Class Schedule Updates

Posted on by Matt Nichols

Some class schedule updates for you guys:

  • You may now reserve a spot in class up to 36 hours before the scheduled start time
  • The 12pm class on Wednesdays is now a hybrid class (in-person and Zoom)
  • Beginning on Monday, August 10th, we are adding a weekday, in-person 5pm Group CrossFit Class

Reminder for those of you who are signing up for and attending in-person classes:

  • Contact the class coach by email or text when you reserve class and let the coach know that you have done the CDC Self-Check (available here)  – THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL
  • Wear a mask – THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL
  • Maintain physical distance from other people – THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL
  • Arrive at the gym 5 minutes before the scheduled start time of your class (not late and not 20 minutes early)
  • If you have reserved a spot for class and for any reason need to cancel, please contact the class coach and let them know so that your spot can be made available for someone else

Finally, if you want to come in to Oak Park to train but our current schedule of in-person classes does not work for you, please let us know! Talk to your coach and let him or her know the times that you would like to see us offer an in-person class (unless it is 4am, because that it not happening). We would love to see more of you in-person at Oak Park and if you let us know how to make that happen we will make it happen.

____________________

FRIDAY’S WORKOUT

For Time:

1000m Run

50 D-BALL Squat Cleans (100/70)

SATURDAY’S WORKOUT

“CINDY”-ish

AMRAP 20:

5 Bent-Over Rows (heavy)

10 Push-Ups

15 Squats

 

Who’s looking out for you….

Posted on by Shirley Brown

Let’s talk about what’s really going on in my opinion. We have been in this messed up crazyness because our health care system is dysfunctional. Ok, actually there are a TON of dysfunctional systems, (Food being one of them) which I truly believe has gotten us to where we are now.  

We were told to stay home because our health care system needed to be able to handle the influx of Covid 19 patients. (most of which have underlying health conditions) We needed to be prepared for the sick. But what about the training for life that we at Oak Park have been doing? All of you putting energy and paying attention to what you are eating, and how you are breathing and sleeping? This IS how you build your immune system. But paying attention to building your immune system isn’t that newsworthy. It’s more exciting to pay attention to how many people are getting sick and how many are dying. (no disrespect for those who have passed). Ok maybe it’s not exciting but fear provoking which can be paralyzing. 

Now don’t get me wrong, emergency procedures and modern technology is pretty amazing. But healthcare has been failing us for a while now. 

You all are here to work on your health. You (and your coach) are your health advocates. We are doing this through building healthy habits/behaviors. (Mondays Blog) How you show up for yourself matters. What you consume matters, be it the food or media. 

We’ve had the conversation that you are investing in your health here at Oak Park. We prefer you don’t just consume, but learn and apply so you can grow.  

For many years I did not have health insurance. I was a bit concerned, well, concerned enough to ask my employer to provide it for me. But, what I did have was a practice of showing up to the gym. Eating mostly real foods and working on listening to my body. I do believe all of this has paid off, but we have to continue to question who is really looking out for us. The sick care is system does what it’s suppose to, care and profit from the sick.

Lets continue to focus on the preventative as you have to look out for you….. and we will help!

Saturday’s Workout
CINDYish 

AMRAP-20
5 Bent Over Rows*
10 Push Ups
15 Squats

Zoom & Gym Peeps!
Prepair in advance a heavyish Dumbbell(s) or Barbell for the “Bent Over Rows”

 

MERCURY TOXICITY

Posted on by Charlotte Kane

I am going to write about a subject that has brought a lot of attention to me lately. Today you will learn about mercury toxicity.  The more I read and learn about it, the more upset I get. Why? Because it is preventable. 

 

Mercury is one of the most toxic metals, worse than lead. The poison is found in our soil, water and food supply. It is also found in sewage sludge, fungicides and pesticides. there are grains that are treated with methyl mercury chlorine bleaches, which seep into our food supply and daily intake. Because methyl mercury contaminates our waters – large amounts are found in fish, especially fish farther up in the food chain. approximately one third of America’s lakes contain fish that will be contained with mercury. Mercury is also present in product that we as humans use and are exposed to everyday, such as cosmetics (women downscale on your cosmetics or use natural body care and make up!), dental fillings, fabric softeners (skip fabric softeners for your clothes moving forward, not worth it), batteries, inks used by tattooists, latex (don’t wear “Covid gloves” when you’re working out), plastics (we seriously need to do something about plastic cups, straws, etc..), nail polishes, wood preservatives and many more things that I could mention. 

 

When it comes to your dental fillings. Please remove your mercury fillings!

This is a big topic and an important one that is beyond the scope of this blog post. If you have your mercury fillings removed, it is imperative that you use a biological dentist who has the necessary tools to remove mercury correctly. If you don’t, you could be exposing yourself to more mercury. Many dentists and even the FDA will tell you that mercury fillings are safe. They’ll tell you that “there is no evidence that mercury amalgam fillings are harmful to your health.” The truth is that they don’t know because there is no proof that mercury exposure through fillings over time is safe. But what we do know for sure is that mercury is toxic and we don’t want it in our mouths. So talk to your dentist. 

 

Mercury is a cumulative poison. Meaning that there is no barrier for it reaching your brain cells. Mercury is retained in the pain center or the brain and in the central nervous system. its presence can prevent both the normal entry of nutrients to the  cells and the removal of waste from the cells. It can bind to immune cells and interfere with normal immune responses. this may be one factor and reason behind autoimmune diseases. it can lead to arthritis, depression, dermatitis, fatigue, nausea, hair loss, insomnia, muscle weakness and the list goes on. high levels can also lead to blindness, healthy eye function and paralysis. many food allergies are directly attributable to mercury poisoning. mercury exposer in pregnant women can lead to neurological damage, for example lowered intelligence and delayed development in infants and toddlers. 

 

People get most of their mercury from eating fish. The next step is therefor to reduce our intake of fish that contain mercury. Nearly all fish and shellfish contain trace amounts of mercury but it “bioaccumulates” or builds up in larger fish. Even albacore tuna, which you see in most supermarkets, is something you should not have more than once a week, and children should have it even less.

EAT LESS

  • ahi tuna
  • albacore tuna
  • bigeye tuna
  • bluefish
  • king mackerel
  • opah
  • swordfish

EAT MORE

  • flounder
  • herring
  • mackerel
  • oysters
  • salmon
  • sardines
  • scallops

You should consume fish in moderation and always broil it. By broiling the fish and draining the juices you will get rid of the fat, in which the mercury primarily stores, but you will receive the benefit from alkylglycerols. rarely eat high mercury fish!! Eat organically grown foods, especially beans and onions and garlic, which helps protect the body against toxic substances. 

 

If you suspect mercury toxicity, have a hair analysis  performed. this will tell you and detect toxic levels of mercury. A urine test can also give you solid information.

 

Thursday’s Workout

EMOM 10

1: 20 DB Snatch – You choose the load!!

Min 2: 35 DoubleUnders

 

Also – pay attention! Starting on the 15th of Aug we will have FOUR WEEKEND EVENTS coming up. Super fun and challenging test workouts. First out the Squat Battle! How durable are you under load? Keep your eyes open for more info! 

 

AND do something about that mercury toxicity in your life! 

 

Much love,

Coach Char 

 

 

A Brief Moment of Calm…

Posted on by Jamie Silber

 

It took me some time to give myself permission to get away and chill…
I hope you guys can find brief moments of calm…

Coach Jamie.

WEDNESDAY

5RFT:

20 Cal AB or 30 Cal Row
16 Back Rack Step Ups (135/95) (16’/12′)
14 V-Ups **16 Minute Cap**

Zoom Peeps!

5RFT
20 DB Deadlifts or 60 Mountain Climbers
16 DB Walking Lunges
14 V-Ups

Deadlifts –
• Option 1: Use 1 DB and do sumo stance DL’s
• Option 2: Use 2 DB’s and do more of a trap bar-style DL DB

Walking Lunges –
• Use 1 or 2 DB’s
• Any lunge variation is fine

Nutrition Coaching

Posted on by Nicholas Yiakos

Nutrition Coaching 

 

Need help with executing a plan on dialing your nutrition? I’m happy to help. Whatever the plan, it’s only as good as your ability to execute it consistently. 

 

Here’s something to start with – keeping track of your macronutrients. It’s helpful in learning the following: 

  • How much energy we’re eating and burning.
  • What nutrients we are consuming?
  • Our concepts of portion sizing.

Record what you’re currently doing and see where you’re at presently:

  • What foods are you currently eating and how much?
  • What’s your activity level looking like? Do you come to the gym 2-3 times a week? 4-5 times a week? 
  • How much time do you need to invest in your eating choices?
  • If you moved forward with a macro-based plan, how much of your current routine would you need to change? 

 

Student: “Coach, how do I measure my macros?” 
Coach: “Great question, Billy Bob. Here are a few methods that can help guide you on your journey to learning to count macros…”

 

Method 1: Reading nutritional information. 
– I won’t lie to you, but this method is very tedious and time consuming. Will it help you understand macro’s more? Definitely. Is it time consuming? Yes. I just had a kid back in April, I know personally I would want to apply a method that is time efficient. 

Method 2: Use an app.
– Who would benefit from this method?

  • Busy people who want to track for a short period of time.
  • People with advanced needs.
  • Numbers-oriented folks.

Let me have you pause for a second and ask, who would this be dentrimental towards? People with a history or risk of disordered eating. As always, CONTEXT matters. 

Method 3: Hand-based portion sizes

If you become overwhelmed with numbers, this method is for you. Here’s how it works:

Method 4: Mindful and intuitive eating

“Mindful eating means paying attention to the experience, feelings, and sensations around eating.

Intuitive eating is a similar system, but proponents specifically reject “diet” messaging and culture.

Both of these approaches are about slowing down in order to notice how your body and mind feel when you eat. We can then use these body cues to regulate food intake.

These approaches foster a healthy relationship with food — and ourselves. They can be applied anytime, anywhere.”

 

I’ll stop here for now. Next week: Establishing a realistic starting point. 

 

If you’d like to set up a time to do one on one nutrition coaching, I’m happy to help out! Nutrition and coaching are two of my biggest passions and I love creating a plan to help others succeed and get to where they want to go! 

 

Peace!
– Coach Nick

 

Tuesday 

Gym Peeps – AMRAP 32
500m Row
400m Run
30 Thrusters (75/55)
20 Bar Facing Burpees

Zoom Peeps – 5RFT:
30 Skater Jumps
200 High Knees
30 DB Thrusters
20 Burpees

Posted on by Kenny Kane

Turn up. Consistently showing up to train will positively wire our neuroplasticity.  Now it may seem obvious that a proper, consistent training program will make any human feel better my good friend Dr. Andrew Huberman from Stanford breaks this down on his podcast with Rich Roll.  Effectively, the human noodle wires for five reasons: perceptions, emotions, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  In a moment of time when our perceptions, emotions, thoughts, and feelings can easily be negative, and likely misleading, our behaviors still have a shot at being positive. We just need to take effortful, consistent action. The lesson? Show up. (Again it’s a great episode with a friend of our gym with much that overlaps the conversation we are having at the gym.)

http://

The Neuroscience of Showing Up from Oak Park Los Angeles on Vimeo.

Monday’s Workout

Gym Peeps:
For Time:
15 – 12 – 9
Hang Power Snatch (105/70)
OHS
Box Jumps (36″/30″)

**Cap: 10 Minutes**

Zoom Peeps:
For Time:
15 – 12 – 9
Hang DB Power Snatch
Single Arm DB OHS
Tuck Jumps 

What area of you needs to grow?

Posted on by Shirley Brown

Finding time for yourself seems to be impossible, doesn’t it? Making time for yourself is realistic.  This is a conversation topic I have with a handful of my students regarding how their physical practice, revery and all snapshot pieces, make their ways into their life. 

Yesterday I was on the phone with a student and I asked him; How does he make sure anything important in life and or work gets done? He says he schedules it in. I said, you are likely going to have to do that with your fitness. That is until this (new pandemic life) becomes a habit. Meaning constantly showing up for yourself, in ways that allows you to show up better in life for those around you.

We all have the areas that can use a bit more growth. And we can always be a bit more loving and kind to ourselves as this is a process. It’s a balance of the kindness and self love mixed with making sure we take care of what we need to do.

For me, it’s expressing fully. Over the last few months I’ve written much more than I ever have from poetry to essays to journaling. The expression on paper now always seems easy and fun. Occasionally in life I run into time where what I want to say doesn’t flow freely. 

In the end when I say what I feel inside, it always feels better after. I’ve gained a bit more courage, flexed that muscles a few more times and in the end know that I am better for it. When I don’t, I’m working on being kind with myself. 

All of this take intentionality. Awareness to slow down and recognize what we are feeling. Then deciding what needs to happen moving forward in that moment that best serves us. If there is a feeling of anxiety, fear or worry, question, what can you do work with that? If you keep missing a workout that you say you will show up too, what now?

 My solution, be in the the present moment. Practice stopping for a moment, taking a breathing and coming back to what is most important to you. Whether it be the physical movement, putting the right thing in your mouth or self expression. It’s all important.

And remember kindness matters.

 

Saturday’s Workout
Gym Workout:
10-8-6-4-2
Turkish Get-ups (alternating)
Standing Broad Jumps

Zoom Workout:
Same as above, but you’re doing it at home

Is more better? Or is better better?

Posted on by Matt Nichols

The Google algorithm decided that I needed to see an ad today that informed me that “Elon Musk used to read 2 books a day and this app will help you do the same!” Oh great. That sounds…useless. Assuming I could speed read, or have this app speed read to me, what are we guessing I will retain from those two books? Fifty percent of the information? Twenty percent? It cannot be much, but I guess I could join the ranks of Elon and others who “read two books per day.” I guess that would make me seem pretty smart.

 

Elon is a smart guy, no doubt, but I don’t know if every decision he makes is a good one (Have you seen the unveil of the Tesla truck and its unbreakable windows? Have you heard of Amber Heard?) (that one was for Jamie, who loves puns). I am not sure that anyone who reads 2 books a day is being smart about their time, nor am I convinced that they are retaining any of the information in those books. However, I feel like saying “I read two books a day” is about making other people *think* you’re smarter or working harder than them. And I guess if that is what you’re after, then the speed reader app might be for you.

 

I love books. I love reading. My roommate constantly gives me a hard time because of how much space my books take up in my room. But the accumulation of books or the checking off of a list of “I’ve read x” is not what I am after. I want to know what is inside. I want to understand. I want to learn. And I don’t believe that charging through two per day is how to accomplish that. In fact, some of the best advice about reading I have seen is from Rob Wilson, one of the founders of Art of Breath. Rob was asked by someone at a seminar what book he would recommend they read next. Rob said, “Go back to the last book you read. Re-read it and actually take the time to understand it and apply it in your life.” Rob might not be the genius that Elon is (debatable) but on this issue I think he has it absolutely correct. When we are seeking to learn, more is not better. Better is better. Reading is not knowledge. Reading is information. Taking the time to apply that information is the way to truly learn it. So, if you’re looking for a good book to read, rather than just check another book off the list, I urge you to go back to the last good book you read and actually take the time to apply it to your life.

____________________

FRIDAY’S WORKOUT

Gym Workout:

3RFT:

800m Run

30 American KB Swings – You choose the load!

30 Step Ups (30″/24″)

Zoom Peeps:

3RFT:

400 High Knees

30 Weighted Swing

30 Lunges

SATURDAY’S WORKOUT

For Quality and For the Pure Joy of Movement:

10-8-6-4-2

Turkish Get-ups (alternating)

Standing Broad Jumps

Inflammation

Posted on by Charlotte Kane

What is inflammation? And how does it manifest in your body? 

Inflammation is a natural reaction to either injury or infection. the affected tissues swell, become warm, redden and may be painful. proteins called cytokines will attack the threatening germ and repair damaged tissue. Too much inflammation can damage the body, resulting gin immobility, weight loss, eroding muscle tissue and the power to fight disease. disorders that involve inflammation include, bursitis, fibromyalgia, carpal tunnel syndrome, osteoarthritis, tendinitis – just to name a few. cardiovascular disease may also be a result of inflammation in the linings of the arteries. 

 

What can trigger inflammation? To mention a few, inflammation can be a result of a diet rich in omega-6 fatty acids, exposure to environmental toxins, drugs, free radical damage, infections, injury, trauma, bacterial – fungal or viral infection. 

 

Any organ or tissue can become inflamed. Internal inflammation can be caused by a bacterial infection or caused by disorders such as anaemia, arthritis, autoimmune disease, allergies, Crohn’s disease, osteoarthritis, peptic ulcer disease or colitis. External inflammation is often the result of injury. 

 

What can you do to reduce inflammation? 

Make sure your nutrient intake consist of omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B complex plus extra vitamin B12, vitamin C with bioflavonoids. Alfalfa is a good source of minerals. Aloe vera juice is helpful for inflammation, turmeric, ginger, yucca, echinacea  will also help reduce inflammation. Eat a diet composed of mainly raw foods and drinks plenty of herbal tea and juice. You can also consume foods which are powerful antioxidants and useful for inflammation reduction. Spinach and blueberries are great sources. Cold water fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel are rich sources of fatty acids and good for you. Limit your intake of salt, sugar and junk foods. 

 

If you experience any of the symptoms mentioned above or if you feel that you suffer from inflammation – talk to your Doctor and/or Your Coach.

– Coach Char 

 

Thursday’s Workout

Gym & Zoom Workout:

AMRAP 12

10 DB Snatch (50/35)

10 Lateral Burpees*

10 Mountain Climbers

 

*Gym Peeps: Use parallette to jump over. Zoom Peeps: I miss seeing your face in person and stuff.