Nutrition Talk

Today the Crossfit Gym (I know it is called a "box" but I'm not on that level in my mind yet...) had a talk about nutrition. I didn't really feel like getting off the couch but I figured it would do me some good to get outside again today. So, I went...

First I just have to say my body is programed to sweat whenever I am in that building.

The talk started with us writing down what we ate yesterday and rating it. Yesterday was Saturday and most don't have great weekend eating habits. So we were given the option of writing down Friday. Ummm... so Friday was what we call a "build day" where the kids spend the whole day working on their projects and as teachers it is one of the few days we get fast food for lunch. Friday's pick was KFC. Not a proud moment but it was tasty. That also led to a lot of napping yesterday and some poor food choices. Today I'm doing a little better but the one thing I learned today is that I have got to stop lying to myself. I can't say I still eat pretty healthy. Since this summer I have had some struggles on the diet front. It started with everything leading up to having the ALCAT test redone. Things have to change.

So this talk today went through a lot of information but not extremely in-depth. It is all stuff I have heard before but needed to hear again. The owner of the gym has her PhD and is a registered dietitian. She has been doing this for awhile and is a woman after my own heart; she looks at things from a scientific point of view.

To start with she mentioned all athletes need a healthy diet (Duh...) and that we were all athletes, she knows this because we show up to Crossfit. WAIT, what?! I have NEVER thought of myself as an athlete before. I did color guard in high school and a little in college. I've never played a "sport" or anything that most would consider to be athletic. I would like to have the "athletic" toned body but never have I thought of myself as an athlete. This is a whole new lens to view myself through...

Macro nutrients: fat, proteins, and carbs, were the main part of the talk and she stressed the Paleo diet. Not as a "diet" or anything but more so as an analogy for clean eating. Pretty much to her Paleo means eating things that haven't been processed to a degree. She also mentioned figuring out what YOUR body needs and reacts to. Not everyone HAS to go dairy free or give up grains. The key is to eat food that isn't as processed. Paleo also tends to be higher in protein, moderate in carbs and healthy fat intake, dense in macronutrients, and a better balance of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids when compared to the "average American diet."

Included was a list of foods to avoid and why:
grains- have anti-nutrients (?), inflammatory, carb-rich but nutrient poor
beans- have anti-nutrients, inflammatory, carb-rich but nutrient poor
gluten- inflammatory and damages the gut lining
dairy- inflammatory, good at making baby things get bigger (unless you're wanting mass gain you probably don't need it)
refined sugars- inflammatory, causes swings in blood sugar, can be addictive
alcohol- see refined sugars
processed foods- crammed with chemicals, preservatives, extra sodium and nutrient poor

Until this summer I was doing good with avoiding the above with the exception of rice. I need to get back on the wagon and cut out the junk I have been eating. With the help of the ALCAT I already know what foods my body doesn't tolerate. Now I just need to get back within the "good diet" guidelines.

It was also mentioned that the Whole30 and all the diets who say they take 30 days have science behind them. Studies have shown that 30 days is the ideal time to see changes take place in gut health and other changes in the body based on food changes.

Things I already knew but she went over some of the pros of cleaner eating:
-to be healthier
-to perform better
-to aid in recovery
-steady energy
-mental clarity
-increased muscle mass
-increased strength
-better immune response
-fat loss
-improved mood
-decreased inflammation
-faster recovery
-better sleep

The idea of being "fat adapted" as something that happens when your body is used to burning fat more than it is burning carbs. You still eat carbs but your body is more reliant on the long term break down of fats rather than the fast energy. It helps to balance out a lot of different functions in your body. So a 30 day run of something like Whole30 can actually get your body into a "fat adapted" state.

I had never thought of it like that before.

Signs that you're fat adapted include: less hangry episodes, you don't have intense carb cravings, steady energy throughout the day, you burn the fat you eat rather than store it, metabolic flexibility

Then came the timing piece. This part I was really interested in because I have been trying out intermittent fasting. Pre-workout meals should be 15-75 minutes before a workout, endurance workouts should include a snack, and a post workout snack/meal 15-30 minutes after a workout. If you're fat adapted you can do fasted training. (That's kind of what I do!) Fasted training helps your gut feel better and taps into your fat stores if fat adapted.

It will take 2-3 weeks to adjust if you're coming from a crappy diet. Drink lots of water and suffer though, it gets better on the other side.

So, I'm going to try to get back on the clean eating kick. Step one: cutting out processed sugars. First I will stop eating candy. Not proud that I downed a whole bag of sour gummy bears the other day... I still have some yogurt that is sweetened and delicious... but I'm not buying any more. It will be difficult with Halloween coming up next weekend, but it can be done. I have done it before!

Drink more water...

Some Thoughts

A lot has been going through my head lately and I wanted to share it all! :) But I will try to pace myself...

I ran a 5k this weekend! Sunday morning was the Hot Chocolate 5k in Downtown Denver. It was a great morning and after a week of not working out (minus Monday) it was wonderful to get some exercise. I managed to run the whole thing!!!! That's right... I ran the whole thing after being sick and not doing any exercise for about three weeks. My average pace was around 11 minute miles. 36:57 was my time according to my timing chip. I'm getting better without even running!

But, I still am missing working out. So, this month a facebook friend is having a 21/90 day group of ladies to encourage each other to keep on track with a goal. It has to do with the idea of taking 21 days to make a habit and 90 days until New Years. My goal is to get back to Crossfit 3 days a week. It seems if I get back into that habit then the other two days a week of exercise falls in place and I'm up to 5 days a week. It is also easier to keep the diet in check when working out on a regular basis. Sleep and schedules are usually easier for me to deal with too. So today, after a 5k yesterday, I woke up early and made it to the gym. :) Tomorrow walking may be an interesting task.

Diet... So I have discovered some things about diet. First, did you all know that butternut squash is really delicious? AND easy to make? I grilled some up this weekend and it was so tasty. I went and got three more from the store because they are on sale 2 lbs for $1. Chobani flips are also delicious. They make a pumpkin pie one that I would eat all day long if I could. Today I had the PB&J one that is also delicious. Yogurt and I are having a love affair right now. My goal is to cut out sugars again... I did it for the two weeks before so I know I can do it again... but for right now I'm good with no sweets and eating sugars in my food within reason.

Now I am so sleepy I could probably go crawl in bed for the night and be fine. Part of me is tempted to and just wake up extra early to get school stuff done. I could get up at the gym time and ride my bike to school tomorrow. Then I could go to bed now and be fine. I always bring home work to work on and never get around to doing any of it. My brain shuts down early in the evenings and nothing ever happens. This is why I workout in the mornings.

So far I'm in a much better mood than I have been and worked out today. :)