Ups and Downs

I've been taking it easy these past couple of weeks. Little Beast and Hubby were sick and my body was all sorts of exhausted. My eating went to crap as did my energy and motivation. All of those told me that my body just needs to rest. So I rested. I wore pajamas and hung out on the couch. It sounds horrible and I felt pretty bad about it but that's what I needed to do. This past weekend I got my mojo back. I was sick of being sick and signed up for an Autism Speaks 5K this past Saturday. I hadn't run in about 2 weeks and needed something to motivate me to get back in the game. So I went. And I ran. And guess what? I PR'd. I finished in 26:24, my fastest yet. And that was the clock time, I'm assuming my chip time was a little less.

2013 Run Stats (totally going from memory so each of these could be a couple seconds off):

1st 5K (March 2013): 30:44
2nd 5K (May 2013): 27:02
3rd 5K (July 2013): 28:30 
4th 5K (September 2013): 26:24

Thankfully I'm back on track since my first half marathon is this weekend. So far my farthest run has been 10 miles so running 13 this Sunday will be tough. But I welcome the challenge. After the run on Sunday, we have the Paleo Challenge ending next Wednesday. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't been doing too well on that front. I'm pretty good during the week for the most part but my weekends aren't that great. I mean they are fantastic, but my eating isn't Paleo. I blame Starbucks and their Pumpkin Spice Lattes.

Totally unrelated but worth mentioning - you know what I dislike? People who do what you specifically ask them not to do. So last night was the LAST episode of Breaking Bad ever. I wanted to watch last night but Hubby was tired and fell asleep. Since we usually watch the show together, I decided to wait until tonight to watch it. Like any normal person would, I updated my facebook status asking for no spoilers and then I logged out of facebook just in case I read something about Breaking Bad. Well, Hubby was on this morning and would you know - someone posted a comment on my status with a Breaking Bad spoiler! Seriously, keep it to yourself a$$wipe. Yes I'm angry. Anyways, thankfully I didn't see it.

So yeahhh! Breaking Bad series finale last night. Totally and up and a down. I'm excited to see the last episode but disappointed to never see one again. It helps that The Walking Dead is on again in two weeks. I'm not really a couch potato. Okay maybe I am. But I work out a lot so my rest is earned. :)

CrossFit Fever

It's been tough juggling half marathon training with CrossFit and the Paleo Challenge. On my long run days, I do eat things that aren't paleo because I crave sugar and carbs. I do, however, limit it. I used to eat whatever I wanted on my long run days but that behavior is long gone. It's been a week since I went to CrossFit so I was very happy to be able to go this morning. The WOD included Front Squats which are part of the Paleo Challenge WOD so I was happy to be able to work on them. Since the RX was 5 X 3, I was supposed to do 85% of my 1 rep max or 75 lbs. I did that and started adding weight and had a really hard time with it since it was 3 reps. Eventually my form sucked. So I went back to 75 (as I should have) and stayed there. The WOD was:

12 min AMRAP:
5 HSPU (hand stand push ups)
10 Pull ups
15 KB swings

I completed 4 rounds and did 12 reps of my 5th round. I also only used 1 band for pull ups (woohoo!) and used a 35lb kettlebell. I came home sweaty and proud of myself. Since I'm down to 1 band for pull ups, I'm going to start working on kipping. For those unfamiliar, here's a video -

I also went back to having CrossFit fever and will most likely attend the death class this Friday. That means I have to figure out when to get my long run in - I need to do 9.5 miles this weekend sometime. I'll probably do it Sunday morning. Less than a month until my first half marathon!

Hubby found this article today - 25 Signs You're Addicted To CrossFit. With that said, I'm definitely addicted. You should see me stalking the WOD the night before the workout! I also ordered Boxlife magazine and follow some CrossFitters for motivation on Instagram. Hey, whatever works right!

So what workouts are you addicted to? 

Breaking Baby

As you all are well aware, Little Beast hasn't been such a good sleeper recently. On Saturday night, we decided to try the cry it out method, hence Breaking Baby. He cried on and off for about 40 minutes and then fell asleep. While he was crying, we checked on him every 5 minutes. It was tough. I asked Hubby if the neighbors would hear him cry and call "The ASPCA for bad parents on us." Yes I said that. I'm a nutcase. Anyways, Breaking Baby was a success. However, he did wake up at night. I went into his bedroom, laid him back down, gave him his Bobby (that's what he calls his Paci - don't ask) and he fell right back asleep. Last night Hubby bored him to sleep with a book he's reading so that was pretty easy. We'll see what's in store for tonight.

The weather this past weekend was beautiful. Saturday, we took Little Beast apple (aka appum) picking and he got on his first ever hay ride!

Today's Monday which means Hubby and I have a DVR'd episode of Breaking Bad to watch. No spoilers please! Monday night is our wine and watching Breaking Bad night. I'm excited biiiitch.

We picked so many apples that I had to bake an apple pie yesterday. Hubby forbade me from baking anything Paleo so I had to subtract a lot of points! I am still on the Paleo challenge and all things pumpkin have been messing me up,well this past weekend, it was all things apple. The farm we went to had apple cider donuts. Boy were they good! I had 3. Oops, I'm human afterall. Don't judge. Anyways here's the delicious apple pie I baked.

Yea so I went slit crazy. Next time it will be prettier! It was damn good though. I love me some apple pie with vanilla ice cream!

I'll stop being a fat ass now. I officially registered for the Jersey Shore Half Marathon today. I know I have been saying it for a while and I have even been training for it but I formally committed today. Last Friday's run was 8 miles and I am planning on 9.5 this Friday. I can and will do it. I am committed.

Does Cooler Weather Signal Hibernation?

I absolutely love Fall. I love the cooler weather, the leaves changing colors, pumpkins and all things pumpkin - pumpkin pie, pumpkin spiced lattes, pumpkin pie (oops, said that already..well I really love it). Anyways I look forward to Fall every year. The weather is starting to get cooler and I am really in the Fall spirit. So all good right? Wrong. For me, Fall is all things cozy - comfort food, hoodies, etc. And since I am only on Week 4 of the Paleo Challenge and training for a half marathon, I can't afford to get cozy just yet. I need to focus.

It's 4pm today and I have made every single excuse on why I couldn't work out. I didn't go to CrossFit this morning because Little Beast didn't sleep much last night and they were doing wall balls. Did I stalk the WOD and avoid it? Hell yea. But the truth is that wall balls leave me sore for DAYS...and I can't afford to miss my long run this weekend or have any knee pain because the half marathon is in 1 month! It's exactly 1 month from today!

As I sit here, unshowered (gross maybe but that's the only way I could make sure I would get a run in today), I'm wondering does cooler weather mentally signal hibernation? Do we just have a natural tendency to hibernate when it's chilly out? As natural as the urge is, I sure as hell fought it last winter. The coldest day I ran was 13 degrees. I only ran a mile but it made running in 30 degree weather a whole lot easier. Last year hibernation didn't get to me much but I also wasn't doing as much as I am this year.

8 miles later. What can I say? I felt so disgusting unshowered that I just had to get my run in. I feel so much better now. And no, not because I'm clean (I have yet to shower) but because I ran my farthest yet! 8 miles! Woohoo! It was tough but I told myself I could do it and I did it. I stopped twice, one to take a Gu packet - first time having one of those and boy are they nasty. But they certainly work! At 5 miles, I told myself I could stop at 6. at 6, I said 7 and at 7, I said I'm going to finish this.

I refused to give up and I didn't. I'm proud I met my goal for today. 

Regarding that whole cooler weather hibernation theory, well, I can't say yet because it certainly wasn't cool when I went for my run. Whether it is or it isn't, I really think it's up to you to decide if you want to spend the winter indoors under a blanket of if you want to put cold weather gear on and get out there to do something fun! You obviously know my thoughts on it. That's why we have Under Armour base layers. :)

Here's to Fall, pumpkin pie, cool weather runs, and hoodies! Have a great weekend guys!

Guest Post: Tips to Overcome Hypothyroidism and Get into Great Shape and Health

If you’re one of the many people out there that has recently been diagnosed with hypothyroidism then you’ll know the struggles of actually being able to lose even a small amount of weight. And it seems that this condition isn’t relenting anytime soon as more and more people are getting diagnosed every single year!

Right now there are said to be about 25 million plus Americans who have officially been told by their doctors that they have an underactive thyroid but there are still many more out there that are still awaiting for an official diagnosis.

Surprisingly hypothyroidism isn’t the only condition that’s getting more and more common. Subclinical hypothyroidism is another disease that more and more people are getting every single year. While not as damaging as hypothyroidism (as the thyroid is not affected) the person still experiences many of the symptoms that are usually associated with people who have full blown hypothyroidism. The good news is however that if you improve your diet for the better then you will be able to get rid of this disease for good.

Anyone with an underactive thyroid will essentially have a much slower metabolism which will basically mean that they are not going to be able to burn the calories they need to burn in order to lose weight.

Having thyroid glands that are just not producing enough essential thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) will mean that your metabolism will slow right down. This is because these hormones are the ones responsible for making sure that your metabolism is running as it should be.

Not having the right amount of thyroid hormones inside your body will mean that you are just going to burn way fewer calories than normal. Hence why people with hypothyroidism find it so difficult to lose weight.

But please, worry not my friend, follow the steps below and you’ll end up in the best shape of your life. In fact you won’t even notice that you have hypothyroidism.

1. Get Down To Your Doctor Immediately To Get Diagnosed and Treated

The most powerful tip of all and one thing that will help you get your health back to where it should be is to get your doctor to diagnose and then give you the adequate treatment you need. Don’t do this and none of the other tips will matter, so please take this step very seriously.

Your diagnosis will actually depend upon the results of the blood test. This blood test will actually measure the amount of T3, T4 and thyroid stimulating hormone you have in your blood at that moment in time. If the results come back and show that you have low amounts of T3 and T4 in your blood but high amounts of thyroid stimulating hormone then chances of you having hypothyroidism are quite high!

If you’re one of the few unfortunate people that have been officially diagnosed as having hypothyroidism then more often than not you’ll be given some medication by the name of levothyroxine. This medication will work to slowly but surely get your levels of thyroid hormone back to the right level. Once this happens your metabolism will begin to rise which is exactly what you want to get into amazing shape!

2. Start Eating High Quality Meals That Contain a Good Amount Vegetables and Protein in Them

Losing a good amount of weight even when you have an underactive thyroid is super easy when you start eating healthy and nutritious meals that contain a good amount of vegetables and protein in them. Having a clean diet is absolutely essential because you’ll never be able to get results unless you do.

While vegetables are absolutely essential so is making sure that you consume a good amount of protein. Protein not only helps to preserve all that metabolism boosting muscle mass but it has the quality of being extremely satiating which is very useful when you’re on a mission to lose a lot of weight.

3. Start Eating A Lot of Foods With Fiber in Them and Totally Avoid Sugary Junk Foods

Nothing is going to be a bigger hindrance to your weight loss efforts than eating foods that are full of sugars! So if you’re really serious about getting healthy and losing weight you’re going to want to get rid of all the junk foods you’ve been used to eating. Do this and you’ll notice the weight literally melt away! Rather than consuming junk foods, you should focus as much as you can on eating foods that contain a lot of fiber in them. These are really great for your digestive system.

Ensuring that you get enough fiber through your diet will mean that you will help prevent any sort of chronic constipation from coming about which is really common among people who have an underactive thyroid. Of course the other benefit of consuming fiber rich foods is that they are extremely satiating which is great news when you want to lose weight and get into great health!

4. Implement a Proper Fitness Routine into Your Life

Believe me, exercise is a very important part of your long term success when it comes to overcoming hypothyroidism and getting into great shape. Even if you can only spare 10 minutes a day because you live a really busy and hectic life you’re going to want to do something because it all adds up to helping your metabolism get higher and higher.

To get even better results you are going to want to get involved with exercise such as weight training. This will not only help you burn more calories but it will help you build up some muscle mass which is going to result in your metabolism boosting up even more. 

And of course we all know that the higher your metabolism the more calories you’re going to end up burning.

Always keep in mind that the person that is the most consistent is the one that is going to be able to overcome hypothyroidism for good and get into remarkable shape fast!

You need to remain positive at all times and make sure that you always keep working towards your end goals of good health and a great body. Keep putting in the work and it’s only a matter of time before you end up in the best shape of your life!

Susan Upton really loves to help people all over the world overcome hypothyroidism and get into really incredible health. Go visit her over at http://hypothyroidismdietplan.org/ where you will find out everything you need to know in order to get into really incredible health fast!

If you have any questions for Susan, please comment below. Thank you Susan for your post!

Operation Don't Compare

Lately Little Beast has decided he's anti-sleep. Night night lasts an hour and a half to two hours and it's full of crying and frustration. It's been tough but we're working through it. That said, I am sleep deprived yet again and when you're tired, having energy to work out is tough. Yesterday I went back to CrossFit after a week off. Little Beast was sick last week and I spent some quality time with him (Love my little man). Anyways, I was exhausted yesterday since the night before I barely slept. I was debating going and remembered my previous post on The Real Challenge learning to exercise exhausted. So I signed up and went. The WOD was:

Strength:

Back Squat 5X3

WOD:

3 rounds:

    15 Thrusters 

    15 Pull ups

Rest

100 Abmat Sit ups

Yes it sucked. Lately back squats have been really tough for me. I maxed out at 85 lbs yesterday (increased by 10 from the last time I went) so I did pretty well. My partner who is more or less at the same level as me, did the same and had an easier time with the squats. She actually mentioned how much more all the other girls were squatting. Before she said anything, I really wasn't paying attention. But after she did, I couldn't help but look around. The girls next to us were squatting about 140-150 lbs. The ones to the right of them probably around 170-180. I couldn't help but get discouraged. I know. I should practice what I preach. I always say comparing yourself to others will get you no where yet that's what I was doing. I couldn't even take pride in my workout because I was too busy wondering how they were so much stronger than me! For thrusters, I did 45 lbs and then scaled down to 35 for the last set. I used 1 band for pull ups the first time, and then used 2 for the other rounds. All in all, I did really well for Renita. Why Renita compared herself to the other girls is totally beyond me. 

I'm really going to make a conscious effort to compare myself to myself ONLY. I'm stronger than I was yesterday and very happy about it. My body has changed pretty drastically in the past 4 months and I am happy about that too.

So this morning what did I do? I told Hubby how all the girls at CrossFit are so tanned and how I'm pasty (for an Indian). He just looked at me and told me to STOP COMPARING! Seriously what's up with me? I'm all down on myself. That changes now. I have come really far. I am a lot stronger now than I have ever been. From now on, no hating. No hating on myself and no hating on other people (I don't do that too much anyways). Operation Don't Compare will take effect today.

What about you? Do you compare yourself to others? Do you usually say you're better or worse then they are?

Lowkey Labor Day Weekend

You can telll it's a really lowkey weekend if I'm blogging. Usually we have a million things planned and actually end up saying no to some things because we can't manage everything. This weekend, I am proud to say that Hubby is taking his Level 1 CrossFit Instructor Certification. Since he's not around all weekend, I am getting tons of quality time with Little Beast. He's still nursing a cough and getting better so we're keeping it lowkey this weekend, which means I am getting a ton done around the house. Five years ago, I would have called myself lame. Today, I call myself productive.

Anyways, the pantry is organized - Thank God. That place was a disaster. As the Chubbies get older, they get more ear infections, eye infections, etc so I have a bunch of their meds in the pantry. Little Beast, as you know, has a ton of meds himself - well mostly cough medicines, tylenol, advil and his nebulizer. Is it normal to keep medicine in the pantry? No idea, that's where I put it. I went to Target yesterday (again - productive not lame) and I found two baskets in the $1 section. I now have those in the pantry which the dogs meds in one and Little Beast's meds in the other. Who cares if they are bright orange? They were $1!

Orange Organization

So the pantry is organized and I can cross that off my list, or Hubby's list since he made a list of things for me to do and taped it to the pantry door. I'm not kidding. He did. But in his defense, he bought me a box - the Rogue box - and I was to do things around the house as a result. That was months ago, and little by little I am crossing things off his list.

Pantry, check. I went outlet shopping with Mom on Friday and bought a ton of things for Little Beast. Let me tell you how depressing it is to buy 18-24 months, when you see you all these cute little things that are 3 months or 6 months. Mom didn't help because she kept bringing me over things she thought were cute...they were all 9 months. And have you ever noticed how 3/4 of all kid's clothing stores have girl's stuff in it? I get it. Girls are adorable with their skirts and accessories and tights and all. But what about boys? I went to Carter's, Children's Place and Gap to get his fall/winter wardrobe. Check.

I also got myself a new handbag from Michael Kor's! Woohoo! I have been eyeing the crossbody bag. Is that what it's called? That sounds a little morbid. Anyways, I got that for myself and some reebok crossfit shorts and my first ever pair of Cole Haan shoes. I am excited to see what this Nike Air technology is all about.

For all my guy followers, I apologize. You must be rolling your eyes at this entire post. So now, let's talk about food...baby.

Yesterday I made Paleo Pumpkin Cookies (can't find the recipe right now but it's pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, almond flour, raw honey, baking soda and cinnamon). They were absolutely delicious!

Today's lowkey day involved going to Wegmans and Chipotle with Little Beast and then more lame/productive stuff around the house. I did however make slowcooked pork for dinner with sweet potato mashy (mashed potatoes, we say mashy in my house). 

I also planned my 8 mile route for tomorrow. Since Hubby is home, I will be able to go out for a run! Thankfully so, only a month until my half marathon! In a couple days, we will be starting Week 4 of the Paleo Challenge. It's getting easier. I have also lost 6 pounds. I wasn't big to begin with so I'm going to make it a point to eat more during the day because I really don't want to lose too much weight. Don't get me wrong - I am very happy with the 6 pound weight loss!

Hope you all are having a wonderful Labor day weekend, whether it's lowkey like mine or completely jam packed!