One of my favorite performance coach blogs to follow is Fletcher Fitness. She is all about the mental prep for competition as well as a day to day healthy lifestyle. She is a strong believer that "the same way you cannot out train a bad diet, you cannot out train a bad mindset."
We all have had those days in a workout when we just mentally were not there and it makes a huge difference. Whether you are going for a big lift, or a slow strong yoga practice focus is key. If your mind is wandering, or you go into your training/practice/competition already defeated then you probably are.
Here are her 5 Powerful Mindset Tips:
1. Be a constant optimist full of possibility
*rid complaints, negative words/thoughts/actions
2. Focus only on what you can control
*don’t spend energy on factors out of control
3. Meditate
*simply spend quiet, alone time sorting through your thoughts & emotions or being still in prayer
4. Surround yourself with people who really encourage you towards your goals.
5. Have fun, be fun, implement fun… very often.
Much easier said than done, but trying to implement these on a daily basis.
In other news... hard to believe that its been over a week since my team crossfit competition. Test your metal was a great event. My team placed 3rd after 3 WOD's. The top 5 teams went on to compete in the final championship round where we finished 4th. Not too bad for our first team competition. Everyone from crossfit aspire did amazing, it was a great community atmosphere, everyone cheering each other on, and seeing so many people do things that they didn't think they were capable of.
Go Team BEE SPIRE! This was right before the start of our 4th WOD (Championship Round)
Prepping for another competition this weekend, Crossfit Summer Classic in Philly. Looking to go have a fun time hanging out with other crossfitters/friends why we exercise and watch other amazing exercisers :)
Here is just a quick list of fats that you can reference...
Okay first lets talk HEALTHY FATS
Which to heat (saturated fats):
These are non-animal sources of fat, go for organic and unrefined forms when possible
Coconut Oil
Palm Oil
These are animal fats. Try to go for pasture-raised/grass-fed & Organic sources when possible.
Butter
Ghee
Lard
Tallow
Schmaltz (chicken fat)
Lamb Fat
Duck Fat
Full Fat Dairy
Eggs, Meat & Seafood
Which to use cold (unsaturated fats):
try to go for organic, extra virgin, cold-pressed forms
UNHEALTHY FATS - STAY AWAY!
these are man-made aka not real food
Saturated (unhealthy) Fats:
Margarine
Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
Man made trans-fats (things like "buttery spreads" example: Earth Balances, Benecol and I Can't Believe Its Not Butter)
Unsaturated (unhealthy) Fats:
highly processed and oxidized by either light, air or heat. It is never healthy to consume oxidized oils
When I switched to a real food diet (paleo) I noticed that my fridge and freezer were packed and my pantry was almost bare. Previously my pantry was filled with oatmeal, flax seed, chia seeds, organic canned soups, cans of beans, rice, olive oil, sesame oil, brown rice vinegar, grain or rice based cereals, amaranth, brown rice pasta, whole grain pasta, nutritional yeast and I am sure other weird "healthy" things. After cleaning out my pantry of grains and processed foods and replacing it with things that I would use on my real food diet the shelves looked empty.
This is actually a good sign. We should be eating foods that do not have long shelf lives because of added preservatives or a refining process. Real foods usually need to be refrigerated or frozen and need to be eaten much sooner than "fake food" like things I mentioned above.
However, there are a few things that you should keep on hand in your Paleo Pantry, here are a few that I usually keep stocked up on...
Coconut Oil: (obviously) good for sauteing/roasting veggies, topping on sweet potatoes or even adding to coffee :)
Coconut milk (this is the whole foods brand): add to coffee, use for baking (takes the place of milk), topping for fruit (paleo ice cream), or throw in the crock pot with any kind of meat you choose and mix it with Curry paste (pictured below)
like i was saying mix this little jar with a can of coconut milk add meat and put in crock pot, cook on low for about 6 hours = amazing! (check ingredient labels, stick with Thai Kitchen brand)
Canned salmon and sardines from Trader Joes. Wild caught, add to salads, use to make salmon cakes, or eat for breakfast with sauteed spinach. Try to aim to eat some type of seafood at least 2 times a week! Omega 3!
I sprinkle this on eggs or veggies usually at least once a day, great source of iodine!
Some great seasonings: No-Salt Seasoning from Costco, 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joes and Everyday Seasoning from Trader Joes. They are all a great mix of seasonings that can be added quickly to any meal for flavor. Add to chicken before grilling, throw on top of veggies before or after cooking. Mix in with Olive oil and vinegar for a great salad dressing.
There are some myths out there about what exactly a Paleo Diet is (if you want to call it a diet, because we all know diets don’t work) So lets get a few things straight when it comes to this idea of “Eating Paleo”
1. No one is trying to make you into a caveman. You can still drive a car and use your iPhone! Okay so maybe cavemen did not have a long lifespan but that is not because of their food choices it is because of their lack of antibiotics, harsh living conditions, and abundance of predators.
2. This is not a carnivorous diet. Yes you will be eating high-quality sources of meat, but you also will be eating a TON of plant matter both veggies and fruit.
3. Paleo diet is high in fat! The fat you eat will NOT clog your arteries because fat all by itself is not the culprit of clogged arteries.
4. You don’t have to be carb-phobic. You will have adequate sources of carb’s needed for a healthy lifestyle.
Paleo is not that radical. UNLESS you consider eating nutrient-dense, unprocessed food radical? Which might just be the case in today’s packaged, processed, microwave dinner, drive-through, low fat, chemical enhanced, fake food era. (now that sounds more radical to me)
Last weekend I participated in my first Crossfit Competition. Whew was I nervous. But I think my nerves actually helped me out, adrenaline kicked in and somehow I made it through.
It was a long day, woke up at 5am and didn't get home till almost 11pm. But really glad I did it. There were 4 of us from Crossfit Aspire who went to compete and our buddy Eric came to cheer us on!
The Whole Gang...
The day consisted of 3 workouts:
Workout 1:
7 min AMRAP
1000m row
with time left 95lb squat cleans
Workout 2:
5 min AMRAP
10,7,3
75lb Overhead Squat
25lb Weighted Sit up
75lb Sumo Deadlift High Pull
Workout 3:
10 min AMRAP
10 Bar Hop Burpees
25 Double Unders
10 Thrusters (65lb)
I was not as prepared with food and water as I should have been for the actual day. I did't realize how long the event would be, I should have eaten more. By workout 3 I was drained. Lesson learned for next time.
Time to train for the next event: Team Competition July 22nd!
I knew going into this week that things were going to be busy. I took Sunday afternoon and did a bunch of food prep for the week. Its never good to be left searching for food while on the run, (although it is possible to still make healthy choices on the go) it is always better to be prepared ahead of time so there are no excuses.
When all else fails these are some of my go-to recipes and foods to stock up on:
Breakfast - its always easy to throw together an egg type casserole, this is one of my favorites and will last me almost a whole week! Savory Breakfast Casserole (I have even substituted the chorizo for ground beef when that was all I had)
For lunch dinner (or both) this is another fav of mine and I also tend to add a little extra of everything (not exactly doubling but making some extra) Balsamic Winter Throw Together Bake I know its not winter but you HAVE to make this. Also, if you cannot find butternut squash at certain times of the year you can use sweet potatoes or any other root veggies you like.
What else is in my fridge/pantry for this week:
Apples
Avocados
Blueberries
Coconut Milk
Bacon
Canned Salmon
Canned Tuna
Carrot Sticks
Kombucha
and of course Coffee :)
When is your food prep day? If you don't take time to prep you should try it, makes life much easier when things get busy.
#1 Crossfit Regionals - Boston! Whoa, was that fun?!?! Lots of amazing athletes, intense workouts, great friends from crossfit aspire, and the Wodify booth!
Saturday - A few of us did Fran at the spectator workout area (21, 15, 9 = Thrusters and Pull Ups) (tore my hand open on pull ups, awesome.
Sunday - We did Grace (30 Clean and jerks for time) Got a PR, which was crazy considering I hadn't slept much.
It was so much fun to be in "crossfit world" for 4 days, it felt totally normal to wear leggings, sports bra & cut-off T's (which happen to be my outfit almost ever day anyway) Fun workouts, fit people, paleo food = good times!
This is Rachele, Alycia and I just hangin around at regionals!
#2 I won these cool socks from Nom Nom Paleo!!! Have you read her blog? Her recipes are Ahhhhmazing! She is so creative, whenever you are feeling bored with your food, just shoot over to her blog and you are bound to find something new and delicious to try.
The actual socks are from Gumball Poodle go like their facebook page! I am thinking mixing the socks up, and as one friend suggested BACON-NERD is going to have to happen!
#3 and FINALLY... tomorrow I am participating in the Crossfit for HOPE WOD. Crossfit gyms all over the world will be participating in the exact same workout (obviously can always be scaled) the workout is being done to raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.
The workout will be very similar to a Fight Gone Bad
1 minute of each of the following movements: Burpees Box Jumps Chest to Bar Pull Ups Power Snatch (75lb/55lb) Thruster (75lb/55lb)
Rest 1 Minute... and repeat 2 more times
Total of 15minutes of work with 2 minutes of rest. You are scored by total # of rep's completed.
Guess what I ate for breakfast today?
A hamburger (no bun) and a sweet potato w/ coconut oil.
I love all things about coconut.First of all it tastes amazing.It’s filled with minerals, great source of potassium, and
it’s a healthy fat!
Here are a few great coconut ‘products’
Coconut Oil:great for cooking, frying, roasting, even pretty tasty in coffee.Coconut oil is a very stable fat and it
does not become toxic when heated.It is high in saturated fat which offers many health benefits some
include:
Giving
out cells firmness and integrity
Vital for bone health.For example, at least 50% of our
dietary fats need to be saturated for calcium to be effectively incorporated
into the skeletal structure.
They
protect the live from the toxic effects of alcohol and certain drugs
The
enhance the immune system
They are needed for proper
utilization of essential fatty acids. Elongated Omega-3 fatty acids are better
retained in the tissues when the diet if rich in saturated fats.
The fat around the heart muscle is
highly saturated, the heart draws on this reserve of fat in times of stress.
They protect us against harmful
microorganisms in the digestive tract because of their important antimicrobial
properties.
Mark Sisson has a bunch of great articles on coconut… here
is a good one on Coconut Oil.
Coconut Water:This may seem like a trendy drink.But it is great for rehydrating after a good sweat.(Which for me happens on a regular
basis, I drip sweat when I workout…gross)It’s a good source of potassium, it is not meant to be a replacement for
water.It does have sugar in it,
but as long as you check the ingredients it should only be coming from the
coconut.No added sugar.My favorite brand is Blue Monkey which I have mentioned before, and unfortunately
(or luckily, otherwise I may be drinking it everyday) I have only ever found it
at Whole Foods.
Shredded Unsweetened Coconut:This is a great source of healthy fat.I love adding it to a bowl of fruit to
give it a little crunch and flavor.I have also used it mixed in with almond flour and spices as a great
“breading” for pork chops and fish.So delish!
Coconut Crème Concentrate:I made some of this today, simply by buying shredded coconut
from the bulk section of Whole Foods and throwing it in the food
processor.AND….. Pressing
ON!Sooooo simple.It probably took about 10 minutes or so
of processing, stopping every minute or so to scrape the sides of the food
processor to be sure it was all getting mixed in.It eventually creates a thick paste substance.I stored it in a left over Coconut Oil
jar.It can be used for baking,
usually in paleo treats.Here is
agreat recipe that uses the
crème… Chocolate Almond Butter Cups (balanced bites)
Coconut Flour:is
the fiber from the coconut meat after most of the oil has been extracted to
make the oil.It is high in
dietary fiber and protein and is also gluten-free!It can be used for baking, great in breads, muffins,
pancakes, and treats.Some recipes
may call for a mixture of almond meal and coconut flour. When baking with coconut flour
your recipes may require less sweetener because the flour contains some sugar
from the coconut meat. There is a great coconut flour pancake recipe here! Do they not look AMAZING?
Try some coconut!
Work Out Today:
Strength: Bench Press for sets of 8 reps (today got up to 95lbs for 8reps)
The only place I have found it at isWhole Foods, which may be a good thing because if it was at every other grocery store I would probably drink way too much of it.
This is not something you need to drink everyday, but its pure coconut water, nothing else. Its great for electrolytes, so if you have ever seen me sweat during a workout (gross I know) you would know that i need to replenish my electrolytes! I also use to have some major issues with leg cramps due to sweating so much and not replenishing my body with proper nutrients (to the point that I was taking electrolyte pills). Now thanks to a more nutrient dense diet and the occasional coconut water leg cramps are gone!!!
Anyone else out there tried Blue Monkey Coconut Water or have a another favorite?
P.S. Going to the Crossfit Regional Competition this weekend in Boston. I am super siked! I will be working with Wodify at their booth. Wodify is an awesome software program that tracks scores/#'s for your Wod's! If you crossfit you definitely will want to pass this along to your gym owners to check out. Watch the videos on their homepage... see if you can spot me?
I will post more on the crossfit regionals when I return. I just can't wait to be surrounded by crossfitters for 4 whole days and watch some amazing competitions, lifts, and strong men and women! Woopwoop!
