Spend time with your family. They've missed you this year, doing the things you have to do to compete in whatever event you've chosen to train for--a marathon, a long distance multi day bike ride, or the stress of your job. Watch Hermie and Rudolph try to save the world from the abominable snowman. Or Eddie show up unannounced at Clark's house, without the daughter trying to "get cured off the wild turkey."
Monday, December 22, 2008
Holidays and Fitness
Spend time with your family. They've missed you this year, doing the things you have to do to compete in whatever event you've chosen to train for--a marathon, a long distance multi day bike ride, or the stress of your job. Watch Hermie and Rudolph try to save the world from the abominable snowman. Or Eddie show up unannounced at Clark's house, without the daughter trying to "get cured off the wild turkey."
Thursday, December 4, 2008
We all know WHAT to do!!
"Therefore it's likely that you already have ALL the knowledge you need to achieve anything in your training. You KNOW how to get bigger. You KNOW how to get leaner. You KNOW how to get stronger. It's not a lack of knowledge for most people -- it's a lack of application. As you may have noticed, I've become tired of writing training programs and prefer to write about concepts or mindset shifts these days. I think people know what to do, but just aren't doing it. e.g. for getting lean: Did you train today? Did you do something that will elevate your metabolism? Did you eat supportively? Post workout shake? 5 meals? Protein at every meal? EFA's? Stop trying to figure out a better plan if you aren't already doing all of the above. A lot of the time it's an application of knowledge that is the missing link - not a lack of knowledge per se. Think about this: One trainer recommends 8 x 3 for squats. Another trainer recommends 3 x 10 for squats. Trainer one prefers total body training three times per week. Trainer two prefers body part splits with each "part" getting hit twice a week. The average person gets "frozen" as they don't know what to do now as the advice is the complete opposite. The educated person realizes that in order to succeed, based on both coaches experiences - you have to squat, you need about 24-30 reps of squats, and you need to train the whole body around 2-3 times per week. So they just get started and make sure that they hit those variables. The good stuff is in the similarities. So keep studying - but focus on taking action not on formulating the perfect plan. This person already had all the knowledge he needs to get to where he wants to go. He just needed to get started. If he'd have started with the completely wrong weight, he'd still have been closer to his goal than he is after taking the weekend off."
APPLY YOURSELF! Be the change for which you have the knowledge to MAKE HAPPEN!

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
So, Which Government Cares about it's People??

Brits Get Treats, Americans Get Tricks From Food Companies, Says Nutrition Action Healthletter

Pumpkin, Annatto, & Strawberry Color Foods There, Synthetic Petrochemicals Fill In Here
WASHINGTON—British consumers enjoy products made by General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft and McDonald's that are free of synthetic food dyes, but American customers lack such royal treatment, according to the October issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter. Despite evidence linking food dyes to hyperactivity and other behavior problems in children, companies continue to use the controversial dyes in American product lines while substituting natural colorings in the United Kingdom.
In the U.K., Fanta orange soda gets its bright color from pumpkin and carrot extract, but in the U.S. it comes from Red 40 and Yellow 6. Starburst Chews and Skittles, which are both Mars products, also contain synthetic food dyes in the U.S. but not in the U.K. Similarly, in the U.S., McDonald’s strawberry sundaes are colored with Red 40 but—amazing as it might sound—real strawberries in the U.K.
"British candy has all the sugar of American candy, and it’s certainly not health food," said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest, Nutrition Action’s publisher. "But as Halloween approaches, it's a shame that American kids trick-or-treat for candy dyed with discredited chemicals while British families have many of the same foods, minus the dyes."
Americans consume five times as much food dye as they did 30 years ago, according to data from the Food and Drug Administration. But in the wake of two British studies that found food dyes (and possibly the preservative sodium benzoate) impair the behavior of many children, the British government pressured companies to switch to safer, natural colorings and the European Parliament approved a warning label for foods that still contain the dyes.
In June CSPI urged the FDA to ban Red 40, Yellow 5 and six other synthetic dyes. The group wants parents of children sensitive to the chemicals to file reports online at http://www.cspinet.org/fooddyes, which CSPI will then forward to the FDA.So, who has your best interest in mind in this country? If Mr Obama is REALLY going to do something about healthcare, what about some preventative care with changes in FOOD?!?!?
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
where is the beef? (or in this case science)
Brought to you by Neil Anderson, broadcaster of CrossFit Radio--
"When I was in school (USU, ex-sci - Class of 98, woot!), we had a cutting edge instructor (Dr. Abendroth-Smith) who had a penchant for destroying myths and fallacies of the exercise world. I learned a lot from her. She had a major impact on my thinking and the way I looked at "generally accepted" training principles and "popular" health instruction. Much of what she taught was contrarian, and poorly accepted by the "scientific community." Things like:
1. Eating low fat (big in the day) was poorly studied and not recommended, by her. She also doubted that eating a high fat diet was contributing to the rising incidence of heart disease and stroke (something still cutting edge to this day).
2. Balancing macro nutrients was better than following the food guide pyramid. She argued that the food guide pyramid was more political than scientific.
3. Hight intensity, short duration exercise was generally better for non-specialists. Can you imagine the words "non-specialists" being used in the late 90's?
4. HR training in the "fat-burning zone" was not recommended, by her, for fat loss.
5. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is misunderstood and probably not caused by the popular thinking of the day. Which had more to do with lactate build-up and nerve irritation than anything
These were just a few of the things she would open our minds to in the lectures.
You should have seen the looks she'd get from the Fiteratti as she would teach these principles. CrossFitters know this look. If you have forgotten, simply plink down $5 at your local globo tomorrow and go throw down a Fran. It'll come back to you. I had friends check out of her classes because they thought her teachings were tantamount to heresy. I didn't.
Listening closely to Dr. Abendroth-Smith has served me well over the years. Although I took my lumps and have been kicked out of a couple of places, many of the thoughts on how to improve general health and performance that were considered Law in the late 90's have gone...and those that persist have improved or have been mostly disproved and are only being used by fossils and BS artists of the industry..."
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
truer words never spoken...

"Too many people in this world want you to believe that their way is the only way. Don’t buy into the nonsense. It simply isn’t true. There have been successful athletes who have engaged in an infinite number of training styles. Almost anything that you do will work if you are passionate, diligent, and consistent with the work. Often times, it isn’t the individual workout that is most important, but how you attack the workout. How much passion and intensity do you apply to the work?"
Ross Enamait
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Debbie Rocker--she makes sense to me!!

"We often discuss ways to burn offexcess fat and calories, but what we do to take off weight is only a small part of the equation – keeping it off needs just as much attention, probably more.
Why can’t we keep it off?
Here’s my belief: When we desperately want to lose weight we engage in activities that are too darn difficult to maintain. For example, we drastically reduce our caloric intake – eat too much less – or too differently - to be able to keep doing it for very long.
We start an exercise program that is too demanding – too physically tough, takes too much time, is too expensive - to keep up for very long. Soon we just stop doing them. Then, very often, because we cannot maintain the program that we set up, we have a backlash. We punish ourselves emotionally and physically by overeating, not exercising at all, and basically giving up.
Then, a few weeks or months or years later, we become desperate to lose weight again, and we start another, "too difficult" plan to take the weight off, and once again it fails. This cycle goes on and on for so many people.
How do we stop this (try to lose weight/give up) cycle?
Here’s what I suggest:
1. Take a good hard look at your past attempts and assess what is realistic and what is just too unlikely for you to sustain?
2. Don’t be hard on yourself about the past, it’s done, it’s gone, it’s over, but useful for informing the future.
3. Accept the fact that work is involved. You are going to have to change your ways, give up some things, adjust, adapt, and accept that a new way of eating and a new level of activity will take a concerted and focused and deliberate effort.
4. Be your own champion. Give yourself realistic goals and build yourself a support system, but remember that you and only you can make this happen; you must champion the change.
5. Don’t let a lapse, or setback, in your new plan become a relapse or ending to something that you have started. There will be mistakes, missed workouts and unplanned meal experiences but that is all part of the program when you are doing something for the long haul. Being able to stick with it means allowing for lapses.
6. No more "if – thens." If I lose weight, then I will buy a new outfit/look for a new job/start dating – no. Your life is in session now; so don’t act as if it will begin when you lose the weight. Getting yourself to engage and take action in all areas of your life will help you champion your own fitness/weight loss program to success.
I know you can do this if you start off with a realistic idea of what your plan should and shouldn’t look like (#1). If you are kind to yourself (#2) you’ll be more likely to keep going when the going gets tough (and when your plan doesn’t look exactly like you thought it would).
Your desire to change must be matched by an effortful willingness to change (#3), and you’d do well to invite other caring individuals into your plan (#4) while you remember that your opinion (and decision) is really the one that matters. Progress moves forward and back (#5) and now is the time (#6) to make your commitment to not just lose weight but live healthfully from here on out.
Peace and Happy Healthy Trails,
Debbie Rocker"
Thursday, October 2, 2008

As a Trainer, Here are the 3 Most important Things to Consider for Client's Fitness
1. Are they psychologically ready for change?
Have they hit "rock bottom", do they have a support staff?
2. No guts no glory.
Are they willing to make changes--time, planning, meals, etc.?
What are the things they ARE NOT willing to change?
3. All work and no play...
Balance in life--family, nutrition, work, play, spiritual, etc.--do they have it?
Are they reading ANYTHING not pertaining to work? Pleasure, self-improvement, read for you or your family, read for leisure, etc.
PLAY HARD! Make your workouts fun, exciting, and variable. Scale them to what you can do!
YOU ONLY GET OUT OF IT, WHAT YOU PUT INTO IT.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
What is Fitness?
balance
agility
accuracy
coordination
speed
power
stamina
strength
flexibility
cardioresparatory endurance
A combination of all these factors...this is fitness.
Being able to know you can do what is asked for at a given moment...this is fitness.
Increased work capacity across broad time and modal domains...this is fitness.
Thanks to Greg Glassman for the above statements.
"energy and persistence conquer all things" --ben franklin
WELCOME TO THE FITSOURCE BLOG!!
