Crossfit on Crutches

We have recently undergone surgery on the troublesome right foot. We shall refer to this as ‘Operation Trotter’.

In a nutshell, bones have been broken, shaved off, re-set and pinned, then encased in a plaster cast (or fibreglass to be accurate). It hurts, but having spent over a year working one’s butt off trying to reach a level of strength and fitness that I’m proud of, there is simply no way that I am going to sit on that very same butt for 6 weeks watching Glee.

I am fortunate that my chosen form of fitness is CrossFit. My gym buddies could not have been more helpful and supportive. They descended upon me for coffee and even brought flowers.

But the greatest tribute really must go to the two PTs who run the ‘Box’ – Andy and Pete.

It would have been easy to send me home, or to sit me on the side and give me a dumbbell to play with, whilst the rest of their members smashed a few WoDs and surpassed their PBs. The reality couldn’t have been further from this. They took the time and patience to encourage me in to the gym, assessed my movement ability and carefully assembled a set of replacement movements that I can realistically achieve until I am back on my feet.

Heck, we even did an hour of Boxing sitting on a box!

I could not be more grateful, knowing that I am in safe hands here. I was paranoid about losing my fitness and strength, but now feel totally reassured that I can retain some flexibility, and work up a sweat with a variety of tailor-made movements, created just for me.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Crossfit HG3.

Date, Pecan & Banana Mini Loaf

For 4 mini loaves, you will need:

2 cups ground almonds

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1tbsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup pitted dates (Medjool best for a soft, moist texture, but any will work)

8 large eggs

1 cup pecan nuts

1 ripe banana

1/2 cup cider vinegar (or white wine vinegar if no cider in the house!)

Blend the dry ingredients in a food processor, then add the dates & roughly broken up banana. Blitz until they are well and truly chopped and mixed in.

Pulse in the eggs and vinegar.

Briefly pulse in the pecans so they are chopped coarsely.

Line 4 mini loaf tins, or one large loaf tin.

Bake at 170 degrees for 30 minutes. Leave in the pan for an hour to cool before removing.

If using a large loaf tin, increase the cooking time significantly……use a skewer to test after about 40-45 minutes. When it comes out clean, you’re good to go.

Eat plain, or smeared with butter. And a cup of tea. Nom.

I have a bag of dried sour cherries in my cupboard and I might try this recipe again with those instead of dates next time. Variety is the spice of life after all!!

Chocolate & coconut pyramids

Something different, no real ‘cooking’ required.

With the quantities below I made around 30 of these little beauties, so adjust according to your needs.

1/2 cup of canned coconut milk

1/2 cup coconut butter (try making your own by blitzing unsweetened dessicated coconut like, forever, it’s fun!)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 small jar almond butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup dessicated coconut

1 cup flaked almonds

pinch of salt

Put your coconut milk, coconut butter, maple syrup, almond butter and cocoa powder in a small saucepan and just warm slightly to help it all combine.

Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and salt.

Pour this over the dessicated coconut and almonds in a separate bowl and stir thoroughly to combine.

Shape the firm mixture into pyramids (or whatever takes your fancy) and lay out on baking parchment, then refrigerate until firm.

Nom.

Paleo Anniversary

It’s one full year this very day since Trog Dad and I made the life-changing decision to go Paleo.

The choice was simple. We could either:-

a) succumb to the ravages of middle age and accept that we were getting a bit podgy around the middle, OR

b) put up a fight.

We chose B.

Summer 2011

January 2012

We had already been introduced to a Crossfit gym. It was hard core but addictive. We were feeling the difference in our muscle tone and strength, but wanted to see a more dramatic difference.

I can remember Trog Dad saying to me, “Let’s plan it properly and start in a couple of weeks. It’s such a big change.” I, impetutous as ever, suggested that that was a losing mentality, so we started. Right there and then. Best. Decision. Ever.

The enormous packets of rice and pasta which we had purchased that very week are still sitting in our pantry to this day, virtually untouched.

December 2012

I am pretty sure that most of our friends thought we were a little bit mental, partly experiencing a mid life crisis, and entirely unlikely to  last very long. But we’ve managed to navigate Christmas, rack up a significant number of PBs at the gym, engage our kids into the Paleo family, oh…and lose a lot of weight.

We are still very much a work in progress. At 51 and 46 respectively, these things take time, but it is a one way journey and we aren’t looking back.

Crossfit Boys

Time for an update on my amazing kids, methinks.

They have both embraced the Crossfit mentality with gusto and I could not be prouder of the efforts they both put in the gym each and every week.

This is George (the one with the awesome jump). He has just become a teenager and is, as a result, very conscious of his own body, its changes and his desire to become the best man that he can. He has adapted his diet significantly in order to take part in the family’s effort to turn Paleo.

Whilst George still eats the occasional sugary snack, he has virtually cut out grains from his diet. Gone are the morning cereals or toast. No longer does he queue at the school canteen for pasta at lunch time, but takes a healthy, protein filled packed lunch. He has even started to eat his vegetables!

As a result, he has managed to negotiate the tricky puppy-fat/pre growth-spurt period of the last year with fantastic results. He has grown upwards and inwards. He is super-lean and agile, and now tackling heavy lifting. That’s my boy.

Ollie is just 6 years old and has developed a mean squat.

It’s been notably more difficult to wean a child of this age away from biscuits and sweet snacks, so I have to confess that I haven’t pushed him too hard. He has a bad apple ‘habit’, but it’s better than chocolate, so I let him feed it.

Ollie has grown in flexibility and stamina, and has learned a new skill – skipping!

I cannot recommend highly enough that you introduce your kids to the sport of fitness. Get to your local Box and demand a kids’ class.

We are a Crossfit family in the fullest sense, and I rest easy at night in the knowledge that my boys are learning skills and habits which will serve them well in the fullness of time.

paleo crossfit

Banana and Walnut Heaven

Firstly, it’s worth mentioning that I have harboured a lifelong hatred for bananas. And I am talking deep, in-bred disgust for the heinous stinky things. But I LOVE this recipe, so it can’t be bad!!

I made mine in these tiny little mini loaf tins that I bought, mainly because they are cute and I wanted to dirty them up, but you could use a large loaf tin.

You will need:
1 1/4 cups ground almonds
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cornflour (or arrowroot if you have it)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp flax seed flour
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
4 tbsp melted butter
3 ripe bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Line your loaf tin with baking parchment & pre-heat oven to about 170 degrees.
Mash up the bananas in a large bowl until good and mushy.
Add the other wet ingredients and give it a good whipping to mix thoroughly.
In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients (except the nuts) to ensure each is properly distributed throughout.
Add the dry to the wet and mix well.

Finally, stir in the chopped nuts and add the mix to your loaf tin(s). I filled 3 mini tins.
I cooked mine for about 25 minutes, but for a larger tin I’d extend this to about 50 minutes. Keep checking them and take them out when you think they are ready, with a nice firm top and a clean skewer test.
Then smear liberally with organic butter and keep the kids away…

31 day Paleo challenge – the deed is done

31 days clean. I mean totally clean. SO clean that three days after the big finale and I feel bloody awful, mainly due to the fact that I have had several glasses of wine since I finished the challenge. Body says ‘no’.

I found the last week easier to be honest on the coffee front. The big test was what I would select as my morning drink of choice on the first day of ‘freedom’. I chose Redbush tea.

Here are the BEFORE photos…

Final weigh-in as follows:-

Weight loss 1.8kg (about 4lb, although my scales at home say nearer to 7lbs lost)

Body fat down 1.2%

Muscle mass down by 0.3kg

Bone mass unchanged

BMI down 0.6 to 24.6

Metabolic age is now 39 (down from 42). Gotta be happy with this as a near 46 year old

Waistline reduced by 3cm. Nice!

Body fluid % up by 1%

Visceral fat also unchanged at 5%

And here are the AFTER photos….

Arms a bit less flabby I think, and the belly no longer has that involuntary wobble which it’s had for 6 years since I last gave birth. Yay for that.

So, all in all a decent outcome. I have learned that I can live without alcohol and coffee, but that I don’t necessarily want to. I have also learned that drinking it now makes me feel BAD. Which to choose – pain or pleasure?