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My life is a constant journey that tends to catch ME off guard on a pretty regular basis.  And I wouldn't have it any other way!  I have dedicated my life to accepting challenges whenever I can, why?  Well, I've found out over the past couple years that I am capable of more than I can possibly fathom; and the excitement, energy and happiness I find when I'm in the midst of a challenge is what I live for!  And to add to the greatness of testing limits, exploring, and trying new things, I meet so many awesome people and am introduced to so many awesome things along the way!

I have endless stories already, and I'm only 29 years old; when I think about this I get goose-bumps!  I am so excited to see what my life will bring!  I figure I'll share stories for as long as I possibly can, but today I am inspired to talk about one in particular.  One of my regular journeys over the past 5 years or so has been searching for the perfect protein bar.  No joke, I have gone into Whole Foods on more than one occasion and collected upwards to $100 worth of different bars to bring home and try out.  I got hooked on Clif Bars for a while, eating 2+ a day for a few months (then I comprehended the amount of sugar and additives in each one, as well as the really awkward claim of 70% organic, what the heck is that?  I was always so disappointed in the fact that the legitimate food-based bars (meaning, the ingredients where simply food, not a collection of foods, additives, chemicals, sugars and more) tasted like such crap.  After a few years of trying practically every bar I could imagine, I ended up opting for a few regulars: Builders Bars (the higher protein version of Clif Bars), Boomi Bars (almonds, whey protein and honey.  Bland but exciting to me!) and Lara Bars (basically dates and a few other simple food ingredients.  Never really enjoyed the taste, but the idea of them I liked).  I even opted for making a bar so that i wouldn't have so much sweetener in them.  Didn't work out all that well... 

Then one day my lovely girlfriend Lindsey came in with something she found at the Whole Foods near our house in San Mateo, CA.  She said she found it hidden in the refrigerator section and the name caught her eye.  It caught my eye too: Core Warrior Bars.  Bad ass.  I looked at the ingredients and saw this: 100% organic, whole oats, almonds, raisins, whey protein, ground spices.  My brain went to "crap, this is surely going to disappoint" mode, but I needed to give it a try of course!  And just like that I had found my new favorite meal replacement, post workout fuel, snack, dessert, stable addition to my diet for the rest of my life.  They were so, damn, good! 

After stocking the fridge with the couple flavors they had, and officially implementing them as a regular mainstay in what I ate, I figured I might as well check out the company in a little more detail.  Never thought I'd get even more hooked on a company, but they quite literally stood for everything I believe in.  A small, San Francisco area company that makes organic, raw, real-food-based protein bars, that also is a non-profit, carries a ZERO carbon footprint, and is dedicating to sticking to their insanely respectable values no matter what!  I had to meet the owner!

The first time I met Corey was at The Courage Games in Burlingame, CA,  It was 40 degrees, pouring rain, and 120 or so athletes and spectators were toughing it out all day with the crazy workouts I programmed for an awesome competition.  Corey pulled up in his car and offered samples for most of the event and when I walked over to introduce myself and chat for a bit, he promptly hugged me and claimed how awesome this event was!  New friend for life in my opinion!  The guy is exactly what you would hope for in an owner of such a company.  He has traveled all over the world researching and getting to understand food, and in the end, did to not only make these bars, but dedicated all his energy to supporting healthy and lasting growth in all people.  Rock, freaking on!

This is what I strive for in my journey: meeting people who want to inspire health and happiness in the world and are actually DOING something about it.  And the trifecta: the product produced is so good it blows my mind (the perfect trifecta simplified: desire to inspire, doing something to inspire, actually succeeding in inspiring!).  Yesterday and today alone I sampled the bars to just about 20 different athletes who came through The Garage and got an overwhelming, 100% YES, give us more!  I am excited, proud and so happy to now be a part of the Core Foods mission, as I feel it fits perfectly with the ongoing journey that is my life.  If you want the perfect post-workout meal, I highly suggest you give these things a try.  And you can guarantee to see these things on my person wherever I go from here on out. 
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To earn my Core Warrior re-fuel today, I hit my lock-out and supplemental-work strength session.  Then Big Dan came over and we hit this little doosy from our friends at Outlaw CrossFit:

5 rounds for time of:
6 muscle ups
12 man on fire burpees (drop, roll, jump, repeat!)
18 wall balls

The weather was perfect, the park was empty and splashed with sunshine, the workout partners were pumped (George came too, and got a fun workout in the sand pit!) and the workout was perfect.  I felt so strong after weighted pull ups and dips and was able to blast through the workout much faster than I imagined I would at 19:28.  Dan struggled a little with the muscle ups (he is usually WAY better than me at them) and finished in the low 20's.  We all walked home, covered in dirt and grass and feeling awesome!  I love working out. 

Never Stop, GET FIT.

Josh Courage
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