We finally made it to the movies. As expected, due to our tardiness, the line was a bit long. So again, my daughter expressed her displeasure with me. She also expressed the fact that she didn’t understand why I thought the ladies were so great. She said, “They have too many muscles anyway.”

Wait? What??? I told her she had to be kidding. I said, those women are beautiful. And, I told her, they have just the right amount of muscles. I also asked wouldn’t she rather be strong than not? I was actually surprised when she said she wasn’t sure. With that, I’m asking the women of CrossFit and the fitness world to help me convince my daughters that it is ok to be strong. My oldest is in middle school and at a vulnerable age where boys notice her and she cares about how she smells. Ha! But I don’t want that to turn into devaluing or limiting all the things she can be in life to fit a mold that may not be meant for her. Isn’t that the worst thing a young girl can allow herself to do? Diminish her own possibilities?

So again, I’m asking the fit ladies out there to leave a comment for my daughters. Let them know why strong is also beautiful.

Why can’t I stop thinking about it? That’s easy. This is it what inpires those thoughts:

What’s funny is I had the same epiphany Tom had in the movie. Thus his getting rid of his gigantic SUV gas guzzler and getting this beauty. I may have to get this thing this summer. I’m sure it’s much more efficient on gas. It may not be sexy, but neither is spending half a Benjamin on filling your tank.

The other day while trying to catch up on the scores at that weekend’s regional events of the 2012 Reebok CrossFit Games, I noticed one of my favorite CrossFitter/blogger’s tweets, which read:

I have to say, while his post I’m sure was meant to make a statement about the potential response of the T-Mobile customer service team, that’s not what stood out to me about his tweet. My thought was, “Wow, this dude knows to the dollar, and probably the penny, what he spent on this T-Mobile bill over a five year period!” And while I was duly impressed, I was also somewhat ashamed that I do not know the exact to the penny amount I’ve spent on my own phone bill over the last half decade. Shouldn’t I?

Yes, I should. Especially if I’m going to be speaking to others about knowing what they are spending their money on to get a better handle on their savings and finances. Although I’m not excusing myself, it’s not that I don’t know to some useful degree, where my money goes. I have over the years taken the tact it is better not to be penny wise and pound foolish. Thus in most of my personal financial management I have concentrated my efforts on managing my investments and earning income.

But something about Web’s post still made me feel like I was failing in some way. “I should know my number,” I thought. I often tell (and sometimes chastise) my daughters for not appreciating how hard it is to earn and work for money, when at dinner time they scrape the last bit of veggies in the garbage. My head immediately starts to think, that’s a waste of money. But I’m doing the same thing to myself. How much money do I scrape into the garbage? Whether it’s a few pennies or a few thousand dollars, it all spends. And what Web reminded me was that those little expenses add up over time.

I am not sure if Benjamin Franklin was the first to say this but one of his great axioms was,

From little strokes fell great oaks.

Years ago, when I was trying my best to take care of the little things, I knew where every penny went. It wasn’t even that hard to track. I simply used a nice personal finance software package, spent a few minutes a week with it, and voila. But over time, as life gets more complex and incredibly busy, we forget the little things matter. And those little things have a compounding effect over time. I had forgotten that. No more. While it is likely more important to be pound wise and penny foolish, why be foolish at all? I think it’s so much better to be wise in both. So that’s my plan from now on. Now to get the receipts out.

I put together this little example menu inspired by an old diet plan Lee Labrada published years ago. I just fixed up to suit my Paleo and my athletic needs. Sometimes, those two things are in conflict but I try to resolve them as best I can. One thing I definitely took to heart is Cordain’s 85/15 rule where he states in The Paleo Answer,

…if you are 85% compliant with the diet most of the time, significant improvements in your health can occur. The other 15%… are open meals, meaning you can choose to eat a normal amount that fall outside the diet plan.

Trust me. I’m going to take full advantage of that little Paleo loophole. I listed my typical cheats in a section on the diet plan. Let me know what you think of the thing and I welcome any feedback, comments or suggestions.

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul. With all its shams, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

- Max Ehrmann

My "computer" bag.

CrossFit teaches us to be ready for the unknown and unknowable. I guess I’ve taken that to heart somewhat. My computer bag contains everything but the computer. Unless you count the iPad. But it does contain everything I might need in an low-grade emergency. Bandages, athletic tape, books, pens, ground coffee (yes, ground coffee), weapons (non-lethal), overnight garments, toothpaste, ibuprofen and can forget the gymnastics rings and jumprope. You never know when a wod will jump off.

What’s in your bag?

An apple a day to keep the happy to stay

Make someone’s day by doing something small and sweet. I know this doesn’t go for everyone but for me the little things mean a lot. Something as seemingly little as leaving a healthy snack out with a little note attached can remind someone their are loved and thought of. Can you argue this?

Of course, there are those gestures, the big ones that can say a lot as well. The trips to St. Tropez or the shopping sprees at Neiman Marcus. Who wouldn’t appreciate those things. But I know I’m just a sucker for the occassional call or text just to say good morning. The surprise Chuck Taylor sneakers left for you at the gym. Or the seasonal sweet potato pie baked with you in mind. It’s the small gestures for me that seem to have a deeper and more lasting effect. I assume there are others that feel the same way.

So I say, share some sweet as much as you can. Do something nice for someone just because they exist in your life. And likely if they’re in your life, they’re bringing something positive even if it’s not always apparent. Shout them out. Give them a hug. Treat them to coffee. Buy flowers. They smell good and they’re pretty. Treat someone to a full tank of gas. Root someone on in some challenge they are undertaking. It feels good to give and to get the little things. So share.

111026: Wednesday
Skill/Strength: 8 rounds, 2 snatch complexes @ 135#, 4 hand stand push ups, 6 burpees (1 snatch complex = 1 snatch grip deadlift, 1 power snatch, 1 squat snatch).

111025: Tuesday
Metcon (am): 150 double unders, then 21-15-9, chest-to-bar pullups, ring push ups, then 150 double unders. Metcon (pm): row 500 meters, rest 10 minutes then, 21-15-9, overhead squats @ 115#, toes-to-bar.

111024: Monday
Strength: Press 3×10. Metcon: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 of Deadlift @ 225#, Box Jump @ 24″.

111023: Sunday
Metcon (am): “Fran”, 21-15-9 of Thruster @ 95#, Pullups. Strength (pm): Resting 60 seconds between sets: Squat 2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2

T-One: too cool for school.

Childhood is passing. Adolescence is in full swing. But worst of all, so are school dances. T-One had her first experience yesterday with a school dance. And reports have it she had to endure the advances of at least five different boys who wanted the honor of escorting to the after school affair. It is no surprise to me she is popular. She’s got the 3 G’s: gorgeousness, greatness and gregariousness. And I’m not at all nervous about the boys sniffing around her. They know I carry a big stick. But I must admit I’m a little dispirited.

As she shopped her closet for dresses and bemoaned, “I have nothing to wear”, all I could think about was how she won’t be dancing with dad anymore. Yeah, maybe I’ll get a few more in at her sweet 16, and possibly her wedding, but from here on, those dances will be few and far between.

*Sigh*

But instead of feeling sorry for myself (woe is me) I’ve decided to dance with her while I can. And, if I play my cards right, down the line when she’s “all grow’d up”, maybe every now again she’ll throw her old man a bone and let me cut a rug with her.

Metcon (endurance):
Row (Concept II): 5:00 on, 2:30 off, 6:00 on, 3:00 off, 7:00 on

Metcon (am):
“Camille”
AMRAP 8 min
3 Snatch Complexes @ 125#
3 Wall Climbs

Metcon (pm):
Teams of 2
AMRAP in 5 min of:
5 Push Jerks @ 155#
Rest 2 min
AMRAP in 5 min of:
5 Deadlifts @ 225#
Rest 2 min
AMRAP in 5 min of:
5 Supine ring pulls

Result:
AM metcon: 27 reps
PM metcon: 317 reps

Over the last two years I’ve really struggled with the amount of time I spend on thinking about and engaging in Crossfit. The time I want to spend on it is not the time I have. I’ve struggled with this balance for over two years. My time with my girls is hard to come by and I find myself having to sacrifice other things, especially Crossfit, in order to just hang with them.

I was supposed to meet friends at the box to do the pictured wod. But I also had to get my girls ready for school. To be able to do both I had to enlist the help of my father to drop the girls off to school. Feeling guilty about my selfish decision to Crossfit instead of dropping my girls to their school steps, I dilly-dallied this morning, hanging out with the girls a few more minutes before I left for the box. As a result I was late to wod with my homies. So instead, the wod became my warmup, greatly modified.

Instead I decided to re-do “Camille”. The first time around I did it with friends at Brazen Athletics sort of half-assed. In fact, I wasn’t even going to do it then. But it was something about seeing my friends attempt the wod, suffer through it, miss some reps and then be blasted at the end, that made me want to jump in. It’s one of the weirdest things about this Crossfit community. Things you never have done or just unlikely to do, you do because this community provides one of the greatest support systems I’ve ever seen.

This morning for instance, I had no plans of re-doing “Camille” but my cronies stayed behind just to cheer me on while I did the wod. I had to do it at that point. Within in the wod I wanted to stop several times saying to myself, “I don’t want to do this.” But the voices in the background saying, “C’mon Ben!” motivated me to continue. In football we call the crowd The 12th Man. When the 12th man is making noise he can motivate the team to extraordinary feats. In every Crossfit box around the country, there’s the 12th man. Some voice or voices you hear bellowing from the corner urging you to keep pushing. I love this community. Sometimes stealing a little time away from parenting feels worth it.

This girl has so much confidence. I wish I had half of what she has. I could learn from her. Confidence is such a big part of our success in life.

I often tell the girls, speak up! Folks tend to believe and respect those who speak with confidence. I hope they will remember that as they get older. Seems they’re off to a great start.