Holistic Health

So, this morning I woke up with the sniffles. Not only did I do last night’s WOD (even though every muscle in my body was aching from Murph on Saturday), which attributed to my aches and pains, but my live-in partner is getting sick- which means it’s only a matter of time…

Got Beef? Don't put it on your Ipod.

On days like today, when I feel like I’m coming down with something I used to go to the gym anyway and do something light. At least do something. There isn’t really that option with Crossfit.  Tonight the WOD:

Complete four rounds for time:
Run 400 meters
15 Handstand Push-ups
15 ft Rope Climb, 2 ascents

I’m not sure I’m going to go, as I feel like lying down and going to sleep as of right now (and have since 8am this morning), but I may. I keep toying with the idea of doing something at home, it seems like my workouts at home aren’t that great, for a few reasons. The first is that I live in New York, and while the majority of New Yorkers are actually smaller on average than most Americans- it’s not because they work out at home because they’re so limited to space. My boyfriend and I live pretty far out in Brooklyn, which means we have about twice as much space as most, but still not quite enough to get your gym on.

We’re also on the second floor, sandwiched between two sets of multiple people, so things like burpees and jump rope are out of the question. Secondly, I love to run outside, but when I get home it’s pitch black. And even though we live in one of the nicer neighborhoods in Brooklyn, I still don’t want to run outside in the pitch black. Since I’ve signed up for the triathlon this summer I’ve been searching for pools in NYC (and am a bit scared of the public pools) and may have to bite the bullet and get a gym membership so I can take advantage of their pool.

Cosmos- not so primal.

This brings me to another point- staying “primal in the city”. Based on this great list from every little primal boy and girls’ mentor, Mark Sisson, we should be hiking, camping, rolling in dirt and playing as much as possible, and how do we do this when we’re stuck in such a big city? I grew up in Juneau, Alaska, on the side of a mountain (actually, the whole town is on the side of the mountain) and traded in my lifestyle of hiking, mountain biking and skiing whenever I wanted for one of concrete, skyscrapers and sidewalk puddles of indeterminable origin. I came from a town of 11 people per square mile to a town with over 70,000 per square mile. I’m lucky if I get to see the roots of a tree or hear… silence. Clearly I don’t like it, but for reasons of opportunistic growth I’m here for at least another year, so how do I make the best of it? How do I get outside everyday when that equates to asthma attacks and a thin layer of dust in the pores? How do I “play” when the parks aren’t open after dark? How do I get out of the city enough without breaking the bank?

We went up to Burlington, Vermont for Christmas weekend and it was a sanctuary. A cute college town with tons of outdoor activities, clean air and micro-breweries. Wonderful! But time consuming (7-8hr drive from here) and expensive (not compared to NYC) - well, considering I was spending money and not making it. Made me wish I was back West Coast, but also gave me hope that there’s great places out here that are within reaching.

So I’ll be exploring this in the next year, as my theme for 2009 is going back to our roots.

Yesterday’s workout;

Hang power clean 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps

88lbs

88

88

88

FAIL

88

88

88

Warmed up with 58lbs. Just couldn’t get under that fifth one, and at the end we realized that we’d put a 15lb weight on one side and a 10lb on the other, so really I lifted 5 more pounds with my left side. Luckily that’s my weak side- and we weren’t about to do it over again!

Turns out Burger King’s fragrance Flame is not getting the kind of press it wanted to (read my original post here). I think most people thought it was a joke, initially, until figuring out that you could actually buy it for $3.99 at Ricky’s. Turns out one unlucky blogger was awesome brave enough to actually buy it. And then try it out. At work.

Turns out it smells more like a vat of burning fat and melting grease than a disgusting chemically enhanced multi-cow beef patty smacked between a couple of high fructose laden white buns. Yum.

It's like a fist to the eyes.

Check out the full story here.

In other news- yes, I found the beauty of the strikethrough text. I might’ve gone a little overboard, but it was for dramatic effect. Don’t like it? Bite me.

Mark from Mark’s Daily Apple- the reason and inspiration behind my decision to go primal, is coming out with a book of the primal blueprint.

Here’s a sneak preview here! The great thing about going primal is that it’s a holistic approach to living, in a way that we all (espeically those on the East Coast- like me!) can understand. Bringing us closer to the roots of the earth and the roots of our self. Check him, his blog, and his killer bod out!

Well, all I have to say is that I wish I caught the guy who videotaped me for a little bit yesterday, because I would make sure that tape never went rogue and hit the net. Of course it was at the beginning so you’d think I’d look good, composed, fresh. Wrong. After about the first 20 seconds of the first row I was dead and my inner voice said “this is the first, of FIFTEEN exercises. You’re so fucked.” Awesome. What is fight gone bad?

From the Crossfit website;

This is our famous Fight Gone Badworkout. It has been used extensively to prep fighters for the UFC. In this workout you move from each of five stations after a minute. This is a five-minute round from which a one-minute break is allowed before repeating. We’ve used this in 3 and 5 round versions. Today is 3 rounds. The stations are:

Wall-ball ; 20 pound ball, 10 ft target. (Reps)
Sumo deadlift high-pull 75 pounds (Reps)
Box Jump 20″ box (Reps)
Push-press 75 pounds (Reps)
Row (Calories)

The clock does not reset or stop between exercises. On call of rotate, the athlete/s must move to next station immediately for good score. One point is given for each rep.

Actually, on the Crossfit website instead of row it said burpees and thank god Brooklyn didn’t make me do that.

I walk into the Black Box last night and Sam (equipped with his English accent) was in the middle of his workout. Something that looked equally as lame as FGB. After finishing and catching wind that I what I was about to go through with one of the gals said ‘Nothing can prepare you for Fight Gone Bad. It’ll be one of the worst workouts you’ll ever do.” Awesome. Thanks. ‘Preciate the psyching me up for it. Sam then asked if I wanted music and what I wanted to hear. Since I was the only schmuck doing the workout I thought I would put on my own music. So with the Dropkick Murphy’s screaming about shipping up to Boston I hopped on the rowing machine for my first round and tried to psych myself up for it.

For the next 17 minutes I’m not sure what happened. I know I barely heard a single solitary note of the music that was playing. I know that I kept waiting for there to be an exercise (we went Row, 10lb Wall-Ball, 32lb Sumo DL high-pull, 20″ Box Jump, 38lb Push Press) that I could rest on and each one seemed more excruciating than the next. I know that I heard ‘from the hips’ about a thousand times. I know that I felt like there was 20 lbs of mucus in my lunges upon finishing. And I know the rest did not feel like 1 minute.

It’s funny once your mind gets in that state before, during and after a hard core metabolic conditioning (met-con) workout like the ones at CrossFit.  The kind of mindset that Sam related to our fight or flight mechanism. As you’re gearing up for that kind of extreme workout (and I was- all day) you start to feel your blood start to warm, your heart to pump and your mind start to clear and psych you up before you even begin the first rep. It’s like moving into a different world. That’s probably the feeling that keeps us addicted to this thing called exercise.

I’m not going to go through all my numbers because that would bore everyone but me, but I have them. Sam said the number of conditioned CrossFitters is 300 (you add up all your numbers at the end - counting the calories for the row) and my number - the number for me to beat - is 258. Not bad.

Ultimately if I can keep my numbers where they’re at but increase weight I’ll be good to go, because my numbers are looking pretty good- for a beginner. I looked online for about an hour before I could find a good depiction of FGB -here’s the best one. I like the end the best.

Oh and by the way- I’ll be excited when my body looks like those chicks. Damn Crossfit does good work!

Last night I had Elements Day #5 at Crossfit BK. We first went over movements for Fight Gone Bad (where I found out my wall ball’s suck) and then I went through Fran.

21-15-9

Thrusters (I did 58lbs)

Pull-Ups (I’m still using a band)

Time: 6:19

I have to say- it’s gotta be bad when you’re resting on the pull-ups. I thought from a name like Thrusters I would get some sort of sick pleasure out of them. Turns out, I’m wrong. My wrists were killing me afterward, makes a lot of sense as Justin was constantly telling me to get my elbows up. It also means the weight is too light for me, as I’m holding it while doing the front squat instead of making it rest a bit on my shoulders.

You live and learn.  Actually, I was kind of proud of myself until I saw this;

Someday I will kick as much ass as she does. Someday.

Yesterday a ton of bloggers had their way with Oprah and her weight (see Mark’s Daily Apple, Jimmy Moore, Grounded Fitness, Associated Press and ME!).  After posting on this I found even MORE bloggers that were inspired to write about the one of the most powerful woman in the world and her waistline. The happiness project took a stab at it and quite possibly my favorite post about the subject (and maybe even one of my favorite posts of all time) came from back in skinny jeans. Read it. Here. and Here. And Here (just in case you missed the first few links). No seriously, it’s awesome. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Read it.

Seriously Oprah, you are one of the worlds most powerful women. You’re saved countless lives, improved thousands of homes, brought crafts and books and cars and happiness to so many people. How is it you feel like a “fat cow?” After reading her actual post I think a lot of people are going to relate to how she’s feeling, and the actual story was really quite interesting. Here’s an excerpt;

“Here’s another thing this past year has been trying to teach me: I don’t have a weight problem—I have a self-care problem that manifests through weight. As my friend Marianne Williamson shared with me, “Your overweight self doesn’t stand before you craving food. She’s craving love.” Falling off the wagon isn’t a weight issue; it’s a love issue.”

No shit? You think that all of this nonsense that so many people are focused on has something to do with self-esteem? Where was Dr. Phil during all of this? Or was he too busy focusing on how he didn’t help Britney to notice that you’ve had a yo-yo dieting issue for decades?

This brings me back. And sometimes it’s good to open the doors to the Delorean and crank it up to 88mph. I went to school for Holistic Health Counseling at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, an amazing school that focuses on what they call primary foods.  I wanted to touch on that a bit today, as self-care and checking your ego at the door seems to be a common theme lately.  For all you seasoned athletes, Melissa Byers touches on this, Kelly at fitness fixation said this a few posts ago, Liz Rosenbaum did it and now all this stuff about Oprah (and okay- back in skinny jeans once again in case you missed it the first few times)…

To be honest, it’s been a rough week for me too. For some reason I just can’t get it together.  I’ve been exercising a bit less which isn’t helping, but I’m being harder on myself than usual. I normally get motivation off of things like self-doubt and self-criticism (as toxic as those two things may be), but this week they just seem to be getting me down. I’m reminded about how I’m no longer a personal trainer (a choice I’m happy I made) but that I’m back to desk work, something I never thought I’d do. I like working with my hands, doing something that involves constant stimulation (not like that) and keeps me moving. I thought about becoming a fire(wo)man, but my boyfriend didn’t really like that idea (which I’m okay with- I don’t think I’d be too stoked if he wanted to be a chef at Hooters either.  Not that I’m relating saving lives with cooking food for frat boys… but I digress).

Anyway- Primary foods. These are the foods that actually nourish our bodies- basically our relationships, spirituality, career, and physical activity. Without these four things in balance it doesn’t really matter what our secondary foods - namely, what we put in our mouth (get your mind out of the gutter) doesn’t matter.

So today I ask you- where is your life in all of these areas? Are you happy in all of them? Focus on the one that is most depleted- can you do something small in the next week to bring it to a better level?

I’m working on mine- and as you probably guessed these are things that can always be improved. Focusing on one area usually makes you realize things about other areas as we are all connected.

I recently had the revelation that I’ve manifested my love for food and white wine (and martinis and champagne and red wine… again with the digressing) from my fear of intimacy. Basically- I eat so I don’t have to socialize and I drink to get rid of those inhibitions.  The two things (food and drink) are a part of my personality like my knack for inappropriate sexual humor- Some revelations are easy, some make you rethink a lot of your decisions.  Since having this revelation I’ve been trying to make sure that I listen to my body (always good) and figuring out whether it’s my internal pressure that wants another glass of wine, whether it’s thirst (and in that case- reach for the water) or whether it really is that I want another glass (or morsel).  I also take note on what’s around me. What can you do?

Oh and by the way, I don’t think it’s coincidence that primary and primal are the focus this week. The root of both words means ‘first’ - which should remind us all of what should come first, YOU.

• SNACK before you leave – May sound somewhat funny, but you’re way more inclined to gorge on rich fatty foods or rich carbs if you’re famished. Have a small healthy meal at home before you get to the party. That way you’re in control.

• Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate – The majority of the time we’re hungry our bodies are mistaking the fact that we simply haven’t gotten enough water for the feeling of hunger. Quench your thirst with the most satiating drink around

• Eat the rainbow – Make it a point at each of those dangerous buffets to fill at least half your plate with veggies, and eat them first. Complex carbohydrates are more likely to start filling you up- and remember, it doesn’t count if it’s fried!

• Say “no” to alcohol – Of course there is a ton of holiday wine a’flowin, and almost every punch and egg nog is sure to add a kick, but in addition to the havoc alcohol wreaks on your stomach and the fact that it lowers your inhibitions- it also adds up in ‘empty’ calories. If you choose to drink during the holidays try to alternate between one alcoholic and one virgin (I recommend water) cocktail.

• Choose your dessert wisely – In the order of desserts, think like this, pie is best, then comes cobblers, last comes cream. Of course pumpkin (one of natures superfoods) pie is a staple at most parties, and it’s the best in the form of pie’s. If you can’t resist having a slice of that cheesecake- make sure to share! Half a piece of pie is much better than a whole one!

• Stay away from the buffet! – I don’t mean in total. Just remember to crowd out- the more good food you have on your plate, the less room for bad food. And if you pick your seat wisely (meaning- don’t spend the whole night at the buffet table) you can avoid temptation, you may even be tempted to do something healthy, like dance off those empty calories!

• Portion Control – It’s easy to go back for seconds and thirds at the buffet table, especially when you have those tiny plates! You can easily trick yourself into thinking that four heaping helpings of teeny tiny plates are better than one sit-down dinner. Wrong! Try to either get a larger plate, or remember that usually those plates are only about half the size of a normal one. So make sure to clear it at two- and remember to eat the rainbow, fill up on those veggies first!

• Steam, Bake, Poach or Sauté – Remember that the way you cook your food adds to the amount of nutrients either added or taken away from your food. Instead of deep frying your veggies try steaming them, and add a little lemon juice to draw our the flavor. Or bake your chicken instead of frying it- poach your fish or sauté with a little olive oil or wine to ensure both flavor and health!

• Choose your veggies wisely – Canned, processed and preserved vegetables are often extremely high in sodium. Look for ‘low-sodium’ veggies or try frozen foods. Compare the sodium content and look for less sodium- or make sure to try FRESH veggies. Yum!

When your recipe says . . . . . . Try this instead

Whole milk (1 cup) = 1 cup fat-free or nonfat milk plus one tablespoon of unsaturated oil or try fat-free half and half or evaporated skim milk.

Heavy cream (1 cup) = 1 cup evaporated skim milk or 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt and 1/2 cup plain low-fat cottage cheese

Sour cream = Low-fat cottage cheese plus low-fat or nonfat yogurt (fat-free sour cream is also available)

Cream cheese = 4 tablespoons margarine blended with 1 cup dry low-fat cottage cheese; add a small amount of fat-free milk if needed

Butter (1 tablespoon) = 1 tablespoon applesauce!

Shortening (1 cup) = 2 sticks polyunsaturated margarine

Egg (1) = 1 egg white plus 2 teaspoons of unsaturated oil or commercially made, cholesterol-free egg substitute

All-Purpose Flour (1 cup) = Whole-wheat flour, oatmeal or cornmeal. Whole-wheat flour can be substituted for up to ½ of all-purpose flour (i.e. if a recipe calls for 2 cups of flour, try 1 cup all-purpose, and 1 cup minus 1 tbsp whole-wheat flour)

Unsweetened baking chocolate (1 ounce) = 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or carob powder plus 1 tablespoon polyunsaturated oil or margarine. Carob is sweeter than cocoa, so reduce sugar in recipe by 1/4

In my weekly meeting with my health counselor (yes, I have one- even though I am one. I think everyone should) I was talking about everything that is going on with my life and the fact that even though I preach that everyone should take time for themselves, sometimes I don’t realize that I’m not taking my own advice.  So, I decided that I should delve into a world that I don’t know too much about- meditation. Meditation can be some of the greatest self care around, sitting alone with your thoughts or finding a mantra that helps set up the day or wind down the day, putting your thoughts in order and your mind in the right place.

I first tried to meditate on the train to my desk job (I’m on the train about 25 minutes to and from work), my HC suggested putting on some soothing music and relaxing. My problem? I didn’t have a focus. I didn’t have a mantra or something that I could stop all the thoughts in my head from eating up. It turned out to be just another time that my brain started wandering and I kept getting off track. My type A personality hated it. In addition, whenever the train would stop I would worry about where we were or if I would miss my stop. Overall - not a good way to meditate.

I then discovered the magic of podcasts. There’s a daily meditation available for download right onto my ipod! There are a bunch  of mantras, a lot of interesting music, and goal specific meditations (stress relief, weight loss, etc.)- I started listening to one before I go to bed every night! I’ve noticed clarity of dreams, as well as intensity of dreams, I wake up feeling more refreshed and am able to put my mind to sleep each night a lot more quickly. I’m trying to do a quick 10 minutes in the morning and again before bed. I fall asleep easier, and sleep better and it helps keep me on track for a better day. If I’m particularly sleepy in the morning, or happen to be in a bad mood (it happens!) it can help save your morning.

Even if you don’t have the benefits of an ipod, you can still enjoy the benefits of meditation.  Pick a mantra and start meditating, or if you live in a large community like I do, there are a lot of places offering free classes on meditation, check it out! Everyone should incorporate some daily meditation- PickTheBrain had a great blog the other day on even more benefits. Don’t wait- meditate!

Diethack had a great article out yesterday.

http://www.diethack.com/2007/10/do-you-need-supplements.html

Got me thinking.  I had the immense pleasure of studying with a Raw Foodist/Detoxification master (check her out) in Thailand and she was always professing the fact that we can live only off the earth.  There’s been a lot of controversy over this fact because we’re continuously polluting our environment and contributing to the extinction of many different species.  In addition, we may think that we (as a nation) are starting to consider our health more often (not necessarily always true), but there are still millions upon millions of herbicides, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics making it into our food (or the meat or the soil), which is messing up the nutrients that food can provide, the majority of our ‘conventional’ produce is merely a shadow of what it once was.  Lastly, our technology is also killing us, is it really possible that a seedless watermelon has the same overall affect on our bodies as its seeded counterparts? Think about what exactly that means, we’re taking out the seed of the watermelon, or it’s ability to reproduce. Can you imagine if we screwed with our genetics in the same way? Aren’t those some pretty vital organs/abilities?

All in all, I’m not sure we can get every nutritional need from the earth, but even if we could, how many of us would? The body is a phenomenal machine, we literally never miss a beat- as long as we’re trying our best to eat organic/local as often as possible, eat our fruits and veggies and minimize our intake of meat, milk, dairy, chemicalized, artificial junk food, can we live our life to the fullest? Not sure, but I’m trying!

So, you would think as a holistic health counselor/personal trainer that I eat well and exercise all the time, right? Well, sometimes it’s good to have a rude awakening just to remember how important it is to do so. The other night my I was sitting at home, wishing that I had something good in my cupboard to eat, when my sister came home with some pancake mix.  And yes, she proceeded to make delicious white flour filled, corn syrup laden, maple syrup drenched pancakes. Yes, you’re right, they were delicious and I have to say, I ate my fill.

After eating I was resting relatively comfortably on the couch watching the newest episode of one of my favorite TV shows, The Biggest Loser, when I started feeling very sluggish, looked down and had what my friends affectionately call, a food baby. Meaning, you’re looking pregnant- not by sperm, but by something equally as disgusting, simple carbs.  I ended up not sleeping very well, and woke up with a food hangover. Now, I dislike getting a regular hangover, but I can usually chalk it up to having a few too many drinks, usually accompanied with a lot of fun and a few bad choices, with a food hangover all you can do is skip the fun memories and realize that all you did was make bad choices. The rest of the day was sluggish, all my clothes didn’t look right, I just missed the train, was in a terrible mood, had no motivation at work and a three pm slump (which I am usually wide awake for). It seemed as if nothing could go quite my way.

The silver lining? That it made me realize how important my healthy lifestyle really is. I made sure to eat a healthy breakfast, a veggie-chalked lunch and by the time I got to the gym I was feeling relatively revitalized. After a wonderful workout I was immediately in a better mood, and sweated up a storm. I had a nice protein shake to top it off around 6:30pm and ate nothing else for the rest of the day. Was there a difference this morning? You betcha. I woke up on the right side of the bed, with energy, practically skipped my way to the train and am having a very productive day today. 

I’ve heard the theory that everyone should eat a meal like that once a month, just to remember how much better it feels when you’re eating healthy, but as of now it seems that the memory of lethargy will last me a lifetime, then again, next month that pancake mix may look just as good. We’ll see!