ok Canada, I guess you can have her back

The house is a little emptier now; Jen has arrived safe and sound back in Canada. Ryan caught Lily sleeping on Jen’s bed yesterday evening...she misses her too. Jen was my little piece of home for three and a half weeks and I loved every minute of it, and not just because we ate a butt load of ice cream (at least it wasn’t beaver tails and ice cream this time).

My eating habits were definitely slack over the past three weeks so it’s time to pull up my socks again. I’m almost 12 weeks out from the competition and honestly the competition has been the last thing on my mind. Crossfit has taken over that space in my head (hey I didn’t say empty space). I’m currently signed up for three sessions per week but I’m going to change my membership so I can train five days per week starting next week. The strength I now have from just doing three days is something I never thought I’d achieve and I’m excited to see what five days will do. I also signed up for the Crossfit Open which begins on March 5th and goes for 5 weeks. I know I’m not going to be able to Rx every workout but I’m going to give it my best and I’ll for sure learn a thing or two. A whole group of us newbs at my box have signed up so the support is going to be phenomenal.

Snatch and double unders tonight. Bring on the giggles as CMCraig critiques our snatches.

she's famous...island famous

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my grandma doing yoga at 94. My mom got a call from CBC in Charlottetown saying that they wanted to interview my grandma and record her doing a class at Health Within. Instead of telling you how it went, check her out! Fast forward to about 20:50 der eh!

Harvey Spectacular

I know...I’ve been slack. Coach Master Craig has been on my case to post something. I don’t really have an excuse other than I got pretty busy at work in the last week and haven’t had time to write anything during the day. Jen also brought me a nice souvenir from Canada....a cold. I don’t even remember the last time I had a cold...I’d say about a year and a half to two years. So after work I’ve just been relaxing with my feet up and catching a few hours of the oh-so-handsome Harvey Spector (if you don’t watch Suits you need to NOW!) before crawling into the bedroom for a 7 hour cough-induced coma.

Ok let me go back for a minute. I don’t follow too many TV series’ (aside from HIMYM, The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones), but about a week and a half ago we started watching Suits and...oh...my...gah! I was hooked from episode one and not just because of his amazing haircut and rugged handsomeness (it’s a big part though, he’s dreamy). I challenge you...watch one episode...you’ll be hooked! I’m pretty sure Jen is going to go back to Canada and sign up for cable TV just to get her Harvey fix.

A couple new PR’s for me this week! 92.5kg deadlift for 3 reps and 37.5kg 1RM snatch! I also managed to get my first unassisted pull-up so I’m pretty happy about that. I still get impatient with myself and I feel I have to really be aware of the fact that these things take time and I will get there eventually. Baby steps are still a step in the right direction. Tonight we’re doing 75 handstand push-ups for time. Here’s to another baby step.

a little love <3

Happy Love Day!!

It’s been a week since I posted last. Jen and I have been having a great time despite me having to work. It’s so great to have her around; she’s my sista from another mista for sure. I took her to a koala sanctuary on the weekend and saw lots of cool critters, she cuddled a koala and patted some roos. I have tomorrow off from work so we’re gonna exercise our shopping muscles. Still counts as exercise in my books. On the weekend we plan to head to Noosa and laze on the beach, explore the shops and maybe rent a stand up paddle board, of which I’m sure my weak-ass core will thank me.

I’ve still been making a few Crossfit visits during the week. Made two reps of 50kg power clean the other night! However my quads are still complaining from 150 wall balls that is Karen. My eating has been a little slack since Jen arrived but I’m not too worried about it, it’s only a couple of extra cheats and I’m still doing my meal prep and making good choices (most of the time). There’s a little thing called ‘trip to Fiji in a month’ that I need to remember.

Tonight Jen is cooking Ryan and I a lovely supper and instead of Valentines gifts, Ryan and I have decided to make a cake together. I’m not a big celebrator of Valentines anyway and just wanted something fun and out of the ordinary to do together. Ryan shows me how much he loves me every day J ....ok how many of you are choking on your supper right now :P I know laaaaaaaaame haha

Don’t forget to show yourself some love!

it's never too late

Last night I was chatting with my mom on Skype and she told me my grandma just started Yoga....she's 94. What's your excuse again? My mom is a Yoga Instructor (and Certified Shiatsu Therapist, Reiki Master etc) at Health Within Holistic Centre in Charlottetown. She has been teaching my grandma Yoga in a chair and it has really helped her walking and her balance. I'm proud of my grandma.

Now get your butt down to Health Within and get an awesome Shiatsu treatment or check out the store!

after these messages, we'll be riiiiiiiight back!

My bestie Jen arrives in Australia tomorrow. As I write this, she’s probably on her way to earning the gold medal of Olympic sleeping on the flight from YYZ to SYD. I think she would also claim silver and bronze. As long as she doesn’t have some anxious little kid behind her, mashing their feet into her back or someone rather large beside her, spilling over the arm rest and concealing her in-seat entertainment buttons in flab, I think she’ll do just fine. I can’t wait to see her. It’s been almost a year since we last caused trouble together....Vegas of course.

Jen is here for 20 days and I’m going to take a semi-break from training (and probably blogging). I’m not going to stop all together, just cut back a little so we can catch up and take our little bums exploring (and by little I speak for Jen only). Jen always says, with her top and my bottom, we’d make the perfect woman :P

I’ve been in Australia for almost 8 months and honestly we’ve been in contact almost every one of those days, even if it’s just texting a dirty pic of some bum cleavage. Now for 20 days I can just moon her in person!

stand by

As you'll notice the blog looks a little different. Please bare with me as I make some changes and find something I'm happy with...which will probably be never :P

undress for progress

I shared one of these pics with my Crossfit fam last week and thought I may as well throw it up on le blog as well along with a second pic. The top pictures are from 6 weeks ago and this is from doing Crossfit only. When I check myself out (c’mon who doesn’t do ‘most muscular’ in the mirror), the change is harder to notice day by day. Having a progress pic like this is such a great form of motivation. I feel stronger, but I don’t necessarily see a change until I look at the side by side comparison. I encourage everyone to do it. I know it feels weird flexing and trying to snap half naked pics of yourself in the bathroom whilst doing your best to keep your phone out of the sink and not letting any underboob hang out. I assure you it’ll be worth it. And if your bf/gf/husband/wife/dog is watching, they’ll get some quality entertainment in the process.

It has evolved into regular pose downs between Ryan and I during teeth-brushing time.

the downside of working out

I wrote this two days ago but for some reason didn't post so here we go:

You’re probably thinking ‘don’t be silly there is no downside’; well I suppose these are more like the first-world problems of working out:

1. Trying to go to the bathroom after what now feels like 1400 squats and ending up looking like a 95 year old in a nursing home trying to make it there yourself because your nurse is busy. At least wiping is still under your own pain-free power.

2. Trying to take off your sweat-soaked sports bra after doing so many pull ups you lost count rendering your arms useless. You start to wonder if it shrunk 3 sizes after working out because it feels like you’re trying to remove your skin but you’re really hoping that your muscles are just that much bigger.

3. Walking down a staircase after any lower body workout. It now seems as though your knees no longer bend and that you have a uni-bumcheek because your glutes are so tight. You may as well be in a pair of ski boots.

4. Washing/conditioning/blow drying your hair after a killer shoulder workout. You convince yourself that tomorrow is a hair-in-a-bun day and dry your hair just enough so that you don’t soak your pillow and freeze overnight.

Feel free to share your own first-world working out problems!