More Random thoughts

by Gabe Rinaldi

For my September newsletter article I wrote a bunch of random thoughts. Apparently some people find it interesting to read random thoughts because I received quite a bit of positive feedback on that article. In an effort to provide my huge fan base (okay so maybe it’s just a few people) with info they want to read I am writing another newsletter article with random thoughts. Like the September newsletter these thoughts won’t relate to a single topic and will be very random.

It has been freezing lately and it seems no matter what I do (short of exercise) I can’t get warm. Growing up in Lake Tahoe I can remember being very cold at times, but since I’ve been in the Bay Area the last 12 years I can’t remember being this cold. My only logical conclusion is that I’m leaner than I’ve ever been and the lack of body fat is not helping the situation. I can definitely see where having an extra layer of fat would be beneficial to someone exposed to the elements.

As I’m writing this I’m 2 days away from vacation. We are going to San Diego for a few days, and then we are going on an 8-day cruise in Mexico with 13 family members. I’ve never been on a cruise so I don’t know what to expect. I’m envisioning lots of food, random activities on the ship, hanging out at the pool, doing CrossFit workouts in the gym, and going on excursions. It should be fun!

We’ve had a lot of change at FIT over the last 12 months. We changed the flooring from carpet to the Mondo flooring on the large side of the gym and black mats on the small side. We got rid of the Olympic Platforms, 1 Squat cage, the Treadwall, and some misc. equipment. We started a CrossFit affiliate, created CrossFit group classes, and started incorporating some CrossFit philosophies in many personal training sessions. We created the FIT Forum on the Internet for people to discuss health, fitness, and nutrition information. We changed Jump Camp to FIT Kids and FIT Teens and refined those programs further. We revamped our website and we even have daily changing blog content on several of the pages. We continually developed as a team. Most importantly we positively influenced the lives of hundreds of people. This last point makes our somewhat unique career choice rewarding.

The idea of “The Year to Compete” in 2007 hasn’t really taken off. More details can be found here:
http://www.focusedtrainers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=353
As of this writing there are less than 10 people signed up in this. It would be beneficial if more people got involved. The goal is to get people training and competing in different sports for the fun of it. I personally haven’t competed in anything the last few years. Even if I only do a few competitions in 2007, then I will benefit because it will be more than I have done in the recent past. I plan on trying many new activities in 2007.

I want to get into kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu in 2007. I plan to take lessons and feel this will be a great challenge and functional workout. Additionally, it will be a nice feeling to know I have some skills should I ever need to protect my family or myself.
I have been eating better lately. The difference has been cooking at home more. We try to eat lots of veggies, lean meats, nuts, a small amount of fruit, and minimal to no processed foods. It requires frequent trips to the grocery store and dedicated cooking time, but it is much better for us. Another goal for 2007 is to become a better cook and to eat as healthy as possible.

It’s weird how I always want more sleep during the week, but it is hard to go to sleep earlier to make that happen. On Sunday, the day I can typically sleep in, I often wake up somewhat early and then start doing stuff rather than trying to fall back asleep. I read a review of a book called Lights Out! Sleep, Sugar, and Survival. Apparently this book recommends a minimum of 9.5 hours of sleep per night in complete darkness. Since I typically wake up at 5:30 a.m. that means I need to go to sleep at 8 p.m. I often get home around 7:30 to 8 p.m. This means that the only thing I do at home is sleep. Somehow I need to make a few changes in my schedule to sleep more.

Automobiles are a hobby for me. It seems people are either car people or they aren’t. Pretty profound eh! For some a car is simply a thing to get from point A to point B. I personally like fast cars that handle extremely well. One cool thing about technology is cars are getting faster, better handling, and the prices are relatively getting cheaper over time. It is going to be interesting to see the cars that come out in the next few years.

It is interesting to me that when someone becomes ultra successful they gain a sense of confidence. If they were to somehow lose everything, then I would guess they would be able to rebuild success fairly quickly due to the confidence and knowledge of having been there before.

Diseases are very scary. Health is extremely important and it is so sad to see someone come down with a random disease. I wish there was a way we had complete control over all diseases. It is especially sad when someone leads a perfectly healthy lifestyle and still gets struck with a disease. Here’s wishing for good health to everyone!

I need to go home and pay bills. I better end this soon.

This past year has been a great year for my wife and I; however I feel 2007 is going to be the best year yet.

Thanks for reading,
Gabe Rinaldi
F.I.T. – General Manager