Buff. Bulky. Linebacker. Built. Jacked.
None of those words scream, compliment to a woman. None. Not this woman at least. I am completely aware that by lifting weights muscles will occur. I have put myself in the line of fire for these type of comments by doing CrossFit, but good grief people, filter.
In the last few weeks, I guess with the weather warming up, I have started to notice my buff-self more. Specifically my “guns” or linebacker arms and shoulders. (Again, thanks for all the compliments folks, there are worse things to be called I guess.) I went shopping to try and find a new dress before Easter. There are some new stores in town and I really just wanted an excuse to go buy myself something new.
*Insert self-loathing in the dressing room.*
I tried to tell myself that the dress just sucked and was just a horrible cut for me, but that dress haunted me. I got back home and told Josh about how horrible I looked in the dress and that I looked like a linebacker. Typical guy fashion, he patted me on the back and said: “Maybe you should lay off the weights.” Thanks, babe. Not exactly what I was hoping to hear, but men are fix-it creatures, not listen to me vent creatures.
I try relentlessly to get people to come and try CrossFit with me. I have been unsuccessful thus far. I do get a little self-conscious and wonder whether they are worried about looking “buff” like me. When someone that I have been trying to get to come with me asks how much weight I can bench press, deadlift, clean, etc., I am always really hesitant to tell them. Will they think my number sounds too low or too high? Are they not going to come if they think I am lifting too heavy because they are afraid of getting “buff” too? Do they think my arms are ugly? All the ridiculous thoughts come to mind.
So, I answer honestly but promise that I will work out with them, I won’t go fast, and I won’t go heavy. In all honesty, I don’t lift very much weight compared to the other ladies in the gym, my arms just get muscular easily. Like how some people carry fat in certain places, hello stomach can we lose the extra fat please, you build muscle more easily in certain areas as well.
My promises either fall on deaf ears or they aren’t comforted by my support…something is holding them back. More than likely it is just fear of the unknown. I can only hope that it is not fear of looking like a body builder, because that takes a whole lot of effort to achieve. At the end of the day, I just tell myself I would rather be buff than overweight. I know that currently I am the healthiest I have ever been, muscles and all, and I couldn’t be more proud of myself for what my body can do.
It has taken me years to get to the point that I am at today. Even through 2 pregnancies and nursing both kids for 14 months each, I have managed to maintain my routine of going to the gym. I heard a woman state the other day that nursing and CrossFit just don’t go well together. This is one of those moments that I should have spoken-up, but I didn’t. I know people tell themselves whatever they have to, in order to not go. Anything that makes their circumstances slightly different from the next person is their excuse not to go. Whatever they have to say to buy them a little extra time to keep putting it off.
I don’t think it’s ever too late to start working out, but there is no ideal time. Everyday is a hard day in the gym if you push hard enough. There will never be a perfect day to start.
Today is your day…just go.
New Food Review
Cajun Butter Steak + Peppers + Rice
This dish was pretty good. The macros were great compared to what I was expecting. I only used 1 tablespoon of butter and used lean sirloin steak, so the fat was minimal. Since I only added butter, I didn’t have to create a recipes for my tracking app. I equally split the meat, so the butter was equally divided as well.
M E N U
Pineapple Glazed Pork Roast with Bacon Wild Rice Stuffing
Grilled Sirloin Steak + Grilled Vegetables
Chicken + Broccoli + Yellow Rice
This is a new recipe for me, but very similar to others I have made. I am going to make a bowl out of it with zucchini, peppers, onions, and rice. The recipe calls for olive oil in the marinade, but I am going to just use two limes instead. I don’t want to waste my fat on olive oil.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
* Omit olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
* 2-3 limes
1 tablespoon lime zest
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
* add in cooked zucchini, bell peppers, onion and jasmine rice
Pineapple Glazed Pork Roast with Bacon Wild Rice Stuffing
I am nervous and excited to make this dish! Nervous for the combination of mushrooms, bacon, and pineapple glaze. Excited because I love making new recipes and seeing Josh’s reaction to them. I instantly know if it is a winner or not.
I am going to make a few adjustments so this loin does not blow our macros out of the water. I like being full and hitting my macros at the end of the day, but I like some wiggle room in case I want some Halo Top or a casein protein shake.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice
* 1 cup rice
1 teaspoon salt
6 slices thick cut bacon chopped
* 4 slices
8 ounces button mushrooms sliced
10 ounces fresh or frozen spinach thawed if frozen
1 cup roasted pistachios
* omit pistachios
8 ounces feta cheese crumbled
* 4 ounces non fat feta
1 pound pork loin roast 2 1/2
1/2 cup grainy mustard
1/2 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 cup medium pineapple peeled
1 medium delicata squash halved, deseeded + sliced into half moons
* acorn squash
This is a new dish, but has very similar ingredients to past recipes. I expect this dish to be delicious: one because it is from Half Baked Harvest and two because I have used these ingredients before. I love ginger and red chile paste. I will likely eat these tacos as a bowl. There will be a lot of juice in the salsa and I don’t want that to go to waste in a taco.
I also love that this is made in the instapot. I don’t have an instapot so I will cook it in the crockpot. Honestly, more people should use their crockpot. It completely eliminates having to worry with the details of the dish, while you are cooking the other meals. Just throw it all in and let it cook. It makes me wish I had two crockpots.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
* chicken breasts
3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
* 1/2 cup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
* 1/2 cup
1/4 cup honey
* 1 ounce
2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chile paste)
* Thai red curry paste
1 inch fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
8-10 corn or flour tortillas warmed
* high fiber, low carbohydrate tortilla or rice
1 small mango, diced
Tomatillo Sesame Salsa:
6 tomatillos, skins removed
6 green onions
2 tablespoons Gochujang (Korean chile paste)
2 tablespoons sesame oil
* 1 tablespoon
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
* omit sesame seeds
Grilled Sirloin Steak + Grilled Vegetables
With soccer over we have some extra time to sit outside and grill. I pulled out the sprinkler the other afternoon and the kids had a ball! I am going to prep my vegetables and season my steak ahead of time so we aren’t in the kitchen chopping vegetables for 20 minutes. I don’t know why but it feels like cooking one meal during the week takes as much time as meal prepping on Sunday. My kids are extra needy once I pick them up from daycare and if you know them, they are both attached to their mom at all times. It is just easier to do all the little things ahead of time, even if I plan to grill on a different night.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
Steak
* sirloin
preferred steak seasoning
salt
pepper
spray olive oil
2-3 zucchini
2-3 yellow squash
1 onion
* any preferred vegetables for grilling
Chicken + Broccoli + Yellow Rice
Don’t hate on my super basic meal prep meal. Chicken, steamed broccoli, and rice is about as basic as it gets and the macros are up to you! If you don’t need a lot of carbohydrates then don’t load your plate down with rice. Simple as that. What I put on my plate is not what Josh needs on his and vice versa.
I am going to season my chicken really well with some basic spices and cook it in the oven. If you have a NuWave those are magic when it comes to cooking chicken breast. Our top broke, so we can’t use ours right now, but I highly recommend one! I like to add just a little bit of butter and salt to my broccoli, but not enough butter that it will ruin any macros.
*Changes I make to meet my macros
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast
4 heads of broccoli
1 bag yellow rice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
salt
pepper
preferred spices for chicken
E N J O Y !
