I am happy to be sitting down right now.
It’s 8 a.m. and I’ve already done 150 dead lifts and 150 pushups. I was shaking after the workout.
Ashley, Shannon and Elizabeth from Lululemon joined me bright and early at Metro to do the CrossFit workout of the day. It was 10 rounds of 15 dead lifts and 15 pushups. It definitely pushed me outside of my normal workout comfort zone.
I didn’t think it sounded so bad but then I had to drop my dead lift weight half way through the WOD and the pushups were killer. We had to lower all the way down to our stomachs and then push back up and lift our hands. I could only jump my hands for the first two rounds before they literally would not leave the floor no matter how hard I tried! Happy to have that done for the day. I was planning on doing cardio after but that will just have to wait until later. I’m beat.
I was so proud of myself for preparing my breakfast in advance (although I did drink a shot of espresso and eat a cookie at 6:15 a.m. before leaving for the gym! 
). Last night I made overnight oats in a sunflower seed butter jar. Yum!
I made a really good dinner last night that was quick and easy to prepare.
I cooked quinoa and black beans with chicken broth and then stirred in leftover shredded chicken. I topped it with pepper jack cheese, salsa, sour cream and hot sauce and served it over spinach. What is the only thing missing from this plate? I was out of avocado!
I came home for lunch yesterday. I would like to point out that my veggie burger is on an English muffin and not open faced. Little changes! 
Okay, I’m off to teach a yoga private and get this day going. The sun is shining and I feel so grateful for my new job. I’m loving it!
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I have yet to try Cross Fit – it sounds like a blast though. I’m so used to taking a Yoga class at 6AM that I don’t know what my body will think if I go to a Cross Fit class that early!
Sounds like the job is going well so far – that’s great! I also work in fitness and it really is one of the best fields to be in….in my opinion of course
i love early morning yoga practices. it’s the best way to start the day! i admit that it’s hard to strength train that early in the morning. i prefer to do that when my body is a little more “awake.”
and fitness is a fabulous field to be in!
Okay, if Cross Fit is really hard for you, I am officially TERRIFIED!
the great thing about crossfit is that you go at your own pace so you can modify and rest as necessary. not all of the workouts have been that intense!
I love the ‘not open face sandwich; – you’re wild!!
Workouts that leave me shaking are awesome. I love that kind of satisfaction.
Damn, remind me to never mess with you
You look intense (and I would probably die in that class)!!!
haha – i’m sure you would rock it kristy! you are so strong!
Wow! you’re a super star! That’s awesome — makes me want to go lift and do push-ups!!!
This morning I switched up my standard Cheerios and Yogurt to a PB English Muffin and Bannana! When I started thinking about why it’s taken me so long to change it up, I realized that when things get so busy and stressful, it’s easy to be comfortable or maintain some sense of security/safety in eating the same foods day in and day out when everything else is changing or not really under my own control- if that makes any sense and at least for me!
Also, if you’re open to suggesstions, I was thinking I educational post might be on the importance and need to take rest days. Sometime I struggle with not feeling guilty or bad when I have to miss a workout and I forget that rest can be just as important as activity for my body.
So glad to hear you’re loving the new job!!!! MC
mc – your point about food does make sense. it is a constant and easy when things are crazy to just stick with what works but i’m happy you mixed it up a bit!
i’ve touched on rest days before but never really dedicated a whole post to the topic so that’s something i’ll add to the list.
have a great day!
Wow sounds like a tough workout. Great job!!
Your quinoa dish looks great. I’ll have to try it. You’re so funny using and english muffin. I changed my usual pita chips for crackers. Lol small changes, you are right.
Can you recommend any yoga dvd’s that you enjoy? (I know a class would be the best but sometimes my schedule doesn’t allow for it and It would be nice to have an alternative)
Thank you so much! Hope you have a great day! 
Would also love to hear about some good yoga DVDs. I tried my first hot yoga class last night & LOVED it. Slept so great last night and am feeling great today! I was really nervous to go but am so glad I tried it!!
Check out yogadownload.com, they have a ton of awesome yoga podcasts (20 min ones are free, the rest are only $1.99-$5).
hey guys – honestly, i’ve never even done a yoga dvd! i have heard good things about shiva rea so check her dads out. i always recommend http://www.yogadownload.com. like krystina mentioned in the comment above. that way you don’t have to repeat the same dvd over and over again! also, there are some great suggestions in the comments section of this post: http://www.peanutbutterrunner.com/faq-friday/.
let me know if you have any questions! have a great day ladies!
Yay I love that you love your new job! I can feel the happiness
That workout looks super tough and I don’t blame you for not doing cardio! I’m going to a hot yoga bootcamp class tonight, it’s one hour long and supposed to be pretty challenging…ahh!
that sounds amazing! i want to go!
That workout sounds intense!
What veggie burgers do you buy?
usually trader joe’s but this time i got the dr. praeger’s brand.
I love having sandwiches on english muffins! They are so much better than regular bread.
Girl, your body is siiiiiiiiiick!
What an awesome workout! I LOVE when I’m shaking after one!
That workout sounds intense. What kind of veggie burger is that? It looks great!
dr. praeger’s california veggie burgers. they’re pretty good! i like this brand, trader joe’s and amy’s.
Jen! You truly inspire me. Thank you.
thank you so much malia! have a wonderful day!
I call the pushups you did “release” pushups b/c you have to take your hands off the ground between them. For some reason it makes them 10x as intense!!
It is humbling to change up your fitness routine!
yes, that’s what they were called on the board – pushups with hand release. i didn’t think they were that bad when i was doing them but my chest is so sore today. it is humbling to challenge your body in new ways!
Your job sounds amazing. It’s great to see someone find a perfect fit with a profession they are passionate about. I love a good workout that leaves you shaking, you feel so accomplished. I love the photos of you lifting, definitely fitspiration. Yum…pepperjack.
thank you sierra!
That quinoa chicken recipe looks so good, I think I’m making it for dinner tonight!
Also, your dedication to your ashtanga practice peaked my interest so much that I ordered a DVD and posture reference manual (David swenson I think?) from amazon! I’m a strict cardio/weights girl but wish me luck! Thanks again for your wonderful, informative blog!
Oops-forgot to ask if you’d seen or heard of that article in Vanity Fair, ” whose yoga is it anyway?” or something like that, about the future ” marketing” of ashtanga…. Interesting piece. Wondering what your thoughts are.
hi jen! i wasn’t aware of that article but thank you for the recommendation. i’m definitely going to read it!
please let me know what you think about david’s ashtanga dvd.
have a great day!
Everything looks yummy as usual! Crossfit sounds interesting! We don’t have it at either of the gyms where I teach, but it is in the area! Looks like a great workout!
girl, you would love it! it’s a whole new world!
A great post, especially for the readers that you attract to your blog, might be one on telling the difference between healthy exercise and over-exercising. Here’s a link to an interesting article that I read recently:
http://abide.ucdavis.edu/overexercise.html
thanks for the suggestion. i agree, that there is a difference between healthy exercise and over-exercising. i think a lot of it has to do with your mentality about your workout and how you view the exercise. i’ll check out the article you referenced.
Jen, you and your workouts are such an inspiration! I’ve been wanting to try CrossFit and BodyPump, but I’m a little intimidated by the weights. I’m mostly a running and yoga kind of girl. My local gym does offer BodyPump, but there’s no CrossFit within 30 minutes of me. Hoping one day soon I’ll feel brave and go give BodyPump a try!
check out bodypump. i think it’s a great place to start before trying out crossfit. bodypump is not intimidating! it’s great for any fitness level – you control the intensity of the class by controlling the weight you put on the bar. the first couple of classes are a little tough because you’re learning the exercises and getting used to the class format but after that it’s a piece of cake! you’ll know what to expect, what weights to use, etc.
I’ve heard some mixed reviews about Cross Fit. It seems to me that pushing yourself to exhaustion can hurt your form and lead to injuries. I have also been told by someone who does it that the instructor praises those who vomit from working so hard. Just seems a little extreme. Thoughts?
hi marli – i have also heard mixed reviews about crossfit and like any style of workout, it’s not for everyone. luckily, our coaches are all about safety and would rather us drop weight or modify movements rather than kill ourselves to the point of exhaustion or injury.
crossfit involves a lot of olympic style lifting with heavy weights and moving weight over the head. it’s critical that participants have a strong knowledge base on how to perform these exercises. we require all of our members to go through an elements class where these things are drilled into their heads.
the great thing about crossfit is that you are given a workout and you finish it at your own pace. yes, the times/scores are posted so you are encouraged to work hard and get it done but with attention to maintaining form for each rep all the way until the end.
Hey Jen!
Love your blog, follow it every day…you give me great recipe/meal ideas and inspiration to keep working on my fitness!
I do have a question for you related to running. I’m a pretty big runner, and have definitely gotten more serious about it the last 2 years or so. I am current training for a half-marathon and did a 7 mile run tonight after work…great run–felt awesome, did well! But about an hour after my run I felt incredibly sick to my stomach an was completely miserable for about 2 hours (nausea extreme). This has happened occasionally in the past with the longer runs of 7+…I try to prepare for them eating right, etc…Has this ever happened to you or do you have any ideas of what would cause it?! Any recommendations to prevent this in the future?
I figured you’d be great to ask!
Thank you for always being an inspiration…I’d love to take one of your yoga classes!
-Carrie
I did this workout at Crossfit Vitality last Wednesday. PAINFUL.
so painful. i was sore for DAYS after. what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
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