Exhibitionism Update

Here we are, noon on Day Four of Project Svelte (only one of its many names) and here’s what’s happened so far:

First thing in the morning, fasted metcon. The first two days were just rowing intervals so I could re-find my rowing technique (day 1 was 4x 500m, day 2 was 3k for time, day 4 was 250m, 25 burpees, times 4. Where’s day 3, you ask? Hush.). I’m surprised and delighted to find that I can row at a 1:57/500m pace at a 25 strokes/minute rate. I used to have to fling myself around at 32-40 strokes/min. There’s a FGB video out there somewhere where it looks like I’m trying to row the damn thing across the room. For any cardio junkies in the audience, please note that the morning metcons never last more than 20 minutes, but are an 8-9 out of 10 for intensity.

Don’t row in socks. You’ll get blisters from the foot rests.

Food: breakfast is eggs and back bacon, lunches have been chicken & greens either in salad or soup form, and dinners have been steak and broccoli. There’s some coconut milk in coffee from time to time, and I stole a prune from Etta yesterday… Silly move. To battle the resultant sugar cravings (and to avoid eating the BROWNIES that a certain husband made. BROWNIES. I say again BROWNIES) I had a bit of almond butter last night. I’ve only had one incidence of “brain fog” which was quickly dealt with by eating a whole whack of cucumber. Turns out my caffeine tolerance drops when I’m eating clean, too! I suspect coffee sends my insulin for a ride, but I’m not willing to give that up just yet.

Tally to date: no wine, no chocolate, no grains, no sugar, no potatoes, no beans. Feeling good.

Anybody out there working a similar plan?

Context

MovNat is all about how movement becomes “natural movement” primarily because of its context. Taken out of context, a burpee is just a burpee (yay burpees!). While they’re certainly an effective calisthenic bodyweight exercise, one might find oneself asking why the hell one is doing so many damn burpees when one is, say, halfway through Pukie Brewster (that’s 150 burpees for time, for the uninitiated). In the context of falling down and getting up as fast as possible to escape a threat, burpees make a lot more sense. Dare I say it also makes them more fun? Context defines pretty much everything we do… when you see someone who usually makes your morning americano at your favorite cafe, but they’re at the grocery store, it can be tough to pin down why they look so familiar. If you’ve ever had a truly mind-blowing meal, it probably wasn’t just about the meal… after all, the steak you eat after a day of heavy yard work or snowshoeing isn’t the same steak you eat after a day of surfing the net.