“Come on! This is your last one!”

I look up and see Nik, 50 yards ahead of me standing on a small grass hill. He’s waving to me, encouraging me to run those last 50 yards instead of my current slow trudge.

He’s right of course, this is my last bit of running for the day, so despite wobbly legs, 100+ degree heat, and burning lungs, I dig deep and jog the last few yards back into the gym to finish the last circuit of the workout of the day.

Some people call Utah “God’s country”, but I think you could call it “Gold’s country” and be just as accurate. Gold’s Gym is the 1000 lb gorilla here, leaving little room for competing gyms to try and find a niche. And yet, tucked away in strip malls or in a few renovated warehouses those niche gyms are hanging in there. Not too long ago I found one of these gyms, it’s CrossFit Ogden, and at the moment its kicking my butt.

Do a quick Google search for “CrossFit” and you’ll find a whole community of people who, online at least, are confident, cocky ,and revel in their “we’re not Gold’s” counter culture. The reason for such a strong online presence is that’s where CrossFit was born. People from around the country would post exercise routines online and the time it took them to complete them. People would compete for the best times, posting scores and issuing challenges of their own. As this practice evolved into CrossFit, the idea of competiveness as a motivator has remained central.

So what is CrossFit? Most programs out there have a person exercise to increase their capacity to do that exercise, like lifting weights in order to lifting even heavier weights, or running in order to be able to run faster. CrossFit however, is about exercising to increase a person’s athletic ability. This means adopting a broad mix of Olympic style weight lifting (think: squats, dead lifts, etc), Gymnastics (pull-ups, parallel bars, rings, etc) and a mix of good old fashion push-ups with odd exercises like throwing weighted balls against a wall or throwing giant tires around.

Take today’s workout of the day (WOD): It’s a 400 yard run, 10 dead lifts, and 10 throws of a 20lb ball against a target posted 10 ft above the ground… 4 times in a row. There’s 5 times written on a giant white board, 1 is Nik’s, the owner/personal trainer, 2 others belong to regular members, and the last 2 are a pair of army recruiters, new to the program.

“These guys did it in about 29 minutes” Nik gestures to the 2 army recruiters’ times. “I want you to try and beat that”

“Ok.” I give him a half cocked smile. It’s all bravado. It’s been nearly 7 months since I’ve seen the inside of a gym, but I know this workout isn’t a cakewalk, and Nik isn’t granting me any special favors since it’s my first day either.

1^st circuit: Time – 3:30 minutes, it’s a good time, but I’m already feeling weak

2^nd circuit: The heat outside is really sapping my strength, I don’t want to know my time

3^rd circuit: I confess: I walk half of the 400 yards, screw the time, I’m not sure I can finish

4^th circuit: Nik is working overtime trying to keep me motivated to finish…

Rounding the corner of the building I jog/shuffle back into the gym to finish out the circuit. One’s first look at the place will leave you under-whelmed. The only machines are a pair of rowers. A few odd pieces of equip liter the ground, mostly weighted balls, some bars for dead lifts, and an odd dumbbell. Jump ropes hang from a pull up bar, and there’s some tractor tires stacked up in the back.

The gym is literally empty, except for Nik and I, credit that to a Friday afternoon. Personal training and motivation are the touchstones of CrossFit, so even on a busy day I’m told to expect this sort of attention. I’m grateful for it. While I understand the how to do the exercises, I’m completely wiped out. The only thing keeping me moving at this point is the barrage of “keep going!”, “come on you can do it!”, and the Metallica blaring (music I got to chose).

A lot of people, especially beginners, could be thrown off by the intensity and in-your-face attitude of CrossFit. It’s true, the WODs are challenging but they’re effective. Most major police departments and the military branches endorse CrossFit to their people because it simply works. A few weeks doing CrossFit and you will find that you will be able to do not only the WODs better, but any other program or sport better too.

The openness about times can leave those out of shape feeling sheepish at first, but it builds community. Everyone see’s your name, they know when you come, when you don’t, they know when you do well, and when you struggle. It’s like having a dozen workout partners plus a personal trainer cheering you on all at the same time.

In the face of all the Gold’s with their hundreds, if not thousands of members per gym, it’s nice to find a place that fosters sense of community, even if that community is in your face and pushes you to excel.

Yeah I got my butt kicked, and yeah, I’m coming back.

Casey – 23:00

To go to the Ogden Branch of CrossFit click [Here]

SODA/POP IS EVIL!!!

Don’t believe me? Here’s what one serving will do to you:

Under 10 minutes: 10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (well over 100% of       your     recommended daily intake.) normally you would vomit, but phosphoric acid       cuts the flavor allowing you to take it all in.

~20 minutes: Blood sugar spikes, this causes a insulin burst. (The effect is basically instant diabetes) The liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can   get its hands on into fat.

~40 minutes: Pupils dilate, blood pressure rises, as a response the livers dumps       more    sugar into the bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in the brain are now   blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes: The body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centers of   the brain. (FYI: Just like heroine!)

>60 minutes: The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in the lower            intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high     doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of           calcium.

>60 Minutes: It is now assured that the body will evacuate the bonded calcium,    magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

>60 minutes: Start to have a sugar crash. Can become irritable and/or sluggish. Urine has removed any water you might have received from the soda. But not before   infusing that water with valuable nutrients your body could have used for building            strong bones and teeth.

Oh, you drink diet soda? That’s just as bad.

• Carbonation has been shown to remove calcium from bones and damage teeth
• Still contains phosphoric acid
• Aspartame (a common sweetener) has shown possible links to cancer
• Artificial sweeteners have been linked to brain and artery damage (FYI: Splenda was accidentally discovered while trying to create new pesticides)
• Artificial sweeteners can cause increased appetite
• Diet soda can encourage higher consumption leading to greater risks of all the above

Medical studies and personal experience has shown that removing soda (in any form) from one’s diet can result in instant weight loss of up to 12 lbs in just a few weeks!

If you need to, limit yourself to one 12oz can 1 once a week as a treat. I understand that the stuff is hard to avoid, and caffeinated ones can be even harder to kick, but trust me, its worth it!

Lean Meats

If you didn’t know, meats are an excellent source of protein. Protein has taken the spot lightly lately, and for good reason.

1. It digests lowly, meaning that it takes more effort (calories) to turn it into a useable form.
2. Once it’s in that useable form it aides in muscle development. As muscles become more developed, the body burns more calories maintaining those muscles!

Eggs, interestingly enough contain the most useable protein! Make turkey, chicken, and fish your go to sources because they contain the least amount of fat. Beans (except for refried) are excellent sources and can even be occasional meat replacements!

Low fat milk and low fat dairy

Across the globe research is showing that calcium actually aides in the prevention of weight gain! (And you thought it was just good for bones) Milk is not only a great source of calcium, but also has volume which fills up your stomach and makes you feel fuller. Not only that, it’s also a good source of vitamins A and B, but sprinkle in some chocolate powder and you’ll curb your sweet cravings!

Vegetables

It’s time to put away your inner 8 year-old and do what your mother told you. These guys contain loads of vitamins protecting you from heart disease, cancers, and strokes! Typically, darker the green, the better, romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, and broccoli should all be your go to foods. If you really can’t stand this stuff, blend them up and trying mixing them in with other foods. It will hide the taste and make it easier to absorb into your body.

Fruits

Not only will the sweetness help keep your sweet tooth in check, fruits have natural fiber that cleans your system and helps you feel full! Berries (any kind) are perfect prepackaged sources of antioxidants and flavonoids!  Different fruits have different strengths, but all are good for you so pick your favorites and enjoy! Grab a piece/slice when you feel and sugar urge coming, the natural sugars will put it to bed.

Grains

Grains = Carbs, right? Carbs = Bad, right? Wrong. Your body needs carbohydrates! It’s a fact of nature. What your body doesn’t need is bleached or enriched flours, containing empty carbs which can cause insulin spikes and other nasty problems like fast conversion to fats. Stick with whole wheat and whole grain products which are great sources of fiber and vitamins. Avoid plain “wheat” which commonly is white bread colored with molasses.

At no time have I told you how many calories you should be eating. That’s because you shouldn’t be very concerned with your exact number. 2000 to 2500 calories daily with regular exercise will have you melting pounds fast. I do want you to look at is how much a serving is. Don’t assume that 1serving =1package. Look at the product label and use a food scale to get a good sense of what a proper serving of each is. As much as possible, get 2-3 servings of each group daily.

One more quick thing, stay hydrated! Not only will it help you stay feeling full (70% of the time you feel hungry your body is actually dehydrated) but it will also help rebuild muscle, improve how you look and feel, and help fight disease. Water is the true elixir of life; accept no substitutes like Gatorade (loaded with sodium) or sodas (scary amounts of sugar).