Lead a Fit and Healthy Life
Archive for February 18, 2011
Double Unders seem so easy!
01 year ago
Thought I would share a video about Double Unders, which is another step up from just jumping rope, that one of the trainers, Nate at Crossfit Impavidus shared with us:
Cool Down with Coconut Water?
01 year ago
by Stephy
in Health/Nutrition
Cool Down with Coconut Water? – Dr. Weil.
If you have a choice between soda and natural coconut water — Natural Coconut Water is it! It is expensive but if you like it and can afford it — it’s a heck of a lot better than Gatorade!
Coconut water is all the rage these days. For the record, real coconut water is the clear juice stored inside young, green coconuts. It has long been a popular drink in the tropics. I understand that the U.S. market has grown from near zero five years ago to $50 million today, which suggests that some very clever marketing has been at work. In addition to being promoted as a sports drink, coconut water has been touted as a hangover recovery, an immune system booster and natural protection against cancer. I’ve seen no convincing research supporting any of these claims.
The defensible selling points for coconut water are that it is cholesterol-free, low in calories, and rich in potassium, providing 569 mg in a typical serving, almost twice the amount in a banana. Ads say that you lose potassium when you exercise strenuously and must replace it. In fact, you lose more sodium than potassium while sweating your way through a vigorous workout, and you can replace both of those minerals by eating some fruits or vegetables after your workout. I don’t believe that there’s a proven need for any kind of sports drinks after working out, but I do recommend drinking lots of water when you exercise strenuously – more than you think you need.
I don’t see any great advantage to coconut water other than the fact that it is natural (although I’ve read that sugar is added to some brands) and doesn’t have the additives found in some sports drinks. However, it is expensive – $2 to $3 for 11 ounces. And it is also an acquired taste. Obviously, coconut water wouldn’t be selling as well as it is if some people didn’t love it, although some individuals may be drinking it solely because they think it is good for them. Some describe the taste as metallic. When I’m in the tropics, I enjoy drinking the water from whole coconuts. To me, the packaged stuff sold here does not taste nearly as fresh or delicious.
Weightlifting helpful for obese kids
01 year ago
In-Your-Face Fitness: Weightlifting helpful for obese kids
And this is exactly why CrossFit has a CrossFit kids program —
It goes without saying that children who are obese would benefit from aerobic exercise. However, they’re likely to find the idea of going for a jog or spending half an hour on a treadmill about as appealing as watching Congress debate the fine points of tax policy on C-SPAN.
Fortunately, there’s an alternative form of exercise that plays to the strengths of plus-sized kids: weightlifting.
It may sound like an unconventional suggestion, but I’m not the only one making it. There’s even some evidence that for this demographic, weightlifting is a more effective gateway to a healthy lifestyle than traditional aerobic exercise.
Deadlifts & Pull Ups and Fun – Oh My!
11 year ago
Have you seen some people who work out all the time and you can tell they are super strong but they still have the extra weight around their mid section? This used to be me. It was so frustrating too. I just couldn’t get my head around how this could be — I know I am putting in the work, how come I am not seeing the results that I expect?
What I realized is after a point it’s all diet related. You have to change up what you are eating — not even the amount. I wasn’t eating more than I should — it was WHAT I was eating that was affecting me. Going ‘paleo’ has made a huge difference in the physical aspects of my body — you will have to take my word for it because I’m not putting up half naked pics of myself! Sorry Charlie!
Within the first 20 days of eating this way – I lost 7lbs but now that I have been almost exclusively wheat/dairy/gluten free — my body looks leaner. Coach Conan at Crossfit Impavidus told me that the only way to really get a six pack is to do CrossFit and/or High Intensity Interval Training and go Paleo — PERIOD. The way I look at it is that unless you are training full out — you do have to live your life — so eating ‘paleo’ overall is definitely the way to go — but if you have pizza or ice cream or a drink on occasion — just get back on the Paleo train the next day. You may suffer a few days following it – but if it’s worth it to you, then do it.
On to my workout this morning —-
We had upper 60s-70 degree weather here yesterday and it’s again on the docket for today! Can’t complain about that so part of our warm-up was outside –which I may have bitched about initially but I loved it! Can’t wait for spring…
Warmup
20 Jumpin Jacks
3 200m Runs (run, run, sprint)
Dynamic Stretching
Skill
Handstands — ok I am so inept with gymnastics. I swear that if I was under the guidance of a Gymnastics coach, they would totally kick me out of the program. Coordination & Balance is key in Gymnastics.
Guess what challenges me daily?? Coordination and Balance. Fear Not — I will work at it.
WOD
15 155lb DL
5 Blue Band Assisted Pull Ups
12 155lb DL
10 Blue Band Assisted Pull Ups
9 135lb DL
20 Blue Band Assisted Pull Ups
6 135lb DL
10 Blue Band Assisted Pull Ups
3 135lb DL
5 Blue Band Assisted Pull Ups
I started with the 155lb DL — but after the 2nd round, my form was compromised so Conan jumped in and we took off 20lbs so that I could maintain proper form while doing the DL. I am so happy they are focused on form over weight. I have hurt my back working out partly because when we would do my AM boot camp, we were not allowed to scale back if we felt it was too heavy for us to continue on. Form should always be first priority especially when the weight gets heavier. One wrong move, say hello to muscle relaxers and pain killers.
