TAILS FROM THE HOUND POUND

GOOD-BYE FRIEND :(

2011-10-19T08:08:00.000-07:00

BRUCE FINLAYSON
March 28, 2006 - October 18, 2011

Good-bye Bruce. We miss you already. Sorry you had to leave so soon. We will always remember the happy and fun times we had together. You were a great companion and we were so proud to have you in our family. Rest in peace Bruce. We will always love you.

FUN RUN!

2011-07-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Saturday was the third 5 Peak race, and in my mind it was the best one yet. Sundre only seemed to have one hill, but it was sure a fun one to run! This trail didn't have a lot of elevation or flat ground - mostly rolling hills, which I liked. It also didn't have any single track where you couldn't pass, so I didn't get struck behind a bunch of people like the last Canmore race. I'm really enjoying theses runs this year and will be sad when they're over. The only negatives I have about this race was was the lack of potties and the usual post race snacks.

The potty situation. The results page shows there where 265 people that ran the race. Let's assume that each runner brought an average of one support person to cheer them on and watch. This would mean there were about 530 people at the race. This would not include kids (there was a kids race) or volunteers, so let's add another 70 people to this to even it out to 600. Okay, so 600 people were there. How many porta-potties do you think would be needed to support this number? keep in mind that including the kids race, at least half of these people were competing and would most likely need to use the loo before the race. The answer is four! One potty for about every 150 people. Now let's say that all 265 racers wanted to use the loo before the race. Let's also assume the average potty going time for each person was one minute (and that would be a quick one). This would mean that it would take almost 4.5 hours for everyone to go. I wonder how many people missed the race cause they were in line for the loo? I know I almost did. I ran straight from the loo to the start of the race! So the lesson in this story is to show up 4 hours early or use the loo somewhere else before you get there.

Now for the post race snacks. Dorito munchie mix, cookies and bagels, need I say more? The bagels I understand (I know how runners like their carbs), but how could anyone think that cookies and doritos would be a good post run snack? Seems so weird to me!

Munchi mix in
disposable cups

Buffet of bagels, cookies
and fruit for desert

Workouts for the week

I was able to squeeze in workouts on Sunday and Monday, and hoping to get one in tonight. Sunday was beautiful day to bust one out in the Pound. JEFFF hung out with Elle in the gravity chair and I did a running snatch wod. Yesterday I was able to fit a quick shoulder press and row sprint wod in before the 6:00 class at The LAB while Elle slept in her car seat. Not sure what I'll do tonight, but I'll keep you posted.

BABY MEET MEAT

2011-07-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday already! Where has the week gone?

Hmm...looks like other
babies are doing it...

I went to my first "play group" with Elle on Tuesday. Elle doesn't play with other babies yet and neither do any of the other babies in the group. It's more of a play group for adults to talk about their babies to other adults -"my baby does this, my baby does that...does yours?" The reason I went was because they had an infant nutritionalist in to talk about introducing solids to babies and I wanted to hear what she had to say. So, my take away from the play group was that I could start feeding Elle Bison. Really!? At 4 months!? Anyone have any thoughts on this? I think it's kind of a big jump to go from milk to bison, but what do I know? And, how does one get bison smooth enough to drink? Actually, I know the answer to this - the Vitamix (I think this is what it was called) blender. We saw a demo at the Stampede and this blender does everything from heating soup to liquifying bison meat. Anyway, more about the blender later. Elle has not had her first bite/sip of bison, yet...but I'll keep you posted if she does.

As for workouts since Tuesday, I've been taking it easy. Yesterday was a long stroller and hound walk, which is a bit of a workout in its self when you think about pushing a giant stroller with a frantic 13lb baby inside and then have two 50lb hounds on leaches tied around your waist! Tonight I will probably go for a run, but we'll see how the day does. Might even try running with the stroller (sans hounds), as I think Elle is ready for some speed.

A HOUND OF A YEAR!

2011-07-19T20:42:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? It's been just over a year since this site was started and my what many tails have been told. I have neglected this site for a while and I apologize - there is still a lot happening around the Pound these days and I have not been sharing. I will try to do better.

Elle and I doing the triple
Helen at the 2010 Games.

This time last year I was 6 weeks pregnant and competing in the CrossFit Games. I bet Elle is the only baby that can say she competed in 2010!! That is if she could talk, of course. It was also this time last year that I believe I was in the best shape of my life, and my goal when I found out I was pregnant was to get my pre-games body back by the end of July 2011. This date is only a couple weeks away, but believe me I'm not there yet. It's been a lot harder than I thought to find the time, energy, sleep and proper nutrition to workout (hard), but I'm doing the best I can and I am now able to fit in about 4 wods a week. Sometimes I have to be creative, sometimes they involve the baby and sometimes they're really short, but they are all wods no less. So listen up all you baby Momas out there, you can find the time to workout and I can help - follow me on my journey to get back in shape and you will see. I will also keep you posted on my activities each week starting today. It's Tuesday and I have already fit in two workouts. Sunday was a fun one for me. JEFFF's parents wanted some Elle time, so I used this free time to ride tommy (my bike) to the outdoor pool for some lane swimming in the sun. So much fun! The bike ride was 5km each way and I swam 1100M total. Monday (unfortunately) was not in the cards for me. Elle had me up three times the night before and I was running on about 4 hours of solid sleep, so wodding was the last thing I wanted to do. Today (Tuesday) was a better day. I was only up once last night, so I got more sleep and I'm feeling much better. Today's wod was done in the evening while Jefff had some Elle time at The LAB. It was a doozey that JEFFF had done earlier in the week - 570M Run, then 72 reps each of push ups, pull ups, wall balls, KB swings, deadlifts, then another 570M run. It was a long one, but it felt really good to do. AND, I beat JEFFF's time!! I'll keep you posted on the rest of the week, but I'm hoping to fit in a short run and an easy one and then rest up for the 5 Peak Race on Saturday - the 3rd of the year! Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted!

BREAKFAST DYNING!

2011-05-24T15:18:00.000-07:00

Just another morning at the Hound Pound...

Get that bacon on the grill, JEFFF! LTP is working
hard for her breakfast. Everyone should have an
Ardyne in their kitchen!

OH BABY!!!

2011-05-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Check out the LAB!!

HOUND POUND BABY!

2011-04-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO THE HOUND POUND ELLE!!

Elle - Recovering post wod

We'd like to welcome and introduce you to all to the newest addition to the Hound Pound, Elle. She arrived early and delivered at the Hound Pound on March 14th! She's a tough little lady and will be hitting up the workouts in no time. In the meantime sHELLy will be working hard to get her "pre-Elle" and CF Games body back. If you or any new mamas you know are looking to get back in shape after baby, join sHELLy this summer for outdoor MomFit classes. Bring your babe and get your bod back fast. Classes will start up in May, email sHELLy if you're interested.

In honour of Elle and her speedy arrival at the Hound Pound, I'd like to dedicate a workout to her. This one is similar to the one I did on March 14th!

'ELLE'
For 2 hours:
1:00 Airdyne sprint (all out)
1:00 rest

March 11th, 2011

March 15th, 2011

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRUCE!

2011-04-05T13:11:00.000-07:00

THE BIRTHDAY BOY!!

SORRY BRUCE!!
We missed your special day and would like to wish you a very happy belated Birthday. Our favourite little boy Bruce Finlayson turned 3 years old on March 28th. Happy Birthday Bruce! There has been a lot going on lately at the Hound Pound which is why there hasn't been a new for a while and why we missed posting Bruce's B-day. Stay tuned for more posts coming soon as we catch up on all the exciting events. In honour of Bruce, today's workout is dedicated to him. Run 3KM today for Bruce, and because it's such a nice day. Bruce will be hitting the trails this afternoon.

5x135# Squat Snatch

2011-03-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Jeff hits 5 rep squat snatch PR at The LAB.

DID YOU SOAK YOUR NUTS TODAY?

2011-02-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

THIS IS NUTS!

I learned something new the other day that I thought I'd share with all the nut eaters out there. Maybe you know this, but I sure didn't. Did you know that soaking your nuts in water for a few hours before eating them will remove enzyme inhibitors which will allow the full nutritional value to be released, make the nut easier to digest, and remove tannic acid? I sure didn't. I wonder how many vitamins I've missed out on, and toxins I've consumed from the copious amounts of cashews I've eaten over my lifetime. We'll at least it's not to late for me. Let the nut soaking begin!

HOW TO SOAK YOUR NUTS:
Place your nuts (and seeds) in a bowl or jar filled with room temperature water and cover with something that will allow them to breath (a towel or cloth would work). Let soak for 2-24 hours depending on the nut or seed - see soaking chart below. You will also need to drain and rinse the nuts/seeds 2-3 times depending on how long they need to soak - each time you do this, make sure you rinse them until the water drains clear. Once the soak time is up, you're ready for a nut feast. You can store the extra "enzyme inhibitor" free nuts in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

NUT SOAKING TIMES (HOURS):
Almonds: 8 – 12
Cashews: 2 – 2.5
Sesame seeds: 8
Sunflower seeds: 2
Walnuts: 4
All other nuts: 6-24

ENJOY YOUR NUTS!

INTERGALACTIC RECAP

2011-02-13T15:39:00.000-08:00

WHAT A DAY!

Thought I'd share some good news and some photos from last weeks Intergalactic Throwdown hosted by The Lab and the Hound Pound. We raised a houndstanding $620 for The New Hope Dog Rescue in Thunder Bay! I'm so proud of all the athletes who competed, and can't wait to do it again. I'd also like to thank all the athletes, volunteers and everyone that brought yummy food to the post comp paleo pot-luck. Another great day at the Hound Pound.

Click here to see all photos!

Sub 7!!!

2011-02-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

The countdown is on for the Crossfit sectionals at the end of March. Jefff's 2k row time trial WOD resulted in a HUGE PR, and a 4 year goal accomplished. Sub 7:00 by 1/10 of a second is still sub 7:00!!!

ARE YOU READY FOR FEBRUARY 5TH?

2011-01-30T07:39:00.000-08:00

GET READY! Ready for what you might ask? The CrossFit SubZero’s InterGalactic ThrowDown and post-pompetition Paleo Potluck Party hosted by The Lab Fitness Training and sponsored by your very own Hound Pound. It’s not too late to sign up!

WHAT? This is a throw down, a show down, hell no you can’t slow down…Okay this is fitness challenge, for everyone, with proceeds going to two dog rescue organizations – which is why the Hound Pound is a proud supporter of this event. There will be 3 events to complete in one day, and we guarntee all the workouts will be scalable for everyone to be able to complete them (even women that at 8+ months pregnant!).

WHEN? Saturday, February 5 (All Day)
8:00 Doors open for athletes to warm up
9:00 Wod 1 first heat
12:00ish Wod 2 first heat
3:00ish Wod 3 first heat
6:00ish Hound Pound Paleo Pot Luck post wod party!!

CO$T? The LAB Fitness training is not charging for this event, but the event is collecting donations for “The New Hope Dog Resuse" in Thurder Bay, Ontario. Anyone that donates $40 or more will get a special event T-shirt that features the CFSZ “Marion the Snowman” logo back, and good karma for helping poor little doggies without homes.

HOW DO I SIGN UP? – Easy! Email thelab@thelabfitnesstraining.com and tell them Hound Pound sent you!

WHY SHOULD I COMPETE?
Lots of reasons:

It gives you something to train for and be accountable for
It’s fun to hang out with ‘The LAB’ athletes and coaches all day long and go through the workout pain together.
It will provide you the opportunity to push to new limits that you may not have pushed to in a group class or training on your own.
The cool kids are doing it – avoid the “oh I totally could have done that” feeling when everyone else is talking about it.
Do one thing a day that scares you (as per the lululemon manifesto)
It’s for a VERY good cause. New Hope Dog Rescue
You could win! And get a new T-SHIRT!!!!

WHAT IF I READ ALL THE REASONS WHY I SHOULD COMPLETE, BUT DON'T WANT TO? Then come out anyway and cheer on The LAB Athletes and join us for the Post Paleo Potluck feast after. RSVP here, and we'll send you address and directions.

WHAT SHOULD I BRING TO THE POTLUCK? Anything paleo! This means nothing that has been processed or contains processed ingredients, including: grains, dairy, sugar, potatoes and legumes. Find out more about Paleo here.

I can't wait for next weekend! We hope to see you all there!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2011-01-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

A new year is upon us. Did you succeed in accomplishing your 2010 goals? If so, great! If not, why? Quite often when goal setting, we think of the end result we want to accomplish, but don’t think about how we are going to get there.

It’s easy to say “this year, I’m going to get fit”. That’s a great thing to say, and it’s definitely a realistic goal, but how are you going to get fit? Do you have a game plan? Do you have the resources you will need in place to get fit? Have you thought about how your priorities will need to change?

Prioritize

If your goal for 2011 is to get fit, you need to make this a top priority in your life. This means that some other current priority will have to get bumped down the list. We have all heard someone say “but I don’t have time for [insert excuse here]”. Time is the currency used to measure how much you value something. If you spend 60 hours at your job each week, it’s obvious you value your career. If you spend an hour each night watching television, you could make an argument that you value your TV time. If you say “I don’t have time to exercise”, it doesn’t really mean you don’t have time to exercise, it means that work and television are higher priorities than exercise. Make a list of your priorities, and hold yourself accountable to them.

Game Plan

How are you going to get fit? Do you have a game plan to accomplish your goal? If not, did you seek out the resources required that will assist in creating the game plan? You can’t say “I want to get fit”, and just go at it blindly. You need to have a game plan in place to make it happen.

Stick With It!

Why does every gym see a lot more business in January, and then less as the year progresses? We all love the idea of being fit, healthy, lean, strong, etc. However, not all of us love the idea of working really hard to get there. If you want lifelong health/wellness/fitness, than you have to work for it, and stick with it!!

Excuses

Don’t get caught using one of these top 5 excuses!

1. “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Today is always tomorrow if you continue with this mindset.

2. “I don’t have time”. You always have time for the things you value most in life.

3. “It’s too hard”. Running across Canada on one leg dying from cancer as Terry Fox did is hard.

4. “He/she can do it, but I can’t”. He/she can do it because they don’t use this excuse.

5. “I can’t afford it”. If you can’t afford to invest in your own health, longevity, peace of mind, and serenity, what is it you can afford?

Post your 2011 goals, and your game plan to accomplish them below.

COUNT DOWN TO CHRISTMAS!!

2010-12-23T10:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone! Hope you
have a houndstanding holiday season.

GIVE THE GIFT OF WELLNESS THIS YEAR
There are only a couple shopping days left until Christmas, and if your still unsure or stressed out about what to get your loved ones or friends this year, we've compiled a list of items that we think are great. All of these items can be purchased in Calgary as last minute gifts. In no particular order here are some of our favourite "wellness" things.

1) SKINS

JEFFF after a 60 minute row.
He wouldn't be sitting up if it
weren't for the Skins suit.

Give the gift of compression to your loved ones. This gear will enhance your performance and help your recovery. Available in different garment combinations for both men and women.
Where to buy in Calgary: I've seen these at Strides Running store in Marda Loop and at Bow Cycle in Bowness.

2) KETTLEBELL

Take this with you
wherever you go!

This is the perfect piece of equipment for home gyms and workouts. There are so many exercises you can do with just this one piece of equipment - swings, snatch, cleans, squats, lunges and Turkish get-ups, just to name a few.
Where to buy in Calgary: We bought ours from Marty at M-2 Sport, but you can also buy them at Fitter First

3) WEIGHT VEST

Pull-ups, hound walking,
house cleaning... you name
it, the vest can be worn.

If anyone ever wants to do 'MURPH' as rx'd, they'll need one of these. Also a great item to wear around the house or walking the hounds. Add 20 - 80+ pounds to your loved one this year!
Where to buy in Calgary: We bought our Xvest from Fitter First

4) FOOD PROCESSOR

Save time chopping and mixing,
and save $ on nut butter!

Great for baking, chopping and mixing up all your delicious paleo recipes. You can buy these anywhere, just make sure you get one with enough HP to turns nuts into butter - we learned this the hard way and burnt a motor out on one. Where to buy in Calgary: Too many places too mention - go to your preferred kitchen/houseware retailer.

5) CERAMIC POT/OR CROCK POT

The meal possibilities are endless.
And easy!!

Great for cooking all the great paleo dishes. We use ours for stews, chillies, soups and roasting yummy organic chickens and roasts. You can buy these anywhere - the bigger the better! Where to buy in Calgary: Too many places too mention - go to your preferred kitchen/houseware retailer.

6) EARTH PANS

From paleo pancakes to carrot cakes,
Jeff know his way around these pans!

Also know as "Earth Ware", "Earth Chief", "Eco Pans" and "Green Pans". These pans are ceramic, eco-friendly and non-stick - can't ask for anything more. They come in a variety of sizes for both cooking and baking. We have 3 frying pans and two cake pans and I can't tell you how much we love to cook with them. Jeff uses the square fry pan several times a week to make perfect paleo pancakes - non-stick and easy to flip. Works like a hotcake! Where to buy in Calgary: We bought ours from Community Natural Foods, The Bay, and sometime if your luck you can find them at Winners for a smokin' good price.

7) iPHONE

Everyone on the go needs
one of these. Best phone ever!

I love my iPhone and think everyone should have one. You can download some pretty cool apps like iRun to calculate distance/pace/route of your runs or wod timer if you need an interval timer for a Tabata wod. And it's a great way to get online right away to check out the workout of the day.
Where to buy in Calgary: Lots of places, but go to the MAC store in Chinook Centre cause it's fun looking around in there.

8) HOUND POUND T-SHIRTS

HP - Original Shirt

HP - Competition Shirt

These shirts will enhance your performance and put a smile on your face. There are two versions to chose from, why not give both! We may be bias, but we think Hound Pound shirts are the greatest.
Where to buy in Calgary: The Hound Pound!

9) INDOOR FITNESS CLASSES

Working out with a group is so
much more fun than by yourself.
Also, the results are amazing!

Buy your loved one a one month unlimited pass to indoor fitness classes at the The Lab Fitness Training. These classes are coached by Hound Pound coaches and athletes and a great way to get fit and meet lots of cool people.
Where to buy in Calgary: The Lab Fitness Training

10) BUDDY-LEE SKIPPING ROPE

Amazing how such a small, simple
thing can provide such a
killer workout!

This is the perfect piece of fitness equipment for home gyms and people on the go. And, no excuses for not taking this with you when you travel - skip and get fit anywhere, anytime. Practice your double-unders and learn lots of cools tricks as well - CHECK THIS OUT!
Where to buy in Calgary: Optimum Performance Training

Another great idea is load these reads
on to an e-Book Reader for you loved one!

11) BOOKS
So many books, so little time. Here are few of our favourite books that we've read and liked about food.
The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf
The Omnivorous Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
In Defence of Food, by Michael Pollan
The Paleo Diet & The Paleo Diet for Athletes, By Loren Cordain

The Gluten Free and Almond Flour cookbook,
by Elana Amsterdam

Where to buy in Calgary: Most of these reads can be picked up at Chapters book stores.

DECEMBER 22, 2010

2010-12-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

BRUCE MADE THE COVER!!

Congratulations to Bruce, he made the cover of the 2011 Basset Hound Rescue calendar. He's the handsome one in the red shirt running his way to a second place finish at the annual Basset Hound Olympics. You can purchase a copy of this calendar through the Basset Hound Rescue Calgary website - all proceeds go to helping homeless hounds. On that note, there are always hounds looking for loving families. A home is not home unless you have a hound, so give yourself or a loved one a Hound this Christmas - Stanley and Oliver have both asked Santa for families this year.

Stanley needs a home.

So does Oliver.

DECEMBER 18, 2010

2010-12-18T18:13:00.000-08:00

BRUCE'S ATHLETE PICK

Bruce's athlete pick this month is Hound Pound Follower Brent Maier. Last month Brent took a houndstanding second place in the Colorado Pilgrim Wars CrossFit challenge, and he did it sporting his new Hound Pound T-shirt! Way to go Brent! Brent is one of OPT's original Big Dawgs and is always up for a challenge - Look for Brent in the next OPT challenge coming up in January. If you're not already training for this, you should be!

THE ORGANIC ESSENTIALS

2010-12-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

As you all know organic and local foods are the best choices. But sometimes you're on a tight budget or, end up at the local supermarket out of convenience. Whatever the reason for choosing non-organic, you should be aware of what organic foods you should be making the splurge for. And here's why.

MEAT
Animal products tend to bioaccumulate toxins from their pesticide-laced feed, concentrating them to far higher concentrations than are typically present in vegetables. The pesticides and drugs that these animals get exposed to during their lives can become incorporated into their very tissues, especially their fat. These animals also contain antibiotics and other growth-promoting drugs that ultimately end up in you.
Beef should be grass feed and chickens should be cage-free, or free-range, chickens

EGGS
Organic, pastured chickens are fare less likely to contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella, and their nutrient content is also much higher than commercially raised eggs. However, the organic eggs in your grocery store may have undergone additional treatments during cleaning and processing that you're better off avoiding. Avoid supermarket organic eggs - here's why

APPLES
The FDA states that more pesticides are found on apples than are found on any other fruit or vegetable -- a grand total of 36. One test found seven chemicals on a single apple.

BABY FOODS
An infant's immune system is less developed than an adult's, and more vulnerable. Nonorganic baby foods tend to use fruits and vegetables that have been treated with chemicals.

DAIRY
Dairy cows eat grains that are heavily treated with chemicals, which show up in the milk. Non-organic milk can also contain bovine growth hormone and antibiotics. The best option for milk (beyond organic) is RAW milk if it is purchased from a conscious farmer. In that case, it may not be certified organic, but it will essentially be organic anyway, and drinking your milk raw is the best option.

CANTALOUPE
Cantaloupes often are contaminated by five of the longest-lasting chemicals. Dieldrin, a very toxic and carcinogenic insecticide, still gets taken up through the cantaloupe's roots even though it was banned in 1974.

CUCUMBERS
Cucumbers were ranked the 12th most contaminated food and the second in cancer risk due to their pesticide content.

GRAPES
Grapes get treated with numerous chemicals, especially Chilean grapes, which can be sprayed with as many as 17 of them.

GREEN BEANS
There are over 60 pesticides that are registered for use on green beans in the U.S.

SPINACH
The chemicals used to treat spinach may cause cancer or interfere with hormone production.

STRAWBERRIES
Strawberries are among the most contaminated of all produce.

WINTER SQUASH
Winter squash, like cantaloupe, can absorb dieldrin from the soil.

The above list was provided by Real Simple.

Many of you have also heard of the "Dirty Dozen" below is a list of produce that should always be organic. These have the highest levels of pesticides.

Peaches
Apples
Sweet bell peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes

The produce listed below has the lowest pesticide load when conventionally grown. If you can't buy everything organic, these would be the exceptions.

Broccoli
Eggplant
Cabbage
Banana
Kiwi
Asparagus
Sweet peas (frozen)
Mango
Pineapple
Sweet corn (frozen)
Avocado
Onion

DECEMBER 7, 2010

2010-12-07T15:00:00.000-08:00

FIRST CLASS IS FREE!

For those of you on the fence about joining the indoor group fitness classes, I just want to remind you that the first class is FREE! You have nothing to lose but a bit of sweat, so come and join one of these fun classes!! And remember, every class is scalable for all fitness levels - our classes currently have individuals ranging in age from 15-60 years. Classes run at the NE location from 6:00PM-7:00PM Monday - Friday and 10:00AM Saturdays. Email me to sign up here for your free class!

LAY OFF THE SOY!

Okay, so most of you know how we feel about soy, but here are some myths/truths about this not soy healthy food, compliments of The Weston A. Price Foundation.

Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.
Truth: Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soybeans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari.

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.
Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.
Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.
Truth: Like all legumes, soybeans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine.

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.
Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human body: in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.
Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth.
Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc, which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system.
Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.
Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.
Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.
Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol with soy protein improves one's risk of having heart disease.

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.
Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.
Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause.

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.
Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease in later life.

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.
Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.
Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels.

Myth: Soybeans are good for the environment.
Truth: Most soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soybeans are good for developing nations.
Truth: In third-world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to multinational corporations.

NEW ADDITION TO THE HOUND POUND!

2010-12-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THE HOUND POUND!!

Hound Pound is proud to announce a new piece of equipment added to the gym - The Airdyne! For those that are not familiar with this old school looking bike, I encourage you to drop by the Pound and take it for a spin. It will definitely be a workout you've never experience before. And if you pedal hard enough it may be an ride you never want to experience again. The Airdyne works on wind resistance, so the harder you pedal the harder the resistance becomes - you create the level of intensity. Both arms and legs work together to give you a full body workout like no other. I'm not yet sure how I feel about this new piece, but I'm sure I'll learn to love it like everything else that is good for me.

JEFFF - taking the new Airdyne for a spin. Notice how his hair is blowing from the incredible resistance he is creating!

NOVEMBER 29, 2010

2010-11-29T14:20:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LUCY!!

Birthday Girl

Today is the birthday of my favourite little lady, Lucy Finlayson. Today Lucy is 70 hound years old, but you'd never know it. She may be little more grey around the face and growly at times, but she can keep up with the best when it comes to the running wods. To celebrate this special day, I'd like to dedicate today's wod to Lucy. Lucy and I will do this wod tonight after the birthday festivities. Try to squeeze this one in if you can and post your times to comments. Enjoy your day, Lucy!

Lucy in her new birthday sweater -
resting up for the big Paleo Party and wod tonight.

       "LUCY"
     For time:
     Run 3K

70 Burpees

2010-11-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

LONG TIME NO POST
Hello Hound Pounders. Long time no post, sorry about that. I'm back and ready to post so I won't leave you hanging again.

ANOTHER CLASS ON THE SCHEDULE
We've added a 'basics' class to schedule. This is for anyone that wants to try out the group fitness classes, but wants to start with the basics. The class will teach basic functional movements intended all fitness levels. The class sizes are small and each class is lead by CrossFit Level 1 certified coaches. This class will be at the NE location every Thursday from 7:00PM to 8:00PM. Sign up now. The first class is free, so you have nothing to lose except a bit of sweat!

MILK HITS NUMBER ONE
Milk is the most consumed food in North America. Don't you find it a little crazy that 10 thousand years ago our human ancestors were unable to even digest it. I won't even get into the cola, I'm sure it would have eaten through their stomachs. Yes, we've adapted but it's not all good - why did we have to mess with food? It's nice to see more paleo coverage.

Top 9 foods consumed by North Americans. None of which would have been consumed by our caveman/lady ancestors.

Whole cow"s milk
2 percent milk
Processed American cheese
White bread
White flour
White rolls
Refined sugar
Colas
Ground beef

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

2010-11-10T17:02:00.000-08:00

MORE INDOOR CLASSES ADDED!
We've had so much interest and participation in the indoor classes, that we've decided to add two more classes to the weekly schedule. We will now offer indoor group classes Saturday mornings at 10:00am and Monday nights at 6:00PM at the NE location. The Monday night class will focus on practicing technique and learning new skills - don't worry, you'll still get sweaty! EMAIL ME for location and more information, or if you've already signed up for other classes, drop by and check out these new classes.

2010-11-09T12:33:00.000-08:00

BASIC TRAINING
Well done to the Hound Pound athletes that completed Day 1 of Basic Training last night with Jeff. The session included instruction on the air squat, push up and the ring row with a workout at the end including all these movements. Run 200M, then 21, 15, 9 rep rounds of squats, pull ups, ring rows and then another 200M run. All the times were under 9:00 - well done Sarah (7:53), Jayme (8:02) and Laura (8:45)!!
*Basic training program designed by Robb Wolf of NorCal Strength and Conditioning.

THINGS THAT ARE BAD

Here's another harmful ingredient commonly found in processed food that you should be aware of - TBHQ. It's approved for consumption by the FDA in small doses, but has alarming side affects at higher doses and can ultimately cause death at even higher doses. What!? This is just another reason to avoid processed foods of any kind. Eat paleo! Basically TBHQ is a form of butane (i.e. lighter fluid) that is added to food as a preservative to extend storage life. It's used in a variety of processed and fast food, especially the chicken nugget. Another reason to make your own chicken fingers - try the ones from Elana's cookbook (made with and egg/almond flour batter and fried in oil). Read more about this toxic ingredient from Dr. Mercola.

CALLING ALL BIG DAWGS

2010-11-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

HOUND UP!

OPT Challenge #1

Get ready dawgs, the next OPT Big Dawg Challenge is only 5 days away. This will be another exciting day of epic head-to-head match-ups. The Hound Pound will again be one of the official facilities to host this challenge. The Hound Pound will be open all day for this, but time slots will be given to those on a first come basis. Email me once you've registered and let me know if you have a preferred time you’d like to do it at, and I’ll put together a schedule and match athletes for the heats. Or post to comments if there is someone you'd like to challenge to a battle. Also, remember this challenge is for everyone, all movements can be scaled and we'd love to have everyone come out to participate. This is an online challenge with athletes from all over the world – all you have to do is complete the workout(s) in the time frame given and post your results to the OPT blog. And this goes without saying, but to keep all things fair you must ensure that you are honest and everything is “legit”. If you complete this at the Hound Pound you will know that you're legit. Hound Pound will precisely measure and ensure all distances and heights for accuracy. We will count your reps and ensure all movements are performed as rx’d with full extension and ROM. And we’ll even video your battle. It’s going to be an exciting day at the Hound Pound and for the CF community. Don't miss out on this great experience. Register now!!!

HOUND POUND BASIC TRAINING
The Hound Pound "Basic Training" starts tonight and will be coached by JEFFF. "Basic Training" will teach the foundation movements to prepare you for the group classes. All Basic Training classes will be limited to 3 athletes per coach to ensure quality instruction. The Basic Training program taught will be curriculum developed by Nicki Violetti and Robb Wolf (author of the "Paleo Solution" and one smart dude!!) owners and trainers of NorCal Strengh and Conditioning. We can work around your schedule, so email me if you're interested in Hound Pound Basic Training.

JEFFF

CrossFit Athlete and competitor since 2006
CrossFit Level 1 certified coach
CrossFit Olympic lifting certification
Robb Wolf Nutrition certification

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2010

2010-11-02T08:31:00.000-07:00

SO LONG OCTOBER
You were a good month! With the end of all good months comes good things. Hound Pound T-shirts! That's right it's time to select an October Hound Pound T-shirt winner. Watch for Bruce's selection video coming soon. And if you're not a follower already, then sign-up now for your chance to win the November T-shirt. It's just that easy!

The proof!

TEST COMPLETE
Good work to Hound Pound athletes and coaches, LTP, sHELLy and JEFFF for driving all the way to Edmonton on Sunday to take their CF Level I test. They all passed with lot of wrong answers to spare. It was a long day, but they're glad they did it. This is also why you won't see any new JEFFF eats this week, as the adventure to Edmonton and the CFC4 challenge didn't leave any time for the market or cooking this weekend. The meals this week won't be very exciting, but they'll get by.

OUTDOOR MOVING IN!
I have fantastic news!! The outdoor classes are temperately moving to a sweet indoor gym with lots of space and lots of equipment. This space has it all, and if you're not signed up for classes you're missing out. Classes will run from 6:00PM-7:00PM Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. More classes will be added as more people sign up. EMAIL ME for details or to sign-up.

Indoor location!

With lots of fun equipment!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

2010-10-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

CFC4 RECAP

Congratulations to Hound Pound athlete JEFFF for his houndstanding performance in yesterday's CFC4 challenge. The event was to raise money for fitness equipment to go to a CrossFit affiliate in India and it was amazing to see how many people came out to compete and show their support. Extra kudos to those that dressed up in costume and competed! There were two events and JEFFF came in 5th overall. Way to go Jeff.

THE EVENTS:
WOD1 - Scored as 3 separate workouts
A. In 5 minutes:
Row 750m / Teens 600m/ Kids 400m
AMRAP Wallballs – 20# men / 14# women
With a continuously running clock immediately start on B.
B. As many reps in 5 minutes 10 Box jumps – 24” men/20” women
10 Knees to Elbows
This first WOD would be scored as (1) your row, (2) number of wallballs and (3) reps for B.

WOD 2

Overhead squat - heaviest Load in 10 minutes

Get ready...

Good pace Jefff!

Keep jumping Jefff!

K2E - dare I say the fastest of the day?

OHS - 195lb...oh so close!

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30TH

2010-10-30T06:36:00.000-07:00

GO JEFFF GO!!

Sorry for the late notice, but our very own Hound Pound athlete JEFFF will be competing in the "Halloween" CFC4 challenge today at 11:00am. If you're in the area, stop by and cheer him on. Recap of the event and photos to come later. Hope you see some of you there. Hound Pound in the house!!

TAILS FROM THE GRAND CANYON

2010-10-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

WOD: HIKE THE GRAND CANYON (FOR TIME/DISTANCE)
- Grrrrant & K-9: 7 days, 85KM.

Hound Pound athletes, Grrrant and K-9 just got back from a 7 day wod in the Grand Canyon. Today's post is an exciting re-cap of their adventure. If anyone else does this wod in the next year, be sure to post your time/distance to comments. Thanks for sharing this with us, G&K!

G&K and the CrossFit Flagstaff Crew.
3,2,1..Go!

For our 1 week Grand Canyon backpack trip earlier this month we (Kathleen, myself and our two friends Richard and Barb from the Gulf Islands) flew first to Phoenix and then on to Flagstaff. We arrived 2 days early to acclimatize to the 7300’ elevation (about twice that of Calgary). For some strange reason I decided that Filthy 50’s at CrossFit Flagstaff would help with that goal of acclimatization but soon saw the error of my logic. One guy even came over to me during one of my many breaks to ask if I had any heart issues. We hit the trail on Monday Oct 4^th the same day as Xfit Flag graciously planned to head out with their crew to do a rim to river to rim trail run and also transport us to our common starting point at Lipan Point at the Kaibab South Trailhead (photo above; note that is Angela Hart the rowing guru in the bottom right of the photo). A few hours after we got started the 1 in 50 years rains started and lasted on and off for 3 days including huge thunder and lightning shows day at night. This wasn’t an altogether bad thing as we weren’t really sure how we were going to find water on the seldom travelled Tonto Trail in the eastern part of the canyon. When you are close to the Colorado River you can filter that awful tasting water but when you are a few 1000’ up from the river water is a hit and miss proposition. So the rains were a good thing and we never missed a chance to fill every water bag whenever the skies opened up which was frequently. The rain also moderated the temperature from the sometimes +100F to a more reasonable 80 or 85F and that was alright by us as the desert environment can be pretty unforgiving. We were surprised that during our entire 1 week backpack that we only saw 1 person going the opposite direction the whole time. The vast majority of backpackers explore the more popular western part of the canyon. The highlight of everyday was the food and our friend Barb is a genius in that regard. She planned, dehydrated and packaged all of our meals for the 4 of us for the 7 days. We were eating Tex Mex eggs for breakfast and Thai curry lentils for dinner (along with smoked Chum salmon thanks to Rob Sifton). The route finding was difficult at times because the Tonto Trail is more of a route than a trail so we were constantly looking for rock cairns or consulting the topo map or both. A common misconception is that you hike from the canyon rim down to the river and traverse along the river until it is time to come up. That as far from the truth as “for the 2010 Xfit Games sHELLy’s training involved buying an abdominizer” or “for Bruce to get his first muscle up he merely had to listen to a 30 second instruction from Jefff”. We were constantly either gaining or dropping elevation to get around the countless tributaries (usually dry) to the Colorado River while packing 7 days of supply. Whenever the trail brought us close to the Colorado River we would occasionally see rafters and I have to admit it looked boring just sitting there while a guide did the oar work. The last day of the hike Sunday Oct 10 was the big climb up Tanner Trail to Dessert View which is described as the most difficult trail on the south rim and it didn’t disappoint. True to form we had 2 CrossFit Flagstaff heros waiting for us at the top to take us back to Flagstaff about a 90 minute drive to the south. If you ever want to do that hike (or the popular Hermit/Bright Angel etc trails) just ask Kathleen or I details and we’ll fill you in. We got our vitamin D supply to last us until Christmas!

- GRRRANT

They made it! G&K (second/third from right)
looking good after 7 days in a canyon. The
Ladies on ends are the CF Flagstaff Pick-up crew.

Thanks CF Flagstaff for taking care of our athletes!

OCTOBER 21, 2010

2010-10-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

"A Clean" Wod - 4 Rounds:

400 M Run

15 Cleans*
10 Push ups
(*each round the athlete must clean a
different object - barbell, sandbag,

dumbbell, med ball)

BASIC TRAINING

Last night we cleaned. And I mean cleaned! We'll done Hound Pound Basic Training Athletes - the clean is a very technical lift and many of you did it for the first time last night. I saw some good progress and strong potential. Don't forget to practice this lift, and practice it often (you'd be surprised how many things you can find to clean). You should be proud. I am! Next week is the last Basic Training class of this session, but don't worry there's more to come in November. Schedule and class descriptions are coming soon, or you can email me for more information. Next week we push, and press, and jerk, along with another challenging wod. See you next week!

THE BUN MAKES IT OKAY

2010-10-19T15:39:00.000-07:00

WELCOME TO CANADA, DOUBLE DOWN!

Okay, so this is something that I think is gross, but I do think we are making some progress here. As you know there has been some controversy over this finger lickin’ sandwich being offered in Canada. This sandwich has now been on the market for almost two days now, and I don’t believe anyone has died. What I don’t understand is why this particular fast food sandwich is considered so bad, when so many other fast food chains have items with just as many or more calories, fat and sodium. Shouldn’t they all be banned? The only conclusion that I’ve come to, is the fact that this sandwich has no bun. I think that the white bun institute is in cahoots with the Canadian Health Institute and together they have decided that it’s somehow okay to have a 500-1150* calorie sandwich with two (sometimes three) meat patties, cheese and bacon as long as it’s sandwiched between two “healthy” white floured buns! So, for this reason I welcome the bun-less sandwich. Elimination of one bad ingredient at a time - a step in the right direction. Now we just need to replace the deep-fried MSM, the processed cheese, nitrate filled bacon and the “secret” sauce (I don’t even want to know) and we’re talking.

Double Down Stats
540 calories
30 grams of fat
1740 milligrams of sodium )more than the daily recommended amount!)

* The Triple Cheese Whopper
from Burger King has 1150
calories and 82g of fat, but
don't worry, it's covered by
two buns

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16

2010-10-16T06:43:00.000-07:00

BRUCE'S ATHLETE PICK

It's that time again, Bruce has selected another Hound Pound Athlete to profile. Today's athlete pick is Randy V. Bruce has his money on Randy taking home first place in the 2011 CrossFit Games Master's division, and I think I'll put money with Bruce. Randy is an accomplished athlete and has competed in Iron Man races all over the world (including escape from Alcatraz!), plus, his fair share of tri-athlons and marathons. Once Randy had enough of the endurance sports, he moved on to body building and won his division in the 2008 FAME body building competition. Oh Yeah, and he won the 2010 Hound Pound warming competition! Randy now solely trains CrossFit and is getting stronger, faster, and scarier every day. Watch out Masters, Randy's gonna get ya!

HP Comp was too
easy for Randy...

Sorry Ladies.
Randy's taken!

The road to the games

OCTOBER 15, 2010

2010-10-15T10:55:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHAPPY!!!

Today is the birthday of the nicest lady I know. My Mom! She goes by many names - Chappy, Nanna, Poo, Jan, Bear and Mom. Today she is 63 days young and I'd like to dedicate today's workout after her. We wish her a wonderful day and an even more wonderful year, cause she deserves it. We Love you!! XXOO

I [heart] Nanna

"CHAPPY - THE LADY OF MANY NAMES"

Row 1K (cause Chappy loves her C2 rower!!)

63 Burpees

Row 1K

(Post times and B-day wishes to comments.)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010

2010-10-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Post squat wod. Huge output at
the Hound Pound last night.
For those not signed up,
you're missing out!!

BIG NIGHT OF SQUATTING

Well done Hound Pound athletes. We had some impressive lifts last night, and some first time squatters too. And to end the big lifting session with a killer wod is nothing more than impressive. You all worked hard and you should be proud. I am! Next week we clean! And i don't mean sweeping out the Hound Pound...

BASSET HOUND RESCUE

This sweet hound doesn't have eyes :(
But thankfully, she has a loving home.

A basset hound is a perfect addition to any loving home. As i like to say "home is where the hound is". For those looking to complete their home, CLICK HERE to pick out your hound. These are orphaned hounds looking for a loving families.

Q: What do beavers have in common
with perfume and raspberries?

A: Anal gland extract

THINGS THAT I THINK ARE BAD (OR GROSS)

So I've changed the name of this section to reflect my personal option of what I think is bad or just plain gross. The be fair, what I think is gross might not be to someone else. To each their own. So today's topic, thanks to Hound Pound follower GRRRRant, is CASTOREUM EXTRACT, which is basically the exudate from a beaver's anal glands. This extract is commonly used in perfums and colognes, cigarettes, and also as a "natural" flavouring in raspberry flavoured foods. Now, if I have any of this information incorrect, I strongly encourage anyone from The Raspberry Flavouring Institute or The Beaver Institute to comment. While we're on the topic, we have an appointment with the vet to have Bruce's anal glands released this week, I wonder if we can profit from the exudate? I'll look into it and report back.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 13, 2010

2010-10-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

BASIC TRAINING

So long long weekend. Where has the week gone? It is time again for the Wednesday night Hound Pound Basic Training - Intro to lifting. Great job to everyone that came out last week, hopefully your hands have healed and you're ready for more! Come ready to squat, and squat a lot!

JEFF'S EATS

Cauliflower Saute

Beef loaf

It was another Sunday of fun filled cooking for the week. This week's meal's included: beef stew (I can't believe how tender the grass fed stew meat is from Hoven Farms - this stuff melts in your mouth!), cauliflower saute, meatloaf, BBQ chicken breasts, sausages and burgers, and our new favourite roasted brussel sprouts. Also Jefff made his first pie on Monday for Thanks Giving dinner. The filling was delicious, but there were some issues with the crust - has anyone ever made the pumpkin pie recipe from Elana's cookbook? If so, write a comment and let's discuss the crust.

THINGS THAT ARE BAD

Chicken? This is so Gross

Today's topic is mechanically separated chicken paste. This is really sick stuff. This is what most baloney, hot dogs, processed meats and most fast food chicken nuggets and chicken burgers are made from. This paste is made of of all the undesirable (normally uneatable) parts of a chicken. Basically, the entire chicken is pressed through a sieve—bones, eyes, guts, everything, and it comes out in this pink paste. This paste is often filled with bacteria (because it's essentially a waste bi-product), so it's then washed with ammonia! Then, if you can believe it, it tastes awful so yummy artificially flavours are added to it as a final touch. And one more thing, it's then died so it resembles chicken and not a strawberry sundae made of chicken parts. Who wants chicken nuggets? Actually, chicken fingers and hot dogs don't have to be made from pink paste. Elana's cookbook has a delicious chicken finger recipe made with real chicken breasts fried in almond flour and oil. And, there's even a 'good for you' hot dog out there, this is one of my favourite creations - split a real chicken sausage down the middle and fill it full of all the fixings. Hot dog without the bun, and without the paste. Yum!

Now you know where
these come from - Pink paste
covered in flour and deep fried

Hot Dog sans pink paste!!

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

2010-10-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

BASIC TRAINING

The Hound Pound Basic Training - Lifting Level starts tonight and the class is a full house. For those of you already signed up, we'll see you at 6:00 - come ready to "pull". For those who did not sign up in time, you can EMAIL ME to reserve your spot in the next session.

A Proud Poppi

HOLUBCHI ANYONE?

This one is for all you Ukrainian paleo eaters out there. I have created the most fantastic paleo cabbage rolls, actually 72 to be specific. With the help of my family, we made 6 dozen delicious ground bison, cauliflower and onion, cabbage wrapped treats. These were not easy to make, but after eating the first one last night, definitely worth the effort.

Ingredients: (per cabbage – approx. 24 cabbage rolls)
- 1 medium sized head of cabbage

- 1.5-2 lbs of ground bison /or beef (your choice)
- 4 cloves of garlic

- 3 heads of cauliflower

- 1 Tsp sea salt
- 1 Tsp ground pepper
- 1 Egg

Cabbage: Start 2 days before you want to make the rolls

- Cut the core (about 3-4 inches ) out of the cabbage

- Boil cabbage head for about 15 minutes. Note: If you’re like me and don’t have a pot large enough to fully submerge the cabbage, then boil for 15 minutes per side
- Take cabbage out of water and drain/let cool
- Once cool, wrap cabbage head(s) in plastic bags and freeze.
- Take cabbage out to thaw the day before you want make the rolls
- Once the cabbage is thawed, gently pull off each layer and cut about 2” off the root end and turn inside out. It’s now ready for the filling.
Filling:
In a large mixing bowl add:
- Cauliflower (pulse in a food processor until it’s a ‘crumbly’ consistency)
- Ground bison/or beef
- Garlic
- Salt/pepper
- Mix/stir, and then add egg and mix/stir again
Ready to Roll:

- Take a handful of mixture, pack with your hands and lay it on the core edge of the cabbage wrapper. Gently roll the cabbage over top and pinch/taper edges as you roll.

Tada!

- Repeat 24-…times until cabbage/mixture is gone

Ready to eat/freeze:

- If you're freezing the rolls for later, then freeze them on cookie sheets (not touching) and then later transfer into containers or bags. This is so they don’t stick together.

- If you’re ready to eat them, then put rolls into a large pot with tomato sauce (could be tomato soup or tomato sauce), and a little bit of water and bring to a boil and then let simmer for about 75 minutes. Or you could do the same in a crock pot.

That’s it. Then just eat and enjoy!

Delicious! A perfect
Paleo Treat!

THINGS THAT ARE BAD - Xanthan Gum

Check your labels!

This ingredient has invaded a large majority of our food labels, including the “orgainic” and especially the “gluten free” products that we tend to choose over others. For those that are not familiar with this engineered ingredient, it’s basically a combination of bacteria and corn sugar, and used as thickeners and stabilizer in foods. Yum! To be specific, Xanthan gum comes from Xanthomonas campestris, a strain of bacteria (same bacteria responsible for causing black rot to form on cauliflower) used during the fermentation process. This bacteria combined with corn sugar forms a colourless slim stabilizer or thickener known as Xantham Gum. Xanthomonas campestris (bacteria) + corn sugar = xanthan gum.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2010

2010-10-03T19:38:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE A WINNER
Another month has come and gone, which means we have another Hound Pound T-shirt winner! Congratulations Brent Maier - you're the September winner. As you know the HP T-shirts are handmade with lots of love, so it will take a couple weeks before you can bust out a wod in your new shirt. Also, for those who don't know Brent, he competed this weekend in the CrossFit/USA Weightlifting Open and had some houndstanding lifts and a hound of a showing. Congratulations Brent!

The contest continues...become a Hound Pound member in October and you could be wodding in a new shirt in November. Become a follower today!

OUTDOOR CLASS
Monday is the last official outdoor class of the year and the weather should be good. As usual the wod will be at Sandy Beach at 6:00PM. I'll even give you a hint as to what the wod will be..."Take the baby with you"...Sign up now!

JEFFF'S EATS

New yummy creation. Roasted brussel
sprouts with caramelized onions, garlic,
and bacon. So good!

Freezer full of goodness!

It's been another busy day of cooking and we've make lots of healthy and tasty meals - chicken veggie soup, roast beef, roasted chicken, chicken sausages, spaghetti squash with bison sauce, apple cinnamon muffins, blueberry muffins, cauliflower rice, and our new favourite, roasted brussel sprouts. Should be a good week of eating! Actually, should be a good winter of eating - we've stocked the freezer full of chicken, bison and completely grass fed roasts and steaks. We'll be well fed this winter, and this will cut down on the weekly trips to the market!

READ YOUR LABELS!!

I'm going to start a new section for the blog - things that are bad for you. We'll review ingredients commonly listed on food labels that are not good for you and anything else that you should just stay away from. In a perfect paleo world we wouldn't eat anything with a label and we'd made everything from scratch, but sometimes this is just not possible. Today's 'bad' is NITRATE. Nitrates are found in many foods, especially cured meats such as bacon and sausages. Nitrates are used to preserve color and maintain microbial safety. Nitrate is harmless, but it can convert to nitrite, which can form nitrosamines, a powerful cancer-causing chemical, in your body. Yikes! Whenever possible, look for nitrate-free preserved meats. For all you local hounds, Sunworks Farm and The Old Country Sausage Shop at The Calgary Farmers' Market both carry nitrate free sausages and bacon.

HOUND DAY, SEPTEMBER 29

2010-09-29T16:07:00.000-07:00

WHERE DID SEPTEMBER GO?

This has nothing to do with today's post -
just something I think is neat!

Tomorrow is the last day of September, which means it's the last day to become a Hound Pound member and enter to win a FREE Hound Pound T-shirt. You have until 11:59 tomorrow night to sign up. Great job to everyone that completed the "300" wod at Monday night's outdoor class - what a great evening! Also, this Monday is the last outdoor class of the year before moving inside - EMAIL now to get your last outdoor wod in. Starting October we will be hosting Hound Pound Basic Training - Level I lifting classes that will run in 4 week intervals - this class is for all anyone that would like to learn/perfect the deadlift, squat, clean, and press. EMAIL ME if this is something you're interested in.

HOUND POUND COFFEE MUG WINNERS...
Congratulations BillT and JessT - you can add a new mug to your cupboard. You mentioned the Hound Pound site in your Big Dawg Challenge score post and you won!

JEFFF'S EATS

Working my life away...

Not one, but many delicious dishes to view. If anyone was wondering why don't see us on Sundays, It's because we're at home busy cooking meals for the week. It's just what we do. There is little to no time at the end of our busy work days to fit everything in, so we plan ahead and cook most of our meals on Sunday. Not having time is not an excuse. There is always time, you just have to find it somewhere else sometimes. The best part is packing my lunch on Monday morning, cause there is always so much tasty food to choose from.

Food for almost a week - Bison veggie chili (and I mean veggie- you name it, it's in there!), Organic, free range: roasted chicken, chicken burgers, chicken sausages, and chicken strips (made with almond flour), cauliflower rice and apple cinnamon muffins - all paleo, of course! My favourite, the chilli - I would post the recipe but i made it up and it changes every time I make it depending on what ingredients we have and what veggies are in season. So good!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2010

2010-09-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

WELL DONE ATHLETES!

Yesterday was a big day at the Hound Pound. Bruce and Lucy competed in the Basset Hound Olympics, and several Hound Pound athletes competed in the first OPT challenge for the 2011 Games year. Everyone gave everything they had, and you can't ask for anything more than that. Good times and scores were had by all!

BASSET HOUND OLYMPICS

Bruce - focused and ready to run

The 5th annual Bassethound Olympics was a hound of a success. Over 100 hounds came out along with their family and friends to support the Bassethound Rescue Foundation and to compete in the events. Lots of money was raised and donated to the Foundation for Bassethounds to be rescued and placed in loving homes. If you don't already have a hound, I highly suggest adopting one - go here to see hounds looking for families. The wods kicked off in the morning with a hound measure - longest ears, lowest belly, longest body. Next was the hound high jump, then the hound sprint, hound trick and loudest hound. Bruce and Lucy had a great showing, but the competition was fierce. Lucy had a great performance in the high step, and Bruce took second pace in a photo finish of the hound sprint. Well done hounds!

Do I have something on my face?

Bruce - running his way to a
second place photo finish

Run Lucy run!!

Lucy - chiln' after the wods

OPT CHALLENGE #1
As like the Bassethound Olympics the OPT Challenge #1 was a success. Hound Pound athletes represented, and lots of money was raised for Aaron Grider's family (RIP). I'd also like to thank all the Hound Pound athletes that came out to cheer, judge, count and time all the competitors. The leading lady of the day was JessT with the highest score for the women, including 100+ burpees and 30+ backsquats (at 3/4 BW)! Ladies beware, this dark horse will be a contender at this years Sectional/Regionals. Well done JessT! The race for the men was close, but Sweeney took the highest score by a few reps, and only a couple reps shy of breaking 400! Hound of a showing Sweeney - well done! Hound Pound is already looking forward to OPT #2!!

THE WODS ARE HERE!!

2010-09-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

Let the WODS begin!

HOUND POUND IS READY!

The Hound Pound has undergone slight modifications to get ready for the challenge today, and to become a better facility for it's members. We have added another pull up bar, rower, barbell, and rack system. We know have enough equipment to host head-to-head epic battles of any kind. It's going to be an exciting day.
And now the wods...

"Grider"

Phase 1 - “3-RM Snatch & amp; Burpees”
Competitors will have 10 minutes to find their 3-RM Snatch (either power or full is fine). All 3 consecutive lifts must be completed in 40 seconds or less.

• The first 3 minutes of Phase 1 can be used only to load the barbell
and warm-up.
• The remaining 7 minutes of Phase 1 can be used to score as many
points as possible.
• Points will be given for amount (in lbs.) of 3-RM Snatch achieved, and one point will be given for every Burpee performed during the 7 minutes.

Example – Athlete A successfully achieves a 3-RM Snatch of 175 lbs. and utilizes the remaining time to complete a total of 35 Burpees. Athlete A will earn a total score of 210 points (175 +35) for Phase 1 of the Challenge.

*** Competitors will rest exactly 3 minutes before beginning Phase 2 of the Challenge.

Phase 2 - “Ten Minute Capacity Test”
Perform the following movements, in order, for max reps (or calories), resting exactly 60 seconds between each station:

• 4 Minute Row (for Calories)
• 3 Minutes of Pull-Ups
• 2 Minutes of Bodyweight Back Squat (3/4 BWT for females)
• 1 Minute of 135/95 lb. Push Press or Jerk

Example – Athlete A rows 86 calories, performs 82 pull-ups, 41 back squats, and 19 overhead presses. Athlete A will earn a total score of 228 points (86+82+41+19) for Phase 2 of the Challenge.

The athletes’ scores from Phases 1 and 2 will be added together to create their final challenge score. The athlete with the highest total score will be the winner.

Example – Athlete A scored 210 points in Phase 1 and 228 points in Phase 2. Athlete A’s final score for the Challenge is 438 points (210 + 228).

Post your scores here and to the OPT blog. And if you mention houndpound.ca in your post you could win a Hound Pound coffee mug! Good Luck!!

GOOD LUCK HOUND POUND ATHLETES!

2010-09-24T15:09:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY IS A BIG DAY!

Bruce on his way to the Olympics!

Hound Pound is proud to host the first OPT Challenge of the 2011 CF Games training season tomorrow (Saturday, September 25th). There is still time to sign up if you haven't already, but time is running out. So SIGN UP now. We will start the early morning heats at 9:00am and wrap up by 11:00am. Hound Pound will be open at 8:00am for warm up. We will resume the heats in afternoon from 3:00 on. Spectators welcome! WODs will be posted here and on the OPT blog as soon as they're announced - check back tonight/tomorrow morning. Good luck athletes!! Eat well and get lots of rest tonight. If you're wondering why there are no heats between 11am-3:00pm, it's because Hound Pound athlete Bruce Finlayson will be competing in the annual Bassethound Olympics, and we will be there to watch and give him our support. It's too bad that the two events landed on the same day, as it was a very tough decision for Bruce to chose between the two competitions. In the end, Bruce choose the Bassethound Olympics because it supports a cause that is very close to his heart - The Bassehound Rescue Foundation. Everyone is welcome to come out and show their support for Bruce and his cause. Good Luck Bruce, hopefully there will be muscle-ups!

Bruce says: Try to keep cool pre-comp
and stay relaxed!

JEFFF'S EATS
Don't worry Jefff has still been eating, I've just been really bad at documenting it. There's been some new and tasty meals consumed over the last week. And we have some new recipes up our sleeves. Now I'd like to introduce...Cauliflower rice and BBQ Chicken - YUM!!

This tasted like a cheat meal -
cauliflower fried rice and BBQ chicken

Finger lickn' good!!

Fried Cauliflower Rice Recipe
*this is one of my own creations, so quantities are approximate and substitutions are welcome.
- 1 small onion
- 4 celery stocks
- 2 chicken sausages or 4-5 strips of bacon
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Tamari (wheat free soy sauce) to taste. About 3-4 tablespoons.

Heat oil in large fry pan and add garlic. Saute until lightly brown. Then add bacon or sausage and saute until cooked (if raw) otherwise add celery, onion, chicken, 1/2 the tamari at the same time and saute over mid-high heat until onions and celery are soft. In a food process add chunks of cauliflower head and pulse until there is an even crumbly consistency, then add to fry pan and saute with other ingredients until soft. Add more tamair sauce to taste. Enjoy!

5 PEAKS RE-CAP

2010-09-22T16:15:00.000-07:00

A TRAIL RACE TO THE DORITOS AND OREOS...

I apologize for this rather late post about last Saturday’s wod/event – the 5 Peaks Canmore race. It was a beautiful, blue sky day in Canmore and a great morning for a 7KM trail run. Hound Pound and Sweats in the City athletes represented well with some great times and finishes. Great job to everyone that participated! The 7 KM run consisted of both single and double track trails, slightly technical, but fun, with breathtaking mountain views. There were over 570 participants running their way to the finish line and a buffet table of bagels and cream cheese, cookies, Doritos, pretzels and fruit...Does anyone else think there is anything weird about this? Hello protein? Cookies and chips…what? Okay, I get the bagel thing with the runners - that's just what they do. They “carb” up on whole wheat grains, granola and oatmeal, but who ever thought it would be a good idea to have chips and cookies post run? This seemed so bizarre to me, but there were hundreds of people in line to fill a plate, and many did not pass up on the chips and cookies. To each their own, I guess. I just think that the organizers of these races should take the event a step further and promote healthy eating and proper post workout nutrition. Maybe I’ll write a letter. I’ll let you know what comes of this...

Hound Pound in the house!

Jefff, pre-race.
The only runner with Buddy-Lee

The spread and the finish line -
bagles, Doritos snack mix and cookies

Pretzels and more cookies

MONDAY OUTDOOR CLASSES

Great job to everyone that came out to class on Monday despite the weather. The workout was: 4 rounds of 400M run, 21 kettle-bell swings and 12 push-ups. This got everyone warm fast. Don’t miss out on next Monday’s class. SIGN UP now.

Outdoor fun. If you're not signed up, you're mising out!

Check back tomorrow for some new "Jefff's Eats" meals.

GO FISH!

2010-09-14T17:11:00.000-07:00

SATURYDAY'S WOD RECAP

Catch as many fish in 9 hours as you can...
JEFFF: 8
sHELLy: 8

One might think that fly fishing is relaxing and enjoyable, but personally I found it to be a lot of work. Standing all day in a float boat trying to keep your balance while "casting," "tweaking" and "setting” for hours at a time is not an easy or enjoyable task - especially in the rain while being extremely cold. I will say that fly fishing is a great way to work your right wrist muscles and forearm (or set you up for a good case carpal tunnel syndrome). Jefff and I each caught 8 fish throughout the day, which sounds like a lot until you calculate the workload per fish ratio. Let me put this into perspective. I estimated that I casted the line about every minute or so, and within that minute I probably "tweaked”* the line about every 5 seconds. So let's say I was averaging 12 tweaks per min. Now, multiply this by the approximate hours of actual fishing time - 7 hours (420 minutes) x 12 (tweaks) = 5,040 flicks of the wrist and 420 full ROM arm swinging casts. This means the effort to catch one Bow River, mercury infested trout was approximately 630 wrist flicks and 53 arm swings. Think about this the next time you decide to catch or buy your dinner.

*A "tweak" is a basically a wrist flick that moves the line/flies to trick the fish into thinking the flies are alive and moving.

JEFF's third trout of the day - 1890 tweaks for this one

Pumping trout's stomach to see
if they've been eating paleo

Looks like a paleo diet to me

Mid wod picture break

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13

2010-09-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

GO AWAY RAIN!
Today's outdoor wod (rain or shine)
4 Rounds:
500M run
21 KB swings
12 Push ups
* Bring your rain gear tonight, and don't forget to SIGN UP for next Monday's class. Don't let the weather pervent you from getting outside and having fun!

TRAIL RUN, ANYONE?
sHELLy, JEFFF, and LTP will be hitting the trails next Saturday (Sept. 18) in Canmore for one of the final runs of the 5 Peaks series. The race is a 6.8KM trail run starting at the Canmore Nordic Centre. We're running it for fun and you should too. Click here to register. Lunch in Canmore may be a nice way to end the day...

JEFFF'S BIRTHDAY EATS
All Paleo, minus the mozza in the lasagna- but it was Jefff's B-day so we thought some sort of a cheat food was in order.

It all started with salad -
with homemade vinaigrette

The zucchini, veggie and bison
lasagna. Simply delicious. Recipe is in my head right now, but I’ll eventually get it to the recipe section.

The Cake – “Prehistoric carrot cake”. Recipe compliments of Elana’s cookbook.
I can’t tell you how amazing this cake was!

B-day Boy about to eat cake!

Thanks K-9 and Grrrrrant for not letting
us eat all the cake ourselves!

SEPTEMBER 10, 2010

2010-09-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFFF!!!

It isn't party unless there's party hats!

JEFFF is 5 Hound years old today!! We will celebrate with a yummy zucchini lasagna followed with homemade paleo carrot cake with friends. Tomorrow we will float/fly fish the bow river in search for our dinner. We will become the hunter gatherers we were meant to me. Happy Birthday!

TODAY'S WOD
'JEFFF'
35 burpee pull-ups w/ a 20lb weight vest
(pull-up bar should be 6" above max reach)

Let's all show our love for Jefff and try to squeeze this wod in today. Post times to comments.

HAPPY LABOUR DAY!!

2010-09-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

BRUCE'S ATHLETE PICK

'S' is for September and 'S' is for Snatch. September is Snatch Month at the Hound Pound, and athletes are training hard to PR their lifts, and perfect their skills. Only 7 days in and Jefff has already snatched 165 hound pounds! Impressive!! Keep up the good work Jefff. We're looking forward to seeing Jefff snatch even more weight by the end of the month. Snatch hard Hound Pounders!

Jefff - 165lb Snatch.
Must be the paleo pancakes he's been eating!

HOUND POUND AUGUST T-SHIRT WINNER

2010-09-03T14:25:00.000-07:00

WE HAVE AWINNER!!!
To make this contest fair, and to show that the selection process was legit, we called on Hound Pound member, Bruce Finlayson to conduct the draw live via webcam. Watch the video to see the draw take place and the winner revealed!

CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO

Congratulations LMac!!! You are the August "Win A Hound Pound T-shirt" winner. As you know all HP T-shirts are custom made with lots of love, so look for LMac in her new shirt in the next week or so. Wear it proud LMac. Pound!!

JULY HOUND POUND T-SHIRT WINNER BUSTS OUT A WOD IN HIS NEW 'T'

BILLT - Rowing his way to a 6:50 "Jackie"
It's gotta be the Hound Pound T-shirt!

Hound Pound - Representing!

SEPTEMBER 02, 2010

2010-09-02T11:38:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU GUESS...
what these ingredients made?

What do we have here? What could JEFFF be making?

AND THE ANSWER IS...
Hamburgers and french fries with choloclate milkshakes - Paleo style!

Paleo cheat meal - made with lots of love. Thanks JEFFF!

Can't forget JEFFF's breakfast -
Paleo panckes with blueberries. A breafast for PR's!

SEPTEMBER 1, 2010

2010-09-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

GOOD BYE AUGUST

All good things must come to an end, including summer and the "Win a Hound Pound T-shirt" contest. Although I can't bring back summer or even nice weather, I can bring back the contest for September. That's right, the contest lives on. Calling all new followers for the month of September - sign up as a follower in September and you could win a Hound Pound T-shirt. For those of you that signed up in August, please be patient, Bruce will be picking the winner 'live' over the next couple days and will be posting the video here. Be sure to check back to see if Bruce picks your name. Also, don't forget to sign up for the September outdoor class - click here for more info, and don't forget to sign up for the Fall OPT Big Dawg Challenge on September 25 - There are already 5 people signed up!

Today's .com outdoor wod
AMRAP in 20 Min of:
5 Thrusters (65/95)
7 Hang power cleans
10 Sumo deadlift high pulls
*Make sure to email me if you plan on attending the wod to ensure I bring enough equipment.

EATING WITH JEFFF
A new meal made with JEFFF's new birthday mayo from G&K. Also, the Hound Pound party coleslaw was made with this tasty, healthy spread.

Tuna Salad with Birthday Mayo!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31

2010-08-31T11:29:00.000-07:00

RECIPE - THE PERFECT LITTLE COOKIE

Many of you have expressed interest in the healthy little cookie recipe. As you know I'm not one to follow a recipe, so I make these a little different every time. I'll make notes where I've deviated in the past.

1/2 cup cashews (I've never messed with this)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (never messed with this either)
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (I've made without and replaced with other nuts)
1/2 cup coconut (don't mess with this, but feel free to add more/less)
1/2 date paste (add more/less depending on desired sweetness)
1/2 cup almond butter (or cashew, peanut, or mystery butter - all good)
1/2 Cacao nibs (don't mess with this)
2 TBS of cacao power (if you want them extra chocolaty - either or for me)
1 banana (optional, but good for consistency and moisture)
2 TPS apple sauce (optional, but good for consistency and moisture)
1 TPS honey (optional for added sweetness)

I think that's everything. Put all items in a food processor and mix until everything is the same consistency. Roll into little balls and slightly flatten them on a cookie sheet. Then, back in the oven at 375 for about 10-12 minutes (until edges start to turn brown). Then be patient. Do not attempt to remove these from the cookie sheet, or eat until completely cool. They will fall apart if you disturb them too early. This will make 12-15 cookies depending on how large you make them. ENJOY this tasty treat my little cookie monsters! After today, you will find this post under the recipe section.

EATING WITH JEFFF
Can't forget about this...

Rib Eye steak from Hoven Farms
Note: Now is the time to order completely
grass feed beef (no grain finish AT ALL!)

Now that's one good lookn' piece of meat!

DON'T FORGET...

Today is the last day of the August "Win a HOUND POUND" T-shirt contest. You have until 11:59PM tonight to become a follower and enter to win. Draw will take place this week. Good luck to all the new followers.

SIGN UP for the OUTDOOR CLASS. There is a FREE CLASS September 6th at 6:00PM. CLICK HERE for details.

FREE OUTDOOR CLASS!!

2010-08-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

SIGN UP NOW!
Hound Pound will be teaming up with Sweats In The City for fall Boot Camp outdoor classes. The outdoor 'Fit Fast' classes will be held every Monday at Sandy Beach starting September 6th at 6:00PM and lead by Hound Pound trainer, Shelly Fleming. The first class is FREE, so you have nothing lose but a bit of sweat! Spaces are filling up fast, so SIGN UP now!

CLASS DESCRIPTION

A great way to have fun and get super fit - Boot Camp style! Classes are designed to increase strength, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness. Scalable for ALL fitness levels.

Movements include: Running, jumping, burpees, squats, lunges, push-ups, and sit-ups
in various combinations with and without equipment.

Equipment includes: Kettlebells, dumbbells, medicine balls, skipping ropes, and existing structures for bench jumps, pull-ups, dips, and whatever else we can find…

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29

2010-08-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

PARTY OVER :(
The long overdue Hound Pound warming party has come and gone. What a great night. Good times, good friends and good food. Paleo snacks, HP challenge for prizes, Paleo dinner and a UFC fight all in one - can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night!

For those of you that missed out on the event, the evening was packed full of action. After some pre-wod Paleo snacks the Hound Pound challenges took way. There were 15 competitors competing for 4 top prizes and the competition was fierce. The first event kicked off with the Hound Pound throw. We saw various methods and techniques but in the end Sweeny and LTP took the challenge with 21.5 foot and 12.4 foot throws respectively. Next up was the Hound Hold (previously scheduled as the Hound Pull, but what's a CF challenge without throwing in the "unknown"). Competitors had to hold 1pd & 1.5pd kettle bells by the horns while doing a wall sit with legs at 90 degrees for as long as they could. Competitors’ went head-to-head for this one, but the strongest legs and wills took the heats. Randy Van B held out for 1:40 and LTP a hound holding 2:10! Outstanding. The last challenge of the day was the Hound Hang - one arm static hang for as long as possible. We had some great times on this one, but again Rand Van B took the challenge for the men with a time of 1:13 beating out the next competitor by only seconds. The women’s champ for this one was Laura McD (who excels at anything on the pull up bar). Laura beat out the other women (and men) by many seconds with a total hold time of 1:25. Impressive! After tallying the distances and times the champions were determined. And the winner’s were...

Men's Hound Pound Challenge winners
First place: Randy Van B (remember this name! I will bet the pound that you'll see Randy on the podium at next year's CF games as grand master champ!)
Second place: Sweeney
Way to go boyz!!

Women's Hound Pound Challenge winners
First place: Liz W
Second place: LTP
Well done ladies!!

The Hound Pound party wrapped up with a delicious paleo dinner and the UFC fight. Good times had by all. Check out all the photos below. Thanks to everyone for coming out and making the Hound Pound party so much fun!

Let the games begin!

Good Food - Part II

Party in the Pound!

LTP & JEFFF - head-to-head in the Hound Hold.

Rob & Sweeney - Epic battle.

Laura McD - longest hang of the day!

Randy Van B - Chilln' on the bar with a beer!

HOUND POUND WINNERS

Liz W - Ladies winner of a new HP T-shirt!

Randy Van B - Men's winner. Already busting out a wod in the HP T!

Sweeney & LTP - Second place winners of Hound Pound Coffee mugs and sweat cuffs. Congratulations!

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

2010-08-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

HOUND POUND PARTY TIME!
It's a big day today for the Hound Pound. We're finally having the long overdue Hound Pound warming party! We're expecting a good turnout of local CrossFitters, so it should be a good time. I'll take lots of pictures and post them on Sunday.

Today's wod is the HP Challenge - Throw/Pull/Hang:
Part 1: "hound" throw - throw 35lb sandbag for total distance in feet. Distance is calculated from the starting point to the closest edge of the sandbag.
Part 2: "hound" pull - in :20 pull a weighted sled as far as you can over gravel (this still needs to be tested, so weights will be posted soon). Distance is measured in feet from the starting point to the front of the sled.
Part 3: "hound" hang - hang from one arm on a pull up bar for AMSAP (as many seconds as possible). This is measured in seconds/2 (i.e. :45 hang = 22.5)
Total score is the total value of the three scores. Highest number wins. It's just that easy. Complete this challenge at the Hound Pound today and you could win some cool prizes.

EATING WITH JEFFF
Can't forget about this. Yesteday we changed things up a bit and when to my family's house for dinner. It's all about making the right choices when eating out, and as you'll see JEFFF did well.

My Family. Bon Appetit!
I wonder what Jefff will choose for his plate?

The star of the meal - chicken
roasted to perfection on my parants new barbie.

Mmmm. Chicken. Dig in JEFFF, looks like you made all good choices.
Also looks like you'll need a napkin for this!

TAILS

2010-08-25T21:14:00.000-07:00

HOUND DAY
(meant to play off hump day, but not sure if anyone gets it.)
First off, my apologies for not posting yesterday, especially after I said that I’ll be posting Jefff’s food soon. To make it up to you all I have new and exciting food to share today. Yesterday’s outdoor wod was done over the noon hour at a new location in Parkhill. The wod started with a 3KM river path run, then a small hill sprint, then 3 rounds of 40 squats, 30 sit-ups, 20 push-ups and 10 burpees. Great job to everyone that came out! Fun in the sun, and a great way to spend a lunch break. Today’s outdoor wod was changed up a bit to take advantage of the beautiful weather – river path run for fun, not time, not distance, just to be outside. LTP came out for this one. Who couldn’t resist this one

TOMORROW'S OUTDOOR WOD
Swimming AMLAP (as many laps as possible) in 30 minutes.
It’s going to be way too nice tomorrow to be inside, so try to get to an outdoor pool. Here’s a link to all the outdoor pools in the city. http://www.calgaryoutdoorpools.ca/

EATING WITH JEFFF
Okay, moving on to what you’re waiting for. We’ve made up new rules for the Eating with Jefff section. Instead of posting every meal every day we’re just going to post the “new” creations along with the recipes. This way you don’t have to see the same scrambled eggs or baked chicken and raw veggies dish every day, and you'll get some new recipes. cool?

Cookies in the making.

Cookies for the eating.
(i'm in the process of perfecting these, so I'll post the recipe when they're perfect. There are really good, but I think they can be great. Be patient.)

Dinner - Halibut Macadamia with coconut broccoli. Yum!
Halibut recipe from Paleo Girls and broccoli sautéed in coconut oil

Left over egg yokes from the halibut for Bruce
- good for his fur coat.

TAILS

2010-08-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

WEEKEND OVER :(

Coming home from the market -
Can you guess what's in my basket?

Another weekend has come and gone, and I’m sure glad it’s a rest day today. The 372 lunges from yesterday sure did a number on my butt! Yesterday’s post wod bike ride ended up being a ride to the farmers market to pick up some ingredients to make some new and exciting food. Hopefully you’ll see some new creations from "Eating with Jefff" this week. Also made some yummy pumpkin pesto with the new food processor, elevate me bars are next for the making. Watch for recipes coming soon.

OPT BIG DAWG CHALLENGE – September 25th.
Mark your calendars and don’t forget to register at the OPT store for the first challenge in the OPT Big Dawg series of 2011. The Hound Pound will be one of the official facilities to host this challenge. This will be an exciting day of epic head-to-head match-ups. The goal is for the Hound Pound to double up on every piece of equipment so athletes can compete in head-to-head heats. The Hound Pound will be open all day for this, but time slots will be given to those on a first come basis. Email me once you've registered and if you have a preferred time you’d like to do this at, and I’ll put together a schedule and match athletes for the heats. Or post to comments if there is somone you'd like to challenge to a battle. We will also be posting competitor profiles in the weeks leading up to the event. This is an online challenge with athletes from all over the world – all you have to do is complete the workout(s) in the timeframe given and post your results to the OPT blog. And this goes without saying, but to keep all things fair you must ensure that you are honest and everything is “legit”. If you complete this at the Hound Pound you will know that you're legit. Hound Pound will precisely measure and ensure all distances and heights for accuracy. We will count your reps and ensure all movements are performed as rx’d with full extension and ROM. And we’ll even video your battle. It’s going to be an exciting day at the Hound Pound and for the CF communicity. Don't miss out on this great experience. Register now!!!

EATING WITH JEFFF
This will be updated this evening. Be sure to check back.

SUNDAY

2010-08-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Today's outdoor wod
400 Metre walking lunges
*post wod - bike ride. Dress warm!

EATING WITH JEFFF
I appologize for not posting this yesterday and not posting a complete day today, but it's the weekend...I'll get back on track tomorrow. I promise.

1. Breakfast shake

2. Baked Enchiladas - I ate this one too and it was pretty tastey. This healthier creation was compliments of CrossFit Santa Cruz Central. Thanks for the recipe!

There were more meals consumed, just not documented. On the news side of things, The Hound Pound got a new food processor yesterday - hoping to make some new creations. Tried to make nut butter, but it didn't quite work (won't get into the details). Today we'll try for pesto and see what happens.

SATURDAY WOD

2010-08-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Today's Outdoor WOD

30-25-20-15-10 rep rounds of:
Burpees
Retaining wall step ups - about 35" (run down hill to playground)
Toes to Bar (then run back up hill)

SMOKEY FRIDAY

2010-08-20T09:52:00.000-07:00

BRUCE'S ATHLETE PICKS

A Hound Pound howl out to fellow followers Sweeney and BillT for wods well done.

Sweeney - 3:27 "FRAN" WOOF!! - First time doing Fran - that's a hound of a time! Way to go Sweeney!

BillT - 7:44 "ELIZIBETH" WOOF!! - Hound bout that! A true hound.

Way to go boyz, keep up the good work. Way to represent. Pound!!

TODAY'S OUTDOOR WOD
Three rounds for time of:
15 hand over hand monkey bar ladder travel (hang from one arm, grab next rung with other arm, etc.)
21 Ring dips
50 Squats

EATING WITH JEFFF...
Another exciting glimpse of the food that feeds our JEFFF. Comments/feedback on these meals are welcome.

1. Breakfast.

hmm...looks the same as yesterday.

2. Lunch

again, same as yesterday?

3. Afternoon snack

This might not be as exciting as I once thought...

4. Dinner
Yum. This looks new.

5. Evening snack
It is what it is.

Thanks again to JEFFF for sharing. Let's all help JEFFF as he shops this weekend for the food he'll eat this week. If you have any food recommendations or great recipe ideas please post them to comments. I think the only thing missing here is a little variety. I don’t know about you, but I think it will be a long month of looking at scrambled eggs, chicken breasts and raw vegetables!

WOD

2010-08-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Today's outdoor wod (August 19, 2010)

"Annie"
50-40-30-20 and 10 rep rounds of:
Double-unders
Sit-ups

EATING WITH JEFF
Jeff's meals for August 18th, 2010. Can you guess the contents of each meal? Post your answers to comments.

1. Breakfast

2. Lunch

3. Afternoon snack

4. Post wod shake

5. Dinner

6. Evening snack

WOD

2010-08-18T14:01:00.000-07:00

Today's Outdoor WOD - August 18, 2010
AMRAP in 20 Minutes of:
4 Ring dips
8 Push ups
16 KB Swings (1.5/2pd)

Same time and place, let me know if you'll be attending.

EATING WITH JEFFF

JEFFF - The Olden Days

We all know that the food we eat is just as important as our training. From now until September 25th, the Hound Pound will follow JEFFF and post all his meals. JEFFF is a Hound Pound athlete training for the upcoming competition season. JEFFF also has more willpower than anyone I know, so I'm sure we'll only see clean food for the next month. We will record his food intake from the previous day on the following day’s post. Maybe we'll get some inspiration and new recipe ideas. Thanks for sharing this with us JEFFF! Today’s meals will be posted tomorrow. Make sure to check back.

WODS

2010-08-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

.COM OUTDOOR!
It is way too nice to be inside and we need to enjoy these precious last days of summer, and the nice weather hopefully to come this Fall. This means the Hound Pound is moving outside! For the next couple months the Hound Pound will be doing modified versions of the .COM wods, and all workouts will be at the nearby school yard/park. We will bring equipment and be creative with the surroundings – playground equipment, short steep hill, retaining walls, benches, etc. Anyone is welcome to join. Send me an email or post a comment on the day the wod is posted if you’re interested and I’ll bring extra equipment. Wods will follow the .com schedule of 3 on and 1 off and will be in the evenings around 6:30pm. This is going to be so much fun! Hope to see you outside.

Today’s wod (August 17, 2010):
15 Rounds of hill sprints
Sprint 20 seconds up
Walk/recover 40 seconds down

Yesterday's wod (August 16, 2010):
*This one was really modified because I didn't feel like carrying the 45# bar there, but I would and will, just didn't this particualr time.
3 Rounds:
25 Wallballs to 10ft target (height measured for accuracy - 14#/20#)
20 Med ball squat cleans (14#/20#)
10 Toes to bar (on money bars)
1 Hill ascend/descend

TAILS

2010-08-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

HAPPENINGS - LOTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO
Well, I didn’t want to take the spotlight from Bruce's MU, and there have not been a lot of happenings around the Hound Pound lately which is why there hasn’t been a new post for a while. I will try to update more frequently. Jeff has already started training hard for 2011 (even did a wod at the campground last weekend), and I’m still having fun riding Tommy and doing the odd .com and outdoor group wods. I’m going to try settle into some sort of program/structure in September - kind of looking for something new…

I also want to take this time to mention some upcoming Hound Pound events and news for August and September.

August 28
HP PARTY! Yes. The official HP warming party. Save the date and stay tuned for the evite.
Starting September
Hound Pound will be part the local Calgary “Dawgs” Sunday competitions and workouts which means Hound Pound will one of the many host fitness facilities around the city.
September 1
Announcement of the August Hound Pound T-shirt winner. Bill – yours is in the works!
September 10
JEFFF’s B-day. Gluten free cake is in the works.
September 25
The first OPT Big DAWG challenge for 2011. Hound Pound athletes are already training (I have a hunch it will be FGB again…shhh). This will be a virtual challenge, so drop by the HP to compete – we’ll count your reps, make sure you’re legit, and video your efforts.
September 29
Lucy’s B-day. 10 year’s young. She’d like her teeth cleaned and lumps removed – donations welcome.

WOW exciting stuff. Wash that down with this delicious shake recipe from the Coup. I’m not really a shake kind of gal, but I just love this one.

"INDIAN BANANA SPICE SMOOTHIE"
*recipe is per glass
1 heaping tbsp almond butter
1/2 cup almond milk
1 Date (pitted)
1/2 cup coconut milk
3/4 banana (frozen, if possible)
4 Ice cubes
1 pinch of each of the following:
- ginger power
- black pepper
- star anise powder
- clove powder
- nutmeg powder
2 big pinches of the following:
- cinnimon
- caramon powder

Then Blend and Drink. Yum!!

* Notes:
1) I've yet to follow a recipe as is, and this is no exception, however in this case my deviation was quite small. I added one scoop of chocolate protein power to make this a balanced shake and to add some chocolatey goodness. I definitely recommend adding this.
2) A pinch of all those ingredients is quite time consuming, so I also recommend figuring out the measured amount of all the spices that go into one shake (I think it was about one tsp, and then mixing up a big batch of the spice combo. This way when you go to make your shake your spices are ready to roll, just need to add a tbs (or whatever) of the pre-mixed spices.

Enjoy your drink. Make sure to post comments about the upcoming events and if you like the shake.

sHELLy

TAILS

2010-08-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

WAY TO GO BRUCE!
Hound Pound would like to Congratulate Bruce Finlayson on getting his first muscle up. Keep up the good work Bruce!

Bruce gets his first muscle up - Aug. 3, 2010

WE HAVE A WINNER

2010-08-01T15:06:00.000-07:00

All good things must come to an end, including July and the opportunity to win a Hound Pound T-shirt. I'd like to thank everyone (Lauren, Jeff, Bruce and Bill) that entered and let you know you are already winners by following the site. I won't hold you in suspense any longer if you haven’t already guessed by the photo...BILL, is the July Hound Pound T-shirt winner. Congratulations BILL!! As you know all HP T-shirts are custom made with lots of love, so look for Bill in his new shirt in the next week or so. Wear it proud Bill. Pound!!

CONTEST EXTENDED
I'd also like to announce that we will now be giving away a Hound Pound T-shirt every month!! All you have to do is become a follower in that month and you will be entered to win. It's just that easy - ask Bill! Looking forward to meeting all the new followers. POUND!

sHELLy

TAILS

2010-07-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

MEET TOMMY
Hound Pound is proud to introduce our newest addition - Tommy, an black Electra "Townie" cruiser bike with 21 speeds and front suspension. Welcome Tommy! Tommy was my Games gift from Jefff. We had a deal that he'd buy me a Vespa if I finished in the top 15. I knew this wouldn’t happen and tried to negotiate a lower placing, but he wouldn't budge. I obviously did not get my hopes up, nor was I disappointed when I didn’t get the scooter. That said, Jefff decided that I should still get some sort of a post games gift. Jefff describes this gift as the "I’m proud of you gift", but I describe it more as the "here's for enduring the traumatic experience" gift. Regardless of how Tommy came to be, he is hands down the next best transportation to a Vespa. Tommy and I are already BFFs and plan to go everywhere together this summer. Today, Tommy and I went back to Bowcycle (26K both ways) for another tune up, an odometer and a basket. If the weather is nice tomorrow we're hitting the pool. I love you Tommy. Thanks Jefff!!!

LAST CHANCE TO WIN

2010-07-30T09:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the official contest deadline to win a Hound Pound T-shirt by becoming a follower. There is still time to win. All you have to do is become a follower of the Hound Pound site by 11:59PM MST, and a Hound Pound T could be yours. The winner will be announced on Sunday, August 1, 2010. What are you waiting for?

TAILS

2010-07-26T14:04:00.000-07:00

THE POOL IS COOL

My new favourite place

MY CF season is now over and the off-season activities have begun. We had two of the hottest days of the year this past weekend and what better way to enjoy them then a bike ride a swim. To prep for the activities I had to take "Dino" in for a tune up on Friday night. Dino is my fancy Divinci road bike, suitably named because he is a fast/smooth Italian. Unfortunately, “Fern” did not get off so lucky. I have to retire Fern this year because I left her outside all winter. My bad!! Fern is (was) a green Kona Fire Mountain, and appropriately named because she is (was) green. Sorry for not treating you very nice Fern. RIP. Anyway, Dino is now tuned and ready to roll (fast!). Saturday morning I hung out in the Hound Pound while Jefff did his wod. I did a few pull ups and OHS, but my heart just wasn’t into it. Then we hit the payment on the bikes and went to the outdoor pool for public lane swim. It was awesome and not very busy at all. It was pretty much me, Jeff and a bunch of senior citizens. Do young people not swim anymore? They should! I had such a great time and fun workout, that I will do the same for every weekend from now until the weather drops below 20 degrees. I did the same on Sunday, except Jefff stayed back to pound one out at the HP. Must have been a good one, cause he had a spectator that took a break from bottle colleting in the alley to watch him bust out his C&J’s and pull-ups. I’m going to look into selling tickets to watch Jefff wod. The proceeds would fund the HP expansion. I really think the Hound Pound needs to invest in a pool and incorporate swimming into the regular training. Again, anyone that wants to donate to the pool fund or watch Jefff wod for a small fee can send me an email. We also need to get Jefff and the hounds into swimming lessons before the summer is over. Safety is always first at the Hound Pound.

Pound!! sHELLy.

TAILS

2010-07-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

GAME OVER

Good bye 2010 Crossfit games, hello hound walks, bike rides and outdoor swims. Home from LA and glad the Games are finally over. My luck finally ran out and the wods did not work to my favour this time – I knew this was bound to happen. On the upside I was glad to be able to complete all the movements. I had never done a muscle up where I had to jump to get into the rings and I had never been able to do a pistol unassisted – so pretty stoked to break out those movements with less than a half hour each to practice and warm up for. Here are the highlights and lowlights from the weekend (no particular order):

Highlights
* Free shoes from Inov8
* Opportunity to compete as an individual
* Hanging with LTP between wods
* Meeting/hanging with all the athletes
* All the help and support from Jefff
* Having so many people there cheering me on
* Realizing I can do a pistol
* Whole Foods
* Venice Beach
* Dinners at the mansion
* Not having to do the last event – would have died on the rope. Seriously!
* The number of people interested in Hound Pound T-shirts
* Sunday night BBQ with all my favourite CrossFitters

Lowlights
* Learning the first wod and having 10 minutes to warm-up/prepare for it
* Learning the second wod and having 15 minutes to warm-up/prepare for it
* Learning the third wod and scrabbling to figure out pistols
* Tearing up my hands in wod 2 and slipping off the bar from all the blood
* Having at least 20 KBS not count in wod 2
* Having my wod 3 lift score documented incorrectly on the final score sheet,
which would have moved me up one place in the final ranking
* Losing my Canadian Regionals T-shirt – loved that shirt!
* Hanging out with the cleaning lady on Friday and not being there to watch
the team wods
* Not having more free time to enjoy LA – especially the pool and the ocean!

All in all, it was a good experience. I’m glad I was given the opportunity to compete. Another check mark on life’s list of accomplishments. Team comp will be next on the list. Watch out for the Hound Pound team next year. Pictures from the weekend to come.

TAILS

2010-07-16T09:52:00.000-07:00

GAME DAY
Well, the day I’ve been dreading for months is now here - day 1 of the CrossFit Games. Wod # 1: What could it be? I will learn my fate in less than 7 hours. I feel like I’m going to war. The week leading up to this day was mostly preparation. The weekend/early week wods felt okay, however I can’t think of what they were right now. We arrived safe and sound in LA and are staying in the most bizarre mansion with 12 of our good CrossFit friends. We have the “Liberachi” suite overlooking the ocean, but others did not get off so fortunate. One room has a bed for “little people”, one room is hot pink and lime green with fun fur everything. I mean everything. There is “hunters” room that’s like sleeping inside a barrel, we have a grown man sleeping in a babies room on a day bed with a canopy, and then there’s strange little room in the basement next to a deer head and the wine cellar full of porn on VHS. Very strange accommodation, but being here with friends - especially CrossFitting friends makes all the better. I'll make sure to post some pictures, cause words don’t do it justice. I’m home alone in the mansion today, trying to fuel and rest my body for the unknown, while the others battle it out in the team competition. I might send LTP a text to hit up the Lulu we’ve been hearing good things about. The waiting is driving me crazy! That’s all I’ve got right now. I’ll try to send another update before the weekend is over, but no guarantees. I also want to thank all the friends and family of the Hound Pound for their support, gifts, and kind words of support - you know who you are. Thank you!

Let the games begin.
sHELLy

TAILS

2010-07-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

GROSS SNAKE MAN!

Okay, so this one is a little off topic, but I need to warn everyone about the gross snake man. What was once my favourite neighbourhood Starbucks is now the lurking grounds of the gross snake man and his disgusting snake. I can’t tell you how much I HATE snakes. My eyes tear and my heart rate accelerates just from the site of them (photos included). I run from them! If I were surrounded by snakes, I would knock myself out with the first object I could find, just so I wouldn’t have to deal with the stress. It’s really that bad!! Thanks to gross snake man, I’m now terrified to go to my favouite Starbucks - which is also the closest one to HP/my work. I saw snake man there all winter, but I had no idea he was a creepy gross snake lover until the first hot day this year when I saw him leaving the parking lot with a giant boa constrictor on the dash of his SUV. Sick! This made me scared to park my car in the lot. It gets worse! Thursday while I’m at work (down the street from Starbucks) I get an alarming text message from LTP with a warning – “Do not come to Starbucks, gross snake man is here with his snake!” OMG! The photo alone almost gave me a heart attack. What if I was there? What if I was inside, how would I get out? I would of had to call 9-11. Really! So now as you can see, I have valid reason(s) to be nervous about going there. Today, LTP talked me into going there after our wod to sit outside. We parked in the back and I noticed a white SUV, but there didn’t appear to be a snake on the dash - was it gross snake man’s vehicle and was the snake "hiding" inside? I don’t know, but while we were enjoying our coffees and elevate me bars on the front patio, gross snake man all of a sudden comes walking around the corner! He was not bearing a snake (today), but the gross snake man scares me just as much. I'm just as scared of gross snake man as I am his gross snake. I don’t know what to do. Maybe I should start a petition for gross snake man to be banned from that Starbucks? Any other suggestions! I’m so grossed out right now! I don't know how long I'll even be able to leave this photo up. Sick, sick, sick! Hounds hate snakes too!! I hope there are no snakes at the Games!