Behind The Scenes with GingerCare Pets || Linzi Newth

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“…and the preacher said that dog even bowed his head to pray,” an excerpt from a story about my great grandmother and her dog that went to church with her every Sunday.  An unspoken connection with animals has been passed down my family line.  I have had the pleasure of animals in my life since the day I was born and haven’t gone one day since without. I can’t imagine a day without their unconditional love and companionship.

Veterinary school was not my chosen path but it definitely taught me more than I could have ever imagined.  As a veterinarian, I enjoy the good days but the bad days can be almost unbearable.  The first bad day was one month after starting my first job as an official doctor.  I walked into an exam room and saw a fragile crouched elderly woman sitting on the bench, her fluffy red companion at her side.  MaryAnn had brought her sweet dog, Ginger, in because she was not acting normal.  Bloodwork showed that Ginger was in liver failure.  When I broke the news to MaryAnn, the tears immediately started falling.  I had single handedly broken this gentle woman’s heart, which in turn broke mine.

MaryAnn had lost her husband years prior. Ginger was her only companion so she decided to do everything in her power to prolong Ginger’s life and keep her comfortable.  Thousands of dollars and five weeks later, Ginger passed away.  MaryAnn knew it was inevitable but five weeks was just enough time for her to say good-bye to her beloved companion.  Needless to say, MaryAnn was devastated.  Once waking up to a sweet furry face every day, she now had to go through life alone.

I began having lunch daily with MaryAnn at her home.  Never having a daughter of her own, we quickly became very close.  I started bringing my own dog, Remington, to our lunch dates.  Remi and MaryAnn hit it off immediately.  Eventually, I started dropping Remi off before work and picking her up afterwards.  MaryAnn and Remi’s relationship flourished during the next two years until I was faced with an international relocation.  I offered to find MaryAnn a compatible pet of her own but she consistently denied my offer, stating that she was not sure she could care for a pet appropriately.  Even more concerning to her was what would happen to her new companion if she could no longer care for or keep the pet.  It broke my heart to, yet again, be responsible for the flurry of emotions MaryAnn was left to deal with; sadness, loneliness, emptiness and hopelessness.

I have since moved back to the states and set up a new home in Austin.  I have visited MaryAnn since returning and she still denies my offer to find her a companion.  She is lonely and empty.  I want nothing more than to help fill those holes.  The golden years should be a time of happiness, reflection and peace but all too often, the elderly get neglected due to the busy schedule of our own lives.  My dream is to change that for as many senior citizens as possible.  I want to make the last years of their lives ones filled with love, smiles, warmth and unconditional love.  What better way to do this than to provide a constant companion?

I founded GingerCare in 2014 to fulfill this dream.  I will be finding clients, senior citizens, and interviewing them to find out what kind of companion they want and will fit best into their life.  I will then adopt and give them this companion, all the while taking care of all pet related costs, including food, toys, litter, and medical care.  I will check in on them regularly and will always be on call if they ever need anything.  If something were to happen to the client and they could no longer keep their companion, then the pet comes back to GingerCare where it will be placed in a new loving home.  Everyone deserves unconditional love and companionship, especially during their golden years.  I dream of a day where I can spend my time providing that joy to people’s lives.

-Linzi Newth

 

Join us this Saturday {May 9} for our Spring Cleaning Competition benefiting GingerCare. Proceeds from registrations along with Donations will be going to Linzi and her non-profit to aid in her efforts.

The last day to register for Spring Cleaning is Thursday, May 7. Find our more about Spring Cleaning {Here}

 

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Upcoming Peak Training Phase

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Folks we are officially half way through this cycle as of the today. Well done to all our athletes for putting in a ton of effort and hard work over the past 3 weeks, and being willing to “grind” through things that may feel a bit tedious or boring.  Doing the not so “sexy” work is how we continue to progress over the long haul. With that said, over the next 3 weeks sexy is back and we get to compete and have a ton of fun in the gym. We’ll still make time to practice our skills over the next 3 weeks, while we challenge ourselves to push past our limits both mentally and physically.


Once again a quick review on how we run our training cycles:

Week 1: Test Week
Week 2-7: Training
Week 8: Retest Week
Weeks 9 & 10: Transition weeks

We break our training weeks into two phases, a 3 week Base Phase which we just finished, and 3 week Peak Phase which begins on Monday.

In the peak phase my goals are:

  • Work Olympic and strength lifts in the 85% range to prepare for the final strength tests
  • Improve efficiency in specific test movements
  • Work moderate range conditioning efforts (8-12 minutes) via traditional CrossFit “Metcons” and mix modality aerobic power intervals

 

The schedule for the peak phase is less structured than the base phase, but you will still see either a strength lift of olympic lift or both on Monday’s and Wednesdays. We will continue work static gymnastics position as extra credit, and our conditioning work will be different depending on the day.

One thing to do now is to reflect. Go back and look at the test week, and remind yourself what you’re working for. If there is something in those tests that you know is a major weakness talk to your coach and let them help you start moving towards improvement. That might mean taking the time to go to Oly class, working one on one with a coach on a gymnastic movement, spending some extra time improving your movement with mobility work, or simply showing up more consistently. We give you the big plan to move the whole community forward, but you get to decide what to attack to make YOU better.

Looking forward to another great week! #UDGUDE

 –Coach Wes  

 

 

The Perfect Moment || The Prep – May 4

ALWAYS WAITING for the “perfect time” to get started on new projects? To learn a new skill? To eat better? To exercise more?

If so, here’s something to think about.
When I get a different job.
When things are less busy.
When I find a workout partner.
When I find the right equipment.
When I feel less awkward in the gym.
When I lose 20 lbs.
When I get the right workout routine.
When my fridge is full of the right foods.
Tomorrow. Next week. Never.

There is no perfect time. There never will be. However, there is a perfect moment. There is actually always a perfect moment.

That perfect moment is now. Here. Today. The living, breathing sliver of time that you have in this precise second. Because that is all you ever have: right now.

Seize your moment. Join us for The Prep starting Monday, May 4.

Designed to introduce new clients to the fundamentals and essential movements often seen in our group classes, The Prep is a course that teaches proper movement, recovery, mobility strategies, and a crash course on nutrition & lifestyle. This beginners program ultimately gives our clients the tools to make their time at CrossFit Austin life changing.
{Learn More}

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Athlete Types || Coach Leigh LeGare

Types of Athletes and The Three Little Pigs?

If you’ve spoken with Aaron Davis, you’ll know for programming purposes, he separates his athletes (after testing) into two categories:

 Power athletes: Hard chargers. Strong, fast and can usually handle high amounts of pain. They feel most comfortable leading early and trying to hang on late. Weakness is pacing and fatigue towards the end of competitions/workouts. They lack patience.

 Stayer athletes: Endurance minded, strategic and has moderate pain thresholds. Most comfortable in even paces and knowing what to expect. Weakness is playing it safe.

I’m a ‘stayer.’ Those I train with have labeled me ‘Rain Woman.’ I number crunch, come up with splits based on rep schemes/my abilities, and strategize as soon as a workout is released. I pace myself at the beginning of a workout and ramp up as it progresses. Sometimes I play it too safe, compromising my overall time/results.

I didn’t realize how hard wired I was as a stayer until I met with my supervisor last week. I found myself using Aaron’s definition of a ‘stayer’ to define my work ethic. While it has worked for me and gave my supervisor some perspective, I could tell he wanted me to take on some traits of the power athlete. Not play it so safe and lead early.

Cue introspective thinking, past conversations with Aaron, and being reminded of ‘The Three Little Pigs’ (random). The stayer athlete (me) is like the third pig. This pig builds his house on a foundation and out of bricks. He’s strategic and has a plan. It may take longer to build but it’ll sustain. The power athlete is like the first pig. He builds his house out of straw. He does this quickly and without a plan. He comes out fast and strong while throwing caution to the wind (get it? Wind? 😉 ).

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The traditional moral of the story states the third pig as the overall winner. But for our purposes, both pigs come out on top. The task was to build a house and they achieved that. However, both have their drawbacks. The ‘stayer pig’ took much more time to complete the project. Yes, it will last longer but if he keeps this mindset for every task (or workout) assigned to him, the time spent being strategic, sometimes costs him valuable time in producing results. The ‘power pig’ took less time and even if his house gets ruined, it doesn’t affect him. He’ll continue to fight/hang on until the job is done or redone.

However, if this is the only way he operates, he sets himself up for quicker fatigue, burn out, and fewer results. Take this blog in whatever way you perceive it but can you classify yourself as one of these athletes? In the gym and/or life? If so, some of us stayers can afford not to be so strategic/safe. In return, producing results faster than we’re used to seeing. While the ‘power pigs’ could afford slowing down a bit and having the patience/plan for more substantial gains. Maybe we can emerge as the second pig and houses made of sticks will be the perfect plan? 😉

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Train smart, live smarter, CFA!

–Coach Leigh

Good Eats in ATX || Coach Ben Wells

What is up my fellow omnivores,

 

Changing it up from last time and hitting my favorite food spots in the ol’ ATX in this blog post because you have to be able to go out with your friends and family and enjoy yourself and not stay cooped up in your kitchen and cook the same chicken and broccoli for every meal . You need to go out and experience new food which could spark some interest in trying to make that food at home, thus expanding your recipe book from two items to three items.

Numero uno: Independence Fine Foods (Manchaca & Slaughter)

This lovely little spot is on my way to the gym every day so it reels me in when I really need something to eat. At breakfast you cannot go wrong with a gluten free sweet potato waffle which will rock your world and it goes great with a nice cappuccino for those coffee lovers out there. At lunch they have different selections which could range from pork tenderloin to chicken with plenty of sides which will make your mouth water. Dinner is special every night, but they usually roast something and it will be out on the carving block which they cut right in front of you and pair with two delicious sides.

Numero dos: Picnik (South Lamar)

If haven’t heard of this place you’re living in a hole. Home of butter coffee which is known for leaving you full of healthy fat and caffeinated for the day. They also have wonder meals you can pick up for the day which are paleo.

Numero tres: Bouldin Creek Café (S. First)

Even though they do not serve meat on their menus they make some delicious food packed with fresh veggies and interesting combos which can make any omnivore happy.

Numero cuatro: District Kitchen (West Slaughter)

A quick read over this menu will have you thinking 2 things. 1st everything sounds delicious and 2nd more than 50% of the menu is gluten-free, vegan or paleo.  That’s all I have to say about that.

Numero cinco: Bananarchy (West Live Oak)

Frozen bananas covered with some yummy toppings could only mean happiness for your tummy. If you are craving something sweet why not make it something we eat for extra potassium. Joe Banana is a must have. You’ll get your coffee fix for sure.

So onward, Omnivores! Go out and eat well.

Do you you have a favorite spot to chow down in Austin? Share your knowledge!

-Coach Ben

Spring Cleaning for GingerCare || May 9th

Linzi Newth, Founder of the new Non-Profit Organization, GingerCare needs some help getting her program off the ground. She’s been an awesome member of CrossFit Austin since 2012 and we are very excited to be donating proceeds from the Spring Cleaning Competition to her cause.

GingerCare specializes in matching homeless pets with the elderly in a mutually beneficial relationship that allows for stimulation and companionship amongst both, all while providing the necessary medical care for the pet. This is to include regular visits by a veterinarian or technician whom helps to assist and educate the client in caring for their pet. When the client can no longer properly care for the animal, GingerCare aids in the intake process in order to prepare the pet for a new home.

***We also have raffle tickets available! Enter for a chance to win an awesome prize pack for your furry friend! $5 per ticket – See a coach for details!

Join us on Saturday, May 9th from 9 am – 12 pm! Details and Registration >>>> HERE

Last day to register with your t-shirt size guaranteed is Monday, April 27th by 9:00 am! Spread the word and let’s pack the house!

Making Time || Coach Miguel Garza

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Three years ago, I was preparing for Regionals, pulling two-­a-­days and eating for all sorts of Gainz (carb back loading, it was awesome). I woke up thinking about training, and went to bed recapping the day of training. Life was awesome, I really didn’t have many worries besides staying healthy, working out, coaching and prepping meals…er eating Chipotle.

I was living a life perfect for maintaining my health and pursuing fitness the best way I knew how. My perspective was narrow, and because of this, I was the narrow­minded jerk. I didn’t understand why other athletes and members didn’t have time for the gym, meal prepping, or exercise generally.

Fast forward to today and I’m lucky if I get to do 3 workouts or classes in a week. My fitness is no longer measured by my Fran time, in fact I don’t really measure my fitness at all. I’m not any less in love with CrossFit, and I’m not over continuing to pursue fitness competitively, but circumstances have changed.

A year ago, I started Must B Nutty, a grain­free Mexican food company with my sister Veronica Garza. Since then, my life has been turned upside down; I now wake up at 6am daily (Wes knows this isn’t normal). I honestly don’t know how any of you parents out there have kids and maintain sanity. While I’m still trying to figure out how to make a busy life fit into maintaining my health and fitness, I’ve found these 5 things to be very helpful in making sure I can make the most out of the gym:

1. Prioritize your time​­ – I learned this from my good friend, mentor and CFA member David Kline. I now make sure and schedule a time slot in my calendar reserved for the gym. When I prioritize this and put it in my gmail calendar, it just makes it that much easier to wake up at 6am and workout with the crazies (Jillian, Dayna, “Janss” ­ wifey, Bradley, Page, LaShitz, TOW Matt, Lane, Steven, Jose and Mr. T) at 6:30.

2. Be Intentional -​­ This applies to many different things. For me it means that I have to be intentional about showing up and listening to the coaches.

3. Become a morning person -­ ​I know not all of us can be morning people. Believe me, I used to hate waking up any earlier than 8am. Now it’s become a habit and if I can get a workout in before e­mails come flooding in, life is better. I can control when my day starts, but rarely when it ends.

4. Sleep well, eat right -​­ I’m a big believer in controlling what you can. For me this means getting the best sleep possible and eating as well as I can (insert Must B Nutty shameless plug here). I can’t always plan or meal prep, but I make the best decisions I can within my control. First sleep, then eat quality foods. Not always simple, but refer back to #2 (Be Intentional).

5. HAVE FUN ­ ​Most of our lives are filled with stress, and the exercise we do adds more stress (Refer to Train Adapt Evolve for good nuggets on this). Therefore, I suggest while you’re at the gym you should work hard and HAVE FUN. You’re surrounded by a community that will lift you up on bad days and cheer you on for showing up. Make friends with the other members, and make the most out of your time. Smile always.

These 5 tips are what I’ve used to help me get into the gym more often and make the most out of my time. I’d love to hear of any tips you folks out there have on how you get it done.

Show up, work hard, have fun, and sleep well.

– Coach Miguel Garza

Like A Girl || Stacey Magnesio

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At the beginning of the school year I wore a cute, sleeveless dress. One of my boys (athletic little fellow that does not have a filter) came up to me with a confused look on his face. He half stated, half questioned, “Ms. Mag, you have muscles?” I laughed out loud, and simply replied, “Yes Matthew. Girls can have muscles you know.” This sparked a 10 minute conversation among my students. As I listened to their conversation about girls and muscles, it made me realize that young girls are still being raised to think that strong is something that boys are, and skinny and weak is what girls should be.

It happens when I go to HEB too. I am just minding my own business, picking out the best head of broccoli and I feel it. Someone staring. Some stop and ask, “Do you lift weights?” In my head I am screaming… Good lord people! It is ok for women to lift weights and have muscles. But, instead I tell them a little bit about CrossFit and encourage them to try it sometime. And then, as I walk away, I flex my hamstrings .

So, has our society truly embracing the whole, Strong is sexy thing?

stacey2 (2)CrossFit has fully embraced it. At my CrossFit box, I am surrounded by women of all ages, at all different levels of athleticism, deadlifting more than their body weight, doing pushups and pull ups, or flipping tires that are bigger than a small car. We have women that have never dreamed they would be doing some of the things they are doing, like ring muscle ups or handstand pushups, or competing in an Olympic lifting meet. Some of them walk in carrying a baby on one hip or with a toddler in tow. This makes me smile because I know that these kids are growing up in an environment where it is ok for women to be strong and fit. They will grow up with the mentality that it is normal for girls to throw around weights with the boys.

Women are meant to be strong and live loudly and fully.  We are meant to embrace our innate beauty and be confident in our strengths and gifts.  We are each unique.  We are each meaningful.  We are each a gift. We are each blessed with one body, one chance at making each second of this beautiful existence count.   Being healthy, both physically and mentally, allows us to live a fully present life.

Being healthy means engaging in activities that make you happy and make your heart sing.  It means moving your body with joy at what it is capable of.  It means rejoicing at being strong enough to lift your child, to carry your groceries, to protect yourself in a parking garage, to have the energy to chase the waves on the beach, to feel good in your swimsuit, to swing the tennis racket or the golf club, to avoid aging in pain and living your last years in a hospital bed.

It is impossible to ignore the connection between what pop-culture has deemed beautiful and feminine (i.e. thin and weak) and women’s reluctance to lift weight and increase their strength, thus protecting their most valuable asset: their health. It makes me think back to the conversation that my students had, and how 10 little girls realized for the first time that they could be strong.

When something like CrossFit comes along, something that promotes women being strong and healthy and alive and vibrant and capable, it needs to be commended and praised.  It should be stacey3 (2)lauded for its contribution to fighting against the obesity epidemic in the United States, for publicizing strength and muscles and physical fitness.

Let’s “all” redefine the phrase “like a girl,” to stand for something strong and powerful.

 -Stacey Magnesio

 

 

Free Paleo Talk with Dr. Marc Bubbs || April 23 @ 6:30 pm

Join us on Thursday, April 23rd @ 6:30 pm as we welcome Dr. Marc Bubbs! He will be giving a free presentation on his book The Paleo Project!

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Dr. Marc Bubbs is a Naturopathic Doctor and Strength & Conditioning coach based in Toronto. He specializes in Sports Medicine and is the Nutrition Lead for the Canadian Men’s National Basketball Team. Dr. Bubbs is a renowned speaker and regular contributor to Loren Cordain’s PaleoDiet.com blog, PaleoHacks.com and Paleo Magazine. His book ‘The Paleo Project’ was released this month and he is visiting several crossfit boxes across North America as part of a promotional tour, as well as speaking at this year’s Paleo FX conference.

Dr. Bubbs will be presenting an interactive talk based on his book, which will help members of all levels individualize their nutrition and achieve their performance potential. In the talk Dr. Bubbs discusses:

  • How to personalize the Paleo diet to upgrade performance and accelerate recovery
  • The key hormones involved in creating an anabolic environment
  • Benchmarks for achieving macronutrient intake
  • How dietary insufficiencies can lead to symptoms of overtraining

He also covers the most common questions asked by athletes, such as:

  • Should I supplement with whey isolate, grass-fed whey, or rice protein?
  • Is drinking milk a good choice?
  • How do I know if I’m consuming enough calories to support recovery?
  • What are the best supplements I can take to improve performance?

Time is a Valuable Thing Pt. 2 || Coach Tim Garland

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Time is a Valuable Thing (cont.) >>> {Part 1}

Ever heard the phrase, “Time is money” , or “A dollar saved is a dollar earned”? I’m sure you have, and if you have not…you should consider spending few more hours with the old-timers in your life. Quite often, they spew good tidbits of information, no matter how cliche. Here, we can apply these phrases within the context of protein consumption.

Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Traditionally, this is how we divvy up the bulk of our calories throughout the day. Similarly, in regards to nutrient timing, we are going to divide nutrient intake into 3 subdivisions:
+ Energy Phase
+ Anabolic Phase
+ Growth/Recovery Phase

In each of these three phases, one phase will bleed over into another while transitioning into that next phase.

The energy phase’s main goal is supply fuel to drive muscle contraction during your workout. Having the right mix of nutrients, namely carbohydrates and amino acids, will spare your muscle glycogen and help with muscular endurance as you exercise.

The growth/recovery phase is the longest of the three phases. You can expect this phase to start about 1-2 hrs post workout and continue on until our next workout.  During this phase and with plenty of healthy calories, our muscle enzymes help increase the size of our muscle fibers and the number of contractile proteins. It is during this time that we also restore our muscle glycogen which was spent in the workout, and will be needed going back into the energy phase.

Now, I went out of order so that we could finish with the anabolic phase. This is where we can save some money! And it is so simple once you understand timing. The micro-processes that happen at the cellular might be a bit more complex, but lucky for us, what we need to know to save money isn’t difficult.

Immediately after completing a workout, our muscle cells are exceptionally sensitive to the positive effects of insulin. Without any intervention, we have a window of up to forty-five minutes before our body starts to cycle over into the next phase (growth). This intervention comes in the form of…..Protein! Yeah yeah, you’ve all heard that before. But how many times have you not had a protein shake (or chocolate milk for some of you) sitting in the fridge at the gym waiting to start your recovery party right away? All too often, I say.  I see it all the time. I see you buy your protein, or have it one day and not the next. This window continues to shrink and we  continue to miss the benefits. Studies have shown that optimal potential for anabolic activity is 15-30 minutes post exercise. Our bodies even become insulin resistant several hours after workouts. So understanding this window, you can intervene and jump-start the repair of your damaged muscle proteins and begin to replace and stock-up your muscle glycogen stores.

Now remember, my purpose here isn’t persuade you to buy this protein or that brand. My purpose is to educate and hopefully save you money if you do take supplemental protein. Get the most bang for your buck, and remember to bring that shaker with you! Don’t wait until you get home and have to cook dinner to start your recovery. With Austin traffic, your anabolic window most likely go bye-bye before you turn your oven or stove on. Also, you should think of this recovery shake as an appetizer to get you home….not as a meal replacement.

-Coach Tim