Six Pack non-experiment Follow up

This is a bit obnoxious. I'm not a fan of people posting their stomachs and bodies all over social media.
However I suppose this if for the sake of observation... and it's not social media. not really.
But anyway if you don't like that sort of thing, stop here!!

Any way, I came here today to post an effusion of some emotion or other, and then realized that
my Six Pack experiment posts from the VERY early blog days had been viewed recently. And I thought to myself,
"hmph. Self, is your belly any leaner, six packier, after 2 yrs of constant crossfit competition mindedness than it was then... after that 1st 2 months of paleo eating and 'regular' crossfitting?"

(not really. I didn't really say that to myself I just vaguely wondered without words... but whatever.)

SO... I mosied on into the restroom to document and see.

on #4 I stuck my tummy out as far as I could just to compare and be sure that I wasn't  sucking it in or trying to make it look better, because you know, I can sometimes be a LITTLE vain. (I inherited it from my lovely mama) so I might just do stuff like that in the mirror. you never know.  Any way it is what it is. There is clearly still upper ab definition even pretending that I'm preggo and puffing it out. I'm cool with that. 

Compare this to... This Link back to December 2010

I haven't looked at that in 2 yrs so I'll give the follow up.
I never did "go for it" and concert a real effort to achieve a six pack.
Meh. The decision was, "It's not that important to me."

I eat well, I train hard, but I actually am not as good at "sit ups" as I once was.  I can snatch and Clean and Jerk like 30 and 40 pounds more than I could 2 yrs ago. I can back squat 60 pounds more. I can now do muscle ups and handstand push ups ... and those sorts of things are more important to me than being able to do 600 sit ups.

I really gave up on measurements and weighing myself, much to at all, not long after that picture.
Like really I hate it.
None of that is a friend to me.
And and I think that's sort of the point of the Whole 9, Active, "Paleo", Crossfit life.
The point just about being healthy and functional and it's generally a side effect to feel like you look good.

I generally feel indifferent now to actresses and models about appearance, where as I think in past times I was more longing to look that way.
I don't envy them. I don't feel inferior.
I might even feel slightly smug and superior at moments I confess,  and think "Hey I could be on that magazine" ;) not exactly, but
because I love my body and what it can do.  I love that I can run and play and drive and push myself.
I thank God for it almost daily and that makes me keep going when it's hard.
Because I know it's worth it.
I know I am taking care of myself.
AND while injury and illness can strike anyone at any time, even the most fit,
I have peace and confidence in knowing I'm doing my part to be a good steward.
The body is the channel through which we experience all things in the world. The body is a channel of our souls, and the only way through which we can communicate to the world
We can't change that we are composite beings of body and soul.
And I feel  I need to care for my whole self.

All of that to come back the the belly and say. Hmm. Interesting.
I think it's more six-packyish but then maybe not. maybe it's just the same and that's the way I'm made whether I'm training one or three hours a day... Maybe a tighter diet would change it. who knows?

What do you think??

The cool part is that ultimately it doesn't really matter :)

Crossfit Games Open 2

Sectional Competitions, week 2 of 6.
This week was a whole different experience.  The workout was published Tuesday evening, and I showed up at Crossfit 760 at 6am Wednesday morning to go for it.
I warmed up with the class but had to wait until their WOD was finished to start mine so that it could be judged.

WOD 2

15 min AMRAP

9 deadlifts @ 100#

12 pushups

15 box jump @ 20"

Setting:  Less new to me gym and crew.  I'm starting to get familiar there. But working out alone again! Ah well. I think at 6:40 am I was still too tired, and now starting to get too hungry, to care.

Side note:  I eat ALL. THE. TIME.  hunger is an unusual occurrence in my life lately (my endless indulgence is another story).  I know being hungry sometimes is a really good thing.  And maybe working out empty was a good thing for this WOD.

Begin WOD:  Casey warned my judge to be very mellow with me. surprise ;)  and told me it's all about keeping a steady pace.

That I (mostly) did.

Deadlifts are my nemesis.  I had a back injury in highschool soccer that just got worse over years of playing hard without proper chiropractic care in my opinion.  Now it works fine, but it's a sensitive spot. Deadlifts freak me out, because they instigate a flare up as a general rule.  Fortunately 100# @ 9 reps turned out not to be tooo much.
Pushups are chest to deck with palms lifted from the ground at every rep. no worming or snaking on the rise. (this guy's pushups would not count, for example:)

 just a nice solid traditional pushup with full arm extension is the standard.  I expected to struggle more on these, but I made it through the majority of my rounds unbroken... maybe at round 7 and 8 I rested halfway.
Box Jumps - well, I suck at these.  I don't have the rythym of them, the impact is jarring on my lower back, and well I just don't like cardio ok? This becomes cardio.   I slipped a few times but kept on going.

You guys, this week was so much better.  I was in another zone or something.  "Just keep going.  Just finish."  I could have took a tune from Nemo's Dory.

Time: 9 rounds!

And fall to the ground writhing in exhaustion & pain from my. hips? that was a surprise.  My hips were killing me, so much that my worries over my lower back had dropped to the background.  

You guys,  I did it so soon after it was announced because i wanted to give myself time to try again.  But nope. I feel like I did better than the first one.  I would like to try for 10 rounds. Maybe I could do it?  umm. no.  I don't want to.  It was... awful enough apparently.  I found a happy place to protect myself through the work out, but I'm not going there again. 

It's a little like my Friday night with Chester the Molester:  Met up with and old friend that never liked to believe me that I'm only interested in being his friend. Let's just say with a few drinks it got very ugly for me, while he seemed to persist in his fantasy that he was finally making some progress.  I got through the situation as gracefully as possible, but I will never speak to him again.  

That's pretty much how week 2's WOD went for me - except with the WOD it was something I wanted and chose, and I had the joy of seeing my name on the leaderboard for a few hours before I got dropped by everyone else getting around to doing it ;)

Wednesday morning I was 3rd in the region, today I am 40th, tomorrow who knows?  

I did the best I could do, and I have no desire to put myself through it again.

For a few days.

until the next WOD is announced.

I don't know you guys.  I have been eating crap, "in honor of my birthday" for a full week. I've had a headache for a full week.  I feel gross and fat and mildly apathetic.  Hard to say if I am moving in the right direction or if I'm just getting lazy.  Please pray for some self discipline with the emotional stability and humility for competition.  Humility!  that could be a whole new post!  Have I bantered on about that before?

The Belly Saga

Ok. I can't resist it.  I am just fascinated with bellies. I know it's immodest, and no one really wants to see it, but I just love the pancitas and I love tanning, and hanging out playing beach volleyball as often as possible.
And NO. I am no where nearer a six pack than when I posed the question to the blogging universe, "will paleo give me a six pack?"  Then again I have not been consistently faithful, have I?  Actually I have never been as strict as I was at the baseline pic - that one was taken after one full month of strict whole 30.  I've been a bit rebellious ever since: one month & three months.  My! how time flies when I am periodically being a cheater.

However, Today, I am celebrating me and a moment of self esteem, "being perfect just the way I am" (ah ha. ha. ha. sigh.)
Kidding not perfect, but I'm fine with the lack of pack. I still have the 'womb' lower belly (empty) bump that I am dubbing decidedly feminine. AND meanwhile I am mesmerized by these little GI Joe hip lumps.
Check it out.

For anyone feeling bad about being curvy ever.  Here's a cool article celebrating them!

AND.  If you are inclined to give me your constructive criticism - or outsiders' observation -  or your take on the wonderful world of loving the body you've got -I would love it!