1. Better Mental Acuity  Multiple studies have shown that exercise improves cognitive ability. In his book “Spark,” Dr. John Ratey shows how exercise helps improve focus, fights depression, and helps us make better decisions.  A sharp mind gives a professional the ability to think through projects. It provides the entrepreneur with the space to develop new ideas or create a new line of revenue. 2. Increased Energy and Immunity  According to research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, people who work out regularly are more productive at work than those who don’t. These same people miss less work. Physical fitness builds immunity and reduces many significant health risks. Absences and decreased productivity can mean lost opportunities for advancement and income. Bosses often look unfavorably upon those who are frequently out of work. A study in the Journal of Labor Research found that men who work out regularly...Read more

The Progression and Regent Mission I have owned gyms for 11 plus years now.   When I opened Progression Fitness in 2009, My mission was to bring CrossFit to Rochester, MN, and build a business for my family.   As the gym evolved over the years, that mission changed. We wanted to spread the truth about health and fitness. We mocked the myths, the trends, and the big box gyms. The mission slowly became much more complicated as we learned more and more. With this complexity, it became tough to explain it and very hard to find our ideal client. The public saw CrossFit and made assumptions. Assumptions that did not fit what we actually did inside our walls.   As a psychiatric RN on Generose two east at The Mayo Clinic, I learned a lot about community and environment and its power on healing and health.  If you genuinely care about people,...Read more

The path to success is not what you think. Ask anyone you see as successful, and that person will tell you about all the failures along the way.   That overnight success you see everywhere. That took ten years.   Success at anything takes time, and it takes slow progress. You are going to get better, but you are also going to take steps back. Then you will get better, and after a while, you will fall back again. Get a new personal best on a lift, and then struggle for the next six months to even get that again. Get your first pull-up, and then lose it. You will lose weight, and you will gain it back.   We keep going. Because every time we push forward, our fallback is a little smaller. It takes a little less time to get back to where we were. The stumbles get smaller. We keep...Read more

I was on a bike ride last night with the Father(Dad) of two young bikers. They had recently been accepted onto an Olympic prep biking team.   What got them there? The young bikers’ parents hired a coach.   “I would just burn them out. We would go out and ride for 6 hours sometimes, just because it was a nice day. Now they have a plan, and they follow it because it is their coach telling them what to do, not their dad.” There is a huge reason people with coaches do better than those without.  There are a lot of shiny things out there, and you can’t do them all. They all look and sound great. They are great distractions. Doing it all is madness and not good for you at all. It is more likely wrong for you. You probably know about overtraining and injury, but your goal should...Read more

I have read a ton of research and data on COVID-19. My usual nightly reading switched from stock research to COVID-19 research. As I gained more and more insight and more data came in, the information became apparent. The more “Fitness” you have attained, the more protected you are.  What came to mind is the very thing that sealed the deal for me to make CrossFit a significant part of my life. The sickness-wellness-fitness continuum. I thought about where I was currently on the continuum. I thought about my parents. I thought about my friends.  I have spent large amounts of time researching motivation and change behaviors to increase the efficacy of our gym. Without real purpose and real effectiveness, the gym would be false and unworthy of my time.  The most effective way to get change in a person is to help them pinpoint their real priorities in their lives....Read more