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Hi there! I'm Paula and I live in Orlando. I like to run and watch too much TV. I'm a lover of cupcakes and hater of chia seeds, even though I've never tried them. I eat peanut butter out of the jar and think Aaron Paul is my boyfriend.
Category Archives: Crossfit
Hurts to Laugh Abs
This week went considerably slower than last. I’m still spending mass quantities of time in the gym, but mostly because I don’t want to sit in my hotel room and stare at a wall. Therefore I’ve been doing lots of miles on the treadmill. Most of those miles are walking but I’m still working on that one speedy mile.
- Friday’s mile: No speedy mile. Went to bed early.
- Saturday’s mile: Race day and we know none of those were speedy.
- Sunday’s mile: 8:34 pace.
- Monday’s mile: Tried an 8:27 and lasted one whole minute.
- Tuesday’s mile: 8:27 pace.
Those miles are getting considerably harder to maintain. I’m still aiming for something in the 7’s by next week.
My trainer also sent me a workout to do in my hotel room that I thought I’d share. Let’s just say I haven’t done a plank in probably two years or a pill bug ever, so I was feeling this.
How to do:
A few of those videos have beginner and advanced moves, so if you’re just starting out, don’t be skerred.
Get ready for those abs to hurt. Probably a good idea to give all your unfunny, depressing friends a call after this one. You’ll want to hang out with them.
Moves Like Jager
It took a little over a week of being back on track but I’m happy to report I’m out of my workout and eating funk. Finally! I know it only lasted three weeks, but that’s a long time when it comes to your waistline. I’m still not back to where I was pre-gluttony and I still may be thinking back lovingly to that day a week ago when I ate nine marshmallows dipped in Jif chocolate peanut butter, but things take time. (I don’t recommend that by the way. I mean, I do. But, I don’t.)
Anyway, my biggest fan recommended I post some pictures of myself doing Crossfit. Since I’m such a people pleaser (not really), I’m going to do just that.
On Saturday, we did a modified version of the Dirty Thirty.
There are usually squats and lunges in there, but our trainer was being nice since he mutilated our legs during our workout two days earlier.
Also, if you like the workouts I post, you can follow my Workouts pin board on Pinterest. I’m not on Pinterest much, but I try to post them all there when I think about it. I also keep them in an album on my blog Facebook page. A lot of the workouts are no equipment needed, so if you’re looking for something new, check them out.
Ok, so here is me doing Crossfit in all my glory. Also, it might be helpful for any of you who don’t know what these sweet moves look like.
No, I did not change outfits in the middle of my workout. It was a different day. Although, I do aspire to make my workouts like a Celine Dion concert of outfit changes. I’ll keep you posted on how that goes.
I am smiling because my trainer makes me laugh, not because I love jumping pull-ups.
The push press is one of my favorites. It’s awesome for the shoulders and makes it hurt to wash your hair for two days. Oh, and if this girl says anything about me not having extra weight on that 45lb bar, I will shank her. I did 30 of them for time, I don’t need to be getting crazypants.
So, there you have it. Just a little peek at what I do during Crossfit every week. 
Posted in Crossfit
Tagged Crossfit, Jumping pull-up, Kettle Bell Swing, Push Press, Wall Ball
20 Comments
New Beginning
So, I went out Friday night. Hubs had plans to take his team out from work as a thank you for finishing their first game. I wasn’t going to go but hubs convinced me at the last minute with promises of lots of food and all-night access to his bad self, so how can I say no to that? So yeah, not planned but it happened.
Things that also happened. Shots.
And then nachos.
And then peanut butter ice cream pie.
It was all sorts of awesome. I think I just really needed to have fun and eat something that I really wanted for once instead of ordering the healthy thing. So, I broke my no drinking rule and then I ate all the things.
Oddly, I do not regret it at all. Not even when someone called me out for shoving all the nachos in my face. It was delicious and that person can suck it.
Saturday morning at Crossfit, in what was possibly the worst timing ever, I had my body fat calculated. Getting on a scale after Gluttonfest 2013 was slightly humbling. In case you’re wondering, I have 22% body fat and I’m pretty sure 15% of that was nachos. My body fat is considered “average” but even so, I was a little disappointed only because I’ve been lower before. I just really wanted some type of starting measurement since it’s been awhile since it’s been checked. I’ll have it checked again in a month and in the meantime I’m going to try to get those numbers down.
My trainer also gave me a little nutrition pep talk and it made me feel a lot better. It was nothing I didn’t already know, but sometimes it just helps to hear it from someone different. Saturday was also the first day in a week where I didn’t think, “I feel like total shit today.” So finally, my poopy pants are off and my big girl pants on. I’ve been eating extremely well the past two days and even had an almost too awesome nine mile run yesterday.
This was our workout at Crossfit by the way.
Here’s a video on how to do a ball exchange.
Our trainer has this new thing where he likes to make each card worth 10 reps instead of what is actually on the card. So basically, we do more reps and the card just chooses which exercise we do next.
For my cardio, I picked the stair stepper while hubs ran a quarter mile. You can pick whatever you want – jump rope, jumping jacks, the river dance. Whatever gets your heart rate up. Today it hurts to laugh and sneeze, so try it out. It’s a good one.
Working Up a Sweat
I haven’t talked about Crossfit in awhile but that’s still happening 3x a week. I still love it. A lot. I keep forgetting to post my workouts on the blog (but they’re still on Daily Mile), so I decided to make up for that today with two workouts I’ve done recently.
First up is a 10 rep workout.
Here’s a YouTube video on how to do mountain climbers.
I love workouts with a lot of sets of low reps. It makes me feel like I’m doing less work even though I’m not. If 10 sets is too much for you, do five sets. Originally, my trainer had me doing five sets until he saw that it was too easy for me. I love that he calls me out and knows when I can do more because you know there’s no way in hell I’m going to tell him something is too easy.
Hubs and I did this workout on Friday.
Here’s a YouTube video on how to do body rows.
You can substitute pull-ups for body rows if you want some extra torture. Also, make sure that quarter mile run is fast. Both of these workouts are for time, so don’t go resting between sets now.
By the Numbers
1. After New Orleans but before the great plague hit, I did this little workout.
Hubs and I asked our trainer for “medium” workout and this is what we got. Let’s just say after four days of gluttony, those box jumps killed. I probably could have done two sets had I felt less…New Orleansy. Still, it’s a good workout and you can always use a stepper or stairs if you don’t have a box for the jumps. (Just be careful.)
2. I’m running the Orlando Half Marathon this Saturday. Hey, maybe I’ll actually run the race this time. I figure three weeks of booze, no training, and the flu should put me right on track for a PR.
I’m not 100% better (still congested), so instead of a time goal, my new goal is for Michelle and I to recreate this picture from this same race two years ago.
Got that, Michelle?
3. I just found out I have a two week work trip to Sierra Vista, AZ starting this Sunday. Nothing like less than two weeks notice for a long ass trip. I checked the weather. It’s 35 degrees out there at night. Since I only have one long sleeved shirt, I’m going to have to pull a Chandler to keep warm.
I messaged back and forth with Tara yesterday. She assured me Sierra Vista is a crap hole (might not be her real words) and that she pities the fool who goes there (also might not be her real words). So I guess I’ll just have to bring the fun with me. At least I hear there’s a good, sketchy biker bar near the hotel.
4. I’m not one to tell people what to do. But, I’m going to tell you what to do. Eat this.
I don’t even like Boston Cream Pie but this stuff is good. I’m having a problem keeping it in the house because someone else’s greedy little mitts is getting a hold of it.
5. I found out what my babies would look like should I have them.
I was always worried that my kids would be ugly, but now that I know for sure, I’m gonna have ten of those beautiful creatures.
No Equipment Leg and Ab Workout
I haven’t talked about Crossfit in awhile, but I’m still going three times a week, and it still kicks my butt every time. Most of my workouts have been the same or similar to what I’ve posted in the past, so I guess I thought it would be silly to post them again. However, I finally have something new to share – a no equipment leg and ab workout that I did recently.
To make this workout more challenging, do it for time. I found it fairly easy until the second half of the third set. That’s when I started to really feel the burn in my legs. The workout is sneaky like that. So don’t give up if you’re half way through and feel like you’re not working hard enough.
You can check out some of my past workouts on my Crossfit page if you haven’t seen them before. I also post them on the blog Facebook page.
Now I’m off to the gym. I have a 6 mile speed run on my training schedule today.
***
For the three of you that like the AHS recaps, it’s half way done and should be up tomorrow sometime. 
Rock Your BodyBugg
A little over a month ago, I bought a BodyBugg.
BodyBugg is a device attached to an armband that tracks the number of calories your body burns at any given time. The armband is worn on the back of your tricep. (Which means, contrary to popular belief, that is not a picture of my back.)
Before I say any more, it should be noted that I paid for the BodyBugg myself and am not getting any compensation for this post. I am not a cool enough blogger to get a BodyBugg for free. Or a Garmin Forerunner 10. What? Anyway, I’ve wanted to try one out for a long time but they were a little too expensive. So, when Michelle found one on sale online for $89.00, I grabbed it.
I wore the band for the first 24 hours just to track my resting/sleeping calorie burn, which averages between one and two calories a minute. As you can imagine, it made me love Breaking Bad even more when I realized that I burned about 90 calories while sitting on the couch watching it. Can Breaking Bad do any wrong? I’m thinking no.
There’s no way to read your calorie burn on the device itself, so you have to pop the Bodybugg out of the armband and hook it up to your computer by the USB cable that comes with it.
To get your calorie burn, you have to log into their Web site. When you log in for the first time, you have to register your device (which was a pain for me but their 24-hour service center was super helpful) and then enter your weight, age, sex, etc so it can accurately track your information.
The information from the Bodybugg syncs with the Web site and you can see your calories burned, and calories consumed if you log your daily food into their site (which I don’t because I use My FitnessPal instead). The site basically allows you to keep track of your entire exercise and nutrition plan, but I just use it to view specific calorie burn.
I wear the BodyBugg mainly for workouts. My main goal is to figure out which of my activities burn the most calories and I wanted to use something with more accuracy because cardio machines are notoriously off by about 20%. While a lot of the activities that I do averaged close to the amount of calories I predicted, there were a few surprises.
Remember that time I did Yoga? That hour and 15 minute session burned 174 calories, or what I like to call, “two Breaking Bad episodes.” The other day I wore my BodyBugg to Crossfit. We did the Filthy 50 workout and it took me 58 minutes to finish. My perceived exertion during that workout is extremely high. In other words, I feel like I’m going to die at any moment.
This is the workout, if you’re not familiar.
That workout burned 415 calories – about 150 short of my estimate.
I’ve worn the BodyBugg for several of those two-mile HIIT workouts I’ve been doing lately as well. Those runs burn about 325 calories in 20 minutes – about 75 calories more than I estimated. Pretty good for only 20 minutes of exercise.
So basically, I’ve been keeping a more accurate track of what I burn and have lost 5 lbs in the past three weeks. I’m not saying the Bodybugg is solely responsible for my weight loss because I’ve also been eating fairly well and doing two extra workouts a week (those HIIT 20-minute workouts), but I think it’s helped.
Overall, it’s made me more aware so that it’s easier to plan what I’m eating that day based on what workout I’ll be doing.
Running Drama
I had a really good run on Tuesday. According to my training schedule, I was supposed to do a 2 mile easy run but I felt so good that I decided to do the next day’s tempo run instead. I ran 5 miles and I could have run more but I had to get home and get some work done. This is what I did:
- 1 @ 10:00
- 3 @ 9:06
- 1 @ 9:40
I haven’t been able to run five consecutive miles, much less maintain a 9:06 pace for 3 miles in a long time. I didn’t stop to walk and I didn’t stop for “other things.” It was amazing. While I was on the treadmill, I really wished I had worn my special occasion rip-away clothes, because I was all like…
Wednesday, I went to the gym to do the easy run I skipped the day before. The schedule was 2 miles at a 10:43 pace which, on the crappiest of days, is a little on the slow side for me unless I’m running long. Knowing I was only supposed to do two slower miles must have helped me mentally because once I got going, I felt so good that I ended up running 3 miles and increased my speed for every mile (9:40 average). Then I was all like…
(source)
After two awesome runs, I was super psyched for my first long run in awhile on Saturday morning. Third times a charm, right? First I had to get through Friday’s Crossfit workout. (Not the best idea before a long run, by the way.)
No equipment needed for that workout. We did the burpees for 25 feet, which I think equaled to about 10 of them (I wasn’t counting). I was, however, waddling instead of walking afterwards because my legs were so weak. When my trainer told me what I’d be doing beforehand, I thought it sounded easy. It wasn’t. Trust me. It didn’t take long to do but it was super tiring and my butt was sore the next day.
Saturday morning, I met my group for a long run. I had eight miles on the schedule but was willing to do ten if I was feeling good. I haven’t run long in at least five weeks, so hopefully that will give you some indication of how it went.
Four miles in, I wanted to turn back but the whole group was going a different direction and it was still pitch black out. I received this email from my old group a few days earlier, so I decided I’d rather run some seriously shitty miles than get molested.
WARNING! We need to be on the lookout for “the weird Brazilian kick boxer guy” (yes, that’s what we call him). He likes to touch women and will just jump in and start running with any group. Call the police immediately if you see him (you’ll know him) and remember to NEVER run alone, even in beautiful Winter Park! So, this means, if you break away from the group for some reason, be sure someone is with you!!
By the time it was light out and I felt comfortable breaking away from the group, I was eight miles into the run and four miles away from my car. So that meant I had no choice but to do them.
I ran 11 miles, walked one, and stopped my Garmin whenever I walked. I’m really surprised I had a 10:33 average pace. It was so humid, I expected it to be worse. Either way, it was a terrible run and I hope next week goes better.
And now for the drama…
I hate my new running group. So much. I mean, I like that it’s a faster group and that my friend Brad is in it but I hate everything else. One of the pace leaders doesn’t give a shit who he leaves behind. He just keeps running and doesn’t watch out for people who may be having bad days. I was left behind at a water stop Saturday morning. It was dark out and I didn’t know the route, so I was really lucky that Brad knew where he was going so we could catch up. The other pace leader never finishes with the group. He lives in the neighborhoods we run through, so he always leaves at some point and runs back home and no one knows where he is. Honestly, the only thing keeping me in the group is Brad. I love running with him because we are basically pace twins and he keeps me motivated. (Our half marathon PRs are exactly the same – down to the second. And we ran them in different races.)
So, I’m not sure what to do. Go back to my old, slower, Brad-less group that I love and possibly not improve my speed? Or stop being a complaining jerkface and just run in the new, faster group with Brad and try to ignore the fact that the pace leaders suck and start bringing GPS for when (not if) I get lost?
Temporary Texas Runner Girl
Let’s talk about the weather in Texas. I’ve had a few days to size up Killeen and I’ve noticed that the weather only sucks from about 11am – 5pm. You’d think I’ve never been in extreme heat before because every time I step outside during those hours, I say something really obvious and d-baggy.
(source)
I can’t help it. The words just come out and I can’t stop them. The rest of the time, the weather is actually bearable. There’s a pretty good breeze everyday, which would actually be helpful if the breeze didn’t feel like a hair dryer in your face. But it’s better than no breeze. And yesterday it rained and probably cooled off by 20 degrees for 2 glorious hours.
Since I made this great weather discovery, I decided to go running outside on Tuesday which means this girl is going to have to share her title for a few weeks. I started around 8pm (outside the core hours of suck) and the sun was mostly down. I wanted to find a neighborhood to run in but the front desk girl literally said, “I wouldn’t do that.” And then I was all…
(source)
So, I was limited to the extremely picturesque .42 mile circle around my hotel, the Holiday Inn next door, and the sewer ditch they share. I made it 2 miles. TWO miles. Then I thought I was going to die and decided the treadmill at the hotel gym wasn’t so bad after all. So I went inside and finished 2 more miles in my security blanket, also know as the air conditioning.
Yesterday, I stayed in my hotel room and did the “Federal Prison Workout” which basically consists of a ton of walk-outs and makes your whole body hurt. Then I was looking through some of the old workouts I’ve posted and decided to pick one for tomorrow’s Hotel Room Workout. I’ll be doing this one after running a couple miles.
I don’t have a jump rope with me, so I’ll just fake it or do jumping jacks instead.
In super exciting news, I am totally honored to be chosen as one of Women’s Running Magazine’s Bloggers on the Run. *claps for myself in excitement!*
The only thing I can think of that’s better than being a Blogger on the Run is being Oreo’s Consumer of the Year. (Still waiting for them to contact me.) So, go here to check out my article.
Women’s Running Magazine also wants to give one of my readers a chance to win a free year’s subscription. All you have to do is leave a comment on that article and you are automatically entered to win. So go over to their blog and do that. What do you have to lose?
Posted in Crossfit
Tagged Blogger on the Run, Hotel Room Workout, Running, Women's Running Magazine
23 Comments
Hotel Room Workout
Now that I’m out of my comfort zone eating and exercise-wise, it’s time for me to get a little creative. I can easily become the next victim of the Fried Chicken Capitol of the World. If that’s not Killeen’s official title, it should be. I’ve already had the best chicken wings I’ve ever eaten here (spicy ranch flavor, omg) so I have to be careful. I know Texas can easily lure me in with its sexy meaty ways.
As for the exercise part, this is the hotel gym I have to work with.
(source)
Two treadmills, one elliptical, one bike, and some free weights. Definitely better than nothing, but I’d rather make out with Steve Buscemi than get on an elliptical. I also tried out the treadmill yesterday and it doesn’t feel right. It’s a Precor and looks nice, but I think it’s either old or not maintained well. I did three miles in 35 minutes. I ran 1.8 miles and then gave up and walked the rest because I hated it. I would love to find a running trail but the best I can come up with right now is doing laps around the hotel. It would be super boring but at least I won’t get lost and die of heatstroke in some open field.
I was also really bummed at the thought of taking a two week break from Crossfit. Luckily my trainer offered to text me a few workouts that I can do in the hotel room without equipment. I did this one after the run.
I did exactly 15 rounds by the time the timer went off and even though it was only 20 minutes, I looked like I had worked out for an hour.
On the eating front, the hotel offers breakfast every morning and a happy hour dinner on the weekdays. They actually have a few healthy options and it’s complimentary, so you can’t beat that. I even brought some food with me and made a trip to the grocery store so I have healthy snacks and smaller meals on hand. It’s not a lot but it will stop me from having a threesome with Ben and Jerry.
Yeah, I brought a Magic Bullet with me. I realize how lame that is. Once I got to the hotel, I remembered that I forgot to pack the cup that goes with it. No cup = no smoothies. I was so annoyed. Annoyed enough to order the cup online and have it express shipped to the hotel. I’ve been spending a lot of quality time with smoothies lately and I’m not ready for us to go on a break yet. They complete me.
It’s only been one day, but so far so good. Only another two weeks of avoiding delicious spicy ranch wings and hotel waffles to go.
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