twist of pepper. I'll admit I added a little bit of Schwarz steak seasoning to the meat, which does have a few forbidden ingredients (salt, vegetable oil and some kind of stabiliser). Not the greatest crime but it'd be nice if I could find an alternative without the added nasties.
9:30pm - Black tea and honey.
Rest of the day - Water.
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| That was one helluva steak! |
Thursday 9 June 2011
Day 4 Summary
8:30am - Black tea with honey. Onions, garlic and steak mince fried off (coconut oil) and then simmered with tomato puree, basil, parsley and black pepper. Chucked in courgettes and a few left over cherry tomatoes and mushrooms.
12:30pm - More of the mince medley above.
4:00pm - Generous handful of almond and macademias followed by a small amount of dried pineapple (nothing added). Actually the pineapple was very nice and given to me by my mum yesterday so I recommend the brand, Urban Fruit.
6:00pm - Focus, Push Press 5x35kg, 5x40kg, 3x45kg, 3x50kg, 1x55kg. I am a little disappointed by how hard I found this but I am scared about what happened to my wrists doing a 60kg PB last time. No further injuries is a big plus as form was my first priority.
WoD, 5 rounds of 5 x 80kg deadlift, 10 x push ups, 15 x 16kg KB swings, 20 x sit ups, 25 x squats. 2 minutes rest between rounds. Round times were 2:25, 2:15, 2:10, 2:07, 2:10. The sit ups killed me on the last set and meant I didn't get a lower time damnit! Still I can't complain. They have improved a helluva lot recently with my tuck hold work :D
7:15pm - Post workout paleo brownie (thanks Adam!).
7:20pm - Post brownie paleo banana bread (thanks Ami!).
8:15pm - Pork chop and peri peri seasoning with squash and courgette.
10:00pm (Now) - Black tea with honey.
Rest of the Day - Water
12:30pm - More of the mince medley above.
4:00pm - Generous handful of almond and macademias followed by a small amount of dried pineapple (nothing added). Actually the pineapple was very nice and given to me by my mum yesterday so I recommend the brand, Urban Fruit.
6:00pm - Focus, Push Press 5x35kg, 5x40kg, 3x45kg, 3x50kg, 1x55kg. I am a little disappointed by how hard I found this but I am scared about what happened to my wrists doing a 60kg PB last time. No further injuries is a big plus as form was my first priority.
WoD, 5 rounds of 5 x 80kg deadlift, 10 x push ups, 15 x 16kg KB swings, 20 x sit ups, 25 x squats. 2 minutes rest between rounds. Round times were 2:25, 2:15, 2:10, 2:07, 2:10. The sit ups killed me on the last set and meant I didn't get a lower time damnit! Still I can't complain. They have improved a helluva lot recently with my tuck hold work :D
7:15pm - Post workout paleo brownie (thanks Adam!).
7:20pm - Post brownie paleo banana bread (thanks Ami!).
8:15pm - Pork chop and peri peri seasoning with squash and courgette.
10:00pm (Now) - Black tea with honey.
Rest of the Day - Water
Day 4 - A Nice Bit of Cake!
Well we do like a bit of cake, don't we?
So I started today by cooking lunch for breakfast. This is part of me getting out of my breakfast for breakfast mind set. It's just another meal. Although I am thinking the reason breakfast foods are what they are is because they're quick to prepare. Lord knows I never have enough time in the morning :) Anyway it looked like this once done:
This was breakfast and lunch today and it'll also be lunch tomorrow. In the pan I've got onions, garlic, farm bought steak mince, courgettes and a few left over tomatoes and mushrooms. This was simmered with some tomato puree, basil and parsley but to be honest the choice of herbs and spices can make this anything you want it to be. It may not look all that special but it does taste good!
A special mention has to go to Ami and Adam for bringing paleo brownies and paleo banana bread to the box today. Both were amazing and just go to show that eating paleo doesn't mean you miss out. I'm not sure these will help me hit my BF% goals on the challenge though ;P
Dinner tonight was the last of my pork chops, this time seasoned peri peri style. Finished off the last of the veggies I had in so it was courgettes and scooped out squash. Check out those colours!
I know what you're thinking. Cooking, photography, is there anything I can't do?!
I'm not going to preach about how to live your life today as, after this display of culinary and artistic ability, I don't want you to feel any more inadequate than you already do. Will post up my day's summary and be back tomorrow!
So I started today by cooking lunch for breakfast. This is part of me getting out of my breakfast for breakfast mind set. It's just another meal. Although I am thinking the reason breakfast foods are what they are is because they're quick to prepare. Lord knows I never have enough time in the morning :) Anyway it looked like this once done:
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| 3 square meals. |
A special mention has to go to Ami and Adam for bringing paleo brownies and paleo banana bread to the box today. Both were amazing and just go to show that eating paleo doesn't mean you miss out. I'm not sure these will help me hit my BF% goals on the challenge though ;P
Dinner tonight was the last of my pork chops, this time seasoned peri peri style. Finished off the last of the veggies I had in so it was courgettes and scooped out squash. Check out those colours!
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| Posting this picture is making me hungry again! |
I'm not going to preach about how to live your life today as, after this display of culinary and artistic ability, I don't want you to feel any more inadequate than you already do. Will post up my day's summary and be back tomorrow!
Wednesday 8 June 2011
Day 3 Summary
8:15am - Bacon (fried in coconut oil), scrambled duck eggs and mushrooms.
12:00pm - Lunch time workout. Only an hour total so kept it short. 800m warm up jog and stretch, max strict pullups (6), max full dips (5), parallel bar tuck hold for time (38s) then 5x hill sprints across Hove Park. 10 x knees to elbows to finish and a short jog and stretch to cash out.
1:00pm - Salad of chicken, bacon, lettuce, cucumber and red onion dressed with the mornings bacon and coconut grease.
5:00pm - 6 nuts as I was on my out the house and desperate :)
6:00pm - Ate at Bella Italia. Chicken and avocado salad with peppers, baby spinach, spring onions, olives and baby tomatoes in very light a lemon dressings.
7:00pm - Ordered a black tea in the cinema and then added honey that I had smuggled in with me haha! Usual pot of mixed nuts, fruits, coconut, linseeds, honey and almond butter. Turned down the banana loaf my mum offered me which I'm told was 'very light'! She did buy me some dried pineapple (no additives) so I had a few pieces of that and am saving the rest.
Rest of the day - Water
My phone camera's flash seems to have stopped working so any pictures taken out and about are likely to be as atrocious as the one above, sorry!
12:00pm - Lunch time workout. Only an hour total so kept it short. 800m warm up jog and stretch, max strict pullups (6), max full dips (5), parallel bar tuck hold for time (38s) then 5x hill sprints across Hove Park. 10 x knees to elbows to finish and a short jog and stretch to cash out.
1:00pm - Salad of chicken, bacon, lettuce, cucumber and red onion dressed with the mornings bacon and coconut grease.
5:00pm - 6 nuts as I was on my out the house and desperate :)
6:00pm - Ate at Bella Italia. Chicken and avocado salad with peppers, baby spinach, spring onions, olives and baby tomatoes in very light a lemon dressings.
7:00pm - Ordered a black tea in the cinema and then added honey that I had smuggled in with me haha! Usual pot of mixed nuts, fruits, coconut, linseeds, honey and almond butter. Turned down the banana loaf my mum offered me which I'm told was 'very light'! She did buy me some dried pineapple (no additives) so I had a few pieces of that and am saving the rest.
Rest of the day - Water
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| There are options when eating out. |
And that's all for today.
Day 3 - The First Trial
I have an app on my phone that I'm testing as the work computers have shut me out, so hopefully this is a coherent post.
There are cakes in the office! It's taking a lot of willpower to just sip on my water and ignore the sweet treats! Luckily I'm still quite full from my breakfast of Middle Farm bacon (delicious!), scrambled eggs and mushrooms. The bacon was fried in coconut oil and then I used the combined oil and bacon fat as a dressing for the salad I've got for lunch.
Cooking oil is an interesting one. There's a ton of articles on the web about which ones you should use and opinions all differ. Regardless of oil source I think minimal heating and processing is a must. Cold pressed virgin oils are my first choice. Beyond that it gets murkier.
Historically animal fats, butter and tropical coconut and palm oils seem to have been popular. No one would dispute that the prevalence of heart disease is a 20th century phenomenon. My reckoning is that these cooking fats have been around a lot longer than that without causing issues so in my book they're not the problem. Saturated fats are also more stable so better suited to the heat of cooking.
Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat and there is a wealth of research on its benefits. So much so that I can't ignore it but it's not an ideal cooking oil due its inability to remain stable at high heats. Perfect for dressings then.
Other oils I'm less sure of. I'm tempted to trust my gut and avoid most of them without a bit of further research. The rise in the use of polyunsaturated fats tracks worryingly close to the rise in heart disease. Rapeseed/Canola oil is particularly divisive. Maybe that dressing I have isn't so good after all?
I'll try to add in some links to this article later for a bit of extra curricular reading but this are just my thoughts on a very complicated topic.
Time for some lunch time interval sprints!
There are cakes in the office! It's taking a lot of willpower to just sip on my water and ignore the sweet treats! Luckily I'm still quite full from my breakfast of Middle Farm bacon (delicious!), scrambled eggs and mushrooms. The bacon was fried in coconut oil and then I used the combined oil and bacon fat as a dressing for the salad I've got for lunch.
Cooking oil is an interesting one. There's a ton of articles on the web about which ones you should use and opinions all differ. Regardless of oil source I think minimal heating and processing is a must. Cold pressed virgin oils are my first choice. Beyond that it gets murkier.
Historically animal fats, butter and tropical coconut and palm oils seem to have been popular. No one would dispute that the prevalence of heart disease is a 20th century phenomenon. My reckoning is that these cooking fats have been around a lot longer than that without causing issues so in my book they're not the problem. Saturated fats are also more stable so better suited to the heat of cooking.
Olive oil is mostly monounsaturated fat and there is a wealth of research on its benefits. So much so that I can't ignore it but it's not an ideal cooking oil due its inability to remain stable at high heats. Perfect for dressings then.
Other oils I'm less sure of. I'm tempted to trust my gut and avoid most of them without a bit of further research. The rise in the use of polyunsaturated fats tracks worryingly close to the rise in heart disease. Rapeseed/Canola oil is particularly divisive. Maybe that dressing I have isn't so good after all?
I'll try to add in some links to this article later for a bit of extra curricular reading but this are just my thoughts on a very complicated topic.
Time for some lunch time interval sprints!
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Tuesday 7 June 2011
Day 2 Summary
8:15am - Black tea with honey. Mackerel, scrambled duck eggs and carrots. This was very filling!
12:30pm - Salad with chicken, lettuce, red onion, cucumber, tomato and that Thai Dressing I was showing off in a previous post. The dressing does have a little salt in it but I avoided the sweetcorn this time!
3:30pm - Made another small pot of my almond, macadamia, dried fruit, coconut and linseeds. Added the half tsp honey and 1 tsp almond butter. A little more fruit this time and a little less nuts made the balance between sweet and creamy much better.
6:00pm - An orange and a handful of mixed almonds/macadamias. Was hungry and wanted something pre workout.
7:00pm - Half a slice of Ami's AMAZING paleo banana loaf. Absolutely delicious and totally indistinguishable from the non paleo version.
A quick note on the skills class. Its a much more freeform, easy going class. The goal is to improve any areas we want to focus on. For me I want to achieve a 30s L-sit so gymnastics moves and hollow body training were the order of the day.
Skills class - 1 mile run (this week's challenge) in 6.27. Delighted with this as running is not my forte but damn if Nero's 5:45 wasn't impressive as I watched him disappear into the distance.
Parrallette tuck holds - Untimed first hold then 35s and 22s.
Parrallette push up to dip - 3x10 focussing on a smooth transition using the core.
A couple of skin the cats messing around with holds and extension. Managed a 5s flat back tuck lever so will use that as a bench mark going forward.
A final handstand against the wall. Managed 10s before Nero made me laugh and I had to get down :)
9:00pm - Another of Middle Farm's incredible pork chops seasoned with parsley (I still have one more left) with half a roasted (with coconut oil) squash and the rest of the cabbage, steamed.
Squash was new to me so I had to Google how to prepare it and I like the lazy person's version that I found. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and then roast skin side up for about 25-30 minutes (200C for me but time and temperature was guess work as that wasn't included). When done scoop out the flesh and enjoy. Apparently the tough skin makes them a bastard to peel and I really hate peeling so this was perfect for me and delicious.
Througout the day - Water
12:30pm - Salad with chicken, lettuce, red onion, cucumber, tomato and that Thai Dressing I was showing off in a previous post. The dressing does have a little salt in it but I avoided the sweetcorn this time!
3:30pm - Made another small pot of my almond, macadamia, dried fruit, coconut and linseeds. Added the half tsp honey and 1 tsp almond butter. A little more fruit this time and a little less nuts made the balance between sweet and creamy much better.
6:00pm - An orange and a handful of mixed almonds/macadamias. Was hungry and wanted something pre workout.
7:00pm - Half a slice of Ami's AMAZING paleo banana loaf. Absolutely delicious and totally indistinguishable from the non paleo version.
A quick note on the skills class. Its a much more freeform, easy going class. The goal is to improve any areas we want to focus on. For me I want to achieve a 30s L-sit so gymnastics moves and hollow body training were the order of the day.
Skills class - 1 mile run (this week's challenge) in 6.27. Delighted with this as running is not my forte but damn if Nero's 5:45 wasn't impressive as I watched him disappear into the distance.
Parrallette tuck holds - Untimed first hold then 35s and 22s.
Parrallette push up to dip - 3x10 focussing on a smooth transition using the core.
A couple of skin the cats messing around with holds and extension. Managed a 5s flat back tuck lever so will use that as a bench mark going forward.
A final handstand against the wall. Managed 10s before Nero made me laugh and I had to get down :)
9:00pm - Another of Middle Farm's incredible pork chops seasoned with parsley (I still have one more left) with half a roasted (with coconut oil) squash and the rest of the cabbage, steamed.
Squash was new to me so I had to Google how to prepare it and I like the lazy person's version that I found. Cut the squash in half, scoop out the seeds and then roast skin side up for about 25-30 minutes (200C for me but time and temperature was guess work as that wasn't included). When done scoop out the flesh and enjoy. Apparently the tough skin makes them a bastard to peel and I really hate peeling so this was perfect for me and delicious.
Througout the day - Water
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Day 2 - Tale of the Tape
Short and sweet today as these posts are taking me ages. I finally got my stats done as I didn't have time on Saturday and Dave and Holly were busy doing WoDs on Monday. So, to go with my before photo these are the numbers.
Weight - 77.9kg (about 12st 4lb) which makes me lighter than I thought I was. I see this as me being more able to 'float like a butterfly'.
Body Fat - This was kind of funny. I'm 29 now but I'll be 30 in less than 2 months. Based on Dave's numbers and my current age I'm just over 9% body fat, which I would love to be true but really isn't. If we assume I'm 30 then I'm 13% body fat, which is way more like it. The idea of going up 4% body fat overnight is a bit frightening!
Waist - Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies!? Me apparently. 33 inch waist. The ring around my belly button is very much where all the body fat I do have likes to reside. I have also thickened out my obliques (the side abs?) since doing Crossfit. Thanks guys!
Hips - Squatters buns sees me sitting at 38.5 inches. Worryingly close to my chest (I think).
So there they are. I would really like to see the waist and BF% measurement go down thus revealing a glorious 6-pack. This is the thought that will keep me strong the next 28 days. I'll post up my diary and try to be a bit more informative tomorrow!
Weight - 77.9kg (about 12st 4lb) which makes me lighter than I thought I was. I see this as me being more able to 'float like a butterfly'.
Body Fat - This was kind of funny. I'm 29 now but I'll be 30 in less than 2 months. Based on Dave's numbers and my current age I'm just over 9% body fat, which I would love to be true but really isn't. If we assume I'm 30 then I'm 13% body fat, which is way more like it. The idea of going up 4% body fat overnight is a bit frightening!
Waist - Who ate all the pies? Who ate all the pies!? Me apparently. 33 inch waist. The ring around my belly button is very much where all the body fat I do have likes to reside. I have also thickened out my obliques (the side abs?) since doing Crossfit. Thanks guys!
Hips - Squatters buns sees me sitting at 38.5 inches. Worryingly close to my chest (I think).
So there they are. I would really like to see the waist and BF% measurement go down thus revealing a glorious 6-pack. This is the thought that will keep me strong the next 28 days. I'll post up my diary and try to be a bit more informative tomorrow!
Monday 6 June 2011
Day 1 Summary
8:00am - Tuck hold, 23s and 7s. 2x3 pull-ups.
8:15am - Cup of black tea w/ half tsp honey. 1 grilled mackerel and 2 scrambled duck eggs. 1 banana.
10:30am - Handful of mixed almonds and macadamias.
12:30pm - Salad containing chicken, avocado, lettuce, onion, cucumber, sweetcorn (oops - luckily not too much) and dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 1 apple.
4pm - Small pot of mixed macadamias, almonds, dried goji berries, dried blueberries, dried mixed cherries, dessicated coconut and linseeds mixed with half tsp honey and one tsp almond butter.
5:30pm - Cup of black tea w/ half tsp honey.
6:30pm - Focus, 1-5 laddered OH squat in 7 mins done at 30kg. WoD, 5 rounds of 10 toes to bar, 10 2h KB swings (20kg), 10 burpees done in 11:38.
8:30pm - Grilled pork chop with paprika and chilli rub, carrots and cabbage.
Rest of the day - Water.
8:15am - Cup of black tea w/ half tsp honey. 1 grilled mackerel and 2 scrambled duck eggs. 1 banana.
10:30am - Handful of mixed almonds and macadamias.
12:30pm - Salad containing chicken, avocado, lettuce, onion, cucumber, sweetcorn (oops - luckily not too much) and dressed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. 1 apple.
4pm - Small pot of mixed macadamias, almonds, dried goji berries, dried blueberries, dried mixed cherries, dessicated coconut and linseeds mixed with half tsp honey and one tsp almond butter.
5:30pm - Cup of black tea w/ half tsp honey.
6:30pm - Focus, 1-5 laddered OH squat in 7 mins done at 30kg. WoD, 5 rounds of 10 toes to bar, 10 2h KB swings (20kg), 10 burpees done in 11:38.
8:30pm - Grilled pork chop with paprika and chilli rub, carrots and cabbage.
Rest of the day - Water.
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| Day 1 WoD |
The Rest of Day 1
First things first is a treat for the ladies and Barney. I took my before photo! Strictly speaking this is about 8 hours after starting the challenge but we're all friends here, right? We can let that slide. Make sure you're sitting down because here it is.
This got me to thinking and a quick bit of MS Paint later got me this.
So that's what 6 months of Crossfit has done for me, at least on the outside. I've already talked about the PBs previously so I won't bore you with the fact that I deadlifted 125kg again...
By the way I know I have tiny nipples but luckily I don't need them for anything. I don't know why I felt the need to defend them. You probably hadn't noticed for all the swooning.
Aaaanyway, the rest of my day involved me eating a chicken and avocado salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil and organic balsamic vinegar. I also snacked on a handful of mixed almonds and macedamias mid morning and a combination of almonds, macadamias, dried blueberries, dried mixed cherries, dried goji berries, desecated coconut, linseeds all bound together with half a tsp honey and one tsp almond butter. I tried to time this last snack about 2 hours before today's WoD class.
I've finished the day off with a grilled pork chop seasoned with paprika and chilli and some carrots and cabbage.
Remember we're not counting calories here so within reason, pile it on. I've just done a workout so plenty of veggies is a must!
Which brings me to a confession. I made a stupid mistake with lunch. I was very good about getting my salad with no coleslaw and no dressing so I could dress it myself. It never occurred to me until afterwards that there might be another evil lurking in there. That spoon full of sweetcorn the local deli chuck in! I mean, the clue's really in the name there. CORN! Well it's a learning experience and at least now I know. Sweet corn is a grain and not a veggie. Still it could have been worse.
But that's the point isn't it? Sure we want to do well and stick to it but it's about bettering our understanding of what we eat too, so the slip ups are ok so long as we learn from them. At least that how I'll use this experience.
A couple of Crossfitters had fruit juice with them today. It's easy to assume that the juice of a fruit is as good for you as the fruit itself. Unfortunately that's not the case. That link puts it better than I could but the most profound statement they make is,
'Fruit juice that has been robbed of its fiber and broad range of nutrients is basically just a concentrated source of sugar that lacks the supportive nutrients to help it digest and metabolize.'
And at least now we know. On to the next cock up!
 |
| The official before photo that will soon be gracing pop up ads around the net! |
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| Running => Weights => Crossfit |
By the way I know I have tiny nipples but luckily I don't need them for anything. I don't know why I felt the need to defend them. You probably hadn't noticed for all the swooning.
Aaaanyway, the rest of my day involved me eating a chicken and avocado salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil and organic balsamic vinegar. I also snacked on a handful of mixed almonds and macedamias mid morning and a combination of almonds, macadamias, dried blueberries, dried mixed cherries, dried goji berries, desecated coconut, linseeds all bound together with half a tsp honey and one tsp almond butter. I tried to time this last snack about 2 hours before today's WoD class.
 |
| The next version will have less nuts and more vanilla! |
I've finished the day off with a grilled pork chop seasoned with paprika and chilli and some carrots and cabbage.
 |
| DSLR took the left photo and then ran out of battery so phone took the right one. Or maybe the light and dark has a deeper meaning...(hint: it doesn't) |
Which brings me to a confession. I made a stupid mistake with lunch. I was very good about getting my salad with no coleslaw and no dressing so I could dress it myself. It never occurred to me until afterwards that there might be another evil lurking in there. That spoon full of sweetcorn the local deli chuck in! I mean, the clue's really in the name there. CORN! Well it's a learning experience and at least now I know. Sweet corn is a grain and not a veggie. Still it could have been worse.
But that's the point isn't it? Sure we want to do well and stick to it but it's about bettering our understanding of what we eat too, so the slip ups are ok so long as we learn from them. At least that how I'll use this experience.
A couple of Crossfitters had fruit juice with them today. It's easy to assume that the juice of a fruit is as good for you as the fruit itself. Unfortunately that's not the case. That link puts it better than I could but the most profound statement they make is,
'Fruit juice that has been robbed of its fiber and broad range of nutrients is basically just a concentrated source of sugar that lacks the supportive nutrients to help it digest and metabolize.'
And at least now we know. On to the next cock up!
Day 1 - It Begins
I'll add photos when I get a chance later. The morning started with a black tea sweetened with half a spoon of honey. I can't drink it without something to take the bitter edge off it but I do love my tea. This may be one of the hardest things to adapt to!
As this was cooling on the side I did 30 sec tuck hold on my bar in 2 sets, 23 sec and 7 secs. A 30 sec L sit is my current goal so I am using a little and often approach to try to improve it. At the moment my time has only gone up slightly but my tuck is much tighter/higher so I am happy with the progress.
I also squeezed in 2x3 strict pullups. I do a set of these as the whim takes me so they are spread out. Again, it's little and often as pullups are a real weakness of mine.
Breakfast was grilled mackerel (don't judge me for making a mess of it!) and 2 scrambled duck eggs. I finished it off with a banana and then the short walk to work.
I'm currently drinking water at my desk and updating the blog when I should be working :D
As this was cooling on the side I did 30 sec tuck hold on my bar in 2 sets, 23 sec and 7 secs. A 30 sec L sit is my current goal so I am using a little and often approach to try to improve it. At the moment my time has only gone up slightly but my tuck is much tighter/higher so I am happy with the progress.
I also squeezed in 2x3 strict pullups. I do a set of these as the whim takes me so they are spread out. Again, it's little and often as pullups are a real weakness of mine.
Breakfast was grilled mackerel (don't judge me for making a mess of it!) and 2 scrambled duck eggs. I finished it off with a banana and then the short walk to work.
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| There weren't quite as many fish bones in there as I thought there might be. |
Sunday 5 June 2011
Well That Was a Disaster!
It seems that I cannot fillet a fish nor do I have a suitable knife. My knife was far too blunt (schoolboy error) which means I have ended up with a hacked up mess of fish, which is still full of bones. Well I guess the best way to improve is to practise so I will keep at it and just eat my way round the bones for now. Breakfast tomorrow will be scrambled duck eggs and carefully eaten grilled mackerel :D
A quick note on duck eggs. My butcher recommended free range duck eggs to me as an alternative to chicken eggs and I must say I was impressed. They are larger with proportionately bigger yolks than chicken eggs so 2 makes for a generous serving. As a result of the larger yolk they have a richer taste, which I prefer, and are also chock full of nutrients!
I plan on eating a couple of eggs most days during the challenge. A lot of people think that eggs yolks are high in cholesterol and therefore bad for you. Well, they do have dietary cholesterol in them but that's actually fine. In fact it may even be a good thing!
Whenever you're considering a food don't just assume that the common belief is actually correct. 'Everyone knows' and 'they say that' are not the same as actual fact. Think outside the box and explore the issue for yourself.
As a bit more food for thought did you know that the Vitamin D obtained from unprotected sun exposure may reduce the risk of fatal prostate cancer? Maybe sun screen 24/7 is actually bad for you?
And for next time I attempt mackerel....Sharpening Steel ordered!
A quick note on duck eggs. My butcher recommended free range duck eggs to me as an alternative to chicken eggs and I must say I was impressed. They are larger with proportionately bigger yolks than chicken eggs so 2 makes for a generous serving. As a result of the larger yolk they have a richer taste, which I prefer, and are also chock full of nutrients!
I plan on eating a couple of eggs most days during the challenge. A lot of people think that eggs yolks are high in cholesterol and therefore bad for you. Well, they do have dietary cholesterol in them but that's actually fine. In fact it may even be a good thing!
Whenever you're considering a food don't just assume that the common belief is actually correct. 'Everyone knows' and 'they say that' are not the same as actual fact. Think outside the box and explore the issue for yourself.
As a bit more food for thought did you know that the Vitamin D obtained from unprotected sun exposure may reduce the risk of fatal prostate cancer? Maybe sun screen 24/7 is actually bad for you?
And for next time I attempt mackerel....Sharpening Steel ordered!
PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP
So that stands for something like Particularly Prompt Paleo Preparation Prevents Peter's Peculiarly Piss Poor Paleo Performance or something like that. This post is about is how I've prepared.
So Barney's inspiring talk on his impressive pizza and curry eating prowess was yesterday and we were all given our PlanP booklets with our meal plans in. In a nutshell we'll be eating meat, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds.
Now to be clear about how I'm starting I took it upon myself to cut back on bread, rice and pasta a couple of months back and have been pretty good about sticking to that, at least at home. I am not good at sticking to it either at work or when I'm out and although 80/20 good/bad is the eventual aim I'm probably closer to 60/40. This month though I will be 100!
Meat
I will be sourcing most of my meat from Westdene Butchers but they're not open on a Sunday and they do not offer a gluten free sausage, at least when I was in there last. This morning I made a trip to Middle Farm as they ARE open on a Sunday. I'm pretty happy with everything I picked up there but I'm not 100% sure what the deal with a gluten free sausage is. Will the substituted ingredients be just as bad? Maybe I'l keep the sausages for emergencies or something.
I also noticed that there was salt involved in the curing of their bacon (salt is not paleo) but if there's one thing I can let slide it's a little salt. I do mean a little though. Salt in food will be the exception and even then I expect it low down on the list of ingredients.
Anyhow I have purchased a sirloin steak, some pork loin chops, some bacon, some chicken breasts, some gluten free sausages and a whole lot of steak mince, the last of which I have separated into packs of about 600g and frozen all but one.
Fish
If you didn't know, there is a great fishmonger just round the corner from the box simply called Fish! Now one of the things I have read about recently is Omega 3 and Omega 6 intake. There is a lot of discussion on the topic and most agree that Omega 3 is usually lacking in the average diet. Oily fish is one of the best natural sources of Omega 3 without being too high in Omega 6.
Why is Omega 6 a problem? It's true both are called essential fatty acids and that's because the body needs both and does not produce either but there must be a balance. Too much Omega 6 negates the positive effects of the Omega 3.
Good paleo foods that have a high Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio are fish, such as salmon, herring and mackerel, coconut oil, macademia nuts and flax seeds/flax seed oil (called Linseed in this country). The thing about all of these is that they are expensive so I will also be taking a fish oil supplement. Here is the fresh fish I have bought, of which I will try to have at least one decent portion a week (those Salmon steaks are deceptively huge!).
You'll notice a sneaky dressing in the corner there. I read the back of every bottle they had and this was the only one that fit paleo (mostly).
There is one non approved ingredient there at the bottom, salt, but I don't plan on using this too much.
Fresh Fruits and Veggies
A big shout out here to Abel and Cole who's website has really impressed me. A few clicks and I'd removed my usual dairy order and upgraded the size of my veggie box to make sure I had enough for a veggie heavy weekly diet. I've also got some 100% tomato puree from them and chucked in some fresh lemons and garlic for dressing and flavouring. Their box always includes potatoes but by putting it down as a 'dislike' I'll get a substitute veggie each week. Very quick and very easy to do and it comes to my door. Superb!
Here's the first delivery packed into the fridge.
Snacks
This time I've used a company called Healthy Supplies to have all my snack foods delivered (God am I lazy?!). Their website gave lots of information on ingredients that some others omit. Barney warned me that sometimes dried fruit is sprayed with sugar. I checked what I'd got and this stuff was all additive free. Phew!
It was expensive but I plan to recoup the money this month by not drinking alcohol! Here's what they sent me.
There are a couple of sneaky extras in there. The honey is Paynes Farm honey from a local shop that I bought in passing and the Almonds are from the ethnic foods section in Tesco (Burgess Hill is the only place I've found them). I also have a pack of Linseeds (also from Tesco) that I forgot to add to the photo. I'm planning some kind of nut/fruit/seed mix with a vanilla, honey and nut butter 'sauce' for when I get the cravings for something sweet.
Well that covers the foods. Each week I'll restock on veggies and meats but the rest of it should see me through the month as I have very much bought in bulk.
I have to attempt to go fillet some fish for the first time in my life now so wish me luck. The challenge diary starts tomorrow!
So Barney's inspiring talk on his impressive pizza and curry eating prowess was yesterday and we were all given our PlanP booklets with our meal plans in. In a nutshell we'll be eating meat, fish, veggies, fruits, nuts and seeds.
Now to be clear about how I'm starting I took it upon myself to cut back on bread, rice and pasta a couple of months back and have been pretty good about sticking to that, at least at home. I am not good at sticking to it either at work or when I'm out and although 80/20 good/bad is the eventual aim I'm probably closer to 60/40. This month though I will be 100!
Meat
I will be sourcing most of my meat from Westdene Butchers but they're not open on a Sunday and they do not offer a gluten free sausage, at least when I was in there last. This morning I made a trip to Middle Farm as they ARE open on a Sunday. I'm pretty happy with everything I picked up there but I'm not 100% sure what the deal with a gluten free sausage is. Will the substituted ingredients be just as bad? Maybe I'l keep the sausages for emergencies or something.
I also noticed that there was salt involved in the curing of their bacon (salt is not paleo) but if there's one thing I can let slide it's a little salt. I do mean a little though. Salt in food will be the exception and even then I expect it low down on the list of ingredients.
Anyhow I have purchased a sirloin steak, some pork loin chops, some bacon, some chicken breasts, some gluten free sausages and a whole lot of steak mince, the last of which I have separated into packs of about 600g and frozen all but one.
Fish
If you didn't know, there is a great fishmonger just round the corner from the box simply called Fish! Now one of the things I have read about recently is Omega 3 and Omega 6 intake. There is a lot of discussion on the topic and most agree that Omega 3 is usually lacking in the average diet. Oily fish is one of the best natural sources of Omega 3 without being too high in Omega 6.
Why is Omega 6 a problem? It's true both are called essential fatty acids and that's because the body needs both and does not produce either but there must be a balance. Too much Omega 6 negates the positive effects of the Omega 3.
Good paleo foods that have a high Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio are fish, such as salmon, herring and mackerel, coconut oil, macademia nuts and flax seeds/flax seed oil (called Linseed in this country). The thing about all of these is that they are expensive so I will also be taking a fish oil supplement. Here is the fresh fish I have bought, of which I will try to have at least one decent portion a week (those Salmon steaks are deceptively huge!).
 |
| Mackerels at the front, salmon at the back |
 |
| Salt I know but I will be using it sparingly |
Fresh Fruits and Veggies
A big shout out here to Abel and Cole who's website has really impressed me. A few clicks and I'd removed my usual dairy order and upgraded the size of my veggie box to make sure I had enough for a veggie heavy weekly diet. I've also got some 100% tomato puree from them and chucked in some fresh lemons and garlic for dressing and flavouring. Their box always includes potatoes but by putting it down as a 'dislike' I'll get a substitute veggie each week. Very quick and very easy to do and it comes to my door. Superb!
Here's the first delivery packed into the fridge.
Snacks
This time I've used a company called Healthy Supplies to have all my snack foods delivered (God am I lazy?!). Their website gave lots of information on ingredients that some others omit. Barney warned me that sometimes dried fruit is sprayed with sugar. I checked what I'd got and this stuff was all additive free. Phew!
It was expensive but I plan to recoup the money this month by not drinking alcohol! Here's what they sent me.
 |
| Fruit and nuts for convenient snacks. |
Well that covers the foods. Each week I'll restock on veggies and meats but the rest of it should see me through the month as I have very much bought in bulk.
I have to attempt to go fillet some fish for the first time in my life now so wish me luck. The challenge diary starts tomorrow!
Friday 3 June 2011
Where I've Come From - Part 3
Right! So I'd just come across my local Functional Strength and Conditioning class aka Crossfit. I gave it a try on a whim really as it was close and a very convenient time. They had a Monday class, which I could get to, so I figured I'd include that in my slightly lax weekly gym routine. Needless to say it was a humbling experience!
I don't have any photos from back then but they wouldn't really tell the story anyway. It was more about how I felt. Having done some running and done some lifting I thought I had a decent base to be starting with but the Crossfit guys were something else! The technical coaching was just what my lifts needed and Holly's expertise were way beyond the coaching the fitness instructors had given me in my other gym.
The Workout of the Days (WODs) absolutely destroyed me and I wasn't even close to doing them with the recommended weights. That really was the beauty of it though. It scaled all the way down to my level and even though I was often the last one finishing the WOD there was nothing but encouragement from both Holly and the other crossfitters. As a community they were worlds apart from the gym posers benching on the smith machine back at my old gym. Unfortunately I was only able to go once a week most weeks but it still had a huge impact.
I stuck with it too. Spot the pattern with my previous endeavours? Go at it like a demon for 3 months and then get bored of the repetition and slack off. Well Crossfit is constantly varied and covers so many disciplines that there's always something new to be trying or improving.
I went through a period of doing nothing but weights and Crossfit. There was a small group of us who would occasionally run at work during lunch but due to injury etc. that had dried up. Eventually though we did go for a run together and I was pretty dubious about my ability to keep up. Both the other guys had been much better runners than me after I'd lost my fitness so it was going to be a struggle. Except it wasn't. Even once a week the Crossfit had kept me fit enough to keep up and even improve. I started running on my forefeet and invested in some Vibram Fivefingers to help me run better and avoid injury.
Then David, Holly and Barny partnered up and opened Crossfit Connect and all of a sudden there were classes every day. Now I'm able to go 3 times a week. I also try to run once a week and, on Dave's advice, I have a pull up bar for quick 5 minute pull up / hanging tuck sessions on days off.
I've gone from 1 pull up to 6. I've set a personal best Shoulder Press of 42.5kg, a PB deadlift of 125kg and a PB back squat of 105kg. I went for a 7 mile run with some people who were marathon training even though I only usually run 3 or 4 and I coasted for the full distance! I'm fitter than I have ever been in my life and I'll hit 30 in a couple of months :)
I'm also learning fun stuff like gymnastics ring work and handstands. I enjoy the gymnastics the most. The control and strength is something I never truly appreciated until I tried even the most basic of gymastic moves.
I feel like my previous training created a great foundation albeit slower than I could have done knowing what I know now. Crossfit has taken that to new levels but it's also shown me that there is a lot more to achieve. When I lift a new PB or when I shave a minute of my previous best WOD time not only do I know I'm physically stronger and quicker than before but I know I'm mentally stronger because I just achieved something I thought I'd never be able to do. It's a liberating mindset knowing what I have done and what I will do.
Anyhow I'm late for meeting friends so I gotta go. I'll cover a bit about my diet next and also talk about how I'm preparing for the challenge.
I don't have any photos from back then but they wouldn't really tell the story anyway. It was more about how I felt. Having done some running and done some lifting I thought I had a decent base to be starting with but the Crossfit guys were something else! The technical coaching was just what my lifts needed and Holly's expertise were way beyond the coaching the fitness instructors had given me in my other gym.
The Workout of the Days (WODs) absolutely destroyed me and I wasn't even close to doing them with the recommended weights. That really was the beauty of it though. It scaled all the way down to my level and even though I was often the last one finishing the WOD there was nothing but encouragement from both Holly and the other crossfitters. As a community they were worlds apart from the gym posers benching on the smith machine back at my old gym. Unfortunately I was only able to go once a week most weeks but it still had a huge impact.
I stuck with it too. Spot the pattern with my previous endeavours? Go at it like a demon for 3 months and then get bored of the repetition and slack off. Well Crossfit is constantly varied and covers so many disciplines that there's always something new to be trying or improving.
I went through a period of doing nothing but weights and Crossfit. There was a small group of us who would occasionally run at work during lunch but due to injury etc. that had dried up. Eventually though we did go for a run together and I was pretty dubious about my ability to keep up. Both the other guys had been much better runners than me after I'd lost my fitness so it was going to be a struggle. Except it wasn't. Even once a week the Crossfit had kept me fit enough to keep up and even improve. I started running on my forefeet and invested in some Vibram Fivefingers to help me run better and avoid injury.
Then David, Holly and Barny partnered up and opened Crossfit Connect and all of a sudden there were classes every day. Now I'm able to go 3 times a week. I also try to run once a week and, on Dave's advice, I have a pull up bar for quick 5 minute pull up / hanging tuck sessions on days off.
I've gone from 1 pull up to 6. I've set a personal best Shoulder Press of 42.5kg, a PB deadlift of 125kg and a PB back squat of 105kg. I went for a 7 mile run with some people who were marathon training even though I only usually run 3 or 4 and I coasted for the full distance! I'm fitter than I have ever been in my life and I'll hit 30 in a couple of months :)
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| PB deadlift and a PB face to go with it! |
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| They made me hold this for ages to get the photo! |
Anyhow I'm late for meeting friends so I gotta go. I'll cover a bit about my diet next and also talk about how I'm preparing for the challenge.
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