Fitness Safari

The 950' vertical climb at Jamaica's Dunns River Falls was  a piece of cake for this 40-something. I have always considered myself an athlete. I was a three-sport child excelling in basketball, softball and soccer. I dabbled in track & field and spent many afternoons scrambling up trees or playing football with my big brother or my bff. As an adult, distracted by marriage and motherhood, I floundered sport-less for nearly a decade until I discovered surfing at age 30. Still, despite traveling often in pursuit of perfect waves, I wasn't particularly strong or healthy. I was skinny fat, unable to complete a single unassisted pull-up or chin-up and had no idea what a deadlift even was. Almost exactly two years ago, I made a discovery that would change my life forever and start me on a new path of self-discovery that continues to teach me new lessons almost daily. It was Martin Berkhan's  Leangains  website. I couldn't tell if it was a diet or a tr...

I know I just posted yesterday, and don't get used to daily postings from me either, but "<<<<<" This is how  this is how I felt today in the gym. I think my 9-10 days off for vacation were just what I needed to recharge because I just couldn't get tired during my workout. I started with 10 1-minute sprint intervals /  2 min rest and followed with flat bench. I had recently been struggling with my bench because I stopped doing it regularly, but it still felt pretty light after 5 sets of 6-8 reps as I continued increasing the weight. After bench, I did 12 bodyweight neutral-grip chin ups for the hell of it and they were easy - and I'm about 5 lbs heavier than I was pre-vacay. Go figure! Must have been all of that good food in New Orleans and on my cruise coupled with tons of R&R because I've been low carb since I got back five days ago and I feel amazing. So I wanted to post to remind you all that rest and a bit of a refeed can be a...

One of my FB friends posted this photo the other day and it got me thinking about daily habits.  We all have dozens of habits that have been ingrained in us over the years; some good - rising early each day and making the bed, brushing our teeth, showering (optional but highly recommended), getting dressed (not optional), eating our veggies, etc. And there are the not so good habits: not getting enough sleep - which ultimately leads to bad habit #2, hitting snooze six times before getting out of bed, not returning phone calls or emails, arriving late to work, etc. In addition to the daily habits related to our personal hygiene and grooming, what we put in our bodies every day and how much we move are also habits. Do you grab a muffin or donut on your way out the door in the morning or do you chug down a protein shake? Do you pack a healthy lunch or hit the drive thru at lunch? Do you opt for a cheap sugar rush from the vending machine when your energy wanes at 3 pm, or do...

It's been too long since my last post and, while I have a myriad of excuses, I'm not going to list them here. For all intensive purposes, I'm back. What's going on in my life? Hmmmm. Lots actually. I'm still training, but have mixed things up to include some Kettelbell / bodyweight circuit type stuff as well as some heavy days with my old friends, The Big 3. As for diet, I still IF anywhere from 14-16 hours a day. It's just a habit now. I'm also taking a dip in the Carb Nite pool. For those of you not familiar with Carb Nite, it's a power diet protocol developed by a really smart dude - John Kiefer, known simply as "Kiefer." Seriously, the guy's a physicist and he's got a smokin' bod to boot. But his chiseled abs weren't handed to him. They've been sculpted by the years of trial-and-error that led to Carb Nite and his other gaining protocol, Carb Backloading. For Carb Nite, you start with a 9.5 day ultra-low carb period ...

I was recently going through some Precision Nutrition materials when I was struck by one of the most profound questions I have yet to consider.  Do your behaviors match your goals?   Such a simple idea, really. If you want to be strong, fit and healthy, then 90% of the decisions you make every day should in fact reinforce these goals. I know this isn't rocket science, but I think in the frenzy to calculate calories, the appropriate macro-composition of your diet, get to the gym on a regular basis all the while devouring pages and pages of fitness blogs and websites, we almost lose sight of this simple fact. If you want to find your abs (I know I do), all you have to do is ask yourself, every day, "What am I going to do that will get me closer to my goal?" For me this has meant less sitting on the couch and more walking my dog, riding my bike, surfing and training. It also means that, before I eat, I ask myself if what I am about to consume is going to f...

An innocent bystander in my search for Tarpon in the Florida Keys! I know, it's been forever since I updated. It's been a busy couple of months. As some of you already know, my boyfriend's colorectal cancer returned in April - I probably found out right after my last post, hence the hiatus. He had surgery to remove 20% of his liver in early June (will regenerate) and spent the rest of the month recovering. Just as he was feeling better from the surgery, he started chemo and an IV infusion of a protein-based medication.  Naturally, as we were preparing for our vacation to Key West (planned pre-recurrence), he broke out in a horrible rash that only got worse and worse while we were away. Now we're home and he's healing. The trip is over and my fall from the training wagon has come to an end. My IF lifestyle has been so good for me that my endocrinologist lowered my Synthroid dose twice last year. I had actually become clinically hyperactive b/c my body was usi...

Weight is just a number. Read more on the FFF blog page .