F Fad Diets

One of my “guilty” pleasures is Pinterest.  I absolutely love it!  I haven’t been on in quite a few months but tonight I decided to log on while I was waiting for my Paleo chocolate zucchini bread to finish baking (yum!) I was scrolling down the page on the news feed, looking at pictures, funny memes, inspirational quotes and then BAM a caption that caught my eye and not in a good way.  The title of the post was “How to Naturally Lose 10 Pounds in 2 Weeks” I’m sorry but 1. That’s BULLSHIT 2. That is so unhealthy for your body and 3. If anyone does believe that crap, they won’t be able to maintain that weight loss for more than a few days; that’s if they get that far.  Anything that promises a quick fix never works.  If that wasn’t bad enough I then saw another caption that read, “7 Day 1,000 Calorie Meal Plan.”  Okay, some people may need to eat 1,000 calories a day due to their height, weight or metabolism BUT no one should ever just assume they need to only eat 1,000 calories unless directed by a doctor or nutritionist.  If you’ve ever tried one of these fad diets, juice cleanses etc. guess what?  You got punk’d but the good news is, you aren’t alone.

I believed in these taboo traps for a long time and it got me nowhere.  Not only was I tired, hungry, and cranky but I still hated my body.  I would follow the “diet” for a week or so and then be so fed up and ravenous that I would binge eat.  No joke, I ate an entire package of Chips Ahoy cookies in one night.  I felt disgusted by myself.  I cried for hours and hours afterwards.  I punished myself the next few days by running on the treadmill for 90 minutes in full sweats just so I could pretend that never happened.  I felt pathetic and yet again, I was back at square one.  The creators of these fad diets know that people can’t follow them so they already have a guarantee you’re going to buy it again, another cleanse, another fat loss pill, another lettuce only diet. 

It all changed for me when I stopped buying into this bogus advice and started eating and working out for ME!  I wrote an article a few weeks back about how much damage I had done to my body over the years from 1. Not eating enough 2. Yo-yo dieting and 3. Over-exercising.  It’s incredible how smart the human body is and guess what?!  It will tell you just what you need!  And NO it doesn’t need another pill or 100 calorie meal plan.  It needs NUTRIENTS.  Your body needs macro-nutrients (carbs, fats and proteins) for energy and it needs all the micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) for bodily functions.  Without both of these your body is going to be out of whack. 

I tried for a long time to be my own solution but after coming out of a small relapse with my Anorexia this past fall and dealing with unknown territory, Adrenal Gland Fatigue, I decided I needed help.  I did some research and found an amazing sports nutritionist.  I’m going to call him Magic Mike, not for his dance moves but for his knowledge in nutrition, specifically Adrenal Gland Fatigue.  I was beside myself.  I thought I was doing all the right things for my body.  I was exercising 7 days a week, doing cardio for 30-40 mins every day after lifting, eating a low carb high protein diet but I wasn’t.  I was just adding more fuel to the fire.  I’ve been working with Magic Mike for about 2 months now and I have never felt this good!  My strength is increasing, my body composition is changing (less body fat and more muscle mass), I’m sleeping better, and I’m eating more than I have in well…forever!  My point?  Stop believing in quick fixes because they don’t work.  Listening to your body, eating the RIGHT types of foods, and learning to love yourself are the keys to not only health and wellness but HAPPINESS as well.  I know it can be overwhelming and if you’re anything like me you want to see results like, meow but consistency and being patient with yourself will give you the long, lasting results you want!  Health is a lifestyle NOT a fad diet.  Stay strong and lift on!  Oh and eat your macro and micro-nutrients :)

 

CrossFit: Don’t Knock it ‘til You Try it

Okay, I’m sure some of you will read the title to this blog and roll your eyes but PLEASE continue reading!  I promise you’ll enjoy it! 

CrossFit is a very misunderstood sport and unfortunately it has received a bad reputation over the years.  I was interested to get another person’s perspective on this topic so I asked owner and head coach Kyle Rochefort from The Fort CrossFit to weigh in on this.  Kyle has been training in CrossFit since 2009 and has been head owner of The Fort since 2010.  “CrossFit has a bad reputation for a few reasons, 1. Owners and coaches are not establishing standards and systems of progressions for all walks of life coming in to the gym, 2. Members letting their ego get in the way of proper movement, and 3. Not following mechanics, consistency and then intensity.”  I would have to absolutely agree with Kyle on this one.  Before I started CrossFit I definitely did my research when deciding what gyms to look at.  I visited 3 gyms in the NH area, talked to the owners, and was able to see a few classes in full swing.  I paid attention to how the coaches were training their classes.  How assertive they were with form and technique. Were they hands on when correcting form?  Or did they just load up people’s bars and encourage them to “just give it a try?” 

Finding the right CrossFit gym is like buying a car.  You would never buy a car without getting the background checks done or without test driving it first, right?  You want to make sure it fits your lifestyle, budget, and of course is comfortable for you.  You wouldn’t run right in the door of the closest dealership and yell “give me whatever you got!”  Heck no!  My point is, that you wouldn’t/shouldn’t do that to the closest CrossFit gym either.  Take your time when deciding and never be afraid to ask questions!  When I sat down with Kyle to talk about my options before joining The Fort he asked me a plethora of questions.  “We have in depth conversations with each and every member coming in the doors about their past; injuries, health issues, current nutrition, lifestyle habits and athletic backgrounds are all covered.”   After discussing my background, nutrition, and goals, he put me through a few different movement screenings to look for imbalances throughout the whole body.  Kyle says, “We as coaches try to help as much as possible but if we cannot, we refer to our Chiropractors or Physical Therapists that we work with.”  If the CrossFit gym you’re looking at doesn’t ask you these types of questions or put you through a few exercises to test your ability, chances are their first priority isn’t your safety.   “We stress mechanics, consistency, and then intensity. Essentially crawl, walk then run. In the long haul, this pattern works so much better. Too much, too soon is a recipe for burn out, injury and quitting. We want fitness to be fun and last a lifetime.” 

If you’re reading this post, maybe you’re curious about CrossFit but you’re nervous to try something so new.   Maybe you’re thinking it’s too intense or you won’t be able to do what everyone else can.  At first I thought that way too, but once I started training at The Fort I realized I was letting my anxiety get the best of me.  Kyle developed a plan for ME and MY goals.  I was in the middle of my prep for my 4^th bodybuilding competition when I began to realize that I was falling out of love with lifting and working out.  I was burnt out and needed a change.  I kept thinking about doing CrossFit but my mind kept saying, “you can’t do what those athletes do!”  However, this is quite untrue!   At The Fort there is a wide variety of ages, skill level, and backgrounds.  Kyle says, “The Fort is made up of people from 12-65 years old. We have a teens class, personal training, and adult group CrossFit. Levels of fitness span from elite to de-conditioned. If a new person embraces The Fort and trusts the process, they will be changed for the better.”  For me and a lot of other’s this is true.  Once you embrace the program you will see changes! 

I thought I was in pretty-decent shape before CrossFit.  I thought my workouts were intense, my weights were heavy, and I could do 30 mins on the stairs like a champ, but I needed and wanted improvement.  I craved change,  and I needed a good ass kicking!  I remember the first time I took a class at The Fort.  We started with 4 sets of dumbbell chest press superset with 4 sets of either heavy lat pulldowns, pull ups, or ring rows.  After that was completed we moved into our endurance portion.  It was a 20 min AMRAP (as many reps as possible) of 5 power cleans, 10 wall balls, 15 push-ups, and 20 calories on the assault bike.  I did it and got 4 full rounds but I was dripping in sweat, out of breath, a little tired but I absolutely loved every single second of it.  The way the training at The Fort and most CrossFit gyms is set-up is a combination of heavy Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and high intensity cardio.  Every day is something a little different but each period is built specifically for one goal.  “CrossFit is a good sport to be a part of because you can constantly challenge yourself across the spectrum of athletics. Weightlifting, gymnastics, running, swimming, throwing, etc are all a part of CrossFit. Even without looking at CrossFit as a sport it still fulfills that competitive aspect that many crave. Just by showing up to The Fort, the adrenaline is going and when "3,2,1 GO!" is called, it is time to work and have fun,” says Kyle.  Besides the physical changes and competitive drive that everyone experiences it’s all about the people you meet and the memories you make. 

Lifting solo is VERY different than lifting with a group of people.  Before CrossFit I trained every day by myself.  Occasionally I would have a friend or workout buddy but it was rare.  Somedays I was motivated and in the zone while other days I struggled to make it to the gym.  Sure there were a lot of people at the gym lifting but we were all doing different workouts and we all had our headphones in.  Sometimes it’s nice to workout solo but the social aspect at The Fort is indescribable.  The music is motivating, everyone is doing the same workout, and the coaches are encouraging.  You could be in the middle of a tough WOD, struggling but then the person next to you says, “Come on, you got this!  Keep going” and it just gives you that extra push.  CrossFit makes me want to be better, not just physically but as a whole, as a person. 

Since joining The Fort I have learned so many new things about myself.  I have ignited this new found fire within me to do more and to try different things.  I have a new mindset and new perspective on life.  I don’t allow my anxiety to dictate what I can and cannot do.  I push myself harder and my self-confidence has grown.  Of course I still have bad body image days or one day I have really high anxiety but those days are few and far between now.  All of my goals used to be very superficial and all I cared about was looking good but now, I want to be strong, I want to be a fierce competitor, I want to inspire others, I want to be the best version of myself that I can be.  If I never joined The Fort I know for a fact I would still be struggling in the gym, I would still be allowing those inner voices to control me, I would still be unhappy. 

I asked Kyle what his favorite client transformation was and he said his mom, Charlene. Charlene is in her mid 50’s and was never a super-star athlete growing up.  She exercised and had a decent diet but she was never truly happy with how she looked.  Charlene decided to join The Fort and really focus on her health.  “She can now do pull ups, she can back squat close to 200 pounds and run without stopping. All of those are important performance goals. More importantly, she looks and feels the best she has ever felt in her entire life. She is genuinely happy.”  Now if that isn’t motivating, I’m not sure what is!  I didn’t write this article to tell you to go sign up at your local CrossFit gym right now, I wrote this article in hopes that it would help some of you.  If you’re feeling stuck, if your workouts have plateaued, if you’re unmotivated, and tired of feeling “blahh” maybe CrossFit is the right choice for you.  I know that for me, it was one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.  Here’s to setting new PR’s and being healthy- mind, body, and soul!  

Stay strong xoxo