MY JOURNEY: ANN STYX

A Message from Maxmead Fitness member Ann Styx

Last February I was a 63 year old woman with high cholesterol, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, and knees that were giving out on stairs. I started working with a trainer at Maxmead Fitness once a week with one goal: hold off on knee treatment. I was gaining strength and endurance from my workouts which allowed me to hike National Parks in April pain free.

The big game changer was participating in the May “Whole Life Challenge”. The discipline and accountability was doable on a daily basis: 10 min exercise, no problem, 7 hours of sleep, mobility… all doable. The lifestyle nutrition tracking was challenging. But, like any addict, I knew I couldn’t say “just one chocolate won’t hurt me”. The weight melting off and energy levels increasing was the best motivation to stay on track.

After the challenge I am proud to say, I am 15 pounds lighter, have no more acid reflux or IBS, and I have dropped my cholesterol 60 points, and triglycerides 138 points! These are measurable results but the best outcome is my self esteem. I encourage everyone to consider doing the September Whole Life Challenge to combat the fall hibernation danger of couch sitting and carbs to prepare for the winter.

  ~ Ann Styx   "63 but feeling 50"

Join Ann and the rest of the Maxmead Clan for the September Whole Life Challenge starting September 16! Contact us or talk to your Coach for Life if you have questions.

http://www.whole.lc/wlc1709/pt/maxmeadfitness

The Whole Life Challenge: Let's Talk Nutrition

What does “good nutrition” mean to you?

You may have heard the saying “food is fuel” which to a certain point is true. Food is energy and when broken down provides our body with the energy we need. However food is much more than just fuel because our bodies are much more than machines. The food you eat is made up of Macronutrients and Micronutrients. If you body’s missing any of these key components no matter how much “fuel” is in the tank your body isn’t going to function properly.

So, seeing as how food is more than fuel-our body’s are much more than machines. For example when you leave town for a road trip and stop at the gas station to fill up the tank you know exactly how far you are going to get before you need to fill the tank up again. Switch that thinking over to how you “fuel” your body. There may have been a time where you ate less but still gained weight. Or, conversely, started eating breakfast and your jeans fit a bit better. We are much more than calorie in/calorie out machines. The human body is much more of a self regulating, complex, and dynamically responsive system than most machines!

So with that in mind and thinking about what good nutrition means to you. I’d like you to consider energy balance: When the body doesn’t get enough energy it starts to shut down and will try to conserve energy by shutting down processes we don’t absolutely need, including some parts of metabolism, reproduction, and brain function. We've all had an evening when you’re at work feeling extremely sluggish, you get home, have some dinner and feel refreshed. Your body needed some energy!

On the other side too much energy coming into the body can also cause problems. Inflammation may increase, plaques can form on vessels, and we can become resistant to important hormones such as insulin. Having an appropriate energy balance for good nutrition will help all the body’s processes to perform-Leaving you feeling healthy, fit, and strong.  

Throughout the Whole Life Challenge try and push yourself to try new dishes, new flavors, and to look at your food as fuel for your body. The website www.wholelifechallenge.com  has wonderful recipes and check out this article for some great food prep ideas!

Let your coaches know if you have any questions during the challenge! We're here to help!

-Ryan, Brad, Elizabeth, and Brian

Buaidh No Bas  

MY JOURNEY: LISA TERRELL

Chris and I started lifting weights and running together when we first met in 1991 in college. We had no money and so our dates were in the weight room.  We started Crossfit together in 2014 and transitioned to Maxmead in January 2017.

Chris and I still lift together. It's what we have always loved doing. Now when we travel for Chris's work he finds himself in boxes in California, Mexico, or even Switzerland. We stay consistent with our workouts. And, even though its not always coached in English we figure things out and meet some great people. Whenever we travel we find the closest Crossfit boxes to visit. 

Chris tore his ACL last year playing volleyball yet he still trains with Brad and Ryan nearly every day. The coaches have made sure he has made a great recovery. Chris and I PR'd our Crossfit total while on vacation this month at a Florida box and both our strict press and squats went went up in weight. We are both in our mid-forties and didn't expect to see those numbers move but the programming at Maxmead made this happen.  Since joining I have learned to string together my double unders and do handstand push ups!-not at all something I saw myself learning in the first few months.  

In the end it's the Maxmead community and great programming that keeps us going and consistent with our workouts. I think at Maxmead we have found the fountain of youth. There is nothing better than doing a handstand push up at our age: it makes us feel like we are 10 years old.

All the Pieces to the Puzzle

All The Pieces To The Puzzle

For those of you that have never experienced the Open, now having completed 17.1 & 17.2, you have an idea of the atmosphere and the workout intensity during an Open metcon. The Crossfit Open is a great time for the crossfit community to get together, and for you to experience the camaraderie of your gym. It is also a great time to take a step back and make sure that you are paying attention to all the pieces of the puzzle.

Often times we walk into the gym, crush a workout, leave the gym and continue with our busy lives. We forget to pay attention to the other aspects of our lives that affect our workouts. Diet and Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, Mobility, and Recovery are all things we need to pay attention to in order to crush the open workouts.

Additionally, taking a few minutes to reflect on where your stress level is at, how much water you’ve had, or are you hungry or tired can help you determine what you need to do to recover. If you don't minimize your stressors, get enough rest, drink enough water, etc. it will show up in your metcon the next day. Taking the time to address all of the pieces of the puzzle will ensure that when you walk into the gym, you are ready for the workout.

You are in the gym an hour out of your day. If you are not paying attention to Diet, Nutrition, Sleep, Stress, and Recovery during the other 23 hours; it will be very hard for you to make the progress you hope to see. At Maxmead Fitness we want to help you reach your individual and personalized goals. As a member at Maxmead, you will have a one-on-one intro session with a coach to discuss your goals. We will encourage you to take time throughout your day to think about what you are doing outside the gym to support your goals.

Make sure you are covering all aspects of health. If you have any questions about how you can apply this to your life, ask your coach! We want every member of the clan to achieve their goals and live happy, healthy lives!