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!

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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.

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!

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**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. 

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!

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Why Normal People Can’t Have Abs

Did that title catch you attention? Did it make you feel a little smug and justified as to why you don’t have abs? I mean, of course you don’t have abs! You don’t have the genetics of those supermodels or CrossFit athletes. #notfair

Or did it irritate you a little bit because now you think you can never have abs? Like maybe you’ve always wanted abs, but now you realize you can never have them because you are, after all, a normal person.

Well, I’m sorry to tell you, but you are right. If you are a ‘normal’ person, you will never have abs. Think about the average person in the United States. You know the ‘normal’ person. Does he have abs?

The normal person has habits and excuses that they resort to day after day that keep a layer of fluff around their midsections. ABnormal people have a set of rules and regulations that govern their healthy habits and keep those beautiful 6 packs on display.

Abs don’t magically appear because you wish for them. But you can become ABnormal and adopt the habits of those 6 Packers. Once you decide to no longer be normal, you can become ABnormal!

Take a look at these habits and see where you fall.

Normal folks	ABnormal folks
Go to the gym when it is convenient or when they have a spare moment	Fitness is non-negotiable. They have a workout routine and they schedule their lives to incorporate that
Exercise regularly, but don’t track food intake	Know that abs are made in the kitchen
Eat out for lunch daily	Bring their lunch and snacks with them wherever they go
Throw all healthy eating plans out the window on the weekend	Realize that the weekends are just as important to their goals as weekdays
Don’t weigh, measure and/or track foods eaten	Know their macro goals and consistently track & monitor each bite of food
Don’t eat enough protein	Realize that abs are muscles and you need to fuel them with protein to keep them strong
Don’t eat enough/cut calories excessively	To fuel their workouts and keep their muscles strong, ABnormal folks make sure to fuel their bodies every day.
Do 100 sit ups every day	Know you cannot spot train. To have strong, prominent abs, you have to eat right, have low enough body fat for abs to show and strength train.
Run for hours	Realize that cardio is important for fitness, but don’t do so much that they cannibalize the muscle they have.
Have kids/family/job and use them as an excuse	Objectively look at their obligations and schedule time for themselves. They set a good example for their family of self-care and health.
Treats every meal as a celebration and/or last supper	Treats every meal as an opportunity to get closer to their goals or to move away from them.
Dietary compliance is all over the place.	90% + diet compliance. People with abs do enjoy food and treats, but it is savored and enjoyed with the bigger picture in mind.
Eat a diet full of highly processed carbohydraes	Acquires most all carbs from veggies and fruits
Whip into a fast food place because they are starving	Whip the car off the road and dig through their stash of healthy snacks they keep with them at all times.
Gives up after 15 days because rewards aren’t coming fast enough	Knows that this isn’t a diet. It’s a lifestyle. There is no end point.

Now, I’m not saying normal is wrong. Normal is normal. Normal is fine! But if you really want abs, you have to reject normal and accept the ABnormal mindset. You have to adopt the ABnormal habits. You can no longer sit around and wonder why you work so hard, but don’t have abs.

If the ABnormal list looks a little weird and hard, trust me, it is! That’s why most people don’t have 6 packs! But it's not un-doable. It's just a mindset.

And don’t confuse ABnormal with neglecting your other life responsibilities. All of the things ABnormal people do can be done by anyone while still leading a full, balanced life.

DISCIPLINE IS JUST CHOOSING BETWEEN WHAT YOU WANT MOST AND WHAT YOU WANT RIGHT NOW.

Got thoughts or questions? Let me know below.

STAY STRONG Y’ALL!

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The Problem Of Getting A Bad Ass New Shirt...

A few Friday's ago, LiveSore Nashville came to the box for 17.2 and I went home with this sweet "Traps & Tats" tank.

I frickin' love it. I feel so boss and bad ass when I rock it.

However, I also feel like a fraud. A hypocrite.

You see, the shirt says, "Tats".

As in plural.

As in more than one.

I only have one tat.

Can I wear this shirt honestly?

Should I get another tat?

I want another tat.

But I'm trying to save money.

And I want a big tat.

Hand drawn by my daughter.

Seriously, it's already drawn up.

Or maybe just a little tat.

A small, minimal something that is actually really deep and metaphorical.

Do tattoos go on sale?

Do you want a tat that was on sale?

Can J do it? He's artsy.

Do they sell tattoo guns on Amazon?

Oh wow, they do.

Hmmmm....what all else would we need?

Is it cheaper just to get the tat at my shop?

Wait, can I say, "my shop" since I only have one tattoo?

Hang on. Since my current tat is actually a cover up...do I indeed have 'tats', plural?

The circle of life.

Oh man, two gym buds just brought up the 'let's get tats' discussion.

#want

Random conversations I have with myself.

Stay Strong Y'all!


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

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

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I Am Accepting Applications!

Hey Y'all!

I'm currently accepting applications for the following position:

Gym Caddy

Responsibilities include:

Loading/unloading my barbell during weightlifting work- If I expend energy loading and unloading my barbell, that's less energy I have for my workout. The ideal candidate will be fluent in both metric and U.S. customary units.

Setting up equipment- The time before a workout needs to be spent mentally preparing for the task at hand and emptying the bladder. My gym caddy will allow me to do such things by setting up all needed equipment prior to my workout. This could include boxes, jump ropes, abmats, kettlebells, barbells, etc. 

Knowing my abilities- My gym caddy must know all my maxes, my preferences for rig stations, barbells and boxes, and my capabilities for any given workout. This ties into the duties listed above as the ideal candidate knows precisely what I need for any wod and he/she will generally not need to question me as to which weight and/or size equipment I need. 

Ensuring I have chalk at all times- The gym caddy will be held responsible for ensuring that I am never more than 3 feet from a solid piece of chalk. Minimum dimension on said piece of chalk is 1x2x3. 

Mixing/presenting pre workout drink- Pre workout hydration and supplementation is incredibly important and my gym caddy will ensure that I am ready for the day’s work. Caddy will be expected to know whether the day’s work requires stimulant-type pre workout, supplement-type pre workout or a mixture of both.

Preparing/presenting post workout nutrition- Gym caddy will have the post workout nutrition ready for consumption within 15 minutes of workout completion. The meal or drink will already be planned/packaged by me, caddy may need to assemble and/or heat.

Counting repetitions- Gym caddy will be responsible for ensuring an accurate rep count of all movements. Whether it’s 5 reps or 50, he/she must ensure I do not lose count.

Other duties as dictated. Could include cheering and motivating, mopping up blood/sweat/urine,  playing the role of a child in CF kids classes,  fetching towels, turning on fans, turning off fans, etc.

This position is open immediately. Hours vary based on time of year and my mood. Salary is non-existent however; I write excellent letters of recommendation and will gladly lobby for MSU credit hours for the right candidate. Please send resumes to gymcaddy@crossfitmurray.com

**Please note: this is a joke**

**Unless you like to work for free**

Stay Strong Y'all!

RANDOM: Do you Skimm? Check it out to be smart.

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Can An (Almost) Master's Athlete Survive A CrossFit Comp?

As I'm typing this, I am wondering...

1) If my fingers are strong enough to support my body weight and pull myself to bed.

2) If I do make it to bed, will I be able to sleep through the raging DOMS? Oh wait, it isn't DOMS because it started yesterday as I was hobbling off the comp floor. There was no "Delayed Onset". 

3) If I will be able to train at all tomorrow? Or Tuesday? OR EVER?? Melodramatic. I know.

Why am I sitting here pondering just laying on the couch for the foreseeable future? Because I am an 'almost' Master's athlete that ran with the young 'ens in a CrossFit Competition yesterday. And my body is HATING ME today. 

My quads are calling me names that would make a deaf rapper blush.

My calves are waging a full internal attack on me by using (what feels like) a dull butter knife to release themselves from me.

My inner thighs would feel better if they had done 1000 reps with a Thigh Master made of titanium.

My traps are permanently attached to my ears. I'm thinking of getting some body jewelry to dress them up and make the fusion look prettier. 

My body is basically just screaming,

DAMN IT WOMAN! WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?

Don't get me wrong, it was AMAZINGLY fun! Our team got fourth and we killed some WODS. 

I personally did 70+ thrusters in an event and matched my clean PR of 175 pounds. We got to compete in the really fun final WOD that had us doing human wheelbarrows! I mean really, how cool is that?

My teammates were AMAZING as usual and really pulled out all the stops to get our team into the top 5. Those two girls hustled hard all day and gave everything they had. They picked up the slack when my double unders disappeared and did a million sit ups, push ups and dumbbell snatches! And one had been suffering from the stomach flu just 48 hours prior to the competition and still kicked butt!

I'm pretty sure they don't feel wrecked today.

I do. 

Why? Because I'm almost 38. 

I'm too young to compete in CrossFit Masters, but on the days after comps, I feel way too old to be running with 20 year olds!

Come on CrossFit HQ, let's pull the Masters division down to 35!

Until that happens, I'll keep acting like I'm a decade and a half younger I guess!

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 me on Periscope, I'm crossfitang.  I broadcast about fitness, nutrition, life improvement, planning and organizing and lots of random stuff.

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I'm Starting A New Monthly Subscription Service!

So you've probably heard of BirchBox or WODbox or MessyBox or one of the hundreds of other monthly subscription services. You have right? I love BirchBox and have referred many of you to it because it's a fun way to try new health and beauty products. And it's like Christmas every month! Check it out, if you haven't already, at this link.

Well, this morning I stumbled across a website that helps you start your own monthly subscription service! Yes! How fun would that be? Every month I could pick out some fun goodies to mail to really cool people?!?! What theme would I choose? Healthy eating? Flexible Dieting? Organizing? Fitness? Turtles? And then I got it. Who's ready to subscribe to get a monthly...


"RANDOM BOX OF SHIT!"

Yes! Every month, for the cute little amount of $9.99, you can get my artfully curated Random Box Of Shit!

February's box: A peanut butter sample, a hair tie, some thumb tacks, a jump rope and a ninja throwing start!

March's box: A Keurig Cup, an antibiotic ointment, pretty file folders, a Godiva chocolate and a bull whip!

April's box: A bean sprouting kit, a 1/2 pound peanut butter cup, crazy socks, a packet of cute labels and a Dos Equis!

I'm so jazzed about this! Something for everyone! Who's with me? Subscribe today!

LOL, so maybe the world isn't ready for this fabulous idea, but if you are............

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 me on Periscope, I'm crossfitang.  I broadcast about fitness, nutrition, life improvement, planning and organizing and lots of random stuff.

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Random Thoughts At 5 AM. Who Is Greyber Rubio?

Current Situation:

Eleiko is having no problem sleeping.

I didn't put up a tree last year at all. This year I at least put up a baby one.

So what do you do when you wake up wide awake at 5 AM....and you went to bed at midnight?

Hmmm....I had such a fun, great night last night that I had trouble winding down and then woke up at the end of a weirdo dream wide awake just a few minutes ago. (Today will be fun).

I decided to just write a random blog because there is so much stuff in my brain that I need to get out. This will not be the most grammatacilly correct or most fluid post ever, just roll with me.

After Dallas I decided to not compete anymore in 2015. My body was pretty tired of maintaining comp weight and constantly being pushed hard. I'm no spring chicken and it was getting harder and harder to recover from each event. But then an email inviting CFM to compete in Reps for a Reason found it's way into my inbox last week.

And I love me some powerlifting....

So I entered last Saturday. I weighed in that day at 123.2 and completed

90 squats at 75% body weight
22 bench presses at 65% body weight
40 deadlifts at 85% bodyweight

And then I couldn't walk right for the next 84 hours. Seriously. I've NEVER been that sore in my life.

Last night we hosted our annual Pound For Pound Lifting Challenge and I decided to lift (I'm not real good with the "I'm not competing" thing am I?). It was so fun because I had zero expectations and I didn't cut weight. I just showed up and lifted with friends. I weighed in at 122.8 and snatched 125 and clean and jerked 165. No PRs, but I did attempt to PR both and got really close.

Another reason last night was fun is that I live broadcasted the event on Periscope. Y'all, I'm addicted to that thing! If you aren't on Periscope, it's like YouTube, but LIVE! I get to pretend like I am a reporter or a talk show host. SO FUN! I need to figure out how to get paid to do that.... Wanna hire me to live broadcast your event? :) If you get a chance, hop over to Periscope and follow me. I'm crossfitang over there.

The other awesome thing last night was watching our pre-teens and teens lift. They did sooooo good!! The girls all hit PRs and they were mostly really pretty lifts. I think the boys all hit PRs as well, but their lifts started looking like demolition derbies at the end! Lol, there were barbells and bodies flying everywhere.

I love working with our teenagers! That is were my teacher heart lies. I love watching them get frustrated and then growing. I love the smile on their faces when they do well. CrossFit and weightlifting is just so dang good for kids. It teaches them patience, dedication, humility and perseverance.

Everybody last night was awesome. From the athletes to the parents to the judges to the spectators, it was great!

When I got home, Jeremy and I stayed up watching the videos from the night until almost midnight. I had a little trouble falling asleep because I just kept going over every lift I attempted. #weightlifterproblems

Once I finally fell asleep, I dreamt I was visiting my old school. I was coming in to do a guest lecture and I had brought a few friends. Somewhere in this, a friend (I think it was Audrey), told the custodian he was doing a crappy job. He proceeded to tell us to do it ourselves then and stomped away.

As we were cleaning the cafeteria of styrofoam peanuts (why?!), the cafeteria became overcome by a weird presence. Yep, the cafeteria was haunted and the ghost was harassing us. He was dumping our mop buckets and making big messes after we had just cleaned up.

Weirdly enough, we discovered it was the ghost of the janitor! (I have no idea when he died, but oh well!) We started communicating with him via an Etch-A-Sketch and he told us he was tired of being treated like poop. He said everyone took him for granted and no one ever spoke to him. In fact, he said, no one even knew his name. So we asked what his name was.

Greyber Rubio

And then I woke up. At 5 AM.

And couldn't go back to sleep.

So I got up and fixed a cup of coffee and grabbed a slice of cold pepperoni pizza. Breakfast of champions, right? (My macros will be a little flexible today).

I watched a few Periscopes (Told ya I was addicted) and then decided to write this. My alarm will be going off at 7 AM, but I plan on just sitting here in this chair until then.

What do you do when you are wide awake at an ungodly hour?

Do you 'scope?

WHO IS GREYBER RUDIO??

Stay Strong Y'all!

Hey, I know you may not know me that well, but can I ask you to do something for me? An early Christmas gift if you will? 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 me on Periscope, I'm crossfitang.  I broadcast about fitness, nutrition, life improvement, planning and organizing and lots of random stuff.

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

Gift guide for your CrossFitter!

I first published this over at crossfitmurray.com, but thought I'd share it over here as well. 

Are you a CrossFitter with a clueless family? Or do you have to shop for a CrossFitter and have no idea where to begin? Here are 16 great ideas at many different price points! 

3-2-1 SHOP!

1)    Demon Bell $60- $175- One of these would definitely make your CrossFitter Smile! Prices vary depending on weight, but generally men want a 53 lb and women want a 35 lb. If those aren’t enough for you, add in a really cool Demon Bell Key Chain $29.99 

2)    Muscle Clamps $9.29- Every gym provides clamps for the barbell, but some of us like to whip out our own pair. You know, just to look boss.

3)    Junk headband $14-$24 -Men and women agree these headbands are the best! They are made in the good ol’ USA in Bentonville, Arkansas!

4)    RPM Jump Rope $49.95- This is one bad mammer jammer jump rope! For a little extra $$, you can get it personalized for your giftee!

5)    Natural Grips  $23.98- The first time your hands rip in CrossFit you are kind of excited. The second time though you realize it sucks and you need some hand protection. Try these!

6)    BioFreeze $10.49- Growing muscles are often achey muscles. BioFreeze to the rescue!

7)    Nanos from $99- Because CrossFit is a cult, we all must dress alike and it starts with our shoes. Get your CrossFitter a pair of Reebok Nano’s asap so he/she can fully fit in.

8)    MetCons from $120-  But wait, if your CrossFitter is more of a rebel, he/she might want to go the Nike Footwear route. These are the latest CF shoe on the scene and your hipster might be down with that.

9)    Rogue Fitness Lifting straps $13.50- When you lift big weight, lifting straps help you out. These are by Rogue Fitness and are super sexy in their simplicity.

10)     King Kong Gym bag  from $129.00- These are the ultimate gym bags. HUGE and very organized. Show your love for your CF’er by giving them a BIG OL’ BAG!

11)    Gym Boss Interval Timer $19.95- When your CrossFit cutie wants to do a Tabata or interval sprints, this little timer is a great tool!

12)     Food scale $7.95- When your macro game is strong you need a food scale. When your macro game is weak, you still need a food scale.

13)    6 Pack Meal Bag $71.95- If the way to a man’s heart is his stomach, then this bag will get you in deep! The meal management bag keeps food organized and cool all day long!

14)      Nubs  $9.95- saving the nubs from hookgrip since 2013

15)        Athletic tape 16.50- The distress call of the CF athlete, “Does anyone have some tape?” 

16)    CrossFit 2015 Invitational Shirt $32-$35- Because, 'Merica

Comment below and let us know what you are getting or giving!

Disclaimers

1* CrossFit is not a cult

2* Some of these are affiliate links and we get a few pennies if you shop through these links

3* Prices are accurate as of this posting

My Top 5 Posts Of My First 100 Posts!

When I hit publish the other day I couldn't believe it was my 100th post! Wow! And I couldn't believe that people have actually read what I wrote, commented on it and shared it! Thanks y'all!

To celebrate, I wanted to go back and find my top 5 posts, based on number of views. I've linked each post so you can go back and check them out. Here we go!

5th Most Viewed: 
I did a series on If It Fits Your Macros and Flexible Dieting, and Part 2 was the 5th most popular post I've written. Lol, why didn't y'all like the other parts?

4th Most Viewed:
I was hot and bothered when I wrote this post about being Commit-O-Phobes! We are all busy so we should really get over it!

3rd Most Viewed: 
This was one of my favorite posts to write and I'm so happy so many people got to share the experience of winning Bronze at the Worlds Masters Cup Weightlifting Championships with me!

2nd Most Viewed:
Dana is a former client who completely rocked her nutrition plan and reaped (and still is reaping) huge results from dialing in her nutrition! In this guest post, she reflected on how she felt during a recent competition as the "bug" in the proverbial "sometimes you're the bug, sometimes you're the windshield" metaphor.

1st Most Viewed:
This was not a fun one to write. Here I had just completely blown a big weightlifting competition and was trying to come to grips with the failure.

Thank you all so much for following along on my crazy journey! I feel like I wear a lot of hats. Mom, Wife, CrossFitter, Weightlifter, coach, nutrition coach, Tupperware Lady, organizer and planner.... I appreciate you all listening to me ramble about the randomness of my thoughts!

Stay tuned as I have plans to add another hat to my head soon..... :) :) :)


Stay Strong Y'all!

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! 

Check me out on Periscope, I'm crossfitang

Check me out on Instagram, I'm doodleturtle