Nutrition

So if nutrition is so important... what do I eat?

"Lean meats, fish, colorful veggies, nuts, seeds, some fruit, and little starch. No sugar, no dairy, no gluten."

Glutens = breads, grains, pastas etc

Boom. It is that easy... ready. GO...

Just kidding. We'll throw some helpful links here. I'll also put up some information on supplements that I use.

First, watch these... music is pretty annoying for them so mute it and just read.

Eat paleo (paleolithic era). Eat like a caveman. If a caveman couldn't eat what you are about to put in your mouth then don't eat it. Simple as that.

So we know what to eat. We'll all be ripped in no time! Right? Unfortunately, it is a great start but not quite that simple. You can still eat too much, or not enough, or not the right foods at the right times. How do we govern that? We follow the Zone Diet.

There are 3 macronutrient food groups:

1) Protein - eggs (the whole egg people! yoke has all the nutrients), fish, chicken, turkey, red meat

2) Carbs - Veggies, fruits (I'm fruit free in 2012 though) & everything else from Oreos to alcohol... they are just lousy carbs and you don't want to eat them

3) Fats - Nuts (they aren't all created equal. stick with almonds, walnuts, and macadamias. stay away from peanuts), seeds, avocados

You need all 3 at every meal and in the right proportions and ratios. We call these proportions "blocks".

1 block of protein = 7g of protein

1 block of carbs = 9g of carbohyrdate

1 block of fat = 1.5g of fat

So if you are a 4 block male like Mr. Russ you need 4 blocks x 7g of protein = 28 g protein, 4x9 = 36g of carbs, & 6g of fat. I've actually upped my fat because I have found it gives me more energy.

This 'zoning' is NOT set in stone. You start somewhere and must experiment to find what works for you. Trying to lose weight? Lower your fat intake. Tired or sluggish? Up your fat (fun fact- people under 10% body fat actually use fat as their first energy source instead of carbs). Trying to pack on muscle? Up your intake across the board.

I try to eat 5 meals a day. Three 4 block meals and two "snacks" at 2 blocks a piece. Snack one right after I work out and one before bed. Giving me 16 blocks a day.

It's all summarized here: library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/cfjissue21_May04.pdf

We want you to think of food and nutrition as the fuel to your body. When you eat you should not feel full. You should feel like you are charged up and ready to take on a WOD.

My take on the organic vs regular aisle? Simple. In = Out. What you put in your body is what you will get out of it. I expect my body to be the best it can be at all times. Therefore it gets the best or I am shortchanging myself. It would be like putting 87 octane in your car when it needs 91.

Supplements

A lot of people ask me what steroids I take so here we go. My steroid lineup...

Fish oil (the WD-40 of your body): Stick with high quality Omega-3 fish oil, no 3-6-9 blends. The goal is to bring your Omega 3, 6 and 9's back into balance. Most people get enough Omega 6 and 9 from the food they eat, which is why we need to supplement with Omega 3 to keep the balance. Look for one with an EPA/DHA ratio ~3:2. Take 3-5 grams of EPA/DHA every day. I take two of these, three times a day with food:

http://www.amazon.com/Life-Extension-Omega-3-Lignans-Softgels/dp/B002ZFPBZC/ref=sr_1_2?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1328107387&sr=1-2

Creatine: 2 pills immediately after working out

http://www.amazon.com/GNC-AMP-Amplified-Creatine-tablets/dp/B0029SAD44/ref=sr_1_4?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1328107454&sr=1-4

ZMA: 2 pills just before I fall asleep. Must be taken on an empty stomach

http://www.amazon.com/Performance-Zinc-Magnesium-Aspartate-Tablets/dp/B001KYUC1M/ref=sr_1_3?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1328107502&sr=1-3

Protein: 1 scoop a day with choco milk

http://www.amazon.com/Optimum-Nutrition-Platinum-Supercharged-Strawberry/dp/B002ZHREGO/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1

Chocolate Milk: 8 ounces a day immediately post wod with the strawberry whey. tastes like a milkshake... so good

http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/milk/chocolate/

Sweet potato & Chocolate milk = the perfect post workout snack.

I was a huge supplementer in high school and college when I was lifting for baseball. These are simply the ones that worked the best for me so I have kept up with them. Single most important thing though is drinking crazy amounts of water. Without a gallon+ or so a day all these extras are for not. Constant water is annoying though so mix in seltzer and teas. No sugar is the key to all this. Your days should be filled with AMRAPs of water and fresh brewed teas.

REMEMBER!

Supplements do not magically make you stronger. They let you recover faster so you can spend MORE time in the gym. You only get stronger when you sleep and rest. We tear our muscles down during the day and our body rebuilds them while we sleep. Not seeing gains? Break up with us for a few days... Take a day or two off and come back.

Disclaimer for all this stuff:

Every BODY (I'm talking individual bodies here) is different. Everyone has their own chemistry and science experiment going on inside of them. So what works for me might not work for everyone else. Fitness is a LIFELONG pursuit and you will learn about what works for you and what does not simply by trial and error. This is a great starting point though; J has hopped on board with this regime and he will definitely tell you he is less sore and can work out 5 days a week with it.

Soon we will get a 30 day paleo/zone challenge going at the gym. If I can show you all what 30 days strict feels like you will have a great baseline to experiment with on your own from there. When you deviate from the baseline you will see how your body reacts and if that deviation (cheat) is worth it the next time.

I know it's all a lot to throw at you and reading isn't always the best way to learn so once we get some whiteboards up and bleachers I'll schedule a nutrition seminar/Q&A for you all to pepper me with questions. Once we get that done... We'll do the challenge month. Just like what Mr. & Mrs. Chan did at their gym up in Denver.

journal.crossfit.com/2011/05/vervefoodchallenge.tpl

Other links if that wet your appetite (ha!):

The CrossFit Journal is your friend!

journal.crossfit.com/2009/08/diet-inflammation-and-disease-part-4.tpl (watch the series)

www.zonediet.com/

drsears.com/

I hope you all have a thousand questions. Ask us.