PR's and Good Friends

"Never give up and don't ask why because every situation does not need an answer. I'm a firm believer that I don't worry about anything I can't control." - Eric Davis

It's been over a week since I last posted.  I have been out of town on the weekends and not doing as big of a prep as I was during the whole30 on Sundays.  Such is Summer in the city, I suppose.  It's 18 days since the whole30 ended and while I have brought back some cheese and alcohol I am seeing great results so eating real food has continued.

I have reduced the amount of prep I am doing on Sunday's recently, being out of town on the weekends I don't want to waste the food.  This strategy hasn't necessarily worked well as I have had to do a lot more ad-hoc cooking during the week when I am exhausted and sweaty after the gym.  I did however try a few new things this week worth noting.

Mini Meatballs

Grass fed Beef 90/10 Fat, Chopped Onion, Parsley, Salt & Pepper, Egg
Brown them in a Pan until cooked all the way through

Pork Chops

Marinate with Olive Oil and Whole Foods Chophouse seasoning (my favorite), Cook in cast iron pan

Cook to 145 degrees in the center to avoid tapeworm but don't overcook or they will be chewy.

Carrot Fries

Slice, Toss with Coconut Oil & Salt, Bake for 45 minutes

In addition to the real food, I am also really enjoying Crossfit, way more than I have ever enjoyed working out in my life.  I have been a gym member since the late 90's.  I have always had a love/hate relationship with the accent on the hate with the gym.    I even have been known to make fitness bets involving money and glory to get myself to go to the gym. Crossfit is different, I actually look forward to going and to the challenge each work out provides.  Don't misunderstand me, Crossfit definitely highlights how out of shape you are compared to the super athletic coaches and longer term members.  I can however see progress in the 2 months that I have been doing it and that definitely motivates me. A few exciting things have happened lately.

• I finally did banded pull-ups instead of jumping pull ups.  While the goal is to do regular pull ups with no assistance this is an excellent first step and shows that I am gaining upper body strength.

• I deadlifted 105 pounds the other day up a new personal record from my previous 1 rep max of 73 pounds at the beginning.  

• I am getting close to continuously running at a fast pace for 1/2 mile without the need for a break.

• My squat form is getting better which is a huge goal as my legs are so tight from sitting all day at work.

I have been going M-TH the past two weeks so I can maximize the workouts, as I have been out of town on the weekends preventing me from going on Friday.  The workouts have varied enough that I am easily able to do the repeating days but I definitely feel sore and have utilized Friday - Sunday as a rest and recover period.  I continue to give each workout my all and the fact that I can see my body getting stronger keeps me motivated and excited to keep trying hard.  

The past two weekends I have been out of town.  I was invited to two weddings for business school friends this Spring.  I wasn't planning on going to either of them as June is a busy month at work and I want to travel during my measly 2 weeks vacation to far away exotic destinations.  I decided at the last minute to do a quick trip to San Francisco for my friend Nick's wedding, I thought it would be a positive experience to be surrounded by business school friends and of course visit a city I love.  

Long Lash Wedding Look

The Girls at Cocktail Hour

The Happy Couple says I do.

I kept my eating fairly healthy during the wedding weekend, I brought some food with me and indulged at brunch when something seemed too delicious to pass up (the Bi-nets and Biscuits at Brenda's in the Tenderloin) yum!  Nick and Deborah also had a delicious signature drink at their wedding with pureed cucumber that I may have tried a few times.  I tried to have a good balance between indulging and not making myself sick but over indulging.  

In addition to my wedding travels, I spent this past weekend in CT with the one and only Jessica.  Her husband was out of town so we had a girls weekend of good food, great booze and amazing conversation. I feel lucky to have people like Jessica in my life, we are about to celebrate our 10 year anniversary of liking each other.  You read that correctly, we have know each other since 2001, but one might say we didn't get off on the right foot.

I was excited we were shopping at a huge grocery store, Jessica was excited limes were pm sale.  Jessica has always been a very healthy eater and great cook.  She whipped up some delicious shrimp tacos for dinner below, the mango salsa (homemade) was spicy and yummy.