Saturday, April 29, 2017

Nancy, Nancy, Nancy....

Nancy

5 rounds for time of

400 meter run
10 Overhead Squats

Not my favorite workout because I'm not a great runner and OHS are one of my weaker lifts. In the past, we've done Nancy at least once a year and I've always had to walk on some of the runs and I've had to break up the OHS. I couldn't find my old PR on Nancy, but I'm pretty sure it was 22 minutes-ish.

We did it yesterday and  I'm super excited to say I did it Friday in......

15:45!!

Now, that's not super fast I know. Some of my girls at the box did it in 12 or 13 minutes, but I'm stoked because I ran all the 400s and I did all the OHS unbroken. Oh, and I've not squatted in three weeks (knee rehab), so I was pleasantly surprised that the squats felt good and nothing hurts today. WOOT WOOT!

If you are interested in keeping up with my CF progress, I put up a stats page. The reason I did this is two-fold. One, to motivate myself. If I know I'm going to post my score on a benchmark here, I will push harder. Two, to motivate others. Sometimes we all get in slumps and feel like we aren't progressing. I've been at the this CF game for about 8 years and PRs are still coming, but they come slower than when you are new. Case in point, I haven't PRd my clean and jerk since 2015. I think I hit my deadlift PR in 2014. But, I can still track growth and progress by keeping a record of my results.

Always moving forward.

Stay Strong Y'all!


If you are hip on the social media, 

Follow me on Facebook at Angie McCord, Fitness, Nutrition and Life Improvement.
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**Many of the links above are affiliate links. This means that if you click through my link and purchase something, the company gives me a few pennies as a ‘Thanks For Referring Yo Friends’ gift. You get charged nothing extra. And I get a penny (or two) for my thoughts.

Thursday, April 27, 2017

What I'm Reading, Volume I


I love to read, both fiction and non-fiction. I remember the first time I read Gone With The Wind in 7th grade and absolutely fell in love with the story, the characters and the drama that engulfed poor Miss Scarlett her entire life. The fact that the America Civil War was an area of emphasis in my collegiate career is in no small part a direct result of Ms. Margaret Mitchell.

For me, reading is therapy. It lets me get out of my head and into someone else’s. There is something so relaxing about sticking my nose in a book and ignoring everything else.

Sometime I read non-fiction to make my inner student-nerd happy. Random knowledge is some of my favorite knowledge!

Since you are reading this blog, you must be a little like me and maybe you enjoy reading as much as I do. This will be a series on the blog where I let you guys know what I’m currently reading, loving and hating.


Here are three I've read and enjoyed lately.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson







Let’s be honest. We’ve all had that moment when our spouse pushes us over the edge and we think, “Oh my god, I’m gonna kill him!” In this book, someone says that out loud, to the wrong person (or maybe the right person, depending on how you look at it) and all hell breaks loose.

I really enjoyed this one and while I had a pretty good hunch of what was going to happen, I was still delighted as my suspicions were confirmed!



The Widow by Fiona Barton 




She was the perfect wife and she worked damn hard at it. When the husband dies, will she keep up the façade or let the secrets spill?

Trigger warning, this is one is pretty dark and covers the uncomfortable topic of child pornography. If you choose to read it, pay very close attention to the dates and names at the start of each chapter as it jumps around chronologically.


Homecoming by Yaa Gyasi




A story of a Fante tribe of Africa told through seven generations as they suffer through the slave trade and the repercussions of it. It is a good book, but be prepared to continually reference the family tree at the beginning of the book. It gets complicated y'all. And honestly, if you haven’t read Roots, read it first then come back to this one.  Homecoming is like Roots version 2.0, but not nearly as good as the original.


What books are you enjoying right now? I have quite a few I'd like to tackle this year, but am always looking for more!


Stay Strong Y'all!


I just updated my "Affiliates I Love" page, check it out!


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!



**Many of the links above are affiliate links. This means that if you click through my link and purchase something, the company gives me a few pennies as a ‘Thanks For Referring Yo Friends’ gift. You get charged nothing extra. And I get a penny (or two) for my thoughts.



Sunday, April 23, 2017

Stinky Girl, A Product Review Of Schmidt's Natural Deodorant

Full disclosure: I'm a stinky girl. Some girls don't sweat and they never smell like anything except roses and sunshine. That's not me. I'm foul. I have to scrub and dub-dub. I have to apply industrial strength deodorant. I have to sniff test anything I think about re-wearing without washing.  The strange thing is that I don't really sweat, I just get damp and stagnate. I believe if I did sweat I would push the stinkies out and they would float away. Instead, they just build up and create a noxious stank that emanates from my pits. Thankfully, I stay on top of this and I doubt any of you would realize this truth about me. 




Enter Schmidt's Natural Deodorant, Lavender and Sage. Apparently Birchbox thinks I will enjoy it. Normally they are spot on. I lack faith with this one though. Normal deodorant has a boat load of aluminum chloride that acts as an antiperspirant to actually plug your sweat glands.  They also have some smell good stuff that acts as the de-odor part. With Schmidt’s, there is no aluminum chloride, so you will still sweat, but the product promises to effectively neutralize odor and absorb wetness.

Day one: I apply the product post shower; heeding the directions to "gently apply a small amount to underarms" Strike one: I really do not enjoy the smell of lavender. The sage isn't bad, but the deo sort of smells like a high end blend of Herbs de Provence. Combine that with my honeysuckle lotion and men's Escape cologne and I'm a French prostituée eating leftovers from a fancy dinner on a hotel bed. (Yes, I wear men's cologne).

Workout #1 should be a pretty good test for Shmidty. The weather is cooler than it’s been being, but as I warm up the box starts to feel really, overly hot so I turn on a fan. I do a quick pit-sniff and everything is fine. I lift my arms up and down a few times to test for stickiness and there is none. So far so good.

WOD #1 is a 10 minute EMOM with burpees, toes to bar, and OHS. I’m panting and hustling. If I was going to stink and sweat, it should have started here.

WOD #2 is another 10 minute EMOM of handstand push-ups. After I’m done, a friend who knows I’m experimenting with this deo, runs up and sticks her nose in my pits. LOL she pronounces me officially NOT STINKY!

I am not 100% convinced that the Schmidty is that good. I am assuming it is my 48 hour Right Guard that hasn’t worn off yet. We shall see.

PM: Shower and apply Lav & Sage before bed

Day 2:

AM-I get up and head to work to coach and workout. I haven’t applied any more deo since last night’s shower. Workout #1 for me is some lifting and mobility work. Nothing overly strenuous and I do not sweat or smell.

Midday- Take shower, apply Lav and Sage and head to a routine Dr. appointment. I don’t know about you guys, but every time I go the doctor I get a little nervous and my body acts like I’m about to enter enemy territory. My internal temp goes up, my BP gets a bit higher and my pulse quickens. Research shows stress sweat is stinkier than physical activity sweat due to the increase in cortisol and endorphins being released. This appointment should really test the product and SURPRISE! I leave the appointment and still smell like a French whore! (Which is a good thing in my case, remember?)

PM- Workout #2 is a high rep barbell workout. As I am warming up, I can smell the garlic on my hands that I chopped at lunch which makes me thing, “Hmmmm…lavender, sage and garlic….I smell like a pork chop!” (It’s always about food)

At this point I am starting to lose some skepticism and think maybe this stuff actually works….

Day 3:

My rest day! YAY! Since I don’t go into work until later today, I focused on taking care of some housekeeping. No shower or extra deo, just starting working. I also did Romwod outside in the beautiful sun and can say I did not stink! That’s 24+ hours after the last application!
I took a shower before heading into work and was still pretty hot when I put Schmidty on. I wasn’t stinky, but I did feel damp under the pits all day long. I know the product said it would absorb wetness, but where, exactly would the wetness go when the product absorbed it? It is still going to be under my armpits, right? I keep thinking of soggy diapers…..

That evening I noticed my pits were kind of itchy.

Day 4:

AM-Get up, shower, apply Lavender and head to work. Notice again that I am damp under the armpits and it isn’t going away. It’s really hot outside today and this is a deodorant, not an antiperspirant, so no big surprise there. I am, however, still feeling some itching and now I get to add in some burning. That is not cool. As much as I pretend that I am a complete bad ass, my skin is kind of a sissy so I’m not sure it’s liking what is going on.

PM- Amazingly, I still smell fresh as a daisy, but the slight itching and burning is becoming more pronounced and I have red whelps in my pits. Really.not.cool. I don’t know if I’m allergic to something in the deodorant or just the constant dampness is irritating my sensitive skin.
I take a shower and go to bed without deo of any kind to let me pits breathe a bit.

Day 5:

AM: It’s Saturday! Once I got to the gym I realized I had never put on deodorant at all this morning so I used the Lady’s Speed Stick I keep at the gym. The itching and burning is gone, mercifully. And I keep noticing throughout the day that pits are dry as a bone. That’s a really, really, really good feeling. Score one for antiperspirant.

Day 6:
Once I get out of the shower, I look at the Schmidty and ponder whether to try again. I love the idea of a natural deodorant, but the moistness in my pits when I use it is really aggravating/distracting/gross/odd. And since I’m not sure if I’m allergic to it or not, I decide not to experiment any further and grab my old anti-perspirant/deo and cake it on.

Here’s my official review of this product. It is a great option if you want to go natural and avoid aluminum chloride. I was NEVER stinky and I worked out 4 of the 4 days I used it. I even made it through a doctor’s appointment that would normally make me very stinky from the stress.

However, I just couldn’t get over the wet pits that stemmed from it being a deodorant only. Apparently, neither could my pits as they rashed out in protest. I’ll hang on to this product and try it again in the fall/winter when it’s not 100% humidity and heat and see if that makes a difference.

If you are looking to try something natural, I would recommend you try Schmidt’s. They have different varieties if Lavender and Sage isn’t your jam. I think the Bergamot and Lime sounds divine!

UPDATE
I shared my thoughts with Schmidt's and they were super nice with their response and offered to exchange my product for another one.

Thanks for sharing the Schmidt's love! After reading your blog post I wanted to share some tips and tricks to better your Schmidt's experience. Some report a temporary transition during which they may experience more odor and wetness while the body releases fluids previously blocked by aluminum in the sweat glands. Not sure if this is the case for you, but it might be that you'll notice increased effectiveness after giving it some time to "kick in." Also, I do have one pro tip for you: try holding it under your arm momentarily to soften upon contact with body heat--this is the perfect time for maximum absorption so it should give you a little extra boost.

By the way, we also offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee, we'll always be happy to set you up with an exchange so you can try one of our other products. Our Charcoal + Magnesium deo combines some of our most effective ingredients into a single formula! You’ll find adsorbent charcoal, magnesium, and odor neutralizing sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) all in the same smooth deo. Find out why this innovative deo is shaking things up on our blog: https://schmidtsnaturals.com/care/charcoal-magnesium-schmidts-best-formula-ever

Wow! What great customer service!
Stay Strong Y'all!


I just updated my "Affiliates I Love" page, check it out!


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!


**I am not receiving any compensation for my review of this product. The opinions are 100% my own. That said, if you do decide to shop through the links above, Amazon gives me a few pennies to thank you for referring you. And if you subscribe to Birchbox using my link above, I get $5 to spend in their store. 

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Sorry, It Ain't Water!


I love soda, coffee, sweet tea and energy drinks. I love them like Brick loves lamp.

But I know that water is best, so I drink at least a gallon a day and then sneak a few treats in occasionally.

Wait, who am I kidding. It’s coffee every morning. That is  non-negotiable.

But sometimes water gets boring. Sometimes I miss that carbonation burn.

Have you jumped on the La Croix train? Well, I’m too cheap for La Croix, so I decided to try the Kroger brand seltzer water. Seltzer water is just water with some carbonation added. 

 Y’all, it’s nasty. Not the Kroger brand per se, but seltzer water in general. Who’s idea was this?

It tastes like really bad medicine.

It reminds me of the first time I tried beer. Really, who drinks their first beer and says “DELICIOUS!”

No one. It’s an acquired taste for sure. So I’m hoping this seltzer water will grow on me. I mean, I love a good beer now, so there’s hope, right?

Anyway, the point of this post is not how nasty seltzer water is. The point is that you have to be careful when shopping for water. Seltzer water is water.

But not all water is water.

While I was perusing the Kroger aisle looking at flavored waters, I spotted this.





To someone who doesn’t like water, but is trying to increase their water intake, it looks really tempting, doesn’t it?

But look closely. It’s not water. It’s a “water beverage”. Look at the ingredients. Do they look familiar?




Y’all. It’s not water. It’s basically Sprite Zero. Almost identical ingredients!


Sprite Zero Lemon Lime
Kroger Strawberry Water Beverage
Carbonated Water
X
X
Citric Acid
X
X
Potassium Citrate
X
X
Natural Flavors
X
X
Potassium Benzoate
X
X
Aspartame
X

Acesulfame Potassium
X
X
Malic Acid

X
Sucralose

X
Neotame

X

 I’m not saying there is anything wrong with an occasional Sprite Zero, but please don’t think you are drinking water when you are drinking a soda. Share this with anyone trying to drink more water so they don’t fall into this marketing trap.

Shame on Kroger for marketing this product this way!


Stay Strong Y'all!


I just updated my "Affiliates I Love" page, check it out!


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!


Thursday, April 6, 2017

Fat Loss VS Muscle Gain

Me: What is your goal for the next 3 months? Fat loss? Muscle Gain?

New Client: BOTH!

Me: Sorry, but you have to pick one.


What? You mean I can't make my muscles bigger and lose this fat around my belly in the next three months? 



Sorry, nope. You cannot gain muscle and lose fat at the same time...unless you are very special* or on drugs**.

Why? Here's the quick and dirty

  • BMR- Basal Metabolic Rate. The number of calories it takes each day to keep you exactly the way you are while doing nothing but resting. No weight loss, no weight gain. 
  • TDEE- Total Daily Energy Expenditure. The number of calories it takes each day to keep you exactly the way you are while going about your normal daily activities. 
  • Gaining muscle means you are actually adding mass to your body. Your weight will increase because there is more of you. Where will the building blocks for the gain come from? Calories! To gain mass you have to eat enough calories to be in excess of your TDEE.
  • Losing fat means you are taking mass off your body. You will weigh less because you are carrying less fat. How will this happen? You will take in calories under your TDEE.

You see the problem with trying to do both? They are on opposite ends of the spectrum! 

The good news though is that when you lose fat, the muscles you already have will stand out more and have more definition, making it look like you gained muscle. I think this is what women mean when they say that they want to get "toned" (a word I would like to abolish). 

If you are bulking (the term for trying to put on mass), the good news is that you get to eat a lot more than you normally would! However, you have to be mentally strong to truly bulk as you will gain fat and get fluffy while bulking. Sorry, there's no way around that. The key is to do an appropriate, well thought out bulk to maximize muscle gain and minimize fat gain. 

Lastly, all these things take TIME!! We aren't talking days or weeks here. We are talking months and years. Be patient and keep your eyes on the prize. To see physique changes that last, you need to cycle through periods of bulk, maintenance, fat loss, maintenance, and keep repeating until desired results are achieved.

PS: Another word I dislike: "bulky", as in "I don't want to get "bulky".  Some women do put on muscle easily and without a good nutrition strategy this muscle will build under their fat layer and cause them to get bigger overall. A good nutrition plan can minimize this by maintaining the strong muscle they already have, but cutting the layer of fat down.

*If you are new to fitness, are extremely overweight and/or are new to dietary tracking it is possible for a brief window to both lose fat and gain muscle at the same time. But it's a small window of opportunity. Don't count on this to be your golden goose.

**Performance Enhancing Drugs can help the user to override normal biological responses. Not recommended.

If you are interested in losing fat or gaining muscle or both (over a period of time!) and need a little help, look here.

Stay Strong Y'all!


I just updated my "Affiliates I Love" page, check it out!


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!