Borrowed workout

I have to be honest, today - I stole a workout.
Well, it's not really that uncommon, actually.  I'm just lucky they're not patented.
Today's workout was called "Partner Pull"

WOD
3 rounds for time
partner drags 40'
12 ring push ups
KB swings (swing until partner is finished with 12 push ups)
switch = 1 round

Conditioning
21-15-9
med ball cleans
DB frontal plane lunges
DB thrusters

Today we would like to wish Debbie Medina a very happy birthday too! And a big thanks to Kristin to all of her hard work and dedication these past few months!  Kristin is off to sunny Cabo San Lucas, and she has definitely earned it.  Have a great time champ!!!

Acidic and Alkaline effects of post-exercise replenishment

The post-workout meal is the second most important meal of the day.  Just like mom used to tell us, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day."  What's the big deal about what you put into your body after a workout?  Why do you need to put calories into your body when you just worked your butt off to burn a bunch of calories?  Isn't it counter productive to eat after a workout if weight loss is a result of calories in verses calories out?  And what the heck is the difference between alkaline and acidic foods?  Here's our two cents.

Weight loss is a result of calories in vs. calories out.  This much is true.  If, for example, someone's body is burning 2,500 calories a day (including basal/resting metabolic rate, activity and exercise), then they would have to consume roughly 2,000 calories to see a net caloric loss of 500 calories.  In order to optimize this weight loss, there has to be a post workout meal/snack to keep the brain, muscles and bones from going into complete failure and refuel them in order to: 1) survive the remainder of the day; 2) replenish for the NEXT workout; 3) keep your spouse from making you sleep on the couch because your so damed grumpy & hungry; 4) spare the bones and muscles from excess breakdown.

After you have just spent an hour on a bike in a spin class or completed the Filthy 50, perhaps even finished a 5k jog, your body will need to fuel within 30 minutes of cessation of that exercise.  This is the magic window of opportunity your body has given you to put something in your mouth and get it to your stomach ASAP.  Believe it or not, you need to put some of the carbohydrates back into your muscles you just burned, and you also need to supply the body with amino acids to repair muscle tissue you just broke down.  So what are some good, and even not so good options?

We usually recommend a cool, sweet liquid with a ratio of 4:1 carbs to protein.  It should have a relatively high glycemic index value and not create too much viscosity in the gut.  Endurox is a great supplement to take with this proper ratio.  You can purchase it at Vitamin Shoppe for about $25.    Fruit juice with frozen fruit, and 2 tbsp of dextros (glucose), a splash of vanilla and some cinnamon with a scoop of whey protein is another favorite of ours.  Dextros is sold at any home brew shop.  I usually go to down town Hillsboro where I can buy as much or as little as you want.

If you're not a fan of drinks or shakes, or just want to stick with whole foods, Tty tuna with a splash rice vinegar and some black pepper, a handful of raisins and half a pear, with water.  The raisins and pear will help keep the pH level of the blood under control.

During exercise, the blood can become acidic (a decrease of pH).  When this happens, the body literally steals calcium from the bones because calcium is what's called and alkaline.  This alkaline mineral will help restore the pH level of the blood, but at an expense of the bones. Remember when mom used to say, "all that candy will rot your teeth"?  She wasn't kidding.  Chocolates and sweets have this same effect on the blood, and thus remove highly expensive calcium from the bones and teeth, where it's needed the most.  Keep the acidic level where they should be by avoiding post workout foods that cause additional drops in pH such as: Brown rice, rolled oats, whole wheat breads, spaghetti, white rice & dairy.  This will spare bone AND muscle.  

Thanks for taking the time to read our material,

Chuck & Shelly Gonzales  

If this doesn't deserve to be on the homepage, I don't know what does!

Rod Haines gives a shout out to CrossFit Hillsboro from the Ice Hotel in Sweden. Rod was abroad to compete in the Tough Guy Event. He has been training with us 4x/wk. since September to prepare for the competition. This was an amazing challenge that Rod completed in 2 hours and 30 minutes. Way to go, Rod!

The expansion of CrossFit

This is Cian.  Cian will be participating in another ultramarathon this weekend in Texas. We wish you the very best of luck Cian.   Please feel free to take Monday off.  

 

CrossFit is exploding right now across the world.  I don't think I've ever seen dominance like this in the fitness industry.  The Globe-O-gyms are dying quite frankly because of piss poor customer service and 3 year contracts.  The future of the fitness industry is within the wall of small, ultra-dynamic personal training/strength & conditioning & CrossFit studios.  The days of Globe-o Gyms are slowly becoming entities of the past, lead to their grave by their prehistoric leaders whom have forgotten that the customer is more than just a number who exchanges said American dollars in return for properly operating showers and steam rooms.   In 2010, I expect to see exponential growth of specifically CrossFit boxes, drawing more and more people to our gyms and away from buildings filled with a sea of equipment and flat screen TV's.  

CrossFit has changed us as fitness professionals and also changed the direction of our business.  When we opened as a personal training studio in September of 08, we wanted to be the premier training studio in Washington County.  Now, we are unexpectedly the premier CrossFit studio in Washington County, the first and only CrossFit affiliate in Washington County and the ONLY one in the country with strength & conditioning specialists, personal trainers, group exercise instructors, CrossFit instructors and Starbucks managers. HAHAHAHAH!

There is no end in sight to the expansion of CrossFIt across the world and if you have not yet experienced this phenomenon, I highly urge you to find out what the future of fitness will look like.  These boxes and training studios will do to the fitness giants what organic growers are doing to mass production farmers - providing a higher quality product quality without sacrificing service. 

This industry has needed a revolution and a change of direction for quite some time.  The people who were brave enough to venture out on their own, take control of their future and build these great business are those responsible for this revolution.  To the Revolutionaries!    

P.S., check out Wednesday's Wall Street Journal for an article on CrossFit. 

An article about agave

I have just skimmed through this, but I though I would forward it to you.  Let us know what your opinion.

ARTICLE 1

Harvesting the Sap

When an agave plant is about seven to ten years old, the leaves are removed to expose the core, or pina, of the plant. The harvested pina looks like a large pineapple and can weigh anywhere from 50 to 150 pounds.

Sap is removed from the pina, filtered, and heated to break down the carbohydrates into sugars.

The same agave plant produces all three varieties of commercially sold syrup, depend ing on the amount of heat used in processing. These varieties include:

* raw (color is similar to maple syrup and flavor is similar to caramel)

* light (lighter color and flavor than raw)

* amber (similar in color and flavor to raw)

Many varieties of agave nectar are processed at relatively low temperatures (below 118°F) and are marketed as a “raw” food.

When the agave sap is heated, the complex fructosans are hydrolyzed, or broken into their constituent fructose units. The fructose-rich solution is then filtered to obtain the desired products that range from dark syrup with a characteristic vanilla aroma, to a light amber liquid with more neutral characteristics.

The Myth of Agave as a “Healthy” Sugar Substitute

* Agave syrup is neither a natural food nor organic

Fully chemically processed sap from the agave plant is known as hydrolyzed high fructose inulin syrup. It needs to be hydrolyzed so that the complex fructosans are "broken down" into fructose units or it won't be sweet!

According to Dr. Ingrid Kohlstadt, a fellow of the American College of Nutrition and an associate faculty member at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health:

“[Agave is] almost all fructose, highly processed sugar with great marketing.”

* Agave syrup is not low calorie.

Agave syrup is about 16 calories per teaspoon, the same as table sugar.

* Agave syrup may not have a low glycemic index.

Depending upon where the agave comes from and the amount of heat used to proc ess it, your agave syrup can be anywhere from 55 percent to 90 percent fructose, whereas sugar and honey are closer to 50% fructose and 50% glucose. Fructose is much sweeter than glucose, and this chemical makeup also explains why the glycemic index is lower (it only takes glucose into account).

This range of fructose content hardly makes agave syrup a logical choice if you’re hoping to avoid the high levels of fructose in HFCS (high fructose corn syrup).

And if you’re diabetic, you should know that the alleged benefit of agave for diabetics is purely speculative. Very few agave studies have been docu mented, and most involved rats. There have been no clinical studies done on its safety for diabetics.

Since most agave syrup has such a high percentage of fructose, your blood sugar will likely spike just as it would if you were consuming regular sugar or HFCS, and you would also run the risk of raising your triglyceride levels. It’s also important to understand that whereas the glucose in other sugars are converted to blood glucose, fructose is a relatively unregulated source of fuel that your liver converts to fat and cholesterol.

A significant danger here is that fructose does not stimulate your insulin secretion, nor enhance leptin production, which is thought to be involved in appetite regulation. Lately there has been some buzz swirling around agave nectar and whether the sweet cactus-nectar is good for our bodies or not. I want to help my readers be aware of the increasing number of fraudulent, poor-quality “agave” products being sold in common supermarkets around the country.

ARTICLE 2

The following article will educate you on fraudulent high-fructose agave nectar and its negative health consequences, as well as the benefits of using true organic agave nectar as a sweetener.

The Downside of High-Fructose Agave Nectar

Recent claims regarding agave nectar urge us to be aware of the type of agave we are purchasing. Many brands sold in the supermarket, claiming to be organic, are nothing more than refined fructose. Common forms of retail-refined agave syrup sold in supermarkets do not tell consumers what has been done to the syrup in the laboratory.

While the label may claim that the agave is “organic and all-natural,” the label does not explain that the syrup has gone through an extensive process of chemical refining which changes the enzymatic structure of the syrup, converting it into a man-made chemical fructose.

Herein lies the main concern surrounding the nectar that many well-known nutritionists are recommending as a healthier sugar-substitute. There is a direct link between man-made chemical fructose and deadly degenerative diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

Agave Plant

source

Critics also note that once consumed, refined fructose is turned into triglyceride, which is essentially stored as body fat. And while high fructose agave syrup does not cause the extreme spikes in blood sugar levels like common white sugar, it does have possible associations to a spectrum of health-depleting conditions such as:

    * Depletion of the body’s minerals

    * Inflammation of the liver

    * Hardening of the arteries

    * Tendency towards insulin resistance, a predecessor to diabetes

    * Heart disease

    * Weight gain, and even obesity

    * Toxic effects is pregnant women

Of course, these conditions can vary in different people, so be sure to do the proper research on the type of agave nectar you are using.

In a recent article on NaturalNews.com, author Rami Nagel, states that fake forms of refined-fructose agave.

His words on Agave & Refined Fructose:

“lacks amino acids, vitamins, minerals, pectin, and fiber. As a result, the body doesn’t recognize refined fructose. Refined fructose is processed in the body through the liver, rather than digested in the intestine. Refined fructose robs the body of many micronutrient treasures in order to assimilate itself for physiological use. While naturally occurring fruit sugars contain levulose bound to other sugars, high fructose corn syrup contains “free” (unbound), chemically refined fructose. Research indicates that free refined fructose interferes with the heart’s use of key minerals like magnesium, copper and chromium.” [1]

The Upside: Agave Nectar is Not Made Equally

Natural agave has been harvested traditionally in Mexico for hundreds of years. Ranking fairly low on the glycemic load scale, a small amount of the nectar provides a larger amount of sweetness than common sugar, and thus, a little goes a long way.

The agave plant also contains saponins and fructans, phytochemicals associated with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting capabilities. (Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1996; 52:175-7).

One of these fructans is known as inulin, a natural plant sweetener with an extremely low impact on blood sugar and cholesterol levels. The ancient Aztecs even used the nectar as a healing salve for wounds. What is more, compounds derived from blue agave have been studied for their potential utility for treating colon diseases like ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Agave also holds high amounts of protein-building amino acids and alkaloids (Plant Foods Hum Nutr 2007; 62:133-8). Research indicates that minimally-processed agave does provide nutrients to the human body, and may even prevent chronic disease (Nutr Rev 2004; 62: 439-42).

It is also important to mention that not all agave products are created equal, and the dangerous high-fructose content cited by critics is not typical in all agave products. Roger Clemens, a professor at USC, has stated that: “Depending on how the syrup is processed, it may or may not contain more fructose.”

My Favorite Brand of Agave Nectar

Madhava Agave Nectar

What is important to determine when purchasing agave nectar is whether the sweetener comes from a trusted source. My personal favorite, that I use quite frequently, is Madhava Agave Nectar.

Madhava offers extremely high-quality, all-natural, 100% organic agave nectar, made by minimal processing. There are no chemicals used in the production of Madhava’s agave nectar from agave salmiana, and it is not cooked. Madhava agave is produced using only low temperatures during the evaporation of excess water from the juice. Used in moderate amounts, this low-glycemic sweetener is an excellent choice over white sugar and artificial sweeteners.

When choosing agave nectar be sure to contact the company to make sure they are not using chemicals in the processing techniques. Also, I recommend that you make sure it is organic.

Slideshow link

Here's a link to the slideshow from our nutrition seminar this past Saturday.  We don't have slides on the Paleo/Zone portion, but please feel free to contact us with any questions.  Happy eating!

Hot Pink

Damn!  Raise your hand if you saw Pink's performance at the Grammy's last night.  Raise your hand if you plan on working your ass off at the gym today.  Raise your hand if your plan is to run 5 miles with the hope of becoming one step closer to Pink's physique.

SPOILER ALERT:  Not gonna' happen.

Let me explain.  Pink's body is not a "cardio" body.  Yeah, I'm sure she does her fair share of cardio, but in all actuality, Pink is pumping some iron.  Lots of it.  And I'd bet my right arm she's lifting pretty heavy.  She's breaking a sweat, making ugly faces, loud noises, and probably cursing.  Often.  You don't get to look like that without putting in the effort.

Ladies, listen closely...do not fear the weight room.  You will not bulk up.  If Pink's hot bod is your idea of fit and sexy, pick up some heavy weights.  Squat your ass off (pun intended).

The girl was hot.  YouTube it.  You'll see.

-Shelly

P.S.  You're not going to look like that with a crappy diet.  Clean eating is 80% of your results.  Are you in on our "Nutritional Challenge"?  We'll teach you what to do.