Kate Klaers | Founder & CEO of The Athlete Lab

Welcome into the season for premiere of the platform podcast took a little break to celebrate my son's birthday and To line up a few things for the Twin Cities kettlebell club open here in October The official date is now October 23rd. That is confirmed and locked in with the IKO and we have also signed up our first two sponsors Belivator will be donating two belts for giving away as prizes at the event and our friend from The earlier seasons of the platform podcast Nikolai Pushlove from the Seattle kettlebell club and pro kettlebell Will be providing kettlebells for the competition. So you'll be able to get your hands on a USA made kettlebell and Give the new shape a try. They're gonna be a little bit smaller than your standard bells I will also have kettlebell kings bells available for people that are comfortable with the kings But you'll have an opportunity to test out the new pro kettlebells and see which ones work better for you And that has been approved by the IKO so either of them can be used on the platform in competition I am incredibly excited. I hope to see you there Now on this week's episode of the platform podcast. I bring in Kate Claire's she is the owner and founder and CEO of the athlete lab who will be hosting us and in this episode we get into her background How the athlete lab really came to be and the five functional health care pillars that they use as really the backbone of what they do there It's an awesome conversation and Kate has really done an amazing job Building a community there and really having a holistic approach to fitness and wellness for her members So I very much appreciate her approach and her mindset and she's been a great friend to the Twin Cities kettlebell club and to me Since since I first met her so she is fantastic. I hope you really enjoy this conversation I also want to take a second to say that I'm very grateful that you listen to this podcast If you haven't already please be sure to leave a five-star review and rating of the platform podcasts in your app of choice and Support our work by supporting the sponsors who's affiliate links you'll find in the episode notes And if you want to step on to the platform and competing kettlebell sport, please reach out to me I help athletes of all levels reach their goals without wasting time using my integrated online coaching approach You don't have to be in the Twin Cities. I can help you from anywhere in the world You can follow me on Instagram Facebook YouTube at Twin Cities kettlebell club or email me at Twin Cities kettlebell club at gmail.com Now let's step on to the platform with Kate Claire's Welcome into the platform podcast my guest this week is Kate Claire's She is the owner of the athlete lab here in little Canada Minnesota, which is the sometimes home of the Twin Cities kettlebell club previous to COVID especially She is a CrossFit level one and level two coach. She is a former full-time firefighter She is a CrossFit Olympic weightlifting specialist. She is also a former acupuncturist And way more credentials than I can possibly list out here But let's just say that she has a breadth and wide She has both breadth and depth in the world of wellness fitness and keeping people healthy So Kate, thank you so much for coming on. I'm really excited. Have you? Thanks for having me, Jordan. Great to be here So Let's just do a little bit on your backstory because I know you're not a huge fan of talking about yourself Where you are the guest so we're going to talk a little bit about your backstory So let's start with with your own backstory as far as like how did you start with athlete Athletically what's your background athletically and then how did you get into Being a firefighter. I guess we'll start with that Yeah, um, I guess three sport athlete in high school and then in college played rugby and basketball For a while and um, so I guess as far as sports were concerned that was always part of my my life um, and I was at the tail end of of my senior year in college down in uh you at UW-Mawkey and The plan was to become a park ranger like I guess the whole dream The initial dream was to move out west and be a park ranger and do the outdoors thing and and so forth um But uh a guy that I was dating at the time was a police officer And uh, um, walkie police force and sort of out of nowhere He he had said you know walkie's fire department is hiring. I think you'd be good at it And I never crossed my mind to be a firefighter whatsoever And I just over the course of the next couple days I thought about and I started looking into it and um realized that it had a lot of athleticism that was required for the job and um, just an active job So I I gravitated towards it and then branched out and looked at other cities that were hiring um at the time and found that st. Paul was hiring and this is uh before 2000 um, and so I just sort of threw my resume and application out to other cities and st. Paul's process was moving faster than than the other ones and it ended up getting on the list for both walkie and st. Paul um And decided to pack my bags and move to the twin cities back in 2000 and start the academy um, and so that's That was kind of the spark that that started the rest of the journey That's awesome. Well, I a fun story for you just this actually just have it a couple of days ago So you've met my you've met my my two kids right I have I have I have Kira I have Kira who's gonna be seven and I've got Rowan who's gonna be five here at the end of the month And we were reading a book about firefighters and my son is obsessed with firefighters and and in and in the book There was there was uh, you know a picture of some female firefighters and he was like There are girl firefighters and or and my my daughters said yeah, of course there are And my son was like no, no, they're not and I was like yeah you guys know you guys know Kate from the kettlebell gym That's what they call the athlete lab the kettlebell gym because you have all the bells there the bells of the wall They're like yeah, I was like she was a firefighter and they're like What they were both like so in awe like they thought it would my daughter thought it was the coolest thing She's like I want to see that Like you can ask her about it the next time we see her because she's like that is so cool So it was it was really funny. It was really funny that they were they were both like just jaws on the floor wide open like we know We know somebody who was a firefighter's like yeah Well, that's uh and good thing good is it's more than norm now these days too so yeah, absolutely Absolutely So then how long were you a firefighter with with St. Paul? Um, you know only only four years um, I was starting to feel the pull Uh to go back into academic and more mental stimulation um and so Uh, I was just to the point where even though sort of the adrenaline rush and the calls and all the things that I learned and Um, the job itself was was exciting um, I was feeling a mental pull Uh, needing more academic um, I guess towards the wellness route and so forth. So I Nobody ever quits the police and fire department like you're there once you're on and and so that was a huge deal Did you get your pension? You get your 20 in you get your pension? No, I wasn't long enough. It's a good one. I know, but that's what most people most people write. It's like Oh, yeah, you get your 20 you get a good pension and it's like it's a good gig and it's you know It's a it's an honorable job. It's a fun job. It's well-respected. It's generally well-paid, right So yeah most people once they're in they don't they don't go anywhere And only if yeah, and I just my heartstrings just kind of started going in a new direction um and people thought I was crazy But um, you know, I just listened to what was guiding me and planned on it where then I went to northwestern health sciences uh to become or to get my masters in acupuncture um And ended up graduating from there in 08 and had a practice for a while I'm like snanab in in arden hills um and I mean sort of twists and turns in here the first year in practice I was needing to lease a space and I was with a chiropractic clinic and a massage therapist So the three of us was it was really good match um, but the first year of practice I needed Out like funds to help pay for rent and the supplies and the needles and everything like that um So I I thought to myself how can I be uh How can I think on my feet here and and bring in some extra revenue to just sort of supplement um that first year building a practice And I fell back on my fitness background and those were the early years um in 08 and 09 when boot camps were all the rage Oh yeah, and it honestly was the right place at the right time I started boot camps outdoors in the park to fund my acupuncture practice And that the boot camp business took off like wildfire and kind of unexpectedly um And so I had both businesses going and they couldn't handle both of them. So I just decided well I'm making money and you know on the fitness side of things. So I just rolled with it um And then over time uh over the course of that year it happened so fast um ended up with a client base That was big enough to take the leap of faith to get a lease space Um yeah, so it just sort of Serendipitous Well, that's one way of looking at it. Some of it was certainly luck, but some of it was skill and like you know You know when there's a ton of boot camp businesses out there, you know The people gravitate to the people who do it well and you've always been you've always been really good at building community Obviously, so that that's obviously a strength of yours. You've got it. You've got an identity. That's so that's that's very cool And when so one was the one was the a first official opening of the first iteration of the athlete lab When it because you guys have been a business now over over 10 years. So that's yeah, you know, when did you first open? Oh gosh Well now it's year 13 and I honestly still think of the first oh gosh Um, it's amazing how things changed because The build out was happening and our landlord had a set date like it'll be done by this amount of time and Midwesternastics also moved into the building that we're in now at the same time So we all moved from a different location in Arden Hills and um, so we're all going through this build-out phase And it was it took longer than expected. So I had already sent out Emails and and like little promos that that the first day opening was going to be You know X date and January but but the space wasn't done. So here we are in like warehouse dirt No walls yet in whatever and I tell you that first group of people that stuck with me I mean, we're literally like no lights to dragging tires Dirty as hell and Waiting for the build up to get done. So that was the first iteration of it Nice and how big what how big was that space? Um, that was the front space with no there wasn't the tenant in there yet. So it was I mean, it was this huge warehouse that was just unoccupied yet And I had I had like my measly little 2500 square feet or two thousand square feet in the back of the building not ready yet um So we just used empty empty dirty warehouse space. Yeah for a few weeks Nice And then when when did you decide that um, you know, so the athlete lab is is across CrossFit affiliated gym When did you decide to launch um, the iron set? Well first, I guess I should say give people and uh, the overview of what is iron cycle, right? The co-brand that that is also that shares space with the athlete lab, but is kind of a different brand Can you give people a little a little bit of a background on what the iron cycle is? Yeah, um, just over the course of the years I mean we had been a CrossFit affiliate and um Michael and I Kind of Started thinking like how can we diversify and the the original idea to be honest was to start Um, iron cycle and then have multiple locations and go possibly nationwide I mean we're gonna start in the Twin Cities area and it's much different than like a spin studio We use real riders that move back and forth like a like a road bike We don't dance on the bikes. It's more like great music, work hard, hit the hills, um kind of no fuss. No mus Plus we add in um hit training kettlebells and and dumbbells in it So different definitely let's I would say the CrossFit of cycling if that makes sense So a different a different culture um and Just like through twists and turns again. I mean we just have the single location and Have had to morph through COVID as well. Now we're hybrid with people on zoom at the same time that real classes are going on But essentially now it's the umbrella of the athlete lab like all our memberships now include people bopping back and forth Whichever whatever they choose to do that day for fitness So we made it much more inclusive and I got to say though the cycling crowd a number most of them are Like like to bike and they don't venture too far from that So it is a different culture, but um, I I want the gym people to walk through the same front door and decide How they want to utilize their fitness? Are they going left or are they going? Yeah, yeah essentially and really i mean there are I'd try to encourage People on the CrossFit side of things to take an active recovery day and just hit hit a little bit of cardio and back off a little bit Um, you know, I love I love that for CrossFiters a day of active recovery is hey We're going to do 30 minutes of hills followed by you know 20 to 30 minutes of kettlebell of kettlebell or dumbbell Hi, it's interval training, but that's your d-log day, right? That's your that's your active recovery day. Hey the good news is you're on your own bike and you can you know you can Make it as loose as you want that is that is true it is it's it's it's great fun It's a great. It's a great offering to it like I mean we've talked about this before like you literally created the the kind of brand that I That I always had in my head, which I I loved the idea of a of a cycle studio hybrid with a with a kettlebell training You know, so like I love that idea and then you've got the functional training on the other side of the wall Which is which is the athlete lab doing doing CrossFit and you've got I mean you've got an awesome membership group there And you guys have you know really really strong really really strong coaches there as well. So it's it's a fantastic space I can't wait for everybody to see it that that's coming to the to the kettlebell open the 20s kettlebell open is going to be hosted at the athlete lab Kate and I are working out details on on that but that's been announced I'm building out the website. So that'll be that'll be done soon soon ish Right I'm really I'm really excited I'm really excited for everybody to see the space because it it truly is an awesome awesome space And it is a great community and very grateful to you for letting us for letting us take over on Saturday afternoon and and throw some throw some kettlebells around there very much appreciate that Absolutely absolutely So now you you've talked a little bit about some of the pivots you guys had to make during COVID because obviously I mean COVID is Has really rocked everybody kind of to their to their to their foundation So what's kind of been the biggest hurdle or biggest challenge that you guys have faced since COVID? Maybe there's multiple I guess there's there's probably been there's probably been a few waves of it for you But what's what's been kind of the biggest challenges that you guys have had to face and what pivots you've had to make Oh well just like for many gyms and small businesses Last year you had to go into problem solving mode big time um and solutions mode um so I would say Probably the biggest challenge that's going to linger for a while is having to rebuild the membership just in general um So and we're still in this phase of like You know vaccines now and people still have a little bit of trepidation so it's not like um It's easy to get new people in the door. It's a little bit of a trickle effect at this point um so just the long-term Effect of it is gonna have to be rebuilding the membership base um I will say though that 2020 was probably ironically one of the best years for me personally um Because such a slowdown I was at the point where I was working 14 to 16 hour days and having to Hold down the fort and taking on so much and when you're stuck in it as a business owner And you might know this to Jordan But like you just do what you need to do right and you don't realize like how Beautiful part of being an entrepreneur is you get to decide what 14 hours of the day you're working exactly yeah yeah and uh March came and every the world shut down and so did I So So in the midst of like the fri remember the first two weeks of the first covid shut down and A little bit of panic mode for all of us business owners But we all went into um thank goodness michael's mr. tett guy So we just restructured got on zoom got our account setup figured out filming had to had to invest money in in Sort of the setup at the gym and Keep everybody in game michael was michael was probably like a kid in the candy store michael's michael's case husband by the way for for people that don't know and he's he's very much A very much a tech guy and uh has a podcast himself and loves loves technology So he was probably just loving like getting to play with all his toys and set up set up the new the new technology It was unbelievable and I honestly think about how lucky I got with that um every single day. So That was the first pivot right just like many others um We couldn't let's see it was spring we couldn't be outside yet sort of even socially distancing So everything was on zoom and the engagement was was decent that first time around Um because everyone was just desperate to stay working out Um and have an option we lent out all of our equipment um So the gym was virtually empty except for the things that I needed to keep for demoing purposes and and that sort of thing But I felt very fortunate that we have over the years now Plenty of equipment to have accommodated everyone Yeah you guys you guys that was so that was so cool of you guys when you told me you guys were you hit We're signing up a you know signing up an equipment check out list for all of your members So people could continue to work out at home because at the time like once the world went crazy like you couldn't get Tettlebells you couldn't get barbells you could if you didn't already own them Good luck because they were not coming from anywhere So that was really really like gracious of you guys and really great way to take care of your members But you know setting up that system so that people could actually take work out equipment home. That was fantastic Yeah, I just didn't even think twice about it um and uh and then you know May and June rolled around may was we could finally get outside and we used I kind of had my flashback to the bootcamp days because it was the same park system That's I know it came all came full circle um and everyone was super patient. I mean we had We had to disperse equipment So it was like okay, everyone gets a dumbbell a kettlebell like sort of three things and then anything left over We did the second round third round and so forth. So everything was a little bit scattered but um Enough to enough to make workouts and do the outdoors thing and then June Like a lot of it was super time-consuming like moving the equipment um for a while we were in the lot So we we dragged out all um the extra black Um the horse doll mats and had spots out in the back um alleyway and then all the move all the equipment got moved in the garage So behind the scenes it took up a ton of time just to manage all of that Yeah, that had to just be your daily workout like you're gonna take you take 14 barbells outside and a few a few hundred pounds of plates For each of those locations and like that's that in and of itself is is labor intensive and exhausting Yeah, it was we had i mean we got it all organized and thank goodness for that garage and we can open the door up and We had a system down But then when we got to be able to come inside for the first time it's it's weekends worth of getting those that all that equipment back into where it was um so And you know everything has been working out. Oh great. I So in the process of all that i circling back to it being actually a very good year for me mentally and physically um Because everything Uh Quieted down and slowed down so much it allowed me To take a step back give myself a rest because I needed it more than I realized um But also opened my headspace up to finally Implement the things and the culture that we had been playing with for the last few years and it just wasn't happening Like we just kept getting racked back up into the business, right? Yeah, so um you got to work on the business instead of just being in the business Absolutely, so it was a year of complete restructuring um And the dialing things back. I mean all businesses had to sort of trim the fat from the outside and just really condense things our class schedule is perfect right now in a sense of Um, there's no extra fluff all classes are are decently um full We've got the space to accommodate with 100 square feet per person um but everything is like refined and paired down to what uh The revenue is now and what our capabilities we have now so it actually helped dial those things in on the back end um and then I got a chance to Think about What culture can come out of this whole thing and especially health wise now more than ever It's like if the light bulb hasn't gone in gone on about One's personal health at this point. I don't know what's going to If you're not if you're not aware that you need to take care of your own personal wellness to avoid. I don't know. I say COVID Um or major major complications from COVID um, I don't know What else is going what else it's going to take Absolutely, so you know and and I'm not to say that there's not some You know, we still need to kind of get through I'd say probably another four to six more months before things maybe feel back To life again fully, but um That that allowed me to go back to this idea of I guess back to being at northwestern health sciences kind of this holistic approach and And that was kind of what I've wanted from the start and done from the start, but not really fully defining it Until now we have five pillars of functional health care. Yeah I'll do you have them off the top of your head and rattle them off. Let's let's go. Let's talk about it Number one is a happy fitness experience Number two is healthy joints Number three is eating for longevity number four is brain power and number five is relationships Um, so I that that's helpful for me as an owner now to have this platform to stand on and Generate and evolve everything surrounding those five pillars Um, so it's way more than a crossfit gym at this point Absolutely. Yeah, I love I love that I love that framework and when when I saw your guys launch of the I don't know what should I call it a rebrand or I like I mean, well, it was I mean it was always part of your identity But it was really just like the first time that you had like like distilled it down and rendered it explicit like this is what what we're what we're really about You know, and these are these are the pillars that we stand for, but like once I saw that I told you like I love this like I think this is I think this is Phenomenal um because there are so many there are so many parts of it that um Are kind of implied but not really talked about and not really not really focused on especially in in you know In the fitness space there are a lot of places that we don't we don't talk about the importance of your brain For example, right? We don't talk about brain health like you don't see gyms talking about brain health very often They're they're talking about you know your wellness. They're talking about you know moving your body Plenty talk about the nutrition component, but you don't hear them talking about brain power You don't hear people talking about the importance of relationships and community You don't hear people talking about making fitness fun, right? That's that's super different right especially You know for somebody coming from a boot camp you know the boot camp back I'm like you remember how that was in the in the You know whatever 2010s or late 20 late 2000s when it was like there were boot camps where they would literally scream at you I'm like make it like boot camp and it was like I never understood why that was a thing But they're there are places where it's like if you don't puke You're not working hard enough if you're not like yeah, and I like I just don't I don't get that like I never resonated with that. I was never it was never kind of like I'm I'm all for a hard workout don't get me around but like For a purpose and for you know like I it has to be fun long longitudinally fun like not every workout is gonna be fun Obviously, but you know, uh, so which which of these did it like take the most Time to like fully articulate the philosophy behind That's a good question. Um, I think it was they're all Sort of percolating in my head. I just couldn't get the Like the verbiage out because I could feel I could feel what I wanted to stand for But I think it took 2020 and quieting down all all the commotion of running the business For me to finally have the the ability to articulate things So I would say um, and maybe it has a little bit to do with What I value personally for myself to keep Me mentally and physically um Feeling a hundred percent every day for the most part I'm not saying I don't have a bad night's sleep here and there or or I'm feeling off on certain days But it's like what does it take to feel your best self like really either your alarm goes off And you can just jump out of bed and feel energetic or and feel like you're productive for the day Or you start waking up before your alarm which is even better um, but Sort of the principles that help me feel optimal and how can I bring that into the culture um, but then also One of the things that I think about for myself and for other people that we serve is Thinking about what is your life Going to be like three decades from now. Let's say What quality of life do you want right? So You got to do the work now and you got to prioritize it Otherwise, it's going to catch up with you and you and I'm preaching to the choir right now But oh yeah, it's I mean, it's part of my part of my thing is I measure success in decades not in not in weeks months or or even years Right like uh this one I'm looking at is decades. I want to be doing this I want to be the guy that's like 90 years old and still lifting kettlebells and still playing with his grandkids and great grandkids And like you know, they're like we're bearing that guy with a kettlebell because he just never He just left in him Yeah, and in this idea of having to depend on somebody else Whether it's in a nursing home or to change my diaper Like no thanks. I will do everything I possibly can To avoid living like that Yeah, and and I want that light bulb to go on for other people like it's that crucial. It's that crucial I agree and that's the thing that's I think um that I love about this so much is it's so um And I want to and maybe I shouldn't I don't want to paint crossfit with a bed a broad brush But there is definitely there are definitely pockets within crossfit that longevity is not focused on especially in the high-end Competitive athletes right like they're sacrificing some longevity in order to compete at a at a at a high level And that's okay. There's nothing wrong with that if that's your goal But I think there's a an ethos within a lot of a lot of people where it's like oh That's what they think that that crossfit is about and I don't think that that's necessarily true Because I think you're showing like you're at your your athlete base or your client base shows you have you have people across the entire age spectrum Right like within within your clientele so Um, I'm really I really love the thread uh that longevity is really the the thread that ties all of these all of these things together Um, what are you guys doing in the in the the healthy the healthy and happy joints space, right? Like yeah, that's what are you guys what are you guys doing there because that's a that's a big part of it Oh gosh, and you know, I'll be 45 next week and um, I just know Thank you um, but you know now You just realize how and not to say I guess that I didn't feel like that before because we've always had really comprehensive joints and and dynamic warm-ups and never never just putting somebody into a workout not prepping for what we're doing that day So I guess just intuitively it was always the right thing to do but um You know, I had gotten a functional range conditioning certified last summer and because of all the start and stop of Closing opening and all these pivots finally if that that were settled in now I'm able to focus on on what I got certified with and that's um That is really hitting capsular mobility and rotational functional Functional abilities and keeping your joints safe. So Now I do private training or for for that specifically people with tight hips don't have internal external rotation Now they have back pain now they have knee pain because because it starts in the capsule So that specifically I got certified with Last summer We also encourage the coaches and everyone's really on board as far as my team is concerned just really doing comprehensive warm-ups and If we've got an upper body heavy. Well, yeah, we're gonna we're gonna get the pvc's out We're gonna do dynamic stretching. We're gonna work bands. We're gonna like yeah, so Healthy joints in a class setting is I would say we do a good job of being as comprehensive as possible And then those that need some special help um if they've been sitting you know You see it sitting at the desk for a decade and you can't get the shoulder past this this position So now we need some more individualized help my shoulder my shoulder hurts I can't do this like yeah, well your shoulder hurts because your lats are rigid and because you're Because your tea spine doesn't move Yeah, yeah, yeah So there's definitely accommodations that have to be made in the in the group setting Just on the spot to keep people safe, but still feel accomplished for what they can do But then some just nudging people in in a few private sessions to get them some some individualized homework That needs to be done to start getting things to open up. It's amazing how big of a difference You can make very very quickly though too when you can take somebody who has a dysfunction cause most That they're feeling in a joint that's mostly caused by soft tissue You know soft tissue supporting that that just needs to be either mobilized and or activated or strengthened And you can get people out of dysfunction and out of pain relatively quickly compared to like how long it takes to lose weight For example, like you can give people um almost immediate relief or see you know almost immediate improvement And like that that makes such a huge difference in how people feel Just in their body and in a day-to-day like it's amazing going into a workout and not having your shoulder hurt If it was hurting before or like squatting and being like hey my knee doesn't hurt when I squat apparently squats Don't hurt my knees anymore like those types of breakthroughs are fantastic Absolutely. Yeah, and so and and kind of going back to the longevity side of things You know circling back to what you were saying a love it measuring fitness in decades That's that's a perfect way to say it So of course you wouldn't want to work out and you'd be frustrated if something heard all the time And then and then it might just go downhill from there You just don't ever go work out and join a gym again and then all of a sudden you're 65 I mean, that's not that's not the goal. So So as far as crossfit is concerned You know those early years of it being having this hard core This and yes, it certainly went in in a direction of like Changing the landscape of fitness. I think everyone It 10 in those earlier years it tended to attract sort of the hard hitters kind of people But then now over the course of two decades over two decades all of the gyms have evolved Um to smart smart training. I mean we I mean just to give an example Tomorrow's workout is slow and we have heart rate monitoring now Um in the gym that we implemented in January and specifically I want people to stay in the green zone and maybe hit a little bit of yellow but keep it paired down for Zone three and zone four for for people rate zone three is like right below anaerobic threshold and zone four is kind of teetering on that anaerobic threshold right back and forth Is that right? Yeah, and um and that's been a game changer for for us as a gym And for individuals who have seen now what their heart rate is doing which either is too far in one extreme Or or the other and how the zones now they're seeing that some are not developed well enough Um and and that's been a big turning point for us. Yeah, that's a huge that's so huge because it ties it also ties to your eating for longevity pillar because One thing that that people if they're training at super high intensities all the time and not eating Say enough carbohydrates for example their body starts to metabolize their hormones and then their hormones get crushed and they're like But wait, I don't understand why I continue to feel terrible like I I increased my my my wads I increased my hit Like I'm working out harder than I ever have and I and I feel worse and worse and worse like well Yeah, because you're always redlining and you're not giving your body the fuel it needs for the redlining And you also you can't just redline all the time right so like implementing implementing heart rate training is is is fantastic and then fueling appropriately for the type of workouts that you're doing is is fantastic so Touch on the eating for longevity piece of that like and how that and how that ties like how do you how are you guys going about Nutrition education because that's such a that's such a huge piece as well Yeah, I mean to be honest, it's it's gonna be paleo for them. I mean crossfit's prescription if you were to go to the level one training Would be like eat eat meat vegetables nuts and seeds no sugar little starch You know and and I can sprinkle in make sure you get a good enough fats primal primal eating might bring in raw or Organic dairy for for those that feel okay on Greek yogurt and and that sort of thing so expanding beyond Beyond this also, it's not like strict paleo it's more It's like yes, you can have rice to fuel your workouts and potatoes are fine But sort of that in that little world let's say healthy searches um Yeah, so it's like it's like quality based more so like paleo kind of is now it's been become such a Market marketing terms kind of bastardized like at this point like it's it's such a there's so many misnomers about what it actually means So it's like it seems like like you're talking about quality whole foods of the right kind and type for what your body needs basically is and Moving those carbohydrate sources closer to your workouts, right either prior or after right is that kind of the Still down version of the simplified version of it. I mean and even timing is like super secondary for most clients And you might find this too like we just need to start eating quality foods and get enough protein in you um, so that's usually the first order of business um, you know You want to think again going back to like decades from now you don't want to be frail and have osteopenia either So what do you need to be eating now? Alongside your weight training and your rest days and whatever fitness you're doing to maintain um, you know healthy density and your bones um Maintain your lean body mass and that sort of thing so Some missing links and you would find this too probably in your clients. We've talked about this before is like like people aren't eating enough protein Like the building blocks um, so there's that piece of it um and by no means do we ever um Emphasize you know restriction and this word diet, I suppose um I usually when it's nowhere on your it's nowhere on your website, right? It's it's all about eating for longevity eating for health Yeah, like it's just your eating plans, right? Like I don't think you guys mentioned diet at all on your website anywhere No, I eat like a human human should I don't know You know, we have to be careful with There's lots of uh there's lots of um opinions out with food. I know that um So so yeah, and you know some people are data type people so they need the whole macro thing They need the the fitness pal tracking for a little bit others that freaks them out. I feel attacked right now Why you're saying of some of those data people really need their macros and You know, I'm a data nerd. So it's it's fine. I'm just teasing. Yeah. Yeah It's and it's super helpful like I'll go in waves of like yeah, I should probably dial things in and start tracking and then get a handle on that for a little bit and then not do it anymore and you know some and sometimes people Just need to track for a week or two just to kind of see what the missing gaps are um Yeah, I think some phases, right phases and seasons. I'm huge on that. So like yeah, you don't have to track forever track when it's useful for you Yep Yeah, so eating for longevity um Make it what the manageable habits the the um also understanding what food does harmonally that's huge actually people people have this sort of um, I guess micro View of food as just like you know calories in calories out eat this not that um, so over the years in in seminars that I would give like nutrition seminars I'm actually talking about hormones and what food does to your hormones because that's the magic right there Yeah, um, that's the secret sauce Yes Yes, yes, the block the block and keys right for I mean the key the keys and blocks that that unlock all of the all of the things that make your metabolism work Like that's that's really what metabolism is when people talk about metabolism It is the sum of literally trillions of of chemical reactions in your body that are happening simultaneously But all of those are mediated by your hormones. They're all mediated by your hormones Yeah 100% and it's pretty it's not so difficult to like I don't know. I don't I know people struggle and there's a lot of psychology behind it too So so everyone has their own personal story But when your hormones are dialed in and they're doing what they're supposed to be doing You're smelling through the day. Yeah, and yeah, so that they the Um, the goal would get people to that level. Yeah Yeah, that's I I kind of I just still it down to to several to several easy things I'm like are you hungry? Are you horny? Are you sleeping? Kind of those are kind of big things that show like and do you have energy right? Do you have energy when you're not sleeping right like those are kind of your your big things that show you if your hormones are In check, you know, but I absolutely love it. Yes Good markers And now you're I love the the the the when we talk about the brain power thing It's actually pictures of food too, right? That you show in the shape in the shape of in the shape of a brain when you when you talk about brain power Because you guys are talking about again the tie like all of these are interconnected which I which I love right so you're talking about the eating for longevity involves Eating things that fuel your brain, right? So what what are the keys there? Yeah, actually, well, and I'm trying to think Jamie is our social media gal. She's just does such a great job So definitely food is is part of brain power good fats and Feeding your neural transmitters and that sort of thing and preventing Alzheimer's and such Um, but brain power also is how are you sleeping? What are your sleep habits? Do you have brain fog during during the day also brain power And are in kind of our messaging is like what do you feed your brain with whether it be social media the shows that you're watching The commentary that you said something about the the social media the social media diet. What's your social media diet? You know, I was like that that actually I was like oh they use diet and I actually like this Because it was it was all about like What are you consuming from a social media standpoint? That's huge. I mean, and I know that's a big conversation in the health and wellness, you know, circle um But it's really You know, and I think a lot of people a lot of my friends do we've talked about this is like wow I really just A we we don't watch TV if we do watch TV. It's usually a documentary where we're learning something So I don't get too wrapped up in like the latest Netflix series or anything like that That's actually it stresses me out. I don't I haven't watched the news in about five years um I I don't I probably have checked out maybe I don't want to say too much But I only find out when things happen by like passing conversations um that could be seen as like ignorant um, but I'm also taking uh for me I can control what's in my sphere of influence and Be the person that I'm striving to be for others. I don't know. I I can't control the world um, and so I've chosen to put that Outside of my spear spear like toxic news and and that sort of thing Um, that's kind of a measure of self-care too, right? Like because because if it's if it's a source of anxiety For you to consume things that you you know consume information about things that you can't change and it gives you just baseline anxiety all the time like I don't know if that's I don't know if that's healthy um Yeah, that that's just a personal choice. I you know but for each each individual, you know Just taking stock and like what it what am I waking up to each morning? What does my morning actually start with? Is it my phone or is it uh a journal or you know um so brain power expands Even more than food uh really and think of you know If you're not I guess mentally taking care of yourself too, it's really hard to get to the gym that can be an outlet for you So so both physically and mentally, you know, I guess brain power encapsulates um really a lot of of components Which I you know, we were gonna um use the word mindset, but but mindset has sort of been planted Or like it kind of feels like a platitude like okay, it's been overused and I and I was like ah I understand the term, but we need something that has more depth to it and resonates on a deeper level than just this idea of mindset No, I like it because mindset doesn't doesn't to me incorporate the elements of food intake and Right, it doesn't it doesn't incorporate like like you're talking about the social media and the the things that you choose to consume there as well as mindset And as well, you know as well as your your spirituality as well as your community your relationships right like those all You know those all those all tie in and um And that's that's the other pillar that we haven't really touched on yet, which is the the relationships component which I know you I you know, I mentioned earlier like I feel like one of your great strengths since I've known you is how great you are connecting to your community And like how much community matters to you so what what is the relationships pillar that that you know What all does that what all does that encompass when you're when you're talking about your relationships pillar yeah The first one that comes to mind and the reason why um we we were going to use community, but then Michael and I had a discussion and he had brought up he's like you know Instead of community, let's use relationships and because he's like we can get broader within with that term too and The way I see it the first you wanted to be included Yeah, yeah, exactly um It's surprisingly the first thing on my mind as far as relationships is concerned is the relationship you have with yourself first so um that has to happen Um and be taken care of and prioritized before You can create healthy relationships with others So um, I like to think of it as like You know people show up at the gym and I want them to feel like it's now we're dedicated to themselves and they they have a chance to um focus on themselves and do something healthy not get interrupted um and be able to walk out the door um feeling like They've accomplished something and and they just you know can carry a Place of confidence um for the rest of the day and so forth So first off the relationship you have with yourself and that a lot has to happen outside of the gym too That goes back to a lot of the other pillars um and then and then it's the friends that you make you know at any in any gym community The people you resonate with um that keep you Supported and encouraged that's that's our culture um at the athlete lab I mean my gosh. I know judging whatsoever people are just you know super thrilled that you know walk walk through the front door And that's a big step. So um the coach the coaches are really intuitive and have really great like emotional intelligence To read a room and to read individuals um to create that that trust um and then you know kind of that that third component of relationships is trying To support local businesses, you know, we're kind of in this pocket uh of the twin cities where Things are now starting to get more more built up in apartments and a little bit more um you know some new restaurants have popped up But it's not like a downtown you know st. Paul and stuff where things are right at our front set But I do try to create relationships with the local um other local small businesses and collaborate With them and help support each other. So there's a few components behind that pillar um and Uh Yeah, I feel like I feel like we're Um now kind of that we've gotten our stride back back in the gym and hopefully this is this is the end of Of everything that's changed um and we can move forward that now it's just easier to have that that daily contact Yeah, yeah, absolutely So to recap for everybody the five the five pillars of functional health care from the athlete lab are Relationships, brain power, eating for longevity, healthy joints and a happy fitness experience Yeah I can I can personally attest if you go to the athlete lab You will get covered in those five pillars because that's that's really what they've distilled their their it's like a it's like a I was thinking of trying to think what's the analogy for it. I was like you know what it was like like Covid was the Covid was the the heat that you applied to the bottom of the pan to make a nice reduction sauce Like you reduced you distilled everything down right you concentrated all of the flavor to make this wonderful You know, it's it was always there, but like the the pressure and heat of of Covid like you guys just reduced everything down to its essential essence And now it's this just the the this fantastic creation that that really incorporates everything into like a nice symmetry Like that's that's really what I think you guys have done over the course of the last year and I love I mean, I've I've always been a big fan of of you guys's space and your brand and everything and I just love seeing you guys like really really figure out this rebrand and hone in on this message because I think it is it's it's so it's so awesome And I think it's I think it's honestly it's perfect. I think it's fantastic. I really do Oh gosh, that's that's I really take that that metaphor that is that is exactly how it feels And I appreciate you kind of thinking about it in those terms. It's really that really resonated with me I love it. Thank you Well, Kate I want to thank you so much for taking the time to to come on and I I love to leave I love to leave One last question that is kind of my favorite to ask people and it's if you had to give one tip To somebody who's just starting out on their fitness journey like somebody who's just starting out and you could only tell them one piece of advice What would that one piece of advice be for somebody that's just starting out and wants to live healthier Oh Gosh, I mean, it sounds so cliche, but just You gotta you gotta just let go of all all the fear and this idea of judgment and people looking at you It's just not like that when you find a good place to be um, so I mean again cliche like you just got to start and it's square one and um and then give it give it 90 days Give it three months and you'll realize how far you can come in 90 days Um, so yeah, it's just it's just you just put the first step forward Yeah, everybody had a day one at some point And that's that is I love that because it that is one of the one of the best things That you guys have as far as your as far as your community is it's so welcoming to everybody you walk in that door And you just you just feel the energy. So I can't wait I can't wait for everybody that comes to the Twin Cities kettlebell open to To feel that energy and to get a chance to meet Kate and see the space that she's built Where should they follow you on social media? How can they get in touch with you for people that are local um, how can they sign up for classes and for the for the hybrid classes Can it be people that that just have a bike anywhere can can do hybrid classes? That's a good question. Um, we have what we lent out We have like 15 real riders out out in the outskirts of the North Metro. So um, but yeah, I don't see why a normal Bike wouldn't wouldn't work as well. I mean, you just you can hear the music through the stream and um, that actually could work You could contact I mean, there's a direct contact page on the website and we can we can map out those details for anybody that might be interested for sure Um, and um, Instagram is at the athlete lab very simple. Um, our website has all the links to book a free intro to comment and get your questions Um answered and and help you feel comfortable um as well as direct contact to me Um, and then we have a three for free on cycling as well. We don't usually do free classes for for um, sort of the CrossFit side Because I like to meet with people first and see what what goals they have and kind of where they're coming from And then we help help with with that transition a little bit more hands on. Yeah, absolutely. That makes that makes complete sense Thank you so much and it's the athlete lab.com. I will put links in the episode notes as well. So Kate, thank you so much for for coming on. I really really appreciate it and um, I look forward to talking with you more And I will get you the link as soon as the episode is ready to is ready to go live Thank you so much Jordan appreciate it. Have a good day. You too Thanks for listening to this episode of the platform podcast. I'm Jordan Kunde-Wright If you have a question, please email me at twincities kettlebell club at gmail.com Follow us on instagram and facebook at twincities kettlebell club on twitter at tckb club Online at twincities kettlebell club.com and please help us grow our reach and give us a review on apple podcasts Spotify stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts until next time