Pure cuteness

A few things make my extra happy right now. 

First off, waking up to these cute cuddle pups (plus hubs of course too). I mean really .... Harley isn't laying NEXT to Willis but instead laying directly over his back, haha!! I love that he lets her too. This is her new thing, and I imagine them sleeping like this when they are home alone all day.

My second joy is my protein spinach smoothie :)

 I make one every morning in my blender: put one scoop of chocolate protein, 2tsp almond butter, 2tsp of Greek yogurt, half a banana, splash of almond milk and water, and a HUGE heap of spinach. It's seriously the yummiest thing ever. I tricked Gabe for 2wks and got him to drink it daily ... Told him it was mint that made it green since he doesn't eat a ton of veggies. Well, then a girlfriend slipped at CrossFit when he was talking about it and he said, "I don't know what makes it that green ... ". She said spinach and felt so bad the secret got out. I didn't even care because he had been enjoying it long enough that he craves it like me every morning. The perfect way to start your morning with protein, veggies, and good fat. Yummmm.

Crossfit Open Wod 12.1

Another reason why I was really excited for clean healthy eating is because I signed up for the 2012 Crossfit Open.  After crossfitting for 3 years now, this is a first for me.  Talk about personal challenge to push myself on an entirely new level.  I signed up for the team portion at Northwest Crossfit in Bellevue, my home box, and it has been a journey in itself as I get to do it also with Gabe by my side competing.  How FUN is that that we get to do it together ... perfect if you ask me.  The open is 5 weeks long with 5 separate workouts (1 a week), which determines the qualifies for the 2012 Crossfit Games this summer in LA.

This past Wednesday at 5pm, the WOD was posted for 60,000 contestants around the world.  7minutes of as many burpees as possible.

This workout was honestly more mentally challenging then most of our crossfit workouts, and I had to look at it strategically because 7 minutes is longgggg ya'll!  We got both of our workouts on video, but I will save you from 7 minutes of boredom watching the same exercise over and over again ;)

I completed it Saturday with a goal of at least hitting getting 95 burpees in 7 minutes and super high stretch of reaching 100.  After all was said and done I got 99 with .2 seconds away from my 100th burpee.  So of course being the crazy determined person I am, I did it again on Sunday and put myself through torture again and got 105!!!!!!!!!!!!  Yay YAY!!!

I had some serious anxiety going into this workout, and I'm hoping with this first WOD behind me that I will be more relaxed.  I don't think my body can handle the stress I put on myself for the next 4 weeks!!!  But, I put on my competitive face when I needed to unlike Gabe who just came out blazing like a true athlete.  

Gabe finished WOD 12.1 being #22 in the region out of #2,039, and worldwide he is ranked #266 out of #34,389. Ugh that's top 1% in our the northwest and the world.  I am beyond proud of him as he has only been crossfitting for a year.  And I didn't do too shabby myself coming in #155 out of #1,425.  Great day with the Seattle Smith's representing:  Both of our scores contributed to our gyms total team score as they take the top 3 women's score and top 3 men's score.

But, here are our team Northwest Crossfit Bellevue results woohoo!!!

Happy crossfitting!!
Anyone else in the Crossfit Open??

24 day challenge

Alright bloggy friends, I am a foodie and honestly enjoy most foods and especially yummy-unhealthy foods in moderation.  My weight can fluctuates accordingly based on how lenient I'm feeling, but thank goodness for crossfit to allow a few more slips that are burned off quickly :)  

After so much traveling in December and falling out of my routines (I think it was the multiple Taco Bueno and Chick Fil A outings in TX!!), I committed to a 24-day challenge with a few friends.  Have ya'll heard of Advocare?  I was anxious posting about my journey prior to me starting it as I didn't want to jinx it, and I knew it would be tough living with a human garbage disposal who eats and breathes cheeseburgers, pizza, and sugary cereal.    But, I am happy to report that I completed one of the hardest things I have ever set my mind to doing.

The 24 Day Advocare Challenge consists of day 1-10 cleansing your body of toxins and preparing for optimal nutrient absorption, and then a 11-24 was a burn and refuel phase.  I have to admit, it was sooooooo soooooo soooooo hard, but I am beyond proud of myself for completing it.  

From portion controlled meals to drinking a gallon plus of water a day, I was eating super clean, cooking 5-6 meals a day, and sticking 100% to my meal plan.  I only ate out 1x during entire challenge, and I learned it is WAY easier to stay on track eating my own foods and knowing what I am fueling my body with.  Thank goodness for sugar free Extra Desserts gum, green tea, and sugar free jello.  

Gabe told me, "I feel like you are either eating or in the kitchen cooking!"  

HAHA it's so true as I eat every 3 hours and that takes a LOT of prep work!

*Gabe and I didn't eat ONE meal together in 24 days, lol

For best results, I followed their nutrition plan to a tee and am actually continuing with their nutrition plan now that the challenge is over because I feel it was a good fit for myself and I want to maintain my results.  

My takeaways - 

1.) One can not consume enough water.  128oz is a lot ya'll!

2.) Eating protein, fats, veggies, etc at certain time of day is key.

2.) And appropriate portions is a must.

A month without coffee, cheese, and carbs (I did get sweet potatoes) was totally do-able.  This challenge made me rethink how I view food and instead of gorging on crap, I viewed it was fuel to function.  Also, it's amazing when you are hungry and can only have certain foods, how phenomenal they taste.  

Clean eating feels good, and I am so thankful my taste buds did a 180!

All you need

Is love, LOVE, love ... All you need is love! 

 Happy "Valentimes" as Gabe and I call it!

Bob Harper goes CF

After watching The Biggest Loser this season ... I just KNEW Bob Harper was all over crossfit based on the workouts he was putting the contestants through and the gear he was wearing.  Not only was he sporting Lululemon, but the black tights and low performance shoe was a dead giveaway.  Now seeing that he is crossfitting himself is so great, and his verbiage of saying "the crossfit workouts just make sense."  THEY DO!  It's functional training that gets you in the fittest shape of your life, and what makes crossfit great is the fact that anyone with any skill level and athleticism can do it as it's modified for your level.

I LOVE IT!!!!!

Another one bites the dust!!!

Along with my mother-in-law who just started crossfit this week.

Gabe and I couldn't be more excited to encourage her along this journey!

Have you ever tried Crossfit?

Email me if you need that push to check it out!

seattlesmithsblog@gmail.com 

REAL reason for SV trip

When we weren't in our awesome cabin ...

We were most likely on the mountain :)

  

AND got a killer workout from hard 9-4 skiing, that's how we go! 

To then NYE to top off the fabulous trip

Okay, I think I am finally caught up, maybe.

Next up ... sharing in my challenge from the last 24 days!

HAPPY FRIDAY FRIENDS!

SV Part Dos

My new happy place for "wintery" goodness - SUN VALLEY

(Still on my list ... Aspen, and Whistler ... I love them all!)

Causing mischief at the most pricey store ever

The ladies loved us by the end, 

and we told them jokingly we'd back when we could afford their 3k jackets!

Gabe and I ventured to town and used Yelp to search fora  local coffee spot and found Java on Fourth.  Based on the reviews, we knew we could pass it up, and drug our friends with us the following day as it was a gem.  Seriously, best cup of coffee of my LIFE!  Super unique cup called "Bowl of Soul" including Mexican hot chocolate, espresso, AND coffee!!  YUMM

Kristina loving their homemade whipped cream

Lulu should pay us to wear their stuff from head to toe!

I want this RED wall!

Incredible sushi - Nom nom nom

Sweet girlfriends

The perfect sushi date

and lots of fun outing adventures - like ice skating!

Lovely views

Freezing our tails off

but soaking up God's beauty

AND breathtaking sunsets

LOVE