Oat-Peanut butter Protein Bites

For a change, here a recipe to make a tasty, protein filled snack. Oats are a good source of carbohydrates, gluten-free and have a low GI. Peanut butter is just straight up good, although the Paleo folks might disagree on that. But hey, if Rich eats it, it should be good right?

You need:

2 tbsp peanut butter
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almond flour
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
1 scoop of protein powder (we used Lean Dessert Cinnamon Roll)

In a food processor, grind the raisins into a paste and mix it up with all the other ingredients (either by hand or in the food processor)
Press the mixture into silicon molds (like these) and place in the fridge for at least an hour. Store in the fridge or outside in an airtight container.

I'd like to start with Crossfit, but.....

I need to get in shape first

This is a very common excuse. Frankly, it doesn't matter what shape you're in when you start crossfit. Most likely it will suck either way. The only way to get in shape for crossfit, is to do crossfit.
One example I saw personally, is when we had 3 pro-rugby players visiting our box for a work-out, because their competition was put on hold due to extreme cold.
Can't remember exactly what the wod was, but it involved pull-ups. You'd think these guys would be strong and in shape (and I'm sure they are) but all 3 needed to use a rubberband to do pull-ups. When finished, they lay on the ground in a sweaty heap, like everybody else. Not something you'd expect from dudes that get bodyslammed for a living.

I will look like an idiot in front of others

First of all, you have to courage to show up, so you're not an idiot at all.
Secondly, during a wod, NO ONE will be paying attention to you, since they are all wrapped up in their own world, trying to make it through the wod. "Oh my god, I cant' believe you can't even do regular push-ups" said NO ONE EVER. We will high five you and tell you you did a great job.

But, look at those athletes on YouTube!!

Sure, they look like they walked straight off the set of the 300 movie, but then again, these folks made crossfit their profession, just like soccer players, tennis players, etc. I'm sure nobody was ever feeling discouraged picking up a tennis racket after watching Wimbledon, so neither should you feel discouraged doing crossfit. Plus, a lot of the top crossfitters have some type of athletic background already, like weightlifting, football, gymnastics, etc. Most of them also own a crossfit box and are part of the crossfit coaching staff.

Push-ups? Even Michelle can't do 'em

Seriously, I can't do pull-ups, push-ups or squat!

Pretty much 90% of the people that start crossfit, can't do that. It takes practice and in order to get there, the coach will scale the work-outs to your level, so you can participate just as intensely as everybody else. Then, all of a sudden, you can do a strict pull-up and the whole box is excited for you and you feel like you can do anything (true story)








Crossfit will make me bulky (for the ladies)

This is a frequently discussed topic, since it involves a personal view on aesthetics, that differs per person. Some people think women with muscle definition are beautiful, others think it's too manly. Will you build muscle doing crossfit? Yes, you will get stronger, get toned and look good naked. Will you get deltoids the size of melons? Probably not, but if you want to take crossfit to a higher level and hit serious numbers with deadlifts, snatches or cleans for example, you will end up with better looking guns than Madonna or your boyfriend. It's all up to you in the end.

So, what will happen?

Some days it will suck, some days you will crush a wod. Sometimes you will actually be nervous before a wod and dread the countdown on the clock. Other days, you will hit a PR, do a work-out as prescribed for the first time.
But most of all, you'll do the coolest stuff, like lifting your own bodyweight, climb a rope, jump over things, flip tires, do handstands and feel empowered, one wod at a time.

Author: @sabineweijers

This article is also published on: BoxRox

Be Bulletproof!

IgY Nutrition - Recovery Proteins

Since we love to test samples, it was an easy decision to make when we came across a free trial pack of IgY Nutrition: Recovery Proteins.
The only price you pay is the S&H (about $6)

What is it?

Well, at a glance, it's a hyperimmune egg in powdered form.
A what? Yeah, you know, a hyperimmune egg.
Even after reading the page, it still doesn't make a lot of sense. Supposedly, taking a serving of this stuff after your work-out will help you recover faster.
But looking at what's really in it, it doesn't look like that this can possibly make any difference, since it is, (simply put) powdered egg:

Look, we're all about trying new stuff and keeping an open mind, but a 4,5 gram serving of powdered egg will not suffice after a work-out.

We tried it for the trial period as directed and noticed no difference whatsoever.
However, these guys seem pretty sure of the product, since they even offer a refund if you've used the product and are not happy with it.

Do you have better results? Please share!

IgY Nutrition - www.igynutrition.com

Peak Life Scam

Even though I've been around the block a few times in the world of internet shopping, it sometimes does
happen that i don't pay enough attention and end up signing up for a trial package and end up with a subscription to shit I don't want.

This time, it's with the folks of Peak Life. Since I'm always interested in products to promote and support health, and in this case, my achy joints, I decided to sign up for their free trial of the product Peak Life Joint. For only $4,99 you can try a 14 day sample of their product.
The problem is first of all, that that price doesn't even begin to reflect the actual price of the 1 month supply, being $69,99. Had I paid attention, I would have never tried a product that charges such an astronomical fee in the first place.
Anyway, off I went and ordered the sample (mistake 1). Since I don't live in the States, I had it sent to the hotel address of a friend of mine who was there on business.

Now, let's have a look at this product:

For about $ 0,78 per tablet, you're getting vitamin C, B3, some minerals and glucosamine.
Plus the extra bonus of some herbs you can buy in any grocery store.
More on Boswelia Serrata here.

After my friend returned, she told me a while afterwards she got an e-mail from the hotel that another package was delivered.
Thinking it was a mistake, I didn't think anything of it (mistake 2)
After the second time a package was delivered, I got suspicious and checked my credit card statements.







By that time, I was already charged twice for the product + shipping & handling, $150,-
After blocking my credit card immediately, I contacted their client "service" by phone, making sure that they shouldn't put any more efforts in sending more of their shit, since the card was blocked.
They confirmed that they would cancel the subscription and an e-mail was sent to me to confirm this.

Moral of the story? I should have paid more attention, absolutely.
But via this article I'd like to warn others for scams like this, even though they provide the terms, it's pretty much the case in 80% of the times that people don't read this and end up with a subscription to shit they don't want. To the right, the fine print at the last step of ordering the sample.

It basically states that if you don't call within 18 days of placing the order, you will be automatically enrolled into their Peak Life Joint program.

Just be careful before ordering "free" samples, because they might end up costing you $$
Instead of achy joints, I now have an achy wallet.
Hopefully I can get my money back, but for a company that treats their customers like this, I don't have much hope.

More info on scams:
http://www.rd.com/advice/saving-money/7-online-scams-and-how-to-avoid-them

And on Peak Life

Edit:
After this article was published, Peak Life contacted me via Twitter to resolve the matter.
They then proceed to send me an e-mail to confirm the refund of the money, plus another personal e-mail in which they profoundly said to regret this incident and experience, offering their apologies. +1 for Peak Life for doing so!