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Joey finished his first half marathon this past weekend!  His Dad asked him a while back to do this with him and Joey accepted the challenge.  His goal was to try and run as much as possible without walking.  I would say he did a pretty good job of accomplishing this goal considering he ran the whole first 12 miles!  FYI:  Joey did not run more than 2 miles at all before the half marathon.  All he has done for training is CrossFit 3 times per week.  Joey has lost over 40 lbs so far this year.  He works hard and does his best to keep his nutrition in check.  Next time you talk to him, send some congratulations his way!

Most of the time we do a workout that is difficult, but still have fun doing it.  This weekend we switched it up.  The main purpose was to have fun and to also put in some hard work.  We had a couple birthdays and we celebrated with a team workout and banana muffins!  The workout was named after John partly because it was his birthday, but also because I want to showcase the incredible work he has done.  He is committed to his workouts AND his diet.  The result?  3 inches lost in the waist, clothes falling off, co-workers telling him that he needs to buy new smaller clothes and not feeling destroyed after a day of working in the yard!  Excellent job John!

Enjoy some more pictures from Saturday.

It was also my birthday, so Alan and I went to the track to do the workout named "Helen."  
For those of you that don't ever get to see me suffer, here you go...

Very painful, but I was stoked because I destroyed my previous PR (personal record)!

We love food.  Who doesn't, right?  Everyone has some type of food that they enjoy.  Or some people (like Alan) truly enjoy food and get excited to eat.  The other day I was talking with someone who doesn't understand why I eat the way I do.  He also doesn't make any effort to understand why or really even know what I actually eat.  His comment was, "I just don't think you even enjoy food at all."  This day I happened to be eating some delicious Ahi tuna, almonds, an apple and an orange for lunch.  He ate a lean cuisine for lunch that day.  I don't enjoy my food??  Yes food is for our enjoyment, but it is also fuel for our bodies.  Today I am going to try and stress the importance of food quality.  First let's take a look at calories.

It doesn't matter what I eat as long as I burn at least as many calories as I take in, right?

That's what an article in the paper said recently.  To summarize, they had people on various different diets and as long as they were hypocaloric, they lost weight.  It then went on to describe; how people lost weight at different rates - to which they had no idea why; that most, if not all gained all the weight back; and how they were not able to stick with the diet.  Even if you knew nothing about nutrition, you could see that this study was very flawed.  They did however, prove their point that less calories results in weight loss.  But what kind of weight did they lose?  Muscle?  Fat?  What type of diets were they on?  What were the subjects' biomarkers (ie: blood pressure, LDL's, HDL's ect.)?  What good is it if they gained all the weight back?  Did this study do anything to improve the health of these individuals?  We don't know because all they were out to prove is that subtraction is still subtraction.  2000 calories minus 1500 calories leaves 500.

Well if it's so simple and everyone knows how to subtract, then why aren't people having success at improving their health and weight?  Some people may not have the discipline, but I submit to you that there are plently of smart people with good self control that are following this basic principle with minimal to no long term success.  The reason, as you may have guessed, is that what you eat matters.  What you think you should be eating also probably needs some adjusting.  What you eat causes different hormonal responses in your body such as raised insulin levels.  To boil it down at the most basic level, we need to eat REAL, whole, unprocessed food. 

This is a BIG DEAL.  We're talking prevent/reverse disease, change your life, big deal.  Do your kids have behavioral problems?  Dial in thier nutrition.  Are you stuck on the up and down roller coaster of energy all day?  Do you have an autoimmune disease, high blood pressure, risk of heart disease??  Dial in your nutrition.  CrossFit Norcal is literally saving people's lives with this stuff.  Here is a great story from NorCal (basic summary):  A lady came in to see them because she had tried everything else.  A couple years before going to NorCal she found out she was having liver problems.  For some background, this lady is a very healthy individual in every other way.  She eats what most people would say is very healthy (she Zone's), works out regularly, and doesn't drink.  By the time she goes to NorCal, she has been up for liver transplant for a while.  But she hasn't gotten it because her doctors don't know what the problem is.  Her liver numbers are so high, that many alcholics have actually died with numbers lower than hers.  So she goes on the Paleo diet, unweighed and unmeasured.  1 month later, her liver numbers are returned to the low end of normal!  Turns out she had some problems with gluten in the "healthy" ezekiel bread she had been eating.  This is just one of many inspiring stories Robb Wolf  shared.  They've even had a case of sending breast cancer into complete remission with proper diet, plenty of sleep and some smart workouts!

Do you believe me yet?  I hope you can sense the importance of this stuff.  Even if you don't have a problem as severe as these people, you may be at risk down the road.  Wouldn't you rather not take the risk and feel great at the same time? 

Get started.

Go to our resources page and start reading.  Go to the library, book store or online and pick up a copy of Loren Cordain's book "The Paleo Diet."  Come do a nutrition consultation with us or train with us and we will get you started in the right direction.  If you have no problem paying for pills or drugs to solve your ailments, why not prevent them with diet and exercise?  Do yourself a favor and live a healthy life.

I've never been a big fan of taking medicine to solve all of my ailments.  I will routinely not take anything when I come down with a cold or the flu.  Why you ask?  I haven't done much scientific research on the subject, but my personal belief is that the body knows what it is doing.  There is a reason why I don't feel good, have a fever or am really sore.  It is my body's way of telling me to SLOW down and rest.  Our bodies are pretty amazing at taking care of themselves.  If I take some meds to help get me through the day, I push too hard and stay sick longer.  When I stop, rest, drink lots of water and rest some more, I get better, faster.  (disclaimer: always do what your doctor recommends)

Reading CrossFit Sanfransico's blog today I came across a great article along these same lines.  Kelly Starrett talks about the importance of NOT popping the ibuprofen or other NSAIDS for muscle soreness.  I have been guilty of this in the past, but I have learned the error of my ways.  We teach and practice various other forms of recovery. 

Kelly Starrett is one smart dude.  He is a level 3 Strength and Conditioning coach as well as a Doctor of Physical Therapy.  When Kelly talks about mobility, flexibility and recovery - I listen and you should too!  I am excited to attend his seminar in a few weeks and share more of what I learn from him with you!