Change...not always a bad thing!

"If you want to see change, you gotta make change"

This is my new FAVORITE quote and not a bad idea to live by. I'm sure you can apply this to endless areas of your life and I hope you do, but since I'm in fitness let me explain how this relates (in my opinion). "If you want to see change, you gotta make change". If you want to see a positive change in your performance in the gym, then you have to make change. You cannot keep lifting at the same intensity you currently are lifting. You cannot keep doing the same routine you are currently doing. YOU MUST CHANGE.

If you want to see a physical change in your body, then you must make change. You cannot keep eating the same thing you currently eat. You have to make changes in what you eat, when you eat, the amount you eat. Ever heard of paleo? It can CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!

Change doesn't have to always be bad! Change can be positive. If you get a promotion, your job is going to change...but that isn't a bad change now is it? If you change your routine and get stronger, that isn't a bad change. If you change your way of eating and become leaner, I don't consider that a bad change. Change doesn't have to be bad! The questions is...are you willing to make the changes?

Vis-a-Vis Knock-Off

If you are reading this then you have recieved one of these, correct?

Okay well maybe its a knock-off brand...but you did recieve one of these types of markers. You might be asking yourself, "what on earth does she want me to do with this?". Well goal setting is VERY important in life. Now you can spend all day and night writing goals, but what good is it going to do if you don't look at your goals...daily? What is something that you look at daily...your mirror. Therefore I want you to take this vis-a-vis pen and write 3-5 goals (at least 3) that you have on your mirror so you see them every day (don't worry this marker wipes right off) I want at least one to be fitness related. Make sure these goals are measurable. Don't write, "Go to the gym more"...unmeasureable. Say, "Go to the gym 4x/wk". That is measurable. "I want to improve my push ups" = unmeasurable. "I want my chest to touch the ground every time I do a push-up within the next 2 weeks" = measurable. Does this make sense? Please let me know of any questions you might have...but always let me know your progress! Pictures are welcome, even if they are taken with your phone!

"The Carrie"

On July 11th, 2010 Carrie (above right) ran a marathon with her friend Annie (on the right who joined us this morning for bootcamp!!). As a runner Carrie has benefit from Crossfit and didn't waste any time returning to her morning bootcamps after her race!

Above Annie, Neil, Carrie, Gina

On Thursday 7.22.10 the 6:30am Jack and Adams class, including Carrie, did a workout to represent her marathon! The workout went as so:

26 burpees (to represent the 26.2mi of a marathon)

3x45sec sprints (Carrie finished in 3hrs 45mins)

7 11sec hold planks (the date of the marathon was 7/11)

Above, Annie and Carrie doing the 26 burpees.

Gina doing her 26 burpees

Annie, Carrie and Neil doing 26 burpees (Neil said he would take care of the .2)

Advocare

I'm not a sales person, but as a coach/instructor/trainer it is my job to tell you about great products that can safely benefit you. Alot of times you associate supplements with a negative opinion/connotation which is understandable! HOWEVER, I know of a company that delivers a safe product that can benefit you in many ways; nutrition, energy, weight loss, performance. This company is called Advocare. In 2009, Advocare celebrated 16 years of excellences! Advocare has helped and changed many people's lives for the better. I have seen all types, shapes and sizes of people benefit from the products. Below are the products that I have had experience with. If you are interested in these products please feel free to contact me and I can help you out! (told you I was not a sales person :))

Thermoplus
Contains sage and oolong tea extracts plus nutritional support to stimulate your metabolism and help you use the calories you consume more efficiently. Use with MNS for enhanced results. 90 capsules.


Spark Energy Drink
Active, on the go lifestyle requires energy and spark is a fantastic source of energy, nutritional and mental focus. *specially formulated with 21 vitamins, minerals and nutrients, spark has been a consistent top seller and a trusted source of nutritionally advanced energy for more than 15 years.


Nightime Recovery
A speedy recovery is essential for anyone trying to improve their exercise program. Night time recovery allows your body to more efficiently respond to the demands of physical activity. * using adaptogens and other nutrients, nighttime recovery improves your body's natural ability to recover, repair and rejuvenate muscles while you sleep. 60 caplets.


Muscle Strength
The ingredients in Muscle Strength have been shown to enhance muscle size and strength while reducing muscle break down. *It supports muscle and fat metabolism with a combonation of natural ingredients that simultaneously encourage muscle strength, growth and endurance. *It also contains botanicals that help the body adapt to physical stress, improve endurance and speed recovery. 60 caplets.


Catalyst
Helps maintain muscle mass during exercise and weight management. Catalyst works to feed the muscles, not the fat, leaving your body m ore toned and better defined. *contains branched-chain amino acids which help support endurance and strength in conjunction with exercise. Helps support post-exercise muscle repair and recovery*. Aids in preserving muscle and energy levels during times of calorie restirction. *Supports mental energy and focus* 90 capsules



MNS*Max3
Now enjoy our most comprehensive weight-loss system yet! MNS*max3 provides everything: sustained energy, appetite control, core nutrition and all-around wellness. *It also contains approximately half the caffeine of our other MNS products. With Calcuim. Plus, Amplify A.T. and ProBiotic Restore Ultra now included in each Max 3 stripe pack, your entire body will enjoy the benefits of this advance system. *14 day supply!

Here you go 12:15pm-ers and client...

My Tuesday 12:15ers swear I always talk about food. Well heck, when you teach a class at 12:15pm what else do you think is on my mind...FOOD! Therefore today I tried to hold back and not talk so much about food. Then when we were stretching, one of my victims said, "hey, you didn't talk about food today". So then I had to share! Above is Carrot Banana Muffins. Let me tell you folks...these are AWESOME and are great with coffee, a.m. OR p.m.!

I some how convinced my client to try one of the muffins. We, my client and I, have to had to "agree to disagree" about my paleo style eating and he LOVED the muffin. He kept saying, "Karen, these aren't that bad really". I was shocked for 2 reasons (1) he was eating a paleo muffin (2) I had impressed someone with my cooking!!!! :)

Super easy to make and worth it! Enjoy!

Murph Day

On Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 a bunch of CrossFitters met at Crossfit Austin to take on The 2nd Annual Murph. The workout included:

1 mile run

100 pull ups

200 push ups

300 squats

1 mile run

Partition the pull ups, push ups, and squats as needed. If you have a weighted vest, wear it!

Melisa, Jess, Pam, Rusty and myself took on the 2nd heat at 9am. The best advice I can give you is to DONT STOP MOVING! While I didn't wear a 20lb vest like Bonita nor was I crazy enough to do it 1.5 times like Jeremy , I did get through it and enjoyed myself. It was even worth the soreness afterwards. Next year you should join!

Oh so yum...

If you know me, you know I cook on Sunday for the week. I enjoy going to the store with my list, getting the items I need and cooking them and enjoying them all week long. It helps me stay on track and gives me no excuses to not only eat bad, but to eat out! I'm a HORRIBLE cook but I still like to do this!

This past Sunday I cooked from 2 different places. Paleo Plan and The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. All but one dish turned out good and honestly for me that is pretty darn good! Below are some pictures from what I cooked Sunday. I don't have pictures of everything.

Got a sweet tooth? This is from the book...Chocolate Chip Scones

Book...Pancakes (which I suck at, notice no after picture)
Turkey Carrot Quiche

Paleo Pizza
There are a few things I would change about the pizza. But with my cooking I figured the first time to make it I should stick with what the recipe said. I would add mushrooms, olives, more peppers and prob other stuff...however it was AWESOME!

I also made Scrumptious Sandwhich Bread (book) which is AMAZING especially when I also made Crockpot Pork Loin to eat on top! I that for lunch and dinner to day...yes that yummy! I have stuff to make Eggplant Parmesan (minus the cheese) (book) and Carrot Banana Muffins. I just didn't get around to that or the No Patato Salad, which I have stuff to make as well.

The best part about cooking at home is I know what went in my dish. Unlike what Central Market did to my love for their "in house Veggie Burger". When you have this good of stuff to eat at home you think twice about eating out!