Monday, October 31, 2016

November Has Me Like...

Remember the title of this blog is "Doodleturtle's Random Thoughts" and this is one of those random posts!  I've just got so many things running through my head I have to get them out!

First, I've been quite negligent in posting about our hobo life since...... we are no longer hobos!! About three months ago we purchased some land and we moved our motorhome from the campground to our land! Let me tell you, this place is beautiful, but it was a dump. TWO single wide trailers (circa 1976 and 1965) were on the property and the people who lived here before us did not believe in trash pick up. The options they saw were 1) burn it, 2) throw it in the woods or 3) build a storage building to put it in. 

No joke. 

So we've spent the last 3 months hauling off trash and trailers and tearing down buildings. There is still a ton of work to do, but it's much, much better! We have a great old barn we've fixed up and many spots that would be perfect for our future house.

And speaking of house, we've decided sadly that Betsy just won't do through the winter for us to live in. She's a great motorhome and we are sad to see her go, but she's just too small. And since she's built more for warmer climates, we just don't think she'd be able to handle a cold winter. It's crazy that we've lived in her since March! 7 months! I don't think I ever posted pictures, so here you go. These are from the day we purchased it.


This is our kitchen, the hallway/bathroom and a view into the bedroom.


The view from the bathroom looking at the kitchen and living room.



Our dainty little bathroom



Our bedroom


Tiny right? Yep, that's been our tiny house for the last 7 months!


In her place, we are getting a new camper! Fingers crossed our new-to-us "home" will be delivered Friday! It's a fifth-wheel and has SOOO much more room than we have right now. I'm so stinking excited to actually have a living room and an OVEN! Yep, we've not had an oven in months.



It's not new at all, but it's new to us and fits perfectly in our budget and will help us get to our financial goals quickly. Score one for the month of November!


The kitchen and hallway.


Our bedroom..with a king size bed!

Also starting November 1 our box is hosting an "Earn Your Turkey Dinner" Paleo Challenge. It's been a loooong time since I was straight Paleo, but I'm looking forward to the challenge. It's 23 days leading up to Turkey Day of lean meats, veggies, nuts, seeds and fruits. No dairy, grains, legumes, artificial sweeteners or alcohol. 

Y'all, I've eaten oatmeal for breakfast for probably the last two years. Aaaargh..... And I've eaten Taco Bell 4 times a week for the last year.....Chicken Power Bowl, look it up, yum!!! 

There are definitely some changes in my diet I will making, but I'm looking forward to cleaning it all up and sharing the progress with you guys. 

One kink I haven't decided on with the Paleo Challenge is what to do on my trip...Yep! Another exciting thing about November is that we are going on a trip! I'm not giving away details yet, but the countdown is on and I'm stoked. 

So there are 3 big things I'm looking forward to in November! Wait, make that 4! 

J and I will be celebrating 22 years of marriage in November! What?!?! Crazy right?

Stay Strong Y'all!

Hey, I know you may not know me that well, but can I ask you to do something for me? Do me a favor and subscribe to my email list. Not only will you be able to keep up with all my random thoughts, I'll send you my weekly planner printable!


And if you are hip on the social media, 

Follow me on Facebook at Angie McCord, Fitness, Nutrition and Life Improvement.

Follow me out on Instagram, I'm doodleturtle. I'm even more random fun over at IG!



Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Thoughts On Fitness

Thoughts on fitness. Growing up, I was not an athletic kid. I have vision problems so anything involving a ball is not my jam. I tried to play baseball (ha!) one season, but that was a tragedy. I also played one game of church league volleyball and hit some poor guy in the back of his head when it was my turn to serve. Flag football turned out to be something I enjoyed, but I could only play defense. My  primary job was to run like hell at the offensive line and try to freak them out (and not get called offsides).

I took dance lessons from the time I was 4 until I got married and I loved it, but I was never going to be a prima ballerina. Have you seen me? Long, lean and graceful don’t exactly describe my limbs. Flexibility didn’t allow me to be very bendy either so I was more of a ploppy, ploddy ballerina. God bless Mrs. Linda for her patience.

In middle school I found cheerleading, but I was too heavy to be flier. I’m scared of heights so that didn’t help either. I was too weak to be a base so that left me with one job.  I made an excellent sign holder! And on special occasions, I got to hold a megaphone! I tried out for the high school squad but they required everyone to have a back handspring (see flexibility issue above).

 As an adult, I tried to be a runner, but then again, have you seen my body? Runner’s high is something mythical that I never experienced. Unless it was that moment that I was hyper-ventilating at the end of a 5k because I tried to sprint across the finish line and was seeing stars and the world was spinning. Hmmm…

Enter CrossFit.

I was about 30 when I went to my first CrossFit class and discovered that it was something I could do and I enjoyed it! My body puts on muscle easily, so that’s an obvious plus in CF. My levers aren’t bad for the lifts and weirdly, the gymnastics movements came pretty naturally.  We do run in CF and that still sucks, but I can tell I’m getting better all the time. CrossFit was/is the thing that finally made fitness fun for me.

Another thing CrossFit brought out in me was a highly competitive side I didn’t really know I had. I’d never been good enough at anything to stand a snowballs chance at winning a competition. I won’t say I hate to lose, because it doesn’t really bother me to lose to a better opponent. I just don’t want to let someone down that is watching me and taking cues from me. Goal setting has always been important to me. If I say I’m going to do something, I’m going to do it or go down trying.
CrossFit rewards hard work.

For me, CrossFit is my fitness. For you, it might be running. It might be yoga. It might be tennis. Whatever is it, YAY YOU!

If you don’t have a fitness regime that is fun and enjoyable, find something! Your body is a gift and if you aren’t exercising, you aren’t honoring that gift.


I’d love for you to try CrossFit with us at CrossFit Murray. You might find you love the challenge and the great community of people and that you look forward to working out each day. If you decide it’s not for you, I understand. Lol, I have lots of friends that run and I think they are crazy! J

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Fiber, The Other 'F' Word

When you are tracking macros it is not enough to just, 'hit your numbers.' Yes, you can meet your carb goal with rice, pop-tarts, low-fat ice cream and green beans, but are you getting your fiber in that way? You have to pay attention to the fiber number as well! I tell my clients to prioritize fiber first, then add in fun foods like pop-tarts and ice cream. This ensures that the system runs smoothly and that you are getting a variety of micronutrients and phytochemicals that are only found in vegetables and fruits.

Jason struggled a bit with hitting his fiber goal, but once he added in some fresh veggies, raspberries, chia seeds, oats, etc. he excitedly sent me this screen shot! Nailed it!


Stay Strong Y'all!

Hey, I know you may not know me that well, but can I ask you to do something for me? Do me a favor and subscribe to my email list. Not only will you be able to keep up with all my random thoughts, I'll send you my weekly planner printable!


And if you are hip on the social media, 

Follow me on Facebook at Angie McCord, Fitness, Nutrition and Life Improvement.

Follow me out on Instagram, I'm doodleturtle. I'm even more random fun over at IG!