Brie Fit

Saturday’s workout was a team effort.

Since that in and of itself makes very little sense, let me break it down.

We worked in groups of three.  For each exercise, we had to do 1 through 10 reps each, of each exercise.

So, say, I did 1 box jump, then another person in my group did 1 box jump, then the third person did 1 box jump…then repeat, except with 2 box jumps, then 3 box jumps, and so on until we were doing 10 each.

Then we did that with everything else on that list—push presses, squats, sit-ups, plated push-ups, and burpees.

Let me tell you, by the time the burpees came around…we were sweating.  That stuff was hard.

We were representing “Team The Three Girls that come in the Morning,” clocking in at 34:55.

(We finished the whole WOD—I don’t think every group did.)

The rest of the weekend has been fairly uneventful.  We’re scraping the awful striped wallpaper off the walls of our laundry room.  On Saturday night, we had a delightful dinner with friends at Grunauer, which we love, and last night, we watched The Help and chilled at home.

Today, we both had the day off work, which meant more scraping (I actually kind of like it) and general relaxation.  I skipped CrossFit because I was disgustingly sore from Saturday’s beating.

What’s your favorite home improvement task?

Forgot the whiteboard pics this morning…so here’s our digital whiteboard:

(We track all our workouts on Beyond the Whiteboard.  It’s pretty cool to be able to go back and review your progress!)

I didn’t do strict pull-ups (jumped from the ground), and I did the women’s Rx for power cleans which was 72#. The power cleans were really tough and my form wasn’t pretty, but I put the weight up in the end.  (I’m sure I’ll have bruises on my collarbone to prove it tomorrow!)  I finished in 13:55.

After work I had another acupuncture appointment.  It was pretty routine other than that my acupuncturist noted that because I have very tight, strong tendons in my left forearm, when I do get pregnant, I will either have zero morning sickness or have it incredibly bad.  I’m not clear on the reason, but something about restricting some sort of energy flow that relates to nausea?  I’m going to cross my fingers for the “no morning sickness” side of things.

I’m thinking about putting together a CrossFit Q&A post.  I’m by no means an expert, but…if you have questions about CF, ask away in the comments! 

Day two of the Official Acupuncturist Fertility Diet Recommendations went swimmingly well.   But damn, I would cutabitch for some cheese right now.  Walnuts and goji berries are growing on me, but I think I might just get sick of eggs.  Eye on the prize, though.

Interestingly enough, I think acupuncture and my dietary changes have maybe already had an effect on my chart? 

My temperatures have never, ever held quite so steady as they have been for the last week—I’m queen of the sawtooth pattern, up and down, rinse and repeat.  I’m definitely planning on asking about this at my next appointment!  (Perhaps it’s a fluke, too, but in eighteen months of charting, I’ve never seen ANYTHING like this.)

Moving along.  I forgot to photograph today’s WOD.  It was an odd one, but a fun one (that you can do at home!  Right where you are!).  For 15 minutes, on every minute, we did:

• 3 burpees
• 6 push-ups
• 9 abmat sit-ups

Once you completed those, you did air squats for the remainder of the minute.  Then, repeat.  Your score was the total number of squats you did over 15 minutes.  I managed 171, which I feel pretty good about.  I think some guy puked today.  (But I didn’t!)

I liked it.  I <3 CrossFit, in case you haven’t noticed.  But I’m glad tomorrow’s a rest day, so I can sleep in a bit and nurse the sore butt I’ve had since Monday.

Today was an uneventful day, other than two purchases in the mail.

My Cute Overload 2012 wall calendar.  Every year I put up some ridiculous cute animal calendar in my office, just to see how far I can push it before my co-workers have me committed.  Last year was 12 months of puppies and kittens snuggling.  This year?  Hamsters in tiny inner tubes.

Professionalism?  Psssht.

I also got my Lululemon Stride jacket that I purchased with Christmas gift cards on Boxing Day.  (I just like to say Boxing Day.)

I was worried the stripes might make me look like the Hamburglar, but I don’t think that’s the case.

Also, this video made me cry big fat tears today.  I remember how timid and exhausted Milhouse was when we brought him home (he wasn’t a research dog, but it’s suspected that he came from a bad puppy mill bust) and get all misty.  (And then I see the brazen dog that rolls around on our clean sheets just for fun and the mist mostly dries up.  But still.)

Is it Friday yet?  Is it just me or is this the longest four-day week EVER?

This has been Hero WOD week at CrossFit.  Since I’ve been jetting about the country, I’ve missed most of it, but got in this morning for the Holbrook WOD.

It was 10 rounds for time of:

• 5 thrusters 
• 10 pull-ups
• 100m sprint

I finished in 18:48.

Honestly, it was kind of a crappy workout for me.  Too many Christmas cookies, been off for a week and the ol’ joints felt creaky.  I did 6 rounds of 65# thrusters and then went to 45# for the last four.  Not really sure why, other than that 65# felt way hard and was kind of hurting my wrists.  It was stupid and I’m mad at myself for punking out.  And I couldn’t get into a good groove on the pull-ups…sometimes I jumped from the floor, sometimes from a box, sometimes I used a band…nothing felt quite right.  It was all either too hard or too easy.

We finished with 100 abmat sit-ups for time.  I finished in 3:50, which is a major improvement over the 4:38 I did a month and a half ago.  Yahoo for improvement! 

Anyway, it felt good to move for the first time in awhile.  So at least there’s that.

Also, I got to model my brand-spanking new I <3 Sweat shirt, courtesy of Ali:

It’s true.  I really do <3 sweat. 

The rest of the day was busy, but pleasant.  We got kicked out of work at 3 o’clock today, so I came home and grocery shopped for our gluten-free dinner party tomorrow.  Then, I got a much needed haircut, and came home and prepped the dessert and some of the appetizers for tomorrow.

Plan for tomorrow begins with sleeping in and acupuncture.  Hooray!

Happy New Year’s Eve Eve!  What are your big plans for tomorrow?

This morning was another morning when the alarm went off at 5, I grumbled to Tim that I wasn’t getting up, re-set the alarm for 6:30, laid there for 5 minutes, couldn’t go back to sleep so I got my ass to CrossFit anyway.

Not going to lie, I wasn’t 100% there mentally today.  I hit it hard last week (5 days in a row), took Saturday off, and dicked around at open gym yesterday.  I think I need to rest a little more than I have been, but I’m enjoying myself.  I think I’ll rest this week by moving an entire houseful of furniture and boxes, huh?

Anyway.  I was actually able to to do today’s WOD as Rxed, which is always exciting.  We did 18-15-12-9-6-3 reps of: 

• Burpees 
• Abmat sit-ups
• Power cleans (42#)

So, 18 burpees, 18 sit-ups, 18 power cleans, 15 burpees, 15 sit-ups…and so on.

I finished in 15:02.  Not exactly breaking any records.  But I finished.  Which is better than staying in bed, right?

In other news today, I had a follow-up with the OB/GYN who performed my D&C today.  I am quitting the midwives and throwing my business his way for various reasons. The takeaways:

• The timing worked out that we were able to try this cycle after a three-week ban.  I’ll be testing later this week.  Fingers are crossed times ten million and my chart looks surprisingly pretty.  The doctor was all for this.
• From here on out, I’ll be supplementing with progesterone from 3 days post-ovulation to 14 days post-ovulation (or through the first trimester, if good things happen).  Doc thinks it’s a no-brainer given my history, and it certainly can’t hurt.
• The doctor is all for early viability ultrasounds.  With my low progesterone and vanishing symptoms, I WANTED one with the midwives, but they said I didn’t need one and said ultrasounds were “overdone” and that my bloodwork was all they needed to confirm a healthy pregnancy.  Instead…I thought I was pregnant for a month when there was no baby, which, needless to say, sucked a lot.  So, I feel immensely reassured knowing that I’ll be able to go in and hopefully see a heartbeat in those first early weeks next time.
• The doctor ended the appointment with, “I’m sorry.  This is just one of those crappy things that happens too often.  I know that doesn’t make this better.”  I liked that.

I’m generally feeling bitter towards the midwives for putting non-intervention over, you know, actual medical concerns and letting me go on being fake pregnant for an extra month.  I should also add that they didn’t return three messages I left and I haven’t heard from them since the miscarriage/D&C.  Fabulous, huh?  Nothing like making you feel worthless for not being pregnant.  So I am done with them, for real.

But I have a good feeling about this OB.  He’s a Mizzou fan.  And he Googled some stuff during the appointment, which I liked.

(Less than 48 hours until we’re homeowners.  ZOMG.)

Have you ever dealt with sub-par medical care?  What did you do, if anything?

Okay, so…I kind of had an inkling that today’s CrossFit session would be…punishing, since today was the day after a giant national eat-fest.

However.  I did not expect THIS.

If that’s unclear, the WOD included 660 total reps of:

• 200m run with med ball
• 110 single unders
• 100 abmat situps
• 90 air squats
• 80 box jumps
• 70 Russian kettlebell swings
• 60 barbell thrusters (25#)
• 50 barbell hang power cleans (25#)
• 40 jumping barbell squats
• 30 hand release burpees
• 20 med ball cleans
• 10 jumping lunges
• 200m run w/ kettlebell

(The note next to the 60/50/40 moves stipulates that you’re not allowed to put the bar down, with a 15 burpee penalty if you do.)

There was a 30 minute cap on it, but at the 30 minute mark I was working on the med ball cleans and really wanted to finish so I kept going.  (It frustrates me to leave a WOD unfinished.) I ended up finishing in 33:45. 

Anyway, this was one of the hardest WODs I’ve done simply because of the high number of reps.  My body feels pretty fried after five days of exercise in a row, so I think I’ll take tomorrow off!

In other news, we had a pretty low-key turkey dinner last night and have been doing lots of packing, Craigslisting of old furniture, bill transferring, mail forwarding and the line since.  I can’t believe we’ll be homeowners in just four days!  Holy cow. 

How was your Thanksgiving?

I don’t know what’s gotten into me today—I am exhausted and it’s only 7:30!  I even fell asleep on the couch after work, something I haven’t done since I was pregnant. 

It was a cold, rainy morning at CFN.

The WOD was thus:

(Hi Dustin!)

Since that’s kind of messy, it was a three parter:

Part One

• Spend ten minutes finding your deadlift one rep max.  Mine was 165#, which I was excited about until I saw the guys lifting 300+.  Balls to them.

Part Dos

• 55 sit-ups
• 5 pull-ups
• 45 sit-ups
• 10 pull-ups
• 35 sit-ups
• 15 pull-ups
• 25 sit-ups
• 20 pull-ups
• 15 sit-ups
• 25 pull-ups

I finished this one in 12:30.  It was kind of a pain because my back hurt (in a good way) from the deadlifting.

Part Three

Work with a partner; AMRAP shoulder to overhead for 5 minutes.  (Shoulder to overhead just means that you can do a shoulder press, a push press, or any other means necessary to move the bar that way.)  Rx for women was 25#, which we did.  My awesome partner Shannon and I cranked out 166 reps, 96 of which I did.

There were a record-setting five ladies in the morning class today.  Me likey.  Usually it’s a big old sausage fest.

It was a long and boring day at work.  There’s very little going on this week.

After work I napped and had another paper-plate dinner:

Two eggs with some cheese, Canadian bacon, a slice and a half of wheat toast and some homemade cranberry applesauce.

Tomorrow will hopefully be a short day!  The last two years, we’ve been sent home early, and I’m seriously hoping the same happens again this year.

Do you work tomorrow?  What about on Friday?

I haven’t written much the last few days because I’ve been on kind of a downswing, emotionally.

The following things have made me sad:

• Seeing an adorable cooing baby in the Boise airport.
• Going to Target.  I swear to God it was pregnant lady day today.  It’s stupid, but I haven’t gone since we lost the baby because, well…I bought pregnancy tests there.  And the Mizzou onesie that’s now stuffed into the back of a drawer, and the maternity fat-pants band. 
• Hearing my hairdresser tell me that we’ll “have to fill our new house with kids!”
• Getting a fucking $11,000 bill from the hospital.  ELEVEN THOUSAND DOLLARS.  To lose our baby.  What an insult.  My favorite is how they framed it as “This is an $11,000 bill” with a tiny footnote on the bottom stating “this will be submitted to insurance.”  I have very good insurance, so I’m pretty sure we won’t have to pay more than a few hundred, but…oh my God.  The concept of paying $11,000 to have a miscarriage makes me want to throw up.
• The holidays.  I usually have a lot of holiday spirit and this year I’m kind of indifferent to it.  I imagined being pregnant for the holidays this year, and…I won’t be.  (Well, probably not.  Though I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle.)

So, I don’t know.  I’m doing well overall, but there are good days and bad days and the last two have been achier than most.

My flight got me home last night around 10:30.  I hit a deer with my car on the way home from the airport.  I’m fine, the car is fine, and I presume the deer is fine because she got up and ran away.  But scary nonetheless.

I fell asleep around midnight and still made it to CrossFit, which made me feel pretty excellent.

Today’s WOD was 7 rounds for time of…

• 10 front squats (45#)
• 10 push press (45#)
• 5 thrusters (45#)
• 30 abmat sit-ups 

I decided to forget about time and push the weights.  The 45# bar was challenging enough that I had to take it slow, but not impossible. I thought I’d have to go down in weight, but I didn’t!  I finished behind most of the class, in 19:58, but still feel great about it.

Busy weekend ahead: CrossFit in the morning, more packing, lunch with friends, brunch with Tim’s uncle, more packing…should be fun.

I’m back!  We had a fun weekend in St. Louis with friends.  Pictures wouldn’t have been a good idea, trust me, but the pudding shots were a hit and it was good to see some friends and be stuck in the car with my husband for 8 hours.

Workout this morning was a fun one.

13 minutes, AMRAP:

• 13 kettlebell swings (@ 35 lbs.)
• 13 SDHPs (@ 35 lbs.)
• 13 toes to bar (for me, more like knees to boobs)
• 13 burpees 

I managed 3.5 rounds, which I’m proud of.  My problem on the toes to bar isn’t so much the core strength, it’s my grip strength on the bar.  By a few reps into the set, I felt like I was slipping, and the smaller knees-to-chest motion feels “safer” if I was to fall.  I don’t really know of any way to work on grip strength other than just doing it, so…yeah.  Here’s hoping it improves.’

We rounded things out with 100 abmat sit-ups, which I finished in 4:38. 

I was starving today.

Lunch:

Food is going to be very basic until after the move.  I have a feeling I’ll be eating lots of PB&J, as I did today (with carrots and hummus, yogurt and granola, and a buckeye from my sister.)

Dinner was also an “eat down the fridge” meal:

Stir-fry with beef, carrots, edamame, cashews, and brown rice. I made a sauce with about 2 T. soy sauce, 2 T. lemon juice, and about 3-4 T. natural peanut butter.  It was pretty tasty!

Since I can’t let a post go by these days without talking about the state of my uterus, I’m happy to report that I got a negative pregnancy test yesterday!  That means the pregnancy hormones are finally, 100% out of my system, and we are one step closer to the imminent creation of Baby Brie V2.0. 

Also, I’m going to Boise overnight on Wednesday, and I totally forgot about it until yesterday.  Hooray!  Last trip of the season.  (Though the season was unfortunately truncated anyway.)

How was your Monday?

Ack.  I’m sorry I haven’t posted, but the travel schedule…it kills me.  Until the 28th, I will basically be on the road every night but Friday and Saturday. 

So, here are the randoms from the last few days:

1.  Did I tell you I upgraded to an iPhone 4?  My 3GS screen cracked over the summer and the battery was shite.  But?  We sold said 3GS, as is, on eBay for $182.  So the 4 was basically free.  Hooray!

2.  I did a really complicated WOD yesterday, called “Over the Hump.”  Heh.  Hump.

• 10 ring push-ups
• 10 burpee box jumps
• 50 sit-ups
• 20 overhead walking lunges (@ 25 lbs)
• 20 medicine ball cleans (@ 10 lbs)
• 50 sit-ups
• 30 knees to elbows
• 30 push press (@ 45 lbs)
• 50 sit-ups
• 40 kettlebell swings (@ 35 lbs)
• 40 overhead med balls squats (@ 10 lbs)
• 50 sit-ups
• 50 pull-ups (I completed 25)
• 50 thrusters (I completed 31 @ 25 lbs)
• 50 sit-ups

I’m proud that I hammered out 250 sit-ups with perfect form.  It wasn’t so long ago that I couldn’t do 50 without pussing out at the end!  I have a feeling my exercise habits will be less-than-perfect while I’m on the road, but I will try to do my best.

3.  WE ARE LOOKING AT EIGHT HOUSES ON SATURDAY!   I am both excited and terrified.  When did I get old enough to have a mortgage?

4.  My totally awesome husband stalked my Pinterest boards and bought me a Little Women print I’ve been eyeing.  Because my obsession with Little Women knows no bounds.

5.  I just started World Without End by Ken Follett and really like it.  I read the first two books of the Song of Ice and Fire series, but man, that’s a lot of characters and I needed a break from it.

What are you reading lately?  I have a lot of plane rides coming up and need some more good reads!