Today’s WOD 9/8/2014

Morning everyone! One day behind but here was our wod from yesterday. Our wod for today is still undetermined. It will be more lower body intensive tho because the slam balls from yesterday killed me. lol

9/8/2014 Wod

Warm up
100 Double Unders
3 Rounds
5 Burpees
10 Kbswings
15 Air Squats

Strength
Bench Press 1rm (I got 75)

WOD-Parnter!!
10 Ball Slams 30lb
10 Double unders
10 Burpees

Score- 7 Plus 20 (If we would have had a 20lb slam ball for me we would have been able to better that ball killed me. But more reasons to get on tract with our new strength program. 1rm’s this week and new program starts next week.)

Question of the day- I have started a new WOD, Emom, Everything Crossfit related notebook- What is your fav. WOD, Emom or really anything crossfit related that you have done? Any warm up that just stands out from another? Or wod that you hate but love? Let me know! Looking for new fun wods todo!

I’m back!!!!!! :D Sorry for my slacking ways!

Hello all my amazing blog followers! I’m so sorry for my slacking starting even before summer! We (as a family) have just had so much stuff going on. I don’t see it slowing down alot for the next 6 month but it has slowed up some so here I am. And hopefully no more slacking from me!

So lets see. We have alot of catching up to do. Let me try to make it short & sweet for y’all. I don’t want to bore you with my first blog back! 😉

Here are a few updated pics of our new home Garage gym. We have added a couple new wall balls, a new kbell, and a rower. I think we are pretty well set for now. We love our gym. We basically only workout at home now other then when we are in Florida and then we go to Crossfit OCD.

We have been training pretty hard all summer. The only downside to doing all our workout’s at home is the heat. Our old box on base was air conditioned and for a box that is rare. So lucky them all summer. lol But I did look up the benefits to training in heat and humidity and there are some major benefits. So I’m really looking forward to fall to see how it helped out overall. (I’ll Post a different blog with information on training the heat) And we never worked out in the prime of the heat and sun. Well I can not say never but rarely. Most were done around 7 so it was normally down in the mid 90’s instead of 100 plus. Plus no direct sun.

Here are a few of my fav pictures from the summer

Our summer consisted of alot of handstand pictures and pistols pretty much anywhere we went. lol Yes we are those people. And we are okay with it! 😉 The last picture was one of the days we were watching the crossfit games! 😀 First time I was in cute crossfit stuff looking cute and fresh! I was pretty excited b/c we had ESPN 3 on our Xbox360 so I was able to enjoy ALLLLLLL Every second of the crossfit games! Now because our son was 18 months at the time it took us a little bit longer then it should have and we had to avoid getting on facebook to make sure we didn’t find anything out but It was worth it! We had so much fun watching everything and cheering everyone on and I was very happy with the outcome! 😀

Okay lets see what other things happened? I passed my Health Coach test! So I am now a certified personal trainer with ACE and Health coach and hopefully very soon I’ll have my level one for Crossfit!!!! 😀 My husband and I going to try to get it this fall or Christmas time frame. We have to get it before February next year because we also found out he will be leaving for a year deployment to Korea. After Korea he will be separating from the airforce and joining the guard or reserve and hopefully with in the next 1-2 years we will have our own box opened somewhere in the central Florida area! We also are wanting to get our Level 2 when he gets back from Korea so we can open our Gym with both having our Level 2’s. Fingers crossed everything will workout. But no worries I will keep y’all updated on everything! Like I said no more slacking from this girl!

Oh I also really kicked my butt into gear with eating right. I went and did the bod pod in June and was pretty disappointed with what happened. Pretty much when the lady went over my results she pulled out the 1 pound of muscle and 1 pound of fat to show me what both look like. Now she had no clue that I already knew that and a ton more. So I let her go over it all. And basically it was sad that for how I was busting my butt what my body fat was at. Higher then it had been most likely ever in my life even though I was working out so much harder then I ever had. I had gained 9 lbs of muscle so that was a plus but it was a wake up call that I needed to start eating right. Eating right is key. Just because you bust your butt everyday it does not give you the right to eat whatever you want and put bad stuff in your body. The right food is key to a happy healthy body. Well after I left that was it I really committed to eating right and cutting drastically back on my wine. And you know what? It worked. I Confused and Amazed not only the lady who did my test yesterday but the other lady who did my test 3 months ago. My results were great and apparently something they do not see happen very often. It was a very dramatic difference. I’m now at a lower body fat then I have ever been even when I only weighed 126 and I now weigh 135! 😀 I still have some more bad body fat to lose mainly in my tummy from having a baby. But I’m okay with that. I left super happy!

Well I think the only think I have left to share is a few of my fav. non crossfit pictures from summer. Sorry again for my slacking ways! Wods, Recipes and daily wods are back in full gear! 😀 I hope y’all had a great summer also!

Should You Drink Coconut Water?

My husband and I started drinking Coconut water during our last competition to stay hydrated during it. Doing 3 wod’s in one day can take alot out of you that’s for sure. My husband was unaware of the amount of sugar in Gatorade until I showed him and then showed him the coconut water. The water won hands down. lol. I found this article with some great information to help you learn about coconut water if you don’t know about it already! I’m looking forward to making some popsicals this summer with it and smoothies so stay posted for recipes in the neer future! Even tho we do like it we will never replace our normal water consumption! Staying hydrated and drinking regular water is important on a normal basis but when there are times you need some extra hydration other then just water this is a great go to. Okay on to the article! Let me know what y’all think and if you have any interesting things you do with your coconut water! 🙂

The Truth About Coconut Water

here’s been a lot of buzz about coconut water lately. Here’s a description from the website for one of the leading brands:

“For more than 4,000 years, coconut water has been revered as a natural source of nutrition, wellness, beauty and hydration. In times of famine and war, coconut water has been used as an intravenous fluid and saved many lives. It’s the only natural substance that can be safely injected into the human blood stream. Now modern science has validated its effectiveness.”

Is Coconut Water Good for You?

Now, I don’t think they’re suggesting that you inject it directly into your veins—at least I hope not. But it certainly makes coconut water sound pretty special. The site goes on to list many of the “amazing benefits” of coconut water. It’s said to help with:

Muscle performance

Energy

Weight-loss

Heart health

Stress reduction

Skin, hair & nail health

Mental acuity

Kidney cleansing

Natural hang-over cure

If your hype detector is starting to tingle, then I’ve trained you well. So, let’s take a closer look at this miraculous liquid and see what’s behind all these “amazing benefits.”

Coconut Water Is Not the Same as Coconut Milk
A lot of the health claims made for coconut water are based on its potassium content.
But first, let me quickly clarify the difference between coconut water and coconut milk. Coconut milk is made by grinding up coconut meat and pressing out the liquid. Like the coconut meat itself, coconut milk is very high in fat and, therefore, calories. One cup of coconut milk contains about 550 calories, most of them from fat.

What Is Coconut Water?
Coconut water is the fluid that’s found in the cavity of the coconut when you crack it open. It contains no fat and is very low in calories, about 50 calories for one cup, most of them from natural sugars. In addition to water and sugar, coconut water also contains some minerals such as potassium and magnesium. In fact, as the websites will all tell you, coconut water has more potassium than a banana!

Is Coconut Water Really That Healthy?

As far as I can tell, a lot of the health claims made for coconut water are based on its potassium content. And potassium is certainly a good thing. It is involved in all kinds of essential bodily functions—and I suppose you could parlay that into a list of benefits like the one above. But virtually all fruits and vegetables are good sources of potassium. And, when you think about it, that list of benefits would apply to any diet that’s high in fruits and vegetables.

People who eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables get about twice the recommended intake of potassium on average. And one of the advantages of getting your potassium from fruits and vegetables instead of coconut water is that you also get fiber and a whole range of other important nutrients. I’m not saying that coconut water is bad for you. But I am suggesting that if you eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, like I’m always telling you to, I’m not sure coconut water offers anything new.

Should You Drink Coconut Water?

Basically, coconut water is like natural Gatorade. Like Gatorade, it contains water, simple carbohydrates (or, sugar), and electrolytes (or, minerals). Compared to a sports drink made with refined sugars, artificial flavoring, and blue food coloring, I’d say coconut water represents a solid upgrade. However, the benefits of sports drinks—whether natural or artificial—tend to be somewhat oversold.

Most sports drinks are consumed by people who aren’t exercising hard enough to need electrolyte replacement or benefit from additional carbohydrates. They end up consuming more calories than they’re burning. Here are my general guidelines for sports drinks: If you’re exercising very hard for more than 60 minutes, or in extremely hot conditions, a drink containing sugar and minerals can enhance your performance. Otherwise, plain water works just as well—and saves you some calories.

What are some of the other claims for coconut water?

Prevents dehydration. In third world countries where clean water is scarce and children regularly die from infections and dehydration, coconut water can indeed save lives. But the coconut water sold in developed countries is probably too pricey to be much help in that scenario. And among those who can afford to pay $2 for a bottle of coconut water, deaths from cholera and typhoid are fairly rare.

Promotes heart health. Consuming foods or beverages rich in potassium, including coconut water, may help reduce the risk of hypertension and stroke.

Promotes kidney health. Diets high in potassium, magnesium, and fluids are thought to reduce the risk of kidney stones, so it’s not surprising that coconut water is reported to help prevent or resolve kidney stones.

Fights aging. Coconut water also contains compounds that seem to protect cells against aging and cancer—in test tubes anyway. It’s exciting to think that drinking coconut water could make us immune to aging and disease. But we really should know better by now. The world is chock-a-bloc with compounds that stop aging and disease in petri dishes. And yet, we don’t seem to have solved the problem of aging and disease. I think its naïve to think that coconut water is the elixir we’ve all been waiting for.

How to Get the Benefits of Coconut Water

At the end of the day, coconut water is a reasonably nutritious, natural beverage that appears to have health benefits similar to those available from fruits and vegetables. It doesn’t replace fruits and vegetables, but if you just like the way it tastes (or the amazing testimonials have gotten to you), there’s nothing wrong with including it your diet as well. Just remember to account for the sugar and calories it provides.

– See more at: http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/healthy-eating/is-coconut-water-good-for-you#sthash.z9kseh1S.dpuf

Asparagus Health Benefits! YUM!

How do y’all feel about asparagus? Its one of my favorite sides for our meals! I love it just steamed or grilled but there are so many ways you can incorporate it into your meals! I love love it! And if you haven’t tried it you really should it has great health benefits and is so yummy!

Health Benefits of Asparagus

And just as a spear is used as a weapon, asparagus’s javelin-shaped form could be viewed as symbolic for its age- and disease-fighting abilities. Asparagus is just packed with health benefits:

It’s loaded with nutrients: Asparagus is a very good source of fiber, folate, vitamins A, C, E and K, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.
This herbaceous plant—along with avocado, kale and Brussels sprouts—is a particularly rich source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps break down carcinogens and other harmful compounds like free radicals. This is why eating asparagus may help protect against and fight certain forms of cancer, such as bone, breast, colon, larynx and lung cancers.
Asparagus is packed with antioxidants, ranking among the top fruits and vegetables for its ability to neutralize cell-damaging free radicals. This, according to preliminary research, may help slow the aging process.

Another anti-aging property of this delicious spring veggie is that it may help our brains fight cognitive decline. Like leafy greens, asparagus delivers folate, which works with vitamin B12—found in fish, poultry, meat and dairy—to help prevent cognitive impairment. In a study from Tufts University, older adults with healthy levels of folate and B12 performed better on a test of response speed and mental flexibility. (If you’re 50-plus, be sure you’re getting enough B12: your ability to absorb it decreases with age.)

One more benefit of asparagus: It contains high levels of the amino acid asparagine, which serves as a natural diuretic, and increased urination not only releases fluid but helps rid the body of excess salts. This is especially beneficial for people who suffer from edema (an accumulation of fluids in the body’s tissues) and those who have high blood pressure or other heart-related diseases.

And finally, to answer a question I often get regarding why eating asparagus causes a strong urinary odor: asparagus contains a unique compound that, when metabolized, gives off a distinctive smell in the urine. Young asparagus contains higher concentrations of the compound so the odor is stronger after eating these vernal shoots. There are, however, no harmful effects, either from the sulfuric compounds or the odor! While it is believed that most people produce these odorous compounds after eating asparagus, few people have the ability to detect the smell.

The most common type of asparagus is green, but you might see two others in supermarkets and restaurants: white, which is more delicate and difficult to harvest, and purple, which is smaller and fruitier in flavor. No matter the type you choose, asparagus is a tasty, versatile vegetable that can be cooked in myriad ways or enjoyed raw in salads.

Keep in mind these cooking tips to preserve antioxidants and keep your preparation healthy:

Roast, grill or stir-fry your asparagus. These quick-cooking, waterless methods will preserve the fabulous nutritional content and antioxidant power of asparagus.

Enjoy your asparagus without salt, butter or sauces to get the most out of its diuretic properties, as salt can cause water retention in some people.

Cheryl Forberg, R.D., is a James Beard Award-winning author, the nutritionist for NBC’s The Biggest Loser and author of Positively Ageless: A 28-Day Plan for a Younger, Slimmer, Sexier You (Rodale, 2008).

Diet Soda and Diet Drinks Make You Fat and Cause Type 2 Diabetes?!?

Okay so my drink of choice is 1st water and then wine. I need to cut the wine down to once a week but other wise I’m pretty happy with what I drink most of the time. But I know a lot of people out there that drink a lot of diet soda. 😦 I’m sure if you google it you could find something on the internet that its good for you in some crazy out there way. But I think there is a lot more information out there stating that it is not good for you and how bad artificial sweeteners are for you. (But that is another post all in its self. lol My husband and I do not and will never use them or give them to our son) But anyways. Here is a pretty good article I found about diet soda.

Diet Soda and Diet Drinks Make You Fat and Cause Type 2 Diabetes

Diet soda makes people fat? Really? How does that happen?

If losing weight were all about the calories, then consuming diet drinks would seem like a good idea. That’s certainly what Coca-Cola wants us to believe in their new ad highlighting their efforts to fight obesity. They proudly promote the fact that they have 180 low- or no-calorie drinks and that they cut sugared drinks in schools by 90 percent.

Is that a good thing? In fact, it may be worse than having us all drink regular Coke (and the other food giants making diet drinks also push the same propaganda).

A new 14-year study of 66,118 women (supported by many other previous studies) found that the opposite seems to be true. Diet drinks may be worse than sugar-sweetened drinks, which are worse than fruit juices (but only fresh-squeezed fruit juices).

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, discovered some frightening facts that should make us all swear off diet drinks and products.

Diet sodas raised the risk of diabetes more than sugar-sweetened sodas!

Women who drank one 12-ounce diet soda had a 33 percent increased risk of Type 2 diabetes, and women who drank one 20-ounce soda had a 66 percent increased risk.

Women who drank diet sodas drank twice as much as those who drank sugar-sweetened sodas because artificial sweeteners are more addictive and are hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar.

The average diet soda drinker consumes three diet drinks a day.

You might say that people who are overweight and just about to get diabetes drink more diet soda, but they scientifically controlled for body weight. And they found the artificial sweeteners increased diabetes independent of body weight!

This and other research shows how diet sodas make people fat and sick.

And that diet drinks may be even worse than regular sugar-sweetened sodas! How does that happen?

Artificial sweeteners are hundreds to thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar, activating our genetically-programmed preference for sweet taste more than any other substance.

They trick your metabolism into thinking sugar is on its way. This causes your body to pump out insulin, the fat storage hormone, which lays down more belly fat.

It also confuses and slows your metabolism down, so you burn fewer calories every day.

It makes you hungrier and crave even more sugar and starchy carbs like bread and pasta.

In animal studies, the rats that consumed artificial sweeteners ate more, their metabolism slowed, and they put on 14 percent more body fat in just two weeks — even eating fewer calories.

In population studies, there was a 200 percent increased risk of obesity in diet soda drinkers.

I love Taylor Swift. I met her last summer. She is a wonderful person with great integrity. I don’t think she knows about this research, and I hope someone shares it with her so she can save millions of children and fans from drinking Diet Coke because she endorses it.

Bottom line: There is no free ride. Diet drinks are not good substitutes for sugar-sweetened drinks. They increase cravings, weight gain, and Type 2 diabetes. And they are addictive.

Mark Hyman, M.D. is a practicing physician, founder of The UltraWellness Center, a five-time New York Times bestselling author, and an international leader in the field of Functional Medicine. You can follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, watch his videos on YouTube, become a fan on Facebook, and subscribe to his newsletter.

Hello Fall, You’ll never understand how much I love you! :)

Happy Fall everyone!!! The weather has been so perfect here! (Hopefully it stays this time!) I just got home from the store and went kind of crazy buying Pumpkins && Squash! This is by far my favorite time of year! I love all our different squash recipes we get to make this time of year! I’m sure y’all know how good squash is for you but do you know the health benefits?

Butternut Squash

Like all members of the gourd family (which includes pumpkin, melon, and cucumber), butternut squash is technically a fruit because it contains seeds. Cut into its pale, yellow-beige hard skin, though, and you’ll discover a vibrant flesh that’s much denser than that of its relatives.

Rich in phytonutrients and antioxidants — and succulent enough to warrant the moniker “butternut” — this graceful, hourglass-like gourd is the perfect addition to an autumn meal.

Health Benefits
Low in fat, butternut squash delivers an ample dose of dietary fiber, making it an exceptionally heart-friendly choice. It provides significant amounts of potassium, important for bone health, and vitamin B6, essential for the proper functioning of both the nervous and immune systems. The folate content adds yet another boost to its heart-healthy reputation and helps guard against brain and spinal-cord-related birth defects such as spina bifida.

Squash’s tangerine hue, however, indicates butternut’s most noteworthy health perk. The color signals an abundance of powerhouse nutrients known as carotenoids, shown to protect against heart disease. In particular, the gourd boasts very high levels of beta-carotene (which your body automatically converts to vitamin A), identified as a deterrent against breast cancer and age-related macular degeneration, as well as a supporter of healthy lung development in fetuses and newborns. What’s more, with only a 1-cup serving, you get nearly half the recommended daily dose of antioxidant-rich vitamin C.

As if this weren’t enough, butternut squash may have anti-inflammatory effects because of its high antioxidant content. Incorporating more of this hearty winter staple into your diet could help reduce risk of inflammation-related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

Cooking Tips
Butternut squash presents the home cook with incredibly easy culinary possibilities. You can just place it on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven for about an hour, or until you can pierce it with a sharp knife. Or remove the skin using a vegetable peeler and cut the flesh into chunks for steaming or sauteing. Once cooked, mash it, puree it for soup, fold it into a pasta or risotto dish, or simply savor your butternut squash as is.

How to Buy
Choose an unblemished fruit that feels heavy for its size with a matte, rather than glossy, skin. A shiny exterior indicates that the fruit was picked too early, and it won’t be as sweet as a fully grown squash. Most winter squash is available late into the fall. Store whole butternut squash in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) with plenty of ventilation; it should keep for up to three months. Cut squash will stay fresh for up to a week, wrapped, in the fridge.