In my morning CrossFit classes today, I asked what kind of motivation I should talk about on PaleOMG today. A teacher (of course) named Matt said I should talk about greatness. With the Olympics going on and Phelps and Ledecky just killing the competition while Simone Biles shows everyone up, I think it’s the perfect opportunity to talk about greatness. It’s pretty crazy to think about how hard these people have worked. Every single day. And what is even crazier is to think if their parents wouldn’t have entered them into the sport and pushed them to try something different, they would have never known how great they could be.
Greatness is not just stumbled upon, greatness is built. Greatness comes from driving forward, no matter what lies ahead. Greatness has no boundaries, no fears, no doubts. And by becoming great at one thing, we are able to become great at many things. And luckily, greatness is all in the eye of the beholder. Maybe you want to become a great mother or great friend or great writer or great blogger or great lifter. Whatever you want to be great in, you can be. You just have to put in the hard work, the time, the energy, the blood, sweat and tears. If you are willing to give it everything you have, you CAN be great at what you do. And that sort of greatness will fall into place in other aspects of your life. If you give it everything in the gym, I will bet on it that you give it everything at work.
Sometimes our goals are intimidating. Sometimes we fear the unknown. But if you are willing to take the first step, that is your first step towards greatness. Take a page from Michael Phelps book: his greatness continues to grow. Sure, there have been bumps and setbacks, but he pushes on and keeps driving forward. Drive forward in your goals. Be the Michael Phelps or Katie Ledecky or Simone Biles of your own greatness. Start today and see where you can go in just 4 short years!
Sunday – Wake surfing
Monday – CrossFit Broadway Class
20 mins to find a NEW 1 Rep Max Back Squat – 185#
Then 7 min AMRAP Of:
10 Hang Power Cleans (135/95)
50 Double Unders
I got 7 + 4 using 85#
Tuesday – Fit on Broadway Class
#1 – 2 min row, 1 min plank, 2 min row, 1 min plank, 2 min row, 1 min plank
#2 – 9 min AMRAP: 15 wall balls, 20 WB sit up & leave, 30 mountain climbers
#3 – 2 min burpees, 1 min wall sit, 2 min burpees, 1 min wall sit, 2 min burpees, 1 min wall sit
#4 – 9 min AMRAP: 400m run, 20 pull ups, 10 ball slams
Wednesday – CrossFit Broadway Class
10 mins to find a New 1 Rep Max Strict Press – 92#
12 mins to find a New 1 Rep Max Power Clean – 160#
Then 8 min AMRAP Of:
20 Cal Row
10 Strict HSPU
20 Burpees
I got 2+18
Thursday – Rest day
Friday – CrossFit Broadway Class
Front Squat: 16 mins to find a New 1 Rep Max. – 160#
Then 10 min AMRAP Of:
20 Toes 2 Bar
20 HSPU (kipping allowed) – I did double strict KB press
20 Pull Ups
20 Burpees
I got 1+69 reps (modified)
Saturday – Fit on Broadway Class
Team of 3 (all 3 working at the same time – 1 person either rowing or running while the others work)
1 mile run
100 burpees
200 kettlebell swings
300 sit ups
400 weighted lunges
100 calorie row
Then 9 minute AMRAP:
minute 1: dead bugs
minute 2: side v-ups
minute 3: atomic push ups
_________________
On Sale Fitness Apparel (plus last weeks finds!):
Nike Legendary Colorblock Dri-Fit Capris for 25% Off!
Splits59 Simone Leggings for 33% Off!
Splits59 Natalia Capris for 33% Off!
Zella Front Zip Jacket for 33% Off!
Alo Goddess Ribbed Leggings for 25% Off!
Free Travel Workout:
50 burpees
50 air squats
50 sit ups
50 burpees
New Workout Music:
This One’s For You – David Guetta
Hello Friday – Flo Rida
Back 2 U – Steve Aoki
Once in a While – Timeflies
What I Ate in a Day (if you have questions about what i eat and why, feel free to leave comments below!):
Breakfast: Small cup of Chameleon Cold Brew Mocha coffee watered down with a little water then a splash of heavy cream and some stevia. Then I made a 1/2 sweet potato heated up with arugula and leftover chicken curry from the Fed and Fit Cookbook.
Snack: A starbucks grande drink: blended iced coffee with coconut milk blended with a banana (no sugar added). Yes, I know there sugar and crap in the coconut milk, no need to tell me.
Lunch: A bowl of veggie salad (get the ingredient here) with a Teton Waters cheddar brat and feta cheese plus a few Milton’s gluten free crackers. Then 1/2 piece of candied bacon and a couple slices of roasted beets (tasting what I was making for the blog this week).
Later on I had 1/2 an maple with sea salt Rx Bar.
Before I headed to the gym, I had a piece of Canyon City gluten free raisin bread with peanut butter and jelly.
After the gym, I seared pork chops in a pan for dinner and ate it with leftover salad from what I made earlier. (I’ll have the salad recipe on the blog later this week!)
During my lovely week of PMS, I craved lots of sweets. And whenever I am PMSing and my husband knows it’s gonna be a doozy, he buys me this little gluten free flourless chocolate cake he finds at Whole Foods. It’s super dense and delicious so I just cut off a few small slices and put the rest away for another day. He bought it on Thursday and I still have some of it left.
I just tried an RxBar for the first time a few days ago, I had the sea salt flavor and I am definitely a fan!
it’s by far my fav!
Hubby’s are the best aren’t they?! Is that in the freezer section at whole foods? I’m always trying to appease my 5 year old while getting through the store and miss stuff lol. Also, do you get your nails done? Love them!
i think it’s in the dessert section! and yes i do!
Whole foods lets your kid have a free apple or banana while you are shopping! Life saver for my toddler!
Loved the beginning of this about greatness! You’re spot on– it’s all in our own power to be great at what we choose to be great at, so long as we’re willing to work for it and dedicate ourselves to our passion. One of my biggest takeaways from Brene Brown’s book Daring Greatly (highly recommend if you haven’t read it!) was that it’s so easy to be mediocre, to approach our lives passively…it takes passion, vulnerability and action to dare for greatness for yourself. Thanks for the awesome post (as usual)! Super motivating!
Your husband is so sweet! Take notes every single other man out there haha! I’m totally ordering that drink at Starbucks next time I go 🙂
Juli, you are just the best. I always look forward to these sorts of posts for that jolt of motivation! I’ve been paleo for the past 3 years, but have felt myself fall into a rut that I am now trying to claw my way out of. I was listening to your podcast sesh with Cassy Joy Garcia earlier today and, even though I’m sure you’ve said it before, you talked about having to change up your diet based on what your body needs. I feel like that should seem so basic, but for some reason that made me feel a little less like something is just wrong with me, you know? Like maybe my body needs more fat or less fat or more carbs or whatever… Plus, I just started Crossfit, so I’m adjusting there, too. I love it, though!! Experimenting is a little daunting, but at least someone I admire as much as you has gone through that and still goes through it. Opening yourself up and sharing so much of your life this way is, to me, incredibly courageous and so, so encouraging. To just look at a picture of you, it would be so easy to think “She must just be a natural at this,” or “it’s easy for her,” but you’ve shown that it’s not, which gives me hope! I have a long way to go, but thanks for being here and being you. Forgive the cheesy crap, but this is stuff that I always think in my head when I read your posts and never say… So now I’m saying it!
it’s so easy to jump to those conclusions, but i’m definitely always a work in progress. we can always be better in life, whether that’s in our diet, work, fitness, relationships, whatever! keep trying to listen to your body and adjust things and you’ll learn more and more about it over time!
Oh my gosh! I just saw your snap about your night terror re Jackson! That is so scary and the worst. I would wake up freaking out and hug my dog for the entire day! For the love!
the absolute worst!! i still can’t get that visual out of my mind! i hate that we always forget our dream unless it’s the dream we actually want to forget!
Hey! Just wanted to tell you how much you motivate me. #1 you are real & honest & that’s SO refreshing in the fitness world. Well, in the world period. #2 BODY GOALS. You make strong & fit & healthy look possible while also having a real life (I can’t live in the gym 3 hours a day!).
Also, love the recipe help. We’re gluten free since my son is gluten intolerant & transitioning to (mostly) Paleo as well. I particularly love seeing what you order when you are out and about- I copied your chipotle order this week:) Keep them coming! Thanks for sharing your life with us
thank you so so much, kate! i try to be completely honest with everything i do, especially when it comes to my food and fitness. so glad i can help inspire in some way. and how good is that chipotle order?!?!
Completed a version of your Tuesday workout this morning! That’s a lot of burpees!
Thanks for the great inspiration–I love the design of the Fit on Broadway classes!
the more burpees, the better!
I know you’ve said before you don’t count calories, but I’m curious if you have any idea what range you might eat? It doesn’t seem like it’s very much, and I’m definitely not saying that to judge, just that I’m a bit surprised it’s not more for how muscular you are. I’m just trying to decide if I am eating too much or too little. My hunger signals long ago went screwy due to a past eating disorder and over-exercising, and current high stress and endocrine issues have seemed to wreak havoc on the physical appearance on my body. I saw good results for a couple years with Paleo and weights, but seemed to have gained back some and can’t seem to tone down. I still count calories some, and even though my fitbit shows me burning around 2400-2600 calories on my active days, I don’t believe it and have a hard time thinking I need that much to eat. But when I try to stick to around or under 2000, my body tends to feel much more under stress. I want to lose the 5-10 lbs of fat to tone but don’t like feeling exhausted with calorie deficits. Just wish I was so in tune to my body’s cues!
i have truly no clue how many calories i eat. none. one day i showed a photo on ig of a quinoa porridge i was eating. i almost finished the whole thing and felt fine with that and then someone mentioned in the comments that it was 800 calories and i immediately felt guilty and thought about it all day. instead of thinking about how it made me feel, i was worried about the number. that is exactly why i don’t ever pay attention to calories, because in the end, stressing out about the numbers is what lead me to gain some weight before. stress fucks up your cortisol, cortisol fucks up your weight. so i had to leave that counting behind a while ago to decrease my stress. it wasn’t until i stopped counting and stopped stressing, that i lost some of my excess weight. my body changes monthly and my diet does as well, but leaving behind the stress was what helped me the most long term. i hope that helps in some way.
That’s really insightful, thanks! I totally agree and I am definitely working towards that mindset, so thanks for being a great role model!
Thanks for posting your workouts, it helps me mix things up! I do have a question, what is a WB sit up and leave?
ok so bare with me on this explanation. I’m gonna try to explain it best i can without an actual visual.
1. lay down on your back on the floor, legs go up in the air then bend on the knee so your shins are like a table top.
2. grab a wall ball behind your head and do a sit up, place the ball on your shins then go back down and do another sit up, then grab the ball and do a sit up again with the ball going behind your head, then a sit up without it and so on.
does that makes sense? i hope it does!!