Weekend Re-Cap

Wow, what a weekend! Congrats to Rich and Annie on being crowned the Fittest on the Planet! It was amazing to see not only these two athletes, but all of the competitors give 100% of themselves to the workouts. Again, big congrats to these two.

I had a great opportunity to talk to many of the athletes while at the games. Many things were unique about each individual, but the sense of community that was present was unbelievable.  You don't find in sports where opponents are cheering each other on. Not only would an athlete cheer on his/her fellow CrossFitter once they finished a workout, but they were rooting for each other DURING the workout! Amazing.

 It was extremely interesting to talk to the athletes about what they do outside of the gym. Many have regular day-to-day jobs: Firemen, teachers, nursing students, PhD programs, and obviously, gym owners. The fact that these guys/gals still manage to train the way they do is inspiring. That inspiration is obvious in how it has carried over in everyone else's life as well. For those of you that train at our box, have you noticed the intensity this week? It's INSANE! That desire to be an elite, next level athlete is more real than people realize. Let's keep this going! Now is the perfect time to turn up the intensity, and more importantly, dial in your NUTRITION.

Speaking with the athletes at the games, almost all of them agreed that nutrition was more as if not more important than training. "Working out is the easy part" is what Nick Uranker, 3rd place at the Central East Regional and 2011 Games Competitor, told me. "When you workout, you can just block out everything for 15 minutes. Even if you're working out 3 or 4 times a day. You're eating the rest of the day, everyday. The hard part is making sure you're getting enough vegetables in."

I couldn't agree more. This is where supplementation comes in for many of the athletes. The understanding that Phytonutrients are important was a common theme. Phytonutrients are nutrients derived from plant material that have been shown to be necessary for sustaining human life. Phytochemicals are non-nutritive plant chemicals that contain protective, disease-preventing, compounds. Their role in plants is to protect plants from disease, injuries, insects, drought, excessive heat, ultraviolet rays, and poisons or pollutants in the air or soil. They form part of the plants immune system (http://www.glyconutrientsreference.com/whatarephytonutrients.php)


So, how do we get Phytonutrients? Well, unless you plan on eating an obnoxious amount of fruits and vegetables (and by obnoxious I mean by the pound), you need to look into god, high-quality, natural supplements. Many of you know that I take the Multi Double-X, want to know why?!?!?! Not only is it an all natural, pharmaceutical-grade multi vitamin, multi mineral, but it is also a PHYTONUTRIENT (make some sense?). Over the next month, I will be talking more about Phytonutrients, and ways that you can make your life better. After all, what's the point of putting in all that work if you're not getting 100% in return?

2 Bud Lights?!?!?!

Tomorrow! It's finally here! The 2011 Reebok CrossFit Games. It's going to be an EPIC event! Athletes started arriving early yesterday, with last night being the athlete dinner. Graham Holmberg, Rob Orlando, Mikko Salo, Dan Bailey, all the heavy hitters are there. And how can we forget about the women! Kristan Clever, Lisa Shiu, Katie Hogan, and of course, Ms. Jaime Gold!

Speaking of Kristan, the big buzz around the dinner was that the 2010 Games Champion had 2 Bud Light bottles with dinner. The amount of Facebook chatter went off the charts when the picture surfaced. Numerous people (clients and non) sent me messages asking about alcohol and training. It was an uproar.

Calm down, people. It's 2 beers. First of all, in the grand scheme of things, 2 beers (especially for an elite athlete such as Ms. Clever) is not going to kill you. And secondly, and probably more importantly, I highly doubt that last years champ has left any room for question as to if she knows what she is doing. I have no idea as to how Kristan's training and nutrition coordinate with each other. Many of the top level athletes swear to nothing that isn't Paleo. On the same hand, you can find probably just as many that eat whatever they want, just with a more observant eye to the moderation (more of a "Zone" friendly plan). And every now and then, you will find that athlete (cough, cough, Dan Bailey), that can be caught having a cookie (or 2) the week before the games.

I am not a person that is saying it is good to put alcohol into the training regime. However, relax. Watch the Games this weekend while sitting back and cracking open a beer. It will not be the end of you. I won't be drinking during the games, but not because I think it will add .00005 seconds to my "Fran" time.

Here we go!

Hey Guys!
 So this blog didn't really last much longer past the Paleo challenge. Which, speaking of, everybody did AWESOME! Congrats to the Jaime Felty, Justin Murphy, and Matt Parker on taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd place!

 So we are going to start of a more consistent blog on not just nutrition, but what we're going to call "Life Fuel."  We all know that food is our fuel, but our attitude towards life (including food) plays as big of a part of our "diet" as other things.

So, here's to you! Can't wait to start this journey! Here is a great way to start!

Thank you to Sarah Johnson from Albany CrossFit for this awesome recipe!

Banana AWESOMENESS

30 Day Paleo Challenge

What? - A 30 Day Challenge to see how good you can look/feel/perform by changing the way you eat

Why? - Seriously?

Where? - CrossFit New Albany

When? - We will be meeting May 8 at 6:15 PM at CFNA. The challenge starts May 9

Cost? - $35 per person
            Why does this cost money?
            The Paleo Challenge is more than simply changing your eating habits. At the meeting, we will be going over many different things. Such as: * Nutritional Choices, Grocery Lists, Meal Plans, Gluten/Soy/Dairy Intolerance, Glucose Levels, Supplements, Omega-3s, and much more! You will also be receiving a one month supply of Nutrilite Omega-3 Balanced Health. And besides, look how much a one-on-one costs anyway :)

We will be meeting 2 weeks into the challenge to see how people are doing. What worked, what hasn't. What's been hard/easy. And (the best part) to compare recipes!

Sign up at CFNA BEFORE the May 8 meeting. Make checks out to Keith Simon.

This is not limited to just members of the gym. If you have friends, family, spouses, kids, co-workers, whoever you know that wants/needs a nutritional change, bring them (same cost per person).

You work hard in the gym, make your body work just as hard outside of it.

How we look vs. How we feel

Go ahead, call me cocky, but I like the way I look. I've worked hard to be in the shape I am, so there.  Take it or leave it (just had to state that first).

Then, tell me why some mornings I feel like this guy?!?!?!

How we take care of our bodies before and after we workout is just as important (actually, it's more important) than the actual workout.

There are a few things to keep in mind that will help with recovery:
-) Getting in a good pre-workout "meal" is important. about 1.5-2 hours prior to working out, make sure you have some fuel in your system. Sometimes this can be difficult with your schedule, so high quality bars are also a good option if you're in a pinch.

-) Drinking plenty of fluids (water, sugar free beverages) throughout the day is very important. Your really can't get enough water, especially just after a workout. At minimum, aim for at least half of your body weight (in ounces). i.e.) A 200# person should try to drink at least 100 ounces of water each day.

-) I have seen great results when I use a post workout Recovery Shake. Immediately following your workout, your body is CRAVING the things you just took away from it. REPLENISH YOUR BODY. I have had great results with the Nutrilite Quick Recover Drink. I also pair it with the a teaspoon of Vanilla Protein Powder.

-) When I go to sleep, especially after a really taxing workout, I wear my recovery tights. Compression pants work as well. It really makes a big difference when I wake up in the morning.

-) STRETCH - FOAM ROLL - LAX BALL WORK - EMBRACE THE PAIN

-) And last but certainly not least..........FISH OIL. I can't express enough how important this vital Omega 3 is for you. The more the merry! I suggest beginning at least with 3g/day. Personally, I take between 9-15g, depending up on the week of workouts. Ocean Essentials Balanced Health is a great place to start.

AVOID THE BS

SAVE $$



Here is a great article on how to save some cash at the grocery store and still get the food you NEED.

YUM!

Here is a delicious recipe from The Zone Diet

PASSSSSSTTTAAAAAAA