Write it down!

Here is a link to a yahoo post; Study shows value of food diary in losing weight. We all know the benefits of keeping a journal to track what we eat. Most of us don't like to do it because writing down what we eat makes us accountable and points out right away what we are doing right and where we are falling short.

QUOTE

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

Humour

Someone asked me the other day if crossfit was like aerobic classes and right away I thought of this video. As I tried to control my laughter I emphatically said no. I invited the person to have a workout with me and let them decide for themselves. Anyone who has done a crossfit workout will appreciate this video and my likening the question to it. What we do is definitely not 'aerobic classes' Be carefull it is not work safe due to content.



This video was in response to this one which is just as funny if not more.....
Have a good weekend!

Results are fast when you do it right!

Today was a weigh in day for a client of mine. If you read my blog with any regularity you will know I hate these days. I hate weighing people because in my HUMBLE(haha) opinion, it doesn't mean anything. What is the weight consisting of, muscle, fat, water? etc. etc. So she got onto the scale and lo and behold the first number she sees is her weight. Drum roll please...... she had gone up in weight! shock and despair! She may have been a little confused at first but I then point out that her body fat has actually gone down a full % which is fantastic because she has only been with me for a month! She has been working damn hard and it is starting to show! It all became a little clearer when we did her measurements and found she had dropped an entire inch off each body part we measured meaning a full 6 inch loss in the month time frame we have been together! Now all these numbers don't mean much to me because I am a performance based trainer; but try telling a woman 6 weeks out of getting married that wants to look great in her dress that she can now do 15 modified pull-ups in a row instead of her 5 and she will look at you like... huh? Anyway, lesson learned, I am going to start with the measurements first, then the scale!

Point being results are dependent on effort. When the effort is there results follow. Just like the point on form following function. These results were from 3x a week work out and a progressing towards zone diet. Time to up the intensity and commit to more workouts and tightening the dial into the zone. In that place results will skyrocket!

Neat Commercial

This is a tough quote to live by, but rewarding if you can keep it in mind...

To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.
~Steve Prefontaine

QUOTE

"Blur the distinction between strength training and metabolic conditioning for the simple reason that nature's challenges are typically blind to the distinction." -Greg Glassman

SORE? TIME TO RECOVER

Everyone has been very sore from their workouts before. This is meant to happen; the muscles are breaking down when you workout and the time after is the most important. This time is the “Recovery.”

In the recovery process your muscles are rebuilding and getting stronger. It's important to treat your body well and give it what it needs, so you can get the proper recovery and maximum results from your workouts. Especially with CrossFit, recovery is that much more important because your body is taking a beating. Especially if you train with me! If you don't let your bod recover, then injury will most likely occur. Trust me on this one. I've made the mistake in the past and it's no picnic! Plus, letting yourself recover will ensure you more time to train and maximize your results!

“Recovery is the night to our exercise day” - Robb Wolf

There are 4 important parts of recovery:

1. Nutrition: I am sure you have heard many things of what to eat after a workout and heard a lot of controversy. Just keep it simple: your body needs protein and carbohydrates after a workout to replenish your glycogen stores and repair the muscles. Take in a lean protein and fruit or yams/sweet potatoes. And for those of you that follow the Zone, like most CrossFitter’s, keep to the same regime.

2. Sleep: For proper recovery you need 9-10 hrs of sleep in a completely dark room. If you don’t sleep properly your body can't function properly and it throws off all the other points on recovery.

3. Stress: If you are stressed, a hormone called cortisol is released. When coritsol is released it promotes fat storage in the abdominal area.


4. Contrast Hydrotherapy: I tell all my athletes about hydrotherapy and no one believes it until they try it! I think it is because they don’t want to try it because it is not fun. Contrast Hydrotherapy is the alternating of of hot and cold water soaking. Contrast is 3-5 minute in a hot tub and 30-60 seconds in an ice bath or cold bath. Repeat this process 3-5 times. Not everyone has a hot tub, so try it mimic as much as you can with a shower. Try it sometime, it works!

All of these aspects affect each other, if one is lacking, it will throw the others off. It won't be a catastrophe or anything but it can be a viscous cycle. If you are not getting your recovery, take a look at your personal recovery process compared to this one I have mentioned. If it isn't similar give this one a try and tweak it out for yourself!