What Are Macronutrients

Nutrients are environmental substances used for energy, growth and body functions. Depending on the nutrient, these substances are needed in small or larger amounts. Those that are needed in larger amounts are called Macronutrients AKA Macro's. Those that are needed in smaller amounts are called Micronutrients. Today we are going to discuss Macro's and their importance in our everyday lives.

There are three Macronutrients that are required by humans: carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Each of these Macro's provide energy in the form of calories that our body will use.

For every 1 gram of Carbohydrate we eat, that will yield 4 calories.
For every 1 gram of Protein we eat, that will yield 4 calories.
For every 1 gram of Fat we eat, that will yield 9 calories.

Now don't go panicking after you read this saying "see I knew it, Fats are bad for you, they have so many more calories blah blah blah." Yes, it is true, that 1 gram of fat will be more calorically dense than Carbs and Protein, but that doesn't mean Fats are bad for you. Like all Macro's, Fat must be eaten in moderation to quantities that are appropriate for you as an individual. One of the major benefits to fat, is since it is more dense, it will help keep you fuller for a longer period of time while you're body spends time breaking it all down.

Even though Carbohydrates get such a bad reputation like Fats, they are needed in our diets. Carbs are our bodies main fuel source. When our body uses Carbs as our energy, it allows for the other Macro's to be used for other jobs like tissue growth and repair. The brain, kidney, muscles and heart all need Carbohydrates to function properly and they also aid in the break down of certain amino acids. The biggest issue with Carbs is that many are eating the wrong food sources to get their daily dose of Carbs. White breads, candy, chips, ice cream, simple sugars, pastas, soft drinks, pop tarts, and so many others in large, unhealthy quantities. Carbohydrates are not the enemy.....bad carbohydrates are the enemy. Contrary to what you may believe or have read, CARBS are ESSENTIAL for sustaining and thriving during extended bouts of very intense exercise. Your body does not magically turn to Fat and burn off all of your bodies weight when carbs, glucose & energy runs out. Instead you begin to crash and die out and suffer in your workout. Certain styles of workouts will do fine with minimal to no Carbs, but extremely High Intensity Exercise is not one of them and that is what we do in CrossFit. You may not need carbohydrates to survive, but you 100% need them to thrive.

Proteins are essential for repairing and regenerating body tissues and cells, a health functioning immune system and manufacturing hormones. This wouldn't be possible without amino acids, which are found in protein based foods. Protein is made from 20 plus basic building blocks called amino acids. Because we do not store amino acids, our bodies make them in two different ways. Either from scratch or by modifying others. Nine amino acids, known as the essential amino acids, come from food. On average, people do not get enough protein in during the day, females especially. If you are an active individual and you are weight training, protein is essential for your body. This is why tracking your Macro's can be very beneficial so you can see how much you are taking in per day. On average an individual must consume .6-.8g of Protein per pound of body weight. A 200 pound person will need an average of 120-160g of protein per day.

Fats.....DON'T BE SCARED OF FATS! They are an essential part of a healthy diet. Although they account for the smallest percentage of Macronutrients throughout your day, they are very important. They help by improving brain developments, overall cell functioning, protecting the body's organs and even helping you absorb vitamins found in foods. As I stated before, when you eat a balanced meal of Protein and Carbs as well as adding in some Fats, it will help keep you fuller for much longer. Your body needs time to break the combinations down and properly outsource them for all of their uses.

We do not believe in any form of an elimination diet. At all times you should be eating a balance of the three: Carbs, Protein and Fat. Every individual needs a different quantity per day to sustain life. Each person also needs a different quantity per day to lose weight, gain weight or maintain weight. There is no one exact quantity that will work perfectly for everyone. If you are interested in taking your Nutrition to the next level, balancing your Macronutrients is where you MUST start. At first it may seem intimidating and awkward, but I promise, with time and guidance it will become very manageable and you will be more successful than ever.


Coach Nick

Chasing The RX

In CrossFit, many of us are always Chasing the "RX" standard. I want to be clear and say there is nothing wrong with doing so, because that gives us an amazing goal to strive for. What needs to be understood is the journey to RX is more important than actually saying "Ive done it RX."

Being able to consistently and SAFELY RX many of the movements and standards in CrossFit is a great feat and one we all hope to achieve. In order to consistently and safely do so, we need to have a very strong and solid foundation of the movement patterns and the weight sequences leading you into the RX world. Which means you must perform a lot of workouts under the typical RX standard so you can gear and prep your body for all of the future increases you plan to implement. Consistency will always lead to success.

What is more important than being able to RX the workout is something we speak about in class every single day.....STIMULUS. Being able to achieve the desired stimulus of the workout is more important than anything else. No matter how light your bar must be, no matter how many reps you may need to modify, or how short you need to make your run, nailing the stimulus perfectly is what we are all after. Hitting the correct intensity and stimulus will yield you much larger fitness improvements during your journey to RX and is essence get you there much sooner.

What follows with stimulus is keeping track of your workouts. When you have more data to compare to upcoming workouts, it allows you to map out a plan with your Coach to set you up for success with steady growth and improvement. We are always striving to do a little bit more weight, run a little bit more, do a few more pull-ups etc. If we have data from previous workouts, we know how to be 1% during this workout. As long as we get 1% better each day, week or month our journey to RX workouts will end in victory. Please do not rush this process and risk injury. Always talk with your Coaches and take the advice they give. Stay safe and keep kicking ass everyone!


Coach Nick

Multi-Tasking

Multitasking has become a function of our everyday lives. From the second we wake up up to when we fall asleep. Our devotion to multitasking is obsessive and quite honestly BULLSHIT! While you're reading and responding to emails, texting, reviewing a project due at work and checking social media you feel like you're accomplishing a lot, but you're actually working less and stressing your brain!

An excerpt from Ryan Anderson states:
"Imagine your brain is a processing bottleneck. Multitasking is trying to force as many thoughts and tasks through the bottleneck at once. There isn't enough processing spaces for all those tasks, and without singular focus, you are twice as likely to make errors or take longer to complete tasks. Each time you toggle between tasks, you are asking your brain to switch context, meaning you are restarting and refocusing every time. During the time it takes for your brain to make that switch, studies show that your brain will make no progress on any issue."

Instead, when we learn to focus on a single task, our brains processing bottleneck is able to devote all of its space and attention to that one single issue. "It will accept only relevant information, allow in-depth comprehension, build content, encourage great creativity, and develop higher memory retention."

As a whole, we need to stop multitasking and focus on one thing. Put all of your focus on the one task, finish it, and do it to the best of your ability. When you multi-task in essence it just makes you half ass a lot of shit. Now I know when many of you read this you will say "that's bullshit, I am so great at multi-tasking" and if you're saying that, it is total BS. You cannot complete multiple tasks at the BEST of your ability when trying to handle three, four or five plus tasks. We can obviously complete multiple tasks at once, but not with the same efficiency and success. Laser focus on one task and see how much more quality work you put out!


Coach Nick

Deadlifts are NOT Dangerous

Deadlifts.....you either love them or you're afraid of them. To some, they look like a great way to throw your back out, which you can if you have terrible form. But the Deadlift is one of the best and most practical movements inside or outside of the gym.

Essentially a Deadlift is lifting "dead weight" off of the ground and then putting it back down. You should be able to see how this easily relates to your everyday life. Moving furniture, picking up bags of dog food, shoveling snow and pretty much any other movement that requires you to bend over and pick something up.

Maybe some of you aren't impressed with the ability to lift groceries more easily. How about the fact Deadlifts help you perform better at sports, they help enhance your posture, and building an extremely strong overall body. The movement is a total body exercise which is why the benefits of it are endless....as long as you perform the movement correctly! Deadlifts are not bad for you, bad form, in any movement, including the deadlift is bad for you. That should be a pretty obvious statement to most though.

Deadlifts are relatively one of the safer movements in the gym. It is very easy to back out of a Deadlift if it feels too heavy or you need to bail from a tough lift. Jon Erik notes:

"The primary concern with Deadlifts is performing the exercise with a rounded spine. This results in the stress of the exercise being placed on the spine structures and ligaments rather than to the back, leg and hip muscles"

When we pick things up off of the ground, to stay safe our body relies more so on bending your hips. This flexion at the hip is referred to as a hip hinge. For many, this movement is something that does not come naturally to many, at least initially, because they have never been taught to move this way.

When doing a hip hinge, you want to imagine trying to push your butt directly out/back while still keeping your back straight or neutral and core tightly braced. Both of these factors are very important when keeping your spine from rounding or caving in. As you hinge at the hip, there will be a slight bend in the knee, which will cause you to feel a slight stretch in your hamstrings.

So as you can see, Deadlifts are like any other exercise. With correct form and technique it is an extremely safe movement! Another issue some people have is they go much heavier than they should. This is why having a Coach is extremely beneficial to help guide you to the proper weight for the workout at hand. If you're unable to control the mechanics of your Deadlift with lighter loads, it will be near impossible to do so with heavier weights. This is why we stress Mechanics, Consistency and then and only then Intensity (weight and reps in this situation). If you have history of low back or joint issues then there are circumstances where this movement can be modified to work better for you to keep you safe and pain free.

All in all, next time your Doctor tells you Deadlifts are dangerous and you should never do them just ask him "Can i pick up my keys when I drop them? Or how about pick up my child from the ground?" It is not the movement that is dangerous, it is poor form and too much weight that make the Deadlift seem like the bad guy. Stay smart stay safe and always ask a Coach if you are unsure!


Coach Nick

Sleep For Performance

Ever hear the phrase “your body is a temple.” 

Cliche, but true. We only get one.

So you’ve gotten into a pretty routine gym schedule. You’re feeling good, losing weight, feeling strong, hitting PRs, etc. How to we ensure longevity in sport & in life. Aside from the post-workout recovery like we’ve discussed in previous blog posts, one of the most crucial external factors contributing to our personal well-being is sleep.  

You’d think the solution is just get more hours, right? Most people feel that if they get more sleep, they will feel better. Less sleep, more fatigue. What we really want is quality over quantity. Tossing and turning for 10 hours can leave you feeling drained, but a deep 6-8 hours of sleep can leave you feeling rejuvenated. 

In his 2012 crossfit journal article, Martin Rawls-Meehan outlines how sleep

impacts your athletic performance. 

  “Exercise, nutrition and sleep make a virtuous circle comprising the three essential elements of fitness.”

Research has shown that people who don’t get enough sleep are more prone to diabetes, obesity, hypertension and other various cardiometabolic and endocrine disorders.

Just a few days of little to no sleep impact the body’s insulin sensitivity by more than 25 percent in normal, healthy people. This essentially brings them to a pre-diabetic state—the equivalent of gaining 18 to 30 lb.

People who don’t sleep enough are often more irritable because the brain works differently when we are sleep deprived. An irritable athlete usually is not a positive athlete. Thus, sleep deprivation can rob you of the mental edge necessary for success

To see significant improvements in performance, we have to train right and eat right. But without enough sleep, that work is wasted and could even be harmful for a body so sleep deprived it can’t heal itself. You can’t achieve your body’s maximum potential in athletic performance or be at peak levels of health unless you pay attention and work hard at all elements.

To help improve sleep, try adopting some routines to help you “wind-down.”

* Unplug. If you have access to this blog, chances are you probably stay up late answering emails on your phone or computer , browsing through your phone late at night in bed. The light emitted from these devices is going to trick your brain into thinking it’s still daytime. 

* Avoid caffeine after the early afternoon and try not eat a big meal or have alcohol within 3 hours of going to bed. 

* Avoid taking long naps during the day. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but try to keep them under 30 minutes to avoid throwing off your biological clock. Taking long naps can have a similar effect on the body as jet lag. If you need to take a nap that is longer than 30 minutes, try to get in at least one full sleep cycle—about 90 minutes—to avoid feeling groggy.

While life happens, and its not always realistic to get your full 8 hours of sleep; some simple adjustments to routine can turn the princess and the pea into sleeping beauty.

http://library.crossfit.com/free/pdf/CFJ_Sleep_RawlsMeehan2.pdf

Coach Emily

What are BCAA's

So we have recently spoke about Carbs and Protein Post Workout. Whether it be in the form of supplementation(liquid nutrition) or whole food is all your choice! There is another supplement in the world of fitness we refer to as BCAA's or Branched Chain Amino Acids, that are also great for before, during or post workout. Some Protein/Carb supplements have BCAA's built right into them and there is no need for additional supplementation post workout, but others like to have a little extra in their life or Pre workout.

BCAA's are like the secret sauce many do not know about that will help you recover faster from your workouts, so you can crush it even harder next time. If your workouts are intense like CrossFit that sometimes leaves you sore for a few more days than you'd like, BCAA's can help aid in muscle recovery and a little less soreness. Now please do not take this out of context and thing if you drink BCAA's you'll never be sore again. I wish it were that simple, but its not. They just help aid in more recovery than if you didn't take at all.

When your glycogen stores run low, your body relies on three types of BCAA's. These are Leucine, Isoleucine and Valine and they are called on for fuel. The catch....your body can't product BCAA"s on its own, so you typically have to get them from diet or supplementation. In addition to making our workouts more efficient, some studies have found that the BCAA Leucine, specifically, may help you feel more full by improving sensitivity to the hunger hormone leptin. Other research shows that Leucine could help promote fat burning and balance your sugar levels. That is very important because imbalanced blood sugar levels can lead to weight gain.

BCAA's aren't necessary for every workout, depending on your level of intensity. But when your activity is relatively intense, your muscles tear slightly and then repair, growing stronger in the process. That is when supplementing with BCAA's can benefit you. Now we are able to get BCAA's from whole foods through good nutrition, but some people like to sip on BCAA's during their workouts or immediately after to help aid in the quickest recovery possible. Also, if you do not eat meat or just don't like certain kinds of animal protein that much, you will be missing out on many natural forms of BCAA's. As always, liquid nutrition (aka supplementation, shakes etc) will always take effect faster since they don't have to be digested like whole foods. This makes having a quick BCAA shake before, during or after workout a good option if you don't like exercising with food in your stomach or have the ability to eat right after.

Have you tried taking BCAA's surrounding your workout? Maybe its time!

Coach Nick

Hydration for Better Health

Some of the topics and ideas from todays article will be coming from Hilary Achauer in one of the CrossFit Journal posts on Hydration. With the warmer weather coming we always begin talking about hydration a little more than other seasons. Although hydration is as important all year long, the topic always comes up as we begin to sweat all day everyday in the heat. Unfortunately, most people do not have the best understanding when it comes to hydration and exercise.

Many people believer that Urine color is an accurate measure of Hydration.

"Urine color is a delayed response, (and) when you are exercising, sweating and drinking to replace the fluids...your body is in constant flux, so its hard to use it as a really good measure in those cases" Fowkes Godek said.

One thing that also changes your urine color is the consumption of any vitamins that you may take. We secrete most of them out through our urine and that commonly affects the color. The bottom line is, if your urine is almost clear you can actually be over hydrated.

Another Myth in the hydration world is, Once you feel thirsty, you're already dangerously dehydrated.

"That's not true," Fowkes Godek said. "Once you feel thirst you are still normally hydrated."

Just as many people have lost touch with the feeling of hunger, Fowkes Godek said many people ignore their thirst and, as a result, don't truly understand what thirst feels like. If you are someone who always has a bottle of water in hand, Godek said the first sensation of thirst is not a danger sign.

Another misconception in regards to Hydration is that you need sports drinks to replace electrolytes. Most of the sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade contain small amounts of sodium and carbohydrates. They are designed to be tasty; they are not designed to replace sodium.

"The problem with sports drinks is people think they are putting enough electrolytes back in, and most cases they are not putting (in) anywhere near the amount of electrolytes they might need," Fowkes Godek said.

Instead, if you are concerned about replacing sodium lost during sweat, you are better off eating a meal or snack with your water when you're done working out. Carbohydrates help with the absorption of sodium in our body and allows full utilization of the resources. Without carbs, the majority of the salt we ingest ends up in the toilet because our bodies have a protective mechanism against a boat load of salt coming into our bodies.

The final myth we will discuss are for those who believe we can't drink too much water. We can definitely drink too much water, and we can drink too much of a sports drink or Pedialyte. If you flood your body with any kind of fluid you risk internal affects that can be as detrimental as Dehydration.

So after all of that, many of you will ask, than how much water should I drink per day? The easiest way to think of it......drink when your thirsty and don't drink if you're not. For those who have that disconnection we spoke about before from hunger and hydration, this may be a little harder for you. If you barely drink any water, a good start is to try and get a half gallon in each day, spread throughout the day. If that's an easy feat for you, slowly begin increasing your intake as your body demands. Most of us will never have the need for consumption over one gallon per day.

Water in our bodies work likes oil in a car. If the car parts aren't properly lubricated, they will not operate as efficiently. If we take in enough water all of our internal systems will work much better! It will help promote lower body fat, recovery and many other positive factors that will help in your pursuit of health and fitness success!


Coach Nick