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“Get the inside right. The outside will fall into place.” — Eckhart Tolle

Old Bay, Meet New Bae

The story.

On Monday, the seasoning giant McCormick & Company filed a lawsuit in Maryland federal court against the paleo brand Primal Palate for copyright infringement of their Old Bay seasoning.

What’s Old Bay?

If you don’t live on the East Coast, or basically anywhere around Maryland, then Old Bay is not in the front of your spice rack, or perhaps not even on it.

The Baltimore based spice is a staple spice seasoned on crab, shrimp, clam chowder, potato chips, potato salad, french fries, eggs, popcorn, fried chicken and a whole lot of other amazing foods.

And so when Primal Palate released a paleo friendly spice blend called — wait for it — New Bae, it was a nod to the classic.

So what’s the problem?

Well according to McCormick & Company, Old Bay and New Bae are basically twinsies — in McCormick’s opinion that is — and they’re none too pleased, especially since Primal Palate decided to come out with the recipe a la “The Gram”.

A point of pride for Primal Palate is full transparency in their products. So they shared every ingredient in the New Bae blend: “Himalayan pink salt, paprika, celery, black pepper, ancho chili powder, cayenne, cardamom, allspice, mace and bay leaves.”

When McCormick heard the news that there was a New Bae they were not having it. Now, Primal Palate has returned to “The Gram” for some social media support. 

All puns aside, TBD on which Bae wins this one but we’ll let ya know. 

GAMES UPDATE.

Fraser: “I will be doing other events”

This weekend, Mathew Fraser won his seventh straight CrossFit competition and clinched his ticket to the 2019 CrossFit Games and earned himself $100,000 in prize money.

After the final event, he talked on camera briefly about his plans for the rest of the 2019 CrossFit Games season.

“Yes, I will be doing other events, not 100% sure which ones yet,” Fraser said around the 2:40 mark in this interview with Morning Chalk Up’s Sr. Games Analyst Tommy Marquez.

Fraser is already confirmed for the Rogue Invitational in mid-May but wouldn’t speculate on other competitions he would be attending, if any.

Earlier in the interview, Fraser said he plans to return to Cookeville, TN and help Tia-Clair Toomey train for Wodapalooza in January. Toomey and Fraser spent the months leading up to the Dubai CrossFit Championship training together to help prepare Fraser for the competition, where he won seven out of 10 events.

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell your kid the next time he’s crying for a band-aid…

It’s just a flesh wound. It’s nothing, just like the three broken ribs that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had after a fall in November. But no matter, the 85-year-old fitness enthusiast still got out there and got after it just days later, telling her trainer they could only do legs that day while her ribs healed. 

What to tell your rock climber cousin at Christmas this year…

Try some CrossFit too. Nobody wants someone that looks like Popeye. 

Things To…

WATCH: Katrin Davidsdottir with Lewis Howes

Katrin Davidsdottir sits down with Lewis Howes to chat about how Katrin decided she would commit to going to the Games, where her competitive drive came from, and what her biggest weakness is now.

IT FELT LIKE OVERNIGHT.

HEAR: How You’re Hurting Your Work and Relationships

Amy and Olivia of the Nasty Girls Podcast cover the work place and how not to be “that guy.” The two cover the concept of core values and what it means to have them, the theme of humble, hungry, smart by Patrick Lencioni and how to live with these ideas daily.

GET UNCOMFORTABLE.

EAT: Paleo Chocolate Chip Coconut Flour Banana Bread

This recipe for paleo coconut flour banana bread is dairy free, gluten free and grain free. With no sugar added, it’s a fun and delicious way to have a good homestyle banana bread. 

FIVE OUT OF FIVE.

BUY: Delicious Organic Smoothies 

If you sign-up for a SmoothieBox subscription before the 20th, you’ll get $10 off every single box for life. With one full serving of organic fruits and veggies, 20 grams of healthy collagen protein, and no added sugar they’re delivered to your door each month and are ready in a minute. A perfect gift for the smoothie lover in your life. Use code “HOLIDAY10” at checkout to redeem. 

SIGN US UP. 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is fueled by

Chalk Up Community

• PRO-TIP: CONSECUTIVE TOES-TO-BAR — Still trying to string together consecutive reps on toes-to-bar? Whether you’re a beginner or a CrossFit veteran, you may be asking yourself, “Why can’t I get more than one rep at a time?” Here are six reasons you’re still struggling to find the rhythm of toes-to-bar. 
• ROW FOR REVEILLE — CrossFit Hogback is starting the new year off right with their own 24 hour Row for Reveille event. They will start their Row for Reveille on Dec 30th at 11:50 PM PT in hopes of finishing just as the clock strikes midnight on New Years. All proceeds will go to the Reveille Project, a nonprofit that aids in veterans ability to integrate socially, emotionally, physically and spiritually back into civilian
  life.
• CROSSFIT COMMANDERS CUP — This past Friday, the final event of the CrossFit Commander’s Cup culminated at CrossFitT1 in Willow Grove, PA, featuring a classic Army vs. Navy rivalry. After three brutal workouts, it was Navy that ended up walking away with the win.
• CROSSFIT FOR NEW MOMS — CrossFit Tooting in London offers post-natal CrossFit training three days a week. With childcare on hand and class size limited to ten, moms can come in and take an hour to train in peace. 
• DAN BAILEY AND DR. DANI — Dan Bailey has joined the list of more than 20 CrossFit athletes to use Dr. Dani Urcuyo of SteadyMD.

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Maria Luna gets her first (and then nine more) box jumps • Happy sixth anniversary Left Coast CrossFit • Happy 18th birthday Haley Adams • Taylor Graham gets a 253 pound snatch PR • Lake Monona, where the Reebok Fitness Barge rests during the CrossFit Games, has frozen over • Episode 5 of On the Minute comes out tomorrow at 5:00 PM PT so get caught up now • Jacob Heppner attempts a 370 pound clean • Morgan McCullough gets a 484 pound front squat PR • Train with Tim Paulson at Arsenal Strength on Thursday.

…and this may be the cutest deadlift set-up we’ve ever seen in our whole entire lives, ever. 

CONFIRMED: Strength in Depth Invites Going Out — Jamie Greene, who just took second at the Dubai CrossFit Championship, is the first athlete to receive an invitation to Strength in Depth. On top of the 60 athletes that qualified
for Strength in Depth through the online qualifiers, there will be up to 10 men and 10 women invited to Strength in Depth. 

CONFIRMED: Rogue Invitational — The Rogue Invitational just confirmed Annie Sakamoto to the already impressive Legend roster. She’ll join athletes like Kris Clever, Becca Voigt, Christy Adkins, and Julie Foucher.

CrossFit Italian Showdown Registration — Worldwide registration for the CrossFit Italian Showdown online qualifiers opens Thursday, December 20, 3:00 AM PT. 

Tickets to Brazil CrossFit Championship — Just a reminder, tickets to the Brazil CrossFit Championship are only on sale until December 31st. 

Ten Questions with the Four Horseman CrossFit Owners — Hillary Achauer of the CrossFit Journal had affiliate owner Mike Seeger of CrossFit Four Horsemen in Stuttgart, Germany answer ten questions about owning an affiliate. 

— “If you make the decision to open a CrossFit affiliate, take all your passion you have for that sport and your will to coach people and make it happen. And never, never, ever forget the fun! It should be every morning that you get out of your bed and say, ‘Yeah, here we go!’

— “Be passionate about what you do. Pay attention to details; every little thing counts. Love what you do, because that will make you jump out of bed for every early-bird class and stay until late night, till the work is done. Have a concept or a game plan so to speak, but be receptive to criticism.”

“Serena Williams Got It Right. Exercise Is Healthy During Pregnancy,” by Katherine Hobson, FiveThirtyEight

Serena Williams won the Australian Open while in her first trimester of pregnancy. A Sherpa woman in her third trimester climbed to Everest Base Camp.1 Paula Radcliffe, who holds the world record in the women’s marathon, ran twice a day in the first five months of her pregnancy. Olympic track athlete Alysia Montano competed in a high-level 800-meter race while 34 weeks pregnant.

Pregnancy can feel like one long list of things not to do. But these women are demonstrating that exercise doesn’t need to be on that list — and the science backs them up.

There’s now plenty of evidence that regular exercise during a normal pregnancy is good for parent and baby. According to a new joint guideline from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, physical activity can lower the risk of excess weight gain, gestational diabetes and postpartum depression in the parent without harming the baby or causing the child health problems later.

Although the benefits of exercise during pregnancy are clear, the message can be difficult to convey in a culture that can seem ready to scrutinize a pregnant woman’s every move.

12/22: The Flanders Throwdown (Zedelgem, Belgium)

12/30 – 12/31: Row for Reveille at CrossFit Hogback (Klamath Falls, OR)

1/10 – 2/4: Row’d Royalty (Online)

1/10 – 1/13: Feats of Strength Online Meet (Online)

1/11 – 1/13: CrossFit Fort Vancoyver Championships (Vancouver, WA)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown at New Ulm CrossFit (New Ulm, MN)

1/12: The BrickYard Brawl (South Windsor, CT)

1/12: Hometown Throwdown 4 at CrossFit 534 (Poplarville, MS)

1/12: Granite Games Winter Throwdown (Waite Park, MN)

1/12 – 1/13: Scaled Flames (Amsterdam)

1/12 – 1/13: Row for Reveille at CrossFit Kitsap (Poulsbo, OR)

1/17 – 1/20: Wodapalooza (Miami, FL)

1/19: New Year New Throwdown Event (El Mirage, AZ)

1/19: Battle For The Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Warrior Affiliate League Fantastic Four (La Puente, CA)

1/26: The Force Wars 2 (Pembroke Pines, FL)

1/26: Lost River Rumble (Bowling Green, KY)

1/26: The Blizzard Bowl (Little Canada, MN)

1/26: 2019 IceBreather Classic (Springfield, IL)

1/26: Hung Like Coff at PFC CrossFit (Las Vegas, NV)

1/26: Steel Rail Shootout 2019 (McComb, MS)

1/26 – 1/27: Game Day Eau Claire (Eau Claire, WI)

1/26 – 1/27: NorCal Masters (San Rafael, CA)

1/27: Big Dawgs Athlete Development Camp (Letchworth, England)

1/29 – 2/2: Fittest in Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa)

2/2: Left Coast Classic Competition (Laguna Niguel, CA)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)