by Ashley | May 21, 2015 | Nutrition
“At first, it was easy to lose weight. The fat was melting away! But after a few months that came to an abrupt halt – I hit a wall.” What is “The Wall?” “The Wall”, the obstacle standing in the way of you getting leaner, is your body fat set point. Your set point is your body fat percentage that your body has become adapted to overtime. If you have been carrying around significantly more weight than you are used to than your set point has increased. Your weight gain, like most individuals, can be attributed to chronic overeating and a lack of physical activity. You have decided that it is finally time to lose the extra weight and get back to a happy and healthy lifestyle. You decided to give CrossFit Good Life a try (and loved it!) several times a week. You are determined to keep calories low by eating “clean” and avoid all processed foods. In the first few months you are trilled at the weight loss and you are fitter then ever! Unfortunately, the weight loss has come to an abrupt halt and you have now hit a wall. How Do I Break The Wall? Your wall is in response to chronic under eating and excessive physical activity. If you have been on a caloric deficit for months or even years while undergoing extensive physical activity your body had created adaptations that will prevent you from losing fat. When this happens the majority of people will further reduce their caloric intake and increase their physical activity – most by increasing cardio – which actually increases...
by Ashley | May 11, 2015 | Nutrition
“Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.” Insanity – Albert Einstein What you’ve been doing… So you’ve been doing a combo of dieting and running for weeks, months, and maybe even years. You eat “clean” most of the time, and have thrown in a few cleanses along the way. For some reason it’s just not working…. The fat isn’t budging, and it actually seems to be getting worse! You can’t figure out why what worked once before, isn’t working for you again. This time you push the pedal a little harder by running more; dieting harder. Keep going like this and you’re going to burn out and go insane. If you keep doing something over and over and you’re not getting the outcome you want, why do you keep doing it? Why not do the exact OPPOSITE!? What if all the hard work you’ve been putting in, is actually taking you away from your goal… Doing the opposite… Performing hours of cardio, and dieting will cause you to slow your metabolism. If you want to know the secret to burning fat, it’s having a healthy metabolism. What is one of the main contributors to a high metabolism? Having muscle! If you want to actually look tone and be able to eat the foods you want without worrying about your muffin top growing, you need to build your metabolism. How do you build a roaring metabolism? By fueling your body with enough food, lifting weights to cause your body to adapt, and sprinting fast with ample recovery. If you have no clue what you’ve...
by Ashley | May 8, 2015 | Nutrition
Lets dig into some nutrition myths with common sense and end them forever! “Don’t eat after 6pm, you’ll get fat!” What happens in the fall when time changes and you gain an hour? Can you eat after 5pm which was technically 6pm? Your body doesn’t know what time it is! Anyone that still believes this needs to stop watching TV and reading terrible fitness magazines for their “fitness advice”. Having a full belly will help you sleep and will provide nutrients for recovery while you sleep at night. “Fat makes you fat” Fat doesn’t just get stuff into your fat cells when you eat it. Most people don’t realize it’s the excessive calories and carbohydrates that they consume that are making them fat. Your body needs fat to function properly, there are good fats and bad fats. Eat a variety of fats such as saturated fats from grass fed animals, monounsaturated fat from avocado’s, and medium chain triglycerides from coconut oil. “Clean Eating” Ask your average person what they think you need to do to lose weight and they will most likely reply with, “eat clean”. What does that even mean? Depending on who you ask, you’ll get an array of responses. Paleo eaters will say stay away from legumes, grains, and process foods. Vegans will say stay away from animal products. The USDA says saturated fat, cholesterol, and red meat are bad. Army Rangers will tell you vegetables are bad, eat only what you kill! The point is, there is no complete and universal definition of clean eating. Losing fat comes down to calories restriction and macronutrient manipulation....
by Ashley | May 1, 2015 | Nutrition
Why Nutrition Is your SECRET weapon! Food along with water and sleep are essential to life. Food is a critical component for fueling activities, recovery, and all of the chemical processes that occur in our body. Simply put, if you didn’t eat and drink water, you would die! Now that doesn’t mean all you need to do is eat and drink water and you’ll live a long and healthy life. Proper nutrition can reduce the risk of chronic diseases and is just as important for someone who isn’t “overweight” as it is for someone who is “overweight”. You can find millions of articles, opinions, and studies on nutrition, but I’m about to give you the basics you need to understand nutrition. Nutrition and Your Health Poor nutrition leads to increased chronic disease risk factors for adults and children. Often children learn their eating habits from their parents and carry them into adulthood. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’ve always been this size, it runs in the family.” That’s because that person learned to eat from their parents/family. Mom and dad fed them certain foods in copious quantities or didn’t restrict their eating. Some parents truly don’t have a clue about nutrition so they instill these bad habits without thinking about it. Developing proper eating habits is a life long process that starts with the basics done consistently. It’s never too late to start and it doesn’t mean you have to eat chicken and broccoli for every meal. Nutrition is highly individualized, but one of the best ways to start is to start keeping a journal of everything you...
