We have a couple of exercises we use with our clients that we have come to call the "Money Moves". They have earned this name for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, they involve proper function of the primary movers of your body, the hips, and second, once our clients are able to perform these moves with a level of proficiency their training takes off to another level. For some, these moves come naturally, and we can ramp up their training right away. For others we spend time every session for months to perfect the movements. The two moves are the Good Morning and the Hanging Power Clean. Today we are going to go over the good morning.
The only thing you need for equipment is a broomstick or or piece of PVC. We are not concerned with this as a strength training movement. We are only concerned with your ability to move your hips independently of your lower back. Start by placing the pole across your shoulders, behind your neck and position yourself in a good squat stance. Shoulders back and down, chest out, stomach and lower back tight, and knees soft not locked out.
From this position, you are trying to maintain the natural curve of your lower back as you bow forward until your chest is parallel to the floor. Hold that position for a count and slowly rise back to a standing position.
Seems simple enough right? Give it a try and see how you do. Very few of the people we work with are able to do this correctly the first time. Many first attempts look like the pictures below.
Note the subtle difference between the correct position and the last picture. Can you pick out the slight flexion of the lumbar spine? You may need someone to watch you perform this stretch a few times or video yourself to make sure you are not flexing. It is hard for people new to this to feel when the back breaks its form and bows into flexion. A good cue we picked up form a workshop we attended was to think of the pelvis as a bowl filled with water. If you tuck your butt under into a slouched position(think sitting at a desk or driving a car) water will spill out the back of the bowl. This is never good. If you thrust your butt back and out water will dump out of the front of the bowl. This is better, but still not ideal. What we want in the good morning is a slow pour of water out of the front of the bowl (pelvis).
Take your time and work on this move as a stretch in your warm-up for your workout and your hips, hamstrings, and lower back will thank you.
I recently taught summer school health. I enjoy the health curriculum but I can't stand grading papers. Anyway, I had the pleasure of handling the nutrition and fitness units. It was surprisingly difficult to narrow down everything I have been working on, into a two day lesson that would be fun, engaging and at the same time leave the kids with some understanding of their own nutritional habits. In my prep for the lesson I came across some interesting information that I wanted to share.
We want to insert a disclaimer here that we are not anti establishment, angry, conspiracy theorists. I have my mom and step-dad for that. We want this blog to be a place where people come to make positive changes in their lives, rather than a place to come and complain about how the system is keeping them down. However occasionally we need to pull the curtain back on what is really going on.
You probably knew that the United States is one of the most obese nations in the world. (If you want a scary visual representation of the growth of the obesity epidemic check out this CDC map.) But did you know that the United States is also one of the most malnourished nations in the world? How can that be? It's pretty easy if you consider the standard diet of cheap, empty calorie, processed, carbs that most of us rely on daily.
Here is a video from a TED Talk given by Ellen Gustafson. If you can keep up with her speed talk and hear the message. The problems we are experiencing are not unique to America and are quickly becoming a global issue and the common denominator in all of it are the over consumption of carbohydrates. Thanks to CrossFit South Baltimore for the link to the video.
Things are finally settling down for us. It has been almost two months since the move and we are enjoying our new neighborhood. We have slacked off on the posts, but have not slowed down on our research and work in both the nutrition and fitness fields. We are going to pick up the pace on the posts and share what we have been learning. We have also started using our new nutritional guidelines in an attempt to make the transition to a more Paleo style of eating easier. You can find that here. The workouts that we post three times a week to the left of this post have changed a bit as well to include a pure strength portion combined with a short burst of metabolic conditioning.
Finally, our sister in law, Martina, gave us a great idea. We are looking for one person each, to test out our new nutritional program and our new workouts. The only thing this person needs is a commitment to try something new and the desire to work hard at it. We will provide the rest and track your progress on our blog. It is a great way to ensure accountability. The whole world will be watching, or at least the three people who read this blog. Martina has volunteered to work with Dawn and I am looking for someone to work with me. If you or someone you know would be interested let us know. The testing will include a one on one training session once a week, the three posted workouts and daily nutritional e-mail updates for three months. We will compare results and pictures at the conclusion of the three month period. Leave a comment or send us an e-mail if you are interested. The one caveat is that whoever we work with has to be within an hour drive of Clarksburg.
One of our idols in our conversion to the Paleo way of life is Robb Wolf. He was an instructor at the first CrossFit certification we went to and gave the nutrition lecture. From that day on our lives went in a very different and much better direction. His talk stoked a passion in both of us that we could not stop talking about the whole ride home. We had a similar experience when we drove 7 hours to a seminar he gave in Cherry Point North Carolina a couple of years ago. There we actually had an opportunity to sit and talk with him about not just nutrition, but business and life in general for 30 minutes before the seminar. We are looking forward to attending the latest version of his Paleolithic Solution Seminar in Northern Virginia next week. Robb has a book coming out in September that we are anxiously awaiting and encourage all to purchase called The Paleolithic Solution. As part of the book promotion he has been giving interviews on several popular podcasts. This one on the podcast called Healthy Mind, Fit Body came the closest to encapsulating that trans-formative experience we had at that first certification. Robb has a way of taking incredibly complex systems and talking about them in a way that makes sense. If you have the time it is well worth a listen and will make you rethink your nutritional ways.
We have had a pretty good response from our clients about the idea that grains are bad for you. People seem to be "getting it." Dairy is a whole other beast. On it's surface milk seems like the perfect food in that it has a favorable combination of all three macro-nutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It was our final hold out on our own "Paleoish" nutritional journey. But, we finally did give it up. Our reasons for that and the results we experienced will hopefully give you motivation to tinker with your own eating and try pulling dairy out for a time and see how it works for you.
Reason # 1: Insulin Spikes
We have talked several times about the trouble with constantly elevated levels of insulin in the blood and it's effects on the body (inflammation, fatigue, autoimmune issues, etc.) but we rarely relate it to dairy. Studies have shown that milk can produce an insulin response equal to that of white bread! I know what your thinking, "I'm good, I drink skim milk." Right? Not so fast, skim milk may be the worst for people trying to lose fat. Dr. Cordain author of The Paleo Diet notes, that while skim milk is promoted by the USDA because it contains much lower concentrations of saturated fat, it has been shown to be highly insulinotropic – "meaning that it raises blood insulin concentrations, similar to eating candy or a chocolate chip cookie." This is because skim milk does not contain the fat to slow down the insulin response.
Reason # 2 IGF - 1
IGF - 1 is an insulin like growth factor and is a hormone found in milk. It is an anabolic hormone that's purpose is to cause rapid growth. This is a great thing if you are a newborn and your top priority is growth, not such a good thing if you are trying to lose weight. Increased levels of IGF - 1 are just starting to be looked at as potential risk factors in certain types of cancers, especially breast, colon, and most particularly prostate cancer.
But what about calcium? You need milk for your calcium right?
Wrong again. Consider this, The United States has one of the highest dietary intakes of calcium in the world, yet we also have one of the highest rates of osteoporosis. How could that be? The reasons for this are found in the acid and base relationship of our blood and are too complicated to tackle in this post but we will look at it soon. For now lets just understand that there are other, quality sources of non-dairy calcium. Check the comparisons below.
Food
Serving
Calcium (mg)
Milk
Milk (skim)
8 oz
306
Milk (low-fat, 1%)
8 oz
290
Milk (whole)
8 oz
276
Low-fat chocolate milk
8 oz
273
Vegetables
Collards (frozen, chopped)
1 cup
357
Turnip greens (cooked, frozen)
1 cup
249
Okra (cooked)
1 cup
176
Spinach (cooked, frozen)
1 cup
291
A third reason not to consume milk goes back to the idea of what we as humans are supposed to consume. It makes sense that we consume breast milk from our mothers after birth and studies have shown that we have enzymes in our stomachs that allow us to digest lactose until about two years old. It does not make sense for us to continue to consume breast milk throughout our lives, either from our own mothers or any other species of mammal. Not to mention the antibiotics and hormones that are found in the milk of factory farmed animals.
Trust us when we say we are not fear mongering here. There are exceptions to all of these rules. I know people who have consumed milk products all of their lives with none of the problems mentioned here and that's OK, we are still friends. All we are saying is that if you have not reached your health or fitness goals, you should strongly consider taking the dairy out for at least 30 days and pay close attention to how you look, feel, and perform. Then reintroduce it and pay even closer attention. Our bet is that you will see a dramatic difference. We did.
People who we talk with often get frustrated and say, "What can we eat then" and the answer is so simple it slips past us. Lean Meats, Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts and Seeds. These foods alone will provide you with all the nutrients you need for a long and healthy life.
We have spent the better part of the past two years working directly with people who want to change their lives and it has been a rewarding experience. With that said it is not without it's frustrations. One thing that frustrates us is that we have run the numbers and have found that roughly half of the people who work with us, either directly as clients, or indirectly through this blog, have not had the success we want them to realize with their health and fitness. We are confident that the reason for this is a break down on the nutritional front. If we have someone we are working with who is struggling with their dead lift, we don't just stop dead lifting. We find another way to present the movement so that we can get them into the proper positions. We are taking the same approach with our nutritional prescription. We have come up with a new, four step process to gaining control of your nutritional habits that we hope will be a kinder, gentler version of our old thirty day challenge. The end point is the same, but how we get there has changed a bit. We are going to start using it with our clients and we wanted to share it with you here. Leave your e-mail in the comments if you would like a PDF of the plan. It may be helpful to print it out and use the shopping lists, meal plans and compliance chart. Let us know if you have any questions, comments or clarifications.
New Dawn Fitness Four Stage Nutritional Transition Program
Changing your eating habits is the single most important factor to realizing lasting changes to your health and fitness. Unfortunately, for most people, it is also the single most difficult thing to do. After doing several eating challenges, we have found that going from whatever your current eating situation, to our way of eating is challenging for some and we have developed a four stage process to ease the transition. This process will help you to slowly cut out the foods that can have a negative effect on your health and training and change the behaviors that are holding you back.
We are modeling our program on Bruce Tuckman’s stages of group dynamics. We have found that many people who are trying to change their eating habits naturally transition through each of these stages. They are Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing. With the exception of the forming stage, each stage of the program lasts four weeks, in order to give your body and most importantly your mind time to get used to this new way of eating. We have found that the emotional connection to food is much harder to break than the taste aspect. Your food options start with many and we will cut out foods each month. We will provide you with a suggested shopping list and samples of daily meals for each stage. We will also provide you with a chart that you can use to track your daily progress and hold yourself accountable for your food choices.
The Forming Stage
This is where you prepare to start your new way of eating. It is important to set yourself up for success and this can be done with a few simple steps. The first thing you need to do is understand why you are doing this and why it is important to you. If it is not important you will not be successful. The reasons vary from avoiding death to looking good at the pool and anything in between. We do not care what your reasons are, just make sure you are clear on why you are involved and commit yourself to seeing this through. Total buy in is needed in order for you to be successful. To help you come up with reasons why changing your eating habits is important consider the following:
· An estimated 65.2 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, defined by having a body mass index of 25 or more (National Center for Health Statistics, 2003).
·Surprisingly, recent studies suggest that the majority of Americans are malnourished. Even though we have an epidemic of obesity, Americans tend to be overweight and undernourished. Meaning we are eating too much of the wrong stuff.
· Poor nutrition results in poor behavior, lower core strength, increased body fat, slower mental problem solving, less alertness, and slower muscle response time.
·Each year, more than 500,000 Americans die of heart disease.
·Several types of cancer, particularly colon cancer, bladder cancer and breast cancer, may be affected by diet.
·Depression, eating disorders, distorted body image are often associated with poor nutritional status.
·There has been a significant increase in type 2 diabetes in recent years. This increase is so startling that it is being called an epidemic.
·Osteoarthritis is an inflammation of the joints, resulting in calcifications and breakdown of joint flexibility that can be directly related to diet.
The list goes on and on. Pick your reason and keep it fresh in your head for motivation as you make your way through this journey. It will not be easy, but there is nothing more worth the effort than your health.
The next thing you need to do is another mental step. You need to commit to the notion that every food and drink you put in your mouth falls into one of two categories. Good for you or not good for you. There is no gray area here, its black and white. The food you eat is either going to make you more healthy or less healthy. Our first question to new clients and individuals who come to us with issues is, “How’s your nutrition?” Almost to a person the response is, “I eat pretty good.” Then we do a food log and find that their idea of pretty good and our idea of pretty good are very different. Pay close attention to what you are consuming and make sure it is on the suggested shopping list provided.
This does not mean you have to give up foods you love for good. For example, we still do pizza night, but we do so with the full knowledge that we are making a decision to eat a food that is making us less healthy. The ritual and mental satisfaction that we get out of pizza night actually help us to maintain our strict eating during the week. We don’t stress over it or regret the decision. We make it in advance, enjoy it and move on. The same is true when we decide to take the kids out for ice cream. The point here is not to create some kind of guilt trip, it is simply to realize on a conscious level that food falls into two categories and which category you chose to eat is up to you. The other important aspect of this is the difference between realizing the health and physical benefits of this way of eating, and seeing no results and getting frustrated lies in your level of compliance. When we look at food logs of our clients who are not making progress, we find that they are usually running at about a 70% compliance rate. They are making an effort to clean up their diets but not enough of one and when they do not see the results they get frustrated and think “why bother?” The magic lies in hitting that 90% compliance rate. In this plan you are looking at 42 snacks and meals a week. If you can make 38 of them foods that are good for you, you will have success.
Step three involves some physical work. Go through your cupboards, fridge, and freezer and remove anything that falls into the “not good” for you category. As we head into the storming stage it is too much temptation to have it in the house. Here we are looking to get rid of all processed junk foods, anything that comes in a box or bag and can be kept for weeks on end needs to go. Get rid of all wheat products such as breads, cereals, pastas, chips or crackers. Next, go on a hunt for anything containing sugar. A quick check of the food labels of some of your more common foods will turn up sugar, especially condiments, dressings, and marinades. Sugar is often disguised with other names such a fructose, sucrose, or any other name ending in ose. It’s all sugar and all has to go. The final things you have to get rid of are all of high calorie, high sugar beverages. No sodas, no juices, no Gatorade or even flavored waters. If you want your water flavored drop some fruit in it. The final step is to go to the store and stock up on foods that are good for you. Load the house up so you have nothing but good choices. You are now ready for the storming stage.
The Storming Stage
Sticking with our group dynamics analogy, think about what happens when a group gets together to complete a task; usually one person speaks up with some crazy idea and the others either mumble to each other about what an idiot that one person is or how their idea would be better. Eventually another person will have enough of the initial person’s crazy plan and the storming ensues until the group reaches the next stage of norming or gets bogged down in the storming stage and the plan falls apart. We have found the same to be true with people who have tried to change their eating habits. We are that one person with the crazy idea and you are the ones whispering about how crazy we are to suggest that you give up sugar, grains, dairy and beans. About 50% of the people who try to change their eating habits fail to make it out of the storming stage. Things get tough and instead of reaching some compromises and sticking it out, people spin out of control, go on a binge, gain back any lost weight and usually a few extra pounds. If you go into this stage understanding that things are going to be tough, you are better prepared to stick it out and make it to the norming stage. We have also compromised and instead of asking you to cut out all of the foods that can cause issues all at once, we will cut out some of your staple foods in stages. We will also allow four open meals a week, where you can eat what you want.
Another aspect that makes the storming stage so tough is that here we are giving up the two most addicting foods in the American diet, sugar and processed grains. These two “food stuffs” have become the staples of the average Americans diet and over time you have developed a psychological and a physiological addiction to them. Giving them up can be as difficult as giving up smoking or drinking and often the withdrawal symptoms can be the same. Once again understanding that this can happen will go a long way to helping you get through it. Many people have attempted to change their way of eating and one week in they feel terrible, have no energy, headaches, are hungry all the time, and just plain miserable. They blame the new way of eating and immediately go back to the old comfort foods. Here is a hint, if eating real, whole, natural foods makes you feel ill, something is very wrong. You will go through a tough period during this stage and the length of that tough period is directly proportional to the quality of your current way of eating. Those who have been eating garbage for the last ten years will most likely suffer for a couple of weeks before their body gets used to running on better fuel and flushes out all the junk. Throughout the course of a day, you should be eating 6 meals. Don’t skip meals. Make sure you are always prepared by packing a cooler and taking it with you wherever you go so you do not get stuck with only poor food choices. Stick with it and we promise the return on investment will be worth it. You will soon move on to the norming stage.
The Norming Stage
The storming stage was tough, but hopefully you lost some weight and are still motivated to continue. Most of the initial weight you lose is water weight that is retained by the body because of the inflammatory nature of your prior way of eating. In the norming stage you will start to notice actual body changes. One of the biggest benefits of this renewed focus on your nutrition is the raised awareness of how your body looks, feels, and performs. If you pay close attention you will begin to notice subtle changes in little things like the way your clothes fit. You will notice your energy levels do not dip in the late afternoon; your mood is more consistent, your skin is clearer, and your sleep is better. In this stage you will also get used to planning meals based on a protein source, a carbohydrate, and a fat. You are becoming comfortable with the idea of your carbohydrates coming from nutrient dense vegetables, rather than breads and pasta. You are starting to settle into a pattern of meals that are good for you and it does not seem like work to do it. Now that you are comfortable in your new way of eating, we want you to take the next step and cut out the dairy. Dairy has benefits in that it provides all three nutrients, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins in one food. The problem is that it also provides a large spike in blood sugar and as a result a large insulin response. Insulin is a fat storage hormone and high levels of insulin will prevent you from losing fat. Another reason for cutting out the dairy is that many people have allergic reactions to the sugar Lactose found in dairy and do not even now it. We have had several clients, as well as Dawn herself, see remarkable improvement in seasonal allergies, sinus infections, and a reduction in that stubborn belly fat from cutting out the dairy. Another good reason to cut out dairy, as it was put to us at a nutrition seminar we attended recently; humans are the only mammals who choose to consume the mammary secretions of another mammal. We are not supposed to drink the breast milk of other animals and this is why so many people have issues with lactose. So for the next four weeks, use the same shopping list as the storming stage but at this point you are cutting out all the dairy items in red. Again pay close attention to how you look, feel and perform. There is the possibility of a short withdrawal period here as well. Stick it out for the whole four weeks.
The Performing Stage
Unfortunately we have seen only a few people make it to the performing stage. Most fall off for one reason or another, but those who do, are in for a treat. This is where everything starts to click. You can go to any restaurant or even fast food place and figure out a clean meal. Your energy levels are constant and high. Friends and relatives are wondering what you are doing and how they can do it, you can’t remember the last time you were sick. In this stage there may still be some tweaking you need to do in order to reach all of your goals. What happens to most is that once they reach a level of success and reset what is possible they want more. In the storming stage you were wondering how you were going to eat meatballs without spaghetti, the performing stage will find you wanting to cut that last bit of fat off of your thighs, increase your dead lift by 50lbs, or drop your 5k time by 3 minutes. Your goals shift from just sticking it out to working the system to fit your needs. It is a wonderful place to be on so many levels, not just for your health and fitness, but also for the psychological contentment of knowing that you are in control of that aspect of your life. We have found time and again that when you gain control of one aspect of your life, especially your health, all other aspects start to fall into place. In this stage we are going to cut even further. As good as we hope you feel now, there can be more. We next want you to cut out all of the starches. Again it goes back to what we, as humans, are supposed to eat. Many of the starches (grains) that we eat have a protein in them that prevents predation in the wild. It is the only protection that grains have from being eaten by other animals. These proteins cause gut irritation and can manifest themselves in many ways. Some people may not notice any symptoms when eating these starches, while others notice bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Others can develop autoimmune issues ranging from celiac to diabetes and everything in between. The next four weeks you will cut out all starches and again pay close attention to how you look, feel and perform.
If you find that you have no issues with a small amount of starches and you are an endurance athlete or you work out constantly, the timing of your starches can make a difference. First thing in the morning your body’s glycogen stores are low and immediately following workouts your stores are also low. This would be a good time to consume your starches. Our favorite is yams or sweet potatoes, because of the low glycemic index and resultant insulin spike. Just make sure you have a protein source with that morning or post workout meal.
We have said many times before our nutritional prescription is simple but not easy. We have spent the last two years watching person after person struggle with this until it finally clicks and when it does the results are tremendous. The outward signs such as less body fat, better skin clarity, and better posture are nice. But true beauty and the reason we do this is the idea that you are literally adding productive years to your life. We want everyone we know and people we don’t who will listen to not just be around for a long time but to be functional in their golden years. It starts now no matter what your age. Good luck and be sure to use our blog as a resource to help you along the way. www.newdawnhealthfitness.blogspot.com
Everyday is a challenge when you are trying to keep up with daily responsibilities such as work,kids,household chores,etc. The list is endless so it is easy to make excuses for not exercising and eating healthy. However, the excuses begin to catch up with you and you become tired, moody, lazy, and just downright unhappy. I find this to be the same for my kids. Paul and I receive a lot of questions from parents about what to feed their children. The answer is simple, meats, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and fruits. This is sometimes easier said then done, but it is possible. This is why I was excited to find the website called Everyday Paleo. It is one moms way of sharing her ideas on healthy eating and how it positively affects her family. Healthy eating and exercise helped her and she wants her children to reap the same benefits. It felt good to know that I was not alone in my quest to make sure my kids are healthy. It has been a great resource for my friends and I who are always looking for help and support in a world of processed and high sugar foods. I know how I feel when I eat healthy and I want my children to feel the same. Kylie and Will eat the same as Paul and I, but it is challenging. They still occasionally have rice pasta, gluten free pancakes, Ezekiel bread, cheddar bunnies,and cheddar puffs and there is the occasional trip to the ice cream shop. However, we make sure they have a protein, carb, and fat at every meal and want them to understand how important it is to be aware of how certain foods make them feel. We always love the break downs that ensue after ice cream and other sweet treats:) Just recently, Kylie had a birthday bender where she had 3 birthday parties in a row. She had pizza and cake at every party and by Sunday night was constipated and miserable. Even at the age of 5, she chooses certain foods over others because of the way they make her feel. I definitely run in to the normal resistance from the kids as well as other people, but I know in my heart that what I am doing for my children now will pay dividends later. All I can do now is be a positive role model for my children and hope they stay active and healthy. Remember, we are all in this together:)
Below are pictures of mother of three Sara Fragoso's clean eating transformation.
