Intro to CrossFit Class is back at CrossFit Sioux Falls!  Our next class is set to start on Monday April 15 at 6:15pm, call, stop in or email us today if you are interested in this great opportunity.  Here are the details:

Do you want to change yourself? Be more lean, athletic, fit. Become faster, stronger, healthier. Feel better, more confident, and look the way you dream?

You can! And together, we can make it happen.

At CrossFit Sioux Falls, you not only have access to 45 weekly classes to transform your body, but coaches who will help you, guide you and motivate you to achieve a new you!

This is your best chance ever!  Start CrossFit with whole class full of people just like you as a part of our new beginners’ class, “Intro to CrossFit”.  Join others with their own goals and ambitions yet new to CrossFit and learn together from day 1, getting better day after day.  CrossFit from the ground up, building a foundation that you can use forever.  Better health, better body, better life.

“Intro to CrossFit” is for you! We start on April 15, together moving forward.  

———

Class Details: “Intro to CrossFit”- learn the fundamentals and basics of CrossFit, perform body-changing workouts, experience life-lasting fitness.

Who: You, your friends, people who want to get fit, people who want to CrossFit and start with all new people, frankly anyone.

What: 12-session strength and conditioning course that will teach the basic movements of Crossfit with a group of people who are all new to Crossfit.  We will also share nutrition, fun and life.

When:  Starts Monday, April 15, 2013- Friday May 10 , 2013. Class will be held every Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm and Friday at 5:30pm.

Where: Crossfit of Sioux Falls, 3505 S Phillips Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57105.

Why:  Experience CrossFit while building an even better you.

Cost: $106 with tax.

For more information and to register please email jeremy@crossfitsiouxfalls.com, call 605-274-3474 or just stop into the gym anytime.

Let’s get started!

Contact us today,

The CFSF Team —

Liza, Casey, Rob, Jeremy, Tyler, Doc Rob, and Greg

The Habit Poem

I am your constant companion.

I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.

I will push you onward or drag you down to

failure.

I am completely at your command.

Half of the things you do you might as well turn

over to me and I will do them – quickly and

correctly.

I am easily managed – you must be firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done

and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.

I am the servant of great people,

and alas, of all failures as well.

Those who are great, I have made great.

Those who are failures, I have made failures.

I am not a machine though

I work with the precision of a machine

plus the intelligence of a person.

You may run me for profit or run me for ruin -

it makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and

I will place the world at your feet.

Be easy with me and I will destroy you.

Who am I? I am Habit.

I have no idea who wrote this.  I Googled habit to find some corny quote like you’d find on a motivational poster so I could make fun of it, but then I came across and read this.  The words really hit the nail on the head with regards to what I wanted to say with this post.

Over the past few years, I’ve spent a good deal of time at the gym watching people.  Maybe watching isn’t the right word, that gives off a creepy vibe and makes me think of the neighbors’ house.  Perhaps observing is a better way of putting it.  I observe virtually the same people, day after day, week after week.  I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many people change for the better, not only physically, but also in the way the talk and carry themselves.  One of the best things about my job is getting to see people do something (many times something they thought was impossible) for the first time.  I’ve also had the frustration of seeing some people make very little (if any) change despite several hours, reps, and dollars spent.  If you’re happy with the way you are, excellent, you should keep doing what you’re doing.  But if you are still trying to improve and have somewhere to get, I’m talking to you.

The great quality about being able to observe so many different people is the things you can learn.  As I said, same people day after day.  After a while, you start to see the patterns that differentiate success and stagnancy.  Many of these patterns are not isolated, and many of the people who I see have the most success or make the biggest changes follow the same ones.Without making this the longest lead-in in blogging history, I’m going to just come out and give you my very uneducated opinion of the most important pattern: People who are successful change the habits that don’t allow them progress.  They create new habits, giving up the comfort of what was familiar.  These people do what others won’t (and many times what they really don’t want to do).  These people also don’t give a flying crap what others think, and they surround themselves with positive, supportive people who many times want the same things as they do.

Change doesn’t happen without taking a step backward, because you must surrender things you’ve become accustomed to in order to get where you want to go.  “I started eating Paleo and I feel like crap all of the time and my workouts took a step backward.”  Yes, that’s because you’ve just you just gave gasoline to a diesel engine.  Your body is more confused than you were at the end of (strong language warning)”The Usual Suspects.”  The good thing is, unlike the car engine, your body can adapt if you stay the course.  In time your energy returns as your body regains efficiency.  Change occurs in the form of increased performance, a leaner body, and you feeling better throughout the day.  You can’t give up on something after a week and go back to your old ways, though, those are what got you here in the first place.

The way you do things is just as important as the things you do.  Sometimes all you can do is show up and survive a workout, but those days better be few and far between because there is no better way to stall progress than going through the motions.  When was the last time you followed the board exactly as written?  Things like finding a 2RM Front Squat or days where you see we’re scoring the slowest time should be a religious experience.  You should leave here, go home and eat 8 pounds of food, and be in bed by 8:30 after stuff like that.  Pushing yourself farther than you’ve been isn’t fun, but stimulus for change can’t happen within a comfort zone.  Take the reins.  We never said any of this was easy.

“I don’t want to be a product of my environment, I want my environment to be a product of me.”  This is the way many people like to think their life goes.  The reality is that (for most of us) your environment shapes you.  This could include a lot of different things, but to make it simple I’m just going to talk about your training partners (exercise buddies if you will).  The people that you work out with should share similar goals as you.  They should push you when you need it, pick you up when you’re down, and should expect all the same from you.  If you want to get the most out of your workout, you should train with people who will help you do that.  If your training partner wants to talk in detail about crazy bar stories from the weekend or shopping instead of what they’ll try to squat or how they’re going to kick your ass today in the workout, don’t be surprised when neither of you push very hard.  You should find a new one.

In closing, the change you desire doesn’t happen without a change in your habits.  The only way this happens is by your control, I work with the precision of a machine plus the intelligence of a person.  You may run me for profit or run me for ruin - it makes no difference to me.

Let me begin by saying how proud I am of all of you who guys.  I know there had to be obstacles along the way, challenges you didn’t foresee, yet you charged on to get the results you wanted!  As the great Jerry Garcia once said, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”  My ultimate goal is you saw this 6 week ‘challenge’ as a glimpse into what things could be for you when you decide to do this as a lifestyle.  There is a ton of variety out there so you shouldn’t get bored with eating the same thing over and over.

Do you need to be 100% paleo all the time; no.  You’ll drive yourself nuts and almost feel like an outcast when you go out for happy hour with your friends.  If you know you’re going to have a night out on the town, I hope you now have the tools and resources to zone your diet in for before and after so you don’t feel so guilty about it.  Yes, depending on how ‘strict’ you have been with your diet and what you choose to splurge on may have some negative reactions, but that should only reinforce that you only need to splurge every once in a great while.

Well enough on that, let’s get into the numbers of things!  As a whole, the group lost an average of 2 1/2″ off their waistline and took :54 seconds off their baseline time!  Let that sink in for a moment.  That is just over a 7% loss just on the waistline of this group, or losing about 1% of your waist and getting 9 seconds faster on your baseline every week!  We trainers have noticed not only an increase in energy levels, but we’ve also been able to push you guys a little harder with respect to workout volume.

The winning team/individuals are as follows:

Individual Woman: Cassi Sehr

Individual Man: Scott Jones

Team: Blake and Debbie Curd

This is more of a rant than anything, so it may not be my best piece of writing.  There is something that’s been troubling me for a while now.  A situation that repeatedly comes up again and again.  It happens from time to time with everyone I work with, from beginners to experienced CrossFitters to competitive athletes; and that is the lack of control over their own self-talk.

One case I see is just plain old lack of faith.  I cannot get over how many times I see people sabotage great practice with horrible theory.  What do I mean by this?  Some examples…

“I really struggle with overhead lifts but I haven’t done any mobility or corrective exercises to help, that stuff doesn’t work.”

“I’m really run down and I feel beat up lately.  (What’s your diet like?) I didn’t hardly eat or drink any water all day, just didn’t have time.  What’s that have to do with it anyway?”

“I was getting in extra practice and doing drills for muscle ups for a week, but I just wasn’t getting them so I just stopped and went back to doing the bare minimum every day.  Obviously none of that was working.”

I hear motivational crap all the time about how anything is possible if you believe and have faith.  On the flip side, can’t accomplish a damn thing without it.  If you’ve already made up your mind that something isn’t going to be effective, anyone can predict that outcome.

Another example of this is peoples’ self-talk before, during, and after certain tasks.  I’m not even going to make this exclusive to lifting weights and working out, it goes for everything.

Many challenges that we face in life have their outcome determined before they even begin.  You can’t always control final outcomes, but you can control your preparation for such events, and your attitude going into them as well.  Self-talk during challenges and tough times is enormous, because you can realistically make yourself believe anything.  Thoughts like “This is horrible” or “I’m going to be just fine, this is nothing” both have great power in either crushing or lifting spirits.  And then there’s self-talk after a challenge.  ”I suck” is a terrible thing to say, because not only are you putting the focus on your shortcomings, but you’re creating a negative expectation for the next time you face a challenge, and the next.

The bottom line in this rant is to realize the power of you thoughts.  The body goes no where without the mind, so you need to make the conscious decisions as to where you’ll take things.  I’ll leave you with this…

“The Man who says he can, and the man who says he can not.. Are both correct”  -Confucius

From:http://paleononpaleo.com/paleo-bloggers-success-tips-books/

A week or so ago, I wrote to a bunch of paleo bloggers asking them three questions. I strongly wanted to get their top tips for success (because we can all do with more of those from people who are successful.) I wanted to know who they looked to for inspiration and information. And I wanted to get a sense of who they were as people by finding out what they were reading.

Take a look at the list below, there are some paleo rockstars, some up-and-comers and some new bloggers you may have never heard of.

(Psst, while I asked everyone the same three questions, I asked Mark Sisson, a fourth – ‘How do you see the primal movement developing in the future?’ If you would like to learn his answer, please go over to the Facebook page and check it out.)

Todd Dosenberry from Primal Toad:

Toad’s blog features his thoughts on the paleo lifestyle, sometimes punchy, sometimes self -revealing, always unapologetically, enthusiastic pro-paleo.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? Educate yourself through various resources such as blogs, books, forums, etc. but don’t trust anything that you read. Instead, experiment with ideas that seem right to YOU for your own unique situation. Just because Frodo lost 100 lbs. by eating low carb does not mean you will too. Just because Arnold does not tolerate butter or refuses to eat it does not mean you should avoid it too. Experiment and enjoy life. Have fun on this journey!

What is your favorite blog?  Nerdfitness.com. Steve Kamb is on a mission to change the world. He is “leveling up” his life and wants you to level up yours as well. He travels to crazy awesome places and eats based on paleo principles while utilizing the 80/20 rule how he wants to. He is building a vibrant community that is full of “nerds” and I can’t wait to see what he has in store for the future. His outrageously long posts are all worth the read.

What book are you reading at the moment?  I’ll begin reading Nutrition and Physical Degeneration tonight. I love the WAPF and everything they stand for. I’m incredibly excited to finally discover more details on Dr. Price’s travels to various isolated populations around the world that took place in the 1930′s.

Dean Dwyer from Being Primal

Funny boy Dean burst onto the paleo scene mid-2011 and in a short space of time has carved out a niche for himself as a purveyor of change for the paleo lifestyle. He’s written a book, Make Shi(f)t Happen and been presenter and panel moderator at Paleo F(x).

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? People are under the illusion this is a journey of perfection. It is not. Paleo is about changing our relationship with failure. We are going to be failing often in the first year of this journey. We are going to eat foods we shouldn’t eat. We are going to skip workouts we should be doing. We are going to get much less sleep than is required for optimal health. Success with paleo comes when we fail with paleo. Each failure MUST be an opportunity to step back and analyze what went wrong and put a new plan that we can act on immediately.  When we can consistently do this (and stop beating ourselves up for days or weeks or months on end) then we begin to slowly turn our wheel of progress forward.

What is your favorite blog? Fast Company. I believe running a great body is like running a great business. I am constantly looking to steal principles from great business thinkers that I can apply to the running of my body.

What book are you reading at the moment? The Lean Start Up by Eric Ries. The principles of running a lean start up are almost exactly the same as running a lean body.

Sarah Fragoso from Everyday Paleo

Sarah probably has the biggest following of any female blogger in the paleo space. Her book, Everyday Paleo is one of my top picks when starting out – it has everything – her inspiring story, easy delicious recipes, shopping lists and workouts. I know I go on and on about her Giant Stuffed Mushroom recipe but we have it at least once a week because my family loves it. She has a teenager and two littler ones so she knows all about paleo-izing her family and like many people, I love reading about her paleo school lunch ideas.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? Commit and DO it and be strict for at least 30 days.  You haven’t really tried paleo until you have actually TRIED it.  Start by getting rid of all the food in your house that is NOT paleo so that you are not tempted to deviate, especially during the first couple of weeks when you can be faced with some carb and sugar cravings.  Remember, this is your choice and you can choose to make it happen if you really want it; it’s all up to you!

What is your favorite blog? I always enjoy and learn a lot from reading Mark’s Daily Appleand I love reading Dooce and Stumptuous.

What book are you reading at the moment? The Lorax to Rowan; Sigh….  The last book that I read that was not kid-related was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo that I read on a recent flight to Guam and back. It was so nice to get lost in a book, I need to do that more often.

Tara Grant from Primal Girl in a Modern World

Tara is a stay-at-home mom of twin boys (yay!  ) and model who lost over 100lbs and recovered from numerous problems that so many women can relate to – endometriosis, PCOS, depression, PMS – using the paleo diet. She is one of Mark Sisson’s success stories featured in The Primal Blueprint 21-Day Total Body Transformation and this past weekend spoke at PrimalCon 2012.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? There are so many ways to answer this. If the question were “what would you start with,” it would be to ditch wheat. If that’s all you do, if you can only bring yourself to change one thing, ditch wheat. Really, I guess my biggest tip would be to read and educate yourself about YOUR body and YOUR symptoms. My situation isn’t going to be the same as Mark Sisson’s, a former elite athlete, or Robb Wolf’s, a former vegetarian. I was neither of those things. It doesn’t mean that they don’t provide valuable information and insight, but their journey is going to be drastically different than mine, no matter how you slice it. Find someone in the Paleosphere that is similar to you, see what worked for them and try it. It might not work, but at least it’s a place to start.

What is your favorite blog? Mine. Ha ha. I actually don’t read a lot of blogs at the moment, but I do go to certain ones when I need to do research – marksdailyapple.com,robbwolf.com and jackkruse.com are the ones I find myself returning to quite often. I’m also enjoying Dean Dwyer‘s blog a lot, that guy is a riot. Plus he’s got great advice. I took some of his advice recently and unsubscribed to most of the blogs that were clogging up my inbox.

What book are you reading at the moment? Right now I’m reading the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. It’s like Lord of the Rings meets Narnia meets Game of Thrones, all of which I’ve read. I’m currently trying to decipher who is ripping off who. The next on my list is Sex at Dawn. Prepare yourself for some raunchy posts after that one.

Chris Kresser from chriskresser.com

Chris has no critics it seems. He is universally respected for his thoughtful, careful analysis of the research out there. He is a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of integrative medicine conducting a private practice from his clinic in Berkeley, CA and globally via Skype.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? Think of Paleo as a template, not a rigid prescription. There’s no one size fits all approach.

What is your favorite blog? Impossible to choose just one. For research oriented content I love Stephan Guyenet’s Whole Health Source and Chris Masterjohn’s Daily Lipid.

What book are you reading right now? A stack of research papers on topics ranging from the hygiene hypothesis to iron overload to the role of gut inflammation in schizophrenia. I’m also reading The Talent Code by Daniel Coyle and Hide Me Among The Graves by Tim Powers.

Jack Kruse from jackkruse.com

Dr. Jack Kruse’s Twitter profile says ‘I am a neurosurgeon on a mission to create health from disease with a change in thought!’ and that he’s lost 133lbs. He’s also a highly controversial and polarizing figure. A big proponent of losing weight via coldthermogenesis and leptin reset protocols, his methods and ideas get people fired up.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? #1 tip is controlling the manner in which you think is critical to any success in anything. We must eliminate impoverished thinking.

What is your favorite blog? Lucas Tufur’s blog.

What book are you reading right now? A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle.

Matt McCarry from Paleo Parents

Matt is the male half of Paleo Parents, Stacy is his lovely wife. Together they lost over 200lbs by going paleo but not only that, saw calmer behavior in their kids and strengthened their family bonds. They recently released Eat Like a Dinosaur and I secretly hope that one day they will put their fabulous dinosaur brand images to further use with a paleo-themed board game.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? To us the freeing thing about paleo was dropping the points, the counting, the worries about macronutrients. Relax about food! You now know the rules, so don’t stress about it anymore. Don’t even get on a scale for at least a month. Focus on eating meat and veggies and let the magic happen.

What is your favorite blog?  We love so many and have made so many friends through blogging. We definitely love Primal Palate, Nom Nom Paleo, Balanced Bites, Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations, but I think we have to shout-out our first friend in paleo, Liz from Cave Girl Eats.

What book are you reading at the moment?  Stacy doesn’t have time to read anymore thanks to the blog and long hours at her job. I’m currently reading Habibi by Craig Thompson and A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin on Kindle because I believe in a book in every format. 

Mark Sisson from Marks Daily Apple

Mark needs no introduction. There can’t be anyone in the paleo/primal world who hasn’t heard of him. His site’s Alexa ranking is #6,850 – no-one else in this sphere comes close to that – ans the traffic he gets to his site is phenomenal. Still my go-to place for information – soundly researched and quietly and undramatically proffered.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? Just give up grains and fried restaurant foods. Doing that pretty much gets you most of the way there. When you give up grains, you’re not just giving up whole grain bread, oatmeal, pasta, and the classic, grain foods. You’re also giving up most junk food, fast food, sweets, baked goods, most sources of sugar, most refined carbs, and all sources of gluten. By giving up fried restaurant foods, you’re avoiding all the other junk and fast foods, many sources of sugar, and – most importantly – processed seed oils high in omega-6 fatty acids.

What is your favorite blog? Hyperlipid. Mad scientist/satirist/veterinarian/lipid specialist Petro Dobromylsky is where I go when I want a sarcastic, funny, insightful take on nutrition science. I’ve never not learned something from reading his stuff. And even though he doesn’t post as often anymore, you can really lose yourself in his archives.

Orleatha Smith from Mrs Paleo EATS!

I love Orleatha – she is so upbeat and her transformation so awesome. She’s also beautiful. She has straightforward but yummy recipes on her site – loved this citrus salad. Check her out!

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo?  My number one tip for going Paleo is to not think of it as a diet — which is where our mind goes as soon as we label something — just another diet. It is simply eating real food and no crap. I have actually been known to change the JERF acronym to JERFANC – Just Eat Real Food And No Crap. LOL!

What is your favorite blog? I absolutely LOVE Dean at Being Primal. I really like that he talks about non-paleo things like change and creating community. Love it!

What book are you reading at the moment? Right now I’m reading Pivot: How One Simple Turn in Attitude Can Lead to Success. It’s an easy reading self-help book with a twist – it has a workbook built in at the end of each chapter so that you can apply what you just read. My favorite quote from the book:  “I’ve noticed that attitude makes a huge difference in determining a person’s level of success in life. In fact, attitude seems to make a bigger difference than age, sex, race, education, circumstances or any other factor. Two people can have the same background and face the same situations, but experience very different outcomes. It’s all about attitude.”  This is so true in my experience as not only a Corporate Trainer, but also as a Biology Teacher and now Holistic Lifestyle Coach… it’s all about attitude. Attitude determines altitude!

Jen Sturm from Eat Play Live

Jen along with business partner Karina offer support to families who want to improve their health through safe exercise and sound nutrition. Their blog is new but I love their mission, it aligns with my own, and I look forward to hearing great things from them.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? I feel that the best thing to do when you have made the decision to go paleo is to completely clean out your pantry and stock your fridge!  At Eat Play Live, we know that preparation and planning is key to success. If you don’t have “non-paleo” food in the house, you can’t fall back on it.

What is your favorite blog?  I love Shut Up and Run.  It is the one blog that makes me laugh out loud.  She needs a portable Squatty Potty…she should team up with Sean Croxtonon that one!

What book are you reading at the moment?  I am currently working for my certificate in Health Coaching at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition so I am reading about everything from Macrobiotics to The China Study to the Weston A. Price Foundation. As I research other diets/lifestyles, it has confirmed my decision to have my family live the paleo lifestyle.

Tim Swart from Big Tim’s Primal Journey

Tim went paleo in April 2011 and is down 50lbs, many inches and body fat percentage points. He’s a ‘stick-it-to-yer’ blogger (he does recipes, too  ) and as he says, he is in this paleo thing ‘for life!’

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? Preparation is the absolute key to succeeding in this lifestyle. Always having enough food, making sure you cook your meals (and leave enough for extra) is paramount to success.

What is your favorite blog? I research all day long and read many, many of my friends blogs from the lifestyle.  I can’t pick just one because there are so many. For straight up info, Mark’s Daily Apple, Robb Wolf‘s, Chris Kresser’s, Richard Nikoly’s Free The Animal are probably those I most spend time on. For cooking, hands down it’s my buddy George Bryant’s Civilized Caveman Cooking Creations.  George and I have become good friends and we get our meat from the same farmer source MM Livestock Co. in Wildomar, CA. I also follow Crossfit.com and the Crossfit journal.

What book are you reading at the moment? I just finished Stephen King’s It. I also finished Loren Cordain’s new one The Paleo Answer: 7 Days to Lose Weight, Feel Great, Stay Young. (An outstanding revision to his first book The Paleo Diet) He has much more knowledge 10 years later, and it shows in the research of the new book for sure.  I highly recommend it. I will be getting an advance copy of my friend Dean Dwyer’s new book Make Shi(f)t Happen and will be reading and reviewing that one when done for Dean. I am also studying to become a Certified Nutritionist and Weight Loss Consultant, so I have plenty of conventional nutrition info I need to dig into in order for me to get my certs.

Robb Wolf from robbwolf.com

Another paleo rockstar who needs no introduction. I always think of Robb as the upstart kid, jumping up and down, earnest and eager, simply bursting with knowledge and desperate to tell it to you because it will help. And it does.

What is your #1 tip is for going paleo? Quit thinking about it and just DO it! 30 days, really follow the program, track progress, be amazed.

What is your favorite blog? I like Whole Health Source a bunch.

What book are you reading at the moment? Citadel by John Ringo. I’m a Sci-fi nut.

Interesting, huh? What is your favorite tip from this list? Have you read any of these books? Let me know in the comments!

Don’t forget to check out Mark Sisson’s answer to ‘How you see the primal movement developing in the future?’ over on the PaleoNonPaleo Facebook page.

Intro to CrossFit Class is back at CrossFit Sioux Falls!  Our next class is set to start on Monday April 15 at 6:15pm, call, stop in or email us today if you are interested in this great opportunity.  Here are the details:

Do you want to change yourself? Be more lean, athletic, fit. Become faster, stronger, healthier. Feel better, more confident, and look the way you dream?

You can! And together, we can make it happen.

Join the Community – Intro to CrossFit begins April 15, 2013.

At CrossFit Sioux Falls, you not only have access to 45 weekly classes to transform your body, but coaches who will help you, guide you and motivate you to achieve a new you!

This is your best chance ever!  Start CrossFit with whole class full of people just like you as a part of our new beginners’ class, “Intro to CrossFit”.  Join others with their own goals and ambitions yet new to CrossFit and learn together from day 1, getting better day after day.  CrossFit from the ground up, building a foundation that you can use forever.  Better health, better body, better life.

“Intro to CrossFit” is for you!
We start on April 15, together moving forward.  

———

Class Details: “Intro to CrossFit”- learn the fundamentals and basics of CrossFit, perform body-changing workouts, experience life-lasting fitness.

Who: You, your friends, people who want to get fit, people who want to CrossFit and start with all new people, frankly anyone.

What: 12-session strength and conditioning course that will teach the basic movements of Crossfit with a group of people who are all new to Crossfit.  We will also share nutrition, fun and life.

When:  Starts Monday, April 15, 2013- Friday May 10 , 2013. Class will be held every Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6:30 pm and Friday at 5:30pm.

Where: Crossfit of Sioux Falls, 3505 S Phillips Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57105.

Why:  Experience CrossFit while building an even better you.

Cost: $106 with tax.

For more information and to register please email jeremy@crossfitsiouxfalls.com, call 605-274-3474 or just stop into the gym anytime.

Let’s get started!

Contact us today,

The CFSF Team —

Liza, Casey, Rob, Jeremy, Tyler, Doc Rob, and Greg

Adapted from The Paleo Plan’s Article “The Dreaded Detox”

So you’ve signed for the Paleo Challenge and you’re two week into it.  You’re not feeling the amazing effects of the diet that so many others before you have, and in fact, you feel worse!  Naturally you’re asking, “Is this really worth it?”  Almost everyone who is on the Paleo Diet or similar plan has been right where you are – you are not alone.  Let me explain what’s going on.

This way of eating is pretty different than a normal American diet, so there are a lot of changes you’ll be making.  These changes will NOT go unnoticed by your body.  What I mean is, you may experience some (or a lot of) detoxification symptoms, including intense cravings, headaches and fatigue.

Why?  You took out a lot of toxins from your diet, in the form of phytic acid and lectins in grains and legumes, preservatives and other additives, refined flours and sweeteners, and dairy (which is more toxic to some than others).  Since you’ve probably been eating these things your whole life, your body is going through some serious withdrawal.  But it’s also finally getting a chance to clean out some built up toxins.  Without all of the harmful foods constantly bombarding your liver and other organs, and with the addition of tons of nutrients and protein from the fruits, vegetables and meats you’re now eating, your body is going to take the opportunity to do some much needed cleaning. This purging is exactly what causes the symptoms you may be experiencing right now – the toxins are in your circulation being dealt with instead of being suppressed.   It’s like when you do a good deep cleaning of your house – you turn it upside down before it looks immaculate.  In the first 3 days to 3 weeks, you may (or may not) experience:

Headaches
Fatigue
Dizziness
Irritability
Mood swings
Nausea
Intense cravings
Sinus drainage
Diarrhea/Constipation
Flu-like symptoms
Brain fog
Increased urination
Increased appetite
Increased thirst

When I first went Paleo, I remember trying to deadlift and the bar felt like a million pounds.  I didn’t have the clarity that I was used to and felt like I was in a total fog.  Persisting through this based on the accounts of others, I finally hit “Paleo Euphoria” and never looked back.  A lot of people only experience symptoms for a few days to a week, and there’s really no way of predicting how long your detoxification period will last.

For the coffee and/or tea drinker and you’re giving that up (not required on our challenge), you should almost undoubtedly expect some symptoms.  Caffeine is an addictive substance, as you know, and your nervous and endocrine systems will need some time to re-boot.  Maybe warn your significant other that you might not be the sweetest, most docile partner for a few days…

So during those difficult moments when you’re wondering whether or not this diet is in fact hurting you – not helping – remember that after the “storm of detoxification” subsides, you may very well experience:

More energy
Emotional Balance
Clarity of mind
Fat loss/Muscle gain
Strength gains
Fewer aches and pains
Less sinus congestion
Fewer seasonal allergy symptoms
Digestive ease
Clearer skin
Fewer colds

And that is why you’ve chosen to do this.  Stay strong – it WILL be worth it.

What are your experiences with detoxification?  Any words of wisdom for your fellow Paleo Challenge Participants?

Keep on the pathway to good health and positive thinking.

-Liza

So without any further adue, here are the rules for this 6-week challenge.  They’re kind of like “Fight Club” but not really:

1.) You begin each day with 5 points.

2.) Here are ways you can earn 1 bonus point each day:

- Attend CFSF and do the workout of the day

- Drink 1/2 of your body weight in ounces of WATER, (notice it doesn’t say Gatorade, tea, plain water.)

- Get 8+ hours of sleep at night

3.) Here are the ways you lose points:

* -1 for a glass of wine, can of beer/ diet soda

* -2 points for 1 “cheat” (fries, candy bar, ice cream)

* -4 points for more than 1 of the above mentioned

4.) You and your partner will combine your daily scores and write that on the chart.  So if I had 5 points on Monday and my partner had 6, we would write 11 for Monday.

5.) A food log is not required, but is STRONGLY recommended.  To be honest, if you ask one of us for help or some suggestions on how things are going, we’ll more than likely ask for this to see if we can see any patterns you may not have been aware of.  Write down whatever you eat or drink and what time if you can.  The more detail you put into this, the more you/we can get out of it.

6.) We will be going on the honor system here folks.  Your partner will have a sense if you’re being honest and we’ll know for sure if your measurements/baseline time don’t go down:)

7.) A post workout protein shake will not count as a cheat.  Be it Progenex or whatever you use, that will be allowed for this challenge.

8.) Winning team will be determined by total points.  In the event of a tie, either baseline time improvement or inches lost will be used.

9.) Winning male and female will be based off baseline improvement, before/after pics, and inches lost.  Those who use a food journal will be looked fondly upon as well:)

A couple tips/side notes:

- More often than not, if you have to ask if something is ok to eat/drink it probably isn’t. However, do not hesitate to ask your partner or one of the trainers to get further clarification.

- Yes, for the 1st week or 2 this will be hard. Hence, this is called a challenge:) Your body will be going through a sort of detox and you’ll probably notice a sluggishness(I think that’s a word) and you might become moody, aka crabby. Experience has taught me if you have a significant other who is/isn’t doing this, communication before hand is far better than after the fact:)

- Try your best to keep eating out to a minimal. Certain situations are unavoidable, but planning is key. Eating a smaller meal before you meet your family/co-workers can help curve those cravings you may have.

- Try to make either Saturday or Sunday a cooking day. Making 4-5 meals ahead of time and putting in the fridge or freezer is far easier than coming home after a long day and asking, “What should we do for dinner?” I’ve noticed too that if you get a few people together at someone’s house and make it more of a get together it makes feel less burdensome and overwhelming.

So there you are folks, your 1st challenge of the new year. Thursday will be here before you know it, so don’t wait to get signed up. For those of you who are going to be doing the CrossFit open this year, please notice this challenge gets done March 4th and the open begins the 6th. Funny how that works out, huh:) Make this the best year by putting the most into this!

From Crossfit.com, here is a great overview of the diet:

What Should I Eat?

In plain language, base your diet on garden vegetables, especially greens, lean meats, nuts and seeds, little starch, and no sugar. That’s about as simple as we can get. Many have observed that keeping your grocery cart to the perimeter of the grocery store while avoiding the aisles is a great way to protect your health. Food is perishable. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect. If you follow these simple guidelines you will benefit from nearly all that can be achieved through nutrition.
The Caveman or Paleolithic Model for Nutrition

Modern diets are ill suited for our genetic composition. Evolution has not kept pace with advances in agriculture and food processing resulting in a plague of health problems for modern man. Coronary heart disease, diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis, obesity and psychological dysfunction have all been scientifically linked to a diet too high in refined or processed carbohydrate. Search “Google” for Paleolithic nutrition, or diet. The return is extensive, compelling, and fascinating. The Caveman model is perfectly consistent with the CrossFit prescription.
What Foods Should I Avoid?

Excessive consumption of high-glycemic carbohydrates is the primary culprit in nutritionally caused health problems. High glycemic carbohydrates are those that raise blood sugar too rapidly. They include rice, bread, candy, potato, sweets, sodas, and most processed carbohydrates. Processing can include bleaching, baking, grinding, and refining. Processing of carbohydrates greatly increases their glycemic index, a measure of their propensity to elevate blood sugar.

With respect to WHAT YOU CAN EAT, cavemanstrong.com has one of the more practical and common-sense approaches in my opinion:

Grocery List (Paleo style)

PALEO FOOD LIST

Produce Department

• Focus on the crops that are in season in order to get the best prices and nutrient content.
• Choose organic when/if possible and if your bank account allows.
• Stock up on what’s on sale – many vegetables can be frozen for later use!
• Purchase spinach, salad blends, pre-cut vegetables, etc. if convenience and minimal prep time are important.
• Fill your cart with color!

Vegetables Get Lots!!

• Great choices include: spinach, greens, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, asparagus, brussels sprouts, cabbage, onions, garlic, fresh herbs, sweet potatoes (for post workout meals), mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, avocado… (Avoid the nightshades if you have autoimmune issues.)

Fruit Don’t go crazy here! Fit fruit into your diet primarily in the post workout period.

• Great choices include: Berries, watermelon, cantaloupe, mango, peaches, grapefruit, oranges, plums, apples, bananas

Meat Department Go for grass-fed meat, wild caught fish, and free range poultry if it’s available and within your budget. If choosing farm raised meats opt for leaner cuts, if grass fed the fat is good!!

Meat

• Beef, bison, venison, wild game, pork – they’re all good! Sirloin, tenderloin, flank, and strip steaks are the leanest choices.
• Poultry – When choosing poultry the breast and thigh portions will yield the most meat and from a food to $$ ratio are the best bets! There are also many
• ‘natural’ sausage options available in large supermarkets – chicken apple sausage is wonderful!!

Fish & Seafood

• -Salmon, tuna and other fatty fish are the best choices due to their high Omega-3 fatty acid content. For variety cod, perch, tilapia, mahi, scallops, shrimp, etc. are good choices too.

Dairy Department

• Don’t spend too much time here!! Look for the eggs. Omega-3 fortified eggs from free-range chickens are the optimal choice!

Aisles Many times this is where people get in trouble! So many pretty packages with pictures of cookies, crackers, snacks, etc. AVOID aisles of temptation!!

• Next stop – oils. Coconut oil and olive oil are must haves. Avocado and walnut oils are also very good on salads.
• Coconut milk (the kind in a can with no sugar added), in post workout smoothies, and as an alternative to creamer if you’re a coffee drinker. Get some!
• Nuts and nut butters are also good to have around for quick snacks and in a pinch. Walnuts and macadamia nuts are the best choices and walnut butter is EXCELLENT! When choosing nut butters make sure there are no added ingredients. Also, purchase unsalted nuts.

What not to eat, compliments of paleoplan.com:

1. Legumes – All kinds of beans such as black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans, mung beans, string beans and lima beans have to be eliminated. Black-eyed peas, chickpeas, lentils, snow peas, sugar snap peas, peanuts, soybeans and soybean products are also excluded.

2. Dairy products – All kinds of dairy foods like butter, cheese, cream, yogurt, ice cream, low-fat milk, skim milk, whole milk, dairy creamer, and all processed foods that contain dairy must be avoided.

3. Cereals or grains – All forms of cereal grains such as barley, corn, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, wheat, wild rice, and all foods made of cereal products are to be avoided.

4. Grain-like seeds – Amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa are excluded in Paleolithic diet recipes.

5. Soft drinks and fruit juices – All types of sugary soft drinks and all types of fruit juices canned, bottled and even freshly squeezed fruit juices (lack the fiber) are not allowed.

6. Sweets – Sugar is excluded. Raw honey and coconut sap are acceptable sometimes.

F.A.Q. from CrossFit NorthStar
How much fruit can I have in a day?
- We recommend eating fruit only after workouts. Though, when first transitioning to Paleo, fruit is a great diversion from cheats. So, we are putting a fruit serving* max at 5 for smaller people and 10 for larger people over 250 lb. After the 3rd week of the challenge you will be asked to greatly reduce your fruit amount to 1 serving per day post WOD for a little person and 2-3 servings per day for larger people.

What about squash, sweet potatoes, yams and other starchy vegetables?

- We would like to see the starch type foods consumed only post WOD. Though we realize this is asking a lot. You can have max of 5 servings* if you are a small person and max 10 for heftier people.

I know I am suppose to eat meat, veggies at a meal. How much meat?



- A rough guideline for meat is to make a loose fist and consume that much meat (lean). If your meat is fattier i.e. ground meat, lamb, fish, dark meat then you will need to consume more of the meat or fill add about a half fist of lean protein in addition to your fist of fattier meat.

How much veggies should I eat? Is there a limit?



- We would love to see each and every person consume 1/4-1/2 pound of veggies with every meal. Veggies (non-starch) are unlimited and a great way to curb the hunger bug-the snacking bug.

What about carrots? Are they a starch and limited or a non-starch?



- If the carrot is being consumed raw, then the quantity is not limited. If the carrot is cooked then the serving recommendations for starchy vegetables should be followed.

Is eating all this fat okay?



- Though historically (from 1970’s on) fat has been considered an enemy to the body. We assure you that this is not true. As long as the fat source is non-hydrogenated, unprocessed, and as natural a source as can be found, it is great for your bodies, brain, joints and as a fuel source.

Can I eat fatty cuts of meat?

- See above for full answer, but yes. Chicken thighs, lamb, pork, beef are all ok. Remember, the source matters find local- ideally Grass-Fed sources.

How much fat should I consume at a meal?

-Our recommendations are to start on the high side and trim the fat out to lean out, once you have fully converted to Paleo. For a small- medium person 80-140 grams is recommended. For a heftier sized person, 130-190 grams is recommended.

Are peanuts and cashews a Nut or a Legume?

- Peanuts are a legume and should not be consumed. “So cashews can join their other peculiar cousins of the ‘nut’ family, the peanut, which also is not a nut, but a legume that grows underground.”

I get calcium from dairy. Will I need to supplement if I go paleo?



- No you will not need to supplement.

What about milk substitutes?

- No milk substitutes, other than coconut milk from a can. The wide variety of So-Delicious available on the Market are delicious and a great substitute after the Paleo Challenge.

Is deli meat okay?


- Deli meat is a good source of protein in a pinch. This highly processed meat can have some secret sugar added, or other unhealthy preservatives.

I’m on my first week of paleo and I feel hungry, tired, have a headache, and lethargic? My workouts seem slow and I feel weak. Is this normal?


- Yes, this is totally normal. Sugar is a drug and you are now going through withdrawal. For most, it can take from 1-3 weeks for your body to make the transition to Paleo and start using fat more efficiently as the primary energy source for daily living. You might feel really hungry the first week or two. That is your body adjusting to the reduced carbohydrate intake.

Ask and you shall receive folks!  Beginning Friday the 18th,  we will start the process of kicking off a 6-week Paleo challenge for all of those who are interested.  We’ve done a few of these in the past, but this one will have a little twist.  For this go around, we will partner you up and your combined score will determine the winning team.  We will also have a winning male and female contestant with a prize basket for your efforts.  As far as what is acceptable and what is not in regards to food and beverages, we will have a post on the blog tomorrow rather than a handout and you can always ask us in the gym.  I’ll cover the rules/scoring in greater detail in Monday’s post.  The actual tracking of this journey will begin on Monday, the 21st.  We want to give you guys enough time to get to the grocery store and/or do any cooking you may need to do the weekend prior so you can hit the ground running.  Here is a bullet point explanation of events to give you the breakdown:

- Sign up for the challenge will begin today and end on the 17th.  We will have a sheet on the front board for you to do that.  You have to sign up by the 17th, no exceptions since you have a week to plan ahead.

- On Friday the 18th, we will do before pics (front and back), waist measurement, and do the baseline workout.  Spoiler alert, a portion of Friday’s workout will be the baseline so this can all be done during your regular workout time.  Don’t worry, your pics will not see the light of day unless you are a finalist.

- By 12:00 noon Friday we will put a post up listing the teams.  More than likely you will know your partner and I believe Facebook is used by all.  If you have no idea who your partner is, we can help with getting in touch with them.

- You guys will be responsible for putting your scores on the scoreboard located in the gym.

- March 1st we will tally the scores, take after pics, and do the baseline again for a portion of Friday’s WOD.

- The winning team, along with the winning male and female contestants will be announced on Monday, March 4th.

- Cost for the enitre 6 weeks is $35 each – cash, check or charge.

Here it is guys, the start to your Transformational 2013! You’ll get out of this challenge what you put into it, so make the most of this chance to start the year off right!  In just 6-weeks not only can you change what you look like today, but you can have a base for sustainable health for life.  Let’s go!