Be sure to check out the newest branch of the Petranek Fitness family on our CrossFit in the Park blog! For any of you working out at home or while traveling, it's also a great source of workouts that require no equipment!


Evan and Linda at play doing pull ups.

Yesterday while teaching class, we were working a lot on the idea of extension. A couple of my classes were learning one of the Olympic lifts, using the medicine balls to perform cleans. One of the essential parts of the clean, or any Olympic lift, is getting "triple extension" -- fully extending your body at the top of the lift. That means shrugging the shoulders, fully opening the hips, straightening the knees and coming up onto your toes as you jump the weight into the air. Without achieving that full extension, full power and potential can not be achieved either.

For many people the process of "opening" the hips can be challenging. What feels like fully extended hips isn't. What feels like an over exaggerated flinging of the hips usually is correct! Like so many things, when we're retraining our brains, what feels odd and too much turns out to be correct.

I was thinking of an image to help the students imagine what "extension" and "open" looks like and it occurred to me later in the day that frogs have awesome extension. Maybe this image will help some people, maybe it won't - but if you encounter challenges in movements, try to think of a different way of approaching it, or an image that helps you achieve what you're after.

We are from time to time in both life and CrossFit presented with challenges that seem daunting or perhaps "impossible." We might be tempted to try them once or twice and then give up. As I discuss with all new students, though, CrossFit is a long term commitment. Getting strong and fit takes time and consistency. Staying strong and fit takes a lifetime of dedication - and it's a task that's well worth it, both despite and because of the challenges that crop up along the way.

Martial arts, for me, has always been the same way. Certainly there have been days when I think, I can't take getting punched in the head one more time, or I'm sick of getting tapped out by the same move in jiu-jitsu time and time again. I know, however, that there will be ups and downs and if I stick it out and vow to keep improving regardless, that the rewards will eventually make themselves apparent. In the meantime I learn, those feelings of discouragement are temporary and are only as real as I allow them to be.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that CrossFit is not just for the body - it is also for the mind. When you are presented on a regular basis with the little voice in your head telling you a workout can't be completed, or that something is too hard, or that weight is too heavy, and you IGNORE that voice and complete the workout - you've strengthened your heart muscle in a different way. That strengthening can't possibly be contained inside the gym walls. The confidence you gain from consistently overcoming the "impossible" travels with you into the outside world.

Which leads me to ask - what does it mean to be strong? Is strong having big muscles or being able to lift a certain amount of weight? Or is strong being able to overcome an obstacle? Or is it possible that strength is actually a combination of those two and is in that regard a rather amorphous quality that comes from somewhere inside each of us.

This video has been around for a little while, but I wanted to present it as evidence of perseverance and strength, both literal and mental. As those of you who've attempted it know, the overhead squat is the most difficult of the squats (back squat, front squat and overhead squat). One benchmark of athletic achievement is the ability to perform fifteen bodyweight overhead squats. In this video, Nicole Carroll of CrossFit Headquarters demonstrates STRENGTH.

Okay, we must be official if we have a blog, right? Check out the brand new CrossFit in the Park blog -- I'll be posting photos, videos, workouts, etc. And while you're at it, come down and join us for an actual workout!

And for those of you who do CrossFit workouts at home, be sure to check out the ones I post for the park because they will require little to no equipment and be perfect for at home or CrossFit while on the road!

CrossFit in the Park Blog



A momentary lull in action during "traveling burpees" on the basketball court.

Check out the fun we're having at our new CrossFit in the Park location! We are operating out of Rancho Park in Cheviot Hills. It's a HUGE park with tons of opportunities for fun different workouts. Class meets every Monday-Wednesday-Friday at 6am. We meet up at the South end of the parking lot and go from there!

For more information, give us a call at 310-260-9550 or email at

For a map to the location, follow this link: CrossFit in the Park - Map


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

From time to time, Andy and I mention the names of a few people in class who are OUR coaches. When I mentioned Coach Glassman, the creator of CrossFit, in one of my classes today, I realized you guys may not actually know very much about these people. I wanted to share a little of their stories, because I admire them greatly as coaches and know them as amazing people.

First and foremost is Coach Glassman, referred to in the CrossFit community quite simply as "Coach." Glassman is the man responsible for creating CrossFit, and along with his wife Lauren, growing it into what it has become today. His background is in gymnastics, but he is well versed in many sports and in the scientific aspects of fitness. Whenever I am around Coach, I get the sense he is constantly gathering and analyzing information - about people, fitness, and business. He took an idea that began back in the 1970s and grew it into what CrossFit has become today. I think there are much bigger things in store in the future, as well. Glassman is also very inspiring on a philosophical level. Coach is a compelling speaker and I have had the pleasure to hear him speak on many occasions at various CrossFit Seminars. Even hearing the same speech repeated was enjoyable and I always got a little something new each time. I would recommend checking out the video section on CrossFit.com and listening to some of the lecture excerpts.

One of the best articles Coach wrote was on the idea of "virtuosity" - it's a short article, but motivating. Check it out: CF Journal - Virtuosity

Another "Coach" that is mentioned is Coach Burgener - CrossFit's Olympic Lifting expert. I remember distinctly the first time I met Coach B. It was at a CrossFit Certification Seminar, back in 2005. He walked in wearing a sleeveless shirt, camo pants and sporting a shaved head. He's a big guy and rather intense looking. He pretty much silently screams MARINE when you see him. I remember thinking, "Oh crap, what are we in for?" I would soon discover that beneath the Marine exterior was a big teddy bear -- and a phenomenal coach. Not only is Coach B a great coach, but you can tell that he loves what he does and he loves each and every one of his students. Coach B is retiring soon from teaching high school physical education. It always amazed me that someone of his caliber, who has coached Olympic caliber athletes, devoted his time to teaching high school kids. And what lucky high school kids to be exposed to a wonderful sport at a young age! Coach B's son, Casey, and future daughter-in-law, Natalie, both recently made the Olympic team headed for Beijing - so be sure to root for them during the Games!

Check out Coach B's website for more info on Olympic Lifting - Mike's Gym

Coach Rippetoe teaches CrossFit's Barbell Certification seminars and is easily one of the funniest people on the planet. Recently there was a whole message thread on the CrossFit.com discussion forums dedicated to "Rippetoe quotations." His dry southern sense of humor is just icing on the cake of his being a great coach. Rippetoe has a really sharp eye and is generous with his suggestions. He shares a quality with Coach Burgener of making a student feel, no matter what level they are at, that they have potential to do something great, and he seems equally excited at both small and large accomplishments. Rippetoe is also the author of a great book on lifting. I would highly recommend it to any and all CrossFit students - Starting Strength

For more info on Coach Rippetoe, check out his website - Wichita Falls Athletic Club

One of the ideas of CrossFit is for you to be ready for any thing at any time. This could mean your job, your sport, or an emergency situation. While CrossFit can get you physically fit to handle any situation, are you prepared with the proper supplies in the case of an emergency? Do you have an emergency kit put together? What will you have at hand if there is an earthquake or some other type of disaster?

I have two emergency kits and keep both very accessible. One is behind the front seat of my car and one is in my coat closet in my apartment. Both are backpacks filled with supplies and therefore very easy to grab and transport. If you don't have a kit in your car and in your home, you should seriously consider putting it at the top of your "to do" list. If you have relatives or loved ones who don't have a kit, consider putting one together for them as a gift.

So what do you put in a kit? Let me tell you what's in my home kit:

-Waterproof matches
-Water purification tablets
-Packets of "Gu" or other types of energy gels
-Whistle
-Wrench (for gas valve shut off)
-Can opener
-Pen, pencil, sharpie
-Dust masks
-Duct tape
-Ziplock bags
-Garbage bags
-Emergency thermal blanket
-Nylon rope or 550 cord
-Burner and fuel canisters
-Emergency radio (hand crank and battery powered)
-Batteries
-First Aid kit
-Babywipes
-Copies of all important paperwork
-List of emergency contact information
-Cash
-Spare keys to home, car, safe deposit box, etc.

For your home you should also keep a supply of water and food on hand.

For your car emergency kit, you'll want to consider some different items. Your home kit assumes that you're home and have access to certain things like a good flashlight and a sturdy utility knife (if you don't have these at home, please get them!). Your car kit should prepare you for being in the middle of nowhere. Items to have in your car kit, in addition to what I listed above:

-Tinder (laundry lint is great for this)
-Eating utensils
-Flashlight
-Multitool (Swiss Army Knife or Leatherman)
-Compass
-Personal toiletry items
-Medical prescriptions
-Hand sanitizer
-Work gloves
-Contact lens supplies

It's also a good idea to keep extra shoes and spare clothing in your car.

If you have children, the best idea is to prepare a bag for each of you - make them back pack style and personalized for each person's needs. Make sure you have identification and emergency contact information in each bag in case you get split up.

Also, don't forget the pets! If you have animals at home have a carrier on hand in case you need to evacuate! Be sure to have food and any medical supplies needed for them packed as well!

These are just some basic ideas - you can get pretty elaborate with these kits, or keep them pretty simple. The point is - HAVE one. Have a couple! And make sure everyone in your home knows where they are!

I've told a few of you recently about the "Meat Lady" that Andy turned me on to. Her name is Beth and she works for Horizon Foods. She sells flash frozen beef, chicken, seafood, pork, lamb and other items that are very high quality and also incredibly convenient due to the individual packaging. Here is some info from the Horizon Foods website to explain why this is good:

What is flash freezing?

* Our food items are vacuum-sealed and "flash frozen" in their own airtight packages. Flash-freezing is a revolutionary process of quick freezing (usually within seconds). This locks in all the flavors, juices, vitamins and minerals and allows the products to keep perfectly for long periods. Each product is held in this condition until it is thawed, ensuring that it will be just as fresh as when it was frozen.
* "Flash" freezing means Horizon uses sophisticated, ultra-low temperature freezers to freeze their cuts immediately after they are individually vacuum packed. This quick freeze process is absolutely essential to maintain the flavor and texture of Horizon's fine food products. Horizon's "flash freezing" technique ensures that there is no deterioration in the quality of the product you receive.

Why is flash freezing better?

* Flash frozen foods have a much longer shelf life and they will not suffer freezer burn, but that is just the beginning. There are many other advantages to buying flash frozen foods.
* First of all, rapid freezing has nutritional benefits because it maintains the quality of the product without artificial preservatives.
* Taste is also superior because these foods are selected at the peak of quality and then flash frozen to seal in flavor, aroma and nutrition.
* Another benefit of frozen foods: Convenience. The cleaning and other preparation has all been done for you. Easy preparation is a must in our busy world.
* And, thanks to flash freezing, the availability of fish and seafood is never a problem. Even if you don't live near a seaport, you can still enjoy delicious, quality shrimp, crab, lobster and other fish and seafood. Our fish is cleaned, filleted, packaged & flash frozen less than 4 hours after catch, right onboard the fishing vessel.

I purchased hamburger patties and chicken breasts from Beth and have been very happy with the product. It is really simple to prepare -- since they are individually packaged I can remove one or two servings without having to worry about the rest of the bag spoiling or getting freezer burn. I can throw a hamburger patty on my Foreman grill and within 10 minutes it's gone from frozen to ready to eat! The taste is fantastic, too.

All of the products that Horizon Foods sells are raised and processed at very high standards. The chicken is all hormone and antibiotic free and you can read more about the standards for their seafood and beef products as well on their website.

To add to the convenience of buying meat this way - you buy the food in bulk, so you don't have to shop nearly as often, and Beth delivers the food to you! When you figure it by the portion, the cost is actually less than buying fresh meat at Whole Foods and it's far more convenient. Plus they also sell some preprepared items for the days you're REALLY busy or for throwing parties.

To contact Beth, you can email her at -- be sure to tell her you're from Petranek Fitness!

You can also find out a lot more about Horizon Foods at www.horizonfoods.com

Eva Twardokens, of CrossFit Santa Cruz Central, recently posted this video on her Facebook page. I wanted to help spread it out there to more people. If you knew you were going to die, and had one last opportunity to give a lecture -- what would you say?

Many of you are familiar with a CrossFit workout named "The Murph." Some of you have done this infamous workout and others of you are probably not sure whether you would like to experience it or not. Lt. Michael Murphy was a Navy Seal who created his own workout which he liked to call "Body Armor" - 1 mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, 1 mile run. He did indeed do this workout while wearing his body armor and CrossFitters are encouraged to try it with an equivalently weighted vest.

What a lot of people do not know is the story of the man for whom "The Murph" is named. Hopefully, if you have been CrossFitting for a bit, you know that the workouts with men's names are the Heroes workouts. They are named after servicemen, who were part of the CrossFit community, who fell while in service to the people of this country. Lt. Murphy perished in action in June of 2005, while leading a Seal team in a battle that resulted in the largest loss of men in Navy Seal history. His workout was then made part of the official CrossFit roster and named "The Murph" in his honor.

There is a book, titled "Lone Survivor," written by the sole Seal who made it home from the battle that took the life of Lt. Murphy and eighteen other men. His story is an incredible one of will and determination. Even if you are not interested in the military or politics, this book is an eye-opening read. It is awing to know in detail what these men did for this country and the choices and challenges they face on a daily basis. This book is not for the faint of heart - it is straight forward and harsh, both in its graphic detail of the battle and also its political point of view. I had to put this book down on multiple occasions because of the emotion I felt for what these men had to endure, as well as their families back home waiting to find out if they were alive.

Amazon.com - "Lone Survivor" by Marcus Luttrell

There are those out there who do not understand the Heroes workouts and find the practice disturbing, and there are those who treat them flippantly, as if they were any other workout. I personally think it is important to learn a little bit about the stories of these men and to appreciate what they did. It is important to remember those who have served and made the ultimate sacrifice. Whether you agree with the politics of the conflicts that took their lives, these are men who were part of the CrossFit community, who sweat through the "Angie" and the "Helen" just like you, and had families that loved them. Unlike most of us, they chose to dedicate themselves to a career that involved a high degree of risk and not a lot of recognition.

The next time you do "The Josh," "The Daniel," "The Murph," or any others of the sadly increasing list of Heroes workouts, take a moment to remember it was not randomly named. These names belong to human beings - fathers, sons, brothers. It may not be a memorial or a medal, but even if it is just a workout, it is a moment in time to celebrate the spirit of these men and maintain their legacy.

Look familiar? Guess what - if you train with us, you ALREADY train like the Navy Seals do!

I recently took a little vacation and went to Wisconsin to visit my parents and grandparents. I grew up in Michigan, but when my parents retired, they moved to Wisconsin. My grandmother grew up in this little town, one of many kids of an Irish farming family. Pretty much everyone in the town is cousins of each other and know each other. It's a very small town - a little over four hundred people. The great thing, for me, though, is that my parents and grandparents literally live next door to each other so I get to see them all when I visit. My grandfather is Italian and one day while I was there they had me over for homemade ravioli - they make everything from scratch, even the pasta. It was wonderful! My grandparents are also amazing and inspiring people - my grandfather is in his 90s but he still gets up and does about 15-20 minutes on his stationary bicycle every morning to keep moving!

I posted a blog with lots of photos on my MySpace page, so if you'd like to check them out follow this link:

Becca's MySpace Wisconsin Blog

Here's a few photos I took of the town:

During the past week I've found myself recommending the book "Overachievement" to about six different people. It's a great book and very relevant to what we do in CrossFit and it also flies in the face of conventional wisdom on performance and sports psychology. This book is all about achievement and performance, not only in the gym, but in business and in life. It's a great read - worth the time and money.

Here's an excerpt from Amazon with a little description:

"Relax. Set goals. Focus on the outcome. Lose yourself to the Zone. All reasonable, sensible advice when you are facing a big presentation at work, a crucial point in the game, or any kind of career-launching performance. And all utterly, hopelessly, wrong.

According to John Eliot, Ph.D., “Such self-improvement balderdash will do nothing but relegate you to a career in mediocrity.”

As Dr. Eliot has discovered through his cutting-edge research and real-world coaching, techniques such as goal-setting, relaxation, visualization, stress management, and flow just don’t work for most people. Relaxing when the pressure is on is the wrong way to go. Instead, to really ratchet up your performance, you’ll need to change the way you think about pressure—and learn how to welcome it, enjoy it, and make it work to your advantage.

Mixing scientific insights with entertaining and inspiring stories, Overachievement will help you achieve spectacular success in any situation that demands you rise above and beyond what you ever thought possible. BACKCOVER: “The antithesis of every self-improvement guru.”
—Jim Pawlak, Chicago Tribune

“[Eliot’s] upfront conversational tone makes his advice not just palatable but convincing. Even if they don’t achieve superstar results right away, readers from all walks of life should find it easier to hone their concentration and work a little harder.”
—Publishers Weekly "

Check out the other books we recommend, as well -- Recommended Reading

As I imagine most of you have heard, recently LAPD SWAT officer, Randal Simmons, lost his life in the line of duty. He left behind a wife, son and daughter. Another SWAT member, James Veenstra, was wounded. Donations are being collected for both of them. If you would like to donate, please follow this link: https://www.lapfcu.org/news/community_corner.html

To learn more about Randal Simmons, and the many ways he gave to his community, read this LA Times article - http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-profiles8feb08,0,2390384.story?page=1

I personally feel we owe an incredible debt to every police officer who has served, currently serves, or will serve in this city. I see them out there on a daily basis and I am grateful for their existence. They are the line between order and chaos, between life and death. They willingly stand on that line, so the rest of us need not. We go about our days carefree, not even knowing from what we have been protected. And God forbid, the day come that you realize the need for them, they are there.

Please take a moment to remember and honor those among us who put their lives on the line so that we may lead ours.

Recently, when the weather took a dip on the cold side, I put on a fleece sweatshirt I had not worn in quite a while. I slid my hand into one of the pockets and felt something inside. To my delight, I pulled out a wad of money.

It wasn’t a lot of money. It amounted to twelve dollars and ten cents, but I was really excited. I wasn’t excited because it was money, but because of what it represented. I’ve always felt that money found in the pocket is money that should be spent on a “treat.” If I didn’t miss it, then when I find it, it’s like bonus money. It should be spent on things like ice cream or a pedicure.

Twelve dollars is a decent amount of Ben and Jerry’s.

As I pondered what to do with my twelve dollars, it led me to thinking about the whole idea of “treating” oneself. I thought to myself, “How do people treat themselves?” in both senses of the word. How do you give yourself a present? And how do you behave towards yourself in general?

Do you give yourself presents? Not necessarily buying yourself something, a present could be anything. It could be permission to sit on the couch with your favorite blanket and rent a movie. It could be an afternoon at a museum you’ve been “meaning” to visit, or dinner with a good friend at a restaurant that’s a little more expensive than usual. What would you do with money found in your pocket?

How does this reflect on how you treat yourself in general? Would you buy ice cream and then beat yourself up for it afterwards, or would you eat it and enjoy it and move on. Would you call yourself lazy for spending the afternoon on the couch, or would you enjoy the relaxation you probably deserve. Would you obsess over the dinner bill, or would you relish the time with your good friend?

We find a lot of ways to label ourselves. I hear it every day – people call themselves all sorts of horrible things and fill their heads with negative thoughts about who they are. What good things do you say about yourself and how often do you do it? When do we acknowledge our skills, instead of our shortcomings? Celebrate our successes, instead of dwelling on our failures?

Or even more simply than that – when do you remind yourself that you’re attractive, smart or funny? Because, odds are, you’re all those things and a lot more.

Next time you find change in your pants pocket, or dollar bills in your rain jacket, ask yourself – how will I treat myself?

I originally wrote this as a MySpace blog, but I wanted to share it here so all of you who are part of Petranek Fitness, either physically or as part of our web membership, can read it:

Saturday, July 14, 2007
Quit Your Day Job

Lately it seems the trend amongst a number of people I know is to work two jobs. One job to pay the bills, and one job to pursue their passion. I used to be one of those people.

Since I was in eighth grade I knew I wanted to move to the big city and work in the entertainment industry. I wanted to sculpt stories out of film. My second favorite thing in life, after film and television, was music. I was deeply involved in music performance all the way up through college.

I spent my college years focused on reaching my goal of going to film school. I discovered that post-production was my favorite part of the process. I studied hard. I worked all hours. I applied to the top ten schools and no others, and was accepted to the number one graduate school in the country – USC.

For the last ten years I worked in the film and television industry. I did freelance video and sound editing, but my main work was as a music editor. It was a blending of my two loves from childhood. I worked on a variety of projects, from the infamous Mariah Carey film, "Glitter" to spending the last five years on the crew of NBC's sitcom, "Scrubs."

It was a great job. I met some amazing people and had some very unique experiences. I spent time with world class musicians and on the sets of television shows. I got paid to sit in a recording studio listening to live jazz being recorded for the score of "Watching Ellie," written by none other than one of the creators of the bossa nova. I got to eat lunch with Randy Jackson and be entertained by his collection of great storeis. My "office" that I drove to for work was a Hollywood studio. I had gone to film school at USC with the goal of working in post-production in film and television and that is exactly what I was doing, and doing very well at.

But as we age, we hopefully also grow. And as we grow, our dreams hopefully evolve.

About seven years ago I discovered martial arts. From there I discovered CrossFit and the world of fitness. That part of my life grew over the last few years. It became my passion, and editing became my day job.

I began to teach CrossFit classes. I began to study in my free time for certifications. I began to take on private clients.

I began to dream of doing this for a living.

One day, just that opportunity presented itself. I took it. I grabbed it and said yes. I had, after all, earned it. Opportunities are not luck – opportunities are rewards we are handed because we earn them.

The joy I got from being in the recording studio, or being on the set, or accomplishing some creative and successful edit of a song, is the same joy and satisfaction I get from teaching in the gym. I used to help people achieve their artistic goals – now I help them achieve their physical goals. And more importantly, I help them discover achievements they didn't know they could reach.

Some people might wonder at my choice. Did I go to graduate school, much less did I pay for graduate school, "just" to become a personal trainer? No, I did not. I went to film school because it was my dream and passion. I am now changing people's lives through fitness because it is my dream and passion.

I have always done exactly what I wanted to do. I have always succeeded at whatever I set my mind. I am quite sure I will continue to do so, no matter what the dream.

My advice to you – find your passion and find a way to make it support you. Quit your day job. Live your dream.

One of the things Andy and I discuss with all new students during their intro sessions is “the cliff.” The idea that there is a zone of high intensity in which we as CrossFitters are required to work and that zone resides right at the edge of a proverbial cliff. Most folks out there in the Globo gyms either don’t have a clue that the cliff exists, or they want nothing of it. They’re fine off in the safety of their grassy plains listening to their music or watching TV, while we at Petranek remain right there, focused, on the edge.

The upside of being on the edge is that you must remain focused. For me, I always say it’s a Zen thing or a type of moving meditation. I have to be so focused on what I’m doing physically, that I can’t obsess over things going on elsewhere in my head, in my life or in the world.

Of course, the downside is, there IS a cliff. You can fall off the cliff! Certainly none of us at Petranek would encourage or desire for anyone to go over the edge – but it happens and we accept it as a possibility. Going over the cliff happens whether you’re a new student trying to figure out where your cliff is or an experienced CrossFitter pushing yourself to your limits. It can look like anything from headaches, to nausea, to rhabdo (I’ll let you look up that one on your own).

For me, the cliff looked like a broken rib. In the past, I’ve gotten migraines from workouts, and I’ve felt sick, but never thrown up, so I thought that was the extent of my “cliff.” I was wrong! A couple weeks ago, while doing the workout called the “Lynne” with Jonesy, I was doing a max set of pull-ups. In my head, before I even got up on the bar, I knew I was going to beat my old PR of 27 and was hoping to continue on for a few more pull-ups after that.

I got 27...then 28...then 29…and for these last few pull-ups, I could feel that my grip was slipping and I kept resetting myself between pull-ups. But now that I was so close, I was determined to go for 30 and 31. As it turns out, 29 was to be the number for the day, because as I kipped as hard as I could going for number 30, I lost my grip completely. My legs, from the force of my kip, shot out in front of me, I twisted to the side, and landed ribs first on the black box below me.

Now, it certainly can’t be disputed that 29 was indeed my true max! And in that same sense, it was also my cliff. And while the injured ribs aren’t fun, they’ll heal, and it’s not a bad thing to have experienced the cliff. It’s something that happens when you work out day after day at the intensity we do doing CrossFit.

To get the results CrossFit can bring, you have to work out with intensity, and you have to accept there are risks that come with that. If you were out skiing and hurt your knee wiping out, or crashed your bike while out riding, those would be known and acceptable risks in those activities. For all of us doing CrossFit, we know the cliff is there, but we do this stuff anyway because the rewards are well worth it. It’s like the X-Games of fitness!

Personally, I feel pretty honored to work out with the people I do at Petranek. I’ve never been around such a hard working dedicated group of people like all of you. Obviously I would never wish pukey or any other incarnation of the cliff on any of you, but I am inspired on a daily basis on how hard you all work and how willing all of you are to push yourself into that intense and uncomfortable zone right there at the edge. Most people couldn’t and don’t do what you guys do.

As soon as I’m healed up, I’ll be right back in there with you guys!

Mark's Daily Apple is one of my favorite blogs to read and he just posted a new entry about protein....and how it makes you feel full! Not only is it good for you, it's what your body wants. No matter what your dietary preferences, there are great sources of protein out there for everybody. So make sure you're getting enough and get GOOD quality items too -- consider checking out the Co-Op, just down the street from us, for a great source of organic meats, cheeses, eggs, and vegetarian proteins.

In the meantime read this article: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/protein-satiety/

Here's a great excerpt:

The amount of a hunger-fighting hormone can be increased by eating a higher protein diet, researchers report in the September issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, published by Cell Press. The hormone, known as peptide YY (PYY), was earlier found by the researchers to reduce food intake by a third in both normal-weight and obese people when given by injection. We’ve now found that increasing the protein content of the diet augments the body’s own PYY, helping to reduce hunger and aid weight loss,” said Medical Research Council clinician scientist Rachel Batterham of University College London, who led the new study.

Have you had your hugs today? Check out the excerpt below, from the National Institute for Health news, to read why hugs do make a difference:

How often do you hug? Do you like to sit close and hold each other’s hands? Recent research shows it’s good for your health. Between loving partners, between parents and children, or even between close friends, physical affection can help the brain, the heart and other body systems you might never have imagined.

For centuries, artists have examined love through poetry, painting, music and countless other arts. In the past few years, scientists supported by NIH have begun to understand the chemistry and biology of love.

At the center of how our bodies respond to love and affection is a hormone called oxytocin. Most of our oxytocin is made in the area of the brain called the hypothalamus. Some is released into our bloodstream, but much of its effect is thought to reside in the brain.

Oxytocin makes us feel good when we’re close to family and other loved ones, including pets. It does this by acting through what scientists call the dopamine reward system. Dopamine is a brain chemical that plays a crucial part in how we perceive pleasure. Many drugs of abuse act through this system. Problems with the system can lead to serious depression and other mental illness.

Oxytocin does more than make us feel good. It lowers the levels of stress hormones in the body, reducing blood pressure, improving mood, increasing tolerance for pain and perhaps even speeding how fast wounds heal. It also seems to play an important role in our relationships. It’s been linked, for example, to how much we trust others.


For the full article follow this link:
http://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2007/February/docs/01features_01.htm