Getting Older, Getting Stronger, Getting Better

I haven't posted any blogs in a while and I have no excuse. So, let's just chalk that one up to a thing called Summer.

Now that summer is over and it's back-to-school time, I've been settling back onto the Paleo wagon. Lets face it, the wheels fell off of the wagon this summer and it was basically up on a hydraulic lift in pieces for 3 or 4 months. It's now time to get back after it.

Izzy and Aidan heading
back to school

With the weather cooling down and the Fall Crossfit competition season heating up at all of the local boxes, I figured it was time to get back to a good food routine. Start cooking more, trying out new snacks, treats and recipes to add to my Paleo repetoire and so far, it's been pretty damn awesome.

One of the most difficult things with the Paleo lifestyle is trying to fend off boredom. Meat and veggies and eggs and nuts can get pretty boring. But, with all of the recipe sites out there and your friendly smartphone, there is no excuse for not trying new things. (Sorry about all the negatives in one sentence... think positive).

Spices are your friend. Remember that, and say it with me..."Spices are your friend". 

Spices can make or break any meal. But most of the time, they kick a bland everyday meal into something amazing.

Recently, I bought a rack of babyback ribs from Trader Joe's to cook on the grill at a party. I season almost every meat on the grill with salt, pepper and garlic. However, I was feeling a little spicy myself, so I got a little creative and added paprika and cinnamon. 

Cinnamon is becoming my "everything" spice. I put it in my coffee, on ice cream (paleo of course), and use it on several other meats and meals. It is definitely a super-spice. Check out some of the health benefits of cinnamon here. 

The other spice I really like is Paprika. I'm not really one for "hot" food, but paprika gives a mild, warm kick to your food. Combined with the cinnamon it makes for a really sweet combination.

Grilled babyback Ribs with sautéed Sugar Snap Peas

If you're having ribs on the grill, of course you need some sort of sauce. There are so many great barbecue sauces out there, but of course, I didn't have any in the house. So, I made one up with what we had. A simple sauce from ketchup, steak sauce, pure maple syrup, salt and pepper. Of course there are some crappy ketchups out there. Make sure you get an organic or all-natural ketchup either made with organic cane sugar or regular sugar instead of any High-Fructose Corn Syrup. Skip anything with HFCS in it. 

The sauce was surprisingly good, and caramelized on the ribs as they browned at the end. Really good stuff and it's difficult to not feel satisfied after a meal like this.


I have been trying some great new breakfast recipes as well that I'll share in another blog post soon along with the ever popular Paleo Donuts.

Since getting back to paleo, and eliminating any grains, dairy, I have definitely seen the lean me coming back. I've also noticed my strength picking up a notch as well, hitting a couple PRs at Crossift Wicked over the last few weeks (Squat Clean - 195#, Snatch - 155#).

However, what I have also noticed is there are things that I haven't been working on regularly that I really need to focus on, like the one most Crossfitters loath... running.

I used to "like" running. Meaning, it wasn't difficult and I could do it relatively effortlessly. As I've gotten a little older (into the Masters Division) I have noticed that running is taking much more effort. Especially combined in a WOD. My cardio gas tank is definitely not as large or forgiving as it used to be. 

What this means to me is work! I need to work on this. It's becoming a goat, and I don't like it. I'm not saying I want to bust out a World Class marathon time. I just don't want to be dragging my feet on a 400m run. I want an easy, steady pace and I know the only way I'll get there is to work on it. Just like everything else, I need to put the work in. I didn't get my PR's by staring at the bar. And I sure as hell am not going to get better at running by talking about it. Time to put the supplemental work into the UN-fun things as well. 

It's pretty crazy to think this way, but as I'm getting older, I'm definitely getting stronger, which a few years ago I didn't even consider being possible. But, I also need to get better. Not just in the gym, but in life too. My kids deserve it, I deserve it, and my family and friends deserve it. The only way that's going to happen is putting in the work. The work may not be fun. It may not be easy. But one thing is for sure, I'm worth it.