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I was in the changing room at Goodwill today when I looked down and was surprised by how insanely buff my legs looked! Hells to the yeah! I could scare someone off with these babies!

My battle wounds from combat conditioning class. May have hit the bag a little too hard.

I've been working on my arms-only climb for a month now and I'm finally making some progress. At first I literally couldn't pull myself up at all; I just hung there. But I've been working on it at home, even if I do nothing else on the pole. I'll just walk up to it, do a few pulls, and then go on my merry way. Yesterday I dropped in on Kate's level 3 class after going to Power Yoga at the Monkey Bar Gym and a really boring, pointless weapons class at karate; and despite having very tired arms, I managed 3 solid pulls up the pole. The most I've gotten is 3 pulls in the past, but these were the first time that they've felt totally controlled with my arms bent almost the entire time. I've felt envious at the other girls in my level 6 class because they've been able to do this climb since Day 1, but the more I watch them the more I realize they're actually using their legs like a straddle climb. So they're not actually doing the move, alt...

Hey! Another life goal was achieved recently and I forgot to mention it. It's not a huge goal, but it's been one for a while nonetheless. I can finally drink coffee straight (i.e. black). I've been actively working towards this goal for about 2 years now, and I finally made it about 3 months ago. I figure since it's been 3 solid months without cream or sugar, I can confidently cross it off my life goals list.

I forgot to post last week about finally learning Iguana in pole class and about getting it on the first try! It super jacked up my right shoulder, though; although I suspect it was already jacked up, because neither shoulder hurt at all when I started with it on the bottom instead of on top. I really had no idea that there was a problem with it until then. I briefly wondered if twisted grip handspring messed it up; but I doubt that's the case since I haven't done it all that much, and I'm pretty sure it's always hurt whenever I've tried to do Iguana with it on the top. It's the biggest reason I've never gotten past just holding onto the pole. I'm glad I tried switching it up and putting my non-dominant hand on top, because that doesn't hurt at all. But what's wrong?  Anyway, I was able to get up each time I tried, holding it in a pencil and then bending over. Getting out of it isn't that graceful at this point, but that will come wit...

The Monkey Bar Gym has been closed during the week because of Summerfest, which means all my krav and boxing classes have been cancelled. My muay thai instructor and I talked about doing some outdoor exercises in its place; but it was nearly 100 degrees with full sun and incredibly high humidity these past 3 days, so that was out. In fact, I went for a walk on my lunch break on Friday afternoon and felt sick for the rest of the day from the heat. I was hoping then to get some hiking, running, or rocking climbing in on Saturday or Sunday, and to make it to a krav or hot yoga class on Sunday; but none of these things worked out. The heat prevented me from being able to do any outdoor activities, and no one was able to go rock climbing with me. Saturday I went up to Baraboo with Jennifer Koss to do some hiking and swimming at Pewit's Nest, but because it was so hot, we didn't end up doing a lot of the former. But I got home so late and was so exhausted from the heat (also, my shou...

I can't believe I haven't taken a photo of the meal I eat most often: oatmeal squares. I'm not a big breakfast person, what with not liking eggs and all, and sugar first thing in the morning makes me sick; so cereal is usually my go-to. Plus, it's quick. Perfect for someone like me who doesn't like to spend more than 10 minutes on a meal. And I really do turn this into a meal. Rarely do I ever eat oatmeal squares by itself. I will always add pepita and chia seeds if I have them on hand (and I try to have both) and some form of fruit. Blueberries and strawberries are my go-to, but raspberries are my favorite when they're in season and I can pick them right from the back yard. If I'm in a bind, I'll put a banana in there. I love bananas and eat them multiple times a day, but I don't like them so much in cereal. They get soggy and make everything taste like banana. Then I'll top my cereal off with some granola, maybe some raisins, and another t...