inspired

i've been inspired by all the blogging action going on around me. since january 2010 i have been actively doing crossfit at my good friend shana's gym. after stalking her every move as she trained and prepared for the 2009 crossfit games...i just knew it was a matter of time before i myself joined the crossfit family. thankfully, i jumped in...with both feet...and have successfully been able to set my life on a path that is bringing healthier ways, new friends, and a lot of what can only be called ass-kicking.

after many months of training with some amazing trainers at fitwit in grant park, i felt i was "ready." though, likely i had been ready physically...i was ready mentally - which made all the difference. i came in confident (minus that first scary day when the gym was full of people doing grace) and i haven't looked back. my first 10 weeks were involved in a gym challenge, involving pre and post challenge benchmark workouts, attendance records, nutrition food logs following the paleo/primal "diet," and a lot of really hard work. at day 1, i had one pull-up, unassisted. yes, ONE. my fran time (21-15-9 reps of 65lb thrusters and pull-ups) was well over 14 painful minutes. i was at 154 pounds and around 18% body fat. not too bad. i wasn't in terrible shape. but, by the end of the 10th week, i could do 5 or 6 pull-ups consecutively, my fran time improved over 100% and dropped to 6 minutes 20 seconds, and i was 153 pounds and around 15% body fat.

i recently completed a level one crossfit certification (at which i again PR'd fran with a time of 5 minutes 30 seconds). i am so addicted. it is so empowering to work out with so many strong women, and i can't thank my friend shana enough for what she does. because of her, i feel like i have a place i belong... and one that makes me a better person. i'm stronger, fitter, healthier, faster...i sleep better, i feel better, and i look better!! (minus that awkward booty shot posted today on facebook....haha)

i will soon compete at the regional southeast crossfit games on our affiliate team and i am stoked. stoked to compete and be able to represent our gym...and stoked to watch shana kick some ass!

hopefully, this inspiration will carry forward and i'll blog about some actual working out and paleo/primal meals. i've been cooking up some good shit since january!

today's wod:

3 rounds of:

5 chest to bar pull-ups

6 step ups, to 20" box, with 55 lb sand bag

7 overhead squats, with 95 lbs

8 burpess

100 meter sandbag hill run

time: 12 min 23 sec

shana killed it in 10 minutes 8 sec (secs could be off), bwah was just ahead of me at 12:17, and lauren pushed through some brutal ohs to finish sub 20 at 19 min some sec.

new book arriving today

thank you npr, again. i am waiting to receive and read 'severance'... it's not a new book, but one that caught my attention. it's a series of monologues based on the theory that once a human body has been decapitated, consciousness remains for 1 to 1.5 minutes. these monologues are written with what might be said during those last seconds of consciousness...

morbid, perhaps. but, i'm intrigued.

hope it's good!

genetically modified foods

every time i see the words "genetically modified organisms" or "genetically modified foods," i cringe. every time i think i have figured out what i can eat that is somewhat healthy and not doing damage to my already sensitive stomach, i realize i have more to learn. at this point, i have no idea what foods are ok and what foods are not...or which ones i should eat and which ones i should avoid. i mean, i guess there are some obvious bad ones - things with a shelf life of 10 years, or foods that have been processed until they are un-recognizable as the original food. but, isn't the whole "food industry" a little scary to anyone else? isn't the fact that these engineered products are considered intellectual property bothersome? i've read the future of GMO or GM foods includes bananas that somehow produce human vaccines, animals that are metabolically altered to mature faster...and there are already plants that produce their own pesticides and herbicides? really? i find it scary, personally...especially when i read it is all done for the perceived advantages...and there are no specific regulatory systems in place! i hope i can become more educated on this type thing...

some humor from the onion to think on, in any case:

most fun i've had working out in a while

today i met up with my former workout partner, and ass-kicker extraordinaire, at corebody in decatur for what was the the most fun workout i have had in quite a while! it always amazes me that while we are doing things that should (and most times do) cause pain, i have so much fun. in fact, when i'm not pushing through a set, or trying to focus to avoid crumpling from exhaustion, i'm smiling.

and how many people can really say that about their workouts?

on top of which, these are not easy workouts! these are ass-kickers and i love it. today we went for about an hour an a half and i'm excited writing to see what the totals came out to be...

short warm up of jump rope

4 sets of
10 dips and 20 walking lunges

4 sets of
8, 65 lb push press and asapossible pullups

sled pulls:
2 rounds of
backward sled pull with 90 lbs / 12 lb medicine ball throws overhead against the wall
grapevine sled pull with 90 lbs / 12 lb medicine ball throws side to side against wall
forward sled pull with 135 lbs / 12 lb medicine ball chest throws against wall
(guestimate of 50m for each pull each way...)

sand bag pickups
pick up, 6 steps, drop, repeat / walking lunges

4 rounds total of:
20, 12 kg KB swings
10 diamond pushups
20, 16 kg KB swings
10 diamond pushups

6 rounds of:
10, 20 lb incline press
10, 35 lb rows, each arm

6 rounds of:
10, 270 lb leg press
10, 135 lb romanian deadlift (3 rounds, then 3 rounds at 95 lbs)

we did a good amount of work...and it's time for this girl to sleep and dream of more workout madness to come.... ahhhhhhh

60 sec assessments and team challenge workout

i had my best 60 second assessments today, best #s and best form:
pushups 35
situps - 53
squats - 66

team challenge - we won! gift certs! nice!
1. 600 squats – then complete 50 jumps of double dutch.
2. 240 dips: Run to tennis courts and have 2 members complete a wheelbarrow run from cone to cone and back.
3. 500 high pulls - special mission: run to bleachers, must make 2 shots shooting soccer ball into the tire. Alternate teammates for each throw.
4. 500 Jumping Jacks

USMNT in nashville

i traveled up to nashville to watch the men's us national team stomp trinidad and tobago in one of the world cup qualifying matches....followed by good times in several of nashville's watering holes.

unfortunately this led to missing thursday's workout, thanks to some nasty weather and the feeling of needing recovery for a day. :)

the wall ball and push ups ... again

Wall Ball/Push-up Pyramid
50 wall ball, then 50 pushups
40 wall balls, the 40 pushups
30, then 30
20 then 20
10 then 10

time of 15 min 43 sec, with a 15lb medicine ball and good form pushups!

Followed by AMRAP (20 min.) of:
15 pullups
15 dips
20 windmills (10 each arm)
20 situps

oh monday

after a run-my-ass-off soccer game yesterday, with us playing with 8 most of the game, against the other teams 10 (11 v 11 league!)...i made it through my monday. and then had a lovely workout on the track:

Timed 400m (my time was 1 min 22 sec....)

300m/ followed immediately by 25 Jumping lunges
200m/ 25 Plyo-Pushups
100m /25 squat jumps
50m / 25 situps – 25 heel to sky – 25 windshield wipers
300m/ 25 25 Jumping lunges
200m /25 Plyo- Pushups
100m /25 squat jumps

time to finish the exams, the work, and get to bed eventually...

the mile and the hunnit

this morning i ran the mile... and hit a goal of sub 8 min, at 7 min and 53 seconds. very nice! i was struggling with myself to wake up this morning after staying up too late to finish reading a book... but i got up. and i'm glad i did.

following the mile, we did 'the hunnit'
100 sit-ups
100 squats
100 incline push-ups
100 supermans
100 mountain climbers
100 jumping jacks

and a day in the office is to follow. while counting down the days to finishing nursing school!! 42 to actual graduation, and now a mere 29 until the last day of class and last exam. 5 more days in the ICU for practicum. 2 exams. 2 case studies.

stoked. i'm fucking stoked.

up'ing the double up tuesday ante

since i missed the morning workout, and couldn't let myself go without it...i hit up the 6pm workout...

12-minute stations

1. Wall Ball (45 seconds) – Rest (15 seconds) – Medicine Ball Partner Passes (45 seconds) Rest 15 seconds [ Repeat 6 times = 12 minutes]

2. Jump Rope (45 seconds) – Rest (15 seconds) – Dips (45 seconds) – Rest 15 seconds [ Repeat 6 times = 12 minutes]

3. Running workout – 60 seconds sprinting, 30 seconds walking [12 min total]

felt great!!

i had a 9:30pm futbol game as well, which we lost, but played ok... still felt good running, which was good.

morning rodeo

i fought with myself to get out of bed this morning. i got up, turned on the light. i then turned off the light, and got back into bed. maybe a minute later, i forced myself back out of bed....i knew if i just got going, i'd feel better when i was done. half awake, i got myself to the track for a nice morning rodeo. and DO feel better for it!

1200 meter run
20 squat jumps
20 bronco burpees
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_ZX0DKsP9w&feature=related
20 plyo-pushups

800 meter run
25 squat jumps
25 bronco burpees
25 plyo-pushups

400 meter run
30 squat jumps
30 bronco burpees
30 plyo-pushups

time: 26:55
i'll take it

800 meter cool down, followed by some hip work and stretching

off to class!

nice weather workout

Split (16-18 min.)

Wheel (3 rounds), 60 seconds each round
Slam Ball - 12 lbs
Push-up Burpees
Thrusters with weighted bars
Kettle bell high pulls - 30 lbs
Rows (or pull-ups)

Card Game
Lunge – high knees – power skip – broad jump to cards

do double of what is on card
Joker – do 30 of your choice

Push-ups – Sit-ups – Squats – Jump Rope(rep count multiply by 5)

procrastination

i'm guilty. no matter how much i have going on, i seem to be able to procrastinate. for example, at this moment, i have lots of work to get done, a take home test, and have to be at the hospital at 645 tomorrow morning...and here i am.

i've decided that when i go to the office i get less work done than if i had just stayed home and worked from the couch. even with all the distractions of things to do at the house, it is MUCH less distracting than the office. today, it seemed every time i would get focused and working, someone would knock on the door or come in my office....so frustrating. then it would take me another 10 minutes to figure out where i was, what i was doing and get going again. only to have the same distraction not long after. and i have to drive 25 miles to do that? so unnecesary!

played a late soccer match tonight, and lost, but it was a good game. my hammys are screaming at me right now.

off to finish preparing for a day in the ICU tomorrow...

cyclorama sunrise workout

this morning's workout consisted of 2 workouts, really

1. rounds of
kettle bell figure 8s - 20lbs, 15 each side
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6JpvjmhmJM

kettle bell rows - 25lbs, 15 each side

pistol squats - no bench help! 15 each side
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFitJournal_AdrianTrainingPistolsPre1.mov

i finished 2 complete rounds plus a third of figure 8s

2. hill sprints / jog
20 minutes of sprint up the hill, jog down, up the hill jog down...

buddy workout

With a 20lb kettle bell always in my hands, i completed the following workout: 20 reps of each exercise followed by a run for as many rounds as possible in 25 minutes. i did 3 rounds

1. Thrusters
2. Lunge with weight overhead
3. Sit-up and press weight overhead
4. 1-leg deadlift
5. Push-up and row with kettle bell
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL4Ygzz20gk&feature=related

ab exercises following work out and stretching.

totals: 60 thrusters, 60 lunges, 50 (1/2 round) sit ups, 60 deadlift, 60 push ups with rows

tabata workout and streeeeetching

this morning i did tabata push-ups, sit-ups, squats, sprints
20 sec exercise, 10 seconds rest - for 8 rounds

kind of a weak push-up, sit-up day - trying to work on form (and tired from week of push-ups), but a great day for squats!
10-12-19

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8897392?ordinalpos=48&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

followed by PNF stretching

http://coaching.usolympicteam.com/coaching/kpub.nsf/v/Sep02-7

donkey kong at the cyclorama!

yes! donkey kong workout! at the cyclorama! this morning's workout consisted of 3 'stages' per 'level' going for as many levels as possible in 30 minutes.

level 1 - 10 reps per stage
stage 1: bench jumps, decline push-ups
stage 2: squats, burpees
stage 3: shoulder press, bicep curls

level 2 - 15 reps per stage, level 3 - 20 reps, etc.

being sore as hell, and pretty tired this morning, i made it halfway through level 5... totals: 100 decline push-ups, 100 bench jumps, 100 squats, 70 burpees, 70 presses, 70 curls. not bad. following the kong workout, did some core work: abs, supermans, and some jacks and dips.

and to the office she goes...

a day in the life of....

an ICU nurse. i am completing my final rotation for nursing school in the ICU...not my choice, but a welcomed learning experience after accepting my assignment. each day so far, i take one of two assigned patients to my preceptor. on this day, we had one patient and were waiting for a new admit to show up from the OR, so i assumed responsibility while my preceptor answered questions or assisted with procedures as needed. my patient was an older gentlemen, who suffered from dimentia and a host of other issues that contributed to his being found unresponsive by EMS. he was brought to the ER, intubated - though he had specific wishes to not be, and transferred to the ICU with suspected sepsis. upon receiving this patient, his BP dropped and fluid resuscitation commenced, followed by dopamine and levophed to artificially increase his BP, also against his 'do not resuscitate' wishes, but following specific MD orders until family could be contacted....again. i guess you can never be too sure about DNR orders. throughout the day, i cared for this man trying to be sure he was as comfortable as possible. though he couldn't verbally respond to me, i knew when i started an IV he was in pain - because he cringed... his 'power of attorney' came for a visit mid-afternoon and chat with the MD. she, his girlfriend's daughter, was the only 'family' he had. and she came to discuss his wishes and when she was done, said her good-byes and told me to take care of him. she had searched for some sort of sign for reassurance on his DNR orders... pleading with him to blink his eyes or squeeze her hand if he wished to say 'yes' to removing the breathing tube... she looked to me for confirmation, and knowing i couldn't tell her what to do, i just stood with her... "what would you do" she asked... "do you think he can hear me?" she was full of tough questions.

orders to withdraw care were written...and the decline of the day commenced...along with the decline of this man's stability. respiratory came to withdraw ventilation per orders, and with no weaning, removed the vent (which had been running at 14 breaths a min, with 80% FiO2), and extubated the patient, and placed him on 4L nasal cannula. needless to say, the drastic change in respiratory support left him fighting for air. presenting this information to my precepting nurse, and expecting to follow orders with pain meds for comfort and weaning of BP meds....i was met with what i found a particularly disturbing response: "i am going to wait because i don't want him to die on my shift....it's a lot of paperwork." stunned, i paused. i turned back to the patient for a moment....and then said....he is fighting for air. there are orders to make him more comfortable. i will complete all of the paperwork necessary....but it isn't fair for him to struggle. a few minutes later, she appeared with printed orders for me to be able to access pain meds...and we began weaning his BP meds. i watched, over the next couple of hours, as his BP and heart rate dropped, but knew he was more comfortable with the relaxation of his breaths. after i gave the last dose of pain med, he took just four more breaths... and he was still. time of death 1820. and while it was not easy to watch him die, i knew at the very least, his wishes had been honored...and he was as comfortable as he could be in the given situation.

nurses are in interesting places and positions sometimes.

on a lighter note, it was a rest day for workouts! so nothing to post there... time for resting, and a day in the office tomorrow...

random days thoughts

after my morning workout, i had a mind numbing day of reviewing endless medical records at the office...mixed with random tasks. i realize how lucky i am to have such a great boss, especially in times like these. i randomly mentioned considering taking a couple of weeks off after i graduate nursing school in may...his reply: "take as much time as you need....and make sure we pay you for it." it just doesn't get better than that. love that guy.

and, I GRADUATE NURSING SCHOOL IN 58 DAYS! i realized this as well today! actually, it's only 45 until the last day of class and last exam. i couldn't be more excited. it will be the end of a long haul and a trying period in my life... i had a phone interview on friday with CHOA....and am patiently waiting for the next step to land a nursing position i desire. and on that note, i have been doing some thinking about what my long-term goals with nursing will be. i have always been one to reside in a non-traditional role... and i don't think nursing will be any exception. i have started looking into a group run by a lady doing clinical work in haiti...and my cousin goes to panama once each year. these are things i want to be involved in. if not these groups, they are definite inspiration and the opportunities are endless. and i will find them!!!

and as for the trip to follow the graduation....more thinking.... originally i had thought somewhere tropical, beach, island, something... but with the spontaneous trip to st. lucia i just returned from, i was thinking perhaps something else. my friend jessica in germany and i have been trying to coordinate a trip for quite some time. with 14-16 days to plan with....now i'm thinking germany for a week, italy, then greece?.....or germany, france, italy? so many possibilities!!

the day ended with a well played match of soccer at the silverbacks park. it always feels good to win, and always feels good to score! workout 2 for the day? check. double-up tuesdays.

off to prepare for a looooong day in the ICU tomorrow. 645am-715pm. whew!

morning track workout!

this morning i completed a serious track workout. and i'm feeling it following my workout from 12 hours ago.... but, like i said, i'm going for consistency.

Track/Sprint Workout –
Timed 400m run - my time: 1 min, 21 sec
Then – 300m, 200m, 100m, 300, 200, 100, 100

Following track workout:
Plank contest - i held on 3 min, 22 sec
Various ab exercises

and now to get ready for work.

a beginning

1st real blog. ok. so i guess a little explanation of silent munki cacophony for starters. silent...well because it's written. unless you are reading it out loud, but then it's your voice not mine - so it's still silent. munki? nickname! just a variation on the theme. and cacophony? well an actual definition would say something like discordant sounds, or harsh joining of sounds, or i like this one "language which is perceived as harsh, rough, and unmusical." my words are highly unmusical. and maybe a bit rough in that they are not well written or unfiltered. but that's the point of this thing for me. it's not one theme. i don't intend to write about any one thing. one may not go with the next. and it seems what we do and think is not always perceived the way we would think. and, my mind tends to be all over the place. so my silent munki cacophony begins...

on this monday, i try to find some direction for my week and all the things i have to do and want to do. and i am trying to set some goals for myself. one of them is related to my fitness goals. i have been faltering in motivation lately and this is (hopefully) a way to keep it going. also, people often ask me what i do for workouts. so, i thought i'd include my workouts in my posts. if i post it, you know i did it. if i haven't, well then you can chide me or whatever you think might help push me along. my goal is to not miss. not miss games, not miss daily workouts. i'm talking consistency, regardless of what comes up. so my workout with fitwit today:

Wall Ball/Pushup Challenge: my time to complete was 14 min, 35 sec
50-40-30-20-10
50 wall balls then 50 pushups
40 wall balls then 40 pushups
30 then 30
20 then 20
10 then 10
followed by 20 minutes for as many rounds as possible (i did 4.5):
15 Kettle bell High Pull (i used 30 lbs)
15 Pull-ups
30 Heel to sky raises (abs)
50 Jumping Jacks

this is a "wall ball" if you care to know and don't
http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_Wallball.mov

workout? check.

as for the rest - office duties, looking for ED shifts, class again on friday, lots of soccer to come.... i am still looking for that damn clarity with the rest of my life. but. i'm feeling good. and i'm feeling hopeful.

a blog for my moods...thoughts...whateva

so i decided to start a blog. not for any particular reason really, but just to, i guess. so... the blogging begins....