CrossFit Multiply: Week 3: Individual Challenge

It's here...

 

BEVERAGE WEEK!

(or lack thereof)

 

 

And by beverage week I mean...ONLY milk & water

 

...period.

 

 

I'm not here to say that coffee is bad and Diet Coke will kill you.  I truly don't believe in conspiracy theories or scare tactics.  Having said that, I do think it is unhealthy to be dependent upon something.  If you literally cannot function without a particular beverage, that's where the problem lies. 

 

My husband can attest to the fact that I enjoy a Diet Coke every now and again (what?!?  gasp!), preferably with a squirt of vanilla flavoring.  But I don't HAVE to have it.  It's an "every once in a while"-type thing for me.  I don't have it in my fridge.  I don't buy it at the store. 

 

If you can't get through the day without having a beer, a glass of wine, five cups of coffee, a Rockstar, a liter of Diet Coke...that is where the problem is.  You may be thinking, "But diet sodas don't have any calories!"  True.  But that doesn't mean it won't affect your body.  More often than not, when I have clients go off of the thing they are simply addicted to, whether it adds more calories or not, great things start to happen to their body. 

 

Let's talk about alcohol for just a second.  As it is with anything in life...a little in moderation is just fine, but if you can't remember what happened the night before...that's too much!  It's called a "beer belly" for a reason.  From a metabolic standpoint, your body is more likely to deposit alcohol around your waistline as fat, more so than any other nutrient (carb, protein, or fat).  While alcohol often has carbs in it, alcohol itself is in it's own category providing 7 calories per gram, so it's rather dense in calories.  (carbs & protein are 4 calories per gram; fat is 9 calories/gram)  So even if you try to pick a lower-calorie option and stay away from the margaritas, daiquiris, and pina coladas, the hard liquors aren't going to do you any favors either...that is...if you are trying to excavate that belly and find the 6-pack under the load of laundry. 

 

One of the most dramatic changes I have ever seen in body fat over the shortest period of time came from a young 22-year-old male who was drinking way too much way too often.  He gave it up and after 6 weeks his body fat went from 28% down to 14%.  That's right, he cut it in half in 6 weeks!  That middle measurement I do on all of you is at your belly.  Some of you don't have a whole lot of fat in your chest/arm or thigh measurement, but your total body fat percentage is the way it is because of that belly measurement.  For some of you cutting out starch at night will help with your belly, for others, it may be cutting out the alcohol.  So while this is a challenge for just a week, if you are one that struggles in this area, it may be something you think about continuing even after this week is over and see what happens to your mid-section at the end of NutriFit.   

 

So, here's the challenge. 

 

NO soda (regular or diet), NO sweetened drinks (like lemonade, vitamin water, sobe, crystal light, etc), NO energy drinks, NO juice, NO coffee, NO tea, and NO alcohol. 

 

You may drink MILK or WATER.  That's all. 

(You may drink a smoothie if the only beverage that is added is either milk or water)

 

Now, if you know me, you know I'm all about doing something that you can maintain, not anything drastic which will eventually cause the pendulum to swing back the other way and have you drinking a 2-liter on a daily basis. 

 

 So...

 

Your beverages can count as your treats for the week. 

You may count a 12-ounce can of soda, or 12 ounces of another sweetened beverage; 1 serving of alcohol from the chart below;  or a cup of coffee as 1 TREAT for the week.  Choose wisely.  In order to get the 10 points for this challenge, you can't have more than 2 for the week.

 

 

 

 

12 fl oz of regular beer

=

8-9 fl oz of malt liquor (shown in a 12-oz glass)

=

5 fl oz of table wine

=

3-4 oz of fortified wine (such as sherry or port; 3.5 oz shown)

=

2-3 oz of cordial, liqueur, or aperitif (2.5 oz shown)

=

1.5 oz of brandy (a single jigger or shot)

=

1.5 fl oz shot of 80-proof spirits ("hard liquor")

about 5% alcohol

about 7% alcohol

about 12% alcohol

about 17% alcohol

about 24% alcohol

about 40% alcohol

about 40% alcohol

 

 

 

If you have a hard time just drinking water, try adding lemon, lime, orange, or even strawberry slices to give a little zip without sugar, sugar substitute, or calories. 

 

If you can complete this challenge and only have 2 drinks or less,

you will earn your full 25 points for the week.

 

If you have 3 drinks, you will only get 5 points for your "treats" (if you don't eat any other treats)

and you will only earn 15 points for the individual challenge.

 

If you have 4 drinks, you will only earn 2 points for your "treats"

and you will only earn 5 points for the individual challenge. 

 

Questions?

 

Happy Hydrating!

CrossFit Multiply: Week 2: Question of the Week

What did you learn from keeping a food record last week?

CrossFit Multiply: Week 1 Results

Top Teams 

• Revival Yell (tied for first)
• Tough Mamas (tied for first)
• Smoking Guns
• Team KB

Top Individuals

• Jessica (perfect points!)
• Katelyn (perfect points!)
• Lori (on vacation!)
• Laura

CrossFit Multiply: Week 2: Individual Challenge

Like last week, this week's individual challenge has 2 parts.

Part 1:  Optimize in 45

To earn an extra 15 points for this part of the individual challenge this week, every time you workout you must refuel your body within 45 minutes.  That means, once your workout is over, the clock begins. 

Research shows that you have a 30-45 minute window where the enzymes and hormones in your muscles are at their peak to help in the process of replenishing and restoring all of the glycogen, or stored energy, your muscles just burned through during that last workout. 

If you miss this window, your muscles will be fatigued when you go to workout again.

With all the wods and exercise on this NutriFit challenge, your muscles cannot afford to be running on empty. 

So, what should you eat?  Protein, right?  Yes, but you actually need more carbohydrate than protein immediately following your workout.  Research shows the ideal ratio post workout is 3-4:1 (carbs:protein). You actually need to be taking in more carbohydrate than protein immediately following your workout.  Why?  Carbohydrate will help in replenishing the glycogen that is stored in your muscles and the protein will help in the repair and recovery of your muscle fibers.  Carbohydrate can be in the form of fruit or starch (cereal, oatmeal, bread, rice, etc) or milk/yogurt.  If you have more protein and not enough carbs, your muscles may be repaired, but they won't have any 'umph' for your next workout.  

So, what is that ratio?  Here are some options:

1 cup skim or 1% chocolate milk

1/2 scoop whey protein + 1/2 cup OJ + 1/2 banana

1 scoop whey protein + 1 cup OJ + 1 banana

1 cup cooked oatmeal + 1 cup milk

1 cup cereal + 1 fruit + 1 cup milk

1 egg + 1 slice whole wheat toast + 1 fruit

1 English muffin + 2 Tbsp peanut butter

3 oz. lean meat + 1 cup brown rice + 1 cup cooked veggies + 1 small whole grain roll

Here is one of my favorite post-workout smoothies:

Chocolate PB Delight

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

2 Tbsp PB2 (sell at Harmon's & Walmart)

1/4 cup raw oatmeal

3/4 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt or Greek yogurt

1 banana (preferrably frozen)

1-2 cups spinach

Milk to your desired consistency

Add ice if the banana is not frozen

Blend and enjoy! 

(This typically makes 2 servings)

Remember...no later than 45 minutes post-workout!

If you complete this challenge every time you workout, then you will earn 15 points.  

Part 2:  

Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night

Elephants only need 3-4 hours of sleep at night, while mice sleep 14 hours.  Humans are somewhere in the middle, but research shows if you are averaging 6 hours of sleep or less, you will have a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes and may be more likely to eat more...and gain more weight. 

Why would people who sleep less weigh more?  It kind of seems counterintuitive.   You would think those who sleep less would burn more calories since they are awake longer; however, it seems to be more linked with what happens to your body when you deprive it of sleep as opposed to the physical activity you get. 

What happens involves two hormones:  Leptin, which is released by fat cells, signals the brain to stopeating.  Ghrelin, (prounounced GRELL-in), which is made in the stomach, is a signal to keep eating. These two hormones influence whether you go for a second helping or push yourself away from the table. 

When you are sleep-deprived, your body has lower levels of leptin and higher levels of ghrelin.  To make matters worse, when you don't get enough sleep, you typically crave and are more likely to reach for sugary or starchy items to give you quick energy and keep you awake, things like: chips, candy, bread, ice cream, and cereal.  Compounding the problem, the brain interprets a drop in leptin as a sign of starvation.  So it responds by not only boosting hunger, but also by burning fewer calories. This means you will put on more weight even if you don't eat more food!

Have I made my case?  Ideally I would like you to get 8 hours of sleep each night, but to award yourself an extra 10 points at the end of the week, you need to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night this week.  I would imagine with all the intense activity you are getting in on this challenge, sleeping should be easy because your bodies are exhausted. 

Note:  If you are under 18 years of age, you need to get at least 8 hours of sleep every night.  

Q:  But what if my kids wake me up in the middle of the night?

A:    Make sure you are going to bed at a decent hour and if you are awakened before you want to be, do your best to get back to sleep as soon as possible. It's more about the time you go to bed and the time you wake up.

Q:  But what if all this blasted water I am drinking 
makes me wake up multiple times at night?

A:  Do your best to try to get your water in earlier in the day so you aren't downing your last 32 ounces an hour before bed.  If you are waking up, try to just do your business and get back to bed as soon as possible.  Again, the challenge will be based on the time you go to bed and the time you wake up.  Hopefully you will be able to sleep through the middle, but if not, then at least you made the effort to do your part.

Sweet Dreams!

So, in summary: 

Optimize in 45 minutes every time you workout:  15 points

Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night:  10 points

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments, and I will respond.  

Thank you!

CrossFit Multiply: Week 2: Group Challenge

Step, Swing & Plank

1000 Step-Ups  & 300 KB Swings & 24 minutes of plank

The Details:

In order to earn your extra 25 TEAM CHALLENGE points this week, you will have until Saturday to complete the following as a team:

Men will use the 24/30" boxes and women will use the 20/24".
Men will use 35/53 lb kettlebells.
Women will use 25/35 lb kettlebells.  

2-Person Team

500  20/24 Box Step-Ups

  500   24/30 Box Step-Ups

+

150 KB Swings 25/35

150 KB Swings 35/53

+

24 minutes of plank (or 2 minutes/person/day)

3-Person Team

750 24/30 Box Step-Ups

+

225 KB Swings 35 lb

225 KB Swings at 53 lb

+

36 minutes of plank (or 2 minutes/person/day)

You can break up plank however you would like.  You can do it all at once, you can do 1 minute holds 3 times, you can do it in 20 second increments, you can do it for 30 seconds each time you eat throughout the day, etc.  Whatever YOU need to work on to improve and strengthen your core, that's what you should do.  Just remember to make sure you have good form  while you are doing it.  It does no good to practice 3 minutes of plank with teepee bum in the air. 

Q:  Does everyone have to do all the kettlebell swings or can we have our strongest member do all reps for the heavier weight?

A:  For this challenge, the kettlebell swings should be divided up equally among team members and each team member must do both weight levels.  A team member can do more step-ups than another if need be; however, each member must do the 2 minutes of plank daily. 

----

Q:  Do we choose which height of box to do the step-ups or do we have to complete all of them at all of the two different heights?

A:  The latter.  Your team must complete all of the step-ups at both heights.

----



Q:  Can the kettlebell swings be Russian or do they have to go overhead?

A:  Ideally, they should all go over your head, head through the window.  Having said that, I realize that 45/53 may be a weight that you NEVER attempt.  If that's the case, you may do Russian kettlebell swings on the heavy weight with the goal of working up to a full swing.

Other questions?

3, 2, 1...Go!