First Big Dawg Challenge - SEPTEMBER 25!
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Big Dawg Challenges have been and will continue to be built so that anyone can do them anywhere with the basics. Only expectations are honesty in movement standards and a willingness to help other athletes. For live events the gathering has traditionally been judged by other competitors - i.e. counting reps, watching movements, etc...to keep the camaraderie high. We only expect full effort.

Here is our opportunity to help Big Dawg athletes who may not be able to compete due to their financial situation.
100% proceeds from the fund will go towards those athletes that represent the Big Dawg family, wish to compete and simply need some financial help.
Small or large, once or 20 times, any amount given will benefit, thank you for your support.
How you can offer your support:

Visit the OPT online store to donate directly.
Big Dawg Challenges - all proceeds go to the Big Dawg Dish
Amazon Affiliates - purchase any of James' recommended reads on the OPT blog through Amazon; all proceeds will go towards the Big Dawg Dish

Now you can mix your Refuel anytime, anywhere!  The bottles are available in a variety of colours with OPT branding and will available on the OPT online store mid-September for only $10!

The patented BlenderBall wire whisk moves freely throughout the bottle as you shake it, mixing the thickest ingredients with ease.  Best of all, it's BPA-free!

Congrats to Katy Josephs!

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Become a fan of OPT on Facebook and find about our secret One-Day Sale as well as other related news and happenings.

by James FitzGerald

Kibosh - Check it, don't stop it
ki·bosh noun \ki-bäsh; ki-bäsh\
Definition of KIBOSH: something that serves as a check or stop

One saying that always resonated with me was "the true measure of a person is how they react to hardship". There have been many instances over my sporting and professional career where I questioned how I was ever going to recover from such sorrow and hardship.

Like the ying/yang relationship one cannot have happiness without sorrow; understanding and "feeling" this is a true awakening.

Things don't go your way at the office, you're stuck in traffic and are late, your child acts up out of nowhere, your boyfriend is not paying attention to you are just a few examples that are parallel emotions that come about to not winning or just plain losing.

How are you reacting? Where does your reaction come from? Are you realizing what emotions you're feeling with the reaction?

Pay attention sometimes - understanding what is going on (the little voice in the head) can lay the ground work to be prepared for these situations when they arise again.

I do find that when people have a grasp and understand their feelings, it still allows them to put it all out there in the attempt to succeed but decreases the chances of them somehow finding a way to mess the situation; when folks have a grasp of their feelings they can still compete "fully" without getting lost in the chances of messing it up

As an example; for years I have coached thousands of athletes and have noticed prior to some events how somehow things just get in the way of allowing them to proceed with the goal they have in mind. When I debrief with them after the attempt, there seems to be a lack of awareness of the situation and an inability for them to process their feelings when they seemed to "kibosh" things.

I'm sure you've seen this happen.

Here's how to fix it. Pick some small instances where you can test the theory and see where you start to "recognize" when you are allowing the "kibosh" to happen - at that point, note it, and move on. Pick something on a larger scale and go into it completely aware - there may still be some poor timing or imperfections but learn what you did better this time with the situation than before...and so on and so on.

Get it engrained in your emotions - become aware and listen to the little voice - then over time you'll truly realize that the hardship is a learning; how will you react? Check it or stop it?

CJ Martin, owner of CrossFit Invictus is on the "perfect" path for making all facets of life successful. For people that are fortunate enought to have met CJ, they know and agree that he lights up any room he walks into. He will be one of the first group of coach's to be OPT Level I certified this year. CJ has been through 4 of the 5 OPT CCP Level I modules and through this time course conductor and CJ's personal Coach, James FitzGerald, has seen CJ further blossom as a Coach and Athlete.

James says, "CJ is a special person. He sits very well with the philosophy we have at OPT in the search for furthering other people's development. You do not have to look any further than his successful, thriving facility to see that he has put his work in and what he has there means so much to him."

Because of CJ's thoroughness, accountability and outstanding demeanour, he has been selected as the USA west coast support location for some upcoming CCP modules this month and in the first part of 2011. In addition to this responsibility, he has been assigned a lead role in the development/delivery of the September 25th Big Dawgs challenge. We know that every Coach needs a Coach to take care of their own needs - CJ puts his training/lifestyle into the hands of James - they do remote coaching via email and connect via skype on a monthly basis. As an athlete/client, James says, "we began this journey with the overall theme being an equilibrium between aspects of life; we have got to the point where balance is there and now it is showing physically and emotionally with training and business; fun thing is, we now have a good place to work from and the path is limitless now."

This is what CJ has to say:

"The OPT CCP has been a sort of rebirth for me as a coach. I have always been extremely committed to continuing education and over the years have sought out many opportunities to improve my coaching and programming. I would take bits and pieces of information from here and there and blend it into what I was already doing. The OPT CCP is an amazing shortcut on that process. Because James is experienced with a variety of fitness methodologies, he has been able to capture the best practices and introduce them to coaches in an organized, easy to implement manner. It has confirmed many of the things with which I had found success, and has given me countless new tools.

The influence of the OPT CCP is easy to see in our group programming (on the Invictus blog), and with our athletes. We prepared all of our competitive athletes for CrossFit competitions using concepts that were heavily influenced by James. The result was that several of our individual athletes exceeded their expectations by a long shot, and our team was able to capture another top five finish at Games.

I am really looking forward to hosting the OPT CCP here in San Diego. At each module I have met incredible individuals. The community that the CCP has attracted has been, without exception, phenomenal. The participants are open-minded and dedicated to educating themselves to be the best coaches they can be. It's inspiring to be around like-minded individuals who are excited to share and learn new information.

James has also been working on getting me back to full strength. I am not sure if this will resonate with every gym owner, but I had spent the vast majority of my time over the past couple of years devoting myself to my business and my athletes. I was sleep deprived, not eating enough, missing workouts, and when I would workout with any kind of intensity I would feel shot for several days after. Over that past few months James has helped me reestablish a passion for training. Training is fun again, and I am seeing some nice progress that makes me feel like an athlete again (and not just a coach)."

We wish CJ continued personal and business growth now and in the future and look forward to his role within OPT develop and flourish.

Coconut Pancakes

Drizzle these with honey, berries, wrap up some with bacon for a Primal breakfast burrito, or just eat them plain.  These things are incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients:
4 eggs
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup coconut milk (full fat)

Method:
Mix these ingredients and let them sit for 5 minutes.  Oil or grease up the pan and heat over medium heat.  Pour about a 1/4 cup of batter for each crepe, allowing each side to brown before flipping it. 

This is from Mark's Daily Apple and they are the best pancakes I have ever made.  They are just awesome with some nut butter and/or fresh berries.  Even better with bacon (from Old Country Sausage at CFM) and some black coffee.  I usually substitute a frozen banana for the honey and blend it up in a food processor.