PAIN

Recently had the opportunity to compete in a crossfit comp called "Border Wars" put on by Ranger Crossfit. I was hyped because they had a 40+ age category. We took the twins with us and my wife and I made the drive down to McAllen the night before the comp. Saturday morning  I requested to be moved to the open mens division, since our box 'super human' (Zeph Littleton) decided not to compete and since there was only one other person in the 40+ age group. Our group (crossfit XLR8) did really well. It's really awesome to be associated with such a great group of friends/athletes. 

Don't think I will do it again next year, I dropped a 155# barbell (see pic) on my knee, now I have to rehab during the 2011 Crossfit open. No excuses, I'll be ready!

Joel Osteen Ministries:
When you trust God to fulfill the dreams and promises He's given you, all the forces of darkness cannot stop God from bringing your dreams to pass.

Border Wars - Ranger Crossfit - March 12, 2011

12 days of Big Island

Just returned from a 12 day sojourn on the Big Island of Hawai'i. The plans just fell together perfectly. While there, my wife and I renewed our vows. Before leaving Texas, I looked for a box to get in a wod or two,
BUT after arriving and taking a couple of days to settle in, I decided I was
going to 'relax'.

This was my daily routine starting the second day there:
wake up @ 5:30 am

surf from 6-8:30
eat breakfast
nap
eat lunch
nap
snorkel/dive 2-5:00pm
eat dinner
sleep
repeat x 10

I did 3 wods at Kim's uncles place. I found a 26 inch concrete platform to do some box jumps, and threw in some pistols, air squats, & push-ups for good measure (no burpees). Also did a few trail runs out and about. Did some snorkeling almost every afternoon with my bro-in-law (Will) . We would swim out to the reefs and dive as deep as we could. This was a blast and challenging. Thank GOD for snorkels & fins. It got a little sketchy a few times when I inadvertently took in a few mouthfuls of water but I got better the more I did it. Really had to keep your breathing in check.

I must say that I was extremely impressed by the way our host lived (Kim's & Will's Uncle John). It wasn't extravagant by any means, more like conservative and "self-sustaining". The house we stayed in wasn't even on the electrical grid, it was powered by solar panels and a gas generator. The panels and battery array were very modern. I could tell that John got a kick out of giving us the lowdown on the design, cost and maintenance of the system. Definitely made you aware of using anything electrical because if the batteries would completely discharge you would be S.O.L., which actually occurred on several occasions. Then you would have to find other means of entertainment until the generator charged the system back up. It wasn't too primitive either, John had a 28" flat screen tv and a satellite dish that we would spend an hour or two watching sports each night.



As for our diet, we ate out only while we were traveling, the rest of the days we ate produce from the farmers market and grass fed beef that John "acquired". Every tropical fruit you could imagine was available in South Point or Captain Cook. Mango's, pineapple's and apple banana's, (yep apple BANANA's, not sure why they called them that). Plenty of locally grown varieties of fruit and veggies were available and not too expensive.





Overall spent 2 days traveling and about 12 days on the Big Island. The real world beckoned us back and from the sound of it our family missed us too. Called my buddy Zach when I got back and drove over to do a chipper wod with Noah and a few others in Ingleside at CUTTHROAT BARBELL CLUB.


This is how Zach greeted me when I got back:

barbell lunges (45#)
farmers walk (100 #)
30 wallballs (20lbs)
30 squats
30 pullups
30 ringdips
30 box jumps
30 GHD's
30 true pushups
30 squats

with a 300m run between each.

my time 37:07

feeling sore today...

Merry CHRISTmas ya'll!!!

STRONG is the new skinny.

Is Paleo practical? It can be.........In my humble opinion.

PLEASE READ: Perfectionism and Self-Sabatage – Paleo Style…

My wife's response to a PALEO blog:

I have been studying foods, nutrition, and herbology for 15 years now. There are many diets out there that are paleo or a slight variation of paleo. I started eating one of them for my immune system. The major difference was that it included unsweetened REAL yogurt (there are ancient societies that had notable longevity eating yogurt). Keeping the inflammatory response in the body under control works. I am a totally different human being when I eat this way and feel so good that I prefer it. The trick being that I know what works for me! When my husband came home and said he would like to eat paleo I thought "that's easy!", and it was. It wasn't until this time that I started calling how I ate paleo, mostly because the group of people that we associate with recognize the term. We think of it as eating clean and we stay WELL and have incredible recovery time. Being successful at eating right for me, I've noticed a few things watching others TRY to be successful at this diet. one thing is that people complicate it by trying to portion. if you break into ZONE for a rest day from the rigid routine, then portion, but other wise it is unnecessary. Next, there are foods that are not allowed on paleo that have benefits far outweighing any derogatory effects. Stevia (has a balancing effect on blood sugar)and xylitol(kills bad bacteria in the digestive tract) are great to help you through this diet! The last thing I would like to mention is food source supplementation. This is the biggest single key to success. If you have cravings, your body is telling you that there is a deficiency. Our soils are depleted and we get little to no enzyme content in our food no matter what you eat! Believe me, you have deficiencies, and as a paleo eater, silica is probably one of them. Address these things and your conscientious food choices will work!

Post T day FALLOUT!!!!!!

OK, I did it!! In the week leading up to Thanksgiving I had many inquiries about how I was going to eat my Thanksgiving meal. Many were students in my class, some were friends, acquaintances as well as fellow crossfitters.
I gave the same answer to all, that I was going to break down, it was after all, just one meal. So the day came and my gracious wife and mom made an exceptional meal. There were paleo friendly dishes abounding BUT then there was EVERYTHING else.....

I was REALLY bad, even drank my a coke. The fallout was severe. You name it, I ate it. Rolls with butter, mashed potatoes, stuffing & gravy, apple pie with ice cream. By the time the time Drew Brees & the Saints had closed the deal with the Cowboys, I was in a semi comatose state. Friday was WORSE. I didn't leave the house. I slept all day. I was trying to get up to hit a 1200 wod, when I woke it was 1230. Back to the real world today. Got up this morning and had my preworkout meal.

On tap for today:
JACKIE
1000m Row
50 – 45lbs Thrusters (scaling up to 95 lbs)
30 Pull Ups

It really did shock my body, especially because I eat extremely clean. I'm NOT doing that again.

Peace.

The United States of DIABETES.

Just read an interesting article I found on the Drudge Report called: THE UNITED STATES OF DIABETES, written by United Health Group. I often find myself skeptical of media, so I dug around to find enough proof to satisfy my curiosity.

OK, here's a little review on diabetes:
(from the American Diabetes Association)

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, the body does not produce insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life. Only 5-10% of people with diabetes have this form of the disease.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Millions of Americans have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and many more are unaware they are at high risk. Some groups have a higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes than others. Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, as well as the aged population.
In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the body to be able to use glucose for energy.
When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can lead to diabetes complications.

Suffice it to say, the United Health Group, as well as all the other health care providers are banking on making billions even TRILLIONS of $$ on diabetes.

According to the report, "Diabetes and prediabetes will account for an estimated 10 percent of total health care spending by the end of the decade at an annual cost of almost $500 billion — up from an estimated $194 billion this year."

THIS CAN BE DRASTICALLY REDUCED!!!! If we decide to make personal lifestyle changes, AND YES THAT MEANS EVERYTIME we put food in our mouths.

It's no secret that type II diabetes can be regulated (for most people that have it) by modifying your diet.

There is a war going on inside our bodies. It is a war that can be won. How can you win? Help your body by eating right and losing weight!! Is your life important?  Get some exercise and eat right and watch your life improve drastically.

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;

Peace












P.S.

Please read what Robb Wolf has to say about TYPE I Diabetes & Crossfit.
Who is Robb Wolf? He is a former research biochemist & is one of the world’s leading experts in Paleolithic nutrition and author of The Paleo Solution – The Original Human Diet. A student of Prof. Loren Cordain, author of The Paleo Diet, Robb has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast and wildly popular seminar series.

1-Gluten free, dairy free paleo diet.
2-Keep carbs on the LOW side ala-Benrsteins Diabetes solution (but better food quality).
3-Map blood sugar responses to activity, sleep and food.

This works, but it takes effort and time.

HANDSTAND CHALLENGE

Want to perfect your handstand? Never done one? LET'S TRY!!! I'm pretty good at HSPU's but not freeform handstands. I challenge you. It's a 90-day challenge (Thanks Crossfit Surf City for the idea!!).

THIS IS THE DEAL: do handstand holds every day for 90 days. Wall handstands are cool, but the point is to eventually perform a freeform handstand.

PLEASE BE SAFE.


Start with a spotter or use the wall when you are beginning. If you cannot do a handstand push up (HSPU), then this is good time to get proficient.

How long each day? It's up to you. I'm going to do it as part of my warmup everyday. I will start using a wall and I will try to do 30 sec handstand holds. Every day I'm going to start by trying to do freeform handstands.



Handstands: Against the wall or freeform
Day 1: 1 handstand
Day 2: 2 handstands
all the way to
Day 90: 90 handstands


You can do it ANYWHERE. Home, gym, office, wherever you feel comfortable.

Keep track of your progress. Take a picture.
REMEMBER: use a spotter or a wall until you become comfortable