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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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!

Work (Part 1)

~ Jimmy Eat World ~ 

(This post became a bit to long, so it'll be split over two days)

Confucius said, "Find a job you enjoy, and you'll never work a day in your life." He might have said this - I didn't fact check. Anyway, I don't think that's entirely true - even dream jobs can have bad days, but it probably sucks a lot less then a bad day at a crap job.

As children we are told life is an immense journey and that anything you put your mind to is possible. Our minds were filled with dreams & how we were going to take over the world - I was going to be the best vet/hairdresser (human or pet) ever. We wanted to be ninjas or rock stars, write novels or make films. We wanted to go to Mars & find the face...well, I did at least. 

Then life hits you in the face (like a wall ball).  What happened to that dream of becoming a world renowned poodle hairdresser I was so passionate about?  The obvious answer is that we grew up & the dreams were slowly overshadowed with life, bills and reality. So we sacrifice our dreams for some vague idea of “success” or “security.” Get a decent job, with a decent salary, some benefits, and a cool title. Being a ninja became impractical.

Some of us know immediately what we want to do when we grow up. Some (like me) are still trying to figure it out.  Others (also like me) have tried a career or two, and then went on to do something completely different. I don’t believe I’m the only one confused about their place in this world. 

I always told myself that I would hate sitting in an office. And that is exactly what I've been doing for the last 10 years. I want to travel & dig shit up. No, not actual shit, stuff...things (more on this later) and that is just not possible if I want a decent roof over my head, a medical aid, a box membership, and perhaps some money when I retire one day. Oh, and food. Am I doing the responsible thing, heck yeah...but some day's it sucks balls being responsible.
 

Now my dream job would be - and don't you dare scoff - an archeologist, specifically, an Egyptologist. This won out over an ufologist & a cryptozoologist - yeah, for a while there I couldn't decide between finding the next big Pharaoh, deciphering Rosswell's secrets or proving that Nessie really exists. More on this tomorrow.

Tonight we worked on front squats, push jerks, chest to bar pull-up's & burpees. With front squats the quads are working a whole lot more, since you are sitting down, not sitting back.  It's also helps you develop a strong core as it requires your back to be as vertical as possible so that you don't land on your face.

The push press is quite a bad ass move.  You can handle 10-20% more weight with the push press than with the regular overhead press because you’re basically using your whole body to get it up there. The main muscles worked are your shoulders & triceps, but you also work your quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings. Your abs & lower back muscles also have to work to keep you stable.

Pull-ups are one of the most basic exercises, but definitely not one of the easiest. Hanging on a bar and lifting your entire body weight is a challange to many & a pipe-dream for some. They are a fantastic way to build upper body strength fast:  it increases arm, back, & abdominal strength as well as hand and finger strength.

All you need to know about burpees is that they suck. 

And there's nothing like a "almost puked" workout to kick your appitite into overdrive - I was so hungry when I got home.  I had a double dose of whey & berries & supper. Happy now :)

Remnants of the flu still pop up every now & again - Vit C all the way...

Remember to follow K&C on Google+ | Facebook | Pinterest | Bloglovin. Night all!

Not an Addict

~ K's Choice ~

I am physically twitching....these exercise withdrawals are baaad.  I haven't done any exercise since Saturday & it's taking it's toll mentally. Which is a worrying thing, I'm so desperate to get back to exercising but I can hardly make it up the stairs at work without breathing hard. So I'm trying really hard not to cave & give in to quickly - I promised myself I will see if I'm ready on Saturday (not a day earlier!) & then take it easy (pfft...).  This means Boyfriend is going to Crossfit alone this week; which is a total & utter bummer.

Exercising or playing sport makes me happy, and I feel like I've accomplished something when I'm done. I know if I'm in a bad mood the endorphins will kick in & make me (slightly) less grumpy. If I have bad cramps during a period I go to the Box anyway, because afterwards it definitely feels better. But at what point does exercise become an obsession?  Exercise addiction may not necessarily sound like a bad thing - after all, it is essential to our well-being, however it can have harmful consequences.

Firstly, exercise addiction is maladjusted:  instead of improving your life, it causes more problems. It can threaten your health, causing injuries & physical damage (because you are not getting enough rest) and malnutrition (when coinciding with an eating disorder). Secondly, it is unrelenting: you exercise too much & for too long without giving you body time to recover. We all overexert ourselves, but usually with a rest day every now & then. Exercise addicts will exercise for hours every day, regardless of being tired or ill.

What's scary is that there are several similarities between exercise addiction & drug addiction, including effects on mood, tolerance and withdrawal. Neurotransmitters and the brain's reward system have been implicated in addictions - dopamine has been found to play an important role in overall reward systems, and regular, excessive exercise has been shown to influence parts of the brain involving dopamine. Like other addictive substances and behaviors, exercise is associated with pleasure, and social/cultural desirability.

The Sport Psychology Journal had a trial where the types of sensations experienced by runners who missed a run was studied. Most of the 345 runners reported some kind of distress:  irritability, restlessness, frustration, guilt, and depression were reported most often. Sleeping problems, digestive difficulties, and muscle tension and soreness were reported less frequently. Three causes of exercise withdrawal were proposed: (1) a misinterpretation of the return of dysphoria that had been temporarily masked by the effects of running; (2) an inability to cope with stress in periods when the coping mechanism of running is temporarily unavailable; and (3) the loss of regular, predictable reinforcement of feelings of self-fulfillment gained through success or achievement in previously unimagined and unattainable ways.

There are several warning signs that can confirm if you are in the danger zone ("Daaaanger Zooonnneee" - anyone who has ever watched Archer will appreciate that) - this handy article lists them.  I don't think I'm quite there yet, but I can see how stressing about every little thing you eat can let you slip into this kind of thinking quite easily.  If your need for exercise is greater than your ability to manage your relationships & feelings, you may need help.

So tonight while Boyfriend is practicing his overhead snatch & snatch balance (grumble) I'll shoot at things on Battlefield...at least I can exercise my aiming finger....

Even with a coffee shop lunch date I was able to keep within my macro's today - even had two glasses of water that only mildly tasted like mucus...this nasal drip really needs to pack it's bags now.

Ladies who follow Sleek Girl blogs (or any blog for that matter) - do yourself a favour & join Bloglovin. Create a profile, copy the url of the blog into the search box, and follow. You'll then get notified via email whenever there is a new post - all under one email. Easy peasy.