CrossFit South Bend

In this video we discuss the top 5 mistakes that I see when people switch to a Paleo diet 1. Skimping on healthy fat 2. Calorie counting before food quality is in place 3. Forgetting that Paleo is supposed to be a lifestyle and not a quick fix detox or diet. 4. Forgetting that there is no one such thing as "The Paleo Diet" and that Paleo is best thought of as a template. 5. Treating Paleo as a religion or dogma In the video we discuss each of these in more detail.

One thing that almost everyone who starts eating healthy is sure to encounter is the haters. Who are the haters? -The people who are skeptical of any eating change -The people who themselves aren't motivated enough to make positive changes in their lives so they have to bring other people down -The people who are food pushers So how do you deal with the haters? Every situation is different but here are some good rules. -If someone asks you once or twice why you're having a gluten free bun or no dessert, for example, just politely say that eating this way makes you feel better and leave it at that -If they persist a third or a fourth time ask them why they care what you're eating. As long as you're not pushing them to eat something, which you shouldn't do, there's no reason why it should bother them that you're eating a certain way. -If it still continues and you consider this person a true friend or loved one ask yourself why you're still hanging out with them. If they really love you and care about you they should let you pursue what you choose. Alternatively, find some other non-eating activity to do together. At the end of the day, each situation is different, but hopefully this gives you some options for dealing with these situations.

In this video we talk about how to construct a healthy meal from scratch. Basically, you want the following three things at each meal. -Quality Protein (fish and seafood, beef, chicken, eggs, etc.) -Vegetables (kale, cauliflower, carrots, squash, etc.) -Healthy Fats (olive oil, macadamia nuts, avocado, etc.) This corresponds to the three main macronutrients namely protein, carbs, and fat. The key here is to get quality versions of these things for each meal. In terms of amounts, in general, we’re big fans of just starting with rough amounts rather than calorie counting, point counting or carb counting right out of the gate. Here are rough guidelines. -Protein: 4-8oz per meal -Vegetables: At least one vegetable per meal (yes, that includes breakfast) -Fat: 1-3 Tablespoons of healthy fat per meal (it really depends a lot on your goals) Other things that can be added to meals but aren’t strictly speaking necessary for health are: -Fruits -Nuts and Seeds -Herbs and Spices What are some examples of healthy meals based on this template? 1. Salmon, spring mix with olive oil 2. Steak, asparagus and roasted potatoes cooked in ghee (clarified butter) 3. Chicken, sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts cooked in coconut oil.

In this video we'll be talking about making a special occasion calendar. What is the special occasion calendar? It's a short list of the most important events that happen in your life throughout the year. Your birthday, Christmas, your spouse's birthday, Thanksgiving, etc. What's the point of the special occasion calendar? To show you the frequency of your special occasions throughout the year and to show you what's actually worth celebrating and eating off plan throughout the year. As I've said many times before, it isn't the single days of Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other holidays where we eat off plan that lead to health issues. If people were eating healthy the rest of the year and had whatever they wanted to eat on these single days way fewer would be overweight, sick, and diabetic. The problem is that we've made special occasions way too frequent. For example, if you're special occasion calendar includes a legit special occasion once a week you're definition of a special occasion is way too broad. Most people when they actually do this excercise only have 1-2 special occasions per month. This is just frequent enough to enjoy yourself, but just infrequent enough when it's a super frequent occurrence. What about special occasions can't plan for? Engagements, promotions, etc. For those things list those types of occasions that would warrant a special occasion for food. If you have 5-10 mins give the exercise a try. Just write down your list of special events throughout the year. It might not be quite as many as you'd think, and that ends up being a good thing. It means you can enjoy yourself on those days, and go back to eating healthy the rest of the time after they're done.

The Ketogenic Diet is all the rage these days. In this video we explain what the ketogentic diet is, who can it beneficial for, and who shouldn't do it. So, what is keto? It's a diet based on notion that our diets should primarily be based on healthy fats. Orthodox keto is very high in fat (about 75-80%), very low in carbs (5%), and moderate in protein (about 20-25%) Who is keto for? As always, you'd be checking with your doctor or other qualified healthcare professional first about this, but it can be beneficial for people with insulin resistance/Type 2 diabetes, people with neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and it has been studied extensively for certain brain cancers. It can also be really beneficial for endurance athletes. Who should not do the keto diet? Although there are exceptions, generally speaking people with thyroid or adrenal issues, women trying to get pregnant, and people who do very glycolytically (e.g., carb) demanding sports like high-level CrossFit. Here's the #1 most important thing to remember about keto. It's a tool, just like a hammer. A hammer is really good for some things, but not so good for others. Keto is a very useful tool that is very helpful for certain things but not the right tool for others.

We now have Maura's meals available at the gym! These are delicious, healthy meals that you can order online and pick up at the gym every week. If you haven't tried them yet you should. I'm a big fan of the breakfast skillet, and the beef bro. I've included a comprehensive description of the program from Maura herself below. Meals By Maura: An Introduction Hello all you time-constrained, health conscious readers. My name is Maura Scudder and I (along with some help from my more business-savvy fiancé, Ryan) recently started a meal prep business, Meals By Maura and we just partnered with Crossfit South Bend to offer our meals to members, so I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself and our business. In this initial post, I will let you in on some secrets about why I started Meals By Maura; talk about how ordering works; and give you a general overview of what Meals By Maura is all about. Let’s Start With: What’s Meals By Maura all about? Meals By Maura, or MBM as we sometimes refer to it, aims to take the time, energy, and general hassle out of the dreaded weekly meal prep routine. Let’s face it: we all strive to eat healthy, good for us foods, but sometimes we just don’t have the time to go to grocery store to buy the food, then to prep and cut the food, to cook the food, and then to package all this healthy food. Well, that’s where MBM comes in. We can take care of all these steps for you and then deliver these pre-prepped, pre-packaged healthy meals to Crossfit South Bend so that all you have to do is pick them up, take them home, and ENJOY! Meals By Maura only uses fresh ingredients and cooks primarily meats and vegetables. We provide options for those trying to eat gluten free, paleo, and Whole 30 as well as options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even (my favorite) snacks. MBM meals never have any preservatives, dyes, added sugars, or processed foods. MBM meals come in microwaveable and dishwasher-safe containers that fit easily into lunch boxes or stack in refrigerators. Meals last in the fridge for up to 10 days and can be kept in the freezer for up to 2 months. To enjoy your MBM meal, just take the lid off, pop it in the microwave (3-5 minutes is the recommended cooking time), take it out and you are ready to eat. Meals By Maura offers a set menu for each week including “Basic Bro” and Gourmet meals as well as a rotating Meal of the Week.   Finally, How Can you Order?! Have Question/Want More Information, reach out! Email: mealsbymaura@gmail.com Phone: 317-709-8734 Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/mealsbymaura/ To Order Menu available on Facebook page (see link above) Talk to a CFSB Coach Email Brandon at crossfitsouthbend.com Orders are due by 12pm every Sunday To Pick Up Meals are delivered by 5:30pm on Mondays Meals will be put in the fridge in the public gym area and marked with your name Each meal is labeled with name and date for easy storage and handling Meal of the week is announced every Saturday by 10am, so look for new meals to try each week! I am so excited about this new business venture and to be sharing my love for fitness, health, and healthy food fit for a fast-paced lifestyle with you. Get those orders in soon!

Are your genes your destiny from a health perspective? Put simply, the answer is no. However, I see so many people who say something to the effect of, "My dad had heart issues, so I'll probably get heart isssues" "My grandma and mom had a thyroid disease, so I'll probably have a thyroid issue long-term" This just simply is not true. With very few extreme exceptions (e.g., sickle cell anemia) most chronic health conditions are at most 33% genetic and the other 67% comes from lifestyle choices. A famous example of this is that you can have genetically identical twins one of which has schizophrenia and the other of which does not so it quite literally cannot be purely genetic. A helpful way to think about this is the saying that "Genes load the gun, but environment pulls the trigger." So someone could have a copy of the ApoE4 gene, which has been studied for high cholesterol and Alzheimer's, but that does not mean they will have high cholesterol or Alzheimer's. It means there's a greater likelihood that those things will happen but only if the environmental influences like poor diet, lack of exercise, poor sleep, excess stress, etc. contribute. Genes are not destiny from a health perspective. That's great news, because that means there's a lot you can do to improve your health with nutrition, exercise, sleep, stress reduction, etc.