What’s the substitute for a pub crawl this month? “Bear crawl”-obviously…

May and June are often big “event” months.. graduations, weddings, college reunions, Memorial day weekend, etc. Or, some of you may have had a night out with friends  on the calendar planned for months. We, as a team, are eliminating alcohol from our diets for 30 days ( thankfully now only 26..)  unless you fall in to the above events category. Don’t  drink for the hell of it and sabotage your progress. Save it for a special occasion. Below are some Paleo friendly drink recipes that you can throw at  your event’s unsuspecting bartender.

What is Bikram Yoga?

Who is Bikram Choudhury?

In a United Nations sponsored research project at Tokyo University, Bikram helped doctors prove that yoga regenerates tissues and cures chronic ailments.  Combining eastern discipline with western medicine, Bikram perfected his comprehensive system.  Bikram arrived in the United States in 1973 with an invitation from President Nixon and the urging of Shirley MacLaine.  Since that time, he has been healing thousands of students at his school in Los Angeles and traveling the world extensively, bringing the benefits of Bikram Yoga to millions of students worldwide.

Protein and carbs:

Think of your body not only as a Porsche, but also as a fire. in order to make a fire you need a big log that will burn all day long so that the fire won’t go out, and you need some paper and kindling to create a quick flame to help the big log catch. If you use only paper     ( carbs ) your fire will go out within a few minutes, no chance of burning all day. That’s why when you eat cereal, you are usually hungry very shortly after. If you put only a log             ( protein) in your fire with no paper, it won’t catch . You need the log and the paper to make a fire and burn all day.

The Paleo Diet mimics the types of foods every single person on the planet ate prior to the Agricultural Revolution. These foods ( fresh fruits, vegetable, lean meats and seafood) are high in the beneficial nutrients ( soluble fiber antioxidant vitamins, photochemical, omega-3 and mono saturated fats, and low glycemic carbohydrates) that promote good health and are low in the foods and nutrients ( refines sugars and grains, saturated and trans fats, salt, high-glycemic carbohydrates, and processed foods) that may cause weight gain, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and numerous other health problems. The Paleo Diet encourages dieters to replace dairy and grain products with fresh fruits and vegetables-foods that are more nutritious than whole grains or dairy products.

The Paleolithic Age is the formal time period on Geological Time Charts from about 2,500,000 years ago to about 10,000 years ago. The premise is that during the Paleolithic, we evolved a specific genome that has only changed 0.01% in the last 10,000 years. However, during this recent time span mass agriculture, grains/grain products. sugars/sugar products, dairy/dairy products, and a plethora of processed foods have all been introduced as a regular part of the human diet.

We are not eating the foods we are genetically and physiologically adapted to eat (99% of our genetic profile is still Paleolithic); and the discordance is an underlying cause for much of the “diseases of civilization”, “syndrome x”. obesity, and “diseases of old age” that are so epidemic in our society today. As Dr. Cordain and others’ scientific research reveal- the evolutionary, genetic, and clinical evidence point to a natural (unprocessed foods), omnivorous diet as the healthiest way to eat. Dr. Cordain’s research shows that 70% of the average caloric intake of Americans is from foods that did not exist for our paleolithic ancestors. This discordance is having tremendously negative health consequences for our society as a whole.

Our genes determine our optimum diet, and our genes evolved according to the environments in which our ancient ancestors lived, including the foods they ate. Our Paleolithic ancestors did not eat just one single diet,  but rather they ate within a range of natural, unprocessed diets- depending on variables like geography, climate, competition, ecological niche, and season.

Hydration:
It’s getting more hotter and more humid, stay on your hydration like white on rice. You should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water a day. If you weigh 180 lbs, you are drinking 90 oz of water, this is about 3 reusable bottles per day ( the size shown at the meeting). STAY AWAY FROM GATORADE… there is A LOT of sugar in Gatorade. Try VitaCoco or Zico ( trader joe’s) coconut water, or the most natural thing out there.. cut a lemon in half and drop it in your water bottle, add a lime too if you’re feeling daring. Lemon is a natural hydrater. You must be hydrated to do your yoga, and your wods as well.

Weight loss
Do not step on the scale during this process. If you are trying to loose weight. Use something that currently fits a little to snug and do not put this item on again until the challenge ends. You make go down a size in your pants, but stay the same on the scale. Only use your clothes as a unit of measurement during the challenge.

If you are trying to loose weight, watch your fruit intake. Fruit has sugar in it, eat it in moderation. Also, be mindful of your nut and healthy fat intake (avocado, olive oil, etc) these are very necessary,  but don’t go overboard!

If you are worried about LOOSING TOO MUCH  weight (men), EAT! There are no quantity limitations when eating paleo. Eat as much as you want. Don’t go hungry because you can’t “think of anything”.  Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. There is a lot of food out there for you, change your mindset…

I’m feeling sluggish, tired and I’m hungry!
If you’re hungry, EAT. As mentioned above, you can eat as much as you want. Feeling sluggish, tired and grouchy are not at all uncommon during the first few days or even the first week of changing your eating habits. Your body has been expecting the same type of food for many years, and it may not like the change that you are giving it initally. Give your body time to adjust, try not to over analyze, roll with it and you will feel different next week.

Protein and Carbs
Eat protein and carbs together at each meal. Your plate should be very colorful..

What your brain should be doing at this point..

• At this point you should begin to think about food differently. Believe it or not, training your brain, not your stomach is the most important part of this challenge, and the most difficult.
• Think about your body as a Porsche, and the fuel you put in it is your daily food. A Porsche is a technical, fast moving machine which will run the best when it is “fed” the best fuel. Will it run on poor quality gas? Sure, but it will run at a mediocre pace, and will not be used to its full potential. Imagine is you drove a Porsche everyday on poor quality gas and thought this was the best the car could run, and you were satisfied. You have nothing to compare to, so you think  your car is running very well. Then, you read the owner’s manual and started filling your Porsche with the highest quality fuel. The first time you take your car out for a drive, you will undoubtedly have a “So this is what it’s supposed to feel like!!!” moment as you drove your Porsche the way it was built to be driven.
• Don’t put mud in your Porsche! In this case, mud is bread, pasta, sugar, sweets, dairy, cereal, fast food, pizza, booze, etc…
• Since you are now beginning to think of food as “fuel” your food does not have to fall in to categories called: “Breakfast,” “lunch” and ‘dinner”. Food is food. The FDA, put it nicely into categories for us that make zero sense.
• The traditional American diet is designed to load a person with carbs (cereal, toast, bagels and fruit) first thing in the morning. Starting yourday like this means you’re starting your day on vapors. Carbs burn VERY fast, and give you a burst of fuel, like hitting the gas in your Porsche for a sprint. Not enough fuel for a long day’s drive. Carbs burn much faster than protein leaving you hungry, and looking for more fuel within an hour or 2 of eating breakfast. Protein burns much slower than carbs. When you eat protein in the morning, you have enough to burn all day long, and you will feel full for a longer period of time. Carbs ARE NECESSARY, but should be a compliment to a protein filled meal. Eating some left over steak and eggs with fruit (carbs) is a good balance of protein and carbs. Steak? Yes! If you have some left over, have it for breakfast or lunch. It’s not just a “dinner” food!

Why should we stay away from grains, cereals, dairy, sugar, and limit our starch? What are these foods doing to our bodies? Is there a connection between these foods and modern diseases ( Paleolithic people did not have the diseases that we have today…) Read the first 3 chapters of Cordain’s Paleo Diet book. It’s laid out simply and will give you an understanding of why your body has difficulty processing these foods. IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE IN THE BOOK, PLEASE READ THESE CHAPTERS!

Ok, let’s be honest some of you are a little nervous about our upcoming challenge. Not to worry, we’ll take in steps…

1. Check out bikramyogawestfield.com for the class schedule. You can attend both Bikram and Vinyasa classes. We do have showers if you need to take the express class and then head to work. Ginger teaches Monday and Tuesday 5:30pm and Thursday 9:15 if you would like to take her class. Introduce yourself to the teacher at the desk and she will take your name from the CFIT list. If you take class on Monday it counts for the week.

• bring a yoga mat
• large beach or bath towel
• water
• PLEASE come HYDRATED, drink at least 64 oz. of water during the day before class, if you take the early morning class hydrate the day before.
• Read everything on the Bikram site, especially the tips for getting started.

2. Check out CFIT schedule and plan your CFIT and yoga classes for the week. Call your partner this weekend, introduce yourself and let him/her know what your schedule is most likely going to be.

3. Clean out your kitchen and fridge as much as possible. It is must easier to do this challenge without your naughty favorite things staring you in the face. Eat them or give them away! If you have kids,  create a shelf just for you, with your paleo snacks, etc, that way you don’t temp yourself with their food.

4. Make your grocery list for next week. Anything that could be hunted or gathered… check out different paleo websites, and read parts of The Paleo Diet book. You might want to get some food at Trader Joe’s in Westfield or Whole Foods in Millburn/Maplewood.

Breakfast ideas:

eggs, bacon ( no nitrate, no msg, good quality) apple chicken sausage, turkey bacon, turkey sausage, with fruit: strawaberries, raspberries, pineapple, blueberries ( bananas are ok, but limit them, they are high in sugar) salmon slices…

fruit smoothies: fruit ( fresh not frozen) coconut milk or almond milk, protein powder. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR USE OF PROTEIN POWDER. If you do use it, use JAY ROBB egg white protein powder only!

Get some shopping done BEFORE Tuesday…. more to come..

1. Brie/Sherri
2. Monica/Jo
3. Kelly/Lauren
4. Anita/ Steph
5. Brian/ Mike D. (tall)
6. Dana/ Mita
7. Wendy /Jen
8. Analette/Keith
9. Luke/Kathy
10. Dan Loomis/ Christina
11. Marcia/Alicia
12. Pam/ Andrew
13. Igal/Kate
14. Jules/Grace
15. Michelle/Scott
16. Danny/ Gino

Back at the box:
WOD

“Cement Mixer”
7 rounds of:
every 3 minutes complete:
400 m run
12 toes to bar

” I know you are away, but I had to text you… did “Angie” today, 3:40 faster than my last time ( feb.1). only did 67 pull ups last time then switched to a band, this time, NO band! New PR 19:52.. Thank you!”   Dana

Great job Dana! And thank you for all of your hard work and dedication, we’re so proud of you!

WOD

“Angie”
100 pull ups
100 push ups
100 sit ups
100 squats