Member Spotlight: Steve

Steve has been working closely as a personal training client and has an amazing story. When he came in he had a goal to get back into shape and get serious about his health. We are very proud of you Steve and honored to share your story!

Here’s Steve’s journey in his words:

About 18 months ago I decided to step away from full-time work. I told my friends and colleagues I was retiring to pursue "health and fun." I was closing in on age 67. A factor in my decision was that my parents had passed away at ages 64 and 72 from heart ailments. I figured I better get after it.

For decades I played basketball, jogged, and tried to stay active. But the combination of pursing yet another start-up company and COVID had put me out of shape and overweight. Plus, I had pretty much ignored my medical health, rarely going to a doctor.

Given my new lease on life, I started getting serious about walking 4 miles or so every day with my dogs. I signed up for a primary care physician and through a series of tests discovered I had early stages of cardiovascular disease and stage 3 prostate cancer. I got the cancer treated with a new procedure and am now in remission. So next was working on lifestyle changes with my cardiologist to get healthy. I adjusted my diet (minimize sugars, reduce calories, focus on plant-based foods) and adopted intermittent fasting.

I recently moved to Nevada as a snowbird and last spring soon after my cancer procedure I decided to sign-up for CrossFit. What appealed to me was muscle confusion exercise and functional training. As I get older, I believe it is important to maintain my function: ability to get up and down while building strength, stamina, flexibility, and balance.

Truthfully, I was apprehensive about getting started. My conditioning was way off, and I was worried that I would have trouble learning new things at my age. I decided that personal training at CrossFit Ampersand with coach Eli would be best for me to get started.

In the beginning I had trouble completing a single strict push-up. I was also constantly hitting the cap in planned workouts, i.e., not completing within the allocated time even for the greatly reduced targets. Now I am progressing and getting better. I regularly set personal records and almost always get the planned sets done within the time caps.

I know that I miss out on some of the benefits of CrossFit from not joining a class session. I see that the friendly competition and the mutual encouragement creates a nice atmosphere. However, the private lessons with Eli work best for me. He designs workouts for me each day that challenge me and help me progress as the difficulty keeps increasing, but just within my reach.

Eli also makes sure I have my exercise watch app turned on so the I can track my heart rate.
When he sees me overexerting, he encourages me to check my heart rate so I can keep it within my planned bounds. My cardiologist wants me to do intervals, but I have a target maximum she'd like me to stay within. I am getting more and more done within that maximum. I also do the Genoa Loop hike (10 miles with 1500' elevation gain) once or twice most weekends.

Since starting l am down about 40 lbs in fat and have added almost 10 lbs in muscle. Heart rate recovery is a good measure of cardiovascular health. The other day my heartrate dropped 47 bpm in 2 minutes after a strenuous exercise. When I started that was less than 10 bpm in 2 minutes. This summer I am averaging four CrossFit workouts per week and Eli has been awesome working with me when I must adjust schedules. l am a big proponent of CrossFit Ampersand and working with Eli.

Congratulations Steve on all of your progress and hard work!

We would love to talk to you about creating your own success story!

Why Rest and Recovery are Essential for Optimal Fitness

We're all familiar with the hustle and grind mentality when it comes to fitness. Pushing harder, going faster, lifting heavier – it's all part of the journey. But have you ever stopped to consider the importance of rest and recovery?

The Myth of Non-Stop Workouts

It's easy to overlook the fact that rest is where the magic happens. When you push your body to its limits, whether through weightlifting, cardio, or any other activity, you're actually causing micro-tears in your muscles. It's during the recovery phase that these tears heal and your muscles become stronger. Without proper rest, you're hindering this natural repair process.

Physical and Mental Rejuvenation

Rest isn't just about repairing your muscles – it's about revitalizing your mind and body. Adequate sleep and recovery time are essential for maintaining cognitive function, emotional well-being, and overall mental clarity. Ever noticed how your mood and focus improve after a good night's sleep? That's because your brain needs rest just as much as your body does.

Preventing Overtraining and Injury

Pushing your body beyond its limits without giving it proper time to recover can lead to overtraining. This can result in fatigue, decreased performance, and even increased risk of injury. By incorporating rest days and active recovery into your routine, you're actually setting yourself up for long-term success. It's not about avoiding workouts; it's about optimizing them.

Listening to Your Body

Your body has a way of telling you what it needs, whether it's through muscle soreness, fatigue, or even cravings for certain nutrients. Paying attention to these signals and allowing yourself to rest when needed is a skill that's often overlooked. Don't be afraid to adjust your training schedule and prioritize rest when your body is asking for it.

So what does a rest day look like anyways?

An ideal rest day could involve starting the morning with light stretching or easy yoga to increase flexibility and circulation. Consider engaging in low-intensity activities like a mid morning walk or a swim, and ensure you maintain good nutrition even though you are not “training” that day. Focus on mindfulness practices such as meditation for stress reduction. Treat your muscles to a sports massage or foam rolling session to alleviate any soreness. Enjoy a relaxed activity with loved ones in the evening, and wind down with relaxation techniques before a restful night's sleep.

Your fitness journey isn't just about the hard work you put in during your workouts. It includes proper nutrition, adequate sleep, and yes, sufficient rest. So, the next time you feel guilty for taking a rest day, remember that you're not just lounging around – you're actively investing in your body's ability to perform at its best.

Interested in talking with a coach?

Success Story - Illene

Ilene has had such an amazing transformation both physically and mentally. Her commitment and positive attitude are contagious! Check out her story here!

Will you be our next success story?

Meet our Intern Eli!

Hi I’m Elisha! But most people call me Eli. I was born in Lake Tahoe, but I’ve lived in Nevada my whole life. During my High School career, I played Football for 2 years and I wrestled for part of my Senior year. I took 2 years of a Weight Training class that implemented the CrossFit methodology.

I am currently studying Kinesiology at the University of Nevada, Reno to become a physical therapist or athletic trainer. I always like working out with other people and I am always ready to make a new friend! I’m a born again man who loves Jesus and I’m always seeking truth and knowledge through the Bible. My favorite hobby is photoshop and I like to draw cartoons from time to time.

CrossFit is my passion. I started CrossFit sometime during the summer of 2017. I used to be a bodybuilder who loved lifting weights, but I was lacking in so many other areas of my fitness. Then, one day, my weight training teacher showed our class a video called, “The Test of Fitness” (I highly recommend watching it). After watching the video, I was immediately hooked on CrossFit. I completed my CrossFit Level 1 Course on January 27, 2019.

I wanted to get into coaching because I love helping other people. I’ve found a new interest in helping athletes to improve their fitness and their lives for the future. I am constantly learning new things and always ready to help!

New Year New You – One Small Step at a Time

2019 Is a FRESH CHAPTER!

The possibilities are endless for what you can achieve and what can happen with the start of a new year. As a coach, it’s hard for us to not jump in with all of the resolution talk going around. So often we hear people saying they want to eat healthier or get more exercise. Those are great goals, but without specifics for what they want to achieve, it will lead to disappointment and quitting by the middle or end of January. 

Only about 9% of people achieve their New Year’s resolutions.  Those 9% of people drill in to their goals and celebrate the baby steps that got them there.

Instead of a New Years resolution, why not make a January resolution? Something smaller and more manageable that will give you the satisfaction of accomplishment. Maybe this will be the month when you check-in to the gym 3x each week instead of 1 or 2. Maybe this will be the month that you commit to the nutrition challenge and learn about healthy eating for 28 days that will help you learn your body and to support healthy eating choices for the rest of the year.  

For some of you, even committing to something a month long sounds daunting or impossible. What if you tried for one day? Or one week? Try increasing your water intake by substituting water or tea instead of soda or other sugary or fake sugary drinks like Diet Coke and Sugar free Redbull.  This is a great small first-step where you will see changes in your body in a short time. 

Follow this formula when choosing your goal:

All goals should be SMART!

Goal: I will check in to the gym for the 5:30pm class 3 times each week for the month of January.

Specific -  I will check in to CFA 3x each week in January

Measurable – I should have 15 check-ins during the 5 weeks in January

Attainable – I can come Monday, Wednesday and Friday to the 5:30pm class

Realistic – I am already going to the gym 2x each week, so I’m only adding 1 more day each week. 

Time-sensitive – Month of January

 Here are five ways to keep any goal you set:

1.     Share it with those around you who will be supportive. Simply saying it aloud or posting it online gives you accountability.

2.     Leave yourself words of encouragement regarding this goal in places you will see it often. If your goal is around healthy food choices, try a post-it note on your fridge.  This step solves two problems, it encourages you through your day and it helps you stay focused on your goal.

3.     Only set one small goal around one behavior at a time. Don’t start eating healthy, spending more quality time with your family, sleeping nine hours each night, removing toxins from your home, and going back to school all at the same time. Instead bite off only what is manageable. You can always slowly add more goals as your behaviors transform!

4.     Don’t be hard on yourself if you mess up. Only a very small percentage of the human population can accomplish a goal the first time they try. For the rest of us it takes a couple slip-ups before we propel forward and achieve our goals.

5.     Ask for help. It is brave and admirable to make changes in your health routines. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The coaches at CrossFit Ampersand are here for you as well as people in your classes. You can also take coaching and accountability up another step by talking to our Health Coach Elizabeth, to really drill into your intrinsic motivations, character strengths and help you achieve even more than you could do alone.

Book a Goal Setting Session with one of OUR Coaches and let us help you set your SMART Goals!

Mindfulness: Why is it Important to Your Overall Health?

Mindfulness mind·ful·ness

/ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/

noun

the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.

"their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition"

A mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique

What Is Mindfulness?

Taking into consideration the definition; how can mindfulness be applied to our daily lives; or even better, how can it change our daily thought process? As a coach I hear it all the time, “I can't do that.” or “it’s too hard.” Being mindful and in tune with our thoughts and our physical abilities will help us push through barriers and challenges. Instead, I urge people to ask themselves, “Do I trust my coach? And do I trust myself?” If the answer is yes, then we will proceed with the task that was asked.

Surrendering ourselves to the unknown in this way can be scary. Allowing ourselves to not question the ‘what if’, to not be stalled by fear and to fully open ourselves to the new possibilities that are offered will exponentially improve our outlook and allow us so many opportunities that might have otherwise been missed. By trusting our own body, by listening to what it is telling you will take you too many new places.

How Does Mindfulness Fit into Health and Fitness?

Being mindful asks us to look internally, to be aware of how my body is feeling. How is it reacting to something new? As coaches we ask our clients all the time “how does that feel?” We aren't looking for a generic answer. No, we want to really know how that felt. Was it challenging, but doable? Did it cause a twinge of pain in that old injury? Did performing that movement for the first time successfully, instantly bring you joy? We want to know the real answer to help our clients start becoming in tune with their own body.

How Does it Affect the Long Term?

Working towards our goals mindfully isn’t going to make it happen over night, but it will help us get there quicker and more successfully. Being mindful, knowing when it's time to take a break and let your body heal from will allow your body to progress forward steadily and safely without pushing through an injury or on a day that a workout just isn't going to happen.

Yes, goals vary, many have the goal to lose weight, to be healthier long term, to run a marathon, to play with the grandkids, but what all these different goals have in common, is the conscious decision to be mindfully present with their bodies and needs and choose what is necessary to make the changes to meet these goals. When asked what was it that triggered the change, it was always a mental change. Mentally they wanted it. Mentally they needed it. They chose to be mindful with themselves, allow the change mentally and what is being asked of their bodies and of their psyche to ensure long term success.

If you are ready to set some goals of your own, book a goal setting session with a coach!

Barbell Club & Open Gym

BARBELL CLUB & Open Gym are here!

Barbell Club & Open gym begins tomorrow! This a great addition and we are really excited to have this as an option for our members. Here is an idea of how it will work.

Open gym is time to come in and work on skills and/or hop on our Ampersand Weightlifting program. This is a minimally coached time where a coach will be there, but is not there to be your personal coach (i.e. they will not be leading you through the class time). This is important due to the amount of people that will be in Open Gym. This is also not a normal class structure, so your warm up and your time is dictated by you.

The coaches will be on hand to assist in minor coaching, but it will not be uncommon for coaches to be training alongside you. This gives you, the athlete, the opportunity to see the coaches in action and, as my mentor would say, "learn by osmosis."

How much is it?
The next week is FREE – come try it out and see what you think

The schedule will be the following for two weeks while we evaluate the new addition!
Tuesdays 7:00pm-8:00pm
Thursdays 7:00pm-8:00pm
Saturdays 11:00am-12:30pm

We encourage you to utilize this time and open forum coaching to hone your skills such as Olympic Lifting, gymnastics, and technique. You may also use this time to make up a WOD that you missed during the week or the week before.

Thank you to all of the RFTB Partipants!

Big Thank you to our Law Enforcement and our Community!

Dear Participants,

We want to express how grateful we are to serve and be a part of such an amazing community. What started out as a small little gathering amongst friends, turned into an amazing showing of support to our Law Enforcement, local and abroad.

When we started this event, we were hoping to sell enough tickets to cover expenses and donate a couple hundred dollars to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. With your help, we were able to surpass that exponentially, with over 100 participants and a final donation totaling over $2000!

This showed us not only the outpouring of support for our LEO’s, but also an opportunity to repeat the event next year. As you know, this was our first event and with only a little over a month’s notice, you were able to make a difference. We are excited to make this an annual event for the Carson Valley and continue to be an avenue for the men in blue, who sacrifice so much to serve us and answer the call when we need them.

This is a sensitive time in our society to be outspoken in support of our law enforcement, but it is necessary to show them that we stand behind them, and Run for the Badge was an excellent showing of support.

We would love to get your feedback on the event, and on ways we can improve and make this great for next year. Also, you can find any other charity events that we plan to host in the future by following CrossFit Ampersand on Facebook.

We would like to thank all of our volunteers, participants, and the following local businesses for donating raffle prizes and being a part of Run for the Badge:

Anglers Edge Fly Shop
Axelson Tactical
Bullseye Nevada
California Burger Company
Douglas County JROTC
I’d Eat There
Jill Packman at Carson Valley Counseling & Consultation
Kelse at Déjà vu Salon
Margaret at 31 Bags
Melvin’s Car Wash
Peak Nutrition
Play It Again Sports
Raley’s
Road ID
Starbucks
Tom & Kay Lashbrook
William at GNC Carson City 

Again we want to thank our Law Enforcement for being our local heroes and our community for coming together for such a great cause. To find more information about the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, please visit,http://www.lawmemorial.org/ or http://www.nleomf.org/.

Consistency is King

Consistency is King

What is your WHY?

We live in a society that is infatuated with the quick fix. There are so many fads out there it is hard to even try to keep up with them. Diets, pills, wraps, shake weights... Where do we begin? The worst part is that we are all drawn to that because we have lost one important thing in our culture, and it quite possibly could be "work ethic, and drive."  

Work Ethic

How many times have you said to yourself, "This is it! I am in 100% and this is what I needed to get me moving!" Then later find yourself not following through and then blaming the plan. "Oh it wasn't for me.." I have news for you, it wasn't the plan, it was your lack of follow through. Follow through is one of the most valuable traits/skills to have if you wan't to be successful in anything you do. A mentor of mine once told me that "how you do one thing, is how you do everything." That means that if you come into the gym and shave reps, not warm up, take your time, get in your head, rest, quit, complain... etc etc etc... Then you will see yourself fall into these very patterns when you run into anything in life that pushes you back or challenges you. How you perform in difficult situations is how you will preform in any situation that pushes you outside of your comfort zone. So what does this have to do with consistency? Everything. 

Most people aren't genetically gifted in a way that allows you to gain muscle over night, or lose weight and get that bikini body in a month. So that means that the people who do have major transformations have one thing in common, and that is consistency and follow through. They made a plan, stuck to it and continued no matter what. Most people stop when they hit that point where they do see any results, or when things get hard. But anything worth doing is worth doing right, and most of the time those journeys follow the road less traveled. If it was easy then everyone would be perfect, and skinny, and ripped, and rich etc... but we were designed to achieve and work, and work hard at that.

Picking one thing and sticking to it is the key to success. 

Results, Goals

So what are your goals? Write them down and put them in a place where you will see them every day! This doesn't only apply to health and fitness, but also to your every day lives. If you want that big promotion, or if you want to get that hot date, or anything that you are trying to succeed in! 

What is your WHY? 

Not only do you have to FOCUS, but there has to be a greater motivation as to WHY you are striving for these goals. No I don't mean, "I want to lose weight." or "I want to be healthier." Your "why" needs to come from a deeper understanding of yourself. Something that you can look inwards to and inspire the drive it takes to get it done.

You want to lose weight? Why... "Because I want to live long enough to see my kids go to college?" 

You want that big promotion? Why... "So that I can give a future to my family that I didn't have!" 

Contrary to current popular belief, the world does not operate on good intentions or ideas. It operates on merit and hard work. You have to be driven and motivated to bust through your milestones and make these things happen for yourself. NO ONE is going to do it for you! NO ONE is going to make you successful in anything that you do other than your self. So if you can't motivate yourself, and draw from an inward desire to succeed, it will NOT happen. 

Success look different to everyone. Everyone has a different view of what success would look like in their lives. But, the road to getting there is the same... Follow through, and determination.

"If you want to succeed as bad as you want to BREATH, then you will be successful!"

Do not skip passed this video!

Find your why!

- Jeff

'High Fructose Corn Syrup' is getting a makeover!

'High Fructose Corn Syrup' is getting a makeover!

So what happens when the corporations who mass produce food get clever?

Get this, consumers are actually getting smarter with their food choices and in some ways are filtering what they are purchasing based on what they can find in on the box. There are tons of trends that seem to come up all the time. "All natural"; "Minimally Processed"; "No added preservatives"; and in this case, "All natural." Now, we have to learn the new name of the all to easy to produce, "High Fructose Corn Syrup."

Instead of food companies doing what the consumer wants, they will cut corners and protect their bottom line first, by tricking the consumer into 'thinking' they are getting what they want. Of course there are many companies out there that have integrity in their products but in the mainstream products, we seem to need to shy away more and more altogether.

So when they get creative, we need to get wiser!

Companies are now masking the ingredients we are always trying to avoid. There was a time when there was hardly any sugar in anything. But now, it's nearly impossible to purchase products that are lacking. I'm not talking about sugar in natural things like fruits and veggies, no no, the all to popular, high fructose corn syrup.

"The product is General Mills’ Vanilla Chex, an updated version of the Chex cereal sold in most conventional grocery and discount stores for many years. The front of the box clearly states that the product contains “no high fructose corn syrup” (HFCS), but turn it over to read the ingredient list and there it is – the new isolated fructose."

So whats the big deal?

'The Corn Refiners Association is now labeling high fructose corn syrup as fructose. Packing on products such as General Mills Vanilla Chex cereal now states the product contains no high fructose corn syrup, while the ingredients list contains the simple word, "fructose." This fructose is actually a manufactured sugar called HFCS-90, and is made up of 90% pure fructose. High fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, contains 42% or 55 percent fructose. Health issues relating to free fructose include diabetes, leaky gut syndrome, and liver failure.'

Well, according to the CRA:

 “A third product, HFCS-90, is sometimes used in natural and ‘light’ foods, where very little is needed to provide sweetness. Syrups with 90% fructose will not state high fructose corn syrup on the label [anymore], they will state ‘fructose’ or ‘fructose syrup’.”

“Simply eliminating the high fructose corn syrup designation for the laboratory sweetener that’s nine-tenths fructose and calling it what it really is: fructose. And that’s how a processed-food product like Vanilla Chex that contains “fructose”, a substance that, according to the corn refiners, used to be called HFCS-90, can now declare itself to be high fructose corn syrup-free.”

So, while looking for HFCS on the back of your foods ingredients, you will now see it as just "fructose." Don't be fooled by their sorry attempts to get you comfortable. We have very little regulations in this country on our food companies to begin with. It's up to you to know and make good choices.

So what do we do?

I would suggest that you buy organic as much as possible and stay away from foods that ecould possibly have added artificial sugar in them. Buy local at farmers markets and actually prepare your own food. Stay away from anything that is in a box that you know is NOT good to put in your body. Especially while you are training. Sure if you want to occasionally have a doughnut or some cookies, GO FOR IT! But if you are taking in those kinds of processed foods on a regular basis, you will not only see your fitness deteriorate in the gym, but your health as well outside of the gym... Not to mention not losing the weight or putting on muscle. Also, you have heard me say before,  if it is not good enough to put in your body, its not good enough to put in your families bodies either!

"The CrossFit Way"

We believe that nutrition is the cornerstone of health and fitness, and that achieving your fullathletic potential is impossible without tuning up your diet.

The CrossFit rule of thumb is: eat real food.  Base your diet on vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar.  If it has ingredients you don’t recognize, don’t eat it.  If you can’t imagine its path from a farm to your plate, don’t eat it.  If that path must have included some sort of factory, don’t eat it. Pretty simple, yeah?

Some say well it's too expensive... Look I get it. It's not cheap, so do your best! Changing your lifestyle won't happen over night, but one step at a time. But you have to be taking those steps to get anywhere.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you are struggling in this area and would like us to assist you!

- Jeff

Source: 'www.hlfteam.com'

02.04.16

What better way to kick off our new website, than with our promo video. We hope you enjoy, and please share with your friends!

Minden, Gardnerville's Premier CrossFit Facility, CrossFit Ampersand specializes in providing the best group fitness around. We offer group fitness classes that encompasses the CrossFit methodology of constantly varied functional movements. CrossFit is the most effective fitness workout, proven to show the best results of any fitness program, whether you're looking for weight loss or strength gains.