A huge shout-out to CFH athlete and CFHE’s Coach Nicole! On top of having a full-time job, coaching CrossFit, and working on her own fitness, she recently earned her Masters Degree in Exercise Science. Congratulations Nicole! Next time you see her in the gym, or just walking down the street, be sure to give her a shout out!
Shout out to all of the CrossFit Harbor East athletes working hard on their fitness and crushing their personal bests! Check out some of the amazing accomplishments happening in the gym. Be sure to write down your PRs, big or small, they are worth acknowledging and giving yourself credit for.
Big congrats to Bari for crushing 4 PRs in her lifts! Keep up the strong work Bari!
Scott is a member at CrossFit Harbor East. He wrote a great blog article about his first CrossFit experience. An interesting read about his journey from being an avid mountain biker to stepping through those doors we all know and love. Take a few minutes out of your day to read about his experience!
“It is difficult to overstate the impact CFH and the Rockwell’s have had on the past 5 years of my life. I am a dramatically different person than I was in December of 2012 and I believe much of that progress is from the consistent encouragement, leadership and friendship I get at CFH. Geo and Allie have created a community that strives for excellence and does so in the most supportive and welcoming way possible. To be part of that is to be part of something special and I’m grateful for the opportunity.” -John Pickering, CFH Coach and First Member
Greg Glassman, the man who created and branded this whole sport of fitness we call CrossFit, wrote an influential article in CrossFit Journal (http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ-trial.pdf) almost 15 years ago called “What is Fitness.” In this article, Glassman first explained the sickness, wellness, fitness continuum, which is an integral component of CrossFit’s definition of fitness and health. The continuum places fitness and sickness on opposite ends of the spectrum with “wellness” in the middle. Some attributes that would place someone at the center of the continuum would be a normal/healthy blood pressure, body fat percentage, measures of bone density, cholesterol and triglycerides. Fitness, according to this model, is a state of “super-wellness,” a hedge against sickness, that is classified by increased physical output and better-than-average readings of physical markers.
I remember learning about this model in my CrossFit Level 1 seminar and feeling really proud of myself. Through my dedication to fitness, I had risen above the state of wellness to a state of super wellness. In the years that have passed since I first learned about this theory, my mindset has shifted to favor a different definition of wellness and fitness.
The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as “an active process through which people become aware of, and make choices toward, a more successful existence” (1). My favorite part about this description are the words “active process.” Wellness is not an end state and cannot be plotted on a graph or continuum. So many people think that if we just had more hours in the day, or maybe more willpower, we would have what it takes to achieve that end state, to move ourselves further. That state doesn’t exist. Wellness is a process. If you engage in the process, and make choices to propel yourself on the path to a more successful existence, you are pursuing wellness. It is a process that you must commit to each and every day, over and over again.
The process of wellness includes the choices that you make every single day. It is not a to-do list that reads “go to the gym, hit macros, drink water, repeat.” Just like a CrossFit workout, the definition of fitness is universally scalable. According to the dictionary, fit means “of a suitable quality, standard, or type to meet the required purpose.” This is exactly what fitness does- it prepares your body so that it meets the demands of your required purpose. Maintaining an excellent level of physical fitness and ignoring other components of wellness is like having your dream car in mint condition sit in your garage and never driving it. What is the point of having a body in mint condition if you don’t use that body to fearlessly pursue your passions and things in life that bring you to a higher level of existence?
If you’ve read the article up until this point, I’ll leave you with this:
Create your own definition of fitness. No two people are the same. Define what is your “required purpose?” Ask yourself how can you train for that. It will bring a whole new level of meaning to your workouts and your life.
Pursue wellness each and every day. Make choices inside and outside of the gym that bring you toward a more successful existence. These choices could range anywhere from working out, to ending toxic relationships, to eating your vegetables, to making time in your life for things you are passionate about.
Written By: Alexa Pancza
Have you signed up for Coach Brittany’s Nutrition Challenge yet? Still waiting for that final push? Check out what past participants have said!
“It gave me added confidence and motivation to decline alcohol, which I later found out irritated a medical condition I had been diagnosed with. I never felt better and have now given up drinking for a healthier lifestyle.”
“I learned how to eat well balanced meals that fueled my body and allowed it to burn fat. I’ve always thought that I ate healthy, but when I started the nutrition challenge, I realized that I wasn’t eating enough carbs and I wasn’t eating enough, period. Letting go of my “paleo” mentality and eating more complex carbs (such as oatmeal, rice, or beans) was the hardest part, but once I decided to trust the process and upped my carb and calorie intake, my body fat just started melting away. The nutritional challenge not only teaches you how to find success, but gives you a template on how to continue when you’re done”
“I have participated in 3 of Brittany’s nutrition challenges. Each time I sign up, I add a new good habit or eliminate/severely curb a bad habit. The group really helps to hold you accountable and makes it a lot of fun. I also began to track and measure my food and this was a big eye opener to how much I should be eating.”
“Four months post-challenge I am still following the healthy habits that I learned during the challenge. It gave me a good jumpstart to cut out ‘bad foods’ I previously craved. I also got a much better idea about portion sizes. Tracking and measuring my food has totally changes how I eat, feel, look and perform at the gym. I never feel hungry. And it is totally sustainable!”
Wodapalooza is a fitness festival in Miami Florida. This year we had another big group from the CrossFit Federal Hill go down to support athletes, fitness and our community! Megan W. was an individual competitor, Ashley A., Hana M. and Madison D. were on a team and Ryan G., Matt D, and Mike V were … Read more
Have you signed up for the New Year Nutrition Challenge?!?! No?!?! What is holding you back? Maybe the fact that you may not know me and putting trust in a stranger can be hard, so let me take a moment to introduce myself. I am a girlfriend to an amazing man (with the best accent) and we have a badass dog weighing in at 5.5lbs. I am currently a mother to be, a CrossFitter, and corporate employee gone rogue pursuing my passion of fitness and nutrition.
I was not born a naturally gifted athlete nor did I play competitive sports. I was not blessed with the genetic make up of a six pack and struggled with body image. I remember constantly dieting and never being happy. Post college graduation I found myself severely overweight, out of shape and unhappy. CrossFit was the first step in my transformation, then in 2015 I was introduced to an online nutrition program that taught me balance. I learned how to fuel my body for performance and stopped a negative cycle of under and over eating. But above all, I learned consistency is the key to success.
A few years back, I craved more knowledge and signed up for the Precision Nutrition Certification Course. I then started a nutrition program at CrossFit Columbia COVE where I have worked with numerous CrossFitters of all levels with different goals. I have organized 3 challenges with over 100 participants. In one challenge alone we saw OVER 100lbs of fat LOST and decreased body fat by 32%. Muscle was gained and PRs were crushed!
I now want to share my knowledge with each of you. It is my goal to work as a team to find what you can be consistent with. Take the first step in enhancing your health and sign up for the nutrition challenge or reach out and we can schedule time for a 1:1 nutrition session!!!
Beginning NEXT THURSDAY, January 18th, we will be launching Bring A Friend Thursday. This will happen a couple times a month (dates TBA); you will be able to bring a friend with you to WOD. The workout will be designed for people of all abilities – more of a body weight, DRIVE style workout. There will be a link on the blog to share with your friends so they can sign up ahead of time. Now is your chance to bring in that friend who was always too hesitant, slightly nervous, or just thought you were crazy for loving the gym so much. Start spreading the word!
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