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• Ever wonder what the problem with processed food is?
• That’s what I’m here for! Coach Ken here to follow up with this week’s theme of eating whole foods and avoiding processed garbage.
• Excessive consumption of carbohydrates leads to all kinds of diseases that we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemies, yet our country is rampant with obesity, type II diabetes, and heart disease. Why is that? When we dive into what the average American eats throughout the week, we find that most people snack on brownies, cupcakes, crackers, chips, pizza, pop, doughnuts, cookies, reeses cups, snickers, or any of that other crap that you’ll find at the checkout counter at any grocery store.
• Eating too many carbohydrates makes our insulin skyrocket, which leads to your body not being able to control your blood sugar like it’s supposed to, which leads to chronic disease.
• I know from experience that A LOT of people don’t make their lunch and bring it with them to work, and because of that they end up getting fast food every day, which is loaded with all kinds of preservatives, sugar, unnecessary carbs, and trans fats that lead to metabolic disease.
• One problem with processed foods is that by eating junk like McDonalds and Taco Bell, you are throwing your macronutrient proportions out of whack. You are going to end up consuming WAY too many carbohydrates, way too much sugar, and way too much fat.
• 1 Big mac, fries, and drink is 1360 calories, which includes 190 grams of carbs, 95 grams of sugar, and 58 grams of fat. OR you can eat a mexican fiesta bowl (the recipe is on our website) that has 420 calories, includes 38 grams of carbs with 8 grams of sugar, and 16 grams of fat. You can literally eat 3 servings of the mexican bowl instead of a number 1 at McDonalds and still have less calories, less sugar, and less fat.
• Eat like you’re paid to do it. Better yet, eat like you would want a close family member to eat so they can be as healthy as possible, because they would want the same thing for you.
• This week, your job is to make all of your lunches for the week, and put whole foods in it. That could look like a spinach salad with some tuna and veggies, or some chicken breasts with broccoli and brown rice (throw some hot sauce on it for flavor). Or head over to the CrossFit Angola Recipe Page for a ton of delicious, balanced recipes that include whole, nutrient dense foods.

1: Increase your NEAT. NEAT stands for Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. Essentially, this is the energy we expend outside of our exercise/workouts. This could be going for extra walks, doing yard/house work, cooking, anything other than exercise. Most of us have decreased our NEAT activity because we are cooped up at home and this will affect how many total calories we burn at the end of the day, even though we are still working out every day! The goal is to increase this activity throughout the day to burn more calories and keep your metabolism running high. Go for walks, find things to do around the house, stand more, just move your body more! It will make a big difference over the course of days, weeks, and months, and will help to burn fat and stay (or get) lean! 

2: Get an accountability partner! This one is huge. It could be joining our Zoom Classes, doing a workout with some friends (outside or over skype), or just having someone you can text everyday with how your workout went. This will make it easier on the days you just don’t want to workout and would probably skip! Having accountability leads to consistency which is the key… bottom line! If you don’t have an accountability partner, reach out to us… that’s what we’re here for!! 

3: Get some bands. If I had a small home gym, different resistance bands would be one of the first (if not the first) thing I would buy! They are extremely versatile and can be used for TONS of different upper body, lower body, and core exercises. The beautiful thing about bands is that you can increase or decrease tension as needed and it is a great way to workout the body’s muscles without putting much stress on the joint thus decreasing risk of injury as compared to traditional weights like bars and dumbbells. Bottom line, bands are the bomb and if you plan on working out at home, ever, get some bands!!!!

Looking to jumpstart your health and fitness routine?

    Ready to start your 2020 off on the right foot?

    January is the perfect time to start working on your beach body!

During our comprehensive 6 week nutrition challenge, you will:

• Receive 2 Biometric Screenings (one at the beginning and end)
• Have 3 individual meetings with our Nutrition Coach
• Be given an individualized meal plan, specifically tailored to you
• Work with a teammate to reach your health and fitness goals together

Challenge Info:

• Initial biometric testing will be done January 16th through January 18th
• Kickoff seminar will be Saturday, January 18th at 12:00 p.m. at CrossFit Angola
• Our challenge will begin the following Monday, January 20th
• Log your food and rack up points for your team. There will be prizes!

Grab a partner and get signed up to lock in your spot for this year’s challenge!

Questions? Talk to a coach today!

What if I were to tell you that there was one simple trick that you could do right now, to get the most bang for your buck every single workout… Would you believe me? You’re in luck, because there is, and it is going to sound weird!

My tip is… DON’T do the workout as it is prescribed/ written on the whiteboard! HUH?!?! That’s right, do NOT do the workout just as it is written on the whiteboard. Let me explain.

The workout on the board does not take into account your current fitness level. The workout on the board does not take into account your personal goals. The workout on the board does not take into account the bad night of sleep you had, your high stress levels, or the poor nutritional choices over the weekend. The workout on the board does not take into account your specific injuries (past or present) and the needs of those injuries. The workout on the board is not designed for YOU. 

The workout on the board is designed as a general guideline to increasing overall health and fitness. The question you may be thinking is, “how do you change it?” It starts by communicating to your coach what your personal wants and needs are, and believing that we have the knowledge and your best interest in mind. From there, we can begin to customize, personalize, modify, scale… whatever you want to call it…. We can change the general workout to fit you as an individual. 

For some, this has to be a mindset shift that “scaling” a workout makes it less or not as good, or the belief that you should try to do the workout as close to “RX” as possible. Both of those ideas are bullshit!! This way of thinking MUST change if you want to do this fitness thing for the long haul AND be able to achieve the goals that you want. Modifying workouts is not bad, or less. If you feel that it is, check your ego and realize that you are customizing the workout to fit you as a person and your needs/ wants. THIS is how you maximize results and leverage a group fitness class to be personalized to you!

The 2020 CrossFit Open is officially over! The Open is always a great 5 weeks of having the opportunity to push a little extra hard, try some things you wouldn’t normally do in training, and best of all, do it with your gym friends and family cheering you on! 

The question now is, what should I do now that the Open is over?

    The one downside to the Open is that it can instill the false belief that we all should be pushing to, or past, our limits everyday and we should be striving to achieve some arbitrary “RX” standard of exercising. Don’t get caught into the trap of treating all, or even most, of your workouts like they are an Open workout. Doing so will not only increase risks of pain/ injury, it can lead to burnout of exercise, and impede your results. 

    Instead, following the Open is a great time for a few things:

1. Fixing pain. If you have been “pushing through it” during the Open, or before, now is a great time to start putting focus on how to fix that pain instead of just continuing to push through it. The good news is, we can help! Schedule a free movement assessment so we can find what limitations you have that may be a key factor in your pain! If you’re thinking…. Man, it would be nice to not be in pain every time we do “X”….. then you NEED help fixing the problem, and we WANT to help!!
2. Working on weaknesses/ imbalances. Following the Open is the perfect time to figure out what your weaknesses are and come up with a plan to attack them. Maybe strength is your weakness, or you are still unable to do pull-ups/ muscle ups, or you are a good squatter, but not deadlifter. Anytime a movement shows up and you think… Dang, i am not good at “X” or, I am unable to do “X”, there is a weakness in your fitness. Now is a great time to have a program to address these weaknesses to become a more well-rounded and better athlete. 
3. Having fun with training! The Open can bring a little extra pressure to perform at your highest level. Now that it’s over, take a sigh of relief and get back to enjoying exercise and having fun with! Don’t take every workout so seriously, slow down some days, and remember why you are exercising in the first place!

Hopefully this helps guide some of your training now that the Open has come to an end. Again, we WANT to help any way that we can. Get with a coach to set up a time to go over what your goals are, whether it’s getting out of pain or finally being able to do “X”. If we are able to help, we will! 

Why do you want to go 100% every day? 

Are you doing it because that’s what you see posted on other’s social media?

Are you doing it because it allows you to forget about things that are bothering you?

Are you doing it because you don’t feel you are good enough unless you “left it all out there”?

IF you want to be able to CRUSH it for the rest of your life, stimulate your body with just enough work over an extended period of time.

IF you want to crush it NOW, but not necessarily for the rest of your days, go 100% every day.

Stimulating your body makes it sharper, stronger, and more efficient.

Annihilating your body…..well, destroys it.

Understanding the “Why” you train and what your goals are can reveal a lot about what you ACTUALLY want or need.

If you want to be fit/ healthy for life outside the gym for the long haul: Stimulate, don’t annihilate.

Peace and Fitness.

Name: Jamie Schul

Age: 26

Profession/Career: Registered Nurse at Parkview Health in the Ortho Neuro Trauma Unit. 

1. Why do you train?

To keep in shape, and to prevent weight gain as I get older.

2. Why do you do train at CrossFit Angola?

I had a membership at the YMCA. I came to the free week and got more of a workout in 12 minutes then I would going to the Y and working out by myself.

3. What were you most afraid of when you first joined our gym?

The crazy high weights and weightlifting

4. What one thing got you to take the initial leap and sign up?

The last day of the free week, the workout had something with jumping lunges in it. I got home and my legs were so tired I could barely stand! That was like a 12-15 minute workout and it made me feel like that, so I figured clearly it’s working!

5. What were your goals when you first started?

I wanted to do a strict pull-up, and come to class 3-4 times per week.

6. What are your goals now (if different)?

Well I got my pull-up so that’s an accomplishment! I would like to get a bar muscle up next.

7. What is most important to you in your life right now?

Family…That is why I live in Indiana, to be closer to family. Other than that, just traveling and staying active.

9. Favorite movement/exercise?

I’m starting to like things on the pull-up bar, like chest to bar pull-ups and toes to bar. Those are things I’ve never done before and it makes me feel accomplished doing new things.

10. Least favorite movement/exercise?

Least favorite anything with the Assault Bike!

11. What differences have you noticed since starting at CFA?

Definitely notice my arms are more toned and I can feel my legs are stronger. Overall, I have more energy and drive to do stuff.

It’s Not okay to be mediocre

Now before the internet loses its minds and I get angry emails about participation, hear me out. First, we all know by now that participation trophies are detrimental to all parties involved. If you have any beliefs otherwise I urge you to listen to some of Simon Sinecks talks on this or better yet check out some of the data surrounding it. The big broad brush strokes are that kids who deserve the trophies, the higher performers and podium finishers, feel devalued and the kids who get the participation trophies feel bad as they know they really don’t deserve recognition because they didn’t win anything… They just showed up and “checked the box”. Now for some kids and parents, this is a huge accomplishment and I love that, but it doesn’t warrant a trophy and a celebration of mediocrity. It just doesn’t… It does warrant a high 5 and an atta boy or girl though. Praise effort, but let’s not throw a party for it. Do you get a party for going to work every day? I didn’t think so. The appropriate reward for appropriate performance.

Over the last few years, I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with hundreds of young athletes from the Tri-State area through partnerships with local schools, teams, and in rare occasions- parents who “get it”. The people who ask our facility and coaching staff to work with young athletes understand that going to practice is simply checking the box. Its the minimum required work to be a part of a team. For kids who don’t play sports maybe a gym class or weightlifting is required during middle and high school…. And that’s it! For many kids, they get 1 hour a day in their most formative years is telling them that physical competency is good and that it’s okay to work hard.

Today I had the opportunity to coach a group of 7th and 8th graders and some took part with genuine disgruntlement. They simply didn’t want to be there.  Now, there are 100 different factors including diet, sleep, psychological, and physical restrictions that can play a part in the decline of activity in young people. And although VERY important topics not to be overlooked, they are for a later article. On the flip side, there were some students who LOVED the opportunity to be pushed physically. There were probably more of those students than I even recognized which give me genuine hope! These kids WANT to be pushed! They want someone to look at them and expect only their very best effort.

I don’t think that deep down kids want to be average. Ask any 1st grader what they want to be when they grow up and you’ll hear noble answers ranging from astronaut to zookeeper. Kids want to be great! And then at some point, they learn that they can get some stuff done with minimal effort… And then some more. And then they learn what is possibly the most detrimental lesson of all. You can get by in this life without giving it every ounce of your being. That’s a damn shame.

One of the biggest issues I see with young people today, student-athletes included, is that no one has ever looked them in the face and told them, “it’s not ok to be mediocre.” It’s not ok to be undisciplined and have no competency in the realm of physical fitness. It’s just not. For 100’s of reasons including physical and mental wellbeing. Many adults who interact with children want what is best for them, I really do believe that, but at the fear of seeming like a jerk or causing harm they choose the easier route which is let kids sit in their butts 7-8 hours a school day only to come home and spend another 6-7 hours on their butts in front of a tv, computer, or phone. This is NOT okay! Today, I saw more kids just stop moving when their legs got a little tired or they started breathing too hard. Rather than lean into that adversity and see what comes on the other side of it. I saw a large majority of kids gasping for air after a 2 minute warm up. This is NOT okay!

I do not believe 1 person is responsible for the disturbing decline in physical competency in young people. I say competency because I’m not even talking about sport ready fitness, I am talking about basic general physical preparation. It’s not the school’s fault, it’s not just the parent’s fault (though the largest piece of the pie is yours), and it’s not just societies fault. Its all of our faults because as teachers, coaches, parents, and adults we never looked a young person in the eyes and said, “it’s NOT okay to be mediocre. Especially not in the realm of physical fitness.” If the next generation can’t squat, lunge, do a push-up and pull up… It’s our damn fault. If your kid does not see physical fitness as a priority…. It’s your damn fault.

I have never met one parent who looked at me and said, “I want my kid to be worse off than I was.” It’s the opposite, we want better for our children, hell we want the best for them! This means being the rational thinker and noticing that 12-14 hours a day on their butt is NOT okay.

Even worse off than the kids who have not been taught the value of fitness are the kids who have “athleticism” but do not appreciate the foundational work required to excel. I am not talking practice or hitting coaches or pitching clinics or football camps- that is checking the box. Everyone is doing that now. Almost every kid who plays basketball or volleyball does it in multiple leagues/ seasons a year. I am talking about the kids who put the time in the weight room and in the gym consistently.

I can tell you with near certainty which individuals and teams will be a force in their sport by how they approach summer, in-season, and off-season strength training. Every team and individual dreams of winning regardless of sport. No one at the high school level and up plays solely for the love of it. They want to win! They want to break the chains of mediocrity and touch greatness, if even for a minute. Most athletes love game day but hate practice at the lower levels. It’s just another thing that they have to do to play. This is a mediocre way of thinking. The best in any sport do not think this way. The best see training as a way to improve their skills for the next game, match, or season. The best know that it is NOT okay to be mediocre.

How many of us reading this have a young person who loves the grind, the practice, the training? I am betting very few, but if it’s you, congratulations share this with someone who needs it and pat yourself on the back.

For the rest of us, stop letting young people believe that it is ok to be anything other than the best version of themselves. Stop letting them be weak and incapable. Stop letting them complain about physical discipline. Stop letting them believe that it’s okay to be mediocre.