Nutrition: The Topic of Conversation

Last night at Crossfit class the topic to open up our session was nutrition. I am not really sure how it came up, but our coach laid it on the line. If you are not eating properly, you are not going to get the results that Crossfit Promises. Will you lose weight ? Yes to a point, but you will not shape and tone your body to look its best if you are not monitoring what you eat.



Crossfit is designed around the "Zone Diet" which is designed to eat 40 % carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30%  fat. Your body needs all three. The purpose of eating this way is to keep blood sugar levels from spiking throughout the day. When blood sugar levels spike during the day from improper eating, your body produces more insulin. When the body produces more insulin, it triggers enzymes in the body to store fat.  Basically, when glucose is produced from insulin spikes, it is converted to glycogen which is stored in the liver for energy, when energy is depleted this is great. However, when energy is not depleted it is not stored in the liver, but into fat cells... not good. Its that simple; You don't need to store it if you don't need it. This is why there are increases in fat in the body and thus why we look like we do when we don't eat properly. A huge problem across America.

There were a lot of excuses last night, but the bottom line is you have to decide that nutrition is important and this is what you want to do. You have to make the decision to change it because it is a healthy way to live and it will make a difference. In the beginning you will have to measure things and weigh them to get a feel for how much you can have, but after a while you will know what a 1/4 of a cup looks like or three ounces of meat looks like. You may have to pack your lunch and snacks in a cooler which means taking time to plan ahead when you go to the grocery store. Getting ready at night instead of waiting until the mornings to pack your lunch helps relieve early morning rush. You may have to change your routine and just like starting a new exercise program it takes time to get into the habit. It is a habit worth developing. Will you mess up... absolutely. The goal is to eat right 80% of the time which allows for a few times to eat your favorites like Mexican or sushi. You can do it you just have to make time for what is important and nutrition is the most important.

There are several great websites that can  give you more information about the zone diet. I like http://crossfitimpulse.com/the-zone-diet-explained-edited which is specifically directed to people in the Crossfit Program. Check it out and be encouraged to know that you can do whatever you choose to do. Nutrition is a choice.

Griffin Spalding School System Embraces Healthy Living

Griffin Spalding School System is piloting a new program to help its employees embrace healthy living. The new Wellness Program called "Enjoy Life" is being piloted in the months of April and May to see if it can motivate employees to make life style changes and it is providing exercise programs for employees to participate in for free. All classes are taught by employees within the county willing to give up their time so that others have the opportunity within the school system to be healthy for no charge. You can't beat that!

The program was the brain child of Christina Crane an employee in the Human Resource Department. Because budgets have been cut and no money was available, she sent out an all call to anyone interested in volunteering their time to help others. It has been amazing to watch how many people offered their time  freely for the sole purpose of helping others. Employees now have the opportunity to participate in p90x training, interval training, yoga, belly dancing, zumba, and run /walk groups. Something is taking place every day of the week and allows employees to participate in multiple activities. The turn out has been pretty good, the classes started out with 7-13 people and have grown each week. The Walk/ run groups have increased as well.

Yesterday employees had the opportunity to get a free health screening that included blood pressure check, blood sugar, cholesterol, body mass index and others items checked for free. It was a good time to see how things stacked up and get a plan for improving health. Health Counselors were available to help employees set goals and time lines and get on the road to success.

I applaud Chritina Crane and Dr. Jones, Superintendent, for putting something in place during times of stress when health means everything. Way to go Griffin Spalding School System.

Above in the picture are Griffin Spalding County employees who came out Friday night to Run the Stepping Stones 5k. Pictured left to right: April Mayo (Crescent Elementary), Lindy Pruitt- Me (Rehoboth Middle School), Spencer Boggs (Maintenance Department), Ed Aragon (Technology Department). It was a great showing for the run/walk groups and hopefully more will come out for the Crescent Elementary Cougar Chase 5k on April 28th at 5:30pm.

Did I just say that?

Its funny, but I have friends and fitness friends. I have my two best buddies in the world and then I have my group at the gym. It's weird. I spend close to two hours every night with them and its funny how quickly you get very close knit. The conversation is somewhat hilarious at points of pain and stress. You say and do the darnedest things. In fact my words have come back to haunt me on more than one occasion. I can remember telling Kat one night as she was struggling through a workout, "you only have three left, you can do anything three times."  Boy, did I later regret saying that. I have been reminded on more than one occasion as I lay immersed in my own drool and sweat..."Come on Lindy , you can do anything three times." Be careful what you say .. right?

Then of course there are the major differences between what men say and do and what women say and do. Men certainly don't hold back in their words with women present and the women try to ignore the crassness of it all as if they don't hear it. It cracks me up sometimes. Everybody is straining and working hard and all of a sudden an odor wafts across the room. While women work diligently to ignore it and move on, it is only a few short minutes before a man stakes claim to it proud of the fact that their exertion has been displayed. The women are way embarrassed, but nonetheless they keep coming back. I am certain its not the smell that brings them back though.

Of course there is much conversation that you just wonder how you get there and I can only say that under duress you are unable to filter your thoughts or your mouth.  Example. One night in the midst of a workout, as I thought I was surely going to die once again (not unusual to have the near death experience where you see the light on several occasions during a one week period). I lay in the floor trying to push out as many burpees as possible. As everything in me was fading to black and I was moving toward the light, I thought if I just lay still and give myself 5 seconds of rest I can do more. As I laid my head on the floor, and began to try and enjoy these fleeting seconds, my brain quickly jumped to Jesse's butt. Not what you are thinking so get your mind out of the gutter. At that moment, I realized that just 20 minutes earlier my buddy Jesse had sweated his butt off doing sit ups and now here I lay in the midst of butt sweat with not even an ounce of strength to remove my face from it. I eventually moved back into my burpees, but Jesse was on my mind each time I went to the mat. Later when I was through the workout, I saw Jesse and said, " Hey, I thought about you tonight as I wallered in your butt sweat." It didn't quite come out like I had hoped. Jess seemed a little surprised and the others just turned and looked wondering if I had just released some very confidential information. What do you say in a moment like this? Nothing much, you just move on and go with it. The filter just shuts off.

These crazy moments keep you laughing and coming back for more. Not a night passes when something isn't said where we look at each other and say "did you just say that."

Crossfit Challenge Today!

Today was the South Atlanta Crossfit Challenge at Club Fitness. It was an awesome day. People of all ages  and sizes, male and female were amazing. It was unbelievable to just be a spectator and see people pushing themselves to uunknown limits and teams strategizing to win the competition. As you already know, if you have ever read this blog, I love Crossfit, and today was the essence of what Crossfit is.

The competition drives you, the people encourage and inspire you, and the workout takes you to a different level. Anybody who comes once is hooked, no exceptions. You become connected to the people you sweat, vomit , and bleed with. Yes, all of these things happen to each of us at some point. How can you not love the guy beside you who pushes through and inspires you to suck it up and do more than you have ever done before. And while it is competitive, the support when you are doing the "Work Out for the Day (W.O.D)" from your classmates is unmatched by any sport I have ever participated in. Crossfit is a sport, not just an exercise program. The camaraderie makes you a family, an exclusive group in its on world. You can't understand it, until you do it, but when you do.... you will know what I mean.

I send out a big cheer to all the participants and coaches today. I am  proud to be part of such a wonderful group of people and I am thankful for my new found friends. Today was a good day for everybody. My team was awesome.. two cheers for Alexis and Dena who made me work harder than ever. Together we took home the trophy for the 1st annual Crossfit Challenge. Thanks for inspiring me and being great team mates! Check out the pictures below for a small glimpse into our Crossfit World!

Crossfit Pictures