Yesterday ruled. I had such a nice time with M & m!
Breakfast
My morning started with a bowl of Greek yogurt mixed with fresh blueberries and trail mix.
After breakfast, I got myself ready to go to CrossFit which included mixing up an amino acid drink to take with me.
As part of my sponsorship for the CrossFit Games, GNC sent me a whole bunch of their products to try out. I have to admit, I never considered taking supplements outside of a daily multivitamin and fish oil, but I’m excited that GNC has given me to the opportunity to test out some of their products and see how they impact my recovery and performance at CrossFit.
So, what’s this amino acid stuff all about? It’s new to me too, so here’s quick explanation from Men’s Health:
Your workout is a muscle-growth party, and a [drinking] a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) drink kick-starts it. BCAAs are protein building blocks that fuel your muscles and help them grow.
And here’s some more info from GNC:
Branched Chain Amino Acids (BCAA) – leucine, isoleucine and valine – are critically important for stimulating muscle protein synthesis, reducing protein breakdown and preserving muscle glycogen stores. The body uses these essential amino acids as fuel during exercise.
It’s important to note that BCAAs won’t help if you aren’t eating enough calories and protein, so I’m planning to drink a protein shake after my workouts to see if it’ll help me recover and build muscle. It’s going to be a little experiment! We’ll see how it goes!
Workout
Yesterday’s WOD was a fun one!
It was a partner workout and our coaches named it after one of the guys at our box!
WOD:
(In teams of two)3 rounds for time
30 “Don Allans”
1500 meter Row
*One person works, one person rests
*Weights will be determined by coaches in classDon Allan – Perform a barbell roll-out, then power clean the bar from the floor. Finish with a push press. That is 1 repetition.
Everyone was paired up with a partner and then each group decided how to split up the workout. The class before us suggested splitting the “Don Allens” into small increments, so my partner and I went back and forth doing 5 reps each until we hit 30. For the rowing, we each did 300 meters until we reached 1500 meters for the first two rounds and then we banged out the last round with 750 meters each. I used 75 pounds for the “Don Allens” and my partner and I finished in 38:43.
Lunch
After CrossFit, Mal and I headed home, drank protein shakes, showered up, and then Googled dog-friendly restaurants in Boston. It was a beautiful day, so we wanted to go out to lunch, but we also didn’t want to leave Murphy at home. Thanks to the powers of Google, we learned that the Cambridge Brewing Company allows dogs on their patio. Dogs and beer? Sweet!
Murphy was so well-behaved during our lunch. He just chilled under our table.
Beerunch? Yes, please!
To drink, I picked the Mass Appeal, which was a collaboration brew between Cambridge Brewing Company, Mystic Brewery, Enlightenment Ales, Idle Hands Craft Ales, and Night Shift Brewing. It was one of the most interesting beers I’ve drank in awhile. It had so many different flavors””malty, citrusy, and smoky all in one sip. My mouth didn’t know what to do!
To eat, I ordered the Grilled Eggplant & Shrimp Salad, which came with green beans, tomatoes, goat cheese, and an herb vinaigrette. It was fresh and delicious!
Good times with M & m!
After lunch, Mal, Murphy, and I spent a little time wandering around Kendall Square and then we hit the road to head home.
Dinner
For dinner, Mal and I headed to Burton’s to visit a couple of our friends, who were working the evening shift. Mal and I ate a late lunch, so we sat at the bar and ordered a couple of drinks (a glass of wine and a Piña Colada Martini for me) and an appetizer (Philly Spring Rolls) to share.
The Philly Spring Rolls were amazing. Yum! They were made with diced sirloin, onions, and lots of provolone and American cheese. Please order these if you visit Burton’s!
Back at home, I ended up getting hungry later in the night, so I made an omelet with mozzarella cheese and buffalo sauce. It hit the spot and then I headed straight to bed.
Fun day!
