CrossFit Literally Saved Olivia Vollmar’s Life

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“We compete not so much against our opponent, but against ourselves. The real test is this: Did I make my best effort on every play?” — Bud Wilkinson

For Olivia Vollmar, CrossFit Saved Her Life

Some background.

In November of 2016, Olivia Vollmar was a freshman in college. Away from home for the first time, and suicidal, she struggled with fibromyalgia and panic attacks, drowning in coursework, and helping to take care of her father. It was was taking a toll on her physically and mentally. Twice that year, she contemplated suicide.

But on November 6th, her roommate turned to her and said, “I’m going to start CrossFit tomorrow. You should join me.”

Finally, she could tell someone.

What her roommate didn’t know was that Olivia had been quietly studying CrossFit for two long years but was scared to try it.

“Heck, I had talked to Dan Bailey on Instagram more than once. I figured if I went, I could at least tell him I finally tried it out and I could rearrange my plans to end my life another day,” she told us.

“Did I really just agree to start going to CrossFit tomorrow?” she tweeted before she went to bed. When she woke up, nervous to start CrossFit with her roommate, she discovered that all night long CrossFitters everywhere had been sending her encouraging tweets.

She went to CrossFit and she loved every second of it. Two years later, she has completely changed her nutrition, completed her CrossFit Level One training, managed her fibromyalgia completely free of medication, and even got to meet Dan Bailey.

But it’s not just for Dan Bailey.

The number one reason Olivia does CrossFit is her dad. In December of 2015 she got a call that her father had had not one, but three massive heart attacks. She remembers the doctor telling her, “His life is in your hands, don’t screw this up. I had to learn very quickly how to cook for a heart attack survivor, manage his medications, help with scheduling doctors appointments, cardiac rehab and everything else in-between. It was hard. But, we did it.”

Olivia and her father changed their diet and started walking. Olivia changed the course of her life with CrossFit. Together, the two are down 270 pounds and healthier than ever.

“With never doing CrossFit a day in his life, he is the reason I do CrossFit. Watching him change his lifestyle gave me the courage to step out and change mine. He tells me a lot how happy he is that I’m healthy… but really, knowing I have a healthy parent is the best gift I’ve ever been given. Plus, I never want my future children to get a phone call saying that I’ve had three heart attacks. I want them to come watch me compete and compete alongside of me.”

Coffee Break Conversations

So, you come here often?

Only six days a week, NBD. You have a pleasant surprise coming your way tomorrow morning. Hint: it starts with Morning and ends with Chalk Up. Tomorrow marks the first of our freshly minted Saturday editions. See you first thing in the morning. Somebody please bring us coffee. 

You know what else is great on a Saturday morning? 

Avocado toast! Which, yes, is still a thing and soon you’ll be able to try a different kind of avocado. After 26 years of being banned because of a fruitfly incident (we don’t talk about it) Hawaiian Sharwil avocados are good to go again. So now you can fancy up that breakfast with fruit from the aloha state. 

Things To…

WATCH: A Day in the Life of Nick Hawkes

Nick Hawkes is a Level 4 CrossFit Certified Coach and has completed the OPEX Coaching Course. He’s also one of Invictus’ original coaches. See how he approaches training in group and semi-private sessions.

A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE.

HEAR: CrossFit Community with Ashley Khalipa

During the holiday season, Jason Khalipa sat down with his wife, Ashley, on the AMRAP Mentality podcast to answer some questions asked from the community. Together they discuss life events, the future of fitness and CrossFit, and how the AMRAP Mentality book was created.

TWO KHALIPAS AT ONCE.

EAT: Lemongrass Thai Green Curry 

This vegetarian Thai green curry is made with chickpeas, ginger, garlic, turmeric, green curry paste, and lemongrass. The ultimate bowl of healthy comfort food to eat when you’re feeling under the weather and want to be extra cozy. Served with a delicious coconut infused brown rice.

CURRY IT UP. 

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is brought to you by

Chalk Up Community

• GRAND OPENING — CrossFit IronSpider is opening a second location in Marblehead, MA. Crossfit IronSpider-Marblehead will have its grand opening on Friday, February 1st and Saturday, February 2nd.
• DEADLINE EXTENDED — The Training Think Tank new competitor program sign-up deadline has been extended to January 6. Training Think Tank gives everyday athletes a program that Travis Mayer, Noah Ohlsen and others follow but tailored to your own abilities.
• NEW COACH WANTED — CrossFit Milford is hiring. 
• CROSSFIT EXPANDS — CrossFit Waterside has expanded, opening two new locations. CrossFit WaterSide Windermere in Ocoee, FL and CrossFit WaterSide Lake Mary in Lake Mary, FL are now open for business. 
• FIRE FUNDRAISER WOD — Upper Park CrossFit is hosting the Paradise Strong Campfire WOD, a fundraiser to help the gyms affected by the Camp fire last year. A $20 donation gets you in the door from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM PT with heats running every 15 minutes. 

CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES (a highlight reel around social media of CrossFit pros and average joes)

Jamie Greene has joined Wit Fitness • Congratulations to Myra Moran on her one year transformation • Lauren Fisher is hosting a giveaway for one year of programming from Arcadia Activ but it ends today • Alan Stengel hits a 455 pound deadlift PR • Travis Williams posted a throwback to his very first burpee • Cayla Harper did 380 burpees with a 50 pound sandbag in an hour • Born Primitive partnered with Legendary Foods for a giveaway • Andrew Kong did a 295 pound clean complex • RXBAR now sells their nut butter in a jar •
Terry Corwin got her first rope climb and got to touch her husband’s 2018 Games sign at the top • Michelle Basnett gets seven unbroken strict muscle-ups • Happy tenth anniversary to Wine Country CrossFit • Noah Ohlsen clean and jerked 315 pounds for three in under a minute • Ben Bergeron will give a seminar talk at Wodapalooza. 

…and Sam Dancer is just really happy about the new NOBULL leggings. 

Asia CrossFit Championship Online Qualifier Kicks Off — Registration is now live for the Asia CrossFit Championship online qualifier. The online qualifiers will take place from January 10 – 28th. There will be four workouts with the first being released on the 10th and the remaining three released on the 17th.

— Stay Tuned: No confirmation yet on exactly when the Asia CrossFit Championship will be held but we know it’s at the end of April in Shanghai, China. But we do know that HAM Plan is doing the programming. 

— Save The Date: January 10th is also the first day to register for the 2019 CrossFit Open.

“Is There an Optimal Diet for Humans?” by Anahad O’Connor, The New York Times

Nutrition experts have long debated whether there is an optimal diet that humans evolved to eat. But a study published this month adds a twist. It found that there is likely no single natural diet that is best for human health.

The research, published in the journal Obesity Reviews, looked at the diets, habits and physical activity levels of hundreds of modern hunter-gatherer groups and small-scale societies, whose lifestyles are similar to those of ancient populations. They found that they all exhibit generally excellent metabolic health while consuming a wide range of diets.

Some get up to 80 percent of their calories from carbohydrates. Others eat mostly meat. But there were some broad strokes: Almost all of them eat a mix of meat, fish and plants, consuming foods that are generally packed with nutrients.

In general, they eat a lot more fiber than the average American. Most of their carbohydrates come from vegetables and starchy plants with a low glycemic index, meaning they do not lead to rapid spikes in blood sugar. But it is also not uncommon for hunter-gatherers to eat sugar, which they consume primarily in the form of honey.

The findings suggest that there is no one “true” diet for humans, who “can be very healthy on a wide range of diets,” said the lead author of the study, Herman Pontzer, an associate professor of evolutionary anthropology at Duke University. “We know that because we see a wide range of diets in these very healthy populations.”

1/5: Barbell Classic 2019 (Plymouth, MI)

1/5: Pair for the Hair (Cedar Park, TX)

1/5 – 1/5: KO in the OK (Tulsa, OK)

1/10 – 2/4: Row’d Royalty (Online)

1/10 – 1/13: Feats of Strength Online Meet (Online)

1/11 – 1/13: CrossFit Fort Vancouver Championships (Vancouver, WA)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown at New Ulm CrossFit (New Ulm, MN)

1/12: The BrickYard Brawl (South Windsor, CT)

1/12: Hometown Throwdown 4 at CrossFit 534 (Poplarville, MS)

1/12: Granite Games Winter Throwdown (Waite Park, MN)

1/12: Granite Games Throwdown (Snyder, TX) 

1/12 – 1/13: Scaled Flames (Amsterdam)

1/12 – 1/13: Row for Reveille at CrossFit Kitsap (Poulsbo, WA)

1/17 – 1/20: Wodapalooza (Miami, FL)

1/19: New Year New Throwdown Event (El Mirage, AZ)

1/19: Battle For The Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Warrior Affiliate League Fantastic Four (La Puente, CA)

1/19: Battle for the Axe (Baxter, MN)

1/19: Great Lakes Games 2018 (Detroit, MI)

1/19 – 1/20: Chiang Mai Throwdown (Chiang Mai, Thailand)

1/21: Helen for Hounds at CrossFit Pretoria (Pretoria, South Africa)

1/26: The Force Wars 2 (Pembroke Pines, FL)

1/26: Lost River Rumble (Bowling Green, KY)

1/26: The Blizzard Bowl (Little Canada, MN)

1/26: 2019 IceBreather Classic (Springfield, IL)

1/26: ATCF Cancer Crackdown: Revival of The Fittest (Pasco, WA)

1/26: Hung Like Coff at PFC CrossFit (Las Vegas, NV)

1/26: Steel Rail Shootout 2019 (McComb, MS)

1/26: Woid Beast Fitness Challenge (Cham, Germany)

1/26: Brick NY Midtown Throwdown (New York, NY)

1/26: Fifth Annual Cold Steel Classic (Oswego, IL) 

1/26: New Year’s Revolution (Seminole, FL)

1/26: Three Rivers Throwdown (Rome, GA)

1/26 – 1/27: Cougars and Cradle Robbers (Salem, MA)

1/26 – 1/27: Game Day Eau Claire (Eau Claire, WI)

1/26 – 1/27: NorCal Masters (San Rafael, CA)

1/27: Big Dawgs Athlete Development Camp (Letchworth, England)

1/29 – 2/2: Fittest in Cape Town (Cape Town, South Africa)

2/1 – 2/2: Battle of the Brave III (North Kansas City, MO)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: Left Coast Classic Competition (Laguna Niguel, CA)

2/2: Golden State Games (Stockton, CA)

2/2: A League of Their Own (San Antonio, TX)

2/9: Valentine’s Day Crush (North Hollywood, CA)

2/9: The Garage Games Master of the Masters (Suwanee, GA)

2/9: Cupid’s Roar Partner Competition (Melbourne, Australia)

2/9: 3rd Annual Black Ops Partner Competition (Wheaton, IL)

2/9 – 2/10: The CrossFit Circus (Des Moines, IA)

2/16: Valentine’s Day Massacre (Kilgore, TX)