Reflections and recommendations.

Wow. Gone already..2012..it's hard to believe. What a crazy year and a fun year and an insightful year. I want to recap some of my favorite moments from 2012 in the best order I know how
1. My son got married. Love this kid and the addition he brought to our family.


Big family on both sides!!

2. The CrossFit Games 2012 Open. Learned ALOT about myself during this time.
I did alot of soul searching...like this..cant wait for 2013 Open!

just wondering what in the HELL just happened.

 

3. My sister Kat went to Regionals for the CrossFit Games.

 

 

4. Girls Trip to Napa WITH my Momma this year-the prior year she was on a mission.

 

 

5. My sister Liz and brother Matty kick serious booty at the Retro Games with great team members Terry and Marci. That 5 is for 5th place!

 

 





6. All the athletes from CF22 kick bootay at Fitness Elevated-Chad took a 4th in the Masters Men, I tied for 3rd in the womens masters, so was technically 4th-Liz (sister) placed 10th, Amy(sister) 13th in the women's elite. Matt (brother) placed 18th in the Mens elite-and sorry guys I thought I could grab the rest of the results but I can't so a great showing also from Marci-women's elite, Christy women's open, Sharae women's open, Mindy women's open, Alyssa women's open and Jason Mens elite I think? And Terry although he knew he couldn't compete the 2nd day showed up for day 1 anyway.

Masters division is no joke..look at that bar!


These are just a small fraction of SOME of the events of 2012 that made the year so great-there are so many I can't even put on here or this post would be forever long. Trips to Vegas with my sweetie, family dinners and parties, the CF22 summer BBQ-the Ogden half marathon, my sister Robins trips to Utah. Just being with family in general. I feel so blessed.

So here is my bleh for 2013.
If one of your goals for this upcoming year is to change something about yourself physically TAKE A PICTURE TODAY. Hide it in a safe place or post it in an obvious place. Refer to it often to stay on track.
Don't talk about it...BE about it.
Don't just make a goal or a resolution and then just give it lip service..put some damn work in. If there is something about yourself, ANYTHING you want to change, the only thing that stands between you and you is YOU!
 Quit with the bullshit and stand up and make something happen.
There is nothing more empowering to me than putting my chalked up hands around a bar and pulling a weight I never thought I could..I use this as a metaphor now-chalk up those hands...get your mind and form right..grip that bar and PULL. There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it but you will accomplish NOTHING if you don't even TRY.
Don't be afraid to fail. Fail often, from our failures is where we find our success.





As I spend my New Years eve doped up on Dayquil on the couch with a blanket on-I have a few things in my mind I want to accomplish this year. I am so excited for 2013. I have high hopes and big dreams and you should too.

I will close 2012 with one of my favorite quotes
"He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life"
Muhammad Ali

Here's and Cheers to a happy, healthy and successful 2013. One full of happiness, pr's, rx's and so on and so forth...

 

Ropa Vieja means."Old Clothes"...ehhh I will try it anyway.

Kolby Jenna Myself LaTonya and Moises

What a GREAT weekend. Managed to get together with my kiddos to go out to dinner last night at Red Rock-love the hearts of palm and bay shrimp salad..it does come with baby red potatoes..I usually nibble on one or 2 then push the rest to the side -also come with caper berries!! LOVE THEM. It was a great night! Look at these awesome kids! Wowzer..good looking group!

Today instead of watching football...I decided to watch The Worlds Strongest Man comps on ESPN..too fun to watch these dudes..I am not going to lie...I was intrigued with form..so cool to watch. I loved this though. 2 huge dudes dead lifting with no shoes..I also do this. I just seem to be able to really get my heels into the floor.

Here are the items I grabbed at Costco today. See anything odd?? Dayquil and NyQuil. Didn't actually get them at Costco. What I thought was a WOD cough and soreness from several really hard WODS turned out to be a little flu or a cold. I hate taking OTC meds but I was so miserable I needed relief. I have not been sick in forever so I am super frustrated today. I still managed to cook but it took me all day. Super simple items. Blueberries are still amazing, I added apples this week- I sometimes like them with a little almond butter before a WOD-also grabbed some avocados to go with breakfast.

So Mary and I chatted briefly about food on Saturday at coffee. There was so much going on in that space so Mary I remember hearing you talking about how there are no Cuban restaurants etc etc out here and so on and so forth (Mary is from Chi Town..and she is a die hard Bears fan..we won't hold that against her)
So I searched for Paleo recipes for Cuban food. Not really knowing how or where to start or what kind of food might appeal to her this caught my attention quickly. It's from PaleOMG which I consider to be an extremely reliable source.
I had to google what in the hell what in the hell Ropa Vieja meant..could have gone without knowing that. Quickly I assumed that this was going to smell terrible but not the case. Anything crock pot to me is easy-so here is the link.
http://paleomg.com/crockpot-ropa-vieja-cuban-style-rice/ The only modification I don't know that I loved was that she subbed capers for olives. I love olives BUT I always make the recipe exactly as it is the first time then I modify after.  The capers are fine. Lots of seasoning on this one. A few pics of how I put this together-

I cook all my crock pot meals in the garage- ALSO I cooked this for about 9 hours on high. I think traditionally flank steak is used and it just seemed the chuck roast was not getting tender enough for my good taste.
Tip on the "rice" I had to hand grate this with my cheese grater because I could not find one of my attachments for my food processor. Anyway let it sit on a plate with paper towel. A little trick I learned from my sis Kat. This absorbs the moisture that cauliflower has. This is REALLY delicious!

 

 

I also made this soup today-felt like I needed soup for my flu or whatever has invaded my wellness and also my own made up recipe for breakfast casserole.

This soup was SIMPLE!!! and good! It needs spice so I will add hot sauce. The casserole is one I think I stole from Liz and then claimed it as my own.

http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com/2012/11/ginger-chicken-soup.html

 

"Breakfast Spinach Pie
8-9 whole eggs
12 egg whites
Spinach -no exact measurement on this sorry
Here is where it gets creative-I will tell you what I used but you could use any veggies and any meat
1 dozen turkey links-I am using the chicken sauage AmyLu Links
5 large mushrooms diced
3-4 large jaelpenos diced (for those who do not love spicy you can leave these out)
diced green onion thinly sliced including the green-give great flavor
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to tasteu h
beat eggs together-I add a little bit of water for fluff-add all other ingredients minus the spinach
Layer the bottom of a cake pan with spinach-be generous the spinach will shirnk as it cooks-pour egg mixture on top. Slic link in half and layer on the top-or you can dice them up and just throw them in.
Bake @ 375 for approx 45-50 minutes or until middle is cooked.

Happy New year. I am not a resolutions person but I would encourage you to think of 2-3 things you want to do, accomplish, change etc during 2013-and maybe write them down and post them somewhere you can see them daily. For me? I am constantly changing and evolving and I am looking forward to 2013 and whatever big things it will hold for me because honestly?? I won't settle for nothing less than big things!

Enjoy!

Angels vs. Angels..its a matter of personal preference..

So in one of my earlier posts I made mention of occasionally hearing people say they wouldn't want to look like my sisters and this is specific to their buffness. If that's a word. I said more info or maybe a story or pics would follow.
This is the follow.
I can say in all honesty to most people who say this to me that it would take years of serious training, running, lifting, eating right...the list goes on and on to get you to the point to look like them. Most people do not have the where with all nor the drive to get there. I believe there are men and women out that there that truly believe that being or appearing muscular takes away from a woman's femininity and I am sorry I call BULLSHIT.
I guess at some point that could be true. However, on the flip side of that...does being emaciated do the same thing? does being too thin not do the same thing only in different way? Its all a matter of personal preference.
When I started to post this I thought the perfect comparison would be the Angels....as seen below:

 

I mean really...they do not look that bad..slightly toned...maybe a little thin? not sure...but what about this..what if you look at these real life pics..of my sisters of course...does this look manly or not feminine? (doing this in order of age so don't get it confused with favoritism)

My sister Amy (bar muscle ups anyone?)

 

My sister Liz..(burpees look so good on her)

 

My sister Kat (regionals at 40 anyone?)

 

How do these "angels" compare to the ones above?

 

Or these ones? How is this not feminine? are these the same people?

I guess my point is...it's all a matter of personal preference. I look at the pics of my sisters and I am in awe. They are my angels...if I had to aspire to look like anyone?? it would be them. Strong, muscular..yet you put a dress on them and they are still SEXY AND YOU KNOW IT...WE WORK OUT...(very lame and cliche' but so very very true!)
Thats my post for today..could take a while to digest the simplicity of it all!

I have some great recipes peeped out for tomorrow and maybe even something Cuban for Mary..she wants in and I happy to help!

Nothing profound to post...My Dad Kenny..please say prayers and send good juju

Nothing too exciting to post today. Something crazy happened today...I managed to pull 20 power cleans at 135# today..something is happening..I am getting stronger..it's TOO COOL...damn Maria and her 95# OH's good job Maria-I did manage to get my 20...just at 65#..I am coming off a nagging wrist issue and honestly..so proud of myself that I was able to bust out 20 of them. I will be back..that's for sure!!!

Have you all met my Dad? No before and after story here. I post this pic because I believe that my Dad is happiest when he is surrounded by family. This is from last year (regrettably I have ZERO pics from this year) the annual Christmas Pajamas pic.

This is not all the grand kids and that is why I hate posting it. However, tomorrow my Dad, Pops, Kenny, Poppa Sweatfield is having some surgery. My Dad comes from a family that has a long history of heart disease. Tomorrow he is having a new stint put in. Best case scenario it takes well and there are no issues..worst case..he would at some point have to have bypass surgery. So everyone..Please, send out prayers, good juju, luck..whatever you have in your bag of tricks to our Dad for a successful stint and a quick recovery. WE love you Dad and we are know all will be well.

The truth about skinny jeans..and meet my Mom..her before and after...

Ahh. Skinny jeans. For those of you who know me. I use them as a scale of sorts. I often can be heard saying that I do not own a scale-still true. I use my "skinniest" skinny jeans as kind of gauge to see where I am at. (I am laughing inside at the thought of using a word I despise so much in this post)
Now, skinny jeans are not so forgiving when you have had maybe some rolls and maybe too much ham amongst other things. My skinny jeans fit, but oh boy, I need to watch myself the next little while.
I did accomplish one thing this Christmas season that I have not been able to do in so many years. I actually managed to not focus so much on the food and just enjoyed myself. I found I didn't do as bad as I thought I would. Didn't really eat much sugar at all,  but wodding this morning managed to get me closer to puking than I have ever been. So if your skinny jeans are fitting comfortable today and you are not having to wear your pie pants...you are lucky! Try it-put that scale away somewhere you can't see it and start listening to your body and your skinny jeans..they will not lie.

BEFORE AND AFTER-what I know of my Moms story.

My all time favorite picture of my Mom

Meet Joanne-my Momma

First-there are going to be some pictures on here my Mom is NOT going to like. I thought about this long and hard before I decided she would be my next story. She is kind of a private person and she isn't going to like the fact that I posted some of these pictures. I know there is a saying that goes something like "just saying you're sorry doesn't make everything ok" but I think in this case I am willing to ask for forgiveness and not for permission. And honestly. There are many details her story that I do not know. I do however, understand the constant struggle and mental battle she has had to face. So I am going to tell what I can.
I feel the need to tell this story because I know there are many people that probably do not realize my Mom has not always looked like she does or that she hasn't always been a "wodkilla".
For as far back as I can remember my Mom struggled with her weight. My Mom had 8 children (yes and we are all awesome) and not only did she have 8 children she had a son she home nursed for 20 years until he passed away. Also-my Mother has rheumatoid arthritis, which is a chronic progressive disease that causes inflammation in the joints. I believe that she was in her late 30's or early 40's when she was diagnosed with this.
As I sat down to start to write this. I quickly realized how few details of my Moms story I really know. I don't know what she weighed when she started and I do not know what her goal weight was or how long it took her to get there. So her story is going to be different. Rather than boring details about what she ate and did but rather how her quality of life has changed. NOW..I found the perfect pic that I think her journey may have started shortly after  this-if I have my time lines right.  I wasn't able to go on this trip but this was November 2004. Lets call this her "before" She was in Hawaii shortly after my brother Matt returned from a deployment.  One is of her and my Dad..yes..that's Jo. The other in the pool with the girls.

I would like to share some pictures of my Mom in Napa on our Annual Girls Trip this year. I have video but I want to live to blog another day so I won't share it. But yes folks..this is my Mom, in a swimsuit and a floppy hat dancing on a chair! It was amazing to watch. This is her "after"-yes..dancing on a chair-running with her girls, just even wearing a running skirt and a tank and having a picture taken-these are all big things.

 

 

I cant remember really when it started happening but my Mother went through this phase were she became the incredible shrinking woman. Within the past 4-5 years she has become I would guess more than half the person she used to be. And I am talking about her size. (if that makes any sense)
I do remember however as my Mom started her journey she got serious about exercising more consistently and my sisters Kathy and Liz helped her with this. She started simply cutting out her bad foods (haven't gotten her to go in all in on Paleo yet..but it wont be long). I remember during this phase seeing my Mom often times pack her own food to our family parties. During this transition time, my Mother also ran her first 5k and then 2 more shortly thereafter.


She and my Father went on a Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ during which time they worked out almost daily. When they came back they started CrossFitting. Yes. My Mom is 70 and she CrossFits. Here is a pic my brother Matt snapped of her practicing her snatch balance-ya it's awesome to have a Mom who will just even attempt this. I am happy to say that I believe that through changing her diet and exercising she is extending her life. I like that!

She has some limited mobility and there are so many times she is in pain, but it does not stop her. For those of you who have wodded with her, you know, she is no joke at the box. My Mom at times has the energy of more than one person. She is an amazing grandmother. She is talented beyond belief. She has a 140# 1 RPM (1 rep max) on her deadlift and she has faith that could move mountains.
One day we were at the box and we were doing handstand holds against the wall. My Mom wanted to try so I just helped her kick up to the wall. 10 years ago-she wouldn't have tried that.
I think it's safe to say that my Mom did really start exercising regularly until she was in her 60's and WOW, the progress she has made.
She is now living her life to the fullest and the life she is living is amazing. She is blessed that my Dad is such a sucker for her and has an amazing partner that gets to ride along on this journey with her. You can see them at CrossFit22 most mornings at 9:00 am together and crazy as always.
Mom. I know this is just a small fraction of what you have done to get to where you are. And I am sorry that I have so few details. But, you are amazing and your pictures alone will inspire someone! I love you tons and I know that I will always be your favorite daughter.... :) shhh I won't tell the other girls if you don't.

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night.

Not sure why I love this blurry photo so much!

 

I am at a loss for words. I just watched the news for the first time today. I had no idea of the tragic happenings of this morning in New York. I am saddened and sickened that these kind of people exist. I can't say much more.

What I can say is, again, now is a great time to take a long hard look at your life. The new year is around the corner. Who do you desire to be in 2013? Who do you want to impact? how do you plan on getting there? get planning NOW! tomorrow is clearly never promised.

Wrap your arms around the people you love and be so very grateful that you have them with you tonight. Take the monetary meaning out of today and tomorrow and just be thankful and gracious for everything you are so blessed to have.

I just want my family- my sweetheart-his family to know how thankful I feel today and how blessed I am that I am blogging tonight and not mourning the loss of a loved one.

Have a very Merry Christmas! Be safe and be thankful always.
From my house to yours!

Family First and fighting "The Hunger"

Desi as always with impeccable form

First just want to say thanks to my girl Desi who got many of us out to WOD today on a Sunday- Des has been wodding with us for over a year -she recently moved to Vegas and was back visiting family for the Holidays. I have always loved to WOD with Des. Talk about a little spit fire with integrity to match. She never cuts reps knowingly-or intentionally just to get a "better time" she knows herself well and she is not one to compromise her form for weight or time. She makes the people who WOD around want to do better. So much fun to have you today-chipper followed up with a 1+ mile run-awesome for a Sunday
NOW...I haven't rested yet this week and this about put me over the edge. I am resting tomorrow and Christmas Day but I am going to be back at it strong on Wednesday. Which brings me to my first topic
FAMILY FIRST: If you learn anything about me through this blog-the one thing I hope to make clear is how much my family means to me. We are big...bold..crazy...loud..obnoxious..and so on. But we also are besides all of those thing is the epitome' of what others desire to be. We are all different yet somehow this crazy family unit works. So you will get to hear about my family alot. I don't really know how consistent my posting will be this next week. My sis Robin will be here Wednesday and I am off work. I will have at least 1 before and after this week so be watching for it. It will blow your mind.
"THE HUNGER": Something I learned this week. I have been working hard on lifts and I swear I thought I had a tapeworm. So I ask my brother Matty what the HELL was going on...explained my issue...he looked me dead in my eye, shook his head yes because he knew exactly what I was talking about and said "yes, I know, I call it "The Hunger". If you are having this issue in the name of everything holy be smart about how you curb this..increase your lean meats and fats. I am still trying to figure out exactly what balance I need but I am not going to lie...I have lots of cooked Turkey and hard boiled eggs on hand as well as some awesome avocado's. Slides me right into my next subject.

BE READY FOR THE HOLIDAY TIME OFF!! What am I doing?? well I started with this...this is sitting on my counter-I would have to pass it to get to the fridge or the pantry. I love these things-sometimes sweet sometimes tart they seem to always do the trick-also-if you get holiday treats from the neighbors..throw them out. It's not rude or wrong-most of the neighbors will NEVER know and I kind of look at it like this-if my neighbors really knew me they would give me fruit or maybe some broccoli? right? seems harsh I know but NO BS.

Onto my week of cooking-I am keeping it simple this week I have one recipe of my own and 2 borrowed.
I am doing- Stuffed tomatoes, a large pan of jalapeno cauliflower mash and breakfast meatballs...yes..meatballs..isnt being a carnivore awesome?

Here is the link for the mash. I have never made the brisket but I love this mash. My tweaks, especially if you are making this for your family, seed one of the jalapenos. I love spice but I usually eat this for several days and that jalapeno starts to kick in about day 2 or 3. Also-I do not put this in my food processor I actually mash it with an old school potato masher and I add just a bit of the coconut milk to the mash.
http://inherentappetite.tumblr.com/post/9006337824/slow-cooked-brisket-w-jalapeno-mashed-cauli-if

My 2nd borrowed recipes is from PaleOMG. I warned you that I frequent this often but thanks to Amanda for bringing this one to my attention.
http://paleomg.com/breakfast-bacon-maple-meatballs/

And lastly-My own made up recipe-Stuffed tomatoes-you will need the following:

1 lb turkey burger
2 1/2 turkey hot Italian sausage
1/2 yellow onion chopped
2 t garlic-i used minced bottled from Costco
5 large tomatoes (I use hot house)
seasoning of your choice
2 T goat cheese (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees

This is all the meat I am using this week.

 

First get some olive oil heating-throw in that onion and garlic and get that sauteing while you prep the tomatoes-you can be as free as you would like with this recipe-it's so simple you can't really mess it up.

 

Cut the tops of the tomatoes, take a knife and cut around the inside-be careful not to cut through the bottoms. Then simply scoop out all that goodness.

 

They should look something like this. Rather than throw out the insides I actually dice some of it up and throw it in with the turkey. While you are cleaning your tomatoes up and once those onions are clear add the turkey and sausage and the seasonings of your choice (please notice my eggs boiling-multitasking).This is where occasionally I will indulge with a little goat cheese, I will add right before I stuff the tomatoes and let it melt so there are no large lumps. Once the meat is cooked get to stuffing.

 

 

 

That's it. Cook them roughly 20-25 minutes or to your liking I try to not let the tomatoes split too badly because I prefer them firm.

 

One other quick little tip of goodness my sister Amy turned me onto. You can get these sausages at Costco-I think 10.00 ish. They are delicious and quick. One quick warning they do have some maple sugar and pure cane syrup so if you are avoiding any sugars I do not recommend them.

 

 

 

There you have it folks. Happy cooking. Here's to as successful eating week, while still enjoying yourself, as you can possibly have. 

 

 

 

No food or WOD advice today..Just life stuff...

Before I post something really profound that is not mine(hard to believe I know) - I am putting this out there. Why is it at this time of year we want to give more than any other time? We donate to food banks, we volunteer our time and money, we do good deeds. Why is it that we ONLY do this during the holidays? In light of the so many tragedies that have happened throughout the past year-if you have not taken a step back and taken a really good look at your life. DO IT NOW. I personally feel like I have more to give. Maybe it won't always be monetary, it doesn't always have to be. Maybe its volunteering your time and maybe even just your attention to someone in need. There are SO MANY people around us that need help. It could be something as simple as -oh I dont know-I saw a pregnant girl loading her groceries in her car at Costco, I felt compelled to help. She looked at me like I was a little crazy but she let me help and then I pushed her cart away. I am not normally like that and I had to stop and ask myself why? I have alot to give. A person with many words has alot to offer. I need to offer it more. And I am going to. I do not normally make long term goals for the New Year. But this year, I feel so blessed and I really need to pay it forward.
Also-I have yet to post this but some friends of mine put this together-you can start now- you can help by donating to this and get a super cool shirt in the process. The proceeds are going to and amazing cause. Check it out! I am making it super easy for you to do something great before the end of the year-I am even giving you a link that you can simply click on  http://dfslifestyle.com/store/

Now to the post that is not mine. CrossFit Lisbeth...sigh...the writer I aspire to someday be. If I could be just a fraction of how good she is. She posted this on  Monday and I feel the need to share. No food advise today-just some life stuff!
Courtesy of CrossFit Lisbeth

GOOD PEOPLE MUST ACT

I don’t have any words to motivate today. None to inspire. And I don’t know how to make you laugh. The killing of 20 first-graders and six school workers in Newtown, CT has left me a little dry. Newtown is about 25 minutes from my hometown in CT. My sister works in a school a mile away from the shootings. I have a friend who lives down the street. Another friend owns a nearby CrossFit affiliate — she opened her doors on Sunday so her members could grieve and talk with a counselor. Their community will never be the same.
I spent most of the weekend hanging out with my boys in CA and trying not to cry, trying to answer their questions about why we allow our citizens to buy assault rifles, and why we don’t seem to really care about mental health problems. I had a lot of words, but I don’t think I had any real answers. Mostly, I came to believe that we have failed as a society. We failed as parents. And we failed as citizens.

The only lesson that’s crystal clear out of this tragedy is this: good people must act.

The principal and the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary School knew that: they acted. Some of them paid with their lives. Now, it’s time for the parents in America to decide what kind of country we are leaving to our children. Good people must act.
 

Talapia ...Possibly manna from heaven?

So amped about the blog views when I do a before and after story. I know why. Beyond inspiring right? I love that it's the holiday season and the New Year is right around the corner and I am sure people are thinking "this is it...this is the year I am going to get off my ass and do something physical and eat healthy"..it got me thinking...I have enough before and afters to get me to the end of the year with posting more than 1 a week. So there it is..be watching for it. I think my next post will completely blow most people away. I might have a soldiers story coming up as well. These are going to be good so make sure you are following.

Today's post-its going to be really short. It's no secret that I am doing a competitors class. In the past 3 days I have pulled a bar doing some form of an Oly lift 184 times. I have rowed roughly 5,600 meters-tomorrow I will run a 5k and I might do a flight simulator of DUBS, today I did a 25 min metcon. I was happy to hear my comp class coach (and my awesome brother Matty) say that I will need to eat more and some other profound things about rest and such. I am about meatloafed and rotisserie chickened out so what for dinner? Tilapia..yes..that's my sub, my staple mixed greens..added mushrooms and avocado for my fat with some olive oil and lemon..absolutely delightful. By the way, the talipia at Costco is awesome-they are not flat fillets they are kind of roundish and super meaty and absolutely delicious. Well here. This is dinner.
My word of advise for today...listen to your body..if you need to rest...rest..those nagging muscle aches could be something more serious. Words to live by. WORD.

Uhh no,,these are not my Holiday plates..these are everyday!

Chicken and Watermelon..A Before and After Parte Dos

 

I said I would be doing before and afters. I am excited SO EXCITED to share these stories on my blog. And no they wont always be mine-and I would invite anyone who might peek this if you know of someone that I may not have exposure to that has a great before and after that promotes healthy lifestyle habits-I am open to consider them, they do NOT have to be CrossFit and Paleo related.

First-CHICKEN AND WATERMELON!! So on Sunday I told you that I decided to change my fruit up a little. I bought the small melons from Costco they aren't great but they are ripe and still very edible..Ok my fav dinner-2 nights in a row-pulled rotisserie chicken..some mixed greens and watermelon!! I used enough greens that I didn't have too much room for fruit but dang it was delicious. I also realized I forgot to share my "greek" dressing recipe-is my staple salad dressing-I prefer it to any dressing. Super simple. Olive oil, red wine vinegar and lemon-with of course greek seasoning. Its delicious and honestly even with fruit in your salad tastes great.

Jo Jo Barbells for Boobs Saving 2nd base Oct 2012

ok..BEFORE AND AFTER PARTE DOS-MEET JO

I picked Jo for a few reasons. First, she has an incredible before story. Before I met Jo at CrossFit22 I had no idea she was training with my sister Kat and to be quite honest it did take a while for her to grow on me and for me to really get to know her..I am just that way.
I do however remember a story about how when Kat first had Jo running as part of her training (this was pre CF22 when kat and liz were training out of Liz's basement) She told a story about how when she started she just had Jo run mailbox to mailbox. Hard to believe because a few weeks ago I chased Jo on a mile run that netted us a 7:40 mile. Certainly my fastest ever. She was running like someone snatched her purse and I was trying like hell to keep up with her. Also hard to believe because we ran the Ogden 1/2 marathon this past May and she smoked me. She passed me I think about mile 8 and as much as I tried to keep pace with her it just did not happen she finished 2:04. I believe with me 5 minutes behind her. Pretty amazing for someone who could only run mailbox to mailbox a few years ago. It's been a year of many firsts for Jo including an over 200# dead lift which took her out of the game for a bit.
Things I like about Jo. She is so unsure of herself. Why do I like this? it gives me the opportunity to push her. She is a good friend. She genuinely cares about people. She is always smiling and goofy and she likes to use the word "whiskey" alot.
Also-she is a silent sufferer. We are kindred spirits. We are often referred to and the Jo Hos, dumb and dumber..you name it there are names. Jo has participated in many of the Paleo challenges that CF22 has had and she has had so much success. What I admire about her is the fact that she will be forthright when she is failing or having a tough time..when she didn't food prep..AND when she eats 6 truffles while she is supposed to be doing a 21 sugar detox..oh wow...I have a pic of that.

 

This little antic of hers cost myself and Amanda a wod. But at least she was honest about it and begged for help I might have dropped the F bomb at her and threatened an intervention.

Theres alot more to Jos story but I am going to leave it with this. She got on the ride...she buckled up..she trusted her coaches and trainers-she wasn't afraid to try and today..she looks amazing and you can tell she feels amazing. She has had many life changing experiences over the past year. And here a just a few pics that reflect them. Love you Jo Ho! Hope I did you proud. 2 are pics of before and after from a Paleo Challenge August 2011. Another after more recently like within the last 30 days. Ogden marathon-a great before pic of movie date with the girls (miss you Mandy and Kris) and last but not least my FAV pic of Jo from B4B(pic is at the top). Enjoy and be amazed!