So many of us start our fitness journey worried about our backs. I had aches in my back throughout my teens, and always thought it was from school chairs. And then one day I was hyperextending on a glute-ham extension. Basically, I was popping up like a dolphin because my body could do it. Then I felt a brruurrrrrp! in my back. I stopped, got off the machine, and then couldn't put socks on without collapsing for a year and a half. "Heavy lifting seems dangerous", we think, "because I tend to hurt my back when I pick up heavy things!" On the surface that makes so much sense, right? It's simple logic, "when I picked up that lawnmower I hurt my back." So picking up heavy things is what hurts your back, thus heavy lifting is dangerous. Right? Wrong. There's the truth: Heavy lifting can be dangerous, if you aren't conditioned to it in a structured environment. That means you have to train your body to be able to handle heavy lifting. How do you do that? By lifting slightly less heavy things with a coach! But let's dive a little deeper into what's going on here, because I want to break some beliefs, not just preach to you. The logic behind "I get hurt when I pick up heavy things means that lifting heavy things is dangerous" is flawed. It is an inaccurate view of what is happening. So let's go on a little tangent. Say you have an old crane and you want to pick up something heavy with it. No problem, the crane was made to pick up heavy things. So you turn the crane, lower the hook, grab the object, pick it up, and then the crane tips with you in it. Afterwards you conclude, this heavy object ruined my crane! So cranes must not be built to pick up heavy objects! That is what you're doing when you're saying heavy lifting is dangerous, by the way. You're ignoring that several things need to be in place before you can operate properly or safely. What's missing in the crane's case? A foundation or a support. Nothing fastened the crane to the ground, so when it picked up the object it tipped over. The same could be said for trying to lift the object with a hemp wench instead of a steel one. Or with a crane arm welded by a carpenter, or with an inebriated driver.

Hi everyone! Looking over the weather data there is a forecast for snow and rain on the mountain on Sunday, but NEXT Sunday is looking like 70 degrees and sunny! So here is what I'm gonna do, I'm going to give YOU the option, should we hike this Sunday, the 19th, or next Sunday, the 26th?

Some of you may have noticed my absence last week. On Friday April 3rd at about 2:00 am I got up out of bed too fast and passed out from the lack of blood flow to my brain. I have always had a history of falling when I get up too fast, but it's never made me pass out. This condition is known as orthostatic hypotension. It was especially bad before I started lifting. I hadn't had this problem for years now and didn't think it was an issue until that Friday. On the way to the ground I hit the left side of my head and the base of my neck, almost tearing my ear in half in the process. The result? A concussion and four stitches. As well as a major red flag that my thyroid medication is underdosed. This is the first concussion I've ever had. I'm hoping it's the last as well. But it has taught me some valuable lessons that I needed this year. So here is what I've learned: 1. Your brain needs idle time We spend a tremendous amount of time over consuming information. I realize now that I constantly bombard my brain with inputs. From podcasts to books there are very few of those precious moments where my brain can sit still. For some of you this might sound like a kind of hell. For me it took a bit more adjustment than I would have liked. I spent hours staring at my boring, white ceiling. I couldn't read, I couldn't listen to anything, I couldn't get up. It was just me and my brain. It was quality time with the only person in I should know best: me. It's amazing what staring at a ceiling or taking a walk without a podcast can do when your brain is already healthy. When you're concussed, it's mandatory. I realized that this idle time is what allows your brain to reconnect with the world around it. So many of us buy into woo woo nonsense like "grounding", or "chakras" when the answer is staring us in the face. The whole time it was just sitting with the silence that brings you back to the world around you. There is no need to live forever when there is an eternity in every moment if you'd stop to find it. That, by the way, is me getting a little woo woo.

My fellow Adventurers, in celebration of spring I would like to invite you all to join us on a hike Sunday April 19th at Mt. Arab. Save the date! I will let you know if we need to reschedule due to weather (but we will hike in the rain!) Arab is a bit of a popular trail, and it isn't too difficult! If you're planning on going, please drop a comment below saying "I'm going!" Also, if you weren't on Maire's team during the quest, fear not, shirts are available for you to purchase! The link will only be active until 1:00 pm on 4/7! https://foreverfierce.com/products/bjorn-fitness-march-2026-tee

Hi all! Remember how our Spring Champion won a gift card to Big Spoon? Well @Rose Rivezzi wanted to make sure you all received something special this spring too. So in time for easter, she has gifted our members 20% off Big Spoon orders! The cards with the code are up front in our lobby area! Feel free to pick yours up and enjoy some of Potsdam's best food!!