If I had a dime for every time I recommended the Paleo Diet to a client, well, I’d be a one rich lady. In my opinion, it’s the ideal way to eat (for those interested in optimal health and fitness) and I’ve seen lives transformed around me due to this kind of nutrition. I made the shift to about 80% Paleo over two years ago and I never looked back. Because I’ve fiddled with it myself, I could answer most questions/address most concerns people had. “I can’t live without cream in my coffee!” Try coconut milk. “Is Sunbutter paleo?” Yes, if you get the kind with no sugar added. And so on. I’ve also been lucky enough to have a number of resources at my disposal (books, the internet, fellow CFA members, etc.) so I’ve had a positive, educated (and hopefully motivating) response for almost everything….unless of course you asked me, “What’s the 30-Day Challenge like?”

It has always bothered me that I’d never really tried to be 100% Paleo. At the new year, I decided that 80% was no longer enough. For those I coach–and really, for ME–I decided it was time to “walk the talk.” On January 1st, I embarked on my first-ever 30-Day Challenge. This didn’t follow anyone’s program specifically, other than my own: no dairy, no grains, no sugar, no alcohol.

As I said before, I have a number of resources at my disposal, and before I started I refreshed my memory on all the things people have said in order to set myself up for success. You may have heard a bunch of this before, but I’ll share with you my personal challenges and the strategies I developed to overcome them.

Day one. No dairy meant my morning coconut milk and whey powder shake had to go. Embarrassingly enough, this was something I didn’t realize until after I’d started. So, for a few mornings in a row I would stand there in my kitchen at 5:15am looking around desperately for something to eat. The first morning I grabbed an old Paleo Kit I had on hand, but regretted that the instant I opened it and remembered how grody those moist strawberries are (shudder). The next two mornings, I just had some coffee and coconut milk, and low and behold, I didn’t die of starvation (like I thought I would). The lesson you should take from this: Make a list of foods that are habitually in your diet now that you will need to replace or eliminate. This will save you from gagging on a piece of soggy half-dehydrated food and thinking you’ll never make it before the sun even comes up.

I knew that food prep was the key before I started…it just took me a couple days to get into it (Lesson: Start your food prep before you start your challenge!). A few days in, I made a batch of paleo muffins that lasted me for the next two weeks. One fat-filled muffin lasted me the whole morning; I had the energy to coach two classes and then workout, and wasn’t hungry until after 9am.

So, first breakfast was covered. Second breakfast and lunch have always been easy for me; I work about 100 feet from Randall’s and always do my shopping for the week on Mondays. Eggs in the morning, some kind of meat and veggies in the afternoon. Easy. Now, dinner on the other hand…

I’m a chronic eater-outer because when I get home at night I don’t always feel like cooking. When I started the challenge, the thought of going out to eat seemed too daunting; I knew I needed to have dinner on-hand. It’s worth stating again: Food prep is key. I spent an hour or two on the weekend making big batches of chili or a crockpot full of pork shoulder so I could simply re-heat it at night. It really saved me quite a bit of time and frustration (not to mention $$!) to have a tasty meal already waiting for me in the fridge.

With all my meals covered I figured it would be smooth sailing from then on. I felt a little headache-y the first few days, but I knew this was to be expected. No biggie. I also knew I would get cravings, but what I didn’t know was how bad they would be! After pre-30 Day Challenge lunches of the past, I almost always had something sweet, even if it was just a piece of gum. I would repeat this indulgence around 3 or 4 o’clock. Had I read this article before my challenge, I would have already identified this habit. Instead, my solution on-the-fly was at first a substitution (turns out jicama is crunchy and sweet!) Ultimately though, I knew the best strategy for me was elimination because it was important to me to not “give into” the cravings; I didn’t want food to have control over me.

The “WHY” becomes really important when times get tough. A piece of advice I got from a blogger was: Write down why you are doing this. I took this important step before I started and it was paramount to my success. Instead of reaching for jicama a second time, I re-read over my “WHY.” Sure, a paleo-friendly sweet treat like jicama is not really the end of the world, but I wasn’t doing this to see if I could follow a list of rules. My “WHY” was much deeper than that. I decided my strategy was to simply “SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP.” It really isn’t that hard to not put something in my mouth (and yes, chugging a giant glass of water also helped subdue the craving!).

Around week two I started to feel different. Everything tasted better – an apple was like candy. I would wake up bright and early and be singing on my way to the gym. I would work out and, 30 minutes later, I felt like I could do it all over again! I’d walk in the door after a long day, still smiling with plenty of energy to stay up and enjoy the evening (instead of crashing immediately). This was all very motivating to continue.

I finally got the courage to go out to eat and was initially frustrated by the restaurant’s limited food selection and tempting cocktail menu. Fortunately, after a big ol’ steak and some collard greens with bacon, I didn’t feel so bad. Surprisingly, most restaurants are pretty accommodating [especially if you tell them you are allergic ].

I read an article about addiction recently that stated the obvious: the more you use a muscle, the stronger it gets. Using a new muscle (to make a new decision) will feel very difficult at first; this is why old (a.k.a “strong”) habits are hard to break. The recommendation was to continue to put yourself in situations where you have to flex a new muscle, i.e., make a different decision. Instead of avoiding situations (restaurants, parties, the break room), I decided to face them head-on and flex the “muscle,” so that over time it would get stronger. The decisions became easier and I personally felt more awesome each time I made a decision congruent with my goals.

I went to a bachelorette party, NFL playoff games, a wedding shower, and multiple brunches. I sat inside East Side Show Room for an hour and even read over the cocktail list. My boss ordered 36 boxes of Girl Scout cookies, all of which are ten feet from my desk. My boyfriend sat next to me on the couch and had a beer and Ben & Jerry’s. I just kept flexing the muscle and passed all those tests.

And guess what: it really wasn’t that bad. Yes, there were some whiney days, some angry days…but ultimately I have entered the Circle of Awesomeness: I have loads of energy, I have received many compliments on my new physique, and I’ve been getting new PRs = boom!

Day 31 passed without fanfare. I assumed I’d bury my face in a “celebration meal” but honestly, it didn’t seem worth it (and I know it’s hard to believe, Thin Mints don’t even sound good!). I cannot seem to bring myself to eat certain foods. Sure, I might have one chicken wing on Super Bowl Sunday, or toast a bride at her wedding, but I’m on top of my game right now and not ready to come down!

I have met my goals: I have developed a different, more positive relationship with food and alcohol. I have a new respect for myself that I can do anything I put my mind to. Finally, instead of just repeating what I’ve “heard” about Paleo, I can speak from experience.

- Coach Walker
“Whether you think you can or can’t…You’re right” - Henry Ford

Any training program worth a lick is tough. Creating new habits or eliminating a bad habit is tough. And, although life is is full of ups and downs, good times and bad times, the consensus for most people is that life is pretty tough. So if everything is so difficult, how can we ever be successful?  I’m going let everyone in on a little secret: you have a choice.  That’s right – everyday, every action, every moment, good or bad, you have a choice. You can choose to work with yourself or you can work against yourself.  I can be a part of “Team Wes” or I can be “Team Wes’ Arch Nemesis.”

A good attitude is like your best friend and teammate. It can help you no matter what, pick you up when you get knocked down, support your efforts regardless of the results, celebrate your accomplishments, and is there to have a beer and laugh with you when you fail. Meanwhile bad attitudes are quite deceptive – and cunning!  They are only there to point out your faults, they laugh at you when you fall down, they think effort is only worthwhile if results are guaranteed, they convince you that you’re accomplishments aren’t good enough,  and  spit in your face and call you a bad name when you fail.

Now, everyone probably has experienced both of these scenarios via inner dialogue at some point or another.  So, how do we ensure that we’re working with ourselves, and not against? Here are some things that help me stay on “Team Wes” and avoid being “Wes’ Butthole Bully Arch-rival.”

Awareness
Like we’ve said time and time again: realizing and acknowledging when we are going down the bad attitude path is key. Just writing the above paragraph is cathartic for me in the sense that it makes some of the effects of both good and bad attitudes tangible. Creating a frame work for what an attitude does and how it affects you helps you to embrace the good and combat the bad.

Focusing on what you can control and what matters
Like I talked about in the challenge seminar, so much of what manifests as a bad attitude lies in the uncontrollable past: a place that no matter how hard you try, cannot be changed.  Effort  and energy are also often wasted on things that ultimately don’t matter. I won’t delve into these people, actions, and things, but leave it to the reader to reflect and contemplate the things in life that cause them angst and stress but ultimately do not matter. Lets collectively focus on the actions wthinin our control, and the people/things that matter: ourselves, our family, and our friends.

Practice
To steal a concept from a great article Walker has written for Monday, you must practice having a good attitude when normally you wouldn’t.  Be happy about having to work late or deal with a difficult person at work. Celebrate a workout that is composed of all the things you suck at. Rejoice in social situations where you can’t partake in delicious treats and imbibements! Practice your good attitude daily.

In closing, I would like to give a quick testimonial to our Tuesday 5:30 and 6:30 am classes.  As most of you know, I now live in San Antonio with my lovely future wife and commute to the gym. Teaching on Tuesdays requires me to wake up around 4:00 AM and get on the road by about 4:10 or 4:15 am (hence my stylish hair). Starbucks does not open until 6 AM so I trade in my delicious Americano for Chevron gas station coffee.  Despite all of this, I consider Tuesday morning a treat in my week, mainly because everyone always seem to have a smile on their face and a joke in their pocket that early in the morning.  This is what makes coaching at CrossFit Austin so enjoyable – working with people that brighten your day.  I won’t pretend that we don’t deal with folks on the other end of the attitude spectrum, but our hope is that the attitudes of the coaches and athletes will rub off on those around us that struggle with the negative demons.  So look inside yourself and commit to being your best teammate and get rid of that bad-attitude nemesis in your brain holding you back.

Picture via behaviorgap.com found @ The Happiness Project

A Culture Based on Values: The Zappos Happiness Principles

Nothing trumps a great attitude. It’s number one on the list for a reason. If you can muster up a good attitude for a task, big or small, you can persevere regardless of how much adversity gets thrown your way. With a positive attitude channeled through perseverance, success is within your grasp 99% of the time.

2. Embrace and drive change.

Change is uncomfortable, but paramount  to growth. The world is constantly evolving – you can either spearhead that change in a positive fashion, embrace it with enthusiasm, or stand by idly comfortable with the status quo. CrossFit Austin prefers to spearhead evolution and we want you on board with us.

3. Create fun and a little weirdness.

This one is easy, we don’t take ourselves too seriously.  We always try to make our gym about  fun, which in turn gets a little weird, sometimes.  However the diverse group of personalities we work with every day makes this a slam dunk at CrossFit Austin.

4. Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded.

Try something new. Play a new sport, lift instead of run, run instead of lift, play instead of train, train instead of play. Look outside the box: sometimes success lies beyond the obvious choice.  Being adventurous and creative, which in turn means being open-minded, allows for discovery both intrinsically and extrinsically.

5. Make growth and learning an endless pursuit..

Goals and actions steeped in education are purpose driven. Understand what you want to accomplish, understand why you want to accomplish it, create a path to get there, and understand what constitutes success. This is a fool-proof formula for success.

6. Develop open, honest relationships grounded in communication.

Relationships are the foundation of happiness. Without relationships, there will always be something missing – whether it be life, work, family, or training.  The only way to build and/or strengthen relationships is through open, honest communication.  The resulting trust and faith in the relationship is powerful beyond measure.

7 . Build a positive team (and family) environment.

One thing that CrossFit and CrossFit Austin has made clear to me is that unified pursuits of like-minded goals drive people. It drives them beyond what they believe they can do.  This team spirit and commitment only works when you strive to build the people around you up. Negativity permeates everything around it and sucks the life out of the room.  Do your neighbor, and yourself, a favor by choosing to keep the energy in the room positive.

8.  Work Hard.

Like I’ve said before, there are very few things that will beat hard work.  If you’re committed to the first 7 items of this list and you approach it by working your butt off, there’s no stopping you.

9. Have passion and determination.

These are both incredible byproducts of hard work, good attitudes, and a commitment to fun. Just try not to be passionate and determined when you’re working hard and having fun doing it. That, my friends, is harder than any workout I, or anyone else, can throw at you.

10. Practice humility.

Humility comes when we decide that there is more to this journey than ourselves and our egos. Humility is not only a result of many of the actions listed above, it’s something that some people have organically. But, more importantly, humility can be developed over time through experience.  Humility is hands-down my favorite quality a person can possess.

Read this list a couple of times. I will be expanding on each item over the course of the next 10 weeks.  Ask yourself how you can apply these actions and traits, not only in the gym, but in everyday life.  The best thing about this list is it is not just something I see as a goal at CrossFit Austin, it’s a list of qualities that I see and love about everyone involved in our gym community. The principles clearly define what I love about our culture, and I’m hungry to experience this culture more with each and every one of you.

Today Coach Leigh weighs in with the “why” of foam rolling and some good tips to get you started.  When Leigh isn’t coaching or training to be a CrossFit Games champion, she works as a Certified Recovery Specialist at Airrosti Rehab Centers.

So, we’ve seen them at one time or another in the gym.  You know, the long, circular, white or black foam rollers. We know they must be beneficial, because so many people use them. You might have tried using one, only to be left scratching your head and wondering why you were rolling around the floor.
Foam rolling can be very beneficial to your routine, if you know what you’re doing. I know what you’re thinking…. “If everyone else is doing it must be working?” Although your mama probably warned you about following the crowd,  foam rolling is for everyone—Crossfitter or sedentary Joe!

Let’s start with the  physiological aspects (nerd alert) of foam rolling.  It’s a form of self myofascial release therapy (SMRT) used to break down scar tissue and adhesions that form on soft tissue after repetitive use.   “Myo” is Greek for “muscle” and “fascia” is a web of connective tissue found throughout the body.   Myofascial release is stretching of the muscle and fascia.

We all have a pretty good idea as to what a muscle is but sometimes I lose my audience when I say “fascia.”   To really understand the importance of foam rolling, we have to understand what fascia is and how it works. Fascia is the connective tissue surrounding our muscles, which as a whole is known as the myofascial unit.  Picture a sandwich (the muscle) wrapped in saran wrap (the fascia).  The saran wrap holds the sandwich together and they move as a unit. Since these two are interconnected, if we stretch our muscles, we stretch the fascia surrounding them. The same concept applies for injured muscles.  If we damage or tear them, we have damaged and torn the fascia.  Thus, we can’t “tear” into the sandwich (the muscle) without “tearing” through the saran wrap (the fascia).

So now you know if you tear muscles, you tear fascia. What you don’t know is every time you work out, you are tearing muscle fibers. It’s nothing to be scared of as that’s how you build strength.  However, both the muscle fibers and the fascia become tighter and shorter each time.  Picture your body as a chain.  When there is a kink (shortened muscle fibers and fascia) in the chain, it causes stress in other parts of the chain.  Will a kinked chain still be able to perform its function of let’s say holding up a large speaker over a football stadium?  Sure!  But over time, the added stress on the chain from that kink will cause the chain to break, dropping the speaker onto the stands…ouch!
Our body is durable but it’s not invincible.  Breakdown happens when we get out of shape, and develop more “kinks,” making us more prone to injuries.

Foam rolling alleviates these kinks,  by breaking down scar tissue and the adhesions that form on the soft tissue after repetitive use.  These scar tissues and adhesions are formed from the micro tears we create daily from not only Crossfitting, but also our lifestyles and habits outside of Crossfit.  The micro tears eventually build up onto each other and lead to bigger problems.  Imagine your torn muscles and fascia (after tightening up) as dough balls and the foam roller as your rolling pin.  We smooth out dough balls to form wonderful, light pastries.  Similarly, the foam roller stretches and lengthens your distorted myofascial units back into a functional state so that your body works more efficiently.  If you can be consistent with it, foam rolling not only prevents these “dough balls” from hindering your fitness or lifestyle goals but also helps:

• Increase range of motion
• Increase long-term flexibility
• Relieve pain
• Prevent injury
• Improve strength

Moral of the story?  Start to incorporate foam rolling into your daily regimen.  Come in early and knock it out before a workout.  Long day at work?  Get on that roller and release the stress your body is carrying.  It may not look pretty and it’s definitely not one of the most flattering things to do in public! But if you’re looking to see gains in your 1 RM snatch or kipping pull-ups, you won’t until you work out your kinks, lengthen those dough balls, and finally gain the flexibility needed to realize your body’s full potential.

Remember these rules of foam rolling:
1. It will hurt
2. Pain is good, it means you’ve found those dough balls (aka trigger points) needed to release the tension.
3. Once you feel pain, roll over that spot until you feel some relief.
4. BE CONSISTENT…see it as corrective, preventative, restorative, and daily maintenance. The more consistent you are with foam rolling, the less pain you will feel in the long run.
5. Make it a part of your life!  Embrace it and all of its glory…yes, even the awkward positions you may have to get into in order to roll out tight areas.
6. Foam rolling is FUN.  Much more fun  than watching others train while you sit out because you injured yourself.