Resident Muscle-Up Specialist "Average" Joe.

NOTE - this is not a forum to discuss the merits of the paleo diet: all argumentative or anti-paleo comments, etc will be deleted.

Today marks the beginning of Paleo Challenge "A". This is a gentler version of Paleo Challenge "B" coming in January.

This challenge runs from November 26 to December 24.

There will be a drawing for a $100.00 lululemon gift certificate at the end of the challenge. Anyone completing the challenge (or those closest to doing so) will be eligible for the drawing. Post completion of each day (or failure to do so) to comments each day. We will keep a running total on the website. In the event no-one completes (unlikely) prize will be drawn between those who complete the most days.

Why are we doing this right in the middle of the holiday season? It has been my experience that if you can adhere to, even improve upon, a good diet and exercise plan during the holidays, you will have greater success the other 11 months of the year. In addition you will have a jump-start on improving your fitness, health and general satisfaction with life if you meet the sunrise on January one with a smile and a spring in your step rather than a leaden foot and a hangover! However since we are not grinch-y Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years have been exempted from this challenge.

So what is this "Paleo Challenge"?

Simply put this is a return to the dietary habits of our cave-person ancestors, with whom we share most of our genetic makeup. The theory is that we have not evolved to properly process the foods of the agrarian age (cultivated grains, legumes and dairy). The science behind this, is, in my opinion, "soft", however I have been very impressed with the results of people who have adopted this kind of diet (I have mostly eaten this way for years). Improved performance, lower bodyfat, lower cholesterol, medical conditions like asthma disappearing.

It is all laid out in the book "The Paleo Solution". I encourage you to buy and read this book.

The main point of this book is to take a leap of faith and take 30 days to eat "paleo" and see what happens. I can tell you that I know plenty of people personally who have done it and have become downright annoying in their zeal to get others to jump on the bandwagon. Enough that I am going to try it myself and try and get everyone I know to do it too. Who knows, perhaps it is all hype, but I think we can take 30 days x 2 to find out.

I am not going to get into a giant post that explains all the reasons for the below, I encourage you to do some research on your own to find out more about the "why" or just trust that I think about this stuff 24/7 and just DO IT. No one is forcing you into it, if it sounds silly, just move on and do something else.

Here are the very simple rules:

Eat any and all meats
Eat any and all vegetables
Eat any and all fruits
Eat any and all nuts
Eat any and all seeds
Eat any and all tubers (suggest avoiding white potatoes, preferring sweet potatoes)
Eat eggs
Eat anything made from the above
Take Fish Oil

Do not eat grains (wheat, rice, corn, etc or anything containing grains (no gluten).
Do not eat sugar or ANY OTHER SWEETENER (no honey, stevia, agave syrup, etc.)
Do not eat legumes (beans, cashews, peanuts, etc)
Do not drink beer or anything else made with grains
Do not eat dairy products (milk, cheese, etc)

Limit alcohol to three (3) drinks per week. Gluten free drinks like hard cider, can be found at whole foods in the beer case.

So what do I eat??

Here are some to get you started, via Andi: post more to comments:

I like to do really basic no-recipe/throw-meat-into-the-oven-then-take-it-out-and-eat-it cooking:

Whole Foods has great (and cheap) jalapeno burger patties which are delicious with bacon and avocado.

Max's sausage-and-veg bachelor (*ahem*) chow (yum):
1. Cut several pre-cooked, sugar-free sausages into 3/4" rounds
2. Brown the sausages in a skillet on medium-high heat
3. While sausages are browning, steam some vegetables (see below)
4. Put vegetables into the skillet with the sausages
5. Pour sugar-free pasta sauce (read the labels of those sauces, some of them have a lot of sugar added) over all and heat until the sauce is bubbling-hot
6. (Optional) mix in slices of hard-boiled egg

Delicious avocados:
1. Remove avocado skin and stone, arrange on a plate
2. Pour balsamic vinegar onto avocados
3. Sprinkle garlic salt (more than you might expect) over all

Spicy coconut milk to put over veg and/or meat:
1. Mix 1 tsp Thai Kitchen red curry paste (comes in a small jar) with 1 cup coconut milk until the milk looks reddish
2. (Optional) Heat 45 seconds in the microwave
3. Pour over meat/veg or just eat it straight

Microwave-steamed vegetables:
1. Put vegetables into a bowl
2. Pour olive oil or coconut oil, salt, and pepper onto the vegetables
3. Cover vegetables with a *wet* paper towel
4. Microwave until soft. (Broccoli, califlower, and green beans: 5 minutes; Asparagus: 7 minutes; Brussels sprouts: 9 minutes)
5. (Optional) Put the vegetables into a skillet and fry until they begin to brown

We will be starting a page to post recipes, etc HERE. Post em!

WOD 101126 Deload 5/7

5PM ONLY (Gym closes at 6PM)

On your own: 5-5-5 Bench Press @ 50% of 1RM

A: Deadlift 5-5-5 @ 50% of 1RM

B: 21-15-9
Deadlift at same weight as above
Push-Up

Post load in part A and time in part B to comments.

• Fish Oils
• Post-Workout Nutrition
• Hot/Cold Contrast Showers
• Meditation / Sleep
• Epsom Salt Baths
• Massage

Fish Oils: Post-WOD we experience localized inflammation in joints and muscles and well as systemic inflammation. Fish oils are a great, natural anti-inflammatory. Barry Sears, creator of the Zone Diet, says fish oil is "close to a miracle drug." Click here to see this interview with him on the subject. Very compelling stuff. Lots of people ask "how much do I take?" There is a great fish oil calculator on the Whole9 site to help you figure it out.

Where to get them: Trader Joe's sells "odorless" fish oil for $8.99. Cheap, work great, odorless. Highly recommended.

Post-Workout Nutrition: This one is easy: milk. If you opt for chocolate milk, steer clear or brands  with high fructose corn syrup. That stuff is bad news. If you're eating Paleo: sweet potatoes. Especially on Paleo, you want to get most of your daily carbs post-WOD so this is a great chance to load up. Follow it up with fat and proteins post-recovery.

Hot/Cold Contrast Showers: Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and two minutes of hot water for 3-5 cycles Post-WOD contrast showers can be effective in lowering both heart rate and the levels of lactate in your blood. The locker rooms at Ironworks both have saunas - try the sauna/cold shower technique at longer intervals. It feels great.

Meditation / Sleep: High intensity workouts put a great deal of stress on the central nervous system. Meditation and sleep are the two best ways to recover from this CNS stress.

Sleep - Americans are infamous for their poor sleep habits. On average, we get 5-6 hours a night. Most of us need at least 8. As very active adults, we need more like 7-9 hours, depending on the individual. Magnesium is a natural sleep aid and the better the sleep, the better your recovery will be. Try a few tbs of Natural Calm before bedtime to help your sleep and reduce your stress levels.

Meditation: Five minutes, two times a day. Make a little space for yourself, close your eyes, do nothing, think nothing, just chill. 

Epsom Salt Baths: Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) are an anti-inflammatory agent. Add them to a hot bath and they are absorbed through the skin to help reduce muscular pain and general aches. It also helps increase your levels of magnesium and may help reduce water retention. Don't skimp on these - they sell them in large cartons and they're very inexpensive. If you've had a tough WOD, put the whole thing in the bath and enjoy.

Massage: General benefits of massage include pain relief, reduced levels of anxiety and depression, and temporarily reduced blood pressure, heart rate, and state anxiety. For an active athlete, massage is a critical part of recovery and injury prevention. CFEB highly recommends Ed Rockowitz, owner of Ahhh Massage. For the past two years, Ed has been working on CFEB athletes and was the official CrossFit Games masseuse for the 2009 and 2010 Games. This man knows how GSD and help get you recover from a tough workout schedule.