This is what you need to remember from the nutrition side of 2012. How awesome sauce is that?!
The leg work is done, and the information has been chiseled down into bit size chunks (yum). If you are new to CFR or Westminster Strength and Conditioning, take a few extra minutes and check out the links found within the Top Ten for further info and explanation.
# 1 It all boils down to…Inflammation.
Back away from the grains. Those poisonous little bastards are trying to kill you slowly, without you noticing. Remember when we first spoke about this, almost a year ago?! Here is the gist:
“Grains like wheat, rye, and barley are leeching these toxic properties into your digestive track (and beyond). Here, they rub like sandpaper, poke holes that remain there and begin to catch particles like little dish drains, cause inflammation, block absorption of essential nutrients, and more. The consumption of grains and this damage to your (one and only) body is being scientifically connected to devastating health issues that you wouldn’t even begin to imagine: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, diverticulitis, rheumatoid arthritis, infertility, dementia, sleep disorders, and depression…to name a few.”
#2 The USDA is trying to kill you.
We won’t call it first degree murder, but if you follow the USDA Food Pyramid, you have a great chance of ending up obese & diabetic, with a hurting heart (and we aren’t talking about love, here!). Follow the myplate example, and you may find yourself in a word of trouble. Try this on for size, instead:
#3 Fat is not a four-letter word.
Clearly, it is only three letters. Which means it CANNOT be bad or scary, because everyone knows that bad words have four or more letters. I’m not saying you should jump spoon-first into a jar of coconut oil or bacon grease (mmm, bacon grease), but if you aren’t yet convinced that fat is NOT a first class ticket to a heart attack, you need to reassess and re-read...Like, yesterday.
#4 When it comes to body composition, working out is only part of the equation.
There is no such thing as ‘spot reduction’. If you want confirmation, ask Beau, who may turn a holiday-shade of red as he tries to explain this to you calmly. What you lovingly (or mindlessly) place in your pie-hole is directly correlated to what you see in the mirror. (Unless you are one of those perfect-bodied-freaks, and even then it is still directly correlated to your health.)
#5 SLEEP.
And don’t stress. Certainly don’t stress about not sleeping. Just try and sleep more. In the DARK. As in no lights. No ipads. No tv. Goal:wake without the alarm. Oh, and stress less. And watch the mirror for your body’s response. (Never in the history of the blogosphere was there a more stressful paragraph. Which was not my anti-point. Crap. I am digging myself into a stressing over not-stressing hole here.)
#6 Paleo is so easy, even a caveman could do it.
Meat, seafood, veggies, nuts, seeds, berries. Repeat. (Yes, at breakfast, too!)
#7 An apple a day can make you fat.
Exaggerating here. But fruit consumption could be the thing keeping you from achieving the results you were hoping for. Remember…natural sugar is still sugar. And sugar could be the bad guy keeping you from achieving your nutritional goals.
#8 Skipping out on dairy≠Missing out on calcium
Milk mustaches may look cool in the ads, but come on…photoshop, anyone? With a paleo diet, you are more than hitting your calcium mark. And since you are paleo+heavy lifting?!? Your bones are happy, healthy campers…sans dairy.
#9 All cupcakes are created equal.
Fine, the ones with gluten are the WORST of the worst, but a gluten-free cupcake is a paleo cupcake is a friggin’ cupcake. If you have anything that resembles a cupcake/muffin/bread in your diet and you think ‘paleo’ just isn’t working for you, you are probably right. Eat real food for 30 days and report back.
#10 Food is Fuel.
Food is not comfort or consolation. Food does not miraculously solve math problems or provide late-night details to work reports. Yes, we gather with friends and family around bountiful tables to celebrate or remember life’s many events, but this doesn’t change the fact that food is what your body needs to run, and uses to stay healthy. Too much of a good thing is still too much. Robb Wolf likes to make sure people who struggle with body composition-related issues are able to recognize the difference between a mouth and a vacuum cleaner. Good visual, huh?
And one for good luck….
#11 Set A Goal.
Because without a goal…what are you working toward?
May 2013 bring you many Personal Records and RX wod times at CFR!
Until Next Year…
Mallory
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