You guys have seen it: organic sweeteners designed to fool consumers into thinking they’re choosing a healthy option. Evaporated cane juice, sugar in the raw, blue agave nectar…
My take on it has always been the same; you’re body doesn’t care if it’s high fructose corn syrup or agave nectar. It ALL gets metabolized as sugar, and any form of sugar should be limited.
Check out this post for and expose’ on agave nectar. Post to comments if you have any questions.
Check out what Mark has to say about the staple of the Western Diet : Why Grains Are Unhealthy.
To the gun show!?!? Check out how Vicki leaned out in 30 short days on the paleo challenge! Nice work and keep it up!
4 weeks of eating real food…yup, no fancy packaged “foodlike products” designed to fool our senses of taste and smell; just REAL FOOD. So how do you feel? How are your energy levels? Mood? Performance at work and the gym? How do you look? Was it worth it?
Most of you are probably answering with a resounding, “YES!” Look how far you’ve all come in 30 short days. That is just a snapshot in the big picture. I saw most of you on a daily basis, and I could see the change happen right before my eyes. The same people who have plateaued and failed to thrive over the last couple of months, coming in looking leaner and crushing PR’s on a daily basis. From just 30 days! Think of what could be accomplished in 6 months… or a year… or 5 years.
Now what?
CrossFit is a lifestyle change. This isn’t some fad workout program you follow until you get bored in 6 months. We want it to be part of your new, healthy lifestyle. The Paleo challenge wasn’t designed so you could lose 10 pounds fast, just to go back to your old ways. We did it to get your butt in gear and show you it could be done. Live it. You have the tools now.
We don’t expect you to be perfect 100 percent of the time. Trying to will just set you up for failure, not to mention drive you crazy. Birthday? Have your cake. Friends visiting? Take them out for dollar beer night. Superbowl? Get you some hotwings (too late)! As long as your fridge and cupboards are stocked with whole foods, you have the flexibility to do these things guilt free when they come up.
Read this post from the Fitness Spotlight on how to handle “cheat meals” and stay on track.
When: Thursday Feb 4th, 7 pm
Where: The Box
Happenings: Announce the winners of the Paleo Challenge, exchange some recipes and tell war stories about how hard it was to eat real food for 30 days, eat some food and drink some beer, see Derek off (I’ll be taking off Friday for 10 weeks 
We’ll also talk about how to make this a lifestyle change. The 30 day challenge doesn’t end next week; that was just to get your butt in gear… now take what you learned and apply it from here on out!
*Make sure you turn in your food logs to Derek or Jon sometime before Tuesday, Feb 2nd.
The New Food Pyramid
So we are about three weeks into this whole paleo challenge, and I’ve noticed a progression in the gym:
Week 1: “I can’t eat bread and sugar!? What am I supposed to eat!?”
Week 2: “I’ve dropped 6 pounds already! This is awesome!”
Week 3: “I tried this new paleo recipe -insert recipe here- it was delicious!”
Hopefully week 4 will bring some of you a new outlook on your food.
Some of the recipes people have been telling me about sound great (samples for the trainers are always appreciated). Darcy has a good one for Paleo Candy Bars; we are in negotiations with her right now to trade them for her membership. A few of you have been raving about the Roast Sticky Chicken found in our recipe section (try out some of the links found there to websites for more recipes). A couple of you asked about the Apple and Pork Roast I was bragging about (I held the sugar and added sweet potatoes)… yea, I love my crockpot. Here are some yummy breakfast options Kristin H. sent me.
So, you can see that whole, “What am I supposed to eat!?” question is easily answered. The possibilities are endless. I told someone today that I eat more variety and better tasting food now then before I started eating paleo. It’s about eating real, fresh food; not foodlike products made in a factory, packaged with a health claim on it.
So try some new recipes and let me know how they go!
So, is everybody feeling like they need to jump start their nutrition for 2010? Indulge in the holidays a little more than expected? I know I did. Enter the Paleo Challenge.
Here are the rules:
Keep a detailed food log. What you ate, how much, and what time.
Eat Paleo foods. Meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, NO SUGAR.
Get your before picture taken at the gym before Jan. 8th.
Participants will put $10 in the pot, winner takes all. The winner will be chosen by two criteria: food intake quality, and body composition change. Notice I didn’t say weight loss. This isn’t the Biggest Loser. If your body needs to lose weight you will; however, this is a poor indicator of fitness. Body composition shifts (decreased fat and increased lean body mass) are much better for this.
Check out these pictures of JR. I had a little over a month with him on his Paleo Challenge and the changes were awesome!
So what do you have to lose? The worst thing that can happen is you lean out, improve your performance, and look and feel better. The challenge starts Monday Jan. 4th and ends Feb. 1st. Get after it!
Check out this video of the Polar Bear Plunge:
Polar Bear Plunge 2010 from CrossFit CDA on Vimeo.
Seems like there’s more to this cholesterol stuff then just HDL’s and LDL’s… like C-reactive protien… or LDL particle size. Next time you get a blood panel done, let me know. I have a list of other things you can check that should give a much clearer picture about your health.
You guys have all heard my rant by now. Stock your fridge with meat and veggies, nuts and seeds, and some fruit. Eat real food. And if it’s Friday night and your friends are out for beer and pizza… have some dang beer and pizza… and get back on track the next day. Eating good 85% of the time means you eat better than 99% of the country! If it’s your birthday, don’t feel bad about having some cake! Anniversary? Go to a nice place and go all out! True fitness is about enjoying life.
My vices? Good beer, Hudson’s burgers, and Catherine’s brownies (have some ready on November 9th, please 
Check out this article at the Fitness Spotlight for a more indepth look at “the cheat meal.”
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