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Thursday, July 18, 2013
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Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Shopping My Closet: Wednesday
How much gold can I cram into one outfit?
The answer is: quite a bit. Today is a topknot-rockin', spiked and studded loafer wearin' kind of day, and I'm just sitting here plugging away at my job like a boss, wishing Friday would stop taking her sweet time to get here.
I didn't go to CrossFit this morning because I had to be at work at the crack of dawn, plus I can barely move, but that didn't stop me from giving you a little extra this A.M. - scroll down for a link to an 8Tracks mix I made just. for. you. You are welcome.
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
Shopping My Closet: Tuesday Office Style
Office Cardigans Don't Have to Be Sad Cardigans
Ah, the office cardigan. Unless you're working from home in your yoga leggings and tank top, swaddled in a quilt of your choosing, the only way to combat frigid cubicle temps is to BYOC. As a rule, an office cardigan should consist of good, non-pilling fabric, warm but not parka material, and should look like it can go with any outfit as a conscious decision, not a confused afterthought. Because you never know when you'll get pulled into some kind of project meeting, and you don't want to be bundled up in an electric purple Victoria's Secret PINK hoodie, zipped up to your chin.
Not that I'm speaking from experience or anything.
The blouse I'm wearing today is actually this one, currently on sale at Ann Taylor. The jeans/pants I'm rocking are $39 BDG cigarette pants from Urban Outfitters, and my office cardigan is a grey crew neck from H&M, which regardless of its non-cashmere status, does not look like an afterthought. And those Madewell sandals might be the best purchase you make all year. You heard it here first.
A Month of CrossFit - Day 2
I'm going to die.
I realized last night when I went to pick up my purse from the floor that I had severely underestimated how sore I would be. When I was talking to my CF friend earlier, she had asked if I was hurting yet, and I shrugged my not-yet-on-fire shoulders. "Not really, but I'm sure I'll feel it in the morning." She smiled a very knowing smile, "Oh yeah, you'll feel it."
"Feeling it" (the soreness, not the Blink-182 song) started around 9:30 p.m., after I had sat on the couch for an hour watching The West Wing. C.J., Josh and Tobey grimaced with me as I stood up on shaking legs and stumbled to my bed, cursing every stair on the way. My butt was in bed at 10 p.m.
Yesterday I set two goals for Day 2 - to wake up at 6 and eat breakfast before class. I was up at 6:15 and ate some peanut butter toast, drank a bit of coffee and water while watching the sun rise. And then the devil popped out of the pavement and asked me to stop freezing over his home.
But really.
Today's WOD:
Warm Up:
20 dumbell rows
20 v-ups (sit-ups where you lay flat on the floor and bring your hands and feet together)
20 box jumps
50m twist lunges
20 one-arm kettlebell swings (10 each arm)
- AND THEN YOU DO IT AGAIN -
Finish up the warm up with a 400m run. I only walked 50m halfway through, and I'm feeling pretty good about that, thankyouverymuch.
WOD:
Max broad jump (I hit 70" on my best out of three tries)
1 minute max pull-ups (maxed at 21 - I had to use the rings, because I'm not beast enough yet)
Max time L-sits (38 seconds)
5 minutes kettlebell snatches (I only got 52 in and had to use a dumbell because my form was cruddy with the kettlebell)
Yesterday I was feeling so nauseated by the end that I had to take a break before maxing out on my deadlift. Today, that feeling only happened as I was walking out to my car. I got my act together much quicker after the workout this morning, but man, my body hurts.
Monday, July 15, 2013
Shopping My Closet: Rainy Monday
Man, I just don't feel like wearing anything that screams, "Business Professional."
My job is super laid-back. The only way I "see" a client is if their e-mail pops up in my inbox, and that's the way (uh-huh, uh-huh) I like it. That being said, I can get away with a pretty casual M-F look.The Nike hoodie is one of the best purchases I've ever made. I got it on sale at Dick's Sporting Goods for $35 a couple months ago, and wear it with everything. Blue gingham shirt is from Old Navy, chrome sneaker from ASOS, and the bag pictured is similar to the Deena & Ozzy bucket bag I own from two seasons ago at Urban Outfitters. My jeans are actually Madewell Skinny Skinny in the Blue Moon wash (because they are my favorite jeans ever). But this is the best that Polyvore could do, and let's face it - it's pretty accurate.
A Month of CrossFit - Day 1
Let's talk CrossFit.
 |
| Via Reebok CrossFit |
I made the decision to actually give this whole CrossFit thing a try last week. I've heard about it, talked about it with friends who have done it, watched CrossFit videos on YouTube, read the blogs on Pinterest... I know what's up, but I just hadn't taken the plunge.
But here's the deal: I've reached a point (an age?) where the usual stuff I was doing just wasn't working anymore. It actually seems as though my body has kind of been slowing down. There are more trouble spots than non-trouble spots, and the gyro I ate for lunch settles in and adds to my waistline instead of shedding itself away.
The breaking point came when I was considering signing up for an Advocare 24-day challenge (a 24-day cleanse/replenish challenge that was going to cost me $190 buckaroos). I started thinking that if I was going to shell out that amount of money for Advocare, I could pay the monthly fee for CrossFit, save some dinero and try a month of hardcore workouts instead of doing the cleanse. Not to diss Advocare - my boss swears by this stuff, and she is a marathon-running ball of positivity and inspiration in constant beast-mode - but I just can't get on board the protein/meal replacement shake train. Plus, I've wanted to try CrossFit for longer than I'm comfortable admitting, and it's time to get my rear in gear.
So, this morning I went to the Box to start a week-long trial, where a very matter-of-fact woman named Alisha led me through the WOD (workout of the day). This is what we did:
Warm Up:
15 kettlebell swings (you swing with your legs, not your arms - it's a booty-poppin' feeling)
20 ball throws
20 step-ups (10 each leg)
50m inchworm (walk your hands out to plank position, walk your feet up to meet your hands, repeat)
50m bearcrawls (walk like a bear - keep your butt down)
1 minute rows - no arms
1 minute rows - no legs
WOD: AMRAP in 8 minutes (As Many Reps As Possible)
400m rows - arms and legs (did this in under 2 minutes, which was the bar Alisha set for me)
40 air squats
30 sit-ups
20 push-ups (chest all the way to the ground)
20 pull-ups (I did three)
Burpees until time expires (I hate burpees, and I didn't even make it to the suckers)
1 max deadlift rep (I did 108 lbs)
I made it through the rows, the air squats, the sit-ups and push-ups before time expired. With something like 20 seconds left, I went and started to do some pull-ups on the rings (because girlfriend isn't strong enough to get her chin above the bar, even with one of the biggest rubberbands I've ever seen), but only got three in before time ran out. I was bummed - the rings were actually working for me.
I was getting ready to do the deadlift, when Alisha told us to take a break and get a drink of water. And that's when the nausea set in.
I don't want to scare anyone off here, but I seriously felt like I was about to puke on their astroturf. I took a minute and went to the bathroom, praying the whole time that I wouldn't hurl, came back and maxed out my deadlift at 108 lbs.
I bravely waved goodbye, said I would be back tomorrow, and made it home to flop on my couch. I did not hurl my guts up, but I certainly felt like it.
Mistake 1: I woke up at 6:25 to be at a 7 a.m. class
Mistake 2: I ate/drank nothing but water before the class
Tomorrow: Wake up at 6 and eat breakfast beforehand. Whoo.
50m inchworm (walk your hands out to plank position, walk your feet up to meet your hands, repeat)
50m bearcrawls (walk like a bear - keep your butt down)
1 minute rows - no arms
1 minute rows - no legs
WOD: AMRAP in 8 minutes (As Many Reps As Possible)
400m rows - arms and legs (did this in under 2 minutes, which was the bar Alisha set for me)
40 air squats
30 sit-ups
20 push-ups (chest all the way to the ground)
20 pull-ups (I did three)
Burpees until time expires (I hate burpees, and I didn't even make it to the suckers)
1 max deadlift rep (I did 108 lbs)
I made it through the rows, the air squats, the sit-ups and push-ups before time expired. With something like 20 seconds left, I went and started to do some pull-ups on the rings (because girlfriend isn't strong enough to get her chin above the bar, even with one of the biggest rubberbands I've ever seen), but only got three in before time ran out. I was bummed - the rings were actually working for me.
I was getting ready to do the deadlift, when Alisha told us to take a break and get a drink of water. And that's when the nausea set in.
I don't want to scare anyone off here, but I seriously felt like I was about to puke on their astroturf. I took a minute and went to the bathroom, praying the whole time that I wouldn't hurl, came back and maxed out my deadlift at 108 lbs.
I bravely waved goodbye, said I would be back tomorrow, and made it home to flop on my couch. I did not hurl my guts up, but I certainly felt like it.
Mistake 1: I woke up at 6:25 to be at a 7 a.m. class
Mistake 2: I ate/drank nothing but water before the class
Tomorrow: Wake up at 6 and eat breakfast beforehand. Whoo.