Food

Bacon!  Who likes it? Who loves it?
In my entourage, I would confidently say, just about EVERYBODY!!

Here's the thing... Bacon, as we know it, from our local grocery store is delicious.  There's something about the taste of all those nitrates, etc... that we just can't get enough of.  Fortunately, there IS an alternative and after a handful of failed attempts with "the good stuff", my husband & I have figured out a way to take Yonder Way Farm's natural, healthy uncured bacon and make it BETTER than the traditional store bought bacon.

YWF Bacon

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
- Yonder Way Farm bacon (sliced)
- broiler pan
- coarse sea salt
- plate
- paper towels
- aprroximately 5 minutes to prepare & 15 minutes to cook

(1) Preheat oven to 475°F.
(2) Place bacon strips on brolier pan
(3) Add salt graciously over bacon'
(4) Put in oven for about 12 minutes, then turn bacon over for about 3-5 more minutes (or until desired crispiness)
(5) Remove from oven onto paper toweled covered plate.
(6) Add salt, as desired.

Voìla! The BEST bacon ever.  (Try it, you won't regret it)


It's funny, in the last 20 days, I have learned so much about FOOD and what it's truly meant to do for our bodies.  Proper nourishement.  Not calories in VS calories out.  FOOD, the right foods, are OUR batteries.  Comparable to the premium Gasoline for my Town&Country Chrysler minivan.  It is what makes us run efficiently and do anything to the best of our abilities. 

That said, the "wrong" foods will do the complete OPPOSITE. 

I have experienced both of these outcomes in the last 20 days.  Although, I was not supposed to have cheated during the 24-day challenge at CFC. I did.  I'm not proud of it, BUT it taught me something valuable. 

On Father's Day, my husband and I took the kids to a cupcake store called Sprinkles.  It's world renown.  And I, for one, had never eaten a Sprinkles cupcake before.  Normally, the idea of eating anything "cake" would not have even had me drooling, but when I saw that they offered carrot cake cupcake.. well, that changed things, A LOT.  Sooo, I cheated.... (and not only with my cupcake, but I, unfortunately, became my kids vacuum cleaner).
... I felt GROSS.  Not only that, but my mood changed.  I became irritable, sleepy and no longer a fun person to be around.  I know, I know.. that sounds a little extreme, maybe even unbelievable, but it's TRUE.  I had been eating so "clean"; only giving my body the fuel it needed up until that moment, that it went into total overdrive and overwhelmement trying to fix my body of the junk I had just fed it with. 

Consequently, am I saying that I will never eat anything that's deemed bad or WRONG? NO.  That's unrealistic.  Eat smart when you can, and eat carelessly with caution.  Know what makes you feel strong & healthy, what FUELS you AND be aware of what creates a more sluggish & less wholesome you... AND THEN, eat that "not-so-good treat" in moderation.  Also, try to find healthy substitutions for the *crappy* foods in your life.  For example, I LOVE chocolate and ice cream!  Over time, I have switched from milk chocolate to 85% dark chocolate.  I even bake with it, now AND my kids haven't said a word.  They love it, too!  Along with that, instead of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, I eat SO! DELICIOUS coconut frozen treats (dairy free).  It may not be the same, but it's a great alternative!!

Mmmmm....  All this talk of food, has made me hungry..  grumble!  (that's my stomach making noises)...

Before I go, I want to share with you a few pictures of our day yesterday.  It definitely accentuates what I'm talking about when I speak of health and nutrition being a TOP PRIORITY in my life.

First things first, our day wouldn't be complete without a trip to CFC for the free Saturday WOD.  

(Ohhh... totally off subject, but eminent in my life...  DID I MENTION THAT I PASSED MY CF-L1!!!!! - I AM OFFICIALLY A CROSSFIT L1 TRAINER.  And I couldn't be more proud to yell out at the top of my lungs, as loud as can be, that...
I, Denise Pomaski, am a CF-L1 trainer for CROSSFIT CHAMPIONS)

Next, we packed up a picnic basket and headed for a day trip to Yonder Way Farm in Fayetteville, TX.  We were looking forward to an afternoon with our local farmer & his family (Jason & Lynsey Kramer and their 4 gorgeous daughters).

One last thing...  Wednesday is the last day to our 24-day Challenge at the box... Our 'finale' WOD is set for this upcoming Friday... Keep an eye out for my "RESULTS" blog!  What's cooler is that you can get a sneak peek of what results can look like.. CHECK OUT one of CFC's own ROCKSTAR trainers, Shannan Roberts, and her story/results from the 24-day challenge!!
Go to http://shannanr.blogspot.com/2012_06_01_archive.html 

Talk to you soon!

24-day Challenge

On June 4th, CFC started a gym-wide challenge using Advocare products combined with a Paleo-Zone lifestyle.  It began with a 10-day detox which is meant to give the body a cleaning...  (And man! did it ever.)
The next phase is where we are at now: Fat Burn. 

Today is Day 15 of the Challenge or Day 5 of the Fat Burn process. 

So...  How do I feel?  What are my thoughts?  Is it worth it? 

The detox was liberating.  Even though, prior to starting the challenge, I would consider myself to be a "clean" eater, I felt like my body needed the shock to its system. 

Since starting the challenge, I started taking two supplements called: Arginine Extreme & Mass Impact 30 minutes prior to working out.  What a success!  I have both seen and felt a difference in my workouts at the box.  Very exhilarating, to say the least.

Every day that goes by in the Challenge, I experience something new and different and always, towards "the better good" of my body.  Although, I haven't really seen a difference on the scale (but then again, THE SCALE ISN'T IMPORTANT.  I look better; leaner, stronger and I'm faster & lighter on my feet! 

I can't lie..  I was a little bummed out the other day, because I allowed the ridiculous scale to matter and so I voiced my thoughts to my friends/colleagues at CFC.  And I got just the answer I needed!  It went something like this:

1) A weight fluctuation on a female of your height of a few pounds means nothing. Could be water, menstrual cycle, bad day, bad scale, etc. this is why I never weigh myself! 
2) Besides the number on the scale, how do you feel?  How are your clothes fitting?  Are you getting stronger?  Are you healthier and more fit?  These are the things that are more important.

Ladies... Men... What I was made to remember was that the number on the scale will always be just that, A NUMBER.  Who really cares about that number???  If you feel good; if you are happy with what you see and the progress you are making; if your overall performance is rising, then you're successful and should be proud.

I'm very excited to see where I'm at at the end of this challenge, BUT I'm even more excited for the rest of my life~to be able to apply what I've learned with what I already knew... that to me is TOTAL SUCCESS in this challenge.

This is "me" - Pre Challenge 6/3/2012

SIDE NOTE: My 5amers AKA Vanguards are doing terrific!  I am loving every moment of it.
                       I've included a picture of me doing my thing in the wee hours of the morning!!!

A la prochaine!!!

"Figuring things out"



I'm still struggling with finding a "balance" in my life where where NEW is concerned, BUT I have understood that I am the deciding factor on which direction a day will take me! 

There are still plenty of "things" to iron out and figure out, but I am one step closer to finding the glue that will bind everything together and simply make it work.  That, in itself, is a comforting thought.

So, why is it, then, I ask, that today was still the most inexplicably grueling yet most rewarding day so far?  How do those two adjectives go hand in hand?


My alarm goes off at 4:00am. I jump up and out of bed before the music on my iHome even has a chance! 

June 4th. 

The beginning of the CFC 24-day Challenge.  The first day of my 5am M-T-Th CrossFit class.  Week2, Day1 with my first ever personal training client.  An overflowing Elements class.  My eldest son's first CrossFit kids class.  WHOA!

My excitement consumes me as I get in the car and head to CrossFit Champions. 

...The garage doors are open, the computer is on and Maroon Five is playing on Pandora radio (waiting for Matt M. to change the station, lol)...  From that point on, it's just go-go-go!  Words to go with the morning rush are FRESH, stimulating, INTENSE, awesome, SUCCESSFUL...

So, what's the grueling drawback?  Where's the yin where the yang is concerned?  My children.

That sounds bad.  AWFUL, actually.  But they are not actually A problem or THE problem; trying to make them happy.  Keeping the kids entertained during their summer vacation.  Allowing myself to train, then work without getting disturbed, BOMBARDED, annoyed while maintaining PROFESSIONALISM - that is the problem.

"Making it work" & "Figuring things out"... 

But it can be done. 

That's what I teach my athletes each and every day.  That's what I am taught each and every day.