Good Times CrossFit Healthy Habit Challenge

Are you Buying your Life or Making your Life?
We are cursed as Americans. We work much more than we play, by and large. True, through work we provide the structure and basis by which this society enjoys its many pleasures. But are we working unnecessarily, are we devoting too much time to BUYING our life instead of MAKING what our dreams contrive?

Often we speak about how the benefits of Physical Fitness through CrossFit have opened doors to a more full and worthwhile existence. This is wonderful, if you have gained confidence, gained ability in activities you enjoy, gained friendships that fulfill the human experience. I applaud this endeavour! You have MADE this part of your life. That is you; And this is rewarding.

Is this an even balance? Could there still be more room for MAKING dreams and desires a reality? This is what I challenge you to ponder in your daily reflection. You are still making time for that Right?

It's about balance, emotional, psychological, adn physical health hinge on the balance you have in your life. Go and right the scales my friends!!

http://youtu.be/vxTz42GgYeA

Forward Focus in goal setting. In this second part to our ongoing video series on goal setting and success for 2015, I cover some key elements to stay focused on the goal which you have se...

2015 resolutions can make you feel anxious as the pressure to actually finish what you may set out to do becomes harder as the year moves on and more s**t keeps getting piled on to your consciousness.

In the coming month, I will be blogging about a clear process by which will keep you focused and successful in the coming year. No matter what you may choose, I will point out now that wether you use my process or not... you have an army of folks here at Good Times that can keep you grounded and motivated. sometimes community is all you may need.

Today let's discuss goal setting.

Goals, in just the way I write that, implies multiplicity. And there in lies our first great mistake. There are too many things going on at once and what happens is the let down of doing 50 things s**tty and not focusing on 1 thing and doing it to its completion .

So, simply make a list of goals that you would like to accomplish. And a real list at that!!!! In the same journal that you track your fitness there probably is a blnk page wher thoughts can be written out and become real. That list of goals can be personal, physical, mental, financial, spiritual, professional... anything that will make you happier or a better person.

Next is to prioritize those goals using a 1-... type of listing. This can be tough to do but I beleive that it is possible. Once you have re-organized the list then start crossing off the less important goals. 5-10 gotta go. 1-5 I want you to take a hard look at and decide which you would like to tackle. Do not cross off 1-5 but rather highlight #1 and make that your new goal.

Find a new page and re-write that goal at the top and outline that goal by deciding how achieving it will effect you personally, professionally, financially.. etc. Then outline what steps you can do initially to get the ball rolling. As you proceed down the path, new ways may present themselves but we must have an anchor point!

This is your first step in the direction of achieving and not just saying you should. Check in with me for clarity and ideas, I'm in!!!

Paleo Challenge is beginning with optimistic outlooks. Ready to see change? Then jump on board if you are signed up or not.
Come in today and get your work capacity test on!!!!

WHY DIETS DON'T WORK. PART 1

Today is the beginning of a two part series on why diets do not work. Dieting, in its essence, is a temporary fix for a long term problem. What I will explain is that a holistic approach to your lifestyle must be regarded as the ultimate cure for ailments, behaviour modifications, and overall health and wellness.

So let's begin with the neuroendicrine system, a simple place to start right? Well deep inside your brain lives a very small but very important part called the Hypothalamus. Think of this as the thermostat in your house which regulates the temperature and if you have one of the new fancy ones it controls security, lights... the whole bit. That is what the hypothalamus does, controls the homeostasis of the entire body; this includes the autonomic, behavioural and endocrine systems.

WOW that is a lot of s**t for a small portion of the brain right? Yeah... but it was totally necessary as we developed into intelligent beings and grew with the planets ever changing environmental demands. The hypothalamus told us to not burn energy when famines came, gave us the sensation that sunlight was good for the body,and allowed us to process sensory information over thousands of years.

Well this beautiful piece of natural development is also what regulates your own bodies weight by what neuro scientists call your "set point". The hypothalamus you were born with is what has been regulating you and watching you grow for many years. The average amount of energy burned, fat stored, and calories needed is directly proportional to the standard it was given at birth and throughout your life. Now the interesting thing about this device in our brains is that scientists have found that your 'set point' does not go down easily. That is you cannot diet your way into changing your hypothalamus; but it can go up. Chronic obesity and folks that are overweight can actually turn your 'set point' up!

Crazy right!

The good news is that this incredibly smart part of the brain is actually dumb to the outside world. Which brings me to external influences on the internal parts of the body. With mindful living and eating habits done over the course of years, you can maintain your hypothalamus and teach your brain to live on an even plane without desires or cravings. What I will get into tomorrow is the this idea of the 'Intuitive Eater".

The hypothalamus is the key to your wellness success. Understand it and you will understand the bodies process better! Ponder that for the night. See you tomorrow.

Medicine today is a very precarious business. Time management, patient needs, lack of funding, all the above are factors in hindering our capacity for providing the most efficient and effective medical care and education to patients.

When my doctor has 6 rooms filled with patients and allotted 15 minutes between appointments there is very little room to dive into prevention and education instead of just triage and prescription. So this is what is on my mind tonight.. How do we allow our medical professionals to become swim coaches rather than just lifeguards???

First let's talk about education. Teaching a med student the functionality and efficacy of diet and exercise is not the same as teaching that same student about treating for symptoms of diabetes. Since our medical care system has traditionally been about treatment and not prevention, you can see why so much has gone amiss from the core classes you must take as an under grad or even during medical school. The role of Lifeguard is paramount to any other role in a patients experience. The argument can be made that the Kaiser model of 'preventative medicine' is taught to the Docs and systems are set up at work for them to guide patients into. So maybe this is the step in the right direction??

Patients that make their way into the office are usually there not to ask what type of nutrition plan to espouse or what type of fitness regiment they should be on but rather what type of blood pressure med will keep them from having a heart attack! So automatically we are biasing our Docs toward an existence where prevention is not even possible due to pre-existing 'problems' that require solving before any work can begin on lifestyle changes. As I can speak to with working in both the Fire/EMS world and the fitness world, people are lazy and would rather hear an answer to a problem that requires as little effort as possible.

This brings me to the financial dilemma which all Doctors find themselves in. Doctor Jones, (hypothetical), has a mortgage and mouths to feed at home. Dr. Jones also has a patient roll-a-dex that has over 1,000 names on it. He needs to pay the bills, be accessible to his patients, and actually make a difference in patients lives. Then there is Drug Company... let's call them... Pfizerinous. They make a plethora of drugs which have been proven by the FDA to change the disease process of many different ailments. Let's just say that Dr. Jones is an avid CrossFit athlete and believes that it can change many patients lives. Armed with his passion and knowledge of nutrition and fitness which he learned from reading his Coach's blogs daily; Dr. Jones approaches his day ready to make a change. Unfortunately patients are stacking up and time is short with each but decisions must be made and folks need to be processed in and out.

Dr. Jones then remembers that Pfizerinous does offer exactly what each patient needs to help stop the disease process in the short term or alleviate some symptoms of other diseases he finds. Against his better judgement he ends up pulling out the prescription pad and letting the drug do the work... what other choice does he have. He does hand out a pamphlet on diet and exercise and hopes that they read it but he is quickly squirting hand sanitizer on his way out of the room on the way to the next patient. Once again, he is a Lifeguard and doesn't even get the chance to be the swim coach!!

Being The Swim Coach takes time and patience, none of which is in abundance with today's medical professionals. Until we make a breakthrough in the minds of patients before they step into the office we are doomed to keep the cycle repeating. Doctors will still be lifeguards, the population will continue to be uneducated, not proactive, and Pfizerinous will continue to be the stop gap for all medical problems in this country. Sad but true.

I want to hear from you, post your comments below and come find me in class and let's have a discussion about how to change this starting right here in our community!

Do you Zone??? If you are really trying to dial in your nutrition for a goal, throw a measuring cup and a scale in the kitchen and try it out.
Use the 40/30/30 rule for caloric intake.

How sugar affects the brain - Nicole Avena When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or ni****ne -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nico…

According to my bike I rode close to 15 miles today back and forth to the gym, the pool and home. I feel great as it has been nice to warm up and cool down from my sessions with a bit of a pedal! Also, I saved at least $25 in gas from my Tahoe and reduced my carbon footprint.
Yes.. that is me on a soap box.. deal with it .

It is sunday... the day of temptation. do not break because tomorrow it will hurt more!!!!