How Clean is Clean?

Of course I'm talking about food again....how clean is clean? There's no denying food you pick out of the ground, or from a tree that hasn't been treated with chemicals, is as clean as a food can get, but we all can't, want or need to eat only raw natural foods. But let's say we could.....

What is the purpose of eating clean? Is it just about our bodies, and health, or is it about the health of our planet, and environment? So much about organic farming and local eating is about using less fossil fuels to transport unseasonal, unregional foods. So is a organic bell pepper shipped and then ground transported from Holland, to your local Trader Joe's, that's been wrapped in plastic for weeks, clean? What about that organic leg of lamb from New Zealand?

Until I write a blog post about the differences between commerically raised chicken (or should I say commercially caged chicken), organic chicken, free range chicken and pasture fed chicken, does eating any of these choices affect how clean a homemade meal is? Is a homemade roasted, un-organic chicken "cleaner" than a organic roasted chicken from Whole Foods, that has been brined or marinated in salt, un-organic spices, and sometimes sugar?

And since I'm on the subject of chicken..... Right now I have homemade chicken stock in my freezer, three kinds, one made with completely organic, pasture fed, chicken bones, and organic veggies from the farmers market, one made with industrial organic chicken bones, and some industrial organic veggies, and one made from chickens grilled at the Mexican market that had been marinated in who knows what, but for sure not organic chickens....(I just couldn't bring myself to not use the left over bones!) Is one homemade chicken stock "cleaner" than another, and would organic chicken broth from Whole Foods be better than my un-organic homemade stock?

And what about the homemade soup I make from my un-organic chicken stock. Is it still less clean if I use organic veggies? Or is my homemade soup made with organic stock, less clean if I use industrially grown veggies? What if I add meat to my soup? Is it less clean if I use anything but pasture fed, orgainic animal protein? (meat) How does any un-organic homemade soup compare to orgainc canned soups?

The difference between a processed dry cereal, no matter how "healthy" it is and oatmeal is obvious, but are highly processed"quick oats" better and cleaner than dry cereal? Quick cooking oats are more processed than old-fashioned oats, that are more processed than steel cut oats, so what level of clean do you choose? What if you pour un-organic milk over your oats, or God forbid use white sugar in your oats (one of my favorites, lol!) All are still better than a breakfast burrito, even most dry cereals!

What about juice? Can you buy an orange juice as clean as picking the oranges and juicing them yourself? Does it really matter that much, or does how much juice you drink more important for your health?

What is the difference between clean eating and healthy eating? Is there a difference? I, personally don't think using ingredients like real butter, or cream, makes a meal unclean, or unhealthy. Does the freshness of a food make a difference? Like I mentioned earlier, does storing or heating foods in plastic make a difference? For that matter does cooking food at all versus eating raw make a difference? How about the cooking method? Grilling, roasting, boiling, etc....how about using a microwave? Do unseasonal, unregional foods make a difference? How many levels of "clean" are you willing to break it down to before you jump on the "I only eat clean" bandwagon? What is your personal philoshoy or ranking system?

What ever it is, unless your standards are through the roof, then don't judge, less be judged, lol! I managed to lose over 100lbs without ever eating an organic veggie, much less a pasture fed chicken! Lets not forget what's really important. Eating fresh live foods. Making and preparing your own foods. Using quality ingredients, and eating healthy portions. If you move toward healthy foods, you also move toward cleaner eating practices, and visa versa! Whatever choices you make feel good about them.....we all do our best, until we learn to do better, then we do better.....right?

200 rep Workout, 12, 16, 20, 24kg

Reading blogs is an invaluable way to stay inspired and motivated. I recently described my blog, at our workshop in Healdsburg, as a "free personal trainer".....it's the same with anyone else that posts actual workouts. If someone is doing it, then it can be done! I noticed that Franz and Yoana tested their swings with the 24kg, to see how long it would take to do 200 reps......

I never really know what my workout is going to be until I get into the gym, but during Bikram yoga Saturday morning the number 200 was stuck in my head. I knew I could swing the 12 and the 16 for 200 continuous reps, I had done that many times. But I had never swung the 20kg, or the 24kg, continuous, for more than 40 reps, until Saturday.......

6:30am KB swings with client (10-15 min, I go, you go)
7:20am 45 minute walk w/client
10:00a, Bikram yoga
1:30 KB 200 rep workout




20kg 200 rep roundabouts (2 hand and 1 hand swings)

Work sets

200 reps done in "roundabouts" w/12kg, 5 min work
2 min rest= 7 min set
200 rep roundabouts w/16kg, 5 min work,
3 min rest= 8 min set
200 rep roundabout w/20kg, 5 min work,
4 min rest= 9 min. set
200 rep 2 hand swings w/24kg, 4 min work (160 continuous reps), 30 sec rest, 1 mim. work (40 reps), 3.5 min. rest= 9 min set
200 rep roundabouts w/12kg, 5 min. work, 1 min. rest x 3 sets = 18 min.



24kg, 200 reps (2 hand swings)

Total workout 51 min. 1400 swings




Roundabouts are a combination swing exercise I developed to progressively work from 2 hand to one hand swings with heavier weights.

Clean Eating, and my Inner Snob

I've been wanting to write about the subject of "eating clean". Eating clean will, if it hasn't already, be the next bandwagon to be jumped on....thank goodness the catch-phrase"core training" is winding down, lol! I would love to write all of my thoughts and opinions about eating clean, but that would take too long, and very quickly become boring in a pretentious kind of way. So, instead I'm simply starting this post with the question of "What does eating clean mean?"

This is where my inner snob starts to show.....

In a perfect "eating clean" world, any food that processed, in any way, is not "clean". Any food that comes in a package, and all you have to do is open the package and eat, is not eating clean.
So on a scale of 1-10, #1 being ready-made, ready-to-eat, processed foods, and #10 being fresh, live, raw, natural and truly organic foods that you prepare yourself, where do your foods rate?

I keep, and have been keeping a hard copy food journal for months now, and I'll start to post my daily menu again on Food and Thought, rating my own food choices and why I make the choices I do. The trade-offs that are sometimes acceptable, and the hypocrisy my inner snob has to answer to, lol!

I have an interest and desire to keep improving the foods I chose to eat, building a strong, resilient body, and maintain a quality of health that gives me the physical freedom to enjoy this good life. I see and hear a similar desire with the people I connect with everyday and I thought this would be a good way of expanding, and sharing ideas of awareness.

There is so much information, but more importantly so much personal experience, not just mine, on how to move toward health. That's my "thing", Move toward health.....(another blog post, for another time!) I look forward to any comments.

Wednesday, heavy 2 hand swing ladder

6:30am KB
9:15 Bikram yoga

Warm up

40 rep per min. pace, 1 min work / rest x 4 sets w/12kg, 1 set w/16kg = 10 min.

Work sets

40 2 hand swing w/20kg, 1 min work,
30 sec rest
20 2 hand swing w/24kg, 30 sec work,
30 sec rest
20 2 hand swing w/28kg, 30 sec work,,
30 sec rest,
40 2 hand swings w/16kg, 1 min. work,
1 min rest
repeat x 6 rotations in this order = 33 min.




10/10/10/10 x 2 botooms up swings w/12kg, 2 min work, 1 min rest = 5 min.

Total workout 48 min.

I've been putting my workouts as the priority in the mornings, scheduling clients starting @ 6:30am, which means I have to start my KB's an hour early, on time, to get a good workout in myself! Life is good, and getting my workouts in first is great!

I didn't come to play

Geez, I never did Max Vo2 in sunglasses and earrings before, lol. 40 sets of 9 reps per set, after the five minute snatch ramp up.


Every two years you have to retest the snatch to recertify, so I decided to try it all on one arm when I got home. The first set of 70 was done with my strong side, this is my weak side....71. The hard part was getting it done before the 3 minute video capability was over...the first set took about 3 1/2 min.


Snatch workout

70/70
50/30
20/20/20
10/10 x 5 (5 min. set)
380 snatches

One hand speed swings

20/20, 1 min work/rest
24/24, 1 min work/rest
x 5 rotations = 20 min.

Wow, What a RKC weekend!

I just got back from assisiting at my second RKC, being assigned to Doug Nepodals Team, (I assisited Geoff Neuperts team in Arpril 07), and what an experience! The best part was, I was so much more appreciative to have the honor of assisting. I joke about attending Certs to simply ride coattails of my brilliant husband Mark, Master Instructor, acting as "unofficial" photographer, etc., but I will never miss an opportunity to assist again, and will do so anytime if they invite me back!

I didn't take many pictures, so I apologize to my team, they deserved a few photos of such an event, and now that I'm home I realized I should've made more of an effort. (I have had other things going on lately.....)

The top photo is one of maybe 6 photos of the whole weekend, taken at the beginning of day 2. Part of Team Nepodal, Dustin, Matt, Kerry (co-assistant), Al, Derek and James.

More to come.....

Matchy-matchy

Good Lord, can it be? Am I making Mark and me one of those obnoxious matchy-matchy couples? Yes! And so what, it's kind of fun, lol! I try and wear the same color as Mark when we go to yoga together....it's not bad enough that we hold hands during savasana!