IN THIS EMAIL- Nutrition Is Up To You.
- Murph!
- Row’d Royalty – Insider Tip
- Age Group Semi Workouts & Super Mom Anelyse
- Feats of Strength, Proof o
NUTRITION – THE UNHEALTHY ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM According to CrossFit’s definitive and innovative publication, “What Is Fitness?,” nutrition is the foundation of the theoretical hierarchy for the development of an athlete (see graphic above). The article, penned by founder Greg Glassman, states “any training system that does not consider and duly correct an athlete’s diet will be suboptimal.”
Yvonne, I, all of our coaches, and most of our members agree with CrossFit about the importance of nutrition to overall fitness. However, in our 18 years in the fitness business, Diablo and our coaches spend very little time coaching or talking about nutrition. In fact, if you visit our website, you’ll find that Diablo outsources nutrition coaching to a remote coaching service (Falcon Nutrition). Two reasons: (1) our core competency is fitness coaching AND (2) nutrition management is complicated, emotional, time-consuming and affected by factors beyond our control, including: - Societal pressures and family or work obligations & stress
- Over abundance of expert nutritional information
- Diets galore: Paleo, Primal, Vegan, Keto, Zone…
- Emotional & psychological issues or trauma
- Sleep
- Lack of cooking and/or food shopping experience
- Not enough time to learn, shop & meal prep
- Lack of support from friends or family
To be honest, it’s frustrating to not be able to solve nutrition problems with an easy fix. Ironically, we all know WHAT to do. But, many of us just don’t, or can’t do it. Our coaches who have experience with nutrition coaching admit that client compliance and honesty are the biggest hurdles to success. The struggle is painfully real.
Calorie consumption has become an addictive behavior for many, often in response to stress or even emotional trauma. Readily-available, incredibly satisfying, calorie-dense food & drinks are the drugs of choice. And, alcoholic beverages are the very thick icing on the calorie cake. Achieving a healthy diet is simply breaking bad habits and adopting new ones. But, that’s no easy task. Read: Atomic Habits (and keep it handy).
So, what’s the solution? In my strong opinion, nutrition is up to you. You have to decide to commit to the process, educate yourself, enlist the support of others, accept that you may fail, and have a plan to get back on track if you do. A nutrition solution is different for everyone and may involve professional therapy for some. But, I also think there are some proven techniques that work for many people, especially for our members. These techniques include:- For 30 days, track everything that you eat & drink in a journal – don’t lie to yourself. This is perhaps the single most effective tool for anyone wanting to improve nutrition. It’s personal accountability.
- Include protein with everything you eat. This is challenging but will put your calorie consumption in perspective.
- Move in the morning before you consume calories (black coffee is ok). A 15-30 minute walk or easy calisthenics is all you need. This is a game-changer.
- Stop eating 2-3 hours before bedtime. You’ll sleep better and feel more rested in the morning.
- Go for a 10-20 min walk after your last meal of the day.
- Drink water instead of calorie drinks. Add LMNT if that helps with flavor.
- Limit alcohol consumption. Start with 2 days a week, then 1.
- Meal prep on the same day(s) every week for multiple days’ meals.
- Hire a coach for 6 months to a year until you’ve got it
Finally, and most importantly, keep coming to CrossFit. A welcoming, like-minded community with quality coaches is a sturdy foundation for your physical fitness and longterm health. |
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