It's official guys!
Cav's Fit for Summer 8 week challenge has started. Not only has it been a fruitful 2 weeks of weighting and testing everyone, but also 2 weeks of a lot of CHANGE. (Eating habits, Workout patterns, etc.) Unlike any of the other challenges we've held before, the "Fit for Summer" challenge focuses on one's nutrition. For all participants, a change in the way we eat is a must. The Challenge is divided into two parts: Quality & Quantity. By using the list provided by Coach Cam, everyone scores points for eating the right things in the right amounts. Which brings me to the topic of this week's Food for Thought Friday: Erhm....What about Water? Well, water plays a big part in any dieting scheme. Drink more water...Keep a bottle with you always...Sip whenever you can... For anyone who has been on a diet before, you would have heard of similar hydration advice given along with other eating modifications. Just in case you aren't convinced that water is just as important for you as a good diet, here are 5 reasons why you should pick up a bottle and sip away while counting your daily challenge scores: Reason No.1 : Water enhances your energy level If you’re dehydrated and sluggish, it makes it hard to get up from the couch to the box for a WoD. Water lubricates everything in your body, which keeps your cells working properly, your muscles oxygenated, and your brain functioning at its best — all of which helps you stay motivated and focused on your goal and challenge. The next time you are trying to decide whether you should come in for the Metcon, grab a glass of water instead of pouring yourself a cup of coffee. Reason No.2: Water is WoD fuel Now that you have gotten off your couch to the box, it's time to drink more water! If you’re dehydrated, your workout will suffer — and so will your results. In fact, just losing 2 percent of your body weight in fluid can impede your performance by up to 25 percent. And if you start out dehydrated, you’re just going to become more dehydrated as you sweat. To get the most out of your workout, drink water before, during, and after exercise. Reason No.3: Water is a metabolism booster Drinking water helps you burn more calories. That’s because whenever you eat or drink, your body burns energy to process whatever is coming in. And since water is calorie-free, you’re burning more than you consume. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism found that healthy men and women who drank about 16 ounces of water experienced a 30 percent increase in their metabolic rate within ten minutes! Reason No.4: When you are drinking water you are less likely to drink unhealthy drinks With summer around the corner, we can all enjoy a nice cold soda or maybe even a light beer on a hot day to cool down. However, drinks like those are usually packed with a lot more calories compared to a glass of water. There are even some studies that suggest drinking ice water, which causes a sudden drop in body temperature, can increase a burn of extra calories. On a hot day drinking an ice cold glass of water...Sure, why not? Reason No.5: Water helps cut down binge eating and snacking Thirst can masquerade as hunger. So when you’re tempted to eat, you may actually just need a glass of water. Other symptoms that we often associate with hunger — such as a gurgling stomach or lightheadedness — may also indicate thirst. When you feel hunger kick in, try drinking a glass of water before you eat. So the question now is...How Much? According to Dr. John Berardi at Precision Nutrition : Sedentary individuals drink at least 2L or about 8 cups of water per day Athletes in normal climates drink at least 3L or about 12 cups of water per day. Athletes in hot weather climates drink at least 4L or about 16 cups of water per day. And since we will all be working out like an athlete ***wink wink***and summer is just around the corner, aiming for 2L to 3L or about 8 to 12 cups of water per day should be sufficient. However, do listen to your body and adjust accordingly. Tips on Drinking more water: - Always drink 1-2 glasses of water with a meal (before or after) - Infusing your water with fruits, such as lemons or oranges, will certainly make it more tasty. - Log what you drink each day with an app or the spreadsheet provided for The Challenge under each day's comment section. Bottoms Up!
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Like past nutrition and body composition challenges, will be a "reset" for a lot of you. Whether you're recovering from Rugby 7s, Easter weekend, or still feeling the effects from Christmas (?!) nutrition is an important step in the journey to overall health and wellness. This isn't just a weight loss challenge, it's a lifestyle challenge. It is for anyone looking to improve several aspects of their lives. Here are the deets:
This will be an 8-week long, two part challenge. The first 4 weeks will focus on quality of food. During the last four weeks, we'll dial it in with the same quality food but with an added focus on quantity. The number of meals will be determined by the athlete’s size and goals. Points: Part 1: Quality 4 Points: Perfect day of eating. Example: You didn't cheat at all! 3 Points: One minor slip. Example: Cream in the coffee, salad dressing, mayo, bbq sauce, ketchup or one tortilla chip, one bite or sip of anything that is not allowed. 2 Points: Significant slip, but not an entire meal. Example: One glass of wine or one beer, finished your kid’s Mac ’N Cheese, piece of bread at dinner. 1 Point: Major slip, a full meal went bad. Example: You had Pizza or pasta for dinner, more than one alcoholic drink, dessert. 0 Points: More than one meal went bad. Example: You went off the rails at dinner and then went out for drinks. Bonus points: 1 Point You worked out. Part 2: Quantity Everything stays the same From part 1, but you now have the opportunity for bonus points. Check it out! Bonus points: 2 Points: You have the correct amount of trays in a day 1 Point: You are within 1/2 of your food quantity. 1 Point You worked out. Quality: Most people are nutrient deficient in more ways than one. By choosing nutrient dense foods, we can help to eliminate those deficiencies and help bring our bodies back to homeostasis. For the challenge, you will be choosing your foods off of a list. This will ensure we are eating the right types of foods for sustained health and longevity. You will notice the absence of things like bacon, sausage, and other high fat meats. Just like many of the processed carbohydrates we avoid, these foods are often void of nutrients, yet very dense in calories. Here's what you can eat: Meats: Chicken Breast Chicken Thighs Center Cut Pork Loin Fish beef/bison Top Sirloin Top Round Tenderloin (beef/pork) 3 Eggs* = 1 portion Ground Turkey Breast Turkey Tenderloin Turkey Breast *NO DELI MEATS *ALL MEATS MUST BE SKINLESS Carbs/veggies Beets Yam Sweet Potato Rice Butternut Squash Carrots Acorn Squash Plantains All Fruits Leafy Greens Broccoli Green Beans Cauliflower Peppers Onions Mushrooms Asparagus Zucchini Eggplant Cucumber Radishes Cabbage Tomato Brussel Sprouts Carrots Rice Noodles Fats: Grass Fed Butter Olive Oil Coconut Oil Avocado Avocado oil Macadamia oil Homemade dressings (2 tbsp**) Olives Raw Almonds Raw Pecans Raw Walnuts Raw Macadamia Nuts Raw Nut Butter ** Listen, we know that only being able to eat certain foods off a list isn't sexy. It's not glamorous. The thing you have to understand is that this is a CHALLENGE. It might get difficult. It will be tough. But it will change you. Quantity: To keep it simple, you should invest in a few Tupperware containers to help you measure out your meals for the day. The vegetables will fill the large compartment, and the protein and carbohydrates will each fit into one of the smaller compartments. We will be using a simple tablespoon from our home kitchen to round out the meal with a quality choice of fat from the list. Idea here is to be getting a starting point or a baseline on how much we are taking in without overcomplicating it. How many meals per day? Lets keep it simple and look at your t-shirt size! Men: Small-3 full* Medium-4 meals Large-5 meals XL- 5 full meals Women's Small-3 meals Medium-3 full meals Large-4 meals XL/Very active-4 full *full means filling Tupperware container to the max. Regular meals are below max capacity. The points system is based on honor. Be honest with yourself and others. The points system, combined with body measurements will determine the winner of our 2017 Fit For Summer Challenge. We are always on the lookout for fresh talent!
Are you passionate about fitness and helping people? Are you looking for a career in the fitness industry? We are looking for like-minded individuals the are self-starters and have a passion for helping others achieve their fitness goals! Interested? e-mail info@crossfitcavaliers.com |
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July 2018
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CrossFit Cavaliers - Kennedy Town's 1st CrossFit Box (Tel. 25731180) | Food For Thought |