Rainier CrossFit

Whats a lawnmower?

 
Alyssa (AKA Mulan) perfectly balanced on the bottom part of the lawnmower. Its a single arm- opposit leg dumbbell row where the dumbbell comes to the front of the armpit, the scapula retracts, and the trunk rotates at full hip extension. Yes, you stand all the way up and look over your shoulder.

 

Americans waste an estimated 150 billion pounds of food a year. A lot of it comes from supermarkets and other retailers.

Food banks increasingly are trying to get their hands on some of that food to help feed the hungry.

The big challenge is time. It's a race to get the groceries off the shelves and into the mouths of those who need it before it spoils.

In an ambitious undertaking, Walmart and Feeding America, the nation's food bank network, are trying to make the system work. Walmart last year pledged to donate $2 billion in food and other aid to food banks over five years, the largest donation of its kind.

NPR decided to see how the system is working so far, by following some of the food — from the store shelf to a recipient's home. We chose an ear of corn and some yellow squash.

The corn was cooked and eaten by Steven White at the Salvation Army in Johnson City, Tenn. He not only cooks there but also lives at the shelter. Both he and his wife lost their jobs, then their home.

The squash was used by Cindy Tipton, a retired nurse who lives in nearby Jonesborough. She put it in a vegetable casserole. Tipton is on a fixed income. She says the local food pantry helps her to make ends meet.

White and Tipton are among tens of millions of Americans who need help getting enough to eat. But just how do they get it?

Read: A Squash's Journey: From The Shelf To The Hungry from NPR

July 4th- Send of Party for Lisa!

On Monday, the 4th of July, we'll have one workout at 10am. Plan to hang out for an extra hour or two as we BBQ and celebrate Lisa's *really soon* trip to the CrossFit Games in LA. It's a casual, sweaty, social affair. Grab some lunch, relax, and then you'll have all afternoon and evening to celebrate Freedom and blow stuff up.

gettin' hot in here

 
As the weather heats up -- yes, the WEATHER -- please remember to bring your water bottle. There is plenty of water here for you but we've banned cups because of spillage. Please bring your water bottle!

 

Taking place from 25th June to 4th July 2011, the 13th _____________________ will be the world’s largest sporting event for athletes with _________________, drawing 7,000 athletes from more than 180 countries around the world, 3,000 coaches and officials, 25,000 volunteers, 40,000 family members as well as thousands of spectators.

Can you fill in the blanks without looking?   If you need a hint click here.

take me out to the ball game

 
RCFkids play a game of kickball with some great catches!

Why Health Care Works Better Than Disease Care

Our latest research showed that changing lifestyle changes our genes in only three months--turning on hundreds of genes that prevent disease and turning off genes and turning off oncogenes associated with breast cancer and prostate cancer as well as genes that cause heart disease, oxidative stress, and inflammation. We also found that these lifestyle changes increase telomerase, the enzyme that lengthens telomeres, the ends of our chromosomes that control how long we live. Even drugs have not been shown to do this.

As Freedman's article points out, our "health-care system" is primarily a disease-care system. Last year, $2.6 trillion were spent in this country on medical care, and 95 cents of every dollar were spent to treat disease after it had already occurred. Heart disease, diabetes, prostate/breast cancer, and obesity account for 75 percent of health care costs, and yet these are largely preventable and even reversible by an integrative medicine program of comprehensive lifestyle changes.

The choices are especially clear in cardiology. In 2006, 1.3 million coronary angioplasty procedures were performed at an average cost of $48,399 each, more than $60 billion; and 448,000 coronary bypass operations were performed at a cost of $99,743 each, more than $44 billion--i.e., more than $100 billion for these two operations.

Many people are surprised to learn that randomized controlled trials published in The New England Journal of Medicine and elsewhere showed that angioplasties and stents -- common surgical procedures used to treat heart disease -- do not prolong life or even prevent heart attacks in stable patients (i.e., at least 95 percent of those who receive them). And coronary bypass surgery prolongs life in less than 2 percent of patients who receive it.

If we were truly practicing evidence-based medicine, our practice patterns would have shifted away from these expensive and relatively ineffective surgical treatments once these randomized controlled trials were published. Yet to many people, these approaches are still considered conservative or conventional medicine, while teaching people to walk, meditate, eat vegetables, and quit smoking -- which has been shown to be more effective -- is called "alternative medicine."

Studies have shown that changing lifestyle could prevent at least 90 percent of all heart disease, and likely even more. Thus, the disease that accounts for more premature deaths and costs Americans more than any other illness is almost completely preventable, and even reversible, simply by changing lifestyle.

Type 2 diabetes is also epidemic. If current trends go on unabated, more than half of Americans will have diabetes or be pre-diabetic by 2020 at a cost to the U.S. health care system of $3.35 trillion, according to a report by health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Yet studies have shown that comprehensive lifestyle changes work better than drugs, for preventing type 2 diabetes as well as for treating it. The complications of diabetes--heart disease, eye damage, nerve damage, kidney damage, impotence, gangrene--are preventable when people can control their blood sugar by making lifestyle changes without medications.

repair

 
We know that some of the hubs in the 10# plates are coming loose. A little repair work will put them back into place. Hit it harder, Jackie!

Read: Sit Up Straight. Your Back Thanks You.

“The majority of back pain is the result of muscle and ligament strain or weakness, and can often be prevented by developing core strength and proper posture,” said Dr. Daniel Mazanec, associate director of the Center for Spine Health at the Cleveland Clinic.

Maintaining good posture not only helps you look better (there’s a reason inept people are called slouches), it improves muscle tone, makes breathing easier and is one of the best ways to stave off back and neck pain, not to mention the dreaded dowager’s hump of old age.

“Posture is the key,” said Mary Ann Wilmarth, chief of physical therapy at Harvard University Health Services. “If your spine is not balanced, you will inevitably have problems in your back, your neck, your shoulders and even your joints.”

busted!

 
Uh-oh Garrett- did you just get caught hitching that deadlift?

Big Thanks to Brant and Cindy (Garretts brother and Sister-in-law) for making and delivering our 10 new multi-sided plyoboxes. Depending on how you set them, they are 20, 24, and 30 inches tall. Now I need someone to make a couple of brands for me - anyone in metal work?

FOURTH of JULY:  We will have one workout at 10am followed by a send-off barbecue for Lisa's trip to the CFGames.  Details TBA.

Kurtis should compete in the standing block chop at about 2pm today at the Buckely Log Show.

Happy Sunday!

go play

 
Casey on the monkey bars. What was fun for you as a kid that is hard or impossible these days? Is it hard (or impossible) because you grew older or because you quit playing?

The Bitter Truth

How is it possible that more than three decades after the United States began to desegregate schools for people with intellectual disabilities, more than two decades after the United States passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, and five years after the United Nations adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, a massive dignity deficit remains? The bitter truth is that subtle but persistent discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities remains rampant around the world. Sadly, most people still perceive a person with an intellectual disability as incapable of contributing to his community and thus, treat her as a liability that is all too easily ignored. The language we use is revealing: they are "in-valids", "retards", "dis-abled".

It's a short distance from that type of discrimination to abuse and even murder, but it's an equally short distance from empowerment to dignity. In recent months, the eyes of the world have been mesmerized by courageous activists in the Arab world as they seek to validate their own dignity in the face of oppressive regimes. They have deployed novel tools -- Twitter, Facebook, and other social media -- to carry out a new kind of social revolution: a Dignity Revolution. The most compelling message of those protests wasn't about technology or even about political parties or economics. It was the sign held by a single Libyan man carrying his homemade sign reading, "Ana Rajul;" in English, "I am a man." He had caught and was spreading the dignity virus.

I wish I had his name so I could make him an honored guest at the next stop on the Dignity Revolution, the largest gathering of people with intellectual disabilities in the world, the Special Olympics World Games in Athens, beginning July 25th. There, 7,500 people of all ages from nearly 180 countries will return to the home of the ancient Olympics to compete in sports. But make no mistake. They are also coming with an unmistakable determination to lead a dignity revolution all their own -- to attract government leaders, health care professionals, educators, sports organizations, educators and perhaps most importantly, average citizens of every age and color to their own global movement. Their goal is the most difficult of all revolutionary goals: to change people's attitudes, to open people's hearts.

grimmace - it helps

 
Who do you think makes the best "under tension" faces?

Drug trials for fragile X syndrome lead the way for autism therapies

A number of targeted trials on drugs that have the potential to reverse many of the behavioral and cognitive features of fragile X syndrome, are under way. Human and animal studies have shown that these medications can reverse many of the neurobiological and phenotypic features of fragile X syndrome. Along with these new trials, we will need accurate endpoints that can reliably measure the drugs' effectiveness.

Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual disability and single-gene cause of autism. The full mutation has more than 200 repeats of a DNA sequence — CGG — at the front end of the FMR1 gene. This repeat number leads to a shutdown of the gene and a lack of the protein that it normally produces, fragile X mental retardation protein, or FMRP. The lack of FMRP causes fragile X syndrome and intellectual disability, in addition to autism, in 30 percent of individuals and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified in another 30 percent.

at the top

 
Brians Zen-like moment above the bar.

Dirty Dashers-- remember to go online and sign the waiver. You'll need your last name and that horribly long number on your registration sheet. If you need another reg sheet there are more in the gym. Here's the link:  http://www.thedirtydash.com/regedit

There's a list on the board of people who are going so we can organize carpools, drivers, and *refreshments*.

Yes, we will be open Saturday for a short yet spicy little meatball before heading out to The Buckley Log Show.

What's going on here?

 
In a word: community. Community is going on here.

We get a lot of questions about our "open" format from other affiliates. First, I tell them, it's not "open gym". We're not open for our clients to come in and do their own thing. It's more like "rolling admission" where you arrive when you get here and work out on your own time.

It does 3 things: our clients are never late, there is ample time to listen to your body, and we grow as a community of friends.

Let me elaborate--- One of our big questions as a young affiliate in the way-back times (2004) was "how do we handle people who are late to class?" The usual answers: punishment, refusal of service, public shaming, while all popular in affiliates today weren't OK with us. We're coaches bringing out the best in people- not prison wardens, task-masters, or @$$holes. So rather than making our clients conform to some arbitrary "rule" we changed the plan. We actually followed the format of the original CrossFit Santa Cruz where you could walk in and train with Greg Glassman at any hour, any morning. Rather than making rules that people need to conform to, we adjusted our thinking to best help our clients.

Some people require more warm-up time than others. Nothing like being told to snatch with no shoulder warm-up. What about people with non-specificjoint issues who need extra time to warm, mobilize, stretch, and generally get going. That 10-15 minute class warm-up won't work for them and now you risk injuring your client. Sounds like good ol' negligence to me. I say make warm-up time ample, available, guided but not led, and unhurried. Leave time for some individual skill work that may best be performed before fatigue.

It allows time like the picture above, to catch up on each others lives, connect with friends, ask questions, and make plans. Wether it's a new MWOD, a childs graduation, or a knarly rope burn- we share it with our community. There's no hurry to get out of the way or make room for the next class.  Some of the best discussions and exchange of ideas happen during these times- something that sets us apart from the cold formality of "big box" gyms.

We've played with both our rolling admission and structured class times. We'll stick with the relaxed, productive atmosphere of no set class times. If you're gym has set class times, perhaps you should ask why. Is it better for their busy schedule, or yours?

Buckley Log Show this weekend!

Kurtis will compete in the double bucking, ax throw, single bucking and standing block chop on Saturday and if he's in the top 3- again on Sunday. Check here for schedule of events.

If you've always wanted to try this - this weekend is your chance to come watch. On August 27th you'll get a chance to try, learn, and practice some of these events and if you choose, come back and compete - CrossFit Style - on the 28th.  Details coming soon!

Beautifully Westside

 
Front box squats- beautifully done by Sony- and earning him a 55# PR.  We'll be incorporating a little more Westside Barbell Methods here in the next while- minor variations of the major lifts to address weak links.

From the NYT: Are We Built to Run Barefoot?

Most of us, after all, grew up wearing shoes. Shoes alter how we move. An interesting review article published this year in The Journal of Foot and Ankle Research found that if you put young children in shoes, their steps become longer than when they are barefoot, and they land with more force on their heels.

Similarly, when Dr. Lieberman traveled recently to Kenya for a study published last year in Nature, he found that Kenyan schoolchildren who lived in the city and habitually wore shoes ran differently from those who lived in the country and were almost always barefoot. Asked to run over a force platform that measured how their feet struck the ground, a majority of the urban youngsters landed on their heels and generated significant ground reaction forces or, in layman’s terms, pounding. The barefoot runners typically landed closer to the front of their feet and lightly, without generating as much apparent force.

Based on such findings, it would seem as if running barefoot should certainly be better for the body, because less pounding should mean less wear and tear. But there are problems with that theory. The first is that the body stubbornly clings to what it knows. Just taking off your shoes does not mean you’ll immediately attain proper barefoot running form, Dr. Lieberman told me. Many newbie barefoot runners continue to stride as if they were in shoes, landing heavily on their heels.

 

This weekend is the Buckley Log show. Kurtis will be competing again and we'll have the schedule of events in the next day or so and we'll let you know the best times to come watch.

Interested in trying out some of these Log Show/ Timber Sports events?  We're about to give you that opportunity. On Saturday August 27th we'll have some local pro's on hand to teach us and on Sunday Aug 28th we'll hold CrossFit's first TimberSports event -- all at the Buckley Log Show grounds. Details coming soon!

outside the gym

 
How do you spend your time outside the gym? Sharon dances with Shahdaroba Middle Eastern Dance.

Other women persuing their passions:

Muslim weightlifter's wish to wear modest clothing triggers rules debate

Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) - Kulsoom Abdullah is a 35-year-old with a doctorate in electrical and computer engineering. But it's her passion outside of work that has put her at the center of a debate - one that could affect athletic competitions worldwide, even the Olympics.

Later this month, the International Weightlifting Federation will take up the question of whether Abdullah may take part in officially sanctioned tournaments while keeping her entire body covered, aside from her hands and face, in keeping with her Muslim faith.

"It's what I believe in. It's what I've chosen to do," Abdullah tells CNN of her decision to wear modest garb. "I've always dressed this way publicly."

Quick Start On Ramp starts tomorrow

Short notice but we'll be running a Quick Start On Ramp M-W-F for the next 2 weeks at 4pm. 3 spots left if this time works for you. I don't have online enrollment set-up so email me if you'd like to join in. rainiercrossfit@comcast.net or call Laurie 253-686-9993

soon, baby girl

 
Wonder if she'll grow up loving this or hating this-- either way she's destined to be surrounded by strong people!

Lis has 5 Barbell Rules for us-- I need to work on rule #2

1.) Don’t drop a bare bar on the floor. Not cool. Lower that thing like a baby girl or put some bumpers on it.

2.) Don’t walk over somebody’s bar in class. That’s like trying to put the voodoo on them. Go around.

3.) Friends don’t sit or stand smackdab in front of other friends when they’re lifting the barbell. You might think you’re hot to look at, but you’re really just distracting.

4.) Don’t put your foot on the barbell. It’s not a foot stool. It’s a tool. A tool to get you stronger. Have respect for your tools.

5.) Put love in your heart for the barbell. It’s not the only tool in the gym, but it just might be the most important one. Love it, or decide that a longer path to strong is okay with you.

 

Happy first Fathers Day to Steve (above) and to all of our dads!

mighty

 
Aaron plays with the mighty balls---*ahem** stones.

Need a weekend baking project? How about chocolate bacon brownies from Caveman to the Core: (I disagree with the "totally" paleo claim, though.)

Shockingly delicious Bacon brownies that are totally Paleo and who would have thought. So this dessert totally plays into my recent Pork kick. I was going to just dip some bacon in chocolate but decided to do one better. Here you end up with Chocolate Bacon Brownies which can easily be converted to a cake. The process for this for me was a little long because instead of traditionally cooking the bacon, I baked it in 100% Pure Maple Syrup to try and really give it that sweetness to pair well with the saltiness of the Bacon.

sibling rivalry

 
Courtney and Kelsey- always fighting each other for the daily "W".

Fragile X gets some press in the mainstream media:

The Never Empty Nest  - Children with Fragile X Syndrome - Good Housekeeping

I once asked her what advice she would give a mom who had just found out that her child had been diagnosed with Fragile X. "I would tell her that you have a child who will never hate, argue, or disappoint you, and whose love is unconditional," she replied. "At night, when we tuck the boys in, you see how much love they have in them. Matt, at his greatest comfort level when you lie down with him, confirms the plans for the next day, then tells you that he loves you and to get out. Sean lies in his bed, eyes closed but not really asleep, with no pillows — a Sean rule — and you kiss him good night and tell him you love him. Without opening his eyes, he smiles. That's what matters."

the clean fifteen

 
Jordan- president of the mens FFA (future firebreathers association) works on his overhead squat.

The Environmental Working Group, in addition to putting out a list of produce to avoid, has also released a "Clean Fifteen" list of fruits and vegetables that are relatively unlikely to be contaminated by pesticides. The EWG found that 90% of the samples of the top three fruits and vegetables on the list contained no pesticides at all. And very few samples of any of the top 15 showed more than one kind of pesticide.

Many of these fruits and vegetables have protective coverings that protect the edible interior from pests naturally. The coverings also help keep any pesticides that are used off the part of the plant you eat.

Here's the full list of the most pesticide-free fruits and vegetables in non-organic form:

1. Onions

2. Sweet Corn

3. Pineapple

4. Avocado

5. Asparagus

6. Sweet Peas (Frozen)

7. Mangos

8. Eggplant

9. Cantaloupe (Domestic)

10. Kiwi

11. Cabbage

12. Watermelon

13. Sweet Potatoes

14. Grapefruit

15. Mushrooms

whoa.

 
I caught sight of the Reebok truck on the road to the fairgrounds.

Whoa. Phew. What a weekend. As we wrap up the loose ends from last weekend I finally have a moment to sit back and reflect on all that happened. We've gathered and shared the stories, laughed at the funny moments and have been speechless in wonder over some of the athletes we watched.

First and foremost I have to thank Carrie who was the volunteer coordinator. We had nearly 200  people helping us out with everything from manning the front gates, judging the athletes, and posting results. Her small army was organized, efficient, and the real reason this weekend went so smoothly.

Thank you to all the volunteers. You offered to help, you showed up, YOU MADE THIS WEEKEND. I know all that we could offer you was a t-shirt and some bad coffee but hopefully you had fun and took home some good memories and a little motivation.

To our equipment staff- who would of thought that it would be fun to stand in the dirt and schlep heavy stuff around for 3 days but you did it again, beautifully. You guys (and girls) were great.

To our judges- you have perhaps the glamour job but certainly its nerve-wracking and thankless. Thank you for your keen eyes and your willingness to uphold strict standards even on the final, gut wrenching rep.

Thank you to Reebok who did a great job supporting the athletes and the volunteers. Everyone was well taken care of because you guys were on site.

Thank you to our vendors who fed our appetite for all thing CrossFit and provided us a place to part with our hard earned cash. You guys provide a great service with your samples, knowledge, and products and we're thankful you came to spend the weekend with us.

Once again our athletes shine. From outstanding performances to sportsmanship no one can touch our NW Athletes. If you're going to California, know that we're all behind you, cheering for you, and screaming go-go-go!!  If you're going back to your gym to train your athletes and work hard for next year, know that we are too and we'll get together and do this all again. More frequently on a smaller stage but with just as much heart and emotion.

To our spectators, thank you for showing up, yelling your crazy heads off, and being so supportive. I know of no other sport where ALL athletes are cheered on, including the "opposing" team. Theres was no boo-ing, no heckling- if there's one aspect of CrossFit that separates us from all other sports thats it. You guys were loud and awesome.

Finally to CrossFit- Thank You for allowing us another year to host this event. It's an honor to be asked and trusted with such an important piece of the CrossFit Games.

Website on hold

 
Please excuse the lack of updates- we're at The Puyallup Fairgrounds hosting the NorthWest Regional Qualifiers to the CrossFit Games all weekend. Come join us!

you don't do that everyday

 

You can tell strongman season is upon us and a winter of lifting has left us stronger. The strongamn tools-of-the-trade are making more frequent appearance.

Overtraining: Myths, Facts and Fantasies from Experience Life

Listen to enough gym chatter, and you’ll probably get an earful about the dangers of “overtraining.” Unfortunately, most of what you hear will be wrong — or at least somewhat confused.

Although workout aficionados may bandy the term about like it’s a source of daily concern, the condition physiologists refer to as “overtraining syndrome” is, in fact, a rare phenomenon.

Unlike the fatigue and muscle soreness virtually all active individuals encounter as the result of exertion and overexertion, true overtraining is typically seen only in competitive athletes.

“Ninety-nine-point-five percent of the population simply doesn’t train hard enough or frequently enough to have this problem,” says Eric Cressey, MA, CSCS, co-owner of Cressey Performance, an athletic training facility in Hudson, Mass.

REMEMBER we will be close Friday and Saturday this week as we host the NorthWest Regional Qualifiers to the CrossFit Games and we suck every last hour out of you, our faithful friends, followers, and volunteers.

Are you a gorilla?

 

 Not that Kelvin IS a gorilla but once again there's just no way I could post a picture of our ladies and then talk about gorillas.

Protein-Rich Diet Helps Gorillas Keep Lean

Gorillas don’t seem to be facing the obesity epidemic that humans in modern society are.

That’s because our primate brethren follow a lean diet with protein concentrations similar to the American Heart Association’s recommendations for humans, says Jessica Rothman, an anthropologist at Hunter College of the City University of New York.

Dr. Rothman and her colleagues studied mountain gorillas in Uganda and found that they eat a protein-rich diet, supplemented with fruits. Protein makes up about 17 percent of their total energy intake, close to the 15 percent protein intake the heart association recommends for people.

The study appears in the current issue of the journal Biology Letters.

During certain times of the year, when fruits are not available, protein-rich leaves dominate the gorilla’s diet, the report found. About 31 percent of the total energy intake is protein during these times. This is similar to the protein content in high-protein weight-loss regimens like the Atkins diet.

“What they are doing during these times is overeating protein in order to meet their energy requirements,” Dr. Rothman said.

Understanding the gorilla diet can help researchers better understand the evolution of the human diet, said her co-author David Raubenheimer a nutritional ecologist at Massey University in New Zealand.

Foods rich in sugars, starches and fats, once scarcely available to humans, are now abundant.

Modern societies “are diluting the concentration of protein in the modern diet,” Dr. Raubenheimer said. “But we eat to get the same amount of proteins we needed before, and in so doing, we’re overeating.”

 

mmm. pass the bamboo.

 

farmer-like

 

So that 200m body weight farmers walk didn't look so bad on the board...

"No Apology" from CrossFit Lisbeth

I won’t apologize for the cost of a CrossFit membership.

I might explain what you’re getting, how you’re getting it, the results that will come, and the overall HUGE upturn your life will take if you join my merry band.

But I won’t apologize for charging what I do, because I am worth what I charge. In fact, I am worth more.

If you want quality, it costs more. Just a fact of life.

My NY Strip steak tastes better than sirloin. Costs more too.

My locally grown eggs taste better. Cost more too.

My Citizens of Humanity jeans? Much more expensive than my Levis. Fit better and look better too.

The L.A. sports surgeon who replaced the ACL in my right knee? I don’t want to know that price. Thank God for health insurance.

And yeah, those Lulus cost more. But damn my butt looks better in them than in Adidas or Nike.

You want better, you usually have to pay. Better comes as the result of more training, greater skill, and better materials.

Quality is not cheap.

Now, if you’re paying for quality and you’re getting cheap? Then you’re making a mistake.

But not in my house. Here, you’re getting what you paid for. And more.

And if you’re not, come right up and tell me. I want to make damn sure you’re getting more than what you paid for.

RCF closed Fri June 10 and Sat Jun 11

The Northwest Regional Qualifiers to the CrossFit Games are the 10th, 11th, and 12th at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. As the hosts, we'll be there and not in the gym. Most of you guys will be there with us but if you're a travelling CFer looking for a place to workout while in town we won't be open. Call us and we'll tell you of some other, local, awesome locations!

family thing

 

Elo and Natalie suffer together. We have so many families that have made RCF part of their activities - safe to say we're making "strong" families!

What activities does your family enjoy together?

The First Family has a garden-
"The image below details what the White House Garden would look like if it was planted with subsidized crops from the Food and Farm Bill (via Slow Food USA Twitter). The image, created by Kitchen Gardeners International, shows the layout of the Spring 2011 White House garden. There are plots for fruits and vegetables including peas, kale, kohlrabi, pak choi, cauliflower, endive, herbs, swiss chard, lettuce, broccoli, chervil, garlic, greens, mint, collards, turnips, beets, arugula, spinach, rhubarb, blueberries and raspberries.

The "subsidy garden" shows the roughly $11 billion per year spent on mostly large-scale agriculture. The garden consists of corn, wheat, rice, cotton, soybeans, tobacco, sorghum, canola and sunflower.

Which would you prefer for your dinner?"

Check out the diagrams: here.

Uncommonly well

 

We talk about doing the common, uncommonly well- Kristi shows up beautiful squat depth. One of the best ways I've heard proper depth described was the marble analogy- a marble placed at the knee should roll back towered the hip.

the award goes to

 
Joe for making some of the best faces. Maybe he just misses the pyramid--

Have you seen this? The food pyramid got a 2 million dollar makeover:

 

From NPR: New Symbol For Healthful Eating: Hello Plate, Goodbye Pyramid

It's a pretty safe bet that not many people will mourn the demise of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food pyramid — the 20-year-old symbol of the department's dietary guidelines — when it's officially retired Thursday.

Just about everyone agrees the pyramid was complicated, and tried to get too many messages across at once — more dairy, less sweets, exercise, portion control, etc.

But the new symbol is simple — a plate divided into portions. And that's a good thing, said first lady Michelle Obama at a news conference on the subject.

"Parents don't have the time to measure out exactly three ounces of chicken or to look up how much rice or broccoli is in a serving," she said.

The pyramid has been maligned for some time.

 

Here's USDA release explaining what's up with the plate:

The plate features a lot more fruits and vegetables. In fact, half the plate is devoted to fruits and veggies. That's good news for fruit and vegetable producers like Lorelei DiSogra, vice president for nutrition and health at the United Fresh Produce Association.

DiSogra worked on the "half plate" message for more than a decade in various jobs, including one at the National Cancer Institute. "Half a plate is a very effective communications tool. It's very compelling, it's very clear, it's very straightforward," she says.

In other words, it's everything the pyramid was not. Less prominent on the plate is meat. In fact, it's not even named.

Americans are not going to throw out their grills, says Planet Barbecue author and host of PBS' Primal Grill Steven Raichlen. But they might start thinking about using meat the way many other countries around the world do — as more of a flavorful condiment than "this belly-bludgeoning, plate-burying hunk of protein."

A simple plate is a good idea from a marketing standpoint, St. Joseph's University's Stanton says. "The consumer spends maybe a maximum of three seconds looking at a food in a grocery store," he says. "Can you think of a busy mother trying to put delicious, nutritious food on the table, looking at a pyramid?"

Been there, done that, and, nope.

competition

 
Who loves dumbbells? I don't think Melissa does.

The shake weight may have competition-- introducing the PowerLung!

 

PowerLung is an easy to use, hand-held product proven by independent clinical studies to increase lung capacity and improve your breathing so you can race faster, dive deeper, perform longer, exercise easier, and, overall, breathe better.

PowerLung is right for you whether your goal is to improve your competition edge, expand your performance range and projection, get more enjoyment from practice, workouts or weekend athletics, or simply enjoy afternoons with the kids.

What makes PowerLung different from the other products? The most important difference is PowerLung is the ONLY product available that will improve the muscles that support your lungs for both INHALING and EXHALING all in the same breath.

thirty inches

 
 
When the wod called for a 30" box jump the boys got out the tape measure and got creative.

How a Group of Friends Are Working to Find a Cure for Autism

It is difficult to understand the experience of parents of special needs children. Unless you have received that phone call from a doctor explaining to you that your child will live a life far different than you imagined when you first found out you were pregnant, it's hard to know what those tears mean. If you haven't endured the long, sleepless nights, the ongoing hospital visits, the minimal amount of dating time, then it's nearly impossible to wrap your mind around what they feel. If you haven't stood over your little one's crib, feeling an amazing love for that little baby, but feeling utterly helpless because you want to do something -- anything -- to make him or her better, well then it can be hard to know what to do when your friend is in that position.

When their lifelong friend, Jim Vershbow and his wife Pam found out that their firstborn son Patrick had Fragile X Syndrome, Jon Pressman, Steve Savarese, Billy Rome and later Jimmy Marks and Scott Katz wanted to do something. It wasn't clear, however, what that something should be.

The old friends decided to hold a 3-on-3 Basketball tournament.

On Saturday, June the 4, the 15th Annual Patrick's PALS 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament will be held in Cambridge, MA. Teams comprised of high school kids, college-aged players, or older folks armed with Advil and knee braces, will come to play in games that, while being for charity, have the intensity of NBA Playoff Basketball. More than thirty teams will be in attendance and will play in a double elimination tournament at BB&N, the Alma Mater of its founders.

Each year, Patrick's PALS brings in nearly $40,000 which they donate to FRAXA, an organization founded in 1994 by parents of Fragile X kids who wanted to be a part of more than a support group, that works to further research around treatment and the finding of a cure to Fragile X.