La Musica!
This weekend here in Austin, the Formula 1 track opens up and the town is about to go crazy!! There are people flying in from all over the world and hotels are completely booked from San Antonio to Dallas! I plan on staying up North all weekend to prevent any frustration that may occur from all the nuttiness that is about to go down. While I’m staying inside most of the weekend I’m planning on finally catching up on reading and doing some really good, gnarly workouts!
Lately I’ve been really searching for things that are going to really challenge me. So I decided to sign up for the Austin 3M Half Marathon. This race is more appealing to me than any other half marathon simply because word on the street says their gift bags are amazing, oh yeah and its ALL DOWNHILL!
Let’s face it, I don’t enjoy running.
It’s not something I think of doing when I wake up, and its not something I voluntarily do….often. I like to sprint. Short sprints. A 10 mile run is not something you will see from me on a regular basis.
Really the only things out there that make me enjoy running is good scenery and good music.
In case any of you out there struggle with the same lack of constant motivation during long runs here are some of my favorite songs to run to:
The list continues to grow! What are some of your favorite songs to run or workout to?
Have amazing weekends!
~Coach Salah
All Kinddddsss of Pumpkin
Happy Halloween!!
In celebration of the holiday I plan on typing everything in orange (aka my favorite color :-p).
With fall here, it seems like all I can think about are the different ways I can use pumpkin. I started by carving a pumpkin Friday night at our box Halloween Party. My friend Clarissa and I carved “Pukie the Pumpkin.” For those of you that are not familiar with Crossfit, Pukie the clown is the definition of how you feel after a WOD.
The two pukies hanging out with one another
After leaving the pumpkin carving party, I started immediately thinking about different ways I can incorporate pumpkin into my meals. Since I have been a HUGE fan of my crockpot lately, I stuffed some chicken in there, with two cans of pure pumpkin, 2 cans of rotel with chilies, frozen broccoli, a tbsp of coconut oil, and lots of cumin, chili powder, garlic, and cayenne. I left it to sit there all day and ended up with one of the most amazing chicken-pumpkin soups you could ever have! It tasted like chicken tortilla soup! I suppose you could add a few more veggies if you wanted, or throw in some beans, use ground beef instead. The options are endless, but I’d definitely do it. A healthy nutritious meal without doing much of anything at all!
I wish I had snapped a picture :-/
I’ve been seeing Fitflutential posting about these new GNC protein powder flavors (pumpkin spice and chocolate mint) and had to go check it out for myself. The pumpkin spice tastes so amazing with coconut milk and cinnamon!
So good! It was so thick and amazing! YUMMM!
This morning for breakfast I made the most amazing protein filled “Pancake!”
I call this PUMPKIN EGGCAKE:
2 Eggs
2 egg whites
cinnamon
stevia
vanilla
2/3c pumpkin
1tbsp coconut flour
1tbsp coconut oil
splash of coconut milk
1tbsp ground flax
Mix it all together except the oil, put the oil in the pan, and basically cook it like you would an omelet!
I topped it off with 2 tbsp PB2 mixed with stevia, water, and a little bit more pumpkin
I’m horrible at flipping the eggs, so mine doesn’t look very pretty but it tasted amazing!!!!
HAVE A WONDERFUL HALLOWEEN!
Traci, A Real Success!
Hey guys!
Happy Monday! I hope you all have successfully started your weeks with an amazing workout, and filled with TONS of nutritious food! My goal this week is to try and get as much veggie juice in the mix as possible! Why? I’m feeling toxic right now, and feel like I need to work on my alkalinity. It has really taken effect on my energy levels, and this week is a BIG week for me!
A while ago, I posted a success story from one of my personal training clients, Aaron. I’m so proud of him, and continue to be proud of him!
This week I want to focus on Traci, she continues to inspire me every single day. I have been so lucky to have her as a client, and nothing seemed more inspiring than to see her continue to come to the gym and push herself every day! One of my favorite things to see, was her and her sons come to the gym and workout as a family. I hope one day, when I am married and have kids, we workout together 
. Keep up the hard work Traci! I am soooo extremely proud of you girl!
Here is her success story:
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I first met Salah June of 2011. I was finally ready to make some lifestyle changes for myself and my family. It took me a long while to get to that point. I had lost 42 lbs. back in 1996, a long time ago I know. But I lost sight of my health and appearance and gained over half the weight back. Salah was a true inspiration and was just what I needed. She pushed and pushed me, mercy it was difficult. But I kept going back to see her each week. I remember our second visit she asked about my eating habits, and it was a real eye-opener. The worst of it all is that I was a Dr. Pepper addict, seriously. I would wake up craving a soda, would drink Dr. Pepper constantly through the day and would go until it was time for bed. Salah’s words to me…. “they are killing you”. That did it, I haven’t had a soda since June 2011. That was tough, very tough. But I feel better than I ever have. I am alot more active and make alot better food/lifestyle choices. I have lost 20 lbs. and am still working to be a better me. Thank you Salah for helping me get on the right track.
Traci =)
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“Start by doing what’s necessary, then what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
Saint Francis of Assisi (1181-1286)
~Coach Salah
WOD Wednesday
Today’s workout is 5rounds for time: 10 burpees with a weighted vest (20lbs) 10 pistols (alternating legs) This video demos one round of this workout!
Have fun!!! ~coach salah
Goal Setting: The Beginning of the Breakdown
It is that time….to face yourself, and create something huge. Go forth with courage and DO NOT LOOK BACK!
I saw an awesome post on Janetha’s blog about her Summer Bucket list, and it made me get to thinking about what I want to achieve this fall. I then decided that instead of just creating a goal sheet for the fall of things I want to do, accomplish, etc. I would take the fall goals, break it down month by month, then really dive deep into each individual goal and write out a POA (plan of action) for each goal!
Here is the rundown of the process I go through to breakdown my goals:
*Before starting any writing out of the goals, I sit and meditate for about 5 minutes. During that time I visualize where I want to be in 10 years, what accomplishments I have, what I will be able to say I experienced, where I want to say I have traveled, etc.
*That vision that I create is where I draw my goals from. lululemon athletica was so amazing at helping me set up my 10 year, 5 year, and 1 year goals (which I created all from my meditation and vision). I write those long term goals down, and continue to narrow everything down.
*My 1 year goals get broken down into thirds, to make timelines and To-Do lists easier to create.
*I narrow it down more by creating a focus for each month so that I stay on track with the timeline that I create for my goals.
…..andddddd TADA! My monthly goals/bucket list are created!
Now, lets get to the real juicy stuff. Not all my goals are just things like I want to make $100k/yr, or I want to be at 14% Body Fat. I like to set a goal to take 5 minutes a day to sit down, breathe, just be present in the moment, and give thanks for all my blessings. Another goal of mine is to go surfing, as well as skydiving, etc. These goals aren’t restrictive, in fact, they open up doors and doors and doors of opportunity and happiness.
The biggest issue is taking the time to sit down and ask yourself, “What do I REALLY want to accomplish? What do I TRULY want to do? What, in all HONESTY with myself, makes me happy?”
Goals are the fuel in the furnace of achievement.
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog
Need help with goal setting? You can email me ANY TIME (beatyourbest.training@gmail.com)
Some great books to refer to:
Brian Tracy, Eat that Frog
Charles Duhigg, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do In Life and Business
Ian Ayres, Carrots and Sticks: Unlock the Power of Incentives To Get Things Done
Anthony Robins, Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!
Have the MOST amazing Week!!!!
~Coach Salah
End of the Week Thoughts
TGIF!
This week has been crazy! I have no clue where all my time went, but its gone. Looking back I got a lot done, but instead of my time being spent coaching, personal training, and training myself, it has been spent coaching, personal training, and reading. Due to a strained lat, I have been a little out of commission the past couple weeks from working out. At first it was really driving me crazy, but then I picked up a book that I started a little while ago but never finished. Reading this book again reminded me exactly why I bought it in the first place, it is SOOOO motivational!
When it comes down to it, I’m in the middle of trying to figure out what I want to study in Grad School. I applied a couple months ago to the University of Alabama for Health Promotion, my application had gotten lost, so they never received it and now I’m sitting back thinking, do I really want to study that in grad school? Well, teaching and coaching is something I’ve always thought about doing, anything with management, finance, and marketing would be great to study due to the fact that I’m realizing in my own business the importance of those 3 things. The real estate market is something I’ve also taken interest in. Who knows! I’ll keep you all updated on it .
Yesterday, I got on facebook to check up on birthdays and do the normal f-book thing and saw a post by FitFlutential:
1) This picture made me smile so big, it highlights my favorite moment from the South Central CrossFit Regional competition
2) It was just cool, that they thought this picture was cool enough to put it on facebook for ALL of their followers (and I’m talking thousands!) to see!
If you are interested in doing any kind of food challenge I definitely suggest the Whole 30 Challenge, I’m at the end of my third week and feeling great!! I have to be honest, with recipes I haven’t gotten super creative, but Chowstalker on Pinterest has TONS of recipes to use for the challenge which will help anyone from getting bored! Also, you can go to this website with more recipe ideas as well! I got a great Sausage and Egg Sandwich recipe off that site!! I mean, really? With that kind of food available who needs all the other junk?! Right? RIGHT!
I’ve really been loving on lots of different music lately, but more so the songs that make me want to either be laying on the beach, running on the beach, playing volleyball on the beach, and dancing on the beach….
In my mind that’s how graceful I look when I dance….even though you and I both know that is not the case at all :-p
This is one of the songs on my spotify playlist…and yes, my clients have been jamming this as well!
I am keeping this Buddha quote in the forefront of my mind as I make these decisions about my future….
“If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete.”
Have an amazing Friday!
~Coach Salah
Product Review: ENERGYbits
IT’S FRIDAY!!!!
The work week is almost over, which means….BRING IT ON WEEKEND! There is so much amazing stuff going on right now. I have the Whole 30 Challenge, Beach volleyball training, personal training, coaching, and tons of other super amazing things! This week has felt so nuts since I had Monday completely off from coaching…its been really difficult to get my head to wrap around which day of the week it really is!
One thing I know for sure, is having ENERGYbits at my house has really been awesome! I have been taking these before I head out to go coach my early morning classes and prior to workouts! If you don’t know anything about them, here is a little 411:
What they are:
ENERGYbits are little algae tablets, that can be used to help with sports training as well as living a healthy lifestyle. Algae is known to be the MOST nutrient dense food in the world. It has the highest concentration of protein, chlorophyll, beta carotene, antioxidants and vitamins in the world. Here is a site that has some awesome information on the Nutritional value of micro-algae.
Why I loved it:
Algae is a FOOD that is found in nature, not made in labs: What I mean by this, is these little tablets are not what we consider to be a “pill”, they are actually grown and harvested, which makes it easier for our body to process it.
Athletes can take it: Because this is a WHOLE FOOD, athletes can take it…meaning there are NO banned substances in this. It is just one ingredient-Algae. Being an athlete, this is extremely important to me. When going into competitions, whether it is for CrossFit or for Volleyball, I want everything I put in my body to be C-L-E-A-N!
While taking these I….
*Felt energized
*saw my skin clear up and get brighter
*recovered faster
*more mental focus
Overall consensus?
I thought they were great! I will definitely be adding algae into my diet MORE now, after feeling how much better my body and mind run with it in my diet! I will definitely continue taking ENERGYbits.
There are several different options on which kind of “bit” you want to take…depending on what your goal is:
- Increasing Energy
- Increasing Endurance
- Increasing Mental Vitality
- High Protein Snack
- Curbing Hunger
- Meal Replacement
- Balancing Blood Sugar
- Lowering Blood Pressure
- Reducing Fatigue
- Preventing Colds
- Preventing Hangovers
- Speeding Recovery from Illness
- Building Immune System
- Detoxing Body and Blood
- Rebuilding RNA and DNA
- Rebuilding Blood Cells
- Improving Digestion
- Improving Elimination
- Wellness and Longevity
- Preventing Colds
- Building Immune System
- Rebuilding RNA and DNA
- Improving Digestion
- Improving Physical Energy
- Healthy Snack
- Fighting Free Radicals
- Balancing Blood Sugar
- Helping with Weight Loss
- Reducing Hunger
- Reducing Cravings
- Reducing Mental Fatigue
- Reducing Anemia
- Reducing Blood Pressure
- Reducing Cholesterol
- Balancing Blood Sugar
- Fast, Easy, High Protein Snack
**You can find out more information about their products on their website**
This review is solely based on my own opinion. I was not compensated for my review but ENERGYbits did graciously send me free product to demo. Thank you.
~Coach Salah
Changing My Life in 30 Days
Yesterday, my roommate and some friends started the Whole 30 challenge. It is essentially a paleo detox, and couldn’t be at a better time. With starting up volleyball training again, this challenge is going to push me to get my diet back on track, and help me curb all these wild sugar and salty cravings that have been popping up left and right.
This new start will be awesome, and feels great to know that I get to.do it with friends!
We are using a lot of references to Mark Sisson and his articles to help educate ourselves so we get the most out of this challenge as possible! We aren’t doing the challenge just to look good and feel good, but to further our knowledge in nutrition to help our clients out!
Over the course of this challenge I’m keeping this quote in the back of my mind:
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I want to make sure that I am practicing willpower and dedication to my goals, in hopes of inspiring my clients!
~Coach Salah
Meditation in this Crazy Crazy World
Happy Hump Day!
It always seems that Wednesdays are the hardest day in the week (at least for most people). We are all exhausted from working all day, workouts, reading, outside activities, kids activities, etc. and starts catching up to us on Wednesdays! I get asked all the time how I work from 5am-8pm in the evening Monday-Thursday and 5am-5ish on Fridays. It’s not easy, and I definitely have my moments when all I want to do is sleep the day away and not move at all. A lot of that has to do with my body being sore from CrossFit training, and now my beach volleyball training. However, everything that makes me so tired is stuff I enjoy doing, so even though the initial get up and go is difficult, once I get to the gym to coach, or to the sand courts to train I immediately wake up! Also, pairing all that activity with the best supplements on the market helps too!
My main tool that I use to stay as level headed and calm as possible no matter how stressful and crazy my life can get is meditation! This is something that I’ve gotten stronger in throughout the year, and have seen huge results from! It helps me breathe during my CrossFit workouts, stay level headed when I’m playing volleyball (or making mistakes) and helps my overall patience.
Let’s start with the definition of meditation:
“Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.” (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/meditation)
What Kinds of Meditation are there?
“There are many forms of meditation practised by individuals worldwide, though the fundamental principle is one of reflection and deliberation, bringing about a state of rumination. Several forms of meditation acknowledged worldwide include transcendental meditation, vipassana meditation, Zen meditation, Taoist meditation, mindfulness meditation, and Buddhist meditation. Several of these may possibly call for the body being completely still or having the ability to be moved with controlled deliberation whereas various other forms of meditation will allow liberated movement of the body. Regardless of the dissimilar methods practiced, the sole reason of meditation is of course to teach our busy mind to become quiet, releasing our psyche from stress and anxiety drawing upon some calm reflection and contemplation.” (http://www.project-meditation.org/a_mt4/forms_of_meditation.html)
I personally get my meditation through things like yoga, taking deep breaths right before bed, prayer, and jumping around my room first thing in the morning! I know the last one sounds a bit strange, but doing that at 4:30am every morning will help you wake up, get your blood flowing, and make you smile (there is no way to do that without cracking a smile….I’ve tried!). Before games or CrossFit competitions I like to be by myself and zone out for a second, listen to a good song (either something Hip-Hop or Bob Marley…two extremes, I know.)\
There are TONS of options out there for you to choose from, it all depends on the person and what helps them zone out and relax!
What are some Benefits of Meditation?
“Research has scientifically proven that meditation is a safe and simple way to balance your physical, emotional, and mental state and its countless values have been known and practiced for thousands of years. More and more doctors promote the benefits of meditation to cure many stress related illnesses. Everyday most of us experience stress in many different ways and I believe many people are simply not aware of the benefits of meditation or of how much stress we actually hold on to. Normally life threatening situations trigger off the stress response which enables us to act without contemplation and deliberation and survive intense situations using fast reflexes….One of the most important benefits of meditation is how it releases stress from our bodies. Meditation practised regularly will lead you to a deeper level of relaxation and contemplation. If you want to be free of constant worry, pressure and stress the benefits of meditation can give you a life that is calm, peaceful, happy and relaxed.
Even ten minutes of meditation a day will help alleviate stress.” (http://www.project-meditation.org/benefits_of_meditation.html)
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
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Meditation for me, serves as a way for me to sit back and realize that there is something bigger than me out there. A bigger purpose and a bigger meaning, so giving thanks for everything I’ve been blessed with, and learning from everything I’ve lost keeps me happy
“Prayer is more than meditation. In meditation, the source of strength is one’s self. When one prays, he goes to a source of strength greater than his own.” Madame de Stael
~Coach Salah
Inspiration Wall Development
Sarah and I are working on our inspiration wall at our new apartment right now. We create d a list of goals and things we want to achieve through the end of 2012, and all of 2013!
The wall is still a work in progress, but isn’t that how everything in life is? Always changing and molding itself into something different?
We tried to create a Venn Diagram and Sarah’s goals are on the left, the stuff we want to do together is in the middle and my goals is on the right!
Some things we want to do together are:
Complete the Whole 30 Challenge
Travel (St. Kitts, Bahamas, Lake Tahoe, Atlanta, and Miami)
Read a minimum of 1 book a month
Get a pair of cowboy boots (we live in Texas, so we should probably get a pair…right??! Right!)
Host some dinner and pool parties
Organize and pre-package food at the beginning of each week
Snowboard, surf, wake board
Some of my personal goals are:
get my Muscle Ups
Qualify with Team Woodward for the 2013 CrossFit Games
Snatch 75kg
Qualify for at least one AVP tournament during Summer 2013
Get a new car
Bring in over $6500/month through coaching, and my own business endeavours
Consistently do a devotional everyday to strengthen my relationship with the Lord
Make more time to go visit my family on open weekends
Get my CrossFit Kids certification, my underground strength certification, and my mobility certification
Win Oktoberfest, Hammer and Chisel, and The Fittest Games with my Woodward CrossFit team!
Start Grad School at the University of Alabama in January 2013
Help people lose over 300lbs over the course of the year through BYB Training!
Beat Your Best Strength and Conditioning, and Personal Training becomes a Household name in Austin
Am active in many FitFluential events
Drink vegetable juice a minimum of once a day!
There are so many amazing things in store for the next year! If you created an inspiration wall, what would be the top 3 things you would HAVE to have on there?
~Coach Salah
1st VLOG Post!
Happy Sunday everyone!
So…..I made my first Vlog….it is super awkward, and I didn’t realize how close my face was to the camera. I also learned that not only do I need to have the camera further away from my face, but my left eye is a tad bit on the lazy side too :-p
*I also didn’t realize that music was playing in the background (if you want to know what I’m listening to its Miguels “Adorn”)
I think I should hire a professional camera man from now on ….lol
My Inspiration
I just got done watching the Olympic Beach Volleyball finals with Misty May and Kerri Walsh vs. Ross and Kessey
Misty May and Kerri!
Ross and Kessy
Not only do I find all four of these women inspiring due to their work ethic and how they carry themselves on and off the court, but their healthy lifestyles are ones to be mocked. With healthy diets, and good workouts, they look amazing (Check out this article)! Misty May said, “If you want to be in the best shape, diet is super important. You can exercise all you want, but if you’re not eating the right foods, it’s not going to equal out. You’re not going to get the results you want.” I mean, who wouldn’t want to make sure they eat clean when their job is to live in a swimsuit?? I know it would definitely be a big motivation for me!
Even though I love all four of these women, I do have a favorite (even though I don’t have favorites….;-p). Misty May has got to be celebrity/pro athlete inspiration. She is someone who I look at and strive to be like. He work ethic and positive attitude is what contributes to her success. Not only is she extremely athletic and gifted, but her heart and desire are definitely something to be noted. In order to win consecutive gold medals in a row, it comes down to not just pure athleticism, but shear love for the game and the refusal to lose.
Her attitude is amazing, and the fact that she always gives credit to Kerri as well is exactly how it should be when you are on a team!
“It’s very similar to a marriage or sisterhood. I don’t have a sister but I consider her a sister. We’ve been through thick and thin. That’s how you gain experience and go through the ups and downs. We genuinely care for each other and we balance our lives on and off the court.”-Misty May
I couldn’t be more excited right now about these two amazing athletes and women winning the gold….I think I’m going to watch the match on repeat for the rest of the evening!
Goodnight!
~Coach Salah
Discipline
After not really having a home for the past week and a half, I’m happy to say that I am all moved in!! FINALLY!!! Saturday night me and my new roomie went out to celebrate….
It was a great eveni.g, we hot to meet lots of people and honestly, just cut loose. After working so hard all the time and not getting much sleep, having a night out just feels so good!
We are both super excites about making
lots of fun paleo meals….
Going to juiceland and indulgining in some health in a glass….
And just being super goofy and having lots of dance parties together!
This next year has lots of fun times, endless amounts of health and fitness, and even more laughs!!
~coach salah
How Great Is Today?!
I love Tuesdays, Why? Every morning when I wake up and I know that I get to see another day I am so thankful for the opportunity to go out and make as much as a difference in the world as possible! There are some days that I am a little grumpy, or not as nutty, but those days I don’t like the way I act. So, I snap out of it!
Sunday evening when I got home from working, I had received an email saying that I was accepted as a FitFluential Ambassador! What is that you ask? Well….
“FitFluential is the perfect combination of fitness and influence. We understand that fitness has many different definitions. It can mean walking, jogging or running. It can mean working out at the gym or to a fitness DVD at home. It can mean competing in bodybuilding and figure, or marathons and Triathalons. It can be Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, or Kickboxing, MMA and CrossFit. A fitness approach to food can be vegetarian, Paleo, Flexitarian, Pescetarian, High-Carb, Lo-Carb, Clean, High-Protein, Lo-Fat, Lo-Cal, Raw, or Vegan. It can mean any combination of the above and there is a new approach almost every week.
Influence is found in many places and can be cultivated, which is why our FitFluential Family is ever-evolving. Our hands-on approach to choosing influencers is paying off, especially when you consider these recent statistics:
By the numbers:
FitFluential Ambassadors and Influencers reach more than 100 million people each month. In just over a year, FitFluential has grown to more than 5,000 members with 600+ Ambassadors.
FitFluential is about the Win-Win-Win.
- A Win is for the brand. Social media is a powerful set of tools by which we share a message. A Win for the brand is naturally tied to sales. You won’t hear many words like “buzz” or “viral” around here. We’re here to help you sell in a collaborative and natural manner. Period.
- A Win for our FitFluentials. These influencers have spent time and effort in creating unique and compelling content that draws in an engaged audience. That audience’s loyalty is valuable. Our goal is to bring them in to opportunities where they can earn additional income for their efforts.
- A Win for the consumer. Consumers are the dedicated fitness enthusiasts who follow the blogs, watch the videos and read the tweets. It is our job to create content that they want to see, hear and read. Our goal is to educate them and get them excited about a brand’s products or services. We want to help enhance their fitness journey.
FitFluential is all about balance.
We deliver positive messages of health and wellness, but we also promote maintaining a healthy balance. Too often, people view fitness messaging as restrictive and harsh. We showcase how anyone can incorporate habits that will improve their overall health and well-being.
Fitness is all about fitting in to your LIFE. We’ll focus on four primary areas in everything we do: Eat, Sleep, Move, Enjoy.
- Eat- the fuel our body needs that tastes great and helps us reach our goals, whether it is weight loss, building muscle, or learning to eat a more sustainable diet
- Sleep – the importance of rest in getting fit cannot be disputed, and you must get enough sleep so your days are energized
- Move- from walking to bodybuilding, from Crossfit to yoga, let’s move and keep our heart and body healthy
- Enjoy- life must be enjoyed and there are times when a cookie or a cookout and a day off is just what you need.
By focusing on these four components of a healthy LIFE, we promote balance.
At FitFluential, we are passionate about fitness. If you are a brand hoping to connect with an audience that favors a healthy balance, you’ve come to the right place. If you are a fitness enthusiast hoping to share your story with a bigger audience, you too have come to the right place. Why wait? As we say in fitness, START NOW. We can’t wait to hear from you.” (http://fitfluential.com/about/)
I’m sure you are probably wondering, well, what does an Ambassador do?
What does a FitFluential Ambassador do?
As an Ambassador, you’ll have opportunities to work with our brand partners. That means when fitness brands want to partner with solid FitFluentials on product launches, social media campaigns or audition bloggers for long-term partnerships, our Ambassadors are the first to be invited. This doesn’t mean that every Ambassador gets to participate in every opportunity. The brand ultimately approves the teams chosen for that particular campaign.
At the end of the day, the goal of FitFluential is to successfully connect brands in the fitness space with highly influential fitness enthusiasts that are an ideal match for that brand. An ideal match is one where the FitFluential member (and their audience) is a perfect representation of the brand’s target market. With that said, we will not only choose our FitFluential Ambassadors based on audience reach and content quality, but also on attitude and quality of content. We all have diva moments, but it is important for our FitFluential Ambassadors to maintain integrity and professionalism when it comes to brand partnerships and representing the FitFluential community.
This is an opportunity of a lifetime, and I am so excited about being a part of such a wonderful community of fitness enthusiasts and influential people! I am now more driven than ever to really go after my dreams with reckless abanadon!
A quote by Frank Tyger really stood out to me:
“Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.”
This really spoke volumes to me, because I don’t even just “like” what I do, I LOVE what I do! When I’m exhausted and grumpy, seeing my clients immediately reminds me how lucky I am to be doing what I do and make a living off of it!
With that being said, because I love what I do, I have vowed to really start treating my body like the temple that it is. I am trying to drink more veggie juices, foam roll, stretch, yoga, and just relax more so I can recover for the CrossFit Competition training faster, and feel 110% when i’m coaching so I can give my all to our clients!
Today I had a little something called a “Liver Cleanse”….Kale, Spinach, carrot, pear, and cucumber…YUM!!! It was without a doubt the bomb.com!
Why I CrossFit
I’m writing this post from my android today as I’m sitting in the las Vegas airport waiting for my connecting flight. The excitement surrounding the crossfit games is unbelievable, and I’m sitting here on Twitter thinking how badly I wish I could be there this year, and how bad I want to compete there next year with my Woodward Crossfit team!
I have a long way to go still in my development as a crossfit athlete, but one of the main reasons why I love the sport of fitness so much is because I’m always challenged, there is always something I need to get better at, always another competitor that I need to catch up to, or outwork so I don’t get passed. This sport challenges my mental strength, and pushes my body to places I never thought it would go, or do (aka 1-arm db snatch that 70lb db).
The biggest reason why I’ve been able to accomplish as much as I have is due to not only hard work, but the support of my community. I love being a part of a community where laziness is not accepted, no excuses, but also a community filled with endless amounts of support and encouragement. I am a part of a family, and to me that means more than looking good, my family keeps me coming back everyday to train hard, they motivate and drive me to wake up at 4am and work till 9pm.
I don’t know exactly what I would be doing.now if I wasn’t coaching crossfit, but I do know that I don’t want to ever leave this amazing.community!
So, thank you, to my family, fellow coaches, clients and friends for being a part of my fitness journey and inspiring me EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.
~coach salah
Ps. This is my new favorite kind bar….:)
Paleo Recipes
A lot of times, when I get questions regarding eating paleo, I get asked if I get bored eating paleo, or if there needs to be some creative genius behind the foods I’m making. Most of the time my response is no. I don’t get bored, and most of the time I use other peoples recipes to make my meals instead of my own (even though often times I do like to think of myself as a genius).
It’s about this time in the week that I sit down and create my meal plans for the following week, so I wanted to share a few of my favorite paleo blog sites for ya’ll to use as a reference point for recipes!
Nerd Fitness (Not a lot of recipes, but great tips on how to eat healthy at BBQ’s etc.)
I found a pancake recipe on PaleOMG, and HAVE to make it soon, maybe for a Sunday Brunch?
I’ll leave you with this:
“He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything.”
Arabian Proverb
~Coach Salah
No Excuses At Home WOD
This morning I woke up a little later than planned, which put a damper on me making it into the gym to do my planned Oly lifting with OK Weightlifting, then run some 4x800m repeats, and mobility/core work after. Even though I’m not able to make it in to the gym, I have no excuse because of all the resources that are at my fingertips, such as thetravelingwod.com. There is an endless library of at home workouts that you can do if you can’t afford a gym membership, or can’t make it in to the gym, or if you are on the road! All you have to do is go to the Traveling WOD tab and pick your poison! I have done several of them because my schedule is so sporadic that at times I have to do something before I go coach at 5:30am, or when I get off work around 9pm.
Today’s WOD is something I have definitely written down for future reference:
Run a 5k
Every 1 minute stop and do 10 burpees, and continue to do so till you finish the 5k
YIKES!!! Haha this will be a good one!
Yesterday’s WOD was a chipper workout that I will be completing this morning before heading out to the lake with the other coaches:
“Never let your head hang down. Never give up and sit down and grieve. Find another way.”
~Satchel Paige~
Importance of Cleansing
Yesterday, I put in an Advocare order for their Herbal Cleanse, some more Spark, catalyst, and my favorite Nighttime Recovery. My eating schedule, the foods I’ve been eating (and not eating) has been thrown off due to my wisdom teeth surgery, then playing catch up with work and getting things ready for some new programs about to be offered at Woodward CrossFit. Over the course of the past 2 weeks, I have had 4 migraines, and several really bad headaches. Wednesday, I had a headache so bad that I was sick to my stomach for an hour+ and had to go home early from work. Since I am not exactly sure what has brought on all the sleepiness and migraines, a cleanse is in order. Better to wash the slate nice and clean and start fresh!
Some benefits of cleansing:
Blood: Healthy blood circulation is crucial to removing toxins from the body. That is because the blood transports toxins to other organs for proper elimination.
Bowel: The bowel (or colon) disposes of toxins from the digestive system and the liver, so cleansing the colon helps clear the way for other organs to function properly and help purge the body of unwanted toxins.
Skin: When you sweat, your perspiration transports wastes and toxins out of the body through the pores in the skin. Because of its large surface area, the skin actually disposes of more waste (by sweating) than the kidneys and colon combined.
Kidneys: The kidneys remove waste products from the blood, eliminate toxic substances in the urine, and receive water-soluble toxins from the liver for processing. They filter voluminous amounts of blood each day and in doing so maintain the body’s water balance and excrete toxins and excess fluid through the bladder.
The Lymphatic System: The lymphatic system transports wastes and toxins from cells and the circulatory system to each of organs involved in the elimination of toxins from the body. This system of vessels carries immune cells in a network that follows the body’s bloodstream.
Lungs: Your lungs purge toxins from the body each time you exhale. Deep breathing also increases the flow of lymph, which further helps to eliminate toxins.
Liver: The liver chemically converts destructive toxins into less harmful substances that the colon and kidneys can eliminate.
Cleansing is a great way to help raise energy levels and feel as good as possible! I will be starting my cleanse next Monday, June 25 and will go 10 days, then continue for 14 Days after by using MNS Max 3 for 14 days to help get my habits back in order. NO MORE MIGRAINES! I would love for as many people as possible to join me! You have all week to let me know you are interested (email: beatyourbest.training@gmail.com, tweet me @SalahSays OR on Facebook!). If you already know you want to take part in this cleanse challenge or the FULL 24-Day Challenge you can order here, or email me and I’ll get you all set up for success!
I couldn’t be more excited about this step! During the cleanse I will only be eating organic, and grass fed meats, LOTS Of veggies, raw nuts, little fruits, and NO dairy, or grains/gluten (not like I can really have either of those anyway). I am anemic so I will be taking in an iron supplement as well, along with my normal Fish Oil!
My Quote for the week….My focus is BE THE BEST ME that I can be!
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”
~Tim Duncan~
What Strength Means to Me
What Strength Means to Me, by Jessica M.
Strength is not letting go, strength is holding on
Not losing hope, strength means taking control
- (n.) That quality which tends to secure results; effective power in an institution or enactment; security; validity; legal or moral force; logical conclusiveness; as, the strength of social or legal obligations; the strength of law; the strength of public opinion; strength of evidence; strength of argument.
- (n.) Power to resist force; solidity or toughness; the quality of bodies by which they endure the application of force without breaking or yielding
- (n.) Power of resisting attacks
- (n.) Vigor or style; force of expression; nervous diction; — said of literary work.
- (n.) One who, or that which, is regarded as embodying or affording force, strength, or firmness; that on which confidence or reliance is based; support; security.
- (n.) A strong place; a stronghold.
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I am strong because I will fight till the end. I will follow my dreams, and make sure that along the way I am being the best me that I can be for others. Strong to me, is constant growth and learning. Always setting goals and then going after them. Strength is acknowledging that everything isn’t always perfect and running smoothly. Being able to see the good through the darkness, and realizing life isn’t about being the best, or the richest takes strength.
I am so proud to announce that I am starting a women’s strength program at Woodward CrossFit and I wanted it to be based off of not just physical strength but mental strength. The program is going to be called HeadSTRONG and is for women only. It is going to be a combination of barbell movements, along with fun sports performance drills as well (since I do have a background in athletics :-p), lifting random objects, and some fighter training (boxing drills). It will be not only physically challenging but also mentally challenging. When we reach a certain point mentally, we tend to breakdown, and through this program, women will learn they can do and achieve ANYTHING they put their minds to! This program is my dream, and is about to come into reality, and I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!
“You must do the thing that you think you cannot do.” -Eleanor Roosevelt
~Coach Salah
Where’s Your Head At
Happy Thursday!!
Today I woke up with this song stuck in my head:
I somewhat giggled to myself, as much as you can giggle at 4:30am, and thought to myself, where is my head at? This question set the tone for the day and I chose to have my head in a good place, a place of positivity, optimism, open mindedness, and focus. I’ve been doing some goal setting lately, and its given me the focus that I need to really look at my life and think about what I truly want to get out of it. For a while, I was thinking about going back to school dental hygiene, which would be cool and something that I would be good at, but is it really what I’m truly passionate about? No. I love coaching, motivating, and being there for people every morning, afternoon and evening. The hours are crazy, and sometimes the pay isn’t very consistent but it is what I love and what I was born to do.
What I took from that realization is that during workouts, or when it comes to choosing the foods I eat and what I drink, is it something that is going to help me get closer to what I truly want to do and be? Or will it end up setting me back? Will I be giving into a temporary temptation? This is something I want my clients to think about while going through workouts, or heading to the refrigerator….will your choice to take that break, or eat that hamburger really get you to that goal?
Temptation will come and go, but reaching your goals and making those sacrifices will give each and every person that sense of accomplishment and self-worth that will last a lifetime.
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Just a thought :
Just remember, don’t take anything too seriously, it WILL work out….there is always something bigger than ourselves out there….TRUST!!!!
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Have a great memorial Day weekend, and I want to give a special thanks to everyone who has served our country, I am so truly grateful for you!
~Coach Salah
“Salah Says” Body weight at home workout
Hey guys!
I know its been a while since I’ve posted, and a lot of that has to do with the lack of time I’ve had available to do so with work and this past weekends’ CrossFit Regional Competition in San Antonio! IT was one of the best times I’ve had lately. To be in a big coliseum, with a huge crowd, and a team was such an adrenaline rush! I was so nervous about the third event because I had to 1-arm DB snatch a 70lb Dumbbell 10 times before I went into a sprint. All week I had worked on the snatch and was only able to get it up on my right side 2 times before competition and zero times on my left side. The day of the event, I looked at my team and realized that us being able to move on to the 4th event was up to me…and that drove my adrenaline up and I GOT IT UP!!!
running after completing the DB snatches! MAN IT FELT SO GOOD!!!
Now, for the workout:
The name is “Salah Says”…I wonder why
5 Rounds for time
30 Norma Jeans
15 Double Leg Bounds
30 leg levers
15 Air Squats
Feel free to post your times on the comments section, and make sure to stretch afterwards!!
Here is a flyer for my 4-week challenge starting 6/1! If this is something you’d be interested in doing, then email me at Salah@woodwardcrossfit.com!!
Remember:
Happy Wednesday!!!
~Coach Salah
The letter “I” and 4-Week Challenge Opportunity!
Happy Hump Day!!
I hope you are all having an amazing week so far! My favorite thing to think of every morning when I hop out of bed is, “how can I make today the best day ever?”. Today, my best day consisted of coaching the morning and noon classes at Woodward CrossFit, taking a nap, finishing taxes, starting the Breaking Bad series, getting a massage, and enjoying a little sun outside with a good book (Hug Your People by Jack Mitchell).
Every week when i start with 3 new words to put at the center of my focus it really helps me narrow in on what I want to truly accomplish and how I’m going to get there.
Instant.Inspire.Inviting
I wanted to focus on the word instant this week because a lot of times I catch myself hesitating on situations and decisions that really dont require any thinking whatsoever, and just being present in the moment and being honest with myself .
Inspire says it all. Every morning, afternoon, and evening when I text someone, email, greet face to face, coach, or just pass by I want to reach out to through a smile, or a laugh or a hug. That random act of kindness and showing people that they matter and someone cares can go a long way.
Part of the reason why I chose invite was always consider others and include them! What is one way to make people feel a part of things and of a group? Invite them .
Do you have any “I” words?
4-WEEK CHALLENGE PROGRAM!!!!
So, onto new and super exciting things! On May 1, I will be leading my first 4-week challenge! There will be 30 spots available to whoever wants to participate (and it’s something famly and friends can do in other states!). It only costs $40 to have 110% support and accountability on workout, sleep habits, water intake, diet, and mental health!
The way it works is on May 1, each participant will have a 4 week laid out meal plan to follow on a google document, and at the end of each day they will go into their google doc and substitute what they ate and the portions and activity levels, etc. that they did for the day. Each participant will need to email me a picture of them before every workout at the gym or outside (if running or doing some activity outdoors, including yardwork) so I can have visual proof to go alongside with the google document. I will be giving supplementation advice to help kickstart any weight loss, sports performance, or just overall wellness goals!
The week prior to the challenge I will either skype, talk on the phone, or meet with each participant in person to go over their goals for the next 4 weeks and come up with a plan to get them exactly where they need to be and want to be!
This is something that will help create those habits in our every day lives to get us ready not only for summer but for life in general. Staying healthy is all about finding balance, and this challenge is the perfect format to help you find that balance! The 4-week challenge isn’t just for weight loss, its for improving overall health, and we find out exactly how far we can push ourselves when we put our dedication to the test!
If this is something you are interested in please email me at beatyourbest.training@gmail.com
~Coach Salah
