Heather Hodges

I’ve had many of my athletes ask me what I eat during the day.  Well, here is today’s food log so far, plus what I’ve packed for lunch and snacks.

5:00 am – AdvoCare Spark, MNS Max 3 Packet, 3 Catalyst, 2 Thermo Plus

5:30 am – 3 eggs cooked in coconut oil, 3 cups of spinach and 1 cup of mushrooms sauteed with a little garlic and water to drink and Max 3 vitamins and omega 3s.

9:00 – mid morning snack 1 ounce of deli meat (nitrite free) plus some almonds and a red bell pepper.

11:00 – AdvoCare Max 3 15 minutes before lunch.  4-5 ounces of tuna with a little full fat mayo and an apple.

I’ll go home around 3:00 to get the kids off the school bus and have a snack with them plus 3 Catalyst and probably a yummy Spark.  Dinner with the fam around 7pm (I hope Wade is grilling steak tonight:) with either grilled or steamed veggies and fruit for dessert and a snack right before bed.

I’m really excited about what’s going on with Defiant CrossFit right now!  We will have our Grand Opening this coming Saturday from 8am-11am.  If you are in the ATX area and can come by, please consider yourself invited! We will have free workouts, med ball demos, Airrosti will conduct a foam rolling clinic, Ursula Garza will lead an Olympic Weight Lifting exhibition, there will be free food, and cool door prizes! You don’t want to miss the fun.

The coaching staff we have assembled is deep and wide.  Coach Delanie (far left) and I met 20 years ago this month on the volleyball court of Abilene Christian University.  She brings many years of coaching experience and a solid background in kinesiology and athletics.  Coach Keith (on my immediate left)  is our resident Olympic Lifting and Strength Training expert.  He is passionate about helping our athletes improve their barbell work, get seriously strong, and improve their Oly lifts. Coach Jonathan (far right) has an eclectic background in classical dance and football.  He’s a strong competitor at any CrossFit competition he enters and is a phenomenal coach.

Defiant CrossFit and this coaching staff are waiting for you.  We will help you defy even your own expectations as you achieve your goals.  Today is the day to get fitter, stronger, faster!  Its time to defy time, gravity, and limits.  Let’s train!

www.defiantcrossfit.com

Here is my first beautiful and fragrant box of vegetables from Johnson’s Backyard Garden a community supported local organic farm.  Each week they deliver a box of freshly picked vegetables and herbs to a location in Round Rock and I go pick it up.  It costs $32 a week and in my early opinion I think I’m really going to enjoy the seasonal variety and of course the freshness of the produce.  It was picked this morning so it couldn’t be any fresher!  In my box today I got Carrots, Beets, Swiss Chard, Purple Onions, Cabbage, Basil, Dandelion, Fennel, and Broccoli.  I’ve already downloaded some of their recipes for dandelion and fennel.  Stay tuned for recipes and pictures.  Elijah was the first to enjoy our CSA organic produce.

Three weeks from today I’ll step on the competition field, Hell’s Half Acre, in Ft.Worth to compete (“participate”) in the Southwest Regionals CrossFit competition.  I get an adrenaline rush and serious butterflies just thinking about it.  I’m really honored to be on the same field with some phenomenal athletes like Jen C, Jessica S., Lisa T.,  Crystal N., Whitney, and Candice.  I’ve trained beside some of these girls and watched them get stronger and faster!  They are the real deal and the ones to watch!

I look back on the circumstances that brought me to this point and I wonder how on earth did this happen????  Six kipping hand stand push ups got me here…..yikes! But there were 18 months of CrossFit WODs, strength training, ripped hands, nagging little injuries, and hundreds of Zone/Paleo meals before that! I tell my athletes that I train that it is the little decisions that you make every day that add up over time to yield big results.

I can say that I’ve already won, not because I know I’m going to be on the podium at Regionals (HA HA HA – or even place in the top 50%) but because I’ve won the battle over myself!  I’ve conquered  the desire to eat sugar and junk!  I’ve won the battle over pain and am no longer afraid to train hard and be disciplined in my efforts.  I have done what I thought I could not do, like a muscle up! Having a goal and deadline, like competing at Regionals, has made me more focused and disciplined than I’ve ever been in my life!  I’ve slayed some emotional, spiritual, and physical demons along the way, and I never want to go back.  So bring it on!  I’ll be ready to test myself again and stand tall on the competition field in 3 weeks, just proud and honored to be there.

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

“If I want to be great I have to win the victory over myself… self-discipline.” (Harry S. Truman)

Super easy!  Left over grilled Chicken, Spinach, and Peppers stir fry.

This took me less than 10 minutes from start to finish!  Saute garlic in 1 tsp olive oil.  Add 2 sliced peppers and 4 cups of spinach. Cook until spinach is wilted.  Slice left over grilled chicken (I used 5 ozs) and warm in same pan.  This meal is a little light on fat, so I finished it off with some nuts and strawberries for dessert.  Remember my tip to cook protein in bulk?  When you have your protein ready to go this kind of meal is easy, nutritious, and leaves no room for excuses !  Enjoy!

Marinate pork chops in 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar in a gallon baggie for at least 30 minutes.  Cook in a skillet.  Do NOT add salt, you don’t need it.  After you have flipped the pork chops, add seedless grapes (yes, I said grapes!) and cook until the pork is done and grapes are warm through.  Serve with a dark leafy green salad, asparagus, or other veggie of choice (not mashed potatoes!!!).  The pork chops are delicious and a nice change from chicken, and the grapes add an unexpected sweetness to the meal.  Enjoy!