I'm a Quitter

I'm putting an end to my Love Affair with Caffeine, Sugar, and Bread. I'm trying really hard to stay in the Zone.

I officially started today. No cheats so far. I was tempted this morning at EthanBoos school Thanksgiving party. I handed out four dozen cupcakes to the children and didn't even lick a single one... the cupcakes, not the kids.

I think the caffeine is going to be the hardest part. I used to hate Starbucks ... I called it StarYUCKS. But somewhere along the line I fell in love. I'm easy I guess and I believe CrossFit is partly to blame.

I've always loved coffee. Especially the cheap kind from the delis in New York. I can still get a cup for 75 cents and it's delicious and makes me nostalgic. It reminds me of my parents and going down to the corner store when I was a kid to get a cup for each of them. I still think they sent me so they could have some "alone time". My dad liked his Black with 3 sugars and my Mom liked hers with milk, no sugar. The way they took their coffee said a lot about them - they're so opposite. My Mama always left a red lipstick print on her paper cup. I loved them so much.

But now I'm older and more mature or something and I like cappuccino. But I'm quitting. I've quit. I drink too much of the stuff. And all the cream and 3 equals I put in each of them just isn't good for me. I have to go cold turkey and make one day I'll be able to enjoy just one cup once a day. I sound like a junkie or an alcoholic. I'm "Getting off the crack". All of it.

I want to be as healthy as I can be and fit as Fuck. I know I look beautiful by most people standards, including my own. But I want to be fit and LOOK fit. I don't want veins sticking out anywhere, I don't want to lose my awesome booty and I don't need a 6pack, but I'd be happy if I could see some of the cute little muscles I've worked so hard for :) And being lighter means moving faster and getting to use less weight for "Linda" ;). I want faster recovery and all the benefits that come with the right choices.

I know it doesn't happen overnight but I have to start making changes somewhere. It has been easy to put in the back of my mind when I'm not surrounded by insanely fit, health obsessed people. I've had the most success with my diet and training when I had people who were all about it doing it with me. Brendan and the Blauers have been such huge inspirations to me. Their dedication to becoming healthy and staying healthy by having such control over their training and diet impresses me so much. I wanna be like them.. And when you have a boyfriend that looks like this it's impossible to not be excited about working out, eating well and looking good.

My Motivation

FAMILY

Summertime and the Livin's Easy... In Brooklyn

I guess there are some things about the city that will never get old... passing bizarre looking people on the sidewalks, cool cafes scattered all over (I think I could go to a different one everyday if I really wanted to), visiting museums and galleries is one of my favorite things to do even though I don't take advantage of them nearly enough these days. I really do love wandering around the boroughs and getting lost. It's easy to just stay on route from the same point A to point B everyday.. but I like to explore. There will always be streets I haven't walked down before, scenery I haven't seen and gum blops I haven't stepped on.

My friends are always up to weird shit. I used to be up to it with them but I've been pretty single minded lately... CrossssFittt. About two years ago there wasn't a week that went by that I didn't find myself in a new apartment, hanging with new people and having a great time. I used to take full advantage of the city and all the excitement it had to offer. I was bold and carefree... or careless... I remember so many times that I looked around and said to myself "how the heck did I end up here right now? hahaha". It was awesome at the time. I was constantly surprising myself by going with the flow. Life will take you to all sorts of places if you let it.

ANd I love Graffiti. I think the whole city should be covered with it... and murals. All kinds of artwork everywhere. I don't understand why it's illegal to turn something boring into something beautiful. The city is so grey.. all brick.. all blah. Who wouldn't love splashes of color and design? Buildings and trains should be treated like canvases. The city should be drowned in spray paint... but not by crappy artists who think they can do graffiti and it just looks like a 5 year olds handwriting.. the kind people actually go out of their way to check out online or stop to admire when spotted on the street.

I guess NYC isn't ALL bad.

A, B, J & J in VB

** Brendan, Me, JroCk & Jeannie **


I'm excited to have my Blog back. I want this to be a reflection of my life so that my friends and family can come here and see what I'm up to.

I'm happy. I'm starting to assemble some sort of plan for the next few months. When I got back from my fun summer on the West Side I felt like I was in limbo. I had an idea of what I wanted to do but wasn't sure where I wanted to go. I'm anxious to get out of NYC again. I'll always be a NYC girl at heart and I'll miss my Mama and Little EthanBoo like crazy. But I need so much more than what this place has for me.

I need new scenery. The city looks so Grey and dirty. I want trees and water and the smell of nature. I want to be used to being friendly with strangers - not rude and defensive like I am now. No matter how many people surround me on the crowded streets, I feel alone. I feel like I have to put up a wall around me - straight face, headphones in my ears, closed off body language. There was a time when I smiled walking down the streets just because I was happy on the inside... I'm sure lots of people thought I was nuts and men always thought I was being flirty. I'm just over the crowds. I'm so, so over it. I'm over the chaos that I used to be so excited to be a part of. I used to love pushing my way through the swarms of people in Times Square and on the Subway platforms and seeing who I'd bump into or meet. It's just not for me anymore. I'm not interested. It may sound crazy or impossible but I feel like I've met everyone I'd like to meet here. I've exhausted myself.

I need new Gyms! One of the coolest things about Virginia Beach is how much time I get to spend hanging out under pull-up bars, surrounded by bumper plates and kettlebells. I like variety and I have it there.

The Facility is the biggest and hands down one of the coolest gyms I've ever set foot in. There's more equipment than I know what to do with and the people who train there are awesome. I get a kick out of watching Jesse push herself running laps. I love the excitement the newbies have over CrossFit. I'm so happy for them and loved being a part of their workouts. I have mixed feelings about the temperature - I hate the cold and having to wear layers, but I love that it gets me on the rower.

The best part is definitely watching Brendan coach his classes. He's the best I know. He speaks so well and commands everyones attention. He's not boring. He can get a huge group of people who don't know what the hell they're doing to do exactly what he wants and needs. It's impressive. I think I'd panic if I had the responsibility that he does sometimes. I have so much to learn from him and I pay close attention to what he does with his groups. I'm confident that being around him will make me a better trainer. He makes me want to be better.

Jeannies Beach CrossFit is a killer gym too. That's Jeannie and Justin (JroCk) in the picture with me and B. Those two have more energy than my 3 year old brother and they put it to great use. They LOVE CrossFit and it shows through how much time they spend in the gym, the intensity with which they attack their KILLER workouts and through their encouragement. When we worked out together and they finished before me, they came over and actually did MORE burpees with me. I wanted to kill them at the time but after I was so appreciative that they cared so much about me finishing. It was awesome. I can do without the little dance they did around me though ;)

Jeannie is a really great athlete. There's no denying it. The effort she puts into her fitness is obvious - she has a body like Nicole's. Her performance is incredible. I need to train with someone like her. She's a great motivator and she makes working out even more fun. She's cool to be around and it's important for me to have someone to chase. She's a machine and I want to be one too.

JroCk has enthusiasm for 100 people. He's good for Brendan to workout with because he makes him push hard .. boys are so damn competitive. And he's going to be good for my fitness... He comes up with the WORST workouts. His thought process when designing a workout goes something like this - let's pick all of the exercises Allison hates, do 500 reps of each of them, do a run, then repeat.. 3 times. Fuck. His workouts terrify me which is exactly why I need to do more of them. I feel like such a lame ass during them because they absolutely wreck me. My body is shocked for hours after I finish. They're so opposite of the kind of training I'm good at. I need to start training harder outside of my comfort Zone if I want to truly become FIT. He'll make sure that I do. I have to say I'm not looking forward to it :)

I want my life to be simple and filled with the things I enjoy the most - doing CrossFit, teaching Crossfit, spending time with Brendan and hanging out with friends (inside and outside of the gym). I think I'll have that in Virginia Beach. Brendan makes me so happy and excited. He's such a great boyfriend - he's sweet, so smart, talented, the best at CrossFit, so incredibly handsome that it hurts my eyes sometimes, and he makes me smile on the inside. I love that we both love CrossFit. Being able to combine two of my favorite things - CrossFit and my boyfriend - is such a treat. I don't think I could have it any other way. CrossFit is such a big part of my life and having a man that enjoys it just as much, allows it to be an even bigger part and even more fun and special.

ThanksGiving is a few days away. I'm so excited to go to Pennsylvania and visit with my family. I'm not really big into celebrations or holidays but I love that they're a reason for everyone to get together. I love my family. Everyone is so nice and funny. It's wild watching my younger cousins grow up. They're so HUGE now. They're all way taller than me and getting so old. I can't believe that I can say things like, "I remember holding you when you were a tiny baby". Crazy. My diet has been pretty good since I got back from VB but I plan on going nuts on TG. My Papa calls me the nibbler because I take bites out of everything in his house. He says the only way to get rid of me is to wait until all of the food is gone :D Things have changed a little bit since last year. Soon I'll have my diet really in check. B knows his stuff and I'll learn how to Zone properly and stick with it. It will happen. I want it to.

My Birthday is coming up on December 7th. I can not believe I'm going to be 24. Holy Shit. Time flew by. I'm not really sure how I feel about it. I'm not freaked out or anything but it does feel a little weird. 24 seems so much older than 23 when I say it out loud. Brendan keeps fucking with me and saying I'm old. But I think it's just because I keep calling him an old man. He's not and I'm not old either. I think we should call a truce and stop saying that to each other. It never ends well. ;)

I'm not big into birthdays either. Every year except my 21st birthday I've just stayed home and relaxed. I'm not a big partier, don't drink or like going to clubs or bars. It always just feels like another day. I think this year will be different.. Having B will make it special.


I think a couple that CrossFits together stays together. Do you CrossFit with your BF, GF, Wife or Husband? What about coaching them? Does it make you happy or pissed when some hottie is telling you to Go, Go, Go when you're busting your ass during a workout?