Archive for the ‘Media’ Category

The week of delicious PaleOMG recipes begins with a Breakfast Lasagna!

I wasn’t sure how this one was going to turn out, but was anxious to start 7 straight days of meal-cooking videos with a delicious breakfast!

Instead of focusing more time and effort on a high-quality video production (as if I even knew how to do that!), I am just going to throw all of the short segments together into one longer video.

My goal throughout this series is to show the prep phase of the meal, a few mid-cooking steps, and then the final product with honest feedback about how I think it tastes! Why my opinion… because you’re on my blog, dummies. When I remember, I’ll also try to guess-timate how much the whole meal costs.

I’ve only recorded three videos as of the posting of this first recipe, so if there is anything you need more or less of to make these videos more helpful, please let me know asap!

For a snap shot of what I used to make this meal (pasted straight from the PaleOMG page), check it out:

Breakfast Lasagna
Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 35 mins Total time: 55 mins
Serves: 3-5

Ingredients
1 yam or sweet potato, thinly sliced lengthwise
1lb chorizo or breakfast sausage (depending on the spice level you’d like)
1 container sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion, sliced thin
⅓ cup canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper, to taste
6 eggs, whisked
2 tablespoons fat (I used bacon fat)

Blog time again!!

I’m back on the East Coast for two full weeks, and had this idea tonight to accomplish two goals:

Goal #1- To promote my friend Juli’s PaleOMG cookbook which comes out next April!
(Click here to Pre-Order that mo-fo!)

Goal #2- To trick my mom into cooking me awesome meals at least once a day (meals that come from www.paleomg.com of course)!!

Here’s episode number one 🙂

(and here is the direct link to this Breakfast Lasagna recipe)

Today’s questions come from Clark Niemeyer-Thomas, and they are all essentially in regards to the Winter WODFest CrossFit Competition (hosted by our friends at CrossFit Eminence) that will be held at the end of January.

At one point during my answers, I hesitate because I was unable to confidently identify a particular movie. When you watch my video, most of you will likely remember the scene I was referring to. In the movie Back to School, Rodney Dangerfield performs a dive. That dive… the Triple Lindy. Trust me, it’ll make more sense after you watch my video below.

Clark, let me know if you have any other questions. Everyone else, what else have you got for Ask Smashby?

Happy Wednesday, everyone.

Today’s Thought of the Day is simple:
Your excuse is invalid.

When I write that, I’m not talking at you, the reader of my blog. I’m talking to myself and sharing that inner monologue with you.

I will tell you what, when I want to, I can create some pretty big excuses. Why DID I do that? Why did I NOT to that? Why haven’t taken a step in the right direction? Why am I putting off STARTING that project for another day, week…. month? It’s something I’m constantly working on trying to improve, but I’m not there yet.

There are certainly plenty of times where a desired outcome is simply unrealistic. However, for the sake of this post, I’m referring to times where I can make a change, and choose not to instead. When these situations come up, I often think of the image below.

CrossFit, Smashby Training, Your Excuse is Invalid

Meanwhile, sometimes I complain about being too tired to work out.

When I have so much to be thankful and appreciative for, I feel as though sometimes I am being wasteful of my abilities and talents, and don’t like that feeling at all. If I’m healthy enough to work out, work out. If I have the physical ability and mental strength to accomplish a goal, why have I not accomplished it or made strides towards it yet? I have been working diligently towards trying to have that conversation with myself less and less often and instead just making the most of my time and living with fewer regrets.

I am not saying I haven’t accomplished anything positive, just acknowledging that I have so much more I want to do, in so many areas of my life! Does that make sense?

Well stories like the one in the video below are the types of stories that keep me motivated. Here’s a brief summary from the hourlyupdates YouTube page:
“Ali McWeeny of Ellensburg was once a force to be reckoned with in the world of weighlifting, but that all changed three years ago when she lost her left leg in a boating accident.

Doctors said she would never lift weights again, but McWeeny had other ideas. She’s now competing again, and her inspirational story was enough to bring her former coach out of retirement.”

Yep. One-legged weightlifter.

So, that brings me back to my initial point. My excuse is invalid. Time to buckle down and do some work.

How do you feel about this topic?

This morning I saw two friends of mine (a husband and wife who own CrossFit Eminence) share a post with one another on the book of face. The post comes from CrossFit Invoke, and is entitled “When Your Coaches are Off Duty“.

Here is the post, word for word:
“Today’s post is going to be short, but important. We love you guys. We do, and we love to coach you guys and see you succeed, but you know what else we love? CrossFit. Many of your coaches participate in the class, or sometimes are grabbing a few extra lifts off to the side during your class. While your coach has a bar overhead, just finished a WOD or is getting warmed up for the WOD is not the time to ask questions about how to do this movement or that movement, whats the WOD for tomorrow, etc etc. Sometimes, we also just like to socialize with everyone while we aren’t working and frequently need snacks between classes.

With all that being said, we’ll always do our best to answer your questions and help you out, but try an ask your questions when the coach isn’t training, snacking, napping, etc. If they aren’t on duty that day and its not critical to ask them at that moment, consider an email or facebook message so they can respond at their convenience.”

This made me think a little bit about how I feel about that topic, and I felt compelled to record a video on my way into work this morning.

PLEASE READ THIS:
I said it briefly in the video, but this video in NO WAY represents my views on what it takes to be a good coach! I am NOT suggesting, in any way, shape, or form, that a coach needs to always be “on duty.”

As I mention in the video, I simply feel that by only coaching about three nights per week, that I’m in the gym so infrequently, and I get to see my athletes so infrequently, that I want to be “on duty” far more often. For my friends who own gyms and coach 5-8 classes PER DAY, I think you ABSOLUTELY need some “you time” throughout the day. If for nothing else, to at least grab a bite (which few of them have time to do) and get a few minutes of silence (which few of them get).

So, take my words as how I like to roll, for me.
What are your thoughts on this topic?

Enjoy!

This. Is. Awesome.

Many of you know, that growing up in Pittsburgh, I am a huge Steelers fan. Almost all of you know that I am also a huge CrossFit fan! This video combines BOTH of those things!

Here’s the video summary from the CrossFitHQ YouTube video. So cool.

The moral of the story: Don’t ever give up.

I may have just added someone to my “Favorite Athlete” category.

Her name…. (Samantha) Sam Gordon. Does that sound familiar?

It probably does, because Sam is the NINE year old girl who took the internet by storm a few weeks ago with her incredible Highlight Reel video. In the video below she breaks tackles, breaks away from the pack, and breaks ankles with AMAZING speed and agility.




Today I also saw in interview with her on SportsCenter, and she is even cooler to me now. So well spoken, excited, intelligent, and now on the cover of a Wheaties box at NINE YEARS OLD!

Positive stories like this always make me smile, and I hope you all enjoy them, too.
Way to be, Sam. You are AWESOME!

I have always loved kids. I started coaching kids when I was about 13 or 14 years old in swimming, and over the last 15 years have coached everywhere from toddlers to high-school-aged “kids” in a variety of sports.

This video (from Paul McDonnell’s YouTube Page, shared by the crew at SicFit) not only made me laugh from start to finish, remember tons of great stories from the different teams I coached, but also reminded me of the appreciation I have for stay-at-home parents! Anyone who thinks that job is easy needs a wake-up call!

Enjoy, and Happy Day-Before-Thanksgiving!!

I am a huge fan of “Highlight Reels” for pretty much anything. A professional sports team’s championship run, an extreme sports season highlights, middle school spelling bee finals, I love ’em all!

The crew at Absolute Zero put together a pretty awesome video with some of their best moments from Mountain Biking and Skiing in 2011. Cleverly enough, the video below is called the “Absolute Zero 2011 Reel“.

The very final scene here is one of my favorites that has been featured all over. It is a ski jump “feature” that has 13 skiers going off in formation at almost the same time. Visually, I just find it breathtaking.

As ski season starts to pick up here for a lot of us, many of us have goals to use our training to help get us in better shape for the snow. I hope you like this!

I asked on Facebook if there were any questions for today’s “Ask Smashby” segment, and with the Turkey Challenge CrossFit Competition at MBS CrossFit this weekend, there were a few!

First of all, thanks to Hallie and Phoebe for your input. I love being able to try and help out fellow athletes and friends. Hopefully the video below answers your questions!

Hallie’s Question- “What are you packing foodwise for the turkey challenge?”
Phoebe’s Question- “How do you plan your pre-competition week?”

Enjoy, and as always, please leave your comments, feedback, thoughts, and spread the word if this helps!