Want.Believe.Achieve

Surprise

Lisa — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 20:36:20 +0000

It’s true!

I still blog But just not today…well..not on here today. Head on over to Ali’s site and check out my guest post on her recent marathon from an active spectators point of view.

As for me- I am going to be celebrating a whole new decade of my life. Today I officially turn 30! Woop woop The celebration started last week with a surprise party at Maggiano’s, is continuing tonight with some lovely ladies and Regina’s pizza, and ending tomorrow with a dinner and Peter Pan with Jack.

Nothing says Happy 30th Birthday like having your face on a stick…in a beer bottle. I am a lucky girl.

Some days you have it, some days you don’t

Lisa — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:48:49 +0000

So, I got my ass handed to me at Crossfit tonight, but before I get into that let’s discuss what’s going on:

Today was my first day back at school. Tomorrow is my first day with kids. I couldn’t fall asleep last night because of these facts (and I probably won’t tonight either).

To make the most of the situation I am waking up to meet my friend Maureen for a run at 5:30. Running (or working out) with a friend on school mornings is one of my favorite ways to start the day, but I lost my motivation to wake up that early a long time ago. Tomorrow will be my first attempt in a long time to workout before school. Wish me luck!

This morning I headed to school around 6:45am to get some work done before my 9am teacher’s meeting. While I was being productive as I could be after a summer off, I munched on a waffle-pb-& banana sandwich and sipped a french vanilla iced coffee.

I only needed to be in school until 12:00 so I didn’t pack a snack, water, or a lunch. Bad idea. I was there putzing around until a little after 4. I was so hungry, but I figured I could eat my Clif bar (per usual) and be all set to go for class tonight. Boy was I wrong.

WOD: The Seven

7 rounds

7 hand stand push ups (modified on 24 inch box)
7 thrusters (65lbs, John wanted me to try more but I stuck with what I had)
7 knees to elbows (I did them for real this time!)
7 dead lifts (105lbs)
7 burpees
7 kettlebell swings (18kg)
7 pull ups (banded)

Ya- crazy right? And I was the only girl in class.
Nothing about my workout tonight was RX (as proscribed) which was a bummer. I just didn’t have it in me. Not eating lunch really did not set me up for success. (SIDE NOTE: I NEVER skip meals!) John, the trainer, really encouraged me to amp up my workout by adding weight to my thrusters and adding more depth into my hand stand pushups, but I just couldn’t.

Some days you have it, some days you don’t.

After my third round I started to feel a little light headed and dizzy. Oddly enough, I also felt extremely tired. Like, yawning while I was doing pull ups tired. Weird? Not so much, you’ve got to give your body enough fuel and I most definitely did not.

I did 14 reps into my 4th set and stopped. Total time: 24 minutes-ish.

I sat, got water, and put my stuff away. John and I chatted for a sec about diet. He is a pretty smart guy and seemed to think I may need to eat differently to get more energy. He immediately knew I didn’t eat enough which is why I had such a hard time. That’s one thing I love about Avalon Crossfit, no shame needs to be felt over a bad night. All the trainers know so much that they give advice instead of passing judgement. Of course I was upset with myself for wasting such a good workout though.

I never really thought about my diet and how it could impact (good or bad) my progress at Crossfit. I really enjoy wine and chocolate and eating how much of what I want, when I want, but he got me thinking. He suggested the Zone diet and showed me and article to read over. I printed it out and plan to read it over before bed tonight. I am not necessarily looking to change things up in my diet, but I am not opposed to it either. This summer has taught me I have no real self control when it comes to tasty beverages, pizza, and sugar. I work hard at Crossfit and wold love to see some more results- maybe this could help me see some?

IDK- now I am rambling…..

I’ve got teeth to brush and a face to wash before I park my butt in bed. I really want to not be a flake and cancel on my early morning run so I need to start the falling asleep process by 9:00pm. At least that’s my goal.

Have you ever decided to change up your diet? What brought you to the decision to do so? What successful changes have you made?

Achieved: The Filthy Fifty

Lisa — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:47:57 +0000

Hey there! Hope your Wednesday has been fantabulous. I have been on the go since 8:00 this morning and am currently looking forward a long afternoon nap so I will make this snappy.

This morning I woke up to head to a committee meeting for school. It was supposed to begin at 8:00 and end at 10:00 so I signed up for Tristan’s 11:00am Crossfit class. Problem was that the meeting ran a little late, which made me run a lotta late (for me) in getting home and changing and finally getting to Crossfit. I stress if I can’t get places ~~ridiculously and unecessarily~~ early. I did not enjoy showing up for class with two minutes to spare (and still being the first one there), but I am sure glad I made it!

Today’s Workout of the Day (WOD) was an endurance one called “The Filthy Fifty”. It is bascially 10 different exercises that you do for 50 reps. Easy? Not so much! It is expected to take between 20 and 40 minutes so there was not strength portion to today’s class, we got right into it.

The Filthy Fifty looks like this:

50 box jumps
50 jumping pull ups
50 kettle bell swings (12kg)
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbows (modified after 20 reps to roll ups on the floor)
50 push press (35lbs)
50 back extensions
50 wall ball shots (14kg)
50 burpees (yes, 50 after all the stuff above)
~~50 double unders~~ 150 jump rope singles

My game plan was to go slow and steady and to keep moving as much as possible. I broke the reps into groups of 10 (or 5 when I felt really tired) and allowed for a small break between these mini-rep groups. This strategy worked well most of the time with the exceptions of burpees. Burpees are a whole different beast because they use so much darn energy! I did 1 rep counts and tried to just. keep. doing. them. until I reached 50.

There are two things I really need to work on: knees to elbows and double unders.

Knees to Elbows: These take FOREVER and it is part of the reason I get discouraged and move to a modification. THe other reason is that my palms sweat so much that I was slipping off the bar after every single rep (even after using the grip gel). Annoying. Tristan told me the key to “getting” these is to get down my kipping. GOAL: Learn how to kip.
Double Unders: I just have no idea what to do for these. Do I jump higher? Swing the rope faster? Both? EIther way I don’t do anything fast so I fear I will never get them- and with a triple times the rep penalty these are going to hurt my times until I get them right.

I finished, with the modifications listed above, in 36:07. Not a second too soon. It was a tough workout!

After Crossfit I munched on a Clif bar while I made my way to my school to catch up with some people I needed to talk to. I am sure they appreciated that I was still in my damp workout clothes with sweat holding my hair in place. You’re welcome friends I didn’t really get anything done in my classroom, but Im not worried. I work best under pressure.

Did I mention my first day of school is Monday? As in next Monday, August 29th? Gah!

Jack made my day when he suggested we have a Pizza Wednesday. Don’t worry, we still do Pizza Monday and last week Pizza Sunday too!

At Regina’s I started with a garden salad (peppercorn dressing on the side).

And a his and hers pizza: Half cheese (hers), half pepperoni (his).

I had two pieces and was full to the brim. Now I am in a pizza induced food coma and have images of me face planting on the couch for a few.

What’s your “arrival” style? 15 minutes early? Fashionably late? Do people being late (or early) annoy you or do you just go with the flow?

Photo Booths are Fun

Lisa — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:08:19 +0000

3 different weddings, 3 different photo booths, 3 times the fun!

That’s all

My Perfect Tabata

Lisa — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 20:50:29 +0000

Good afternoon peeps! Hopefully your Thursday is off to a great start

I was up at the crack of dawn (for me during the summer) at 5:15 to get ready for an early morning Avalon Crossfit session. Since I had a meeting from 8-12 I thought it would be best to get an early start with my workout this way I could spend the rest of my day doing whatever I wanted.

Of course, I stayed up a little too late last night and did not want to MOVE this morning. I also had a bit of a stomach ache. There were two main reasons I didn’t bail:

John was the trainer and I love taking classes with him. I usually take him on Monday and Wednesday nights be he has since changed his schedule (and I have changed mine) I haven’t taken a class with him in forever.
The class was full and people were on the wait list. I think it would be extremely rude of me to bail or late cancel 10 minutes before class starts. If that isn’t accountability I don’t know what is!

I had 4 gummy chews on my way out the door.

I then sat in my car and tried to convince myself to leave. I guess I can chalk it up to a guilty consciencous as to why I got it done this morning!

Oh, and 4 people who registered dind’t show up. So annoying.

Warm up: length of the floor

World’s Greatest Stretch
Balance on one leg

Strength:

5 x 3 shoulder press*
alternating with 4 x 5 false grip ring pull ups and weighted GHD back extensions (25lbs)

*We were to do max weight and as the bar got heavier I started (incorrectly) doing a push press. John said a shoulder press and a push press are close enough (isn’t that a nice way of saying “you’re wrong ladies”), but they work slightly different muscles. I corrected myself for the last set and maxed at 45lbs.

Then I began to feel all sorts of soreness from the beginning of the week.

Warm up #2- “To get our blood moving”

Jumping jack craziness- regular, cross-legged, high jump
Run in place craziness

WOD: Tabata This! 20 seconds on/10 seconds rest for 8 rounds

Squats
Pull ups (modified using band)
Push ups (real ones!)
sit ups

In Tabata you are essentially doing 4 minutes of work for each of the above and resting for 1 minute between each exercise.

Your score is the lowest number of reps for each added together, so you don’t want to go out fast then drop reps each time.

Squats: 12 per 20secs (this was consistent for 8 rounds)
Pull-ups: varied each round (homegirl got tired), lowest rep count 4
Push ups: 7 per 20 sec
Sit ups: 9 per 20 seconds

Tabata this score: 32

I love Tabata because doing 20 seconds of work doesn’t seem like much (though it does catch up to ya!). I loved the squats and sit ups because I can push through the burn, but I am still not good at pull ups so that bums me out! In my perfect Tabata push ups would NOT be included!

Let me tell ya, it was a great way to start the day. I knew I wouldn’t regret the workout. I NEVER do!

If you could pick 4 exercises that would make up your perfect Tabata, what would they be? Which exercises would you avoid?

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts

Lisa — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:48:33 +0000

One thing I have been trying to do this summer is keep on a semi-regular sleep schedule. I’ve come to realize that sleeping my summer days away is not something I am interested in, and it makes it so much harder once school starts to get back on track. On days that I did not have to get up for summer school or for a meeting I try to sign up for Tristan’s 11 am Crossfit class.

I really like working out at 11am and envy anyone who can take their lunch break to workout at this time of day all the time.

This morning I woke up around 9:30 and munched on half a chocolate chip Clif bar while picking up around the condo. Since class is at 11:00 I wanted to get something in my stomach that wasn’t too heavy and was easily digestable (and wouldn’t make me feel like I was going to puke during the workout). Clif bars may forever be my pre-workout snack! If Clif bars aren’t your thing, check out some of my other tips for what to eat pre-workout here!

I also sipped on some ice cold coconut water. Last night I was telling Ali I got a humungous headache about an hour after Crossfit and she suggested I try hydrating more. She drinks a ton of water (she is good like that) so I decided it wouldn’t hurt to take her advice. I have never been a big water-drinker, but have been trying harder this summer to drink more. I have increased my fluids and have definitely seen the benefits during some workouts, but I know I got to drink even more. Baby steps, right?

I walked to Avalon Crossfit (even though it looked like it was going to rain!) and jammed out to the Amy Winehouse station on Pandora. After last night’s WOD had to be modified to be indoors I was praying that any rain would hold off. It did thank goodness and the sun even came out.

Warm Up: 3 rounds

10 squats

10 good mornings

10 jumping jacks

20 second “third world squat”

Strength:

5 x 3 Max back squat (my max was 110lbs but I think I could’ve done more)

alternating with 4 x 8 ring push ups

WOD: 3 rounds

100m sprint

20 kettle bell swings (16kg)

100m sprint

2 minute rest

I was worried because the coconut water and Clif bar felt heavy in my stomach, but as it turned out, it really did help! I felt really strong with the squats and only felt like I was going to semi-die during the WOD (I kid!).

When I got home I polished off the Clif bar and drank a protein shake. I am getting really good at these things!

In the mix:

7 or 8 frozen strawberries

1 frozen banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 cup almond milk

Jack likes my smoothies too so the recipe above makes two shakes. I sometimes like to add 1 tsp cocoa powder but Jack doesn’t like it in his shakes so I skipped it this time.

I’m a good girl friend like that

What is your favorite pre/post-workout snack and beverage?

To the Max

Lisa — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:45:39 +0000

Hey, hey, hey What’s up folks? I haven’t posted in a while and the biggest problem with letting the time lapse so much between posts is that I have a hard time getting back at it. I have had plenty to write about (this summer has been amazingly fun and busy), but every time I tried to sit and bang out a post I felt like I needed to catch you up on what I’ve been doing.

Actually, I started a ~~zillion~~ couple of posts that didn’t make it past the first few lines. Then I realized the greatest thing about my blog. It’s mine! And (at the risk of sounding like a brat) that means I can write about what I want, when I want

Did you miss my face?

Now that we have that straight (and I assume you are still willing to read), let’s move on shall we?

I spent last week in Maine with mi familia for like the 23rd year or so. I had a blast (per usual) and got a chance to brush up on my dance moves for Casey’s wedding which is a week from Saturday. I can still remember when she got engaged so I can’t even believe the wedding is so soon!

Ok, now let’s talk about my motivation to post tonight: Avalon Crossfit.

One of the main things I have been doing this summer is Crossfitting. I really, really wanted to get better at it and much like anything else: practice makes perfect. I have been trying to Crossfit 4-5 days a week and Bootcamp 1 time a week.

At the end of the school year I had a explained to Tristan that I wasn’t feeling like I was getting faster and stronger anymore. Truth was: I wasn’t pushing myself hard enough and I was scared of being dead last or not finishing a Workout of the Day (WOD).

His advice? Crossfit more often and go for RX WOD’s. (RX meaning as proscribed eg: using a 14kg medicine ball). I love that he doesn’t let me make excuses for myself, he is very encouraging which is why i LOVE taking his classes.

And that is what I have been doing! My times have been slower and I may not finish every WOD (see below) but I am loving Crossfit more than ever because of my shift in attitude.

Warm-up: 3 rounds

5 push ups

10 pass throughs with PVC pipes

10 mountain climbers

Strength: Chest Press for 1 rep max

3 rounds of 5 reps: 55lbs

3 rounds of 3 reps: 75lbs

3 rounds of 1 rep: 85lbs (my max)

1 rep failed: 90lbs

WOD: Kelly (modified to be indoors because of rain)
5 rounds

30 ice skaters

30 box jumps (20 inches, rx!)

30 wall ball shots (14kg, rx!)

30 double unders (modified with 90 singles)

Time: 30 minute cut-off
Completed: 4 rounds plus 30 ice skaters and 30 box jumps

*pat on the back*

It was tough like I knew it would be. My game plan was to pace myself while still pushing myself. I didn’t finish all 5 rounds but I felt way more accomplished than I would have if I had cut corners.

Hey, what doesn’t kill me can only make me stronger right?!

Have you ever found yourself cutting corners in a workout? What made you realize you were? How did you get your butt back in gear?

Recap: Casey’s Bachelorette

Lisa — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:30:08 +0000

Hi folks How is everyone’s July going? This month is flying by and I wish it would just slow down a bit. What is the rush to get into August and the summer’s end? As you can tell, I have been slacking on the blogger front but I will catch you guys up eventually! One of the great things about the blog is being able to re-live fun times. Doing recaps of events and parties is such a fun way to reminisce!

My cousin Casey is getting married in just less than a month from today even though it feels like she just got engaged! Actually, she is getting married one month from yesterday.

Here is a shot of her gorgeous bridal party:

The weekend of the Fourth of July we headed up to York Beach, Maine to a quaint cottage we rented for the week and used my tips for planning an AWESOME Bachelorette Party to plan the weekend. The weather was warm and sunny and the party started as soon as the first groups of girls arrived. The house had both a large deck to hang out on as well as a fire pit, which was decorated for our Hawaiian Luau theme. I got all the decorations at the Christmas Tree Shop.

While waiting for diner to be grilled (Caesar chicken, steak tips, and salad) we had some beers and Jell-O shots.

After dinner we gave Casey a Bachelorette Bag filled with a bunch of fun stuff.

She got an authentic Hawaiian Lei (ordered here), fake grass skirt, bachelorette tank top (all the girls got these), and a “Dare List” full of fun things for her to do when we were at the beach.

Sample “Dares” included:

do 5 cartwheels in a row on the shoreline

body surf a wave

do a handstand in the water

run into the water, and dunk, without stopping

find a guy with a bald head and rub it to make a wish

write “I HEART TIM” in the sand with your toes, text him a picture

Simple but fun

Post dinner we also had our first Power Hour. Power Hour is a cd handed down to me by my friend Maureen that has 60, 1 minute songs. Every time a new song comes on, you take a shot of beer (it ends up being about 4 beers in 60 minutes). You can take a shot of anything I guess, but I don’t suggest using vodka or any other hard stuff.

As a fun game, I also sent her fiance, Tim, a list of 50 questions for him to answer. Throughout the weekend I asked her questions. The questions varied from relationship questions (think: where did you meet, what was your first date), to “favorites” questions (does Casey prefer pen or pencil?), to just plain goofy questions (If Casey was a stripper which name would she choose?). If she got a question right she gave a drink, if she got it wrong she took a drink. So fun!

Later Saturday night we had a fire, made s’mores, and hung out. Her friends are so funny, I laughed non-stop

Of course, dancing was involved too.

Don't ask!

We made Sunday a beach day even though it was cloudy and cool. York Beach was about a mile from the house and was PACKED even in the gloomy weather. We took advantage of Happy Hour at Inn on the Blue. I got the “Junk Punch”- man, it was the best drink I’ve had in a while. It sure did pack a [rum] PUNCH!

Im' the mature one in pink, Casey, Michelle, Carney

Monday and Tuesday the weather was perfect-O!

I can’t believe Casey is getting married so soon! I feel like she should still be rocking some sweet Tweety-Bird shirts instead of a stunning wedding dress. Congrats girl!

Carney, Casey, me, and my Uncle Mac circa 1996-ish

Happy Fourth of July!

Lisa — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 14:35:10 +0000

Hope everyone is having a fun and safe Fourth of July. I am up in York, Maine celebrating my cousin Casey’s bachelorette party.

When I was in high school I spent every Fourth of July up in Merrimack, NH. Each year we took a picture in front on a humungous American Flag and we fit every person who was on that Island in the photo with us.

This particular photo was taken in 1998 in the summer (I believe) of my junior year of high school. Do you see me?? Hot stuff right

What is a Fourth of July tradition of yours?

My Celebrity Crushes

Lisa — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:34:45 +0000

We have all had them right? Celebrity crushes? Last year I watched me my fifth graders swoon over Justin Bieber and before that it was Joe Jonas. I can remember being their age and trying to get my parents to give me money to join their fan clubs (luckily for me I am now old enough to take care of the fees myself )

Here are my top three celebrity crushes:

1) Joey McIntyre
(SOURCE)

Who didn’t love this New Kid? I mean, when I saw them at Fenway Park a few weeks ago I heard him sing “Please Don’t Go Girl” and my heart melted like a pre-teen again.

My Auntie Erin took me to their concert, my first concert EVER, at the Boston Garden. I must’ve been like 7 or 8. A friend of hers knew security and offered to take us back stage to meet them (I think my cousin Carney still hates me for this). I was so SCARED that I refused to leave my seat. That’s right girls- I almost met Joey McIntrye but was too big of a wuss (even at 8yrs old) to do so!

THe following Christmas we all received an autographed picture. Mine read, “To Lisa, Love Joey McIntyre”. Best. Christmas. Present. EVER. I still have it framed in my bedroom at my parents house, 20-something years later!

2) Brandon Call
(SOURCE)

Now, I know there are probably a lot of Jonathan Taylor THomas lovers out there, and though I have to admit he was a cutie pie, my TV crush was Brandon Call from “Step by Step”. He was kind of the bad-ass, knuckle-head older brother character that had a little bit of a sweet side.

I tried to join his fan club back in the days when you had to snail mail in applications. I was excited to get back a response with his picture enclosed, that asked for $X to join the club. My parents would NOT give me the money so I guess that was the end of that.

3) Adam Levine

(SOURCE)

Ok, my crush Adam Levine may not be classified as a “childhood crush” (unless you consider a 25-year-old a child) and “crush” might better be described as an obsession, but whatever. I think you get the point. I saw Maroon 5 for the first time at a Kiss Concert and immediately needed to stalk his life, haha. I bought “Songs about Jane” and left it in slot number 5 of my car’s cd player basically until I started to love Ray LaMontagne.

I loved Adam Levine before you loved him on The Voice friends

Quick story: I got to go back stage at a Maroon 5 concert when they played at the ~~Fleet Center~~ Garden. At the end of the concert, in hopes to find my God Father who was working there I bumped into a crew member and inadvertently got us backstage passes. I know, when does that EVER happen? We went back stage and hung out with his band mates who, as I remember were super impressed at me and Amy being teachers. You know, drinking Carona’s with Maroon 5, no big deal.

I was patiently waiting for Adam, who I was told was doing yoga (weird?!). Finally I asked an important looking guy in the hallway if Adam was coming out, his answer made me blush. Apparently Adam was looking to do “yoga” (if you know what I mean). Since I am not that type of groupie (hey, I am a teacher and morals), I headed toward the exit.

Who was your childhood (or adult) celebrity crush? Did you ever get to meet them?

Want.Believe.Achieve

Surprise

Some days you have it, some days you don’t

Achieved: The Filthy Fifty

Photo Booths are Fun

My Perfect Tabata

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts

To the Max

Recap: Casey’s Bachelorette

Happy Fourth of July!

My Celebrity Crushes

1) Joey McIntyre
(SOURCE)

2) Brandon Call
(SOURCE)

3) Adam Levine

(SOURCE)

Want.Believe.Achieve

Surprise

Some days you have it, some days you don’t

Achieved: The Filthy Fifty

Photo Booths are Fun

My Perfect Tabata

I’ve got a lovely bunch of coconuts

To the Max

Recap: Casey’s Bachelorette

Happy Fourth of July!

My Celebrity Crushes

1) Joey McIntyre (SOURCE)

2) Brandon Call (SOURCE)

3) Adam Levine (SOURCE)

1) Joey McIntyre
(SOURCE)

2) Brandon Call
(SOURCE)

3) Adam Levine

(SOURCE)