On Saturday, we held the draw for the Empower Intramural Teams. The 30 athletes who signed up were randomly divided into three teams of 10. The first person drawn per team was assigned temporary team captain.  Teams reserve the right to switch this leadership.  Will they?

Meet the teams … almost.

Currently, teams are working through the initial Challenges of putting together their rosters, determining a fearless leader, choosing a team name, and creating a pictorial representation of their squad.  While we wait for their reveals, here are some fun facts:

🧮 The Average Age of this year's Intramural team athletes is 45.3 years. Removing the youngest and oldest only shifts it slightly to 45.0 years.

📊 The Median Age. Smack in the middle of the pack? 46 years old.

👶 Youngest vs. Oldest  There is a  57-year age gap between these two. 

📅 Decade Breakdown.  Who’s repping in each age group?
🔹 20s: 7 people
🔹 30s: 4 people
🔹 40s: 5 people
🔹 50s: 12 people
🔹 60s: 0 people
🔹 70s: 2 people

✅ All athletes are 19+.  Adult only teams this year. What will that mean?
✅ The teams include past Spirit of the Open winners and previous Intramural championship captains.  Expect a showdown! .

Stay tuned to Empower’s Instagram, Facebook, and blog for updates on the teams, and their progress!

Go. Teams. Go!

 💪🔥🏆

Are you on the fence about joining the Open? Check out The Touch’s post for insights to help you decide. Empower has 15 athletes registered so far.  We’d love to have you join us, whether that’s competing, doing a workout at Friday Night Lights or coming to cheer on your friends and/or family!  

28 Days to Reset Your Ways: The Final Countdown

We’re in the final stretch! Our 28 Days to Reset Your Ways challenge wraps up this Sunday, and our Resetters have been sticking to it. This week, they’ve been working on:

🥦 Consuming 800 grams of fruits & veggies per day. 
🚶 Hitting 7000 Steps a day, easier with the clearer streets.
🏋️ The Saturday workouts at 4 PM have been a lot of fun and it has been great to meet in person to talk about the week, share tips and get in some extra movement! 👊

New at Empower: 12-Week Personalized Nutrition Coaching

Fueling your body is just as important as training it. That’s why we’re introducing our 12-week personalized nutrition coaching program, designed to help you build sustainable habits that support your goals.

🍽 Break free from nutrition ruts and overwhelm
🔥 Boost your energy, recovery, and overall health
🥦 Master the basics to keep nutrition simple and effective

We can’t underestimate the power of food. It shapes how we feel, move, and live every single day.

Click Fuel to learn more.

Wednesday Whip-It: Anti-Inflammatory Eating

I’ve been focusing on anti-inflammatory foods to support joint health. The BC Arthritis Society offers some simple recipes. I recently made their spiced red lentils. I’ve shied away from lentils and other beans due to their higher carb count. Now, I am considering shifting to a Mediterranean-inspired diet of less red meat, more plant-based proteins, healthy fats, and whole foods to assess its impact on joint function and overall wellness.  

Spiced Red Lentils Recipe Review:  This was a tasty dish, not that spicy, but it felt heavy and did not have enough protein, so I added a piece of salmon. It was warm and comforting and would be best heaped on a bed of broccoli or greens to spread it out.  I would not add use the sides they recommend.  My son liked it! 

One of a couple servings.

Wednesday WOD

Every 3 minutes until failure, complete 2 rounds of:
3 toes-to-bars
3 kettlebell swings
25-foot kettlebell walking lunges

♀ 35 lb
♂ 53 lb

Rest with the remaining time in the interval.
Add 3 reps to the toes-to-bars and kettlebell swings in each progressive 3-minute interval.