Posts from — October 2009

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul

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Part 2 of Katie C’s First Guest Post

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In terms of how to make the diet work, it’s not as hard as you would think.  You can find TONS of paleo recipes on the Internet, and if you ask around at the box, I’m sure people would be happy to share (I have a bunch and am always happy to pass them along).  Sometimes things don’t always turn out, but when you start with real foods–fresh meats, veggies, and fruits, it’s pretty easy to make a tasty meal.  Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, and bacon fat are your friends.  Also, eggs are an easy protein source, and it’s super quick to scramble some up with some meat or veggies.  If you’re serious about sticking to this, get rid of of the crap at your house that isn’t paleo.  When you’re hungry, you’re going to eat what’s there, so it’s easier to eliminate the temptation.

One thing  I did that I would definitely recommend is to do a bit of meal planning if you can.  I’m a lawyer and work long hours during the week, so over the weekends, I try to plan out meals for the week, pick up what I need at Costco and Whole Foods, and spend a number of hours cooking up most of what will get us through the week.  I’m partial to pork and beef roasts (either in a roasting pan or crock pot), roasted chicken, paleo coconut chicken or shrimp, cauliflower mash, steamed broccoli, chicken soup, paleo chili, pecan- or almond-crusted chicken, or chicken salad for meals.  I usually try to make enough for Dave and me for lunch and dinner most days.  I know that you won’t always have time to do this, but it can be enormously helpful, especially when you’re first starting.

A typical daily menu for me might be a couple scrambled eggs and a few strips of bacon for breakfast, sometimes with a handful of berries.  Some beef or pork roast for lunch with cauliflower mash and a handful of almonds/pecans/walnuts.  If I’m hungry at dinner time, I might have some sauteed shrimp over salad or a hamburger patty topped with a fried egg with a side of sauteed spinach.  I also sometimes throw in a paleo cookie, piece of almond meal “bread,” or other paleo baked treat.  If I’m not hungry, I just don’t eat.  I mostly drink water, although I do usually have a cup or two of caffeine-free herbal tea in the afternoon.  I try to supplement with fish oil when I can, although I tend to have a sensitive stomach and hate the lethal fish burp, so I don’t take as much as I should.

I finished the 30-day challenge a couple weeks ago, and since then, I’ve allowed myself a “cheat” here or there but mainly am sticking to a pretty clean diet.  It really isn’t even hard for me anymore–I know how bad those foods make me feel, and I actually like what I’m eating and don’t get the sugar crash in the afternoon like I used to.  I did reintroduce vinegars into my diet for salad dressings, red wine, and a small amount of cheese, but I don’t use a lot of them and they don’t really seem to hurt.  One thing I would suggest is to try reintroducing foods one at a time after you’ve acclimated to the paleo diet to find out what you react to most.  I found out that anything with gluten in it makes me REALLY sick, like back to the first couple days of the clean, head in the fog, nauseous, sick.  But pure sugar doesn’t seem to affect me as much.  The only way to find out what affects you is to try it out in isolation.

Here is Katie C killing it during Fight Gone Bad.

This is Katie's husband Dave. I can't seem to track down a picture of Katie....

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I have asked Katie C to write something for Barbells and Bacon. She has a valuable view point, and has become increasingly knowledgeable on Paleo cooking and Crossfit in the last several months.
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My Perspective on a CrossFit and Paleo Lifestyle

I started CrossFit in January, and for the first three months leading up to my wedding, I pretty consistently worked out 4 days a week.  I noticed great improvements at first (I hadn’t lifted weights or done anything but jogging since high school), but just never seemed to be progressing like some of the other people I saw regularly.  I knew what I was doing wrong.  My diet was pretty bad.  When Aaron explained to us the “prescribed” diet for CrossFit during one of my first foundations classes (eat meats and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar), it made sense to me.  I have a bit of a background in science and knew that my body can make all the carbs it needs from protein and fat.  But I still just wouldn’t give up my bread, cookies, pasta, pizza, Hostess cherry pies (one of my favorites), sandwiches, etc.

To give you a sense, I was probably eating pretty close to the diet prescribed by the USDA food pyramid–usually a bagel or oatmeal for breakfast, a sandwich for lunch with a piece of fruit, and evenings were kind of a grab bag (I work pretty late, so more than not, it was some kind of takeout–Chinese, subs, pizza, etc.).  Oh, and of course, I always ate the assorted cakes/cookies/pies/brownies at my work for meetings, people’s birthdays, going away parties, and seemingly any other event that involved more than 2 people.  After my wedding in late April, I completely fell off the wagon for awhile–I was only CrossFitting on weekends and my diet got worse.  Two months later and 10 pounds heavier, I decided it was time to act.  I started coming into the box more regularly and started reading up a bit more on diet and nutrition.

When Jon posted about doing the 30-day caveman challenge, I decided I was in.  My husband, Dave, wasn’t so sure, but he figured I’d be doing most of the cooking, so he’d come along for the ride.  Let me tell you, the first 72 hours are the WORST.  I was addicted to Diet Coke, and since I couldn’t have that, I decided to give up caffeine along with the grains, dairy, and starches.  We started on a Sunday, and by Tuesday evening, I had an atrocious headache, had no energy, and just generally felt like my head was in a fog.  I started thinking I was crazy for agreeing to do the 30-day challenge.

My first CrossFit workout on the new diet was on a Thursday, and although I was starting to feel a bit better, I felt like my body was a lead weight.  I had NO energy and just barely muddled my way through the WOD.  In the mean time, I started reading up on everything I could about paleo nutrition.  Mark’s Daily Apple, Dr. Eades, and Robb Wolf are a few of my favorites.  With Mark’s Daily Apple, I literally just went to the oldest post and started reading my way forward until I was caught up.  As I began to learn about why grains and legumes are so bad for us, I also started to see the results from eliminating them from my own diet.

I dropped the extra 10 pounds I had been carrying without any effort at all.  And then I just kept getting leaner and stronger.  After about 2 weeks of just trying to get through CrossFit workouts, I started noticing that I was feeling more powerful and less winded.  There was one burner we did that started and ended with a one-mile run, and I was terrified of it but actually did really well.  That was the point at which I realized that I was never going back to eating how I used to.

Stay tuned for Part 2 and 3 later this week….

Chili Sweet Potato Pan-Fritters

• 2 lb of Sweet Potato, skinned, cubed and boiled or roasted and mashed
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans pieces
• 1/2 cup chopped crispy bacon, reserve the fat
  
• 2 T mild-medium hot chilis, chopped, Poblano or Serano to taste
• 2 egg whites
• 1 T chopped fresh Sage
• 1T chopped Fresh italian parsley
• 1 T fresh orange zest
• sea salt to taste
  

1. Combine all ingredients, form into golf ball sized portions. Heat bacon fat in nonstick pan to shimmering hot, add one ball at a time, gently press down to 1/2″ thickness. Don’t crowd the pan as they will steam and not crisp.
   
2. Remove gently from pan onto paper towels, serve with some meat.

From Chef at Crossfit Breakaway

The biggest sin is sitting on your ass.

How many different parts of your life does this apply to?

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Q: Should I be on 17 or 18 blocks when I start the Zone?

A: It doesn’t really matter too much until you actually start, then we can start tweaking. Don’t let such a small detail prevent you from taking the first step.

What most people do: Nothing. Continue eating the way they always have and performing under their potential.

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Q:I just need to keep working hard and eventually I’ll get good enough to qualify for the games.

A: Bullshit. You need to recognize and then assault your weaknesses. More of the same doesn’t cut it. It doesn’t have to be perfect it just has to be a start. Take a 1 on 1. Go to an Olympic Lifting Class. Do nothing but double unders for an entire week.

What most people do: Nothing. Continue training the way they always have and hope they get better.

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Q: I’m a bad runner. Should I do CF Endurance 3 times a week, join a running team, do a five K once a week, or buy a weighted vest to run with?

A: All of the above, some of the above, or any one of the above. Just do something.

What most people do: Nothing. Use the lack of a perfect program as an excuse not to run.

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Q: Should I squat heavy 3×5 twice a week, 5×3 four times a week, 3×3 eight times a week, or just do strength bias?

A: Uhh I dunno, just start squatting heavy and eating a ton, that’ll do the trick

What most people do: Nothing. Say to themselves, “I just don’t have the body type to be strong or I’m too old” and blame it on genes.

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Q: If only I knew more people, had more cash flow, had more time, or got luckier….. then I’ll quit my job and start doing what I want.

A: Bullshit. The harder you work the luckier you get. Start the process now…. as in today.

What most people do: Nothing. Continue on the path of least resistance until one day they hear about someone who did what they want to do with less money/less resources/less time/less connection/ less whatever. Then they wake up.

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The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What are you going to do today to get one step closer to your destination? Send that email? Do that research? Book the private session? Apologize to the person you care about and pissed off?

Now go forth and conquer.

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“Someone once told me the definition of Hell: The last day you have on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.”

“There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found

While journeying east and west -

The only folks we really wound

Are those we love the best.

We flatter those we scarcely know,

We please the fleeting guest,

And deal full many a thoughtless blow

To those who love us best.”

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Ian and I throwing it down on the final day from Potomac Crossfit Raw on Vimeo.

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This weekend is the mid Atlantic hopper challenge. I’m competing in it, and had some thoughts on cheering/coaching during a competition.

The hopper challenge on Saturday isn’t my first Crossfit competition. As I do more of these things, I have come to a strange realization. I’d rather people didn’t cheer for me. Before you go and call me an ungrateful bastard, let me explain.

People screaming and clapping is nice. It fires me up (particularly before the WOD starts), and adds to the overall atmosphere of the competition. But to tell you the truth, I don’t really hear them as soon as I get moving. Running up the sandbag hill in Aromas, with a couple thousand people six inches from me, was an interesting test. During the run, my mind totally clicked off and was focused on the task at hand. I was thinking about my energy level, my grip on the bag, and how much juice I had left in my quads. People were 2 feet from my face screaming at the top of their lungs and I couldn’t hear a thing.

Here is what I do like. Strong, simple coaching and information.

I can still remember Chef yelling “BREATH!!” or Mike R yelling “RELAX” during my double under/deadlift WOD at the qualifiers. As soon as I heard those cues, my entire body relaxed and I was able to get into a nice rhythm. This type of cheering is very valuable.

I also really like a coach there to count my reps and tell me what numbers I have to hit. During the FGB fundraiser, part of the reason I scored well was Aaron standing next to me counting. He was telling me what numbers I should be hitting in order to hit my goal score. I wanted to break four hundred, so his verbal cues helped a lot. Things like “Pick up the ball, do 11 reps, take 3 breaths, and then do 8 more” or “Come on Jon you gotta get 50 box jumps here”. When stated like that, I just listen and do it. I don’t have to think, he is doing it for me.

There is a balance here. You don’t want you coach to undersell you and over-analyze the workout. Sometimes you just gotta pick the F*cker up.

Conversely, your coach has to know you well enough to set reasonable goals for you. They have to be able to look at you and know when you honestly can’t do another rep, or when you just need a little prodding. In the 3rd round of Fight Gone Bad, your coach has to know that you probably aren’t going to get 50 Wall Balls so to ask for 2 sets of 25 is counterproductive.

Everything written above is totally thrown out the window at the end of a workout. I want you to scream your lungs out for me when I’m on the 9 and 9 during Heavy Fran. No more posturing, no more analyzing, just a shot of adrenaline and a final sprint. In conclusion, here are some things I like to hear and things that I don’t like to hear when competing in a Crossfit event.

So-So:

“Come on Jon, you can do it”

“Great job Jon, keep working”

“Keep your shirt on Jon, that’s embarassing”

Better:

“Ok, get 4 reps here and get right on the pullup bar”

“You gotta go hard on this run, he is right behind you”

” Active shoulders”

“Your shoe is untied”

New research showing that taking fish oil reduces the symptoms of many psychological ailments, including PTSD.

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Purpose