Eating Zone – Week One Recap

Hey guys! Rebecca The Red checking in with you and sharing progress. My first week of eating Zone went pretty well, all things considered. I stopped weighing myself a long time ago, so I don’t know what kind of progress I’ve made in terms of pounds, but there’s a noticeable difference. Besides, I’m not really doing this for weight loss. Regardless of intent, my work slacks are loose again, which means change is happening! The meals I ate for the week were as follows (3 block):

Breakfast:
1 cup almond milk 
1 large scoop protein powder 
7-9 cashews 
1 cup strawberries
1/2 cup blueberries

1st Snack:
1 tomato (sliced), 
1/2 Tbs guacamole, 
1 (oz) string cheese

Lunch:
1 3 oz can tuna, 
3 tsp light mayo, 
1 slice of wheat bread, 
1/2  green apple

2nd Snack:
1 cup fresh strawberries, 
1/4 cup cottage cheese, 
1 macadamia nut

Dinner:
3 oz chicken breast (sautéed in tsp olive oil, garlic & crushed red peppers), 
2 1/2 cups kale  
1 peach

On Monday, I substituted a 4 oz glass of red wine for the peach (rough day). Tuesday & Wednesday I have night class, so I got two chicken tacos (fresco style) from Taco Bell. Friday I was running late and didn’t have time to make a breakfast shake, so I got a bacon/gouda sandwich from Starbucks and removed one slice of the artisan bread. Then Friday night, I went to the CrossFit 310 anniversary party, where I had one piece of chicken (about the size of my palm), a hand-size portion of greens with cheese, strawberries, nuts, and a small amount of balsamic dressing. The weekend rolled around, and as usual, I had a lot of trouble keeping up with my weekly routine, which means I didn’t get all my meals in on time. Then I went to a Roger Waters concert where I consumed many beers & a pretzel (because I was starving from lack of food). And in my boozy state, I also had some chips after the concert (because we all know about post-boozin’ munchies)….and yeah. Sunday was even worse, but we won’t go into that. I’m really trying to make it work though, which has proven somewhat difficult because I’m at the end of the semester (two weeks left).

Published in WOD Talk Magazine!

Hey guys! Happy Friday! First: I’m so excited to announce that WOD Talk, the CrossFit Lifestyle Magazine, achieved their Kickstarter last month, which enabled them to go to print!

“WOD Talk is a lifestyle magazine for people who train using CrossFit, which is a core strength and conditioning program. WOD stands for Workout of the Day!!! Each issue provides educational information from experts in the fields of fitness, nutrition and sports psychology as well as motivational success stories.”

This is huge for the CrossFit community, because as it grows (and it’s growing mighty fast), so will desire for content. I know we’ve almost completely submerged into a digital society, but it’s still nice to have print. That being said, I had the opportunity to contribute to the magazine for their May issue. Not only did I contribute an article, but a photo I shot at CrossFit 310 as well. I love being able to capture the essence of what makes CrossFit so. f’ing. awesome. SO, if you haven’t already, subscribe! They have a digital subscription for $10 per year or you can get print & digital for $35 per year.

What are your plans this weekend? Tonight I’ll be donating blood to the Red Cross for CrossFit 310′s blood drive & 2 year anniversary party. I’m so honored to celebrate 310 and everything we’ve accomplished in the past year. Also, I’m going to see Roger Waters at the L.A. Colosseum Saturday night, followed by a research paper & a marketing power point. I don’t know how I manage, but I seem to pack a lot into one weekend. I hope you have a great weekend and here are some posts from around the web . . . .

If you’re in SoCal, sign up to compete at The Beach Cities Battle hosted by CrossFit Code 3!

Review of Reebok CrossFit Oly Shoes by Rx Review

WOD Gear Team Series is looking for Judges & Volunteers! Have you signed up?

An interesting take on ‘Fitspiration‘ (Huffington Post)

Again Faster makes another great instructional video, using my favorite movement: Back Squats!

“The world is brutal, and you must be brave” – CrossFit Lisbeth

There’s still time to enter Civilized Caveman’s $4000 giveaway. That’s a LOT of grass-fed meat.

Eating Zone – Week One (with Before Photos)

And so it begins, again. As some of you know, I participated in my CrossFit gym’s Live Fit challenge back in January, and won 3rd place! Winning cash was great (which bought me some sweet new CrossFit kicks), but the physical results I achieved were far more rewarding. I’d love to say I sustained those eating habits after I won – the eating / sleeping / hydration habits that contributed to 10+ Personal Records – but the truth is, when I injured my hand during the 12.3 Open WOD, I (sort of) gave up on eating that way. The thing is, I had never dealt with an injury before, and certainly not one that would drastically limit how I spent my time at the box. No amount of reading material can prepare you for the psychological response to your first injury. And so, I ate.

But isn’t that life? CrossFit athletes will tell you, nutrition can be a rollercoaster ride. Life happens, and sometimes your best intentions get derailed. It just so happens I’m on an up right now, so I thought I would give strict nutrition another spin. This time though, I wanted to try Zone because my coach says it’s optimal for CrossFit athletes.

So this post marks week one. I will be updating weekly to track progress, note any changes, difficulties, and give a breakdown of what I’m eating. The very top photo is a collage of my before photos which were taken on Monday (May 14th). Let’s see where I end up in four weeks!

Oh, Fran

5 Things I Learned Hugging Complete Strangers

Global Free Hugs was started by Juan Mann, whose mission was to brighten people’s lives, or at the very least, their day. I watched his social experiment video a few years ago, and became totally inspired, although I never thought I’d see the day where I would be the one willingly standing out in a public square, soliciting free hugs to complete strangers… but alas, the day has come and (sadly) gone. Here are five things I learned in the process:

1. Foreigners dig hugs. Americans? Not so much.

So, in the process of facilitating this social experiment, we noticed that foreigners were way more apt to receive a free hug over Americans. Is this why I think Europe is so dreamy? Look, I know we (Americans) value our imagined little bubbles, but come on. . . . We were giving away HUGS . . . . for free! On the flip side, we did get a lot of thumbs up for the cause, and some smiles from people who were trying really hard not to smile. For me, that’s enough. So I’ll take it.

2. Our concept of “free” has been completely lost in our commercialized society.

At least half the people we hugged (and some who didn’t want hugs) asked what the catch was: “No really, how many donations are you soliciting?” When we explained that we weren’t taking donations, or that we didn’t represent a company etc. they seemed puzzled and asked, “Then why are you doing this?” More often than not I answered with: “Because everyone needs a hug.” And, in fact, it’s true! Studies have shown that a person who gives and/or receives about 12 hugs per day will lead a healthier, happier, and more fulfilled life. So what are you waiting for? Start hugging!

3. Receiving is awesome, but giving is more awesome.

I’m not gonna lie, I love receiving gifts. It’s actually one of my love languages. However, the joy I got from knowing I’ve directly helped to improve someone else’s life or day is on a totally different (higher) level than the joy I get from knowing someone was thinking about little ol’ me. To give is to receive. You cannot give without receiving joy in return. It’s all-encompassing and I highly encourage this practice! I hugged one guy and he said, “Thank you. I really needed that.” It literally made my entire weekend!

4. Contrary to popular belief, Karma is not a bitch (at least not always).

We gave free hugs away in Santa Monica on 3rd street promenade, and had to park in a nearby structure, which of course, is not free. We did our two hours of free hugs (which went by really, really fast) and when we went to leave and pay for our parking, the ticket spit back out with $0.00 on it. I’m not sure if this was a coincidence, but I’d like to think it was Karma working her ways in our favor. So if that was you, thank you. Free parking in L.A. is like winning the lottery. 

5. The best way to deal with rejection is to subject yourself to it!

I don’t know about you, but I’m absolutely terrified of rejection. So much so, that I will intentionally avoid certain situations in anticipation of this very scary element of life. What I loved about Free Hugs is that it forces you to step outside of your comfort zone and face that rejection head on. I feel way less intimidated by rejection than I’ve ever felt!