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

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!

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:

“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

Have fun!!! ~coach salah

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

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

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:

ENERGYbit:

• Increasing Energy
• Increasing Endurance
• Increasing Mental Vitality
• High Protein Snack
• Curbing Hunger
• Meal Replacement
• Balancing Blood Sugar
• Lowering Blood Pressure
• Reducing Fatigue

RECOVERYbit:

• 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

VITALITYbit:

• 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

SKINNYbit:

• 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

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:

I want to make sure that I am practicing willpower and dedication to my goals, in hopes of inspiring my clients!

~Coach Salah

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