First, what is a test? 

-A test is a performance to establish the Quality, Performance, or Reliability of something. 

Why do you test something? 

-To measure and asses the retention, performance, skill, aptitude of what you are testing. 

In Fitness, each workout is not a test, nor should it be. When we train Monday - Sunday we are learning, honing in our abilities, pushing the limits of our bodies and minds, and increasing our capacity piece by piece. This is the "PROCESS" and remember last week we spoke about learning to LOVE THE PROCESS. 

Then, periodically, NXPT will throw workouts together like a Murph, or a Saturday WOD, or a Competition that is specifically designed for testing. Like this upcoming weeks NXPT GAMES. And the goal is to see, after all your building and hard work, how much performance, ability, and capacity you have created.  

That is the obvious part. "What have you created so far?" But, What is not so obvious is that the actual purpose for testing is to see where we fail.  And once we hit these failures, The opportunities that are exposed, so we gain the insight of where to begin working harder and improving. 

Many people in life, not just in fitness, when tested see these failures as weakness and allow the fear of future failure to discourage them from progress. When you miss a promotion / when you are let go from a job / When a boyfriend or girlfriend breaks up with you / when you compete and come in short of your goals... Any scenario you can fill in the blank that represents a test of life that exposes areas for improvement; Most will learn to avoid tests or challenges to not have to feel these defeats again Instead of viewing them as ways you can create something better moving forward, becoming stronger or better tomorrow from it.  

It is so important to take authority over your mindset, your body, your situation and decide that you will learn from your defeats, celebrate in your victories, and each day work to see the results you want. And that when you want something bad enough, there are no excuses. And that is why it is so important to TEST yourself. 

This Saturday 2/27 we are hosting a workout designed as a Start to Finish race. It is not a race against other people. It is a race against yourself. And you will test to see what you can accomplish and how hard you can push yourself. And no matter how you finish, from this test you will see your progress and areas of weakness and we will use them both to march forward and become stronger. For those of you not in San Diego or not able to join us, we will launch an online version to participate in and we strongly encourage you to close this month of goals and see what you have accomplished. 

Below is a link for a video we send out to our athletes before competitions to motivate them. The video shows the fittest men and women in the world, but what they represent is people who have committed themselves to something and have decided, trying and failing was worth more to them than never trying. That the small chance of victory was worth the hard work and sacrifice. Watch the video and let it motivate you as a Athlete, as a Parent, as a Boss, as a Spouse, as a Student... Let it meet you where you are and speak to you not just about fitness, but any goal you have for yourself. Do not let fear or ego take away the focus you should have on what you want to achieve. 

We set out on 2/1 together saying February was 1 month, with 1 mission, RESULTS. Day after day of training, week after week of hard work, and on 2/27 we put it all out there and we test. For in the testing lies the answer, how will you be better tomorrow... How will you be stronger tomorrow. 

​Anyone who has ever given up refined carbs in pursuit of fat loss understands what it feels like to crave a bowl of pasta.

And as much as you LOVE that salad and that dessert protein shake, once in a while, your craving for pasta is going to become too strong to control. 

That’s when this Fitness Fettuccine Alfredo rides in for the rescue! 

It’s creamy, dreamy, and oh-so-delicious...all while packing only 20% of the calories of classic fettuccine alfredo. 

Seriously! The classic pasta dish contains 1,200 calories and 100 grams of carbs!! This fitness version contains less than 250 calories and 15 grams of carbs. 

So go ahead, indulge in a creamy bowl of Fitness Fettuccine Alfredo with zero guilt!

Courtesy of RealHealthyRecipes.com

What you need
Servings: 6

1 cup raw cashews
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons olive oil​
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon coconut flour​
½ cup veggie broth
1 can (13.66oz) coconut milk
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup nutritional yeast​
2 cans (8oz) Palmini (hearts of palm noodles) drained and rinsed
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 pinch fresh ground pepper​
**optional** parmesan cheese to garnish

Instructions

1. Place the cashews in a small saucepan. Fill with water to fully cover the cashews. Place over medium-low heat and bring to a boil. Drain the cashews and blend in a food processor with the almond milk. Set aside.

2. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and shallot. Sauté for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with the coconut flour. Sauté for another 3 minutes, until the flour becomes golden.

3. Mix in the broth, cashew mixture, coconut milk and sea salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and mix in the nutritional yeast. Mix until creamy and smooth.

4. Drain and rinse the Palmini noodles. Stir into the sauce. Once the noodles are warmed, remove from heat. Garnish with fresh parsley, ground pepper and (optional!) some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy! 

Nutrition
One serving equals: 242 calories, 18g fat, 14g carbohydrate, 5g fiber, 1g sugar and 10g protein.