Day 11 Happy Mothers Day

So today was such a wonderful day…We took Jennifer out to one of her favorite restaurants, Silver Diner! We had a wonderful, ‘Healthy’ meal and then came home and did a GREAT workout! It was a Great day all around!

I truly am blessed to have such a wonderful wife and friend. She is the best Mother in the world to our children and has given so much of herself for our family! She deserves ALL and Complete happiness!!!

Blessed!

                                     ~Jennifer and Harvest~

~Rob

Day 10...A beautiful Day

What a wonderful and blessed day today was! Woke up early, the sun was shining ALlll day and not too hot or cold…perfect! I had a workout at Crossfit Montgomery County scheduled (thanks to my beautiful wife) and it was really nice. The workout was incredibly intense, but I truly enjoyed the atmosphere and meeting new people! Afterwards we took a beautiful drive up to a farm we found that sells grass-fed beef! It’s called Hedgeapple Farm and the drive was amazing…looks like it used to be an old farming town and the houses are right along a river and is just beautiful scenery. We bought some ground beef, steaks, liver and A huge ROAST!

We got home and Jen did her workout and we grilled out hamburgers…they were oh so good! We even splurged and ate them on Whole grain buns : ) It was really a nice evening and the food not too unhealthy at all.

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and I think Jen wants to go to our favorite local restaurant that serves organic, local food. Sounds like a nice day will be had tomorrow as well

Blessings!

~Rob

Day 9...Rest Day

Today was rest day and I always struggle with ‘rest’ day…I keep wanting to pick up some weights or jump on the treadmill and run, but I didn’t do too much. I worked on handstand pushups and tried working on power snatch and thrusters a little, but nothing to extreme!

Otherwise, today has been really nice…I actually got plenty of rest last night and felt GREAT! The weather was warm, but not hot and the sun was shining bright. We did have a little bit of a storm during dinner, but the rain was nice. Tomorrow I actually have an appointment at a Crossfit box! Jen bought me 8 workouts from ‘Living Social’ and so I’m going to use one tomorrow. 

Feel stuffed and definitely ate WAY too much tonight  : ) But, it is rest day…

Blessings!

~Rob

Day 8...sleepy

Wow, today was a bit stressful… got little to no sleep and so didn’t get up early and get school completed so stressed on that all day! Other than being a bit tired, ended up having a great workout and even did some light cardio this morning t help take the edge off : )

HOPEFULLY…I’ll sleep much better tonight and all will be well tomorrow!

Todays workout was…

Warm up 10 Thrusters, 45 lbs, 10 OH Squats, 45 lbs, 10 Back Extensions, 50 sit-ups

WOD/ 5 rounds for time of 10 deadlifts/ 10 jump box/ 15 kettle bell swings   Joshua-8:47.9  Jen-13:15.4  Rob- 10.9.5   (Joshua and Jen75lb deadlifts 27lb kettle bell 20in jump box)  (Rob 135lb deadlifts 1 pood kettle bell and 24in jump box)

Blessings!

~Rob

Day 7...Week ONE down, 11 more to go...

Well, week one has come and gone and it was an awesome week! We had a great workout today as well!!! Today we did Squats and I’m sure I’ll be feeling it tomorrow!

Anyway, this has been an amazing week and I’m really excited about the changes a coming : )

Off to bed…

Be blessed!

~Rob

Got in our order of EAS shakes and protein powder!

Day 6...Beautiful Day

Today was another great day…the weather was terrific! I managed to get up early and get started on school so I wasn’t too stressed out over it : ) I also ran 5.5+ miles on the treadmill before my first meal! The kids and I rode our bikes to the park this afternoon and had a blast playing baseball and running around.

Jen ran 4 miles on the treadmill when she got home and we had a nice dinner. So far so good…I really feel like this is our year…THIS is the challenge that we finally are going to successfully finish!!! I’m so excited and our relationship has taken a major turn for the better…things seem to be normal again! THANK GOD!!!  

Each day I wake up and thank of all the cool exercises we can do and we are having so much fun planning outdoor activities for us and the kids!

So blessed!

~Rob

Day 5...Fun in the sun!

Today was AWESOME!!!

Did a 5K run this afternoon on the treadmill and then a workout after Jen got home! School starts back tomorrow, but I’m going to try and start getting up earlier in the morning so I can get most of it completed before the kids wake…this will really help with distressing our life’s!

Other than that the challenge is going well…had a bit of an issue with one of my older daughter’s mom, but the situation is really out of my hand so not much use in worrying about it…All I can do is pray that it all works out! I can’t change the way other people feel! I’m not going to stress over it!!!

Time to eat…we’re having a late supper due to a late bike ride with the kids!!!

SOOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Blessings!

~Rob

Day 4...Rest Day

Today we took our first ‘official’ rest day…still ate really clean and low carb, but nothing off ‘the plan!’  Last night we ate a little off the plan while we watched the fight…we had homemade taco’s but we used grass-fed skirt steak, organic lettuce and tomatoes and also had some Mary’s crackers with feta spread/dip along with some non-GMO corn tortillas, chips and salsa! Mostly healthy and REALLY, REALLY tasty!!!

Today we are right back on it, but decided to rest from all the cardio and workouts…super sore!  We did take the kids on a bike ride for about an hour before it started raining…

Getting ready for a nice dinner of baked free-range chicken, organic asparagus and organic broccoli salad! Tomorrow starts back another week and I also start back to school after a three week break : (((  Jen, I and the kid’s are doing GREAT!!!

Be Blessed!

~Rob

Day 3...UFC 129 : )

Great day today…AWESOME workout and watching the UFC 129 fight, so quick post tonight!

First fight in a while alcohol free…feels good!

Blessings!

~Rob

Day 2...Shabbat Shalom!

So day 2 is pretty much in the books and it went surprisingly terrific! We did another run on the treadmill with an incline to make it more difficult. I was drenched in sweat afterwards! We had a nice, but healthy Shabbat meal tonight and really enjoyed some quality family time…it was really, really nice!!! Jen and I both are SOOO sore from yesterday’s workout…feels good though : )

So, tomorrow we will rest some, clean house and probably get a few groceries.

Till then, many blessings!

~Rob

Day 1...here we go again : )))

Today was our official ‘first Day’ of the challenge! Everything went really well…we got in a great workout and things with the family seem to be going WAY better!!! Jen and I are getting along really well and the kids seem really happy that the stress level has gone down : ) Jen got to come home early today and those days are really nice.

Trying to plan ahead for the weakened so there want be any surprises…don’t want to sabotage ourselves! Anyway, ordered some RTD shakes from EAS/Abbot today as well. Jen loves the cookies and cream and they were on sale : )

So far so good…

Blessings!

~Rob

Prestart day...To the Glory of God

So seems we actually made it a WHOLE 2 days this attempt : )))

This would be totally laughable, if not so serious! Anyway, made it to date night and everything went well…LOVED the Rock Climbing, really awesome adventure!!! All went really well until we got to the Irish Pub, actually that wasn’t too awful bad except we drank way too much or more then we had planned anyways! We met a really nice couple and were having a great time. It all went South when we got home at about 3 in the morning and by the time the babysitter left at 5am I was already up, we had made a couple of drinks once we got home also, so once the sun came up there was no way I was going to bed!

Jen fell asleep and when she woke up 6-7 hours later there I sat : ) She wasn’t happy and we ended up arguing most of the rest of the day! I really wish I had went to sleep cause it was a miserable day…the problem is, I just couldn’t…once I saw the sunlight I guess my internal clock was reset!

Anyway, we ended up making up, but we have spent the last 3 days depressed and, once again feeling like we let our family, selves and God down! It’s become blatantly apparent that alcohol is not going to be able to have a place in our life! Nearly every time we drink it derails our challenge and cause nothing but strife in our life and marriage!!!

So, Jen and I had a long talk last night and even talked to the kids…we prayed and made some decisions that are going to change our life and the direction it’s been taking lately. We have placed so much focus on completing a BFL challenge, becoming healthy and fit, yet at the same time have tried to maintain a lifestyle that doesn’t necessarily denote and definitely doesn’t promote that lifestyle. We have lost the simple things in life and the foundation of our Faith (which use to be so strong)! I think we both agree that we have been trying to do this on our own and sometimes asking for God’s help and accepting it are two very different things!

So, we have dedicated ourselves a fresh and a new to following God, His principles and guidelines for our life and seeking His guidance for this challenge and EVERY part of our life! We cannot deal with ALL the stress in our life’s right now alone! We can’t be party people and eat and maintain a healthy life…we can’t focus on anything, but GOD and our family and helping others! Anything else will lead us right back to this situation!

So, after 3 days of depression, 10 pound weight gain on my part and lot’s of prayer…we are going to commit to finally completing this challenge successfully! The WHOLE family is on board and with God’s help I have a sneaky feeling that this is it…this is finally the time!

This will be the post that we will look back on and say, “This is the day things turned around and we were finally able to do this!”

God bless!

~Rob

Body-for-Life Challenge 2011

Took before photo’s on April 26th, 2011

Starting Date: 4/28/11

                 End Date:  7/21/11

Rob weight: 175.6

Jen’s weight: 162.5

off to a great start!

Day 2 went really well, as did Day 1!

We did 2 really great workouts both days…we did 5 rounds for time of: 400 meter run/ 10 thrusters/ 40 sit-ups Jen- 45lb bar Rob 95lbs – Jen 30:09.4   Rob 23:50.7 yesterday, and todays WOD and times were Row 2K   Joshua 11:25.2   Jen 9:41.2   Rob 8:25.3!

Other than my lack of sleep ‘issues’ things have been going surprisingly well. Jen and I are getting along great and have even planned a date night for tomorrow night : ) Eating healthy again feels awesome and even the children seem to really enjoy it!

So far so good!

Till tomorrow!

~Rob

body-for-Life Challenge!

So, once again the last couple of weeks have been pretty rough! It seems stress from school, work, 4 kids and life in general have derailed us yet another time. I know from our past experience with trying to complete the 12 week Body-for-Life how difficult it is for us.

Most people just push through and past life’s obstacles and finish the 12 weeks…we can’t seem to do that. I don’t think it’s a case of ‘perfectionist’ but rather simply wanting to do ‘it’ right…not wanting to leave anything to chance…not wanting to look back at the end of 12 weeks and think, “if only.”

I normally keep this blog real simple and have never gotten too personal and it’s not like anyone is really reading it anyway, but I think I’m going to share a bit more of my emotions and what’s going on in hopes that that will help de-stress my life. STRESS is the ultimate killer of our challenge attempts…stress leads to alcohol, which sometimes leads to ‘over-consumption, which definitely leads to 3-4 or more days missed from the challenge usually with me ending up in deep depression!  

Over the last few months this cycle has led to some very unsettling moments in my marriage also…actually to the point that the ‘D’ word has been brought up and we have never considered that an option. So, something has to be done to end this cycle and get us back into a ‘healthy’ place. Jen missed her weight again for work and this isn’t good. She is an emotional eater and when stress hits her…she eats! I run to alcohol and she runs to food!

Well, I hope and pray that God will help us once and for all…This Body-for-Life challenge is something we have aspired too for years and is a GREAT common goal that we have to bring us closer and heal our relationship. We have 4 beautiful children who depend on us for EVERYTHING and I do not want to let them down. Harvest, with her Type 1 diabetes needs us more than ever and needs that healthy example placed into her life at an early age! We need this and have to finish it! Not to mention how much a blessing the prize money would be if we could actually WIN!!!

So, this is where we are at right now…we have ALL the tools necessary, we just have to get the right attitude and let nothing stop us! PLEASE GOD, give us the strength to complete this challenge and be the example to our children and others that we need to be!

Amen!

~Rob

rough day...

Day 6 was a rough day…felt totally stressed and decided to have a few drinks…

Didn’t really overdo it, but didn’t help matters either! Took a rest from working out as I can barely move…those walking lunges killed my legs!!! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day!

Till then!

~Rob  

still sleepy

Today was beautiful outside…I still struggled with sleep last night and not sure what to do, but hopefully I’ll figure it out soon. We did a crazy WOD today, the Crossfit main site called for 400 meter walking lunges and OMGoodness…I’m not sure I’ll be able to walk tomorrow!!!

My legs are so stiff right now and Jen feels the same way…Joshua seemed to do fine with his though. Anyway, I’m off to bed and hopefully to sleep : )

Till tomorrow!

~Rob

Sooo Sleepy

Day 4 is almost in the books and I’m exhausted! I seem to have this problem every time I start exercising after a couple of weeks off…I CAN’T SLEEP!!! I lay there and lay there tossing and turning, mind racing like crazy and end up with only 2-4 hours a night! This is and has always been one of my biggest struggles with fitness and losing body fat!

Tonight I’m hoping to turn it around…I’m heading to bed right after this and hopefully fall right to sleep…I took 2 Benadryl which is supposed to knock me out, per my wife’s suggestion : )

Anyway, Great day today overall, I got in a great chest workout this morning and then did a WOD with Jen and Joshua this afternoon!  We did WOD/For time run 800 meters/ 25 20lb medicine ball squats/ 25 kettle bell swings/25 box jumps/ 50 sit-ups / run 800 meters   Joshua 14:03.75  Mom 17:56.52  Dad 11:59.37

Hope everyone else is having a great week and blessings to you all!

Best!

~Rob

sore all over : )

Another amazing day…lots of rain, but it couldn’t damper my mood!!! Feels so good to actually be feeling good again! Jen is still a bit under the weather and has TONS of school work she’s trying to get caught up on. We were all sore from yesterdays WOD so her and Joshua took a rest day, but I felt good enough that I decided to hop on the treadmill and run a quick 5K before bed tonight!

Weight is also starting to come off pretty quick…

Sleep well!

~Rob

Feeling good...

Today was AWESOME!!!



  Joshua doing todays WOD

The sun was bright, sunny and in the temps high 80’s!... Jen actually came home early due to her sinus infection, but she STILL managed to give her all during our workout! Today’s WOD was 5 rounds for time of: 400 meter run/thrusters rob 95lbs-Jen and josh 45lbs/ 30 sit-ups – Rob 21:31.2   Jen 25:06.1   Joshua 25:34.8

Our last meal of the day was quite delectable as well…even the kids LOVED it…we had Grass-fed beef and organ meat meatballs with coconut and tomato sauce- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/curry-meatballs-with-a-little-offal-in-creamy-tomato-coconut-sauce/  Fresh strawberries and blueberries

So this challenge is off to a great start and I know our numbers are going to be really good this week. I have a little break from school so that has really helped with my daily stress level and that’s always a good thing! Anyway, trying to get more quality sleep too, so sleep well blogger land!

Till tomorrow!

~Rob

No, we will not go away!

 So what we thought was a simple cold morphed into a major illness…Jen and I both are STILL congested and I think she has a sinus infection! Anyway, yeah you know it….starting over cause this means more to us than just a 12 week challenge! We are in it to win it!!!

I hope, sincerely hope that this will be our time-our year-our challenge!!! Going to give it our ALL! Started out good today, took before pictures on the 8^th and our official DAY 1 Started today…had a GREAT workout, despite still being sick!

I know people must think were crazy, but when you look back in 2012 and see we won this thing you’ll say, “WOW, perseverance pays off”

All the best!

~Rob