Sunday Story…Movement and You

As most of you know I lead a highly active daily life. I’m on my feet most of the day, picking lots of different things of varying weights, and demonstrating different movements. Then I work out.

Last week I was on vacation. I swam a couple 2500m ocean swims, hit the gym a couple times, and walked a lot. So, it wasn’t like I was sedentary. But I was much more sedentary than normal.

Why am I telling you this? It’s simple…when I returned to my regular schedule on Monday, I found myself stiff and immobile. Even doing my GOWOD mobility program (which I did on vacation) was more difficult than usual. I didn’t workout on Monday but when I started my workout on Tuesday it was a real struggle.

The point I am trying to make is this: You need to keep moving. And the more you move, the better you will feel. We are all human and for millennia humans walked, ran, squatted (no chairs!), fought, picked up things of all sizes and weights carried them around, and rested. We didn’t sit at a desk for 8 hours. We didn’t have machines to alleviate our weight-bearing loads. We didn’t have a way from here to there except our own 2 feet. We moved a lot.

As we age, the less we move the more we don’t want to move. Even I, a serious moving human, found that when I moved less and started to move more again it was uncomfortable. Luckily, I am extremely comfortable with being uncomfortable! Move more, be more human.

 

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story...From the Beach

I'm sitting here, at the tail end of a week in Cancun, writing this missive looking at the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean. The wifi is a little wonky and it's hard to get things done with any of the speed I am used to. And that is a good thing! 

Slowing down is a good thing. For all the modern conveniences we have, immediate access to information, fast messages going back and forth, and moving from task to task over and over again, it is important to slow down and savor all the things this life offers us.

Good friends, loving family, excellent health, the ability to move, and the time to enjoy them all are truly a gift. We are so fortunate to live lives of abundance. Even if you think your life is lacking in some way, all you need to do is look around a bit and you will see how blessed you really are.

I am reminded of an old story (and I am paraphrasing):

I was sad as I had nothing but old shoes, ratty and worn until I met a man with no shoes. He was forlorn as he had no shoes, was barefoot, and dirty until he saw a man with no feet. The man with no feet had no way to move about except on a small trolley to propel himself with his hands. This man was very sad until he spied a funeral procession carrying a man deceased, his family following behind wailing loudly in grief. No matter what your circumstances there is always someone in more dire straits.

Slow down dear reader, smell the roses, savor the moment as it will be gone before you know it. Remember...sometimes you have to go slow to go fast.

See you Monday!

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 Sunday Story…Let’s Gooooo!

It’s official. I have received my invite for the 2024 CrossFit Games by Legends. This year they have decided to invite 20 65+ Masters athletes. In the last few years, it has only been 10. This will be my third consecutive trip and sixth overall. As I have already mentioned the semifinals went well. I moved very well, had clean precise movement, and although my scores did not hold as well as I would’ve liked they were good enough to place me at #19.

That means as of right now I am the 19^th fittest 65+ CrossFitter on the planet. Not too bad when you look at it like that. In 2014, the first year I made the trip to the Games, I was 57. This year I am 67. In 2014 I qualified last…#20; this year #19. In 2014 I was a dark horse, the guy no one knew about, the guy that wasn’t supposed to be there. I snuck up on everyone and managed to finish #6. This year it’s similar. When the leaderboard first got set, I was #21 and just outside the bubble by 1 point. Then a couple of corrections or penalties got handed down and voila, I’m in the 19^th spot.

The next 3 months of training will be spent improving some skills. I have some weaknesses that a slight improvement on will yield massive improvements…my Olympic lifting is one, double unders is another, as well as high-capacity gymnastic movements.

But, in the meantime, before I begin to really put the pedal to the metal, I’m going on vacation. Mexico here I come!

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

Sunday Story…ERF

Yesterday someone asked me if I had someone programming my nutrition. I do not. I tend to eat food I like. Luckily, the food I like is healthy for my body.

You have heard us say this over and over…Eat Real Food. That part of the prescription is simple. Stay away from processed food, especially ultra-processed foods. Sugary drinks, baked goods, convenience foods, and fast food all have the potential to disrupt your metabolic system in ways we have no idea of or control over.

After the real food rule, we need to prioritize protein intake. As we age it is harder to maintain muscle mass, even harder to add muscle, and more difficult to absorb and utilize the protein we ingest. So, lots of high-quality real protein…eggs, beef, fish, poultry, dairy (if it works for you), and some plant-based choices.

The second priority is to choose the correct portions. If you eat too much, it will translate into weight gain. Here’s an easy measure…protein in the amount of one palmful. If it doesn’t fill your hand, it isn’t enough and if it overflows it’s too much. The same rule applies to starchy vegetables, pasta, or rice. The rest of your plate should be filled with green stuff…broccoli, salad, and more. It is difficult to overeat vegetables. It is quite easy to overeat the condiments and nonsense you pour over those vegetables. Don’t go there!

Eat real Food. Eat more protein. Eat enough to fuel performance but not to store body fat.

Simple not easy.

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com    

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…The Semifinals

The semifinals are over. It was 4 workouts over 5 days. Fitness was tested in some ways and not in others, just like any contest. My performance was good in places, not so good in others, and exceptionally good in at least one. Here is my take: I can only do what I can do. The other competitors will do what they do.

 

The important part to me lies in the following quote from Gandhi: 

"Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment, full effort is full victory."

What this means to me is that I need to follow my own path and not worry about any comparisons. Did I do what I intended to? Was my performance what I expected of me. If I didn’t perform as I expected, why not, and what do I need to do to meet that standard?

Here was my plan:

Be one and done. In other words, I am only going to do each wod once. No do-overs. In a live competition, you only get one shot and I want to mimic that effort.

Move to the standard Every Damn Time. That means getting zero no reps. This is a hard goal. The faster you move, the closer to the edge you stay and the more likely you are to fall off the edge. So, move as fast as possible and as well as possible.

At the end of the workout feel as if there was nothing left to give in that moment.

Based on those objectives I am very satisfied with my performance in the semifinals. Was it perfect? No. I did get several no-reps in 2 of the workouts.

There is always controversy swirling around these competitions. So and so cheated, so and so is on PEDS, that group had an inside track on the workouts. IT DOESN’T MATTER.

What matters is this:

Full effort…full victory.

John Mariotti

www.crossfitodyssey.com

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

775-338-2412

By the way…if you are still reading this, my current place on the leaderboard is 19^th. Which is inside the top 20 that will get an invite to Birmingham for the Games. But we must wait for the video review to conclude before we assume the invite will be issued!

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday Story…Hard Things

Every day should bring things that are hard for you to do. Every day I should do things that scare me, even if it’s just a little. Every day I should poke the edges of my comfort zone.

Man is the only creature on the planet that limits his growth on purpose. A tree will grow as tall as it can given the resources it has available. It will continue to grow until it can’t grow anymore and then it will begin to die.

Yet we humans purposefully put limits on our growth. We stop learning new things. We eat food that is not going to assist our health. We stopped moving. We stop doing the things that, for millennia, have made us human.

Your growth isn’t limited to any one area. You aren’t just a body, a mind, or an emotion. Some of the most fabled people in our history faced adversities that many other people let beat them. Stephen Hawking comes to mind. Helen Keller is another. They faced adversity and managed to contribute to our collective growth as a human society. They faced hard things and moved forward.

You have an opportunity today to do something that scares you, even if just a little. Perhaps it is a hard conversation or picking up a heavier weight than normal. Whatever it is you need to get out of your comfort zone and into your growth zone.

The easy path is rarely the most rewarding one. We are often exhorted to “take the path of least resistance.” Yet the most stunning views lie at the ends of the most grueling paths.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412

 

Sunday Story…My Road (so far)

 

Sunday Story…My Road (so far) 

As I prepare for this year’s CrossFit Masters games, many people are asking “What are you doing? How are you preparing for this upcoming test?” And then the next question will be if you qualify what will you do to be at your best in Birmingham at the end of August?

My answer (as usual) is to dance with the one that brought you. What got me here is 5 or 6 days of 15 minutes of mobility, 3 days of 45 minutes of zone 2 aerobic training, 5 days of strength and skill work and 2 intense HIIT style wods a week. Now my definitions may be a little different than some people but that is the basic prescription.

What may be most important here is to recognize that this is the longevity prescription I ascribe to. And the way I just wrote it is how I prioritize the work. This prescription can be modified and scaled for you to your fitness level. My level is just a little different than yours.

Mobility is both strength and flexibility. There are static stretches as well as dynamic movement. Zone 2 training is not mindless rowing and treadmill work. It’s watching your heart rate and your pace and trying to improve both metrics. I continue to work on new skills and stay on top of the ones I already have. Although I rarely chase a true 1-rep-max I do try to work in the 80% range for reps. This keeps me strong. Last is the intensity piece. I vary the time domains, but the key is when my recovery is high, I will hit the intensity hard…like looking for the number of the bus that just ran over me hard.

That’s it. Lather, rinse, repeat.

 

John Mariotti

www.sunday-stories.blogspot.com

www.crossfitodyssey.com

775-338-2412