ALDO, the WORST customer service experiences of my life.

Beware - this entire post is just a bitch fest about my recent string of ridiculously heinous customer service experiences with Aldo Shoes.

A few weeks ago I decided that I desperately needed new work shoes pronto.  I didnt have to time to go to Lenox mall so I ran to Cumberland, or as we all prefer to call it, SCUMberland Mall.  I figured that Macys would have a similar selection regardless of the mall and I would start there.  When I did not find anything that I even came close to liking I went through a few other stores just to check.  I happened to find a pair of shoes at Also that I REALLY liked.  I was on a mission for black closed toe high heel shoes.  I found these.

I actually liked them so much I also bought them in Nude.  They were $75 a pair but I knew I would wear them.  Anyway, I bought them on Monday.  Tuesday I wore the nude pair to work with a really cute skirt and sweater outfit.  I was mostly sitting in meetings all day but when I walked to the bathroom at one point I could feel something poking my foot.  I figured it was a stone but when I took the shoe off and looked at it I could see what looked like a nail or something sticking up through the insole.  Luckily I had the black pair in my car still, so I changed and called Aldo to tell them. 

By the time I had a minute to run to the mall to exchange them it was Friday.  I showed the store manager the shoe, explained that I had bought them Monday and worn them for a half day Tuesday.  She immediately told me that because I had worn the shoe she could not return or exchange it for me, per their policy.  After trying to reason with the woman (named Tata....but whatever) for over 20 minutes I was just about in tears.  She told me that there was nothing she could do and at one point even insinuated that perhaps I had put the nail in it myself.  She actually attenpted to "fix" the shoe by using the tip of a pair of scissors to push the nail back down into the sole!  When I was not satisfied with that (call me crazy), she suggested I put a gel insole into the shoe!! 

I tend to think I am a pretty reasonable person.  I can understand why a shoe store has a policy against exchanging worn shoes.  BUT, its not like Id had them for a month and decided I didnt like the color.  These were clearly defective shoes.  Finally Tata offered to send them out for repair and try to get an exception made to the policy if they could not be returned.  I was so exhasperated at that point that I couldnt wait to leave the store, so I agreed.  She promised the shoe would be sent out on Monday and back by Weds.  When I hadnt heard back by Friday I called the store to check back, only to find out that the shoe had never even been sent out for repair.  The girl I spoke with said she would call me back that afternoon to tell me what was going on.  If you can imagine this, I never got a phone call. 

On Monday I decided to just go into the store.  I figured that if worse came to worse I would take my defective shoe back and take it to another store in hopes of finding a reasonable and dependable staff memeber there.  When I arrived and explained who I was, etc the lady at the counter told me that Tata had actually been fired.  The new manager agreed to exchange the shoes for me without question.  THANK GOD, right!?  As it turns out they didnt have my size/color in the store but they offered to order them for me and have them delivered to my house for free.  That sounded reasonable to me so I gave the girl my information and left  the store, happy that this mess had been resolved. 

Well, of course this ordeal just got worse.  Why would I think this had been resolved!?  I just checked my order at aldoshoes.com and realized that the lady at the store has now sent me a second pair of BLACK shoes!!!  Arrrrghhhhhhhh.

I called the customer service line to confirm this and ask that they change my order, but that would be too easy.  Since the order was paid in full the only option is to cancel it and wait 5 days for a refund.  Since I dont trust anyone even affiliated with Aldo at this point I am letting them just ship me the shoes.  I will then take them to the Lenox mall store I guess.  I will say that I have been WAY to patient with the entire situation.  I should have just returned both pairs and demanded my money back a long time ago.  But alas, I like the shoes...

Am I crazy or is this the most unreasonable and ridiculous customer service story you have ever heard?  So needless to say I will never ever buy another pair of shoes from Aldo and I would recommend that no one else does either.  Unless of course you are a glutton for punishment. 

50 Free Holiday Cards from Shutterfly!

Bloggers can get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly.com.  Its easy to enter, just click here and submit your completed form.

Now I just need to convince Nick to take a picture with Roscoe and I for the card :)

Well, Hello There!

Holy smokes, I cant believe it has been almost two weeks since I have blogged!  I have so much to catch up on. 

Ok, lets start with my lack luster attendance at Crossfit over the previously mentioned two weeks.  I had a week of work meetings last week that basically went from 7am to past dinner every night.  So needless to say, there was no working out happening that week.  My meeting ended Thursday night and Friday Nick and I left for a weekend in Asheville.  More on that later.  I was able to make it to Crossfit on Mon and Tues of this week before leaving Weds am for a three day trip to Texas.  (Here I am, in Rockwall, TX now.)  I am definitely looking forward to being in town for a while so I can get back to Crossfit full time.  I need it so bad!

Two Sundays ago Nick and I went to North Georgia Canopy Tours to do the Adventure Tour.  I bought this a deal on Living Social months ago and it was about to expire, hence having to go on a Sunday (which is typically dedicated solely to watching football and drinking beer).  Driving to the location we felt as if we were extras in the movie Deliverance.  Dirt roads, double wides, rusty old cars on the side of the road...the only thing missing was the sound of a banjo.  But, when we finally arrived we could hardly contain our excitement.  Our tour guides were Chip and Jenna, both goofy and over the top.  So naturally, we loved them.  Here are a few pictures.

This past weekend was our one year anniversary together (awww) and since we have never taken a trip or gone away "just because" we booked a weekend in Asheville, NC.  I have been dying to go there since I moved to Atlanta because Ive heard that in mid November its the perfect combination of fall leaves and early Christmas lights at the Biltmore.  With a little convincing Nick was on board.  I LOVED Asheville.  It has a very hippie, free spirit, local pride feeling that I doubt can be matched.  Nick was less impressed with the barefoot dancing and guitar playing in the streets than I was, but nonetheless we had a fabulous weekend.  We listened to live music at a local bar, toured the Biltmore and winery, had breakfast two days in a row at Tupelo Honey Cafe (some of the most incredible food I have EVER had, seriously we went there two days in a row)

, and our anniversary dinner at Bouchon.  We also got chocolate truffles from Chocolate Fetish, which were possibly the most amazing things I have ever tasted.  They will ship them anywhere in the US, which might be my diet downfall. 

Again, here are a few pictures. 

At the Biltmore House, what an amazing view.

My bounty from the Biltmore Winery.  5 "souvenier" bottles :)

At Bouchon for our anniversary dinner!

It was really nice to have a weekend away by ourselves without a schedule, anywhere to be, anyone to meet up with, etc!  Nick and I have been through a lot together in the year that we have been dating and nothing was more welcomed this weekend that being able to move at our own pace. 

One somewhat funny thing that did happen was also one of the most romantic.  Nick had arranged for two dozen roses to be in the room waiting for us when we arrived.  When they werent there upon our arrival he scrambled to find them without me knowing.  He called 1-800-Flowers, Fed Ex, talked to the front desk manager...all with no luck.  Finally he just told me about it and while he felt terrible and was really upset about it, I very much appreciated the thought he had put into it.  The next morning at about 8 am (read: waaay to early) there was a knock on our door.  When I politely yelled "come back later" the poor manager asked if he should just leave the flowers at the door.  HA!  Ooops!  Later that day we asked the front desk where they found them and it turned out that they had been delivered to the wrong hotel room.  This brings up two points for me.  1. Wouldnt you riase a red flag if you had two dozen red roses unexpectedly in your hotel room that you KNEW didnt belong to you?  2.  How akward would it be to ask someone for the roses that dont belong to them?  So yea, that was funny to me. 

I think for now Im pretty well caught up on my life.  Im sure there is more, but Im too tired to think about right now, much less write it.  I *promise* it wont be so long before my next post!

Who says you need to train for a 5k?

Yea, thats right.  Todays WOD was to run a 5K.  "Fast". 

Back in August of 2005 I decided that I would train to run a marathon.  In January 2006 I ran the Disney Marathon in just over 5 hours.  But when I first started running back then I couldnt even cover 1 mile without stopping.  It was incredibly sad.  But I stuck with it and trained 5 days a week; including a 6am long distance group run in Albany.  It sucked at first but I got into the groove after a while and actually stared to enjoy running.  Then after the marathon I just stopped running.  Ive tried a few times to start back up again but have not been successful. 

When I read the WOD I nearly threw up in my mouth just thinking about it.  I mean, people spend weeks training to run 3.1 miles.  Then I realized that even though we have not spent the past 6 weeks doing strict "race" or "running" training, we have certainly been training our bodies to handle a little 5k!  I slipped on my Vibram Five Fingers and set off, with Nick reluctantly in tow.  The route mapped out by the gym is beautiful, but hilly like a bitch.  I felt pretty good and was able to run almost to the half way point before I had to walk through a cramp.  The boys had all run ahead of me, but since I was able to pace myself and walk minimal distances I finished within one minute of them.  Nick finished in 33:50 and I came in just behind him at 34:20.  It is also worth noting that even when I was marathon training, this still would have been a pretty damn good time for me!  These little legs just dont run very fast. 

Tomorrow is my 5th Zerona treatment, Ill let you know how it goes.  Hoping to be down to about 121, but still waiting to see my end measurements before I declare success.

And today is November 1, so I can say goodbye to my only moderately successful Sober October ;)

Just finished my 4th Zerona treatment and weighed in at 122.2. That's one more L-B down from last Monday.

My triumphant return... (and the 2.8 lbs)

...to Crossfit!  I was SO excited to get back to Crossfit last night, until I got to Crossfit.  Ha.  Just warming up was a workout for me, but I did run the entire 800 meters that was called for despite the suggestion that I only run 400.  The WOD was 5 rounds for time; 100 meter bear crawl, 100 meter broad jumps with 3 burpees for every 5 broad jumps.  I completed the WOD in 15:22 seconds.  Bear crawling is not as fun or easy as it sounds.  We did it outside in the parking lot because there was a nice cool breeze (it was more of a gusting wind), so the palms of my hands feel pretty sweet today.  And my butt hurts too.  Guess that's normal. 

On another note, today was my second Zerona treatment.  While I was at the office I asked for a copy of my paperwork so I would have my measurements and because I couldn't remember what my weight was on Monday.  I am not hung up on "the number" on the scale at all, but I am interested to see how that number changes as I continue to workout and go through the Zerona procedures.  That being said, on Monday I weighed 125.8 lbs.  That is actually an increase of almost 2 lbs from before my 10 day travel bonanza began.  Along with the travel I ate like crap and barely worked out.  So its not that I'm shocked to have gained 2 lbs.  In fact, I'm shocked I didn't gain more to be honest.  But I digress.  The point is that today I weighed in at exactly 123 lbs.  Now, I am guessing this can be attributed to the fact that I have been eating much healthier over the past 2 days, I have gone back to Crossfit (yaaay) AND I have begun Zerona.  At any rate, Ill take it!   

So my beginning measurements were as follows:  (I will repost these when I post my before/after pictures and results.  But if you care - here they are up front.)
Weight                                          125.8
Body Fat                                      27.6% (gross)
Base of bra                                   28 7/8
Waist (4" above belly button)        26 5/8
Mid-Ab (2" above belly button)     32 4/8
Hips                                              33 4/8
R Thigh                                         23 3/8
L Thigh                                         23 3/8

Zerona!

As promised, a post dedicated to Zerona.  (You re welcome, Nick.)  Oh yea, I need to disclose that Zerona is in fact the product that my boyfriend Nick sells. 

What is Zerona, you ask?  Zerona is a low level/cold laser therapy used for body contouring, also known as non-invasive liposuction.  The laser forces the fat cells to open up and drain out, at which point your body can metabolize it.  The typical treatment schedule is to go in 3 days a week for 2 weeks (6 total treatments).  The procedure is totally painless and only takes 20 minutes on the front and 20 minutes on the back.  Generally it takes about an hour.  To get the maximum results patients are asked to avoid alcohol, drink a lot of water and get 10-30 minutes of exercise a day.  It is also advised to wear compression garments if possible. 

Before you start to think that I am crazy, let me say that I am getting Zerona treatments for 2 reasons. 
For one, they are free.  Dr Wyatt at Zerona Vinings is using Nick and I as models for his own portfolio of Zerona patients.  He is interested in seeing the results that various size and shape patients get in order to set expectations down the line.  To contact Dr Wyatt about Zerona please call 678-293-6627.  He is awesome and being in his office for an hour every other day is pretty fun.  His practice is at 4199 Paces Ferry Rd SE, Atlanta, GA 30339. 
The second reason I am getting Zerona treatments done is pretty obvious if you ask me.  I mean, a quick easy painless way to lose inches of fat?!  No brianer!  Combined with Crossfit and 6 weeks of almost no booze, by mid November I should be in damn good shape.  I am definitely willing to find out if it works!

My first visit was yesterday, which meant taking the dreaded "before" pictures again.  Mark (an office assistant) is emailing me the pictures and I will post them all at once, after my final treatment.  I will also post my before and after measurements, horrifying as the before's might be.  After taking my pictures and measurements, I laid face up while Mark positioned the lasers to cover my belly, hips and thighs.  He set the timer for 20 minutes and I took a nap.  Then he came in to reposition them on my love handles, butt and thighs while I laid on my stomach for 20 minutes.  The timer went off, I got dressed and went home.  Now the goal is to drink tons of water and go back to my Crossfit routine in between sessions. 

I go back tomorrow and Friday and repeat that schedule next week.  While 6 is the standard and recommended number of treatments, Dr Wyatt and I will review my results next Friday and determine if additional treatments are necessary and would improve my results at all.  Ill keep you posted ;)

Its been way too long

WOW, its been forever since Ive blogged!  Holy smokes.  I feel like there is so much to catch up on that I don't even know where to start.  I have been traveling for over a week so on one hand its like there is a lot to say, but on the other hand, its all boring and you wouldn't care anyway.  The trip basically went like this.  Charleston Fri - Sun, Orlando/Daytona Beach/Lakeland/Orlando Sun - Thurs, Buffalo Thurs - Sun.  It was exhausting.

A few things I will say relate to everything else I talk about.  For one thing it has been over a week since Ive done Crossfit.  We did go to Crossfit Intergritywith my friend and her husband during our visit to Charleston and we had a blast.  It was great to visit another gym and meet some new people.  The WOD was 4 rounds; row 500 meters, 21 wallballs.  Nick finished in just over 15 minutes, I finished in 16:40 and Jenn finished one minute after me.  We all did great and had a wonderful time.  We had such a wonderful time that after our workout we decided to also stay and do the beginners workout.  It was AMRAP in 10 or 15 minutes (to be decided by the trainer during the workout) of 5 pull ups, 8 push ups, 11 sit ups and 14 air squats.  I completed the most rounds in 15 minutes, with a total of 8.

After the workout we went back to Jenn and Austins house to throw their daughter a first birthday party!  The party was gorgeous, everyone had a great time.  In my attempt at full disclosure I must admit however, that I did drink that night.  Nick and I went out with Jenn and Austin after the party.  I should point out that Jenn is one of my oldest friends and there is a long history of crazy nights and too many glasses of wine between us.  She is also currently trying to get pregnant with her second bambino.  So, I made the choice to enjoy a glass of champagne and a few glasses of wine with my friend that night.  And she also pressured me a lot.  And I mean, A LOT!   But at the end of the night the choice was mine.  I cant believe that one night of wine in the month of October will be the reason I do not reach my goals. 

The next big fun thing that I want to share is that Nick and I started our Zerona treatments today!  But, you ll have to read the next post to hear more about that!  I have to give credit where its due, so I'm devoting an entire post to that.

Pity Party of 1, your table is ready!

Yep, thats right.  This post is going to be one long whine fest.  Dont feel obligated to read it if you dont want to, I understand.  No one likes whining, least of them myself.  But I just have to rant.

Lets start with my hair.  I am not generally one to get all worked up over my hair.  Mostly because I never really like it anyway.  It takes a lot for me to have a good hair day and it usually lasts until the second I walk out the door.  So whatever, it is what it is.  Ive worn my hair long, shoulder length, short and just about everywhere in between.  Since the beginning of the year I have let my hair grow out.  It wasnt "long", but it was on its way.  In August Nick convinced me to cut it short again.  So I was referred to a new salon and went for it.  And it looked great!  I really did like it a lot.  This is what it looked like the day I got it cut. 

So it had been over 2 months since it was cut like this and I was over due.  My hair grows like a weed and it was pretty long.  I have been on the fence about cutting or growing it out for a few weeks and finally decided to have it cut again.  I went in to the same girl and showed her this picture as my "inspiration". 

So I made it clear that I wanted the option of being able to curl it a little to look like this.  This is not a whole lot shorter than the last cut I had in August.  I sat back, relaxed and waited to see my new do.  THIS is the MESS I ended up with!  Super F'ing short.  What the hell am I supposed to do with this?

Needless to say, I hate it (In fact, I am only smiling in the picture so I dont look to pathetic).  I think it looks terrible and there is no way it looks anything like the Katie Holmes cut.  The front pieces by my face are shorter than the rest, which I hate the most.  And the fact that I have NO HAIR in the back.  I actually cried last night over it because I hate it so much.  Nick continues to tell me he likes it, but I think that is because I cried over it.  Theres no way he can honestly like this disaster.  Thank GOD that my hair grows so fast, maybe I will hate it less in a few weeks.  For now, I will avoid pictures and being in public.  This should also help speed up Sober October.  Ha. 

The next thing I choose to whine about is partially my own fault.  I bought a brand spanking new pair of Vibram Five Finger shoes for Crossfit last week.  I have been wearing them around the house a little to get used to them, as suggested.  Theyre very cool.  It definitely takes some time to get used to the feeling of your toes being spread out instead of squashed together.  And its a different feeling that any other shoe on the sole of your foot.  You can actually feel the ground under you.    

Anyway, last night I wore them to Crossfit for the first time.  I ran 400 meters to warm up and then did the WOD.  3 rounds; 200 meter run, 30 lb weighted farmer walk, 12 burpees.  I finished and felt great!  Then the trainer said we all needed to go run a mile.  I felt pretty good through about 75% of the mile and then my toes started to hurt.  It wasnt unbearable, but it wasnt a great feeling either.  As I ran back into the gym the trainer said "Oh wow, I forgot this was your first workout in the Vibrams.  I probably should have only had you run 1/2 mile!"  Ahhhh.  Oh well, done and over.  Until today that is!  My calfs are burning (as I was warned they would) and my toes are a bit sore.  So, for the next week or two I will go back and forth with these and my old running shoes.  Hopefully that helps.

The last thing I need to complaing about is that I did in fact take "before" pictures the other day.  But, I am so disgusted with them that I refuse to post them.  Maybe when I look better and can brag about how much I have changed my body through hard work and strict nutrition I will feel differenly about it. 



October...the worst possible sober month?

It has recently occured to me that October was quite possibly the WORST month of the year to choose for a sober month.  Nick and I have something going on just about every weekend that would normally be considered acceptable to drink at. 

Just this past weekend alone we went to the Thrashers home opener and two consecutive Braves playoff games.  I generally equate sporting events with drinking beer, especially when the weather is so gorgeous and we tailgate for 3+ hours before a baseball game!  But alas, I did not drink.  I have kept my word and not had a sip of alcohol since Oct 1. 

This weekend we are going to Charleston to visit one of my best friends and her family.  It is her daughters first birthday and they are having a party, which naturally means everyone will be drinking.  It hasnt really bothered me all that much not to drink this month.  But this is different.  Its Jenn!  She and I have a bit of a history together, especially when it comes to weekend visits and bottles of wine.  Her husband has witnessed this the most, but even Nick will tell you its something to see.  So, this will probably be the hardest weekend yet. 

But, I said I would go 30 days and I will.  This just means that Jenn and I will have to plan another weekend visit soon. 

My first "chipper"

First I would like to point out that it has not been 5 days since my last workout, just my last blog!  We had our "on ramp" class on Mon and Tues, which is when we learn the fundamentals of Crossfit.  Both nights there was a workout to do that implemented what we learned, I did the workout on Monday but not Tuesday.  I was in severe pain and did not feel that any good could come from doing a workout.  So I went to class, learned the skill and hung out while Nick did the workout. 

Now, about my first chipper!  Essentially it is a long list of skills that you do one at a time, "chipping" away at the list if you will.  Sounds fun, right? 

Well in light of my trip to the chiro yesterday during which it was suggested that I most likely have a pinched nerve in my right lower back/hip, I decided to scale the WOD back a little.  I skipped the back extensions and substituted jump squats for burpees.  (I attempted the burpees and felt my back pinch with each five that I was able to make it through.  Ugh.)

For time
Run 400m (backward)
     *note that this is much harder than it sounds! try it!
30x Sit-ups
15x Push press (15# dumbbells)
20x Pull-ups
30x Push-ups
100x Squats
Row 500m
50x Sit-ups
30x Box jumps
20x Push press (15# dumbbells)
5x Burpees
10x jump squats
Run 400m (forward)

This was one of my most challenging workouts to date.  I hate that I had to make so many changes just to get through it all.  But I can appreciate that I am still a Crossfit newbie and that I am not in ideal physical condition yet.  Yes, I said yet! 

Anyway, I did finish my version of the WOD in 27ish minutes.  If I can do the full workout in that time someday I will be happy!  For now, its another day that I went and did something I wasnt sure I could do, and Ill take that for now!

Death by Dead Lifts

I didnt realize that dead lifts was quite as literal of a term as it appears to be.  Yesterday the WOD was 10 rounds of 15 dead lifts (95lbs) and 15 pushups.  I finished in 16:52 but, honestly I did my pushups on my knees.  They look fantastic today by the way. 

Anyway, as it turns out 150 dead lifts leaves one with painfully tight and fatigued back and legs.  And the pushups do wonders for your shoulders.  So needless to say we are both moving and moaning like a couple of geriatric patients today.  (No disrespect intended to geriatric patients.)

Starting this week we have our "on ramp" classes on Monday and Tuesday nights.  Im not sure how I will be able to lift anything heavier than a glass of water tomorrow but Ill worry about that tomorrow. 

Oh, and today is day three of SO.  We went to a birthday dinner with 20 people at a mexican resto last night.  If that didnt break me, I dont know what will.  But then again, today the Bills play the Jets at home....

Sunday Funday...errr, Laundry Day?

This is just a general observation, but I'm not sure at what point my Sundays went from being "Sunday Funday" to "Sunday Laundry/Cleaning/Grocery shopping Day".  Not that I am complaining, its just something I thought of the this morning. 

There were weekends gone by when Sunday was the highlight of such.  Cocktail brunches turned into hours long patio drinking/socializing sessions turned into the ever crazy Tin Roof until 4am.  $200 spent on one Sunday Funday was nothing out of the ordinary.  There was one very memorable Sunday Funday where at my friend Paige convinced me that we should go to Vegas that Wednesday.  And we did.  We booked plane tickets and flew to Vegas on 3 days notice.  That trip was incredible.  It is probably what solidified Paige's place in my heart as one of my best friends.  

Today I woke up, sore from Crossfit and too lazy to go to church with Nick.  (For which I feel terrible by the way.)  When I rolled out of bed at 9am I realized the house needed a very good cleaning.  Since it irritated to me to clean when Nick is at home doing anything other than helping me, I took advantage of the fact that I had 3 hours home alone and I got busy.  I dragged several loads of laundry to the first floor and got that started.  Swept and mopped all of the floors, dusted, scrubbed the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, prepped snacks for the football game, and put out of place things into their places.  Somewhere along the line it occured to me how my life has changed. 

I feel settled now.  Content with where I am in life, despite how drastically different of a place it is.  Or maybe because of how different of a place it is?  I often hear about it from my friends, especially the ones I dont see as much anymore.  The ones that I used to rock with on Sunday Funday and Red Door Wednesday.  But you know what, life changes.  Our circumstances change.  And sometimes those changes are the best thing to happen to us, the thing we waited our whole lives for.  I am not saying I will never have another Sunday Funday, but Im also ok with Sunday whatever-else-needs-to-be-done day. 

The tale of two workouts

The tale of two workouts is more than just that.  Its actually the tale of THREE workouts, in two workouts.  Let me explain.

Wedsnesday night the WOD was to complete three sets of the following.  Run 800 meters, 50 back extensions, 50 sit ups.  I am not much of a runner anymore (not that I ever really was, but even less so now).  At any rate, believe it or not this workout was one of the hardest ones I have done yet.  Gah.  Also, it is worth pointing out how terrible McDonalds smells during an 800 meter run.  The gym is located nearly right behind one and while I generally like the smell of hot saltly french fries, nothing makes me want to vomit more when Im running.  Anyway, I finished in 30:22.  About 10 minutes after everyone else, but who is keeping track?  Well, actually everyone is keeping track. 

I wasnt able to get my Crossfit on yesterday because of a business trip to Nashville.  Naturally while I was on said business trip, I also met a friend for dinner and drinks.  It been a month or two since I last hung out with Erica so it was great to see her.  We went to Jacksons and Wiskey Kitchen, ate 3 times and drank...well, enough.  I say this mainly because last night was September 30.  The last day before Sober October! 

Today is October 1.  The beginning of SO (as it will herein after be referred to).  And the day that I did two workouts during my one trip to the gym.  So lets start there.  The WOD was pull up ladders.  Start the clock, do one pull up.  At one minute, do two.  At two minutes, do three.  Etc, etc, etc...until you can no longer complete the number of pull ups required in that round.  I hung in there for 10 minutes and did 55 pull usps.  Disclaimer - my pull ups were all done assisted with the green band.  Dont judge. 

After we finished the pull up ladders and rested for a few minutes we decided to also do the alternate workout.  And by we decided, I mean that Rachel convinced me to.  Ill have to remember to thank her tomorrow.  The alternate workout, my second workout, was to do AMRAP (as many reps as possible) in 12 minutes of 7 weighted squats (15 lbs), 7 push ups and 7 sit ups.  I tried to keep track but I did a miserable job and lost count.  I think I did somewhere between 8-10 reps.  Whatever.  The only thing I know for sure is that I certainly will not be able to lift my arms above my head until Monday.  I also know that Im really proud that I wont be able to!  And Im proud of the blisters on my hands.  And of myself in general. 

Withdrawl

This will be a short post because Im pretty busy with work today.  But I just wanted to point out that I have not been to Crossft in 4 days and I believe I am going through symptoms of withdrawl!!  I mean, I really really cant wait to go workout after work.  (Im also certain that is the first time I have EVER uttered those words.)

So, for now let me just say how excited I am to be this excited about a workout.  I think tonight I will even take my before picture (finally) and upload it.  Eeeek. 

Sober October and the Paleo Diet

Thats right Commit to "Sober October"!  Yep, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I will not drink for the entire month of October. 

There a few reasons why this seems like a good idea, not the least of which is that yet again I have an upset stomach.  Lately I have been getting a lot of random and seemingly unexplained stomach aches and honestly I am just sick of it.  I hate having an upset stomach more than anything.  To me, that is the worst part of a hangover.  Not that I'm hungover right now, but I had two beers today during the Bills game and its like I can just feel them sitting in my gut wreaking havoc. 

The other reason that this can't be a bad thing is my determination to lose weight and get fit.  We are paying an obnoxious amount of money to do Crossfit and I am certain that it is going to kick my ass into shape in very short order.  Saying no to booze for 30 days can only help expedite the process, right? 

On another somewhat related note - hard core Crossfitters also subscribe to the Paleo diet as a long term lifestyle choice.  It basically says you can only eat foods that our ancient ancestors would have had access to - meat, fish, nuts, vegetables, fruit, seeds, eggs, water and so on.  No dairy, deli meat, potatoes, processed foods of any kind (bread, pasta, sweets, cereal, dressings, etc).  Definitely no alcohol.  So anyway, our Crossfit trainer has brought this up to us as something to research and consider.  Research?  Sure.  Consider?  Not so much.

Now let me say that I am open to modifying my diet to remove some of the forbidden items, but I am pretty sure that I am not willing to ever go that extreme.  I am not, nor am do I aspire to be an elite athlete.  I love food.  And beer and wine.  So let me say now, no Paleo for me!  Perhaps a watered down, half assed version.  But not striaght up, hard core Paleo. 

Crossfit day 3. Holy workout, batman!

This morning Nick and I got up at 6:30 to make sure we got our workout in for today.  He plays flag football tonight and as his loving, adoring, and awesome girlfriend that means I also have flag football tonight.  Actually that is only partially true, we arent nearly that lame.  While I do enjoy supporting and cheering for him, I am meeting the other girlfriends there so we can hang out and catch up during the game. 

But nonetheless, we needed to get our Crossfit on early today.  It is worth noting that we both despise waking up early and are generally pretty unbearable before 8am.  This morning it just seemed easier.  That doesnt mean I didnt hit the old snoozeroo a few times, I just means that once I got my gym clothes on I was anxious to get out the door.  Nuerotic me had already checked the blog and knew that the WOD had a high likelihood of killing me. 
Exhibit A - the WOD.  Dont forget this comes after the warm up - which if you cant remember, please feel free to refer to my previous crossfit blogs.
Run 400m (backward)
30x Sit-ups
15x kettlebell swings
15x Push Press  
33x Pull-ups (assisted w green band)
66x Push-ups
50x Squats
Lunge 50 Meters
25x Back extensions
25x Sit-ups
30x Box jumps
20x BurpeesRun 400m (forward)

My initial thoughts were as follows.  33 pull ups?  Ha.  Wait a minute - 66 pushups?  AFTER 33 pull ups?  Squats and THEN lunges?  *RUN, HOME, NOW*

But I didnt, I stayed and I finished the workout.  The entire thing.  Granted I was the last to finish, but my time was 37:57.  Only about 20 seconds behind the guy in front of me. 

So here I am now, 3 days into Crossfit and feeling pretty good.  I can hardly move and I could use a good nap but so far I would say I am doing very well. 

Crossfit, Day 2

Last night was Nick and I's second workout at Crossfit Smyrna.  We were both still sore from our first workout on Saturday but we were determined that we would go and we would finish the WOD. 

So lets start with that, the WOD.  Three little letters that mean so much.  Pain, exhaustion, being out of breath, thinking you cant do even one more rep.  And then, doing another rep.  And another.  Pushing through one more 400 meter run even when you were convinced after the last one that you couldnt possibly run that route again.  That train of thought crosses my mind every time I think about the WOD.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am slightly OCD, which means that I check the blog first thing in the morning to see what the WOD is.  I do this out of anticipation and because I need to psych myself up all day so that I am prepared for what awaits me when I get to the gym. 

Back to the actual WOD.  Same warm up as Saturday (and I suspect most days) - 400 meter run, 3 squats held for 10 secs each, 16 shoulder passes, 50 meters of walking lunges, 50 meter sprint, 15 more squats.  So by the time I finish the warm up my legs are already very heavy and tired.  And then we get into the WOD - a 400 meter run, 30 box jumps, and 30 wall balls.  Repeat 5 times without a break.  Haaaaaaaaa!  After my first round I thought I would surely die before I finished.  But alas, 38 minutes and 05 seconds later, I had finished!  We were both exhausted last night but today we feel pretty good. 

I wont lie, I only used a 12" box instead of the recommended 20" and I used an 8 lb ball for wallballs instead of the 14 pounder.  That is the beauty of Crossfit though, everything can be scaled back or up depending on the person and fitness level.  The point is that I finished.  And Nick finished in 37 minutes and 40 seconds.  We both pushed through when we didnt think we could and we both encouraged one another when we knew we needed it. 

I am proud of us for starting Crossfit and I am proud of us for making it through two workouts in three days.  Today is a rest day at the gym and the trainer encouraged us to start slowly, so our next workout will be tomorrow morning.  I would like to post some photos to track my physical changes over the coming months but I am still apprehensive about it.  I am really uncomfortable with my body right now and cringe at the thought of posting photos that are designed to showcase that.  I will think about it...

Let me also say that while I am certainly not obese or even "fat" I am definitely not in good shape and can see and feel the weight I have gained since last summer.  I do not fit comfortably into clothes that I used to wear all of the time.  So I am not very concerned about what the scale says, but I am very concerned about how I look and feel.  I would like to be fit and healthy, not "skinny".  Of course I would love to be bikini ready all year long, who wouldnt?  This mission to get in shape is about changing the direction of mine and Nick's health and fitness.  We have a lot to live for and look forward to so we are taking control and starting now!

Crossfit...can it be that I actually like a workout/gym?

This was an action packed weekend, despite my assertion that we do nothing and relax all weekend. 

Saturday morning Nick and I attended our first Crossfit class.  This was brought on by several things, not the least of them the "happy in love" weight gain we have both experienced since we met.  I have several friends who swear by the Crossfit gyms and method and after some research we were both pretty excited to try it out. 

The workout of the day (WOD) on Saturday was created by one of the gyms long time members and consisted of 3 sets of rowing 150 meters as fast as possible, 5 kettlebell swings, 7 push ups and 10 wallballs...repeated 3 times!  You read that right...3 set was one round.  The workout called for 3 rounds.  Now, I did not meet said gym member and I cannot say this with certainty, but my guess is that he is either insane or a glutton for punishment.  Possibly even both. Oh, and did I mention that the warm up was a 400 meter run, 3 squats held for a 10 count, 16 shoulder passes, 50 meters of walking lunges, a 50 meter sprint and 15 regular squats?  Yea.  So, after we finished the "warm up" we were placed in a group to start the actual WOD.  After the first round Nick ended up outside dizzy and nauseous because he forgot to "check his ego at the door" as directed by the trainer.  I cant say that I blame him though, Crossfit is one of those things that just brings out the competitive side in you.  I was able to make it through 2 rounds before the trainer stopped me "so that I would come back and not be scared away".  His words, not mine.  Good thing the man happens to know what he is talking about. 

We were not able to "crossfit" on Sunday as we had made plans to have friends over all day for football.  Not to mention that neither of us probably would have even made it through the warm up.  Bot that is neither here nor there.  Instead of working out and venting frustration we ate crappy (delicious, deep fried) food and watched our beloved Buffalo Bills suck out loud against the Packers.  Not that we expected any different, but its just something you never get used to.  Two day weekend - one workout down.  More to come  tomorrow after we attend our second workout.