orange is the new fit

I love the idea of brunch but I never really know what to have. It confuses me.  It’s like, do I order pancakes with a side of veggies?  Or do I have fruit on the side of my burger?  I’m just not very good at brunch.  When my mom asked what I was bringing to Easter Brunch at my brother and sister-in-law’s new house I really didn’t know what I wanted to make.  I figured I’d be in the mood to make something borderline indulgent because I would have finished my 6th Crossfit Open two days prior and ready to splurge.  My diet and training have been pretty much spot on for the last year, and especially dialed in for the last five weeks after I unintentionally placed 4^th in the Northern California region for first workout of the Open.  This might sound a like I’m getting off topic but I promise I will tie it back in at the end.  For the last year, I kind of have been feeling a little lost in my Crossfit life. Continue reading →

I train Monday through Saturday and rest on Sunday.  As a working mom, sometimes it’s really hard to get in the gym 6 days a week but I make it happen.  A few days I train with my buddies, a few days I’ll have to get my workout in alone with Reese in tow, and maybe one or two days I’ll make it to an actual class at our gym.  Regardless of how I do it, I have to get it in for my sanity.  But, as much as I love training I look forward to Sunday because it’s my rest day. I enjoy my rest day so much more because I know I put in the work during break the week so I earned it. Sunday also means it’s my reefed day.

As a flexible eater, my current macros are: 1607 calories – 122 P / 59 F / 147 C.

Technically I’m still on a cut, but I’m exactly where I want to be so my numbers will be adjusting soon.  Those numbers are the perfect balance to sustain me Monday through Saturday, however, Sunday is my day to replenish my carbs for the week.  Leptin is a hormone in our bodies that tells us if we are hungry or not.  I am by no means starving on my current macros, but to fulfill my goals, I did have to cut back on my calorie intake a little bit.  When on a flexible eating cut, there is a certain amount of caloric restriction that takes place, however, you still need to eat enough food to fuel your workouts.  Too little caloric intake may allow you to lose weight initially but at a significant cost to you overall energy and strength.  I’m not interested in that.  My goal has always been to be lean but strong as hell.  So, back to Leptin.  If you are on a calorie restriction for an extended period of time, your metabolism may begin to slow down a bit because it is adjusting and functioning based on the amount of food you are putting into your body.  If you are looking to continue to lose weight, a slowing metabolism is not your ideal situation.  So once a week on Sunday, my rest day, I eat ALL of the carbs.  This only happens once a week to boost the Leptin hormone levels in the body, stimulating your metabolism to become more active and allowing your body to continue with your weight loss goals if that is the case. Continue reading →

Going into my third Norcal Crossfit Regionals team competition in 2013, I knew that after it was over I was planning on trying to get pregnant.  At the time, I considered myself to be in the best shape of my life, and I truly was after four plus years of Crossfit and eating a strict Paleo diet.  I’m very short, compact and muscular and at the time weighed 134 pounds which sounds heavy but I was the leanest I’d ever been and had six-pack abs that I had worked very hard to get.

After Regionals was over, the reality sunk in very quickly that if I were to get pregnant, things were going to change very quickly.  I had worked so hard to achieve my athletic-looking physique that I became pretty terrified at the idea of giving that body up.  Everybody said that I would bounce right back after having a baby and I would say “yeah, I know” but deep down inside I didn’t believe them.  I knew that I would Crossfit through my pregnancy but hated the idea of scaling wods.  I was mentally ready to raise a baby, but not mentally ready to carry a baby.

About a week and half after regionals was over I was pregnant.  My six pack turned into a four pack, then a two pack and then a no pack.  As the weeks went on I would complain to my husband about how fat I was and he always came back to me with the same response…”you’re not fat, you’re pregnant.”  He was right.  I wasn’t fat at all. I naturally had a very small belly but I couldn’t see that.  Despite my complaining, I set myself up for a healthy pregnancy.  I trained 5-6 days a week and still maintained a 90% paleo diet (added cottage cheese and rice cakes) while pregnant to keep myself in the best shape possible so that I wouldn’t put on extra weight that eventually would be difficult to take off.  Looking back, I realized I didn’t enjoy my pregnancy as much as I should have because I was constantly worried about the aftermath of pregnancy and the possibility of never getting my body back.

When I think about it now, I’m torn.  A huge part of me thinks that my unwillingness to give in to the stereotypical pregnancy behavior of food cravings and little exercise put me in a great position to come back easily.  However, there is a small part of me that wonders if I had just relaxed a little bit and enjoyed my pregnancy more that things still would have worked out the same.  But who knows.  I don’t regret anything, because when Reese came two months early, and I had extreme complications in the final week of being pregnant, I truly believe my fitness and healthy lifestyle saved me…and gave me the mental and physical strength to spend the next two months being with Reese in the hospital while she grew strong enough to come home.

So back to my abs.  Two weeks after having a baby I went back into the gym and started working my ass off to earn back my strength and get my body back.  Ironically, the day I started back Crossfitting I weighed 129 pounds, 5 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.  The complications of my pregnancy really took a toll on my body and I lost about 25 pounds in two weeks.  Over a 12 month period I saw progress with my body.  I was stronger than ever, my motor felt good and still maintaining my paleo diet.  But my body just felt and looked different.  And I understood that pregnancy changes things and having a beautiful thriving little girl is worth all of the physical sacrifices.  But I still wanted to feel like my old self.  I just felt like I had this layer of puff covering my whole body that I could not get rid of.  I changed things over and over within my paleo diet but my body just wasn’t responding the same way to food.

Enter flexible eating.  I posted previously about my research on flexible eating and what intrigued me.  The idea of a more flexible diet where I can still eat clean but stick to a ratio of carbs, fats and protein that work specifically for my body was just what I needed.  I went from “puffy paleo” as flexible eating guru Lil’ Riki calls it to a lean more muscular frame.  I’m weighing 128 pounds and way more comfortable in my skin.  I not only have my six pack back but I’m leaner all over, especially in the upper arms and shoulders which has always been a self-conscious area for me. I’ve gained overall strength and my once “good” motor is out of control good.  Even my running feels pretty amazing.  The bonus is I have found a way of eating that doesn’t leave me feeling deprived of any certain food or overeating on “paleo” options because they are so limited.  For me it was about finding the right balance of those carbs, fats and protein for my exact body and goals.  Once again, do not get me wrong.  I love the Paleo diet and believe in it whole-heartedly.  However, at this point in my life, oats, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt are doing my body good.  I stick to the cleanest options with the lowest amounts of sugar and that is fine by me.

Above is a side by side comparison of me, the week I got pregnant in June of 2013 (left) and me today (right) with my former teammate and current Crossfit Games badass Molly Vollmer.  I thought I was fit pre-pregnancy.  I’m fitter now, post pregnancy.  Contact me via email at orangeisthenewfit@gmail.com and follow me on Instagram @kmorlock21 if you have questions about flexible eating and would like to know how to get started!

Since it’s Monday, I’m going to be hitting up Crossfit Linchpin’s Monster Mash WOD this afternoon.  Hopefully I can convince a few people to do it with me.  Now that I’m feeling more confident in my muscle up capabilities, I don’t shy away from the challenge of incorporating them into my workouts.  I actually get excited to tackle that challenge.  It feels so good to take a weakness and make it your bitch.  Well, it’s not quite my bitch yet, but it’s getting there.  Last muscle up WOD I was able to string multiples together, even with shoulder fatigue.  Big step for me.  So, when I work in the morning, take care of Reese during the day and coach in the afternoon, my workout time is much later in the day.  It’s not my preference but sometimes it’s my only option. Continue reading →

I used to have an irrational fear of carbs.  Before workouts I never wanted to feel heavy because I figured it would slow me down so I wouldn’t eat very much leading up to my training.  If I trained in the morning I would eat an apple or some berries only before.  Looking back, I know for sure I was not fueling my body nearly enough for my workouts, but would somehow get by on physical and mental strength alone.  Whereas now I have the proper amount of food in my system to sustain my training, I realize previously I was working so much harder to keep my energy level up.  Flexible eating has allowed me to introduce more carbs into my diet without that irrational fear that I will get fat.  Really, I can eat my carbs morning, noon and night and still fit them in my macros without any problem. However, I have noticed that the timing my carbs around my workout has given me that added edge that I have been lacking.  I still desire that feeling of being light going into a workout, especially on days where my training is heavily focused on body weight…no pun intended.  BUT, I have come to accept the fact that carbs are more my friend than enemy when going into a workout.  It’s just about portion control and timing. Continue reading →