“Christine”
Monday 02/23/2009
“Christine”
3 rounds for time:
Row 500m
Deadlift x 12
Box jumps x 21
If you are working toward level 1, use 1/2 bodyweight for the deadlifts and the 14″ box. If already level 1 or above, use bodyweight for the deadlift and the 24″ high box.
Beginners Class Skill Focus: Deadlifting with weight. Wednesday night Beginner’s Class will be focused on working through the Level 1 Skill levels.
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There are other ways you can improve your diet besides just paying attention to what and how much you eat. Digestion and absorption of nutrients is enhanced when you slow down and take the time to chew your food thoroughly. Many people in our modern, rushed world only chew once or twice, then down the hatch! Digestion starts with saliva and mastication. You may suffer bloating and indigestion from rushing your meals This will impair recovery from exercise, not to mention that you won’t be feeling your best.
Besides taking the time to chew your food, try to avoid multitasking while eating. Research shows that different areas of our brains are active depending on the task. Trying to do several things at once may seem like a good idea, but the conflicting messages end up creating confusion and leading to lower quality work. In the case of eating, your digestion will be impaired if you are busy driving or stressing out over the nightly news. Focus your attention on the meal – you’ll enjoy it more, receive more benefit from it, and will end up eating less.
Workout, Eat, Repeat….
3 Rounds for time:
10 Front Squats
25 Chest to bar Jumping pullups
Use a weight just under your 10RM
Jumping pullups are not a sub.
Afterward:
Accumulate 90 seconds in an L-sit, and
perform 50 PVC OH squats slowly – focus on maximizing the shoulder stretch. Alternate as needed.
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Here is a recipe to take advantage of the great Apple-Cranberry Sage Turkey Sausages available at New Seasons right now. Once they run out for the season, the Marsala Fig Sausages should still work nicely.
• 3 Apple-Cranberry Sage Turkey Sausages
• 1 small acorn squash
• 2 slices of red onion
• 1 tsp thyme
• 10 cups of mixed greens
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dressing
Halve, seed, and chop the squash into 1″ chunks. Saute the squash in the olive oil over medium heat, covered. After 10 minutes, add the red onion and the sausage, sliced into bite sized pieces. Toss often. Add the thyme. Once the squash and onion are soft, and the meat browned, serve atop a bed of the mixed greens. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
What About Shakes and Smoothies?
Here is a question that I get sometimes: what about shakes and smoothies? Are they part of a good diet? A recent flyer by a local grocery chain extolled the virtues of protein smoothies, but are these concoctions really all that they are cracked up to be? Let’s look a little deeper….
You can easily find studies showing that subjects had better blood sugar control and less hunger following a breakfast smoothie compared to a standard breakfast. Sounds good, right? However, you have to look at what they were comparing to the shakes – a Standard American Diet (SAD) style processed carb-fest of cereal and low fat milk, for example. No surprise that some fruit and protein gave better blood sugar control than a breakfast such as that! However, is that the best we can do? Not even close.
The blood sugar levels induced by a drink of blended fruit and chemically pre-digested proteins are still quite high. Living in nature, it would be virtually impossible to ever spike your blood sugar like this. If we look at shakes in this light, we can see that they are not something we should be eating if optimal health, athleticism, or longevity is our goal.
Liquid “food” will always lead to poor insulin/blood sugar control and all of the associated problems of fat gain, decreased recovery, and poor digestion. Very few individuals will take the time to “chew” their shakes, so the first stage of digestion gets passed over. Also, anytime that food is juiced or blended, the blood sugar response is greatly increased compared to simply chewing and eating the whole food.
Post workout shakes have the same problems. Many lean CrossFitters who eat a fairly strict Paleo/Zone type diet have noticed fat gain around the midsection if shakes or smoothies of any form are added to the diet! Though there are a ton of studies showing that concoctions of fast digesting whey protein and maltodextrin replenish muscle glycogen quickly, there will still eventually be a price to be paid for spiking blood sugar so high. Newer studies are starting to show that whole food recovery meals are actually superior to shakes.
With all of this dismal info, does this mean that shakes are never advised? If the carb content is kept fairly low and they are used infrequently, they can be helpful when pinched for time. I will make a breakfast shake a couple of times per month. The recipe varies, but here is the general gist:
1/2 cup blackberries
1/2 to 3/4 cup coconut milk
1 Tbsp almond butter
few leftover stems from kale or similar vegetable
cinnamon
carob powder (for a chocolate flavor)
~ 25 grams of egg white protein powder
water as needed
Blend and enjoy! The carb content is low (~1.5 blocks), it has no dairy, and it has some natural fiber. This shake won’t spike your blood sugar too high, or leave you starving in a few hours. If you try this, slow down and take the time to “chew” your shake so that saliva has a chance to do it’s digestive job!
Avoid the popular chemical and fruit loaded gut bombs – and your health, recovery, and fat loss efforts will be rewarded.
Larb
My new favorite summer Thai dish of late is Larb (pronounced more like “Laap”). Lime, mint, shallots, ground chilies, and other flavors combine into an epic paleo-friendly meal. Traditionally eaten with sticky rice and your hands (a bit of rice, dab the larb, heaven), most restaurants will also provide a side of cabbage leaves or romaine to make laap wraps. Best Larb in town: Kesone Thai. In fact, some of the best “atypical” paleo-friendly Thai dishes I have ever had. I am always available if you want to visit Kesone and would like menu consultation 
I tried this recipe on line and it turned out great! So easy to make too. Just fry up the ground meat (traditionally pork) and put into a bowl. Add seasonings and veggies until flavor is to your liking. For instance, I used much less lime juice then recommended. Curious to see how it tastes with some fish oil(omega-3’s) added to it. The recipe already calls for fish sauce so the oil might not conflict with the other flavors. Oh, there is usually a bit of toasted rice in Laab. Kesone makes it with toasted brown rice and it adds a crunchy texture to it that I like. You can always ask the owner/chef to forgo the rice!
A Summer Salad
Here is an easy summer salad idea. I tossed this together for an end of the hike meal this last weekend, and it hit the spot.
Toss arugula, frisee, and red leaf lettuce in a bowl. Add thinly sliced strawberries, steak cut into bite sized pieces, chopped green onions, and pine nuts. Sprinkle on some herbes de provence, then add balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Enjoy!
Most of these ingredients can be found easily at Trader Joe’s. Check out the first installment of my Paleo shopping guide featuring Trader Joe’s on my blog here.
What Do I Eat for Breakfast?
A very common question I get when people try to switch to a Paleo/Zone style of eating: what the heck do I eat for breakfast!? I understand the confusion, since in our culture, breakfast usually means a processed carb-fest. However, you will have to buck the popular culture somewhat when it comes to breakfast. Remember, if you want a different result than the norm, you will have to do things differently than everyone else!
There are two ways you can go about this, and I recommend a little of both. The simple one is to get used to eating foods not traditionally thought of as breakfast in the morning. This can really save time if you happen to have leftovers. The second option is to cook your protein and vegetables in a breakfast style. I’ll touch on this a bit more here.
Above is a meal I threw together recently. It’s different than anything I’ve cooked before, but very similar at the same time. I use a basic formula to create simple, nutrient dense breakfasts.
1) I start by selecting a protein source. Today, it was smoked salmon (Trader Joe’s, specifically) and omega-3 eggs. Leftover meats work really well for breakfasts.
2) I then select some vegetables. I often use what I have on hand, using a variety if I have time. Today was diced onion, grated zucchini, chopped celery, spinach, and garlic.
3) Add your fat as needed. I used only a teaspoon of coconut oil today, as the salmon and eggs contain a fair quantity of fat. I add more cooking oil (usually olive oil or coconut oil) if my daily fat needs are higher. Remember, fat is your primary source of fuel.
4) Finally, the spices. This will really make the difference in your meal. With different spices, this very same base recipe can be quite different. In today’s case, I only used sea salt and fresh ground pepper, as the smoked salmon gives it a very good flavor already. Here are several spice combinations that you can try: add soy sauce (wheat free tamari) and sesame oil for an Asian flavor. Add tomato sauce, basil, and oregano for an Italian dish. Cumin, chili powder and oregano for a Latin meal. Curry powder and ginger for an Indian flavor. Countless spice and herb combinations are possible, expand your horizons and try new combinations. Depending on what you use as your protein source, some spice combinations will work better than others. If you want to give the meal a more traditional breakfast flavor, chopped bacon or ham will work well.
To make the breakfast above, add coconut oil to a large skillet. Saute the chopped onion, then add the zucchini, celery, and spinach. When the vegetables start to become soft, add the salmon. Cook for a couple of minutes more, then add your eggs and crushed garlic. Toss until the eggs set, then serve. Top with a dash of sea salt and pepper. You have a quick breakfast that is nutrient dense, won’t send your blood sugar soaring, contains plenty of omega-3 fats, and does not contain a wallop of lectins to inflame the gut.
Another tip is to bulk cook, making a large enough batch so that you have leftovers for the coming mornings. This can really save time in the long run.
There are other possibilities for a Paleo breakfast, such as hot nut cereals and grain free pancakes. I cover some of these in Cooking for Health and Performance.
EVENTS
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