Happy Halloween!

The rain set in, the kids didn't show up, and now, you have a mountain of candy at your disposal. What are you going to do with all of that sugar?

Questions about one of our core products at CrossFit St. Louis

Many have asked, "What is HMB and is it safe?" What about HMB+Creatine, is that a hormone?

Here are a few answers from Blonyx:

Paleo Awareness Challenge

by:  Leeny Hoffmann

 I've had a lot of people ask me lately if we were going to do a paleo challenge any time soon.  I'm guessing people are in the same boat that I have been lately, getting lax with their nutrition as the summer goes on. 
The good news is that I will be doing an informal Paleo Awareness Challenge starting Monday July 8th.  This will not be as strict as the Whole30 that many of you have done, but will still employ the same structure of a paleo diet, with occasional indulgences at your discretion.  That's why I'm calling it the Paleo Awareness Challenge.   This is a great way to "get your feet wet" and get a feel for what paleo nutrition is all about especially for those of you looking to enhance your CrossFit efforts.

For all the details, please visit my blog PaleoCurious at http://www.paleocurious.com/1/post/2013/07/the-paleo-awareness-challenge.html.
I've outlined how to take your own pics and measurements and will continue to lend support to anyone who wants to try this paleo thing out.  If you want to keep up to date with what I post, consider subscribing to my feed.
Also, for more tips and recipes, please go to Project Paleo-STL on facebook and "like" that page.  It's such an easy avenue for sharing info.
Finally, I will also be doing some guest blogging on Melissa Hurley's awesome blog called "Get it! Get it! Girl" so be sure and subscribe to her blog as well.  We will both be around the gym to answer any burning paleo questions you have or you can comment here, inbox me on Facebook or email me.

Get Back On The Wagon

 by Leeny Hoffmann

You were so good.  You conquered the paleo challenge and you ate good quality, nutritious food for 30 days.  You planned your menus, cleaned out your fridge, hit the farmer's market and prepared for tricky situations that might tempt you to stray.  You did something you didn't think you could do and you were proud of your efforts.
But then...it happened.  The thirty days were over and life got in the way again.  Old habits stealthily crept back into the daily routine.  Things got busy and you lost your focus.  You fell off the wagon, and it ran over you.
Guess what?  You can pick yourself up, chase that wagon down, and hop right back on.  You just have to decide to do it.  There are no rules and no judgement.  Just a personal decision to make an effort to eat quality, delicious food that maintains your gut health, keeps your hormones in check, and reduces inflammation.  Does it have to be perfect every single day?  Not unless you have some severe health issues that require a super strict approach.  Come up with a livable plan.  Maybe it's "stricter" paleo during the week so you can let your hair down on the weekend.  You might anticipate an upcoming week where you know you will be up to your eyeballs with work and thinking about food is just another thing on your plate. (Yeah, it was a bad pun...)  If that's the case, plan ahead and keep it pretty clean the week before so you are prepared to handle the dodgy week later.  But no matter what, make a commitment to yourself.  Keep it simple and work to string meals together that follow an evolutionary template that we know works and makes us feel better.  The wagon will always be back for you...you just gotta hop on it!

(For another perspective on paleo eating, here is a blog post from PaleOMG.   If you haven't read her stuff or tried her recipes, you're missing out!!)

CrossFit Open and Fueling

by:  Leeny Hoffmann

It's CrossFit Open time and everyone is looking for a way to edge out the other competitors.  Whether it's getting more sleep, mobilizing, or re-doing a wod to get a few more points, we all want that good number next to our name when it comes time to getting scores posted.  For many of us, we know we aren't going to the games...but still.  It's all about bragging rights, right?

Well you can redo Karen till you're blue in the face, but who wants to?  Not me.  I could hardly walk down stairs for three days after that wod.  Actually, I'm still trying to recover from LAST year's version.  But one thing I can do is focus on good nutrition, especially during the 5 week open period.  What  a great time to tighten things up and get the most out of our nutrition so we can go hard and recover quickly.

In today's post, I'll show you a few snacks and easy things you can make that will ensure you're getting the right fuel in your tank.  Many of these suggestions are simple to prepare and portable so you can slip them into your gym bag to devour on the way home during that post wod period where we are all a little more insulin sensitive.

 

Trader Joe's Mashed Sweet Potatoes

 These sweet little gems come frozen in little "pucks".  Five pieces offers 80 calories, 15 net carbs, and 2 g protein.  This is the perfect recovery food because when broken down, it is made up of glucose rich starches that will directly replenish muscle glycogen.  Throw a few in a baggie and when class is over, they are ready to eat.  Add a few pieces of rolled up turkey and you've got some protein and carb all ready to go.

 

Paleo Pumpkin Granola                                                                     

 

This recipe from PaleOMG is amazing.  You can find it here http://paleomg.com/pumpkin-granola/ .

This is an assortment of nuts including sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, pecans and dates blended with tasty spices and pureed pumpkin.  Easy to throw in a bag and nibble on after class.  Beware, it is addicting.

Easy Tuna Salad

If you have some paleo mayo on hand and a hard boiled egg, this takes 5 minutes to throw together.  Chop a piece of celery, a pickle, and a hard boiled egg together and put in a bowl. Add a drained, 5oz can of chunklight tuna in water and a few tablespoons of paleo mayo and stir to combine.  Season with salt and pepper.  A five ounce can of chunk light tuna has about 20 grams of protein and if you add the egg, you are looking at about 26 grams of protein and good fats to help you recover.  This would be good after a strength workout.  Throw it in a portable plastic container or have over greens for lunch.

Sweet Potato Chews

 

If you've never made these, then now is the time to try them.  These are from the Whole9 website and you can find the recipe here:  http://whole9life.com/2010/10/stm-pwo-sweet-potato/ 

It takes a little effort on the front end, but once you make them, you will find that they are delicious and chewy in a sweet potato jerky kind of way.  I'll bake 8 potatoes at a time and when I slice and re-cook them, I like to use parchment paper.  They don't stick and they brown up nicely.  Throw a few pieces in a baggie and you have a great snack after your wod.

Egg Cups

 

Here is another portable snack you can make ahead of time for grab and go eating.  These are baked egg cupcake fritatas and you can find a good recipe here at Everyday Paleo:  http://everydaypaleo.com/egg-cupcakes/ 

I found this great cupcake pan at Sur la Table. It is a metal pan lightly covered in silicone so nothing sticks.  It is my new all time favorite pan and I pitched all my others.  These puppies dropped right out.  Bake a dozen of these up and have one or two waiting for you when you finish your workout.  They are loaded with good things like pastured eggs, spinach, sausage, zucchini or whatever veggie calls you.  I change it up all the time.

Get busy and do a little prep work ahead of time.  Your properly refueled muscles will thank you.  Or, you can always re-do Karen.

2013 Paleo Challenge Results

What do you get when you cross 33 motivated learners with 30 days of strict paleo eating?
A successful paleo challenge, that's what!  We began our nutritional odyssey on January 15th and wrapped up our Whole30 on February 13th, the day before Valentine's Day.  In that time, our participants had to keep their diet free from grains, dairy, legumes, all sugars, alcohol, and artifical sweeteners and withstand the temptations of the Superbowl buffet and Fat Tuesday.  But they prepared well and stuck to their guns and the results were nothing less than stunning.

A few stats:

People who came in for before measurements:  33
People who came in for after measurements:  25
Total lbs lost from the group of 25:  220.4 lbs
Avg lbs lost:  8.8
Total inches lost:  114 3/8
Avg inches lost 4.6

This dedicated group began their journey with the Paleo Expo and Kick Off Seminar where they learned the fundamentals of the paleo diet.  Required reading during the challenge included It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig as well as the many blog posts,  articles, and emails that I forwarded to them during the month long challenge.   Group members motivated and encouraged each other through recipe and paleo tips posted on the Project Paleo facebook page as well as through emails within the group.  Every single person in the challenge moved in a positive direction either with weight loss, inches lost, or improvement in biomarkers of disease and quality of life.

To me, the most gratifying part was seeing the lightbulb go off in peoples' heads and realizing that they were finally "getting it".  They put theory to practice with lots of trial and error in the kitchen as well as the gym.  They noticed messages that their bodies were sending, that had gone unnoticed before.   They realized what a huge impact food made on their overall well being, and they liked feeling good.  While I truly believe everyone came out a winner after the 30 days, there were a few standouts. To choose a male winner and female winner (and runner ups), I looked at both objective and subjective measures (percentage bodyweight lost, inches lost, before and after pics, and essays).  There were so many close calls and it was hard to choose...really hard.  But here's how it all shook out...
     Top Caveman:  Donald Johnson
      Runner up:      Adam Storm
     Top Cavewoman:  Sydney Saito
      Runner up:  Heather Pfeifer

Prizes included:  Trader Joe's gift certificates, Feed Your Vitality gift certificate, an assortment of local, quality meats from MAC's local buys, supplements including Vitamin D3, fish oil, digestive enzymes and other digestive supports courtesy of Dr. Adam Hughes, coconut oil from Tropical Traditions, paleo cookbooks, and Trader Joe's dark chocolate bars.

We wrapped up our challenge with a paleo potluck at my house this last Friday.  Everyone bought tasty paleo treats that we all got to taste and share.  I am sooooo proud of every one of you for your dedication and your willingness to give this a try!

Kassie and Marissa enjoy great food from the paleo offering table.

Jalapeno poppers courtesy of Adam Storm.

Marla and Marissa look on as Bob helps himself to Southwestern Pulled Beef and  Chipotle Cole Slaw.

 (Pulled Beef and Slaw recipe can be found at PaleoCurious)

 

BEFORE AND AFTERS  

This athlete lost 8.2 lbs and 7.2 total inches, mostly from her waist and belly button.  The side view shows a much leaner physique.    This is after 30 days of strict paleo.                                                                     

                                                         

                                                                    

The next picture is the difference in one year.  Over this time, this athlete has lost over 20 lbs and many inches.  She continues to experiment with new recipes and has added Crossfit into her routine as well.  Not only does she make goals for herself, she acts on them and attains them.  Always reaching higher!

This set of pics was taken 6 months apart.  This athlete started crossfit in about July 2012, and began layering on the paleo nutrition shortly after.  The before is from 8/12 and the after is 1/13.  Dedication and persistence.

 This next athlete didn't really need to lose that much weight, but his goal was to lean out and begin to gain muscle mass.  This is from 30 days of strict paleo.  He is naturally gifted with good genes, but with a little effort, he was able to drop stubborn inches from his waist, moving toward the goal of washboard abs.  (We all have abs...we just need to get through all the insulation to find that 6 pack!) You can tell that his nutrition is starting to make a difference.

Finally, a few words from the recent paleo "graduates"...

--> "Two primary benefits have come from the experience.  The most important is that because we involved our children in the experience, a unified meal time has become a priority.  I’ve had many more fulfilling conversations with my wife and children in the last month than in previous months where meal time was fit into whatever activities our children were involved in.  Also those meals have been much more creative and diverse.  We’ve had a variety of fish, roast beef with parsnips, turnips, and carrots, chicken stirfry, and salads with a variety of experimental homemade dressings.  The second benefit is of course the better health.  I’ve had to shift to a smaller belt size, my clothes are loose, and I’ve had several comments at work."  -Donald

"I also learned how important the food I eat is to my health. Just hitting it hard in the gym won't get it done. At least not for me. Food is what makes the difference for me. I had already made exercise part of my routine and have now learned how to incorporate nutrition into my life. "  -Adam  

--> "After the last challenge, I stated that I had not had the “aha moment” that I expected I might have had while on the Whole30.  After reflecting I actually had my “aha moment.”  My moment didn’t come as an improvement of a health problem, but rather with the knowledge I’ve gained while on this journey.  I read label even more and I no longer purchase food in boxes or pre-made meals that are frozen and oh – so convenient to zap in the microwave.  The best part is all of the great food I cook. As much as I enjoy going out to eat, I would now much rather cook and have dinner at home.  I have also found my new favorite thing to do . . . I thoroughly enjoy perusing the aisles of Whole Foods, Local Harvest, Global Foods, and Trader Joe’s looking at all they have to offer – I have been know to spend three plus hours, just making my “circle” beginning at WF and ending at Global Foods." - Angie
There were many more great essays and thoughts put to paper.  All in all, this was an amazing group of individuals looking to better their health and learn a few new strategies for improving health and longevity.  They consistently inspire.  So proud of all of you!
leeny

Diet Trumps Everything

You've been diligent about getting yourself to the gym.  You work out hard and you've gotten stronger.  You love this thing called CrossFit and you have a hard time imagining life without it.  Your body is responding favorably to the physical stressors you've forced it to adapt to.  You've moved in a positive direction for the past few months and then somehow, things start to plateau.  You can't seem to lose those stubborn love handles or the jiggle in your booty, no matter how many times you do Fran.  The great progress you were making has come to a standstill and your back squat hasn't budged in over 2 months.  What gives? 

For many people, they haven't layered in the nutritional aspect of fitness.  They've figured out how to get things done in the gym, but undo everything with their poor food choices.  I want everyone to know this powerful statement..."Diet trumps everything".  If you are trying to change your body composition and are working out but not paying attention to how you fuel your body, you won't see the results you are looking for. Whether your goals are performance oriented or you're looking for fat loss, you need to consider what you eat.  Only then will you really start to see your true potential.

As we wrap up our 2013 Paleo Challenge, I am in the process of doing after measurements and photos.  I've only measured a small portion of the group so far, but the success has been stunning.
And most of them told me it was their diligent adherence to the paleo diet that gave them the body comp changes they had been looking for.  The video above doesn't mention paleo but they are speaking the language.

Want a change you can see AND feel?  Dial in your nutrition and hit your CrossFit workouts hard.  That's a combination that's hard to beat.