Time

When I started on the blog journey at the beginning of the year it was a priority. Now as more time has passed I find that making time to sit here and type is harder. I feel that I have lost myself in the normal day to day with all that is and has gone on this year. So with the holidays approaching I am going to try and make the time to get back to writing things down and getting them out of my head. So many things I start seem to remain unfinished, partly due to me and of course partly due to the day to day of the world around me. Lots of things have gone on this year, some great and some not so great. However since I did not take the time to reflect on them and jot them down I may have missed out on learning something from them. Hopefully this won't be the case in the future or for anyone reading this.

WELLNESS TIPS I LEARNED FROM MY DOG

--by Mary Monroe

Move over Billy Blanks, Deepak and Radu, there's a new health and fitness guru on the scene. His name is Jasper and with a remarkably short nine months of healthy living under his belt--make that collar--he has managed to create a relaxing and rewarding lifestyle that most of us can only dream of. As my exclusive personal trainer, Jasper has some unusual tactics--sleeping on my bed, for example. (He may have stolen this strategy from Madonna's old trainer.) It's all part of his dogged determination to coach me day and night on how to lead a life worth living. Here are the wellness secrets he's shared with me so far:

1. Kiss First, As Questions Later. What's the point of being stand-offish when there's a world full of people just waiting to love you? Bound up to them in the park, make eyes at them through the car window, jump on their lap when they sit down on the couch. Sure, a few will disapprove of the in-your-face style, but how many people can resist such glorious and completely unfounded affection?
2. Live for Your Daily Walks. Daily activity is the most important thing, no matter what, and never let it be forgotten. Make it clear that you will not tolerate a day without exercise. Pout, if need be. Cast a rueful eye at your companions and skulk pathetically around the house. Hanging your head mournfully on the rug is also effective. When you do get to exercise, let everyone know how happy you are: jump and spin around and lick everybody in sight.
3. Practice Frolic-and-Rest Interval Training. Forget boring repetitive exercise. The only way to work out is by frolicking at top speed for as long as you can and when you're tired, stopping abruptly wherever you are. Repeat. Don't do it because experts say interval training is ideal for improving fitness and managing weight--do it because it feels good.
4. Sleep Whenever and Wherever You Can. As long as you've had your exercise, you can spend the rest of y our time concentrating on the next most important thing: sleeping. It's best to have numerous favorite resting spots wherever you go. Show off your sleeping talents whenever you can.
5. Eat Joyfully. Life is short. As long as it's not poisonous and you're hungry, chow down.
6. When You're Tired of Sleeping, Play. You will probably have to encourage the duds around you to play, too, or they'll just keep right on working and paying bills and other ridiculously dull activities. Use your imagination and you can create fun games with anything--even old socks (especially old socks.)
7. Stretch, Shake and Roll Over Frequently. This is self-explanatory. How else are you going to stay limber and sharp for all that playing and sleeping?
8. Take Time To Smell--Well, Everything. The world is a wonderful place, if you take the time to pay attention. Every tree, every leaf, every breeze--even old laundry and garbage--has a story to tell. Sniff it out, and savor it.
9. Forgive Everything. Even if the people you love most in the world take you to get shots (or worse), forget to feed you or have a tendency to step on you. Assume the best: they probably don't mean it.
10. Never Miss A Massage. This may be the most important of all. Place yourself in rubbing distance of everyone you see, and practice doing cute and cuddly things. If you're playing it right, you can pretty much turn your whole life into one long massage. What could be healthier?

Author's note: if you can't find a dog who will act as your personal trainer, you can enlist the help of a cat. Cats, on the whole, offer a less predictable and more mentally challenging regimen. However, they charge more and are less likely to care about your progress.

http://valleycrossfit.typepad.com/blog/

The Primal Blueprint

This is a repost of an article you can find over at Mark's Daily Apple.

How to Succeed with the Primal Blueprint

So you’ve decided to join the challenge. You’ve created your own Primal Challenge Journal and have publicly stated your goals for the next month. Now what? First things first. You have to know the basics. If you’re new to the Primal Blueprint the following article will be like gold to you. Revisit it again and again until you’ve committed the concepts to memory. The graphs and charts are visual representations of the principles that are at the core of the Primal health philosophy and give you a taste of what it is in my new book, The Primal Blueprint.

You’ve defined the “what”. If your goal is to lose weight, build muscle, increase energy or just generally look and feel healthier these graphics explain the basics of the “how”.

The Primal Blueprint Carbohydrate Curve

What’ll It Be? The “Sweet Spot” or the “Danger Zone”?

Carbohydrate intake is often the decisive factor in weight loss success and prevention of widespread health problems like Metabolic Syndrome, obesity and type 2 diabetes. These average daily intake levels assume that you are also getting sufficient protein and healthy fats, and are doing some amount of Primal exercise. The ranges in each zone account for individual metabolic differences.

• 0-50 grams per day: Ketosis and I.F. (Intermittent Fasting) zone. Excellent catalyst for rapid fat loss through I.F. Not recommended for prolonged periods (except in medically supervised programs for obese or Type 2 diabetics) due to unnecessary deprivation of plant foods.
• 50-100 grams per day: Sweet Spot for Weight Loss. Steadily drop excess body fat by minimizing insulin production. Enables 1-2 pounds per week of fat loss with satisfying, minimally restrictive meals.
• 100-150 grams per day: Primal Maintenance zone. Once you’ve arrived at your goal or ideal body composition, you can maintain it quite easily here while enjoying abundant vegetables, fruits and other Primal foods.
• 150-300 grams a day: Insidious Weight Gain zone. Most health conscious eaters and unsuccessful dieters end up here, due to frequent intake of sugar and grain products (breads, pastas, cereals, rice, potatoes – even whole grains). Despite trying to “do the right thing” (minimize fat, cut calories), people can still gain an average of 1.5 pounds of fat every year for decades.
• 300+ grams a day: Danger Zone of average American diet. All but the most extreme exercisers will tend to produce excessive insulin and store excessive fat over the years at this intake level. Increases risk for obesity, Metabolic Syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

The Primal Blueprint Food Pyramid

For effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and maximum longevity

General Guidelines: 80% of body composition success is determined by diet. Limit processed carb intake (hence, insulin production), and obtain sufficient protein and fat to fuel and rebuild.

• Protein: Average .7 – 1 gram per pound of lean body mass/day – depending on activity levels (more at times is fine).
• Carbs: 50-100 grams/day (or less) = accelerated fat loss. 100-150 grams/day = effortless weight maintenance. Heavy exercisers can increase carb intake as needed to replace glycogen stores.
• Fat: Enjoy freely but sensibly for balance of caloric needs and high dietary satisfaction levels.
• Avoid Poisonous Things: Conventional Wisdom’s dietary guidelines promote fat storage, type 2 diabetes, inflammation and obesity!
• Eliminate: Sugary foods and beverages, grains (wheat, corn, rice, pasta, breads, cereals, etc.), legumes (soy and other beans), trans and partially hydrogenated fats, high-risk conventional meat and produce, and excess PUFA’s (instead, increase omega-3 oils).
• Modern Adjustments: Some modern foods that Grok didn’t eat can still be included in a healthy diet
• Moderation: Certain high glycemic fruit, coffee, high-fat dairy products, starchy tuber vegetables, and wild rice.
• Supplements: Multivitamin/mineral formula, probiotics, omega-3 fish oil and protein powder.
• Herbs, spices and extracts: Offer many health benefits and enhance enjoyment of meals.
• Sensible indulgences: Dark chocolate, moderate alcohol, high-fat treats.

The Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid

For functional, diverse athletic ability, and a lean, proportioned physique

Exercising according to the three Primal Blueprint laws will optimize gene expression and promote Primal Fitness.

• Law #3: Move Frequently at a Slow Pace strengthens the cardiovascular and immune systems, promotes efficient fat metabolism and gives you a strong base to handle more intense workouts.
• Law: #4: Lift Heavy Things stimulates lean muscle development, improves organ reserve, accelerates fat loss, and increases energy.
• Law #5: Sprint Once in a While stimulates the production of HGH and testosterone, which help improve overall fitness and delay the aging process – without the burnout risk of excessive prolonged workouts.

The Conventional Wisdom approach to fitness is clearly not working! Stress is excessive, weight loss goals are compromised, and many are misguided to pursue narrow fitness goals that are unhealthy.

• Avoid Chronic Cardio (frequent medium-to-high intensity sustained workouts)
• Avoid Chronic Strength Training (frequent and/or prolonged sub-maximal lifting sessions ending in exhaustion)
• Avoid Regimented Schedules (instead, allow for spontaneous, intuitive variation in type, difficulty and frequency of workouts)

All this and much more can be found in my new book, The Primal Blueprint. Order a copy today and start getting Primal!

Do The Hard Stuff

Well it's been a while since my last post. Mostly due to the fact that I have not had a computer at home and then some of it is that I have not taken the time to do it. Of course just like life, so many things have happened since then. Lots of working out, playing volleyball, family events, solo outings, tons of work and lots of other things. One great thing is that tomorrow July 1st is my daughter's 5th birthday. Amazing how time flies and that I have a daughter who is turning 5 and starting school next fall.

One of the bad things about how time flies is that you get older. Now for some of us that's bad enough in itself. For folks like myself who are competitors at everything we do it is even harder. I have stated before that I have to work so much harder to keep up with the young guns and play volleyball at the level I want to. Now that I have been CrossFitting for almost a year I have come to realize there are some things I am good at and some things I think I will NEVER be good at.

Life is like that too. However if we never tackle the hard stuff then we won't ever grow and change and allow ourselves to experience new and wondrous things. So I encourage you to do the hard stuff. Find that one or two things that you really hate to do, running, jumping, push-ups, pull-ups, laundry, washing the car or the dog, mowing the grass, getting up early, not doing anything personal at work.

Pick one and do it for a week. Day in and day out without fail and here is the hard part, with a good attitude. Find the positive in it and allow yourself to think on that. The more you do it, the better you will become and the more joy and experiences you will open yourself up to. It's hard, for sure. That's why you and I don't do ''it'' now. However we may find that someone else will enjoy the fact that we stepped out and did it. Who knows you may even find that something totally unexpected may come from it too.

Why That Big Meal You Just Ate Made You Hungry

Why That Big Meal You Just Ate Made You Hungry
· By MELINDA BECK

Every few months, a new study purports to prove that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie, and that the only way to lose weight is to burn more than you take in.

But veteran dieters know something that some researchers apparently don’t: Certain foods seem to fuel the appetite like pouring gasoline on a fire. Some people find that once they start eating bread, cookies, chocolate, potato chips — or leftover Easter candy — they lose all sense of fullness and find it difficult to stop.

That’s the concept behind “The Skinny,” a new book by Louis J. Aronne, longtime director of the Comprehensive Weight Loss Program at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. He makes the best case yet why what you eat and when you eat it can make a big difference in appetite, satiety and how much willpower it takes to cut down. “It’s true that a calorie is a calorie,” Dr. Aronne says. “But what that doesn’t take into account is how some calories affect what people eat later on.”

Appetite Stokers

Some foods make it harder to stop eating:

· Bread

· Sweets

· Juice

· Pasta

· Wine or beer before dinner

· Artificial sweeteners

*Source: ”The Skinny” by Louis J. Aronne

After 23 years of treating patients — some of it espousing liquid diets – Dr. Aronne has concluded that refined carbohydrates and foods with high sugar and fat content promote what he calls “fullness resistance.” They interfere with the complex hormonal messages the body usually sends to the brain to signal that it’s time to stop eating. People feel hungrier instead.

This happens in part because refined carbohydrates raise blood-sugar levels, setting up an insulin surge that drives blood sugar down again, causing rebound hunger. That insulin spike also interferes with leptin, the hormone secreted by fat cells that should tell the body to stop eating. Obese people have loads of leptin, but it either doesn’t get to the brain, or the brain becomes resistant to it. “This is not a failure of willpower, it’s a physical mechanism,” Dr. Aronne writes. The body also becomes resistant to insulin, setting the stage for diabetes.

Other researchers have described similar phenomena. An article in this month’s Medical Hypothesis argues that for some people, refined foods with high sugar and carbohydrate content can be just as addictive as tobacco and alcohol.

Eating foods high in protein, vegetables, fiber and water have the opposite effect, Dr. Aronne says. His plan recommends revising what you eat, one meal at a time, to restore your sense of fullness:

Breakfast: Loading up on lean protein — ideally from egg whites or a protein shake — in the morning reduces hunger all day long. Eating muffins, bread, sweetened cereal and juice does the opposite. A study of 30 overweight women at Saint Louis University School of Medicine found that those who ate eggs for breakfast consumed 140 fewer calories at lunch, and ate less for the next 36 hours, compared with women who ate bagels in the morning.

Some people argue that they aren’t hungry in the morning, but Dr. Aronne notes that ghrelin, the hormone that typically signals hunger, adjusts to habitual meal patterns. After a few days of eating breakfast, you should find that you are hungry in the morning, and are eating less the night before, he writes.

Lunch: Some dieters try to cut calories by skipping this meal. But going more than five hours without food causes hunger hormones to rise and fullness hormones to drop, and sends more of the calories consumed at dinner straight to fat cells. Dr. Aronne recommends starting lunch with a salad — at least two cups of lettuce — then more vegetables, and then lean protein. Skip the cheese, croutons, bacon and creamy dressings, he advises. Using vinegar alone will cut your appetite and slow the rise in blood sugar.

Dinner: The end of the day is fraught with temptation. Obese people consume significantly more calories at dinner than slimmer people. Here, too, load up first on salads, clear soups, or high-protein appetizers like shrimp cocktail, then have a lean protein main course. Unlike some other diet plans, Dr. Aronne’s program allows a half-cup of grains or a small dessert at the end of the meal, but only if you’re still hungry.

Eating bread before dinner makes people lose their sense of fullness and eat more, Dr. Aronne warns. Alcohol makes it worse by lowering your resistance and promoting fat storage.

Snacks: Like many other weight-loss experts, Dr. Aronne believes that midmorning and midafternoon snacks can act as mini appetite suppressants, preventing blood sugar from dropping too low. But the same principles apply: high-sugar, high-starch, high-fat snacks — including those little 100-calorie cookie packs — start a vicious cycle of more cravings, whereas fruit, nuts, vegetables and clear soups can halt them.

Beverages: It should go without saying that juice and sweet soda can add hundreds of extra calories a day. A few studies have shown that even artificially sweetened beverages can prompt people to crave real sweets during the day. Cut back on all sources of liquid calories, Dr. Aronne advises; stick with water.

To be sure, if you eat as Dr. Aronne suggests, you’ll consume fewer calories overall. The point is, eating protein early in the day may make it much easier to cut down. “It definitely does make a difference,” says Ned Sadaka, a New York investment manager who consulted Dr. Aronne to drop 30 pounds that had crept up on him in recent years. He’s lost 21 pounds and 5 inches off his waist since January.

Not everyone agrees that consuming more protein cuts appetite. Harvard School of Public Health’s Frank Sacks led a study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine that compared 811 overweight adults on four diets with varying levels of protein, fat and carbohydrate. “We found absolutely no difference in their satiety and hunger levels,” Dr. Sacks says. All the groups lost similar amounts of weight.

Other weight-loss experts say that’s not surprising, since there were only modest differences in their fat, protein and carbohydrate intakes, and many participants didn’t stick to their plans.

Eric Westman, director of the Lifestyle Medical Clinic at Duke University Medical Center , who espouses the same kind of low-carb plan that Robert Atkins made famous, says in his experience, “There is almost complete appetite suppression when you eat protein.”

The debate will doubtless continue — weight loss is an extremely complex area, and not everyone’s metabolism is the same. Dr. Aronne suggests trying his plan yourself: “Have 200 calories of egg white omelet or protein shake for breakfast, and then another day have 200 calories of juice and look at your hunger, hour after hour.” 

Sometimes being a clinical trial of one is the best way to do your own research.

Computers

I really wish some things would last longer. I am writing this on my phone. My video card has gone out on my PC so I have been unable to blog like I want to. Hopefully I will be up and running soon.

Control

Rain is a wonderful thing. So simple, so pure, so cleansing and so refreshing. It really is just like working out at CrossFit Swift. Nothing more pure and simple than just lifting something heavy or moving quickly. As I sit here and type I can hear and see and smell the rain coming down. I really do like it when it rains. I'll blame that on growing up in Mississippi. We have some of the best thunderstorms there and days like today make me miss them.

On the outside and to the majority of the world I am always in control. Physically, mentally and emotionally. That's the way I live my life. Everything is in it's place and just so. Even when I work out or play with my daughter. It is the rare sight to ever see me out of control. However to those that truly know me, that control allows me to fully commit myself to whatever I am doing and to give my all. I know right where that line is and I push right up to it and give, give, give. I never do anything half way and always try to find a way to help others and put them first.

Today was a very tough day for me. Things happened that some would say were minor. However for me since I give all I have in all that I do, I tend to be more attached to things. (even if I don't show it) Even the small ones have a part of me in them and that means something to me. Especially if my name is associated with it in any way. I take pride in what I do and wish more people would too.

So after some personal struggles today it was time to hit the gym over at CrossFit Swift.
I knew this one today was going to be tough, just because I was so mentally and emotionally drained from the events of the day. So I walked in and on the board was the following:

3 rounds for time.
Each round complete 20 reps at each station of:
Wall Ball 20
SDLHP 75
Box Jumps 24''
Push Press 75
Row (for 20 calories)

To be honest I was not that scared of it. I guess I was so distracted by the events of the day that I did not really think about how much work that was going to be. The usual suspects where there. Mark, Mason, Tim, Kim, Susan, Laura, Dan and Michael. It was a good group. Of course my goal is to keep up with Mark and Mason. Alas it was not to be tonight - again!

I am not sure what happened but all I know was that they kicked my @$$ by 5 minutes tonight. I thought I was doing ok but as I was 5 wall balls in they both said ''time''. That was it, I could not take it. After the day I had and now this I could not control my emotions any longer. So I had a choice to make -
A: Push harder and finish strong and allow my emotions to take over and then come spilling out all over the place
- - - or - - -
B: Stop trying so hard and just finish the workout with my emotions intact.

Well tonight I chose B (shocker). At the point I heard them say they were done, I shut down and went into auto pilot. My eyes glazed over and my effort dropped to nothing. I finished the workout but I did not give it my all after that point. My time was 23 minutes and some change.

Sometimes being in control of things is not always the way to go. Sometimes being in control is what limits your performance and experience. So what if my emotions got out during the workout. What if I cried and screamed and kept on working because I could not hold it in any longer. What if someone saw me outside of the box I have worked so hard to build for them to see. Well tonight would not be the night we find out.

So I finished and walked outside as I normally do to get some fresh air. As I exited the building and felt the nice cool misting rain hit my head and I took in a nice deep breath of crisp, clean air, my emotions came speeding back. There was nothing I could do to control them now. They wanted and needed to be out. So out they came and I had to let it happen. The one and only thing I could control was if someone saw me or not. So I stayed outside until I gained control again.

Then in a quick dash I ran inside, grabbed my bag and left. The ride home was a long one and I don't remember half of it. I was on auto pilot again. Finally my emotions began to become more normal. A nice, long, hot shower helped too. I think a great shower could cure almost anything.

So now I sit here typing away trying to make sense of all that has happened and all that I feel. That may take some time. The good news is that tomorrow is another day and another chance for me to take control and enjoy every minute of it.