This blog is going to cover everything fitness related in my life and anything I come across that interests me. The main reason i’m starting this blog is to write about my ‘journey’  into Crossfit (sorry for the cliche) that im starting July 1st 2013! Im also going to be posting images for motivation and my WOD’s with results and times! 

Brief Background 

M/23 years old/58Kg/Oxford UK. I come mainly from a cross-country running background, but played tennis, cricket, hockey and rugby all through school. I’ve been lifting for the last two years and have made ‘some’ gains, mainly in the last 8 months. I’ve found that making gains for me has all being about trial and error. Like many people, I followed the same workout without changing it when my body adapted or eating the right foods. I did that for about a year until I figured I was doing something wrong. So in December 2012 I decided to have two weeks of personal training sessions to get some proper form advice and really find out what I needed to be doing to make muscle gains and loose body fat. My PT sorted me out with a program  and I saw results instantly! Also noticed that I actually had some lats popping out!! So I kept with the same workout for a while but kept adding weight slowly and was happy enough for a while.

I did a ‘fat loss phase’ for about a month where I basically ate as paleo as I possibly could (whilst on a student budget) and did the Spartacus workout 3 times per week along with some HIIT, mainly sprints! After that month went for a body test and found that I was 17% body fat and 14% muscle. Not too sure what I was before I started but probably somewhere around 20% body fat…

I started a strength program on June 3rd called Strong Lifts, Ive found this program to be great so far! Im now squatting 90KgX5, shoulder pressing 40KgX5, benching 75KgX5 and deadlifting 65KgX5 (although i think i should be deadlifting a lot more, need to see what I can 1RM i think!). Only doing this program for a month then starting Crossfit! Can’t wait!

Thanks for reading, going to be posting every couple of days!

Cooling down with a few L-Sits.

What did you achieve in your training today? Let’s us know below…

PT me Personalised Training
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The Importance of a Deload Week – read full article here

21-18-15-12-9-6-3:

• Front squats
• Decline sit ups

Front squats

I struggle with front squats for many reasons but I think the number one issue is that the movement as a whole feels very unnatural. I dislike the sensation of being “choked” by the barbell and my center of mass being thrown off with the weight in front of me.

Technique needs to be spot on to perform a front squat comfortably and I’m yet to get there, however, here are a few tips that might help you if you’re having problems:

• Chest up, shoulders back, elbows up and elbows in – The bar should be resting across the front of your shoulders (front delts) with arms placed in either a clean or cross-hands position. Squeezing your elbows up will prevent any strain on your wrists and squeezing them together will ensure the bar is fully supported. Keeping your chest up throughout the range of movement will give the bar a solid foundation to rest upon and also encourage the correct upright posture for the squat
• Look straight ahead – Again, this will help with keeping your posture upright but also reduce any strain on the neck
• Engage your core – Self explanatory
• Tighten your lats – It might take a bit of effort to remember to do this but remembering to engage and spread your lats will help you maintain good posture whilst the bar is across the front of your body
• Open hands (if using clean hand position) – Weight of the bar should be taken through the shoulders / chest and relaxed hands will ensure this is the case as well as reduce wrist strain
• Start the movement through your knees – Sounds obvious but I was naturally starting the movement by pushing back through my hips (as I tend to with a back squat) but the focus should really be on bending at the knees first and then sitting back into the movement. Imagine squatting between your knees
• Foot stance – Start with feet placed a teeny bit wider than shoulder-width apart and toes positioned at roughly a 30-35 degree angle. Adjust accordingly if this feels uncomfortable but for most individuals this should feel fine

There has recently been a fitness revolution and expansion of newly developed High Intensity Interval Training programmes, designed to maximise fitness and fat loss. These HIIT programmes Include workout’s such as CrossFit, Insanity and MetaFit and currently used as a brand which represents ultimate fitness. The aim of HIIT is to forge a broad, general and inclusive fitness, whereby companies such as CrossFit have sought to build a program that will best prepare “trainees for any physical contingency”.

But do this HIIT programmes actually work? Or are they just another cult like trend used to exploit the growing interest of fitness in today’s society?

What is CrossFit?

CrossFit was founded by Greg Glassman is 2000 and is now considered along with recent workouts such as Insanity and MetaFit, to be part of a new fitness revolution. CrossFit is defined as a fitness programme that forces elite fitness. It optimizes fitness through a series of functional movements that are performed at high intensity, resulting in physical endurance and the reaching of anaerobic thresholds.

What does it involve?

The CrossFit programme itself involves a series of aerobic exercises, body weight exercises and weight lifting exercises that are not for the faint hearted. CrossFit is not easy and it’s not simple but by offering a constantly-varied approach to training, the functional movements at maximum intensity and maximum physical and psychological tolerances can lead to dramatic gains in fitness.

The main aspect of CrossFit, Insanity and Metafit is the level of intensity. Intensity is essential for results, the more work you do in less time, the more intense the effort and the greater the gains. The magic of these workouts lies within the series of precise movements that are considered the core movements of life. They combine movements such as sprinting, rowing, jumping rope, climbing rope, flipping tires, weightlifting, carrying heavy objects, and many bodyweight exercises such as push ups, pull ups, burpees, squat jumps, etc. Some moves require equipment including barbells, dumbbells, gymnastics rings, pull-up bars, kettlebells, medicine balls, and boxes for box jumps. These exercises are compound movements that are constantly varied, at high intensity and are performed in a wave of contraction from core to extremity.

The workouts are usually around 45 minutes to an hour long involving a warm-up, a skill development segment, the high-intensity WOD, and a period of individual or group stretching. The programmes themselves have been developed to provide ultimate fitness that can be used in all walks of life. Not only do they involve animal training and precise movements but they also involve the importance of nutrition. By containing diet plans, this new fitness revolution teaches that being fit isn’t solely about exercise; it is also highly about the health and nutrition that is required to support exercise.

Why Chose CrossFit?

Programs such as 10 Minute Abs and Butts and Guts are designed, marketed and fuelled by the desire to look good naked, but do they produce results? Spot reduction doesn’t work, and there are no shortcuts. Not only this but fitness products have little worth without a complementary diet, and a lack of effort and commitment can derail even the best program. With programmes such as CrossFit the primary goal is not to improve physiques, it is to force elite fitness. However, we would be fooling ourselves if we didn’t acknowledge the beauty of CrossFit results and the glorifying figures of these athletes.

CrossFit is noteworthy for its use of a virtual community Internet model. By joining this virtual community, the gains are not only recognised through changes in physique but also through the three important factors of fitness that could totally change your life. These factors are strength, mobility and endurance. Strength is the ability to move the body under load, by gaining strength through our own bodyweight; we can conquer the effects of gravity, increasing our quality of life and ability to survive as we age. Mobility involves the ability to move in a variety of directions and carry out both simple and complex tasks. Mobility is crucial and involves stable, controlled, and coordinated movements within unstable and unpredictable environments. Endurance is the ability to sustain a task over time and is significant as many aspects of life require repetitive or sustained activity.

The Science behind High Intensity

Recently, high-intensity interval training with minimal time commitments have been marketed in an attempt to overcome the barrier of “lack of time” to exercise and too eventually increase the physical activity level and health status of the general population. CrossFit and other competitor HIIT programmes may offer a sense of community and a change in lifestyle and nutrition, but can you get the same results from low intensity training?

There have been many scientific studies used to show that low-volume interval training, usually performed at maximum physical tolerances, can induce metabolic adaptations and enhance endurance exercise capacity within a short period. Tong et al carried out a study, whereby he investigated the effects of high intensity interval training on cardio respiratory fitness and aerobic based exercise capacity. His study involved twelve women and four men, who were mildly obese but otherwise healthy. Candidates were assigned randomly into either of the two groups: interval training (IT) and IT plus proportional-assist ventilation (IT+PAV). Both groups performed interval training three times a week for 6 weeks. They found that after the 6-week intervention, a small but significant improvement of ∼7%in V.O2peak was noted in both groups, these results suggest that intense interval training can be used as an effective way to enhance central and peripheral adaptations in O2 transport and utilization. This highlights that interval training enhances cardio respiratory fitness and aerobic-based exercise capacity in sedentary and mild obese subjects. Moreover, minor %BF reduction was observed in the IT group after the interval training and candidates also showed an increased muscular work capacity.

Therefore, to answer your question more direct- YES high intensity interval training does work to enhance fitness, and does so in short periods of time. There are many more studies available providing heaps of evidence to support that high intensity interval training is a beneficial approach to weight control or weight loss and tends to enhance exercise adherence and reduce attrition compared with single bout continuous exercise. However, like I stated previously, these programmes are NOT for the faint hearted, whereby the recommended intense interval training protocol, is often considered unsafe, impractical and intolerable for general populations, especially sedentary and obese ones.

In my Opinion…

At the end of the day, the new HIIT revolution is another emerging market within the fitness paradigm, with various forms of marketing, becoming a new way for companies to make more money. However, these programmes do work and can get those short term results that meet the public demands. I don’t know about you but my major problem with my workouts is that the results are long term, and so after a week of working especially hard and not seeing those instant results, I get disheartened. Most people in this case give up, and that’s why, in my opinion, exercise and workouts have become a “trend” to the general public rather than a lifestyle change. Therefore programmes such as CrossFit are ideal for those who aim for instant results, and have stacks of scientific evidence to back them up. However, because of the intensity and heavy work load, these programmes are often considered unsafe, especially if performed in a short period of time with bad form, therefore perhaps they are not ideal for overweight members of the public, and more for those who are already fit, but want to maximize their fitness levels and optimise their physiques. I’ve tried insanity… My …Oh My… the first time I tried insanity about a year and a half ago, it ended with me collapsed on the floor in a bucket of sweat.  Before this I considered myself fit, whereby I ran everyday for 7 mile… but I was wrong! But through following the insanity regime, my fitness today has drastically improved. Eventually I was able to keep up with the pros on the video, and as a result of maximizing my exercise capacity and cardio respiratory fitness I can now run with a fast pace over larger distances, also highlighting an increase in my endurance. However, having a bit of a sweet tooth and thinking I’m always right, meant I did not follow the nutrtitional plan, therefore the visual results did show improvements but were not maximised. So if you’re ready for the HIIT revolution and have the dedication and commitment needed for the extremely hard workload, then join the community today the results will be fantastic and endless… But don’t say I didn’t warn you!

References

Tom K. Tong , Pak Kwong Chung , Raymond W. Leung , Jinlei Nie , Hua Lin , Jun Zheng. (2011). EFFECTS OF NON-WINGATE-BASED HIGH-INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING ON CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS AND AEROBIC-BASED EXERCISE CAPACITY IN SEDENTARY SUBJECTS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY. Journal of Exercise, Science and Fitness . 9 (2), 75–81.

Greg Glassman. (2007). Understanding CrossFit. The CrossFit Journal Articles. 1 (56), p1-2.

Redefining Fitness for Health and Fitness Professionals, Lon Kilgore, Ph.D. Midwestern State University, College of Health Sciences and Human Services , Department of Kinesiology.

Berger, Russell. “Form follows function.” (2010).

For todays partner WOD I teamed up with one of my coaches, Dave. Let’s preface this whole post by saying that Dave is a BEAST. The dude is pretty much unstoppable. He lifts big, runs fast and generally kicks everyones’ ass. What makes this even more impressive – and why he’s a huge inspiration to myself and most of us at CrossFit Southern Highlands – is because he does it while suffering from Crohn’s Disease. While the rest of us are whinging about having the flu or some sore muscles Dave is in pretty much constant pain and NEVER complains.

However, the point I’m trying to make is that WODing with Dave is always a great experience because no matter how crap I might be feeling on any given day I know there’s no excuse for not giving 110%. Watching him workout and getting to workout with him is inspiring, challenging – as WODing with anyone better than you always is – and awesome fun. 

Today was a lesson in mental strength and toughness – something I often struggle with. If something starts to hurt I tend to stop for longer than necessary while I feel sorry for myself. Kara Webb said something at the Australia Regional that has really stuck with me: “You’ve got to want to hurt.”

She’s right. If you don’t embrace the pain you can’t push past it. I’ve spent the last few weeks attempting to embrace the pain and I feel like my WOD times have improved because of it. 

Todays workout was all high reps with a 1.2km relay run followed 200 goblet squats, 100 kettlebell swings and 50 burpee box jumps. Super Coach was certain we should break it all up into 25 rep chunks and I nervously agreed. Anything over 10 reps for me is a mental challenge. I am proud to say that I didn’t whinge and 90% of the reps were completed in 25 rep chunks which is a real first for me.

And guess what? The pain didn’t kill me and we smashed the workout to get the top RX’d time of the day. Knowing that Dave was right across from me going through the same pain for the same goal made it easier to embrace the hurt. Seeing the results in workouts like todays inspires me to want to hurt when I’m Wodding solo. Embrace the suck as they say!

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Now that things are starting to settle down with the opening month almost done and dusted, I thought I ought to put pen to paper (or finger to keyboard) and start telling the world about how great fitness is.

We’ve decided to call these blogs ‘On… Topic’ and aim to discuss anything and everything fitness, health, performance and CrossFit related. Starting today with a post ‘On… Perceptions of fitness’.

CrossFit Inc. defines fitness as an individual’s ability to express work capacity across broad time and modal domains. Put simply, this means being able to perform a range of different skills and tasks, over all different lengths of time with intensity.

Performance is therefore the key to fitness.

It’s here that CrossFit fails to appeal to the masses. Fitness, in a world where ripped cover models and rake thin celebrities are idolised as the pinnacle of health, is a matter of image. People want to look fit, but couldn’t care less about performance.

I’d love to know the exact figures on how many people own a gym membership, how many use it and how many would say they’re getting results from said membership and usage. My guess would be the ratio of ownership to use would be massively skewed and satisfaction askew further.

I believe this is because the notion of fitness as an image is so intangible and immeasurable we lose focus when we don’t see immediate changes and when those changes come and go so frivolously. We wake up with abs and feel like a God. After breakfast our six pack becomes 4, then by bed time we’re left with a couple of vaguely distinguishable lines that we tell ourselves still constitutes abs. We go to sleep disheartened.

The transience of body image (despite our best efforts to maintain it) leaves us at the mercy of ageing. Who cares if you looked like a statue in your twenties if when you’re 50 you can barely jog across the park with your kids. A six pack at 25 is great for picking up girls but what if you struggle to pick up your shopping when you’re 75?

This is where CrossFit’s definition of fitness becomes so significant. CrossFit provides a measurable means of increasing every facet of performance, from strength and endurance to flexibility and balance. All crucial to living a long and healthy life. As every facet of fitness is measured, CrossFit also keeps people engaged in their fitness program through seeing constant improvements in their performance.

However, at the end of the day it’s only natural for us to want to look good. So I’ll finish with the following pictures of CrossFitters collated from the wonderful world of Google Image search. I challenge you to say CrossFit won’t give you a better body than a few sets of 10 bench press and 20 minutes on the stair machine!

Cap Test:  30 Pushups for time

Handstand Practice

WOD:

21-15-9

KB Swings (53/35)

Goblet Squats

Strict Press (75/45)

Skill/Strength

Snatch

WOD

18 min AMRAP
9 Hang Power Cleans
12 Burpees
15 Wall Ball

Today’s post is about Shantai; one bad ass mother-to-be Crossfitter.  I have watched Shantai compete in local competitions and let me tell you, she is fierce!  She is strong, focused, funny and feminine…basically the perfect women.  She and her husband Jake are expecting their first child in just a few months and she wanted to show the world that she is still all those things even when 7 months pregnant.  As if there was ever a questions of this woman’s strength!?!

I met up with them recently at Crossfit Utah Valley (CFUV) to snap some shots of Shantai working her stuff.  Between the sweet 80′s mix that called for mandatory dance party and me gawking at Shantai’s skills, we managed to get some great shots.  Seriously, this lady is amazing!  We even managed to get Jake in some of the action.  Here are some of my favorite shots from that day…

-Sam

Ahaha I am honestly broken. I am wrenched. This morning I thought to myself “man I’m grateful I am healthy” and I do this to myself. 
What’s wrong with me?!!?! 

I am hoping that a boy that I’m talking to will come around and keep me from staring into my own eyes on my rest day. I really need some sort of happy distraction. Other than the pile of homework I have to do and the procrastination i have yet to sprinkle all over myself like fairy dust. 
My heels are literally throbbing and they’re elevated on a pillow. How stupid. HOW STUPID. I mean, it’s not even a cool injury, I came out of a skin-the-cat and was going to kip into a “muscle up” and slammed my feet on the ground because the rings were TOO LOW. HOW DUMB AM I. 

I cried but not because of the pain just because I’m really annoyed of my dumbness and pissed off scared by how long they could take to heal. 
I don’t even want to wake up tomorrow. Unless I have a text from the boy–which is not going to happen–I will have a pretty sour day of writing an essay and taking a test and tip-toeing to the fridge to eat food. Or just sitting directly next to the fridge so I won’t have to move. Just grab.

Lol, really don’t underestimate how important your heels are to you people. BOTH of my heels are swollen and I’m walking like a velociraptor. I hate lyfe, peace
Peace. 
Where my love  

O

10 X 2 Hang Snatch High-Pulls  (at hip) + 1 Hang Snatch (at hip) – heaviest possible, rest.

S

1a) 4 X ME Strict Deficit HSPU + ME Kipping Deficit HSPU,rest
1b) 4 X 5  Strict Ring C2B Pullups, rest
1c) 4 X 15 Good mornings– medium/heavy, rest.

C*

Run 2 miles

Wall to Door runs
ROM Drills
Mobility

WOD

For Reps and Rounds

7 min AMRAP

7 Box Jumps 32/20in
7 Single leg DUs (each leg)
7 Toes 2 Bar

2 min Rest

7 min AMRAP

14 DUs
14 Squats
14 Sit Ups

2 min Rest

7 min AMRAP

7 Burpee Broard Jumps
200 m Run

Post-WOD

General Stretch

SWOD

Deadlift 1×5, add 5 pounds

CWOD

For Time:

Row 500 Meters

50 KB lunges, 1 pood per hand

Row 500 Meters

50 Push Ups

Row 500 meters

25 KB Front Squats, 1 pood per hand

Row 500 meters

25 Handstand push ups

If you love Chipotle’s white rice just as much as I do, then you’ll love this recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need to buy to make this recipe:

• Quinoa
• 1 Lime
• Bunch of Cilantro
• Organic Vegetable Broth
• Salt

Directions:

Measure one cup of quinoa and place in the pot(In case you want to make more, use the ratio 2 cups of broth for every 1 cup on quinoa). Then, measure two cups of vegetable broth and pour in the pot. Place the stove on high until boiling. Once boiling, put the lid on the top and let simmer until quinoa is cooked.

Meanwhile, chop cilantro finely. Once the quinoa is ready, add cilantro to the pot along with one whole squeezed lime. Stir and cover for about 5 minutes, garnish with fresh cilantro and serve. Enjoy!

XOXO-

Chef Great

I also am able to get a better handle on the workouts.  I know I always say they’re not getting easier.  And they certainly never will.  That’s the beauty of CrossFit.  Always a challenge and new goals to set.   It’s a busy week with my office moving.  But in the next week or so when the excitement dies down I will be increasing the number of days I work out at CrossFit.  And I will be doing CrossFit exclusively.  I have canceled my gym membership.  

My goal is to do CrossFit 5-6 days a week.  I am really looking forward to it.  

I wasn’t exactly planning on posting my eats today due to some morning boredom/unphotographed snacks, but I promise the day picked up!

I began the morning with a 6 am spin class. I was originally planning on going to spin tomorrow and not today, but I am babysitting early tomorrow, so today it was. Sadly, I did not go to bed early enough. I was planning on doing my half training run after spin, but I had Crossfit in the evening and didn’t want to die. 

Breakfast was a yogurt bowl with vanilla Greek yogurt, pineapple, and a mix of gluten-free muesli and cereal. FYI- Whole Foods brand vanilla Greek yogurt is really good!

Then it was time for a NAP. My day consisted of running errands, but that’s not what we are here for, right? So FOOD. I had a mid-morning snack of part of a chocolate Thinkthin bar. Lunch was at the cafe at my dad’s work. I had a teriyaki chicken wrap. One highlight of my afternoon was going shopping for new running shoes! I went to Fleet Feet, and they were super helpful. They measured my feet and then watched me run to determine which shoes would work best. No surprise-I favored Nikes. I did want something different for my feet though, so I ended up with these:….and a new pair of Nikes, which are waaaay better than my old ones (no picture because I had to order them to get a prettier color). So….here’s my justification for getting 2 brand new pairs of running shoes. My biggest limiting factor for being able to run a half marathon is my feet. I’ve had problems with them for a long time, especially from living in softball cleats for years. When I played softball, the balls of my feet were perpetually bruised because my cleat would start poking up into my foot through the sole of the shoe. Plus, I have this weird problem where I lose circulation in my toes when I run more than 4ish miles. And, if I have 2 pairs of running shoes that I alternate, they’ll both last twice as long. If I only got one pair, I’d have to buy new shoes eventually anyways, so this is just like buying my next pair of running shoes early. I have yet to try my new shoes though!

I decided on a snack before Crossfit. I got some Quaker kettlecorn flavored rice cakes at the grocery to try. they were pretty good, but not the real deal! I also microwaved some blueberries with  blueberry-crisp like topping, but they were very unphotogenic. I decided some protein was probably a good idea. I finally saw the Chobani flips at the grocery store today, so I wanted to try it! I got the Key Lime flavor. I was pleasantly surprised by the sugar content-I was expecting it to be much worse! I really liked this! I just wish the yogurt had a bit more lime flavor and tang. 

Crossfit was pretty good today. I can’t wait until I can start doing the real workouts. My did back squats today, but it is wayyyy lighter than what I ever do on my own! But working on my technique is probably good for me! Our WOD was 3 rounds for time of a 400m run, 21 lunges (each), and 12 pull ups (with a band). I finished in 15:05. Pull-ups are definitely a weak point for me!

For dinner, we made the best quiche…ever. It’s the Spinach Smoked Gouda Quiche from Cooking Light. I’ve made the version with the crust from scratch before (and it is awesome), but normally it is easier to just buy a crust. This time though, I wanted to try it as a crustless quiche. We greased the pan with olive oil, and then sprinkled panko crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to keep the quiche from sticking. It came out well and didn’t stick at all! I want to take a crack at a microwave version of this. On the side was brussels sprouts and herbed carrots. I’ve dabbled in Paleo eating in the past, but since I’ve started Crossfit, I’m considering giving it another try. I haven’t been feeling that great lately, and I think some clean eating would definitely help. And since I wanted something interesting to post for WIAW, this seemed like the perfect time to try a recipe I’ve been meaning to make for a long time. 

I modified my favorite banana bread recipe-it is the Nancy Clark recipe, by eliminating the sugar (I reduce it a ton when I bake the regular bread-the bananas add a lot of sweetness), subbing in coconut flour for the regular flour, and using Coconut Almond milk instead of regular milk.Since coconut flour dries things up a ton, I added pineapple juice as the liquid. The texture of anything with coconut flour is a little different, but I’m all about the flavor! Other bonus- this only uses one bowl!

Ingredients:

3 large ripe bananas

1 egg

1/3 cup coconut almond milk (or any type of milk)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons canola oil

1.5 cups coconut flour

1.5 cups pineapple juice

(Before baking)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mash bananas in a small bowl.

3. Add all other ingredients and mix.

4. Transfer into a loaf pan. I recommend lining the pan with nonstick foil, or greasing the pan.

5. Flatten out the top of the loaf.

6. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and brown around the edges. 

This recipe is not perfected-this was my first try, and I’m fairly new with coconut flour! Since there is no gluten, it is a bit crumbly. In the future, I also might add more pineapple juice, or maybe some crushed pineapple. And maybe more egg? The flavor is there though! Just don’t be expecting the texture of regular banana bread!

Well, that’s all for tonight! A few thoughts-I want to add some workouts to my blog. I mostly blog about food, but in reality I’m a bigger fan of working out. I want a go-to workout that I can do anywhere, without equipment, that really kicks my butt! I’ve been brainstorming. Hint: think Dirty Thirty. I’m recruiting some friends to test it out on this Friday, so be on the lookout for that!

Have you ever baked with coconut flour? Tips??

Anyway, I read the book a few months ago when my box did a Whole 30 together, and I absorbed the material, but I didn’t really get a chance to reflect on it and it’s implications. I’ve just gotten to the chapter on immunity and the way food can cause chronic systemic inflammation. Don’t worry, I’m still not 100% sure I know what that is either, but it’s bad. The writers then go on to hit on the topic of genetics. It’s so easy to blame things on our parents. They really get a raw deal. It’s easy to say that we’re overweight because obesity runs in our families. I have a family history of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, all of the fat diseases, as I call them. Yes that sucks. Nobody wants to know that they are at a higher risk for something bad. Duh. BUT, here’s the cool thing. Like the Hartwigs say, just because a gene is there doesn’t mean that is active. You can have a genetic predisposition to diabetes, but if you do not provide the proper environmental factors to trigger it, you can remain diabetes-free. Eating crappy food stresses your immune system out, and long-term exposure to that stress can lead to your body doing all sorts of crazy things, like setting off your genetic predisposition to things or creating antibodies to fight things like gluten. Those are bad.

I got to thinking about this, about how we have so much control over our own health. Yes, we are dealt a certain hand and we must play it as is, but there are SO many factors that are easily within our control. If you think about it, the same applies to most other aspects of fitness, too. It’s like this Cherokee story I saw on Facebook. I call it a Cherokee story, but for all I know it’s just some BS someone made up and decided it would make a good Cherokee story. That doesn’t make it less relevant though. Here it is:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is Evil – It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

“The other is Good – It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

There are two wolves inside each of us, too. One holds all the genetic predispositions, the old habits, and the “I can’t”s. The other is the one that knows it can change it’s path. The one that can break the cycle you’ve grown up believing you’d be stuck in. The one that can change your life for the better, if you feed it. It’s easier to feed the first wolf. It’s easy to sit on the couch eating potato chips and pretending you’d be skinny and fit if your parents had just given you a better set of chromosomes. It’s easy to deflect the blame. I’m rambling now, and this post is making me hungry, but you get the point. Read the book. Feed the wolf that makes you get off your ass and work out.  That is all.

WOD: 6/18/2013

Variation of “Nasty Bear,” WOD #3 at the CrossFit Bangor Barbell Beatdown, coming up June 29th

15 minute time cap if you’re feeling froggy

Rx weight was 115# but I used 95#

Run around the park next door (roughly 400m)

20 deadlifts

20 hang cleans

20 air squats

20 front squats

20 box jumps (24″)

20 shoulder-to-overhead

20 back squats

20 burpees

B) SLDL 2×8 – (add 5-10 lbs to last week) – Here is a demo of the movement

C) Def Deadlift (6 inch) 2×8 (stand on a 45 bumper and an iron 45) (add 5-10 lbs to last week)

D) Muscle Ups 5x 3 or 5 or 7 (depending on MU ablility) Rest as needed
*Have problems with no false grip muscle ups? Here are progressions courtesy of Carl Paoli. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4. Get to work.

First, I stopped to smell the lavender in the yard.

My first instinct was to go for a run… ugg of course right.

So, I got out of bed early and headed out. About 2.5 miles into the run, I started thinking, about not going to crossFit and taking the day off. I thought, ooooh, Ill just tack on an extra 2 miles now to make up for it. I am staring the RUT in the face! – I was reminded of Susan Powter’s famous tag line!

I thought mabye my change of course had to do with the “aromatic change oil” I bought on my zen filled vacation . Only after I looked at the specific definition of the “change” it was referring to menopause…. so nope, guess the oil can’t be attributed to my change of course today. – wow, I should have read the box more carefully… not quite to menopause yet.

I turned my rear around at the 2.5 mile marker and headed back home, then looked up the WOD for today. The stars aligned and it was a running workout, what a great way for me to ease back into things. I laced up my sneakers again with a smile.

We did high hang power clean
working up to a 3 rep max
WOD 1 Round / Post Total Time
Run 600m
Rest 1:30
Run 400m
Rest 1:00
Run 200m

Love this workout!

Came home and ate a little bit of the left over granola from my trip… I hoarded some in my bag it was so good… (not ashamed – I am going to make some tomorrow, I took the recipe.

As I sign off tonight, I will leave you all with the message below. After my massage last week, they left an inspiration card and this is the message on mine.