The Whole30 ("Re-evolving")

Been a while, hasn't it? Things have been a little off balance lately and I surely haven't had time or energy to post. I am going to do my best to make sure that I am posting as frequently as I can. Which, hopefully, means every day.

So, I've decided to finally fully take on Paleo by kicking it off with the Whole30 program. It's a program of 30 straight days of paleolithic nutrition. No grains, no dairy, no legumes, no refined sugars. Lots of meat and veggies, some fruit and nuts, no alcohol (yes, I said it), and a pretty high fat intake (good fats and essential fats. so obviously no trans fats). The basic idea? Eat like a caveman. Consume food in the way such as "our paleolithic ancestors did." I put that in quotes and meant to...

Some side notes:

• Many of my fellow friends who haven't spoken with me in a while may be surprised that I may be taking on such an endeavor due to the ideas behind the diet. Ideas such as cavemen, evolution, etc. Especially knowing that I don't believe in the theory of evolution.
• Many of you may think I'm a crazy person for not believing in the theory of evolution and be wondering why a silly creationist would be taking on a diet based on a Dawinian theory.
• The honest truth is that I still do believe in God and creation and I also believe this diet works. It sure has been showing results since I started dabbling in it with my 5-14 day sprints on it. Believe what you will about God (or about me), but for me, I know it is said that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and I have definitely started to take part in taking care of that temple so that it is clean. So, I will still eat the Bread of Life.

Now that you know a little about my personal life and beliefs, I am going to get back on subject to avoid being controversial. This Big WODea isn't about controversy and ticking people off. It's about my life in the world of Crossfit and what I am doing within all of it (and posting evil WODs for the crazy people to try out).

Now, halfway through day five, I can definitely say that it has been a shift in the lifestyle. Growing up in a household dominated by rice was one thing to overcome. We have a rice cooker and a rice dispenser filled with ten to twenty-five pounds of rice at any given time. On top of rice, we were also big on bread, milk, and we definitely loved sugar. Mom loves sugar, and you know kids... Child see, child do.

Needless to say, I grew up to be a fat kid. Not morbidly obese by any means, but definitely significantly fat. My mother sat around yelling at me about how I needed to workout and eat better as she nibbled away at way too many fruits, cookies, ice cream sandwiches, candy bars, buttered up breads... you get the picture (Now she says I train too hard and need to eat more like a normal person). With all this, I already knew that getting in shape at home was going to be nothing short of difficult (although, so far I have lost sixty pounds).

Looking into Paleolithic nutrition, I didn't really know where to start. I read part of the book The Paleo Solution (and am still reading it) and a good amount of online articles. From there, I started cutting out grains and legumes. Soon after I cut out dairy. I ate as much as I could during meals because I work at a coffee shop and there is nothing but crap food there. Everything has grains (pastries) or way too much sodium in it. Also, every drink is milk based. I started to bring almond milk to work for some lattes, but realized later that there was sweetener in it. Later I moved to the unsweetened kind, but have become concerned with a few ingredients that are a bit difficult to pronounce. It was all crazy challenge of figuring out right and wrong and my head was spinning. It wasn't really that it was hard to figure out, it was (and is still) more or less about figuring out how to adapt to it. Things like grains were staples in my diet and were the reasons that I became full (more like stuffed).

So far, in five days (along with my other short endeavors) I've learned a lot about myself and food:

• I sure love me some sweets! My fruit intake is the thing I am most careful with, due to the fact that I want to use fruits for replacing candy. Making sure I am having the Whole30 recommended fruit portions is a top priority.
• Grains are addicting... very addicting. I really love carbs... way too much. I would often find myself standing in front of the pastry case trying to convince myself that having a cheese danish or an apple fritter was okay. Often times, I was a pretty good seller on the point. Next thing  I knew, danish/fritter in the oven and on the way into my stomach. 
• Trying new vegetables is always scary.
• I love to cook.
• Unfortunately, I hate cleaning up.
• Going out is quite a difficult task at times. Sometimes, so difficult, I just say forget all about it.
• As someone who doesn't drink all that much, getting rid of alcohol for a month is proving to make going out to have fun hard and awkward. "Yea, I'll have two hoegardens, a fox and barrel, and a water for myself." "Can I get another refill on my water?... and another?"

Health has become important enough for me to change the way I live in the way of a complete 180 degree turn. I want to feel better, live better, and be better (Not to mention have a tight looking butt and a set of abs to make the ladies jumps for joy). Athleticism has also paved the way for all these changes. I want to be bigger, faster, and stronger. I want to be an athlete, something I had always wanted to be, but was never able to reach for. My mother would not let my brother wrestle or let me play football. I took Crossfit as my chance to reach for such a goal. Getting into the games may seem unrealistic and disgustingly lofty, but I like to dream (and why not? at least I am becoming better), at least I may be able to compete in smaller scale events.

I've seen quite a bit so far in this Whole5. Let's raise a glass of coconut milk to a Whole25 more...

AND A WODea!

WODea 2/20/2011

"The Enduro-con"

For time:

20 Burpees

Run 800m

50 Double Unders

30 Box Jumps 24"/20"

Row 500m

50 Box Jumps 24"/20"

30 Double Unders

Run 800m

50 Double Unders

30 Box Jumps 24"/20"

Row 500m

50 Box Jumps 24"20"

30 Double Unders

Run 800m

20 Burpees

Post thoughts, times, and videos (including run ins with pukie) to comments.

Reinvention is Never Finished

The fact of the matter is, I pay a lot for my training. A lot. Especially for a barista at Starbucks, it takes up a good chunk of my monthly income. Of course, my coach was right, I wouldn't miss the money. I never have. In a situation like that, the one thing I make a note of never doing is taking my training for granted. Every single day, I push past the pain, past the fatigue, past the weakness, and through what I once thought was my threshold. Whatever it takes, I get it done. If I must do the whole work out with a grimace because of the unbearable pain, I will. Quitting is never an option; the more unbearable it becomes, the harder I push. From that point, it's just telling myself how close I am to finishing. It is a reinvention and I, as the craftsman, must take care and be thorough so as to not miss a spot or a moment so crucial whenever it may turn up.

Reinvention. It's why we do these things. The reason we work out, diet, and push. Why would anyone want to cut out grains and dairy? These are major staples in the American diet... in fact... any diet, and they taste so damn good. We want to be recreated. Turned into a thing much better than we ever were before. Reinvention is not easy, it's not quick, and at first, it is barely anything you would ever call "convenient." But, we could say the same for anything that is ever necessary. Why would anyone ever want to work out so hard and so fast that they find themselves almost lifeless on the floor, even puking. To be better.

Be reminded, the road to true reinvention is difficult and, from what I've learned, looks nothing like what I've seen before. The American way of dieting and exercise has been a huge gimmick to latch on to as many passers by as possible to leech time and money from them. Phrases such as, "easy!", "fast!", "eat whatever you want and still lose weight!", etc. The commercials are filled with reassurance and stripped completely of truth. Why wouldn't they be? The fitness industry is one of the most under regulated industries on the planet. There are supplements out there that have some seriously terrifying ingredients, but we just take it in because some freakish body builder said, "It makes you bigger!!! *grunt*"

"Taking Super Xplode Max 5000 makes you bigger than a camel's hump!"

Forgive me for sounding like Al Gore, but the truth of the matter is quite inconvenient. True reinvention is far from the reassuring infomercials and magazine ads. It's a seemingly barren place with a population of few, but those who are there are strong and far from foolish. I've also come to discover that they are full of encouragement and love for the few who have chosen to brave the rocky road to reinvention.

Consider some things tonight. Consider why you do it. What is the driving factor? For some of us, it is undeniably shallow. You just want to get laid by tons of people, usually met in a dark night club where conversation is irrelevant due to the sound drowning speakers. I will have you know, it won't last. True reinvention is a constant search and journey, a thorough and constant self investigation. Only the mighty at heart are humble enough to tackle such a task. Ask yourself, are you following the path of reassurance, comfort, and complacency? Or are you blazing a trail down a narrow road that veers off into the dark night? The path that makes your friends call you crazy, that your doctors swear will kill you, and makes your mother say that she raised you better.

For those on the highway, I encourage an exit. To discover a journey that will change way more than your image. It will transform your life. It's not for the wishy washy or faint of heart. There are many exits, get off when you grow a pair and get determined for real change.

For the trailblazers, I commend you. The world thinks you are crazy, but you know what is right and will not waver. Continue to push the envelope and ride against the grain (Paleo pun! *chuckle*). Never give up my friends.

Be thorough, craftsmen, you are the masterpiece, take care of it.

WODea 2/2/2011

Run 1 Mile.

During the mile, every minute, on the minute, do 3 burpees.

30 Squat Snatches 135#/95#

Row 1500m

Post time to comments. Post thoughts to comments. Post revelations to comments.

Don't Mess with Stress!

After everything I've tried... maybe this is the answer?

I know, I know. I, too, think the same thing about stress, "How the hell do I not get stressed?" In the end, it's a choice and a perspective thing, but as humans, we like to not take the time and effort to calm ourselves down. It's a whole lot easier to freak out. Let's not forget the other factors of stress. Lack of sleep and hunger. Pack your lunch and go to bed. You should be crying about the fact that you only got three hours last night. You're killing yourself. 


Hormones... get your mind out of the gutter. Cortisol is the devil incarnate (why is my computer trying to correct cortisol... it's a real word...). It is known to have destructive and catabolic (that's a real word too, computer) effects on your body, degenerating and breaking down muscle, packing on the tubb n' chubb (ok, fine, those aren't), and raising your blood sugar and pressure.

In short, freaking out, being hungry, and being tired is a slow, torturous suicide. College and work are important, but degrees and paychecks don't mean a damn thing when you're dead. Not to mention those degrees in exercise science and nutrition (and other fields of the nature) don't mean a thing when you're a stressed out fatty!

Balance is a hell of a thing to find, ain't it? Sure would knock all that stress junk right out of the window as you cruise right on down the highway of relaxation and awesome sauce. But, we have to address the issues we have at hand in our lives. Where can we cut the stress? What unnecessary loads am I taking on? For those who have anxiety, find a counselor, take a class (stay the hell off the drugs! There is a legitimate underlying issue that isn't gonna get fixed by a band aid in a Rx bottle).

Seriously, I know. It is nothing short of a daunting chore to fix it. In fact, it's stressing me out just thinking about handling my stress, but it has to be done. Not only will it make life more wonderful (or better than crap for those who aren't in happy town), it will aid you on your road to becoming a sexified beast-o-matic, and you're be clicking your heals in the air until your almost ninety (possibly more, granted if you're eating right and exercising... don't ask you're doctor what those things look like. Ha!). I know for sure I don't want to end up in a home, although, if I'm clicking my heels in the air at ninety, I might end up in an institution (I figured one day I'd grow up and stop being so obnoxious... one day).

So let's all sit down this week and take some time. How can we cut back on the stress?
I know I can ___________.
Well, hell. I have a list... Stop spending till I am close to broke just before pay day, sleep more (speaking of which... it's quarter past eleven...), pack my lunch, get a job that doesn't require me to wake up at 3:30am (bingo!), stop fighting with the rest of the family (I've yet to figure this out... It'd probably be a good idea, though...), re-learn to love my job (for now), and stop being so cynical and negative possibly (hmmmm... let's disregard all the parenthetical comments... d'oh!).

I encourage you to take some time this week and write it all down, keep it somewhere you know it is and reference it when you can... or... you can get those ever so sexy crow's feet with a side of muffin top... just sayin'...

Oh, yeaaaa!

Now... On to the WODea!!!

WODea 2/1/11

For time-

21-15-9-15-21 of:
Dead Lift 225#/185#
Dumbbell Thrusters 45#/35#
Box Jumps
Use a weighted vest/body armor for the whole WOD (Do you hate me yet?)

Post time to comments. Post thoughts to comments. I just want to be loved!