The Label Says Paleo

Hey Gang,

This will be a very helpful link during the 30 day Paleo Challenge... Check it out:

http://thelabelsayspaleo.com/

Ray

The Aftermath of My 30 Day Paleo Challenge (Crystal Nelson)

Crystal Nelson

My 30 Day Paleo Challenge is complete and I partook in my first cheats this weekend! Yay, fun right? Ok, I will readily admit that my first bite of icecream was, simply put, heaven. However, 5 more bites in, I started to feel like I had just drank 2 martinis and was having trouble focusing and even talking. Driving was becoming questionable, but after a while, I became coherent again. That was really the only bad reaction I had, which makes me hopeful that a little bit of dairy is going to be "ok" with my body. We'll see as I continue with my cheats every once in a while.

My next test was grains with gluten. Eeek. I was honestly scared of this one. As expected, my body didn't like those little nasty, non-digestable creatures. Although the french toast was delightful and again, heaven in my mouth, I felt pretty awful afterwards. It wasn't long before I had curled up back in bed for a nice long mid-day nap. I awoke to a feeling of grogginess and a bloated belly. Ugh. Not fun. Did I enjoy eating the french toast? Yes! Do I want to eat that more than once a month. No.

All in all, my 30 day challenge was life changing and eye opening, even to someone who was already convinced of eating Paleo. Was it hard.. you bet! But, eventually you start to get comfortable with turning down what society thinks of as normal foods.

I have to share with you my trip to Whole Foods last night. They had a deal where if you bought a pound of turkey you got cheese, bread, and apples for free. I skipped on the bread and went to checkout. The cashier and bagger questioned why I didn't want my free bag of bread. They seemed shocked when I said that I don't eat bread. Why? My Paleo discussion came out to everybody that could hear. Maybe that encouraged somebody to go home and start their own research on what food we are designed to eat. I hope so.

I challenge each of you to start your 30 days TODAY! Don't worry about needing to plan or go to the store. Start it now, this minute. If you choose to have everything perfectly planned, you will never do it. There is no need to start after an event or after you finish off your last bag of whatever or etc, etc, etc. The time is now!
Crystal Nelson

Basic Food Matrix *not all inclusive

This is a must see:

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs013/1102527957444/archive/1102630731282.html

The Paleo Diet Explained

Paleo anyone???

The Healthy/Fuck off Scale

Today, I read some scientific studies on the effects of caffeine. It seems that caffeine elevates insulin levels and encourages insulin resistance, which goes against the idea of doing a lower-carb, low GI/GL Zone/Paleo IF diet (designed to moderate the insulinemic response to food).

That may be true - the studies are numerous and relatively consistent in their conclusions. But allow me to share with you where that falls on my Healthy/Fuck Off Scale.

To further explain:

Foods that are very Healthy, and that I agree have many Health benefits, are low on the Fuck Off scale. (Example: You tell me spinach is very Healthy. I love spinach, and I concur with your analysis and therefore eat lots of spinach.)

Blog suggestion

Check out this site:

This will help you during the 30 day Paleo challenge

http://cfscceat.blogspot.com/

Ray

This week!

Hey Gang,

I hope you have been researching the Paleo Diet... instead of asking what can and can't I eat, I am giving you the responsibility to look it up on your own... I do not know what you like and dislike in terms of food... you can put together meals by picking out what you can eat... this is a challenge, and I'm telling you... IT IS NOT GOING TO BE EASY... I don't want you to wimp out becaue you travel, have kids, don't have time, etc...
IT'S A CHALLENGE... Step up your game and I promise you results... Remember I will not hold your hand through this... You are adults and are in control of you decisions...

If you are reading this I suggest becoming a follower of this blog... you will responsible to post comments and encorage each other during this 30 day challenge... I will keep you posted on the start date...

Ray

What is the 30 day Paleo Challenge

Are you up for the challenge??? 

What is the 30 Day Paleo Challenge?

Simply, The 30 Day Paleo Challenge will help you LOOK, FEEL and PERFORM BETTER.


Look, because of today’s food industry, the chance of all of us to suffer from the deadly effects of Metabolic Derangement and Hyper Insulinism is almost unavoidable. Proper Nutrition is the foundation for the way our body functions and performs.


Competition and Accountability will give you the motivation to do the best you can.

If you are looking to see how much your body can change in just 30 days, this is for you, And the standards are set in such a manner that anyone can win it - as long as you follow the program and support each other.

ADDENDUM: If you're reading this "buy-in" to the 30-Day Paleo Challenge. It will be starting soon.  So don't let the fact that you missed the start date stop you. Join in the fun. Start posting to comments about how your eating and cooking are going, any questions you have, etc.

Never Quit!

In July of 2008 she was involved in a serious motorcycle crash that nearly took her life and left her partially paralyzed.

Now, she's fighting for normalcy –– her new self.

Blunk, 20, of Gig Harbor, has overcome challenges most people can’t imagine, even in their worst nightmares.

After three major surgeries, many of her doctors said she would never walk again.

“The doctors never said anything good,” Blunk said. “They either said I was never going to walk again or they said nothing at all. Nothing positive.”

But Blunk has different ideas.

“You go home in a wheelchair and you see all your trophies and everything around you. Everything that you used to do,” she said. “It was really hard.”

But people started telling her that she was strong. That she was a motivation and an inspiration.

And it sunk in.

30 Day Paleo Challenge

OK people - here's how the 30 paleo challenge is going to work: you are going strict paleo for 30 days - no cheating. It's only 30 days - you can do it. Your body needs this time to adapt to a new way of eating, and changing habits takes about 3 weeks as well.

I'll keep you posted on the start date.

The rule sheet is below - please post your questions and comments below. Read the rest of this blog for more information and recipe ideas. I will be adding posts on a regular basis so come back often. Remember to check in daily- good luck!


If you need extra motivation/information please read this post about a 30 day paleo challenge by Melissa at Whole Nine. This challenge was last summer - read throught the post and also the comments by participants at the bottom - there is tons of great info here.

Be… Purposeful...

Even if it's not a particularly fashionable one, get yourself a purpose for this day, for this month, for this year, for your life. And be sure it's an authentic purpose, or there's really no value in following it.

Ray

Learning More About Omega-3 Oil

Fish oil, omega-3 oil, omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are all rapidly becoming household words, as we are hearing more about them in the press. Not too long ago, a recommendation of omega-3 fatty acids would have been met with a blank stare.




But the benefits of fish oil are plentiful and it turns out most of us just aren't getting enough omega-3's for our health. Be aware though, that all omega-3's are not created equal.


"... many of the foods you find at the supermarket are supplemented instead with alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), the type of omega-3 found in nuts and flax seeds. Cardiologists believe it does not have the same benefits, because the body does a poor job at converting ALA to EPA. 'There may be differences in effectiveness,' says James Stein, head of preventive cardiology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. So if you are buying a supplement for the heart benefits, make sure it contains EPA or DHA and not ALA."


http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/omega-fatty-acids-lifestyle-health-hear...

"The finest gift you can give anyone is encouragement. Yet, almost no one gets the encouragement they need to grow to their full potential. If everyone received the encouragement they need to grow, the genius in most everyone would blossom and the world would produce abundance beyond the wildest dreams. We would have more than one Einstein, Edison, Schweitzer, Mother Theresa, Dr. Salk and other great minds in a century." ~ Sidney Madwed

My hands

Hey Gang... I know hand care is an issue with our training... I just want you to check out how someone else cares for their hands...

"There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through encouragement from someone else. I don't care how great, how famous or successful a man or woman may be, each hungers for applause." ~ George M. Adams

Ray


Taping your hands for pull-ups from CrossFit Los Angeles on Vimeo.



How to take care of calluses on your hands from CrossFit Los Angeles on Vimeo.

Photos?

Hey Crew,

If you have some pictures of yourself in action I'd like to post them on the blog...

E-mail them to me..

Ray

WODs this week

Workout #1:
"Cindy"
AMRAP 20 minutes
5 pull-ups
10 push-ups
15 air squats


Workout #2:
AMRAP 20 minutes
Deadlift 3
Burpees 7


Workout #3:
Part 1
Run/Row 1000m
21-15-9
Front squat
Back extentions
Run/Row 1000m


Part 2
3/4 rounds of:
(Supine grip)
5 pull-ups
1 weighted pull-up/ negative pull-up

"There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come about through encouragement from someone else. I don't care how great, how famous or successful a man or woman may be, each hungers for applause." ~ George M. Adams

Stop Being Content and Become Great

Stop Being Content and Become Great

Posted by DClaiborne on April 7, 2010, 2:41pm

PUNCH BEING CONTENT IN THE MOUTH

That’s right. If you don’t and that content feeling starts to take you over then you have already failed. It is as simple as that. Do you follow the same mundane routine day in and day out never noticing the results or what is going on around you? If you don’t have the passion and motivation to set and more importantly reach goals then you are never going to succeed in anything you try to do. This goes for everything… not just in the gym.

No matter what happens in life or in your training, if you live outside your comfort zone then nothing can knock you off your game. Sure things might knock you back a step or two, but you are the type of person in which problems and other negative things just bounce right off of because you are used to being outside your comfort level.

Far too many people I know fit into this “comfort zone”. Why? Because it is easy. They go to the same job day in and day out never thinking about getting promoted, never asking for a raise, and never looking for something better out there. They eat the same places, do the same workouts, and get the same crappy results they have become accustomed to.

Nutrition Info

The Paleo Diet is a way of eating in the modern age that best mimics diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors - combinations of lean meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. By eating the foods that we are genetically adapted to eat, followers of the Paleo Diet are naturally lean, have acne-free skin, improved athletic performance, and are experiencing relief from numerous metabolic-related and autoimmune diseases.


Learn how to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, arthritis, acne, gastrointestinal disease, autoimmune diseases, and more. On recommended websites,  you’ll learn the latest science and practical scientific tips that will lead to optimum health and performance. This truly is the world’s healthiest diet.

Paleolithic Diet

The Paleolithic Diet ("Paleo" is a common abbreviation) is based on eating foods that our Paleolithic ancestors ate. The "Paleolithic" refers to the Paleolithic Age, which is a formal time period on Geologic Time Charts from about 2,500,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. The premise is that during the Paleolithic, we evolved a specific genome that has only changed 0.01 per cent in these last 10,000 years. However, during this recent time span mass agriculture, grains/grain products, sugars/sugar products, dairy/dairy products, and a plethora of processed foods have all been introduced as a regular part of the human diet. We are not eating the foods we are genetically and physiologically adapted to eat (99.9% of our genetic profile is still Paleolithic); and the discordance is an underlying cause for much of the "diseases of civilization", "syndrome X", obesity, and "diseases of old age" that are so epidemic in our society today.

Check this out

Don't you wish this happened after every work-out?

Taking fitness elsewhere

We apply functional fitness for life, esthetics, and performance. The great thing is when functional movements are unconsciously applied to situations in our lives. Such as, carrying groceries from the car, lifting something from the ground, placing or moving something overhead.


I feel good knowing that you are training for LIFE.

Ray


Check out Robin!

Box jumps are fun & functional!

Battling the Mind (Breakdown or Breakthrough)

Battling the Mind (Breakdown or Breakthrough)

Posted by MiguelGarza on April 13, 2010, 10:58pm

Breakdown or Breakthrough? I’ve found that these are the two results of a CrossFit workout. Oddly though, these results aren’t a product of the workout, but rather a mindset established before the clock starts. Breakdown is the little guy in your head that tells you it’s too heavy, it’s too difficult, it’s too exhausting, or it hurts too much. Breakthrough is the little guy on your shoulder that tells you “I’m going to finish today, I’m going to try my best, and I’m not going to give up!”

Through observation and learned experiences, I’ve found that training the mind is just as important as training the body. This is because the body can only do what the mind allows it to do. Sit and think of a workout that you felt you could have done faster, or with more weight, and I’m sure you can remember the moment where you decided mentally that you weren’t going to push it. I know it happens to me every time I workout, I think to myself, why am I putting myself through this pain. The answer to this question determines how I finish.

Is CrossFit Hardcore?

CrossFit doesn't look like your workout. No, it doesn't.

There are no '3 Sets of 8.' Not a single 'triceps kickback' to be found. And while we have lots of novel exercises to 'work your core' and 'improve your stability,' we prefer to teach you to move better in your own skin than stand you on a blue-pimple novelty and watch you quiver.

We make big claims: that we create an elite level of fitness. That we get you places you've never, ever, ever been before. That their workout is our warmup. To back those claims up, we have to do movements that are efficient, challenging, and get you far more bang for your buck than a selectorized machine ever could.

A clean and jerk, for instance: once a staple of the workout crowd, and a fundamental lift for improving your grocery-carrying and storage, is banned from nearly every 'fitness club.' For all the wrong reasons, too: it requires coaching, chalk, and the occasional drop of a barbell from overhead. Knowledge plus cleanup plus noise? Not an option if your teenage 'personal trainers' have to learn it all in a two-day course.

But a clean and jerk is a big lift, requiring a lot of energy. From a purely mathematical standpoint, it's four times as challenging as a bench press. If it seems scary, it's only because you haven't seen it around much - or have you? Lifting your bike onto your roof racks - that's a clean and jerk. Storing your Christmas lights on the top shelf - that's a clean and jerk. Doing it in the gym first just makes you break fewer bulbs. And fewer backs.

Regional 2-for-1 Ticket Price Information

$50 dollar registration fee nets two wristbands for Regional EventsThere is a $50 charge for spectators, which gets you two wristbands for the entire event. This means you will be able to get one other person in with you. That second individual will need to be with you when you check in at the registration booth at the entrance to the Event Center the weekend of the Regional Games. There is no on-line registration needed for the second person. Onsite (Sunday only) individual, single day passes will be sold.

This weeks WOD's

Workout #1:
AMRAP 20 minutes:
10 DB cleans
10 push-ups

Workout #2:
5 rounds of:
7 push jerks
300m row/run

Workout #3:
"Filthy Fifty"
For time:

50 Box jumps
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press
50 Back extensions/Superman
50 MB cleans
50 Burpees
50 Double unders/ 100 jump rope

The key to living a life of All Results with No Regrets is to Expect More and Execute Better.

Why do I Crossfit?

In 2005, Ben Lunak was with 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines, India Company in Iraq. On Feb. 25, he was sent to secure a damaged Humvee, and after leaving the wreck, his own transport hit an IED. Ben was catapulted off the road and sustained severe injuries.

He was transported to Camp Ramadi, where he was stabilized with a direct pour of blood from a comrade. After waking up, Ben was shocked to find that his severely damaged leg had not been amputated, and he made the decision to have it removed to speed his recovery.

Ben has been CrossFitting at CrossFit Southwest for about six months and finds that memories of fallen friends sustain him during the workouts. He also believes CrossFit helps him face any challenges he encounters.

“I go to CrossFit. That’s mainly my therapy ... . The workouts sometimes are just miserable. You just keep going. Every time you finish, they make you feel like a million bucks. Every time you’re like, ‘Shit, if I can do that, I can do just about anything.’”

On March 27 and 28, Ben competed in the San Diego/Arizona Sectional. In an inspirational, determined performance, he completed every workout and placed 80th out of 103 competitors.

Additional reading: Improvising, Adapting and Overcoming by Maj. Andrew Thompson, published May 19, 2009.

Leadership

Leadership

What Sets Great Leaders Apart

Shaun Rein, 04.06.10, 11:50 AM EDT

They have better attitudes in the most important way.

More from Shaun Rein

The Goldman Sachs Foundation recently invited me to share some thoughts about leadership with a group of Chinese university students who had been named Goldman Sachs Young Leaders. As I prepared my remarks, I thought about the bosses, coaches, teachers and other people who had most inspired me in my life. Did they have common personality traits that made them great leaders? I thought about billionaires like Sergey Brin and Larry Page, the founders of Google, and Steve Jobs of Apple. Can we learn from them? Are they good leaders?

What is good leadership? Is it about making stock prices grow, year after year, as Jack Welch engineered at General Electric ( GE - news - people )? Is it about creating a vision and a five-year growth plan? Those are all important, but they are not what true leadership is.

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YAHOO! BUZZ

True leadership is about bettering the lives of the people around you. That is a simple idea, but far too few people follow it. Too many executives get caught up in making money at any price.

The Prowler

"I hope that my achievements in life shall be these—that I will have fought for what was right and fair, that I will have risked for that which mattered, and that I will have given help to those who were in need; that I will have left the earth a better place for what I've done and who I've been." ~ C. Hoppe

March Madness

Superstars





I love you guys!!!!

Ray

Hydration and Performance

One of the most overlooked nutrient is water. Maintaining good hydration is critical to health and exercise performance. Preventing occurrence of kidney stones, urinary tract infections, constipation, hypertension, gallstones can helped by taking in adequate amounts of water. Performances in anything we do, from the shake weight to burpees, are affected by amount of water intake. As little as 3% loss in body weight due to exercise or heat exposure, results in decreases in cognitive functions such as concentration, performance/coordination, short-term memory, alertness. Furthermore, endurance power is affected at over 3% loss and decreases in strength and power occur around 7%. If we are already in a dehydrated state, then we will reach this numbers quicker. Our performance will suffer. Let’s prevent this from happening to you.

Confidence

Confidence is generally described as a state of being certain either that a hypothesis or prediction is correct or that a chosen course of action is the best or most effective. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself. Arrogance or hubris in this comparison, is having unmerited confidence--believing something or someone is capable or correct when they are not. Overconfidence or presumptuousness is excessive belief, in someone or something, succeeding, without any regard for failure. Scientifically, a situation can only be judged after the aim has been achieved or not. Confidence can be a self-fulfilling prophecy as those without it may fail or not try because they lack it and those with it may succeed because they have it rather than because of an innate ability.

In our training everyone has a point of self doubt... the mind is a powerful tool... It could make or break situations in your work-outs, but most important your life... In extreme cases it could cost an individual their life, the game, or mission, but for us it may be a missed lift, not making a personal record (PR), or inability to push to the next level... 

I am here for you in the time of doubt... Success is always in font of you... you just need to trust yourself and reach for it!!!

Check out this site:

http://www.mindtools.com/selfconf.html

"He who stops being better stops being good." 

~Oliver Cromwell

Event Details for Northeast Regional Qualifiers

Event Details for Northeast Regional Qualifiers

General Information

Event Information:The 2010 North East Regional Qualifier, in Albany, New York.  This is our opportunity to show the rest of the world that the North East is training hard and ready to dominate the sport of CrossFit!  There are 65 competitor slots for the men and 65 slots for the women.  All of the Individual Athlete spots must be qualified for at one of the two Sectional Events that are held in our Region.

The North East Regional Qualifier will be a demanding 2 1/2 day competition designed to find the three fittest men, women, affiliate teams and masters competitors to represent New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island in Aromas California at the 2010 CrossFit Games.

Event dates are as Friday, May 21st - Sunday, May 23rd. It is mandatory, for all participants and staff to complete check-in and registration on Friday May 21st between the hours of 12:00pm and 8pm.  An early mandatory Friday check-in and registration has been added for Affiliate Teams and Masters competitors. Additionally, a mandatory staff meeting, including Event Judges and Volunteers will be held at 7:30pm on Friday.

This week's workouts

Workout 1:

"Badger"

Three rounds for time (30 minute cap):

30 Squat cleans

30 Pull-ups

800m Run/Row

Workout 2:

AMRAP 20 minutes (outside?):

50 Jump rope/ 25 double unders

10 Burpees

10 rounds of Tabata run

Workout 3:

"Nancy"

5 rounds for time:

15 OHS
400m

Running?

Coach Mike Walker, Milwaukee Endurance Running Club. When your coach has a life changing story along with incredible run technique, and a passion for teaching, amazing things are going to happen. Keep an eye on this team, Trust us!

"Success with money, family, relationships, health, and careers is the ability to reach your personal objectives in the shortest time, with the least effort and with the fewest mistakes. The goals you set for yourself and the strategies you choose become your blueprint or plan. Strategies are like recipes: choose the right ingredients, mix them in the correct proportions, and you will always produce the same predictable results: in this case financial success." 

~ Charles J. Givens

Out growing "The GYM"

Would you train in a box?

• Yes?
• Maybe?
• NO?

View Results
Create a Blog Poll

COMMENT WHY?

I am interested on who would train in a unrestricted training facility???? The location is local Park Ridge, NJ....


Please leave comments on why you may or may not...


Ray

What is a block?

"Insulin and Body Weight" with Dr. Scott Connelly, a CrossFit Journal preview video [wmv] [mov]


What Is a Zone Diet Block?

One Zone diet block contains 1 mini-block of each macro nutrient: carbohydrate, protein and fat. But they don't weigh the same.



1 mini block of protein = 7 grams

1 mini block of carbohydrate = 9 grams

1 mini block of fat = 1.5 grams

Seven grams of protein, 9 grams of carb and 1.5 grams of fat form 1 Zone diet block. One block of Zone food offers a balanced 40-30-30 ratio.



With the Zone diet block method there's no further need to count each gram of macro nutrient. Dr. Sears and other zone nutritionists offer ready-made lists of the weight of one block food. For example, we know that 1 oz. chicken breast equals 1 block of protein, 3 cups of cooked broccoli is 1 block of carb, and 1/3 tsp. olive oil equals 1 block of fat. To create a 4 blocks Zone meal we just have to multiply quantities of each macro nutrient by four.

Happy Easter!

Have a grat easter with your family & friends... Enjoy the weather and time spent with your loved ones...

Ray

Why Zone?

Why It Works

Silent inflammation can prevent anyone from reaching their optimal fitness levels. It’s silent inflammation that makes it difficult to lose those last 5-10 pounds. It’s silent inflammation that decreases physical performance during training and competition. The primary cause of silent inflammation is many of the most common foods we like to eat. This is why the best fitness program or training routines will never provide optimal results unless matched by an anti-inflammatory dietary plan that helps controlsilent inflammation.

Why Does Salad Cost More Than a Big Mac?

Why does a salad cost more than a Big Mac? Part of the reason is that a huge proportion of our food subsidies go to meat while only 0.37 percent go to fruits and vegetables. That makes meat and dairy artificially cheap, so we end up consuming more of it than we should, and getting fatter.



Read more: http://www.good.is/post/why-does-a-salad-cost-more-than-a-big-mac#ixzz0jzZYLMR7

Make it a family affair

Mixing the family, fun, and fitness... Why not???? Let us change the future for our youth...


Ray

"To exert one's mental or physical powers, usually under difficulty and to the point of exhaustion."