Bringin’ meal time back.

For years, we have heard that America has a growing obesity epidemic.  People blame all kinds of things: Processed foods. Genetics. Sugar. Exercise (or lack there of)… the list goes on and on.

The reality is that there are many of factors involved, and all contribute to the obesity epidemic in a variety of ways.  However, there is topic that I haven’t really heard people talk about, which I think, deserves to be at least a small part of the conversation:  the loss of the family meal time.

Build your bucket: the importance of a proper foundation

I’m a story teller. Plain and simple. I think it comes from 2 places.  First, as a child my grandparents always told me “tall tales.”  Second, my father (who was an Air Force navigator instructor) always explained things in really long winded convoluted metaphors.  In the spirit of me becoming a dad myself, here is a long winded metaphor to describe a seemly easy topic.

Less is more.

Since I’ve been home from the Appalachian  Trail, I’ve been busy.

I got home on a Thursday and went back to school full time on the following Monday.  I did my last drill and was honorably discharged from the National Guard.  My wife and I are expecting our first child in March, and I’m back to working at the gym part time.  Needless to say, my training schedule was not exactly at the top of my priority list.

n=1: See yourself as an experiment.

In scientific experiments, “n” is typically used to define a sample size, or the number of participants in a study.  In order for a study to be statistically significant, you have to have a certain number of participants, or a big “n.”  This is what makes much of health research you see reliable, that a certain number of participants had similar results, so we, as a public, can hypothetically generalize these results to ourselves. However, today, I would like to challenge that. You see, we are all actually part of our very own mini-experiment.  You are your your own science project, and in this study, n=1.

Home gyms. What’s the deal?

Now that I’m done talking about how I’m basically the greatest hiker ever (for now), I would like to talk about a trend that is growing all over the CrossFit community.  A lot of people are leaving the traditional gym and creating “garage gyms” or “home gyms.”  Let’s be honest, it doesn’t take a lot to get started: a barbell, some plates and a piece of plywood, and you’re good to go.

The Real Meaning of Community (Guest Author: Mollie Christiansen)

In CrossFit, we talk a lot about community.  Despite what many people might think, that is the foundation of this new sport.  People coming together from all walks of life, with different skills, experiences, strengths, and weaknesses.  People joining together to push themselves to their limit, and therefore grow, together.  A similar statement could be made about the military community:  it’s communal suffering, mutual understanding of experiences, often called “the biggest Fraternity in the world.”

Logan and I are lucky enough to be a part of both of these special “communities.”  Through them, we have made lifelong friends and lasting relationships.  To all of those people, our friends, family, and even to our acquaintances or those who with we have lost some contact,  I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU.

Since Logan left for the trail, about 6 weeks ago now, I have felt an unprecedented outpouring of love and support from our family, friends, and even acquaintances.  Because of this, being apart has been a little bit easier.  Because of this, I continue to be in awe of my husband and this crazy dream of his.  Knowing that so many people are rooting for Logan, and for us, is pretty amazing.  Whether it’s a simple “like” on a Facebook post or blog post, a text message just to check in, or those going above and beyond to come over and cut the grass, reaching out to me to help keep me busy, (you all know who you are!), every single one of you are a part of this adventure.

THIS is a community.  It’s not just spending time together at the gym or at work, it’s people who genuinely care and are engaged in each others lives, even when they are thousands of miles away.  People who encourage and support each other, even in the smallest of ways.  Every single one of you reading this blog, or following Logan’s journey on Facebook, is a part of this community, and it’s a community of 172 people!  That’s pretty incredible.

So, for being a part of OUR community, for your support, encouragement and love, I sincerely thank you.

I’m on a journey. So are you (whether you know it or not).

On March 19th, 2015, I started  walking at Springer Mountain in Georgia, and began heading north to Mt. Katahdin, Maine. I hike pretty much every single day.  I’ve been hiking through rain, shine, sleet and, on one occasion, snow (not unlike your friendly neighborhood postman). When the weather is nice, I put on my nice dry (although somewhat smelly) hiking clothes, and smile as I hike. There’s not much better.  However, when it rains I put on my wet clothes, carry my wet tent, and sometimes scowl and my unfortunate luck.

Now I know what you’re thinking: “What does this have to do with me?  I already know you’re hiking every day.”  Here’s the thing thing that you might not realize though, my dear reader: You too are on a journey. For some of you, it might be a lifelong journey of fitness, for others, it’s recovering from an injury, training for an event, going back to school, or furthering your career.  If you really think about what your goals are, I think you will realize that everyone is on their own personal quest.  While my journey might be a little more obvious (and seemingly outlandish), I hope that you can use some of the lessons I am learning out here to accomplish YOUR goals.

Give yourself a break already.

Well, well, well… here we are. A week in the CrossFit Open (THE OPENSSS) and once again the Crossfit world is going crazy. I love the open.  It’s a chance for people to pull together, grow as a community, pay $10 to judge each other, and shoot the breeze after the scores get posted.

 

However, we all know there are some problems with the open: cheating, sandbagging, and let’s be honest, it’s kind of a logistical nightmare.  But that’s someone else’s problem.  This post is about something  that is incredibly important for the Open, is often overlooked during this time  (or for a the REST of the year in reality). I’ll give you a hint as to what I’m talking about:

Interview with an athlete: Advice from an old friend.

I know it’s hard to imagine a life before me, but as some of you may know, my CrossFit career actually started back in 2008 in sunny California.  Back then, I was lucky enough to be one of the first few members of CrossFit Solano, a box that has grown to over 170 members today.  While a member, I became lifelong friends with two of the owners, Lauren (LOJO) and DJ Joseph.  In 2010, I left California to come home to Texas,  since then, Crossfit Solano, LOJO and DJ have been up to nothing but great things.

Too much of a good thing? CrossFit and Social Media

I’m not a super extreme high level coach.  I have coached for 5 years and for the most part I train “regular” people. I train the working man. I train moms who want to look hot and be strong. I train firefighters who want to be in shape to do their job.  I don’t train “professional Crossfittters,” and yet it seems like all I see on social media, all day long, is people posting about their Crossfit obsession.