For many people staying in shape involves playing sports. But the challenge can be that as we enter adulthood there aren't as many opportunities to participate in organized sports. We don't have scheduled practices. We don't play in as many tournaments. We don't go to sports camps in the summer. And basically life gets busy and it's tough to find the time for work, spouse, family and much else including playing on a sports team. So for the gym rat that graduates all of the sports offered during school this can be a recipe for future in-activity, reduced health and weight gain. And so it was especially encouraging to see a friend take control of his health and achieve a great result. [caption id="attachment_5468" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Mike Penninga 4 months ago at 214 lbs. Some of you might know Mike Penninga. Mike has been the pastor at Kelowna Gospel Fellowship for the past nine years. He is a Kelowna boy and has always been involved in and competed in sports. I even recall a client, Mike J, sharing a story about playing men's league basketball when Mike P was still in university in the early 90s. So Mike was always active and never had to worry about his weight or his health. His high level of activity took care of managing his weight and prevented injury. But then he was down to Las Vegas in November. And he stepped on the scale shortly after the trip and wasn't happy with the number. So I had to know besides the number on the scale what else prompted him to get started? And he was honest to admit that vanity played a role. He is on stage in front of his parish. He's the face of the videos they produce. And he sees...

In my last post I went over the things that don't make sense to me as coach when it comes to Crossfit. However to be fair I want to present both sides. So here is the Good of Crossfit.I've got to give Crossfit props. They do some things really well. Although most don't have to do with training.Community - They definitely do a great job of creating a sense of community amongst their members. I'm not sure if it's so much that they identify with the process or if it's a trendy place to train. Members can get all their ink done, pull up the knee high socks and ditch the shirts once they get at the WOD. If you are a CFer you eat, breath and live the culture. You're all in or you're out. I like that about them.Record Keeping - It appears as though every workout is tracked and measured. And this is a great thing. How else are you going to know how you're doing and if what you're doing is working? A quick Google search will quickly provide tons of data regarding times and best scores for the various workouts Crossfitter like to do. Many fitness professionals would be wise to steal a page and keep these types of notes as well.Marketing - They sure do a great job of getting the word out there. If you're involved in fitness chances are you've heard of Crossfit. And they were the ones to land Reebok as a major sponsor of their brand and competition. Maybe you've seen the Crossfit games on TV. Or come across an article about in a fitness magazine. Whatever the method they are doing a really good job of getting their name out there.Competition - They hold competitions to measure yourself against others....