Newsletter #9, April 2020
As always, if you have any questions about anything in this newsletter, or want more info,
please talk to any coach, or email admin@feast-fitness.com.
Together, we can keep our community healthy, happy, and moving forward!
COMMUNITY UPDATE
From Our Coaches
Quick summary: We miss you!
Tony
Feast Fam!
I really miss no repping you all ruthlessly during met-cons when I can already tell you hate my guts. I want you to know I have been practicing the arm motion that you see the judges hit the athletes with at the Games. Side note, great delt workout if you guys need any accessory work.
In all seriousness, this is TOUGH! I miss the F*c%! out of all of you (yes even you Sausage) and I can't wait to get back in there and throw down with you guys. Life just is not the same without you all, but we know this isn't forever so we just need to hang in there.
I have been doing my best to stay busy, cleaning my place (too much), working on projects for the gym, getting outside for walks and runs. Anything I can do to keep my body and mind moving has really helped me get through the first part of this quarantine. I hope you guys are doing the same and trying to find some positives from this situation!
As you know, if you guys ever need anything from me or the rest of the team please email, text, call, DM whatever—we are still here for ya!
See you soon!
PJ
“Hey, does everybody know each other? If you don’t, please introduce yourself.” I miss saying that to all of you every day! I hope you all are staying safe and healthy at home. I’ve been lucky enough to be “bored” at home, exercising and playing video games all day! If any of you guys play Call of Duty, we will be holding tryouts soon for the Feast E-Sports Team. Requirements are that you have to beat Greg at the Gun Game. Other than gaming, I’ve been trying to keep a daily routine by keeping my eating and exercising schedule as normal as possible. It can be tough during times like these. If any of you guys are struggling with keeping a routine, boredom, a new video game, anything at all, please feel free to reach out to me. I would love to help out anyway I can. I miss you guys and hope to see you all in the gym soon! Lastly, I’d like everyone to know the new Big Booty Mix Volume 17 is now out!
Greg
Feasters!
I hope everyone is hanging in there. Remember, we are here to help however we can. We’ve heard from some of you with feedback and special requests, and we’ve been able to accommodate many of those. Please do not be hesitant or shy—if there is anything at all you want during this time that you think we may be able to provide, let me know. We’re here for you.
I just want to say how much we miss seeing you in the gym every day. It does help us feel better to provide as much virtual support as we can, but we’re very much looking forward to the day when we’re all back together at Feast. It may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before any of us know it. Until then, please set up a routine for yourself to get in your workouts, eat healthy, be outside, and connect with friends and family in every way you can.
Terri
Hi Feast Crew…Boy, do I miss you all! Life in quarantine has been interesting, if nothing else. My husband is working from home, and of course our two boys, Jackson (10yrs. old) & Andrew (7 yrs. old), are home 24/7! Instead of being bored, catching up on movies, or scrolling endlessly on Instagram, my days are filled to the brim with being a Mom, Teacher, Chef, Nutrition Coach, Crossfit Coach & everything in between! There is no such thing as "down time" now. The best part of all of this family "togetherness" has been my morning workouts—like non-quarantine life, it's the time I get my energy for the day. But now, my boys have joined in on the fun! In addition to the energy provided by the Feast 8am Zoom calls (thank you Coach Greg), Jackson and Andrew are working out with me... or even programming their own WODs. If you have kids at home, think about getting them involved.... they might love it (and you might too)!
Welme
Feast Crew,
What have I been up to? Well, I've moved into the Henrys’ house (they are quarantining in Florida) for the time being and am taking care of their super cute pup, Hercules. I've also now become neighbors with Greg and Maura and met at a distance some other members of the 'Paulina crew.' They are all super great and I'm lucky enough to know them and so many of you because we share a love of fitness. Other than the occasional sanity check, I've been keeping busy with lots of trash TV series, some reading, some working out, and driving my family insane with FaceTime calls. I've also been trying to teach myself how to braid my hair. I take Hercules on at least 3 walks a day and I'm pretty sure he hates me because the walks are definitely for me. I've also been taking some time to just relax.
I definitely feel like this is a good time for us to rest up and prioritize basic things like sleep and water intake—those are 2 things that I chose to focus on during this time. Have I nailed it every day? No, but it gives me a small goal. Also I'd like to leave you with a reminder to be gentle on yourself. Some of you are parents, essential workers, teachers, or in some other high demand job. This is no time to demand perfection. Just like in every WOD, give your best effort, which sometimes is a scaled option. I miss you guys and hope we can be reunited soon.
Dan
What’s up Feast Fam!? I’ve missed all of you peeps so much! The days and now weeks are starting to blend together, and I've been trying to keep things as normal as possible. I'm set up working from home and I am at the point where my dog, Penny, is becoming my personal assistant. She is not very good at screening my calls or making me coffee, but I appreciate the effort.
Work has been a bit slow so I've been listening to a lot of Joe Rogan Experience podcasts and reading a book titled, Beneath a Scarlet Sky. It is based on a true story about an Italian kid, Pino Lella, during WWII. It is a wild story about how he navigates those difficult times. He joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape over the Alps into Switzerland. Then enlists as a German soldier (to be a spy for the allies) and becomes a driver for the highest ranking Nazi General in the Italian territory. I recommend it to anyone looking to read about an adventure when we really can't go on too many adventures right now.
I really hope we can make it through this soon and out the other side better than before. I'm missing Cubs baseball, classes at Feast, and every one of you. I hope to see you all soon!
PS I really need a haircut soon because my hair game has never been so off!
What’s Been Happening at Feast
Operations Update
FIRST, THANKS AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RE-START YOUR MEMBERSHIPS DURING THIS TIME. Your financial support means a tremendous amount to us, and, as promised, we’ve been using your membership fees to pay Tony, Welme, and PJ to continue working for you. Tony is of course providing our at home programming, managing our social accounts, and working on our website. Welme is Zoom coaching, doing facility work, and having a bunch of email and phone call touch points with members. PJ is leading the charge on taking apart, cleaning, and oiling all of our equipment; we’re done with the rowers, bikes, and ski ergs, and we’re working on barbells next.
Second, rest assured that we will be here for you when social distancing is lifted. We have applied for an SBA disaster loan and the Payroll Protection Program, each of which should supplement memberships to pull us through. On the expenses side, we have negotiated a one month rent holiday, and we have cut all other expenses we can. In short, we’re tackling this like any of you would—with grit, humility, and gratitude for the opportunity to battle through this and learn from it.
GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITY
Although we’re not in our happiest spot, we’re so much more fortunate than so many of our neighbors right now—we’re really lucky. In light of that, we’ve been looking for ways we can give back. The Greater Chicago Food Depository urgently needs volunteers to unload and repack pallets of food for the rapidly increasing numbers of Chicagoans who are desperate for food assistance. Many of their regular volunteers are excluded or otherwise unavailable to help due to COVID.
We believe:
Our fitness makes us well suited to help
Access to food is a fundamental right
Providing food to others is worth taking on some additional personal risk
The Feast coaches are going to sign up for repacking Wednesday, April 15, from 9-11:45am. Join us if you’d like and if you’re comfortable with this opportunity. We’d love to see you, and we’d love to perform this act of service together. https://volunteers.chicagosfoodbank.org/index.php?section=IndividualOpportunities&action=calendar
We’re so grateful to have this community, and so grateful to have this opportunity to give back now.
Greg & Maura volunteered last week, helped move 16,000 lbs of food in 2.5 hours, and report that it was a great workout. They advise that volunteers are put into teams of 15, and intentionally spaced apart on the repacking line. BUT you definitely have to get within 6 feet of other volunteers as you’re moving the food. We totally get it if you’re not comfortable with being in proximity to others right now—take a pass on this one, and we’ll be on the lookout for other opportunities in the future.
Save the Date: Saturday May 23
If we’re able to be open, we’ll be hosting Murph and Feast’s First Birthday Celebration! Stay tuned.
NUTRITION UPDATE
Feast Healthy Habit: Home Cooking
Stay at home time is a great opportunity to implement the cook more meals at home Feast Healthy Habit. But we know it can be challenging to fix three meals a day, seven days a week. Let Beyond the Box help! Order their fabulous e-cookbook today. It is full of easy and healthy meal ideas. Use this code and get $5 off the regular price: https://beyond-the-box-nutrition-4a73.mykajabi.com/offers/LyPtFobc/checkout?coupon_code=FEAST
Recipe of the Month
From the Beyond the Box Cookbook!
Egg Roll Bowls
Ingredients:
2 T sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 green onions, sliced, white and green parts separated
1 lb ground turkey
½ tsp (or more) fresh ginger
1 T Sriracha or other chili sauce (or more)
14 oz bag coleslaw mix
3 T coconut aminos (or soy sauce)
1 T rice vinegar
2T toasted sesame seeds
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat.
Add garlic, onion, and white parts of onions.
Saute until onions are translucent and garlic is browned.
Add turkey, ginger, salt, peppers and sriracha.
Cook until turkey is cooked through.
Add coleslaw mix, aminos, and vinegar.
Saute until coleslaw is tender.
Top with green parts of onions and sesame seeds.
Mix well and serve.
FITNESS UPDATE
Take Advantage of Feast at Home!
We hope you’re taking advantage of everything we’re offering to keep fit during this time at home. Here’s a reminder:
Complete at-home workouts in SugarWOD
Reach out to us if you still haven’t signed in
Make sure you’re posting your results
Make sure you’re fistbumping your friends
Partial workouts posted on Instagram and the Website
Zoom classes:
M, T, W, F at 8:00am—At-home WOD
M, T, W, F at 5:00pm—At-home WOD
Sat at 8:00am—At-home WOD
Sat at 9:30am—Yoga with Nuf
Ths at 6:00PM—Cocktail with Coaches
Email check ins from coaches
Just ask if you want a call as well
Nutrition consult from BTBN
CHoWs posted in SugarWOD, and challenge outcomes posted on Instagram.
Other updates posted on Instagram
Equipment loans (we’ve still got some plates we can lend!)
WE’VE LAUNCHED A NEW FEAST YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR YOIU WITH MOVEMENT DEMOS!
Subscribe to https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIzgi6IAAn3rIpCnf6xgAZA to stay up to date on our ever expanding library of videos showing safe and proper movement standards for a variety of warm ups, cool downs, and exercise movements.
Stay Connected!
Be sure to post your efforts and tag your friends at Feast! Email any coach if you need help with anything—finding the workouts, logging on, tagging, maintaining a schedule, maintaining good nutrition habits, or staying motivated.
Meet the Feaster: Tony Mattar!
Best moment at Feast so far? Doing the Open, especially getting a muscle up!
What are you looking for in a lifting partner? Someone who motivates me.
Hidden skill or talent? I qualified for the Olympic swimming trials in 2012.
Most challenging CrossFit movement? Double unders or pistols
One thing you could not live without? My phone
Embarrassing middle name? Dayton
Best advice you’ve ever been given? You can only control what you can control.
Happy Birthday!
Mari Osten April 3
Jade Podschweit April 4
Andy Mosio April 5
Chris Pappageorge April 7
Kyle Bordner April 8
Brian Fitzpatrick April 10
Sarah Price April 10
Michale Kocourek April 11
John Reynolds April 12
Scott Henry April 13
Gerritt Van Arkel April 15
Ben Horton April 16
Maura Robbins April 17
Rob Schildgen April 21
Andrew Retford April 22
Tareg Qtami April 25
Michael Genova April 29
Greg Robbins
Feast Fitness + Nutrition
E. greg@feast-fitness.com
P. 773-234-4226