As a professional CrossFit coach and affiliate owner I have watched year after year as people struggle with 30-60-90 day challenges. While the intention is great, short term challenges often end in frustration. At the end of 2023 I said enough and for the first time in 15 years I did not run any kind of challenge to kick off the new year. I delved deep into the research on longevity and what I found were patterns of meaningful connections. This is where Live B.I.G. 365 started to take shape. It is hard to make changes when you don’t understand how your daily habits define your behavior overtime. In designing this system I wanted to empower people with information about their personal daily habits. The system had to include three areas I believe are important to overall health now and in the future: TRAIN, NOURISH and CONNECT. As I gathered my thoughts...Read more

“Microplastics, in turn, can break down into even smaller pieces called nano-plastics, which are less than 1 mm in size. Unable to be seen with the naked eye, these are small enough to enter the body’s cells and tissues.” Vickie Contie, NIH In January a new discovery was announced by the NIH, nano-plastics are in the human body and entering our cells undetected by regular screening. The particles are so small the scientists need a specialized way to detect the particles that are floating in the plastic bottles we drink from daily. This is a serious health concern. We know that plastics in our environment can take hundreds of years to decompose but what kind of damage can they cause to our bodies over time if we continuously consume water from plastic bottles such as Poland Spring? Plastic pollution is in our Boston neighborhoods seeping into our water. The NIH...Read more

Let’s welcome Renee Dunham, a 10-year veteran coach who started at CrossFit Together in Hyde Park. Renee grew up in the woods of Maine, climbing trees and swimming across any body of water she could find. After various attempts at soccer, softball, karate, and basketball she and her parents gave in and admitted she was too klutzy to safely play these sports without breaking any more bones. She joined the swim team and became a competitive swimmer. Renee attended college at College of Mass Art and earned her BFA in sculpture. After college Renee was looking for a new way to challenge herself and she was trying to find the community swimming had given her when she competed. In 2012 she decided to give CrossFit a try and found that this was the sport for smaller athletes with stamina. She loved the new skills she was learning and the intensity...Read more

Every year I look forward to watching the top athletes in the world compete in the CrossFit GAMES. The movements they do are similar to what we teach every day in our CrossFit classes.  Obviously, they vary in degree but I am always amazed at the beauty of the GAMES athletes technique and the enormous amount of weight on the barbell is inspiring. At this year’s CrossFit Games, Dave Castro, the Director of the GAMES, posted an inspiring message “Go ahead. Beat the boys. We love to see it.” The picture showed Emily Rolfe of Canada beating the men’s GAMES winner; I was reminded again I had landed in the right community. I love the message so much I made it into a t-shirt! Over the past 14 years CrossFit has been central to my life and a great experience. Sure, there are movements I can’t do like a muscle...Read more

I continue to do CrossFit at 55 years old because it’s a fun way to challenge myself, stay fit, and if I had to run a mile at full speed, I want to be able to do it. We don’t think about the unknown and unknowable until it happens, for many not having the strength to lift their own body weight or run away from danger is the reality they face physically. As a CrossFitter you are putting in the time and effort and that is enough to get you into the next decade of life with vitality and avidity. Southie Showdown 2013 There is another aspect of aging much murkier to understand. It’s probably not something you will want to talk about, because you may think it’s out of your control. Our cognitive health is important to our overall health. If you experience cognitive decline as you age you...Read more