Vote TODAY!!

Posted by Natalie on September 09, 2010 - Posted in News There are no comments, Add yours!

Today is the last day to get on-line and vote in the Best of Chico! 

Click here to register and vote for at least 10 of your favorite Best of Chico Businesses!

Be sure to vote for the other folks in our NorCal Strength and Conditioning Community: Fragoso Chiropractic (Best of Chico 09), Bretters Automotive, In Touch Body Works, Trucker, Sin of Cortez, Realtors: Brewster Beattie-Keller Williams, and Rolf Dornseif, Sutherland Landscape, T Bar, Nantucket Home Furnishings (Best of Chico 09), & M Creations…

And of course don’t forget NorCal SC for Best Place to Workout!!

Cassie The Evil Genius

Posted by Karina on September 08, 2010 - Posted in News There are 4 comments, Add yours!

For those of you that know Cassie, you know that she is by no means evil. That is just me blaming her for such a good idea that I just had to copy her in doing so and now that I have, I think I want to hide.
NO SUGAR FOR 90 DAYS!

Now I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea like I consume tons of sugar every day but I do like to have it in the form of dried fruit, chocolate, ice cream, and a few other tasty items when the time is right. When Cassie told me she was doing this I decided that I needed a challenge too. One that everyone would know about, one that would be good for my stress levels, and one that would have nothing but positive results in the end.

What am I hoping to accomplish you say…. Well I want to proud of myself, I want to get on track before those crazy foodie holidays come around, and I want to see some composition changes take place. I want the elusive six pack that our everydaypaleo guru wears so well!

So this is me, telling all of you to make me be accountable! I will be journaling (somewhat) my feelings, experiences, and cravings, and fights.  I will have things to battle like my birthday, which I will not be indulging, a wedding, and the weather which means a nice cup of hot cocoa no more!

Journal- Day 3-
I have been super busy so it hasn’t been bad at this point. I had a small craving last night but didn’t even give into grapes. Ate 3 meals yesterday and stayed pretty full so that was good. Didn’t drink enough water and I need to be more on top of it because that will help in getting rid of waste as well! Did some research on cellulite today, it’s a nasty business. It affects almost 100% of women due to the levels of our estrogen which just plain sucks. I am not willing to go down without a fight though, I will triumph! Cellulite is waste. Fat deposits under the skin over the muscles that hardens and gives a lumpy appearance to our skin.  So I posted a pic of my most inspirational woman, as far as body comp goes because I have some similarities. Most of you do not know that I have a Spanish background, my dad is as dark as all get out. Anyway I have the short , hippy, thick leg, big shoulder thing going on. And yes I dye my hair otherwise it is dark brown. The only thing I didn’t get was the boobs and tan, damn it! Oh well I can get the boobs someday if I see fit ... and fake a tan too. Anyway like I was saying, I see her body as ideal, not crazy ripped out, but womanly and curvey. Ok that’s it for today. Anyone want to join me?

Farmers Market

Posted by Katie on September 07, 2010 - Posted in News There are no comments, Add yours!

I went to the Farmers Market last weekend and picked up some awesome produce. 

Pictured below is what I picked up for $20. I got 7 peppers, a bag of green beans, okra, sun gold tomatoes, 5 avocados, 2 red onions, a head of celery, red carrots, 6 zucchinis, a bunch of fresh basil, an apple, and a quarter of a squash of some sort. The most expensive item being the 5 avocados for $6. I would say this is a pretty sweet deal, and I got to support local farmers, buy the freshest produce possible, branch out of the grocery store, and I got some exercise walking around town as well. With these items I have a few meal ideas in mind:

Green Beans- Steamed, then drizzled in olive oil, and sprinkled with salt.
Okra- I’m going to try baking them.
Squash/carrots/onion/celery- I’m going to put these in the crock pot with a pork shoulder roast and some broth.
Apple- For my coleslaw.
Peppers and red onion- BBQ’d with some chicken- maybe added to eggs for breakfast.
Avocado- Guacamole! I mix avocado, garlic powder, salt and lime. For breakfast, I put this over a sausage and egg scramble.
Basil- I’m going to make pesto, and/or add it to marinara, and salads.
Sun gold tomatoes- Adding these to breakfast, salads, or just snacking on them.
Zucchini- I will add these to marinara and beef, or shred them and cook them for breakfast.

I’ve spent $20 dollars, and I now have prepped the week with food ideas and an abundance of fresh, new flavors! Take advantage of the market or if you don’t have time, contact Comanche Creek Farms, and get set up with a CSA box.

My, my, my Rower Face”

Posted by Shawn on September 03, 2010 - Posted in News There are 10 comments, Add yours!

We have all made a max effort at one point in time on the rower, but I am sure we had no idea how cool we looked.

Check out these pictures and vote for your favorite rower face we will be handing out ribbons all the way down to 4th place.  Be careful what you say...we may have a rower photo of you somewhere in our archive.

Post your VOTE to comments!

**LABOR DAY SCHEDULE:  We’ll have one All Levels class at 5:30, and O-lifting and 5:15!  Come get your Labor Day WOD in on Monday!!**

Congratulations to Dain and Shannon!

Posted by Natalie on September 02, 2010 - Posted in News There are 8 comments, Add yours!

Dain (one of our crazy 6AM clients...click here for his Who’s Who) and his wife are the proud parents of a healthy baby girl!

After over 24 hours of labor, and a little help from modern medicine, Olive Paige greeted the world on Saturday, August 21st weighing in at almost 9 lbs! 

Everyone is home, happy and healthy...and Dain even managed to make an appearance this week at 6AM.  I’m guessing he was already awake!
In Dain’s words “this is without a doubt the happiest moment in our lives.” We all can’t be happier for the Sandoval Family!

And who’s that....hmmm...another Nor Cal Client happened to jump in that picture!  Apparently he’s had his hand in multiple Nor Cal deliveries lately! 

Two New Faces!

Posted by Chrissy on September 01, 2010 - Posted in News There is 1 comment, Add yours!

A warm welcome to Mark and Janae who just completed the morning On Ramp Class!

Both Mark and Janae shaved over 4 minutes off their Day 1 time and will be joining Elements classes this week! Check out a few pictures of these two as they crush the Day 12 workout!
Know somebody that would be perfect for our On-Ramp class?  Ask a trainer for client referral cards to take advantage of our referral incentives today!

September On Ramps:
AM and PM classes starting Monday 9/13!

Get your Mobility WOD on!

Posted by Andy on August 31, 2010 - Posted in News There are no comments, Add yours!

Our good friend Kelly Starrett recently started posting a daily mobility WOD to help each of us learn how to systematically address our joint mobility issues. 

Consider adding this to your daily program and enjoy the improved performance that comes from better movement.

Check out a recent post on hip extension (aka “The Death Stretch).  Notice the variations that he uses to improve efficacy of the stretch.

Sausage and Beef with Coconut Milk

Posted by Katie on August 30, 2010 - Posted in Recipes There are 3 comments, Add yours!

Need a simple breakfast idea? I’m sure to those who are getting tired of eggs, this will be a nice change! Just a reminder: It is OK to have meat and vegetables for breakfast!!! Especially when it makes your life easier by creating meals for the rest of the week. This was originally from Andy D. (yes, he actually has a few recipes of his own!), but I have made a few modifications. 

Ingredients:
Ground sausage (I use the stuff from our lil pig farm)
Ground beef or bison (preferably grass fed)
Handful or two of Chopped mushrooms
About 1/4 cup of coconut milk
Bunch of asparagus, cut in 2 inch pieces
Pepper to taste (I love the finely ground stuff from Trader Joe’s)

Brown the ground sausage and beef. Once it is cooked to your liking, add the mushrooms. If there aren’t enough juices to cook the mushrooms, add some coconut oil. While this is cooking, steam the asparagus in the microwave for 2-4 minutes. Once the mushrooms become tender, add pepper and the coconut milk. Let this cook down for a bit until the coconut milk has thickened; about two minutes. Server over bed of steamed asparagus. Enjoy!

For those of you who were wondering what the original, master chef, Andy D. came up with; it was made with beef and then he added coconut milk. He would then serve it over a bed of steamed broccoli. I will also do this, but I really like adding the sausage. Either way these are fast easy meals that are also delicious! Don’t forget that you can cook up extra of this and pack it for lunch.

What to drink?!

Posted by Katie on August 27, 2010 - Posted in News There are 12 comments, Add yours!

What do you drink? And no, Beth B., I’m not talking about on a Saturday night in Chico!

I’m talking about your regular daily fluid intake!  Of course there is sugar free, calorie free water...but sometimes we all want something a little bit more! You may have read my blog on sodas...so we won’t even get into why those shouldn’t be on your list!  I’m talking about drinks that are delicious, yet not packed full of sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavors, and dyes! I’ve tried quite a bit of teas, flavored water, and coffees, but here are a list of my faves:

*Trader Joe’s mineral water- especially the lime
*Pellegrino
*Cold Brew Ice tea- I consume so much tea because of this! Celestial has a good berry flavor.
*Tea Java- Pre-made/Packed ice tea
*Cafe La Lave espresso
*Hazel nut creme coffee beans- I pick these up from Costco, and they are made by a San Francisco company.
*Starbucks- I often get the passion fruit ice tea or green tea without sweetener. Usually, I go for any iced tea from coffee shops. Same with the Americanos, I can never go wrong with either of these.

I also enjoy many hot teas, but haven’t found anything that I’m absolutely in love with. Plus, I always like things on the go, and most of the above can be taken anywhere and/or picked up in most grocery stores.

What are some of your favorite drinks?

Happy Birthday Mark B!

Posted by Chrissy on August 26, 2010 - Posted in News There are 4 comments, Add yours!

Thursday, August 19th Mark B. turned 54!! 

In honor of Mark and our gym tradition, of course, special treatment was in order! Mark was able to receive special attention to improve his mobility, flexibility and even his golf swing! In the spirit of turning 54 Mark completed and 800m Run then 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 of Knees to Elbows and Wall Balls! Happy Birthday Mark, you have made some incredible progress over the last few months! Can’t wait to see what you can accomplish this year. Check out a few pictures of Mark Thursday morning!!