I started CrossFit in December of 2013. Like most of you, my journey started out as an overworked, undernourished, stressed out mess of a human being that was motivated by how I looked in a picture at my wife’s baby brother’s high school graduation. I immediately fell in love with it. But little did I know that this was just the beginning of the journey. Amplifier #1: Nutrition As much as I enjoyed the high intensity of CrossFit, it soon acted as a double-edged sword when coupled with my poor nutrition habits. I simply thought that if I burned more than I took in, whether it was In N’ Out Burger (remember I am originally from California) or kale, it didn’t matter. Here is the hard truth: if you ever want that desired body, a healthier blood panel, or just see whatever results you want out of your exercise routine,...Read more

Hi Everyone! I just wanted to drop in and update everyone on what’s in store for next week. Before we get to that though, some of you may have noticed I’ve added some homework to do on Sundays. The majority of this work can be done at home within 10 to 15mins and my intention is for you to make up some successory work that may have been missed during the week. Most of the movements will focus on hip and ankle mobility for improved range of motion and to assist with recovery to get you prepped for Monday. Other movements will focus on improving shoulder stability, posture and control, which in turn, will keep your shoulders healthy. Meat and potatoes for next week are Monday and Friday where we will retest our Front Squat and Power Cleans. From there we will get back to Back Squats and add Push/Power...Read more

“Who hasn’t asked himself, am I a monster or is this what it means to be human?” – Clarice Lispector   I think one of the most interesting aspects of going through a global pandemic is that it exposes the different facets of your life, business, or even country and society. It pulls the covers away so to speak.   In our society, I think it uncovered how delicate our health care system is and how shared responsibility (i.e. we are all in this together) is the ultimate kryptonite for even the most devastating viruses. Or maybe how delicate our economy is and that what we thought was a robust powerhouse was really built on a house of cards of “gig economy” jobs that can be gone in the blink of an eye.   Within District H, it laid bare how quickly the 4 walls that facilitated health and wellness,...Read more

Hi Everyone! It’s your friendly neighborhood dietitian here @samanthamackinnonrd. With the current coronavirus climate, I wanted to reach out to our community and share some tips from a nutrition stand-point for how you can maximize your health during this time via food and hydration. Key things to stock your pantry with (as it’s available): Proteins: Chicken Turkey Beef Plant Proteins (Beyond meat, tofu, etc) Greek yogurt Canned/pouch/fresh/frozen tuna/salmon and other seafood Frozen chicken sausages Eggs Protein powders Carbs: Fresh/Frozen/Canned Fruits and Vegetables Frozen vegetable mixes or medleys Canned or dry beans or lentils Quinoa, whole wheat pasta, sweet potato Brown rice Oats/oatmeal Fats: Unsalted organic butter Coconut oil Plant based oils such as olive, safflower, or avocado Hummus Nut butters/nuts and seeds Other (hopefully) helpful tips: Utilize any free delivery services offered from your local grocery stores. Source as much as you can online to limit exposure to grocery stores. When...Read more

The Ides of March was know in Ancient Roman culture as an official deadline for citizens to settle their debts. In literature, it is most memorable as the day of the assassination of Julius Caesar, the infamous Emperor of Rome and notably depicted by in the works of William Shakespeare. In similar fashion, I thought it would also be fitting to do a check-up on our goals and resolutions that we set at the beginning of year to see where we are at…minus the assassination attempt (“Et tu, Coach Robert?”). Our success in these endeavors is largely dependent on our daily habits. If you think about it, our lives are basically one big sum of our daily habits. But what is considered a habit? Let’s start simple with a good old definition. Habits are the small decisions and actions we make and perform every day. According to researchers at Duke...Read more