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Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by Puori (formerly known as PurePharma), a health supplement company that believes in a preventative lifestyle and a holistic approach to health. Always wanted to try Puori’s all natural products but just hadn’t had the chance? Grab a week’s worth of Puori-3 — their fish oil, magnesium and vitamin D3 daily pack for just 99 cents.
Important Question…If the Morning Chalk Up had a private Facebook page to share tips, stories, yell at your authors and just hangout, would you join? Let us know.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” — Lao Tzu
274,000 METERS WITH TERMINAL STOMACH CANCER
SAY WHAT?
That’s not a headline you often read. Seventy-year-old Eddie Holder of CrossFit Teesside was recently diagnosed with terminal stage four stomach cancer. But instead of going quietly, he’s decided to row 274K meters to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and he’s still training while undergoing chemo treatment.
THAT’S CRAZY.
Yep, sure is. The grandfather and former naval engineer credits CrossFit for getting him this far. “I genuinely think that if I hadn’t been going to CrossFit I might not have lasted as long as I have,” he told a UK newspaper. “My doctor tells me how surprised he is with how I’ve reacted to chemo…and I’m told that’s because I’m fitter than the average 70-year-old.”
WAIT, THERE’S MORE.
His wife, who fought off vulval cancer four-years-ago, was told just a couple of weeks ago it has returned. In the kind of conversation only two people who truly love one another could have, she jokingly told him, “you had to go one better than me and have an incurable one.” But Eddie says he plans to be the exception, and here’s how you can support his fundraising campaign.
CHALK UP IN 2 MINUTES
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIT THE BOX
JACKPOT…Reebok confirmed to us that no one filled out a perfect bracket to claim the $1 million payout, but if you got the top 3 correct we’d recommend checking your email. Apparently, Brooke Wells finished the final two days of the CrossFit Games with a broken finger. JUST DISCOVERED…for all you Nano fans out there, introducing Reebok Nano Club. Here’s Nike Metcon Club for all you fans of the swoosh out there. OVERHEARD…Rogue Fitness gave CrossFit Games athlete one loadable dumbbell after the Games. Basically all the Games athletes are hanging out somewhere remote and soaking up every minute of relaxation they can.
Katrin Davidsdottir reflects on not winning the CrossFit Games…”You win or you learn. I’m trying to wrap my head around this whole season. Mostly just the fact that it is over. This is certainly not the results we wanted but in a weird sense this might have been my favorite CrossFit Games so far…we got to FIGHT & we got to LEARN so much more than any of the times we stood on top of the podium. Giving it everything we have, regardless of circumstances, is something Ben talks to me about alllllllll the time .. now we got to live it. – I’ve been on both sides of the story where at the end of it all my name is called & also when someone else’s is .. and that hurts. When I know we CAN win .. It hurts. We can still walk away with our head held high & no regrets. I feel like you can only regret something & it truly be a mistake if you don’t learn from it. If you learn, you win…I can’t wait to be back…2018 is in trrrrrrouble hehe.”
Alec Smith reflects on his first CrossFit Games…“After 8 years of sitting out and watching from the side lines, qualifying for the CrossFit Games is, without a doubt, my biggest accomplishment to date…I’ll never forget the opening event of the Games. 3, 2, 1, and everyone SPRINTS out of the gates like we’re running a 400M for time. With all the adrenaline I’m pretty sure I PR’ed my mile and a half time before getting in the water…Sunday morning was rough. Everything hurt. But everyone else hurt too…I can’t say enough about the crowd, the community, the volunteers and the athletes. Everyone was friendly, everyone was smiling, everyone was happy to be there. It kept my spirits up all weekend even if on the inside I wanted to throw in the towel. Walking from our events back to the athlete area was the most enjoyable part.” P.S. Go back and read the rest here.
THINGS TO…
WATCH: No Such Things as an EZ Day, Part 1
This one will melt your little barbell crushing CrossFit heart. Spend a day with Elijah Muhammad just being a dad and husband and putting in work to compete with the fittest on Earth.
WATCH.
HEAR: Self Awareness, Body Image and Accountability with Camille Leblanc-Bazinet
The 2014 CrossFit Games champion joins Brute Strength for an episode about being in the social media spotlight, how she’s shifted her mindset in training and the CrossFit Games after seven years.
TUNE IN.
EAT: Healthy Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
Made with whole wheat flour and no butter or refined sugars (besides chocolate chips), these muffins got a little healthy makeover; perfectly moist, insanely delicious.
GET BAKING.
BUY: Rogue Games Bumper Plates
These have been selling out FAST. As more plates are processed at the warehouse, they’re putting them online so keep refreshing.
ADD TO CARD.
CHALK UP AFFILIATES
“I’m inspired by the 71-year-old who comes in here and still wants to train because it makes them feel alive.”
Meet Oregon CrossFit owner Sean Wells, husband of 2x CrossFit Games athlete Carly Fuhrer-Wells. He got his start in CrossFit by coaching middle schoolers, eventually taking over sole ownership of the affiliate in 2013, and raising up the next generation remains a part of their mission.
“If a little girl can look at me and see that being strong and healthy is beautiful, it can give them confidence,” Carly Fuhrer told a local newspaper. “I think that if we can instill it in girls at a young age what healthy is, we can help them from the get-go.”
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STORY SERIES: How has CrossFit helped you achieve a goal?“CrossFit helped me get my condition back. I am now almost 50 yrs old and feel younger and fitter than ever before. I lost 15 kg and gained lots of muscle. I feel so much healthier and fitter now, and I am still improving. No real injuries, sometimes my knee is a little sore. I really try not to overdo anything. What a fantastic way to stay fit, to do it together with a nice group of people, and to keep improving!” — Huub Derksema, Pt2day in Den Bosch, Netherlands