Ms Bliss Fit

This weekend just flew by. Saturday morning, I went to a free cross fit class with my friend. If you know anything about crossfit, it is one of the best functional training workouts you can get. All of the crossfit locations are in old-looking buildings, or old warehouses….I guess it goes along with the whole theme of getting down and dirty. It was pretty cool. Everyone was very friendly which helps because I always get nervous in new situations. Although I have done components of the workouts that they do, this was my first actual class. Though I had the jitters, I was feeling pretty confident about my abilities. We filled out our paperwork and waited around a few minutes for everyone to get there.

The first part of the workout was a warm-up where everyone picked an exercise to perform 10 sets of. We stood in a circle and did each one. There were about 10-12 people there along with 2 or 3 coaches. After we warmed up, one of the coaches thoroughly explained all of the exercises we were about to execute. Thankfully, I had previous experience with all of them. The workout was called, “The Pyramid of Death!” So, our goal was to complete as many sets that we could in 11 minutes. One set included:

• Kettlebell Swings
• Box Jumps
• Sit-ups (Legs straight out, arms overhead, straight out and touching toes when you sit all the way up).

This sounds simple, right? Well, I will tell you that this is a workout. You start with 1, then you do 2, then you do 3 (of each exercise, back to back, fast). That is why it is called a pyramid…you keep climbing as high as you can in 11 minutes. I was focused and ready to go! They have this digital clock that you can watch as you are working out to keep track of your time. The coach started the music and I was off! Something about the music and the spirit from everyone else in the room just puts you in a zone. I loved it! The coaches were very motivating and kept us going. At the end, I was sweating. Each person reported on how many sets they did and they wrote your name on a white board with the number of sets and the amount of weight you used. I used an 18 lb kettlebell and got through 10 sets. Little did I know that the next day I would be sore. 🙂 My shoulders and upper back were so sore when I woke up the next morning! Who knew you could do so much work in 11 minutes. Those kettlebell swings are no joke if you don’t do them on a regular basis! Now that is the kind of workout I am talking about! I need to be sore so I know I am challenging my body in a different way. I plan to attend the foundations courses at crossfit and we will see from there. I think it is an excellent workout to supplement with your current routine.

Because we got home so late last night….more like this morning, I was not able to do my Sunday Prep. So, what I did this morning was grab a few of my homemade muffins, some leftover salmon and black bean patties, an apple, and some nuts for my meals. I made a shake and some oatmeal for breakfast. Of course I did not workout this morning because I do require a little bit of sleep! Lol! I used today as my second rest day and will workout for the remainder of the week.  A creative approach in my scheduling allowed me to do my weekly shopping. I work very close to my home so on my lunch break I went to Kroger and got my food for the week. They had some great deals! They had protein powder on “close-out.” I figured with as much protein powder as I use, this will come in handy. I have never really tried these brands but I did a thorough examination of the ingredients and figured I would give it a shot. They are vanilla and dreamsicle flavored. I usually stick to chocolate or banana but I can make some good recipes with these new flavors. (I will tell you how it goes and which brands they are….it’s not the cheap stuff!). I am having sort of a vegan/vegetarian week. I did not have a lot of time to prep so my meals this week are quick and easy. Here are a few of them.

• Clean Egg Salad made with fat-free cottage cheese, celery, honey mustard and seasonings
• Portobello Veggie Burgers ( I rarely do soy products for various reasons but this particular one has very low sodium and is made from mushrooms, egg whites, and soy, so you get more protein and not as much from soy. If you do your research, you’ll see why I don’t eat a whole lot of soy products but it is in everything so it is hard to avoid).
• Oatmeal
• Protein Powder ( Making protein pudding, shakes and ice cream).
• 96% Lean Ground Round (Laura’s)
• Turnip Greens
• Green Beans
• Cauliflower
• Almonds
• Wasabi Peas
• Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
• Non-Fat Cottage Cheese
• Sweet Potatoes
• Shakeology

Here is to a wonderful and productive week!