Obstacle Course

I'm so sweaty-gross right now. Next weekend we have the Warrior Dash- which is essentially a mud-filled 3.5 mile long obstacle course. The dirtier you are when you finish the race, the better you probably did. You jump through a junk yard, crawl under barbwire, climb over a wall, etc.

Today, my husband designed our workout around the same concept, minus the mud.

We have a huge park near us with basketball courts, soccer field, monkey bars, playground equipment, sand volleyball, and even a fitness path with different stations. Here's what we did:

-Ran from our house,
-Crossed the monkey bars,
-Ran further,
-Catapulted (sp?) over a huge log that was about 4 feet up from the ground,
-Walked across 4 logs balance beam style
-Ran back to the 1st fitness station where we did 10 reverse crunches on an incline bench
-Jumped on top of a bench
-Hurdled two bars
-Ran up a slide
-Climbed down a ladder
-Shuffled across a basketball court
-Bear crawled between two cones
-Catapulted (sp?) 5 times back and forth over a wall

Then repeated it all before running back home.

Total distance was 2.35 miles and it took me 27:05. It was a lot harder than it sounds. When he was showing me the map beforehand, I thought it just sounded fun. And it was, but it was also super fricken hard!

I'm a sweaty mess that's for sure! It was wonderful being outside, enjoying the sun, and playing like I was 5-years old again! What are you going to do today?
Happy Easter Everyone!

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All good things

I feel like I should update a bit on the happenings with my life... ever since leaving Corporate America, things have been...    umm...  what's the word? ...  crazy, different, unusual, bizarre.  Yup, all those things.

What? You need a better description? That doesn't tell you anything? Okay, fine...

It's been almost a month since I left Corporate America and I'm still not fully adjusted. Not that I expected to leave and immediately start a different routine on Day 1 and hit the ground running... wait, oh yes, that's exactly what I expected to happen except that didn't happen at all.

I allowed myself to take a little bit of time off that first week, then my in-laws were here the week after that. They left 2 weeks ago so today marks the 2-week anniversary of working from home!  As you know, I started a new business - Fiscal Fitness - where I can focus on one of the things I love most- helping others transform their financial futures!

It's been rewarding, exciting, challenging and totally frustrating all at the same time! Starting a business is all about wins and losses and everyday, I just hope to have more wins. It's also all about wearing a bunch of different hats and I'm definitely doing that! I quickly realized that if I want to do the financial coaching side of this beast, then I gotta do everything else too- the marketing, the networking, etc. I'm reaching outside of my comfort zone more and more everyday.

And I've realized that it's darn expensive to have a business! I get this icky feeling when I think about taking money OUT of our Dream Fund- although it's technically there for us to have a "future" business. I guess I just wish we could afford to invest in some marketing out of our regular income and paychecks.

The biggest adjustment has come from just my normal daily activities. At my last job, I was bombarded with tasks and assignments. And because I worked there so long, I easily knew which one was most important or most urgent. And I was consistently working up against various deadlines. But now, I have so many "projects"- like creating an ad or a brochure - and very few tasks. There are no deadlines. If I don't get the ad done, I won't get yelled at by anyone. No one is telling me to go out and network or research tips on living frugal. It's just so different from my old life in Corporate America.

And then there's the issue that comes from working out of our home- I insist on not working in filth so I spend probably too much time cleaning. It's hard for me to focus with a sink full of dishes or loads of dirty laundry. Sometimes it's a distraction so I'm still learning how to balance it all and not spend time on those things just because those "tasks" are easier than stretching myself to learn something new.

I don't mean for it to sound like I'm complaining a lot. I can honestly say that I haven't been this happy in a long time. Yes, I'm doing a number of things that I don't think I'm particularly good at and they're taking me forever, but I feel like I've grown so much in a short time span. I'm stepping outside of my comfort zone and feel incredibly optimistic.

I realize now though just how big of a transition this was and just how drastic my lifestyle has changed in the course of one month.

Simply put, I'm slowly getting adjusted, I love where things are headed, and I want to make sure I blog about how this time of my life feels.

Please check out my website when you get time and let me know what you think. If you know anyone interested in working with a financial coach either in or around Phoenix or over the phone, let me know!

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I LOVE it when I beat my old workout!

I mentioned earlier how I was really sore after my thruster/ring push-up workout last week. I mean REALLY sore. I've never, in my life, been that sore before and considering there are days where I can barely walk my quads are so sore, that says a lot. My muscles were incredibly tight and sore for about 4-5 days. But I woke up one morning and quickly realized they weren't sore anymore except they felt "funny." I looked down and what did I see? They BALLOONED! Yes! My arms looked like this-



Source=http://www.16bit.com/realghost-marsh.asp

I won't lie, I was scared. I googled it, kept asking my husband if I was going to die, if I would lose my arms, etc (only half serious). I've never had that happen before! But, after a day and a half of walking around w/ puffy arms, I'm all better and feel fine. Obviously, I really did a number on the muscles in my arms and all the puffiness was just my body's way of repairing them.

Here's the WOD I did tonight-

"Jerry"
Run 1 mile
Row 2K
Run 1 mile

I did this workout back in October, so about 6 months ago. I remember it like it was yesterday because it was a biotch! Six months ago, it took me 33:22 but tonight I did it in 29:37! Wahoo!

One reason I love using this blog for my workouts is because I can go back, see what I was thinking, what my strategy was, and compare times. The first time I did it, I started off too fast and it killed me the rest of the workout. I had a hard time completing the second 1K row too and had to keep stopping for water and to catch my breath. And my second mile took me 11 minutes that first time!

Tonight, I told myself I wanted to keep each section to be sub-10 minutes. My first mile took 9:16 which was perfect for me- it was right where I wanted to be. I took 40 seconds to chalk my hands and get situationed into the rower then off I went. I didn't stop even once when I was rowing and I felt strong the whole time. The row took me 9:48- I've only done a 2K row one other time and it took me 9:13 but I didn't run a mile beforehand like tonight so I'm *really* proud of my 2K row tonight. I took a 30 second break before starting my second 1-mile run to wipe the sweat and drink a bit of water. My last mile took me 9:22 so I was very consistent and was able to maintain a great pace!

Total time with breaks is 29:37 and I'm SUPER STOKED with that time! I've done a lot of rowing since October so I'm glad to see that it's paid off- I've obviously become more efficient.

Yesterday's workout was awesome too. I have no idea what this movement is called, but you stand next to a plyobox or step with a barbell over your shoulders. Do a lunge back with your left leg, without setting it down on the way back up, step straight onto the plyto box and lift yourself up all the way so you're standing on it fully w/ both feet. Step down. Repeat. Awesome workout!

8 reps(each leg) @ 45#
6 reps(each leg) @ 55#
4 reps(each leg) @ 65#

Then I did bentover rows with the barbell as well- 15 reps @ 45#, 8 reps @ 65#, and 4 reps @ 95#.

Gotta love a great workout to end an already good day right?

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A cheap remodel

As promised, here's how I did my room remodel for only $67.

First, Lexi's room design had a white media cabinet. I looked and looked for an old piece of furniture I could refinish but they were all too expensive- even those being sold on Craiglist. Here's our old TV stand-

As you can see, pretty bachelor pad-ish right? There was no back so you could see all the chords. I really wanted a tv cabinet so I could hide everything. We put the tv stand on Craiglist and got $75 for it. It's ironic that a college kid was who bought it from us! :)

Truthfully, I just wasn't willing to fork over the money on a new cabinet so I ended up repurposing a cabinet that I had in our office.

I didn't like that the cabinet doors were frosted glass so you could still see everything. My first purchase was $7 for one yard of fabric, which I stapled to the inside of the doors. The fabric was blue so it tied right into the room design! Here's the end result- as you can see, all the electronic equipment and DVD cases are hidden!

I realized when I moved the cabinet out of the office that I no longer needed my file cabinet and dog crate either. We haven't used them in quite a while so I added both of those on Craigslist for sale. I got $25 for each of them. I also had $60 in gift cards to use and $20 in Kohl's cash that I hadn't used. All of this totals $205 so considering I spent $67 out of pocket, the whole room cost $272.

*Rugs are super hard to find and are expensive! I found one at Home Depot on sale for $100.
*I ordered 2 11x14 prints from Amy's website which cost me $50- well worth the price since they inspired the whole room!
*The frames were 55% off at Michael's so I got 2 frames for $20 which I thought was a steal!
*The curtains, get this, only cost me $4 for each pair so $8 total! I got them at a Flea Market!
*The sconces were only $18 but were originally $50! They were on sale at Kohl's for 50% off and then I had a 30% off coupon too!
*The green throw pillows were purchased from a furniture store that was going out of business. It was a total chance purchase... I was driving down the street and saw the sign that it was going out of business so I stopped. All of their furniture was still really expensive but they had those two pillows for only $15 for the pair! You can't tell in the picture, but the green pillows have a blue design on them- AKA perfect!
*The blue pillows I also bought from Kohl's w/ my 30% off coupon. They were also on sale. I got both of them for only $12!

Organization was a big part of the remodel. Not only did I have $60 to spend at The Container Store, but I also had a 25% off coupon as well! I ended up buying 2 DVD cases and some chord organizers. The total was $50 for everything. Here's a picture of the DVD storage containers I bought-

Each case holds 100 DVD's and we filed them alphabetically! I love them! Before the remodel- here's what we had going on-

We own so many DVD's that we had a basket full of cases we kept them in! It was ridiculous! Our new system even has room for growth.

So, for $272 (only $67 out of pocket), I created a much more beautiful space but also one that is a heck of a lot more functional! And I'm not embarrassed to bring clients into my house anymore nor does it look like a bunch of frat guys live here! Frugal is the way to go!!! 

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a room redo

I've been working on something and I've been keeping it a secret from my fellow bloggers! GASP!
But, I'm excited to unveil my new living room to all of you. One of my bestest friends in the whole world, Lexi, has a blog about designing your space to be functional, simple, yet beautiful. She's truly amazing at designing spaces and I was lucky enough to have one done for me!

I have cranberry or wine-colored burgundy couches. I really like them but I've never really known how to design around them. I told Lexi as such and here's the design she created for me-

You can view the entire details of her design here.

I'm also blessed to have yet another of my bestest friends in the whole world, Amy, who is a talented photographer. She sells her amazing prints and I was thrilled that Lexi was able to design a room for me around my cranberry couches and Amy's amazing photography.

Lexi's design used Amy's prints from the ocean and as you can see, it was a sophisticated take on a beach theme. I never in a million years would have dreamed of using blue, green, and brown with my couches but alas, she's the genius and totally knows what she's doing!

Let me first say that interior decorating is not one of my strengths. I go into other peoples' houses and I usually think, "Now how did they know to put that picture there?" or "How did they choose those accessories?" Everyone else's spaces usually fit together really well and I just don't know how to do that. It's not something that comes naturally to me at all. And since it's usually the female's role to make the house look all nice and pretty, well, our house looks like a bachelor pad!

Lexi's room design for me was the best timing but also the worst timing! She did it just as I was leaving my job and we were going to one income. For that reason, I couldn't exactly run out and spend tons of money on new furniture or accessories, although trust me, I really wanted to! But, at the same time, starting my business as a financial coach means I'll be seeing clients in our home. I didn't want people coming to our house if it looked like a bunch of frat guys lived here.

MISSION- Redo the living room as cheaply as possible!

Here are the before pictures---- they're so embarrassing!

As you can see, pretty stark huh? Cranberry couches with black and white everywhere and not at all welcoming!

And here are the after pictures- such an improvement!

What do you guys think? 

Since this has turned into a blog about personal finance, the next post will be all about how I paid for this transformation and exactly what changes I made. I did a lot of repurposing of furniture, reorganizing, and got creative to make it happen! I spent a total of $67 for everything! Check back to get the 411 on how it was done!

Special thanks to Lexi for giving me such a beautiful room as inspiration. I know my room doesn't look nearly as good as the one you designed, but hopefully you're still proud of me! :) And special thanks to Amy, for giving Lexi her inspiration through your beautiful shots. I love that when I'm sitting in this space, I think of my two favorite chicas!

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Okay, I get it...

I am still sooooooooooooooooooooooo sore. Ugh. It's getting on my last nerve actually. I officially understand how the tricep is used in every fricken movement... from trying to drink my morning coffee, to brushing my hair, to blowing my nose.

Even sleeping has been difficult! Just lying in a particular position, my arms THROB. Seriously, I have never been this sore in my life. I was hoping my triceps would feel better today but they still don't.

I have a luncheon from 11-12 but as soon as I get back, I'm going to rub IcyHot all over my fricken arms.

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My creation

Holy hell, after my thruster and ring push-up workout on Saturday, I couldn't believe how sore I was. I couldn't do a bicep curl because my triceps were so sore. I literally could not touch my hand to the same shoulder, hold the phone up to my ear, or take a drink from my coffee cup without bending forward!

I usually fall asleep with one arm over my head but I couldn't lay like that comfortably so it was a restless night.

Today my upper body is still super sore so I decided to do a leg-heavy workout. It turned out to be a lot of fun!

AMRAP12
Run
Single leg deadlifts
Pistols

There were 3 of us so as one person runs, myself and the other person complete one of the other stations. It ended up being an awesome workout and just what I needed! I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow but it's amazing how sore and stiff I was to start but slowly got warmed up and my muscles felt much better.

I'll definitely do this workout again!

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Coe repeat

I did "Coe" on August 15th but I sort of messed it up that day. I did ring dips instead of the ring push-ups that it calls for. My time was 18:09.

It's cold and rainy here in the valley of the sun today. The 'rents left this morning at 6AM and I think they took the nice weather with them b/c it's warmer back in Michigan than it is here in AZ. That's okay, it's the perfect kind of day to curl up on the couch w/ my husband, watch some movies, get in a good workout, and enjoy each other's company.

One of my resolutions is to improve my "Fran" time, which means I need to improve my strength so the thrusters are easier while also becoming more efficient at pull-ups. I've been working on deconstructing my pull-ups and have seen improvements but I haven't really done anything for the thrusters. Today's WOD definitely helps with the latter.

"Coe" (scaled version) calls for-
7 rounds of:
10 thrusters 65#
10 ring push-ups

So, I end up doing 70 thrusters at 65# whereas Fran ends up only being 45 reps at that weight. And man, I reach fatique at 40 for sure. After that, they suck big time so hopefully a WOD like this pushes my muscle endurance and strength further.

My time before back in August was 18:09 but I did dips by accident instead of push-ups. Today my time was 17:42 but I'm proud of that because push-ups are harder for me than dips yet I still improved my time slightly.

Also, for record-keeping's sake, my push-ups were not completely parallel to the ground, they were definitely considered "modified" ring push-ups in some way. And the last set of 10, I'm not even sure they could be considered push-ups. I felt like I was going to fall flat on my face my arms were so incredibly fatigued. Some of them were good, some were shitty.

Tomorrow we're having a BBQ with our friends Mike and Heather. It's becoming a regular occurrence- every other weekend or so, we get together and just hang out for the day. It's the best kind of friendship- relaxed, easy-going, and fun. What do you have planned for the rest of the weekend?
Until tomorrow,

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PR!

I just had another great workout! Man, I LOVE the way I feel after a good workout. There's really nothing else like it.

Overhead squats-
5-5-3-3-1

55-65-80-90-105

That 105 is a new PR! My previous overhead squat max was 100 so I went up 5 pounds and it felt awesome! I was nice and slow and in control the whole time. On the way up, I even shouted "YES!" really loud once I got past that point where you're still unsure. Damn! It felt terrific!

If anything, I think those 3 reps at 90 pounds were harder than that one rep at 105. Those sucked. :)

After that I did 5 rounds of kettlebell swings for 30 seconds on, 30 seconds off. It was actually pretty easy and next time I'll use the heavier kettlebell. I ended up doing 18 or 19 swings each round.

The thing with having visitors when you work from home is that it's nearly impossible to focus. Yesterday I tried but ended up just hanging out with them and going shopping my MIL instead. But today and tomorow, my in-laws have a ton of stuff planned so they won't really be around. I should be able to get some work done, including filing my taxes since I still haven't done that! I have a list of "ideas" and "tasks" that I want to do for my business but it's tough when no one is standing over my shoulder telling me it has to be done! I'm still adjusting to life as my own boss while trying to maintain balance in my life.

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Not my best performance

Holy hell, that was a tough workout. It's been a few days since I've done any strength WODs...we're doing the Warrior Dash at the end of April so we've adopted more of a CrossFit Endurance approach the past few weeks. It feels like I've done a ton of rowing or body weight type movements (push-ups, air squats, etc) so I was itching to do something with more weight today.

Of course, I didn't stop and think about the fact that it's fricken 94 degrees out right now! It was horrible. I was sweaty during my warm-up!

I've had a particular WOD on my radar for a while and simply never got around to it. The name is "Christina" and it's named after the 9-year old girl who was shot in Tucson back in January.
AMRAP 20 (I only did 15)
9 pull-ups
9 squat cleans (65#)
9 kettlebell swings (35#)
9 toes to bar
9 push press (65#)
9 burpees
I was only able to do 2 full rounds which is not good but I know I was working hard and that's what counts. Plus, it felt like a darn good workout.

The design of the WOD is pretty cool-
There are 6 total exercises for the 6 people who died that day.
The WOD is 20 minutes total because 20 people in all were shot.
Christina was only 9 years old which is why you do 9 reps of each exercise.

Pretty cool right? Whoever made it up is a genius and very thoughtful.

The WOD, unfortunately, destroyed my hands! On the 2nd set of pull-ups, I opened a blister on my palm. I changed up my grip then got another blister on my thumb. I was able to finish the pull-ups but ended up opening another blister during the subsequent squat cleans. That's one of the main obstacles with the heat- no matter how much chalk you put on your hands, the sweat makes it nearly impossible to hold onto anything. I only did 2 full rounds but I have 6 blisters on my hands right now.

I am proud of my pull-ups though because if ever I started to noticed my form going shitty, I'd stop and start my kip back up again. I didn't continue with bad form.

I'd say the hardest part of the WOD for me were the pull-ups and the squat cleans. Everything else felt okay but those first two movements took a lot out of me at the start of each round.

We're looking for a portable A/C unit to buy for this summer. We absolutely love working out in our garage (I'd never thought I'd say that), but it's almost to the point already that it's just too darn hot. If we were to shut the door though and get a unit that cools off the small space, we'd be able to make it work throughout the summer months. Plus, an A/C unit is probably going to cost us $200-$300 and we'd spend more than that for a temporary CrossFit gym membership.

Michael's parents arrive today! They'll probably be here in a few minutes actually and I'm still dripping with sweat. Awesome! They'll be here for the whole week so I'm not sure how often I'll be working out or able to blog.

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