Nutrition Blog

No Excuses Summer Paleo Challenge

June 5, 2013 | Posted by Ben Davis | No Comments

The No Excuses Summer Paleo Challenge will be one of the toughest challenges you will endure.
If you are prone to start something and give up, make excuses (work, family, injuries, etc) and are not willing to step out of your comfort zone, then this Paleo Challenge is not for you.
However, if you are interested in improving your quality of life by making some sacrifices, then you should consider doing this challenge.
Let’s face it, during the summer it’s tough to eat strict Paleo. There’s cookouts, ice cream, vacations, ice cream, outdoor activities, did I say ice cream?
All of these variables make it difficult, which is why this will be one of the toughest Paleo challenges.
To help you, we’ve made this a partner challenge. That’s right. You’re success will not only be determined on how well you do, but your partner as well. This will help you make each other accountable to eat healthy and not be someone to encourage bad habits.
I encourage you to find a partner that already trains at No Excuses. If it’s a non-member they will still need to do the testing requirements. If you are having trouble finding someone, let me know and I can help.

Below are more details on the challenge, e-mail brandon@noexcusescrossfit.com if you have any questions or concerns.

TESTING DATES
The hydrostatic body test will be at the gym on following days. We will also do the challenge WOD on these days. If you are out of town or can’t make it to the gym, e-mail me to set alternative dates/times to get tested.
A sign-up sheet for the body test is at the gym.

Pre-Testing: Monday, June 17 and Tuesday, June 18
Post-testing: Monday, July 29 and Tuesday, July 30

CHALLENGE DATES
Start: Monday, June 17
Ends: Monday, July 30

COST
$75 per person, which includes two hydrostatic body tests.
In the past I’ve tried to keep the cost low to encourage people to join. But there ends up being more than half that drop out. I would rather have a small group of people invest more in the challenge and work their butts off to see results. This will also mean cooler prizes.

SIGN-UP
You can sign-up for the challenge online or have a coach sign you up at the gym.
To sign-up online.
1. Go to www.noexcusescrossfit.com
2. Click on ‘Sign Up For Classes Online’
3. Click on the ‘Online Store’ tab on the right
4. Select the ‘Summer Paleo Challenge’
5. Add to cart and check out

FOOD JOURNAL
Participants will have to log their meals online and share with me through Google docs. If you don’t have a Gmail account, get with the 21st century and sign up.

WEEKLY MENUS
I’m going to send out five different Paleo meals to cook each week. You don’t have to cook them, but it’s a good way to get started if you are having trouble thinking what you should cook.

PARTNER CHALLENGE
The teams will be scored by body fat testing and WOD score. Partners don’t have to do the WOD together, but it would be nice. There will be a male+male, male+female and female+female division.
For example, if the challenge WOD was 10min AMRAP of burpees and Carlos from the 6 a.m. class was partner with Kim from the 7 p.m. class, they could do the WOD with their normal class and submit their score together.

CHALLENGE WOD
You didn’t think I would really tell you, did you? It will be a nice classic CrossFit WOD (couplet or triplet in the 8-12 min time domain.) The WOD will be something Basics or Graduates members can do without scaling.

Fats! Good, Bad and the Ugly

May 7, 2013 | Posted by Ben Davis | Comments Off

To begin to tackle the understanding of fats and how they relate to our health, our fitness and our overall survival, lets start with a “myth buster”, then move into some 101′s and wrap up with the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Main point of this is to take away the importance of getting your Omega 3 and 6 (n-3 and n-6) ratios to a 1:1 as you will read about below. Hope you enjoy! I will explain easy to do steps to ensure your getting balanced levels everyday.

To establish a good “base” for your diet (way of life) we recommend: Lean meats (preferably from clean sources such as grassfed, locally raised beef, wild caught fish, etc.), lots of veggies (from local or organic sources), some fruits (from local farms, “in-season”, and/or organic), some starch (sweet potatoes, yams, etc.) and nuts and seeds (macadamia nuts, walnuts, almond butter, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds – all with NO Salt and minimal processing). NO SUGAR or very little (once or twice a month). No Breads, Pasta or other processed foods. Limit going out to eat at restaurants. Cook at home and with friends!

1) Intro to Fats: the Fat myth by Ancel Keys. (http://www.stop-trans-fat.com/ancel-keys.html (http://www NULL.stop-trans-fat NULL.com/ancel-keys NULL.html))

First, we need to start this discussion by debunking a myth that fats are bad for you and that all fats are created equal. Read the link above and continue your own research on this subject to determine for yourself if fats are “Bad” for you.

2) Types of Fats and their definitions

When it comes to fats, it’s hard to keep it too simple. You need to have a basic understanding of a few terms:

Lipids – fats and oils. If it’s solid at room temperature, it’s a fat. If it’s liquid at room temperature, it’s oil. Lipids are a collection of molecules called triglycerides.

Triglycerides – a molecule comprised of three fatty acids attached to a glycerol.

Fatty Acid – carboxylic acids (COOH for you chemistry junkies) with carbon chains running 2-24 carbons long. The most abundant fatty acids in food are 16-18 carbons long.

Saturated Fatty Acid – a fatty acid in which all the links between carbons on the chain are single bonds, leaving no free electrons to potentially share with something else. This is the most stable form of a fatty acid and is generally solid at room temperature.

Unsaturated Fatty Acid – fatty acids with one or more double bond between carbons. If there is only one double bond, it is a monounsaturated fatty acid; two or more and it is a polyunsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acids in the families of omega-3, omega-6, omega-7, and omega-9 fall into this category. These are not as stable as saturated fatty acids, which is why they are liquids at room temperature. Note that this is why we suggest cooking with Coconut Oil (Saturated Fat = more stable). Cooking with Olive Oil (Monounsaturated Fat) has carcinogenic characteristics with heated.

Trans Fatty Acid – an unsaturated fatty acid that has undergone the process of hydrogenation or partial hydrogenation. The fatty acid is bombarded with hydrogen atoms until those double bonds are broken up and the resulting free electron is shared with a hydrogen. These are really weird fats that look saturated, but the body generally doesn’t know how to work with them. There are some naturally occurring trans fats in ruminant animal fats, but these are different than the redheaded stepchildren coming from the hydrogenation process.

Melting Point- the temperature at which a lipid goes from solid to liquid.

Smoke Point – the temperature at which a lipid begins to break down to glycerol and free fatty acids. This is a bad place for fats as they can potentially turn into very toxic substances from here. http://www.clovegarden.com/ingred/oilchart.html (http://www NULL.clovegarden NULL.com/ingred/oilchart NULL.html).

3) what we want to make sure we get in our diet, what we want to avoid.

Saturated Fat sources: animal fats, coconut oil/ flakes/ milk.

Unsaturated Fats (Mono, Poly) sources: Nuts, seeds, avocado, olive oil, etc.

Avoid: Trans Fat and interestified (man made) fats

What are Good, Bad, and Ugly?

Good: Saturated Fats from animals (15% of fat intake), Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats (1:2, 1:3 fatty acid ratio of n-3:n-6) – 1:1 is best!

Bad: Trans Fats and interesterified fats (man-made fats that are harmful from Processed foods).

Ugly: Too much omega 6: (This is the take away for most of us! We need to be cognitive of our Omega (n-3,n-6) intake each day and make sure we are doing what we can to level these ratios out to again a 1:1 preferably but 1:2, 1:3 will be ok.) How to get there? First, know that having the proper balance between n-3 and n-6 fats is very important for optimal health. From there, increase your omega-3 (which most of us are sorely deficient in), then you will also want to decrease your consumption of n-6, found primarily in:

Corn oil
Soy oil
Canola oil
Safflower oil
Sunflower oil

These oils are found in many foods we eat and don’t even realize it. Chances are, every time you go out to eat, you are ingesting one of these oils. The overabundance of these oils in processed foods of all kinds explains our excess n-6 levels. Why? When our n-3 to n-6 ratios are at 1:20 (research shows most Americans are in this range) then your blood gets “sticky” and causes it to be more likely to clot which will increase your risk for heart attack and stroke. Benefits of taking n-3 include helping to reduce symptoms of hypertension, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), joint pain and other rheumatoid problems, as well as certain skin ailments. Some research has even shown that n-3s can boost the immune system and help protect us from an array of illnesses including Alzheimer’s disease.

How to get back to a 1:1 ratio?

1) As stated above, avoid oils that have high concentrations of omega 6 by avoiding most processed foods that are covered in these oils. (look at ingredients)

2) Eat foods rich in Omega 3: Coldwater Fish such as Salmon (wild caught), Tuna, Mackerel, Anchovies, Sardines. Here is a LINK (http://www NULL.health NULL.gov/dietaryguidelines/dga2005/report/html/table_g2_adda2 NULL.htm) for amounts of EPA/DHA in each fish

Other sources of omega-3s include broccoli, cantaloupe, spinach, grape leaves, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, walnuts, and macadamia nuts which are also packed with n-3 and one of my favorites!

“About an ounce — or one handful — of walnuts have about 2.5 grams of omega-3s,” says an Registered Dietician from WebMD. “That’s equal to about 3.5 ounces of salmon.”

Besides getting more omega-3s, you can also help your heart by replacing some omega-6s from cooking oils with a third fatty acid known as omega-9 (oleonic acid). This is a monounsaturated fat found primarily in olive oil. If cooking with Olive oil, get the “light” and not “Extra virgin” and cook on very low heat. Use it on your Salads along with Vinaigrette. (my favorite!)

“Factors found in olive oil can also help boost the good cholesterol, which can also help your heart,” says Magee, another RD from WebMD.

3) Supplement with Omega 3 Fatty acids from Fish oil or Krill Oil (new preferred type) Why? Krill Oil has phospholipids which aid in transport of EPA/DHA because they are water-soluble and more bioavailable.

These are great sources:

- Progenex Krill Oil - http://www.progenexusa.com/Shop.aspx?afid=NEA10 (http://www NULL.progenexusa NULL.com/Shop NULL.aspx?afid=NEA10)

- SFH Fish oil - http://www.sfh.com/products/omega_3-oil (http://www NULL.sfh NULL.com/products/omega_3-oil)

Some notes of caution when taking these: (Talk to your physician before taking high dosages of Fish oil – 7 or more grams a day) – Taking high dosages can thin your blood and cause you to bruise and even worse “bleed out” if you were fatally wounded (God forbid). Be sure to refrigerate your fish oils and krill oil to ensure they don’t spoil.

Here is a list of Fish Oil/Krill oil Benefits for your enjoyment:

Heart Health (http://www NULL.omegavia NULL.com/fish-oil-heart-health/)
Fish oil helps:

Promote healthy heart beat
Moderate growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque
Naturally balance triglycerides, an important heart health marker

This is why the American Heart Association recommends that you take 1000 mg of Omega-3 everyday.
Joint Care (http://www NULL.omegavia NULL.com/fish-oil-arthritis/)
Omega-3 is a powerful anti-inflammatory for your joints.

Omega-3:

Reduces joint discomfort
Reduces morning stiffness
Helps reduces the amount of painkillers needed
Reduces enzymes that destroy cartilage
Increases grip strength
Enhances walking pace

Brain Health (http://www NULL.omegavia NULL.com/fish-oil-brain-health/)
More than half the fats in the brain is Omega-3 DHA. And the lining of the nerve cells in the brain is lined with Omega-3. So, brain performance & function (cognition) is strongly influenced by the amount of Omega-3 in your diet.

Increased levels of Omega-3 helps:

Enhance memory
Support thinking speed
Increase overall cognition
Manage age-related brain decline

Mood (http://www NULL.omegavia NULL.com/fish-oil-depression/)
EPA Omega-3 is crucial in maintaining mood health. In several studies, EPA has been found to be as effective as prescription anti-depressants.

Several studies have shown that persons with depression have low Omega-3 levels and high Omega-6 levels.

The other fats you want to avoid are the trans fats (http://articles NULL.mercola NULL.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/12/24/Trans-Fats-Can-Be-Deadly NULL.aspx). Trans fats are formed when hydrogen is added to vegetable oil during food processing in order to make it solidify. This process, known as hydrogenation, makes fats less likely to spoil, so foods stay fresh longer, have a longer shelf life and also have a less greasy feel. The end result of the hydrogenation process is a completely unnatural fat that causes dysfunction and chaos in your body on a cellular level……your body doesn’t know what to do with it.

Here is an interesting piece from the Agriculture and Commerce sites.

(http://www NULL.crossfitinvictus NULL.com/?attachment_id=3997)

Interestingly, our health issues from these to time periods are dramatically different! Chronic diseases that we deal with now were mostly non-existant during the late 19th century.

FOR THOSE OF YOU AT THE 1st NUTRITION CLINIC AT NO EXCUSES CROSSFIT: 1) We challenged everyone to get veggies in EVERY meal of the day. Increase you veggie intake.

Something I do to help ENSURE I get the needed amount of micronutrients and phytonutrients in my diet everyday, I take Juice Plus. Click HERE (http://www NULL.412juiceplus NULL.com) for more info on this product.

www.412juiceplus.com (https://www NULL.juiceplus NULL.com/nsa/content/Home NULL.soa?site=bd77004)

MORE Helpful Resources:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909 (http://www NULL.ncbi NULL.nlm NULL.nih NULL.gov/pubmed/12442909)

http://www.omegavia.com/ (http://www NULL.omegavia NULL.com/)

http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/good-fat-bad-fat-facts-about-omega-3 (http://www NULL.webmd NULL.com/food-recipes/features/good-fat-bad-fat-facts-about-omega-3)

www.robbwolf.com (http://www NULL.robbwolf NULL.com)

http://whole9life.com/ (http://whole9life NULL.com/)

www.marksdailyapple.com (http://www NULL.marksdailyapple NULL.com/)

www.mercola.com (http://www NULL.mercola NULL.com/beef/omega3_oil NULL.htm)

Tags: Ancel Keys, Coconut oil, crossfit, Fat, Omega 3:6 ratios, Saturated Fats, Triglycerides, Unsaturated Fats

My Goal is Weight loss…….. How do I achieve it with training?

April 19, 2013 | Posted by Ben Davis | Comments Off

I have spent the last 8 years training athletes for various activities and modalities of sport and one consistent theme I have discovered is that weightlifting is the most effective tool for increasing one’s fat metabolism and by doing so, decreasing their body fat. Time and time again we see that when athletes focus on their weightlifting efforts, they see great gains in their lean body mass and in return decreased body fat percentages. Weightlifting preferably in the form of deadlifts, squats, presses, and other multi-joint, compound movements. In the preceding paragraphs we are going to discuss why this is and what you can do with the information.

Why? Unless you are a professional athlete that trains and practices for several hours each day, the large majority of your daily caloric expenditure comes from your Basal Metabolic Rate (or BMR), the calories burned to sustain your bodily functions on a daily basis. You see, for every pound of lean muscle that you add, you will burn approximately 50 calories more per day. That might not sound like much but keep in mind if you swap out 5 pounds of fat for 5 pounds of muscle, you will burn close to 300 extra calories a day before you even hit the gym. Furthermore, intense weight training results in an afterburn effect where your metabolism is elevated for up to 38 hours after your training session. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC, and you can read more about EPOC HERE (http://www NULL.ncbi NULL.nlm NULL.nih NULL.gov/pubmed/11882927?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2 NULL.PEntrez NULL.Pubmed NULL.Pubmed_ResultsPanel NULL.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel NULL.Pubmed_RVDocSum). Not to mention all the other wonderful benefits of lifting such as improved bone density, ligament and tendon function, increased coordination between muscle fibers to allow us to move better. Doing cardio alone, will only decrease your BMR as time goes on. This turns into an uphill battle as your BMR keeps dropping, you’ll need to increase the amount of cardio you do to create the same deficit. Without weight training, you’ll lose muscle which will actually account for some weight loss, and you might even lose a few pounds of fat if your diet is decent, but it’s unlikely you will achieve (or maintain) the level of fat loss you desire.

“Won’t weights make me bulky?”

Getting big and muscular is very hard to do. Just ask any average male. It takes years of hard work, the right training program, and a lot of food . . . it just doesn’t happen by accident. Weight training will add a few pounds of needed lean body mass which will in turn make you leaner and give you a better looking physique. Women simply don’t have the levels of testosterone needed to support the type of muscle growth you fear. Unless you are taking anabolic steroids, gaining too much muscle is probably the least of your worries. And if you are taking steroids, gaining muscle is still probably the least of your issues……think liver damage and other deficiencies in organ function.

“Marathon runners are skinny, shouldn’t I run to become thinner?”
That makes as much sense as playing basketball to get taller. This logical fallacy is commonplace in fitness as many people are quick to make hasty generalizations. In any sport, genetics certainly play an important role. The best runners are thin because skinny people make for better runners. Just as the best basketball players are tall, the best runners are thin. In fact, many people who take up running end up “skinny fat”, a physique denoted by a lack of lean muscle mass and often accompanied by a noticeable amount of fat or “doughy” appearance. These people are known to complain about being unable to lose the last the few pounds of fat around their midsection while sipping on a fruit smoothie or over a lunch of whole grain pasta.

What can I do about this?

“So how do I go about increasing my lean body mass and improving my body composition?”
Definitely focus on the strength component in our group workouts. If you want to get more experienced with lifting, consider signing up for the Olympic Lifting classes with Chris Fischer and/or the Powerlifting classes with Jeff Robison. You’ll focus on the core lifts, increasing strength, lean body mass, and overall performance. Many of the clients in these classes have leaned out while getting stronger at the same time. Also, look into signing up for a nutritional consult or even the upcoming nutrition “clinics” that are absolutely FREE! You’ll get some useful instruction on how to dial in your nutrition so that you can improve your body composition and performance with a sustainable approach.

Olympic Lifting Sign up HERE (http://clients NULL.mindbodyonline NULL.com/ws NULL.asp?studioid=5154&stype=40)

Power Lifting Sign up HERE (http://clients NULL.mindbodyonline NULL.com/ws NULL.asp?studioid=5154&stype=40)

Dates for the FREE Nutrition Clinics are:

April 25th 2013, May 9th, 2013, May 23, 2013, June 6th, 2013, June 20, 2013. 6:30 pm at No Excuses CrossFit. More will be posted later.

Paleo Cooking Starter Kit

January 4, 2013 | Posted by Ben Davis | Comments Off

So you’ve found a bunch of cool Paleo recipes, but when you look in your cabinet you realize you don’t have a lot of the necessary ingredients. Here are some basic things you’ll need for a lot of Paleo recipes. Go ahead and buy these the next time you go to the store and you’ll be ready to cook just about any Paleo recipe.

• Coconut Oil
• Olive Oil
• Almond Meal/Flour
• Honey
• Vanilla Extract
• Sea Salt
• Pepper
• Spice Rack
• Almond Butter
• Nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds)

Cooking Equipment And Utensils
• Magic Bullet
• Ninja Food Processor
• Good Cutting Knife
• Large Skillet
• Tupperware

Paleo Resources

August 20, 2012 | Posted by Laura Moore | 1 Comment

8.20.12

Good afternoon! This week I wanted to share some of my favorite paleo resources for some of you looking to find some new cooking ideas or just need somewhere to start!

Robb Wolf: Check out Robb’s blog posts and book The Paleo Solution for some of the science behind why eating paleo sets you up for optimal health and performance! www.robbwolf.com

Whole9 Life: Home of the Whole30, a life changing 30 day super-clean eating program, Whole9 has some great easy to read blog posts, recipes, and amazing testimonials! www.whole9life.com

PaleoOMG: Great blog written by CrossFitter Juli Bauer. She loves chocolate and has some amazing paleo treat recipes but also has a lot of great dishes too, not to mention her posts are pretty funny! www.paleomg.com

The Clothes Make the Girl: In her own words, “I’m on a mission to be a superfit, well-fed, dressed-to-kill, glossy-haired, rock-n-roll, tart-tongued detective.” Fantastic site. She has a cookbook out now as well! www.theclothesmakethegirl.com

ChowStalker: This site is just what it sounds like! They stalk the web for great recipes! Most of the recipes are paleo, but if you are being real strict or have food allergies double check the ingredient lists. www.chowstalker.com

Everyday Paleo: The resident “paleo mom,” Sarah Fragoso has great tips for making paleo work for families and even small children. In addition to the recipes she posts on her blog, she has a great cookbook called Everyday Paleo. www.everydaypaleo.com

Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but these are some of the main ones I look at on a pretty regular basis! What are some of your favorite spots on the web for paleo recipes, ideas or information?

Finally, Be on the lookout for some information about our next paleo challenge! Here’s the catch, it’s not just a No Excuses challenge; we’re going to be signing up as an affiliate team for the Lurong Living Paleo Challenge. This is a NATIONWIDE challenge! Tons of awesome prizes, weekly skill challenges and three benchmark WODs. The gym that wins gets a $50,000 gym makeover! check it out http://www.lurongliving.com/challenge/index.php

Rock on folks!

In the Kitchen with Coach Laura

August 13, 2012 | Posted by Laura Moore | 1 Comment

Hey there lean, mean, CrossFit machines! If you didn’t know, I LOVE to cook. This is a recipe I have thrown together a few times and love so I wanted to share for today’s Paleo post!

On the menu: Andouille Sausage with Onions and Peppers Super easy and very tasty! Special note on the spices…I usually don’t measure them, I just add what looks right and then I go off of taste and smell. I tried to approximate the amounts for you, but if you want more or less…go with it! Also, I only had one pepper, one onion and one pack of sausage on hand but you could most certainly double this up. The amount here probably feeds four normal people who are scared of dietary fat, maybe just two CrossFitters, and only one Chris Crowder so adjust accordingly.

Foodstuffs you need:

1 Tbsp of coconut oil
1 Large Onion sliced into strips
1 Green Bell Pepper sliced into strips
1 clove of garlic minced or through a press
1 pack of Aidells Andouille Sausage cut into coins
~1 tsp garlic powder
~1/2 tsp paprika
~2 tsp of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Aidells is a pretty paleo-friendly brand. A bit of sugar, but no MSG, nitrites, hormones or gluten.

Let’s Get Cookin’:

Heat your coconut oil over medium heat in a stove top pan that has a lid (you’re going to cover this later). After a couple minutes, add your onions and peppers. They should kind of sizzle when they hit the pan. Let those cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add your garlic and keep everything moving.

Once you can tell the peppers are getting soft and the onions are becoming more translucent, add your spices and incorporate.

Let that cook together for a bit and then throw the chopped sausages in the pan and move those bad boys around for about 2-3 minutes. The Aidells sausages are precooked, so basically you are just heating them through, which doesn’t take long because you already sliced them! (you are so smart) OK, at this point I like to add a teeny bit of water (maybe a tablespoon?) to the pan and then immediately cover. This kinda steams everything up in there and makes a little bit of a sauce. At this point you can turn your heat to low and leave covered for about 5-8 minutes. Take off the lid and voila! Enjoy!

Let me know how it goes! What other Paleo foods would you like to see incorporated into recipes?

Tags: paleo, recipes

Fresh Eats for the Summer!

May 16, 2012 | Posted by Ben Davis | Comments Off

(Photo of the Suwanee Community Garden, April 2012)

Hi No Excuses Family! Guest blogger Stephanie Kingery here! With summer right around the corner, it is also fresh food time and farmers market season. Now, trying to keep up with organic, grass fed, locally grown, free range can be daunting, expensive and hard to find, so while doing the research for our family I thought everyone else could enjoy the info as well.

May and June is when many of the local farmer’s markets pop up. There are several farmers markets very near the box, with one just down the street in the Suwanee Town Center Park. Most of the local farmers markets are consistent in providing you a good selection of fruits, vegetables, dairy, eggs and meats.

With many of us living a paleo or paleo-influenced lifestyle, these things are an important part of our lifestyle. You want to ensure you are getting what you want from the market and farmers. Ask questions and get to know the farmer to understand their approach to farming. Do not assume that all the farmers at the market are there with products that are organic, local, sustainable or humanely raised.

First, make sure you understand what you are looking at and what you are looking for. This link to Georgia (http://www NULL.georgiaorganics NULL.com/foreaters NULL.aspx)Organics (http://www NULL.georgiaorganics NULL.com/foreaters NULL.aspx) explains the difference between “local” vs. “organic”, how to approach shopping at a local farmer’s market and benefits to local and organically grown foods (much more succinctly than I could). It also gives some perspective on why not all locally farmed food is officially organic, yet may be perfectly suitable to include in your diet. Second, know what to ask the farmer. Most farmers will enjoy going into detail on their sustainable and organic farming methods. Here is a very thorough list of questions (http://www NULL.rodale NULL.com/farmers-market-0?page=0,1)and (http://www NULL.rodale NULL.com/farmers-market-0?page=0,1)acceptable (http://www NULL.rodale NULL.com/farmers-market-0?page=0,1)answers (http://www NULL.rodale NULL.com/farmers-market-0?page=0,1) of what you should be asking the farmers while visiting the market.

Now for the good stuff. These are five farmers markets in close proximity to No Excuses.

Suwanee Farmers Market: Located in the Suwanee Town Center Park, this market features up to 25 vendors, twice a week, from 4 to 7 pm on Tuesdays and 8 am to noon on Saturdays beginning Tuesday, May 1. Based on my shopping attempts last year, you definitely need to get there early to get the choice picks of the fruits and veggies. www (http://www NULL.suwanee NULL.com). (http://www NULL.suwanee NULL.com)suwanee (http://www NULL.suwanee NULL.com). (http://www NULL.suwanee NULL.com)com (http://www NULL.suwanee NULL.com)

Duluth Farmers Market: Located in Duluth at the corner of Hill Street and Hwy 120, the Duluth market will be open starting Saturday, May 5 from 2 to 6 pm and run every Saturday through July 28.

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Norcross Whistle Stop Farmers Market: Located in Downtown Historic Norcross in Thrasher Park just past the old Whistle Stop restaurant, this farmers market has won top honors as one of the best local farmers markets in Georgia. Open on Tuesdays from 4 to 8 pm and features between 35 and 40+ vendors weekly. I plan to hit this one on my way home from work!

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Lawrenceville Farmers Market: Located in downtown Lawrenceville, at the old Police Station, this market will be open on Saturdays only, from 8 am to noon beginning June 4.

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Alpharetta Farmers Market: Located in downtown Historic Alpharetta off of Main Street near City Hall, this market opened April 14 and runs through October 8 every Saturday from 8 am to 12:30 pm.

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Two websites listing markets throughout the state:

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This is the Suwanee Co-op that Coach Ben, Coach Chris Fischer and another NEA Member have been using: Nora at Whole Foods Suwanee Co-op (https://www NULL.facebook NULL.com/GAWholeLifeSuwanee).

Lastly, don’t forget to bring your reusable bags, containers, possibly a cooler, CASH and an open mind to try something new!

We here at No Excuses CrossFit hope that you find this information helpful and useful. Get out and eat clean and enjoy all the benefits of doing so!

How do I eat after my workout?

April 10, 2012 | Posted by Ben Davis | Comments Off

What do I do after my workout??

There are so many “theories” out there about what an individual needs post workout. This blog post is intended to help guide you in finding what works best for you, the individual, when fueling your body post-workout.

First thing to remember is that you are an individual. There is no one created like you before in history and there will be no one exactly like you in the future. So that means you will have to “test” to see exactly what works best for you after your workout. We call this the “Input vs. Output” process. You try something out. Record in your journal how you feel afterwards and well you perform in your next workouts. Take note of how your digestive system reacts to what you put in your mouth. If it gets upset, then you may want to find something else next time. Keep this process up until you “dial in” on what you feel works best.

To start you off on a good foot, here are some things that we have found to work really well with the majority of our athletes (individuals).

1) A good quality, fast-assimilating protein. Whey protein from grassfed cows milk is the most nutritious supplement that we have found you can put into your Post-Workout regimen.

Stronger Faster Healthier has a high quality product for a fair price. Click this LINK (http://www NULL.strongerfasterhealthier NULL.com/) to browse their website. Enter in the discount code: No Excuses when checking out.

2) Some athletes benefit from replacing their lost energy, in the form of glucose, from a tough WOD. So eating something with a good amount of sugar, or starch carb that eventually turns into sugar, is helpful. Things like: Sweet Potatoe, Dried Dates, or some other fruit. One of my favorites is Coconut Water. The unflavored kind.

3) Plenty of water.

4) There is strong observational and clinical research supporting a 10 minute to 30 minute window after intense exercise as being the best time to feed your body nutrients. Particularly protein and carbohydrate.

Here is what Robb Wolf and James OPT Fitzgerald have to say, both are well respected S&C Coaches in the US.:

Robb Wolf’s recommendations:

For those interested in what to eat after a workout, here’s some insight taken straight from the Paleolithic Solutions seminar:

“After exercise we have a phenomenon called ‘non insulin mediated glucose transport”. It’s a period of time in which we can fly glucose and amino acids into the muscle without much insulin AND we improve recovery. For large WODs we can shift upwards of 50% of the day’s carbs into the Post Workout (PWO) period. The optimum time for this is less than 15 minutes PWO, it’s still good at 30 min, and almost back to baseline by an hour. Timing is critical if you want the most from this!

Might help with fat loss… might not. Be clear about GOALS!

Athletic maintenance at 14-17 cals/lb
Strength WOD: 25-50 g Protein & Fat or Carb (need to lean? gain?)
“Big” WOD: 25-50 g Protein, 50-75g Carbs
“Little” WOD: 25-50g Protein & Carb
Multiple sessions? Throw some in after both WODS.”

Obviously it is up to you to experiment with different PWO options to find what works best for you, to meet your specific goals.

OPT’s recommendations:

James Fitzgerald (OPT – of Optimum Performance Training in Calgary, winner of the 2007 CrossFit Games) provides Pre- and Post-Workout recommendations based on the volume and intensity of the workout and your bodyfat percentage

8. Pre-WOD Fueling rx’d.
This is VERY individualized, VERY. Depends on your schedule, your digestion ability, the WOD, etc. But, for “general” purposes, I will give some scenarios.
A – your WOD is Fran (or any high power output/gassy WOD), and you are doing it at 5 pm. I would suggest eating your last meal around 1 pm to 2 pm at latest. Between this time, you only consume fluids (caffeine anyone?), and supplements if you so choose. You get to the gym at 4-4:30 pm, begin warm-up and anticipate the oncoming pain. The empty gut will benefit you immensely for these high power output WOD’s. Pretty much if the WOD is going to kick your ass, then you had better make sure that you are running light on the food (3hr+ post)and heavy on the motivation.

B – if you are doing the same WOD at 6 am. Wake-up, warm-up, and get’er done. Fluids, such as Ultima, or some kind of electrolyte may be beneficial to YOU. If you are eating, make sure it is not much more than what you could pick from your teeth following a handful of cashews, as it will only be coming right back up – if the WOD is done correctly. At this time, warm-up is even more important.

C – your WOD is Deadlift, 1-1-1-1-1-1-1. Bring your lunch pale and do as you please. Whether done in the AM/PM, eating food will not affect your performance, as this is a CNS WOD.

D – if the WOD is A1/A2/B1/B2 style, with short rest times, moderate (or more) amount of sets and reps, then you would want to follow the advice from Scenario’s A & B (shown above).

9. Post-WOD Fueling rx’d.

The sooner the better, in most cases. The rx’d numbers are based on everyone’s BF% b/c its all I know about those who post…outside of that there are WAY too many factors for determining EXACTLY what you need post WOD except to say “experiment” and play with it…but i would be happy to answer questions regarding this on the daily posts about your own situation the best I can…

I’d suggest for those that are “blocking” to experiment as I’ve done with a lot of folks and do not count your post workout fuel in the day allotment for a few reasons, one of which is that this is the time to play with that…and secondly…I’ve found it a little better for recovery with the various exposures you’ll get here…that is different that other recommendations simply b/c it is different training…that’s all.

As for fat, the research shows that it might help in post WOD nutrition…Di Pasquale tried hard to tell Charles that but I’m in Poliquin’s camp that the leaner the person is, you basically load them up with as much sugar as they can handle without fucking up the daily insulin rhythm post WOD…as it yields so many good results…for example, I Rx up to 80-100 g carbs post WOD for an 8% athlete being trained for their sport under CF methodology…and they STILL take on 12-15 carb blocks per day…so yes, that is 10 blocks post WOD plus 12-15 in day…and they gain mass and have better 5K runs, DL x 1, 2K rows and max chin ups…and I think it is due to the leanness and the uptake ability..this changes of course the fatter you get…BIG TIME… so stay lean…as nothing tastes as good as being lean feels!

Options - If you can handle dairy protein post workout, then that is likely you best option, in powder form. This is depending on the workout. If the workout is not a gasser (i.e. Deadlift, 5-5-5-5-5, 180 sec + some other strength work) then eating a balanced PFC meal of whole food will be fine. If it is a sweaty WOD, then follow the rx’d post WOD fueling, trying to hit the number of rx’d protein and carbs, with minimal fat (Refuel + Jarrow or Dream Whey – from OPT Store is a great combo to meet the requirements).

Best Protein Options - Hormone free whey (dairy) protein isolate, goat protein isolate, leaner cuts of meat (chicken, turkey, deer, elk, beef, etc.), organic yogurt + whey protein. There are lots of options (especially in the OPT Logbook). As long as the source is CLEAN, and the protein is COMPLETE (i.e. not vege based), then you will be fine – just select the right amount.

Best Carb Options - some kind of sugar (i.e. Maltodextrin – Refuel) works well for the harder WOD’s, organic Yam/Sweet potatoes are fine too. Apple sauce, pineapple, pretty much any fruit/high starch vege will be fine. Just pay attention to how you feel an hour or two later (energy, cognitive ability, digestion issues?, etc. – be aware). If you do experience any negative effects from your food choice – protein or carb, then it would be wise to find out what caused it, and avoid it for the time being because it is impeding your recovery – which is most important. Again, whatever you choose, keep it clean – just select the correct amount.”

(http://optimumperformancetraining NULL.blogspot NULL.com/)

Food Choices

June 17, 2011 | Posted by lkoller | Comments Off

Wow! The things we don’t realize unless, extensive research is done, lies and deceit unmasked, and someone like Robyn to put aside any fear she may have had and pull all her strength together in order to inform the public about a very real issue here in our country and our society.

My hope is that we all take our “food choices” more seriously and be determined to make the right choices when feeding ourselves, our family and especially our children, as they are the ones that are the dependents.

For more reading on this topic follow this link : Popular Foods that turn your gut into a Pesticide Factory (http://articles NULL.mercola NULL.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/06/14/why-are-there-so-many-food-allergies-now NULL.aspx)