Step Away From the Cake

Winter in Hawaii means rain and wind. I am not a fan. But it really only lasts for a few weeks, so it's hard to complain. I'm going back to school on Monday (bleh) and I do not look forward to biking in this weather. One good thing I did was purchase a jacket for riding. There is a store in the mall here that has a nice selection of the north face coats Right after Thanksgiving they had a clearance sale and I found a nice, neon yellow, jacket for real cheap. That has proven to be a life saver and I'm glad I got it. Speaking of which, I should probably wash it before Monday, it's been worn a lot over this break.

What you think becomes reality. I've known that forever. I am constantly trying to tell people that, and remind myself of it, and they don't always believe me. But it's true. Another way to put it: And he was right. I don't know how many times I've taken a deep breath, straightened my shoulders and said to myself "I can do this" and then done it. Sometimes it doesn't happen right away. Sometimes I have to work at it, but eventually I will do it. Or course, on the flip side, when I've said I can't do something I generally give up trying. So maybe it's just the act of continuing to try until you get it. Maybe it has nothing to do with the mindset at all, but everything to do with stubbornness. Okay, I won't go there now.... The reason for this post is actually to talk about food. I've been on Paleo since the end of October and I love it, I really do. But one thing I haven't been able to let go of mentally is sweets. I keep

I work in a Catholic school and I'm a scientist. Most people think that is a contradiction in basic philosophies and someone has to compromise their values in order to keep the peace. That is not true. The head of school believes that evolution absolutely happened but along the way there was some divine intervention. That actually makes sense to me. So when evolution is taught we don't discuss the spiritual side at all, it's purely science. All good. In chemistry these things don't come up but it's still pure science. I also read some things written by skeptics. Now as a scientist I firmly believe in questioning things. That is the basis of science after all. What I don't like and I believe goes completely against basic science principles is complete disregard of something you don't think is true. For example, Big Foot. Before I start I should state that I don't really believe Big Foot exists but I'm open to the fact that I could be proven wrong.

One of the benchmark workouts for Crossfit is called Fran. This workout is thrusters and pull-ups in sets of 21-15-9 and you do it as fast as you can. I had been with Crossfit a little over a month when we did Fran the first time. The about 2 weeks later we did it again. And today we did it again. So I have a good comparison of how far I've come in 4 months of Crossfit. Here are the numbers: 10/6 10/22 1/1 4:28 5:38 4:10 15# 25# 30# Ring Rows Ring Rows Jumping Pull-ups So I have doubled my weight from the first time, done a harder pull-up alternative and still cut my time. I am making great strides with Crossfit and it is really starting to show. Woo Hoo....and Fran, I'm glad I started the year with you!!!!

As I read somewhere, we survived another stable rotation around our sun. Woo Hoo.... Sounds sexy when you put it that way :) So last night was a little crazy here. They banned fireworks so apparently people spent that money on really illegal aerials. Nice. It was just as loud and noisy as ever. But I'm glad that's over for another year. It's a new day, new month, new year, and I love it. I really have a whole lot of hope for 2013. Towards the end of 2012 I started getting my act together and it's just going to continue in 2013. A whole lot of things start for me today too. I start my photo a day. I start my new Crossfit workout journal. I start trying to live a paperless lifestyle. I start by cleaning up this place. It really is going to be a fabulous year. I think right now I'll start with some food.

the last day of 2012. 2012 was a very eventful year for us. I learned a lot of things, and relearned a couple others. It was a good year and I'm hoping that 2013 will be even better. I laid out some general goals previously and now I want to expand upon them just a little more. I want to get back into running.  Towards that end, I have set my sights on a half marathon in May and another one in September. Followed up by the Honolulu Marathon in December. So running will definitely be my thing this year.  Crossfit & Paleo: I want to continue to improve and get stronger. I crossed a threshold the other day when I almost didn't finish a workout. I need to keep pushing through like that.  Control of the finances: This is going to take a little creativity. I have settled one problem, my student loans, now there are a couple of other small issues to straighten out. Should not be too difficult.  Finally, pursuing interests I enjoy. This is probably the one I have do

I love new beginnings. I used to love them a whole lot and I would write endlessly about them. I viewed a new beginning as a blank slate, and I still do. 2012 was a tough year in many ways and I want to recap the major events and then look forward to 2013. We began the year in a major fight with our neighbors. That was ugly. We went through mediation and got things resolved. We're still not friends and never will be, but we seem to have reached a point where we can live next door to each other. That took a long time for me to get over. I held a lot of anger and resentment towards them for a large part of the year. I have been working on letting that go and things are getting better. I know that this is only my problem and I'm working very hard to get over it. But it is better and hopefully will continue to get better. On the heels of that was the bankruptcy. I never in my life thought I would file bankruptcy but after Hubby lost his job things just never quite recovered f

It started with this on Friday night. Hold this for 30 seconds, 5 times. That's hard. Hard on the arms. Hard on the shoulders. Hard on the core because you use the core to hold you up there. So this is where it all began. Then yesterday we had to do this: Followed by this: And topped off with this: After standing on my hands for 2.5 minutes, my shoulders were trashed. Then do all these moves??? Yikes. We did them in rounds: 25-20-25-10-5. So I did a total of 85 lunges, 85 push presses, and 85 pushup rows. No wonder I'm so freaking sore. After the workout yesterday all I could do was eat. I made myself a huge lunch, all paleo, and ate it all. Then we went out to dinner and I went off Paleo, plus I had dessert. This morning I don't feel too bad, except for the incredible soreness, but I do need to eat strict today and drink lots of water. And rest. Today will be a real and true rest day. I am definitely looking forward to it and I have earned it.....