What is the Paleo Diet?

I get asked this all the time. This is a diet that is big in the CrossFit community. Basically it is eating the way our hunter-gatherer ancestors did. Some refer to it as the Caveman Diet.  I recently took on a 8 week challenge with 16 other people that belong to CrossFit Painesville. We are all doing the Lurong Paleo Challenge. It consist of eating clean and doing an appointed weekly WOD. There is a web site where we all log in our results. We have to check in with either a clean or a cheat for each meal, and post our workout times. Most of the group has lost about 10 pounds each, and we are only starting our 5th week. Some have lost more and some have lost less.

Here are some tips is this is something you want to try:

Follow the Paleo roadmap as closely as possible. Yes, there will be an occasional detour (We only have 3 in our group who have not cheated...YET, I am not one of them) Some off-roading can be fun and well worth the indulgence. Just keep moving in the right direction and that means to avoid gluten, soy, added sugar, processed junk and other gut wrecking foods. This is a picture of one of my cheats...I do miss alcohol.

As a busy mom I am always looking for short cuts and rely on modern conveniences that caveman didn’t have. If you do not have a food processor it’s time to invest in one. I did not have one when I started this challenge. I purchased one the first week and I am not sure how I lived without it for so long. We also have  a service called Paleo To Me that delivers weekly meals to our gym. For those nights when I just don’t feel like cooking...It’s kind of like our fast food choice! For what its worth...I also enjoy indoor plumbing that cavemen didn’t have. Just sayin....ha


Too many people think that eating Paleo is about deprivation, and all we eat is ground beef and broccoli. I’m telling you it is not that bad. Buy a cookbook. I have two adult boys that have been eating the food and they like it. I will also mention that it only took me two weeks of eating Paleo before I found out how to make sweet stuff like cookies, smoothies and pancakes! Here is a picture of a Friday night meal. We are aloud to have 6 oz of red wine! 

Stick with it for 30 days. Switching over is not easy. I felt terrible the first two weeks. I have heard this time referred to as the Paleo flu.  But if you can make it through this time period you will come out feeling amazing.


Eat Like a champ. Don’t be afraid to try new recipes. I think this diet may have made me a better cook. I felt restrictive at first, but then I opened my mind to trying recipes. Here is a recipe for Pumpkin Cookies!

If you are interested in trying CrossFit or The Paleo Diet contact us at CrossFit PAINesville


Let's workout!

STUPID FEAR

Fear stops me from doing many things in CrossFit. Box jumps used to be one of them. Until the day 02/20/13 that I made up my mind to do it. I walked into the gym and said I wasn’t leaving until I did it. It took some time, but I did it and never looked back.

About a month ago it happened. You should never see a hand print on a box. This is proof that the shin and the wood collided, while a hand tried to break the blow. Yep, this is what I had feared. It was in an afternoon class, on the 8th jump of 10 and round 3 of 4. I let my mind wander to what I was going to do after class. I was feeling confident in my jumps, and no longer focused on the task in front of me and then WHAM! I was bitched slapped by a box. It hurt, as it should.

That evening I went on-line and purchased a pair of shin skins. I could not jump again until I received them, fear would not let me. I am back in business and happy to say I have not found out yet if they really work. I try to stay focused when doing jumps or any other skill in the workout.

What does fear keep you from doing?

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CrossFit Games!

Why would I even consider doing the CrossFit open? Clearly I am no Iceland Annie. Isn’t it enough to do the regular grueling WOD’s? Do I really need to do the open Wod’s too. As I was trying to sign up our box to participate in this event, the web site insisted I sign up as an individual. So I did it, but I was not going to post on Facebook that I did this. When you sign up for the games there is a link to share it on Facebook. No way I do not want anyone to know I signed up for this.

So the first workout came out. It is a 17 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of Burpees and snatches. Hmm...I can do this! In 17 minutes I got 40 Burpees, 30 snatches 45 lbs, 30 more burpees and 11 snatches with 75 lbs. I came in 19th place in the masters division out of about 65 women. OK, not bad but next week will most likely be something I can’t do. I will enjoy this 17th place until next week. 

13.1 Workout!

Week two or as the games call it 13.2, is 10 minutes of, 5 reps of 75 pounds shoulder to over head, 10 reps of 75 pound deadlifts, 15 20-inch Box jumps. Wow, I can do this too! So here we go with the workout. I scored 189 and that put me in 27th place. Not as good as the first week but still in the top half. 

13.2 Workout!

Week three or 13.3 is 12 minutes of 150 wall balls, 90 double unders, and 30 muscle ups. I can’t do muscle ups but I doubt I can get through the other stuff in 12 minutes. I gave it my best shot and got 112 wall balls and that put me in 35 place.

 At one point I was sitting in first place for this workout. This was after the workout, UGH!

Week 4 or 13.4 workout is only 7 minutes long of, 3 reps of 95 pound clean and jerk and 3 reps of Toes to bar, 6 reps of 95 pound clean and jerk and 6 toes to bar, 9 reps of 95 pound clean and jerk and 9 toes to bar, and so on until you run out of time. My score 45 and in 7th place for this workout. I am really proud of this workout. A lot of ladies dropped out this round because the weight was to heavy or they can’t do toes to bar.

Here is a shot of my toe to bars. I learned how to do only about 2 months ago.

Week 5 or 13.5. I will be so glad when this is over! Complete as many rounds as possible in 4 minutes of 15 reps of 65 pound thrusters and 15 reps of chest to bar. Well I can’t do chest to bars so my score was 15. Apparantly a lot of the other ladies my age cant do then either because I ended up in 20th place for this workout. Not like I didn’t try though. I worked with all different trainers at CrossFit Painesville trying to get one, just couldn’t do it. I will be doing them by next year though!

Participating in the open has been well worth the $20, for a few reasons. 

1. I will now pay very close attention to my reps and make sure they are all good reps, nothing worse than hearing a judge call out “No REP”, and waste time doing it again. I only had a few no reps and I deserved them, but it still sucks. 

2. The games have opened my eyes to what I can do, and that is way more than I thought. Maybe I don’t give myself enough credit or I tend to look at the negatives, but in every workout I have out preformed my expectations. In the heat of the moment I think the adrenaline kicks in and we dig deeper. The cheers and the shouting from my box mates sure does help!

3. What a great measuring tool this will be. I can’t wait to do this next year so I can compare my progress. That’s what it is about for me...progress. I don’t care about being at the top of the leader board. I want to get stronger and faster so I can enjoy my life to its fullest.

After it is all said and done. I ended up finishing in 17 place. I am now going to get this tattoo to celebrate my first time participating in the CrossFit Games. 

If you are still reading this blog, you must be interested a little in the CrossFit stuff. Please join me at CrossFit Painesville to get started. We have lots of great trainers, and a Ladies Only class. 

A year from now, you will wish you started today!

CrossFit No Joke

CrossFit Joke..."How do you know that someone is into CrossFit?", "Because they won't shut the EFF up about it". This is not to far off from the truth. If you are Facebook friends with anyone who does CrossFit, you know what I'm talking about.  We just want to share it with you and more importantly we want you to try it!

I used to go to the gym early in the morning everyday, but my routine was getting so repetitive. CrossFit workouts are always changing - one day, I'm climbing ropes, the next kipping pull-ups and one day I'm doing handstand push-ups. Ok, OK, I admit I can't do any of these yet, but there are scaled down versions of it. I will be doing these before I turn 50 in July. You can quote me on that! And don't you worry it will be posted on Facebook!

The progress you make in CrossFit is tracked on the whiteboard and in your journal, a book that everyone must have with them or its a 10 burppee penalty. Seeing this data in front of you will push you harder to preform better. At the end of the day you are tied to a number. Athletes that just lift weights will ask "how much can you bench?" In CrossFit they will say "What is your Fran time?"

You are competing against yourself to be better than yesterday. You can see everyones scores, but your focus will be on yourself. Nothing feels better than beating your own time. Sure it hurts, and you may even want to puke. You are going to think you can't possibly go any faster or harder, but you always manage to do it. The peer pressure works wonders.

Soon CrossFit will become your social life. You will get emails from the trainers if you don't show up, or they will hunt you down on Facebook and you will not hear the end of it. The community is motivating. Classes have about 15 people in them, and you will get to know them. You will cheer for them and they will cheer for you. You will leave class not only in muscle pain and feeling great, but with new friends.

If you are lacking in the workout department, it's time to consider something new and exciting. Wod will become part of your daily lingo and you wont shut up about it!

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Below are some pictures from CrossFit Painesville!

Bulky...my A$$

This will be my last post about CrossFit or Strength Training making you BULKY. I get so tired of breaking it down again and again for people. Training and nutrition makes you look like a healthy person, PERIOD! Please avoid CrossFit if you are scared to look like this...

or this...

on the other hand women like the ones below are the product of hormone therapy and a program designed to make you look muscular and no desire to actually improve physical performance. Just the opposite of what CrossFit will do for you. I am not trying to bash the sport of bodybuilding...Heck, I did this myself years ago. I know first hand these people are the most dedicated and hardest working athletes, I have ever known. That being said, the entire sport is built upon the idea of looking good. Points are not awarded for anything else, just looks.

If you want to look like the skinny pictures below, then CrossFit is not for you, and to be honest I don't want you as a client. Go hit up the elliptical or the recumbent bike for 3 hours a day and don't eat anything. Once in awhile I do get clients in here that start with this mentality, but that all changes when they start to feel what real fitness is...not a step class, Zumba or a stroll on the treadmill, but real fitness!!! Looking like a 12 year old girl is for 12year old girls. You are a WOMAN, and if you think you have to much muscle, I hate to break it to you but you don't.

If you want to be a frail thing that must be handled with care, then we just have different perspectives and that is fine. On the other hand if you want to get started with a CrossFit program that will get you strong...then you are talking my language. Join me today!

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CrossFit is Hard?

CrossFit is Hard? This is the #1 question and/or comment I hear from people who have not tried it. "It's hard", is not what comes to my mind. Fun, Pain, Community and Friends is what comes to my mind. So do accomplishment and disturbed!

Ok, Ok...maybe it is hard. But the best things in life are hard. College, Marriage, Children are all hard things. Just because it's hard doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It is probably one of the reason you should.

You can sit on your ass and let life pass you up, and have others care for you someday. You can go to your globo gym and never see results. These are the easy choices. Or you can get into the game of life and try CrossFit. Feel like a million bucks every day you are alive and kicking. A well earned, kick ass million bucks! Difficult choice, huh?

Get in the game. Why wait? it's already later than you think. The ability to exercise is a limited time offer!

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