Hello everyone and Happy Friday! Yesterday was a good day to say the least. It started with mini egg omelets and some grapes, paired with some pumpkin coffee.

After some blogging and some computer work I started studying, but then of course I got hungry for lunch. I made myself a plate of salad with sliced turkey and strawberries (I used the leftover dressing from our autumn salmon salad yesterday). I also had some creamy hummus yogurt dip with sweet mini bell peppers.

It was super good but to be honest it didn’t hold me over very long. About an hour later I went for a protein shake with almond milk and iced coffee.

That did the trick, in fact I drank it too fast then I was overfull. Whoops. Around 4:30pm I started to prep dinner so it would be ready to throw in the oven when we got back from working out. Yesterday Paul and I did our very first “crossfit” workout ever. Okay, so it wasn’t REAL crossfit, it’s lifetime’s “Team Alpha” which is which is based on crossfit. Similar to crossfit they have competitions and base their program on metabolic conditioning along with olympic style weight lifting. Beyond that I’m pretty clueless as to the differences between the programs. What I do know is the class was only THREE people including Paul and I, which was awesome.

Team Alpha Workout

Here is how the workout progressed:

5 minute warmup on the treadmill

10-15 minutes of dynamic warm up (wide lunges to open the inner thighs, high kicks, and hip openers)

10 minutes of technique instruction (included only because Paul and I were brand new)

WOD (Workout of the Day)

AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)- 20 Minutes

– 8 deadlifts

– 8 cleans

– 500 meter row

For the deadlifts I did 65lbs and for the cleans I used just the bar (45lbs). I made it three rounds plus 4 cleans.

How I felt? Super intimidated by the weight. I looked at the coach and said “in barbell I don’t even do half that weight” and he said “in barbell you do a shit ton of reps, we are going to do 8.” So, I went for it. During the workout I was probably overly cautious since I’m use to long workouts, not 20 minutes of balls to the wall. I’m use to having to pull back to make it through another 45 minutes of running or HIIT class. So while I was sweaty, I think I could have pushed myself harder at least on the rowing. As far as the lifting goes, I struggled to maintain form and back muscles I didn’t know even know I had were on fire. One thing is for sure, I definitely left hungry for more. I’ve been dying to try this style workout for so long now and it was everything I thought it would be. Even though I struggled I also felt insanely strong, as conflicting as that sounds.

How I feel today? My back is a little sore but nothing like what I expected. I guess that means I pushed myself a good amount or could have pushed myself harder. One thing I know about these style workouts is it’s continual improvement for as long as you do them and I LOVE that. Paul and I will be going for at least the next three weeks two times a weeks and I’m stoked.

One thing is for sure when we got back we were so ready for food!

I had a big old plate of greek yogurt chicken and asparagus and it was delicious!

The greek yogurt chicken was good, but the asparagus was phenomenal, so I’ve got to share the recipe! (Paul took the leftovers to work and he just text me to tell me how good the leftovers were, so you know its good.)

Rosemary Feta Roasted Asparagus

– 1 bunch of skinny asparagus spears

– 2 tbsp olive oil

– 1/2 T garlic powder

– 1/2 T lemon pepper

– 1 tsp crushed rosemary

– 2 tbsp crumbled feta

Directions:

1. Wash asparagus spears and cut off the bottom inch or so (the really tough part) and discard. Cut remaining asparagus spears in half.

2. Toss with olive oil, garlic powder, lemon pepper, and rosemary. Top with crumbled feta.

3. Bake in oven at 435 for 15 minutes or until tender. (I cooked mine for almost 20 minutes because I like them really tender, your preference).

Enjoy! Happy Friday everyone, and have a fantastic weekend everyone. I’ll be taking it easy the next couple days before my 10K on Sunday.