Kerri and EC do full "squat cleans" in the 5:30pm class. EC is recovering from knee surgery and has been so smart in working on form rather than trying to move weight!
Poop Health
Pooping, the frequency, the volume, the consistency, etc., has been a concern of folks for a long time. Did you know that enema use, according to the Lavage Wellness Center, "is 'one of the oldest medical procedures still in use today.' Tribal women in Africa, and elsewhere, routinely use it on their children. The earliest medical text in existence, the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus, (1,500 B.C.) mentions it."
No Shit:) Talking about poop makes most of us giggle. Great, laugh away. But, no body laughs when you haven't pooped in days. Or your poop is suddenly a pressing problem. Your poop is an important indicator of your health and there a boat load of things that impact it. I recently came across this great post by the brilliant duo of women doctors behind the Unbiased Science podcast. Have you experienced an epic coffee poop or period poop? Here's some info on why these things turn you into a smooth operator. Coffee: while not fully understood, there are some working theories. First, coffee (caffeinated and decaf) contain chlorogenic acid. This leads to secretion of gastrin in the stomach, which stimulates smooth muscle contractions in the GI tract, called peristalsis, to move stool through the gut. However, caffeinated coffee has a greater impact than decaf, so there is likely a contribution from caffeine. Data suggest that caffeine relaxes smooth muscles in the GI tract, which promotes BMs.
I want you to pay attention to your poop. I give a $h!t about you, and I want you to give a $h!t every day and pay attention to it.
Your poop can give you a big insight into your health. It's shape, smell, consistency and frequency can clue you in to the affect of your lifestyle choices. Here is a great infographic about poop health from the Precision Nutrition folks. ​
Now that you know what you're paying (poo-ing?) attention to, I challenge you to keep track of your poo for the next week. Starting today, I want you to note the frequency, consistency and aroma of your poop. You can keep a handwritten poo-journal next to your toilet, or you can step into the future and download a poop-tracking app for your phone. YES! They exist. You can find one that fits your poop-lifestyle here: The Best Poo Tracking Apps. Good luck! ​
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 Single arm work can highlight imbalances and weaknesses side to side. You'll get plenty of opportunity to work on your bi-lateral weaknesses today:) Train your WeaknessesWe coaches get asked frequently how long it will take someone to do something as prescribed. Or how long it will take to improve in CrossFit. Our answer is always, "It depends." Not satisfying, we know.
It really does depend though. It depends on your current level of conditioning, it depends on how consistently you attend classes, it depends on how much extra work you put towards skill development by taking specialty seminars, skill sessions or private training. It depends on how well you eat, how well you recover, how many hours you sleep. It depends on your lifestyle. However, our good friends at Beyond the Whiteboard, who are data geeks like us, have crunched the numbers for us. They looked at Fitness Level data from over 65,000 athletes over the past 6 years and analyzed it to see how long it takes to increase your Fitness Level. They found, on average, it takes 5-6 months of consistent CrossFit to improve your Fitness Level by 10 points. The only challenge with using your BTWB Fitness Level to track your improvement or transformation is that it's dependent upon you completing a workout as prescribed. Not all of us are at that level, yet. Repeating workouts is an excellent way to see if you've increased your fitness. CrossFit defines fitness as increased work capacity. Before we found CrossFit, most of us lacked an observable, measurable and repeatable definition of fitness. We thought we were fit if we felt better or looked better. Sure, those are aspects of fitness, but they are aspects that are hard to measure. One of the benefits of CrossFit training is the measurement of fitness through how fast we run or row, how many unbroken pull-ups or double unders we can do, how much weight we can deadlift, squat or press, etc. In fact, we try to measure as many fitness variables as we can. While all of these measurements can validate our hard work and help us stay motivated to continue our training, they can also highlight our weaknesses. It takes only about 2 months of consistent CrossFit training for us to be unceremoniously humiliated by our weaknesses. It takes a lot of mental toughness to work on our weaknesses. Its way more fun and wholly enjoyable to work on the things we're good at. But, to deliberately practice what we suck at, well, that takes letting go of our ego and being willing to admit we're not perfect. Why is this so damn hard? Most folks would rather avoid the things they're not good at. But, they remain frustrated and angry when those things come up in a WOD. What are they waiting for, a Festivus miracle? Working on our weaknesses will help increase our mental and physical fitness. Want to be a better person? Work on the things you suck at. Good luck!  Char looks good in her OHS! The Myth of ModerationEverything in moderation," is something I hear everyday and it makes me crazy. This ridiculous and illogical saying has gained traction in our culture of, "I deserve it," and today I'm calling bullshit on the myth of moderation.
The problem with "everything in moderation," is that it's a moving target. There is no objective, one size fits all, definitive Moderation. What we consider moderate today, while we're on the first week of a cut and kicking ass, taking names, just crushed Roy'd Royalty 23.2, and counting our macros, Thank-You-Very-Much is VASTLY different than what we consider moderate, just a few weeks ago, in that last week of December between Christmas and New Year's Eve. Right? Think about that for a moment. If there wasn't a huge cavernous span in our decision between what's moderate now versus January 30th, we wouldn't need to be doing, yet another, cleanse, or fast, or diet. "Everything in moderation," is a LIE that we tell ourselves to justify a decision we know is not moving us toward our goal. It is the justification we use to allow ourselves to eat the thing, drink the drink, take the days off from the gym, and do whatever we want to do right now, "'Cause YOLO." This simple lie enables us to dodge discipline, avoid accountability, and trick ourselves out of temperance. It is also used by other people to pressure us into a behavior that makes THEM feel better. Far too any times have I been pressured by friends, co-workers, and family to eat the cookies, cakes, pies, candy, etc., because it makes them feel better to see me do it. Why? Because my discipline makes people uncomfortable. Our actions and decisions often are a mirror for the people around us. So many times have I seen people wrestle with the consequences of their decisions once they see me stand-firm with mine. Our culture resolutely accepts that moderation does not work for an alcoholic. Rarely do you see people pressuring sober folks into having "just one, because everything in moderation, yo." Why do we not afford this same consideration to people who don't want to eat sugar? Or grains? Or meat? Or anything else about which they have personally decided that abstinence is their moderation? Everything in moderation is a myth because some things, even in moderation, will kill you. Everything in moderation is a myth because some things we need in more than moderate amounts, like 78% nitrogen and some in less than moderate amounts, like 21% oxygen. Everything in moderation is a myth because some things we want to achieve, i.e. our goals, require discipline. Everything in moderation is a myth that keeps us bound to the hell of our own status quo.  Did FUBAR on Friday and Devil's Melt Down on Saturday send you to another level of suffering? Take a nap today and work on your best recovery practices. You'll need it for Monday;) Rest Day Read - CrossFit, "Man Muscles," and the Feminine Ideal |
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