tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52076641630686207972024-03-28T00:53:32.746+01:00anywherefitIf you're not on the edge, you're just taking up spaceanywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.comBlogger762125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-65345162039711022892020-04-17T03:51:00.003+02:002020-04-17T03:51:59.333+02:00Fitness Is... Getting Sick<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Fitness Is…</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-8e54037a-7fff-081d-4a3d-72cdb78b181b" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Getting sick. And recovering.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">A while ago I interviewed a doctor who posed me a singular question to help me understand the body and its immune system. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“What happens,” he asked, “when you get a splinter in your finger and you don’t pull it out?” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“It gets infected,” I responded.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“Right,” he said. “The skin gets red and the body produces puss. Why do you think it does that?” </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“To… get rid of the splinter,” I answered, cautiously.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“Exactly. It produces the puss to extricate the splinter. Now, the important question. Which is the illness… the puss or the splinter?”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The point he had so elegantly made was that most of us think about sickness completely backwards. We see someone wipe their nose or have diarrhea, and we think those are the elements that need to be fixed in order to regain health. In reality, those symptoms are the body’s way of FIGHTING whatever it is that infiltrated it. A fever is the body raising the temperature to kill an infection. A cough is the body expelling foreign chemicals or toxins from the lungs. If the splinter is the cause of the infection, why spend our time trying to stop the puss. Or the cough. Or the fever.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">He went on to explain to me that the body actually has two immune systems. The first, known as the cell-mediated system, is the one responsible for fighting the infection on the front lines. This is where the body sends white blood cells to the affected area to consume infected cells and expel them via snot, puss, mucus, whatever. The second, and far more flashy system, is the antibody system. This is where our body creates an imprint or memory of a specific illness in certain cells, to more efficiently fight that illness in the future. This is how we develop long term immunity.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“The trick,” he said with a smile, “is that these things are intended to work in tandem. Without the cell-mediated response, the body isn’t capable of developing the exact antibodies it will need in the future. This is why vaccines don’t produce the same level of immunity as contracting the actual disease… the body didn’t go through the entire process of fighting off the infection.”</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The realization for me at that moment was major. What I had previously understood as “sickness” (meaning the symptoms) was not only natural, it was necessary. Without going through the process of fevers, congestion, etc, my body wouldn’t get the “reps” it needed to build a robust and intelligent immune system. I had been demonizing my body’s natural defense mechanism against the billions of pathogens, microbes, and bacteria that exist in the world. What good was all the organic, gluten free food I was eating to fill my body with the vitamins and nutrients it needs if every time my temperature went above 100 I took a pill. That’s like mobilizing for an hour every day but never lifting a weight. Technically you’re always ready, but you’ll never be strong. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The cost of this misunderstanding is enormous, and twofold. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">First, when we strip ourselves of the opportunity to defend against a whole host of maladies, we increase the likelihood of sustained toxicity or infection in the body. Remember that every fever, cough, and runny nose is the cell mediated system trying to rid your body of some abnormal or toxic element. If it is no longer allowed to do this because we took some anti-symptomatic medicine, we may be trapping the toxic element inside our cells. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">For example, the worst thing you can give a smoker is a cough suppressant… you’re removing the best chance they have to get the tar out of their lungs. Such blunting of the cell mediated system over the course of a lifetime leads to a) an unpracticed response team living in b) a perpetually toxic environment. Combine that scenario with a medical establishment that loves doling out antibiotics and antivirals like Halloween candy, and it’s like putting a rookie SWAT team in the yard of a maximum security prison… not a great recipe for long term health and sustainability. In cases of extreme toxicity, the body will resort to quarantining certain areas of abnormal cells, barricading them off from the healthy tissues while it figures out what to do next. This is called cancer. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Granted, smoking is an extreme case of acute toxic poisoning. There are a host of other instances where the outcome isn’t so obviously harmful because our body is pretty ingenious at finding ways around the obstacles we present it. But we also need to remember that we live in a world where even our most basic interactions with the environment are growing increasingly toxic. The air we breath, the food we eat, the radio waves we live amongst; all of it is consumed, filtered, and dealt with on the cellular level. When we establish a practice of blunting our body’s most basic defense mechanism against these things, the garbage is going to start piling up. Enter a malignant bacteria or a novel coronavirus, and you might find yourself in a dumpster fire. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The second cost of misunderstanding sickness is cultural. Rather than viewing symptoms for what they are (natural and necessary), we see them as something to avoid. Something to fear. Think of the old NyQuil slogan: “</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, aching, coughing, stuffy-head, fever, so you can rest medicine.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> It shifts your focus away from what’s happening in your body (fighting something off) to what those symptoms are preventing you from doing (getting sleep). Pretty clever marketing, but we eat it up. We dread the common cold, we scamper to CVS every fall to get the latest flu shot. Why? Because, heaven forbid we get sick. Heaven forbid we miss work or school, or have to lay in bed for a few days while our friends are at the gym. It speaks to the broader impatience that has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, where we expect immediate relief from annoyance, disturbance, and discomfort. We are spoiled. We are soft. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Instead, we rely on medicine to control symptoms and upon a sterile world to prevent infections. A world, I will remind you, that is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">less</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> sterile than it has ever been, regardless of the gallons of hand sanitizer we bathe it in. We are progressively unequipping ourselves to handle even mild infections, and, more generally, we are off-loading the responsibility for our health. We demand a treatment for everything, a vaccine for everything. We grow unacquainted with illness, and begin to fear it in all forms. There is no perceived risk to chronic lack of self care, because it’s no longer a personal responsibility. Health is now a collective responsibility. We think that by preventing people from feeling symptoms we are protecting them, but really we are weakening them. Day after day, year after year, we are giving them fish. But where are the fishermen?</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">There has never been a better example of this phenomenon than the Coronavirus pandemic. The models from every country experiencing this thing have shown, more or less, the same result: it is HIGHLY contagious and RARELY fatal. The CDC has published findings that only about 20% of the exposed population show symptoms that would prompt them to go to the hospital and get tested. That means that the 646,000 confirmed cases in the United States actually reflects closer to 3.2 million exposures. That means the 28,000 total deaths equates to a fatality rate of about 0.007, or a little more than half a percent. The same calculation applied to New York (the worst area of infection) puts the local death rate at exactly 1%. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Now, in gross numbers that’s still a lot of people dying... hence the response from world leaders and public health officials. In viral terms, it’s about 7 times as deadly as what we deal with every year during cold and flu season when massive amounts of people get sick. In the United States alone, the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations, and 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010. That’s a death rate of 0.001, or about a tenth of a percent. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">In an effort to save lives, infectious disease experts around the world immediately honed in on who COVID-19 was killing and discovered that the disease seemed to predominantly attack the elderly and infirm. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">99% of fatalities in Italy had 2 or more pre-existing conditions, or comorbidities. These are chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, hypertension, emphysema, age, etc. The same criteria has applied to 95% of deaths in New York. What does this mean? It means that, while the illness is not harmless to the young and healthy population, it usually is not deadly. But it is extremely deadly to the sick, frail, and elderly. Do we know what else is extremely deadly to the sick, frail, and elderly? Not to sound callous... but almost everything. Any sort of trauma. Complications from surgery. The flu. These are high risk populations living in a world full of risks. This shouldn’t be news to anyone.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This information is critical to understand because it highlights how we, as a society, naturally function. In so many cases, it’s the role of the strong to shield the weak from many of the risks they might otherwise encounter. This is no exception, but the way we’ve been directed to do so in this case is misguided. The way the strong can protect the weak from something like the coronavirus is by going out, getting sick, and getting better. Period. Those with pre-existing conditions quarantine at home while the rest of the population goes out and lets their immune systems do the work of establishing herd immunity. Hospitals should cancel elective procedures to prepare for a surge of cases, but since the population that would ultimately need the intensive care is locked up in their houses, those beds will remain largely empty. We know this works because it’s the way respiratory viruses work every year. The virus runs its course when enough of the population has encountered it, dealt with it, and developed immunity. By sheltering the entire population in place we are preventing the strong from encountering the virus and prolonging the life-cycle of the pandemic. This increase in time duration actually raises the likelihood that it will eventually run across someone in the at risk population before it’s done.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">So, how would this have looked if we hadn’t sheltered everyone? Look at the five US states who didn’t do so: Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. If you compare them with other states that have a comparable population density (Oklahoma, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Montana) you’ll see increased growth rates for the disease in the non-shelter states (Iowa 9% vs Colorado 6%, Nebraska 10% vs Nevada 6%, for example). However, the average death rate of confirmed cases in those 5 non shelter states is 2%, compared to almost 4% in the sheltered states. That means that the disease is infecting people at a higher rate in the states that are not sheltering, but killing people at a lower rate. This is because the increase in infections is almost certainly born by the healthier population. People that know they are at risk are going to stay sheltered regardless of the order. These states are not reporting any issues with their hospitals being overrun and their economy hasn’t skipped a beat. What they are achieving, is a fast track toward herd immunity.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Another example of how a non-shelter plan might’ve looked could be found right here in California if we rewind the tape a few months. A new study being conducted at Stanford University is investigating the possibility that an early wave of coronavirus hit the state back in November, December, and January when many residents reported harsh flu symptoms. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">"Given the state's unprecedented direct air access to China, and given its large expatriate and tourist Chinese communities, especially in its huge denser metropolitan corridors in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, it could be that what thousands of Californians experienced as an unusually "early" and "bad" flu season might have also reflected an early coronavirus epidemic, suggesting that many more Californians per capita than in other states may have acquired immunity to the virus." It might explain why California, a state with 40 million people, has seen the same number of cases as states nearly a quarter its size in Pennsylvania and Illinois. If this turns out to be true, California would have unwittingly developed a level of herd immunity without a noticeable uptick in deaths, hospitalizations, or demand for protective equipment. It did so, however, with a noticeable lack of hysteria, facemasks, and social awkwardness. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">But you need to have a population that is willing and able to be sick in order for this to work. Going back to our cultural fear of discomfort, we know that if given the choice, no one is going to sign up for that job. 2 weeks of symptoms for a lifetime of immunity? We’d rather hunker down for 12 months and wait for a vaccine to shield the strong and the weak all at once. Nevermind that this disease is something that nature is already proving it can manage. Nevermind that doctors have found effective ways to treat critical cases with drugs and methods we already have on hand. Even the strong and healthy would rather take the risk of bankrupting businesses and increasing personal debt than they would of getting sick.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">On the other hand, there’s the possibility that our population is already so sick and frail that we wouldn’t be able to handle it even if we were willing to try. It’s true that California also happens to be one of the fitter populations in the country on average, and the natural method of combating viral infections works best when you have a population that is made up of healthy people. If we look at just one of the pre-existing conditions that negatively impacts outcomes from the coronavirus (obesity) we see that, as a whole, we may have a problem. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">According to the most recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from September 2019, adult obesity rates now exceed 35% in nine states, 30% in 31 states and 25% in 48 states. Mississippi and West Virginia have the highest adult obesity rates at 39.5% and Colorado has the lowest at 23%. That’s right, the LOWEST obesity rate in any of the 50 states is 23%. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">A study done in 2014, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4d4f; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">conducted by an international consortium of researchers led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4c4d4f; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> looked at obesity AND overweight populations (BMI of 30+ or 25-30) and estimated 160 million Americans fall into one of those two categories. Nearly three-quarters of American men and more than 60% of women qualify. Sadly, it’s not just the adult population – nearly 30% of boys and girls under age 20 are either obese or overweight, up from 19% in 1980. Now, we all know BMI is an imperfect measuring tool, but 160 million people is a disgustingly high number, no matter how you slice it. And that’s data from 6 years ago. </span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">This means that the percentage of people we have walking around this country that would qualify as “low risk” is somewhere around 70%. And that’s only if we consider obesity. Add in the non-obese who have conditions like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, those coming off cancer treatments, and anyone who smokes cigarettes, and you see where this goes. The “strong” among us who would be tasked with taking on the virus and developing immunity are woefully outnumbered by the “weak.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The sad part is that so many of these conditions are magnified by our own sedentary and malnutritious choices. In his “Five Buckets of Death” lecture, CrossFit CEO Greg Glassman shows that chronic diseases like the ones mentioned above account for 80% of deaths annually in the U.S., whereas microbial, genetic, traumatic, and toxic events combined account for a mere 20%. The difference between the bucket holding the 80% and the ones holding the 20% is that we have a measure of daily control over our risk level. He calls it “the willful divide.” </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Through our own actions and ignorance, we have built a society incapable of dealing with even a mild public health crisis, let alone a major one. We progressively poison ourselves with genetically modified foods, trap ourselves indoors staring at computer screens, suppress our immune system’s natural efforts to expel every toxin, and demand that our medical community come up with a solution for the mess we’ve made. We think that bacteria and viruses are monsters that viciously attack us and our way of life. The truth is that our way of life invites destruction. Louis Pasteur, the father of germ theory, said, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">“The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything.” Fix the terrain and you fix the problem. Build a society of strong, healthy people and you have an army of well equipped immune systems to handle almost anything nature produces. Continue to sit at home, eating empty food, and suppressing symptoms; you have a herd waiting for a plague to strike it down. </span></div>
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In spite of everything we are doing to undermine the natural process of health and immunity, nature is still finding a way. We are still beating this pandemic, even in places where no stringent mitigation strategy is in place. After all, the body </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wants</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to heal. It adapts, learns, and overcomes better than anything ever grown in a lab. In most cases, we just need to get out of its way. If we start embracing sickness as part of the adaptive process and stop trying to skirt the momentary discomfort it entails, we put ourselves in a far better position to protect our society long term. Combine that philosophy with exercising regularly, spending copious time outside, and eating real food, and you produce a population that will experience life in a natural rhythm rather than a state of constant fear. </span><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com52tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-51389042901591131192015-02-20T01:24:00.001+01:002015-02-20T01:24:26.215+01:00Fitness is...<div class="MsoNormal">
The Good Life</div>
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What is it, where can you find it, and how do you live it?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7aKFcpHfTLON_6vAHNWZg7Q2GuPIAiLvs-hiBGb5RVp20rFcO_kINTOM__J866EWL6Y8N_7iRVxmu9-wQh7ZBXG0Nhyphenhyphennq6OhG6q6ILkA_yXLJyKQv5oghwyfOkE8LXi_XZlC57BFExU/s1600/golfer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7aKFcpHfTLON_6vAHNWZg7Q2GuPIAiLvs-hiBGb5RVp20rFcO_kINTOM__J866EWL6Y8N_7iRVxmu9-wQh7ZBXG0Nhyphenhyphennq6OhG6q6ILkA_yXLJyKQv5oghwyfOkE8LXi_XZlC57BFExU/s1600/golfer.jpg" /></a>Let me begin by admitting that “the good life” probably
means something slightly different to everyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t possibly presume to know what is most important to
each and every one of you, let alone unlock the secrets to achieving those
things in a single article.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
what I can do is strip away the garbage heap of myths, stereotypes, and
misnomers the vast majority of us fall victim to while striving for this
promise land.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I have to
generalize a bit in the process of doing so, please forgive me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Let’s start with the “What”…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is the good life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When most people think of the good life, they envision retirement. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Golf, a book by the pool, the overall absence
of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They imagine a life when
they will finally have the money, time, and resources to travel the world or
spend more afternoons with their kids and grandkids. I think for most, the good
life is some form of a utopian vacation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie8DI20EZ3hxKRVsG51v85FFlGC-nubH5ukitNzN3qx3VSWCaFecv5RkWbTTsoSzsP1s9yjWIgcMZHmqh4pxKhI2ZAEmrfKy9dAeN_2b4lFkBP1u0bgN4MnZLijQoYsdsCznKZP8DdCI/s1600/Ben_Blair-Driving.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiie8DI20EZ3hxKRVsG51v85FFlGC-nubH5ukitNzN3qx3VSWCaFecv5RkWbTTsoSzsP1s9yjWIgcMZHmqh4pxKhI2ZAEmrfKy9dAeN_2b4lFkBP1u0bgN4MnZLijQoYsdsCznKZP8DdCI/s1600/Ben_Blair-Driving.JPG" height="320" width="320" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Myth #1: The good
life is location/activity dependent.</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, these are irrelevant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your happiest moments can occur in the home, on vacation, or
at work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can happen while
reading a book, running on an abandoned trail, or watching your favorite TV
show with your spouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you
think back to some of your favorite memories, you’ll probably realize that
there aren’t many consistencies when it comes to location, activity, or even
the people you are with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only constant
is your state of mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re
stressed or distracted, the most incredible location on earth will appear plain
and even irritating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re
relaxed and tuned in, everything is beautiful. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This state of mind is the critical marker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Putting yourself in it more often is
the secret to living happier and better.</div>
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Second, where is the good life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or, to put it better, when?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one time or another, most of us have been sold the idea
that the good life is something we have to wait for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You gotta pay your dues,” they say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why kids are put on a track for
retirement at age 12, when they’re told their grades in middle school will
determine their placement in a quality private or prep school, which will then
determine their chances of getting accepted to a fine university, which will
then allow them to pursue a quality masters degree, which will then open up
doors for a PhD or professional position, where they can finally start paying
off their student loans, re-establish their credit, and begin saving for a
house, after which they can start having kids and start putting away money for
their college tuitions, and so on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Meanwhile the life they want to live is on layaway until all these other
responsibilities are handled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAwlhl1tCvu0EB6ex1Ulee-4EDrie5w0jNHQTzhz6CFgpIV3rJxCl0RGP3OifFa-iy3gTC-YAAudaYVGjuxDBg4vuGHxqy8w9JbzhrGUU7tRzPyGtzxUFoJskAmI850rno7AFtLe9B_Q/s1600/b+(9%2Bof%2B10).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaAwlhl1tCvu0EB6ex1Ulee-4EDrie5w0jNHQTzhz6CFgpIV3rJxCl0RGP3OifFa-iy3gTC-YAAudaYVGjuxDBg4vuGHxqy8w9JbzhrGUU7tRzPyGtzxUFoJskAmI850rno7AFtLe9B_Q/s1600/b+(9%2Bof%2B10).jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Myth #2: The good
life happens in the future.</b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two
problems here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Number one, this
implies that the bulk of your life is meant to be spent preparing for something
that isn’t guaranteed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a
pretty big gamble if you ask me, especially if you’re offering your health and
sanity as part of the buy in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Number two, if you think you’re going to spend your whole life as a
worker bee, then all of a sudden flip the switch and turn into a character from
Jimmy Buffet song, you’re crazy. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Building a happy state of mind, like everything else, takes
practice. You have to teach yourself to be relaxed, grateful, accepting, and,
most important, present.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These behaviors
must be honed over years until they’re habits. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That means if you ever want to live the good life, you need
to start now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Finally, the “How”… How do you live it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The default answer to this question is
to work less and play more, but that doesn’t always work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Follow my logic here:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We take time off work to take more vacations,
do more date nights, and visit more colleges with our kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do all the things we think we’re
supposed to do to enjoy life to the fullest, while at the same time trying to ignore
the reality that all of this costs money, money that we really don’t have
enough of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually, the bills
pile up and we go back to work to try and buttress our bank account with enough
income to stay comfortable, taking time away from the vacations, the dates, and
the kids. Which means we’re back at square one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The harsh reality is, unless you are in the top 1 percent of
the population, you probably can’t afford to purchase the good life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The good news is you really shouldn’t
have to.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Myth #3: The good
life is expensive.</b> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We already established that location and
activity are not the most relevant factors at play here, so stop trying to
equate the good life with pina coladas in Belize. In reality, living the good
life requires nothing but tuning in and appreciating the basic joys around you.
The hand picked flowers your mother used to gather for you, the Cheerio
necklace your daughter made in kindergarten, the annual Thanksgiving day
football game you used to play with your buddies… these things cost nothing,
yet they’re probably among your most cherished memories. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Start focusing on the things in your
life that retain value beyond dollars and you’ll see that wealth doesn’t create
anything, it merely magnifies that which was already there. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26pwVNM0kBOsxb6y27HwR_epNY-gDgRGn9067VruvUZUMwCmj9pa8iA_2p3lbGPzFXVN9EnnEodDIRrlIwwtM7jEyRck-hCuweGqypiW_vjU7N98Fmz4Fdm_BfyuP3fkZLkkLDdkT-8g/s1600/Blair_Sandbag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26pwVNM0kBOsxb6y27HwR_epNY-gDgRGn9067VruvUZUMwCmj9pa8iA_2p3lbGPzFXVN9EnnEodDIRrlIwwtM7jEyRck-hCuweGqypiW_vjU7N98Fmz4Fdm_BfyuP3fkZLkkLDdkT-8g/s1600/Blair_Sandbag.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>The way I see it, there are two major obstacles preventing
us from overcoming these myths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>First, we are chronic, hoarding, consumers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We define ourselves by our possessions and our ability to
further possess, so it’s easy for a travel, jewelry, or car company to convince
us that living the good life requires time-shares, diamond earrings, and a
Mercedes Benz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we are
obsessed with the idea of preparing for the future, it’s also no small wonder
that we are willing to mortgage our health and sanity in the short term to attain
these things. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The second problem I see is that we’ve forgotten how to
enjoy simple things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite the
allure of beachfront sunsets, the pillars of your life shouldn’t be big, bold,
and Instagram worthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need to
be basic, humble, and grounding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
future-lust has us bypassing countless opportunities to appreciate our lives as
they currently stand because we’re either too busy to notice or we assume there’s
something better coming down the pike.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is presumptuous at best and lazy at worst.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The difficult part is that change is tough, and habits
learned over a lifetime are hard to break. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I’ve learned one thing about people in my years as a
competitive athlete and coach it’s this: they are who they are until <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">they</b> want to be different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they’re the type of person that’s
too preoccupied to take a lunch break, they’re probably the same person that’s
too preoccupied to pick their kid up from school, and they’ll still be too
preoccupied to enjoy the fruits of their labor in retirement. </div>
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Bottom line, you have to choose change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But where do you start?</div>
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Spoiler alert: Here’s where I make my pitch for fitness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuoPD47LqcM4x9hSur6I9Zlt5ylXtHzg5RDues1G4MJyA0S6weqlEMX7X_HnqoLY65UtHKRJQHYeQavewoiGexteWeyJK8Rf2ZlKvyM7yuVBpM0hWF-B4cWZvJKpaGEh8DrG9fx_Qu2E/s1600/b-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuoPD47LqcM4x9hSur6I9Zlt5ylXtHzg5RDues1G4MJyA0S6weqlEMX7X_HnqoLY65UtHKRJQHYeQavewoiGexteWeyJK8Rf2ZlKvyM7yuVBpM0hWF-B4cWZvJKpaGEh8DrG9fx_Qu2E/s1600/b-1.jpg" height="402" width="640" /></a></div>
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First, committing to a healthy lifestyle forces you to
acknowledge that you have at least some measure of control over your daily life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every piece of food you eat, every
weight you lift, every time you skip a training session: those decisions
directly impact your fitness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
realization will transform the way you look at every day with respect to your
body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where workweeks used to be
something you had to struggle through, now they mean 5 solid days of getting to
the gym.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where you used to be “it
can wait til next week” guy, now you are “take advantage of every opportunity”
guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that type of mindset
doesn’t compartmentalize, it will overlay everything you do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly every lunch break is a
recharge and you’re jumping at the opportunity to pick your kid up from
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The daily nature of
training forces you to tune in your life to everything that’s happening now.</div>
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Further, the work ethic needed to push past limitations and
physically improve the human body is truly humbling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t fake it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every measure of progress is earned through an accumulation of hard
efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sticking to a diet takes
will power, sacrifice, and restraint. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting up at 6 in the morning to train takes discipline. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t succeed at either unless you’re
fully committed to the idea that this is what you want to do. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That philosophy becomes part of you when
you train every day, and it will lead you to start appreciating the simpler elements
in your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Don’t get me wrong…
you’ll still have an appetite for the finer things; they’ll just cease to be
the definition of success.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakAiXI0_QoqZ94mETQd_k1P9mqm3_3Zu4UnMgBeNF8kxMfNmtI-nvQab7V4DkrQADoczVB1xhAnQIYz5rWLOrp_Puvocsw3yRaA46SRjO0Wj80u-GYIdQxu2V4WOX5bYF4uDhz36kg2I/s1600/m12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakAiXI0_QoqZ94mETQd_k1P9mqm3_3Zu4UnMgBeNF8kxMfNmtI-nvQab7V4DkrQADoczVB1xhAnQIYz5rWLOrp_Puvocsw3yRaA46SRjO0Wj80u-GYIdQxu2V4WOX5bYF4uDhz36kg2I/s1600/m12.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, and probably most importantly, the balance found in
a strong, healthy body breeds happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From the physical capacity to move without pain, to the confidence you get
from a positive self-image, to the endorphins you get following exercise,
fitness truly is the foundation of the good life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more often you find yourself exhausted and proud, the healthier
your mental state will be, and the more likely you’ll be satisfied with who you
really are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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So… what is the good life, where do you find it, and how do
you live it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">Better start looking
inward, because it’s happening now and it ain’t slowing down. </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com146tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-90332408252283950952014-12-25T23:18:00.000+01:002014-12-25T23:18:13.964+01:00Merry Christmas WOD!!!In keeping with our family tradition, the Morrisons headed to southern California for the holidays to spend time with my dad's side of the family. With relatives in town from Minnesota, Virginia, Colorado, and New Mexico, we were well represented. Training-wise, I was on rest week, so I wasn't trying to go crazy working out. But with all my cousins in town we couldn't completely ignore fitness. We typically get in at least one workout as a family during vacation and this year we took it to the parking lot. It had all you really need: space, a wall with varying heights, and a little bit of a slope. A sandbag, bumper plate, and a kettle bell was all we needed to fill in the gaps.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So fun getting to train with family!!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uV6XZDnPSZw" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-84291674104421562802014-12-17T03:00:00.000+01:002014-12-17T03:00:22.185+01:00Sutter street wall ballsWe had a break in the rain today and I've been wanting to take the 30# medicine ball for a spin, so I went to an alleyway over off Sutter street in Historic Folsom to do the following WOD:<br />
<br />
10 minute AMRAP:<br />
10 wall balls @ 30#<br />
10 handstand pushups<br />
10 walking lunges @ 30#<br />
<br />
The alleyway is across from the old powerhouse, and I've probably parked there at least a dozen times when shopping or eating on that street. The exposed cinder block foundation makes for great wall space whether you want to do handstands or anything else, so I took advantage. I only managed 6 rounds in the 10 minute timeframe, but the 30# ball definitely made it tough. Check the video below. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7qINbUSaGhc" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-33012407032434027312014-11-28T07:16:00.002+01:002014-11-28T16:48:02.667+01:00100 lb tire drag uphill at Lake NatomaToday I took our 100# tire out to Lake Natoma to try and drag it up the hill. I drilled a simple eye-bolt through the center of the tire so that connecting the webbing wouldn't be an issue. Normally this hill is reserved for running intervals because of its length and loose footing, but I've been wanting to try to haul something up it for awhile. I expected the tire to be a challenge because the surface wasn't at all smooth. Sure enough, it was getting caught on rocks and roots, throwing me off balance the entire time. But these issues made the workout that mush cooler. I was forced to constantly re-evaluate the best method of getting this huge awkward object up and down the hill. (For the record, carrying is much easier than dragging.) Sometimes doing something that is inherently inefficient will teach you a lot about how to operate efficiently. Or just beat you into submission.<br />
<br />
Upon completion, I played around with some other fun exercises you can employ with a tire of this size. Presses, lunges, squats, even thrusters. Getting a handle on the thing overhead is a bit sketchy because you're trying to set your hand position while inside the tire--not exactly the same as lining up your hands on the barbell. There are a dozen other variations of exercises that can be done with an old tire, so if you have one lying around don't get rid of it!!! Throw it in the back of the truck and go have some fun.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RU2HLfq-wS4" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-60870740749546306882014-05-07T07:45:00.000+02:002014-05-07T07:45:01.169+02:00Anywherefit Ireland Recap: Day 2Day 2 of AWF Ireland was when our training really kicked up
a notch. We met at CF Tipperary
just after breakfast on Saturday with a full slate planned:<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WARM UP:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1 mile run (Irish miles, which turn out to be closer to 2 or
3 miles for every 1 American mile)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 rounds of calisthenics:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcs3W0AV2qQX0RfRUdgG7pzZtp-LO78R8oirRfp0hS5dH5kQoIW6JSSLV2_DALPy8U_sPKzxdX9n_ryWr1FDN9pa3rlAKZhlZFgec6NjSUtM2FalcNPTZnjkM2SHupqVHPq-TgcAIOII/s1600/deadlift.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdcs3W0AV2qQX0RfRUdgG7pzZtp-LO78R8oirRfp0hS5dH5kQoIW6JSSLV2_DALPy8U_sPKzxdX9n_ryWr1FDN9pa3rlAKZhlZFgec6NjSUtM2FalcNPTZnjkM2SHupqVHPq-TgcAIOII/s1600/deadlift.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 pullups<br />
10 pushups<br />
15 situps<br />
20 squats</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
SKILL:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Handstand hold technique</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
STRENGTH:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Deadlift 5 x 5</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Floor Press 5 x 5</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
ACCESSORY:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Glute Ham Raise 3 x 10<br />
Strict toe to bar 3 x 10<br />
Ring Row 3 x 10</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The goal of this session was to practice some things that
people don’t typically get to practice (handstands, floor press) and challenge
the body with some heavy stressors (deadlift, glute ham raise).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We opted out of conditioning because I
wanted to save everyone’s lungs for our beach WOD later in the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Overall I was pleasantly surprised with everyone’s aptitude
on the handstand holds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The groups
from Cork and Tipperary both showed impressive body awareness and responded
well to the small corrections made to positioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We practiced drills from the wall first, encouraging
everyone to keep only their toes in contact with the wall while reaching for
the ceiling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then we moved away
from the wall and used partner’s arms to form a front and back wall for the
athletes to balance between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>People were really starting to feel the way their hands could control
the entire body after this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The deadlifts and floor press are always crowd
pleasers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who doesn’t like to lift
the heaviest things possible, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even with everyone’s glutes ripped up from the walking lunges the night
before, we saw multiple guys pulling 190 kg for sets of 4-5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And again, impressive technique and
attention to form was shown by all.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
After a quick break for lunch, we hopped in the cars and
took a 45 minute drive out to Ardmore Beach on the western coast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a very popular spot when the
weather is nice, which it definitely was during my visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, just about every local I
talked with made sure to tell me just how lucky I was to be in the presence of
such sunshine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Call it California
karma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The coolest part about this beach is that you can drive the
cars straight onto the sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So we
plodded the CFT van down near the water and marked off 400 meters along the
beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At one end we left the van
and the pullups rig, and at the other we set up barbells with 115# and
75#.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Halfway between we set up 24
kg and 16 kg kettlebells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then
split up into teams and did the following workout for time:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
200 pullups<br />
200 meter buddy carry<br />
200 kettlebell swings<br />
200 meter buddy carry<br />
100 squat clean thrusters<br />
200 meter buddy carry<br />
200 kettlebell swings<br />
200 meter buddy carry<br />
200 pullups</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also had to overhead carry all of our weights back with
us on the return trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
some teams had 4 and others had more, we made a rule that anyone not carrying a
weight or a person had to be bear crawling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an awesome workout this turned out to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beautiful scenery, beautiful weather,
teamwork… it was everything you want from fitness all rolled into one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only thing that could’ve gone
better was if my team had won the WOD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As it turned out, we were about a minute off the pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that didn’t stop us from leading
the charge into the Irish Sea when everyone else had completed their turns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing like a nice ice bath to help
the legs recover!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And boy was it
icy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoongEoBniTsRovqELa0EkWNQ4ictgW6JVRc7G4weZI1h0Guu_zjzMLM9q4XhNHf1jqQthwaFE-oWSRfHZGAC8fGxiAADY5zEBFIQH5iAqfTIKFINAdchXH9OGXlS6nSyeqs-3IvfPti0/s1600/kbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoongEoBniTsRovqELa0EkWNQ4ictgW6JVRc7G4weZI1h0Guu_zjzMLM9q4XhNHf1jqQthwaFE-oWSRfHZGAC8fGxiAADY5zEBFIQH5iAqfTIKFINAdchXH9OGXlS6nSyeqs-3IvfPti0/s1600/kbs.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Drying off and warming up didn’t take us long, so we decided
to stick around Ardmore for a cup of coffee at a local bakery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Colin secured us free reign over the
place’s back garden, so we couldn’t have been more comfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just 20+ crossfitters chillin’ out back
sippin’ tea and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No big
deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was a great opportunity
for those of us who hadn’t spoken much yet to get to know each other
better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talked about
programming quite a bit, but also the growth of fitness in general throughout
the world and in Ireland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s no
surprise that the patterns I saw in the States are starting to form over here
as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s only a matter of
time until it’s everywhere.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
After heading home and getting cleaned up, we all took to
the town for a wonderful meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, with Colin’s knowledge as our guide we struck upon an awesome
restaurant with a quintessential Irish Pub attached to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Naturally, this was the opportunity for
me to taste my first official Irish-born Guiness draught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I’m honest, it tasted more or less
the same as the ones I’ve had back home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But I still had to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The food was great as well, with people ordering everything from crab
cakes to fish and chips, sirloin to roasted duck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no complaints with anything pertaining to food the
entire weekend, the fare was phenomenal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpioR7gsGouiGOMmGsCSDf4fukuDWn76xgqrlndlBNTX1E4AHqlTvdfC3tAroLwlm8VVGcjxTnJ-4035Z7_IImgIMfAVTrn8yCEbaHnILLE1U3nmAB9GJnAEqOdhzCWsjXzZ-DtvueIC8/s1600/beach+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpioR7gsGouiGOMmGsCSDf4fukuDWn76xgqrlndlBNTX1E4AHqlTvdfC3tAroLwlm8VVGcjxTnJ-4035Z7_IImgIMfAVTrn8yCEbaHnILLE1U3nmAB9GJnAEqOdhzCWsjXzZ-DtvueIC8/s1600/beach+2.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>With one last day remaining, and it including a mountain
assent, everyone decided to turn in early.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pretty wrecked myself, so I was happy to save the
carousing for another time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
plan for Day 3 was to hit the ancient monastery just after breakfast, then
swoop lunch on the way to the mountain for the afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-64558989968774790692014-04-27T17:13:00.003+02:002014-05-07T07:45:11.804+02:00Anywherefit Ireland Recap: Day 1<span style="text-align: center;">Colin collected me from the airport early Friday morning
after approximately 18 hours of travel.
I was groggy, a little numb from the series of flights and time changes,
but still excited about the opportunity to experience something new and
exciting. The weekend we had
planned was to be a perfect balance of wilderness and civilization, blending
raw, outdoor workouts with fine dining and traditional Irish pastimes. The only thing that could muck it up
was weather, and I was dutifully warned this wasn’t something to be counted on
in Ireland. But as we walked from
the terminal to the car I had a good feeling. There were clouds, but not dark ones, and the air felt light
and breezy. Something was telling
me through my numbness that we would be okay with the weather. It was right. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92iT7OTbDWErsUDo_kw_A4hQcRQNqO4r2xJhCYgYR9rFbxY6lT9tA-HxRHW85z6WV-rS3IDVvJdGvfX8G1CUA6-lC-SwIOeKjZVvmiedIMw2iORqtFyuRKC3hc3-qOOrRNQhXmPX7r8k/s1600/pistols.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92iT7OTbDWErsUDo_kw_A4hQcRQNqO4r2xJhCYgYR9rFbxY6lT9tA-HxRHW85z6WV-rS3IDVvJdGvfX8G1CUA6-lC-SwIOeKjZVvmiedIMw2iORqtFyuRKC3hc3-qOOrRNQhXmPX7r8k/s1600/pistols.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>First stop from the airport was the Colin’s gym, CrossFit
Tipperary in the town of Clonmel, where I got to meet a few of the guys who
would be joining me for the duration of the weekend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bulk of the groups wasn’t set to arrive til later that
afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The box was great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>High brick walls on all sides, painted
white but stained gray in parts from years of use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pullup rigs on two of the walls, and high hanging ring brackets
coming out of a third wall above an endless sea of kettlebells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was clean, spacious, and had all the
trappings of a killer place to train.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right about this time my stomach was ready to eat itself, so
Colin and I made the round of introductions in short order then shot off for
some breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went into town
to a place called Nimh’s, which turned out to be a bakery in front and a café
in back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I ordered the most
enormous thing I could find on the menu…a full Irish breakfast plus potato
waffles and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve never
been to this part of the world, you’ve probably never experienced breakfast the
way they do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be it in England,
Ireland, Scotland, or Wales, the standard morning fare is some variation of the
following:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bacon/rashers, sausages,
baked beans, fresh tomatos, hash browns, mushrooms, white pudding, black
pudding (“pudding” equals fried pigs blood, just so you know), and a fried
egg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While I still might prefer a
3 egg omelet most days, I love the UK and Ireland for maintaining this
tradition.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYyBzOSo-fXPmCscVmk4OTykTwSWIzr9P54Mq3alyopcF6MiZBYldXGIfZJLpSxdGzUXP9gsv0N7u5EpXAA00JlRH2ptnGokEWR8Kwl4WK22o-555a-QlzOrJet1y1qbKZw3511S4xHA/s1600/monastery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYyBzOSo-fXPmCscVmk4OTykTwSWIzr9P54Mq3alyopcF6MiZBYldXGIfZJLpSxdGzUXP9gsv0N7u5EpXAA00JlRH2ptnGokEWR8Kwl4WK22o-555a-QlzOrJet1y1qbKZw3511S4xHA/s1600/monastery.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a>After breakfast a few of us went on a small scouting
expedition to one of the locations for Day 3 of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Colin said that his box frequented a
small creek not far away that featured a jogging trail and a series of pools useable
for jumping in and cooling off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Cooling
off” in Ireland means “icing” in the rest of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area around the creek was
beautifully forested and covered in green moss, but the water itself was
freezing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite my California
roots, I’ve never been one to shy away from a good ice bath, especially since I
knew my body could use a reset after all those hours on the plane, so in I
went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Correction, in we all
went.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>3 separate times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was the cool part about this: you
run a ways, then jump in (shoes and all), run a ways, jump in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wound up being like a mini mud run,
but with way less people and waiting in line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the bottom of the creek sat an ancient stone monastery
where we were planning to do a fun workout on Day 3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This part of the world is replete with relics like this,
making it a dream vacation for anyone obsessed with history.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2D7Bl0hPIBnNONQEWjpcZ_-vqQ1URiWLqu5oikdjwz0dSQZpH_fjRpV69PI-CI9I2PmUJX-D9IfCNlA5_CaVMBzMfsa2nf8mZ9NGBu3X3xSQtXjq7Xex85SiGKDD5yZWihwR8NgqTQA/s1600/clonacody.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2D7Bl0hPIBnNONQEWjpcZ_-vqQ1URiWLqu5oikdjwz0dSQZpH_fjRpV69PI-CI9I2PmUJX-D9IfCNlA5_CaVMBzMfsa2nf8mZ9NGBu3X3xSQtXjq7Xex85SiGKDD5yZWihwR8NgqTQA/s1600/clonacody.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
After our run I got checked in at my residence for the
weekend, the Clonacody House.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
is not your average B&B, though that’s probably the way it’s listed
online.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m talking an authentic
Irish countryside experience—from the hundred-year old floorboards to the
horses trotting and grazing out back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This place was an absolute dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Helen and Michael, the live-in managers, inherited the place from
Helen’s family awhile back and decided to turn it into a venue for travelers
and events about 4 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
renovated the spots that needed updating and the resulting structure is no less
than magnificent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main house
stands 3 stories tall with a basement below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ground floor consists of a living room, drawing room,
dining room, and kitchen, all of which boast 15-foot ceilings and ridiculously
ornate moldings and finish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 2<sup>nd</sup>
and 3<sup>rd</sup> floors hold all the bedrooms and baths, 7 in all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The furniture is rustic and country
inspired, with enormous Victorian bathtubs in all but 2 of the bathrooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Needless to say, I was stoked to be
staying there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surrounding the
main house are acres upon acres of land, including grazing fields, gorgeous
trees and gardens, and an ancient barn & courtyard that serve as the work
area for Michael.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jsl9RgkYoIqkxalEO7ZZHQTfJ97WTz2Wl-XJX4ndx7YqTyUk7OBZMreTLHotGFIcfOV7vfjfraQ_tyVBm3u18YgWn6J4sdr9hzv7uieQ9Kf8hVpJG_SKYYa650ubqw1Ha7D6jYPEzg0/s1600/overhead+carry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jsl9RgkYoIqkxalEO7ZZHQTfJ97WTz2Wl-XJX4ndx7YqTyUk7OBZMreTLHotGFIcfOV7vfjfraQ_tyVBm3u18YgWn6J4sdr9hzv7uieQ9Kf8hVpJG_SKYYa650ubqw1Ha7D6jYPEzg0/s1600/overhead+carry.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>We agreed that I would lie down for a few hours to try and
catch some rest, then head to the gym for a workout before the majority of the
group arrived that afternoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
was definitely tired when I went down, but getting up 2 hours later was like
coming out of a coma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no
idea where I was or what I was doing there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For my money, the California to Europe experience is still
the toughest jet lag there is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Groggy
as could be, I made my way to the box and started shaking out the cobwebs… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WARM UP</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
1000 meter row</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 rounds: </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 situps, 20 squats</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
SKILL</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
EMOTM 10 minutes:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 muscle ups<br />
6 alternating pistols</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
WOD</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
100 meter overhead carry (100 kg)</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
*Every drop requires 10 deadlifts</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOzKSb-IT4NlpKqpan1KI0hm5T1478Li6pfup-cVmVL8J2-sWX_cu-F-5UptAF1EdkXgqzcO7LJQ99YEWs8KSvyOryKQFQoPMtNk9d6cn1rKTUzW8IJQyvzqkSYk8CUNULaeZ-XSmXk8/s1600/truck+rig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOzKSb-IT4NlpKqpan1KI0hm5T1478Li6pfup-cVmVL8J2-sWX_cu-F-5UptAF1EdkXgqzcO7LJQ99YEWs8KSvyOryKQFQoPMtNk9d6cn1rKTUzW8IJQyvzqkSYk8CUNULaeZ-XSmXk8/s1600/truck+rig.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a>By the end of this my brain was back on track, just in time
for everyone’s arrival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had a
whole host of locals from Clonmel, a group of 6 from Cork, a few from Dublin,
and one from Spain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As usual,
people that were strangers kind of stuck to their own packs at first.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But by the end of the weekend we’d all
be close friends.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To introduce everyone to each other and the AWF experience,
we headed out to the Clonacody House for our first workout of the trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Colin has rigged up an old van with
pullup bars and support posts, so finding a spot to do a workout was as simple
as finding a place to park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We did
so on the back grounds of the estate, setting up the following for everyone:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
20 minute AMRAP:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 toes to bar<br />
25 meter walking lunge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 burpees</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
25 meter walking lunge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 ring dips</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
25 meter walking lunge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
10 burpees</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
25 meter walking lunge</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC4sh7oyZQpAVZCCgEtzMcM-3LvBJBF_i9l7a3EgyrFFDn50CYoE5YzSyPKzpkezf7nj7S5p1nkTl4hbmKIMmxZGrcruvRAaBgIUDdUrzQ22ARQBARqkYLX-lkBdRLPHdICYnnxFnbMc/s1600/ring+dips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUC4sh7oyZQpAVZCCgEtzMcM-3LvBJBF_i9l7a3EgyrFFDn50CYoE5YzSyPKzpkezf7nj7S5p1nkTl4hbmKIMmxZGrcruvRAaBgIUDdUrzQ22ARQBARqkYLX-lkBdRLPHdICYnnxFnbMc/s1600/ring+dips.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a>We set this up so that the toes to bar and ring dips were on
opposite ends of a 50 meter stretch, that way the lunges were the way to
transition from one exercise to another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The rings we hung from an enormous and gorgeous oak tree looking out
towards the mountains.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 3 or 4
minutes in the moaning and groaning had started, as it is wont to do, but soon
everyone found their groove and was able to continue through to the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Afterwards we went inside for soup and
salad and had a round table discussion about programming, nutrition, recovery,
and travel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During the course of the
workout and discussion, everyone became visibly more at ease with one another
and began to open up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
always a good sign so early in a trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beyond that, however, the discussion itself was really, really
interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People were raising
questions about everything from supplementation to recovery cycles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even talked about the difference
between motivating forces for competitors and those seeking health and
wellness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was probably the
easiest and most enjoyable open forum I can remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Most everybody was ready to call it a night after that, but
a few of us ventured into town for some late dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not much open on Good Friday in Ireland, but we were able to
snag a table at a local Indian restaurant that proved delicious enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plan for the morning was to be up
early enough for breakfast and to be at the box by 9:00 to train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After that, we would be hitting the
road!!!</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-49608277619754368332014-04-27T14:51:00.003+02:002014-04-27T14:51:44.737+02:00Anywherefit Iceland 2014 Details<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
In case you weren't already aware… AWF Iceland 2014 is coming this August. Back to the land of fire and ice, but in a way never done before. Ice climbing on Europe's largest glacier, exploration of the remote eastern coast, and beach training are just the beginning. 21 locations in only 12 days!!! There are 20 spots remaining as of now.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoC1OVr2Fo8KFn6AOclOOXeDdO7ZsUP_ExsX57vf92qkrFuD_Wa6SR1-OH3Oc1T5Mh-CNNshV9oGDCRaeJ94gKnS0Aj4xnp_797hgH88eoF7igTgSZBd6gJ6WWCshtyonicPAI-eWFOE/s1600/Iceland+2014+-+Trip+Info_Page_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgoC1OVr2Fo8KFn6AOclOOXeDdO7ZsUP_ExsX57vf92qkrFuD_Wa6SR1-OH3Oc1T5Mh-CNNshV9oGDCRaeJ94gKnS0Aj4xnp_797hgH88eoF7igTgSZBd6gJ6WWCshtyonicPAI-eWFOE/s1600/Iceland+2014+-+Trip+Info_Page_3.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmuYHKeIeR-b60AVYHe9T-QmkxW3h2gWEaRJtRKb4GfVmW5n510h3YbcSEBTh17UDw-qtT_Gw_3pejEnMyuKAVfHLdfNELyNsGj1k6S6wDV2Lw3He0Ma4ZCumxv92Zgs5KApWjV2S9n4/s1600/Iceland+2014+-+Trip+Info_Page_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmuYHKeIeR-b60AVYHe9T-QmkxW3h2gWEaRJtRKb4GfVmW5n510h3YbcSEBTh17UDw-qtT_Gw_3pejEnMyuKAVfHLdfNELyNsGj1k6S6wDV2Lw3He0Ma4ZCumxv92Zgs5KApWjV2S9n4/s1600/Iceland+2014+-+Trip+Info_Page_4.jpg" height="640" width="492" /></a></div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-89498736441222226642014-04-20T08:55:00.000+02:002014-04-20T17:48:47.872+02:00Fitness Is...<div class="MsoNormal">
Self-Fulfilling.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Every action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Every statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every
thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re all inputs. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAA7wrAAHhpnoHy9qIpa3YUQJTul8gFrDeAuKSsbExE_abQ4Daqfwe9ooFmaSmKAfFBcXrHgAErQtUGqzxh6KmB2Evz55FJQT2KPkl0kOcIczodEWas2Si1FRdg54KpV7tYtw4pLjocE/s1600/old-man+fit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAA7wrAAHhpnoHy9qIpa3YUQJTul8gFrDeAuKSsbExE_abQ4Daqfwe9ooFmaSmKAfFBcXrHgAErQtUGqzxh6KmB2Evz55FJQT2KPkl0kOcIczodEWas2Si1FRdg54KpV7tYtw4pLjocE/s1600/old-man+fit.jpg" height="400" width="290" /></a>Think of your body as a super computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every waking moment it is gathering
data, deciphering meaning, and formulating responses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s constantly evaluating potential threats to its
existence like hunger, injuries, enemies, and environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s measuring temperature, calculating
distances, and adjusting for balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But for all the external stimuli your body is asked to process on a
daily basis, what it’s registering from the inside can be ten times as
important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see, your body also
keeps careful track of your subconscious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your emotions, attitude, and inadvertent thoughts provide the backdrop
on which every other input is analyzed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you’re in a bad mood, it will feel like the world is stacked against
you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You hit every red light, your
boss is 3 feet up your ass, and your kids don’t appreciate anything you
do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re in a good mood, you might
notice the Lamborghini across the intersection, the quirky tie your boss is
wearing, and how your kids have their mother’s eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same reality exists in both scenarios, but the
interpretation of it is drastically different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Multiply that experiment by a lifetime and you can imagine
the divergence. We’re all just a million hits of a hammer; you better believe
the attitude of the artist makes a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
How does this affect fitness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you keep telling yourself you’re old, tired, and sick, that’s
what you’re going to be. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you
think, you’ll soon say out loud. And what you say out loud, you'll eventually carry out in practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because your brain is
largely influenced by habit and repetition, the thoughts you replicate most will
wind up ingrained in your subconscious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Your body will sense them even when you don’t—like the high electric
whine of a TV on mute or the color of the walls in your bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your self-image essentially becomes the product of background noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The tricky part is you don't get to keep it to yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember, everyone else is a super computer too—the signals you send out are being constantly gathered, deciphered, and responded
to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re sending out hurt,
they’re going to see hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re sending out old, they’re going to see old. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> They're going to see old, process that information, and act accordingly</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">. Wait, it gets worse. </span> The feedback you get from
your peers is an input in itself. The way they treat you is an indicator to your brain of who and what you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if everyones looking at you like you've got one foot in the grave, your body processes that data and responds, “See, I knew I
was old.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the formation of
your identity in a nutshell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Thought begetting action, action begetting thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A cycle of computation and response
that begins and ends with your own subconscious opinion of yourself.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exhibit A: The guy who tells you how sore you’re going to
feel once you hit 30.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s the
same guy that’s going to tell you how sore you’ll feel when you hit 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And how you’ll probably die from knee
pain at 50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“If you think 25 is rough, wait til you’re my age… I’d kill
to be 25 again.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Enjoy your 30’s while they last, it’s all downhill from
there.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I’m too old for that shit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was your age, though…”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipB8ren2LProdBBHpVagDIllrRear_FeRIyH1qXkIvraev4dvXh17qWLnncyz6yOgNTNQX7KED3BCLyxBlizbEev5qGrh0Likg4Tz9qa1JmVLyrsZOP0mfqvQKHJvZoV-8XL4a5a78ss/s1600/old+guy+fat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjipB8ren2LProdBBHpVagDIllrRear_FeRIyH1qXkIvraev4dvXh17qWLnncyz6yOgNTNQX7KED3BCLyxBlizbEev5qGrh0Likg4Tz9qa1JmVLyrsZOP0mfqvQKHJvZoV-8XL4a5a78ss/s1600/old+guy+fat.jpg" height="288" width="320" /></a>This guy pisses me off. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What possible benefit does he gain from repeatedly pointing
out how horrible it is to be old?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I get why he’s doing it—by explaining the difficulties of age to someone
younger, he makes it impossible for them to pass judgment on his current physical
condition—what I don’t get is why he thinks by doing so he absolves himself
from the universal need to not be a lazy piece of shit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And yes, it is a universal need)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because, despite what his cupboard full
of Captain Crunch and Pepsi Cola are indicating, his body doesn’t like being
fat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it dislikes being
fat a lot more than it dislikes being old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Problem is, he’s been telling himself and everybody else how
old he is since before he can remember and he can't find his way back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s how they know him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That’s how he knows himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Tell yourself you’re young and you’ll start feeling younger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Feel like you’re young and you’ll start
acting younger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Act like you’re
young, and who’s to say you’re not?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exhibit B: The guy whose life is busier and more tiring than
yours.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Enjoy being a student, Blair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you’re out in the real world, it’s a whole different
ballgame.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Ahh, the single life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I remember having all that free time.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Wait til you have kids, bro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ll never sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Kiss your body goodbye.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdCkIG4z_8vE3WBOJg9kUufiESmEcvoq5FDl5Vp2zBfRt3FxXA0V6pvxp51xwtB9o3Nqd5IKKMidKmOoQKBsV6T83eogGcirRqAZFK_ceCi0PxxQvIEcjvDQ9bv1qLd-S49NssUY-A94/s1600/running+stroller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLdCkIG4z_8vE3WBOJg9kUufiESmEcvoq5FDl5Vp2zBfRt3FxXA0V6pvxp51xwtB9o3Nqd5IKKMidKmOoQKBsV6T83eogGcirRqAZFK_ceCi0PxxQvIEcjvDQ9bv1qLd-S49NssUY-A94/s1600/running+stroller.jpg" height="256" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This guy is a lot like Exihibit A, only instead of obsessing
over his age he believes that life has left him no time or energy to take care
of his body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Please. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re telling me that no one in your
office has time to work out?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or
that wives prefer a pudgier, weaker version of the man they fell in love with? Pretty sure that’s false. Pretty sure I watch parents with kids
of all ages find time to crush it in my gym everyday. It must be that your particular
situation is more difficult than theirs.
Or maybe not. Maybe it’s
not the job, the wife, or the kids that are holding you back. Maybe it’s you. Maybe you’ve just been telling yourself
the same, tired story so long it’s infected your hard drive. Maybe if you’d told yourself a million
times that health and wellness was non-negotiable, that it would only enhance
your ability to do your job, be in a healthy relationship, and provide
for your children and grandchildren, then you’d be finding ways to stay active
instead of finding excuses not to. Burpees by the crib, lunges up the stairwell,
15 minutes of pushups and pullups in the garage after work. A million hits of
the hammer. It all adds up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Again, I know why Exhibit B is doing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just want him to realize that life is never going to get easier, and overweight is never going to feel invigorating.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Exhibit C: The guy who’s always sick or hurt.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I must be coming down with a cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I woke up a bit congested and can’t
seem to shake it.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“I have a bad back and bum knees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Been that way since I was a kid.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonWZjdq60eAB04CCvdLyexebjBmdI6KInfcSS428-lwRbdEoS2ghqXFKUvcNb2hzseSVAKmpGyOUtt8cyWesGNzItSfyN307RgCdWU0Aj4dhZQ25tstiHvi5jbEOYGbPyTlPXNbr2aUk/s1600/injured+guy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjonWZjdq60eAB04CCvdLyexebjBmdI6KInfcSS428-lwRbdEoS2ghqXFKUvcNb2hzseSVAKmpGyOUtt8cyWesGNzItSfyN307RgCdWU0Aj4dhZQ25tstiHvi5jbEOYGbPyTlPXNbr2aUk/s1600/injured+guy.jpg" height="320" width="309" /></a><br />
This guy’s a little different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His issue isn’t with physically getting to the gym like
Exhibits A and B, it’s with his expectations while he’s there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless of the day, the workout, or
the situation, he will find some way to let you know he isn’t at full
strength.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s jet lagged from a
business trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or has caught
a bug that’s “going around.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s
always something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just so we’re
clear: I’m not advocating that sick people and invalids should come into the
gym and hurt themselves trying to break records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if every knick, scratch, or stuffy nose becomes a reason
to underperform, you’ve got a problem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’re deliberately setting low expectations and reinforcing the message
that it’s okay to suck at your training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just so we’re clear: It’s not okay to suck at your training.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Part of fitness is the ability to
perform in less than perfect conditions, to rise to the challenge of an off day
or a bad night’s sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, more
than that, it’s about establishing a consistent set of expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sending the message over and over that it’s
okay to be terrible will only ensure that you’re terrible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sending the message over and over that you’re
capable of success in spite of negative circumstances will make you a warrior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is where the truly fit separate
themselves: their expectations don’t allow for petty excuses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They know they won’t be at their best
every day—that’s just a part of life—but they never blame away that down
cycle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wear it and move
on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every performance is progress.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All of these guys essentially suffer from the same mental fragility. Rather than acknowledge they're <i>choosing</i> to put their health and wellness at risk, they find external reasons to excuse this behavior, thus absolving themselves of the responsibility. This is cowardly. Also, it sets a dangerous precedent of non-accountability that doesn't exactly come in handy when you find yourself battling colon cancer and obesity later in life. At that moment, blaming McDonald's for being too convenient and inexpensive isn't going to help you stay alive. Better to check yourself now and start reforming your subconscious identity. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The best part about building a mentality like this is that
you’ll find yourself feeling sick, tired, and hurt less often. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because your subconscious forms the
backdrop on which your body processes all sensory data, reducing focus on
illness, fatigue, and injury is going to decrease likelihood of your feeling
that way. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re not sick, you
just have a runny nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re not
hurt, you just have a sore ankle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These
maladies no longer hinder your performance any more than a bad song on your
iPod.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> You can go f</span>rom invalid to
indestructible in one thought-generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D1Kw1lHg539zILcnc2-p0g0KWZHQmW6-KhwauxOaFmDrF3C8XFyHJtfE05D2zcTBKxxUJ8T2QbldpTUbfyP4dLcNY0nbsjDeOZ_doTJstI8SuDwk0jHQXq8XVbSfCjCEFCsXq0MxJeM/s1600/warrior.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6D1Kw1lHg539zILcnc2-p0g0KWZHQmW6-KhwauxOaFmDrF3C8XFyHJtfE05D2zcTBKxxUJ8T2QbldpTUbfyP4dLcNY0nbsjDeOZ_doTJstI8SuDwk0jHQXq8XVbSfCjCEFCsXq0MxJeM/s1600/warrior.jpg" height="336" width="640" /></a></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<!--EndFragment--><br />
At the end of the day, nobody wants to feel tired and sickly. Nobody wants to be treated like they’re
past their prime. But obsessing
over the limitations inherent in those qualities will only propagate them. Thought begets action, action begets
thought. Your mental approach to
fitness has to be positive and forward reaching. It has to learn to ignore everything except that which helps
you improve. Call it selective
computation. Or the rehabilitation of
your warrior self-image. The
beauty part is, when you start to believe it, everyone else will too.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-23773438539845751992014-02-27T23:33:00.000+01:002014-02-27T23:33:42.433+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 9It felt really good not to be moving on to another town after Day 8. Queenstown was proving to be every bit as exciting and fun as it's reputation, but nothing we had done so far would prepare us for the rush of Day 9.<br />
<br />
We loaded up the group early and caught the first bus of the day to Shotover Canyon for the adrenaline junky's dream: the canyon swing. And not just any canyon swing, the world's highest canyon swing. 109 meters above the river below (that's close to 400 feet for all you un-metrics our there) with a 60 meter free fall. The rig they use is very similar to a bungee jump, except that the cord isn't attached to a fixed object like a bridge or tower at the top. Instead its suspended from a wire cable that is strung across the canyon, so that as you hit the bottom of the bungee you begin to swing along the cable like an enormous slingshot. Eventually gravity catches up with you and you start swinging back and forth until you settle to a hanging position and they reel you back in. If it sounds crazy, it kind of is. <br />
<br />
The crew that works at Shotover Canyon are diligent with their safety precautions but also do a great job of keeping groups relaxed and having fun. You're offered all sorts of jump styles while preparing for your turn, ranging from a simple jump to using props like chairs, tricycles, and ropes. There's really very little you're not allowed to do while jumping off their ledge. One member of our group even took advantage of the naked jump, earning her 2nd jump free of charge. <br />
<br />
As far as the feeling you get while taking the leap… it's pretty intense. Free falls are always exhilarating, but I've never fallen for that long with such a lack of control. Usually when you're jumping of cliffs into water you're thinking about your landing. With this you're just trusting that the cable holds you the way it's supposed to. <br />
<br />
By the end of our morning, all but one among us had done the swing. We hurried home for a quick lunch then got back on the bus to make our appointment with the Jet Boat pilot. That's right, Jet Boating. This had to be, without doubt, one of the most impressive feats of skill I've ever seen. We were pinning the throttle in inches of water, swerving around boulders and cliff edges, while doing donuts. Obviously these guys are professionals and do this all day long, but I still swore we were going to crash every third turn. I don't really even understand the physics of how we could maneuver in such shallow water. Pair that with the road we had to take just to get to the boat launch (think bolivian death road), and I can't imagine frying a tourists nerves any more. <br />
<br />
To round out the day we found a staircase right in the middle of Queenstown and hit a bear crawl, lunge, pushup, sprint workout as a group. Crawling down stairs is always a great way to train the entire body in my opinion, and most Crossfitters haven't ever done it. So I like to throw it in and see the reaction I get. It ended up being one of the toughest WODs of the trip thus far, and had everyone ready to hit the town that night. After everything we'd done that day, I couldn't blame them. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cxYNr6k5nZE" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-49138308222763251282014-02-26T21:49:00.000+01:002014-02-26T21:49:55.374+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 8Day 8 began with a free morning to explore the town, then a 1:00 swim WOD in the deepest lake on the South Island, Lake Wakatipu. Because of its depth, this lake never really warms up, even in the heart of summer. So there were a few among us that toed the water a little more nervously than they did on Day 1 in Auckland. The workout was intended to be 3 rounds of a buoy swim (about 200 meters), 5 pull-ups (tree branch or jungle gym), 10 pushups, 15 squats. Very simple as written, but the temperature of the water made it far more challenging. As the WOD got going a few people had to divert to a closer buoy, just to be safe. The best part of this workout was easily the location. Queenstown proper was on the opposite shore, and the mountains climbed high around us, throwing reflections on the aqua blue water. The sun was out and beautiful, as it had been our entire trip, so even the cold water wasn't too much of a bother.<br />
<br />
After drying off, we headed up the hill a short ways to CrossFit Queenstown for some heavy front squats and deadlifts. We only had an hour before the next class came in so we limited ourselves to just those lifts. Surprisingly, there were more than a few PR's from the group. This has been something of a trend on AWF trips, and I have to think it has something to do with the absence of normality. Sometimes routine creates pressure to perform, whereas the absence of routine removes that pressure. Think about it… If you're in an unknown situation, you're not worried about performing up to some standard, you're just excited for the opportunity to perform. Not a bad mental state to be in if you ask me. <br />
<br />
We wrapped up the day with a trip to the top of the Queenstown gondola and an hour or so on her street luge course overlooking the valley. No matter how fun you think this sounds, you have no idea. The simplest contraption one could imagine (handlebars that control the brakes by levering forward or backward), and gravity. The track was wide enough for 3 cars to fit side by side, and there were steep drops, sharp turns, tunnels, and chances to get airborne. For our money, this may have been the best value of the entire trip. We were racing, bumpering, and screaming down the course just like kids at a 10 year old birthday party. The video footage says it all. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jQgKc3Qvexc" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-61638526162099066982014-02-20T00:44:00.000+01:002014-02-20T00:44:28.449+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 7We were up and out the doors early again on Day 7, heading for Fox Glacier to see what that type of hike is all about. It's not everyday that you get the chance to walk on a piece of ice thats been around longer than the human race.<br />
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After a safety briefing and boot fitting, we hopped on the bus with the guides and made our way to the terminal face of the glacier. It was about a 2 mile walk from the car park, during which time our guide made it abundantly clear that the cliff walls around us were very loose and could crumble down upon us at any moment. They didn't, thankfully, but it certainly added to the adventure of it.<br />
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Once at the glacier's edge, things slowed down considerably. The guides in front of us were meticulously cutting and re-cutting staircases into the ice so their groups wouldn't slip and fall. All well and good, but every guide was acting as if they were the first ones to carve the stairs. The result was that we wound up doing a lot more standing than hiking. Even so, just physically being on the glacier, watching the water flowing through it, and seeing just how powerful nature can be was worth the trip. <br />
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Once off the glacier, we made a quick turnaround and got out on the road towards Queenstown. It was our last major driving day of the trip and I could tell everyone was getting a little bit of cabin fever from being stuck in the van so much. That being said, we had to get over the pass by 6:00 pm or we'd be stuck on the wrong side of the mountains until morning. So we hustled our way across and then stopped at a random pull out to stretch our legs. What we found was a hidden gem. Nestled not far from the road was a waterfall feeding into a small creek. This may as well have been a playground the way our group was scampering up it. People took turns ice bathing in the pools and doing handstands on the shore until we were ready to get back on the road. <br />
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Our last stop before Queenstown was CrossFit Wanaka, who graciously opened their doors to us for an additional hour so we could train. We did 1RM split jerks, then a 21 minute AMRAP that included 5 shoulder to overheads, 10 sit-ups, and 15 wall balls. Every 7 minutes we did a 600 meter hill run. What a burner this turned out to be. I looked around the room at one point and it felt like everyone was on their knees gasping for air. Just what we needed to carry us the last hour on the road. <br />
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Check the video footage from Day 7 below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/jCYZEKuj2DA" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-25669343159434057252014-02-18T05:56:00.000+01:002014-02-18T05:56:07.268+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 6Day 6 was our first of 2 major travel days. We needed to cover roughly 500 kilometers through national forests, coastline, and mountains in a single day, easily our roughest road trip thus far. But it was a necessary evil for us to get where we wanted to go the next morning: Fox Glacier. <br />
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The plan was rough draft at best: drive a few hours, take a break when we found something cool to do/a great place for a workout. Sometimes spontaneity and embracing the unexpected is the only way to stay upbeat when you're trapped in a car for 7+ hours. Our first stop was at a historic swing bridge in the Buller River Gorge. This was a cool excursion that was more novelty that anything else- a 200 foot bridge built out of thin cables, kind of like something you'd see in Indiana Jones. So we all walked the plank and got across, then took a quick hike through the surrounding forest and beach to stretch our legs. While it was a very beautiful portion of river, the most memorable part of this particular stop were the sand flies. Everyone got eaten alive in the 30 minutes we were there, and could be seen scratching their ankles, legs, and backs for the rest of the trip because of it. Needless to say we picked up some Off! at the next supermarket.<br />
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After another few hours on the road we pulled off at the underpass of an old rail bridge and did some free climbing. We used the I beams under the bridge itself as hand holds, but also were able to string up the rings for muscle ups, skin the cats, toes to rings, you name it. This was our best opportunity thus far to do some legitimate skill practice on the rings so we took advantage. <br />
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While there we squatted logs and boulders, and even did some stone to shoulders. Different animal when the stone isn't perfectly round, let me tell you. This turned into a 2 hour workout, and it was a blast! Super creative and resourceful, just like these trips are meant to be. <br />
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On the last leg of our drive we were blessed with one of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. EVER. Every few minutes the colors got deeper and deeper, to the point where we simply had to pull off the shoulder and admire them. We took pictures in front of a random lake and did our best to capture the moment. Soon after we were in Franz Joseph, a stones throw from Fox Glacier, and getting ready for bed. Another big travel day lay in front of us, but with Queenstown as our destination, who could complain?<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/CXQPU8E51Kw" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-54779006350502740742014-02-17T06:21:00.001+01:002014-02-17T06:21:33.921+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 5We boarded the inter islander ferry and said goodbye to the North Island. This also meant that we were leaving behind our van and trailer and picking up a new one on the other side. This was a little nerve racking since it meant we were depending on the rental agency to have everything prepared and ready when we landed, but because the cost of bringing the van with us on the ferry was so high, we didn't have much choice. <br />
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Once on the ferry we scouted a comfortable spot for home base, then broke the group into two halves for a workout on the main deck. Death by burpees. Only, because the deck was wet and disgusting, we did the burpees without pushups. This was the second time an Anywherefit trip has trained topside on a ferry, and it proved every bit as fun as the first. In this instance we had a section of the deck all to ourselves, as it had been divided into seating and standing areas. Because there wasn't much to see so early in the trip, no one wanted to stake a claim to the standing area. <br />
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For the most part, this WOD went as expected: everyone was cruising through the early rounds, then ground to a halt once things got into the higher teens. A few were able to make it to the twenties, and Sven took top marks with 25 rounds. The coolest part of this workout was the elements. The boat was rocking and the wind was spraying mist everywhere. Luckily for us the sun was also out and shining, making the wetness a little more bearable. <br />
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After we made it across and got our bags from the carousel, we made our way to the rental agency to discover our van was not yet ready. We were told it was still on it's way back from a neighboring town and that we'd have to wait another hour and a half. So we took the opportunity to walk around town and grab some lunch at a local spot. Right away, we could tell the difference between the North and South islands. The marina we had left in Wellington didn't hold a candle to the one in Picton where we now found ourselves. Crystal blue water, tree covered mountains, and an easier vibe were among the things that jumped out straight away.<br />
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After a great lunch we picked up the van and started driving west toward Newton. We made an unscheduled stop, however, and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon romping around the countryside on ATV's. Best decision of the trip so far! The place we stopped was a combination of sheep farm and off road wonderland. There were zip lines, quad tracks, and paintball courses littering the place. We got fitted up and took off climbing the trails behind our guides, dumping in and out of creeks and pausing for nice views. When we hit the top everyone decided to ride the Skyline, a 4 person chair lift turned zip line, across the valley. While not exactly scary, this turned out to be a really cool addition to the trip.<br />
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On the way down the mountain our guides let us ride a few laps around the "fun track" at our leisure. Which pretty much meant go as fast as you can without flipping. And we did. Everyone emerged covered in dirt and mud, but totally stoked on the experience. A short drive later we were in Newton barbecuing burgers and hashing out plans for the next days long drive to Fox Glacier. For a day that hadn't been expected to provide much, this one had really delivered the goods.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/mh4LURQ72tM" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-6544210611233786652014-02-16T02:39:00.000+01:002014-02-16T02:39:08.219+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 4Day 4 was a crack of dawn start. 5:30 am we were up and getting breakfast on the go in order to make it to our trailhead by 7:00. The shuttle bus only picks up 3 times per day for the Tongariro Hike--6:30, 7:30, and 8:30--each successive pickup growing more crowded. Thankfully our group was on top of the wake up and we made it for the 7:30 pickup no problem. <br />
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There's something cool about a sunrise shuttle ride when you know what you're in for. 20 km up and over the North Island's best hike, passing just to the side of the mountain used in Lord of the Rings as Mount Doom. I could tell everyone was a little nervous getting off the bus, but also really excited. The plan was to let Asta run ahead with the runners, I would stay with the walk/runners, and Sven would park the bus and come with the 8:30 shuttle, sprinting to catch the pack. <br />
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The initial few kilometers were cake. Flat land with a few twists and turns, but no crazy climbs. Right about the 3k mark things started to ramp up significantly. The trail turned right and started switching back and forth up the mountainside, giving us a beautiful view of the where we came from. Soon nobody was running because the grade was so steep. Bags were getting passed around from person to person in an effort the share the heavier loads, and there were plenty of "picture stops." <br />
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At the top of the initial climb the terrain flattened out and we caught a cool stretch of volcanic basin. To the right was "Mount Doom," to the left Mount Tongariro. It was a welcome reprieve from the steady climbing we'd been doing for the past hour, but it didn't last long. Another set of peaks awaited us and they proved even steeper than the first. We started climbing along the ridge, giving us an amazing view of the North face of the mountains. As we hit the summit, the dirt turned soft and ashy and people started sliding down the backside. SO FUN. This took me straight back to Iceland 2011. <br />
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The back half of the hike was all downhill, weaving between sulfur lakes, volcanic debris, and thick vegetation. While the views were incredible, the downhill pounding was starting to catch up with me. By the time I hit the car park I was feeling it in the knees and ankles, and I wasn't the only one. We basked in the sun, snacked on some Paleo Kits, then hit the road to Wanganui to watch the second half of the Super Bowl. <br />
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After the worst game ever (not biased), we rode the rest of the way to Wellington to wrap things up. Brittney took the group down to a waterfront park and took us through some Yin Yoga to stretch the legs. This felt amazing and it was so needed. Everyone was ready for bed early, knowing we were catching the ferry to the south island early in the AM. <br />
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Video clips from Day 4 are below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/neT5jsYO5R4" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-7889217071735981042014-02-14T00:15:00.000+01:002014-02-14T00:15:20.192+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand Day 3Day 3 of the trip began with a partner beach WOD. We partnered everyone up in teams that were equally distributed based on strengths, injuries, etc. The workout was a relay between partners that went as follows:<br />
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50 meter bear crawl<br />
50 meter frog jump<br />
50 meter burpee broad jump<br />
50 meter partner wheelbarrow<br />
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In between every round teams had to complete 50 partner pushups. At the very end, teams had to complete 100 partner sit-ups. This workout would've been hard enough as written, but put it on the deep sand and everything got just that much harder. Especially the wheelbarrows. Supporting your bodyweight while having to keep stable on such a squishy surface absolutely blows up your arms. This proved a big challenge for many of the people on the trip, forcing them to dig deep and lean on their partners for support. <br />
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As soon as we were finished, we got up to the main drag and rented some toys. Surf boards, boogie boards, and sunscreen were the tools of the day, and we did our best to take advantage of them all. Jason, Kevin, Helen, Sven, Gio, and I all tried our hand at catching waves with the surfboard, but with little success. Jason probably had the best ride of all, but still a far cry from the locals carving up the waves further down the beach. I will say this though… Surfing is absolutely one of those things you don't need to be good at to enjoy. I could spend all day out there trying and failing and still have a great time. <br />
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The rest of the gang either boogie boarded or sunbathed. Everyone knew that Day 4 was the day we were aiming to be up early at on the mountain for our 20 km hike so no one really wanted to beat themselves up. We gathered everyone up by 2:00 and hit the road for Lake Taupo. A few hours later we were there and checking into our 3rd home in 3 nights, the Settlers Motel. The owner of this establishment threw out the welcome mat in the form of an Icelandic Flag out front. We all agreed that this had to be a good sign for the day ahead.<br />
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The highlights from Day 3 are below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/P0mg2MtlVcU" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-997591248484043662014-02-13T05:34:00.001+01:002014-02-13T05:35:48.321+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand: Day 2Day 2 of our trip began with an early morning jaunt into the Symmonds Street Cemetery. No, there was no climbing of gravestones or sprinting around mausoleums. But we did find a trail that led to the bottom of a ravine and the base of an enormous bridge. After a quick canvassing of the area, everyone was able to find a heavy object to squat, an area to work handstand holds, and a beam to hang rings from for toes to bar. We divided the group into 4 x 1 minute stations: squats, toes to bar, handstand holds, and stair sprints. We set the clock for 20 minutes, giving everyone 5 times at each station. The goal was to hit the same number of reps each round for each exercise, but that proved quite the challenge. Squatting logs and stones becomes pretty dicey when you're out of breath. But it was a great way to break a sweat before hopping in the car for the drive out to Mount Maunganui and the coast. And it was good to see everyone willing to get their hands dirty. A good omen for the rest of the trip.<br />
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The drive to Mount Maunganui took around 3 hours, just enough time to get everyone acclimated to the 12 person van that was going to be our transportation for the next 10+ days. We learned quickly that bathroom breaks needed to be frequent, music needed to be uptempo, and snacks needed to be readily accessible. Also, we were driving on the left side of the road from the right side of the car. That took some adjustment. <br />
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All things considered, I think we did a damn good job navigating our way out of Auckland. Parking in Mt. Maunganui, however, was a bit of a challenge. We dumped the trailer at our hotel, found a good burger spot on the main drag, then hit the beach for some free time. We got lucky as far as weather, with some offshore wind creating perfect waves for body surfing and the sun keeping us warm enough to do it without a wetsuit. We spent the remainder of the day swimming, exploring the volcanic hillside overlooking the bay, and even chasing a few sheep. <br />
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Afterwards we headed back to the hotel where we cooked dinner and admired each other's sunburns. Honorable mentions in this area go to Sven, Brittany, and Jason… all of whom would be pealing for the rest of the trip due to day 2. <br />
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Check out the highlights from day 2 below.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RRATL_2Scuc" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-48517537286415621632014-02-12T06:16:00.001+01:002014-02-13T05:35:30.234+01:00Anywherefit New Zealand: Day 1Anywherefit New Zealand finally commenced on January 30th, 2014 in Auckland. Sven, Asta, and I were in town a day early to get things organized with the rental bus, the hotel, and the grocery store, but the rest of the gang showed up that Friday. As soon as we had everybody checked in and unpacked we shot off to Mission Bay for our first workout of the trip: Paddleboarding. Few of the group had ever attempted this before, let alone out on the open ocean, so we were keeping our fingers crossed for calm waters. As we took instructions from the SUP staff, I watched white cap after white cap roll in towards the bay and I had a flashback to the AWF Iceland 2012 ocean kayaking trip. Shudder. <br />
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Thankfully, by the time we were out on the water things were starting to calm down. People took their time getting to a standing position, but soon everyone was up on their boards. Which meant it was time to either race or start pulling out the stupid human tricks. Cue handstand attempts (all failures), headstand attempts (most failures), and overhead squats (few failures). This was no crushing workout, but it was a ton of fun and a great ice breaker for this group of 12. For me, it felt like I was knocking dust off after a series of long flights. <br />
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From Mission Bay, we went straight across town to CrossFit NZ to hit the weights. Darren and his crew out there were more than accommodating, allowing us to christen their new barbell room with power snatches and back squats. Everyone was given 4 attempts at unbroken sets of snatches (90%, 80%, 70%, and 60% of 1RM). During this session, Sven and I were able to walk around the room and give small cues and coaching advice to some of the less experienced lifters. Starting the trip off with a WOD like this helped me to get to know everyone's ability level when it comes to Oly, their mobility level, and gave us the chance to expose any injuries that might need working around. <br />
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Afterwards we worked up to heavy doubles of back squat, then hit a short and sharp team WOD. Can't say enough about the members and coaches at CF NZ for their hospitality, only wish we could've stayed longer. But the first 6 night of this trip are all in different towns… an unfortunate necessity when you want to drive to Queenstown in less than a week. Not to worry though, there's plenty to do along the way.<br />
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Below is a few video clips from our first day.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/nTBpJLXT8x4" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-1399732481380751882013-12-04T06:20:00.001+01:002013-12-04T06:20:34.068+01:00Lonely Wall WorkoutFound a huge sound barrier wall for a local Fair Oaks neighborhood and decided to build a workout around it. Walls are such a great resource… we need to use them more.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xsGPBcPVZzE" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-48483272939773936892013-11-28T02:31:00.001+01:002013-11-28T02:31:18.858+01:00Abandoned Tennis Court WODI've been wanting to train at this abandoned tennis court forever and finally got out there the other day. It's been awhile since I've posted a video and for that I apologize. Need to be more diligent about bringing my camera!!<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/1VtR4vu4-xw" width="560"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-2861370334417226112013-10-17T16:58:00.002+02:002013-10-17T16:59:12.208+02:00Fitness Is...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Solitude</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">“I don’t like work—no man does—but I like what is
in the work,—the chance to find yourself. Your own reality—for yourself, not
for others—what no other man can ever know.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Marlow—<i>Heart of Darkness</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">I’ve heard it argued many times that the reason
for America’s fitness failures is some combination of ignorance and
inaccessibility. Sounds plausible:
If people don’t know what they should be eating or how much they should be
exercising, how can we expect them to stay healthy? So we go about increasing awareness and try to infuse our
culture with fitness. The topic
makes a home on the talk show circuit and carves out a daily niche on the local
news. The marketplace explodes
with informational videos, online tutorials, and $5 per month gym memberships. The number of gyms in America rises to
an all-time high. Additionally,
restaurants are required by law to disclose the nutritional content of their
food. All the pieces are falling
into place. Yet all reliable
statistics indicate that we are more sickly, more injured, and more overweight
than we’ve ever been. I’ll say it
again: with more resources and more knowledge than ever before, we are the
least healthy we’ve ever been. This
unequivocally tells me that information and accessibility are <b>not</b> the issue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJUxvVEKqaO8vTg8BKDdGTOSpYcWkiEnNUMgLnPGOYF_JDUzx9iQ5niuyhkiieTrYkGNdbyDXevhb6P8MPBCFTbozwvQY07NuVGnrtS5PxS61uKwTpK4GtA514uZ7uufZEh9KtRbJEsM/s1600/Social_Media_Guy3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgJUxvVEKqaO8vTg8BKDdGTOSpYcWkiEnNUMgLnPGOYF_JDUzx9iQ5niuyhkiieTrYkGNdbyDXevhb6P8MPBCFTbozwvQY07NuVGnrtS5PxS61uKwTpK4GtA514uZ7uufZEh9KtRbJEsM/s320/Social_Media_Guy3.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">So, how is it possible that with so many tools at
our disposal we still find a way to fail so miserably? The easy answer is that we just don’t
care. I’ll admit, the simplicity
of this is tempting. But there has always been a section of society that could
give two shits, and I don’t believe that those apathetic few are the only thing
contributing to a problem this big.
I believe that for the larger “caring” subsection, the issue is something
closer to mental crowding. We live
in a world more immediate and barraging than any our ancestors had to navigate. We have more resources, authorities,
and research than they ever did. I
believe that as the flow of information has grown, so too has our inability to
process it. Where they went days or
weeks between news cycles, giving them ample time to think and formulate
opinions, we are refreshed within minutes. How do we form coherent thoughts on fitness when Google
pulls up 100,000 returns to our search?
How do we digest the value of health and wellness while scrolling
through infomercial after infomercial on premium cable? The answer is, we don’t. We observe, briefly acknowledge, and
change the channel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Unfortunately, this doesn’t cut it. Whether the subject is politics,
religion, family, or fitness, skimming the headlines will never be enough to
make an informed decision. You
have to dig deeper, discover facts from multiple sources, then take your time
digesting that information. This
is the critical element. Rarely is
your first thought your finest—in fact, it’s usually somebody else’s. Yet the overwhelming trend in our
society is to make up our minds quicker and quicker. In our effort to be decisive and efficient (read: laziness) we
bypass the reflective stage of problem solving and cut straight to the chase. Every diet book is a bible, every fat
busting tool is a magic bean. We
buy them without understanding their cause or purpose and hope they’ll solve
our problems. Looking at health
through the eyes of its advertisers, we’re no longer fitness practitioners—we’re
fitness consumers. And as long as
we see fitness as something that must be done “to us” rather than “for us,” we
will never internalize the message.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">The solution to this problem is threefold. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqx5cHRx3xM_MK1taWVQ7QjtdZF-7CtPuZHoS0BolfgKU4xG5resCma5aNbS29zG4ZBJJk-61p83cOhbPCqeaNq1DH-vRJCWyeNUWTt0_G1S6N8PkWgeAuWLz5tyuW6O-XsiMO_28z1c/s1600/kmossskinny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqx5cHRx3xM_MK1taWVQ7QjtdZF-7CtPuZHoS0BolfgKU4xG5resCma5aNbS29zG4ZBJJk-61p83cOhbPCqeaNq1DH-vRJCWyeNUWTt0_G1S6N8PkWgeAuWLz5tyuW6O-XsiMO_28z1c/s1600/kmossskinny.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">First, we need to appreciate the gravity of what
we’re facing: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-We live in a world of highly processed, if not
completely contaminated food sources.
Choosing to ignore this fact increases our risk of practically every
disease known to man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-Our typical daily routine demands hours of
sitting, a position that directly opposes the healthy, pain free evolution of
our species. Choosing to ignore
this fact increases our risk of practically every injury known to man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">-If you ask the average person on the street what
it means to be fit, they’ll point to a picture of Kate Moss. Choosing to ignore this fact might actually
save your life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Needless to say, the deck is stacked against you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Second, we have to examine our limitations
carefully, locate their origins, and go find tools that can push us past them. This requires research, patience, and
the permission to make mistakes. No
blanket diagnosis fits everyone, so stop assuming your condition is a perfect
match with the latest episode of Dr. Oz.
Fixing a postural distortion will take years, so don’t get discouraged
when you can’t fix it with 2 weeks of Mobility WODs. Your fitness journey will last the rest of your life—you have
to accept that there are no shortcuts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eBCDZ8X7fcx4kk2FqNGauROAjnH9F6M7E73XulYY5GnHx0cUQRqKfBKmbNnZZgs8udrbOzts-T7hcesZmyKLmCdJMj0NxdyqXFntmeU1HY5LccgHNOxo_FCd2CbsIjpp0wjISsvSpaM/s1600/1011973_10200378661845553_2123979293_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1eBCDZ8X7fcx4kk2FqNGauROAjnH9F6M7E73XulYY5GnHx0cUQRqKfBKmbNnZZgs8udrbOzts-T7hcesZmyKLmCdJMj0NxdyqXFntmeU1HY5LccgHNOxo_FCd2CbsIjpp0wjISsvSpaM/s320/1011973_10200378661845553_2123979293_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Finally, we have to deafen our ears to the
musings of our friends. Their
reasons are not your reasons, their problems are not your problems. We have to discover for ourselves how
and why fitness will benefit our lives, take the time to seek out the best
method of achieving it, then take ownership of the process of doing so. Emerson wrote that we “must be defended
from travelling with the souls of other men, from living, breathing, reading,
and writing in the daily, time-worn yoke of their opinions.” As it pertains to fitness, this means
training for your own reasons, not somebody else’s. Take what others say and do, learn from it, and continue
on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeID1vIY1LbPVEKUUsQIT3h0SFLOPiZeDckypk6GbjwfOkDVPG89DN7HF60PdohF7PqdfQ5mUAXrYF5v9c-Fi5wzYBAkPl_AfWsseUA4HFC7d3ruvxdojQx-QHyRh5UOT8dCs-2g6Ej4/s1600/7759_659447004080977_1280066596_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHeID1vIY1LbPVEKUUsQIT3h0SFLOPiZeDckypk6GbjwfOkDVPG89DN7HF60PdohF7PqdfQ5mUAXrYF5v9c-Fi5wzYBAkPl_AfWsseUA4HFC7d3ruvxdojQx-QHyRh5UOT8dCs-2g6Ej4/s320/7759_659447004080977_1280066596_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Georgia;">Underpinning all of this is solitude. If we don’t give ourselves the space to
ask real questions, we will never be capable of finding real answers. Comfort
food, alcohol, Facebook, and YouTube are all just elaborate distractions. You won’t find yourself there. As humans, we need isolation to sift
through the vocal chorus in our heads and determine which voice is ours. And that doesn’t mean going off on a
cliff somewhere and staring into the sunset (although that is a totally awesome
way to do it). It can be as simple
as a workout alone in your garage or a ten minute session on the yoga mat. Whatever it takes to quiet your mind
and focus your energy to a single point.
Like Marlow said, no man likes work, but what’s in the work has real and
lasting value. Spend some time determining what that is. </span></div>
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<o:p></o:p><br />
<!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-48016861694620212192013-10-04T23:18:00.002+02:002013-10-04T23:18:47.790+02:00Rope Climb to High Muscle UpDid a really fun workout with Denny today. We had to do some leg work to make it possible, but that's where a lot of the fun is in training without the gym. Hanging ropes and rings requires more fitness than using them, often times. Check the video below.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/SxLkMf1IUwQ" width="420"></iframe><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-88642420035733706032013-09-24T17:16:00.003+02:002013-09-24T17:19:21.294+02:002013 Adventure WOD Recap<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbKCZwzE2QPVjSF8eDt2NHXzqn-8uhl9usoknzoA9wlOZeB7iR_5QkQqzP9CHd4vg-4AKmHMQQJ-pdyY2KIAsgMMKz3R3en6EwnyhK1_bst2nCFYuUOoJXQrSzpjjhYE2G4h7n6YTd4c/s1600/7759_659447004080977_1280066596_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbbKCZwzE2QPVjSF8eDt2NHXzqn-8uhl9usoknzoA9wlOZeB7iR_5QkQqzP9CHd4vg-4AKmHMQQJ-pdyY2KIAsgMMKz3R3en6EwnyhK1_bst2nCFYuUOoJXQrSzpjjhYE2G4h7n6YTd4c/s200/7759_659447004080977_1280066596_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>This past weekend marked the second annual Adventure WOD, hosted by <a href="http://www.crossfitanywhere.com/">CrossFit Anywhere.</a> This year we teamed up with <a href="http://crossfitavalanche.com/">CrossFit Avalanche</a> to host the event in Lake Tahoe. The idea was that a canvas as broad and beautiful as Tahoe would offer unlimited opportunities for creative programming while taking the competitors away from the comfort of regular urban life. A true adventure. Mother nature didn't disappoint.<br />
<br />
All week long we were checking and re-checking the weather forecast. One day it looked fine, the next they were calling for rain, then it was scattered thunderstorms. As an event planner, this is a tough situation because you really have no control over the elements. While we discussed plan A's and plan B's in case things got rough, we were really just hoping and praying the storm held off.<br />
<br />
The morning of the event came and it was chilly. Volunteers and athletes alike were huddling together outside Avalanche, sipping their coffee and listening to standards. The first task teams would have to perform was a max wall handstand for time. This would set their heat order for the first 2 events. Those events were as follows:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaqhGlK7vlrhsHAWsVSXtag5W9iXkn7rLra5P6SjpE4boilDxbMS6GUWVwvCHflc6xNI-QVSBAZgv9Qbd7QnDO3SRJj7Z5m1yak8rrb_3l6seiNCpn5r8mesKlRns8PKdBfMgz68s1u8/s1600/544892_10151742360643387_278360823_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijaqhGlK7vlrhsHAWsVSXtag5W9iXkn7rLra5P6SjpE4boilDxbMS6GUWVwvCHflc6xNI-QVSBAZgv9Qbd7QnDO3SRJj7Z5m1yak8rrb_3l6seiNCpn5r8mesKlRns8PKdBfMgz68s1u8/s320/544892_10151742360643387_278360823_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
EVENT 1-<br />
5 minute partner AMRAP:<br />
3 muscle ups<br />
10 pullups<br />
<br />
EVENT 2-<br />
EMOTM Strength Ladder:<br />
OH Squat, Front Squat, Back Squat<br />
(Men's bars increase by 20#, Women's bars increase by 10#)<br />
<br />
The minimum work requirement for event 1 was 1 muscle up and 10 pullups per person. Otherwise it didn't matter how the teams split up the work. At the end of 5 minutes teams moved out of the gym and into the parking lot where the strength ladder awaited them--a line of men's bars and a line of women's bars. There was no minimum work requirement here, just the sum total of poundage lifted between the two. We saw some pretty impressive feats of strength during this portion of the day, with Drew Canavero making it to the final bar (315#) and Allisandra Pichelli finishing the ladder entirely (185#). <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAIMUFns9hjmwgNxQfdNFPdgFkHIyJE1Z7JMik9tA7Up_56ZbvBN8CwUIp-Pd3sOk42HgzoLctMuXUVlP9VSCge8Oenf8kqpgKz5IGHSeTzLvl9To1scNVQpAlK-5xAbzzn1ICIIdjsg/s1600/1235128_10151742364648387_2063030389_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsAIMUFns9hjmwgNxQfdNFPdgFkHIyJE1Z7JMik9tA7Up_56ZbvBN8CwUIp-Pd3sOk42HgzoLctMuXUVlP9VSCge8Oenf8kqpgKz5IGHSeTzLvl9To1scNVQpAlK-5xAbzzn1ICIIdjsg/s320/1235128_10151742364648387_2063030389_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Right away we could tell that altitude was going to be an X factor all day. People were sucking wind during the squat complex like they were doing an all out metcon. Moral of the story: 6000 feet elevation is no joke, even when you're doing 3 squats per minute.<br />
<br />
The standings after the first 2 events were then scored and tallied to establish the starting order for the adventure race. The first place team would start first, second place :30 behind them, 3rd place :30 behind them, and so on until all teams had departed. The starting line for the race was at the Tahoe Biltmore Hotel at the California-Nevada state line, making this possibly the first interstate CrossFit competition. No big deal.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtnRNEyqgOe6xtFWKiqPm7lWLWdTRgaWAyDVfWIr0Ec3kqaEZw8M86m1qEB8_PFg6tclLxv2aNhbPLJABCGSvsldkxaE7ImdxP2jVsiWAjHsIXcl-r2UQhWM4JtDwcpsHwZyoiPj6G-0/s1600/1376396_10151744795223387_708273132_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtnRNEyqgOe6xtFWKiqPm7lWLWdTRgaWAyDVfWIr0Ec3kqaEZw8M86m1qEB8_PFg6tclLxv2aNhbPLJABCGSvsldkxaE7ImdxP2jVsiWAjHsIXcl-r2UQhWM4JtDwcpsHwZyoiPj6G-0/s320/1376396_10151744795223387_708273132_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Once they began the race, teams would not stop for another 2+ hours. Their tasks included a 1.1 mile hill run up a fire access road, 50 partner burpees with lateral jump, 2 minutes of partner planks, 2 minutes of crow pose, 2 minutes in a 1 armed handstand, solve a math problem, run 1.1 miles downhill, bike 6 miles, partner paddle board 600 yards, bike 3 miles, 50 partner burpees with lateral jump, 5 wall climbs, 100 kb swings, 75 goblet squats, 50 kb snatches, 25 thrusters, 400 meter sandbag farmers carry, and a 400 meter run to the finish line. If all that wasn't enough of a challenge for these teams, the skies opened up while they were on their bikes heading towards the paddle board shop and started dumping rain. The wind was whipping on the water, churning enormous waves onshore and dumping people left and right. You could see the athletes go from competition mode to survival mode in an instant. I can only imagine what it must've been like to get out of the water and get back on their bikes in the rain. And then to swing kettlebells and carry rain-soaked sandbags. From there on out it was grit and toughness that would get them to the finish line. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA3VxpFvJ_AgXo28z4yKvV4xq6xs7ExsO-7dMrOaC_jvOVvWIAiwfIw0a7I3KzMJ4N7GISHpn-vCOHnfiLm8XxFwuktZ73H2PgBFbPaL2AFlzWNdewZ9_rAaakXgJ5b2z1kSwPzjsdHE/s1600/1233622_10151744801228387_1574756569_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLA3VxpFvJ_AgXo28z4yKvV4xq6xs7ExsO-7dMrOaC_jvOVvWIAiwfIw0a7I3KzMJ4N7GISHpn-vCOHnfiLm8XxFwuktZ73H2PgBFbPaL2AFlzWNdewZ9_rAaakXgJ5b2z1kSwPzjsdHE/s320/1233622_10151744801228387_1574756569_n.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
When it was all said and done 33 of the 35 teams that started the day, finished the day. CrossFit Avalanche was a tightly packed sardine jar of shivering bodies and barbecue, as everyone tried to warm and refuel themselves. People were laughing and crying (depending on the person), but all were incredibly accomplished. I could not have been more impressed and inspired by the durability and toughness of these athletes. If there was ever proof that CrosFitters are hard to kill, this was it. <br />
<br />
Taking home the gold were Brandon Caskey and Monica Renk of South Tahoe CrossFit. They were 11th after the first two events and made up ground during the hill run and the partner holds, before taking the lead on the bikes and extending it on the paddle board. They would never relinquish it. Second place went to Matt and Chelsey from San Francisco CrossFit, aka the "Purple People Eaters." <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SM7xjfbuORe3S1lruu7TvzUXWOGaF8_RQ3NwnY3fkYFqkRRf6W9i9sMnw81A7aegwAO_OvulLInj64BzTRB3apQfJ5E8OaM1bpWeNl9EObNX6yUC8dO5nKDUvmjS11RKb8-vKgPnJe8/s1600/1157693_636856843014969_1263280074_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7SM7xjfbuORe3S1lruu7TvzUXWOGaF8_RQ3NwnY3fkYFqkRRf6W9i9sMnw81A7aegwAO_OvulLInj64BzTRB3apQfJ5E8OaM1bpWeNl9EObNX6yUC8dO5nKDUvmjS11RKb8-vKgPnJe8/s320/1157693_636856843014969_1263280074_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
A big thank you to all the volunteers who made this event possible. Some showed up the night before to run through events and all were there at 6:00 am the morning of, standing in the rain counting reps, and running alongside the teams to keep them moving. Myles and CrossFit Avalanche were incredible hosts, if you've never been to their box it's a must visit. Finally, the vendor support was amazing as well. <a href="http://www.bealphastrong.com/">Alpha Strong</a> brought their sandbags into the wild and they held up perfectly. <a href="http://www.drinkfitaid.com/">FitAID</a> was there til the end giving out recovery drinks to depleted athletes and cases to the winners. <a href="http://www.menwieldingfire.com/">Men Wielding Fire</a> provided delicious food at the finish line, without which I'm not sure I would've made it home. In sum, it was a brutal but memorable day that I can't wait to start planning for next year. Congratulations to all the participants for making it through!!!<br />
<br />
Check out our video from the event at the following link:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ie2Qi4Fr9Ps" width="420"></iframe><br />
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<br /></div>
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-27961064632284967872013-09-11T17:38:00.002+02:002013-09-11T17:38:26.164+02:00AWF Balkans - Day 8
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Day 8</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvGWVJCDg8Nuqss7k591LWVf1tDGOBArUMswIyUfOO5C6sYWR8qKMrVJ666ZD-ER5oBRtLqg62ahxJrlxDC_A3JoV78INGd-SSpASDGjDkVvwP_tdqloOKQ-UYbaWWFzsfUzDQFeLyX0/s1600/1239782_10100476562142455_1378632648_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEvGWVJCDg8Nuqss7k591LWVf1tDGOBArUMswIyUfOO5C6sYWR8qKMrVJ666ZD-ER5oBRtLqg62ahxJrlxDC_A3JoV78INGd-SSpASDGjDkVvwP_tdqloOKQ-UYbaWWFzsfUzDQFeLyX0/s400/1239782_10100476562142455_1378632648_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Waking up to the sound of an Islamic call to prayer was
definitely a first for me. But
that’s daily life in Sarajevo.
Constructed alongside Serbian Orthodox and Catholic churches, there are
more mosques in this city than in the capital of Saudi Arabia. Religious diversity is just one example
of the cultural variety the Bosnian capital boasts. Walking through the old town you could see everything from
Western Europe to the Middle East, all under the subtle veil of a war torn
past. To say that you can read the
history on people’s faces is an understatement. I wouldn’t go so far as to say people look overly unhappy,
just very serious. Not exactly
surprising when you consider the city was under siege for close to 4
years. During that time the only
way to get people or supplies in and out was through a 1000 meter underground
tunnel to the United Nations air strip.
Many of the people still living in the city spent their formative years
in that type of environment. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNNPIS9_0J0WmJYaTkA_VuFNioscSo8ZoRG-b6AR-BtVnfx20FfzAk-t0K9nLeNiOpx0YGSf6wsu_5xDbU-ZSpee_MtLy86LZjNmap0TbluztXeOZ1kFjdu-CvO5hyphenhyphenRgLaCmqmiB2HJg/s1600/1185358_10201918781875297_1638164417_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNNPIS9_0J0WmJYaTkA_VuFNioscSo8ZoRG-b6AR-BtVnfx20FfzAk-t0K9nLeNiOpx0YGSf6wsu_5xDbU-ZSpee_MtLy86LZjNmap0TbluztXeOZ1kFjdu-CvO5hyphenhyphenRgLaCmqmiB2HJg/s400/1185358_10201918781875297_1638164417_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After visiting a few mosques and walking around the old
city, our group headed out to the Olympic Stadium from the 1984 Winter
Games. Here we were set to meet
Adi, the owner of the largest CrossFit training facility in Bosnia. His gym is carved out of the old track
and field training facility for the Yugoslavian national teams of the
1980’s. Talk about a piece of
history. Entering the single story
building, I couldn’t help but be reminded of every YouTube video I’ve seen of
Russian and Bulgarian lifters.
Non-descript red cinder block walls, simple placards on doors denoting
things like “Equipment Room,” and “Showers,” and the no frills feel of a place
built to encourage hard work. Adi
led us to the end of the hall where his portion of the facility was located: 2
rooms, 2 squat racks, 2 benches, 4 olympic bars, a 3 person pullup system, a
few strategically placed rubber mats, some nautilus rehab equipment, and a
classic set of wooden stretching bars mounted to the wall. Perfect.</div>
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After a warm up out on the track that included some running
and some pigeon to pigeon transitions, we divided the group up and worked up to
5 rep maxes of back squat and deadlift, respectively. This was quite the scene, as you can imagine, with 30 people
crammed between 4 bars. But it
kept things loud, heated, and intense, he way training should be in an Eastern
European Olympic relic. Between
every set of squats and deadlifts, guys had to do 10 chest to bar pullups and
girls had to do 5. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hMWL5aGET676SKaiQXhGsREMoGqNLNfDKE2FNktQxtl5b8sjrpHMdQvdiDIIJQP3NAcVXJDPG84shHb-cCCnbNg7eFl7oqj0rcAuQDxbisKuVPjsdqi0TcJL5ofprpY0ZhYeBVhNqrU/s1600/1233436_10201918783955349_1988648410_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_hMWL5aGET676SKaiQXhGsREMoGqNLNfDKE2FNktQxtl5b8sjrpHMdQvdiDIIJQP3NAcVXJDPG84shHb-cCCnbNg7eFl7oqj0rcAuQDxbisKuVPjsdqi0TcJL5ofprpY0ZhYeBVhNqrU/s640/1233436_10201918783955349_1988648410_n.jpg" width="640" /></a><o:p> </o:p></div>
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We spent a solid 1.5 hours enjoying this scene, then headed
out to the main field for some pictures.
With the word S-A-R-A-J-E-V-O spelled out in enormous letters in the
seats across from us, we took turns speed walking 50 meters as fast as
possible. This display soon
escalated to a tournament style bracket, with Sunny coming out the victor. Not exactly a surprise since his legs
are twice as long as everyone else’s, but it was a good race. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ52RY7Y_u4vjIcYHnxngmByjww6zH21XHsTlxEnhMt2Gj7VhE1TzQbGM0TA2uSJNeppPWHsqOidPy5cql63_GHk0Kr40pHbK6Q02GJqpjJSIPCBp730Uls8Jtd9-JNvRze2uqxK8Bj3I/s1600/1234718_10201918784875372_266602661_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ52RY7Y_u4vjIcYHnxngmByjww6zH21XHsTlxEnhMt2Gj7VhE1TzQbGM0TA2uSJNeppPWHsqOidPy5cql63_GHk0Kr40pHbK6Q02GJqpjJSIPCBp730Uls8Jtd9-JNvRze2uqxK8Bj3I/s400/1234718_10201918784875372_266602661_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>From there Adi led our bus across town to an apartment
complex that had been destroyed during the war but were still standing. This is something I had really looked
forward to witnessing. The whole
place was riddled with bullet holes and crumbling debris, but we found a way to
make it ours. Everyone finding
their own space, we proceeded to do the following Tabata sequence:</div>
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Shoulder Taps<br />
Pistols<br />
Good Mornings<br />
L Sits</div>
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It was dusty, dirty, and decrepit everywhere you looked, but
there were 30 people there doing something positive with the space. It doesn’t get any more anywherefit
than this. I can’t wait to see the
pictures from this WOD. </div>
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It was a big day of training, so the showers and down time
we took before dinner were well deserved.
The plan for tomorrow is to head out into the country to meet up with
some of Armann’s Serbian relatives on their farm. Should be a perfect way to bring today’s urban excursion
into relief. </div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5207664163068620797.post-38536731355207357692013-09-11T17:31:00.002+02:002013-09-11T17:31:15.200+02:00AWF Balkans - Day 7
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<br />
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Day 7</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCGg5M51rGTEOl4Tu6gzfQX3sNJGk8saEj2P3pHRsz6ITS0ntfyO5ogBNvHnkRmKqejyovD2vBM3Tm-wnNpx8rHhL0iNqCvT2HyCkI838A3X1R23iLmrxAhc9tRwYQEwOlb7YmOVpwiQ/s1600/1234768_10201913831431539_198465905_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCGg5M51rGTEOl4Tu6gzfQX3sNJGk8saEj2P3pHRsz6ITS0ntfyO5ogBNvHnkRmKqejyovD2vBM3Tm-wnNpx8rHhL0iNqCvT2HyCkI838A3X1R23iLmrxAhc9tRwYQEwOlb7YmOVpwiQ/s400/1234768_10201913831431539_198465905_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>Stepping out your front door and having the Adriatic Sea to
welcome you is an experience few have.
Since Day 7 would be the last our group enjoyed this luxury, we decided
to take advantage of it one more time.
Immediately after breakfast we met by the water and did a swim sprint
workout: Swim 50 meters every 2
minutes on the minute for 20 minutes.
We divided the group into halves (stronger swimmers/weaker swimmers),
and started on opposite ends of the 50 meter distance. Group 1 went on the even minutes, Group
2 went on the odd. This kept the
course relatively clear so people weren’t swimming over each other in an effort
to stay close to shore. </div>
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After the workout everyone had free time to enjoy the beach
as they saw fit. Jenn and I chose
to lay around on the beach chairs with a group of others, but many decided to
go out and try the inflatable obstacle course the hotel had set up a short ways
offshore. This was essentially a
balloon bounce house, with jumps, ropes, and handles scattered throughout. The TV show “Wipeout” came immediately
to mind as I watched our group struggle, flail, and eat it all over the
course. Definite comedy for those
of us watching from shore, but an exhausting workout for those directly
involved. Just goes to show you
don’t always need to be “training” to get a work out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCFzWKSCyxOsbD1HhN9ckdEcMUlGwm3LWAgZH-DQ97kLF0EYxjF5qCHAWJPbThtlzbiPw6ciK2tYlRRfa_RJP_y0TRacP-uWzblNEO5-731jG5vKY_pCoUBAxbdQltcw5IoZA7vmoWYY/s1600/1174721_10201913834591618_151280201_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbCFzWKSCyxOsbD1HhN9ckdEcMUlGwm3LWAgZH-DQ97kLF0EYxjF5qCHAWJPbThtlzbiPw6ciK2tYlRRfa_RJP_y0TRacP-uWzblNEO5-731jG5vKY_pCoUBAxbdQltcw5IoZA7vmoWYY/s400/1174721_10201913834591618_151280201_n.jpg" width="400" /></a>Just before noon we loaded onto the bus and set our sights
on Bosnia. Although it was
certainly sad to say goodbye to Croatia and her infinitely beautiful waters and
coastline, I have to say I was excited to see the interior of the Balkans. So much history from the Yugoslavian
civil war is still fresh and palpable there and I knew our group would find it
interesting. </div>
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As we drove across the border the first thing I was struck
by was the landscape. Huge mountains
and forested hillsides, beautiful rivers and cliffs… not exactly what I had
pictured. For some reason the
image in my head was something much flatter and desolate. Chalk it up to ignorance I guess. Throughout the drive Armann got on the
microphone and explained some details about the conflict, including the
cultural peculiarities of Bosnia-Herezgovina. Because this region was home to a large population of
Bosnian Muslims, Catholic Croats, <i>and</i>
Orthodox Serbs, it was where the majority of the fighting took place. To a large degree, each nationality
fighting for independence was defined by its religion, so mosques and
cathedrals were easy targets for bombings. And nowhere else in the Balkans was there such a high
concentration of all three denominations than in present day Bosnia. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZxkegdhG5DudrlynpvQBUL0QmtXkID1Ki_dsb2-C2NMXX22J1XTcjZL3nM4j_H_qlr2IacOgVh-f59Msg5tyT87g0lWdo2kjydAgXktnEpd6xzXaWDw-y8yaiHU8LrJDbmzlAHyxkos/s1600/1240634_10201913833511591_291982307_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPZxkegdhG5DudrlynpvQBUL0QmtXkID1Ki_dsb2-C2NMXX22J1XTcjZL3nM4j_H_qlr2IacOgVh-f59Msg5tyT87g0lWdo2kjydAgXktnEpd6xzXaWDw-y8yaiHU8LrJDbmzlAHyxkos/s400/1240634_10201913833511591_291982307_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We saw the lasting effects of the fighting at our first stop
in Mostar. Mostar is a small town
in the hills that boasts a singular crown jewel: it’s bridge. A beautifully arched stone structure
connecting both sides of the river, this bridge was destroyed by bombs and
mortars during the war. We stopped
and watched a video detailing the process of rebuilding that took place and
couldn’t help but wonder how they did it.
Walking around the town you could feel the poverty. The walls still boast bullet holes,
many of the buildings have not been bothered to be repaired from explosions,
and the street vendors are all huddled onto a single stretch of cobblestones
that lead tourists to the bridge.
While eating lunch we could observe locals enticing foreigners to jump
the 80 foot bridge for a fee.
Apparently it’s common for the local diving club to raise money by
coaching tourists on how to safely enter the water from such a height. Naturally, our group only a few days
removed from a day filled with cliff jumping in the Adriatic, the buzz over
lunch was about who would jump the bridge. It wound up that only Sven, Sunny, and I were willing to pay
the 25 Euros to take the plunge, but boy was it worth it!!!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNpdEcd4e1JwN5sOrP_Msen4MfPhOrhW6ubxsQdEw-zvBg4ZrqnhyFUFovGkDVI44JwE-lftZWxscSOn_qoVQ1A3pQCM43orWdumZ_Fh-AnHYHg9_yPfzt6V1F04Fl_qu1cEFQq3AjuI/s1600/1231462_10201913832431564_1214949408_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNNpdEcd4e1JwN5sOrP_Msen4MfPhOrhW6ubxsQdEw-zvBg4ZrqnhyFUFovGkDVI44JwE-lftZWxscSOn_qoVQ1A3pQCM43orWdumZ_Fh-AnHYHg9_yPfzt6V1F04Fl_qu1cEFQq3AjuI/s400/1231462_10201913832431564_1214949408_n.jpg" width="300" /></a>Before we could jump we had to go below with the diving
coach and do a series of practice jumps from a 10 meter platform he had set up
down river. In severely broken
English, he coached us to keep our knees bent and relax our arms like a bird’s
wings until just before impact. At
this moment we were to violently extend our legs and tuck our arms to our
sides, breaking the water and entering vertical. While this is not the first time I’ve thought of these
things, I’ll admit the practice jumps helped get my nerve up.</div>
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As we climbed back up the rocks to the bridge I noticed our
entire group had found seats along the shore to watch and take pictures. I mention this because they looked a
whole lot smaller from the bridge.
I was the first to jump, so I climbed the ledge (a 8 inch piece of stone
was we had to stand on once over the rails), got my balance, and tried to think
of nothing but the practice jumps.
If you ever find yourself in this position, it’s important you don’t
waste time on the edge. Just go for
it. And I did, floating through
the air for over 2 seconds of blistering freefall before entering the
water. I’d love to describe
exactly what it was like, but it happened quite fast. Perhaps the videos will do it better justice. Sunny and Sven followed soon after,
each of us emerging unharmed and exhilarated. And we had to have the biggest, loudest cheering section
Mostar’s seen in quite some time. </div>
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By this time it was nearly 6:00 pm and we had to be getting
on to Sarajevo. Only 3 days left
to go…</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<!--EndFragment--><div class="blogger-post-footer">© Blair Morrison 2009-2015</div>anywherefithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12091994254084487624noreply@blogger.com1