Wowza! What a week. Turns out this challenge is indeed challenging! A few hurdles snuck up on me this week and I may have metaphorically tripped on those hurdles and face-planted smack into the ground. Hurdle 1: I may have underestimated how difficult it can be to say no to the bakery and the brewery, especially when your friends are asking you to be there. I...
Congratulations to our October Athletes of the Month, Elizabeth Wrigley-Field and Jane Sumner! Elizabeth Wrigley-Field joined us back in April. She was looking for a new gym and had done some powerlifting training, but had taken a break for a while and was looking to get stronger. She is now a staple of the Solcana powerlifting team and she also hits up mobility classes with astounding consistency. In addition...
So much has changed for me since starting at Solcana in September 2015. I joined out of a weird competitive streak I have and then slowly remembered how much I disliked working out. Like, would do anything to get out of running--for example I switched to the keeper position on my soccer team to avoid running (but keepers can also legally slide-tackle in the keeper...
Congratulations to our two September Athletes of the Month, Kelly Kohlbacher and Nicole Conti! Nicole Conti was probably the toughest sell I have encountered so far, and to my great joy she joined us and has turned out to be one of the most engaged, curious, and dedicated members of the Solcana family! She has a hip condition that led to surgery. After physical therapy, she wanted to lift...
What first drew you to adding mobility into your routine? I’ve always enjoyed yoga, so I was excited to try out Solcana’s version. What was your first mobility experience like? It was nice. More relaxed with longer poses than other classes I’d been to. I definitely felt the focus was on rejuvenating my muscles rather than working them. What are the benefits you've noticed from incorporating mobility? Increased flexibility, which...
What would consider your biggest achievement since starting at Solcana? Becoming competent at squatting. I stopped focusing on how much I was squatting and focused on how I was squatting. This was a direct result of an awesome group of people at the gym who were doing the powerlifting thing at the time. The first powerlifting meet I ever did I was dq'ed on every squat attempt...
Congratulations to our August Athletes of the Month, Kristina Meanley and Kristin Nierengarten! Kristina joined us in May of this year ahead of preparing for a physical law enforcement exam. Here is what we love about her: Gubby: I worked with Kristina Meanly before her big erg test and she blew it out of the water -- very committed -- and she has been working out since then...
Kira has been a steady, consistent and fun presence in the mobility classes! Thank you, Kira, for always showing up and taking the time to balance your efforts in the gym with gentle, restorative movements. Read on for what Kira shared about her mobility experience... What first drew you to adding mobility into your routine? Growth. Physically, my body was getting tired and stiff from CrossFit and Beginner...
I am so excited to announce that we picked our scholarship winner(s)! We raised $1980 to sponsor an athlete for a full year. We had over 20 applicants, and in the end we just fell totally in love with two people, so they are both coming on board! Eli and Karina are two folks that I am thrilled to welcome to the Solcana family. I hope...
Patrick Stephenson (@patiomensch on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) | He, him & his What type(s) of community work do you engage in? Well, I’m all about bikes AND bike community! FOR STARTERS: I’m the co-founder of 30 Days of Biking, a pledge to ride your bike every day in April and share your adventures online with the hashtag #30daysofbiking. There’s no required distance for this pledge (around the block counts just...
I make a lot of mistakes. Most of the time, I’ve misplaced something: my wallet at an airport, my phone in my refrigerator, my master’s thesis on the day of my defense. Some of these mistakes are trivial, like I can just borrow a pencil that day. Some are funny, like getting briefly stuck in a bathtub, and some are a little more dangerous,...
I was an athlete growing up - team sports mostly and I liked playing basketball and rugby. I was kinda good. It was kinda fun. But there was always crap that I didn't care for. Drama with parents and coaches (like jfc), travel with rugby, competitions for positions -- it's like I wanted to get better for me but it always turned into a competition...
Introducing July's Mobili-Buddy: Hope Hansmeyer! Thank you for sharing your insights regarding the many benefits of mobility both in and out of the gym, Hope. We are so grateful to have the time with you that we have! What first drew you to adding mobility into your routine? Initially, it was because it was incorporated as part of the Body Adapt program. I was establishing new routines in...
This month we have two magical unicorns as our Athletes Of the Month: Drew Stever and Alicia Tatley. Both of these two super humans started with us at the same time and came in excited to get to work. Since then they have become an integral part of our community, both jumping head-first into the gym challenges and events, as well as using their extra...
I am a tall person. I have long limbs, and I am almost always taller than everyone around me. This has been my reality from a very young age. It’s not like I had a sudden growth spurt in middle school. I was the kid that couldn’t fit in the tiny chairs in kindergarten because of my long legs. My whole life I have had...
I have a very simple tattoo on my left wrist. It reads “Inspire” with an arrow to remind myself to keep moving forward; especially when moving feels impossible. I’m reminded of this as I think about the strength that Solcana has brought into my life – mentally and physically. When I think about it, my path to Solcana has been a long, 33 year journey. The...
Introducing June's Mobili-Buddy of the Month: Ikraan Omar Ikraan has a consistent presence in the mobility room and it shows! Her athletic movements and lifts have improved significantly over the past several months thanks to her hard work and dedication. Thank you, Ikraan, for sharing your mobility story with us. What first drew you to adding mobility into your routine? I realized I was always sore and tight...
Well, friends, I’m proudly wrapping up Essential You 201--just in time to enjoy all of the excellent Memorial Day weekend food! For those of you who didn’t read my last blog post, you can find it here. If you are feeling too lazy to click the link, here’s a quick background: Essential You 201 is a six week class with a four week dietary challenge....
Hello. My name is Josh. I’m an improv theatre artist, drummer, and proud Solcanaut. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m otherwise known as Hannah Wydeven’s husband and Petey’s dad. I’m also currently enrolled in the Essential You 201 with Lucia Hawley, NTP over in our Solcana Wellness Center. It’s been a roller coaster so far, and I’d love to share some of...
Congratulations to our two May Athletes of the Month, Lindsey Hickman and Carolyn Bussey! Lindsey Hickman has been a member since August 2015. She is not only a strong and talented athlete, she is a supportive training partner, member of our community, and an awesome ambassador for the Endurance program. Coach Ryan says "I never see her collapse on the floor after a workout. She is always up...
It's my pleasure to introduce Nate Maertens as Solcana's Mobili-Buddy of the Month! Thank you, Nate, for sharing your wonderful insights and presence with us in and out of the mobility room. We are lucky to have you. What first drew you to adding mobility into your routine? Feeling old! (Seriously though, it was probably Laurel's incessant proselytizing about how awesome the mobility classes are.) What was your...
“Rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.” --JK Rowling The year I was 25 was quite literally the end of my life as I knew it. That sounds hyperbolic, but it’s not. Not long after my 25th birthday, my life began unraveling in ways I never could have imagined. It all started with some weird medical symptoms: exhaustion, light-headedness, headaches, nausea. A...
I’ve been trying to think how my Solcana Story is different from so many other Solcana Stories I’ve read here. Haven’t come up with anything yet. I’m not a very athletic person. I hid in gym class, and shunned team sports all through, well, my whole life. (Love horseback riding, however!) I don’t feel too comfortable in my own skin most of the time, but I’m...
Congratulations to our April Athletes of the Month, Jeanne Schuld and Mary Souder! Jeanne Schuld is quiet, unassuming, and crushingly strong. She started at Solcana after relocating to Minneapolis from Rochester where she had been doing crossfit for a while. The first time I met her, she was the only person at my 5:30am class. The WOD was something long with a barbell and lots of burpees....
Introducing April's Mobili-Buddy of the Month, Melissa Ho! Melissa has been a consistent, strong and grounding presence in the mobility space for the past several months and we couldn't be happier to have her here as part of our Solcana Fam. Check out what she has to say about her mobility practice and Solcana Wellness! What first drew you to adding mobility into your routine? Before mobility, my body was...
What would consider your biggest achievement since starting at Solcana? To be totally honest, the biggest achievement since starting at Solcana was my first workout. I was in a really weird place with my body when I started Body Adapt. I knew that I wanted to make changes so I could feel stronger, but I was terrified of starting. I hadn’t worked out regularly since college,...
What would consider your biggest achievement since starting at Solcana? I’d say my biggest accomplishment is the fact that I joined a CrossFit gym at all! Oh, and jumping on a box! Doing CrossFit is absolutely the last thing I thought I would do. But when Alex Fink and Jeremy Burke both encouraged me to try Body Adapt, I listened. I didn’t say yes at...
Congratulations to our two amazing March Athletes of the Month, Megan Gramlow and William (Bill) Heinze! Megan is a talented artist who creates gorgeous leather goods and she's also a therapist outside of the gym. Inside the gym she was shy at first, but she has really opened up and found her place here. She is so strong and fearless, and she always moves deliberately and sets a great...
Solcanauts! I have a very exciting announcement to make. Not only is Kate O'Reilly our Mobili-Buddy of the Month, she is also going to start teaching mobility classes here at Solcana! Her first class is Thursday, March 2 at 12:40pm. She will be teaching Monday's at 10:40am and Thursday's at 12:40pm. Read on for her story and insights regarding mobility! What first drew you to adding obility into your...
My biggest achievement since starting at Solcana would probably be my attitude towards working out. I've never thought that I could have that much fun while working out, and I think it's because of the acceptance and friendship that I found at Solcana. My drive to be more active has changed and it really surprised me. I never thought that I could do Olympic lifting, but...
