Whilst taking communion this morning I was thinking to myself “this totally isn’t paleo.” How ridiculous is it that whilst I am remembering the atonement I am more mindful of the food rules that I placed on myself. I thought it would make for an awesome satirical introduction to a blog post on how our restrictive behaviors can become distractions from some of the more important things in life. My thoughts were right on because a few hours later a question actually came in exactly to that affect:

“Do communion wafers and wine set me back to 0?” -Scott

That is awesome that folks are so committed to the cause but at the same time we have to look at the bigger picture. It isn’t about the points. It is about the change. Are we making good choices 85. 90, 99% of the time? If the answer is yes than we can certainly afford to step outside of the box from time to time. This is especially true when those things involve traditions that carry more weight in our lives than anything that takes place in the gym. At the same time though don’t let traditions that are magnificently unhealthy persist for the sake of tradition. It is time to let ice cream only Sundays die out.

Monday February 20th there will be no 5 and 6pm class. 6am O lifting is over. It is time to buckle down for the CrossFit Open. If you haven’t signed up for the Xplore CrossFit team there is still time. You may not want to go to the CrossFit games but that doesn’t mean that you can’t throw down with yor local crew and see how you stack up against CrossFitters worldwide.

Team captains are fielding a lot of questions and it is great. I am excited how involved folks are getting. I am also jazzed about the support people are offering to their teammates. Winning, points, good days, and bad are just a part of a process of self exploration in the arena of food and nutrition. This is not about the points. It is about you learning some things about the things you eat, your relationship to them, and how they are affecting your body. 90 days is short relative to your time on the planet so far and for most of us(excluding Jan) it is short relative to the time we have left. In fact I hope that you take some things away from this challenge that extend the good years you have left.

One of the things that has been coming up a lot is potatoes/sweet potatoes. Are they in or out? Good or bad? Is one better than the other? Here is the deal. They are in. Peel them, cook them long and slow, eat them, enjoy them. They have some good stuff in there. The challenge with potatoes in my opinion comes from several fronts. For many of us the cooking method is the problem. Frying makes them oh so delicious but it adds oh so much unwanted crap into the equation that it leaves me wanting a better choice for you. For others the problem lies with the accoutrements. Without sugar, dairy, and grains many of us are left with an unappealing spud on our plate. So many sauces, and other accompaniments are sugar laden and therefore out of reach. Lame. My thing with them is the poor relationship between density of carbohydrates and density of life extending, performance enhancing, ass shaping nutrients. When you put any sort of potato in a head to head contest against just about any other bright colored vegetable you will find that calorie for calorie potatoes are bringing much to the table in terms of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and prettiness. It is so easy to chow down on a big serving of potato anything. Consider though that you will consuming 3 times the carbs of a similar serving of brocolli as well as missing out on a boat load of fiber and other cancer fighting awesomeness. So yes or no? It is totally up to you. What I am encouraging you to do is choose the best thing for you as often as you possibly can.

I have added a response from Rex to her team because it offers some helpful info. None of the names were changed in order to shame the guilty or protect the innocent. Depends on how you slice it.

From Rexy’s Noggin:

Hello ALL!  So we just had our weekly morning trainer meeting and I wanted to make a few points of CLARIFICATION:

1. Almond Milk -  I was wrong Dail.  Almond milk is okay.  As is Hemp milk. Still NO SOY.  They must be UNSWEETENED Plain, but yes.

2. Potatoes – They are low on the food spectrum of choice – specifically WHITE potatoes (b/c we are racist) so though they will not earn you a 0 for the day they are not the preference. And if you can make sure you TAKE THE PEAL OFF.  Seriously.

3. Nuts – yes you can eat them.  Just try not to go (heh) NUTS on them.  I notice I feel better when I don’t have too many, but that is me.  For balancing your O-3/O-6 count – macadamias are actually best. If you are giving up legumes NO PEANUTS here is a great article on peanuts:  http://whole9life.com/2009/12/peanut-manifesto/

4. Honey – NO.  If you are giving up SUGAR. HONEY IS A NO.  As is any sweetner. The point is to get your body to stop having the response to sweet.  I am going to write more on this, but NO. No. NO.

5. Fail Safe Judgement – REMEMBER the REASON we are doing this is not to game the system.  BUT – to make you more awesome, to make you feel better, and live longer, and get healthier.  Hence these rules.  So a rule of thumb when confronted with a choice is to think of these 2 questions:  Is this a High Quality Food?  How close is it to real food?  There are some deli meats that are NON-FOOD, but then there are others that are a solid choice – with just meat and no additives.  Look for those options.

This will be an individual as well as team challenge – so if you chronically cheat you aren’t just letting yourself down! Your team captain will be contacting you to let you know who is on your team and where to keep track of your progress. And now for…….

THE RULES.

Each day you will keep track of your total food points. There will be five levels. The first three levels are grains (this includes beer!), sugar, and dairy. Each of these items is worth 2 points. You must cut out all three of these groups in order to be eligible to log points from the top two levels. The top two levels are legumes and alcohol/caffeine. They are worth 1 point each. Therefore, if you were to opt for full paleo, the maximum total points for each day is 8.  You will choose at what level you would like to participate at the onset of the challenge. For example, if you commit to no grains and no sugar your maximum daily points for the first 30 days is 4 points per day. You may adjust your daily point goal at 30 and 60 days if you choose to. I know it sounds a lot like weight watchers but there is a very important twist. We are badasses and we are going to be even badder asses by the time this whole thing is over. There won’t be any public weigh ins and shame circles if we can avoid it.

We would like to see a minimum of at least 4 points from everyone. If you can only stand to eliminate one group from your diet we request it be grains or sugar. These will make the largest difference. If you eat any of the items you have committed to eliminate you will receive 0 points for that day, even if you only eat one prohibited item. Again, 0 points for the day if you cheat. If you have questions about what is allowable ask your team captain or any one of the trainers – we are here to help you succeed!

We will be doing testing in the gym every 30 days to track performance improvements. The 5 tests are 5k row, 300FY, 100 push ups, 50 pull ups, and 1 min AC. Points will be awarded for PRs. There will be other bits of godness along the way to score additional bonus points.

TO GET STARTED

1. Decide what level you want to participate at and tell your team captain. (Choose anything you want as long as it is 4 or higher)

2. Fill your fridge with paleo deliciousness

3. Be awesome
Our sincerest hope and expectation is that you see real change through this. We encourage you to take the first 30 days as a true and significant test of your will. Work one level up from where you think you will be comfortable. The rewards will surprise you.

Our Paleo challenge starts next week. As Rexy alluded to in her post, breaking potentially lifelong eating habits will inevitably be challenging. Convenience, knowledge about what food to eat and fatigue all play roles in what we choose to put in our mouths. But after we settle into these new habits and adopt tricks for making things easier, what once seemed like such a pain will start to become second nature. So, in an effort to help everyone through the first stretch of the challenge some of our resident paleo experts are sharing what works best for them.

Acceptance. You‘re going to be that person for a while that asks what is in everything at restaurants, makes copious substitutions and modifications, and demonstrates an iron will to avoid tortilla chips and fresh bread. Your friends might not understand why you’re being so silly and heckle you along the way. Just know it is worth it and there are at least 50 other people in your gym alone that are doing it right along with you.

Breakfast. Rexy says Eat it. Eat it with fat. Eat it with meat. Eat it early. And it will help SO much to stave off cravings.

Develop easy go-to meals. A basic meal that keeps Mark Cogan sane is some kind of meat (a steak, chicken, lamb chops, etc) with some green veggie (spinach, asparagus, broccoli, etc). To keep it to one pan and maximize the yummy meat flavor, he likes to cook the meat first (often in coconut oil), then while it’s resting, throw the veggies in the still-hot pan and use them to mop up the fats and juices. Most dark greens only need a minute or two to soften up a bit; throw them on the plate next to the meat and you’re good to go. And the pan is pretty clean, too.

Get to know your spice rack. Cyndy makes the same meat new again with a different herb and spice mix. Don’t be afraid to use a lot.

Snacks. Emily finds it essential to always have snacks on your person or nearby (in your pocket, purse, man satchel, desk, car, random nooks & crannies at Xplore) in case you get hungry and can’t get to anything paleo. Things she likes to have with her are: Larabars, almonds, macadamia nuts, fruit, beef jerky – anything that can keep without refrigeration.

But not too many snacks. Jordan recommends letting yourself be hungry every once in a while. Not a gut wrenching dreaming about food way but put down the chips and wait until dinner sort of way. There are some good internal processes that accompany our natural huger response.

Cook in large batches. This is perhaps the most important one for me. You’ll find eating paleo tends to increase the amount you cook at home. There will be dishes, epic amounts of dishes. To reduce this, follow Mark’s great tip above about a single pan meal, and cook enough food at one time for several meals. Soups and crockpot dishes are great options.

Have fall backs when you don’t feel like or have time to cook. According to Emily, Whole Foods will literally cook ANYTHING for you if you buy it. Bacon, eggs, chicken beast, steak… pretty much anything your heart desires. If you’re on the go, Mark suggests the Jimmy John’s Hunter’s Club Unwich, no cheese, no mayo, add onions, avocado, peppers.

Finally, we leave you with a list of websites that provide further insight on living a paleo lifestyle. If you have any great tips to share with the rest of us on what you have found most helpful about eating paleo please post them to the comments!

www.robbwolf.com

www.everydaypaleo.com

www.growinguppaleo.com

www.marksdailyapple.com

www.whole9life.com

www.theclothesmakethegirl.com – Lots of recipes!

I want more. Within my vision for Xplore CrossFit and the goals of all of the athletes here I have discovered my vision for myself as an athlete. I am going to the CrossFit games.

I am eating, sleeping, and training with this goal in mind. I would like your support in whatever capacity you can offer. This does not change who I am as your trainer. It means that there is and will be a clear delineation between JHo as athlete and everything else. I would like you to value my goals as I value yours. When I am in the gym as an athlete l want to maintain the focus that I expect every athlete here to maintain while they are training. Your support may be merely to stay out of my way at times. This too is an offering I will receive with gratitude. Consistency, tenacity, and humility will mark my path. I will succeed, but only with the foundation of my community supporting me. When I do succeed it will be with an integrity that provides God, my family, my friends, and every member of Xplore CrossFit an opportunity to be proud and honored to have been a part no matter how small. I am still here as your trainer. I just want to pursue my personal fitness goals in the same space alongside you. Let’s achieve incredible things simultaneously.

What always gets me when I leave any sort of event like this is just how fired up everyone is to change themselves and everyone else around them when they leave. During the lunch break everyone goes to whole foods and judges each other regarding their food choices. Understand that this is already a group of fanatics and this is like the underground super nerd camp at computer camp so there is only so much room for change. With them that is. Not for me. When I am in California, Arizona, or Nevada I refuse to eat anything but 4x2s from In-N-Out burger. This leaves me with plenty of room to change. This is only half true. The piece about be fired up to save the world is completely true. You walk out of there with his renewed conviction that people are killing themselves and if they don’t listen to you they are idiots and maybe they deserve to get diabetes and gout. With this attitude we lose so many opportunities to help folks.

The grace and truth balance is a constant tension that we must fight as we seek to serve those we care about. The grace element of meeting people right where they are without judgment can be a challenge. The truth piece of not leaving them there is also hard for many. Both are important.
I think of my own parents who have so much to gain from what I know but aren’t ready for all of it. In fact they are ready for very little of it. It is a process though. No disrespecting where they are right now but I certainly won’t leave them there. There is too much at stake. I have to keep trying but always remembering that they have full ownership over their choices. Good or bad my first role is son, or friend, or co-worker whatever the case may be. They didn’t hire me. They didn’t as me and even if they did I must remember that they are at a different place on the journey than I am.

Who is in your life that could benefit from what you know but isn’t ready for all of it yet? Are you trying? Remember it is an offering of grace and truth. Meet them where they are but don’t leave them there.

Hello friends and welcome to Paleo Challenge 2012.  Get ready. Get excited. Some of you know Paleo and you may be like, “Paleo? Bahhhh… old hat!  We’ve been chums for decades (well, a year, I mean at least 10 months…okay a solid 5 days…)”.  While others may be like, “Paleo-who? What is this craziness you speak of … ? Have you heard about the new flavor at Top Pot? Triple-death to the Nth Degree, amazing!”.  I remember the first time I heard about “Paleo” or the “Caveman Diet” and I rolled my eyes.  The word “diet” strikes a chord so deep in my heart that makes me want to stab my eyes out with dull spoons.  It’s visceral. That said, it took me a while to warm to the idea of Paleo, but warm I did… and now I am a metaphorical bonfire.

So.  What is Paleo?

In brief, Paleo is whole food.  Real food.  High quality meat, veggies, some fruits, and nuts. No grains, dairy, or legumes.  No processed food. The point of Paleo is to get you eating nutrient dense food.  Think about that.  Mull it over.  While we are in the thick of this challenge and you are faced with a food option… before asking the question “Is this Paleo…?”  Think to yourself… is this item full of nutrients (naturally) that will make me AWESOME…?

In truth, Paleo is super simple, sustainable, AND it makes sense. Winning.

We at XCF are going to be there for you to provide support, suggestions, recipes, and inspiration.  You aren’t doing it alone.  It will be hard, it will be different, but I promise you it is worth it!

Why Paleo?

Let me get all anecdotal on you.  I was talking to my hairstylist and it being so close to the resolution season the topic of food and diet came up:

Stylist:  “We have nothing in the house because we are trying to diet… I hate dieting.”
Me:  “Mmmhmmm.”
I hold back my abject horror at the word “diet”… politeness reigns!
Stylist:  “My boyfriend…”
note: her boyfriend is a personal trainer
Stylist:  “… he is such a sugar addict.  Yesterday he was drinking creamer because he wanted something sugar-like and we have nothing in the house”
Me: “Mmmmhmmmm… maybe he should have a piece of fruit…”
Stylist:  “I hate it!  I hate dieting… uuuhhhhgggg.”

And the conversation continues on… with her telling me things she as tried.  How hard things are, how she really wants to lose x amount of weight, how she feels like she has no energy and would like energy pills, how her friend is trying to get her to try xyz diet with miracle supplements.  It doesn’t need to be this hard. Really it can get better, and feel better.

Yeah, it is going to suck.  I am not trying to say it’s not – for many of us it will be abysmal. But let’s luxuriate in that awfulness for a while.  Do a back stroke or two.  I mean, you do CrossFit, push past the suck because it IS worth the fight.  Lifelong habits are freaking hard to change, but good news (!!!) things will become less sucky, more tolerable, and eventually sustainable because a few things will happen.

As you adjust to Paleo eating you FEEL satiated.   Eating meat and eating fat (yes, eating fat!) will aid the signaling in your body and you will actually feel full.  To be clear, when I speak of fat I am talking high quality fat.  As we continue into this challenge I will get more granular around good/bad fat.  If you can’t wait, here is a great break-down from Mark Sisson of Mark’s Daily Apple: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/healthy-oils/#axzz1ksR1J9py

Another piece is energy.  You will feel a more alert through your day.  You will stop feeling that drag that happens mid-afternoon.  This is where my personal buy-in is HUGE.  I love feeling good.  I used to feel awful, but I didn’t realize quite how bad it was until I started to feel better.  To paraphrase Melissa Hartwig of the Whole 9, imagine you had grown up in a field full of tulips – and you were horribly allergic to tulips.  Until you grew-up and moved away the terrible-ness would have been status-quo.  You don’t know how bad it is until it is removed.  I don’t crave bread anymore because I know it will rob me of this sense of good.  I think back to how I used to survive life, and it is not pretty.  The difference now is that I seek to thrive rather than just survive.

There are other amazing benefits to Paleo and I am excited to begin to explore them with you!  As Jho mentioned in his post, if you can GET YOUR BLOODWORK DONE – DO IT!  A basic panel will do, but we can give you suggestions on markers to watch if you’d like.

To be aggressively redundant: GET EXCITED!

-Rexy

Donkey is heading the charge for blood work. She demonstrated such valor today. If anyone is still on the fence you should take this brave act as the final straw in the search for motivation. Get into your doctors office and get some blood work. You can thank me later. If you are wondering why both people in this photo looked like cracked out, characters in a Stieg Larson novel than you aren’t alone. I have no idea why it looks more like Donkey is getting a tattoo than getting a blood draw.

Lucky for us we are no longer living in caves. I say lucky for us but I have never spent time in a cave so I am not really sure if we are winning. I like being able to flush away some of my less valuable productions. I also really like Wikipedia. I don’t like wearing clothes or paying for things so maybe it is a wash. Even though we have moved passed the cave dwelling stage that is no reason we can’t still emulate some of the better habits of our pre-prius ancestors. Starting in early February we are doing a new round of our 90 days of eating, moving, and living like champions. This time around we are setting some food goals and some fitness goals and working in teams. Teams? That’s right kids. Team paleo challenge. In the next week or so Rexy will be breaking the whole what and why of paleo eating for those who don’t know. For those who do know stay tuned in anyway because she is a regular Einstein of the whole caveman cuisine thing. She is sure to blow your mind AND make you laugh. A few quick highlights on the challenge though. There will be multiple levels of buy in regarding food. If you think you can go all out then awesome. If you are married to someone with a gluten dependency like my wife then maybe you are going to try to cut a few things. We want to meet people where they are to be sure but if you are in a crappy place we don’t want to leave you there. We want to create a path that works to move everyone forward at least a little bit. Points will be awarded for compliance, PR’s, friends and family support. It is going to be fabulous. We will also be setting some fitness goals and blowing them out of the water. I am either going to shoot for a 700# deadlift or getting a perfect score on 300 FY. Every trainer will be a team captain. Team JHo (working title) will probably be the best team by far but we will just have to wait and see. Plenty more details are coming but I wanted to plant some paleo seeds in your brain early.

Some cool things to do to make the most of the challenge. Don’t start eating like a 10 year old in charge of the grocery shopping just because we are about to start dialing it in. Storing up sugar and grains like a bear getting ready for winter is not going to make this easier. DO go to your doctor and get a basic blood panel. I love to see the physical changes that accompany good eating but sometimes the internal changes are even more powerful. Watch your blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose levels move in radical ways. If you can, get a VAP cholesterol test instead of the standard profile. Way cooler, and of course more valuable data. The regular test will give us some good stuff but if you have the option SUPERSIZE IT! Other than that you will get lots of other good numbers from a general blood panel.

Start thinking about some things you would like to see happen in the gym in terms of your personal fitness. Where do you want to be in 90 days? What could you accomplish in 90 days? Who are you going to get to support you in this challenge inside and outside of the gym? Get someone to join up with you and along with changing their life you will have such an amazing cheerleader all of the way through.

Competitions are scary enough and it doesn’t help when they are chock full of 6 packs and 500 pound deadlifts. Mark wasn’t even phased. Well maybe a little but he also uses fear as fuel. It is an impressive trait. He hit 4 PR’s over the weekend including shaving almost an hour from his 50 double under time, and climbing a 15 foot rope. BEAST! I think it is amazing when folks get out there just to see what you are capable of. You don’t have to win. You can even finish in last place. Just step outside of your box. Way outside and see what you are made of. When is the last time you were the worst in the group AND the best you have ever been?