The Myth about ‘sweating out toxins’

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“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity. From discord find harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” — Albert Einstein

THE MYTH ABOUT ‘SWEATING OUT TOXINS.’

The story.

How long have we plopped ourselves inside either a sauna or steam room after a workout (or a night out) to sweat out some toxins?

We sweat to cool ourselves, not to remove toxins or chemicals — that’s what our liver and kidneys are for. In fact, sweat is 99% water.

So what’s in our sweat?

That’s right, high quality H2O. Even the most minuscule trace of chemicals in our sweat wouldn’t require any type of intervention. The smallest grain of truth in the matter is that very trace amounts of heavy metals and BPA from plastics can make their way into sweat, but you pass more BPA through urine than you do sweat.

Now if someone has a high concentration of heavy metals in their sweat, that’s a different story. But a sauna isn’t what they need, medication is.

So is there a point at all?

Sure! There are some definite benefits. A study in 2012 found that some QT in the steam room or sauna can help improve circulation. Other sources claim it can even improve muscle recovery, loosen stiff joints, and reduce stress.

If a sauna sesh leaves you feeling fresh and invigorated, don’t let us rain on your parade. You do you! Just know that it’s ability to eliminate toxins from your body is on par with that shake your friend from high school is trying to sell you on Facebook.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

What to tell your friend who’s chest is all black from doing lots of sweaty burpees on the mats…

You dirty, just like strawberries, whiched topped the list of the 12 ‘dirtiest’ fruits and vegetables according to a study from a nonpartisan environmental organization. And no, we’re not talking about soil — come on, they’re growing 6 inches off the ground people. We’re talking about pesticide residue, that is if you’re buying non-organic. Here are the rest on the top 12. 

THINGS TO…

WATCH: Success Doesn’t Always Equal Winning

In episode one of this two-part series, Camille Leblanc-Bazinet opens up about her life as a competitive athlete, and how challenges have made her a better person, and how not winning the CrossFit Games doesn’t make you a failure. 

MUST WATCH.

HEAR: The Garage Gym Athlete

Jerred Moon is the founder of Garage Gym Athlete, which provides daily programming for athletes who WOD from home with minimal equipement. He joins the Beyond the Barbell Podcast and shares his creatively inspired vision to make fitness accessible to anyone, anywhere.

TUNE IN.

EAT: Zucchini Egg Cups

These Zucchini egg cups are a high protein, low carb snack or breakfast-on-the-go item you can prepare ahead of time. 

SEE HOW THEY’RE MADE.

Today’s edition of the Morning Chalk Up is powered by

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

• BEST DENIM FOR SQUATTERS — The Barbell Apparel makes GQ Magazine’s list of top three jeans for dudes who squat. Ladies, y’all can probably benefit from this list too. And here’s 10% off your Barbell Apparel order with code “CHALKUP”.
• 9 INSPIRING CF MOMS — If you thought balancing WODs and work was hard, try throwing motherhood into the mix. These 9 CrossFit moms make it work, and it’s seriously inspiring.
• CF FOR SENIORS — CrossFit Little Egypt in Harrisburg, IL have been working with two local retirement homes. Coach Jerry King developed a special program at the request of Southeastern Illinois College to help senior citizens develop leg and core strength. The median age is a stunning 84 – 90-years-old. 

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

Cameron Pernich hang snatches a 265 pound triple • Fourteen-year-old Morgan McCullough hits a 510 pound back squat PR • Brent Fikowski hits a 495 pound sumo deadlift • How far will you go to win a free Assault Bike? 

Strong is Beautiful — Taking to Instagram to defend countless strong, young female athletes ridiculed for being more muscular, Haley Adams wrote: “Recently, I’ve received messages from girls my age about what to do when people are making fun of their muscles. It absolutely breaks my heart to know that this is STILL an issue. The fact that these girls get picked on for being healthy and strong blows my mind. I know how it feels and I’m here to let you know that when I surrounded myself with people who love and support
me, not one comment like that ever bothered me again. Never change who you are and keep doing what you love regardless of what others say. Great things happen when you do.”

Leaderboard Roulette — A few Regionals qualifiers have held off accepting their invitations. For those athletes with teams, the big decision at this point is between going individual or team. As of last night most notably, Chase Smith, Matt Hewett, Christian Lucero, Nathan Bramblett, ZA Anderson, Brenda Castro, Regan Huckaby, Helena Falk, Lauren Weeks, and Elly Kabboord have yet to declare. 

— P.S. According to the CrossFit Games rulebook, “Individual Regional athletes who do not qualify for the Games at regionals are eligible to rejoin their team roster and compete for their team at the Games (should that team qualify for the Games).” 

— P.P.S. Staying true to her “retirement” word, Stacie Tovar declined her Regionals invitation and also declined to go Team with CrossFit Omaha. 

— P.P.P.S. Kaela Stephano, the Fittest 16-17-year-old, declined her individual Regional invitation to compete with CrossFit Hype. We can’t confirm this, but she is probably the youngest athlete to compete on Regionals team. This decision will not affect her ability to complete the age group qualifier, but if CrossFit Hype were to qualify for the Games, she’d have to choose between the two.

— P. P. P. P. S. Anyone else excited to see James Hobart, former member of the original Mayhem championship team, coming back to individual competition after four years off?

“The Greatest Fitness Story Ever Told” by Chris Cooper, CrossFit Journal

My family’s story is equal parts ashes and syrup.

My great-grandfather landed on St. Joseph Island, Ontario, over a century ago. St. Joseph sits at the nexus of the Great Lakes, and its unique climate and mineral-rich soil combine to create the perfect environment for the sugar maple.

Adopting the native tradition of “tapping” sugar maples, Pa Cooper and his brother collected sap in tin pails, boiled it over an open fire for hours and ate or sold the resulting syrup. That tradition has been continued for five generations.

When I was a kid, I stayed with my grandfather while my parents were at work. Every spring, we’d spend weeks in the sugar bush in a ramshackle still with no ventilation or power. I’d sit on an old kitchen chair covered in a sheepskin, breathing the sweet steam and wood smoke and reading a book while my grandfather and uncles tended fires and strained the syrup for sale. My roles changed as I grew: fire stoker, wood hauler, line tender and shoveler of ash from the fires. In my family, most coming-of-age rituals happen in the sugar bush: first time using a knife, first time allowed to use an ax, first time driving the four-wheeler.

4/19: Teens and Masters Qualifier (Invitation Only)4/20 – 4/22: Athens Throwdown (Athens, Greece)

4/21: Festivus Games (Nationwide)

4/21: Mayhem for MSR (Cookeville, TN)

4/21: Loganville Lockdown (Loganville, GA)

4/21: FoxWOD (Panama City Beach, FL)

4/21: Swamp Challenge (Gainesville, FL)

4/21: Mucctown Throwdown (Winnemucca, NV)

4/21: Famously Hot Showdown (Columbia, SC)

4/28: Battleground SoCal (Wimington, CA)

4/28: Girls Gone Rx (Cincinnati, OH)

4/28: Salem Slaughterfest (Salem, OR)

4/28: 3rd Annual Appletown Throwdown (Cornelia, GA)

4/28: Brew-N-Brawl 2018 (Lenoir, NC)

4/28: CrossFit Cheltenham Throwdown (Gloucestershire, United Kingdom)

4/29: Three of A Kind (Gloucestershire, United Kingdom)

4/28 – 4/29: Walter’s Cup Throwdown (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

4/28 – 4/29: Battle of the Bluffs (Council Bluffs, IA)

4/28 – 4/29: King City Throwdown (Tupelo, MS)

5/4 – 5/5: Tough As Nails (Lubbock, TX)

5/4 – 5/5: No Gutz No Glory (Denver, CO)

5/4 – 5/5: Throwdown in Joe Town (St. Joseph, MO)

5/4 – 5/6: European Masters Throwdown (Budapest, Hungary)

5/5 – 5/6: Tribal Clash (Quarteira, Portugal)

5/5 – 5/6: Barbell de Mayo (Woodbridge, VA)

5/5 – 5/6: Manila Throwdown (Manila, Philippines)

5/5: Cinco de Mayo Classic (San Antonio, TX)

5/5: The Locomotive Games III (Youngstown, OH)

5/5: Granite Games Throwdown (Southaven,  MS)

5/5: Battle of the Boro (Goldsboro, NC)

5/5: New WODs on the Block (Grand Rapids, MI)

5/5: The Crawfish Challenge (Columbia, SC)

5/5: Masters of the Shed (Roxbury, NJ)

5/5: Never Forgotten Games (Redding, CA)

5/5: Burpees de Mayo (Phoenix, AZ)

5/11 – 5/12: Beast Mode Games (Greenville, SC)

5/11 – 5/12: Midwest Monster (Joplin, MO)

5/11 – 5/12: Reebok’s Ready for Action – Fittest in Israel (Israel)

5/12: Barbells for Bullies (Danbury, CT)

5/12: The Mountain Meltdown (Park City, UT)

5/12: The 5th Element (Bedford, NH)

5/12: Soho Brawl (Tampa, FL)

5/12: Fallout in the Falls (Wichita Falls, TX)

5/18 – 5/20: East Regional (Albany, NY)

5/18 – 5/20: Europe Regional (Berlin, Germany)

5/18 – 5/20: South Regional (Salt Lake City, UT)

5/19: Raising the Bar for Recovery (Medina, OH)

5/19: East Coast Battle (Hanover, MD)

5/19: Barbells in the Burbs (Carol Stream, IL)

5/19: Gladiator Games (Concord, NC)

5/19: The Pillage of Palm Harbor (Palm Harbor, FL)

5/19: Spring Fling Partner Throwdown (San Anselmo, CA)

5/19: SilverFox Masters Competition (San Clemente, CA)

5/19: Ultimate Fitness Championship (Kennewick, WA)

5/19: Warriors Hope 2018 (Greenwood, IN)

5/19: T-Town Throwdown (Tifton, GA)

5/19 – 5/20: GameDay Mankato (Mankato, MN)

5/25 – 5/27: West Regional (Del Mar, CA)

5/25 – 5/27: Central Regional (Nashville, TN)

5/25 – 5/27: Latin America Regional (Rio de Janiero, Brazil)

5/26: Beauty is a Beast 2 (Indian Rocks Beach, FL)

6/1 – 6/3: Atlantic Regional (West Palm Beach, FL)

6/1 – 6/3: Meridian Regional (Madrid, Spain)

6/1 – 6/3: Pacific Regional (Sydney, Australia)

6/2: Kegs and Kilos (Manhattan, KS)

6/3: Summer Sizzler Individual Masters Competition (Burlington, MA)

6/9: Beastette Bash at CrossFit Ananda (Arlington, TX)

6/9 – 6/10: The Heartland Games 2018 (Chicago, IL)

6/9 – 6/10: Alaka’i SUPER Summer Slam (Kapolei, HI)

6/16: Battle on the Creek (Johns Creek, GA)

6/16: Full Battle Rattle (Robinson, IL)

6/16: East Coast War (Wilmington, NC)

6/23: Garage Girls CrossFit Grit (St. Simons Island, GA)

6/23: 2018 Summer Swolestice (Gresham, OR)

6/23: HAMCO Heat (McLeansboro, IL)

6/23 – 6/24: Asbury Park Summer Games (Asbury Park, NJ)