Friday, September 20, 2013

Fit Friday

This week was numero uno of the LuRong Living Paleo Challenge and, although sick, I managed to complete it:)

This is an eight week challenge for Crossfit affiliates and their athletes. There are individual prizes, team prizes, but the main prize is overall health and fitness for the individual.

I love goals, I love crossing things off my lists, so challenges are even more fun for me:) And, hey, it wasn't until I took Mark Sisson's 21 day challenge that I became passionate {obsessed, perhaps?} about getting the word out in the name of health and happiness! My point: challenges can be life-changing.


This past week I was discussing with some Crossfit members about post-workout drinks. They were telling me about the "cleanest" ones out there and the importance of drinking high protein shakes immediately after a workout. Today, I stopped by a local GNC to check out their protein shake recommendations which all had whey protein and other dairy sources. In Paleo, whey/dairy is not approved because they believe they have anti-nutrients and compounds that cause inflammation/irritation. In Primal, it depends on how a person is able to handle/digest dairy. If you choose whey isolate, you will get more protein with less dairy, however, it will be more processed. If you choose whey concentrate, you will get less protein, but it will not be highly processed. 

Since I am taking the "Paleo" challenge, I obviously did not purchase these drinks and I also know for myself that I do better with minimal dairy, but it did get me thinking and researching about post-workouts...

We hear and learn that carbs are needed to develop muscles and that by refilling our glycogen stores with carbs immediately after a workout we will be ready for the next workout and prevent muscle loss.

Let's remember we are turning our carb burning bodies into a fat burning bodies {remember this post?}, so having all this excess carbs/glucose will ultimately turn into unwanted fat. We want to eat more protein, healthy fats {and good carbs from vegetables, etc.} so that we store and burn fat for energy. Also, we store three grams of water per gram of glycogen, gross! Who needs water weight?

I also read about occasionally fasting after a workout. By doing this, as well as working out intensely, we drive HGH {Hormone Growth Hormone} which has its own way of conserving protein along with many other health benefits. 

Lastly, protein intake after a workout is good, but this is not the only great time our body uses protein to help our muscles.


What to know is: (1) "as long as you keep your hard resistance workout at or under an hour, your body won't need a lot of glycogen to get through it, (2) "all you really need is a protein-rich snack post-workout for glycogen refueling", and (3) occasional fasting post-workout will drive HGH up.

For more information, check out marksdailyapple.com

And just for fun;)

WOD

10min AMRAP

5 weighted lunges {knee touching ground each time}
5 air squats
5 box jumps


Happy Friday!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Fit Friday

Today I tried a new skill in Crossfit: kipping hand stand push-ups. I'll be honest, it was terrifying at first, but once I tried it I LOVED it!


This video is 5min long {sorry!} but explains kipping hand stand push-up nicely.

Performing the kip instead of strict hand stand push-ups is comparable to the kipping pull-up instead of strict pull-ups: for a WOD you will be able to get more repetitions in because it's easier than strict.

But go ahead and try strict hand stand push-ups, too! Just find a clear wall in your house, put a few pillows down for your head and go at it :) I usually put two abdominal mats down for my head and then I go up into a hand stand with my hands on either side of the mat and slightly in front of the mats.

Some pointers for the kip:
-keep your legs straight
-keep your bottom against the wall
-keep your abdomen tight
-press your tongue against the roof of your mouth to ensure your neck is tight and stable
-bring your knees to your chest and then use your hips to spring your legs up while your push-up with your hands

Here is my wall!


Now if you feel so inclined, here is a WOD I made up using this new skill:)

WOD:

15min AMRAP {As Many Repetitions As Possible}

3 hand stand push-ups {strict or kipping}
7 sit ups
10 air squats

{Cheering on teammates last week!}

P.S. it helps to chalk up your hands.
P.P.S please be careful!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Hero WOD

"Hotshots 19" Hero WOD

On Saturday 31st, we did a Hero WOD {like many other Crossfit affiliates} to honor the Prescott Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives on 6/30/13 fighting the Yarnell Hill fire and to donate to the families left behind. 

 {Post WOD pic of the 9am group-boy, was it rough!}

It was special for me to do this WOD because Prescott, AZ, is my hometown, I went to high school with some of these fallen men, and we worked out at the same gym {Captain Crossfit}.
I walked in that morning with my Captain Crossfit tank on, wrist band, and an attitude of "I'm going to kill this WOD!"
For me, I did because I gave it everything I had.

 {Post WOD for the 12pm group. One of my favorite all time coaches, Chris, is fourth in from the left!}

At Captain Crossfit in Prescott, AZ, many top Crossfit athletes attended the filmed event, such as Crossfit Games winner, Rich Froning. Also, one of my best friends, Amber, drove up from Mesa to do the WOD :) Love that girl! She is amazing.

Here is some footage of the event...


This short film makes me want to cry. I know, I'm a big baby!

This was a tragic occurrence, but I was happy to see my hometown community come together to support the families of these men. I was also impressed to see the Crossfit community come together to honor and support these men and their families. I am grateful to be apart of wonderful communities!