One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to tackle a health problem. In my case I have a specific one in mind. Anyone who sees me on a regular basis is bound to eventually notice that I get shaky at times for no apparent reason. It is a neurological disease. No known cause and no known cure. Sometimes I am totally fine and other times it acts up. I can take drugs for it but they work by suppressing adrenaline response. Obviously, that is not really an option for me so I choose to just deal. I am frequently asked if I am cold or nervous. The answer is I am always cold and rarely nervous. I also get ‘just relax’ a lot which basically has the same effect as saying ‘don’t think about an elephant’.

In the grand scheme of life it is not really a big deal. On the bright side I get a lot of pent up energy that needs an outlet which makes CrossFit perfect for me. Anyway, doctors give me about 60 more years to live so I guess I better make the best of it. In the meantime if I look uncomfortable don’t worry, I am fine. Crack a few jokes or something. In my case laughter really is the best medicine.

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 11

THE WORKOUT: Day 9
At our CrossFit gym, in the past, we have warmed up on our own given a few exercises written on a whiteboard. Our trainer has decided to change things up a bit and it seems like people are excited about it. First of all, we warmed up together as a class which was really nice. Even more importantly, the warm up exercises were different than what we have been doing. The most fun thing about CrossFit is the amazing variety of exercises and the creative ways they are put together to form exceedingly difficult workouts. Why not make the warm up just as interesting? There are just as many options if not more out there. It is another opportunity for a trainer to be creative as well as to remind us why we do CrossFIt instead of just going to the gym.

After the warm up we did a very scheduled chipper which made for a solid hour of hard work. Great workout today.

2:00 of double unders for # of reps followed immediately by
8:00 to max on clean and jerk
Rest 3:00 and then do the following in order for time:
30 deadlifts 225 boys/155 girls
20 box jumps at 24”
30 pull-ups
20 squat cleans 135 boys/85 girls
30 push-ups
20 toes to bar
My double unders: 150
My clean and jerk: 145
My time: 9:22 (or so. need to look again.)

THE DIET: Day 9 – Oven Baked Fish Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries
I found a recipe for Oven Baked Fish Nuggets in one of my cook books that has you coat chunks of fish in bread crumbs and cornflakes. As an experiment I substituted finely shredded coconut and almond meal from the bins at Whole Foods. Delicious. Here is what I did for this first attempt:

Oven Baked Fish Nuggets:
Thawed out 2 frozen cod fillets, rinsed them, and cut them in chunks
Rolled them one by one in a mixture of:
1/3 C almond meal
1/3 C very finely shredded coconut
Pinches of kosher salt and white pepper
1 T parmesan (optional)*
Baked them on a lightly oiled pan at 375 for 15-20 minutes
Broiled for another minute or two to brown the tops

The two things I would do differently:
1. I would toast the coconut on the stove in a dry pan on medium heat until it just starts to change color so the chunks would come out a more golden brown without worrying about overcooking the fish.

2. The cod chunks were so moist that I attempted to coat them without an agent to keep the stuff on. It worked okay and is do-able. But I have a MISTO that sprays different types of oils in a fine mist that I might try next time with either coconut or olive oil.

Tip: Coat each chunk separately and try to keep your fingers dry so the mixture doesn’t get wet and start clumping up.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Cut a couple potatoes or a butternut squash into fry-sized strips.
(You can also buy them pre-cut which makes these really easy).
Sprinkle on evenly:
1 T cumin (approx)
1 tsp nutmeg or pumpkin spice
Pinch of Kosher salt to taste
Dash of cinnamon**

I put these on a VERY lightly oiled pan in the oven about 10 minutes before the fish nuggets. So they baked at 375 for about 25-30 minutes. Tip: Don’t brush these with oil. They will soak it up and get soggy. I rub on a very slight amount of oil or butter in the last minute or two just to make them bright and shiny.

* Okay, I might get berated by Paleo enthusiasts for the parmesan but I coated two big fillets of fish with only half of that mixture and the only ate a third of that so really the amount was negligible but the added taste was tremendous. But feel free to omit.

** Again, there is no substitute for the Vietnamese cinnamon at Savory Spice. There are a few other types there which are great as well).

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 12

THE DIET: Day 8

People seem to shy away from healthy food because of the expense of individual items. Tonight I treated myself to grass-fed bison tenderloin on a bed of sautéed mushrooms. Beef tenderloin at the grocery store is about $25.00 per pound. Outrageous, right? But unless you plan to eat a whole pound of beef by yourself, break it down to the cost of dinner instead of the cost of items per pound. Obviously you can do better by choosing cheaper cuts of meat but splurging a little on one item at dinner from time to time is not nearly as bad as it looks. My salad was cucumber and tomatoes on spinach. Blueberries for dessert. Nothing but water to drink.

Cost of this dinner:
Tenderloin: 25.00 per lb.  4 oz = 6.25
Mushrooms: 1.99 package. Ate half = 1.00
Tomatoes: 1.99 package. Ate a fourth = 0.50
Cucumber: 0.50 each. Ate half = 0.25
Spinach: 2.00 large bin. Tiny handful = 0.25
Blueberries: 2.50 package. Ate a fourth = 0.65
Water = 0.00
Total cost of dinner: $8.90

One margarita at West End Tavern on Saturday:
$8.00 plus a 20% tip = $9.60

THE WORKOUT: Day 8

We woke up early to go mountain biking by Nederland with neighbor Joe this morning. West Magnolia is a very short trail so we thought it might perfect for us this weekend. I am exhausted and Todd is trying to recover from a cold.

The warm up was about a half mile of all downhill. Not a good thing. The other side was extremely steep and rocky. We made it part way but it got so steep we finally had to walk parts of it. After that it was a lot of up and down and winding through the trees. Fun quick trail.

After we got home neither one of us felt very good so we were pretty useless the rest of the day.

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 13

THE WORKOUT: Day 7
For today’s workout a small group of us hiked Royal Arch. Most of the trail is in the shade and is surrounded by bright green growth. A few summers ago I made sure that I buy 308 ammo before the trek. I went on that trek before work a couple times a week just as the sun was rising. I saw many more deer than people. I would get to the top in about 45 minutes, enjoy the view by myself for awhile, maybe read a little, and get back down in about 20 minutes. This very peaceful morning workout made it one of my favorite local hikes. Then a kid was almost carried off by a mountain lion nearby and that was the end of sunrise hikes by myself up Royal Arch.

At 10:00am on a Saturday, I was prepared for the trail to be a bit crowded. That was tolerable. I was not, however, prepared to stand in line to see the view at the top. The arch was like a crowded subway, everyone crawling all over each other for a better place to stand. Definitely not the peace and quiet I was used to. Luckily, we had a fun group of people which made the hike still worthwhile.

THE DIET: Day 7
After the hike was the annual Flatirons CrossFit Barbecue. I started off pretty well sticking to the diet. Ate mostly meat and vegetables. Even margaritas there and later at West End Tavern were not too terrible. It was when I got back home and went out for Mexican food that the diet went south. I ordered the chicken tortilla soup which at this place is paleo-friendly. Without tortilla strips and cheese it is basically just chicken, green chilies, tomatoes, and avocado in broth. Very delicious. However, I didn’t stop with the soup this time. i dug into that basket of tortilla chips like it was the last meal of my life. And one stop at 7-Eleven later I found myself enjoying a Kit Kat for dessert. Oh well. No big deal. Back on track tomorrow.

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 14

THE WORKOUT: Day 6
Tire flips as many times as possible in 5:00
Tire weight: 350#
My reps: 26  (Beat my last score by 4!)

For time:
75 reps of snatches at 55#
My time: 4:20

THE DIET: Day 6
Today I was really lacking creativity and ended up basically having beef jerky and a large salad for dinner. Boring but also zero work, much like this post. Heh.

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 15

You’d think a day off would make me full of energy for the workout today. It was more like working out after a long nap. I felt sluggish mentally. Somehow I managed to fight through feelings of wanting to take a break in the middle of the workout. Still need to straighten out these arms a little better. Also I failed the last push jerk attempt and had to drop the bar and repeat it. So tired.

THE WORKOUT: Day 5
Squat small sets as heavy as possible
Reps: 3 3 2 2 1 1 1
My weights: 185  185  195  205  210
Failed attempts at 215

WOD
Reps: 21  15  9
Row (calories)
Push jerks @ 85
My time: 6:22

THE DIET: Day 5
A friend from CrossFit sent me a recipe that I was dying to try. You can get it here: Recipe for Coconut Curry Mahi Mahi

I made a few additions to the original recipe just to experiment.

1. I could’t find mahi mahi and ended up using halibut. Tip from Amy: Frozen is good enough for this recipe and a lot cheaper than fresh.

2. I added a little broccoli. The ends soak up the juices really well. Cut the florets small and steam them a few minutes first. They take longer to cook than the peppers.

3. I added a little ginger and a little cinnamon to the curry. Specifically I used Vietnamese Saigon Cinnamon from Savory Spice in Boulder. It is outrageously expensive but there is no substitute.

4. I served it with grilled pineapple chunks. Pineapple is so good with coconut curry. If you decide to toss it right in the sauce like I did definitely grill it first or you will get too much pineapple juice in there.

5. Tip 2 from Amy: I used part chicken broth. Coconut milk is fairly high in fat.

Amy, thanks for the great recipe! And thanks to my volleyball-playing friend Ashley for turning me on to the pineapple coconut curry at Spring Thai. Yum!

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 16

THE WORKOUT: Day 4: NONE
I forced myself to take a full day off yesterday. All day I fought the urge to go for a run, do push ups, anything. But I made it through the day. No CrossFit, no volleyball, no mountain biking, nothing. I hated it. But I know it is necessary. I used to love rest days. Now a day off feels like a missed chance for a major breakthrough. I know I need them though so finally taking one was an accomplishment.

THE DIET: Day 4
I went to my cousin Andrea’s new apartment to have dinner with her, her roommate Brooke and their friend Kenny who turned out to be way more disciplined than I am with the health food stuff. The guy had lost over 70 pounds since high school! Always inspiring to hear a good success story. Since they were all eating healthy too it was easy to stick to the plan.

Our dinner: Rotisserie chicken and Mediterranean salad.

For this salad: Romaine lettuce, Broccoli,Tomatoes, Avocado, Olives Feta cheese (not allowed by Paleo so I just didn’t take any). I ate my salad with just salt and pepper. Plenty flavorful with all that stuff in it. For protein we ate rotisserie chicken (without the skin, of course). For dessert I ate a peach.

I had been missing the taste of ice cream all day but when we decided to go sit in the hot tub and I was able to borrow Andrea’s bikini (she’s 19) I suddenly I forgot all about the sweets. Bring on the salad!

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 17

THE WORKOUT: Day 3
Clean and Jerk to find a 1 rep max
My lifts:  120  125  130  135  140   (failed at 145)

Workout of the Day (WOD)
5 rounds for time:
15 overhead plate lunges @ 25#
15 burpees
My time: 8:20

For the lift, 140 was a personal record! For the workout, my burpees are relatively slow so I really tried to book it on the lunges which worked well. The less time I spend with weight over my head the better off I am. I did not rest so I was happy with my time. But I let Rosanne know that I fully expected her go faster. Not only did she accept the challenge but she did it in under 7 minutes! What a stud!

THE DIET: Day 3

I have set a new goal for my 20 days of Paleo/Zone. No two dinners will be alike. This will force me to use a variety of healthy recipes to make sure I don’t get stuck in a rut of eating the same thing every night.

Tonight I made a bison burger and used portabella mushrooms as a bun. Mmmm.

1 lb grass=fed ground bison meat makes 2 or 3 large burgers

To that I added:
A large egg
Almond meal
Diced green chilies
Cumin
McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
Kosher salt
Chili powder
Cayenne pepper (very tiny amount)
(Sorry, I didn’t measure anything. I just guessed).

I skimped on the toppings to better enjoy the flavor of the burger itself:
1/4 of a small avocado
Tomato slices
Slices of a Claussen dill pickle

You can warm up the mushroom “buns” on the grill, the stove, but they seem to come out best when you toast them in the convection oven. They get warm all the way through without getting soggy. The tops dry out so they are not too slippery to pick it up like a burger.

The salad:
Mixed greens
Granny smith apple
Dried cranberries
Pecans
(Avocado tastes good with this I put some on my burger so I left it out).

Days to Colorado CrossFit Open: 18

A long list of benchmark workouts in CrossFit have been given short female names for ease of identification in much the same way the National Weather Service used to always name hurricanes after women. [Insert joke here].

Today’s workout was “Nancy”. It is kind of silly but I felt obligated to do well in this workout. My mom’s name was Nancy. Can’t really hear the name without thinking of her, obviously.

Ironically, the workout contained the exercise which has been my biggest weakness. The overhead squat. My former nemesis. At the beginning of this year I could back squat over 200 pounds but could barely overhead squat a 35 pound girl’s bar without falling over forward. Hope I made you proud today, Mom.

THE WORKOUT: Day 2
“Nancy”
5 rounds for time:
400m run
15 overhead squats @ 65#
My time: 13:12

THE DIET: Day 2 on the Paleo/Zone Diet went well. This was my breakfast today:

Beef cube steak (kosher salt, pepper, a little garlic salt)
1 hard boiled egg (Eggland’s Best)
1/4 small avocado
Cherub tomatoes
Baby spinach
1 cutie (clementine)

* The National Weather Service now alternates between female and male names for hurricanes.

For the next 20 days counting down to the Colorado Open I have decided to follow the Paleo-Zone diet sworn by elite CrossFitters to be critical for peak athletic performance. To way over-simplified it, ‘Paleo’ has you eating mostly meat and vegetables with some fruit and nuts while ‘The Zone’ takes care of portion control. Yesterday was a success. 19 days to go.

For dinner last night I made pecan crusted pork and roasted butternut squash.

So good. Great recipes, Steve!

For more information on the diets:
The Zone
The Paleo Diet