Today I did something great. I did a 20 minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible) with my old PR (personal record) weight. Mind you the Rx weight, the weight your top athletes in the gym would do, was 30 pounds above what I was doing, but hot dang I was so proud of myself! I made sure to tell the first two people I saw after I finished. They understood. They knew that no matter the weight, that was a big W. All I could think about during the workout was how I was using my old PR weight.
My new PR is only 15 pounds above what I was doing, tng (touch and go), for 3 reps. I almost said something to the coach before the workout started about it being my old PR weight, but I didn’t want to get it in my own head and jinx myself.
Not too long ago I would have blown it off and not did a small victory dance (in my head, no one wants to see that) and most certainly would not have bragged about it. I would have told myself that I didn’t do the top weight, so I shouldn’t be proud. I would not have given myself any grace and let that small W sink in. It is so easy to compare yourself to everyone else on the white board, instead of just looking at your numbers. Stay in your lane, is what I tell myself.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t competitive. Heck, Josh and I compare numbers after every workout to see who ‘won’. Having someone to chase in a workout or setting a certain pace for myself is what keeps me going in hard workouts. Lots of self-talk goes on in my head. ‘One more run.’ ‘It’s only 65 pounds.’ ‘It’s only 20 minutes.’ ‘Half way done.’
Rather than being competitive with everyone else and specifically comparing myself to what they can do, I try to just be competitive with myself. I want to do better at bench than I did last time, not try to beat someone else’s weight score. Knowing that I had a top time in the gym is always a bonus, but that isn’t what keeps me going anymore.
When I first started E8 CrossFit, the first thing I did was go to the white board to see who beat me on the previous workout, who I beat or if I came close to the top people in the gym. Now, IF I look at the previous days’ scores, it is to see if I cheated myself. Meaning, did I not really give it my best. Could I have rested less or done more weight? Looking at people that compare to me, rather than people that are way out of my league, can help keep me accountable for how hard I should be pushing myself.
Eventually, I had to accept the things that I am just not that great at and tell myself, one day, I will be great at them. One of those things being squats. It has been a weakness of mine since I started. I have such a hard time not looking at someone else’s score when it comes to this. I want so badly to be better at squats, but I don’t exactly have the time to get better. Or better yet, I am not making the time to get better at it.
Right now (and for many, many years to come) my children will be my priority, not my 1 rep max on back squats. Maybe it is an excuse not to get better. I certainly could go outside and do some squats after all the kids are put to bed, but right now the couch and some Halo Top seem more appealing. It is no one’s fault but your (my) own if you have a weakness. There is always time if you make it a priority. No, I can’t be at the gym 7 days a week, right now if I make it at all that is a W for me, but I could carve out some time if I really wanted to.
Stay in your lane. Don’t compare your worst day in the gym to someone’s PR day. I saw a quote Athlete Daily posted the other day that said ‘A bad day in the gym, is still a good day.’ Just get in there and move. Go do something and you will feel much better than if you stayed home. Stay in your lane. Don’t look at the board. Don’t stare at the girl doing 200+ pounds like you do 125 pounds. It will only get in your head. Of course you are happy for that person, you aren’t evil, but you wish that was you and it will get in your head that you aren’t there…YET. You will get there one day and you have strengths that other people wish they had too. Life comes in seasons and right now your season isn’t the season for PRs, it’s the season for progress and slowly working on perfecting your skills so you’re ready to chase down those PRs (you, meaning me).
Happy meal prepping this week!
M●E●N●U
Grilled Salmon + Watermelon Beet Salad
Amberjack + Asparagus Avocado Salad
Pork Chops + Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad
Hamburgers
Pork Chops + Zucchini Noodle Salad
Grilled Salmon + Watermelon Beet Salad
If this meal doesn’t scream summer, I don’t know what does. Salmon is one of my favorite foods to eat, I will easily put down a pound (not kidding) by myself. I have to make sure I weigh this out or I will over eat in an instant and won’t have any for lunch the next day!
Not bragging but Josh grills the best salmon ever. I refuse to eat salmon at restaurants, because I know it won’t live up to what we cook at home. All you need is a nice slab of salmon, skin on preferably, lemons, red pepper flakes, olive oil, Tony Chachere’s, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.
Rinse your fish off under running water and pat dry with paper towel. Place fish on a large piece of tin foil, large enough to wrap fish in. Rub on 2 tsp to 1 Tbsp of EVOO on both sides of the fish. Sprinkle seasonings on fish, zest lemon, and top with lemon slices. Wrap fish in the tin foil and place on the grill until cooked the meat flakes with the gentle push of a fork. Be careful not to over cook the salmon, dry fish is no good. One tip is to eat immediately. The fish will continue to cook in the tin foil even after you pull it off the grill.
I have posted this watermelon salad before and I hope you gave it a try then. If not, try it now! There isn’t a better time to give beets a try than with this recipe. Watermelon, beets, cherry tomatoes, a little goat cheese, basil, and balsamic vinegar make for one tasty treat!
For each serving you will need to assemble 1 cup of watermelon, 10-15 sliced cherry tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of cooked beets. Top with goat cheese and chopped basil, I just tear mine, then 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
I promise you will not be disappointed with this combination of fruits and vegetables. Remember boiling your beets while meal prepping is one of the easiest ways to cook them. Simply cut off the stems, rinse off any dirt on the beets, put into a pot with at least an inch of water above the beets, and boil until you can stick a skewer all the way through the beets. Run the beets under cold water until cooled down. Once they are cool enough to handle, the skin will easily peel off. The great thing is this salad can be made ahead of time with no problem.
Amber Jack + Asparagus Avocado Salad
So Josh went fishing today, spearfishing that is. He was so excited to go and thankfully brought home a great fish. Anderson was so excited/nervous to see a fish bigger than him. (P.S. that is a meals for macros body/crossfit)
I’ve never had amber jack, so I am trusting Josh that it will live up to the love I have for salmon. So far, no other fish I have tried beats salmon.
We are going to season it similarly to the salmon, except we will baste it with a garlic, lemon, butter sauce and will not top it with lemon slices.
Again, make sure you use a piece of tin foil large enough to wrap your entire fish in. If your husband didn’t go spearfishing this weekend, no worries salmon twice in one week is always a treat or opt for any healthy fish like tuna, trout, etc.
I had a major love affair with this asparagus avocado salad. I made it constantly. I wore it out like your favorite new song and dropped it like a bad habit one day. This salad is so fresh and good. I really don’t know why I stopped making it weekly, other than cutting the extra fat out. If you are trying to be fat conscious, then please weigh your avocado. Avocado is loaded with fat and throwing an entire avocado or even half of the avocado on your plate will cost you more than you think.
This dressing is super easy to make. Simply mix the EVOO, dijon mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Make sure you don’t over cook your asparagus, you want it to have some crunch to it and not be a limp mushy spear. This salad is not served warm so you can make it ahead of time and assemble the night you plan to eat it. I do not recommend putting the dressing on ahead of time, just top with dressing and basil the night you plan to eat it.
Pork Chops + Asian Sesame Cucumber Salad
So let’s make these last few meals a little easier than having to cook your meat the night you plan to eat it. Granted fish cooks rather quickly, but you want to be doing something else rather than standing in the kitchen every night.
Pork chops can be cooked a head of time or the night of. I really like making a sauce for my pork chops, but since this salad packs such a bang of flavor I am just going to season my meat and call it a day. I cook my pork chops on 425 to temperature, 145F . I love eating pork over chicken for three reasons 1-support the family business 2-more protein per serving 3- more flavorful. Just please do me a favor and don’t dry your pork chops out. Please.
This. Salad.
Speaking of flavorful, these next two salads I am making for this week pack a huge punch! They are so good and can be made a head of time. The only draw back is the excess water the vegetables will create before you eat them. Simply drain the excess water and enjoy. Your vegetables won’t be soggy or dry out.
The recipe suggests to get two large carrots and spiralize them, I would just buy a bag of sliced carrots and call it a day. I love finding recipes that can incorporate simple and cheap vegetables and transform them into something amazing and healthy.
This is the spiralizer I own, but you can purchase a handheld spiralizer at Walmart too. When I make this I simply toast my white sesame seeds in a pan on the stove top. You don’t need to add EVOO, just put them in the pan and lightly toast. Be mindful because they will burn quickly.
Hamburgers
Now you may be thinking, hamburgers aren’t healthy but I beg to differ. You can opt for 93% ground meat or trust the fat will cook off and go down in the grates of your grill.
Skip the mayo, cheese, bacon, pick a “healthy” bun and you are good.
If you are watching your carb in-take, then enter the lettuce wrap! I will typically have a hamburger, bun and all, then have an additional patty in a lettuce wrap. Just make sure you get a large enough head of lettuce to completely cover your hamburger patty, and literally wrap it up.
Pork Chops + Zucchini Noodle Salad
Another easy, tasty night with some much needed vegetables. Don’t be overwhelmed with the amount of ingredients you see. I bought all of these oils, in the smallest containers possible, over a year ago and have not had to replace one yet.
I do not use the sunflower oil, I use my regular EVOO or any light oil that I have in the pantry. I also skip the toasted walnuts. I am not highly fond of walnuts and I did not think they were missing when I previously made this dish.
The mango is necessary and messy. There is no easy, great way to peel and slice a mango, to my knowledge. If you know a way, please share it with me. That is probably the messiest and most time consuming part of this salad, but you don’t want to skip it.
Do not double this recipe unless you plan to share this with others or eat it into the weekend as well. This makes more than enough to feed you for supper and lunch the following day. Try to buy the smallest red cabbage you can find. You likely won’t be using the red cabbage any time soon and you end up wasting a ton. One large zucchini and two large yellow squash should give you the ideal amount of spiralized vegetables.
Don’t forget the list!
