12/21 Winter Solstice Whole Life Wednesday

Today is the Winter Solstice. We are celebrating the shortest day/longest night with a traditional yogic celebration of 108 Sun Salutations. Coach Noah is leading this special celebration today at 4:30pm. This is Coach Noah's last YogaFit class. He is taking on a robust credit load next semester. Come to his last class and wish him good luck with his studies.

It's Whole Life Wednesday! This week's WLC Off Season Skill Practice is to go bread and flour-less free for the next week. Yep, we are asking you to give up all bread and flour products over the Winter Holiday weekend. We understand the importance of Christmas and Hanukkah family food traditions. However, this is the perfect opportunity to become really clear on your holiday food choices.
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The WLC folks think this is a good WLC Off Season Skill Practice becasue:

"While we’re not big fans of flour (or wheat products in general), and we specifically put them on the “No” List for all levels of the Challenge, you’ll ultimately want to decide for yourself whether a food belongs in your kitchen or not.
You can do this experimentally, using yourself as the test case.
Here’s how:

Omit a food from your diet for seven to fourteen days, and then reintroduce it gradually. Along the way, you’ll see what it feels like to be without something (usually crappy at first, and then better as your body adjusts), but more importantly, you’ll see what it feels like to eat it again — the effects it has on your body and mind.
Those first few experiences with reintroduction will show you the effect that food had on you all along, especially those effects that went unnoticed. You’ll suddenly become aware of the lethargy that comes from baked goods, the dehydration that comes with routine alcohol consumption, the inflammation and joint discomfort that comes from sugar.

Note that you don’t need to limit the omit-and-reintroduce protocol to bread and flour products(although we will this week). You can try it with sugar, dairy, alcohol — any food you want to understand in greater depth.  It’s a very powerful tool for understanding the relationship between your body, your mind, and the foods you eat.

The Whole Life Challenge asks you to examine your life through a different lens – your physical health, your emotional health, and your overall lifestyle. This eight-week challenge will improve your daily habits, leaving you happier, healthier, and more in control of your outcomes. If you’re ready for a change, this is your opportunity. Click the image below to learn more."

Today's Workout
​Gymnastics Pressing Progressions: 3-5 rounds not for time. Pick a handstand push-up, ring dip and pistol progression you can do. You can pick a progression from different levels as needed.

Level I

1. ​5 downward dog handstand pushups (HSPU)
2. 10 second ring support hold
3. 5 pistols each leg with a box

Level II

1. 3 strict partial range of motion (ROM) HSPU
2. 10 second dip support hold 
3. ​5 pistols each leg with bands

Level III

1. 3 strict full ROM HSPU
2. 3 strict ring dips
3. 5 pistols each leg

then,
10-5-3-1-1-1-3-5-10
Reps for load of:
Bench or shoulder press
We just tested our shoulder press with the CrossFit Total. Use that 1RM and follow these percentages 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 85%, 75%, 65%, 55%.
​This workout is all about building upperbody strength. Being stronger in your upperbody makes everything else you do in life so much easier. You can put the heavy box on the high shelf. You can easily load skis, boats, and other stuff on top of your car. You will also climb, ski, paddle, and do everything else better. Good luck!