AS ALWAYS, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT ANYTHING IN THIS NEWSLETTER, OR WANT MORE INFO,

PLEASE TALK TO ANY COACH, OR EMAIL ADMIN@FEAST-FITNESS.COM.

COMMUNITY UPDATE

zelle switch + credit card rate increase

Feast Fam,

Unfortunately and unexpectedly, the gym's operating expenses have increased dramatically since the start of the year. These increases have been driven by a variety of factors, including:

A shocking 300% increase in our real estate taxes imposed by Cook County. We are appealing, but in the meantime, we have to pay an additional $1,500/month just to escrow our potential tax liability.
A rapid increase in natural gas prices, resulting in an increase of more than $500/month in our gas bills.
A 25% increase in the cost of liability insurance.
Inflation-driven increases in our costs of supplies and equipment.

In looking to offset these increases, the expense that jumps off the page is credit card processing fees. We pay around $1,500/month to credit card companies just to process member credit card payments.

We’d rather cut these expenses than raise rates on members. Our bank, Chase, has expanded Zelle so that small businesses can take payments from customers without paying processing fees. Therefore, we're asking our members to switch from paying via credit card to paying via Zelle. If you're willing to do that, please stop by the desk and see a coach, who will help you get it set up. You’ll just open your banking app, add Feast as a Zelle recipient via the e-mail greg@feast-fitness.com (or by scanning the QR code at the front desk), and set up a recurring payment in the amount of your membership, scheduled on the day each month when your membership renews.

There is no requirement that you switch to Zelle. However, the gym will need to increase rates $10/month for members who continue to use credit cards, in order to offset credit card processing fees. That rate increase will take effect with the May membership billing cycle.

We'll continue to look for ways to save expenses, while still providing you with the top-tier experience you deserve and expect. Thanks for your understanding, and please feel free to reach out to Connor or Greg directly if you have questions or concerns.

CUBBY CLEANOUT

It’s Spring Cleaning time! The lobby cubbies have been overwhelmed with items stored there, some of which have not been touched for months. We’d like to clean out those neglected items, and make the cubbies available for members to store their bags during class. So if you’ve been storing your items in the cubbies overnight, please take them home and just use the cubbies for storage while you’re at the gym. If you really want long-term cubby storage at the gym, please let Connor or Greg know, and you can have a reserved cubby for $9/month.

All items left overnight in a non-reserved cubby will be donated, recycled, or tossed by April 1.

kids + teens classes are back for summer 2022!

We’re bringing back our incredibly popular kids and teens classes this Summer. Send your kids to us, and we’ll return them to you appropriately exhausted and happy, with new strengths and skills.

Classes will be held:
- for ages 8 - 11, from 10am - 11am on Saturday and Sunday
- for ages 12 - 15, from 11am - noon on Saturday and Sunday
Session 1: Sat, June 25 - Sunday July 17
Session 2: Sat, July 23 - Sun, Aug 14
Cost $135 per session.

For more info, or to sign up, e-mail connor@feast-fitness.com.

If you have a 16 year old (or older) whom you think has the maturity to join adult classes, let us know. We’d be happy to have them at Feast for the summer!

welcome coaches lisa davidson and alex ruiz!

We’re thrilled to announce that Lisa Davidson has agreed to join the Feast team as a nutrition coach. Here’s a note from Lisa:

As a nutrition coach and CrossFit athlete myself, I’m excited to collaborate with fellow Feast athletes in connecting their fitness and athletic goals with various nutritional approaches. Over the years—as someone who trained in gymnastics, running, weightlifting, and bodybuilding—I spent so much time sifting through loads of conflicting nutrition-related information and unlearning restrictive ways of approaching my own nutrition. My experiences drove me to pursue nutrition coaching certification so that I could empower athletes. Nutrition is foundational to athletic development and fitness. And the smaller, sustainable nutrition practices that I prioritize often make a big difference! I bring these key values to my work as a nutrition coach at Feast: Understanding, Education, Inclusion and Relevancy. Whether your goals are about optimizing your training, enhancing your recovery, or improving your health and wellness, I’m excited to get to know and work with the Feast community!

Lisa has already been picking up group nutrition clients, but feel free to reach out to Lisa if you’d like individual nutrition coaching as well!

And we’re excited to announce that Alex Ruiz has joined the Feast team as a fitness coach. As many of you know, Alex is a firefighter, so his schedule varies, and for now he’s helping the coaching team cover vacations and other conflicts as his schedule allows. Here’s a note from Alex:

I have been a CrossFit athlete for 3 years and received my Crossfit Level 1 certification one year ago. Prior to CrossFit, I completed my undergraduate degree in exercise science and worked as a strength and conditioning coach for a high school swim team. When not in the gym, I am a firefighter on Chicago’s busiest truck company. While in the Fire Academy, I earned the Physical Fitness Award—an achievement I attribute not only to my level of fitness but also the to the resiliency I developed through CrossFit. My philosophy for fitness centers around being “fit for duty” both mentally and physically, in order to assist others when they need it. I enjoy coaching to help others be fit for the demands of their lives, whether it be running into burning buildings, working towards a healthier lifestyle, or having more energy to spend with their kids.

FITNESS UPDATE

Crossfit open 2022 SUCCESS. ON TO QUARTERFINALS!

Congrats to the 62 Feasters who completed the CrossFit Open this year! We saw lots of amazing firsts (like Kristy’s bar muscle ups, and Jim’s kipping pull ups), witnessed real acts of bravery (Mom Squad and Rookies jumping into FNL in front of the whole community), and generally had a blast watching the Open competitors benchmark their fitness.

A special shout out to our Open rookies on completing their first Open: Nate Abraham, Rachelle Bennet, Todd Chalem, Jim Erwin, Connor Guzior, Michelle Hughes, Maura Robbins, Emma Rosenthal, Fran Schneider, Greer Thurston, Leslie Vickrey, Mitch Worden, Emily Zepeda, Michael Zubeck.

And congrats to our Spirit of the Games recipient, Helen Toreev, and our Most Improved Athlete recipient, Dan Short. Well deserved!

Finally, we want to applaud the 13 Feasters who advanced to the next stage of the competition (Quarterfinals, Age Group Qualifiers, and Semifinals): Grif Beeler, Mason Bowman, Val Cohen, Britta Dahlberg, Lisa Davidson, Terri Hartman, Lindsey Herndon, Carmen Kassinger, Sausage AK49, Connor Scherer, Dan Short, Anna Stuck, Matt Trauner.

WELCOME TO OUR NEW CYCLE: Phoenix

After a tough cycle leading into the Open, Phoenix is designed to let us Recover, Rehabilitate, and Rebuild. You’ve already gotten a taste of this cycle’s focus:

Strength in higher rep Back Squat movements, building to a re-test of our 10 rep max.
Running and other mono cyclical movements to build capacity and improve our form. Plus, we’re building a great base for Murph!
Strict strength in the pull up and dip.
Oly will focus on overhead strength in snatch positions, and glute strength through the hip thrust.

updates on gymnastics, endurance, and yoga

By popular demand, gymnastics class has been moved to Sunday at 11:00am.

Endurance will still be at 9:00am on Sunday. So come in, build your endurance, grab some breakfast, and come back for gymnastics!

Yoga is still on Thursday at 6:45pm. Come on in and get bendy and strong with Nuf.

congrats to Mélon and chuds!

Members Alex Chudler and Mélon Davis competed in the USPA Midwest Powerlifting Meet on March 19, and they were both awesome! In her first sanctioned powerlifting meet, Chuds was 9 for 9 and hit PR’s in all three events (Squat 97.5kg, Bench Press 70kg, Deadlift 120kg). Mélon competed in the Deadlift and set a drug-tested open state record (235kg), and two national age group records (238kg and 240kg). We are proud, impressed, and inspired by you both!

NUTRITION UPDATE

nutrition challenges coming!

You asked for challenges we can tackle as a community, so we’re delivering. We’re officially launching coach-led challenges in three tracks, so you can pick which track most closely matches your goals and then decide if you want to jump into that track with your fellow Feasters. Each track will have 5 challenge components, and will run for 50 days. Stay tuned for more details!

healthy habit: Sleep

We have challenged you with habits regarding nutrition to help you drink more water, eat more protein, and eat more vegetables. Now we want to focus on sleep because it has has a profound impact on health. Sleep is necessary for a strong immune system—one night of 4 hours of sleep will drop natural killer cells (cells that fight virally infected cells and detect and control early signs of cancer) by 70%. Sleeping 5 hours a night makes you 200-300% more likely to catch a cold than someone sleeping 8 hours. Sleep helps clear out toxins in the brain. So go to bed!

try this delicious and healthy recipe!

Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta

https://www.elliekrieger.com/recipe/baked-shrimp-with-tomatoes-and-feta/

Ingredients

This dish is like a relaxed casserole: succulent shrimp tucked into a rich tomato sauce fragrant with fresh dill, topped with feta cheese, and baked until bubbling. It’s a meal you’ll make over and over, first because you will love how it tastes, and second because it is so easy to pull together. Serve this over baked spaghetti squash or riced cauliflower, and get your veggies in too.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
Two 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, with their juices
1/4 cup finely minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh dill
1 1/4 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 5 minutes, until the tomato juices thicken. Remove from the heat.

Stir in the parsley, dill, and shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the feta over the top. Bake until the shrimp are cooked though and cheese melts, about 12 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Serving size: 1 1/2 cups

Per Serving:
Calories 295; Total fat 10.5g (Sat fat 4g, Mono fat 4g, Poly fat 1g); Protein 34g; Carb 12g; Fiber 2g; Cholesterol 235mg; Sodium 645mg

Excellent Source of: calcium, copper, iron, niacin, phosphorus, selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin K

Good Source of: magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, vitamin B6, zinc

Meet the Feaster:
Dave Pfest

**FAVORITE WORKOUT: FRAN, OR JUST HEAVY BARBELLS**
**NEXT FITNESS GOAL: SO MANY! HANDSTAND WALKS, 405LB BACK SQUAT, 100KG SNATCH. I COULD GO ON AND ON…**
**FAVORITE THING ABOUT FEAST SO FAR: HOW READILY EVERYONE SHARES COACHING TIPS**
**WHAT IS SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT MAY SURPRISE PEOPLE? I DON’T LIKE SURPRISES.**
**WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU ARE NOT IN THE GYM? I LIKE TO SKATEBOARD, GO CAMPING AND HIKING, AND HANG OUT WITH MY DOG, NOVA.**
**PLACE YOU’D LOVE TO TRAVEL TO: I WOULD LOVE TO GO BACK TO IRELAND. MY FAMILY IS FROM DALKEY AND I’VE GOT FAMILY IN SLIGO. ITS BEAUTIFUL THERE IN THE SUMMER.**

january

Jon Jarog * Brock Schroeder * Joe Lewis * Dan Riis * Dan Raleigh * Michael Zubeck * Kyle Butler * Alex Shingleton

february

Griffin Beeler * Connor Guzier * Janee Lebow * Javier Valor * Donncha Carroll * Jim Devery * George Molera * Emily Zepeda * Brad Crabtree

march

Maggie Easley * Victor Garcia * Connor Scherer * Michael Turkal * Brittni Hsu * Julie Gloodt * Mélon Davis * Andy Boyer * René Hertsberg

Sarah Outland * Anna Stuck * Nick Stocking * Megan Kennedy * Britta Dahlberg * Jim Erwin * Bear Utter * Michael Byrne * Zak Korhan * Tim Jerome

Newsletter #18 December 2021-March 2022