Keeping it Paleo on the Road

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So this is pretty exciting. Tim Archer, a long-time member at The Fort CrossFit, messaged me a while back with a great idea for a blog post. He’d gone into a lot of detail in his message, so I asked him to beef it up and told him I would post his write-up. Tim’s a great guy; husband, dad, athlete, and Paleo-enthusiast. With that, I would like to introduce guest author Tim Archer… 
Anyone that has chosen the paleo lifestyle will tell you that it’s challenging at times but a little pre-planning goes a long way. That being said, over the past few months I have run into a few people that have said “I can’t eat paleo when I’m driving for work. You can’t really eat a salad and drive.” I am one of those people that have to drive more than my fair share for work and I realize that not everyone has a conventional job where they sit at a desk and can hit the break room for lunch everyday. Having to drive during lunch times usually results in the not-so-safe practice of eating and driving. Here is what I have found helpful when trying to keep it paleo while not slowing you down:
Let’s start easy and simple…fruits and veggies. Most of them are ready to eat (once you wash it and maybe peel it). Not a whole lotta prep there.
A staple for anyone on the go should be a good trail mix. None of that store bought crap with the chocolate chips, but a good homemade one. Before you leave you should make sure you have wallet, keys, cell phone and trail mix. Easy to make, easy to eat and easy to take especially if you portion it out into zip lock bags while you make it.
If you’re not into making your own trail mix but want something quick then check out Steve’s Original Paleo Kits. They are awesome. The jerky tastes great and there is enough protein there to help fill you up. No need to heat or refrigerate. Sounds easy and it is.
If you want to get creative then sandwiches are always a good idea. No, not with bread, but with Boston lettuce. A couple cold cuts and veggies with some guac inside, then wrap it up in the lettuce…mmmm good times.
One of the things that I make every week is mini quiches. I know I just handed in my man card by using the term quiche. What if I called them egg muffins? Not any better huh…oh well, I tried. Cut up some ham and veggies put them in a muffin tray then fill the remainder with scrambled eggs with a little splash of coconut milk to keep them fluffy. Man, using terms like “fluffy” aren’t really helping the man card situation, but you get the idea, instant to-go breakfast that you can eat cold. And speaking of eggs the always trusted hard boiled egg works too. Just peel them the night before so there is one less step.
Taking left-overs from the night before is a good way to save time and money but the problem is trying to get them warm. I like to call this the Macgyver. The most effective way to get your left-overs warm-ish is while you are driving leave the container on the dash out of the way but over a vent. Crank the defroster which will get it to a tolerable level. If the sun is out then it will help out. Not pretty, but it works. Then when you stop to take a break you can eat decent food.
Lastly, a few paleo treats or a Larabar can work too. Yes, a paleo treat is still a treat, but it is way better than a Big Mac or anything else from the dollar menu. The treats will also result in fewer pit stops on the way home too.
With these options, and I’m sure there are a bunch more, anyone on the go should be able to eat paleo with just a little bit of pre-planning.
Thanks for writing this, Tim. There are some awesome ideas here. The Macyver is definitely my favorite – very creative. I agree 100% that you must be prepared in order to remain successful when eating whole, clean foods. Most do not come in a package and they are certainly not convenient. With some planning and prep-time, you will be on the road to success, paleo meals and snacks in tow. 

It’s Not About That Silly Number!

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In the fitness industry there are so many misconceptions. There’s the “women will get bulky if they lift weights”, the “I need to get rid of this little patch of fat”, and the “fat will make you fat” – just to name a few. These misconceptions somehow evolve throughout time and make their way into our conventional wisdom. Anyone who actually knows something about human physiology, anatomy  and the science of exercise and nutrition can easily disprove these beliefs and support their reasoning with sound science, but it takes someone with an open mind to actually listen and heed advice. As a fitness professional it’s frustrating to constantly see this misinformation permeate society; we see it on the covers of magazines, in the news, and, unfortunately, coming out of fitness institutions and from the mouths of so-called “experts”.
These myths confuse the hell out of us; the ones trying to fight the good fight; exercising and eating all the right things. But are we really eating the right things? Are we really getting the most out of our time at the gym?
This post is intended for everyone; guys and ladies. Most of the time when I hear “I’m afraid I will look like a freak if I lift heavy weights” it’s coming from the mouth of a female. If I ever hear a guy say that he thinks women should not lift or that they look “manly” if they are well-muscled, then he is just not worth my time and I will stop listening. I’m not kidding. Being muscular and strong is how we keep our bodies functioning like they should; preventing injury and decrepitude. 
I’ve now been on my CrossFit/Paleo journey for over three years. It’s been an amazing and rewarding journey and a huge learning process. I want to share a little bit about the journey, in order to help change your minds about some of these misconceptions and distorted ideas that float around in the fitness business. I hope you enjoy the photos as well.
             
Scale weight: About 150lbs
This picture was taken at the beginning of a 30-day Paleo Challenge in 2011. Before the challenge I was eating about 75-80% Paleo; I couldn’t commit 100%. I was still drinking alcohol on a consistent basis and eating Paleo baked goods often. Partying on the weekends takes a huge toll on the body composition and training schedule. That November challenge set me up for totally committing to this way of eating; the absence of grains, dairy, legumes, and added sugar became my “normal”. I’ve never looked back.
These photos were taken at the beginning of a Spring 2012 Paleo Challenge. The differences in my body composition after a winter of CrossFit and clean eating are apparent. During this challenge I leaned out a lot. I don’t have an after photo unfortunately. There was a problem, though. I wasn’t eating enough carbohydrate to support my activity level. I was getting all of my carbs from vegetables like kale, broccoli and asparagus, which isn’t a bad thing, but it just wasn’t enough for the amount of work I was doing in the gym and for my active job as a trainer. I found myself becoming annoyed really easily and I felt fatigued a lot of the time. In the mirror I saw the results I wanted, but I knew it wasn’t sustainable because I was miserable. You can read about my food intake back then HERE.
I thought it might just be sugar withdrawal that was making me feel so shitty, but when I began reading more about carb intake and read Sweet Potato Power, I saw the light. I tracked my daily carb intake and it was not nearly enough. I added a sweet potato to my daily food intake and it was amazing. I was hesitant because I though the dense, starchy carb source wouldn’t allow me to stay as lean as I wanted, but then the opposite happened. I actually leaned out more! The best part was that I was also a lot happier. Sweet potatoes and squash are now essential to my life, haha. Sweet potato is definitely the food that I could never live without.
 Scale Weight: 155lbs

The above photo was taken at the beginning of my January Whole30. Since September 17th, 2012 when I embarked on a 60-day challenge I have eaten very strict Paleo; the cleanest I’ve ever been, with the exception of Christmas. I ate a lot of Paleo cookies over the holidays and enjoyed a few adult beverages. It tasted good but I felt like crap and felt bloated and swollen from the sugar and booze. I felt slow in the gym. It took me about a week and a half to completely recover from this mini-bender. 
I included my weight in each of these photos to show that the number on the scale is kind of a silly thing to pay a lot of attention to. I weigh more now than I did two years ago, but I look much different; better, in my humble opinion. I am smaller now than I was back then, when I weighed less. Isn’t that strange?! I think it’s awesome. But how does this happen? Muscle is denser than body fat. So if you look at a five-pound piece of muscle it will take up less space than a five-pound piece of fat. As a result of training and clean eating, I have built muscle and reduced the amount of fat on my body. So my scale weight has increased because of the muscle, but I am smaller because I lost fat. Don’t fret if the number on the scale isn’t moving like you thought it would. In fact, put the scale in the basement or dark closet and use it sparingly, if at all. A much better way to track progress is to take measurements with a tape measure (hips, waist, chest, legs, arms) and to take before and after photos like I’ve done here. Also, gauge changes in your body by how your clothes feel. Tight jeans don’t lie!

Same weight, fat vs. muscle. Ever notice how sweet potatoes kind of look like muscles?

The next series of photos are a few of my lady CrossFit friends. They all train hard and eat clean. To me they are beautiful, fit, strong women. They are nowhere near “bulky” or “manly”.

 Dana drags the 135# sled. She works part-time and is a full-time wife and the mom of two little cuties.

Brittany does shoulder taps. She works full-time and is also a part-time fashionista.
             

Ilda with a gorgeous clean and beautiful smile. She is a full-time student, studying medicine at Dartmouth.

My hope is that post is enlightening for my readers. If you already knew all of this, then it serves as reinforcement. If you’re still skeptical I would be happy to have a chat with you. Experiment with the food you are putting into your body; change it up if it’s not working for you. Ask a good coach for some advice if you’re not performing, looking, or feeling as good as you know you could. Most of all, give your body the time it needs to change. Change does not happen overnight. We must be patient and remain focused on our goals in the gym and outside of the gym. 
Special thanks to Dana, Brittany, and Ilda for graciously agreeing to let me use their photos for this post. Thank you to my amazing chiropractors, Drs. Matt and Whitney Swiesz for repairing my posture over the past year and half. It’s very noticeable in those photos! Finally, thank you to my coaches and mentors who have helped me along this path – the entire way: My little(BIG) bro, Ky-Guy, Mike Molloy, and Rob Austin.

Please let me know what you’re thinking about this. Go forth and lift big!

Weekly Update

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I apologize for the hiatus in blogging. It’s been crazy-busy around The Fort these days. We have two new batches of amazing On-Rampers; one just finished up last week and the other began on Monday. I am so excited to have so many new faces in the gym. If you see the noobs around the gym, please introduce yourself and chat for a bit.

Last weekend Kyle and I spent both days at a CrossFit Gymnastics certification course. CrossFit 110 in Chelmsford, MA hosted. What a great weekend. The cert was very personal, with lots of attention and personalized learning. We moved all weekend and there was very little sitting time. I haven’t been this sore in my hamstrings and triceps in a long time. I’m not even going to mention how fried my core was…it was about 14 hours of holding a hollow position, so you can just imagine. We have already implemented some of what we learned into our classes and the On-Ramp Program. I highly recommend this certification to anyone interested.

There is a competition this weekend at CrossFit Free in Salem, NH. The Fort has three teams competing. Dana & JP, Kyle & Brittany, and Jameson & I will bring our A-games on Saturday to go up against some great teams. If you’re looking for something to do, come on over to watch. Or you can follow the live streaming updates at this link https://crossfit-free.theboxhq.com/events/team-competition. Ky and Britt are The Velociraptors; Dana and JP are Going H.A.M.; and Jameson and I are The Casual Penguins. Remember CP?

I bet CP likes this cold weather!

For those of you who don’t know the story…This picture was from the last partner competition I did at CF Free back in June. The burpee broad jumps got the best of me. Thankfully my awesome partner (thanks, J) pretty much carried our performance through this portion of the WOD as I nearly passed out in the parking lot. Burpee broad jumps have come back to haunt me. This time I have to do them with dumbbells in my hands combined with a thruster. Sweet. Practiced those this morning and they suck, but the scene depicted above will not happen again. HAH!

Anyone else noticed that they are getting stronger? I sure am. I am psyched about that. I have been lifting heavier, consistently, which is awesome. Eating more helps, too. And I’m doing that as well. The Whole30 has been great for outlining the good food choices, I’ve just ratcheted up the amounts. More protein and definitely more carbs – mostly in the form of sweet potatoes. Yum. If I don’t eat enough carbs I am not happy. Speaking of the Whole30…I have 7 days left. That three weeks certainly flew by. I would recommend the Whole30 program for anyone looking for a challenge and/or to jump start any food or body composition-related goals. If you’re interested, buy the book It Starts With Food and get reading!

So that’s what this week has been like so far. Hope your week is going well. Keep perfecting that air squat!

Life this Week

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What’s up!? This is a quick and random little post to let you know what’s up in my world this week. A few things.

Down with the sickness. Have you noticed how everyone is sick. Ew. I feel so lucky to have dodged the bullet so far (knock on wood), and I’m upping the ante by adding some things to my daily ritual to continue staving off the creepy crawlies. The first is drinking lemon water. Thank you, Dana and Jameson for inspiring this trend. I’m not sure if it actually makes a difference, but it tastes damn good. I would bet that the extra vitamin C along with adequate hydration helps to boost the ol’ immune system. I’ve also been trying to get a lot of sleep by taking a quick catnap in the afternoon if I have time and by getting my ass to bed before 10pm. Thank you to everyone who has been wiping down their equipment post-WOD. Killing the bugs in the gym is much appreciated. Please, do not come to the gym if you are sick.

PRed my snatch. I was really psyched to lift on Wednesday. I get psyched to lift most of the time because it is fun and challenging. After about 2 hours of lifting, it was a lift big, eat big day. Anyway, it just felt right and I ended up with a 5lb. personal best on my snatch. I had to really work to get myself prepared for a few of my lifts. I danced around a little bit, took some big breaths, literally told myself to do it by saying (out loud), “Come on!” And voila, there I was, under the barbell, shoulders punched up, elbows locked out, deepest squat I could get. Sweet. It’s always a good day when you PR your snatch. Congrats to all other Fort Monsters who earned personal bests on Wednesday – it was PR City!

Created a bunch of CP Memes. This was purely for entertainment purposes. If you know CP, you know that he is one funny guy. When he made his penguin suit debut, he pulled at my comedic heartstrings and immediately became one of the best sources of comedic relief I’ve seen in a while. The best part about CP is that he gets as big a kick out of himself as I do aaannnnd he just about always has a smile on his face. Guess what, ladies…he’s single! Enjoy.

And I leave you with this: Something to get your blood pumping.
row 500m
10 air squats
10 push ups
5 pull ups (strict)
row 250m
10 overhead squats w/ PVC
10 ring rows (horizontal)
5 ring dips
10 burpees

Whole30 Week 1

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Day 1. Felt really good to be back on the clean eating wagon. I began to crave sugar late morning so I ate an orange and it was delicious. After a tough workout I ate some ground turkey with apple sauce. I skipped my usual afternoon coffee. For dinner it was meatballs and sauce and then I called it a day for the eating. I was in bed by 8:30. It took me a little while to fall asleep, but once I did I slept like a baby.

Day 2. I didn’t have my regular baked sweet potatoes prepared for my breakfast, so I ate an apple with my two eggs. The apple tasted super sweet so early in the morning. Almost to the point where I didn’t want to eat it. I needed the carbs though. When I came home from the morning at the gym I ate 2 meatballs and some chicken with tomato sauce and a medium sized sweet potato. Yum. I definitely feel myself craving sugar since I am wondering, “What’s next?” My body is looking for a sweet treat. Sorry. Trying to load up on the water. Wanted coffee around 3 o’clock, badly. Didn’t do it. Had some herbal tea instead. Had a headache all night.

Day 3. Got out of bed fairly easily this morning. Had a bigger breakfast then usual (3 eggs, 1/2 sweet potato) since it’s a rest day. I’m finding it helpful to think about what and when I am going to be eating throughout the day. I am anticipating not feeling well later in the afternoon.

The Weekend. I made plans to visit some of my best friends who live down in Connecticut. Typically we all enjoy a few adult beverages when we’re together, especially since we don’t see each other too often. I informed them of my Whole30 endeavors and they were totally cool with it. They are CrossFitters too, so they understand the lifestyle. I was not tempted by the alcohol whatsoever. They food was more of a challenge because we were eating out. For lunch I had a plain burger. Yep, a big ol’ slab of beef atop lettuce, avocado, tomato, and jalepeno peppers. It was actually very delicious. For dinner we went to a tapas reaturant so I had pretty good control over what would go into my mouth. I had lamb chops, brussels sprouts, and butternut squash. To drink I had soda water with raspberry puree and lime.

So now it’s on to Week 2 and I am feeling really good. I hopped out of bed this morning (literally) and made my eggs and sweet potatoes. A funny thing happened…I forgot about my coffee. Normally I would bee-line to the coffee pot and pour my first cup. But today it was an afterthought. I definitely have less craving for caffeine which is nice. Before starting the Whole30 my coffee consumption was getting a little out of control. I’m really looking forward to this week at The Fort. Lots of new members and some great WODs coming up. Hard training, clean eating, lots of sleep and big smiles.

Cheers!

Played Dominos for the first time in years. Reminded me of how much I LOVE THIS GAME! 
Dominos is going on the list of things to do on Saturday nights.

Happy 2013

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Happy New Year! Yes, it’s 2013. 
The Whole30 starts today!

That’s a fire! Happy New Year!
Mixing some drinks for friends. Cheers!

After a great night with friends, it’s time to buckle down and get back to work. I’m really excited since I’ve never done the Whole30 Program before. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no stranger to Paleo challenges, as you probably know. There’s not much going on this time of year besides some hard training, working hard to make The Fort the best it can be, and enjoying the winter.

For those who don’t know, the Whole30 is the 30-day elimination diet/lifestyle program created by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig and introduced in their book, It Starts With Food. If you haven’t read ISWF you should. They explain the whys and the hows simply and poignantly – it’s an easy read, but certainly an eye opener. If you’re a newbie to paleo, it’s a great place to start. Anyway, I signed up online for the Whole30 and chose today, January 1st, as my start date. (Thanks, DP, for encouraging me!) Each day I will receive an email with encouragement and some words about what I should expect for that day. Each night I report back whether I have stayed the course or slipped up. If I cheat I have to go back to the beginning. No, thanks, I just won’t cheat. I eat fairly strict paleo all the time, so only major modifications are:

– No coconut milk (from the carton) in my coffee
– No alcohol at all
– No paleo-fied treats
– No nuts or nut butters

I plan to post about my Whole30 experience here and there. I am looking forward to some detox and feeling great at the beginning of 2013. I hope you all had a fantastic New Year’s Eve with family and friends. Do something positive today and try to get outside for some fresh air – it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Goodbye, 2012. Hello, 2013!

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First of all, I hope you all enjoyed Christmas. It was a great time. I probably ate a few too many Christmas cookies, but that’s okay, I plan to bounce back quickly. This post is meant to shine some light on the parts of 2012 that will help me to make 2013 one of the best years ever. And I really do believe it will be one of my best years ever.

Where did 2012 go? Seriously, it’s a blur; a total flash in the pan. It was a great year; a welcomed relief from the doozy of a year that was my 2011. I want to do a little 2012 recap to reflect on some major moments and clear the way for 2013.

1) Starting the New Year off right! New Year’s Eve 2012 was one of the most fun NYE celebrations I’d had in a while. I’m really into staying low-key on NYE, and that’s what we decided to do last year. We invited a bunch of our amazing friends and family over to the house and we all wore ugly sweaters. That definitely spiced things up. It was just plain old fun and no stress. Cheers to ringing in the New Year in style.

 NYE 2012

2) Realizing that by doing something you love, you can be truly happy. We’ve all heard the chatter about how work doesn’t feel like work when you follow your passion. I’d have to agree for the most part. I LOVE what I do; I am passionate about it, but I won’t lie and say it’s not hard work. I think doing what you love just softens the blow. I am constantly thinking about the people I work with on a daily basis. Making my people happier, healthier, and better all around is my goal each day. I have realized that by doing what I love, work feels less like work and more like striving for satisfaction. Not just feeling like a hamster running on a wheel, but making genuine progress toward greatness all the time. It’s a really good feeling.

3) Becoming very comfortable in my own skin.
I have struggled with body image for the majority of my life. I became conscious of what I looked like while in middle school and went through phases where I was very fixated on this and even based my self-worth on whether or not I felt like I “looked good”. As a young women this was really hard to avoid. I think it’s even worse these days. Girls and women (and men too) are bombarded with images of an unattainable perfection that is unrealistic and in many cases, impossible. Makes me sad. Anyway, 2012 was a huge turning point for me. Staying committed to my training and my nutrition allows me to feel amazing on a daily basis. I surround myself with positive, healthy, like-minded people. These days I am much more concerned with my performance in the gym than what I look like. When you treat your body like the amazing machine it is; when you respect it, and feed it the fuel it wants to be fed, it responds in a really cool way. It performs how you want it to perform and it looks how you want it to look.

Good stuff in = Good stuff out

4) Letting go. When I let go of some things that I once considered to be staples in my life, I realized that I didn’t need them as much as I thought I did. I’m not going to go into a lot of detail here, because the concept is very simple. Evaluate your life and identify what’s not going right. If you’re not getting anything positive from your interactions with these things, people, foods etc, let them go. It’s much easier said than done, but once you get the guts to do it, you will feel better. Once you do this you will automatically have more capacity for the good stuff!

Spend your time with awesome people!

5) Push your comfort zone. I’m still working on this, and I think it’s something I will always need to work on, but I did some things in 2012 that pushed my comfort threshold. The first is that I began competing in CrossFit. It began with the CrossFit Open and has continued with numerous individual and partner local and regional competitions. I’m not the best, I usually finish somewhere in the middle of the pack, but it’s fun, challenging, and allows me to test all the hard work I put into my training. Another thing I did was participate in the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge. I really needed to get back on the clean eating train after a summer of fun and this 9-week challenge seemed like the perfect way to do that. The best part was the 43 other people from The Fort that joined in the effort. The challenge proved to be an amazing success. I am 100% happy that I remained committed and it left me feeling pretty dang good – mind, body, spirit. It seems that by moving toward the things that make us uncomfortable, we grow as humans and we become better by taking those leaps.

Garage Games November 2012

Resolutions…Goals…Intentions? I’m not a huge fan of making New Year’s resolutions, probably because most people just talk about them and never actually follow through. For me they lose their luster and never really amount to anything. I think a better way to follow through with a resolution is to make it into a specific, measurable, and realistic goal. Don’t make it super-lofty, put a time limit on it and create a plan for success. If you need help setting a goal I can surely help. If resolutions work for you, please, go for it! I definitely want to head into 2013 with an open mind and an intention to keep doing what I am doing since it’s working for me.

Cheers to 2013. 

For the Ladies…Underwear Review

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Wearing spandex pretty much every day of my life is fun, but finding underwear that works with spandex and also stays in place while working out is not so fun. Finding the right undies for CrossFit is a daunting task. For years I have searched high and low for the perfect unmentionables for working out. In this post I will focus on the bottom half. I hope to also do a review on sports bras in the near future. I have found a few items that work well. When I find something I like, I stick with it. In no particular order and at the risk of sharing too much information, here goes…

1) Lululemon Light As Air Thong
I love this thong. I wish I had one for every day of the week. I love to wear it with spandex. It feels like you’re wearing nothing at all. I generally cannot stand working out in a thong, but I have worked out in this one and it stays in place, especially if you’re wearing a tight layer over it. I wear a size medium, but I could probably even get away with a small. It’s very stretchy and laser-cut for a seam-free fit and no visible panty line (VPL)! These are $16 a pair and worth it if you’re a thong-wearer.

Lulu Light As Air Thong

2) Lululemon Premium Technithong
This thong is my second favorite for working out. It’s a little bit more snug in the waist than the Light As Air Thong, but it still works really well under spandex. I wear a medium. These are $16 a pair and if I had to choose between the two, I would choose the Light As Air Thong, not this one.

Lulu Premium Technithong

3) Maidenform Microfiber & Lace Boyshort
If you’re the type that doesn’t like to wear thongs while working out (like me), these are a great option. They fit well under tight-fitting shorts, they stay in place, and there’s no VPL. I have worn these through day-long competitions and they are very comfortable and work well. These are definitely my go-to undies when it comes to working out and not worrying about what my underwear are doing. I think you can buy these at Kohl’s for $21 for three pair. Great buy.

Maidenform Boyshort

4) Jockey Modern Micro Boyshort
I bought a pair of these because they looked really hot on the mannequin. Doesn’t everything look good on mannequins? Gets me every time! They feel nice and fit okay, but they are very visible through pants and shorts, especially on the front of the thigh. I bought a size 7 and that seems to fit well in the waist. I think I would end up with a muffin top if I went any smaller. I haven’t worked out in these yet, but I probably only will if they’re my last clean pair of undies. This rarely happens since I have so many. Probably a waste of 10 bucks.

Jockey Boyshort

5) Lululemon Run: Speed Short
These are the best shorts. EVER. With these shorts you do not need underwear because they have a built-in brief that stay in place. I wish I had five pair – one for each day of the week I work out. These are $54 and worth every penny. They are my go-to short and what makes it even better is I don’t need undies to go along with them. One drawback might be that they are fairly short with a 2.5 inch inseam. I guess they could be considered booty-shorts, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The price is steep, but Lulu makes amazing high-quality workout clothing that’s meant to last a long time.

The list could go on, but I have whittled it down to those products I feel are worth discussing. If you have any tested and true picks to share with the rest of the ladies, please do so by posting to comments or on Facebook. Let’s help our sisters out on the quest for the perfect CrossFit underwear.

T.R.E.A.T.S.

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My “Power Cookies”

A few weeks ago I asked my Facebook friends to chime in and list topics they’d like me to write about. I got some really great ideas and I plan to cover all of them at some point. One that seemed relevant for this time of year was the concept that “Paleo treats are still treats and should not be consumed every day”. As a Paleo-lifestlye advocate, I remind people of this all the time, especially if they have goals to lose weight/bodyfat. I also know from personal experience that if Paleo goodies are around, I will eat them. For me, it’s better to have them as a once-in-a-while treat than an every day staple. Although there are some people who have the self-discipline to ration their treats over the course of days or weeks, I still do not believe that these things should be included in the daily diet. Here’s why:

1. Even if they do not have any added sugar or sweetener, they simulate items that usually have sugar, like cookies and muffins. They are usually high-carb and high-fat and they can stall body composition changes. Your body reacts in a similar fashion, regardless of whether the treat is Paleo or not.

2. They reinforce behavior that we’re trying to get away from. If you’ve adopted the Paleo lifestyle you know to avoid traditional gluten and sugar-laden baked goods. Creating Paleo goodies is a more nutritious alternative, but it’s really just subbing one treat for another. Better to stay away from any kind of treat if we’re trying to get away from eating them altogether, am I wrong?

3. Paleo treats keep us dependent on sweets and don’t allow us to see what our bodies can do when we eliminate them. This became evident to me during the 9-week Paleo Challenge I recently completed. Before the challenge I was baking some type of muffin or cookie or bread every two or three weeks. I was craving the sugar and feeding the addiction. But I wasn’t eating a ton of this stuff, so I didn’t really think there would be so much change when I eliminated it. During the challenge, when I was forced to alter this behavior, I stopped wanting the treats and I saw unbelievable changes in my body composition. Not only did my body change, but I actually felt better; more energy, better performance in WODs, and felt less foggy in the brain.

Quitting this stuff is a really hard thing to do. It takes a few days or weeks to rid yourself of the cravings for these kinds of treats, especially if you’re a sweet-tooth kind of person (like me). I am always jealous of people who don’t really care about sweets. Since Thanksgiving I have eaten my fair share of Paleo goodies and I am paying for it. I’ve been having cravings for sugar, I don’t feel as clear-minded, and my belly has not been happy. I’m working on telling myself “no” when I consider making Paleo goodies. For the most part it works. I also avoid wanting to eat these things by filling up on meat and vegetables. Eating a lot of protein keeps me really full and carbs tend to satisfy the need for treats, particularly dense carbs like sweet potatoes, squash, or yucca. Another strategy is to drink a lot of water throughout the day which keeps your hydrated and full and can help dissipate cravings.

There are thousands of recipes floating around out there for Paleo goodies. Anything can be Paleo-fied. Don’t let these recipes and blogs trick you into thinking that this stuff is good for you. Avoid looking at it all together if you have to. It’s easy to fall prey to the mouth-watering photos and descriptions of melt-in-your-mouth brownies and chewy gooey cookies. Those cookies are good for making you gooey, that’s for sure.

Believe me, I am a realist. I am fully supportive of enjoying your favorite indulgences a few times a year – not every day, not every week. My prescription for treat-eating is once a month maximum! Less than that if you have weight/fat-loss goals. Save them for special occasions, like the Holiday Party at The Fort :-). For now, for me, the answer is NO when it comes to eating Paleo treats. When Christmas arrives I will choose wisely…

Please post comments here or on Facebook. I’m looking forward to hearing some more strategies about how to avoid eating too many treats.

How’s Ya Swagga?

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Have you ever walked up to the barbell telling yourself, “I can do this. I AM going to lift this bar right now”? Have you ever walked up to the barbell and said, “This is so heavy, I don’t know if I can do this”? Imagine yourself in front a your barbell; in one instance you’re hearing positive self-talk and in the other instance you’re experiencing negative self-talk. What do you think would be the outcome of the lift in each instance? It doesn’t matter how heavy the barbell is, you should always approach it confidently. That little voice in your head needs to be giving you a pep talk, “I will lift this”, “I can lift this”, “I want to lift this”.

Think about it for a minute. What are you telling yourself when you’re getting ready for a big lift, when you’re about to go into a WOD, or when it’s your time to workout in a competition setting? Next time you’re in one of these situations, pay attention to that voice, what is it saying to you? If you can learn how to hear that voice, change what it is saying, or quiet it if needed, you will become a better athlete. You will become more confident in your abilities as a CrossFitter, and you will feel better about your performance.

If you find that you’re experiencing a lot of negative self-talk, or if you automatically default to a negative attitude if something isn’t going your way (missing reps, falling behind in a WOD, etc), practice changing up the voice in your head. Instead of “you suck”, say, “keep going” or “go faster”. The second a negative thought comes to mind, graciously allow it to leave, and replace it with something positive.
Self-confidence also goes hand-in-hand with the concept of swagger. If you’ve never heard of swagger, this definition is from Urban Dictionary and is how I want you to think about swagger:

Swagger 205 up, 157 down
A demeanor of confidence, coolness, and togetherness. Someone with Swagger gives off an aura of comfortability (Not a real word, but we’ll go with it) with his/her self. Swagger is commonly referred to as Swag or Swagga. Swagger is not to be confused with cockiness. Cockiness is someone thinking they are the shit, but if you have swagger you probably are the shit.
“Look at Galton Rich Froning, he walks with such swagger”
“I know, he just gives off such a cool vibe”

HAHAHA. FROMANCE! I hope that made you laugh. As this definition states, “Swagger is not to be confused with cockiness.” When you walk into a gym you can usually pick out the athletes with swagger and self-confidence. They are calm, cool, and collected. When they are in a WOD they are calculated and focused. They’ve created a plan in their mind before going into a workout and they are executing that plan. During a warm-up this person gets to business, methodically going through movements and mobility work. This person maintains the mindset, “I’m well-prepared and I am going to do the best that I can.” Even when this person feels nervous or anxious, they remain focused and calm and allow that small amount of stress to propel them and not negatively affect their WOD. Many of the movements we perform in CrossFit require attention, composure, and finesse, and athletes who have “the swag” are better with these things, therefore making them better CrossFitters.

Whether you are at your home gym or in a competition setting, show your swag: carry your head high, remain confident in your abilities, and hold yourself to the highest standards. If you have done all you can do to prepare for an everyday WOD or a major competition, all there is left to do is create a plan and execute it. Quiet that voice in your head if it’s negative or, if it’s positive, let it talk you through your plan.

“I can do this, I will do this, I want to do this.”

Just a reminder: Don’t be like this guy…
Fast forward to the 4-minute mark of this video and you see Ronnie Teasdale bounce the bar off the ground before the clean. The head judge, who happens to be female, walks over to call a no-rep and he continues to bounce the bar off the floor. If that wasn’t enough, he pushes her out of the way, then ghost-rides the bar in her direction on his last rep. This is horrible behavior by someone who thinks he has swagger but is clearly just a arrogant bastard. Bad sportsmanship, no matter how good an athlete you are, is unacceptable. Hey Ronnie, take your jorts and take a hike.

Please post comments here, or to Facebook! What do you do in order to maintain your self-confidence, your swagger, and your sportsmanship?