TwinTown CrossFit in Minneapolis

Two months ago, I was walking home from the gym, when a man zipped by me in an electric wheelchair. As he was crossing the street, he hit a pothole and fell sideways, out of his chair and into the middle of the road. From what I could see, I was the only pedestrian nearby, and the cars that were on the road either swerved around him and kept driving, or in one instance, just waited until someone else figured out what to do. I approached the man and asked him if he was hurt, and what I needed to do to help him get back in his chair. He told me that if I could possibly pick up some of his body weight that he could probably get back in using his arms. I was definitely afraid of hurting him, but I knew that I could both deadlift and clean more than this man weighed, so I braced myself and picked him up under the shoulders and legs. When I got him situated back in his chair we were both slightly embarrassed, but I knew that he and I were both grateful that this moment didn’t have to become an emergency situation.

At that moment I was so thankful to have CrossFit in my life, because I was able to get someone out of a really tricky spot without compromising their or my body. Additionally, I felt like I was able to step in with calm and control because I knew what my body was capable of in that moment.

As I was reading the CrossFit HQ site this week, I ran across this little gem of a post about a man who saved his 130-lb dog from heat exhaustion by carrying him over his shoulders. I also got a wonderful e-mail from Kate Hoff describing the incredible changes she has felt over the last year (happy 1 year Kate!). Additionally, we have a handful of talented athletes working their way toward becoming firefighters.

I am thankful for CrossFit because it gives me a strong and useful body and makes me feel in control in tough situations. What has CrossFit done for you to change the way you function in the rest of your life?

I get asked this all the time, “what do you think about supplements?” While there is much debate about whether or not vitamins and minerals are necessary to take in a daily pill form, some people approach supplementing with the thought, “well, it can’t hurt!”

The thing is, unfortunately there are many not-so-great brands of vitamins and minerals. What makes them bad? Well for one, they can be contaminated, and two, the forms of minerals can be hard to digest and absorb, making some supplements a complete rip off.

However, even if you are eating fruits and veggies each day, you are most likely missing out on some major vitamins and minerals for your body. Thus, supplementing can help you catch up on some important vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Many health counselors, like me, often recommend the following supplements:

1. A fish oil, krill oil, or flaxseed oil: Omega 3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory & disease fighting benefits. If you burp up the fish oil, krill oil can be a smaller pill and more concentrated. Some clients say it doesn’t make them burp as much. Flaxseed is an option as well.
2. Vitamin D3: Vitamin D is vital for the absorption of many vitamins and minerals. Unless you are getting daily sun exposure, many of us do not even get close to the daily amount that we need. It’s not just for calcium absorption either. There are new studies released every day that link Vitamin D deficiency to a host of other conditions and diseases.
3. A multivitamin: important components like vitamin B12, folic acid, and iron, are often lacking in most of our diets. Taking a balanced multivitamin can help you with many deficiencies.

*Please note: as always, consult your health care professional before making any major diet changes, especially if you are on any special medications, or have any medical conditions

Just a friendly reminder: try to stay away from buying your vitamins from big chain stores, and do your research.  Generally, you want to look for Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) on the bottle, or else the workers and health food stores, co-ops, and chiropractic offices generally know their stuff, and will most likely have reliable products.

We try our best to eat right, but getting important vitamins and minerals can be very difficult (especially during Minnesota winters). It is definitely worth your time, money, and research to look into taking a few supplements to ensure proper vitamin and mineral absorption, and long lasting health.

Stay Healthy,

Caitlin

www.longlivefood.com

Multiple Sclerosis is an incredibly nasty disease that, unfortunately, has taken hold of far too many of my friend’s lives. This inflammatory disease has many different symptoms and affects people in different ways, but most simply, it makes it very difficult for those who suffer from it to move around. Numbness, weakness, muscle spasms, cognitive impairment and depression are among the most common ailments.

Each year, Coach Peter gathers a team of friends and clients from TTCF to participate in the MS 150 bike ride that travels from Duluth to White Bear Lake over the course of a weekend. I have participated the last two years and will continue to every year that I can.

This year, I decided that raising my share and doing the ride is not enough. The least I can do is to make my own body try to experience that same numbness, weakness, muscle spasms, cognitive impairment and depression, if only for an afternoon. I could think of no better tool to accomplish this than by doing burpees. LOTS of burpees.

On Sunday, June 2nd at 1pm I will do one burpee for every $2 that I raise until then. My goal is $1,000, thus putting 500 burpees on my plate that afternoon. So if you’re a loyal client that would take much joy in throwing dollars at a coach while he does burpees for charity, please donate by following this link. After the burpees there will be refreshment!

A few weeks ago Teddy asked me why I had dark circles under my eyes. I hadn’t noticed, but when I looked in the mirror I saw two black eyes like Mike Tyson dotted me in the nose with a straight jab.

Dark circles like this can be a sign of a food sensitivity. I maintain a strict diet, but the night before the dark circles appeared I ate a bag of microwave popcorn. The ingredients in microwave popcorn include partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cream and milk. I decided to conduct an experiment to see if these ingredients were the culprit. After the skin under my eyes cleared up I ate another bag of popcorn in the evening, and when I woke up the next morning I had raccoon eyes.

Food sensitivities manifest in a number of ways. Some common symptoms are headaches, diarrhea, skin rashes and irritability. Now I pay close attention to signs my body gives me that it’s rejecting something I’ve consumed. I then eliminate one food at a time to see how my body reacts. This has allowed me to really start dialing in my nutrition. I’m still experimenting with certain foods, but so far I’ve cut a few things out of my diet for good. The goal is to give my body the fuel it needs to function properly.

Hometown:  I grew up in a tiny unincorporated town 45 minutes north of Milwaukee, WI, but now call St. Louis Park home.

What’s your favorite WOD and why?  Generally speaking, I love AMRAPS that include a body weight movement, a lift, and a met-con all together.  I also have a soft spot for Grace because it was the first named WOD I ever did.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment in CrossFit?  There are so many!  CrossFit has changed my life in many ways both physically and mentally.  Physically, it is a tie between getting a dead hang pullup in under 10 months from when I started, and also realizing through gaining nutritional knowledge that gluten was causing me serious health issues which inspired a whole new relationship between me and food.

What’s your biggest athletic goal in the gym?  Right now it’s mastering the form of the foundational movements (e.g. a perfect squat).  In the future, I would love to be able to do handstand pushups and muscle-ups.

How about outside of the gym?  I have always wanted to travel the world.  I have been to a lot of countries already, but with so many I think I still have about 170 to go.

How many times have you barfed since starting CrossFit?  Honestly, none yet, but I have been close quite a few times!  I know it will come one day though…maybe on  Murph.

What do you do on your rest days?  Cook, bike, walk my dog Dakota, hang out on my sunny back deck, read great books, and spend a lot of time with friends. 

As a CrossFitter, you’ve probably noticed that there is a lot of data that can be collected based on your PR’s and workout results. For some folks, this is the best thing EVER. For others, the idea of doing anything other than breathing after a class is too much to handle.

I’ve always been kind of freakish about organization, so writing down and tracking my progression always appeals to me. But actually getting some sort of data on paper (and then sticking with it long enough to see the results) has been my downfall. Thankfully I’ve been able to find a happy medium between writing down everything, and nothing at all, and instead of trying to guess where I was a year ago, I now have good benchmarks that can actually tell me. What you choose to record might look different from what others choose, but it is a good habit to get into (you’ll thank me when you look back!!).

If you’re not sure what would make for good benchmarks, look at some of the elements that make up the leader board (500 m row, max back squat, max pull-ups, etc.), or start writing down your numbers for one of our strength cycles. You work your butt off in class; you might as well see how far you’ve come!!

Last week Coach Peter wrote about the air squat and some of the replies to his post bemoaned the time invested in developing this element.

I had to chuckle, reading those replies. I’ve been working on my squat for six years and I still have a lot of room for improvement.

Virtuosity means doing common things uncommonly well. And going from “pretty good” to “virtuosity” doesn’t happen overnight. It’s the labor of years.

I mentioned this in passing to a friend and he responded with the question, is it worth it?

But that’s the wrong question.

CrossFit isn’t transformative when you cross some imaginary finish line. CrossFit transforms because there is no finish line.

It’s not about the destination. It’s about the journey.

People often ask me what I keep in my gym bag. There are a few essential items I pack every time I go to the gym:

• An index card documenting the percentages (60%, 65%…95%, 100%) of my one rep max for the snatch; front squat; jerk; push press; overhead squat; clean & jerk and back squat. This takes guess work out of the equation.

• Olympic lifting shoes.

• Jump rope.

• Wrist wraps.

• Long socks so I don’t bleed on the barbells.

• A clean set of workout clothes to spare others in the class from choking on the fumes emitted from previously worn work out gear.

• A towel because I sweat standing still in a snow storm.

• Post WOD protein shake. Ideally, you want to eat a lean piece of meat within an hour of a hard workout, but whey protein mixed with coconut water or water is a quality substitute in a pinch.

• An apple. The glucose and fructose in the carbohydrates of an apple are readily available sources of fuel and energy that aid in the body’s recovery after an intense workout.

• Water bottle. I have one with me at all times to remain hydrated throughout the day.

What do you have in your gym bag?

Amy being awesome

To celebrate Mother’s Day, we will be holding a Women’s only guest day at the Uptown gym on Monday May 13th at 5:30 pm. This is an opportunity for female members to bring in a Woman that is important to them. Your guest is not required to be a Mom, but Mom’s are encouraged to come! Coach Hannah will be leading the class, and up to 6 people can register to bring a guest.

If you are interested in showing a woman in your life what CrossFit is all about, you can register on Zen Planner HERE.

Space is limited so register today!