Part 2

The Paleolithic solution by Robb Wolff part 2

Chicken With Tomatillo and Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 pound tomatillos, husked
• 3 serrano chiles, stemmed
• 2 whole skinless chicken breasts (about 2 1/2 lb), halved
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• 1 teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds, toasted 5 minutes in dry cast-iron pan over medium heat
•  

Preparation

Move broiler rack into position closest to flame. Set broiler to medium. Place tomatillos and chiles on a rimmed baking sheet; broil until soft and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Turn; broil other side 5 minutes. Remove from broiler and transfer to a food processor; blend. Increase broiler heat to high. Place chicken on same baking sheet and sprinkle with salt. Broil chicken until browned, about 9 minutes. Turn; broil other side 9 minutes. Heat oil in a large saucepan over low heat; cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 5 minutes. Add pureed tomatillos and chiles; simmer uncovered, 2 minutes. Add cilantro and 1 tsp salt. Gently place chicken in sauce. Simmer, covered, until meat is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and cilantro.

 

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Paleo Hurdles/Cravings

Core strength maybe?

Tanya has Kindly submitted a recipe book full of delightful Paleo cholate deserts.

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Getting down on T Day

Our 8:30 am CrossFitters one exercise away from finishing the Filthy Fifty. And enjoying every second of it.



And for some reason I wish I could do this.

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Turkey Day WOD

Erica and Anica feel the love post WOD. Good Job girls!

I hope to see a bunch of you at the 5 am or 8:30 am class tomorrow. We have a big WOD in store for you. Please don't forget to bring your A game.


A Delicious submission by Tanya.

Kelaguin (Guamanian Recipe from Guam)
(Chicken & Grated Coconut)

This recipe is like ceviche just warm and Island Style. It’s taste great warm or cold.  It’ll last 3-4 days in the fridge and is great for a quick snack.

One of the most popular Chamorro dishes, kelaguin is often served with the main meal but makes a great starter or appetizer.

• Chicken broiled or barbequed without spices. (bbq’d or broiled is the best)
• 1 medium coconut grated  (or pre-ground coconut)
• 1 or 2 lemons
• 1 bunch green onions
• 3 tbsp crushed red pepper  (I put lots of red pepper and lot’s of lemon)
• salt

Chop in fine pieces. Some people use a food processor, but REAL Chamorros wouldn't think of it!  (

Place in bowl. Chop green onions, add to chicken mixture. Add coconut. Sprinkle liberally with lemon juice and salt. Add crushed peppers. Continue to season to taste, additional lemon juice and crushed peppers, so that no one flavor overwhelms the others. Serves 4-6.

Tanya

 

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Why strength training is so important.

We will offer a free lifetime membership to anyone who can do a sub 2min Fran!

Getting stronger will make you run faster, jump higher, and lead to better Metabolic Conditioning workouts. At times it can be tough for new crossfitters to really get what a crossfit WOD is supposed to really feel like. At times our newbees come in with such a great imbalance (usually flexability or strength ) that reaching peak power for a sustained time is almost impossible. Thus a great part of the conditioning side is lossed during the WOD. However with constent practice  you will find yourself one day on the floor of the gym, in a state of panic conviencing yourself that your heart rate will get back down and if you can just hang on for a few more seconds the sensation of puking all over the gym will go away.

The following is a excerpt from an article in the crossfit journal (by Tony Lealand) explaining why strength is so important to the sport of crossfit and life itself.

A CrossFitter with a 270-pound clean and
jerk is working at 50 percent of maximum load when
he does “Grace” (thirty 135-pound clean and jerks for
time) and can recruit less of his muscle fibers at the
start (maybe only Type I and some Type IIa). Due to
the continuous nature of “Grace” these muscle fibers
will start to fatigue. But as these fibers tire, he can
elicit a stronger wave of excitation and start to recruit
additional Type IIa and Type IIb fibers. On the other hand,
a CrossFitter with only a 150-pound clean and jerk will
have to start with a very large wave of excitation and
have to recruit the most muscle fibers available from the
beginning of the workout. Hence he will fatigue much
quicker and have to rest longer between lifts. This fatigue
will definitely have a central nervous system (CNS)
component, since intense repeated bouts of strenuous
exercise deplete neurotransmitter levels, which results
in reduced physical and cognitive performance. All
voluntary muscle activities are controlled by the CNS
through nerve connections; hence the role of neural
fatigue is an integral part of understanding fatigue during
metcon workouts.

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Gym Rules

1. Sign in at least two (2) hours ahead of class. If you intend to come to class but have missed the window to sign in, please call the training facility at (760) 635-5998. If you are having difficulty with your MindBody Account or have questions on how/what to do, call the training facility or email brian. When we coach a group of athletes in class with a wide variety of skill levels and limitations, we always come into the hour with a plan. Failing to plan is planning to fail. If we can't plan, we fail in our commitment to make the best use of your time while you're here.

2. Don't be late. We respect our athletes by starting sessions on time. You respect the gym by being here on time. Plan to do three (3) burpees for every minute you are late to class - unless you have talked with the coach teaching the class to notify them that you are coming late.

3. Get your own weights to lift. When you are done, put them away. The number one violation of weight room etiquette is not putting your own weights away. If you violate this rule, expect one (1) burpee for every pound of weight (bar, plate, kettlebell, etc.) or 10 burpees for every object (bands, plyo boxes, ABMATs, etc.).

4. Go heavy, or go home. The only way to get stronger is to increase resistance (weight). At all times you in this training facility, strive to put more weight on the barbell and move it faster.

5. Work hard, or get your workout somewhere else. Don't drag anyone else down with you.

6. Don't expect immediate results. There is no shortcut to being strong or getting fit.

7. Don't worry about how you look. Worry about how you perform.

8. Each athlete is responsible for his/her own fitness, health and safety. Our workouts are tough. The weight is heavy. If you need to pull back, or aren't comfortable, tell the coach, and do so. This is being smart, not weak.

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Sunday Fun Day

Was this done on purpose or could it really be an oversite?

Don't forget we have a 2pm class this Sunday. And please make sure you have submitted your first weeks paleo notes and pictures to alex@crossfitcounterculture.com by the end of the day.

A great recipe submission from Ancia

So here is the recipe for the Paleo Granola that a lot of you were asking me about. When I made this I split the batch in half--1/2 for a tupperware for snacking, and the other half I added almond butter and froze it in a baking sheet. Once frozen I cut it up into brownie size pieces and put them in a freezer bag for the times when I really craved a cookie or something sweet.
Paleo Granola
5 cups nuts and seeds (I used slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, pecans, and sunflower seeds; you can use whatever you want, but make sure you use at least 2 – 3 cups slivered almonds, as these take the place of what is normally oats)
1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup or any other Paleo-approved sweetener)
1/3 cup Paleo-friendly oil (I used coconut and highly recommend it)
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Mix honey, oil, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on the stove. Let it cool. Spread the nuts and seeds out on a greased baking sheet and pour the cooled honey mixture over the top. Mix it around to get everything covered, and bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Allow the pan to cool slightly and then put the mixture into a bowl. Mix in raisins and coconut, and enjoy!
Your biggest key to success with this (and really any) recipe is to go a little crazy. Add your own twist to it or branch off in another crazy direction. The granola you see in the picture, for example, was mixed with almond butter, pressed into a brownie pan, and is now chilling in the freezer to make granola bars.

*Wish I could take credit for this recipe, but I just found it online--hope you enjoy it!

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Paleo Substitutions

Tomorrow try doing this with a lacrosse ball.

Good Substitutions for Performance enhancement.
Salt: Powdered garlic, powdered onion, lemon juice, lime juice, lemon crystals, lemon pepper free of salt, cayenne pepper, chili powder, commercially available salt-free spice mixes, black pepper, cumin, turmeric, ground cloves, oregano, ground allspice, celery seeds, coriander seeds, ground cardamom seeds, or any spice or combination of spices can be used to replace salt. I do not recommend using any of the so-called "lite" salts or potassium chloride salts because chloride, like sodium, is undesirable when it comes to your health.

Vinegar: Substitute small amounts of vinegar with lemon or lime juice (fresh or reconstituted from fresh).

Butter/Fat: Replace butter, margarine, shortening, lard etc. with olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil, canola oil, or avocado oil. Olive oil has a wonderful flavor and is high in the health promoting monounsaturated fats but generally has a poor omega-6 to omega-3 fat ratio (~13). The same situation exists for avocado oil, and these two oils should be frequently complemented by or blended together with other oils containing better (lower) omega-6 to omega-3 ratios such as flaxseed (0.24), canola (2.0) or walnut (5.1) oils.

Sugars: Concentrated sugars of any kind even natural sugars (honey, maple sugar, date sugar), really were not a staple component in most pre-agricultural diets. Sugars should be obtained primarily from fruits and vegetables and not from concentrated sources. That being said, fruit purees, flavored with lemon juice and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, mint leaves, ginger, vanilla, and other spices), can be used in recipes to add sweetness to sauces, condiments, and desserts.

Alcohol: Alcoholic beverages were clearly not a component of true Stone Age diets, and should be limited to an occasional glass of wine, beer or spirits as a part of your "open meals." Wine, as long as it does not contain salt (as most cooking wines do), can be used to marinate meats and add flavor to many cooked dishes. When wine is used in this context, the amount of added alcohol and sugar is negligible – furthermore, wine contains a number of health promoting phytochemicals and antioxidants.

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Paleo Recipe Update

For your daily entertainment!

 

These recipes and 80 more like them can be found in:
Cooking for Health and Performance
Gluten and Dairy-Free recipes

or for FREE Recipes click here

By Scott Hagnas

Apple Cinnamon
Paleo Pancakes

Time: 20 min
Coconut butter
1 egg
1/4 C of ground walnuts or almonds
1/4 C coconut milk
1/2 small apple, or 1/4 large apple
1/2 - 1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C blueberries

I think that I used to live for breakfast with pancakes. I gave them up several years ago, but now I’ve found a way to make them that turn out every bit as good as the ones that I used to love. These pancakes make a great part of a 5X fat meal.

Coat two non stick skillets with coconut butter.

Grind the nuts in a coffee grinder or food processor, or do as I do and just buy the pre-ground nut meal packets at Trader Joe’s. Place all of the ingredients except the blueberries in a blender and mix well. Pour the mixture evenly into a skillet, then heat on the range at medium heat. Several minutes per side is usually enough. Don’t burn them!
These pancakes are difficult to flip, so I just turn the skillet upside down, flipping the pancake into the other skillet to cook the other side. No messy, torn pancakes! Serve topped with the blueberries. I like to heat the blueberries a bit first. Enjoy!

Nutty Hot Cereal
Robb Wolf

1 C almonds or pecans
1 medium sized apple, quartered
1 Tbsp cinnamon (This will help increase insulin sensitivity)
1 C water

Makes 2 cups.

Place all ingredients in blender and puree. Pour into medium sized saucepan. You may need to rinse the blender with an additional ¼ cup of water to get all the cereal. Bring to a boil. Reduce temperature immediately and allow to simmer for 5 minutes covered. If thicker consistency is desired, allow to simmer longer.

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Silent Inflammation and Fat

Off all the supplements out there Fish Oil is king.

Barry Sears on Diet and Silent Inflammation:

Although you can not feel Silent Inflammation, your body mounts a hormonal response in an attempt to dampen its affect at the molecular level. If not contained, you now rapidly accumulate additional body fat. When inflamed fat cells go bad, Silent Inflammation exits the cell, enters the plasma and becomes systemic increasing numerous health risks related to heart, brain and immune function. Silent Inflammation not only makes you fat and keeps you fat, but erodes your wellness. 

Controlling and minimizing Silent Inflammation is the desired hormonal foundation for successful weight loss and optimal heart, brain and immune function. You will not only affect your quality of life today, but many years in the future.

Efficient reduction of silent inflammation requires using high dose ultra refined fish oil.   These fatty acids aid in thinning the blood, which helps reduce inflammation factors in joints and blood vessels. This allows for better circulation in the heart and brain as well as reducing aches and pains. Omega-3 has also been shown to increase HDL "good cholesterol" levels   This may explain why populations that consume the most fish have the lowest rates of autoimmune disorders in the world.

Windows

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5000 Paleo Recipes

CrossFit Santa Cruz has a great Paleo Recipe Blog with easy to make delicious meals as seen in the picure above.

Find 5000 more Pale Recipes on our Resources page!

Let the Paleo Journey Begin.

 We have 20 people signed up for the Paleo challenge starting tomorrow. I am really stoked to see so many people willing to change their current eating habits to a way of eating that places quality of food above all else. As I Google about Paleo and read blogs with proponents to Paleo I often wonder how people can really find an argument against eating lean meats, vegetables, fruits and some nuts and seeds. How could this really be so bad that people have to go out and nit pick at the Paleo way of eating? I think that people are always looking for the evil and bad of a "diet" instead of what good it is trying to do. Yes the Paleo takes a lot of change, but most of us need it. Eating is a huge constant in our lives and what we eat determines how well we feel at present and how healthy we will be in the  future. What we eat also detmines how good we look naked? Even more so than exercise and yes even more than CrossFit Workouts.

 Let me make one thing clear of the Paleo Challenge. This is a challenge about eating healthy REAL foods that have little potential for causing allergic reaction or placing one at risk for Silent Inflammation . You will note that the winners of this challenge are not determined by weight loss at all.  For those of you using this challenge for weight loss, please make sure you talk to me about quantity intake. I am really happy for those of you taking this challenge to shed some weight but we need to be in  control of how much fruit and seeds we take in. This is a good note for everyone. Remember that you did not chase down and kill, skin and pack out your protein for the week, you also did not forage through a forest climbing tress looking for your nuts and fruit. So please do not go overboard with these food sources. I recommend males eating 5 meals a day consuming about 4-5oz of protein 3x and 2-3oz of protein 2x and females eating 5 meals a day consuming about 3-4oz 3x and 1-2oz 2x . When consuming your fruit and nuts consume small amounts of tropical/citrous fruit with a little more focus on berries. When eating nuts (ex. almonds) men should eat about 12-15 nuts per meal  and women should be at 9-15 per meal with 6-9  and  3-6 for snacks respectively.

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Backflips anyone?

Our Gymnastic Mats have come 2.5 weeks ahead of schedule.

Who is ready for the Burpee Back Flip


Earlier today a CrossFitter asked if they were able to eat Quinoa on the Paleo Challenge. After a little goggling I arrived at my answer after reading the following post by Robb Wolf and let me again mention that the biggest walk away from doing the Paleo diet should be for eating to maintain a low insulin responses for 7 weeks.

----A botanist will actually call quinoa a fruit...but then they call water mellon a berry...go figure!!
Quinoa is technicly gluten free however it does contain a protein fraction which extracts in aqueous media that causes a positive Celiac reaction in susceptible individuals. Translation: it can still cause gut problems in many people. it is quite carb dense so anything over a 1/4 cup serving is going to pack a serious insulin response. It is very heavily weighted towards the n-6 fatty acids...the n-3's exist at pretty trivial levels. If i were foing to choose wheat vs quinoa the quinoa would win hands down but like all grain type items the hutritional density is pathetic compared to other paleo type items.

Reminder to submit your before pictures to alex@crossfitcounterculture.com  or  you can have them taken at CrossFit Counter Culture on or before Monday November 16th 2009.  Also be ready to come in both Monday and Tuesday for the performance test.

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Functional Competence in Everyday Life

As you know, CrossFit is made up of constantly varied, functional movements, executed at high intensity. Our training prepares us for the unknown and unknowable; the situations that life throws our way at any given moment, by improving our capacity in ten general areas: endurance, stamina, flexibility, strength, power, speed, balance, agility, coordination and accuracy.

Many of the movements that appear in our daily training to improve our work capacity are drawn from gymnastics and Olympic weightlifting. Gymnastics provides the framework for developing the necessary skills to be able to control the motion of our body in space. Olympic weightlifting provides the framework required for our body to effectively manage an object traveling through space.

Our needs, and the needs of an olympic athlete differ by degree, not kind. Whereas an Olympian is looking for functional dominance in their sport, we as CrossFitters strive for functional competence and to be able to apply this competency in a way that improves our health and well being. Functional competence (a.k.a. – the proper mechanics) enables us to respond efficiently and effectively when we face the unknown and the unknowable in our everyday lives.

The application of our competence in these situations is contextual. One example may involve a college student cleaning and jerking a full keg of beer onto her shoulder, running up her dorm building’s staircase and safely placing the keg inside her floor’s bathroom so that the curtain can be drawn, the keg can be covered in ice, and all the spillage can flow into the shower drain. Alas, the party can begin. Appoach the keg. Secure your grip. Set your back. Keep your chest up. First slow pull to the knees. Everything rises at once. Second pull explosive firing of the hips. Big jump. Big Shrug. Slam those feet. Fire the elbows. Boom. Keg on shoulder.

A more relevant example may involve a parent holding a toddler in one arm attempting to unlock a door who drops their keys. Would you feel safer adjusting your stance, setting your back, and squatting down to pick up the keys? Or would you prefer to round your back, bend over and have to place not only the strain of your bodyweight on your lower back, but the additional bodyweight of the object in your arms which in this case is a child that might one day have a sub 2 minute Fran time...

Olympic weightlifting and gymnastics training improve our capacity to move large loads, long distances quickly, safely and efficiently.  We train in these realms because the unpredictability of our daily lives requires we do.  Or at least, the unpredictability of life in the Paleolithic era would have required as much...

Don't forget to quit being scared and sign up for The Paleo Challenge!

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Grains I get, but why Beans?

You are not suffering alone. There are over 1600+ CrossFit's in the US alone, with tens of thousands of people getting their WOD on.

Take the time to read why beans are not worth our time. There are far more potential harmful side affects for eating beans than there are not eating beans. So why take the risk? During the challenge you will find that you can easily live without beans. My take of them is that they are not nearly as bad as Gluten and they will most likely show up in some cheat meals but I will stay away from them 95% of my meals and 100% during our 7 week Paleo Challenge.

Why Beans are Bad!
by Dr. Ben Balzer

Beans too are full of enzyme blockers and lectins. Potatoes contain enzyme blockers, lectins and another family of toxins called glycoalkaloids. Glycoalkaloids (GA) unlike lectins and enzyme blockers aren't destroyed by cooking, even deep-frying. GA are particularly high in green or injured potatoes, which must never be eaten even if trimmed heavily and well-cooked. Many people have told me that they eat small amounts of raw potato- this is a dangerous habit and it should be discouraged very strongly.

These toxins in foods are commonly referred to as antinutrients. Let's learn some more about them:

Enzyme Blockers: These enzyme blockers are abundant in all seeds including grains and beans, and also in potatoes, serving to hold them in suspended animation and also acting as pesticides. Most commonly they block the enzymes that digest protein (proteases), and are called "protease inhibitors". They can affect the stomach protease enzyme "pepsin", and the small intestine protease enzymes "trypsin" and "chymotrypsin". These small intestine enzymes are made by the pancreas (it does a lot of other important things besides making insulin). Some enzyme blockers affect the enzymes that digest starch (amylase) and are called "amylase inhibitors".

When GBP are cooked, most of the enzyme blockers are destroyed, but some are not. In human volunteers and in animal experiments high levels of protease inhibitors lead to increased secretion of digestive enzymes by the pancreas. This is because the body can sense that the enzymes have been knocked out and orders to pancreas to make more. Even if the effect of GBP based foods is only a small increase in pancreatic enzyme secretion, over many years it all adds up to a lot of extra work.

They are effective poisons- rats cannot gain weight if they have substantial amounts of enzyme blockers in the diet. As far as their preservative action is concerned, I need only to remind you that the potted grains in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs were still viable and sprouted after thousands of years locked away.

Grain eating birds have evolved digestive enzymes that are resistant to grain protease inhibitors. Lectins (Haemagglutins)................ Meet Hannibal

Lectins are natural proteins that have a large variety of roles. They are amongst the most fascinating and stimulating of all biological compounds, and I have no doubt that they play a major role in many "unexplained " diseases. I think of them as "Hannibal Lectins" as they remind of the devious criminal mastermind in the shock horror movie "Silence of the Lambs.' Lectins are like master code-breakers. The cells of our bodies are studded with receptors which are like code pads to ensure stimulation only under the correct circumstances. Lectins have the ability to crack these codes and stimulate the receptors causing a variety of responses- covering basically the full repertoire of the cell and even tricking the cell into doing things it normally cannot do.

They also have a knack for bypassing our defenses and "getting behind the lines", and then they can travel all over the body causing harm. They can, for example:

--strip protective mucus off tissues,

--damage the cells lining the small intestine- disrupting the microscopic fingers called villi and microvilli,

--get swallowed whole by the small intestine cells ("pinocytosis")

--bind to cells including blood cells causing a clot to form (hence they were initially called "haemagglutins")

--make a cell act as if it has been stimulated by a hormone-

--stimulate a cell to secrete a hormone

--promote cell division at the wrong time

--cause gowth or shrinkage of lymphatic tissue ("outposts" of white blood cells)

--cause enlargement of the pancreas

--cause cells to present codes (HLA's) that they normally should not use

--cause cell death (apoptosis)

Lectins break down the surface of the small intestine, stripping it of mucus and causing the cells to become irregular and leaky. Some lectins make cells act as if they have been stimulated by insulin. Others cause the pancreas to release insulin. Others cause immune cells to divide in the wrong way, causing growth of some white blood cells and breaking down the control of the immune system. Others cause cells to present the wrong codes (HLA's) on their surface, tricking the immune system into thinking that intruders have been found and activating the immune system inappropriately- thus leading to "autoimmune disease" where the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune system.

Autoimmune diseases are incredibly common and increase every year that a person gets older. A disordered immune system also has a much harder job recognizing and attacking the real intruders- invading germs and cancer cells (you may have heard that scientists think that most people generate many cancer cells in a life time but that the immune system cleans most of them up).

It is not known whether lectins can cause cancer- this is one of the most important questions in medicine today. They certainly affect colon cells in the test tube. I feel that they are likely candidates as they can stimulate abnormal cell growth and they also cause disorder in the immune system.

Lectins have many other roles besides defending seeds. For example in beans, lectins act like a glue to enable nitrogen-fixing bacteria to bind to the roots of the plant. Many important lectin families are found in animal tissues, but as we are carnivores, we have evolved to be able to deal with these- just as birds that live on grains have evolved to be resistant to grain lectins.

It is ironic that the lectins were discovered more than 100 years ago and yet so many questions remain unanswered- the same was true of the immune system until the 1980’s. I hope that there is more research done into lectins as they hold a whole world of disease mechanisms of which most of the medical community is blissfully unaware.

Exorphins:

Exorphins are food chemicals that have morphine-like activity. They are found in dairy products and wheat. Our body has its own natural morphine like substances that are called endorphins. Endorphins work by stimulating a type of nerve cell surface receptor called endorphin receptors. Endorphins are very important in controlling pain and addictive behaviour.

Exorphins also act on endorphin receptors and may stimulate them or block them. It is logical that exorphins may therefore affect chronic pain and also affect addictive behaviour.

Click here for entire article.

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Games and Paleo

The Sport of CrossFit at the highest level.

Paleo Challenge Before/After Photo Contestants from Matt Chan on Vimeo.

Matt Chan owner of CrossFit Verve has his CrossFitters complete an 7 week challenge and the results are noteworthy.

Remeber that Sunday is the last day to register for the CrossFit Counter Culture Paleo Challenge.

 

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Paleo Challange/Getting Rid of Anti-Nutrients

6am class at CrossFit Counter Culture

Coach Alex and Brian will review this video with each class tomorrow highlighting the areas that we will be coaching during the Power Clean strength series.


Paleo Challenge Unveiled
Those who wish to participate will have the additional motivation of your fellow CrossFitters as well as the motivation to win some kick-ass prizes (including 1 month free group training at CrossFit Counter Culture,  gift cards for auto detailing, oil changes and MORE!) Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place teams. Winners will be determined based on a point system that  incorporates a daily food log, doing a WOD,  sleeping 8 hours a night, contributing a receipe and for PRing in two WODs that will be tested in the first two days of the competition and the last two days, and last but not least for the most stunning physique transformation. As you can tell this contest is not based on weight loss, so even if you don’t have a whole lot of weight to lose you can still lean out and have a great chance to win! Offical details will be posted at CrossFit Counter Culture on Wednesday November 11th 2009. Last day to sign up and provide a before picture up will be Sunday November 15th 2009. 

Toxic anti-nutrients? Do tell.

Living things generally do not want to be consumed by other living things. Being digested, for the most part, tends to interrupt survival, procreation, propagation of the species – you know, standard stuff that fauna and flora consider pretty important. To avoid said consumption, living things employ various self defense mechanisms. Rabbits, for example, with their massive ears, considerable fast-twitch muscle fibers, and nasty claws, can usually hear a predator coming, outrun (out-hop?) nearly anything, and (in a pinch) slash a tender belly to shreds. Blue whales are too big to fit into your mouth, while porcupines are walking reverse pincushions. Point is, animals have active defense mechanisms. They run, fight, jump, climb, fly, sting, bite, and even appeal to our emotions (if you’ve ever seen a puppy beg for a treat with sad eyes, you know that isn’t just accidental cuteness) in order to survive. All the while, predators are constantly evolving and generating adaptations.

Plants, though, are passive organisms without the ability to move, think, and react (for the most part). They must employ different tactics to ensure propagation, and they generally have to rely on outside forces to spread their seed. And so various methods are “devised” to dissuade consumption long enough for the seed to get to where it’s going. Nuts have those tough shells, and grains have the toxic anti-nutrients, lectins, gluten, and phytates. (Of course there are some obvious exceptions. Fruits are tasty, nutritious, and delicious so that animals will eat them whole and poop out the seeds, preferably into some fertile soil. The seed stays intact throughout the digestive process; it is indigestible by design. No seed “wants” to be digested, because this would defeat the purpose. They “want” to be swallowed, or borne by the wind, or carried by a bee to the next flower, but they do not want to be digested.)

Some animals are clearly adapted to grain consumption. Birds, rodents, and some insects can deal with the anti-nutrients. Humans, however, cannot. Perhaps if grains represented a significant portion of our ancestral dietary history, things might be a bit different. Some of us can digest dairy, and we’ve got the amylase enzyme present in our saliva to break down starches if need be, but we simply do not have the wiring necessary to mitigate the harmful effects of lectins, gluten, and phytate.

Lectins are bad. They bind to insulin receptors, attack the stomach lining of insects, bind to human intestinal lining, and they seemingly cause leptin resistance. And leptin resistance predicts a “worsening of the features of the metabolic syndrome independently of obesity”. Fun stuff, huh?

Gluten might be even worse. Gluten, found in wheat, rye, and barley, is a composite of the proteins giladin and glutenin. Around 1% of the population are celiacs, people who are completely and utterly intolerant of any gluten. In celiacs, any gluten in the diet can be disastrous. We’re talking compromised calcium and vitamin D3 levels, hyperparathyroidism, bone defects. Really terrible stuff. And it gets worse: just because you’re not celiac doesn’t mean you aren’t susceptible to the ravages of gluten. As Stephan highlights, one study showed that 29% of asymptomatic (read: not celiac) people nonetheless tested positive for anti-gliadin IgA in their stool. Anti-gliadin IgA is an antibody produced by the gut, and it remains there until it’s dispatched to ward off gliadin – a primary component of gluten. Basically, the only reason anti-gliadin IgA ends up in your stool is because your body sensed an impending threat – gluten. If gluten poses no threat, the anti-gliadin IgA stays in your gut. And to think, most Americans eat this stuff on a daily basis.

Phytates are a problem, too, because they make minerals bio-unavailable (so much for all those healthy vitamins and minerals we need from whole grains!), thus rendering null and void the last, remaining argument for cereal grain consumption.

What, then, is the point to all this grain madness? Is there a good reason for anyone (with access to meat, fruit, and vegetables, that is) to rely on cereal grains for a significant portion of their caloric intake?

The answer is unequivocally, undeniably no. We do not need grains to survive, let alone thrive. In fact, they are naturally selected to ward off pests, whether they be insects or hominids. I suggest we take the hint and stop eating them.

From Mark's Daily Apple

 

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OHS with RIP

Mark Rippetoe: In the Gym with Coach Rip, Overhead Squats

Are you ready for the 46 day Paleo Challenge?? More Tomorrow!

What is Paleo?
If you’ve been training with us for any period of time and don’t know the answer to this then we have some problems!  Most of you know that Paleo = meat, veggies, nuts, seeds, some fruit, little starch and NO SUGAR! Basically removing all the processed bread, rice, and pasta-like items from your daily plate (and any and all sugar/artificial sweetener infused beverages) and eating clean for 7 weeks.  To be successful you will empty your cupboards of all such processed junk so as not to be surrounded by it.  You will keep a detailed food log and bring it in for us to review periodically.  You will try to reduce your stress and sleep more.  All of these lifestyle factors influence whether or not one is lean.

Click Here for some great Paleo Recipes!

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The week ahead

Bryant Powers owner of CrossFit Oahu and my business partner in Life AsRx apparel shows off his skillz for a Nijia warrior competition.

This week we will be focusing on proper form for the barbell lifts. I will be blogging insturctonal videos and graphics for the movements of the Deadlift, Overhead Squat and the Pressing series. I hope that everyone will take time to study these movents as well as practice them during the week at our facility . I have got  WODs coming up this week that give me goose bumps. And there will be a special showing of 2 benchmark WODS and a day in the park.

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Cholesterol

Fix your imbalances and the world is your play ground.

First sign up for this
http://www.thepaleodiet.com/newsletter/

A nice little video about our friend Mr. Gluten

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Little girls doing big WODs

An interesting topic about endurance training by Brian McKenzie "founder of CrossFit Endurance"

Long/Slow vs Short/Fast...

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A wise choice for optimized health.

Our 6am class this morning gets after some box jumps.

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Are my shoes bad for me?

OR


What has the running shoe industry convinced you of?

Running Shoe Technology - MOV or WMV

If your shoes have ever claimed to make you jump higher, run faster or to stay motivated, give them away now. Get yourself a pair of Vibram five finger, DC shoes, Chuck Tee's or a similar low cushioning, flat sole shoe. Re-evlove to run the way your body was meant to.

Interested in the CrossFit Counter Culture Running Club? Contact Alex (alex@crossfitcounterculture.com) to join up today.

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Why We Train

Chase H. gets after some heavy Back Squats. By the way Chase is 16.  Know what that means?  The future is coming and guess what? They have learned to squat.

We all have reasons for showing up. For some, it's for a future in collegiate athletics. For others, it's to sustain a longer, healthier lifestyle and/or move away from a bad lifestyle. For most, it's to look good naked. Don't lie. It's fine to want that. But know that it takes more than just showing up. It takes a level of commitment to positively change yourself from the ground up. We don't advertise because we don't want uncommitted people in here - we are not for sale. We hope everyone can see how much Brian and I are committed to your health and well being. Your goals are our goals. We take your achievements very personally. All that being said, it takes more than what Brian and I can do in the gym to help you achieve a high level of fitness.

My question for all of you is what current habits are you willing to sacrifice to help better yourself? We have all stepped through the doors of CrossFit Counter Culture, we all suffer through great workouts and show up on a consistent basis, but what more can we do? Can we eat better? Can we come in and push harder? Are we willing to live a life unpersuaded by mass marketing? Does General Mills really care if you lose 5 pounds eating Special K? Are we willing to question everything and seek answers not from public opinion but from actual observable, measurable and repeatable data?

We are. And I hope everyone who walks through these doors is ready to work hard to switch out of any current negative habits and to educate themselves on the truth so that the foundation of our community is built upon the most undiluted factual information out there regarding living healthy lives. So please, if you have any questions regarding what else can you can do  to better your health, please contact us and we will be more than happy to help set a path that will allow you to achieve all of your health related goals.

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