"Zzzzzz.....
So we all know we need to get a full night's sleep. The health benefits are countless, and range from keeping our immune system strong to just plain fighting off that nod-n-heavy-eyelid thing that happens when we're exhausted. At the CrossFit Nutrition Certification Robb Wolf shared that there's a real reason you feel terrible the next day. If you are running on empty as far as sleep is concerned, (By the way, Robb states you get enough sleep when you wake up without the alarm clock. Unfortunately this is not likely for the majority of people.), you need to reset your Insulin¹ levels. And guess what happens if you don't. Your body will actually mimic Type II Diabetes. The following will hopefully help in your understanding of this conundrum. Type II
Diabetes: Insulin is needed to move glucose (blood sugar) into cells, where we use it for energy. If it doesn’t get into the cells, too much glucose stays in the blood, which causes the symptoms of diabetes. Because sugar isn’t absorbed into body tissue at this point, abnormally high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called Hyperinsulinemia, which can lead to Hyperglycemia. Many people with insulin resistance² have Hyperglycemia and high blood insulin levels. People who are overweight have a higher risk of insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin. Furthermore, studies show that people who get less sleep have a higher Insulin level. The body generates and regulates hormones during sleep. When this process is cut short, you start off the day unbalanced.
¹Insulin (INS) is the master hormone. Insulin is released mainly by carbs, and a little by protein. Insulin puts in, Glucagon takes out.
²Insulin resistance means that fat, liver and muscle cells do not respond normally to insulin. As a result they do not store sugar for energy. Since the tissues do not respond well to insulin, the pancreas produces more and more insulin. –American Diabetes Association
What! Dairy’s bad? So is the Food Pyramid?
Haven’t we been hit over the head with the slogan “Got Milk”? Or that we have to eat boatloads of breads and grains because the Food Pyramid tells us we have to. Well what would you say if I told you that dairy can cause acne and spikes our Insulin levels? Robb Wolf opened a gateway to an alter universe on Saturday where suddenly my favorite Greek yogurt and pita bread with peanut butter seemed as useless as eating foam. It does make sense. In nature, who drinks milk? When Mike and I got home from the cert,
we were talking with Frank and Mike asked him if he drinks milk. Frank retorted, “No, I’m not a baby.” He’s right. Dairy contains lectins (sugar-binding proteins) from grain fed animals. The actual word lectin comes from the Latin word legere or “to select”. Gluten that is found in grains leads to the damage of the nutrient absorbent villi and microvilli in our intestines. You may have heard of the autoimmune disorder called Celiac Sprue. In this disorder, the microvilli of the intestines are destroyed. This condition causes the inability to absorb fats, minerals, and many vitamins. I’m certainly not saying, nor is Robb Wolf, that if you eat grains you will get Celiac Sprue. What is true however is that there is irritation with almost all grain consumption. This is commonly referred to as “leaky gut syndrome”. Gross. According to Robb Wolf, the theory is that once the gut lining is damaged, large food particles are able to make their way into the blood stream. The immune system then tries to attack the foreign particles. The problem is that the body creates antibodies that attack the its own tissue.
What’s the skinny on fats?
Very briefly, fats are important to incorporate into our diet. Mono-unsaturated fats (avocados, almonds, olive oil, etc.) improve Insulin sensitivity and glucagon release. Poly-unsaturated fats give us our Omega 3 (N-3) and Omega 6 (N-6) fatty acids. According to Genova Diagnostics, new studies are showing that fatty acids may be some of the most important nutrients in the human diet. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) control how cell membranes function. In addition, supplementation of EFAs may reduce the occurrence of complications of pregnancy such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and post-partum depression. One of the things that blew my mind that Robb mentioned was that studies are showing that women who suffer from post-partum depression are missing N-3 fatty acids."
10k Time Trial (07.01.2009)
"Eva" (06.30.2009)
Tomorrow we will be running WODs from 3pm until 8pm and I ask that everyone come in as close to on the hour as possible so we can keep solid heats going through as the day moves along. More information will be coming down in the next few days as to our permanent schedule of hours, I'm still gathering input from our crew in order to best fit the broad spectrum of schedules our athlete's have got going on.
The Time Has Come
Rest Day (06.28.2009)
CrossFit Endurance WOD (06.28.2009)
Ambidextrous Mayhem (06.27.2009)
CrossFit Endurance WOD (06.27.2009)
Stable News:
Barbell AMRAP (06.25.2009)
CrossFit Rest Day (06.24.2009)
Stable News: We seem to be going through CrossFit Kool-Aid by the barrel full lately, today was Cheryl's first "met con distaster fest" and she crushed it. A few days ago when Cheryl came in to visit with her friend Deb (Dos Deb around here) I asked her if she'd had any experience with CrossFit.
CrossFit Endurance WOD (06.23.2009)
Helen Get's Pushy (06.22.2009)
Curious as to why? The image of me in the gas-mask pretty much tells you everything you need to know. I was wearing the gas mask because the room was actually filled with noxious fumes from this crazy muriatic acid (we used it to break up the concrete sealant). 
Pull-up Variants WOD (06.21.2009)
Stable News: 
Rest Day Nutrition Topics Part II (06.20.2009)
Our primary goal tomorrow is to impart a basic understanding of both the "Paleo" and "Zone" approaches to performance nutrition. Once we ven-diagram the hell out of both methods we'll be covering specific examples and contextual descriptions of how to implement each regimen (Thanks to Robb Wolf we were provided with some insightful case studies at the cert, the best of which we will share during the class). After the lesson is concluded and we've done our best to answer every one's questions we will start taking people aside (completely optional on the part of the athlete) in order to assist them with finding an optimal initial Block Prescription (for the Zone) or Paleo Meal Outline/Menu. 
HSPU, Push-Up, Ring Dip WOD (06.19.2009)
Stable Welcome Notice/News:
Max Effort Power Snatch (06.17.2009)
Rest Day (06.16.2009) The image to the left is of Don PePe... need I say more?
Diabetes: Insulin is needed to move glucose (blood sugar) into cells, where we use it for energy. If it doesn’t get into the cells, too much glucose stays in the blood, which causes the symptoms of diabetes. Because sugar isn’t absorbed into body tissue at this point, abnormally high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called Hyperinsulinemia, which can lead to Hyperglycemia. Many people with insulin resistance² have Hyperglycemia and high blood insulin levels. People who are overweight have a higher risk of insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin. Furthermore, studies show that people who get less sleep have a higher Insulin level. The body generates and regulates hormones during sleep. When this process is cut short, you start off the day unbalanced. 
we were talking with Frank and Mike asked him if he drinks milk. Frank retorted, “No, I’m not a baby.” He’s right. Dairy contains lectins (sugar-binding proteins) from grain fed animals. The actual word lectin comes from the Latin word legere or “to select”. Gluten that is found in grains leads to the damage of the nutrient absorbent villi and microvilli in our intestines. You may have heard of the autoimmune disorder called Celiac Sprue. In this disorder, the microvilli of the intestines are destroyed. This condition causes the inability to absorb fats, minerals, and many vitamins. I’m certainly not saying, nor is Robb Wolf, that if you eat grains you will get Celiac Sprue. What is true however is that there is irritation with almost all grain consumption. This is commonly referred to as “leaky gut syndrome”. Gross. According to Robb Wolf, the theory is that once the gut lining is damaged, large food particles are able to make their way into the blood stream. The immune system then tries to attack the foreign particles. The problem is that the body creates antibodies that attack the its own tissue.
What’s the skinny on fats?
Time Trial (06.15.2009)
"Nasty Girls" (06.14.2009)
Congratulations to our CrossFit Community for raising the $500,000.00 necessary to start up our own Risk Retention Group!
Stable News:
Saturday morning we are having our crew in at 5:30 am for the WOD before Mike and I head down to CrossFit Boston for a Nutrition Certification Seminar by Robb Wolf. If you can't make the early class don't stress, embrace the creativity needed to adapt the WOD to whatever constraints exist outside the Stable... I still think that the best workouts are always those that get improvised.
"Some one once told me the definition of Hell: 
Hang Clean, Ring Dip, Sit-up AMRAP (06.11.2009)
Max Effort Back Squat (06.10.2009)
Image: Thanks to Bertholemeou for this bada$$ creative logo, which is destined to become a CrossFit New Hampshire T-shirt (with his permission).
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