So if you are in the CrossFit community, you’ve have probably at least heard about the CrossFit open or you may even be competing in it! I have competed in the CrossFit open 5 years (I think) in a row, 2 of those years were spent competing and making it to the Southwest Regional. After competing 2 years in a row, I decided I didn’t want to do it anymore. I was getting closer to injuring myself, I was 30+ pounds heavier than I am now, and I spent almost every waking moment in the gym. So I stopped competing but still signed up for the CrossFit open just because that’s what our gym does every year!
Last week, I did the first workout of the Open and it crushed me. Not only did I do much worse than I had hoped, but I also felt like crap the next day, getting a sore lower back which never happens, and really feeling disappointed in myself. So not only did it crush me physically, but it crushed me mentally. I was really bummed out afterwards.
But why? Why should I be bummed out? I went to the gym, I got a really hard workout in, and life moved on. Nothing changed other than my disappointment with myself. I finished what I had set out to do that day which was workout and better my life longterm. Something that I have to remember and remind myself of frequently is I’m much happier now that I don’t compete. I’m much happier now that I’m not constantly taking a risk at injuring myself and I’m much happier being smaller than I was before. I enjoy having my life back, not having hormonal acne, and not feeling like I’m literally going to die every single workout. Sure, I get bummed when I’m not as strong as I was before or when I’m the slowest of all the coaches, but I’m happier and that’s what matter in the end.
I think this type of situation occurs regularly throughout our lives. We get good at something, life changes and we are no longer where we were before. Whether that’s financially, physically, emotionally. Life changes and it’s sometimes challenging to accept those changes. I will never be where I use to be when it comes to CrossFit, but I’m much happier in all other areas surrounding my life. I have the balance and I sometimes have to remind myself that I enjoy that balance more than what I had in the past. Don’t forgot that in life, we may have to give up something to gain something else. Not always, but sometimes. And that’s not always a bad thing.
WAIT! Before you go – this week I’ll be recording my podcast with random reader/listener questions! Anything you’d like me to talk about or question you’d like me to answer! It can be about food, or workouts, or blogging, or beauty, or really whatever you want! Just leave a question in the comment section below and I’ll answer it in the podcast this week!! Happy Monday!
Sunday – Rest Day
Monday – CrossFit Broadway Class
Every Minute On The Minute x 20 min:
min 1: 14 Double KB Front Rack Lunges, as heavy as possible to go unbroken.
min 2: 9 Strict C2B Pull Ups
min 3: 18/14 Cal Row
min 4: 40 sec Nose & Toes to Wall Hold
I used 2×35# KBs, did 7 strict pull-ups every time, did 14 cal row every time and held the hold every time
Then 6 min AMRAP Of:
80 Double Unders
20 Burpees
I got 3+40 rx
Tuesday – Orange Theory Class
Wednesday – CrossFit Broadway Class
Sumo Deadlift: 4 x 7. All sets at 75% of regular 1 rep max Deadlift. (17 mins) – I used 165#
After each set perform Max Effort set of Strict Handstand Push-Up – I got a total of 64 hspu using 1 ab mat
Then 10 min As Many Rounds As Possible Of:
15 OH Squats (115/75)
15 Box Overs (24/20)
15 KB Swings (70/55)
I got 4+39 using 65# and 45#
Thursday – Rest Day
Friday – CrossFit Broadway Class – CrossFit Open Workout 17.1
For time:
10 dumbbell snatches – 15 burpee box jump-overs
20 dumbbell snatches – 15 burpee box jump-overs
30 dumbbell snatches – 15 burpee box jump-overs
40 dumbbell snatches – 15 burpee box jump-overs
50 dumbbell snatches – 15 burpee box jump-overs
Men use 50-lb. dumbbell, ladies 35# and 24″/20″ box
Saturday – Orange Theory Class
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Free Travel Workout:
5 rounds for time:
400m run
15 DB thrusters
20 push ups
25 tuck jumps
On Sale Activewear:
Nike Free RN Shoes (30% off)
Nike Dry Training Tank (20% off)
lululemon Wunder Under Pants (30% off)
Athleta 7/8 Tights (45% off)
lululemon Cardio Tank (30% off)
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What I Ate in a Day:
Started off my day with a cup of coffee with 1 tbsp of collagen, some heavy cream and a little liquid stevia extract. Since I was working out in the morning, I had a strawberry Maple Hill Greek Yogurt with Wholeme Lemon Berry Chia Granola Pack.
After the workout, I made a breakfast of Mulay’s breakfast sausage, arugula and spinach, mushrooms, and pearl onions.
Later on the day, I went to Whole Foods to pick up some groceries so I grabbed lunch at the hot bar: taco meat, curried vegetables, and plantains. And then I added cilantro when I got home.
In the middle of the day, I snacked on a Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter packet.
While I made dinner, I snacked on plantain chips.
Dinner was marinated Tuscan chicken (no recipe yet), marinated tomato salad, and crispy roasted fingerling potatoes!
Hey Juli,
Love your podcast! You make me lol! I was wondering about your outfit pictures. Do you have someone that does that for you? Or do you just setup your camera/tripod and time delay the shutter? Hope this isn’t something you’ve already answered. If yes, sorry I have a terrible memory. I have also been very curious about the fascia blaster for months and just haven’t wanted to spend the money yet. So I’m definitely interested in further discussions on the subject. Thanks for being awesome and keep it up!
I so know the feeling of disappointment you are describing. I do Brazilian jiu jitsu and use cross fit to supplement my martial arts training. I competed in BJJ nationally before I had kids. It felt so good to see myself get better in my beloved past time. As you can imagine, my BJJ training took a big hit through 2 pregnancies and with having young children. I’m finally in a place 5 years later that I can enjoy BJJ again even though I train only 2x per week. I took me YEARS to recalibrate my expectations of myself in that area. Kudos to you for coming to your own happy place much faster and with such positive self awareness.
There is something I’ve been wondering about.. you eat very clean, you take clean supplements (vital proteins) and you use primally pure products.. so overall I view you as someone who cares about what they put into their body. But, you get Botox right? So my question is– Where do your parameters for good health fall and why? Have you seen any negative impacts from Botox? Have you ever tried cosmetic acupuncture? Are there are products that are more conventional/less Paleo you use? And if so, why?
I would also like to hear about what shoes you wear, especially for weight lifting.
Hi Juli, LOVE the podcast!! So I know that you sometimes eat non-Paleo foods like rice and I was wondering if you could talk in the podcast about beans/legumes and why/if you stay away from them. I like the protein and the fullness that I get from eating beans but was curious on your thoughts about them and if there were any specific reasons that you don’t eat them. Thanks!
Hey Juli! Would love you to speak on your podcast about a huge issue I’m facing as of late. I WAS going to crossfit about 4-5 times a week, was seeing great results and just felt amazing. Then, my work’s busy season kicked in and my boyfriend and I started a huge renovation on our house. Not to mention, I feel like absolute shit at the end of the day (everyday) because I am just so exhausted and tired. Every day I wake up motivated to get a productive day in at work, go to a crossfit workout, and eat healthy meals. Then, before I realize, it’s 6pm and all I have the physical capacity to do is go home and crash. I feel like I am beyond tired (I already wake up at 5:30am for work), and I always bail on the gym because I constantly feel so tired that I might be getting sick…. like not just slightly tired, but REALLY FUCKING TIRED. I am now at the point where it’s been three weeks with only one workout a week, and I am constantly beating myself up for it. Do you have any words of wisdom/advice? THANK YOU, really hoping you can help me out here.
Hey Carolyn – obviously I’m not Juli but just wanted to tell you I had something similar to this recently… and it turned out to be iron and B12 deficiencies. Before you beat yourself up too much it might be worth checking out your bloodwork (and maybe tracking your sleep for a few weeks). Good luck… I hope you feel better soon and your work season slows down!
So I followed paleo for 2-3 years and felt really good when I was following it. Then I moved, switched jobs, took a budget cut, anyway I fell off the wagon and gained like 30 pounds, I ended up losing it with the help of a macro-coach, and did the high carb, low fat thing for awhile.
Last week, after feeling bad because I feel like high carb leads to ingesting SO MUCH crap, I dropped my carbs and upped my fats and I am loving it! I get to eat the different meats we get from our local butcher box each week, I stay full longer, and I am not eating nearly as much processed crap. I won’t say I am quite truly “paleo”, but I definitely felt like I was eating more healthful food (meats, veggies, white rice, good fats). I am still tracking but that’s because I am prone to overeat and working on that is a big struggle of mine!
Thanks for your food posts because they help me stay motivated to put good food in my body!
Your discussion about how life requires tradeoffs was something that I really needed to read today! Thanks!
2 very random questions for you—
You absolutely stunning in your wedding photos. I know you value a healthy lifestyle and was wondering how you got such a nice summer glow for your wedding trip. Did you do a spray tan before you went? If so- how did it hold up? Also, did the spa at the resort offer any spray tanning services? We are planning a summer wedding in Jamaica. I try to minimize sun exposure but don’t want to totally match my white dress for the big day!
Also, beauty related… I love hearing about the new beauty treatments you try and it looks like you’ve had great results with some of the laser treatments. In some other posts you have mentioned the products/medications you use to control acne. Do any of your products cause sun sensitivity and do you have to stop using them a certain amount of time before laser procedures, etc? If so, do you have any issues with breakouts before or after the procedure?
Girl! I have a podcast question. First off I LOVE YOU. Your just the best, and you’re very inspiring.
Question: What would be your best advice for someone who wants to start a blog/business in a time where there are already so many good ones out there? Also, what are your plans going into your future business wise? Do you think you will always want to post something everyday or do you have other plans on how to create other forms of income and sustainability for yourself as time goes on?
Long question. Your the tits.
Love,
Lindsie