“To my friends at Ice Chamber, I’ve been invited to share my experience with going Gluten Free. It is a rather big subject but I hope I can convey in a short version how it has benefited me and those I know who have pursued it (independent of the IC). One of the most astonishing facts is that only 1 out of 40 people who have problems with wheat and gluten ever get diagnosed for it.

First off you don’t have to have Celiac Disease or even Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance to get the benefits of going GF. The overall biological challenge of consuming wheat and gluten is well understood and becoming more and more mainstream. The evidence of this is in how many quality GF bread, snack and baked goods companies that have come on the market recently. Whole Foods now has an entire GF section and in North Oakland there is the Mariposa Bakery that specializes in GF goods.

I studied the symptoms for a couple of years and identified several in myself. I definitely procrastinated at first because of how giving up things like pizza, pasta, sourdough and pancakes seemed an impossibility. Once I saw how many supportive products there are on the market and on the web I finally got started last June.

I committed to try it for 30 days and even gave myself an out if I couldn’t take it after 10. I prepared myself and anticipated the experience to be something like giving up smoking cold turkey. It was nothing like it. Not even close.

The first few days went quick and were made fun by trying some new combinations and substitutions. By the 4th day I noticed all kinds of changes: I slept so much better, my allergies almost completely went away and my aches, pains and recovery time from those wonderful Ice Chamber workouts shortened and my performance during the workouts improved. As a result of making my workouts better and because my body was changing its relationship to food, I lost 30 lbs in about 4 months.

As to making it through the first 10 days? and then the full 30? It made such a dramatic difference that it became one of the easiest things I’ve dealt with in life. Having said that, around the 7th or 8th month I got a little bored with some of the changes I’d made and some old cravings came up. It took a little adjusting but I found some new ways of doing things and I feel comfortably back on track.

We’re all different and you’ll all have to figure out what works best for you and your family but one thing to be aware of is that GF products are not diet foods. They can be high in calories and sugar so pay attention. Ultimately there isn’t yet a great bread substitute out there, gluten gives cakes and breads that beautiful mouthfeel and texture, but cookies, pretzels and some pastas are indistinguishable.

I found if I just come up with meals that avoid grains altogether and indulge with some of the GF products occasionally it keeps a good balance.

It wasn’t as hard as I expected it to be and seeing others enjoying the things I’ve given up is easier when I compare how I would be feeling if I was eating those things. It has been said that nothing tastes as good as being fit feels. Now I understand what that means. If it is something you are looking into and want to try I can’t encourage you enough and I wish you all the success with it.”

Blessings,

Timothy

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What in the world are they doing?

Friend and healer Takenari Asanuma works on National Judo Champion Carrie Chandler

For those of us seeking alternative treatment for injuries, filtering through the myriad of choices can sometimes feel like deciphering hieroglyphics. Although holistic medical approaches are becoming increasingly popular, most of us still have trouble choosing the appropriate options for our unique ailments. Since I’ve had my fair share of aches and pains, I hope that my experiences with alternative and eastern healthcare methods can serve as a simple reference to those of you who may be interested in learning more and seeking guidance. Here is a list of my former issues as well as what has worked best to heal them.

Neck sprain: Chiropractic

Lower back sprain: Chiropractic

Nerve and tissue impingement around the A/C joint: Chinese cupping

Forearm tightness, wrist strain: Acupressure and deep tissue massage

Low energy levels: Acupuncture

Severe migraine: Cranialsacral therapy

Ankle dislocation: Judo Seifuku

Digit dislocation: Judo Seifuku

Please keep in mind these were not life threatening injuries, but rather incidences that became chronic issues.  In an event of trauma or bleeding, go to the ER!

Best,
Steven

With only a few weeks left in the Body Change Challenge, participants are not leaving anything to chance. Those that came to work out this morning left nothing for the swim back. 8 times around a circuit that included the good ol’ BOSU Burpee followed by the modulating rope wave left more than a few heads sweating. It was quite a sight to see Jill and Nick going head to head for more than 30 minutes!

Using a small medicine ball for the Turkish Get-up is a great method to introduce safety as well as balance and stability associated with this exercise. The sub-maximal load and tactile response of an open hand position also teaches the user to relax while under tension.

Check out these insights from Cal’s ’84 Women’s Crew member, Brynn — our rockstar from Team 1000:

“I just got this link from the Cal crew coach with some footage of spring practice. I thought it might be helpful to other IC folks to see great rowing form—and since it’s at quite a low rate (ie strokes per minute) it’s a good opportunity to really watch each stroke. In particular, watch how power/speed is delivered from the catch—when the oar enters the water and the back levers against the legs—through the release, or when it comes out. Note how their bodies and hands stay still after the blade comes out—no collapsing onto the knees and letting hands fly around in a big loop. The recovery phase is sliding back up to the catch. Many people on rowing machines try to get their speed up by rushing back up the slide. Rowers are trained not to do that not only for physical recovery, but because that much weight hurling into the stern every stroke is like throwing out an anchor.

Anyway, just thought I’d show you some great rowing!”

Cheers,
Brynn

Kip and Nico represent a small fraction of the K-9 assemblage from Teams 0900 and 1000.  Other honorable mentions include Wendel, George, Neo, and Ivy.  Together these furry friends provide IC members with daily doses of joy, humor, and distraction from pain.

In the spirit of our Body Change Challenge, we thought we’d check in on weight loss winners, Craig and Stephanie.  …only, surprise-surprise, they don’t feel like they’ve declared victory at all.  Because Craig and Stephanie have never been interested in short cuts, they’re now facing an even greater challenge: keeping the weight off.  Here they speak honestly about this lifelong journey and why Craig’s doctor still wants him to steer clear of the white stuff.

Craig:

“I have lost a lot of weight. Perhaps not as much as the celebrated Jerod, but almost as much as he currently weighs. I’m also something of a numbers freak, and weigh myself on the Wii fit every day. One would expect that in the course of losing 160 pounds that I would have become wise in the ways of weight loss and appetite. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am still constantly baffled by the why’s and wherefore’s. I am also completely at a loss to understand my own relationship with food and appetite. I’ve been dieting for a little over three years now. It was prompted by my doctor diagnosing me with type 2 diabetes. That little jolt of reality shocked me into the realm of the dieter, and got me out of my sedentary lifestyle.

I started out on a low calorie diet. This is akin to starvation. Starvation is not fun. I would find myself in a pattern of staying strictly on it for a couple of weeks, and then finding some “special” occasion to pig out. That resulted in a cycle of feeling good about myself, and then ashamed of my lack of control when I let it go. I stuck with that for about two and a half years, losing about 140 pounds. At the suggestion of my sleep doctor, I started on the South Beach diet last October, 2008. This diet concentrates on foods with low glycemic index, and not so much on calories. To my amazement, I found that I was able to eat normal meals (albeit no bread, pasta, or other delicious carbs) while still losing weight even faster. It is a lot easier to stay on than the low calorie diet. However, I still find myself struggling to maintain a balance. I know it’s OK to have a piece of birthday cake on that special occasion, but I have a great deal of trouble not making that two (or more!) pieces.

A prime example happened over Christmas. Every year, we gather at my wife’s parents house for the best 2 weeks of the year. There are typically 20-30 people in the house at any moment. Of course, there is sugary food everywhere. Peanut brittle, chocolates, sheet cake with thick buttercream frosting, persimmon pudding abound. My attitude has always been that the reason I struggle through the rest of the year is so that I can enjoy myself during these special time. So, I let myself eat whatever I want. I was shocked and dismayed to discover that, over the course of those 10 days, I had gained 26 pounds! So, I’m back in the saddle. I’ve lost about 20 pounds of it again, and I’m still searching for that happy medium.”

-Craig

Stephanie:

“I have lost a lot of weight since joining the Ice Chamber back in July 2006. It wasn’t really my intention when I started. I had ALWAYS been overweight but also quite active. Craig and I joined the IC as Craig was working hard to change his life by losing the weight that was threatening his health. I was along for the ride but didn’t think there would be much weight loss in my future. I was very wrong.  After about six months at the IC I really noticed that I too was losing weight and decided to give it more of an effort. I logged my food on FitDay. Loved all the charts and graphs. I started having a huge salad for lunch everyday (which I still have, the exact same one, everyday, and look forward to it–am I in a rut?) I cut out all sugar and bread. Because Craig was struggling with diabetes we had already cut out potatoes and rice and pasta. All I know is that it worked for me.

It’s been about a year and a half since I lost all the weight. I’ve kept it off fairly successfully. I still don’t know how to balance having just a bit of bread, or a bit of sugar. I’m trying to now. As many of you know, I work at the Cheeseboard and so it can be a real challenge. I have always allowed myself to try the cheese while at work. That has worked for me, adding the bread in is a little more problematic. It was easier for me to not allow myself any of it. And no, I don’t eat the pizza.

So that’s where I’m at right now. This is for the rest of my life and I’m trying to sort out how to find that balance. It ain’t easy, that much I know for sure.”

-Stephanie

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The Saturday Core class was treated to a display of strength endurance yesterday.  KB Sport champion, Bonnie Mullaney, and her family visited the IC for the weekend and was gracious enough to help teach and demo.  True to form, she picked up the “pumpkin ball” (28kg = 61.6 lbs.) and set a new PR.

“I can’t wait to see the group picture with the young girl Frieda holding the bell with me. The youth is the next generation of amazing kettlebell lifters!  Thank you everyone at the IC!”

-Bonnie

“I’ve been at the IC for well over 16 months now and needless to say it gets addictive. If I don’t go, I definitely have less energy and miss that special IC morning ‘glow.’

About 5 months ago I got into trouble again with a bout of arthritis and it was very hard for me to come to class in the morning. I’ve had Rheumatoid Arthritis for about 5 years now and for most of the time a potent cocktail of western meds keeps my inflammation in check (though I always fear what else it’s doing to me :O ). When they work as they should, I can do most anything. The reality though is that about 1x/year I’ll have an episode where it seems no matter what I do I cannot keep the inflammation away. When I get hit with these flare ups, I usually lay low: lots of sleep, no exercise, loads of self-pity and generally wait it out.

That first month I missed quite a few classes and it was killing me. I was determined to get back the IC rhythm the next month.

Unfortunately for some reason, this time around my arthritis was deeper and more persistent than usual. Even worse, it (the inflammation) spread into my lungs and I came down with something called Pleurisy.

I remember one frustrated morning talking casually about it with Steven when he asked out of the blue: “What’s your vice? Come on, it must be something.”

A wave of panic overcame me as I thought back to that joint I smoked with my best friend Kent Olson in the 9th grade–how did he know about that? But then I realized what he was asking: What in my routine might be contributing or aggravating my RA? I’ve tried all kinds of diets to address it, relaxation techniques, eastern meds–but never really stuck with any of them long enough. But never before did I have a comparable level of fitness built up that I didn’t want to lose. Ah, the power of IC momentum!

Fast forward to today and I’m back to my old self enjoying my bootcamp sessions hanging with the other 7AMers. What changed? I wish I could say that I found a silver bullet, miracle panacea for my ailment. More realistically though it’s probably the discipline and consistency in lifestyle that the IC reinforces and encourages in my life.

For example, I changed my diet. Searching my lifestyle for the vices Steven asked about I realized I was ingesting quite a bit of refined sugar in my diet. Since college I’ve always eaten fairly well (meat 1-2x/ per week, few desserts if any, decent balance of fruits and veggies) but the one thing that stood out was my refined sugar intake. Sure I wasn’t having cake and cookies but in my coffee, tea, oatmeal and several other places, I was giving myself 1-2 heaping tablespoons of sugar each time many times each day.

I dropped those out almost immediately, started getting an extra hour of sleep and most importantly, have stuck with it. Slowly but surely my body came back in alignment and as I said before, I don’t know if there is any causal connection but I wouldn’t be surprised. In the end it really doesn’t matter because I feel better, like the fact I’m not filling myself up with unnecessary glucose, and assume that it will be a permanent part of my diet. Plus I’ve always wanted to say ‘I take my coffee black.’”

- Brian M. (0700 Pull-up Club)