Happy Friday everyone, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day! In exactly 10 days I’ll be in Dublin, Ireland and I am SO excited! It’s been a couple of weeks since my last update, and there’s been a lot going on, most importantly being that I turned 27! But more on that below…
I’ve been super busy at work and in my personal life, so I apologize for the long wait between updates. Going to try to stay more consistent with these!
Favorite Health/Fitness Articles
16 Fitness Myths That Need to Die by Jordan Syatt (video)
What To Do When You Don’t Like Vegetables by James Heathers and Jennifer Nickle
Addiction Transfer by Dr. Lisa Lewis
We Don’t Live In A Bubble by Tony Gentilcore
Basic to Badass: Why Women Should Lift Weights by Leslie Hooper
Picking the Perfect Protein Bar by Steve Hall
6 Reasons to Care About Poop Health by MC Schraefel, Ph.D, and Krista Scott-Dixon, Ph.D
7 Low-Back-Friendly Glute Exercises by Dr. Laura Miranda
Malnutrition Masquerading as Health: A Modern Problem by Joy Victoria
I Finally Broke Up With My Scale by Neghar Fonooni
“Squat Like A Girl” by Meg Julian
26 Memories From My 26th Year by Chrissy Giorgetti (me!!)
Favorite Exercise
Anderson Squats (second exercise in that video) are one of those exercises that always intrigued me, but I never tried. Someone once put it in my head that only “big strong guys” need to do Anderson squats and that they “wouldn’t be beneficial for me”. After doing some research I decided that was BS and that I wanted them in my program. So I wrote them in for this month…that’s the beauty of writing my own programs. If I want to add something or try a new exercise, I do it! And holy moly Anderson squats are hard! The first week I did them I was shaking! Whenever I get stuck in a squat, it’s when I’m coming out of the bottom about 1/3 of the way up. That’s why these ARE in fact beneficial for me! They increase explosive power out of the hole. I can’t wait to see how these help my overall squat and I’m glad I finally decided to try them!
Favorite Recipe
I don’t think I’ve tried any new recipes since my last update, but I did try a new product! Ancient Harvest is a brand that makes gluten free pasta that is actually really good. They have a new product out called POW Pasta, and it’s high-protein pasta made from lentils or beans. I tried their POW Mac n Cheese (sometimes you just get a craving, ya feel?). It’s red lentil pasta with cheddar cheese and it’s REALLY good. Like, you don’t expect something like that to actually taste good, so I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely something to try out if you’re a mac n cheese lover but want to keep it (kinda) healthy.
Currently Reading
I’m on the wait list for a bunch of books from the library, so I haven’t been reading much lately! If anyone has any book recommendations, send them my way! I’m currently waiting for Amy Schumer’s Girl With The Lower Back Tattoo, and two of Carrie Fisher’s books.
Currently Watching
Thank god that trainwreck of a Bachelor season is over, right?! I will never forgive the Bachelor producers for choosing skeazy Nick over gorgeous Luke. At least we have Rachel’s season of The Bachelorette to look forward to now! I also finished Parenthood on Netflix, finally, AND The OA! Talk about a crazy show! I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I’ve gotten VERY into The Great British Baking Show on Netflix haha!
Favorite Activities
Two weeks ago was my 27th birthday weekend!! Friday night, the actual night of my birthday, Tim took me out to dinner. When he asked what I wanted to do for my birthday dinner, I just told him I wanted fancy pizza. So off to the North End we went! We ate at Antico Forno, where they have an extensive gluten-free menu. My GF pizza was amazing!
Instead of going out and spending a lot of money, I had the idea to host a potluck brunch at my apartment. It was a hit! Everyone had a great time and I’m glad I could get everyone together to celebrate with me. I love party planning and hosting parties, and this was no exception. My contribution to the potluck was a DIY mimosa bar, with two different types of champagne (regular and rose), three different types of juices (orange, grapefruit, and raspberry lemonade), and various fruits to use as garnish. Honestly I just thought it was so pretty and I still haven’t taken the decorations down or erased the chalkboard! Everyone brought a breakfast dish and we had an awesome variety of food. I had a great time and it was a great, low-key but fun way to celebrate!
That Sunday, we went to Framingham to celebrate with my family, and we also celebrated Tim’s birthday because they hadn’t seen him yet since his. It’s always nice to have a home-cooked meal and see my family!
Other than that, I have been laying pretty low! It’s been so freaking cold in Boston that I haven’t wanted to go out at all! That warm weather we had just 3 weeks ago was such a tease! The day of my brunch was the coldest day of the year! (so rude that that happened on my birthday weekend, btw).
Personal Progress
I’m approaching the one-year mark this April of my maintenance plan. Last April, I decided that I wanted to train at or within 5 pounds of my competition weight for a full year. After getting down to my desired weight, training was a little harder because I was lighter. I’ve spent this entire year working on building my strength at a lower weight and I am really pleased with the progress I’ve been making. I feel stronger than ever and all my lifts are slowly improving. Last month I hit 190lbs on squat for 5×1. My 1RM at last test was 200, and I think I’m going to blow past that soon! As of now I have no plans to compete. After I hit 5×1 with 200, I’m going to start thinking about competing again. I’m itching to get back on the platform, but I’ve had a slew of bad meets and I want to make sure I am 100% fully prepared before I do. This means hitting numbers I want to hit in the gym first, so I know I’ll be able to do them come meet day. Some people don’t like that mindset, but it does wonders for my confidence if I already know I can hit certain numbers. Anything extra that I do at a meet will just be icing on the cake!
As far as my progress photos, I’m planning on taking one year photos next month, but here’s a little sneak peek. On the left is my first photo from last April, and on the right is my most recent photo, from February of this year. Important to note: I am the same weight in both pictures. Maintaining my competition weight resulted in some pretty sweet fat loss which I wasn’t expecting or trying to do. I’m actually loving my body right now, and that’s a feeling I haven’t felt in quite some time!
Although my next photos will be the week after we get back from Ireland, I’m hoping to see even more change. We’ll see though! I know we’ll be doing tons of walking in Ireland but I definitely won’t be lifting!
I’m working on a bunch of new articles to be released over the next few weeks so stay on the lookout for new content from me! I know I’ve been slacking, but I have a bunch of started posts in my drafts….I just have to finish them!
I’ve also been improving my online coaching systems for both exercise and nutrition coaching. If either of those is something you are interested in, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
And for all my future brides out there, don’t forge about my special “Sweating for the Wedding” Program. It’s 3 months of exercise and nutrition programming offered at a discount! And this is not only just for brides! Grooms, bridal party members, and parents of the couple can all sign up! 🙂
cmghealthfitness.com 