The Foundation is Nutrition (1/5)
Starting next week we will start our Fall Nutrition Challenge where #1 goal is consistency. Can you be accountable to us and track each meal using a good ol’ journal pen + paper, electronic, or otherwise, social media, pictures, etc. Can you have integrity with yourself and treat your body to a new level of respect?
Our plan is simple and it follows the simple guideline written out by author Michael Pollan:
Tired of not making progress in your times and lifts? Are you dependent on your morning coffee because of grogginess, lack of sleep (recovery!), and lack of clarity? You’ve already become a more-enlightened mover by taking the time to learn and perform CrossFit. Now we apply it to eating!
Clean nutrition is as simple as something like this:
We want a focus on quality first, quantity second, and then the rest of the rulesets of many popular nutrition plans can come into play. If this is new to you, or your relationship with food is complicated, then let’s keep it simple.
The infamous World Class Fitness in 100 Words by Coach Greg Glassman begins with
“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.”
It begins with nutrition because it is the foundation to anyone’s health and fitness. How you fuel yourself dictates how your perform. At FCF anyone who performs well often is cognizant of what they put in their bodies for recovery purposes. Those who finish up their workouts with burgers, fries, and beer might see some difference, but plateaus and inflammation are regular occurances. Those who eat sweet potatoes and lean chicken breasts immediately post-workout, hydrate well, and sleep 6+ hours a night consistently see progress.
Anyone who’s been afflicted by a metabolic syndromes/diseases (such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases) can look to what they put in their bodies and see something that needs work. Same with any “-itis”. That literally means “inflammation”. Food can be inflammatory- removal of the culprits and an addition of fortification nutrition can alleviate those issues.
Furthermore, CrossFit HQ considers nutrition the primary focus of development, even though it’s known more for it’s movement virtuosity, intensity-based workouts, and over-bright workout gear.
You cannot possibly hope to be great at any higher level if the base doesn’t exist.
For our challenge it doesn’t matter which method you choose. A couple of popular diets used by the CrossFit world:
Paleo / Primal: mainly fresh veggies, fresh proteins, healthy fats. Elimination of gluten/corn/legumes/sugar/alcohol.
Whole30: a 30-day reset with elimination of certain food groups that could be having a negative impact on the body: removal of dairy, added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, carrageenan, MSG, and sulfites. Other goals include changing your emotional and physical relationship with food.
Keto / Low-Carb: Very low/no carbohydrates and high fat diet where the body produces ketones in the liver to be used as energy.
IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros) / Zone Diet: Allows you to eat whatever you want, as long as you maintain strict adherence to your macronutrient ratios.
RP Diet / Working Against Gravity / Precision Nutrition: Quality + quantity + timing performance nutritional coaching templates.
Vegetarian: Does not eat meat, and sometimes other animal products, especially for moral, religious, or health reasons.
Ovo-lacto Vegetarian: Same as above, but allows eggs and milk products to be consumed.
Intermittent Fasting: An eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not say anything about which food to eay, but when one should eat them.
If you want more of a challenge you can research any of the above in more detail.
Fortunately the brUTE Strength podcast just came out with this episode. This is a great primer for those who need it:
“The good program you follow is better than the perfect program you don’t.”
