Vim & Vinegar

In our quest for longevity, we seem to look towards those who've already found it. Apple cider vinegar & more recently, coconut vinegar (my personal favorite), has been a part of the health regimen of centenarians throughout the world. Its acetic and butryic acids promote gastrointestinal health by balancing pH and encouraging friendly bifido bacterial growth. Vinegar has antiseptic and antibiotic properties; it may also help to reverse atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and dissolve gall and kidney stones which is crucial for those who take a calcium supplement to quell any negative affects of the synthetic and isolated calcium supplement you may be taking. 

Some of the benefits of having either of these vinegars in your pantry and belly:

• Reduce sinus infections and sore throats
• Modulate cholesterol levels
• Effective treatment method alongside chemotherapy
• Help skin conditions such as acne
• Protect against food poisoning
• Fight allergies in both humans and animals
• Prevent muscle fatigue after exercise
• Strengthen the immune system
• Increase stamina
• Increase metabolism which promotes weight loss
• Improve digestion and cure constipation
• Alleviate symptoms of arthritis and gout
• Prevents bladder stones and urinary tract infections

Dear Oklahoma, It Doesn't Have To Be This Hard

Abridged Version: Trying to not be so long winded.

Oklahoma ranks among the top ten in obesity according to the CDC. I haven't lived in Oklahoma for almost seven years and when preparing to move back to my home state over the last few months, I knew my biggest hurdle, culturally and professionally, would be our state's obesity rate and the mindset that accompanies it. After all, a huge reason why I moved away from here is because residents didn't care to hear what I had to say professionally. 

I've been anxiously waiting and softly pursuing some air-time at some of our local news outlets as I did while in DC. While I was perusing our local CBS affiliates website, KWTV 9, I came across this sweet piece of video aptly titled, "Fat and Sassy Mama's _____":

Before I begin, I'd like to say that I'm sure this lady is quite a remarkable woman, and I don't want it to seem as if it's a personal attack on her. However, she will be taking the heat for all of Oklahoma, and especially, KWTV 9, since she is the face we have for this particular video and blog post. 

Our mayor, Mick Cornett, put the "city on a diet" some time back and it's had some fine success. But really, when you're ranked in the top ten in obesity, you can't be doing much worse. My question is this; when will the state take this issue to heart? We have a "Fat and Sassy Mama" front and center on what is our largest viewing audience and she's telling you to feed your kids a snack of Fruit Whirls, tropical fruit mix, dried fruit, pecans, peanuts, and chocolate stuffed in an ice cream cone shell - in an effort to "clean out the pantry." If the food they had at school didn't hurt them, this, for certain will. "And I'll try to balance this with Cheerios!" Ahh! Whole Grains! Brilliant! Lets take a closer look at these essential snack components. 

• Fruit Whirls & Cheerios - First off, you're supporting Monsanto. If that wasn't enough, have you heard of gluten? Perhaps extrusion? One of the dirtiest secrets of the food industry. The process of extrusion renders majority of your dry cereals unrecognizable by the human body, or, recognizable only as a toxin. Many have pointed a finger at dry cereal consumption as the catalyst to the explosive gluten intolerance issue we have in America today. Now, do I really need to tell you the dangers of excessive processed sugar? 
• Tropical Fruit Mix - Honestly, I couldn't tell the source of this from the video, but it did resemble many things I've seen come out of food factories. 
• Dried Fruit - A decent decision if an unsulphured and unsweetened variety. But unfortunately, most aren't. Super high sugar, carbohydrate, and calorie source. 
• Pecans & peanuts - Thank goodness there's something real in the pantry! Good job, Fat Mama! 
• Chocolate - If it's under 65%, it's junk food. Just something to keep in mind. 
• Waffle Cone - Processed grain. Full of anti-nutrients and calories. 

Parents and caretakers would be surprised how many kids like kale chips. I know it doesn't fit the "cleaning out the pantry" theme for the show, but seriously, do we really want to put all of that in our children?  

Oklahoma, we will never move forward, progress, come out of the dark ages if we keep perpetuating this kind of lifestyle. I am ashamed to see that the local CBS affiliate that I grew up watching actually has a recurring series with this type of mindset and derogatory title. 

In health, Oklahoma. 

CH

Question:

Would you take advice or hire an overweight/underweight nutritionist or dietitian? 

Me, Crossfit, & Cancer: The Return

It started early this summer.  It ended last month.  I kept most of the journey to myself as to fool everyone into thinking that it didn't suck that bad.  It's a mentality left over from boxing -- don't let your opponent see your weakness or your strength.  So, I walked through it with a neutral demeanor, but with a smile.  

Crossfit helped a lot.  It gave me strength when I physically had none.  Imagining a sub three minute "Isabel" consumed most of my thoughts; getting back to that would be rough, I knew this.  BUT, I also knew that life challenges are pretty much cake at this point in my life.  As you see from my previous post, I finished "Grace" for Barbells for Boobs in 7:07 while going through chemo.  Funny, I was still pissed at myself for not finishing in under five minutes but was also elated that I even finished the damn WOD at all.  My next WOD would be the first official, cancer-free WOD.  I was contacted by Mike Koslap who is a freelance videographer who occasionally does videos for the Crossfit main page.  He asked if I would like to be interviewed and filmed while going through a WOD and of course, I said yes.  We met a few weeks later at Crossfit OldTown in Alexandria, VA to film.  Special thanks to Jerry Hill, owner, and Melissa Lopes, head trainer, for allowing me to WOD with them. 

More than anything, I wanted to expose the rampant issues of the ego-driven man that believes himself invincible.  Call him out a little, if you will.  The important part of this journey isn't Crossfit, it isn't even cancer, it's understanding when to realize that you have no control, and to accept that beautiful nugget of truth.  That, is where you'll find your true, authentic self. 

Take care, and watch this vid if you have ten minutes to spare. 

Me, Crossfit, & Cancer.

One thing I've missed most about my healthy life is the world of Crossfit and the high that comes from the pain and the camaraderie of your peers seeing you puke openly in public from deep physical exertion. Cancer took this from me for a period of time, but for one night, I told cancer and chemo that they can take a back seat for a few hours. And they listened.

I had the opportunity to assist the women of the world by participating in a breast cancer awareness fundraiser called, "Amazing Grace" under the blanket fundraising effort, Barbells for Boobs, founded by my new friend, Zionna Munoz at Trident Crossfit. Grace is a Crossfit benchmark WOD (Workout Of The Day) and it's 30 clean & jerks @ 135lbs for men and 95lbs for the ladies. I'm familiar with Grace and have performed this WOD countless times over the past six years with my best time being 2:21. However, this time around, it took a tad longer. You see, with chemo running through me, my body just doesn't want to do the things my mind is telling it to. Oh well, what can you do?

This event was an emotional one for a few reasons. My friend Ben Mufti was tragically killed a few weeks ago. In my mind I renamed the event "Barbells for Ben." Another reason is my sweet and dear friend, Stef Woods has struggled a few times with breast cancer, so much so that I can't even begin to do justice in trying to explain what this woman has been through. She was running through my mind a great deal during this event. And finally, my girlfriend, Lisa was in town for the weekend and although a green Crossfitter, she's proving to have a deep badass gene. It was special to have her performing in the same heat with me and being able to share something that's such a big part of my life. Lastly, I wanted to prove to myself that I could still finish a WOD as prescribed, without decreasing the weight. I knew my body still had what it took, but I wanted to make it a physical reality. And after 7:07, I did.

Thanks to everyone in this video who pushed me and believed in me.

Oh, one more thing; apparently "Grace" kills cancer. This past Tuesday, I learned I am now cancer free.