Crossfitter, circa 1,000,000BC. Badass.
So the other night I had the pleasure of lecturing on nutrition at my local box, Crossfit Lethbridge; it was the kick-off for the 60 day "Look-Feel-Perform Better Challenge". I threw a lot of information around in the hour and a bit I was there, and answered some great questions. What I failed to do was A) create mealplans, and B) simplify a few ideas.
"A" isn't going to happen. I don't handhold, nor do I spoonfeed. What I will do is answer any question you throw at me, explain supplements, talk about strategies. But I won't create mealplans. I freely give, enthusiastically, I might add, the knowledge so that YOU can figure out what to eat. Open source, baby.
"B", on the other hand, is going to happen right now. Think of it as "Looking Into The Cave", or Paleo-With -Training wheels. Nothing huge, just a couple of really, really simple ideas.
1) Start SMALL. If you cut out every single food item you thought was healthy for the past 30 years, you're screwed, you're going to rebel both mentally and physically, and ultimately, fail. Start small, one item at a time. Really, REALLY love bread? Cut out pasta first. Can't even begin to think of not drinking milk? Dump the orange juice first. Baby steps, my Paleo children. One item at a time. I started doing this back in 2006, and it was brutally easy.
2) Cut refined sugar out. I THOUGHT YOU SAID START SMALL! Yup, and this isn't a big deal, and it's pretty easy. Just don't eat crap, (sugar), and don't add crap (sugar) to your food. There's no place for adding sugar to any food item; if you live on Twinkies and Mars bars, well, you need a bit more help, but if you're reading this blog, you're already searching for it.
This, by far, can be one of thee best things you ever do for yourself, even if you do nothing else. By eliminating refined sugar (read: chocolate bars, soda pop, Twinkies, Freezies, Slushies, anything-ies in a package that's cold and sweet), you'll cut a HUGE amount of high-glycemic carbs, and slash your insulin levels to super low levels. And yes, Fruit Loops in skim milk is "refined" sugars.
3) Think Red + Green. Meat and veggies. These two general items should compose the majority of your meals. Re-train your line of thinking that you "need" whole grains, starches, and multiple items on your plate at every sitting. Chicken and spinach salad. Steak and steamed broccoli. Rack of ribs and steamed + whipped cauliflower (faux-tatoes. Texture is EXACTLY the same).
3 simple ideas. That's all. And if you're still of the line of thought that you "NEED" more, check this out:
15 different meats x 15 different spices x 15 different veggies x 6 different oils = 20,250 different combinations. That's 3 different meals a day for EIGHTEEN YEARS. Variety in Paleo? You bet.
I'd like to point out a FANTASTIC series by Coach Gillespie over at Conquest Conditioning; he's coined it The Sedentary Files (click here for part 1), and it's all about the reasoning, theories, and issues behind today's obese and sedentary youth. It's compelling, it's well written, and it's damn important. Go read it. Now.
Jan 8th, CFLA, 8PM
Power Clean Tech Work
135#x3
165#x3
185#x0 (oops. Hmm)
135#x1,1,1 Squat Clean
165#x1,1,1 SC
185#x1, easy power clean. Done.
5Km row, 19:50. Just wanted a 20-min sweat, surprised myself with a sub-20. Had the damper at 6.5, then cranked it up to 8 at 2500m. Paced at 1:55-2:05/500m, then bumped it up to 1:50/500m at 500m to go, then 1:40/500m at 250m. PR is 19:25.
Jan 11th, Waterton National Park
Forum Falls Ranger Station.
Snowshoed into Forum Lake, Waterton Park, with my friend and fellow Crossfitter Jacob. 10Km round trip. 5 Degrees Celsius, perfect weather. Tough hike in, lotsa elevation and heavy snow.
Jan 12th, CFLA, 1 PM
Did a CFLA WOD from a couple of days ago with Coach Fyfe for some one-on-one competition:
MetCon
10 Power Rows@135#
76 Fist Twists
10 Kettlebell Swings (32kg, 70.5#)
6:39. 135# barbell power rows for a 165# dude are damn hard. Stuck close to Fyfe, though, he only got me by a few seconds. Good quick workout, and it was awesome to have a competitor like Dave alongside me.
Jan 13th, CFLA, 1PM
MetCon
800m row (2:46)
rest 2 min
65 Double Unders (0:45)
rest 2min
30 High-Pull Goblet Squat, 55lb (3:09) !!!
rest 2min
20 Hip Smashers (0:40)
rest 2min
30 Dip Unders (0:57)
rest 2min
Total work, 8:17.
True interval training at it's finest; hammered the movements hard and fast, then slightly recover, and do it again. High Pull Goblet Squats were a sneaky killer---had to fractionate big time.
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