I LOVE to cook...

Cooking is a passion, but then the weekdays come and SMACK me in the face.  Wake up early, drive the kids to school, go to work, go to the gym, coach a class, go home, eat a quick meal, go to bed.  Wait...stop...where did the time go?  What did I eat all day long?  Did I go through the drive thru to save some precious time?  HELL NO!  Sorry guys, I haven't been through a non coffee drive thru in years.

So what do you do?  We're all busy.  Eating right during the week requires some planning, and if you don't want people eating your lunch out of the fridge at work, maybe some extra equipment.  

What do you need?

1.  A plan.  This may seem daunting, but every Saturday my Mom and I plan our dinners with the kids for the upcoming week.  Shopping on Sundays become easier and the kids are part of the planning process.  No.."MOM I don't want to eat that" in our house.  Based on the dinner plan I know which days I'll have left overs for lunch or breakfast and which days I'm going to need a back up.  I suggest finding some go to meals that are quick to assemble.  

2.  Tupperware & Zip Lock Bags

3.  Two bags, one insulated for cold items & one bag for non refrigerated items.

4.  Ice packs (if you don't have a fridge or if you don't want your lunch eaten by a coworker.)

Below is an example.  This is a two workout a day example of food.  Breakfast is chicken sausage, avocado, and an orange.  The coconut milk in the container on the far right is for my Americano.  Lunch is a tower of broccoli, turkey deli meat, and hidden in the back are grape tomatoes.  Snack time:  Nuts and an Apple.  

The bag on the left is my insulated cooler bag and the bag on the right is for the apple, nuts, orange, & avocado.

Share your quick meal and preparation ideas.  Saturday is a REAL cooking/recipe post.  :)

Take it to the next level....but why?

Happy Early Tuesday morning!

Today's post is inspired by Mark's blog http://www.terminatorwods.blogspot.com/.  He posts his WOD's (workout of the day) on his road to the Crossfit Games.  This got me thinking about how we can all take it to the next level and increase our health and fitness level.

But why do you ask?  You may not be preparing for the Crossfit Games.  What's in it for you?  Why now?

1.  Why Now?  This is the time of year that we all fall into our routines.  The weather is not so pretty.  A lot of the outdoor activities have died down and so have people's activity levels.  Not to mention if you have been chugging along with the same routine...go to the gym and workout 3-5 days a week NOW is definitely the time.

2.  What's In if For You?  Increased strength, stamina, energy level, muscle recovery, mental health, and a heck of a lot more.

Now how...what exactly am I talking about?

For me it's two WOD's three days a week.  I started this a month ago and I have seen my performance increase dramatically.  Prescribed Loads during a Metcon seem a lot lighter when they are 50% of my one rep max.  Practicing movements that I struggle with has also been key.  Running, Swim Sprints, Handstand Push Ups, Push Ups, Stretching, Thrusters, Squats, Snatches, Cleans...All of these have been part of my new training routine outside of my usuals WOD's.

Yesterday's Example:

Lunch time:  1/2 mile run, 20 air squats, mobility WOD for the hammies, Wendler Front Squat, 100 Lunges for time

Evening WOD:  10 rounds:  15 Deadlifts 95lbs, 15 Push Ups

This may not be the same requirement for you.  You may be working out 3 days a week and it's time to increase it to 4 or 5 days.  Do you suck at Push Ups?  Do 20 push ups when you wake up in the morning or before you go to bed.  We're not all at the same starting point, but we can all get better.

If you have any ideas of how to increase capacity, share them here!

And it all Begins Here

This Blog is a forum for me to rant about all aspects of life that I care about:  Family, Crossfit, Health, Nutrition, Fitness, Cooking, Travel, Things To Do on a Rainy Day.  I hope to share some new information with you and hopefully you can do the same.

Currently, I'm in the middle of a 30 day challenge to clean up my eating to maximize my Health and Performance in the gym.  Check out http://www.whole9life.com/ . I'm on Day 21 and to be honest the food hasn't been so bad, but the craving for alcohol on a Friday night after a long week is killing me.  So this is my first question out to the world....What do YOU do on a Friday night (besides drinking) to relax?  Working out is always my default, but once I get home it gets much harder.  My easiest route is just to go to sleep.  Taking the kids for a walk has been another option as well, but let's hear it people.  I know you have some better ideas.....