Hudson Valley Crossfit

Immunity isn’t granted

2010 Northeast Regionals event info

 

At work the other day I saw someone wiping down their mouse with an antibacterial wipe.  Not that it was the first time, but it got my mind moving.  Another thing that I am sure many people have noticed: the Purell dispensers all over the place in order to fight the dreaded H1N1 flu virus, oink oink.  Here is my statement on it all.  STOP!  Put down the antibacterial wipes and the bottle of Purell.  You are doing more damage than help to your body.  In fact, I want you to go out and play in the dirt, don’t wash your hands for a day, eat something off the floor; you know, all those things that modern day society says not to do because it’s “dirty.”  Our ancestors didn’t have all these luxuries.  Their plate was the ground.  Their tissue was their sleeve (or just their wrist).  They didn’t wash their hands because there was no soap.  Thousands of years of this built our immune system to the way it is today, so why try and reverse all they did for us by using antibacterial soap?   Our body has an immune system to protect us from the germs that will harm us and Purell is weakening our system and making us sicker as a result.

Ok, you are now asking where my scientific proof is.  How about we look at the greatest (in an awful way) scientific experiment of all time that involves the immune system?  Two cultures (I am using two loosely here) that had been separated for probably thousands of years if they ever met in the first place; the Europeans and the natives of the Americas (Native Americans, Incas, Mayans).  The European immune system was developed to handle all kinds of diseases (and this is probably because they were eating a “civilized” diet), while the North and South American natives immune system had not.  Now regardless of why their immune systems were different, they were.  The Indians had a weak immune system, one that had no exposure to disease and the Europeans had a strong immune system, one exposed to disease. 

Now the relationship between this and Purell is that we are preventing our exposure to diseases.  Without the exposure, our immune system cannot adapt to the ever changing, ever evolving diseases.  The flu virus is very different than it was 40 years ago.  Remember the old saying “That which does not kill you only makes us stronger.”  Remember that the next time you wash your hands, because your immune system is dying.

 

WOD: Online Qualifier

For Time:

150 - Double Unders

    30 - 135# Thrusters

30 - C2B Pull ups 

 

Fat-head has fun with NuVal

Explain to me how soy-milk has a better NuVal rating that coconut?

Keep Going

 

As a reminder we have Yoga tonight at 6:00 pm.  I realize that there are some Thursdays that I just want to take a rest day and that is understandable.  However, many of us still have need of the flexibility work.  Remember, your strength is dependant on your flexibility.  Watch the Olympians.  They may be big huge, but if they didn't have some flexibility, they would not be able to do the Oly Lifts as well as they do.  How do I know this?  An American Olymipic lifter told me I needed to get more flexible when I was at my Certification (as well as all 5 other coaches that were there).  So let us all get back on track and come out.

Next thing on the agenda-Talk.  I will occasionally post an article of my own creation and regularly post a few articles for your education or amusement.  Let's talk about them (and I don't mean Greg telling me I have a spelling or grammar error).  You all have ideas, comments and questions so post them.  That is what the comment board is for.  I mean, how is it that I can get away with an awful knock knock joke like yesterday without someone saying how awful it was :)  CrossFit is a community and that community needs to communicate. 

Is the AHA is no longer Coocoo for Cocoa Puffs?

Formula for Mental-Toughness 

Knock, Knock

Who's there?

Orange.

Orange who?

Orange you glad tomorrow is a rest day?

WOD: AMRAP 20 minutes

5- 95# Thrusters

7- 95# Hang Power Clean

10- 95# Sumo Deadlift High Pull

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!

 

2010 Northeast Regionals Information

Take action! Get Grass-fed steak at your local butcher.

Function over Aesthetics

2010 Northeast Regionals information  Don't forget to buy your tickets.

WOD: For time
30 Handstand push-ups
40 Pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings, 1.5 poods
60 Sit-ups
70 Burpees

James Hobart 10:02, Ben Bergeron 11:03, Matt Chan 12:20, Mat Frankel 13:05, Heather Keenan 13:15, Miranda Oldroyd 15:00. Post time to comments.

 

 
Super Karl! Up, Up, and Away!

 

Obesity is a matter of national security

Do toddlers need cake as well as carrots?

Seasonal Allergies

Coconut Chicken Curry

Avoiding Grains 

Company Bake Sales

So your place of work is hosting a fundraiser.  Maybe it’s for Cancer, Autism, childhood obesity or any number of similar causes.  So what are you going to do as a fundraiser?  A Bake Sale!  Everyone loves a bakes sale.  What a great way to show our support for these great causes for people struggling with their health and lives by selling unhealthy desserts.  Now I am not saying raising money and awareness for these causes is wrong.  In fact I commend it.  What your company is doing for these groups is a great thing.  However, why are you promoting unhealthy choices while doing a good thing?  Would you expect PETA to raise awareness about animal rights by hosting a Wild Game dinner?  Ask your company to do the right thing and have better choices about what they are selling.  How about fruit baskets (Edible Arrangements or Wonderland Florist ), gift cards to local farm stands (Adams Fairacre Farms ), especially ones that promote grass raised animals, a 5k run or walk, or even memberships to your local box (or maybe just the local gym as we know not everyone will appreciate CrossFit)?  If you ask, you can often get them donated to you if the proceeds are going to a good cause.  Yes, I am sure this will make things a little harder, but you are now doing the right thing the right way. 

 

WOD: Midwest Qualifier WOD 3 - "The 54321 WOD"

For total reps:

5 minutes of Rowing (calories)

4 minutes of Box Jump (20"/24")

3 minutes of Hang Squat Snatch (45#/75#)

2 minutes of Wall Ball

1 minutes of Handstand Push Ups

 

2010 Northeast Regionals information

Work less at working hard

Kids, Paleo and Nutrient Density

How to win friends and influence Paleo

The 2010 CrossFit Games will be at the Home Depot Center in LA

CrossFit Women 

What are you eating?

Northeast Regionals information

Today's WOD comes straight from the Master's Qualifiers.  And if you think the term "Master's" means it's not as hard as the regular qualifier WODs think again.  We all know how Cindy beats us up, now see her when she has been taking HGH.

WOD: Chest to Bar Cindy

AMRAP for 20 minutes

5 - C2B Pull ups

10 - Push ups

15 - Squats (and of course, no ball)

"A health claim on a food product is a good indication that it’s not really food, and food is what you want to eat."

The bitter truth about Splenda

Alcohol worsens allergies

Lying about your vegetables 

So how much do you eat?  Have you (do you) keep a food log?  If not, why not?  You keep track of your workouts so you know what you have done and how you have improved, why have you not done the same with your food?  I am not saying to do this the rest of your life.  Hell, I'm not even saying to do this for a year (not that it wouldn't be a bad thing).  However, you should try it for a month. In fact, it would probably be a good idea to keep a journal for a 2-4 week period once a year just to see if you have your diet in check.  Your diet is the most important part of a healthy life.  You could be getting into the box exactly how Coach tells us, 3 on 1 off, but if you are eating like shit, your body will feel it. 

I have kept a food journal twice since I started CrossFit back in May 2008.  When I was told to get off the sugar and stop eating the bread at first I resisted just like anyone else.  That is because sugar is like a drug (well, is a drug) with addictive nature.  I thought it absolutley ridiculuos that my brother was weighing and measuring his food.  I believe my actual words were "I will never weigh and measure my food."  Now I am the only one in the household that weighs and measure all my meals.  I never thought I would give up sandwiches and candy but now just walking down the those aisles in the store makes me ill.  I even thought keeping a food journal was pointless.  However, I finally came around to understand the benifits of keeping a food journal.  In order for your food journal to be accurate, you will need to weigh and measure your food.  I am not asking you to continue weighing and measuring your food like I do (I'm a little crazy, we understand that), but just for the duration of your journal.  We want to be as exact as possible.  If you just did deadlift 5X3's and you just wrote, "I deadlifted" in your journal, how would you know if you ever improved?  If you don't weigh and measure your food for your food journal, how will you know exactly what you are consuming during the day?  Hence the above articale on vegetables. 

Now that I have told you to keep a food journal for a little while, here is the next thing.  Fit Day is a online food journal that tracts the nutritional value of what you ate during the day.  This will help you see what you are not eating enough of and what you might be eating to much of.  The online version is free and relatively easy to use.  There are a few problems with finding the food you ate as the list of food can be updated due to user entry.  Therefore, the numbers will not be exact, but it will give you a good idea. 

Here is an example for one day of my Fit Day nutritional table that I did back in early fall 2009.  The left is your basic Carbs/Proteins/Fat with should be about 40%-30%-30% (that is if you have not increased your fat intake which means your fats and carbs ratio would alter, not your protein).  The left are your vitamins and minerals.  Notice, that the only ones that are extremely low are Vitamin D and Calcium (Vitamin E and Potasium are both under 100% but just barely).  If anyone has any questions about the food journal or Fit Day, please post a comment or ask me in the box.

Reminder that this Saturday is the Whole 9 Nutrition Seminar so we will be closed this Saturday.  They extended the time to a 4 hour seminar due to the large group that signed up.  I twill run from 12:00 to 4:00 and they ask you to bring the packet they sent you. 

CELERY IS KILLING YOU!!!!!111!!!1122

In the last 20 years the human race has developed a new gene, the Fat Gene.

Grow your own salad bowl

Vending machines neanderthal style

Hot or Cold? 

They must have the fat gene

WOD: 4 Rounds

  500m Row

  Handstand hold for the time it took you to row the previous 500m.

At the end, 100m for every time you come out of the handstand before your time is up.

 So what this means.  If the first 500m takes you 1:53, you then hold a handstand for 1:53.  If you fall at 1:41 you owe 100m at the end.

 
"Do I have to lift it?" 

Hold your breath for a really long time

The China Study

Never take fitness advice from the New York Times

Top Health and Fitness Quotes

Carrots, and frankly all other questionably fruits and vegetables

Corn is not a vegetable 

WOD: 3 Rounds

  21 - 95# Thrusters

  7 Muscle ups

Alternate WOD is Fran.

 
This was in towardds the end of the brutal Rob Orlando WOD. 

Killing Cancer

Why is running making me fat? (This is were the Zone part of the diet comes in)

Beating Obesity

9 ingredients to avoid

5 ingredients to avoid, again

Is soy health? (Hint. No!)  

WOD: 4 rounds for time of:
Row 500 meters
Rest 3 minutes

David Lipson 1:19.1, 1:23.7, 1:24.3, 1:23.5.
Tommy Hackenbruck 1:29, 1:29, 1:36, 1:36
Ben Crook 1:24, 1:26, 1:32, 1:40
Rob Orlando 1:27, 1:32, 1:34, 1:41
Tanya Wagner 1:41.1, 1:44.9, 1:48.7, 1:47.7

Everything I Want to Do is Illegal

Explore Your Neighborhood: The Frontier

What the globo gyms trainers won't tell you, cause we tell you all this stuff

Glucophobia