05 January 2013

Lovely weather


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.

04 January 2013

It's all in the mind


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 trying to make paleo desserts. I've had a couple of decent successes; lilikoi bars, coconut Larabars and scones. But I've had some dismal failures too: brownies. Last night I tried a pineapple upside down cake. It came out okay. If I make it again, there are a couple of things I would change, but Hubby really liked it. I, on the other hand, was seriously disappointed with it and doused each piece I ate with honey. Which led me to a major revelation. I don't want to eat sweets just to eat sweets. In other words, I'm not going to make paleo desserts just so that I can have dessert. I'd rather treat myself once in a while to the real thing. So instead of making a pineapple upside-down cake that is so-so and dousing it with honey, I'd rather just have one slice of a really good pineapple upside-down cake. Does that make sense? I don't want to have dessert just to have it. I want it to be a treat, something really special and real.

I don't think I want to find ways to eat things I'm not allowed, like sweets and breads, I'd rather just do without them and have them as special treats. I think the act of having them, even if they are paleo, creates a mindset of eating desserts. I'd rather just break the habit completely. Because, aside from the mental side of it, it's extra calories I don't need. When I crave something a little sweet, dates fill the bill.

So it's time to completely change my mind set. No desserts, real or paleo, and that's that. Also, January 15 starts the new paleo challenge and I'm going level 10, I need to prepare.

02 January 2013

Science vs. faith


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. The skeptics won't consider for a moment that a Big Foot is possible. Not at all. While on the other end of the spectrum, the Big Foot hunters are absolutely sure it exists and you can not convince them differently. I think both groups are full of it. The skeptics won't for a minute consider that it's a possibility they do exist and the believers won't for minute consider there's a possibility they don't. I think both extremes are equally bad and that real true science lies somewhere in the middle.

To really "do" science you need to be open to all possibilities. You need to be able to look at a situation with a completely open mind and not rule anything out, until you rule it out scientifically. I guess what I'm trying to say is just because you have never seen it does not mean it doesn't exist. I have never seen my heart but I accept that it's there and keeping me alive.

I just get tired of people being so absolutely positive that their view is right and others are wrong. That's what leads to things like 9/11. People need to have their beliefs but be open to other possibilities. We really don't have all the answers and all we can do is try to find them.

01 January 2013

Hi, my name is Fran


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!!!!

We made it


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.

31 December 2012

It's finally here


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 done most about because it's the one that's been neglected for so long. 
    • Tomorrow I'm going to start with a photo a day challenge for 1 year. I'll be posting them on Shuttercal. 
    • I have begun working on a crocheted afghan, I love crocheting. 
    • I have started working on a latch hook rug that is half finished.  Awesome
It is going to be a really good year. 

30 December 2012

Year in Review


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 financially. That became official on January 28th. Which also happens to be the day I gave up my car.

I gave up my car and started biking/busing it. Overall that's worked out well, but after almost a year, I'm ready for a car again.

In May I decided to join 24 hour fitness. Again. After having the same struggles with my weight that I've had for years, I decided it was time to head back to the gym. I got a deal on some personal trainer sessions and did well for a while. I quickly realized that I don't like 24 hour fitness and once school started again, that pretty much ended.

After teaching health class over the summer, I decided to give vegan a try. That did not work well and did not last long at all.

In July Designer Whey started a summer workout series. I started following it and it was different everyday and tough and I loved it. I didn't push myself as hard as I could have but it was a good start.

Also in July I completed my masters thesis. That had been a burden hanging over my head, running through all my thoughts for 2 years. I finished it, I was done, and I got my masters.

September 1st was when my life changed. That was the day of my Crossfit Intro class. I have been hooked ever since. Because of Crossfit I have lost weight, gotten my eating under control with Paleo, gained things I'd thought gone forever like my happiness. This was really when things started to turn around for me and it's only gotten better.

October brought some changes at school that pretty much sent me over the edge. I've since recovered and think I have a better plan, but we shall see.

November was quiet and fairly uneventful.

December was the end of school and the Christmas party. I emceed and it was big fun. Christmas was quiet. Oh yeah, our friend got married after dating a girl for a month. Nice. And the world did not end, that was awesome.

Now the end of the year is nigh. Tomorrow is the last day of 2012. It's been a challenging year in many ways with lots of changes. I'm looking forward to 2013 and a fresh start.

Sore all over


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.....

Conversation with Hubby

 So yesterday morning I presented my idea of working out at home to the Hubby. Once I presented it to him, he said he was in. I told him I h...