24 WEEKS PREGGIE

This is a series on being a pregnant paleo/primal Crossfitter. I found out that I was pregnant in August 2011. My due date is in April 2012. I post each week about my Crossfit workouts, what I’m eating and various pregnancy symptoms. Just because I can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it; but you can use my blog as research for your own prescription!

I recommend checking out a few other blogs of women who are paleo and pregnant, or crossfitting and pregnant or both! Here’s a few favs: One Fit Mom, Joyful Abode, and Fitness Editor Blog.

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PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

At 24 weeks, I’m feeling pretty normal, except for the soccer-ball-sized uterus I’m carting around. I’m about to hit my third trimester (in a few weeks) and intermittent fatigue has started to get a little worse. But only a little.

FOOD

At 24 weeks, I’m still enjoying the liverwurst and braunschweiger, raw cheeses, sauerkraut, fresh veggies and other pastured meats. I’ve added eggnog because it’s christmas. I know there are concerns with raw egg yolk but I trust the source and am willing to take my chances. Also, I’m dealing with food allergies from the eggnog; but that’s how much I love it.

I’m gearing up for my 28-week blood sugar test. I’ve been testing it all along, every so often. My post-prandial blood sugars have been solid, as well as my fasting numbers. But as a person who eats mostly low-carb, occasionally moderate-carb, I don’t deal well with with a large bolus of sugar! I tested it today, my fasting was great, my post-prandial was great, but my one-hour post sugar bolus was right on the border of ideal. We shall see. I highly doubt that I’m going to develop gestational diabetes, given my diet and exercise habits; but I want to pass the test!!

Also, I’ve got Christmas this week! It’ll be hard to avoid the dairy, sugar and gluten.

I’m still taking Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil capsules, Vitamin D, Enzymes, Probiotics and an occasional dose of prenatal vitamins.

ACTIVITY

No CrossFit this week. First, I ran out of classes for the month (I used them all up in the first 2.5 weeks!). Second, I was in a different state, vacationing with family and didn’t have the flexibility to find a local box to WOD in. So, light morning jogs it was…!

December 21, 2011

I went for a 1 mile jog this morning. Felt strong. Could have kept going, but didn’t.

December 24, 2011

My father joined me for a 3/4 mile jog-walk this morning. Felt great to “run” with him again.

December 26th, 2011

My husband joined my father and I for a 1 1/4 mile jog-walk this morning. I was awesome to run with both of my favourite men!!

OTHER NOTES

No belly photos this week. I’ll post some next week from my Christmas Baby Shower!

23 WEEKS PREGGIE

This is a series on being a pregnant paleo/primal Crossfitter. I found out that I was pregnant in August 2011. My due date is in April 2012. I post each week about my Crossfit workouts, what I’m eating and various pregnancy symptoms. Just because I can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it; but you can use my blog as research for your own prescription!

I recommend checking out a few other blogs of women who are paleo and pregnant, or crossfitting and pregnant or both! Here’s a few favs: One Fit Mom, Joyful Abode, and Fitness Editor Blog.

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PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

At 23 weeks, I’m starting to have discomfort while trying to sleep (because the belly is getting bigger?). I feel like a giant sack of potatoes in bed. I basically lie on my left side until about 4 am and then switch to my right side for the remainder of the night, which makes me really stiff! But at least I’m getting sleep!!

Still feeling fatigued around 9 pm. Enzymes have really helped with constipation which is almost gone. But yesterday I ran out of enzymes! So I have to buy more. In case anybody is wondering which enzymes I’m taking, here they are:

I get nothing for posting that. I just wanted to share.

I got mildly dizzy once after a workout this week but I think it was because I stood up too fast after sitting down after it. Or it could have been the movement itself (ball slams). Either way, I was fine after a minute of sitting. My boobies are still mildly sore. They haven’t really changed much since the first trimester (and I understand that that is normal).

The babe is still bouncing around in there! Is my babe more active than others’? My nurse said that at this stage of my pregnancy I should count at least 3 kicks in the hour after I eat. I usually lose count somewhere around 15 to 20 kicks.

Had mild nausea once this past week. Not sure why. But it passed quickly.

FOOD

At 23 weeks, because I’m feeling fatigued, I’ve found myself craving comfort foods (like potato chips and mac ‘n’ cheese). I’ve also been craving organ meats. And I got my order from U.S. Wellness Meats fast like whoa last week! I’ve been eating liverwurst and braunschweiger for *every* lunch this week, with some raw cheese, sauerkraut, cranberries, olive oil and vinegar. YUM! It makes me happy every time. I’m still taking Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil capsules, Vitamin D, Enzymes, Probiotics and an occasional dose of prenatal vitamins.

ACTIVITY

December 14, 2011

Here’s the WOD:

• For Time: 50 Air Squats/50Double Unders/50 Super Mans
• 5 minutes Hip/Shoulder Mobility
• Sots Press – 5/5/3/3/1/1 (Max Effort)
• 18/16/14/12/10/8/6/4/2 RFT of: Ball Slams(15/20lbs)/Plyo Push Ups/Flutter Kick (3 count)

Here’s what I did…

• For Time: 50 air squats / 50 jumping jacks / 50 good mornings w/ 15# bar => 4:59

I finished on par with everyone else. Felt like a good modification.

• SOTS Press: 5×12, 5×15, 3×20, 3×25, 1×30, 1×35 (PR!)

I guess we can call that a PR. I’d never done it before! Ha!

• 18/16/14/12/10/8/6/4/2 RFT of: Ball Slams (15#) / Scaled Ring Push Ups / Cat-Cows (3-count hold) => 15:00

I was dizzy at the end of the Met Con but my heart rate was only 120. Coach Dan and I think it was because of the ball slams – both the motion of them and the shear number of them.

December 16, 2011

Here’s today’s WOD:

• 400m Farmers Walk (24/40kg= 12/20kg each hand)
• 5 min Hip/Shoulder Mobility
• DeadLift- 1/1/1/1/1 (Max Effort)
• 20 min AMRAP of: Run 200M/20DeadLift (95/135lbs)/Max Effort StictChin Up/10 each KettleBell Snatch(12/20kg) score=# of rounds + # of Chin Ups

Here’s what I did…

• 400m Farm Walk => 5:11 Rx

I used the 12kg KB in each arm. And my arms were wasted after just 150m. Dang. I had to stop three times. Total grip workout!

• Dead-lifts: (WU 5×45, 3×75, 1×95) 1×115, 1×135, 1×155, 1×175, Fx190, Fx185

My previous 1RM on the Dead-lift on 10/31 was 185#. I feel like I could have gotten 180#, but didn’t want to push it.

• 20 min AMRAP => 4 rounds, 7 chin-ups

I did the prescribed run. Dead-lifts were at 65#. Chin-ups were with green band. KB Snatch were with 8kg/18# bells.

My heart-rate got up to 150 a few times during the MetCon but dropped to 110 within 60 seconds after finishing. So I’m confident that my perceived exertion was right on.

It felt good to run.

December 17th, 2011

I went for a 3/4 mile jog this morning. Felt good. Baby feels secure still.

OTHER NOTES

Here’s two belly photos!

23 Weeks Preggie!

23 Weeks Preggie, belly reveal!

22 WEEKS PREGGIE

This is a series on being a pregnant paleo/primal Crossfitter. I found out that I was pregnant in August 2011. My due date is in April 2012. I post each week about my Crossfit workouts, what I’m eating and various pregnancy symptoms. Just because I can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it; but you can use my blog as research for your own prescription!

I recommend checking out a few other blogs of women who are paleo and pregnant, or crossfitting and pregnant or both! Here’s a few favs: One Fit Mom, Joyful Abode, and Fitness Editor Blog.

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PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

At 22 weeks, I’m so enjoying feeling the babe move around. It seems that on days that I’m more active, s/he is more active, and vice versa; but that may just be my imagination. Fatigue still makes the nightly appearance. Enzymes seem to really help the constipation. When I forget to take them, I know! Boobies still tender. Still having trouble with forgetfulness and distractedness. Dizziness hasn’t been bad this week (could it be because I’ve been eating fewer carbs?).

FOOD

So glad to have my fingers back. The allergic reactions were so annoying! Iodine tincture helped speed the healing. I’m getting back to my normal rhythm of sauerkraut, chicken sausage, eggs, bacon, raw cheese, salads, fish, pastured and grass-fed meats, and organic veggies. I did buy a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix and it was yummy but I could tell that my body was unhappy with me each time I ate a cookie. One square of dark chocolate is a better snack than rice-flour cookies (faileo!).

I’ve been unable to get the grass-fed beef liver down recently, so I made a purchase today from one of my favourite venders, U.S. Wellness Meats (I get nothing for saying I like them). I bought braunschweiger and liverwurst. I know that I like these and can eat them easily. It’ll be easier to make myself eat my organ meats with these than with the grass-fed liver I usually get from our local grocery delivery service. And I need to eat my organ meats!!

Also, my Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil capsules arrived in the mail today, so I’ll start taking those again. I’m still taking Vitamin D, Enzymes, Probiotics and an occasional dose of prenatal vitamins.

ACTIVITY

December 7, 2011

Here’s the WOD for today:

• 5 min of PVC Shoulder Mobility
• 6 min amrap of: 3 Wall Walk / 3 Inverted Burpees / 3 Rolling Pistols each leg
• Press – 3/3/3 Max Effort
• Push Press – 3/3/3 Max Effort
• Skin The Cat – 5/5/5/5
• Hip Extension – 15/15/15

I’m gonna let you take a moment and read over that again. Really, pregnant lady, really?! You think you can CrossFit?! You may be like me and have to be shown what those AMRAP movements are. I knew what the Rolling Pistol was, but the rest were new to me. And not going to be done by 22-week preggie me!! Also, once again, can you picture a preggie (even a very strong one!) trying to perform a Skin The Cat?! If I ever seen one do it, I’ll go rip her fake belly off (if it doesn’t fall off when she’s upside down!). And I can’t do anything on the GHDs until the babe is born!

So here’s what I did instead…

• 6 min AMRAP: 10 scaled ring push-ups / 10 air squats => 4 rnds + 10

Not as interesting as the other movements, but I got my heart rate up sufficiently.

• Press: (WU 3×15, 3×35) 3×45, 2×50, 3×50, 55F
• Push Press: 3×55, 3×60, 3×65 (PR!), 1×70 (PR!)

My previous 1RM on the press was 55#. My previous 1RM on the push press was 60#. Yay for pregnant PRs!

Then I varied from the class again…

• Good Mornings w/ 45# bar: 15 / 15 / 15
• Pelvic Tilts w/ 5-second hold: 4 / 4 / 4

See? With a few modifications, you *can* keep CrossFitting!

Great class!!

December 8th, 2011

Carried eleven (11) crates of film gear up two flights of stars. (See my other blog!)

December 11th, 2011

Carried eleven (11) crates of film gear down two flights of stars.

December 12th, 2011

Here’s the WOD:

• 3 Rounds of: Row 1 min Max Effort; 1 min rest between efforts
• Burgener Warm UP/Skill Transfer Exercise
• Snatch – 3@50% 1RM/3@60% 1RM/2@70% 1RM/1@80 %1RM/1@90% 1RM/2@80% 1RM
• OHS – 3/3 @65% 1RM, 3 @75% 1RM, 2 @85% 1RM, 1 @95% 1RM
• 7 min AMRAP of: 20 Double Unders/10 Ring Rows/5 HSPU

Here’s what I did…

• Row, 3 rnds 1 min max effort: 241m / 243m / 251m

Thanks to Coach Dan for giving me some guidance in my form. Evidently I was hyperextending my ankles? So now I’m squishing myself up less and doing more strokes per minute. I wonder how this will play out in my PRs…

• Snatch: (WU 3×15), 3×35, 3×45, 2×55, 1×65, 1×70 (muscled the last few inches), 2×65

I’m glad to see that I’m staying consistent with my 1RM. None of these were harder than I hoped. I suppose that I could have been fearful that my growing core would affect my stability. But it didn’t seem to affect the snatches.

• OHS: 3×50, 3×50, 3×60, 2×70, 1×75

I didn’t go as deep on the last two sets because I was trying to keep my chest up and Dan said that was more important. Core stability is wonky when it keeps changing on you on a daily/weekly basis. And it affected my overhead squats.

• 6 min AMRAP (not a typo): 2 rounds + 20 + 3

I had a toe cramp, so I jumped into the amrap after 1 min. Also, I did jumping jacks instead of double-unders, scaled ring rows and pike push ups (floor).

Felt good! I can’t believe I’m five months preggie and still doing CrossFit! YAY!

OTHER NOTES

I totally forgot to take a 22-week preggie photo!! So sorry! I’ll definitely have one next week!

21 WEEKS PREGGIE

This is a series on being a pregnant paleo/primal Crossfitter. I found out that I was pregnant in August 2011. My due date is in April 2012. I post each week about my Crossfit workouts, what I’m eating and various pregnancy symptoms. Just because I can do it, doesn’t mean you should do it; but you can use my blog as research for your own prescription!

I recommend checking out a few other blogs of women who are paleo and pregnant, or crossfitting and pregnant or both! Here’s a few favs: One Fit Mom, Joyful Abode, and Fitness Editor Blog.

…

PREGNANCY SYMPTOMS

At 21 weeks, I’m starting to really feel pregnant – like there’s a baby in my belly and I’m really pregnant, pregnant. Whereas before (first trimester), it was just bloat and what felt like a gas bubble. My midwife was right, the gas-bubble feeling goes away…

I’m still fatigued at 9:00 or 9:30 pm. Constipation is lessening (could it be because of enzymes?). Boobies are still mildly tender. Still experiencing intermittent forgetfulness, dizziness, and distractedness that are all several pitches worse than non-preggie Gillie-style forgetfulness, dizziness, and distractedness.

The babe is doing roundhouse kicks and summersaults in my womb this week. I’m so proud of this child. My friend Joy has described how she and her husband play games with their 23-week-old-baby-still-in-the-womb on her blog: Down In My Heart. I love reading how others have connected with their babes!

FOOD

I’ve been getting back into my primal (occasionally paleo) low-carb food rhythm this week. And my allergic reactions are subsiding and I’m feeling better. I’m still finishing up the gluten-free bread I bought the week before Thanksgiving. It’s not primal or paleo but it sure goes well with some grass-fed butter and my homemade nutella!

We’re also eating up the pastured turkey broth I made from our Thanksgiving bird. This broth is amazing. I know that it’s awesome because it’s so gelatinous. And it’s tasty! All it needs is a dollop of sauerkraut and it’s one amazing soup; but I’ve also been adding leftover veggies from Thanksgiving dinner and it’s a great side dish for lunch or dinner.

I’m still taking Vitamin D, Enzymes and Probiotics as well as Fermented Cod Liver Oil/Butter Oil capsules (but I ran out of these, so I’m waiting for the order to arrive from Amazon.com – in the meantime I’m just taking Carlsons).

ACTIVITY

November 30, 2011

Today was our Olympic Lifting Total. We were supposed to have improved from the first time we did the total on November 1st. Here’s my results from November 1st:

• Snatch: 70#
• Clean + Jerk: 85# (PR!)
• Clean: 110# (PR by 20#!)

TOTAL: 265

Here are my totals from 29 days later:

• Snatch: 70#
• Clean + Jerk: 85#
• Clean: 100#

TOTAL => 255

My oly total from November 1 went down 10 lbs! I thought it was because I’m 21 weeks preggie, but Coach Dan said it was because I zipped through the lifts too fast and didn’t give myself enough recovery time.

My husband said I should be proud to have maintained my strength while building a baby. I’m gonna go with that perspective.

I also went for a 3/4 mile jog in the morning before going to this class at noon.

December 2, 2011

Here’s the WOD:

• Warm Up – Coaches Choice
• 5 RFT of: 20 2 Hand K.B. Swing / 10 each 1 Hand K.B. Swing / 20 2 Hand K.B. High Pull / 10 each 1 Hand K.B. High Pull / 10 each K.B. Snatch (24 / 16 kg)

(All 1 hand KB Swings should be Russian Swings. All 2 hand Swings should be American Swings.)

Here’s what I did!

• Warm-up: 3:00 min row => 631 m

Everyone else did 3:00 min of Double-unders, but because I don’t feel comfortable doing that while pregnant (it’s just uncomfortable to me!), I hopped on the rower. No one was upset with that. I considered the Versa Climber, but I wanted to save my cardio for the Kettlebells.

• Kettlebell Hell => 20:07

I used 12 kg (27 lbs) on the two-handers and 8 kg (18 lbs) on the one-handers. Way scaled down from Rx. But, I’m still really happy with my time. My heart rate was hitting 150 the whole time, so I probably did just what my body needed to do.

December 5, 2011

Here’s the WOD:

• For Time: 100 Jumping Jacks / 100 Mountain Climbers
• Clean & Jerk – 1/1/1 @ 50% 1RM, /1/1/1 @ 60% 1RM, 1/1 @ 70% 1 RM, 1 @ 80% 1RM, 1 @ 90% 1RM, 1/1 @ 80% 1RM
• For Time: 25 Double Unders/25 Box Jumps (20″)/25 Push Ups/25 Sit Ups/25 Jumping Pull Ups/25 Back Extensions/25 Dips/12 Turkish Get Ups each side (12/20kg)/25 Calorie Row

Here’s what I did!

• 100 Jumping Jacks / 100 Mountain Climbers => 3:00+

I totally forgot to write down my time for the jumping jacks and mountain climbers. It was about 15-20 seconds after my classmates Ruthie and Aaron finished. Oops!

• Clean & Jerks => 1/1/1 @ 40#, 1/1/1 @ 50#, 1/1/1/1 @ 60#, 1 @ 70#, 1 @ 75#, 1/1 @ 70#

Yes, I did four sets of one rep with the 60# when I was only supposed to do two. Coach Dan corrected my form after the first two, so I did two more with proper form before moving on. Thanks Dan!

So I modified this Hopper Workout beyond recognition. Here’s what I did…

• For Time: 25 jumping jacks / 25 box step-ups / 25 ring push ups (scaled) / 12 Abmat sit-ups + 13 cat-cows / 25 ring rows / 25 good mornings w/ 15# bar / 25 leg assistant ring dips / 12 lunges plus twist w/ 8kg KB each leg / 25 cal row

=> 20:32 minutes.

I don’t feel comfortable with more than a few DUs. Too much hip flexor actions. But I feel okay with jumping jacks. Same deal with box jumps. Obviously, my belly gets in the way of push ups (and it stressed out my abs in a bad way anyway) so I’ve switched to scaled ring push ups.

I started the Abmat sit-ups and realized that my window to be able to do those and not stress out my abs too much has passed, so I switched to cat-cows (aka pelvic tilts aka angry cats). I did good mornings instead of the back extensions because I can’t get on the GHD with a belly.

I tried the TGUs but I could feel my abs stressing; so in consult with Coach Dan I sub’d the mildly weighted lunges w/ twist. Here’s a photo:

Weighted Lunge w/ Twist (sub'd for Turkish Get-ups)

I can still row no problem.

Great class!!

OTHER NOTES

I totally forgot to take a 21-week preggie photo!! So sorry! But you can see how far along my belly has come from the lunge photo, right?