Instead of Gastric Bypass Surgery, She Decided She’d Just Fix This Herself

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today is World Diabetes Day. Type 2 Diabetes is a chronic disease affecting more than 30 million Americans today, adding nearly 1.5 million more each year. It was the 7th leading cause of death in 2015. 

For the past decade, CrossFit has been at the heart of helping to reverse chronic diseases like Type 2 Diabetes. If through CrossFit you’ve scaled back your medication, reversed entirely or partially your diabetic diagnosis then post your story to Instagram and tag @CrossFit and @MorningChalkUp so we can share it. 

“Discipline is your best friend. It will take care of you like nothing else can.” — Jocko Willink

Getting Out of the House After Twenty Years to Get After the Fitness

The story.

Twenty was a rough age for Rosie Dull. After her mother passed away, Rosie quickly fell into a depression so deep it led her to try to commit suicide, twice.

The first time, she tried to drive her car into a brick wall but stopped before impact. The second time she tried to cut her wrists. Though she wouldn’t try a third time, Rosie spent the next twenty years not really living.

She went home and just kind of stayed there. She didn’t have guests over, she let the answering machine take all her calls, and she just drove to her doctor appointments and back.

Her doctor had been pressuring Rosie to get gastric bypass surgery. She finally agreed.

But first…

Rosie had to lose 90 pounds just to be fit enough for the surgery. So she tried a few boot camp programs. Three weeks later, terrified of the risk of death the surgery carried, she canceled the procedure. She stopped going to boot camp.

Not part of the plan.

But, just down the street from her house in Walpole, MA, a new gym popped up: CrossFit Prosperity. On a whim one day in 2015, Rosie walked in.

It was a life-changing moment. “She told me she had a gastric-bypass surgery scheduled but then just decided that she wanted to just do it herself. And then she did, which is pretty cool,” said owner Craig Robertson in an interview with the CrossFit Journal.

That is pretty cool.

What else is pretty cool is that Rosie has completely transformed her life. She’s down 60 pounds and looks forward to leaving her house now.

“If you’re having a bad day, the best thing to do, for me, anyways, is walk in the gym and pick up a barbell. You zone out. You forget about the outside world. You’re just concentrating on what’s going on in front of you.”

DATA BRIEF.

CrossFit Affiliate Growth, Part 2: International Analysis

By Scott Henderson

A few weeks back, we explored CrossFit’s meteoric rise over the past 15 years to become the largest fitness chain in the world. We’re now exploring their international growth specifically.

CrossFit affiliate growth internationally currently outpaces U.S. growth by approximately 14% to 2%. That roughly translates to 1,000 net new affiliates per year internationally compared to 150 in the U.S. This accounts for attrition (AKA closures).

In 2017, there were roughly 6,900 affiliates worldwide. Today, there are 7,853. It was during this growth spurt in 2018 that the number of gyms internationally surpassed the U.S. Today, roughly 48.3% of gyms are U.S. based.

International Growth: Specific Breakdowns

Amassing more than 15,000 affiliates across 162 countries didn’t happen overnight. But CrossFit is seeing explosive growth in a few key markets which is fueling their rapid expansion.

CrossFit in Brazil is exploding, adding approximately 353 new affiliates in 2018. That’s 31%, or nearly one third, of the current gyms in Brazil. Also notable are France, Italy and Spain which added 143, 148, and 118 new affiliates, respectively.

• Brazil — 353 new affiliates (31% of total)
• Italy — 148 new affiliates (22%)
• France — 143 new affiliates (30%)
• Spain — 118 new affiliates (26%)
• China — 47 new affiliates (31%)

China, which had about 15 affiliates in 2014, has exploded with a 920% increase in the past four years, adding more than 130 new affiliates.

Continue reading…

Coffee Break Conversations

What to tell your swolemate the next time she asks if you have any lotion in your gym bag…

Take a cold shower, girl. Seriously! Improving your skin and hair by preserving their natural oils is just one of the many benefits of taking cold showers. Adrian Conway outlines all the other benefits in this video, some of which are improved muscle recovery and overall blood circulation. So, tomorrow morning see if you can hang for 2-3 minutes in a cold shower and see what happens.

Speaking of mornings…

Remember yesterday, when you got to see what Noah Ohlsen ate in a day? Yes, you do. And remember when he started his morning with a Dave’s Killer Bagel? You sure do…and now you can eat breakfast just like Noah Ohlsen because Dave’s Killer Bagels is giving away breakfast all day. Enter to win free bread and bagels and also get a $1 off coupon. Toast that bagel while you take a cold shower!

Things To…

WATCH: Patrick Vellner Wants to Beat Mat Fraser

Team Ritchey sat down with Pat Vellner to talk all things CrossFit like his thoughts on the new format, what it takes to move from a competitive athlete to an elite athlete, how he feels about pineapple on pizza, and how he plans to beat Mat Fraser.

AND HIS FAVORITE EMOJI. 

HEAR: The Anderson Cooper of CrossFIt

Eric Le, host of the EPIC Bar’s Meatcast Podcast, caught up with Justin LoFranco, the Founder of Morning Chalk Up. Introduced as the “Anderson Cooper of CrossFit”, Le sat down with us at the 2018 CrossFit Games as well as others like Jenn Dancer, a CrossFitting Priest, and a professor who studies the financial impact of the Games.

FASCINATING PEOPLE, FOLKS.

EAT: Healthy Homemade Green Bean Casserole

The best homemade healthy green bean casserole made with fresh green beans, mushrooms and topped with homemade crunchy onions. Lightened up from traditional versions and perfect for the holidays!

A CLASSIC REBORN.

Chalk Up Community

• PRO-TIP: DEADLIFT SET UP, LONG VS SHORT FEMUR — If you’ve struggled with set-up cues in the deadlift, Dr. Stefi Cohen offers a look at how to adjust for femur length in your set-up. 
• CROSSFIT AND CHARITY — Crossfit Nordlicht in Germany, sponsored by Sparkasse Bremen, performed a 1000 round charity WOD of 500 meter row, 10 box step overs and 10 burpees and raised $2815 for the children’s fitness charity  “Hood Training.” 
• JERKS FOR JEWELS — 336 CrossFit is hosting a competition this Saturday for Jerks for Jewels, a non-profit focused on using competitions, fundraisers, and events in the CrossFit community to support the fight against prostate and testicular cancer.
• COFFEE CUP — The First Annual Coffee Cup will be taking place on December 1st at CrossFit Dwala in Marietta, GA. There will be one women’s and one men’s session, each session will be capped at 16 athletes. The competition is sanctioned through USA Weightlifting, so you must have a USAW membership to compete.
• DO MORE CHARITY — Meshugge CrossFit hosted a competition with The Do More Charity Challenge in Kansas City this weekend that raised over $100,000 raised for a number of charities.

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

Congratulations to Hayden Bowe and Stefi Cohen on their engagement • Jordan Weichers does 25 strict pull-ups • Noah Ohlsen does a 320 pound snatch balance for three • Nicole Holcomb handstand walks over human sized obstacles • Scott James Meenagh, British Paralympian, gets his first ring muscle-up at an L1 seminar • Chalk Monster and VETWOD have teamed up for a giveaway that ends Sunday • Jason Carroll joined
the Brute Strength family • Paradiso CrossFit is offering free drop-ins for anyone affected by California’s wildfires. 

The Wodapalooza Roster Grows — Here are three more teams we’ve confirmed for the invite-only elite division:

— Cody Mooney, Alec Smith, Jessica Griffith, and Jamie Greene.

— Tim Paulson, Khan Porter, Meg Reardon, and Kristine Best.

— Salt Lake City CrossFit: Nick Wood, Patrick Sanders, Corinna Coffin, and Erica Spitz.

The Rogue Invitational Roster Grows — Camille Leblanc-Bazinet, Willy Georges, Kristin Holte and Cassidy Lance McWherter all received invitations. Becca Voigt received a Legends invitation. This brings the confirmed athlete total to 21.

Next Round of Online Qualifiers Kicks Off — The Australian CrossFit Championship online qualifiers starts today and continues until November 28. There’s still time to register if you’re looking to be one of the 32 males, 32 females, or 16 teams competing in Queensland January 25 – 27. You can follow the leaderboard here.

— Week One WODs: Week one WODs were anounced last night. Scores are due Tuesday, November 20 at 3:00 PM PT. 

WOD #1 

12 Min AMRAP

30 Double-unders

3/6/9/12/15/18 etc. Power clean (110/77 pounds)

WOD #2

20 Min Cap

Part A:

30-20-10 reps for time:

Dumbbell deadlifts (77/50 pound pair)

Burpee box jump overs

Part B:

Remaining time, perform:

3 RM Overhead squat from floor

“A Different Kind of School Club in DC,” by Jessica Danger, Morning Chalk Up

If you do CrossFit, you know that the benefits spill over into everyday life. The same diligence shown to finally master double-unders can be used to study for a big test. The perseverance of doing heavy thrusters can help us get through sticky points in relationships. The dedication of showing up to a community that expects your presence applies, well, everywhere.

So, imagine if you had found CrossFit sooner?

Like, in middle school.

Well, that’s just what CrossFit DC is doing with their “Lift and Learn” club. CrossFit DC member Caitlin Maxwell is the School Leader at KIPP DC Northeast Academy and noticed that there was no formal organized program for young men that used fitness to address the social and emotional issues they face in the DC area. So, in true CrossFit fashion, she made one herself.

Every week twelve middle school boys from KIPP DC Northeast Academy meet at the U-Street location of CrossFit DC for a WOD. But not just any WOD. The mission of Lift and Learn is to give DC middle-school boys the opportunity to have fun through fitness, learn how to set goals, and to reflect on how efforts and experiences in the gym can be applied to school and beyond.

Each class is themed, using quotes like “It always seems impossible until it’s done,” by Nelson Mandela. After the WOD, the boys discuss what they learned through the WOD. One boy, Jamal, shared  “When I saw all that work written, I thought this is going to be impossible. But now it’s done and I did it.”

11/15: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ Hybrid Athletics Bridgport (Bridgeport, CT)

11/16: Panhandle Strong Fundraiser (Santa Rosa Beach, FL)

11/16 – 11/17: Veterans Day Bash at CrossFit Wild West (Lubbock,TX)

11/17: MetCon Mashups CrossFit Lubbock (Lubbock,TX)

11/17: CrossFit TIG Turf Wars (Brighton, MI)

11/17: 2018 Energy Games (Houston, TX)

11/17: MetCon Mashups (Tulsa, OK) 

11/17: Green Valley Clash of the Fittest (Green Valley, AZ)

11/17: Push Pull for Pancreatic Cancer @ Invictus Boston (Boston, MA)

11/17: North County Fall Brawl (Watertown, NY)

11/17: BCF for Homeless Kids Kettlebells4Kids Fundraiser (Derry, NH)

11/17: Team SuperFit Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)

11/17: 2nd Annual Well Seasoned Masters Competition (Burlington, MA) 

11/17: Guardian Games National Championship (Ashland, VA)

11/17: Femme Royale (Raleigh, NC)

11/17: Jerks for Jewels at 336 CrossFit (High Point, NC)

11/20: Ben Marconi Memorial WOD (San Antonio, TX)

11/25: Carpathian Games II (Kosice, Slovakia)

11/30 – 12/16: Naughty or Nice Toy Drive (Online)

11/30 – 12/2: Rogue Winter Classic (Cleveland, OH)

12/1: Rock It CrossFitMas Classic (Fort Worth, TX) 

12/1: Barbells For Bootstraps (Beverly, MA)

12/1: Bro Down Throw Down for Cancer Awareness (Bridgeport, PA)

12/1: New England Co-Ed Classic (Bedford, NH)

12/1: Winter Throwdown 2018 (New York, NY)

12/8: Fittest Alive in the 845 (Poughkeepsie, NY)

12/8: The 2018 Reindeer Games Finale (Del Mar, CA)

12/8 – 12/9: WOD Godz (Shreveport, LA) 

12/8: Rampage Christmas Throwdown (Murfreesboro, TN)

12/8: A Very Krampus Kilofest (Hickory, NC)