Here is a bit more about these two love-birds….

How did you two meet? 

Shane stopped in the middle of his work day and ran all the way over to my shop and said, ” I’m not here to buy anything… I came for your phone number”

Men Competitors:

Chris Larsen

JP Gassiot

RC Smith

Marcus Cardenas

Shane Gower

Matt Rosenthal

Women Competitors:

Becka Robertson

Renae Steele

Katie Phillips

Lindsey Cafferata

Jenna Hunter

Amy Hawkins

Here’s a link to the heat list.

Details

Workout Times:

• Workout 1 starts at 10am
• Workout 2 starts at 12pm
• Workout 3 starts at 2pm

Location: 

• Level 10 CrossFit, 2628 Lincoln St, Oroville, CA
• (530) 403-9866 ‎

Bring:

• Will be partially outside, so dress accordingly
• Chairs, tents, blankets, etc (if desired)
• Water and good PALEO food

 I’m Amanda.  I’m part of the River Partners crew (lots of us come to NorCal today; and we all started On Ramp together in October 2010).  Before NorCal, I was a vegetarian from 12 to 32.  Not just a vegetarian, but a vegetarian who ate great food:  I consumed mostly veggies, whole grains, and beans, and barely any refined stuff… if I ate bread it was sprouted grain.  I avoided  rice or pasta, and also most dairy.  Ok, truthfully, I *loved* to grab a bagel on the way out to a morning hike, but I knew that wasn’t good for me.  Also loved cookies, but generally avoided them.  I’d done enough fasting to see how my body reacted to refined flour.  I’d also noticed that I couldn’t really eat wheat gluten anymore – the last Harvest Loaf my mom had lovingly prepared for me during Thanksgiving 2009 made me feel off for a whole week.  There are lots of minutiae, but, long story short, I ate no meat, save for some fish… which I always sourced to be sure it was ethically harvested (my background is in salmon restoration, so this was non-negotiable for me).  In addition to my “rad” veggie diet, I also worked out a lot, as I always have – plenty of hikes, biking everywhere, and lots of Ashtanga yoga (I call it “sweaty yoga”).

When Chrissy and Natalie came into our office to tell us about the gym and encourage us to start On Ramp, they mentioned that for food, they did the “Paleo thing” very strictly. I didn’t know what that meant.  When you’ve been vegetarian for twenty years, it doesn’t really matter anyway…I wasn’t budging.  Not only was I sure I was eating more healthfully than meat eaters, I already struggled with keeping calories and nutrient ratios in check  – and fatty meats and eggs weren’t going to help that.

I started On Ramp, and loved it.  I was *so* sore, but seeing results quickly, although I hadn’t switched to a paleo diet.  Baby steps happened, though…I was starting to avoid bread and grains even more, and was eating more eggs… it was really hard to get off of grains as a vegetarian though.  I mean, the occasional meat substitute was critical, and those are always made of grains.  And legumes, for protein.  I kept a food journal and turned it in as part of my On Ramp experience.  Andy and Chrissy commented back that I needed to eat more fat.  When I mentioned that was challenging for me as a vegetarian, Chrissy paused.  And then very calmly said, “May I ask why you are a vegetarian?” Ehhhh.  I had explained it to people a million times – although I knew it was possible to eat meat ethically, it felt better to avoid it. It wasn’t hard for me to be a vegetarian – it’d been my whole adult life!  And from a resources standpoint, I was doing my part for the planet.  Meat just wasn’t for me. And, and…. And suddenly, after a couple weeks in the gym and seeing some good results, I realized I was willing to try eating a little meat.  I just felt like something was different here, and I wanted that protein, and I wanted to see if by not eating grains, sugar, and dairy, and eating meat, I could make a difference in my body. Gulp. So I bought some organic, free range, grass fed  chicken, freaked out that I was going to kill us all with salmonella and e coli by preparing it in the house, and ate it.  And….I felt great.  No digestive freak out.  No karma points instantly deducted.  Just felt great. And the next day I ate more.  I felt good, hadn’t killed everyone with food poisoning, and actually enjoyed the taste (I would’ve bet money otherwise).  Red meat was a bit strong…but then there was, of course, BACON.  Bliss!  After a while I had an arsenal of protein/meat centric meals.

Over the period of a few weeks, I fully switched to paleo, eliminating all grains, refined sugar, and adding meats and eggs.  The results were tremendous – my body didn’t just shrink, its composition shifted overall.  It was wild.  And my skin got better.  And my brain unfogged. Honestly, for the first time in my life, things were changing based on my diet! Yippeeee!   It was enough for me to commit to eating meat, and to buying meat that “had a good life” (call me a hippy, but when I’m eating the flesh of another animal and using it for energy, its quality of life matters to me) and was grass fed.  Of course that’s not always available, but I plan a lot and try to make it so almost 100% of the time.

I even did my blood work at six month intervals to ensure all those eggs and fatty meats weren’t about to kill me.  I was amazed – although my cholesterol count stayed about the same (it was fine to start with), the HDL soared and the LDL plummeted.  Plus, triglycerides went down to like 70 something from 90-something.  My heart risk ratio was something like 1.3 after six months of eggs and meat! Who knew??  I was so happy to know I wasn’t on the brink of death…which was one of my initial reasons for BEING vegetarian for so long.

Today, I am probably 85-90% paleo.  The last time I ate wheat was out of desperation during a work party in the backwoods for our Burning Man art car, last July.  It had been almost nine months since I’d had any wheat (other than accidental traces).  I ate a sandwich when I was hungry and tired, and it looked so good… and then it wasn’t that good, and then I got hives for a WEEK.  No joke.  Lesson learned:  bring more of your own food.

I still struggle with eating too much dark chocolate, the occasional hoppy beer sneaks in (imperial IPAs are my weakness), or maybe one slice of a really awesome cheese (the zit in the morning, every time, is the result)…but I don’t eat grains.  It’s just not worth how it makes me feel and fogs my brain.  This year I’m working hard to refine my diet back to how it was when I first converted (really low sugar, particularly) and continue to reshape my body and get stronger.  So far, so fun!  I’m excited to see what’s next.  Any vegetarians who want to talk about this, I’m happy to. It wasn’t the easiest decision I’ve made, but I feel sure that it was the right one for me.

I have the pleasure and privilege to coach one of my favorite couples in the gym, Bruce and Janelle Whitegiver.  They are great people who I admire.  They are highly spirited people who work out hard, encourage others, are easily coachable, and enjoy having a great time.  They are rock stars in life! To prove it read through their answers below!

How were you both introduced to NorCal Strength and Conditioning?

Janelle: My hair dresser Suzette. Selling the idea to Bruce (lifetime
exercise hater)  took some time.

Favorite movement/skill you both have learned at NorCal:

Janelle: Tire dragging…who would have thought?

Bruce: ring rows

We have always wanted to:

Be rock stars! We indulge our inner Joan Jett and Duane Allman every chance we get.

1 word people use to describe us:

Affectionate

Outside of the gym we like to:

Together: Hike, see live music, travel

Janelle: do artwork

Bruce: Golf

Three things you would ALWAYS find in our fridge:

spinach, broccoli, BACON

Something nobody knows about us or would be surprised to know about us:

That we are, in fact Annunaki half breeds and that our mother ship is
returning for us at the end of 2012. Its our little secret

Favorite physical activity outside of NorCal Strength and Conditioning we
like to do together:

Hike.

Favorite place to eat a Paleo-ish meal in Chico:

5th Street Steak House

Song that gets us pumped up for a workout:

Janelle : Anything Prince or Otis Redding

Bruce: Anything Gypsy Kings

The last thing we both ate:

Its best you don’t know.

Goals that we accomplished last year that we were proud of:

On the same day we both held a 20 second frog stand for the first
time.  That was really cool!
Bruce also rocked the wall sit at 4 minutes!

6 Month goal for us:

Janelle: Stop buying Hagen Daz ice cream!

Bruce: Do a death stretch without bench assistance

If you both could invite ANYBODY (currently alive or not) over for dinner,
who would you invite? Why?

Janelle: Thomas Jefferson, Einstein, Maya Angelou, Joan of Arc,
Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci for lively discussion, Jimmy Hendricks
and Mozart for musical entertainment.

Bruce: Tequila and duck tape to make it through that dinner party.

Favorite work out attire for you both:

Birthday suit, but we will spare you all.

This is extremely exciting stuff, and I really really get pumped up everyday I get to come to the gym and see all your progress!  But the most rewarding experience for me is I get to live it with you.  This community here at Norcal Strength and Conditioning is outstanding and I know many of you did reach your goals last year.  I just wanted to give all of you a chance to brag a bit about the things you were able to accomplish last year.  Secondly, please share the accomplishments you plan on conquering this year, 2012 baby!  Don’t be shy, really brag about yourself or brag about another client.     

IT IS EXTREMELY important that you do talk about your accomplishments and share them with people!  The brain works in funny ways, and when you get to feel good about yourself or hear people talk about you, you tend to feel great right?  Of Course!  So, why don’t you share with us por favor!

A large majority of the population is “lucky” enough to have a job that requires countless hours of staring at a computer, slouching at a keyboard, and reaching out toward a mouse all while cranking their neck to balance a phone between their ear and shoulder.  Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about!  Although these “outstanding” postural habits are what bring home the bacon , they also bring about tight thoracic spines, horrible wrist mobility and locked up hips.

Now I know I can’t ask you to quit your job that is causing these postural problems and mobility issues…but will you?  Ha…kidding!  I am going to ask you to make sure that every 15 minutes you get up to lengthen your hip flexors, pull your shoulders back to where they are supposed to be and maybe even…yes I’m going to say it…stretch!  Below are a few helpful mobility exercises you can do DAILY (multiple times is ideal) to help improve your mobility which will result in better performance in the gym and just make you feel better!  Worth a shot, right?!?

WRISTS

1) Wrist Rotations: Rotate your wrists 10x counter clockwise and 10x clockwise.

2) Desk Planche Position: Standing, put palms flat on desk with fingers facing forward.  Keep arms locked out (elbow pit forward), rock body forward until you feel a good stretch…stay here for 1 min (rock more forward if you can throughout the minute).

3) Desk Reverse Planche Position: Same staring position as above but with fingers facing toward body.  This time, keeping arms locked out and plans flat, rock away from desk and hold for 1 min.

HIP FLEXORS

1) Chair Death Stretch:  We all know the death stretch!  This one is the similar but doable at your desk.  Kneel on one knee with foot up on chair.  The other leg out in front with foot on floor and knee at 90 degrees.  Ideally your back shin is vertical (like on the wall), but if that isn’t doable then just scoot your knee out a bit (or chair back a bit).  Hold for 1 min each leg.

2) Kneel: Simply “take a knee”.  Same position as above, but back foot is on floor instead of on chair (this may be more ideal for the ladies wearing skirts).  From here tighten abs and simultaneously press back hip forward (making sure not to arch back).  Note, you can still work from this position if you’re high enough to be in good position for your keyboard (just remember to switch legs).  WAY better than sitting in a chair.

THORACIC SPINE

1) Sit Up Straight:  Simple…don’t slouch!  While sitting at your desk (or anywhere for that matter), make sure you are sitting tall, shoulder blades are back and down, and chest is open.

2) Behind the Back: Interlace fingers behind your back.  Roll shoulders back.  From here, if you can gently lift your hands up WITHOUT your shoulders rolling forward, do so until you feel a stretch.  If you can’t then just stay with hands interlaced and shoulders back.  Hold for 1 min.

In addition to these stretches, keeping a softball at your desk is a must.  Now, not so you can toss it up in the air while thinking about what you’re going to add to your presentation, but rather using it more for mobility purposes.  While sitting at your desk (or in your car if you travel a lot for work), put the ball between your hamstring/glute and the seat.  You can even get crazy and move your body around a bit to feel the ball “massaging” those muscles.  Make sure you switch sides.  Using this same technique you can use the ball on your low back and upper back while sitting at your desk as well.

Our muscles are supposed to “glide” by one another.  When we sit for too long in one position our muscles start to laminate together and become one massive unit of glued up gunk.  Do your job outside of the gym to make your muscles able to do what they are supposed to do in the gym.  That will make the rest of your life way happier!

Another thing to take into consideration is getting set up with a standing desk.  Studies across the board show that people who switch to standing desks feel better and are healthier.  Even if you hit the gym everyday, if you spend the majority of your day sitting you are at more of a risk for health issues than if you did not.  If a standing desk isn’t in the near future, start thinking about your posture while sitting.  Scoot your chair in so you’re not reaching/rounding forward, have both feet flat on the floor, sit up tall and off the back of your seat so you have to actually engage your core muscles, pull shoulder blades back and down, keep neck neutral.  You may have to adjust your desk set up to make this all happen, but I promise that you won’t regret it.

As a coach and someone that’s never had a desk job, I am very fortunate to not have to sit in one spot all day.  However, I still do have a set up at home where for the few hours I do have to spend on the computer I am in an ergonomically sound position.  If you have any other strategies you have found that work for you, please include them in the comment section.

I have been coaching Lance and Mary for this past year and have watched their progression and hard work with enthusiasm and enjoyment.  They are both great people and are very passionate about their kids,  staying in shape, working hard, eating healthy, and having a great time.  I would also like to mention that Lance and his family sell Alaskan Salmon at the Saturday Farmer’s Market.  If you like salmon, this would be a great opportunity for you to stock up and support our local norcal fishermen family!

How were you both introduced to NorCal Strength and Conditioning?

Lance: Mary loved the small group classes with Natalie and encouraged me to join up. I was so out of shape that I did On Ramp three times!

Favorite movement/skill you both have learned at NorCal:

Lance: I love ball slams and despise planks.

Mary: I like wall balls and sit ups.

We have always wanted to: 

travel more which is getting easier as our boys are getting older

1 word people use to describe us: ?

Outside of the gym we like to:

Go to movies and plays at the Chico Theater Company

Three things you would ALWAYS find in our fridge:

fruit, veggies and left overs

Something nobody knows about us or would be surprised to know about us:

Both born and raised in Chico, we just celebrated 24 yrs of marriage and have 3 teenage boys.

Favorite physical activity outside of NorCal Strength and Conditioning we like to do together:

Water ski

Favorite place to eat a Paleo-ish meal in Chico:

Hula’s

Song that gets us pumped up for a workout: 

Any 80’s vintage rock!

The last thing we both ate:

sausage and scrambled eggs

Goals that we accomplished last year that we were proud of:

Lance, lowering my blood pressure.

Mary, finishing her Masters thesis.

6 Month goal for us:

Lose the weight gained over the Christmas holiday!

If you both could invite ANYBODY (currently alive or not) over for dinner, who would you invite? Why?

Jesus, I need a good dose of humbleness; Winston Churchill, he was a great wartime leader who over came great obstacles and WON!

Favorite work out attire for you both:

Whatever is clean and easily found in the dresser/closet!

Female Newbie: We had a tie between Katie N. and Hannah G! Combined these ladies lost 7 inches and just over 20 pounds!

Here is Hannah G!

Here is Katie N.

Male Newbie: Marc Lewis who lost just under 7 inches and 14 pounds.

Female Veteran: Anne Yates who lost over 5 inches and just under 14 pounds.

Male Veteran: Joe Green who lost 4 inches and just over 12 pounds.