Crash n Burn

~ Outlandish ~

The events that transcribed over the last 2 days can not even be described as "falling off the wagon". It was spectacular the amount of food & drinks I had weekend. And I wasn't even sad or upset about something. There might have been a bit of boredom eating yesterday, but I was taking a humongous rest day anyway, so it fitted with the theme.

On Friday night we had our Crossfit end year function which was healthy for the most part. Until the champagne, strawberries/marshmallows & melted chocolate came out - then all 30 athletes collectively decided that it will now be declared a "cheat day".  

Saturday was the fabulous baby shower for Mrs T, classy & fun & so many nice eats. Hmm, perhaps I should look into event planning as a career... I loved being there because it was for a friend & I had so much fun arranging & helping out, but I really don't get showers. Why do women's uteruses go all rubbery when they see baby clothes? Another thing you need to know about me: I'm about 94% sure I don't want kids.

Sunday I vegged in front of the computer arranging series & re watching all my old favorites (Sherlock, anyone?). I don't think I even got out of my pajamas. Not even when we went to the Spur at 21:00 for milkshakes.

Aaand today was our work end year function. I think I drank enough to make Ms Nicola proud (it started very early). Even ended up having some on the rocks with the older gentleman at our office (as in my grandfather's age - there's absolutely no eye candy where I work) while they regaled me of their tales of knighthood & chivalry. Luckily there were no photocopy machines in the area and no one got lost with a colleague in a dark corner.

So tomorrow we start again. Hopefully that was the last of the functions till the craziness of Christmas day. Seriously, I don't get why people go out of their way to cook 5 course meals - surely that is not what the day is about?

At Crossfit we have started our re-testing for our in-box challenge. About a month or so ago we completed 7 events and now we have to redo them to see if we have improved. I am happy to say that I've increased my front squat by 10kg - I'm now on 87kg's (tried 90 - just couldn't get it up). And in the front squat (on a lower weight) / barbell facing burpee challenge I bettered my score by 8 reps. I'm really happy to see growth in such a short time.

The beautiful Christmas Abbot doing front squats.

Yeah, I didn't even bother with photos today. It was bad. Bad. I'm just happy that I managed to go to class (only slightly buzzed) even after the horrendous day of food & drinking - hopefully the exercise will make me feel marginally better when tomorrow comes... I always seem to forget how I feel the morning after.

Night all!

Work (Part 2)

~ Jimmy Eat World ~

I think my fascination with archeology was fueled by watching Indiana Jones over & over during the school holidays.  Then when I discovered computer games Lara Croft & her tomb raiding just stamped it in further.

I'm not naive - I know that archeology (especially in SA) is probably is boring as it comes....fossils, ape people, cave drawings.  This is probably the point where I should let you know that I have an majorly overactive imagination, I can daydream like there's no tomorrow and dreams are as vivid as they come. I can make up a scenario, fall asleep with it, dream about it, wake up & then continue that dream. So when I think archeology I think adventure & long lost treasure & magic.

That is why I love reading so much. I finished the Lord of the Rings saga when I was 10, I've reread my Terry Pratchetts till they are dog-eared and I've probably read thousands of books since. And when I found Andy McDermott's series that chronicles the adventures of archaeologist Nina Wilde and her husband, ex-SAS soldier Eddie Chase (with a British accent to boot and you can bet I read every line in that accent), I was in 7th heaven...archeology, dry wit, adventure - the whole deal.

I don't know who the artist is, but the fact that there is a person out there that can see book characters the way I see them makes me a very happy person...

There was a time that I wanted to be this guy as well. Travel the world & experience different cultures? Yes, please!

Ian Wright - Lonely Planet / Globe Trekker

But all these dreams doesn't help me find my dream job. Do I drop everything & go look for adventure? Or do I just suck it up, work 8 - 5, earn my paycheck & read my books? Do you at some point just accept that those dreams are only dreams? I wonder if you can read books & get paid...

Last night's work out kicked my ass. My knees are blue from the burpees, my hands are raw from the pull-ups and yeah, tomorrow morning I'm going back for more.

Looks like tomorrow there will be double-unders, so I will be able to add some whip marks to the collection. Seriously, I'm going to create an album just with photos of my sport related battle scars.

Food wise I'm doing 95% well. I've got MyFitnessPal mostly sorted out & it's becoming easier to add food to my daily diary.  I still prefer taking the photos because visually seeing what you ate (and drank) makes quite a difference.

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!

Say Goodbye

~ Norah Jones ~

Just a quick one today - still so much to do for tonight's end year party with the PeeWee's.  And besides, after last night's cleans @ Crossfit everything hurts. Everything. Hurts. And if you are keeping track - I'm now up to 4 callouses & 3 blisters :)

BF & I have been teaching the PeeWee's for close to 3 years now and it has come with it's own rewards & frustrations. Martial arts have long been know to help teach self-discipline and socialization skills. In fact, many parents whose children have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) report great success with these programs because self-control and concentration are exactly the skills underdeveloped in ADHD kids.

And if you have a group of 10 kids (including ADHD kids & just plain naughty buggers) you can almost multiply that number by 5.  There have been days that I have been thiiis close to murdering a child with my bare hands...and there are days when that same kid will bring me a flower & a drawing. I can see how teachers find this very fulfilling, but an hour, twice a week was our limit!  

I've come to know this face. I've come to fear it....

So we made a decision to finish up & hand over our classes to a new instructor - to you I say "Good luck!" and "16:00 is not to early to start drinking".  We're opening ourselfs up the possibilities of a bigger world next year, and so we bid a mostly fond farewell to Taekwon Do.

I will be having a cupcake tonight. Perhaps 2. I don't often bake (OK, ok...I did not bake them, but I at least did the frosting), so I'll be damned if I don't have one.

 

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

Let's Have Another Party

~ Winifred Atwell ~

 

So, 23 days till Christmas and still so much to do.  Just in the next week I have to organize (and go to) an end year function for a group of hyper kids & a baby shower for a group of ooohing & aahing ladies, and then attend two further Christmas functions. This week is going to be so hectic that I resorted to cutting my own hair over the basin last night.. Crossfit peeps everywhere be proud - I chose going to Crossfit over (my dignity) going to the hairdresser.

I hate the madness that goes with December. It's "sales", mad traffic, no school (so the kids & their 'rents are in the shops) and I'm just trying to buy a cucumber for my salad, standing in a queue that has 3 Sinotech flat screen TV's and a couple of bikes in it's collective trolleys.

And while you are attending all these extra festivities, you still have to find time to exercise, willpower to stay away from all the desserts & alcohol and the patients of a saint not to kick that girl that is walking in front of you at a snail's pace in the crowded mall corridor. Seriously, I have an hour lunch - can we make a deal?  You go to the stores between 8:00 and 12:00, go home, come back after 14:00. Then it doesn't take me 40 minutes to buy said f*cking cucumber.

And it's not like you can bunker down till after New Year's, so you have to find your coping mechanisms, even with Boney M blaring about Babylon in the background. This time of year people seem to forget how to drive, and everyone is in such a rush! Courtesy becomes non-existent and idiots come out in their droves. 

When things get a little overwhelming I just have to remind myself that this season will also come to pass. Eventually everything will be calm and quiet once more. People will be overfed and flat broke & then I will have the shops all to myself again.  

We did a Clean Ladder at Crossfit and I have the shoulder & collarbone bruises to prove it.  Was such a nice feeling to get a new personal best on the weight - I can now do a 55kg power clean.  The power clean is derived from Olympic lifts and is explosive by nature - in other words, it can’t be done slowly (and when your new - gracefully). The “pull” part of the power clean utilizes all the major muscles of the core, hips, quads and hamstrings.  

Power cleans are technically considered a shoulder exercise, but they do so much more. They give you well-developed muscles in the legs including the calves, glutes, and hamstrings & also targets the muscles in the lower and upper back and traps. It requires the coordination of every muscle group in the body & in time, the exercise adds muscle density and functional strength over your entire body.

I cut waaay down on the coffee today, only 2 cups. Ok, I might be having a 3rd one while I'm typing now...

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.

New Sensation

~ INXS ~

I'm not a natural cook. I'm the person that makes an eatable flop, and by the 3rd or 4th time, has that flop down to a T. I'm pretty sure I get my baking abilities from my mom. Whenever I need to defend my kitchen skills I bring up the birthday cake event of 1987:  the middle fell flat & instead of ditching the cake she filled the hole with icing & caramel. All the 7 year olds loved it; I'm sure the adults that had to deal with the plummeting sugar levels didn't. Boyfriend's mom is one of those women who can glance at a recipe, throw stuff in a mixing bowl & put forth a plate of perfection. I forsee that this might become a daughter-in-law / mom-in-law issue at some point...

But at least I'm willing to try.  And I love trying new things, which this new lifestyle has brought plenty of. I do not know how I ever lived without coconut oil. The taste is amazing & anyone who buys the unflavoured version needs their mind read. My favourite is sauteing green beans in coconut oil & salt - yumm.

Since ditching bad carbs I also had to improvise on starch substitutes. Whoever knew that cauliflower can make a crunchy pizza base, or rice for that matter.  

A lot has been said about bulletproof coffee - you either love it or hate it. Good coffee is a must. Grass-fed butter is a must. A blender or stick is a must.  If you just throw everything in a cup you are gonna have a bad time.  You need to wizz it to hell & back & then top it off with a bit of cinnamon. And it makes your lips nice soft.

Quinoa we'll get back to.  It's supposed to look like the pic on the left, mine not so much. 

Protein Mug Cakes where have you been all my life!  If you are craving something sweet at 10pm on a Friday night, and your significant other has refused to go the store despite all your charms & threats, this is the thing to make. Mix protein, coconut milk, vanilla essence & an egg in a cup & micro. I am sure I am not the only one who has a macadamia nut butter addiction - I can eat half a tub in one go - not my proudest moment. But OMG, it's like sex on a teaspoon.

There has also been the bad ones... Liquorice is my sad, happy, grumpy, cramps food - I love the taste & the smell, and thought "hey, I will then probably love this tea". No. No, no, no...

Exercise wize I'm still out for the rest of the week. At least I'm feeling better & have caught up on at least 3 show's. Now to find out who Red John really is...