We are almost at the finish line of the Challenge! For some of you the first 1-2 weeks were pretty easy. They were fun, you were enlivened by the challenge, the possibility of something new and different, and excited to prove to yourself that you were capable of something that may have occurred as “impossible” in the past.

Then came week 3. Somewhere right in there the “fad” part of the challenge ended and stuff got real. The may have been the time when some of you cried over something you couldn’t have. This is when the ninja started kicking his feet — he started to make this whole thing look dangerous.

Well you are past week 3, the first “storm” of this journey. Things have calmed down a little. Some things were lost and some things have been gained. You’re next test is just over the horizon — complacency and over-confidence. This is not to say that you shouldn’t be confident in some of the new skills that you have gained. Over-confidence is confidence without vigilence.  It’s assuming that you’ve now got it all wired. Now is the time to enjoy your new strength.  That strength now includes your new ability to be relaxed but aware.

You do in fact have this wired. That does not mean that you should go on auto-pilot.  Now comes the fun — you get to watch, relaxed, at all the things that would have tripped you up 2 weeks ago. Sail past them smoothly, wave and smile, and be aware enough to enjoy your lack of emotional reaction to them, you’ve earned it.

Your inner ninja is kicking in – getting you through it! You will make it!

There are so many lessons that I have learned through my many years of Crossfit from coaching athletes, to training myself and preparing for the Crossfit Games. I am a big believer in the idea that everything counts. From how we eat and sleep to how we think and treat people. Our past accomplishments are very important and make us who we are today but we can’t dwell on what we have done good or bad. So while everything that we do matters it doesn’t mean we are stuck and can’t change and it sure as heck doesn’t mean we can’t start our journey to being “better” right now. Every choice we make is a chance to fix a wrong turn or continue heading in the right direction.

I am not sure where this attitude of finishing strong came from for me. Whether it was from my amazing parents or just a culmination of experiences or part of my personality but no matter what I do I focus on finishing strong. Whether its a workout, a project, or a challenge my goal is to finish strong. No matter how many times you cheated on your eating or slowed down during the workout if you finish out the workout as hard as you can you will have won and that feeling of accomplishment will carry over to whatever comes next for you. Having successful past experiences to draw from will enable and assist you in future endeavors. I hope this plays a role in encouraging you and your athletes.

Jeremy Kinnick: Games Veteran and Father

- Jeremy Kinnick

http://www.crossfitkinnick.com
Head Trainer, Level I CrossFit Instructor, CrossFit Basic Barbell, CrossFit Mobility
2011 CrossFit Games
2010 Southwest Regional Qualifier: 8th Place
2009 CrossFit Games: 29th Place
2008 CrossFit Games: 77th Place

This week’s Weekly Challenge Raffle winner is

Justin Sherwood

Justin, you are the winner of one of our new CFI T-shirts! Stop Conan or I when you see us and we will make sure you get one!

Great job on running last week!!

Over the past few weeks you all have taken on the habit of at least 10 minutes of exercise every day.  During the challenge, I have found myself wondering “if I work out so hard on the other days, what difference do these 10 minutes on my ‘rest days’ matter?”

The primary factor for me, and the reason we included this rule, is that it keeps your mind attuned to fitness as a daily habit.  It’s not a 2 or 3 day a week thing. It’s not a fix, it’s a lifestyle. Our bodies will benefit from that intense effort we put in during the workouts we are doing in the gym, but we are meant to move.  It is time for people to get in the habit of thinking of themselves as movers and not as sedentary creatures.

As it turns out, 10 minutes a day may be a bigger deal than just moving.  According to this article in USA Today, an informal study done by a team of doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital demonstrated that the effects of 10 minutes of brisk exercise has metabolic effects that last for almost an hour after you are finished.  You may scoff, thinking that this must only be good for the vast legions of unhealthy or sedentary people out there.  However, they also found that the better shape you are in, the more impressive these effects are.

The doctors studied a few different types of individuals and in a group of 70 people they found that the brief exercise produced several different types of metabolites — some that burned calories and processed fat, some that decreased cellular stress, and others that improved blood sugar. These metabolites hung around for much longer than they expected, up to a full hour, even when that exercise only lasted those brief 10 minutes. The doctors were excited by these initial findings, and plan to study further.

Just think, you can change your destiny in 10 minutes a day. It goes to show, it really is the little things.  The small efforts, the attention to detail, the seemingly insignificant choices. It may not take as much as you once thought. Eat right, move, stretch, pick up something heavy every day. We cannot escape that our bodies function only when they are used the way they are designed.  We are designed to move. Our systems respond positively to our movement. Movement keeps us healthy, young, and energized.

Remember how much fun it was as a kid just to move? I can think of no better reason to do it 10 minutes a day.

So much has been going on the last couple of weeks for a lot of you — changes in your body, how you feel, your outlook about food and health, your feelings about working out and your relationship with what you are capable of just to name just a few.

Have you thought to STOP for a second and look around you? Take a second to check out your environment and notice the positive changes that may be occurring around you as a result of the changes you are making. You might actually find that you are responsible for a shift in somebody else’s life as well.

We’d love to hear about changes that you have caused in the people around you who are excited about what you have started! Post to comments!

If you have been looking at the scoreboard, you have probably noticed that there may be a few people in this challenge who’ve “quit” it. People who haven’t gotten any points in quite some time – or are settling for the bare minimum. Maybe you are one of them, maybe you’ve considered it and maybe you’re on the edge. You’ve been off your game for a week, maybe more.  You now see the results that other people who have been playing consistently have gotten up to this point and wish you were getting them too.

Well here’s something you may not have considered — you still can get exactly that! We have more time left in this challenge than we’ve completed which means that even if you’ve already “quit” and you started playing full out TODAY, you can have all the results that you would already have and THENSOME.

The conversation that you may be having that says “it’s too late” is a LIE! I don’t know any better way to say that it is NEVER too late.  That goes for just about anything.  If you still want it, go for it.  There is no deadline on your life (except the one that will end the whole conversation anyway!).

If you are “out” put yourself back in right now!  Don’t wait until Monday, don’t even wait until this weekend. Start with what you stand for.  Even if you don’t have to have the food. Even if you have fabulous plans this weekend. This is all about your commitment to you, your life, and your environment. Make it all work inside of the life that matters to you and you will win this challenge.

Don’t forget that the Whole Life Challenge Mid-Wayish Paleo Potluck is tonite AFTER the 630p class – so around 730p. If you show up before that we may make you do the WOD!!

We will have the fruit infused water — you bring a paleo/challenge friendly entree or dessert to share —

See you there!

Get ready for Week 5!! Here’s an early heads up on the weekly challenge —

Your Bonus Challenge for Week 5 is to PRACTICE A SKILL for 10 minutes every day next week. What does that mean? It means that every day, starting on Monday, you will practice a skill for at least 10 minutes every day.

• You may practice any skill that you want to get better at
• All practice must take place outside of a workout — i.e. if you are going to practice double unders, double unders done during a workout do not count towards your 10 minutes.
• You may use warm-up time to practice your skill as long as you get 10 continuous minutes of practice
• If your skill is physical, e.g. jumping rope, pull-ups, olympic lifts, etc., you may count your 10 minutes as your workout for the day. So when you do your 10 minutes of skill practice you are covered for both your weekly challenge requirement and your workout.
• Some examples of what you may practice are: jumping rope, snatches, piano, juggling, dancing, handstands. Any skill that you want to be better at.

Practice your skill for 10 minutes for 7 days and earn you 2 bonus points for the week.

IMPORTANT: You must post in the discussion forum what you are going to be practicing by Sunday at midnight. Not posting by midnight will result in being ineligible for this week’s challenge.

Food costs money. Good, healthy food costs more money than bad food. It just does. But good food really only costs more up front. Bad food will cost you much more in the long run.

Bad food will cost you in many ways — in minor or major medical costs related not just to cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but also to over-the-counter medical costs for relief of all kinds of ailments ranging from acid reflux, heartburn, headaches and allergies to cold and flu relief. Oh, and don’t forget managing bone and joint pain due to obesity. Beyond medical, bad food is also bound to cost you in the opportunity and producitivity lost to low energy, lack of good sleep and reduced ability simply to be sharp on a daily basis.

You see, Wimpy was right. Look at that mid-belly fat. That pre-diabetic, insulin-resistant mid-belly fat. He may not pay today, he may not even pay on Tuesday, but he will pay.

So now you have the challenge, and you actually get to play with the impact, the “pay me later” right now. In the challenge, the consequence is present anytime you break the rules. 1 point. There is actually a cost right now for indulging. The trick is, will you remember when the challenge is over that there remains a cost, that you may be accruing a tab, just like Wimpy, that you will have to pay later. One that may ending up costing far more than 1 point.

Alright ladies, I know a few of you are going through this — you’ve been really diligent about your participation in the Whole Life Challenge and are experiencing modest changes in your body. Your male gym-mate, boyfriend or husband has lost five pounds in one week. What’s up with that? Why is it so easy for them?

Here’s the answer – nature doesn’t know we’re living in the modern world. As far as nature knows, men are still spending their days hunting animals and women are spending their days bearing and raising children. It’s really important to nature that women be able to do this, because while men are without a doubt pretty cool and fascinating creatures, without women’s ability to have children the whole human race would come to a screeching halt.

So how does our caveman ancestry get in the way of your weight loss?

1. Men have naturally lower body fat than women to start with. When comparing lean body mass and bodyfat percentages, men have more muscle and women carry more fat. If you consider cavemen were out hunting food, it makes sense they have more muscle than women. Cavewomen needed higher body fat to protect a growing baby inside them. A general rule of thumb I use to put this in perspective is that women carry about 10% more bodyfat than men – so a really lean man is between 5-10% and a really lean woman is between 15-20%.

2. Men carry their fat differently. Not only do men have less fat, but they tend to carry their fat in one central area on their torso, whereas women carry it throughout their body. This makes it seem like guys can “spot reduce” easier than women. In addition, the last place a woman is likely to lose weight is probably the first place she wants it to go from, i.e. “baby protection” fat around the lower midsection.

3. Men have higher testosterone. Testosterone makes it possible for us to build muscle and men have higher testosterone than women. Having more muscle also means having a higher metabolism. Men naturally have about a 5-10% higher rate of metabolism than women. (This is all the more reason to show up on heavy weightlifting days, ladies — increasing your muscle mass will increase the base amount of calories your body needs each day. You’ll burn more even without moving around if you have more muscle.)

So there you have it. You can blame it on the ancient cavemen and cavewomen that modern men can eat more and still lose weight. On the upside, women tend to be far more diligent and detail oriented about weight loss than men. So stick it out ladies, you may have to be stricter (watch your nuts and fruits in particular), but your body will come around.

By Becca Borawski