This is all I could muster up as a tribute to good old MJ.  Extremely talented but just weird.  Besides, this video fits better with this topic better than any of his.

I found this little essay below on thefitshack.com, written by JoLynn Brayley.  Give it a read…you just might find your favorite excuse.  If you’re serious about success you might want to stop using it.

One issue that is rampant among those who use food in an attempt to feel better, to procrastinate, out of boredom, or for any other reason than physical hunger is the issue of Excuses.

Excuses will keep you fat and excuses will keep you stuck. Excuses will also help you to continue to create more of what you already have - negative emotions and an unhealthy, fat, feel-bad body.

Excuses Excuses Excuses

There are so many excuses you can always come up with that will keep you fat, stuck, and unhappy and I’ve selected the top 5 today. Oh, and how do I know that excuses are so prevelant among food abusers? Because I’ve been there and I know this to be true!

Not only do I know this to be true because I’ve been there myself, but also because of all of the people I have spoken with, met, interacted with, guided, inspired, or assisted to move beyond their excuses. The thing is though that the only way you will move beyond your own excuses is if you are willing to do so. If you are more invested in staying stuck in your excuses than you are in releasing them and allowing yourself to get fit, get healthy, and get happy, then you will continue to use your excuses that will keep you fat.

5 Excuses That Will Keep You Fat

1. I’ll Do It Tomorrow - This is the #1 Excuse that will keep you fat and not only will it keep you fat, it will keep you spinning your wheels in Stuckville. The plain and simple truth is…Tomorrow Never Comes. Today is the Tomorrow that you told yourself would be the Tomorrow when you would change. Today is Always Tomorrow and as long as you continue to use the excuse that you’ll do it tomorrow, you are forever putting off your life and forever living in Stuckville. 
2. I Don’t Have Time - Everyone on this beautiful planet Earth has the same amount of hours in their day. What does the excuse you use of telling yourself you don’t have time do for you? When will you ever have the time to get fit and lose the fat? When will you ever have the time to lose the excuse? Using the excuse that you don’t have time is an excuse and it is also a value. You Always have enough time for that which you value in your life.
3. It’s Too Hard - If you believe “it’s too hard”, you’re totally right. You are always right when you tell yourself whatever you tell yourself because that’s what you believe! If you continue to choose to use the excuse that it’s too hard then “it” will be too hard. This is the most interesting of the top 5 excuses that will keep you fat because the easiest thing to do is to lose weight. Simply stick with whole foods, eat more often, use portion control, and move your body. 30 minutes a day of walking in your target heart rate zone works wonders to drop the fat. Simple as that, along with drinking 100 oz of water a day. However what makes losing the fat hard is that you use the excuse that it’s hard and then never take the action that will get you what you want. Therefore, the excuses continue to pay your rent in Stuckville.
4. She/He Can Do It But I Can’t - This is yet another excuse that will keep you fat, and stuck. While there are different body types, the main thing that will prove you right in this excuse is again your thoughts. If you choose to use this excuse you will keep yourself stuck as it is and won’t take the actions that would prove you “wrong”, so really all of these excuses will always prove you right. Why? Because the excuses are your way of keeping yourself where you are in the space of inaction. Since you aren’t taking the healthy actions that would melt the fat from your body, then you have proven that your excuses are “true”. It’s really a lose-lose proposition for yourself, however the best thing you can do is become aware of the fact that you are using excuses so that you can choose to opt out at any time.  You can always choose to drop your excuses if you want to because they are your thoughts and you are the thinker in your world.
5. I Can’t Afford It - What is it that you cannot afford? You cannot not afford to invest in yourself to create peace of mind around food and your body, if your quality of life, your serenity, your self-love and relationship with yourself is of value to you. If you do not value these qualities of life then you will use the excuse that you “can’t afford it”, which is the most dangerous excuse of all. When you resist investing in your own health in body, mind, and spirit whether that is investing in healthy food, creating a peaceful environment, a coach to guide and assist you out of your own blind spots, or a quality pair of walking shoes, what you resist is allowing in the healthy life that a part of you tells yourself you desire. This all comes down to what you value though, and if you place a higher value on sticking with the excuses then you will continue to stay where you are.

Thoughts are things and what you think is what you get. Excuses are thoughts you think, thoughts that you believe are “reasons” for not getting what you want, however you are the one in control of your choices and you choose what you think and create in your life. As long as you choose the excuses though, you will stay in the land of inaction and Stuckville.

Excuses Keep You In Stuckville

Choosing excuses will keep you in Stuckville, and having been there myself in the past I can tell you that it’s No Fun and I always say that “If It’s Not Fun, Why Do It?”. It’s not fun to live in Stuckville and it’s also not fun to choose excuses - not only because they will keep you fat but also because they are limiting. And do you really want to live a limited life? Is THAT fun?

My wish for you is that you consciously choose to eliminate all excuses and that you choose to think only those thoughts that will move you forward into the healthy lifestyle you could be living Right Now if you were to choose to do so.

Workout of the Day:

• 10 Thrusters  135lbs/95lbs
• 10 Burpees

3 Rounds

If you don’t know who this is I’ll tell you - it’s Jason Khalipa.  Winner of the 2008 CrossFit Games.

So why a picture of him in regards to ‘possibilities’?  Sure, its easy to put pictures of genetic freaks up and say “see what you can become”?  That would be a little ridiculous.  Instead, I’ll tell you a little something about Jason…then you can look at the picture and ask yourself “What can I become”?

Jason started CrossFit 19 short months before not only going to the games but winning the games.  In December of 2006 (as stated on his affiliate’s page “CrossFit One World”) Jason did “Fran” in 6:52…with jumping pull ups!  Yep, the fittest man alive did Fran with jumping pull ups.  Jason has since opened his own affiliate. 

You see, everyone has to start somewhere.  So next time you find yourself justifying a half assed performance by telling yourself you’ll never be faster than that anyway, suck it the heck up and go harder next time.

You get out of CrossFit what you put in to Crossfit.  Go hard.

Workout of the Day:

• 200m Run
• 20 Squats
• 200m Run
• 15 Sprawl Ball  20lbs / 15 lbs

3 Rounds

Where would our kids be without positive role models to follow?  How can we expect our kids to be healthy if we don’t provide an example for them to emulate?  Where will they get the motivation to go outside, be active and get their butts off the video game chair with speakers and fridges built in to them…hell, I’m surprised they don’t have toilets built in!

Simple, we can expect them to be where the vast majority actually ARE.  They are without role models.  Not for lack of them but because they are not interested in the things the role models are involved in.  They are NOT healthy because most of the parents aren’t healthy.  They eat like crap, they feel like crap and in turn they produce crap…of course in the bathroom (we all do) but where it matters…in school. 

They are obese, they are lazy, or maybe just too tired from lack of energy due to eating cheetos and pop tarts.  Their poor little developing brains probably don’t have the gas to actually allow them to have an imagination…what little bit of energy it has to spare goes to more important things like breathing.

And finally why are our children not going outside?  Why are fewer playing sports?  It just doesn’t make sense.  I remember growing up and hated hearing the call to come inside.  I know my kids would spend all day outside if they could…even in the winter.  I suspect it is for many of the same reasons as already listed but for one more that I feel is even more important.  What reason do they have to go out and do something?

It seems to me that many children just aren’t that interested to go and do something because there is no one to please.  Many lack the intrinsic motivation to do it on their own…they need someone to be there with them.  If there isn’t a parent present who is there to impress?  We all need a hug and a “great job” now and again - how much more are our kids in need of that?

I want to showcase a couple of our youth SPARKers - Kaelen and Michael.  Trust me when I tell you that these two would gladly being doing this and every other thing active on their own but they don’t have to.  In a family of 6 kids they have a great set of parents (Teresa and Doug - good on you guys) that go that extra mile to be there for their kids.  And trust me when I tell you that they are BUSY taking their kids to tonnes of sports and activities.  I was told the other day that they actually cut the cable for the summer!  WOW!  I only wish I had a better camera to take more phases of these clean and jerks.

Now check this video I found that not only shows there is hope for a less fat future, but also provides a little inspiration…WARNING, you will want to lift after watching.  Check it out and let me know what you think by posting in the comments section.

Workout of the Day:

• 5 Clean and Jerk  135lbs / 95lbs
• 10 Knees to Elbows

5 Rounds For Time

Where there’s a will there’s a way!  And I must say that CrossFitters are some of the most ingenuitive people on the planet.  I have seen squat racks made of wood, shelves made of PVC, boxes (for jumps) substituted with irrigation covers, crazy pull up structures etc etc etc.

But this by far is one of the coolest things I’ve seen…

Let me paint a picture for you.  Franz, from CF Regina (Robin & Aaron’s place) came to our Barbell cert and had bought some Rogue weightlifting shoes.  When I watched him from across the room it looked like he was lifting while only wearing one of them - all lopsided and angled to one side.  What was really going on is that Franz has one leg shorter than another…by a lot.

He finished the rest of the cert while standing with one foot on a 10lb plate to level himself off.  When he came to the next cert, Olympic Weightlifting, he had rectified the problem by having a lift put onto his short leg side.  Wicked. 

Thats what I love about our community…nothing stands in our way.  We all have our issues like injuries, disabilities, illness, time constraints, family commitments amongst others.  What matters is what we do to overcome them.  Most just say ’screw the gym’ I have too many other more important things to do.  Well, like I’ve said many times before, sooner or later your health will be of prime importance to you.  Why not make that decision for yourself now instead of having it made for you later.

• 8 X 100m Sprint (4 minutes running time - must complete each in < 30sec, rest remaining time)
• Rest 1.5 minute
• 4 X 100m Sprint (2 minutes running time - must complete each in < 30sec, rest remaining time)
• Rest 1 minute
• 2 X 100m Sprint (40 seconds running time - must complete each in < 20sec, rest remaining time)
• Rest 2 minutes
• Tabata Squat

Yup, its that time again…’Fran’.  And what can you say about her other than she’s a b*tch!

Here are a couple of vids of CrossFitters taking Fran to another level.  Jason “Rhabdo” Kaplan and “Bionic” both finish in sub 2 minutes.  No really, I’m not kidding.  Great stuff to work towards…have you got it in you?

Agreed that a couple of the reps are a little suspect but the work being done cannot be denied.  Truly amazing.

Now here is a little something we can all empathize with…how we feel when we’re done.  Feeling a liitle pukey are we?

“Fran”

21-15-9

• Thrusters  95lbs/65lbs
• Pull Ups

So I was bored and was looking around the internet for stuff to put on the blog and I wound up googling “stupid fitness - and man am I glad I did.  Seriously, it kind of made my day.  I laughed outloud reading the article below and watching the videos in it…especially the “iGallop”.  Its amazing that people even come up with this stuff but what is more amazing is that people actually buy this stuff!  Check it out…

Lose weight in your sleep! Build muscle while watching TV! Eat whatever you want without gaining a pound! Sound familiar? The health and fitness industry is so full of hype and hot air I’m surprised we even pay attention anymore. But we do. And a sucker is born every minute.

Behold! The Craziest Fitness Gadgets Ever:

#1 Winner! The Dumbbell Phone

The art of useless Japanese inventions known as Chindogu brings us a dumbell attachment for the telephone! If you wish you were building biceps instead of sitting in your cubical this stupid fitness gadget might be the answer to all of your problems. Sure, you’ll look like a tool and everyone in the office will make fun of you. But that’s not as important as those giant 12-inch guns you can develop every time you pick up the phone. But wait, it gets better… We’ll even have one of our “personal fitness trainers” call you every hour on the hour. That’s eight workouts for every day you’re in the office.

(note: only works on retro model phones. Must order iPhone attachment separately)

To see the rest of the gadgets click here

• 400m Run
• 10 Deadlifts  225lbs / 135lbs

4 Rounds

When Doctor Emmitt Brown slipped and smacked his head he had a vision.  A vision that would transcend the space time continuum.  A vision that would change the future!  He saw the Flux Capactor - the thing that allowed time travel to occur.

When Charles lost his balance and smacked his head he probably saw black and stars…and by black I mean two things: the haze after getting your bell rung and of course the ceiling as he hurdled backwards towards the half rack. 

Did he see a vision?  Who knows.  What I do know is that the Flux Capacitor didn’t appear IN his head…it appeared ON his head.  Take a look and check out what his co-workers gave him.

Don’t worry, Charles was fine and in good spirits the next day.  Thanks to everyone that helped him out. 

You’re a good sport Charles and one tough cookie.  He was back in the gym a few days later none the worse for wear.  And thanks for pointing out that we are now an official Sports Facility - blood had been spilled and an ambulance has has been present.

• 10 Turkish Get Ups

Then 3 rounds of:

• 8 DB Snatches  50lbs/35lbs
• 15 GHDBE
• 8 Narrow DB Push Ups (on single DB - one head)

ALL of the above for 3 Rounds

Calgarians.  We love to hate them but of course it’s all in fun…Tyler was definately one of the good ones.  I got a call from Tyler asking if he could come by for a WOD as he was in town for work.  Naturally I welcomed him in to SPARK and he came by bright and early.

He is a CrossFitter and has been for a while so he didn’t want to miss working out just because he wasn’t at his home gym.  As always he asked the same questions…what do we do for warm up, whats all that stuff on the board yadda, yadda, yadda.  As always, I told him we were a little different from most places and although we all CrossFit we all have our own flavor…he was about to taste ours.

Oh and of course he thought our facility was pretty slick

Tyler brought it all and and hit the WOD hard.  He did great and had a great attitude…a testament to himself and his home gym.

Here is a little email he sent me 4 days after visiting:

“Just wanted to thank you for the workout last Wednesday!  My legs finally recovered yesterday from that warm up…Loved the different dimensions you work into that…”

Thanks for making him feel welcome everyone.  Keep it up and remember, if you don’t recognize someone in class go introduce yourself!  You were new once too.

10-20-30

• American KB Swing 55lbs/35lbs
• Box Jumps
• Push Press 95lbs/65lbs

Yep, you have to practice everything.  EVERYTHING!  It’s pretty much impossible to achieve perfection in physical movements and performance so does that mean we should be content with what we can do?  Not a chance. 

We should always be in pursuit of rigid midlines, getting overhead, shorter rests, fewer drinks, active shoulders, getting out of the hole and of course not pulling early.  How do we do this?  Practice.  What we as CrossFitters are chasing is not perfection and not specialization.  Its Virtuosity.  And what does that mean?  Perform the common uncommonly well.

Here is a picture from this weekend of several CrossFitters from Alberta and Saskatchewan and a couple from CA and CT - Carl B. and Jason L. - that were looking to get better at running.

Notice a few SPARKers?  On the front Jonny and Jenny and on the back Me, Erich, Conor, Dustin, Chris and Celeste.  Post your thoughts on the cert guys!

Carl and Jason you guys were awesome.  Great instructors and great guys.  We learned a lot and will definately put it into practice.  Can’t wait to have you guys back.

Partner WOD - Pairs, Ladder Style, 1 through 7 reps of each exercise

• Burpees
• Pull ups
• Power Cleans 95lbs/65lbs

2 rounds

Ok so the picture is too small but trust me there are some SPARKers in there.  Jenny H is in the front row sporting a SPARK shirt, Ashleigh E is on the far right and Chris H, Brownie and Jacq D are tucked in the back.  Congrats on getting your CrossFit Level1 Certification guys!!!

1 - Running & Endurance Cert : June 13 & 14 - Gym will be closed.

2 - Inter City Challenge II : June 6 ‘09

This is being held at CrossFit Edmonton and will be an awesome time.  There will be an Rx’d WOD as well as a scaled version so don’t be afraid to come participate.  Even if you don’t want to workout at least show up and cheer your friends on and stay for the BBQ after.

Details:

Register online or at door
Cost: $10.00
Approximate times:
Scaled heats 12-1 pm
Rx’d heats 1:30-2:30
Awards 3:00
Beers and BBQ After!!! 

• 4 Rounds Bottom to Bottom Tabata Squat
• AMRAP in 10 Min:
• 5 Burpees
• 15 Double Unders
• 4 Rounds Bottom to Bottom Tabata Squat