It’s hard to always be a leader. Whether it’s being a leader at work, or with our children, or relationship, or with our friends. But if we can take a leadership role in our own lives, more people will take notice. I say this after hearing some questions over the weekend about how to get a friend or a spouse involved with eating healthier and it’s usually not just as easy as asking them. Sometimes you just have to lead by example. When I first met my husband, he didn’t eat gluten free or paleo and I never told him he should. All I did was cook my normal meals, stick to my normal paleo eating habits and going to the gym, and I think he finally took notice of those behaviors and ended up asking me about paleo and if it would be a good fit for him.
At the end of the day, it’s not your responsibility to change other people’s behaviors. Whether you want them to stop smoking, stop chewing, start working out, start eating better; you have no control over what they decide to do with their own body. What you do have control over is what you put in your mouth, what effort you put in at the gym, and the hard work you put in to your own life. And if you are working your hardest, others will take notice. Your children will emulate those behaviors, your spouse may want to begin to take responsibility of their own life, and you will be able to continue with your healthy habits because more people around you will be doing them same.
Whenever you’re thinking about not working out or not eating healthy, remember that others take notice. Especially those squishy little brain children around you. I don’t have kids, but I’ve watched so many kids grow up and take on the same behaviors of their parents, whether those are good or bad behaviors. Lead by example. Take care of your body, be kind to others, and put your best foot forward in all aspects of your life so you can be surrounded by others who do the same! Be a leader, even when you don’t feel like it!
Sunday – Rest day/Travel back to Colorado from Omaha/Super hungover day
Monday – CrossFit Broadway Class
EMOM x 7: 1 Squat Clean + Pause Dip + Split Jerk. All @ 70% – 100#
Immediately into: EMOM x 5: 1 Squat Clean & Split Jerk @ 80% – 115#
Immediately into: EMOM x 3: 1 x Squat Clean & Split Jerk @ Add As You Wish – 125#
Then 2 x 5 min AMRAP’s Of:
2-4-6-8-10… Hang Squat Cleans (155/105)
30 Double Unders
– REST 2 mins between AMRAP’s –
I got 10+5 then 10+6 using 85#
Tuesday – Rest day/Travel to Phoenix for book signing
Wednesday – Hotel gym workout with Diane and Cassy in Phoenix – see video here
Every minute on the minute for 18 minutes complete:
14 jumping squats
7 burpees
So in the first minute, you will complete 14 jumping squats AND 7 burpees. The hope is to get 10-20 seconds rest each minute and finish the workout with the same 14 jumping squats and 7 burpees. I finished with 14/7, Diane finished with 10/6 and Cassy finished with 10/5.
Thursday – Hotel gym workout with Diane and Cassy in Kansas City – see video here
800m run – 21 one legged deadlifts (each leg – I used 2×25# dumbbells) – 21 burpees – 21 lying leg lifts
600 – 18 – 18 – 18
400 – 15 – 15 – 15
200 – 12 -12 – 12
100 – 9 – 9 – 9
We all finished under 30 minutes but didn’t keep track of the exact time – I used 2×25 dumbbells
Friday – Rest day/Travel to Denver for book signing
Saturday – CrossFit Broadway Class
Partner 25 minute AMRAP – together complete:
40 thrusters (115/75)
40 calorie row
40 barbell lunges (115/75)
470m run – must run together
We finished 3 rounds – I think
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What I Ate in a Day While Traveling:
I’m planning to do a post soon about how to stay healthy while traveling and little tricks/tips on what to pack and how to look for restaurants when traveling, so stay tuned for that! This is a peek inside when I ate while traveling on book tour. This was a day that started in Phoenix and ended in Kansas City. The Phoenix hotel had a kitchen in the room so we were able to cook some food while touring!
Before our morning workout, I had two larabar balls (see photo below) along with some Jackson’s sweet potato chips. After the workout, Diane and Cassy made a breakfast of medium boiled eggs, sautéed kale, bacon, and leftover pork and pineapple cooked in the bacon fat.
After breakfast, we headed to the airport where I had a Justin’s chocolate hazelnut butter packet!
After the flight, I ended up eating 1/2 an epic bar (because I shared it with Cassy) and 2 more larabar balls while we waited for our taxi.
Once we stopped by the hotel to check in, we got in another cab that drove us 30 minutes outside the city to a Whole Foods. I grabbed a little package of 6 nigiri tuna and salmon sushi then made a hot bar mix of broccoli, potatoes and some salmon. Washed it down with some ginger kombucha and lots of water since we were traveling and getting dehydrated all day.
I finished the night off with one Heavenly Organics chocolate honey mint!
i love those larabar bites! obsessed.
I firmly believe that those who feel like they have to go around saying that they are a leader (or the boss, etc.), are not the true leaders. A leader is a leader because of who they are and as you wonderfully explained it, proven by their actions. You just sound stupid when you walk around telling other people what to do. That breakfast looks delish!
Julie, I have been trying to get my boyfriend to change his habits and start eating healthier (not necessarily paleo) and work out more so far it has just backfired. He is the type of person that if you tell him to do something it will automatically make him want to do the opposite. I think leading by example and not putting pressure on him would be a better approach. It’s so hard not to say anything because I see the effects of him not being healthy but I’m going to try my best!
This morning I tried out one of the workouts you made for Cassie’s Fed & Fit cookbook. I did the one you wrote for Day 2 (it’s a rainy day here in NJ, so Day 1 was out of the question) – that was SO HARD in the best way possible! I’m positive after all those burpees, I’m going to be sore as can be tomorrow. My shoulders were on fire! I’ve never commented before but love your blog and your snaps are my favorite! Thanks!
I travel for work (3ish days/ week) so I feel ya on the struggle to eat healthy and stay fairly strict while traveling! I have so many co-workers who complain how hard it is and yet I know they’re having wine and gross room service every night on the road! Its just not worth it to feel crappy when you’re away on business (for fun, maybe so)! Planning ahead is the only way to do it- making sure I’m near healthy options at mealtimes and have good snacks to hold me over till I can find something healthy. And Whole Foods is my BFF and go to for snacks and meals when I’m on the road. Sushi, hot bar, salad, juice, kombucha, Justin’s nut-butters (I need to buy stock in them, every bag I own is loaded with them!) and interesting/ new paleo and GF snacks are all essentials. And LOTS of waters. Also, juice bars and cool paleo restaurants are in the most random cities (hello Tulsa, OK) so I always google the options as well. Would love to see a comprehensive all-in-one-place list of GF/ paleo friendly restaurants and take-aways 🙂
Well said lady!
Great post! You hit the nail on the head!
So yesterday I was feeling a little bit lazy and didn’t want to do a full workout, so I decided to try your Thursday workout….I figured since Juli did it under 30, it shouldn’t take me too much longer….ha ha ha ha ha….43 minutes later, I finally finished it. Damn that was hard, but felt amazing afterwards. We finally picked a date and venue for our wedding, so seeing how awesome you were is definitely my motivation.
Also, totally random, but my fiance doesn’t eat paleo (he’s Sicilian and doesn’t understand that not every meal has to contain bread and pasta), but if I cook, he eats it. And he always goes it’s not too bad when you follow that girls recipes (meaning you). Haha so thank you! From both of us! 🙂
Juli,
I have followed you for a few years and really enjoy your blog. I have been off-and-on Paleo for a couple years, but still struggling to lose weight and stick to it. I just found out that there is a CrossFit gym about 30 minutes from me (I live wayyy out in the country) and I am going Saturday morning to try it out.
But I’m SO SCARED. The guy on the phone asked what I’m afraid of, I said “throwing up”.. he said “well I can’t promise you won’t do that” lol. But also I’m scared to have the same experience you talked about a while back – gaining weight and lots of bulky muscle.
Basically, I just want some advice from someone I really look up to.
Thanks! 🙂
You don’t know me at all and that means you don’t look up to me…but all I can say about starting CrossFit is – you just have to start. Start. Go three times per week for two weeks. Then four for two weeks. Then five days for a month. And soon you will notice all.the.changes. You are going to immediately sleep better. You will start thinking twice, three times and then not thinking at all about your nutrition choices. You’ll notice how the way you eat affects the way you workout, so you aren’t going to eat crap food. Your skin is going to change in the best way possible-between the water and the sleeping and the eating and the release of the toxins during the workouts….you are going to love it.
I’ve been doing CF for a while, and I’ve never thrown up. When you go visit the CF gym on Saturday, watch the way the coaches coach. Are they pushing people in a good way, or in a drill sergeant way? What type of coaching do you prefer? Are they keeping safety of the athletes in mind – like correcting ones that have poor form? Are they watching athletes who may be struggling with the movements and giving them things to do to adapt so they can complete the workout without the possibility of injury? Injury prevention and modification to prevent injury are so important in this sport. I’ve found and worked with both kinds of coaches – ones that will yell at you to do it, and ones that will yell at you to do but when they notice you are having problems, they will stop you and give you something else to try so you CAN do it. You will feel better and see more results when you are able to accomplish a workout and feel great about it, and an awesome coach will notice that and coach that way.
So a long post to say…just start. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to be apprehensive. But the CF community is phenomenal. The women are empowering. The strength changes you will feel and see are gonna give you self confidence like no other. It’s going to change your life and it’s going to be great. I promise!
Lindsey, thank you so much for this response! I went last Saturday and again today, and did a couple of Foundations classes this week. It’s been great! Definitely tough – and I have seen someone throw up lol – but I can see myself loving CrossFit.
You aren’t joking about sleeping better! I fell asleep on the couch a couple nights this week lol.
It was really nice of you to write such a sincere reply to a stranger, I appreciate it! And I’m sure you are very worthy of being looked-up-to 🙂
I really needed to read this!!! I’m really strict on eating a Paleo diet. I need to remember I can’t control others. I want my husband and parents to eat like me, but they aren’t onboard. I am strict about foods I feed my 2 year old son too and people give me a lot of flack. I ignore them because I have a lot of health issues. I’m hoping he won’t have health issues with a clean diet.