Lurong Living Paleo Challenge - Body Results (Before & After Pics!)

I already wrote about how excited I was about my workout results and now for the part that always seems to draw a lot of extra readers... half naked pictures of me on the internet!

The 8 week challenge involved following a strict Paleo Diet, similar to the Whole30, consisting of lots of veggies, meat, healthy fats (avocado, coconut, olive oil, etc), fruit, nuts, and seeds.  To be honest, we did a lot of cheating.  If I cooked it, it was compliant but we also went to parties, restaurants, and even a beer festival during the 8 weeks.  We were pretty strict during the week, but we let loose a little on the weekend.  Like I said before, I think this is pretty much how I want to eat on a regular basis.

I've got to be honest, the week before the challenge I was completely out of control.  I was stuffing my face with stuff that I don't even eat normally and I think I gained about 5 lbs that week.  All the processed carbs, sweets, and booze left me completely bloated and swollen.  It's crazy how much I can tell how each food affects me now.

 Yeah, that happened.

Body Results:

Weight:

Measurements:

Before & After Pictures:

 

That first comparison before picture make me cringe.  The Paleo Diet obviously works for me and I don't think there's any way I can go back to eating the Standard American Diet (SAD).  I feel like I've taken the red pill and there's no going back.  Sometimes I wonder if the people in my life are sick and tired of hearing me ramble on and on about Paleo, but I just can't help it.  I feel like my eyes have been opened and I want to share that with the world.  What you eat directly affects your skin, your body composition, your energy, your ability to focus, and so much more, and I don't think many people actually consider that on a daily basis.  Fuel your body with real food and you will find out just how amazing you could feel.  My skin looks better, my nails are stronger, I never feel like I need to take a nap after I eat, my stomach isn't bloated, my workouts improve, and damn I'm going to look great in a bikini in Nicaragua on our honeymoon!

 Don't forget to like Busy, Bold, Blessed on Facebook   :)  

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge - Workout Results

Well, our 8 week Lurong Living Paleo Challenge is coming to an end tomorrow!  I haven't posted much throughout the challenge, but I know everybody wants to hear those results.

Workout Results

I typically made it to CrossFit twice per week during the challenge which is similar to how often I was going before.  I took two weeks off in the middle of the challenge to let my shoulder heal, and oh yeah, I had poison ivy on my face too!

Workout 1:
Wallballs, Deadlifts, Box Jumps/Step Ups
21 of each, then 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3
Level III - 14 lbs medicine ball, 75 lbs deadlift, 20 inch box
9/16/13 - 17:08
11/4/13 - 13:23 (that's 3 minutes and 42 seconds off my time, say what?!)

This was the workout that made me hurl.  I really wasn't looking forward to it and my only goal was to beat my original time... and not throw up.  Did I mention that I did this workout at 7 am on a Monday?  I had cheerleading at night and I knew I needed to get this one out of the way, so I sucked it up and started my week with an intense workout.  I felt strong during this one!  I lost my rhythm and struggled on some wallballs midway, but otherwise I kept huffing and puffing along.  I was completely shocked when I finished almost 4 minutes before my previous time (and without feeling sick at all).  I was wiped, but I was so pumped!

Workout 2:
10 hang power cleans, 20 meter sprint
8 hang power cleans, 40 meter sprint
6 hang power cleans, 60 meter sprint
4 hang power cleans, 80 meter sprint
2 hang power cleans, 100 meter sprint
Level II - 65 lbs cleans
9/18/13 - 4:18
11/2/13 - 4:06

My shoulder was hurting before this workout, so again, my only goal was to beat my time.  This workout was the easiest of the three since it was so short.  With a 5 minute cap, this workout was a sprint and a 12 second improvement was enough to make me happy!

Workout 3:
Lurong (Benchmark)
100 Burpees, 100 KB Swings
Level II - 26 lbs kettlebell
9/20/13 - 12:17 (12 minute time cap, didn't finish 17 reps)

11/8/13 - 11:42 (FINISHED!)

Dave had been sick with a cold all week and despite my best efforts, I started showing symptoms on Friday morning.  I also had pain in my shoulder throughout the week that I was trying to heal with some hot tub sessions.  I was seriously debating not participating in this workout.  I didn't want to further injure my shoulder and my sore throat was the icing on the cake.  I sat in the hot tub after work and decided I was at least going to try to do the workout.  I kept my skill lifting light, since I wanted my shoulder to feel fresh.  I was worried the kettlebell swinging motion was going to give me the pinching feeling in my shoulder, but when I warmed up it felt ok!  I went all out.  I felt no pain in my shoulder!  I noticed I was more than halfway at the 6 minute mark and I decided I HAD to finish.  I just kept thinking only a few more minutes, just push through!  The burpees were actually easier than the kettlebell swings (maybe because I haven't done much with my arms lately).  I was so excited to finish!

I loved that we could see our progress by retesting these workouts.  I didn't really think I had gotten much stronger but improving all 3 WODs definitely says something!  I still can't believe how much better I felt during the wallball/deadlift/step up workout.  I'm really hoping my shoulder pain will subside for good in the near future so I can work on getting my pull up!  I'm planning on really resting it for a few weeks.  I took two weeks off before, but I filled in for a missing girl at cheer practice right after that, overly confident that my shoulder was fully healed.  I should've given it more time.  I'm definitely still loving CrossFit and don't plan on stopping any time soon.

Stay tuned for some before and after pictures!

How do you track your fitness improvements?
 

Maple Orange Cinnamon Dressing

We've been getting so many greens in our CSA lately that we've been giving them to our neighbors as gifts.  Worst Halloween treat ever!  Honestly I'm not the world's biggest fan of salads, but this post caught my eye on pinterest and I've been obsessed with this dressing since.

Maple Orange Cinnamon Dressing
from the roasted root

Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/3 cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt

 Directions:
1.  Whisk everything together.
2.  Enjoy over mixed greens, sliced apples, roasted butternut squash, pecans, raisins, roasted carrots, etc.

I made a double batch because I knew I would want extra!  I've made it with freshly squeezed orange juice before which I definitely recommend, but this time I only had clementines and I'm lazy :)

Enjoy!

What's your favorite salad combo?

I Conquered the Rope Climb!

After two weeks off from CrossFit, I found myself unusually nervous to get back in the gym on Monday.  Over the first weekend in October, I was feeling a sharp pain in my shoulder that I'd never felt before.  There was no distinct incident that caused it.  I did some shoulder work at the gym and some gymnastics at a cheer practice, both of which felt great during, and then Friday morning I woke up with an injury.  A week later I woke up with poison ivy on face!  With lots of rest, a few sessions in our hot tub, and some steroid pills from the doc, both my shoulder and my face are doing much better!

So I got my butt back in the gym on Monday for the next Lurong workout.  I don't know why I was feeling so anxious about this workout, it's not like I was going to lose everything I've been working for by taking two weeks off.  But CrossFit has a way of taking me out of my comfort zone and really, that's one of the reasons I like it!

I killed it!  The workout was burpees, front squats, push press, and then a 100 meter walk/run with a kettlebell in each hand.  It started with 3 of each, then 5, 7, 9, 11, and the finisher was 13 burpees where you jump over the barbell in between. The squat and push press weights were relatively light at 30 lbs since I was stuck at level 1 (since level 2 required pull ups between the 13 ending burpees, yikes).  Burpees are still terrible, but this workout was just what I needed!

Yesterday morning we "stormed the beach" with a long partner workout.  I may not be running long distances these days, but CrossFit still delivers some serious cardio work!  And I officially conquered the rope climb!  I had attempted it before with success going up, followed by a panicked moment at the top, losing my foot grip, and basically sliding down and burning my hands.  My attempts yesterday went much better and I was proud to see the RX (which stands for "as prescribed") next to my name!

And today I am sore, Happy Friday!

What has taken you out of your comfort zone lately?

October Update

Hello there!  As always, when life gets busy, the blog goes on hiatus.  So what's been going on?!

I judged my first cheerleading competition!  I have been coaching since 2000 and it's definitely been a dream of mine to judge competitions, so when I was asked if I wanted to judge alongside the woman I coached with all throughout high school (and pretty much considered my second mom), it was a no brainer!  Judging was a little overwhelming at first, but once I got in my groove it was great.  I definitely want to do more judging in the future.  In the meantime, coaching has been chugging along.  My girls won their first competition and now we're prepping for Regionals (and looking to get a bid to Nationals in Disney in December)!

We're in week 5 of the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge!  Honestly, this has probably been my least successful Paleo eating challenge, but oddly enough, I think I'm ok with it.  Basically we've been cheating every weekend.  There was a beer festival, a wedding, fancy dinners out... things too good to miss.  So we've been eating strict Paleo during the week and then not sweating it during the weekend.  I'm sure my results will reflect my lack of total commitment, but I'm going for a lifestyle change, and I think this is sort of how I want to eat on a normal basis!  I've also been MIA from the gym for two weeks.  I did a bunch of shoulder work at the gym, felt great, then I did some gymnastics at a cheerleading practice, felt great, and then I woke up with a shoulder injury.  I believe it was just an overuse thing because two weeks of rest and some hot tub and heating pad sessions have made it feel so much better!  I still could've been hitting the gym during this time, working my legs, etc... but I also got poison ivy on my face while working in the field.  I went to the doc, got some steroid pills, and a week an half later, my face looks almost completely better, but this combined with my shoulder was enough to grant myself a break!  Looking forward, I'm getting my tush to the gym at least twice this week, hopefully three times!  I've got to get back on track!

The wedding is 209 days away!  Wedding planning has also taken a bit of a backseat lately, but things are still coming along.  The bridesmaids' dresses have been selected, the DJ is just about signed, and we are working on finalizing the guest list.  Apparently we have too many friends!  It is so difficult to narrow down the list and I'm dreading offending some people.  We'll see... but in the meantime please let me gush about our amazing photographers!  We first heard about Fuller Photography when our friends Christine and Josh used them for their wedding in June and soon after I knew we had to book them.  We had our engagement photos a few weeks ago and they turned out simply breathtaking!

 

Apparently a bunch of my favorites are all smooching pics :)  There's a ton more, but I don't want to share too many until we send out our Save the Dates.  I hope you're having a great weekend!

What's new with you?  How's your October going?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56): Week 2 Meal Plan

Better late than never right?

Breakfast this week is a mix of Lara Bars and some mini egg muffins that Dave was inspired to make from a recipe on the challenge forum (similar to these).  I just recently started doing a new task at work that has me out in the field all day, so that threw a wrench in my usual lunch plans of just eating whatever I made for dinner the night before!  On Sunday we made a big batch of baked chicken (cooked in olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cayenne, and chipotle powder) to have with a salad, an avocado, sliced cucumbers, some fruit, etc.

Monday

• Dinner: Buffalo chicken meatballs and some leftover eggplant in tomato sauce

Tuesday

• Dinner: Leftover Thai curry chicken

 Wednesday

• Dinner: Portobello proscuitto pizzas

Thursday

• Dinner: Steak with grilled zucchini, peppers, onions, and mushrooms and a sweet potato

Friday

• Dinner: Leftovers or last Friday we headed over to Wegmans after CrossFit, we sat outside and put our meal plan together, while enjoying a snack, some live entertainment, and the sunset, before we went grocery shopping for the week, and then came home and made a delicious meal.  This Friday could be a repeat!  You know you're getting old when...

Saturday we're headed to a beer fest in Philly so that will definitely be a cheat and the rest of the weekend will fall under next week's meal plan!  Happy Hump Day!

How's your week going?

One Week Down, Seven to Go!

Well, day 9 of the challenge and I'm feeling great!  We were kind of all over the place with our meal plan (I bought some bone-in chicken because I couldn't pass up the deal, had to throw out a ton of beef due to freezer burn, etc.) but we made due and ate compliant all week.  I did do some cheating on Saturday with some cheese in a shared restaurant meal and a comfort food feast at a friend's house and I may or may not have had some mimosas since champagne is pretty much mandatory at all my bridal party events ;)  But I got back on track Sunday and did a ton of meal prep to start the week strong!

Eating Paleo was easy compared to the three grueling CrossFit workouts that kicked off the challenge!  Monday's workout was wall balls (throw a medicine ball up a wall, catch it and squat), deadlifts, and box jumps/step ups.  We did 21 of each, then 18, 15, 12, 9, 6, 3.  We had 18 minutes to complete the workout.  I did this workout at Level III, which is the highest level(!) so for women it was a 14 lbs medicine ball, a 75 lbs deadlift, and a 20 inch box.  Lurong (100 burpees & 100 kettlebell swings) used to be my most hated CrossFit workout...  but now this workout earned the title!  I am proud to say I finished in 17:08 (many people didn't finish) and then I promptly tossed my cookies, which is a first!  I completely lost my technique on the deadlifts as the workout went on and I paid for it!  My back was in a world of pain.  Thankfully a trip to the chiropractor combined with lots of foam rolling and stretching made it feel better, but I was hurting for an entire week.

Wednesday's workout was fine.

• 10 hang power cleans, 20 meter sprint
• 8 hang power cleans, 40 meter sprint
• 6 hang power cleans, 60 meter sprint
• 4 hang power cleans, 80 meter sprint
• 2 hang power cleans, 100 meter sprint

It had a 5 minute cut off, I finished in 4:18.  I did Level II, which had me cleaning 65 lbs.  It was a sprint, it left me winded, but nothing like Monday!

Friday was Lurong and I was dreading it.  Last time I completed the workout in 15:18, so I didn't expect to finish within the 12 minute cutoff time.  I was swinging a 26 lbs kettlebell (Level II).  I ended up completing 183 reps, so close!  I felt beat afterwards, but nothing like last time.  Yay for getting stronger!

We will do these three workouts again at the end of the challenge to see if we improved.  I am NOT looking forward to doing that first workout again!  I guess if I don't hurl afterwards, I'll know that I've improved.

This week kicked off with some snatching. 

I'd recommend turning your volume down for the video.

It was only my second time snatching and we were trying to max out.  I lifted 65 lbs, skipped 70 since I ran out of time, and went for 75 twice without success.  I was so close but I just couldn't get it up!  So frustrating.  The WOD was 7 rounds of 5 snatch, 10 sit ups, 200 meter run.  I snatched 45 lbs and it was pretty tough, but I focused on my form and finished in 19:15.  My shins are super bruised, but I guess that means I kept the bar close to my body, like I'm supposed to!

I did make a meal plan for the week... perhaps I'll get a chance to post it before the week is over.

What's the most intense workout you've ever done?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56): Week 1 Meal Plan

Today is officially day one of the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge (aka our Whole56)! I literally ate myself sick last week, stuffing my face with a ton of things that I wouldn't even normally touch, so I'm really excited about eating healthy and feeling better! I don't plan on posting every day this time around, but I think I'll check in every week to let you know how things are going.

If there's one thing I've learned from my Whole21 and Whole30, it's that planning ahead is key! So here's my meal plan for Week 1:

Same as my April Whole30, my breakfasts will consist of a mix of hard boiled eggs, Lara Bars (check the ingredients, some are compliant, some aren't), fruit, tea, and coffee (only when I'm dragging, not every day). I'm not a huge breakfast eater, so I will only be eating when I'm hungry. Hard boiled eggs and fruit may turn into snacks later in the day or sides with lunch. Additional snacks will be dried fruit, nuts, pickles, garlic stuffed olives, raw carrots, or sometimes a whole avocado to the face :)

Monday

• Lunch: Salad from the grocery store salad bar containing lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, and a hard boiled egg, 90 calorie pack of guacamole and Franks Red Hot as the dressing, with 3 small pieces of baked chicken
• Dinner: Salmon (baked in olive oil, salt, pepper, and old bay), with a sweet potato and roasted eggplant

Tuesday

• Lunch: Avocado chicken salad (using chicken I'm cooking tonight) with some raw carrots
• Dinner: Burgers (that I'll make from scratch and probably throw some minced onions, peppers, and mushrooms in) topped with tomato, lettuce, pickles and served with whatever veggies come in our CSA pick up that night

Wednesday

• Lunch: Leftover burgers
• Dinner: Buffalo chicken boats (cook some chicken in the crockpot all day, shred and combine with some Franks Red Hot, serve in romaine lettuce boats, top with avocado and tomato) with random veggies

Thursday

• Lunch: Leftover buffalo chicken
• Dinner: Thai Curry Chicken with carrots, mushrooms, and purple cabbage (I was supposed to make this Sunday night for lunches, but laziness got the best of me)

Friday

• Lunch: Leftover Thai curry chicken
• Dinner: Meatballs (combine ground beef with 1 egg, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, minced garlic, finely chopped onions, maybe some spinach, form into meatballs, bake in oven at 375 for 20-30 minutes, check inside of one for no pink, so easy!) served with mom's sauce (won't be adding sugar!) and CSA veggies, possibly a side salad

Saturday

• Lunch: Most likely grab something out with my bridesmaids after we shop for their dresses
• Dinner: Leftover meatballs

Sunday

• Lunch: Leftovers?
• Dinner: Something in the crockpot!

Anybody else in the process of cleaning up their eating habits?

End of Summer Photos

Well, we're almost halfway through September and I guess I'm starting to except that it's not summer anymore. I love fall with it's cool temps, pumpkin coffee, and weekends filled with football, but it's always hard to say goodbye to Cape May and days spent in my bathing suit.  I think I'll ease the pain with some pina coladas this weekend ;)

Are you ready for autumn?

Lurong Living Paleo Challenge 2013!

Knowing that in 249 days, I will be captured in hundreds of pictures wearing the most gorgeous dress (next to the most handsome groom!) it was only natural that I would do some type of clean eating program in the near future. I figured I would do a Whole30 at some point, but when my CrossFit gym announced that they were participating in a nationwide Paleo challenge, it seemed like fate!

The Lurong Living Paleo Challenge starts on Monday 9/16 and lasts for 8 weeks (that's 56 days people)! The diet requirements are pretty close to the Whole30 rules with just a few tweaks. The challenge also includes 10 required workouts, 3 of which will be done at the beginning and then repeated at the end to measure performance improvement. Surprisingly enough, the challenge includes Lurong, my most hated benchmark workout! I'm interested to see if I can beat my time from May, but I'm sure it's still going to suck.

Participating in this challenge will be so much better than doing a solo Whole30. The support from my gym and taking body measurements there will definitely help keep me accountable! It's also perfect timing since I was told to start setting up appointments for my dress alterations in November. I figure once my dress has been fitted, I will be forced to maintain my healthy eating habits before the big day! And it won't be the end of the world if I have to do another Whole30 in the spring, especially with the extra energy and clear skin as welcomed side effects.

Dave's pretty bummed that this challenge is falling during football (and pumpkin beer) season, but as with most things, there's never going to be a perfect time to eat healthy. There will always be a dinner out, a free lunch, a party, a sporting event, a happy hour, a special dessert. Unlike the Whole30, cheats are acknowledged in this challenge, but you have to document them. We are planning on attending a beer festival at the end of the month, oh well! Whether you have one beer or ten, the cheat is documented the same, but as the challenge website says "your waistline at the end of the challenge won't lie." I'm going to try and stay as strict as possible, but at the same time 8 weeks is a long time and sometimes it's just worth it.

I was considering trying to eat super healthy beforehand so I don't feel as miserable when I start. We had our engagement photos on Sunday, so last week I was trying to keep things super clean. And now I've deemed this fat kid week! I've decided to enjoy some pizza, mozzarella sticks, and cocktails. I know it seems kind of stupid to pig out on stuff that I know is unhealthy and against everything I write about but damnit I really want one last hurrah with cheese and pina coladas... and quite honestly, it will just make my challenge results even more dramatic.

Did you go on a diet before your big day? Have you ever done a challenge through your gym?

Link Love

While I definitely owe you a photo dump of my amazing August, here are a few things that caught my eye on the internet this week:

Avocado and Chicken Caprese Salad - I love caprese anything as I adore mozzarella and a good balsamic reduction, but I never thought about adding avocado to take it to the next level. Nom nom!

Pumpkin Pie Blizzard - I'm dreading the end of summer, but a pumpkin pie blizzard seems like a perfect transition!

Cocky Runner Nearly Loses Race In The Most Embarrassing Way Possible - An Ironman triathlete risks the glory of a win with some awful showboating. Ridiculous video!

Paleo Success Story: I Don't Ever Have To Live Like That Again - "I kept thinking – could it be this simple? Could something as “easy” as changing my food choices change my life? Yes. It was that easy. No, it wasn’t “easy” making it happen, but it was definitely that simple."

Is Gluten-Free a Fad Diet? - "My favorite thing is when “concerned health experts” caution against starting a gluten-free diet without talking to your doctor, paying for a test to determine a gluten allergy, and consulting with a registered dietitian. As if giving up bread, pasta, and cake for more animals and plants is a dangerous undertaking that requires professional assistance. As if removing gluten and feeling loads better only to feel terrible upon a chance reintroduction is an unreliable way to determine if you should go gluten-free."

Close of Service - A friend and Peace Corps volunteer blogs about the life changing experience of living in Botswana, Africa for 2 years and her plans to stay another year. Her writing opens my eyes to things I would've never known about. Sometimes it makes me feel like I am completely clueless and sheltered from the world, but it never fails to inspire me!

Have you read anything interesting lately? Link away!

Overwhelmed

Ya know, it's weird. The less I post, the more I should have to write about but when I think about my blog I just keep drawing a blank. It's like I have so much to write about that I don't even know where to start. Or if I have some free time, firing up my laptop is literally the last think I want to do. It's crazy to think in April I was posting almost every day. I was definitely less busy then but still, if I really wanted to post, I could find an hour or two each week, right?

My plate is full, it has been as long as I can remember. Starting in 7th grade, I would play one sport for school and then a community sport in the evening. In high school, coaching cheerleading replaced my evening sport in the fall and I also added the musical to my schedule. School work was done whenever I had a free moment and my grades never suffered due to my schedule. College was more of the same. I actually got my best grades during the semester I had 19 credits, worked 2 jobs, participated in club gymnastics and cheerleading and let's be honest... I definitely went out every Thursday, Friday and Saturday... and probably some Wednesdays too ;)

I like to plan things and schedule my days. I'm not one of those people who needs a ton of downtime to sit by myself and decompress. I thrive on social activities and time with my friends. Having an overwhelmingly full schedule usually doesn't overwhelm me.

Except right now.

A week and a half before Folk Fest I had a weird summer cold. I was desperately trying to feel better but I found myself under the weather when I went wedding dress shopping (and found my dress!!!!) and for part of the next week while I was trying to balance cheerleading practices, packing and prepping for Folk Fest, and trying to get some extra sleep. I did get better before Fest, but then I headed off to a magical place where you might drink moonshine for breakfast after you got zero hours of sleep the night before. Folk Fest was amazing, but the week after was extremely rough! I should've taken Monday off and took the week to regroup, but instead I found myself overbooked with a variety of events which lead to eating out all week. Needless to say, I felt like crap. My skin broke out, I was exhausted and stressed out, I hadn't been to CrossFit in 3 weeks (did I mention that it's a bit too expensive not to go?!), and all week there was chatter about coming into work on Saturday. And to top it all off, OMG my wedding is in less than 9 months! I started to question my commitments. Had I spread myself too thin? Do I need to pull back to make sure I'm taking care of my priorities?

At 4 pm on Friday they told me they didn't need me at work. Best news EVER! And somehow my calendar granted me a relaxing weekend without any major plans! Friday night I got together with some of the other coaches and we did a lot of choreography work. Saturday I made it to CrossFit, grabbed some groceries for the week, and caught up on laundry. And Sunday consisted of attending church, grabbing brunch, and starting a new book while I caught some rays. It was just what I needed!

Now a 4 day weekend in Cape May is just a day away! I can't wait to relax on the beach, eat delicious food, and celebrate my 27th birthday in style! And when I come back, I'll be rejuvinated and ready to tackle September and all the craziness that comes with it!

How do you handle overwhelming weeks?

August Adventures

First of all, Happy Friday! Second, can you believe it's August already?! Now begins the countdown to my birthday on the 31st! Guess I can't wish away the month just yet, I have some sweet plans coming up...

This weekend - We're headed to the bayside of Jersey for a fishing trip with some friends from the Firehouse! I can't remember the last time I was on a boat so I'm just crossing my fingers that I won't get sea sick. Thinking I'm going to bring along some ginger chews, since I'm assuming dramamine probably doesn't go with beer ;)

Next weekend - I'm going dress shopping!!!!! OMG, I'm so excited. I tried on Shayna's dress a few weeks ago which was SO fun and really helped me get a better idea of what I want. I've also been brainstorming on pinterest.

I'm headed to Sabrina Ann, a wedding boutique on the Main Line that specializes in once worn, never worn, and sample wedding gowns. I love the idea of a consigned dress because heck, I'll only be wearing it one day! Shayna and another friend of a friend have both had great experiences there, so hopefully I'll be saying yes to the dress! We'll also be celebrating my bestie's bday with a dinner out and some pool time if the weather cooperates.

The weekend after that - Philadelphia Folk Fest! Some people can't understand why I would want to forgo showering and camp out in a field with a bunch of strangers for the weekend. I guess it's just one of those things, you don't know until you go. Also, this is one of my favorite posts ever, maybe I'll have to do another!

And after that - A relaxing weekend with no plans! I'm not even sure how this happened, but I'm predicting some swimming, some housework... and I may even try to reschedule our skydiving adventure! And then whoa, there goes August! That brings us to Labor Day Weekend which will be spent celebrating my birthday down the shore. I can't believe how quickly time is flying by. Cheerleading starts next week! And guess what, only 288 days until the wedding!

What are you looking forward to in August?

Weekend Plans & My Thoughts on Cardio

Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!  Work has been sorta slow since we recently completed a large submission and it's really been making the weeks drag.  I'm also super excited to head to Cape May this weekend, I am in serious beach withdrawal.  The weather looks kinda meh for Sunday, but Saturday I'm hoping to get in a full day of sunbathing with my toes in the sand, listening to the waves roll in, and watching dolphins!  Oh and my mama is coming down for the weekend, so it's going to be a serious mom bonding weekend (plus Dave's dad who will probably be looking for projects around the house to escape to lol).

So, yesterday's CrossFit workout was a doozy!

Skill:  Max Overhead Squat

Workout of the Day:  Nancy (Benchmark)

5 rounds for time of:
- 15 reps overhead squat

- 400 meter run

This was my first time trying overhead squats!  I maxed out at 95 lbs, but I sort of ran out of time.  I think I could definitely do at least a few pounds more.

The workout was rough!  I did 40 lbs for my squats and my legs were burning, but the squats were actually easy compared to the run.  What a difference a year makes, this time last year I was running a 5K PR!  (Fun fact... that post says I was celebrating my blogiverary... except I started blogging in June, not July, whoops!  Also, Happy 2 Year Blogiversary to Busy, Bold, Blessed only a month and a half late!)

Anyway!  I don't remember the last time I went for a run (maybe December?) which is sad but true.  Although I don't think I'll ever run long distances again, I believe my cardiovascular fitness levels are lacking and some cardio work would help get me through the intense WODs.  While I was huffing and puffing through the running portion of the workout, I couldn't help but think if the zombie apocalypse happened tomorrow, I'd be screwed!  (We've been watching a lot of The Walking Dead, and it's amazing btw!)  My CrossFit gym just started up some endurance classes on Saturdays, but I'm not sure I'll make it there until my schedule simmers down a bit in September.  In the meantime, I plan on adding some sprinting into my life!  Specifically, some sprints into the ocean this weekend :)

How have you been pushing yourself lately?

Remember when I used to write blog posts?

Soooo it's been a little quiet around here, huh?  Well, the busy in my blog title is no joke and summer is definitely the busiest time of the year.  I have plans for every single weekend until mid September (and by then cheerleading will be in full swing).  Add planning a wedding into the mix and well, something had to give!

So what have I been up to?

Wedding Planning

We booked our venue, we skyped with a couple who will most likely be our photographers today, and I just scheduled an appointment to shop for a wedding dress the second weekend of August!  A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders once the venue was taken care of.  We are getting married at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in King of Prussia.  The wedding coordinator is amazing, the ballroom is beautiful, and our guests won't have to drive anywhere after the party!  So far things have been easy breezy...

Weddings, Vacations, and Parties, oh my!

I had a blast attending an epic bachelorette party that involved a party bus, a mechnical bull, and a bunch of ladies dancing on top of a bar!

We also attended two weddings in the past month (which are a lot more fun when you're not super jealous that everyone else is engaged or married lol).

 

We spent the Fourth of July visiting some of Dave's college friends in North Carolina.  He went to UNC Charlotte so he showed me the beautiful campus and some of his favorite spots.  We stuffed our faces with southern barbeque, snuck into a hotel pool, rode rollercoasters until I felt sick, saw fireworks, and played some super silly boardgames.  It was a great trip until the 10 hour car ride home, I'll stick to flying thank you very much!

My brother graduated high school!  When his name was announced the crowd went wild and it was just amazing.

 

 

His graduation party a few weeks later was a riot.  He was determined to make everyone sing to him while he was cutting the cake, so we opted for a quick rendition of For He's a Jolly Good Fellow, which was followed by his request for smoke (aka candles), again everyone kept explaining that you don't get candles when it's not your birthday, but we still got suckered into singing our Polish birthday song Sto Lat.  After all the singing was finished, everyone was waiting for the cake cutting photo op, let me set the scene for you... Tom was holding a large knife with my sister very close next to him, he's carrying on, being a ham, and finally I yell, just cut the cake!  Well Tom quickly takes the knife all the way through the cake, making a nice vertical cut.  He then proceeds to take a second go, slashing the knife diagonally through the entire cake which was followed by my mom lunging at him and ripping the knife out of his hands. It was hilarious!

The rest of our free time has been filled with barbeques, pool parties, and various hangouts with friends.  Oh I almost forgot... we also had a giant block party at our house that included multiple bands, a slip and slide, volleyball, crazy good food, and three ice luges!

Fitness & Food

I am still in love with CrossFit, despite my quads being so sore today that I'm hobbling around like a grandma!  I maxed out at 130 lbs on my back squat on Monday!  My max clean was 100 lbs a few weeks ago.  There's so much I need to learn, but some of the basic movements are really starting to click.  My diet has been rather lack luster.  We've been eating a lot of veggies due to our CSA, but vacation included funnel cake at the amusement park, fresh baked bread courtesy of our hostess, bagels and donuts from a local bakery, a giant tub of froyo covered in chocolate toppings, and some mouth watering hush puppies.  Basically I lost all self control, but can you blame me?  Those things were all delicious and I was on vacation!  I know I'm not eating like I should be (hello sugar addition) and the scale is reflecting that!  That would be that big of a deal, but I know how tiny my tummy looks when it's not bloated... and I miss it!  I may be thinking about a Whole30 in the near future or maybe another Whole21, we'll see.

So as you can see, I am busy busy and this weekend is no exception!  Tomorrow night we're headed out on a double date at one of our favorite Mexican restaurants with tasty margaritas and guacamole they make right at your table.  Saturday we're doing the Electric Run in Philly (a 5K in the dark with a creatively lit up course and lots of glow sticks).  And Sunday we're going to see Zac Brown Band.  Next weekend we'll be in Cape May (for the first time since this happened!), maybe I'll get to relax then!

How's your summer going?!