As we’re slowly ramping back up from lockdown, school is back in session and the whole family is getting back to some form of a schedule, it’s time to make your physical and mental health a priority. Many of us have been a bit lax during quarantine and the summer, so it’s time to get back to some good, healthy eating habits. Fueling and moving your body is the best way to reduce stress, feel good, stay healthy, and conquer it all! No better way to do so than with a little friendly wellness challenge!

OUR GENERAL NUTRITION PHILOSOPHY
Let’s face it. Nutrition is a lot like politics. It’s personal. It’s sometimes messy. And you’re probably going to regret bringing it up with friends and family. But rest assured, we can make nutrition less controversial for you and everyone around you.

The philosophy espoused by CrossFit is fairly straight forward: 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.

While that’s not a terribly actionable nutrition plan, it certainly gets to the point. Our goal in conducting these challenges is to expose you to different ways of eating so you can choose what works best for you. It’s not necessarily meant to be the end all, be all of nutrition, but hopefully you can learn something about your body and sustain some of the healthy habits you created along the way.

GOALS OF THIS CHALLENGE
Putting the best quality and the right quantity into your body helps it to run efficiently and effectively. It’s the best of both worlds, you feel good on the inside and look good on the outside. We’re also going to incorporate hydration, working out and sleep, as bonuses!

This challenge you’ll have a QUANTITY CONSTRUCT for every meal, which you’ll fit QUALITY foods into.

Yes, there are elimination foods, BUT with a point system which allows you to decide when to have “treat” meals.

Challenge Runs:
Mon Morning 10/26 – Tuesday Night 11/24 (Yup, right before Thanksgiving!)

ONLINE WEBINAR KICK OFF
Friday, October 23rd from 10:30-11:00am (30 minutes) in Wayland. This will give you a chance to ask questions in real time. If you can’t make it, don’t worry, we’ll be zooming live and will also record it and post it to Saturday’s WOD post.

First, let’s chat QUANTITY
Every meal you should be eating 2+ handfuls of veggies, a palm of protein, a thumb/index finger of fat, a fist of starch, and 2+ cups of water. See chart below.

You can always eat less than what’s on the chart (for example: no starch with a meal) but eating more of something (besides veggies and water) will result in a penalty. You also can’t “bank” food for another meal (for example: not eating starch at breakfast, but having two servings at lunch). See “POINTS” below.*Snacks – choose a two-category combo from the chart

Next, is QUALITY foods to fill your meal chart

VEGGIES

• Spinach, kale, swiss chard, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, etc.

PROTEIN

• Turkey, chicken, tuna, ham, salmon, egg whites, lean (90%) ground beef, ground turkey, flank steak, turkey bacon, protein powder
• Non-Fat yogurt

FAT

• Oils (avocado, olive, sunflower, etc.,) and butter
• Nuts, seeds and nut butters
• Coconut, olives, bacon

STARCH/FRUIT

• Bananas, apples, berries, oranges, peaches, grapefruit, kiwi, melon, pears, plums, nectarines
• Potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut or acorn squash, beets
• Oatmeal, whole grain English muffins, breads, tortillas or pastas, brown rice, quinoa

COMBINATION FOODS

• Fat + Protein
  • Ground meats, ribeye, steak tips, chicken wings, chicken thighs, 85% leanness or less
  • >1% fat dairy items
  • Eggs w/yolk

• Fat, Protein + Carb
  • Beans

There is a potential for 9 total food points per day. You will be scored daily based on your meal chart constructs. If you exceed your serving limit, you lose points. If you eat outside the quality constructs, you lose points. It goes a little something like this:

Quantity – 5 points

• Lose a point for eating excess servings. For example, having more than a fist of rice at dinner is a loss of 1 point. Having 2 thumb-to-fingers worth of peanut butter at breakfast is a loss of 1 point. However, there is no penalty for having excess veggies and water!

Quality – 4 points

• Bite or Sip = -1 point (per infraction). If you take a taste, a couple bites, a couple sips of something outside the quality section (from above) you lose 1 point that day per infraction. For example, a sip of wine = a loss of 1 point.
• Cup, Bowl or Plate= -2 points (per infraction). If you have a plate/bowl or glass of something outside the quality construct, you lose 2 points per infraction. For example, a small slice of cake at a birthday party = a loss of 2 points
• Anything More = -4 points

Bonus Points:

There is the potential for 3 extra bonus points…

• Water: Drink at least ½ bodyweight (measured in pounds) in ounces of water. Example: A 120 lb. person drinks 60oz of water per day
• Workout: Daybreak WOD or Endurance (at home or at Daybreak) and post to comments.
• Sleep: 7+ hours of sleep per night. Naps count toward your day’s total.

Head over to the WAYLAND or ACTON registration link and register. You should use the same login information that you use to RSVP for classes. If you forgot, email us!!!

There is no charge to participate in this challenge!

Then, to keep track, you simply log into your Triib mobile app (yes, the same one you use to RSVP) and click on the 3 horizontal bars in the upper right and scroll down to “Events” and you’ll see the challenge. Click on the challenge and you’ll be able to enter your food scores and your bonus points if any. The app will keep your score and rank you in the gym!