new website address

i’ve had trouble with wordpress – namely, it would sometimes not connect to the blog. NOT ok when i’ve written a post, press publish, and then i lose all of the data. ugh

so, check out: mpoweredplay.net

gym // crossfit’s wod & a 2 month program

i indulged a bit too much this weekend on puppy chow and peanut butter & chocolate puffins. whoops!

other than that, i spent yesterday trying to figure out which and what type of programming i’ll follow. i think i’ll do catalyst athletic’s “strength by feel” program that incorporates a lot of olympic lifts and some finishers, and i believe would be a great complement to cf. 5 days a week of lifting – low volume and at relative max – and it’s described as “9 week strength emphasis cycle using less prescribed percentages and more weights according to feel. Well-suited for athletes without well-developed classic lifts.”

hopefully i’ll be able to stick to it and crossfit together. picked this because i do have an oly bar at home without a stand, so it’s necessary that i can clean and snatch the bar if any of the lifts involve overhead squats, back squats or front squats. plus, hopefully i’ll only need to drive to the gym 2 to 3 times max a week (1 – 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day). if things get a bit intense, though, i may need to adjust.

before crossfit, i did:

– Jerk – 4RM; 90% x 4 x 2 –> 75 lbs

– Push Press – 5RM; 90% x 5 x 2 –> 65lbs

– Back Squat – 5RM; 90% x 5 x 4

since we were doing back squats in tonight’s cf wod, i chose to leave this out

– Bent row – 5RM; 90% x 5 x 2 –> 60lbs

– Unanchored sit-ups – 3 x max reps –> just kept it at 10 reps per set

probably not a good idea to do this before cf, but i kept it conservative and didn’t max out.

—————————–

we followed cf headquarter’s wod of the day:

Strength
Clean 3-3-3-1-1-1 –> singles at 75lbs. again, i was conservative and i’m sure i could have maxed out a bit more.

WOD
21-15-9
Back Squat (50% of 1rm, and jesse calculated mine to be about 110lbs) –> 55lbs
KB Swings –> 25lbs

Result: 4:43 minutes. short and sweet. definitely not like last monday’s 12.3 crossfit open wod.

my bum’s a bit aching from the squats at least.

sleep update & wellness assessment exam

my sleep has improved…phew. a few weeks ago, i went to a chiropractor/wellness expert for a groupon i purchased for an Initial Wellness Assessment. i initially bought this cuz i’m a curious person, and wanted to check on food intolerances that i may have, and what, if anything, i could do about improving my sleep and insomnia. though i follow a mostly grain-free diet, save for cereal on my protein shakes, i’m not sure if i’m really gluten intolerant. and for me, knowledge is power and i like to experience things to see if it’s a hoax or not. so why not try this out? truthfully, i wasn’t expecting much to come out of the assessment but was pleasantly surprised by dr. mike’s knowledge and explanation of the testing he was doing.

he first started with a heart rate variability testing to measure physical fitness, and according to my assessment, i was not that fit. what??? this was the only thing i did not buy into. i have no idea why this was so. this also told us how well the stress and healing systems were balanced, and he explained to me that my healing systems could not keep up with the stress. according to his chart, i had the internal body system of a 65 year old…? say what? in other words, my healing systems were inefficient. not surprising about my stress and healing systems since getting sleep has been a problem of mine over the past 1 1/2 years, but the fitness part, i definitely question.

he also tested my adrenal gland functions, and that indicated that my adrenals were fatigued. ok, no surprise either. my body fat %, done with an omron monitor, was 23% at a height of 5″ 2 3/4 and weight of 115. no way. these electrical testings are notoriously not quite accurate, and with my muscle mass, i should be <20%. when i was 5 lbs lighter and not as strong, my hydrostatic testing put me at 17.4% body fat. so…unbelievable.

he also tested calcium levels through taking blood pressure type testing on my calf (i’m in normal range), zinc through placing drops on my tongue and seeing how i react (no real flavor indicates i’m lacking this nutrient), and magnesium (i’m lacking as well).

he finally tested food intolerances for gluten, corn, rice and dairy through applied kinesiology.  apparently, “using this technique we can determine not only which food intolerances are present, but which organs are being affected as well (stomach, small intestine, colon, sinuses).” basically, he’d hold up a sample to different organs, and while my arms were outstretched in front of me while standing, he’d apply force downward. if my arm “gave”, then this meant i was intolerant.

i was intolerant to all 4. what was interesting was that when he tested for rice + digestive enzymes, which should normally indicate a tolerance with the enzymes, i still tested intolerant. surprising, and he mentioned that there is probably a deeper inflammation in my body. and this was echoed by the bloating he felt earlier in my stomach region. considering i don’t eat rice, i questioned why i’d test intolerant to this…hhmm…hokey?

after this assessment, i was curious about wellness exams and did a bit of research, esp in regards to my adrenal and sleep problems. i bought and have used for the past week metagenics’ adrenogen and serenagen.  i’m happy to report that serenagen has been much more calming/sleep-inducing to me than melatonin (i take either 3 mg or 3mg + 5htp). i’ve been getting at least 7 hours of sleep, and surprising, i could sleep more if i had the time to (and this isn’t normal, my friends).

i go back for the the assessment this weekend, and i’m curious to hear what his explanation is, and how my sleep can improve through supplementation.  i’d rather not go the prescription sleeping pill route and really try to resolve the root of this sleep issue. taking melatonin is spotty, and it’s more a bandaid solution than a “cure”. updates to come…

gym // watchers and compliments

so i finished the crossfit ramp at my gym last thursday, and the last class was full of technique learning. crammed all into 1 class. i learned how to rope climb (so fun!) but since i was in capris, i had a bit of rope burn on my leg. i guess i need to buy some knee high skater-like socks? like i really need to feed my shopping addiction! we also went over back squats, back extensions and double unders (i need to work on this with my new speed rope!). after that, we did the wod:

thursday wod:

5 rounds:

– 7 wall balls (used 8lb one)

– 7 pushups (good form for the first 2-3 rounds, and then stuck to “girl” pushups

– 7 abmat situps

result: 5 rounds, 2 reps (i believe. i wasn’t really counting)

——–

this saturday morning, i made it to the gym a bit tired although i got around 8 hrs of sleep and had my coffee. guess my body is telling me to get more rest…? my excitement at doing full body routines is interesting because although i love crossfit, i also love strength training. i need to think a bit more about incorporating weight training with crossfit…i think 5 days of exercising has been working well for me, and the rest days are much needed. 2-3 days strength + 2-3 days crossfit? hhmm…

full body:

warmup with a stick doing overhead squats…and then —

– muscle snatch to overhead squat (35 – 55lbs) – multiple sets of 8, 6, and singles at 55lbs. During this, another lady that i have been friendly with and who also does crossfit, complimented me on the snatch and overhead. said i had beautiful form and wanted to watch me for a bit. what a sweetie. i myself envy her kipping pullups.

– front lunges (65lb barbell) – 3 x 6 – 8 reps

– romanian deadlifts (115 lbs) – 3-4 x 6 reps

– chest press (55lbs) – 2 x 8 reps

by the time i got to chest presses, i was a bit wiped out and wanted to just get some light upper body. i skipped back and shoulder work since i figure i do a lot of pullup variations and lots of push presses in crossfit.

finisher: low steady elliptical for 20 minutes.

that was the first time in 3 weeks i believe that i’ve actually done “cardio”, other than the occasional 200m or 400m runs in crossfit. i do kind of miss the mindlessness of cardio. but i do notice that my arms are becoming more defined – not sure if it’s from incorporating crossfit or because i’m not doing muscle-eating cardio?

 

Buddha says…

The thought manifests as word;
The word manifests as deed;
The deed develops into habit;
And habit hardens into character.
So watch the thought and its ways with care,
And let it spring from love
Born out of concern for all beings.

~Buddha~

wsj article: lululemon

one of my favorite, if not favorite, workout clothes brand is lululemon…(as if i’m the only one who says that!) as an mba grad, i always find it interesting in how companies differentiate themselves – what strategies they employ and how it affects the big picture and smaller details. furthermore, is the strategy(ies) sustainable long-term?

as i start my own business, mpoweredplay, and hopefully expand to other product categories, i like to read about other companies i admire to see if their strategies would or could apply to mine. that’s the beauty of entrepreneurship – you and you alone are responsible for the success or failure; you and you alone can and should test what works and what doesn’t, and change when necessary.

from the wsj article, lululemon’s secret sauce, here’s the lessons i took:

• limited stock / scarcity – remember the supply and demand rule? scarcity increases demand, which helps influence pricing. further, lulu focuses on premium pricing and maintaining that pricing on core products…non-core products can be discounted without too much affecting the brand’s equity.
• sometimes simple is better – rather than rely on sophisticated customer service software or intense data analytics, it’s sometimes best to listen to the customer.  and then apply that knowledge.

facts about lefties…

from this article in the week (a really great site for news bytes), i found only 2 of these 5 facts applicable about me.

#1 – they’re more affected by fear. maybe this is my flight or flight response, but i’m quite jumpy and reactive to anything out of the ordinary…this is similar to my mom, but she’s a rightie…so…

#2 – they’re angrier. let’s face it, everyone’s got an anger response in them. so when i’m pushed to the limit, i can get uninhibitedly angry, and there’s very little to contain me. is this causation or correlation?

not sure if i believe that these “facts” are broadly applicable to lefties, but it’s fun to see how and if they’re applicable to me!

recipe // protein chocolate crepe

inspired by one of the fitness forums i frequent (and quite similar to protein pancakes except in consistency), i tried my hand a protein crepe stuffed with chocolate.

protein powder chocolate crepe

1 scoop of protein powder (i used trutein’s cinnamon roll)

2 egg whites (or 1 egg)

pinch of baking soda

water to thin

chocolate (used ghirardelli)

 

1. mix all ingredients except chocolate together.

2. cook on medium-low in pan, about 3 minutes. turn over when sides start to pull and flip. careful,  because protein powder can get gummy if overcooked, esp when using just a whey isolate.

3. when flipped, add chocolate of your choice to melt.

4. take out of pan and roll if you so desire. devour!

gym // integreating crossfit and oly lifts

i was perusing the web the other day, and came across this article, Integrating the Olympic Lifts With Crossfit, about 3 different types of crossfitters – the Pure Crossfitter, the Weightlifting Crossfitter, and the Crossfitting Weightlifter. I consider myself more of the Weightlifting Crossfitter – I love lifting…the specific programming, the steady and consistency of time spent at the gym, and just feeling and getting stronger by quantifying the lbs lifted.

as i spend more time with crossfit, i’ll reevaluate my lifting programming and perhaps periodize the suggestions everett suggested in the above article. one thing’s clear – i love the variety of skills i’m learning in crossfit – so fun!

 

an example of intermittant fasting

i tend to follow this way of eating a la leangains but follow the 14 fast / 10 hr refeed window recommended for women.

i came across this article today about a guy, client nielsen, who practices this and outlines how he incorporates it into his life. quite helpful to see this in practice.