Paleo Challenge – January 2016

Paleo Challenge – January 2016

Why? Because attaining optimal health and wellness starts with food. CrossFit isn’t only about working out. In fact, Greg Glassman, the founder and CEO of CrossFit, had this to say about fitness:

World-Class Fitness in 100 Words: by Greg Glassman, CrossFit CEO

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat. Practice and train major lifts: Deadlift, clean, squat, presses, C&J, and snatch. Similarly, master the basics of gymnastics: pull-ups, dips, rope climb, push-ups, sit-ups, presses to handstand, pirouettes, flips, splits, and holds. Bike, run, swim, row, etc, hard and fast. Five or six days per week mix these elements in as many combinations and patterns as creativity will allow. Routine is the enemy. Keep workouts short and intense. Regularly learn and play new sports.

If you’re serious about improving your level of fitness and getting better at CrossFit in particular, nutrition is key. People often think because they exercise, the quality of foods they consume don’t matter much; however, in most cases it is the opposite. As the saying goes, “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet”.

 

These Paleo Challenges are designed to help our members clean up their diets and learn how to make healthy eating part of your lifestyle.  Paleo diet consists of foods which could be hunted or gathered (meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, tubers, nuts, seeds, etc).  You will avoid grains, legumes, dairy, vegetable oils, sugar and the like.  Some people find the Paleo Challenge will start them on a lifelong adherence to this way of eating.  Others use the challenge to understand how different foods affect your athletic performance, weight, or recovery.  We encourage you to commit 100% for 42 days and learn from this experience.

 

GENERAL DETAILS

  • Challenge begins on Monday, January 18th, 2016
  • Challenge ends on Thursday, February 25th 2016
  • You will complete a benchmark workout at the beginning and end of the challenge to track performance. Benchmark WOD will be on Monday, January 18th (if you can’t make the Monday workout, you can complete the benchmark WOD on your own any time that week and submit your results) and Thursday, February 25th.
  • Challenge buy-in is $25. You can approve this charge to your account when you sign up on the Google docs form below.

PRIZES

We would like to give some good prizes, and we want you invested, so we are going to a $25 buy-in.  Prizes will be awarded for the following:

  • Paleo Points which will be determined by
    Most nutrition + participation points at the end of the challenge
  • Paleo Spirit Award which will be awarded to:
    The guy or gal who is most engaged, keeps their fellow athletes encouraged and on track, and shares their Paleo knowledge through the challenge.
  • Paleo Forte Photo Challenge
    They say a picture is worth 1,000 words…let’s prove it! Take three full body photo (front, back, side on or before January 18th with a sign somewhere in the shot that shows the date). Take your final shots on February 25th.  Submit your six photos to [email protected] by February 26th to be considered a winner in the photo challenge.  We will not share any photos unless approved by you.

 

Prizes that could be up for grabs (depending on what you win) are: a free month of unlimited classes, CrossFit Reebok gift cards, Mid- 10 Nutrition Gift Card, JumpNRope jump rope, CrossFit Forte T-Shirts, Lululemon gift cards, a personal ROM WOD subscription, & protein powder.

NUTRITION POINTS

Every day you start with 10 points. For each non-paleo food consumption (by serving), you must subtract 2 points. Trust us, you can make it the entire challenge without cheating.

Paleo foods are outlined in the links under the nutrition tab. The Health and Wellness Guide will also provide some further information about things that will be helpful. Food which gets a deduction include: grains, legumes, dairy, alcohol, and sweets (for the purpose of this challenge, even honey and agave).

EXCEPTIONS that we are allowing for this challenge: grass-fed butter (ie: Kerry Gold), Kefir, whey protein powder, and any supplements on Mid10 Nutrition’s Forte-approved list (BCAAs, Recarb, etc). A BIG exception to standard “Paleo”: We are allowing one serving of white rice to be consumed on days you workout without penalty.  Measure it, don’t abuse it.  While you can choose to go “strict” Paleo for the challenge, understand these exceptions are being applied based on our experiences in order to help you maximize performance and your opportunity for success in the long run.

*BONUS* POINTS:

  • WOD POINTS (max = 7/week)
    You earn 1 extra point for each WOD you complete at CrossFit Forte and you can also earn an extra point for attending the Sunday mobility class (for a total of up to 7 points per week).
  • FOOD PORN POINTS (max = 3/week)
    If you share a recipe (with photo) to the Facebook Group, you earn 1 bonus point.  Max is 3/ week.
  • CROSSFIT OPEN POINTS (10 points)
    Sign up for The Open begins on January 18th.  Sign up before the Paleo challenge ends and earn bonus points even though work-outs don’t begin until 2/25.
  • FORTE PALEO POTLUCK (5 points)
    6:30 PM Saturday, February 6th  at CrossFit Forte.  Earn points simply for attending the event.

WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
1). Sign up and approve the $25 buy-in charges here http://goo.gl/forms/eucun4Jbpg
2). Take your “before” photos and send them to [email protected].  Please make the subject header your first and last name “Jan 2016 Before Photos” (Katelyn Beach Jan 2016 Before Photos).  Your “After” photos should be similarly titled as Feb 2016 After Photos.
3). Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/fortepaleochallenge/
4). Submit your points weekly: http://goo.gl/forms/AA1JgOXAMJ

JUST FOR YOU: The items below are NOT required to participate in the challenge; however, we recommend you do them for yourself.

ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE
You can and should eat carbs on Paleo, it just won’t be coming to you in the form of pasta, and bread.  Ideally, plan 75% of your carby, starchy food intake around your workout to power it and to help with recovery.  During the first week or two, many people feel very low energy as your body adjusts to its new form of fuel.  This will pass and you will be rewarded for your efforts.

BODY MEASUREMENTS
Whether your goal is to tack on muscle or shed some fat, it is amazing what 6 weeks of a good diet and exercise will do! Feel free to grab a Myotape at the gym and take down your body measurements and weight before and after the challenge.

BODPOD & MID10:
As an added benefit for people who want to see the hard numbers, Forte is also partnering with Mid10 Nutrition and their Transformation Station to offer Bod Pod and supplement packages.  A Bod Pod session allows you to see the specific fat and muscle mass composition of your body before and after the challenge.  For $85, Forte athletes can receive two BodPod Sessions and a $25 Mid10 gift card for all your supplement needs during the challenge.  Alternatively, you can get aBod Pod 3 Pack with a $50 Mid10 gift card for $120. Any athletes who participate in the BodPodportion can compete for a prize in body composition improvements.  This is not a requirement.  To buy a package and schedule your first session, click the link below.

2 BodPod and $25 Mid10 gift card
3 BodPod and $50 Mid10 gift card

“When you want to quit, think about why you started”