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A 125 pound divorce

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition was chalk up while fueling with KILL CLIFF ENDURE, the new slow-release carb endurance beverage to keep you moving during the toughest WODs. Today’s your last chance to grab a 12-pack for $10 off with code “CHALK10.”

P.S. KILL CLIFF just dropped some end-of-season clearance items online so you can look good while gettin’ after it.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“If you find yourself constantly trying to prove your worth to someone, you have already forgotten your value.” — Unknown

A 125 POUND DIVORCE.

The story.
Justin Holsomback was 27-years-old and running for the Georgia State House of Representatives when his wife asked him for a divorce. Weighing in at nearly 300 pounds and so horribly out of shape that he was skipping houses to talk to voters if the climb was too steep, Justin knew if he wanted to live past 40 things needed to change.

What did he do?
Justin had heard about this CrossFit thing and figured “what the heck” so he signed up and started pounding the Kool-Aid. Throughout the highs and lows — including one night where he binged on 4000 calories — he learned one very important lesson: “The number on the scale doesn’t make me happy — what I’m able to do with my body and time is what makes me happy.”

He also shed 125 pounds in the year since walking into CrossFit Addiction in Kennesaw, GA, though he’s now a member at CTC CrossFit in Marietta, GA.

Darn right.
A lot of us have felt, or are feeling like Justin; stuck in a rut where nothing seems to work.

For all the stories we’ve written about transformations like Justin’s, we seldom have an opportunity to appluad and hear from our Y chromosome counterparts. Women aren’t the only culprits of body image issues, so thanks Justin for stepping up to share your story.

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED.

What are we doing?
When your friend throws a challenge your way, you don’t back down.

Which is why you’re about to row 10K, donate $20 bucks then immediately call out three swolemates to do the same.

Why would I row 10K?
It’s for the 10K for $10K challenge; a fundraiser to support those affected by all the hurricanes in the south and south east.

And yes, you can even do it in teams.

Anything else?
Coaches, Saturday open gym sounds like a good time for a box-wide challenge. Just saying.

3, 2, 1 Go.

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES

Nine days until the CrossFit Invitational kicks off in Melbourne, Australia. Six days until we get on a jet plane…and here are the team uniforms.

Roundup — FITAID is hiring a lot of new positions. Congratulations to CrossFit Jääkarhu on three years. Here’s a look at Mathew Fraser’s new house in Tennessee. Sammy Wood hits a 205 pound snatch. Logan Collins does 30 weight vest muscle-ups in 2:56.

This is why you always need a second pair of eyes…When looking on our phone, we were convined this kid was lifting with 25kg plates on each side.

…and this is basically every dog owners dream.

What to tell your friend who’s a huge Stevie Wonder fan…
Very superstitious. Top athletes of every sport always have little superstitions and rituals before big games. So what kind of special t-shirts, hairstyles, underwear, special meals and other random tricks do athletes perform before big competitions?

THINGS TO…

HEAR: Lisa Bilyeu’s Quest
The co-founder of Quest Nutrition — Lisa Bilyeu joins the Girls Gone WOD Podcast for an episode discussing entrepreneurship, hard work, balance, and making your health a priority even if it means going against the grain or giving up habits you love.
TUNE IN.

EAT: Paleo Pumpkin Pie Bars with Almond Flour Sugar Cookie Crust
One of these days we’ll get over our pumpkin kick, but today is not that day. And once you see the pics of Ambitious Kitchen’s healthy paleo pumpkin pie bars with an almond flour ‘sugar cookie’ crust you’ll understand why.
PUMPKINS MAKE US HAPPY.

CHALK UP AFFILIATES

How has CrossFit helped you achieve a goal?

“My goal was to become healthy in every way that I could. So far I have accomplished a good majority of that goal by learning discipline. Committing to showing up to class and completing workouts set the pace for every thing else to follow. I quit smoking cigarettes for good after 5-6 years of smoking a pack a day. About a year ago I gave up on drinking soda completely. My nutrition is becoming my main focus and is going well. I became a CrossFit Trainer a little more then a year ago too.” — Giovanni Marzetti, CrossFit Fireball in Bonita Springs, FL

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Quick Hits — 

  • Crossfit Rocksolid in Downington, PA raised more than $10,000 at their Barbells for Boobs fundraiser. All told, they’ve raised $25,000 throughout the past four years of fundraisers.
  • On November 9, Margaux Alvarez is going to be hanging out at CrossFit Max Effort in Las Vegas, NV, for a little wine and yoga night. You might wanna consider throwing together a last minute trip to Sin City and pre-ordering a case with code “WEST17” to pickup while you’re there.
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