Paleo Sherbet

killerkate — Tue, 08 May 2012 21:34:40 +0000

We recently acquired a Vitamix and have started juicing. I was skeptical at first, but I’ve quickly come to enjoy a good juice and have been using it to get in mass amounts of greens.

Juicing led me to experiment with deserts – sherbets in particular. One thing about juicing is that the more water you put in the thinner it is. Why not flip that, the less water you put in the thicker it is?

I did just that – boda bing! Paleo Sherbet and it’s AWESOME!!!

Berry Sherbet
2 bannas
2 cups mixed berries
1/4 cup avocado oil
1/2 cup water
2 hours in the freezer
ENJOY!

Happy 6 Month Anniversary

killerkate — Fri, 04 May 2012 17:17:35 +0000

HAPPY 6 MONTH ANNIVERSARY TO ME!!!!

That’s right, it’s been a whole 6 months to the day since I had a complete achilles repair, and in honor of today I ran my first unbroken mile in 9:10. Not a record setting run, but a pain free run none the less.

I can’t wait to see where I’ll be by The Beast of the East (my first competition back)

70lbs PR’s are the BEST!!!

killerkate — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:56:11 +0000

I headed over to The Ludus, owned by Mark Valenti to learn the box squat. It’d had been a long time since I had last back squatted. Like a year and a half ago long time. My previous PR was 265lbs.

We started todays session with an empty bar, and to say it was a struggle was is an under statement. I’ve spent so much time focusing on a solid olympic lifting squat. Hitting ass to ankles and bouncing out of the bottom. To take a wide stance and send the butt back was counter initiative to everything my body wanted to do.

I honestly thought it was going to be a lost cause by the end of the fist set of 5. The more sets I got in, the easier it became. I had to stop fighting what I was used to and put my faith into the system. Sure enough….. shit worked!

I hit a 70lbs PR hitting a 315lbs box squat, and it landed me on The Ludus leader board. And me being slightly competitive and greedy – I already have my sights on the top of the board and with 20 more lbs I’ll be there. (see lift below)

Eating Paleo for less than $10.00 a day

killerkate — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:16:54 +0000

A few of the biggesst sticking points I find with eating healthy are price and time to prep. Running a CrossFit gym, training for competition, building my brand, training my dog to compete and now having a boyfriend I’m finding time management becoming more and more important.

Part of eating healthy is figuring out getting the right foods & doing it quickly. For a year and a half I weighed and measured every single thing I put into my mouth. It took quite a bit of time to prepare my food for a full week, especially if I wanted any type of variety. We’re talking 2-3 hours a week without variety and 3-4+ if I want variety. Not too bad for a full week, but that doesn’t include the time it takes to shop for all the ingredients. The whole process could take up to 6-7 hours. Or……

I can run through Giant Eagle (a local grocery store), grab pre-prepared food that’s totally paleo, already cooked and get out the door in 15min with lunch and dinner ready to go. And to top it all off, it can cost less than $10.00 for both meals. SOLD!

Buying food already made saves me shopping and cooking time allowing me to spend more time on doing the things I actually want and need to do. Spending the money is worth it up front because the freed up time I now have I get to spend bringing more money in the door! WIN WIN!!!

Regionals is KILLING me!

killerkate — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:48:40 +0000

I have found that all the talk of regionals is slowly killing me. Ok, that’s an overstatement, but it does sting. Having competed in the CrossFit Games as an individual athlete and wanting nothing more than to return to the Home Depot Center, it’s killing me to sit on the sidelines.

The athlete in me is more motivated than ever to prove that I’m NOT done and that I’m a contender more than ever as a result, which is good, but it doesn’t make sitting in the stands any easier.

I will continue to fight for what I want, and that’s to train and compete no matter how hard it is to come back, regardless of what nay sayers say and regardless of how many sacrifices I have to make. This is what I want and this is what I will do!

“Winners are not those who never fail, but those who never quit.”

You’re jobs so easy – perk vs reality

killerkate — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:06:39 +0000

If I had a penny for every time someone told me that my ‘job was easy’ I’d be rich!!!!

There are many people in and outside of the CrossFit world that see all the perks without the reality.

Perk – wearing sweats all day
Reality – I do wear sweats all day, but it means my ‘real’ clothes are dated and out of fashion

Perk- you can work out all day
Reality – I’m teaching classes all day, sometimes I don’t want to be there any more, even if it’s for my personal workout

Perk- you make your own schedule
Reality – I’m at the mercy of the gym schedule, less hours = less options = less members Hiring coaches has helped this, but I’ve managed to fill that with running the business (not because I HAVE too, but because I WANT to)

Perk – you have your afternoons to do what ever you want
Reality – I have three websites building the brand, two inboxes, voicemail, programming, blogging, researching, etc While yes, I’m not running classes all afternoon, that doesn’t mean if I’m not running classes I’m not working. Running classes is the easy stuff.

Ok… ok… ok… you get the idea. When you look behind the curtain there’s much more involved to running a gym than just coaching a few classes a day. The next time you go to your box thank the owner, they’re working harder than you may realize.

Lost in the big city

killerkate — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:47:14 +0000

I traveled to Chicago this past weekend for the CrossFit Coaches Prep course. Atlas CrossFit is downtown, so I opted to stay downtown and avoid renting a car. I was NOT prepared for traveling around the big city using public transportation.

Yes I’m ‘from Cleveland’ but I’m really from the suburbs and I think other than heading to a Cleveland Browns game I used the AmTrack once.

Challenge #1: Get to Ashland off the Orange Line
When I arrived in Chicago it was my task to get to the Orange Line and get off at Ashland. Elizabeth Aikenwale would be there to pick me up and head to the gym. I was confident I could do it. I followed signs to ‘public transport’ and I got the bus/train station. I then had a NOW WHAT moment. There were people putting money into two different machines that spit out tickets.
What machine am I using?
How much do I put in?

I wasn’t really sure what to do, so I found a woman wearing a CTA vest, and she was less than thrilled to help me. She made it clear I had stopped her on her way to a break. Here’s how our conversation went down:
Me: How do I get onto the Orange Line to Ashland
CTA: You taking a train or a bus?
Me: (confused look) Ummmm…..I’m not sure. The Orange Line
CTA: You taking a bus after the train? (in a sassy annoyed tone)
Me: (same confused look) Ummm…I don’t know, she said to take the Orange Line to Ashland
(we ping pong this conversation 3 or 4 times before I finally got an answer)
CTA: $2.25 in the blue machine

I inserted my money and took my ticket. I followed everyone elses lead and went through the turn style….and now what??? I found a cute little blonde girl that looked like she’d take mercy on me, and I was right she did. I wasn’t sure what train I was getting on, going what direction and she walked me through it.

Challenge #2: Get from downtown to the airport
After a great lunch with Jonny Vu of CrossFit Chicago he dropped me off at the train station, little did I realize there was more than the Orange line, there was the Green line. It wasn’t until I sat down, door closed, and the train set off that I realized I was on the wrong damn train. Son of a…..

Needless to say, I realized that I an NOT a big city girl.

The Back Story

killerkate — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:03:21 +0000

I recently got into a conversation with my boyfriend whom works a ‘normal’ job while I’m traveling, attending certs and throwing down with some well known athletes that I call friends. My life may look fun and care free from the outside, but little thought is given to the 5 1/2 years of hard work I’ve put into to get where I’ve gotten.

When I started CrossFit I was almost 80lbs heavier, a recent grad working a real job just looking to get into shape. The last several years I have embraced all that CrossFit has offered me, and worked hard to achieve the highest success both as an athlete and a coach. He sent me a post he’d read on facebook from another entrepreneur (non-crossfit), but you’ll get the idea…….

I copied this from the facebook post I was talking about, this is the part of it that made me think of you…

you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You saw my big home at last years Christmas party. I’m sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life. However, what you don’t see is the back story.

I started this company 12 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living space was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn’t have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business — hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting Nordstrom’s for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn’t look like it was birthed in the 70′s.

My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business — with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9 am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5 pm, I don’t. There is no “off” button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, ****, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to me like a 1 day old baby.

You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden — the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations… You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I’ve made.

I’m a B.I.T.C.H.

killerkate — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 15:20:41 +0000

I recently traveled to Boston and I did so by plane. That required me to spend time on a plane disconnected from the world. I chose to spend my time reading the book ‘If you have to cry go outside’. And it wears just the book i needed at just the right time.

The book is written by Kelly Cutrone, the founder of People’s Revolution, a huge fashion icon. Her straight forward business attitude is a huge breath of fresh air. Her key to success is honoring herself and being honest with those around her.

You’d be surprised how many people spend the majority of their time trying to ‘do’ or ‘be’ or ‘portray’ something. Being honest about what you want and what you think of others actually catches people off guard.

I’ve found this to be true. Ive had to be brutally honest with people recently and as stressful as it was, everyone was relieved in the end. It’s not easy telling someone theyre screwing up, especially when it’s a friend. Its not easy firing and employee especially when you see the good at their core. Its not easy making hard decisions that are the best for you and your business especially when it effects everyone around you.

Thats what makes me a B.I.T.C.H. – boss in total control of herself

It’s not always easy being in charge and changing the direction you’re going when it’s not the popular decision. At the end of the day I didnt open my own business to be so worried about everyone else that I silently sacrifice my vision to keep the peace. At the end of the day I have to do what’s best for me, my business, the community and vision I’m building, regardless of what others think.

Boston or BUST

killerkate — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 18:39:28 +0000

Its seems like so long ago I booked a trip to Boston to spend a day at CrossFit New England for their affiliate seminar. And of course, as a Reebok athlete, how could I pass up a chance to spend a few days at Reebok One?

So as I sit in the airport waiting to leave I’m feeling the load lighten. I’ve got an amazing coaching staff that will keep the gym running while I’m away. And I have ZERO worries that they’ll do a great job.

It’s an amazing feeling to be a year and a half into business and not worry about leaving it. And even cooler, knowing it’s not going to skip a beat without me. I would call that a success!