Loose Lips Sink Ships
It’s easy to forget that what you put in your mouth has a direct correlation to your health. So, here is your reminder:
What you put in your mouth directly affects your health.
If you could combat diabetes, obesity, heart disease, osteoporosis, and rheumatoid arthritis in one fell swoop…would you? OF COURSE you would. (If you said no, stop here. You have bigger fish to fry. Your goal is to find an available soul).
I’m not sure if you have noticed, but we live in, lets say a “There’s A Pill For That” society. People all over our country treat their bodies like crap, run their health into the ground, and then claim their ‘only option’ is to combat their ills with pills. Add to this the fact we are in a generation where at least half (I dare say: it is much higher) of the population expects everything to be instantaneous, and we have ourselves a volatile situation. Unhealthy, misinformed individuals making poor lifestyle decisions and then looking for a quick way out. Not at all awesome sauce.
Instant gratification: Email. (HAH! That’s the pony express nowaday.) Text messages. Status updates. Twitter. Next day shipping…heck, SAME day shipping. Google at your fingertips. TV on demand. Christmas decor in August (HATE). Credit cards you WAVE (who has time to swipe?!? Clearly only losers.). Infomercial products (Shake weight, anyone?). Pain killers. Weight loss surgery.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am all for innovation and doing things a smarter way: minimum input for maximum results is fabulous. But minimum input for subpar results? When it comes to the quality of your life? There are just some corners not worth cutting.
Like what you put in your mouth.
While we are on the subject of pills, lets head down that road for a minute. (There are so many directions to go in, but this is just a synopsis, remember.) There is evidence being collected at an alarming rate that the pills we are taking to combat poor lifestyle decisions and diseases of the Standard American Diet can cause as much harm as good. Patients taking pills without changing their habits must then often be prescribed higher doses. These stress their bodies more and more, leave them susceptible to more chance for side effects, and often result in greater health issues.
Full month supply for 5 easy payments of $29.99!
Let’s use Type 2 diabetes as an example, with the help of our lovely Angie. “You start a patient on the drugs and initially they are very effective at lowering blood glucose. But the patient continues to destroy their pancreas with inflammatory foods and the drugs eventually quit working or require dual or triple drug therapy from different approaches to try and lower the blood glucose. Often it takes only a few years of oral drug therapy until the patient become insulin dependent and thus needle dependent. Once a patient makes it to this stage, they will never again have a blood glucose level that is in the normal range, regardless of what they do.” Fix it with a pill, huh? Do those results sound anything like instant fixes? (And I even left out the part out about high blood glucose levels over time leading to blindness, impotence, vascular disease, and amputation! Oh wait, now it’s not left out…I’m so sneaky) How about we just nip a majority of these health problems in the bud by
eliminating grains, legumes, sugar, and dairy?
According to Beau, the instant gratification factor comes into play in the gym most often from us lovely ladies. It sounds a little something like, “I want to loose THIS.” (Insert specific body part/area of body you are currently least happy with.) In other words, targeted weight loss, or…shall we say, spot reduction? Sorry cave ladies (and gentleman). That’s just not the way the cookie crumbles. Not to fear! You know what makes trouble-spots less troubling? And good parts even better? Back squats, dead lifts, sprinting, and
eating.the.right.food
Need an example? Look at the results from CFR’s paleo challenge, #1(May 2011) or #2(Jan-Feb 2012). Members (including some who were feeling frustrated by the mirror) buckled down on their eating, and all of the sudden (SARCASM), began to see major results. We are talking about a bunch of good looking people who, thanks to CFR’s programming and coaching, were already strong and fast. Many were even eating in a way that somewhat resembled paleo at least part of the time. What happened? They ALL got stronger, faster, more energized, saw positive changes in their reflections…they became healthier.
And they didn’t even have to take a pill.
What you put in your mouth directly affects your health…and your reflection.
Fancy That. They should get someone to blog about this stuff or something.
Until Next Time…
Mallory
ShareAnother Paleo Plus:
You rarely get sick.
Seriously:eat right, SLEEP enough, throw in your fish oil and vitamin D3, make it to CFR and lift heavy shit a few times a week, and watch your sick days begin to accumulate higher and higher.
That said…
Sometimes you get sick. Like I am right now. This is a rare occurence, and when I do get sick nowadays, I recover much more quickly. I would wager that my lack of sleep and stress levels recently are to blame. I can absolutely feel when I am running myself ragged. Most of you can, too. If not, this MUST be one of your goals. You can avoid every single Standard American Food on the planet and not get the results you are looking for via paleo nutrition if you neglect to listen (and then respond!) to your body.
For your reading pleasure today, click here to learn what paleo foods can get you through an illness, without falling back on Mom’s rice, toast, and gingerale plan. You all now know those things are hurting your body on a GOOD day. Throw them in the mix when your defenses are down? That sounds like a great idea! (For those of you who do not always catch my sarcasm: THAT was sarcasm.)
You are already sick, don’t make matter worse! Trash the crap and stick with real food. Like This…
While eating paleo does make you awesome-sauce, it does not make you Superman or Wonder Woman.
But it doesget you pretty darn close.
getting closer...
Until Next Time…
Sick Mallory
Share[/facebook]
Speed Dating: Paleo Edition
Here is the scenario: you just finished a tough and terrible yet totally terrific Tuesday night WOD at Crossfit Retribution. Breathing and heart rate are getting closer to normal, and you are now recovered enough to actually focus your eyes, stand up, and leave your sweat-angel mark behind you. You have written your time on the wall, recorded your time and results in your journal, and filed it away for next time.
name that sweat-angel!!!
During your last post-WOD stretch, a new member walks up to you, and asks if you have a minute to talk about “that whole paleo shtick”. You wildly swing your head around, trying to spot someone to whom you can send this lovely new CFR’er to speak to. Eegads, everyone is busy and you can make eye contact wih no one! Looks like you are going to have to explain paleo YOURSELF. You have 45 seconds until your daughter Spiderman goes into full meltdown-mode in the CFR playroom (3yr olds renaming themselves: yet another thing no one tells you about being a parent). As your post-WOD-brain-fog begins to lift, you assess that it would be good to leave a few second for questions. You think, “I can do this!”, smile brightly at the new member, shake out your legs, give your neck a crack, and take a deep breath. The 30-second paleo description challenge is upon you.
3,2,1…GO!!
looks terrible, doesn't it?
Eating Paleo means you get to consume all of the meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, seed oils, and berries that your little heart desires. Avoid all grains, sugar, legumes (beans and peanuts), and dairy. These are neolithic foods which we were not designed to eat. Essentially, they cause inflammation in the digestive track and throughout the body, which leads to a whole host of issues.
Aim to eat whole foods, avoid processed foods, and eat items that are in season and grown locally whenever possible. Grass-fed meats, free-range eggs, and wild caught seafood are ideal when eating paleo. BUT… because of limited availability and higher prices, we do not let those factors become a deal-breaker, instead we eat what is available to us. Aim to eat at least a gram of protein per pound of your body weight each day. We aren’t afraid of fat, because eating fat does not make you fat. Paleo means cooking with coconut oil, bacon greases, and grass-fed butter. Those of us looking to loose weight eat less fruit (because of the natural sugars) and fewer carb-rich starchy vegetables (like potatoes). Instead, eat more protein and leafy greens. A great starting goal is for daily carbs to come to about 50-100g.
After eating strict paleo for 3o days, we often see lowered cholesterol levels, increased energy, strength gains, clearer skin, body composition improvement, and even weight-loss. Aches and pains have even been known to disappear! Breakfast can seem the hardest, but keep in mind that there aren’t any laws against eating ‘dinner’ foods in the morning! I know this sounds backwards. The Standard American Diet is making our country overweight and sick. Levels of heart attacks, obesity, diabetes, cancer and more have been on the rise since we adopted a low-fat, high-carb way of eating, and processed foods became household staples. We can get more into that later, though. I thought it was all bologna until I gave it a 30 day trial. It was hard at first, but then all the sudden it wasn’t; it was just normal. Everyone here at CFR really helped me through: listening to me complain, encouraging me, and even printing out recipes. Plus we really do love bacon…whats not to love about that?
WHEW! Take a bow, you made it through (and did a darn fine job, I might add)! Had this been actual speed dating, you totally would have landed a phone number. Even if the new member is staring at you with giant question marks in his eyes, that is ok: remember what you felt like the first time someone dropped the bomb on you that your previous whole-grain-low-fat healthy ways were actually the opposite.
If lil’ Miss Spiderman has simmered down, hopefully you will take a moment to also mention your favorite recipe, or a specific result that you saw from going paleo. Feel free to do a little redirecting, and make sure that the new member knows any specific questions can be directed to Beau or Angie, me (Mallory), or any of the paleo CFR members who have been at it for awhile. Stress that this is an introduction which can be backed by science…you aren’t just spouting off random opinions. Suggest they check out CFR’s Nutrition blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, Robb Wolf, Everyday Paleo, or your favorite paleo site.
Click below to take a look at how some others choose to explain paleo.
Mark Sisson (scroll down half-way for Mark’s health philosophy)
This really could happen to you...there is a great likelihood that it will. If not a question from a newbee at the gym, then around the lunch table at work or in a PTA meeting when someone asks:
- ”You look so good!! Is it weight watchers?!?”
- ”Why don’t you ever eat your sandwich on bread. What do you even call it then, anyway?!?”
- “No oatmeal??? What on earth do you eat for breakfast?”
I am sure you all can do a better job, probably with less words. (Clearly, I am wordy!) It only makes sense to be able to explain to an outsider why you are looking good, feeling good, and just keep getting better. Go ahead, lets hear the 30-second paleo description: YOU-style. Give it a whirl in the comment section!
Until Next Time…
Mallory
ShareYou wouldn’t put regular in a BMW…
NOT a luxury car
And you, my friends, are BMW’s.
Sleek, shiny, smart, and sassy. (If you aren’t a beemer fan, sub in something else. Mercedes? Porsche? Range Rover? Don’t get lost in the sauce here, people.)
Are you fueling up on regular? Not ok. What happens when you put the wrong gas in a nice vehicle? It depends, but it’s never the ideal situation. If you catch yourself at the pump early enough, you can switch fuels and hopefully not cause too many problems to the innards of your ride. Drive away without noticing your mistake, or get wayyy off track and fill a gas car up with diesel, and you could be in need of an engine…or a new car…in no time flat.
Eeny Meeny Miney Moo.
This is an analogy, my dears, if you hadn’t yet guessed. I want you to stop fueling up on what the majority of the population fills up on: regular (carbohydrates, aka SUGAR), and start fillin ‘er up with premium (fat). Our society’s ‘regular’, or the low-fat:high-carb diet,(known as the Standard American Diet or SAD) has gotten us into a world of trouble.
SUGAR, anyone?
It is a myth that fat is bad (check out our earlier talk about this), and that your body has to run on carbs. While I am not saying you must absolutely eat exactly like a caveman, it only makes sense to realize that the world is fueled by carbohydrates in a way that is has never been before. (We are talking millions of years, folks.) Carbs were not ‘where it was at’, and CERTAINLY there were no processed carbs. Fat and protein ruled the roost. Unfortunately, times have changed. Just look around.
“If you are one of the 60+% of the American population who is overweight…you have spent your life programming your genes in the direction of being an effective sugar burner and, as a result, have become dependent on a fresh supply of sugar (carbs) every few hours”(Mark Sisson)
As much as I love to break things down for you all, what I really want for you to read today is a post from Mark Sisson over at Mark’s Daily Apple. As much as I try, I will never be able to put together a more comprehensive post on how and why we here at CFR want you to STOP BEING SCARED OF FAT and how your body can, and should, run on something other than big-bad-carbs.
CLICK AND READ THIS OR ELSE
Time to break the cycle and fuel up on premium. Buy some ghee, slather on the coconut oil, purchase that beautifully marbled grass-fed steak. Pair it with some local veggies. Smile.
Your sleek, shiny, smart, awesome-sauce-self will thank you.
Until Next Time…
Mallory
Share[/facebook]Hey, Mambo!
Doesn’t that title make you dance a little in your computer chair? And smile? And feel so happy you have found Cross Fit Retribution and can now back squat and watch amzing people perform various, amazing feats? No-that’s just me? Good gracious I swear I get weirder every day. (Mambo, Italiano…!)
There are a fabulous number of new, good looking people walking around CFR. Oldies…introduce yourself. Tell them a bit about your journey. Wait. Maybe just say, “Hi, Welcome!” the first time…there is a fine line between making new people excited and making them want to run for their lives.
Newbies, “Hi, welcome!” and get ready for an amazing ride.
Seriously though-both old and new members are to be celebrated, and I challenge you to make a new friend, and encourage someone who may have just embarked on their journey. Oh, and tell them to read the nutrition blog. Go back and start at the beginning. (Cause you can’t be full awesome sauce til you do.)
How is your protein consumption, LBBS’ers? Recall from previous information, that you should probably be eating more protein than you currently are. Unless you are Beau or Pat. Or the Englebrake’s. Everyone else: Your goal is to emulate them. Shoot for at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight. (I see you doing the math…wait for it…WIDE EYES. Yes, that much protein. I told you that you should be eating more!) Those of you on the power athlete or a lifting program: aim even higher.
Here is a delicious way to add some protein (and BACON) to your day. Always remember: bacon on a burger=awesome sauce. Bacon IN a burger=epic sauce. (I just went there)
Try Me!
Italian Bacon Burgers with Arugula
Ingredients:
almost looks like dinner!
1lb ground beef (bonus points for grass-fed)
3 strips bacon, raw
1/3 sweet yellow onion, chopped
1/2 orange pepper, chopped
1Tbsp chopped garlic (the already chopped jar in the fridge makes life easier)
1Tbsp Herbs de Provence (or any dried green herbs you have on hand. Bonus points for pot. I’M JOKING.)
Generous Sprinkle of cayenne pepper (optional for wimps)
1 Egg (bonus points if you know the back yard from whence they came)
2 cups spaghetti sauce (bonus points for no added oils(EVOO is ok) or sugars)
Baby arugula
Avocado, sliced.
Mayonnaise (bonus points for home-made. If it’s not, BE SURE your mayo isn’t hiding gluten in the form of modified food starch)
Black olives (super-hero points if you pick these)
Directions:
In a mixing bowl, add chopped onion, chopped pepper, chopped garlic, and spices.
Using your kitchen scissors (clean a pair well and add them to your utensil drawer, if needed-they will make your life SO much easier), snip bacon into teeny-tiny pieces (cooking term, obviously).
yum...mmmy
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Add ground beef. Add egg. Mix well.
getting closer...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Heat your favorite fat in a skillet on medium ( I used bacon grease).
Shape mixture into patties. Add to skillet.
.
Flip burgers halfway through.
.
.
.
.
.
Allow to cook most of the way through, then add the spaghetti sauce (Bonus points for adding a splash of red wine, for depth in your sauce).
mmmmm!!!!
.
.
Allow burgers to simmer in sauce for 10+ minutes.
.
.
.
.
.
Dress plates with baby arugula, avocado slices, and black olives. Dollop of mayo in the center (like a delicious target for the bacon burger!)
Top with bacon burger and a spoonful of sauce. Protein never looked so…epic sauce.
Enjoy!!!
Until next time…
Mallory
Share[/facebook]