Read the latest Morning Chalk Up articles on BarBend
Your Coffee is ready.

When your La Croix just isn’t cutting it

Good morning and welcome to the Morning Chalk Up. Today’s edition is powered by Utzy Naturals, your choice for premium natural supplements. 

Are you dreading spring? With warmer weather comes irritating seasonal factors. This week, Utzy is offering their seasonal support supplement Allurtica for 50% off + Free Shipping. Allurtica is a natural, non-drowsy formula. Take advantage of this limited time offer!

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“He who achieves victory over other men is strong, but he who achieves victory over himself is strong(er).” — Dave Tate

WHEN YOUR LA CROIX JUST ISN’T CUTTING IT.

 

The story.

We are quite the beverage-centric culture indulging in endless different coffees, kombuchas, cocktails, elixirs, matchas, tea, and everyone’s fave — sparkling water.

There are usually two camps, people who live and die by their La Croix, or people who despise it. No matter your stance, the sparkling water war is here — for at least a little while.

Sparkle, baby.

Companies like Dasani, Spindrift, and even Walmart’s Clear American have created their own products to keep up with the craze. But there’s something on the horizon that will make you buzz: we’re talking caffeinated sparkling water.

Say what?

Did you ears just perk up? Maybe you’re just not feeling that afternoon cup of joe. Crack open a Phocus. Each 11.5 ounce can has the same caffeine kick as an 8 ounce cup of coffee. There’s no added sweeteners, sodium, or preservatives and they come in flavors like grapefruit, cucumber, yuzu, blood orange, and lime.

Where’s mine?

You can pick them up in select retailers in Louisville right now for around $2 a can and good ole Amazon has 12 packs for around $19.99.

COFFEE BREAK CONVERSATIONS

 

What to tell your neighbor who’s lawn is looking a little sad…

Have you tried fertilizing? Did you know that high-intensity exercise is good for your brain? A Mayo Clinic neurologist likened frequent high-intensity exercise to fertilizer but for your brain. Apparently the brain shrinks as you age, and the connections (like bridges) start falling down. Exercise helps keep those connections strong. 

What to show your friend who needs to feel better about bikini season…

Meet Julia Parzyck. Like many of us, she struggled with her weight and nutrition before joining CrossFit. She was a little intimidated too walking into the gym that first time. She also had a really poor body image. The amazing thing is, Julia is actually 20 pounds heavier today than when she walked through those gym doors but she also loves her body about 20x more. 

Editor’s Note: Our apologies for the later than usual edition yesterday and for disrupting your normal AM routine. We were experiencing some technical difficulties with our email program (AKA our Internet elves went on strike) but we’ve got everything back to normal now.  

THINGS TO…

 

WATCH: Is Mat Fraser Getting Even Better?

CrossFit HQ’s Tommy Marquez compares the reigning Fittest Man on Earth’s Open performance this year to his past performances and those of other top athletes to see how it shakes out.

FITTEST ON EARTH.

 

DOWNLOAD: The CrossFit Journal App

Now available on Android, access hundreds of stories, videos and the workout of the day from the CrossFit Journal app.

NOW ON ANDROID.

 

EAT: Arroz con Pollo

Mama’s Puerto Rican Chicken and Rice AKA Arroz con Pollo. This one pan dinner is made with homemade adobo seasoned chicken, sofrito and savory rice. You’ll make this recipe again and again!

MAKE EXTRA.

 

BUY: The 2017 CrossFit Games Coffee Table Book

Relive the 2017 CrossFit Games through 156 pages of stunning photography captured in this hardcover collector’s edition.

ADD TO CART.

 

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

CHALK UP COMMUNITY

 
  • AT-RISK YOUTH — The Green Beret Project, a Dover, DE inner-city youth mentoring program led by National Guardsman Justin Downen, uses CrossFit to help build community with teens in the inner-city. 
  • ATTACKED ON THE STREET — Barrett Lane, a member of CrossFit Praxis in Washington, D.C. was attacked late Saturday night and sent to the hospital with broken teeth, nose and other cuts. Though Praxis has closed down, the community at-large is working to support their friend
  • SAYING GOODBYE — CrossFit Rugged Edge in Sutter Creek, CA honored Georgia Hiehle, a retired California Highway Patrol officer who lost her battle with cancer at 62. They’re making this WOD an annual event. 

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

Cole Sager joins the FNX Team.

Just Hired — SteadyMD just made its first full-time management hire for its online medical practice. Lindsey Johnson is now heading up Business Development for them. Lindsey has a long history with CrossFit: she opened and ran the second and third CrossFit Invictus locations, worked at Reebok world headquarters (CrossFit ONE), and was first trained by CJ Martin (FUN FACT: CJ is now her brother-in-law).

On the Bubble — Two-time CrossFit Games team athlete Sol Sigurdardottir snuck into the Europe Regional. She received her invite yesterday after two athletes declined and another two went teams. 

Reads

CHALK UP READS

“A Practical Guide To Intermittent Fasting” by Alex McBrairty, Breaking Muscle

The newest craze in the nutrition and dieting world is a type of diet known as intermittent fasting (IF). IF involves eating your daily calorie allotment during a specified “eating window,” and fasting (not eating) during the remaining portion of the day. There are three basic variations of intermittent fasting to consider that involve different elements and benefits.

24-Hour Fast – This is completed 1-2 times per week and involves fasting for an entire 24-hour period. For example, you might stop eating at 8 pm on Saturday, and not eat again until 8 pm on Sunday.

8:16 Fast – This is a more common type of fast, usually followed every day, where you eat during an eight-hour window and fast the remaining 16 hours (including sleep). The most common arrangement is to eat between 1-9pm every day. You basically skip breakfast every morning and wait until lunch to have your first meal. This can also be done periodically throughout the week and doesn’t have to be every day.

5:2 Fast – Also referred to as a “modified fast,” this style of fasting involves dropping calories to 500-600 total calories two days each week and eating normally for the remainder. This style of fasting can be a good introduction to those who can’t fathom extended periods of time without eating anything. The total calories are usually split into two equally-sized meals during the day.

12:12 Fast – This is most closely resembles a normal eating routine where you eat during a 12-hour window (i.e. 9am-9pm) and fast the remaining 12-hours (including sleep).

Reads

CHALK UP CALENDAR

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)

4/28: Badger State Games (Wausau, WI)

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)

5/27 – 5/28: 24 Heroes in 24 Hours (Southborough, MA)

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)

6/2: Long Island Masters (Hauppauge, NY)

6/2: Texas WOD Fest (Houston, TX)

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

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

6/9: Gulf Coast Games (Mandeville, LA)

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)

+ Send us an event
Is there something we missed? Email us at [email protected].
Your Coffee is ready.