End of 2011

I have to say...I've done pretty damn well this year.

See below for the before and after picture: Christmas 2010 is atrocious to look at!

I've deadlifted 205# this year.
I've maintained CrossFit workouts regularly.
I've participated in racquetball leagues (and, overall, enjoyed myself).
I've focused on eating Paleo/Primal since Labor Day, with some mishaps around the holidays...which I refuse to beat myself up over.

So we end 2011 on an overly positive note. Now to go into 2012 strong -- and to keep it up.

PS, My student loan was forgiven: $5,000. Happy 2011!

Beginning of Week 8

I never updated about the timed mile: I cut down about 40 seconds of my mile from 9/19. CRAZY. We'll see if there is any improvement next month (can there be with that big of a jump after just one month?).

NT and I ran the Scream Scram on Friday night, which was a good time -- a bit slower than I wanted, and a bit more walking than I wanted, but we completed it under 45 minutes, which I should be happy about.

And so, I will do my best to be happy about it.

Is it time for a Before/After (erm, progress?) picture? I think so.

This is called Before -- this was December 2010.

And this is called "After/Progress":

Any differences?

I've joined a second league of racquetball -- so I'm now playing Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights. Pretty freaking excited about that, too. :)

Eating, Running, Playing

I'm now a bit over one month of eating Paleo-esque, and I feel fantastic. I'm about to reach the 15 pound mark, as well. It would be nice to reach this by the end of the weekend.

A few recent wins:
1. Ordering pizza in our house for a friend and M-I-L, and not eating any (instead, tomatoes, a grilled peach, and a grilled banana).
2. Taking a field trip today and still maintaining Paleo eating (they had a station in the cafeteria specifically for non-wheat, gluten, and sugar eaters!).
3. Running for 20 minutes straight without any issues (breathing, leg pain, or otherwise). No inhaler needed before, during, or after.

Tonight was Week 1, Day 2 of our 10K running program. 10K. Can this really be possible?

Racquetball starts soon; not soon enough, but soon. I can't wait to get back into it and see how these gains in strength, endurance...and loss of weight...show on the court.

Week 4

Today is the beginning of the fourth week I've maintained a Paleo eating lifestyle (is it a lifestyle after 3 weeks?). Some stats:

I've lost 10 pounds.
I can totally tell I'm losing weight. Of course, I'm feeling impatient overall (I want to be thin...NOW), but it's happening before my eyes.
3 rep deadlift last night of 175#. This looks good in terms of me being able to DL 200 by January 1.
I'd like to bench press 100# by January 1, as well.

I'm joining 2 racquetball leagues in October. I enjoy it, and by joining leagues, I can assess how my CF-ing is going. Speaking of which, I need to do some serious box jumps to help my movement in rball. I'm beginning every work out with bench presses, and I'll end every work out with box jumps. We'll see how that helps!

Major and Minor Updates

I'm about a week from my 29th birthday, so what better way to finish up year 28 than with a blog post?

Major updates:
* Well, I bought a house. My credit score had improved dramatically, I had the cash on hand (though not what Suze Orman would approve of...), and there was a perfect house. So, at the end of June, I closed on a house. I have one credit card left to pay off, which will be done in/by November.
* I sent in the paperwork to have (hopefully) up to $5,000 of my student loan forgiven -- being a teacher in a Title I school can have its ups, that's for sure! We'll see how much is ACTUALLY forgiven, though. Still waiting on that part...
* I started eating a Paleo diet last Monday. So far, I've maintained the "rules" fairly well (I DO still have cream in my coffee in the morning, though). Right now, I have 5 steaks thawing so that I can grill them and save them for the week...

Minor updates:
* Cyst burst this week, which was, to put it mildly, alarming. And excruciating. Ultrasound yesterday, so I'm not sure when the results will be in. I seriously doubt surgery is an option, though.
* I have picked up CrossFit workouts again -- very seriously. Same with running. And racquetball -- I will continue to be in racquetball leagues, as well, since I use the games each week as a "benchmark" of sorts with how the diet / running / lifting is working (am I getting stronger? am I able to jump in game 4? game 5? am I able to hit the ball as hard in game 4/5 as game 1/2?).

3 down, 1 to go

Reminds me of a softball cheer from my childhood...

But yesterday, I paid off the third of four credit cards. I can't believe it. Even better? I know that in a few weeks, the fourth will be paid off, as well.

It causes so much less stress to actually KNOW how much money I have and how much money I can spend on certain items/"categories." I know I can pay off this fourth card because I know how much I pay on everything else. And, you know, I'm working extra jobs to be able to afford EVERYTHING.

Off to racquetball. Time to REALLY get serious about the Fat Free part.

Fat Free Contributing Factors

Because of the many comparisons to make, and standards to set, I've listed below all of the contributing factors to my Fat Free Challenge.

From the Marine Corps Weight Chart (Females)
Height: 65 inches
Maximum Weight: 150
Minimum Weight: 114

Body Fat Standards (Maximum), Age 27-39: 27%

No, I'm not a Marine. No, I will never become a Marine. But aren't they the best of the best (in many people's minds)?

From the Marine Corps Physical Fitness Test Chart (Females)
Flexed Arm Hang: 15 seconds, minimum
Crunches (2 minutes): 40, minimum
3-Mile Run: 32:00, minimum

There is also a point system, but again, since I am not planning on becoming a Marine, I will just use these basic minimums as factors in my final standards.

According to Sport Fitness Advisor, there is a range of standards for body fat percentages. The only sports I've played in the last year are racquetball, rugby, and running (it's been an R year), and according to the chart, I should be in the 15-22% (racquetball).

The Body Mass Index is pretty much the bane of my existence. A normal BMI is 18.5-24.9. An overweight BMI is 25-29.9, and obese is 30 and over. According to the official BMI chart, for my height of 65 inches, I need to weigh less than 150 pounds.

And finally, CrossFit's workouts. I am not sure if I will be a "big dawg" by then (the term they give to individuals who complete the workout of the day as prescribed), so to be "safe," I'm going to choose five workouts that they use for benchmarking and competition (descriptions to follow): Angie, Annie, Cindy, Nicole, and the first workout I ever saw on their site, Murph.

I will post my "Final Standards" next, and, again, my current statistics on September 19.