The Olympics of Life: Sustainable Fitness & Optimized Health – CrossFit Cape Ann
Last week I traveled to Cape Ann, Massachusetts to present my one day seminar “Sustainable Fitness and Optimized Health”. Each gym I visit is a journey into the unknown because CrossFit trainees in the “Honeymoon Phase” can be stubborn about modifying their workouts and refusing to slow down, no matter what the cost is to their health. (I know, I’ve been there.) So, when I roll into town and suggest that attendees quantify their health with some simple baseline lab testing before moving forward with their training, I am sometimes met with resistance.
However, that was not the case with the attendees from CrossFit Cape Ann. This group was ready to make their workouts a positive part of their life, but not the whole of it. They all had the desire to improve their health, and all had realized that going hard and fast led to compromises in important parts of their lives. Previously some had commented “My legs are so sore my daughter can’t sit on my lap”, ” I was so tired I couldn’t go climbing on that beautiful day”, and ” I ignored my shoulder pain and now I can’t do that much”. Collectively they could see that workout intensity and volume should maximize the quality of their life, and not hinder it. I was so pleased to see that this crowd was ready for some workout guidance.
“My legs are so sore my daughter can’t sit on my lap”, ” I was so tired I couldn’t go climbing on that beautiful day”, and ” I ignored my shoulder pain and now I can’t do that much”.
So, where do we start?
I would say that for most people, the least amount of training with the maximum outcome would be the ultimate way to go. Few people know this is how CrossFit started, we trained a little and we had a lot of fun outside the gym. I call this Minimum Dose, Maximum Effect ( MDME™) training. But how does one know what is the optimal MDME™ for you? Individuals will vary in what dose of exercise is appropriate for their health. That is where some simple lab testing comes in. The identification of a baseline is key to knowing how hard and how often you can work out. Once a baseline is established, tools for daily monitoring of cumulative stress levels will help determine the volume and intensity of movement for that day. Because we are all different….person to person…., our individual needs change from day to day, based on our lifestyle and external challenges outside the gym. In addition, our ability to handle the levels of workouts changes in the long term as well. Testing yourself a couple times a year can give you feedback on how to stay in that “healthy” zone.
What did CrossFit Cape Ann attendees learn?
They learned about stress offsets such as optimum diet, sleep and correct doses of training. They learned how to establish a baseline and track it over time. They were given tools that track daily stress not only to determine workout loads, but also to discover how stresses and “stress offsets” influenced their training, and more importantly their health. And finally, what movements yield the greatest return, and which ones should potentially be avoided.
By presenting some ideas on major biomarkers for health, and sharing information from the top coaches and practitioners in the country I was able to offer my collection of ideas so folks could modify movements that might be less effective and focus on the ones that are most beneficial.
“One of the most important goals with our gym is develop members who are intuitive and think about their training beyond just “showing up”. Eva brought a wealth of knowledge and a perspective gained through years of experience that questions the “more is always better” attitude. Having our members process this information and really think about training to support their personal passions and also what is sustainable long term has been amazing. We highly recommend this seminar as the topics covered have become the blue print for helping us make decisions with programming & coaching moving forward.”
– Jon & Karen Conant Crossfit Cape Ann
I want to thank Jon and Karen Conant for hosting this seminar and giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts with their clients. I also want to commend the individuals who came to learn about Sustainable Fitness and Optimized Health.
If you attended my seminar I am adding you to a relatively short list of *E-volved trainees, you are ahead of the game! I am proud that you are taking care of yourselves and I hope that you look back at your workouts with a smile, no regrets, and that you will live life to the fullest, inside and outside of the gym.
Interested in My Seminar?
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