Well, it’s THAT time of year. THAT swim suit. THAT light summer outfit. THAT time and place where you need to look and feel your best. So SPRING is a great time to revisit our nutrition, our performance in the gym, and the way we feel outside of it. It’s time for our next NEW-trition challenge.

For those new to Daybreak (and as a reminder for you Daybreak vets), our nutrition challenges are never about crash diets, temporary habits nor unsustainable routines. It’s about educating and exposing you to different ways of eating so that you can choose the best nutritional structure that works into your and your family’s daily routine. In other words, it’s about balance. While we’ll be more structured during the challenge by throwing in some points, penalties and scoring to keep you motivated, we’re hopefully creating some habits that can last you long after the challenge is over.

FIRST DAY OF CHALLENGE: MONDAY 5/15
LAST DAY OF CHALLENGE:  SATURDAY 6/3

It’s ONLY 20 days. That’s it. Just 20 days to eat quality foods AND eat them in the right quantities. Rack up some points for eating well. And get some extra credit for daily movement challenges.

Want to know what to eat? PROTEINS, FATS & CARBS primarily from natural, cage-free, grass-fed, pasture-raised, local, and/or organic sources.

• Protein: Eggs and egg whites, beef/steak, pork, chicken, turkey, duck, fish (tuna, salmon, haddock, cod, snapper, swordfish), and shellfish (shrimp, lobster, scallops, crab)
• Fats: Oils (coconut, olive, avocado), avacado, coconut and coconut butter, nuts/seeds and their butters. No corn, sunflower, nor canola oil.
• High Energy Carbohydrates (HE Carb): Potatoes, sweet potatoes. beets, corn, rice, oats, fruit (bananas, berries, apples, pears, kiwi, citrus, dried fruit)
• Low Energy Carbohydrates (LE Carb): All types of leafy greens (romaine, kale, spinach, bok choy, swiss chard, etc), peppers, snap peas, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, brussel sprouts, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, etc.
• Combinations:
  • Dairy (protein + fat) – yogurt, cheese, milk, cream
  • Beans (carb + protein + fat)
  • Quinoa (protein + carb)
• Not allowed:
  • Processed sugars
  • Added sugars: agave, maple, honey
    • However, trace amounts in, say, Rx Bars or post-workout recovery drinks, are allowed, but you can’t make “paleo” brownies! =)
  • Alcohol
  • Gluten-containing grains: wheat, barley, rye, etc.

While maintaining QUALITY we’ll also focus on QUANTITY of food where we’ll encourage portion controls. The essence is to maintain eating 3-5 meals (based on body composition) per day.

Meal Composition:

• Normal meals should include Protein + Fat + Carb:
  • ½ Plate – LE Carb
  • ¼ Plate – Lean protein (2x for medium to large men)
  • ¼ Plate – HE Carb
  • Thumb’s worth – Fat (2x for medium to large men)
• Post and pre-workouts (60-90 minutes pre-WOD or 2-40 minutes post-WOD) should include Protein + HE Carb (and no fats)

Number of Meals per Day (general guidance):

• Small/Med Female: 3-4 / day
• Med/Large Female or Small/Med Male: 4-5 / day
• Med/Large Male: 5 / day

We’ll divide points among three categories: Quality Points, Movement Points, and Quantity Points. This is obviously an honor system. Only you know what you’re putting in your mouth. The goal is not to create a point system that is so pervasive or complicated that you’re spending more time calculating your points than you are eating. The goal is to give some constructs to the challenge and provide you a little extra motivation and accountability.

Quality/Quantity Points: 

You will begin each and every day of the challenge with 4 quality/quantity points. If you eat as prescribed in quality section AND quantity section above, you keep all 4 points. Eezy peezy. If you slip or need to work in a little balance, you will lose points as follows:

• Bite or Sip or 1 Meal = -1 point (per infraction). If you take a taste, a couple bites, a couple sips of something in the “not allowed” section (from above) you lose 1 point that day per infraction. Or if you miss or add one meal to your intake you lose 1 point. For example, a sip of wine = a loss of 1 point.
• Cup, Bowl or Plate or 2 Meals = -2 points (per infraction). If you have a plate/bowl or glass of something “not allowed”, you lose 2 points per infraction. For example, a small slice of cake at a birthday party = a loss of 2 points. If you add or miss 2 meals you lose 2 points.
• Anything More = -4 points

Movement Points:

You will have the chance to earn movement points by working out and/or completing a daily movement challenge posted with the WOD.

• Daily WOD = 1 point per day. If you get your butt into Daybreak or hit one of our travel WODs at home or on the road, you get 1 point added to your daily score.
• Daily Movement Bonus = 1 point per day. If you complete the daily movement challenge before the day ends (11:59p) you get 1 more point to your daily score.

Recording Your Score:

At the back of the gym we will write your name next to appropriate columns for your daily score. Each day, simply write your score in the appropriate column. To recap:

Each day you can earn a total of 6 points (4 for quality/quantity + 1 for the WOD + 1 for the daily movement challenge). 20 days x 6 total points…Perfect score = 120 points over the course of the challenge!

SIGN-UP: At front desk by no later than MONDAY 5/15.

ENTRANCE FEE: Nada. Zip. Zilch.

PRIZES TO TOP FINISHERS: TBD