Food, Glorious Food!

~ Oliver, the Musical ~ 

I cooked so much food yesterday. So much food...

I don't know what happened on what should have been a lazy Sunday afternoon, but I woke up in a egg (I cracked about 25 of those suckers) & steam daze around 20:00 last night and somehow I had lost 4 hours of my day.  Now, don't get me wrong, I've pre-cooked before, but this was on another level:  9 dished (10 if you count the tart I made earlier the morning).

Changing the way we eat has made us so much more adventurous in the kitchen, but hell it feels like we are spending half our lives in between buying groceries & cooking it. We leave for work at 6:30 / 7ish in the morning, straight to Crossfit afterwards and then probably get home at around 19:15. Add in the making & drinking of a protein shake and a much needed jump in the shower and it's 20:00. Then you have to cook, eat, clean & dish up for lunch tomorrow. On loop. Forever. 

I recently acquired the Paleo book (and no, this doesn't just apply to Paleo peeps) "Well Fed Paleo Recipes For People Who Love to Eat".  There was a wonderful section on how to prep for the week, and then using your already cooked food (be it meat or veg), put together a "hot plate" in 20 minutes. Yes please thank you! Here's a bit from the book:

"I’m not going to lie to you: At first, it was a huge annoyance.  [Yup] I was bitter. [Yup] I complained a lot. [Tripple Yup] But we both stuck to our guns, and soon it became routine. Our kitchen is now habitually stocked with healthy food, and it’s not much more work than our previous, lazy, more destructive ways. 

As the new shopping habits took hold, it became painfully evident that if we were going to take our health and longevity seriously, restaurant meals were not going to cut it. I was going to be spending a lot of time in the kitchen. For the first few weeks, I did. I felt like I was on an endless loop of chop, cook, eat, wash, repeat. It was tedious. 

But then I remembered the lessons of my dad’s restaurant kitchen and came up with a plan to keep us stocked with food, without driving myself mad. Now, just one big, weekly shopping trip and one Weekly Cookup keeps us happily fed all week. 

To forage all the ingredients for that food, my husband does one giant shopping trip on Friday afternoons, and I spend about two hours [phffft] on Sunday cooking for the week. With most of our food already cooked, meal prep on an average day takes about 30 minutes total: 10 minutes to pack my food for work and 20 minutes to throw together a delicious dinner."

So last night I donned my dirtiest shirt [I am a walking mess], put Lorde & Linkin Park on shuffle & started taking out everything I would need. I had to briefly stop to re-arrange my whole kitchen so that there was enough counter space, but the washing machine made do in a pinch.  Finally I morphed into what I though was a mixture of Nigella (sans the boobs) & the cute little pucka Brit and I was off multitasking like a pro. In all honesty, I think it was a lot less sexier then I imagined it to be, covered in spilled tuna juice & goopy egg white.

Here's the list: 

• Creamy Chocolate & Coconut Pie (Avo, Cacao, Coconut, Coconut Oil, Honey, Coconut Milk) 
• Caramelized Onion, Bacon & Mushroom Frittata
• Bacon, cherry tomato, rocket & a pinch of pecorino egg cups
• Mint & Coconut Tuna cakes
• Spiced Beef Koftas
• Roasted Vegetables
• 3kg Roasted Chicken
• Sweet Potato Mash
• Breakfast Pizza (mince "sausage", tomato, onions, peppers, mushrooms, sweet potato) Frittata
• Slow cooker Honeyed Pork Shank with some beans & stuff...I started getting gatvol...

In the end it was quite a cathartic experience. I had the confidence to try out new tastes, textures & ideas even though we are now one whole pot lid short & one honey induced blister richer. Hopefully this lasts till Wednesday...

I know it's cliched as hell, but I cannot get enough of Crossfit. It makes me want to vomit a little in my mouth every time I do it but dammit I want more. Not only are you pushing yourself to your limit every time, there is this wonderful sense of camaraderie - everyone here is suffering / enjoying / hurting / laughing. And everyone is willing to help. 

Remember how easy this shit was when you were 7?

I've started practicing my bar muscle-ups (jumping from a box still) and have made that my goal for end February - 1 bar muscle up.

Remember to create a Bloglovin profile, copy the address of the blog into the search box, and click follow. You'll then get notified via email whenever there is a new post - all under one email. Easy peasy. And even better: here you can get a list of all the SleekGirl (& some extras) blogs. 

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These are my People

~ Rodney Atkins ~

Isn't it just the most amazing feeling when someone "gets you"?  It's so tiresome defending your way of life to other people (and sadly mostly to family) that when you sit between people that are in the same boat, the universe gives a little sigh of pleasure. Be it people that want to loose weight, trying to eat healthier or doing exercise it's so much easier to communicate with these like minded souls.

I get excited when I up my front squat to 80kg. That's.Alot.Of.Fucking.Weight. I should be damned proud that my body can do this, instead I keep it to myself. Perhaps I'll post it on the Sleek Girls page, not even on the Sleek Geek page cause some of my acquaintances will see it & I'll get comments like this...

I have to look at photos of parties, gardens, children, shoes, boob selfies... and somehow me holding a weight above my head or stating that I went to the gym offends their being.  I'm desperately trying to stick to my eating plan and all they want to do is go out drinking and eat chips & potato salad. I hate that little pause over the phone when I ask if someone is bringing a green salad. You would think this nation is built upon starch...

 

Is it worth keeping these people in your life? I know it's difficult, but yes, they do have a place in your life. My friends are different & weird & wonderful & that's what makes them my friends, and they in turn love my other weird & wonderful quirks. I love my friends, but I need my online communities & my gym buddies: we support each other, we celebrate each others successes, and gladly lend a helping hand to one another when things are going down hill.

A prime example of this happened on Saturday. Our box organized a workout on the beach and for once PE's wind played along beautifully. Afterwards we all went for breakfast - and 99% of the group had some sort of query for the poor, poor confused waiter.  Is there mayo on the wraps? Salad instead of chips.  How many eggs in the scrambled eggs? Is it three? Cause I want three. Exactly three. Make sure it's full cream milk. Fresh orange juice, no, not out of a bottle fresh, actual oranges. And not once did anyone at the table look at one another funny. It was normal. It was amazing.

Since adopting Paleo I have become much more adventurous in the kitchen. Sunday night is now becoming Paleo Pancake night. Topped with berries & macadamia nut butter it was a wonderful healthy treat.

I have entered (along with thousands of others) into the Crossfit Games which starts end February. We are training hard - I've come to embrace sweaty wet underwear and a stinky body. 

After a brief WTF moment last week ("three weeks clean eating - nada to show") I have seen the light, between my legs. Hahaha... I don't care for a thigh gap, it's just nice to see my legs taking some sort of shape. Any shape. I spent the rest of the night pushing a hockey ball through the hole.

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New Sensation

~ INXS ~

So, the Christmas tree has hardly been packed away and we're (most of us) already back at work and stuck in the hamster wheel. Time really is a terrible thing. How is it possible that 4 hours at work (an eternity) can feel so much different from 4 hours watching series (but, I just started episode 1, how can this be the finale).

During these last 2 weeks, I've built stuff from all our scrap wood, gone red & then tamed it slightly, entered competitions, had my measurements taken, freaked out on Sherlock Holmes Season 3 (I love that man's cheekbones), completed the multitude of Vitality Q's for points & drank copiously when we had to mingle with family...

I was somewhat ambivalent about the results of my measurements... October'13 saw me at 24% body fat while January'14 kicked me in the teeth with 24.8%. Along with some caliper readings actually increasing and a 3kg increase in weight! My tummy area actually increase in cm's - shock! horror! Yes, yes - same person, same calipers. Seriously?  Hours & hours of Crossfit & my tummy is still flabby? 

One word - kitchen. That's what let me down.  Eating healthy 80% of the day for 70% of the week helped me get strong, but it definitely did not help me lose weight.

The only thing that saved me from driving straight to Wakaberry and asking them to open the tap over my face was the fact that my thighs, calves, triceps & chest decreased in %, and that the 3kg that I I picked up was 80% muscle.  

This lead to Boyfriend and me starting with Paleo, that changed to Paleo Reboot, to no, let's just do Paleo cause that's what we're gonna stick with at the end, to Zone cause that's the "official" crossfit diet, to Zone/Paleo, back to Paleo cause I was over counting Zone blocks pretty quickly.  There was also a brief detour to Low Carb High Fat, which can either be Paleo or not Paleo... 

Basically we are now on what people call Paleo - a 80/20 Paleo. We still have diary (full cream milk), but apart from now eating eggs or leftovers in the morning instead of oats (or nothing) there's not much of a difference to how we have been eating. But we've been strict - on the 4th we cleaned out our cupboards & fridge & just got on with it. Basically we are going to eat good food, and not eat bad food. Follow whatever diet/detox/lifestyle you want, but that should be bottom line.

The 2014 Crossfit Games Opens will start in February & I'm so ready to compete. I would love to go to Regionals (only the top 48 ladies from the Open go through to Regionals, and then 1 lady goes through to the Games). So training & nutrition are all geared towards being able to optimally performing when the time comes.

We participated in our first mini competition on Saturday - the Philippines Fund Raiser.  Wow, what a long (from 9am - 3pm) & rewarding day!  Not only did we do our part to help out some people in need, we also smashed our Personal Best weights on the strength section - my stats are looking pretty great if I don't say so myself:

• Back Squat - 102kg (up from 100kg 3 weeks ago)
• Dead Lift - 105kg (up from 90kg)
• Strict Press - 40kg (up from 37kg)
• Snatch - 40kg (up from 30kg)
• Clean & Jerk - 55kg (up from 50kg)

On the flip side, we pretty much felt like death warmed up the next day.

I entered the Sleek Geek Challenge as well as a Port Elizabeth based body transformation competition. PE ladies have from January to June to participate in this weight loss competition and stand the chance to win a boudoir photo shoot from Elsje D Photography - yes please!

Some holiday meals below.  Made my first poached egg this morning - cling wrap & a washing peg (I didn't have any elastics...).

So, yes, a lot of "resolutions" were made, but it doesn't need to be 1 January for you to change your life. Make the decision today.

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One Step Closer

~ Linkin Park ~

Do you ever stop & listen to the way you talk to yourself in the mirror?  How would you feel if someone else said that to you? Would you tolerate someone else speaking to you like that [and seriously, if you do allow people to talk to you like that we have a whole new problem to deal with...]. But back to the original topic - do you realize how many times you speak negatively about yourself? [Actually, Tam wrote a beautiful article about it]

Some days I can't look in the mirror without thinking I'm to heavy, I'm to big, it's soft & jiggly where I don't want it to be, too short, too tall, too hairy, too white, [enter your own gripe].  I know it's easier said then done, but shouldn't we stop seeing the "imperfections" and start appreciating our bodies for all the things that it can do? And not just that - stop comparing ourselves to everyone else?

I never looked like the girls in the magazines. I was a chubby kid who turned into a chubby teenager, and then discovered sport. I was termed "athletic" - isn't that just a nice way of saying fat?  It wasn’t until earlier this year when I found the right people (nutritionists, Crossfit, weightlifting & a support group) that my body started changing. And not only has my body started changing, it also changed how I felt about my body.  I'm more chuffed that I increased my front squat by 10kg's then reducing my weight by 1kg. I started to eat to give my body what it needs, not starving cause I wanted to be thin.

Weightlifting & Crossfit made me change my focus from losing weight to gaining strength.  Getting the right support group (online & at the Box) meant surrounding myself with strong women (and men) with similar goals. My body constantly surprises me by doing things that I've never thought possible. I would now love to be called "athletic", because I've seen athletic women & damn, if that's what it's called then give me some.

Andrea Ager, Christmas Abbott, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet

I love my body because:

• no matter how badly I’ve treated it in the past, it still keeps going.
• it's mine & I'm unique.
• I can go & try a sport & be somewhat decent at it, without dying of stiffness the next day.
• it's smart & it tells me when to rest, when to work, when to eat.
• it has amazing taste buds that makes me open to try new food.
• it can laugh till I cry & squeal from being out of breath.
• it can front squat 87kg's, back squat 95kg's and dead lift a 110kg's.
• it can be taught to do technical movements & practice truly does make perfect.

And most importantly, earlier this week was the first time in a very (if ever) long time that I was comfortable enough to walk around on the beach in just a bikini. I normally reserve this for home.  If anything has changed this year it has been how I see my body - healthy skinny is not going to happen overnight, the least I can do is love my body while it's working hard to get me to stronger & leaner.

Last night was probably my hardest workout to date. We did Grace, then another 30 Push Jerks, and then a chipper from hell:  200 double unders (or 400 single skips), 400m run, 150 double unders (or 300 single skips), 30 burpee pull-ups (did then without any assistance from a band - yay me!), 100 double unders (or 200 single skips), 20 overhead squats, 50 double unders (or 100 single skips). And even though I had the lowest score & only got to 19 burpee pull-ups before reaching the 20 minutes, I still worked just as hard as the guy next to me.

Zoom in - still drenched in sweat...

A lot of negative things have been said about the Crossfit community, and I thing we are truly blessed to have some amazing people at our box. Just to put it into context - Rich Froning (Crossfit Games Champion) can do Grace in less then 4:49 with 102kg. I did it in 7:30 with 40kg.  And by the time I hit the second set of 30 Push Jerks I had to do them 1 at a time. It was such an amazing feeling getting supported by all the guys that already finished, counting down with me, telling me to push & just to keep going.

Found some nice/tasty/pretty things over the weekend & even went down to the beach after work two days in a row. I don't normally slow down this time of year so that is something that I am trying to work on - taking a breath; otherwise you will be working your whole life away without enjoying the little moments.

Vovo Telo Rocket, Mushroom & Pecorino Pizza and Mint & Apple Slushie ~ Mexican Bola Charms make the most amazing fairy jingle ~ Christmas day dress ~ Cow fresh full cream strawberry yoghurt made right here in PE.

Food wise it's going well. I'm trying to keep it clean because I want the pretty dress to sit extra comfortable on Christmas day (it's been a Christmas tradition - a dress will be worn!)

 

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Take a breath people!

Writing in the Margins (Part 3)

~ Yep, you guessed it, still John Gorka ~

There are about 30 - 40 blogs that I follow on a regular basis.  These range from funny pictures of cats & cheezeburgers, fashion, crossfit & just normal people who have some amazing insights to life [I always think of this specific post on Aspects of Transformation - it's great cause it's true]. Trying to keep track of when a new post is out is like higher grade maths.  

Blog readers pretty much lump together your favorite blogs into one long email or web-based article. This makes blog reading less tedious (you don't have to browse to each of your fave blogs) as well as more discreet which is kinda necessary for those (like me) who do a little reading while at work.

This is where Bloglovin comes in. It gives bloggers their page views, you can comment directly on posts & it's the prettier one of the lot. It gives you little snapshots of posts from the main page and you can scroll through at your leisure.  And as I mentioned before, the best part of Bloglovin’ (from a blogger’s perspective) is that is still gives page view, so you can keep track of your readers' interests.

Create a profile, copy the address of the blog into the search box, and click follow. You'll then get notified via email whenever there is a new post - all under one email. Easy peasy. And even better: here you can get a list of all the SleekGirl (& some extras) blogs.
 
Now for the dark underbelly of blogging. There are a view things that make blogging a bitch, these are mine.

1. What is appropriate to share with everyone? I often don't know what is too personal.  Once something is on the Internet it's there forever. I'm quite happy for my close friends to know that I walk around without pants over the weekend, but do I want all my Facebook acquaintances to know this?  Or even prospective bosses?  On the other hand, once I get that squat-worthy ass it might actually help with the interview...

2. What I find interesting, inspiring or funny might be boring as hell or insensitive to someone else.

I'm sorry...but I did the coffee snort through nose thing when I saw this. I'm a bad person.

3. It takes time. Is that time better spent on Boyfriend (no, not on him...perhaps with), on my work, on our house, on filing the heap of paperwork behind the door? 

4.  Nothing inspired me today, so I'm writing about what I did at work (read blog posts, find things to do in Pamplona), what I cooked for dinner, or what color my favorite socks are. Not every posts has to be a masterpiece, I'm still a real person.

These, by the way...

5. It's 9:30pm, I'm still stinking from my awesome Crossfit session, we've just finished dishes & packing up tomorrow's food. I want to get a round of Battlefield in. I want to go sleep at a decent hour. Somedays I'm just to tired.

6. Other people's blogs. I read other blogs & immediately think..wow, I'm not half this witty/profound/creative. Thinking like that sucks - comparing yourself to someone or something else will never end good. Use others as inspiration, I'm different from you and that's what makes both of us unique.

 

I lifted 50kg above my head tonight with ground to overheads (i.e bar on floor - get it up over your head any way possible).  And when I tried 55kg,  all of a sudden logic kicked in and said: WTF are you doing? What if this falls? What if it snaps your wrists like twigs? 

It was the same with handstands - I would stand like an idiot with my hands in the air, looking at the spot on the floor, willing myself to throw my body over, crazy right? Your mind is your worst enemy. As soon as you start doubting yourself you are going to stagnate. And as long as your coach has taught you how to fail, you will not fall on your face or snap your wrist. Just harden the f*ck up & try it. Next time 55kg's, next time.

It's going good food wise, I hope this trend continues at least until Christmas day. I forgot to take photos of supper again, so here are some random Google stock images of the food I ate.

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Have an amazing weekend. And if you are finishing work today, I might be disliking (hate is a strong word) you a little bit at this moment...

Writing in the Margins (Part 2)

~ still John Gorka ~ 

Continuing with yesterday's topic: Blogging. Blogging takes time, commitment, & discipline. I have to keep my ears open for topics, remind myself 3 bites into a meal that I have to take a photo of this, set aside time to look for very humorous pics relating to said topic (face it, we all know you are only here for the pictures) & then put it all together at the end of the day.  

Why do I blog? Simply because I enjoy it - it keeps me on track in my life journey.  It's my time, energy & view on all sorts of different thing, that I put on paper & then offer to the world to read.  It serves as my personal journal & a digital record of my life.  

One of the reasons I started this blog is so that I could go off on random curse-filled rants about things that are only important to me.  But somedays it's difficult - I feel that I should do more than just rant about a mad Christmas shoppers, I'm supposed to say Important Things & talk about Important Issues. But seriously, life isn't all doom & gloom & drama everyday. Somedays are just boring. I wake up, I work, I sleep. Guess what, you're still gonna hear about it.

A weird thing that happens when you blog is that you'll try to live a more intentional life.  Once you start writing about yourself & your journey & thoughts, you start thinking about who you are as a person & whether you like that person. Also, blogging will help you meet new people - whether through comments, Facebook or their own blogs.  So far the blogging community has been friendly, encouraging & genuinely cheering for me to succeed. I honestly love every comment, personal message or "like" that I receive - I find encouragement in that feedback.

And you realize quickly that even if just one person can relate to your journey you have something to offer. I'm in no way suggesting that my writing is exceptionally good to begin with and that it’s worth your time & effort to read, it's just nice to know that I might help someone with a question they've been struggling with or give inspiration where needed.

Tonight it was handstands, tuck-sits & snatches. Although my handstand time didn't increase, I now at least have the courage to kick up into a handstand position without the security of the wall behind my - i.e. I've got comfortable with falling. Tuck-sit I almost doubled (27 secs to 42 secs) and power snatches I increased from 17kg to 28kg. This is one movement with wich I struggle incredibly; a normal back/front squat is no problem, but as soon as you have to lock out that weight above you AND squat it becomes a problem.

Day 2 on the wagon - all is well.

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Go kick today's butt!

Writing in the Margins (Part 1)

~ John Gorka ~

It seems that blogging is becoming more & more popular everyday. There are various reasons you can start a blog: simply for fun, love of an actor or a hobby, a passion for ugly Renaissance babies...  Whatever the reason, one of the key factors to be successful is having a passion for your topic. 

When I started blogging I started to connect with like-minded people. I've received so many links to other wonderful blogs simply because I started blogging. It also lets you know that you are not the only one going through a particular struggle. But mostly I use it for myself, to keep myself accountable, to give myself an outlet, and to find weird shit on the Internet. Seriously, weird, weird shit.

Blogging teaches you to write, and you need to write well not to sound like an uneducated pleb, cause who will take you seriously if if you do?  I think daily writing can only make you a better communicator, as you are constantly putting your private thoughts to "paper".  And if you have confidence in your communication skills it can only filter through to other aspects of your life.  I've found that it makes it a bit easier to socialize with people & to express my thoughts.

It also makes you do research on your topic. You know last week when I gave you some info on the Crossfit moves we were doing?  I didn't know half of that before writing the evening's post. Google becomes your research friend. Fellow bloggers become your inspiration. Mrs Prava becomes your cookbook.  Butternut & Bacon? Yes, please!

I've also found that I start to jot down notes during the day, or just bullets of topics I want to focus on. Normally I'm all over the show - jumping from one idea to the other like there's no tomorrow [Ask me about my attention deficit disorder or pie or my cat. A dog. I have a bike. Do you like tv? I saw a rock. Hi.] - so this aspect has really helped me to keep on topic. Most of the times. Sometimes.

Tonight & tomorrow I'll be continuing this post:  what I've found awesome about blogging, reasons blogging sucks some nights & how to keep track of all the spectacular ones out there.

Last night was Event 3's re-testing for the in-box challenge.  I managed to increase my ring dip pushups from 39 to 52. My boobs (pecs) are so stiff today; it hurts putting on a bra. The next challenge was a power snatch burpee combo - 10 snatches & then 10 burpees.  You have 7 minutes to complete as many rounds as you can - 6 extra reps this time round!

The power snatch works your upper back & it is especially good for your shoulders as it aggressively works the muscles that rotate the shoulders, and because you use a wider grip it also works the hamstrings, glutes & lower back muscles. It's also a much faster lift than the clean so it's good for improving your jumping ability.  Most importantly, it’s just really fun to say the word snatch in public & make crude jokes.

Officially back on the wagon yesterday after the horror of "The Weekend" - felt real good. We made the most amazing Quinoa salad that consisted of quinoa, bacon(!), yellow pepper, almonds & macadamia nuts, broccoli, cherry tomatoes & Greek yoghurt (the double fat kind).  After the previous very bland attempt this was a 100% improvement & will definitely be made again. 

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Night all!