Monthly Archives: June 2010

A Mish-Mosh of Thought

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Good morning lovelies!!! At this time tomorrow I will be flying high above the clouds on United Airlines heading to the west coast :-) Heck YES! For those of you who don’t know what I’m doing, I will fill you in!

Tomorrow we’re flying into Reno, Nevada where I will have the opportunity to redeem myself in the gambling department (when I went to Vegas, I clung tighter to my money than I think I EVER have…and just happened to take home seven whole dollars from a game of WAR), meet Nick’s Aunt Edna (you have NO idea how excited I am to meet her!!), then head up to Carson City to spend some time with his parents (and hopefully get his mama to show me some baby pictures!! :-p). Then Nick’s friend Sonia is getting married in Folsom on Saturday (I LOVE weddings!!) and then back to Carson City we go on Sunday to spend the rest of our time with his friends and family (Chuck and Erin, I FINALLY get to meet you guys!!! and I can’t wait! :) ). There will be hiking, dancing (I don’t take dancing lightly :-p) and a visit to Battleborn Crossfit in Reno. So, my point in telling you every little detail of what I’m planning to do on the trip, is basically just to let you know that I will be MIA for a week, haha. I will, however, come back with a full review of the trip, with pictures of COURSE!

Your brain on exercise = happy brain!

On another note: A week ago I made a pack with Nick, and I’ve decided I want to share that with all of you. I have come to the realization (in all actuality I realized it a long time ago, I’ve just recently ACCEPTED it) that I am completely intolerable without exercise. How did I function before Crossfit?!! I am fine for a day without it, but on day two I start to feel it, and by day three, it’s completely unavoidable. The part that KILLS me, is that when I’m being a big grumper, Nick is always so patient and good to say, let’s exercise…but it totttttalllly drives me up a wall at the moment. I get all grumpy and think, why is it that I can’t be a functioning human being WITHOUT exercise? Like I have no control? Well, as Nick likes to say, and I think it’s so true,

“That is like someone saying, ‘I get super hungry when I don’t eat…I just dont’ understand why I can’t function like a normal human being without having to eat!!” He likes to point out that we are MADE to move; movement IS functioning like a normal human being. The sooner I learn this (and trust me, I’m getting there) the better off I will be. Doc Franson has said that we need to use exercise as a SUPPLEMENT for a healthy lifestyle. 40,000 years ago, you had to move to eat, or you were eaten. Now, we can drive through a drive-thru and have a bag of “food” thrown through our window…not exactly the same situation. So, just like we would take a whole food supplement to fill in the cracks in our diet, we need to exercise to function as a human. If ONLY I could remember this when I’m grumpy! :-p

You know what though? Usually (there has never been one time that I haven’t) I take Nick’s advice and do something to move, and sure enough, like magic, I am a new woman. It’s like night and day. Now I’m a relatively super happy person…and a lack of exercise affects me THAT MUCH! So, back to my original point to this story (can you tell I’m leaving for vacation tomorrow, my head is not on straight!); I made a pact with Nick that I would do SOMETHING every single day to move my body. I’m not talking about Crossfit level of activity every single day, just SOMETHING. Last night I went for a leisurely bike ride, I’ve done 50 double unders one night, etc etc. Doc Franson always says, “You only need to move on the days you eat.” Well folks, I plan on eating everyday, so I SHOULD be MOVING everyday! I put this in writing, and for the last week have held strong to my promise; and guess what? I feel GREAT! Am I saying that exercise is a cure-all and that I’ll never be upset by anything again in my life? Ha..no. What I AM saying though is that by exercising everyday, eating clean, getting adjusted and attempting to think the purest thoughts, I have the best CHANCE at being upset as little as possible…and even things that upset me will not upset me to the caliber it would if I had NOT done those things.

Try it out! :) When you’re feeling like the world is not looking right, go out for a jog, and assess how you feel when you get back! I guarantee there will be a dramatically positive change :)

Seeing the world through a much clearer lense,

Jen

(Almost) 30 Going On 13

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As my bruised legs push my peddles harder and faster in an attempt to beat the rain home, you couldn’t possibly wipe the smile off my face if you tried. Homemade cut-off jean shorts, bathing suit underneath, riding along on my Schwinn…

Sounds like a flashback to my childhood…but it’s not; it was yesterday. I was in heaven.

The short three to four mile bike ride home in the pouring rain was the highlight of my day. It was hard to choose just ONE highlight with a day filled with frisbee on the common with my love, brunch with friends, reading on the beach…but there was something about that ride home in the rain that topped them all.

This “summer” (seems like its been summer since April here on the east coast…) has felt the most like SUMMER (remember summer vacations as a kid?) than any other summer I have had SINCE I was a kid. I have traveled, went camping, rode my bike, played frisbee, gone to the beach, did cartwheels at the park, played in the ocean, sat on the roof talking late at night…and the list going on (and it isn’t even July yet!!!). However, riding my bike in the pouring rain, through lush tree-covered neighborhoods; laughing and loving every second of it, made me feel it the most. I seriously felt like I was living…I don’t even CARE how dorky/corny that sounds :-p I am learning more every day that we don’t need to be a kid to have fun…I literally watched a car drive by with a kid in the back seat; face pressed against the glass, a look of pure envy plastered on his face as they drove past us. How cool is that…almost 30 and a kid is jealous of how much fun WE’RE having! :)

So go out and do something that makes you feel like a kid! Throw a frisbee, do cartwheels, ride your bicycle, climb a tree, swing on a swing set, jump in a puddle…do whatEVER you really WANT to do! If someone looks at you funny, like you’re too old to be doing that…they’re probably just wishing they could do it too :-p

Life is just too short NOT to…

Have a freakin’ fanTAStic Monday :)

A Blessing In Disguise

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Have you ever had one of those mornings when there is NOTHING in this world that could drag you out of bed early? I was DEFINITELY  having one of those mornings today. Tired and sore, all I wanted to do was sleep another 30 minutes.

“Babe, time to get up! We have morning rituals today!!”

“Babe, how much do you NEED me there today?” Now let me preface this by saying that I have NEVER, in the however many weeks “morning rituals” have been running, NOT wanted to go. I have dragged myself out of bed at 5am each Friday, sleepy or not, to start my morning off right in the back room of Franson Family Chiropractic. This week however, I just didn’t have it in me.

“I REALLY need you there…there are supposed to be some new people coming, so I really need you there.” This is ALSO the first time Nick has ever been very clear about needing me there…usually I have to convince him I really DO want to go.

Now I have to admit, I was grumpy. I really didn’t want to get up, I really did want to cash in my “I’ve never missed a single day” card…but I rolled out of bed with a subtle “Humph” and put on a baseball hat and headed out the door.

Driving into the driveway of the practice, I didn’t see a single car, and immediately felt a little frustrated (I get grumpy sometimes!! I’m human! haha). We waited till 6am (started at 5:40am), and excitedly got back in the car to head home for a little extra sleep before work (for me anyway). However, as soon as we got to our driveway, my attitude about going back to bed changed. Nick and I poured a cup of coffee, and he asked me to join him on the deck before he had to head back in. We had 30 whole minutes of quality time, and it didn’t take a lot of thought to realize it would be dumb to skip out on that!

I’m really glad I got up at 5:20am this morning when I didn’t want to. I’m really glad I poured that cup of coffee instead of getting back into bed. I’m really glad I started my morning going back and forth saying what we were grateful for, out loud to one another; having our OWN little morning rituals at our house.

I’m grateful for my moments over coffee, in our little tree-top hideaway, with you :)

Happy Friday!!!

The Difference One Year Can Make…

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A year ago today, my life changed quite a lot…for the BEST.

For the first time, of many to come, I sat in the audience of a Franson Family Chiropractic workshop. That day I shared a room with my future boyfriend/love of my life, my future friends… my future community/tribe/family. And even my future boyfriend’s MOM was there!

The workshop was “Eat Well” in the series of “Eat Well-Move Well-Think Well”. There are many things I vividly remember about that workshop. I remember vividly seeing Nick for the first time (:-p hopeless romantic, what can I say…but I DO remember!), I remember the time line that Doc Franson wrote on the white board illustrating to us that we only started eating grains and dairy 10,000 years ago…and that our genes have not changed hardly at ALL in the last 40,000 years and that we’re not designed to eat dairy and grains (and therefore OBVIOUSLY not designed to eat processed food that comes in a cardboard box); but most of all, I remember the way I felt when I left. I literally started making changes from that workshop on. It doesn’t hurt that a month later I met Nick for the first time, making my way into the Franson Family world, learning more about chiropractic, and taking home my first dvd from their learning library. I remember laying on my sunshine yellow couch, the night of my first adjustment, icing my back, soaking in every single word that Doc Franson was saying on that dvd. THEN, a month after that, I went on my first date with Nick, and from there, there was no turning back. It was in my head, it was in my blood, it was in my heart. I believed in, and lived all this information, that was so “upside down” from everything I had learned my whole life about health just two short months before.

For fun: words that were NEVER in my vocabulary before that are used in my household/in my life on a daily basis

Crossfit

Physiology

Allostatic load

Kale

Innate

Double-unders

Franson :)

Bear-Crawls

Burpees

Wall-balls

Kipping pullups

Beautifully Strong Project

Santa Barbara

Grass-fed beef

Almond milk/Coconut milk

…and the list goes on!!

My life has grown so much, in such an amazing way in the last year that I can’t even BEGIN to convey how grateful I am for all the people, knowledge and experiences that have come into my life! :) When I started this blog, I wanted to be held accountable for Crossfit because I had a MAJOR history of not being able to commit to ANYTHING. I would start something, guns a’ blazin’, and in less than a month it is a far off distant memory. Well, I am not that lady anymore :) I have been in Crossfit for 10 months in just a couple of weeks, I have been writing in this blog for 7 months, my diet changed, and has been consistent now for a year this coming month…SOOOOO different for me! I know that these numbers aren’t THAT remarkable to some of you maybe, but for me, that small amount of time is a HUGE leap forward for me! :-D

So thank you to everyone at Franson Family Chiropractic…ALL of you have changed my life for the BEST! Without you, I may never have figured out how to eat, hahaha, I would never have met my forever love, I would never have found Crossfit, and in return, would never have found all the amazing, INCREDIBLE people I love at Crossfit…Overall, I would not feel as AMAZING as I do today!

Thank you so much!!! I can’t wait to see what this NEXT year will bring! :-D

Trying Something New…

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As hard as it is for me to put myself out there, in regards to things of this nature, I decided to make a Facebook page for the blog! I’m doing it to expand readership hopefully, and get more interaction from you guys!

Here’s the link!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/edit/?id=137116722968120#!/pages/Beautifully-Strong-Project/137116722968120

As always, thank you for your love and support! :)

~Jen

Murder on Park Street…

Posted by beautifullystrong in Crossfit Workouts and tagged with , , , ,

I think I may have killed a man last night, with my eyes.

Half way through one of the HARDEST workouts I have done in a while (whether that is due to the fact I didn’t go for over a week, or the heat, or the brute force that is “Kelly”) I’m on my third 400m run of five. I’m trailing behind Kendra and Lauren, who are slowly pulling further away from me. I dont’ care. My body is more tired than I can ever remember at this point, and I’m doing all I can to put one foot in front of the other in some sort of fashion that someone would still consider a “jog”.

Then, from the other side of the street, coffee in hand, not a bead of sweat coming off his forehead, looking merry as they come…he starts yelling at me, waving his arm…

“CATCH EM! Goooooo get em!!!”

One side long glance at him released a strong enough dose of a venomous stare for him to literally stop in his tracks and not say one more single word. Sorry mister…it was just not a good time for your imput :-p

The workout: “Kelly” 5 whole brutal rounds of 400m run, 30 (20-inch) box jumps, 30 (8# ball) wallballs

The time: 37:23

I’ll take it.

There were moments that I literally was POSITIVE my body was going to quit on me…usually mid-drunken jazz square dance of exhaustion. There were moments of teetering on the edge of a meltdown of tears, and there were plenty of moments of thinking “I am NEVER taking a week off from the gym EVER again!”

Thank you Nick for the encouraging words and pep talks every time I came through those doors from my run, and looked like I was down for the count. Thank you Alexis for the “dueling banjos” method to our box jumping (you do 1, I’ll do 1), that really helped me keep up a pace! And THANK YOU Kathryn for being in my face the WHOLE time, telling me the only “time limit” on this workout was when I was DONE (even though I didn’t like that answer at the time), and pushing me when I honestly didn’t think my body was going to be able to keep going.

THAT is why I pay the membership folks! I LOVE Northshore Crossfit! :) You guys rock my world :)

Love always,

Jen

And We’re Back…

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Dearest blog,  

I am so sorry I have been neglecting you lately. I assure you it is nothing personal…  

If it makes you feel any better…  

It’s not you, it’s me.  

I have been neglecting not only you, but my diet, and the gym. I have been neglecting my body’s cries for movement and nourishment. I have been neglecting my body’s desire for lots of water (not just neglecting, but {not} purposely withholding). Due to all this neglect, I have been neglecting my health, and it’s catching up with me. Blog, I vow to you to be better about writing on you. I vow to get back on the wagon of health, positive thought, happiness, hydration, muscle development, and overall wellness.  

As always, thank you for understanding.  

Sincerely,  

Jen  

   

Yes, it happens…we get stuck, we get bored, we get…  

LAZY!   

L.A.Z.Y.

I got LAZY! Who me? Yes me! I got seriously consumed in the quick sand trap that is laziness.  Last Tuesday I hung up my jump rope (and my Chucks) for a week-long vacation to LazyLand. Was it awesome? Well…  

I came home with a laziness hangover, a less hard bum, and a feeling of being steamrolled by a truck. Doesn’t that make you want to run to purchase YOUR tickets to LazyLand? I know I can’t wait for my next trip!!!…  

NOT!  

Okay, now that I’ve gotten all that sarcasm off my chest, haha. Seriously, it just wasn’t worth it. I was out of the gym long enough for my coach to text Nick and ask him if I was ever going to go back to the gym…I just got stuck. I had no interest what so ever to get back in the gym…it was muggy, I was sweaty just exsisting…and the last thing I wanted was to go put myself through an obstacle course of running and thrusters and box jump courses to take whatever bit of water was lingering in my body and wring out the very last bit.  

For some reason,  hydration is a real issue for me. I am a lot better than I was in past summers, but I still struggle. While most people naturally drink MORE once it gets hot..I tend to do the opposite (and let me let you in on a little secret…I sweat excessively…I dont’ understand it..its just not necessary to sweat that much as a woman…). So, the ratio of water in versus water out is a littttttle off-center. A couple of summers ago I had a reallllllly rough hydration summer. It got to the point where I was “blacking out” 10 plus times a day. I used to HATE water…  

Hate water?? How does that even happen?  

Guys, you have no idea how much I’ve changed, haha. I hated the way it “tasted”. Naturally when I told Nick this, his reaction was “it doesn’t taste like anything!” I know right!? But then he asked the important question,  

“Were you drinking a lot of sweet drinks? Like soda, juice..etc?” Yes, yes I was. Which is why water tasted like BORRRRRR-ING would if it were a drink.  

So anyway, back to what my point was…  

I have been dragging behind the wagon for over a week now…and I think its time I grab on the railing and pull myself back up! I got a really awesome email yesterday (that I want to share with you guys) that motivated me to get my bum back in gear! So, I am making a commitment to myself right now to go to the workout tonight..no matter HOW hard it is to get back in it. I packed my clothes so I can go to the 6pm class, and there are NO excuses for me tonight!  

“I know this is really random, but I’ve been reading your “beautifully strong project” blog (creepy, I know) and I have really enjoyed it. I’ve been working on changing myself for a while now and while I don’t go to crossfit (I’m saving money to hopefully start in the fall), I have enjoyed reading your extremely honest and open blog. it’s really refreshing.
I had been wanting to send you a note a while ago but today I felt like I really needed to. I remember an entry you wrote about finally doing your work out in public and not caring that people were around. I hate people seeing me work out, hence going at 5:00am or 9:00pm. I usually hide in the bushes when it comes to doing my lunges, squats, push ups, etc. today, I overslept and went out at 6:30 when the eastern prom starts getting more busy with dogs, walkers, runners and bikers. as I started my run, I was horribly nervous. however, when it came time to do my lunges, etc I did them right in the open not caring that I was dripping sweat and in view of people. that small little improvement for me powered me through the hill which I had been struggling with for a month.
Anyway, sorry for blabbing on. but I wanted to let you know that I love your blog and your positivity and honesty has really helped me.
I wish you all the luck in the world and please continue blogging!  

First of all, totally NOT creepy that you read the blog (isn’t that why I’m doing it ? :) ), secondly, thank you so much! While my honesty helped you, your honesty with your email gave me the motivation that helped ME get off my bum!! Thank you for that :) and THIRDLY, Congratulations on kicking that hills BUM!!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!  

Have a great day everyone!!  

XOXO,  

Jen

To My Dad…

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 So, as we all know, this Sunday is Father’s Day. I won’t be able to go up home to see my dad this weekend, so maybe I’ll Skype with him, send him a card/gift and settle for a “I love you” over the phone. Well, the very least I can do is let YOU ALL know what an AMAZING man I have for a father…because TRUST ME, he is! :)

My dad is never short of smiles

 

Before I get to the sappy stuff, I just have to tell you how COOL he is…obviously! 

My dad has been a member of the Nadeau Family Band since he was 14 years old. They have been playing gigs, and getting people to dance for about 40 years (with a 10 year hiatus in the middle there)!! I have heard him cover anyone from CCR, to Billy Idol, to ACDC over the years! I can proudly say I am probably their biggest fan :) Which I can probably attribute some of my deafness to standing in the front row as a kid, right next to the speakers, jumping up and down! 

He’s hiked Mount Katahdin like 4 times!! I have yet to do it once, but dad was always super active when I was young, taking us along to a majority of the big peaks in Baxter State Park as kids. So much fun! 

He’s SKYDIVED!!! More than once!! ‘Nuff said! 

So yeah, my dad is a rockstar, AND a badass…I’d say he’s pretty cool :)  

Now for the sappy stuff :-p 

Dad, one of the million different things I love about you is that you are never short of smiles for anyone. There are few moments in my life where I can honestly remember you being upset/angry; the vast majority of my memories/thoughts are of you with a huge smile, not only swept across you mouth, but SHINING through your eyes. You are a bright ray of sunshine for ANYONE who crosses your path. Lucky them/us. 

You have been the most influential person I have met for positivity in my life. Long before Mr. Araza graced me with the shiny new tools to be even more positive about lifes quirky ways, you gave me my first tool kit. Taught solely through example, I learned silently through watching you. Thank you for that, dad. 

moments over coffee

 

Some of my favorite memories in my life involved moments with you. 

I love that when mom was working part-time on weekends you always took Justin and I out hiking, or snowmobiling, or biking; videotaping us being dorks, thank goodness for those tapes (especially when you try to show them to our significant others :-p)…always driving home the importance of family, and quality time. One of my favorite memories, which I KNOW you remember because you bring it up a lot, is one summer up at camp, when we went for a walk on the dirt road, there was absolutely no light but the light from the stars. I remember you taking the time to teach me about the constellations, and just talking about life in general. I love that memory, and I love you. 

There are a million and twelve things I could write to say the same thing: 

You’re amazing. 

You’ve been an influential, educational, loving piece in my life. For the longest time I couldn’t imagine finding a man that was as incredible as you to be MY partner, like you are mom’s…and I have :) Lucky me, to have two men THAT incredible in my life :)  

Two of my favorite men :)

 

 Happy Father’s Day Dad! Thank you for always believing in the BEST of me, thank you for being my biggest fan (“I just LOVE your blog Jen”, “My little girl’s going to be a city girl. You better get an umbrella for days you have to walk to work in the rain”, “Jen, show them your ‘little English girl’ accent” and a million other little cute words of encouragement  throughout my life!), and thank you MOST for being you. I love you Dad….STOP!! (that’s for just you and I :) )

Ewwwwwwwwwwwww….

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DIS-GUSTING!

Oh my GOD, I can’t believe you’re eating/drinking that!! What IS that?! 

I’m standing at the train station, waiting for my train, minding my own business, consuming the last of my smoothie from the morning. Rich with nutrients, a vibrant green in color…somehow someone was disgusted by me drinking it. Without any sort of holding back at all, a man walks by, turns his head toward me and makes the most disgusted face I have ever seen in my life. 

Hmm… 

Spinach, peaches, blueberries, fish oil, avocado and a little added protein…I dont’ see the issue here… 

Now just for one moment, let’s play a game… 

Let’s pretend we live in a world where this is not weird to drink, and MCDONALDS is…just imagine if every time we saw someone digging into their Mickey D’s bag for that second cheeseburger (I say this because one day I was stuck, on the inside, in a seat with someone that had a never-ending supply of cheeseburgers in a little tiny bag…and went as far to lick the little bit of ketchup that dripped on their bag, with their tongue, RIGHT OFF THE BAG…but this isn’t weird..you’re right…) we looked at them like they were beyond disgusting… 

Not “PC” right? We would be considered judgemental… 

We live in a funny funny world my friends…funny funny world. A world where eating fruits and veggies blended into a convienient nutrient packed smoothie  is considered ”odd” and eating something that could survive 3 years in a coat pocket without changing in the slightest because it’s so gross that even BACTERIA doesn’t want to eat it is “normal”… 

I’m okay with being “disgusting” then… :-p 

Let’s go out and disgust some people today!! I’m down! :-D  

Love, 

Jen

Achin’ For Some Bacon?

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Okay, there is no bacon in this breakfast…but there are TONS of eggs (and on a side note, we LOVE bacon, nitrate free!!)!!

Here is a delicious egg scramble we made when Nick’s buddy Nate was visiting, with a delicious side of sweet potatoe home fries. Yummmmmmmmmmmm!!!! Who said eating healthy had to be boring? Not us!!

chicken sausage, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, peppers, brocolli...YUM!! and of course EGGS!

cooked in olive oil with some pepper and fresh rosemary from our garden!

 

HAPPY FEASTING!!!!

Love,

Jen