Hello DogTowner’s,

This week’s topic is about an American hero. A real American hero. Not a sports celebrity. Not a public figure. Not a famous actor. This week’s blog is about a man who devoted his life to his country, his community, and his brothers in arms both near and far. Sadly, this man gave his life for such dedication.

The man I speak of is Ricardo Antonio Crocker. Also known as Major Crocker, USMC. Also known as Ricardo Crocker, SMPD/SWAT Operator. But to those who knew Mr. Crocker best, he was known simply as “Rick”.

Even before Rick’s life was cut far too short, he became a legend both near and far for his leadership and dedication to finish the task at hand. While active duty in the US Marines and serving our country abroad, Rick was assigned to a position designed to expedite the reconstruction efforts in Iraq. A job one Lieutenant Colonel called “The most important job undertaken by the armed services”. A job that only 6 Marines out of 1300 were called on to participate in. "Some men are willing to give the best of our nation in order to fulfill a great need," Lt. Col. William Costantini said. "Rick was such a man."

Rick was equally admired by his superiors and peers back home in Santa Monica, CA. Aside from completing his responsibilities as a Santa Monica Police Officer and SWAT team member; Rick volunteered to work with local youth through the Police Activities League (PAL). Rick supervised youth field trips to Camp Pendleton in San Diego and the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. He also created an SAT preparatory workshop for high school kids wanting to go to college.

During Rick’s final deployment to Iraq in May of 2005, while conducting combat operations in the early morning hours inside the town of Haditha (an area of Al Anbar province known to be an epicenter of insurgency at the time) Rick and his unit were attacked by rocket-propelled grenades and small arms fire.

Major Crocker, USMC, was one of three Marines killed during the firefight. He was 39 years old.

Col. Steve McKinley, commanding officer, 5th CAG, eulogized Rick at a memorial service at Camp Falluja in 2005. “He gave of himself and every facet of his being,” McKinley said.  “He was a leader and inspired me and his Marines to do better.”

Rick has inspired countless men, women, and children both near and far to do better. That is why; on May 24 you are all invited to participate in the second annual “Rick” hero workout. Bring your families. Bring your friends. Enjoy being apart of your local community as much as Rick did.

Event Details:

When – May 24

Where – Original Muscle Beach, Santa Monica (just south of the pier)

Time – 4pm to 6pm

Cost – FREE

T-shirts will be sold on-site for $20 (cash only please).

“Rick” Hero Workout:

4 rounds of:

20 hand release burpees

400 meter run

30 sit-ups

5 rope ascents

Please come out and show your support to the Santa Monica Police and Fire Departments. You are all apart of the CrossFit community. Show your respect to a local fallen hero and honor Rick’s sacrifice by participating in a workout dedicated to him.

Please contact Scott McGee or myself with any questions.

Coach Mike

Valerie Voboril is going back to the CrossFit Games!!!! She had an amazing performance this weekend showing so much heart and character. She placed third in the Southern California CrossFit Regionals putting her back in the running for the 2012 CrossFit Games. She truly gave it her all this weekend, and her hard work and dedication paid off. What a great way to spend Mother's Day! Val qualified for the games after having her beautiful baby, Vin, less than a year ago!

On top of that, we have part-time DogTowner, Lindsey Valenzuela in the 4th place spot earning her a trip to the games as well! What a great weekend! We get to watch both of these amazing women kick some ass at the 2012 CrossFit Games this July at the Home Depot Center right in our own back yard!

DogTown's Team also did extremely well with a solid 5th place finish. Only the top three teams advance to the games, but we are very happy with our performance and look forward to training for next year. Congratulations to Ben Hopkins, Scott McGee, Dusty Hyland, Niki Osimo, April White and Liz Burns. We gave it our all this weekend!

For more updates and video coverage visit: http://games.crossfit.com/region/southern-california

DogTown Paleo Challenge

Ready to Change your Lifestyle and Take Your Fitness to the Next Level?

The Paleo Challenge is arriving fast! Start Date June 4^th.  This challenge is structured differently than challenges we've had in the past. It’s more competition oriented, will last longer, and there will be a winner at the end. We are looking for a lifestyle change and goals met.

It’s $50 to buy-in for the challenge.  The entry fee gets you a private consultation with me. Together we will determine the best course of action for you to achieve your goals whether it’s; fat loss, strength gain, or simply to look, feel, and perform better.  Topics covered will include: what to eat, the importance of sleep, quick and easy meals, meal planning, post workout meals, and more.  Along the way, there will be weekly emails to update and motivate everyone who participates in the challenge.

Since this is a judged event, we will take as many measurements as your comfortable with; i.e. "Before" photos, body measurements, and body fat % (I am going to try to have the body fat truck here the last weekend of May or the first weekend of June).  All information gathered during this phase will be kept confidential.  If you decide to take part in the challenge, email me at sean@dogtowncrossfit.com and I will send you a nutritional questionairre to fill out so I have an idea of what you wish to achieve and tailor the consult to your individual needs.

The duration of the challenge is 12 weeks long beginning Monday, June 4^th.  That way you will all get the weekend to go crazy before the challenge starts.  We will have initial benchmark workouts performed the week prior to the start date.  They will consist of 3 lifts and a benchmark metcon to see where you are at the beginning.  We will repeat the same workouts again at the end of the 12 weeks.

Start Date: June 4^th

End Date: August 31st

Prizes: Announced in the next weeks

Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges based on your overall changes of body composition (make sure you get that bodyfat tested this Friday as it will give more measurable results for us and you to track your progress), performance change, etc. We will also assess what your initial goals were at the beginning of the challenge.  

Last year we had over 50 people sign up for the challenge and those that stuck it out saw significant improvements in health and fitness levels.  This year I'm confident we can get even more people involved and really make a difference in everyone's overall health because in the end, you simply can't perform your best on crappy fuel.

Recipe of the week: Farmers Market Spring Veggie Medley with Wild Shrimp

~Coach Sean (Seamus)

Hello DogTowner’s,

This week’s topic is about the upcoming Southern California CrossFit Regional competition. Regionals are the second stage in the yearly CrossFit World Championships. Teams and individuals had to qualify for the event by placing in the top 60 athletes for individuals (60 men and 60 women) and top 30 teams during the first stage of the competition, known as The Open. The world is divided into 17 regions. Ours is the Southern California region.

Many of you, knowingly or otherwise, also participated in The Open competition. For five weeks throughout February and March, DogTown CrossFit devoted Friday classes to the Open competition workout. If you are new to CrossFit, you’ll have to wait until next year to participate!

Who will be competing?

DogTown CrossFit has both individual and team athletes competing in this years Regional competition.

Individuals- Valerie Voboril and Lindsey Valenzuela

Team- Liz Burns, April White, Niki Osimo, Scott McGee, Ben Hopkins, Dusty Hyland (Jason Alexander and Johanna Hudson are team alternates)

Where will the SoCal Regionals be held?

The 2012 Southern California Regional competition with be held at the Pomona Fairplex:

Pomona Fairplex

1101 West Mckinley Avenue

Pomona, CA 91768-1639

The event will be held in the main lot areas 9, 10, and 11 of the Pomona Fairplex. Parking is $10 and one parking pass will work for all 3 days. Spectator Admission is $25 for all 3 days, $10 for individual days.

When are the SoCal Regionals?

May 11^th – 13^th

The SoCal Regional will begin Friday, May 11 at 9am. Athletes will be competing all day, concluding around 6pm. The competition will continue throughout the weekend on Saturday and Sunday with a similar daily schedule.

Why attend the 2012 SoCal Regional?

That’s simple. To support the individual and team athletes from DogTown CrossFit. It will also give you the opportunity to see CrossFit workouts and movements performed at a very high level. At the very least, you will be able to hang out with fellow members of DogTown outside of the gym and enjoy beautiful Pomona, California.

But seriously, showing support to our DogTown athletes is very important to their success. Cheer loud and help support our athletes, as they have devoted many hours, blood, sweat, and tears leading up to this event. Wear your favorite DogTown CrossFit gear, or pick up our latest team shirt the next time you’re in the gym.

What else are you going to do May 11^th to May 13^th? They gym is closed!

Hope to see everyone out in Pomona supporting DogTown CrossFit!

Let me know if you have any questions. See you at the gym.

Coach Mike

Hello DogTowner’s,

This week’s topic will be a review of a subject I have already covered in my weekly blog posts: gym etiquette. Due to many new trainees at DogTown CrossFit, a review of a few basic gym etiquettes will keep the gym orderly and the members safe. Enjoy…

A topic I sometimes do not get to review with the new trainees I coach here at DogTown is gym etiquette. In an attempt to get our up-and-coming athletes ramped up for regular classes, teaching proper form, range of motion, and safety sometimes supersedes gym etiquette.

Many of the elements that make up proper gym etiquette are unspoken doctrines. So if some of the following “gym rules” don’t sound familiar to you, don’t worry, it’s not your fault!

Almost all gym etiquettes are directly or indirectly created to keep trainees safe while in the gym. Don’t be confused; gym etiquette is not something that another member does that annoys you. There is a time and place to air your grievances at DogTown (the yearly holiday party known as “Festivus”).

Let’s discuss a few common gym etiquettes that I see the need to “review” here at DogTown:

1. Standing too close to a trainee who is lifting = This can be very distracting (and potentially unsafe) to an athlete. We all need to be cheered and motivated, but give the athlete a reasonable lifting radius so they can concentrate on their lift. Also, stay out of a lifters line of sight. Standing in front of an athlete before or during their lift is very distracting.
2. Lift Timing = This is another distracting event to an athlete about to lift or performing a lift. Relate lift timing to bowling. Usually two bowlers playing side by side in their lanes will let one go first. Same concept at the gym. Obviously, at DogTown, we can’t wait for every trainee to lift one at a time. Just try to be conscious of the lifters on your sides and directly in front of you. This can prevent a possible accident happening if one trainee ditches their lift while another trainee is performing theirs.
3. Bumper Plates = We all love bumper plates. But, a few notes about them. Some trainees have learned that by leaning them upright and rolling them to and from their barbell makes set up and breakdown more efficient. However, this can lead to a laundry list of possible accidents (i.e. plates rolling into another trainee’s lifting space or the trainee themselves). If the gym is busy, please do not roll your bumper plates during set up or breakdown. Related to rolling, is throwing your bumper plates. If your bumper plate does not land flat, it has the potential to roll into an athlete’s lifting space, or their leg.
4. Clean Up = Many of you DogTowners do a great job regarding this topic. After your workout, when you can see straight again, please clean up your workout area. Not only should you be cleaning up your area, but when you return the equipment, please make sure the equipment is returned to where it belongs. Most notably, the bumper plate stacks. The 10’s on top of other 10’s, 25’s on top of other 25’s, and so on. Keeping the gym clean and organized is everyone’s responsibility.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please talk to me at the gym.

Gym etiquette is a unique element to a successful gym. I have worked in many fitness gyms, and proper etiquette keeps new and experienced trainees happy and safe.

Coach Mike

Hey Everyone,

I was going to shift gears this week away from my latest abouut proper sleep, recovery, training etc and write about why exactly it's essential to ditch grains for optimal health but it turns out, someone has already written a great post about such a thing.  Original article found here.

"Get rid of grains in your diet. You’ve probably heard your trainers at CrossFit Impulse talk about this topic hundreds of times. But do you know the nitty gritty details of what grains do to your body and why they are only one step up from eating poop?

First, when you see “grains,” that means wheat, rice, corn, barley, rye, oats, millet, or sorghum. Grains are killing you. Literally. Very slowly, from the inside out—but they are killing you. I’m going to tell you about the four major ways grains are killing you. It would take Mr. Wizard and Bill Nye the Science Guy combined to fully explain this, so I’m just going to hit the high points. But first, I want you to buckle down and put on your big girl panties. It’s going to get a little complex in a couple places, but you can understand this—I promise. I can barely remember where I park my car and I understand it, so there’s hope for anyone.

Frolicking in a field of grains is the healthiest possible use of that field.

1. Lectins

Many plants and animals have defense mechanisms so they don’t get eaten, trampled, or otherwise prevented from reproducing. Roses have thorns. A rhinoceros has a big mother’effin horn. Poison Ivy has chemicals that make you itch if you get too close. Grains have an Al-Qaeda like defense mechanism called lectins. Now many foods have lectins, but grains have nasty lectins that harm us. Here’s how.

Lectins are proteins that we can’t digest. We normally digest proteins into amino acids where they are absorbed by our intestines (our gut). Since we can’t digest lectins, they pass through the wall of our gut undigested as complete proteins. This damages the gut, inflames our bodies, and makes them unable to absorb many of the good proteins that we get from other foods. But that’s not all. The worst part is that our body’s immune system is at a high state of readiness around our gut. After all, the gut can be a nasty place. See what’s in the bowl after you take a dump? Thirty minutes ago, that was inside your body, and your body’s immune system had to fight off the bacteria and other microbes you might have been exposed to. Now, when lectins pass through the gut as a complete, undigested protein, our body mistakes them for foreign invaders and attacks with the immune system.

After repeated attacks from lectins (your daily bowl of Special K) your body gets smart and makes antibodies to automatically attack these nasty proteins. It builds immunity. The problem? Sometimes part of the lectin looks a lot like normal body tissue. You don’t want your immune system attacking your normal body tissue, but that’s exactly what can happen. Check out why: Lectins are proteins. Proteins are made of particular arrangements of amino acids, stacked just like Legos. Let’s take a look at a hypothetical lectin that has a little piece of it made from an arrangement of amino acids A, B, C, and D.

Lectin

Now let’s take a look at another protein in your body. As an example, we’ll use a protein in your Pancreas, but there are countless examples. This protein is much longer than the lectin, but it happens to have a little segment of amino acids with the same Lego pattern as the lectin.

A protein in your body that you would really like to keep

That particular lectin looks a lot like an important protein in your pancreas, and now your immune system attacks that protein in your pancreas, rendering your pancreas unable of producing insulin. This is Type 1 Diabetes. What if the lectin looks like myelin basic protein (MBP) in your brain? Multiple Sclerosis. An important kidney protein? Nephropathy. The list goes on. Grains turn your body’s immune system against you. This phenomenon is called auto-immune disease. It’s very real. We haven’t even made it to #2 and grains are already killing us—quite literally.

11 is for "Psoriasis" Best of luck!

So you’ve been eating grains all your life and you’re not dead yet, right? Why haven’t you been stricken with something described above? The human body is an incredibly resilient biological machine. That’s the only way we’ve been able to survive, not thrive, with grains for the last 10,000 years. After grains were introduced to humans, we lost an average of six inches in height. Do you think that’s coincidence, or that we’re trying to feed our bodies with material that we’re not genetically equipped to handle? But yes, you could go all your life eating grains and never get one of the many auto-immune diseases. In the end, you may be lucky. I suppose it depends on whether you’re a gambler. But remember, about 18 sides of that 20-sided die look pretty ugly.

2. Insulin Response

We’ve documented the importance of hormonal balance between insulin and glucagon in our article “The Zone Diet Explained.” Grain-based foods  cause huge, nasty insulin spikes, making it almost impossible to achieve hormonal balance. This means that as long as you eat grains you’re going to experience inflammation in your muscles, joints, and other tissues because you’re not in hormonal balance. Your body is also going to stay in fat storage mode instead of fat release mode, and you won’t be able to achieve the body composition you want.

And if that wasn’t bad enough, insulin is a hormone that promotes tissue growth. Do you know what we call uncontrolled tissue growth because a little piece of DNA gets damaged? Cancer. Yep, the medical community is finding high insulin levels linked to cancer.

3. Protease Inhibitors

In addition to those nasty lectins and elevated insulin response, grains find yet another way to pour gasoline on the fire. Protease inhibitors further block the digestion of proteins in your gut. That includes lectins, so they compound the lectin problem. But that also includes good proteins that you are getting from quality foods. Grains aren’t content to just stand in a corner and be anti-social. They’re going to piss in the punch bowl and ruin the party for everybody! So you are eating plenty of chicken breast, grass-fed beef, and lamb in addition to the grains in your diet? You’re not getting as much of those proteins as you think, because grains are blocking their absorption by your gut. Just eating something doesn’t mean you’ll absorb it and actually put it to use in your body. Grains are masters of that fact.

4. Phytates

Grains want to reproduce. You can’t blame them for that. All plants and animals down to the smallest virus are hard wired to reproduce. A whole grain contains all the pieces necessary for reproduction. The bran is the hard outer covering that protects the rest. The brown part of brown rice is the bran. The germ is the actual reproductive organ of the grain. The endosperm is a neat little package of starch and some protein that will feed the baby germ. And one thing the baby germ will need is trace amounts of nutrients like iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. So the grain contains chemicals called phytates that help it collect these precious resources. The phytates bind to these metals saying, “They’re mine! All mine!” trying to save them for the germ. Unfortunately, their selfish behavior doesn’t stop once they’re in your gut. And guess what, you need those nutrients too! But if phytates are in the picture then your gut doesn’t stand a chance. The phytates bind to the nutrients first, and you aren’t able to absorb them! Once again, simply eating something does not guarantee it is absorbed. No zinc for you! Phytates and lectins are sometimes referred to as “anti-nutrients.”

Ladies and gentlemen, that’s the short course on why grains don’t fit into a healthy lifestyle. I know it hurts to find out that our beloved Bunny Bread is out to kill us, but it really is true. We didn’t grow up thinking that, did we? But why does that matter? My parents grew up when sexism was accepted. My grandparents grew up when racism and smoking was commonplace. My great, great grandparents might have thought that bleeding yourself with leaches would cure disease. They were all equally wrong, and equally comfortable with those ideas, because they were accepted as the status quo. The point is that facts and reality are completely irreverent of the ideas you grew up with or are comfortable with. If the facts about health point a certain way, I think we are obligated to ourselves and our loved ones to explore those facts regardless of how uncomfortable they might be.

So here’s my challenge to you: Eat grain-free for a month. But to reap the benefits, you have to be totally grain free. No flour tortillas on weekends. No yeast rolls at Logans. No eating toast at breakfast just because the rest of your family likes it and has seen you eat toast for 30 years. Totally grain free, for an entire month. A word of warning: You’re going to have a period of about two weeks where you will constantly feel tired and “foggy.” This is normal. It’s you getting off the crack, and it will pass by the end of the month, leaving you feeling great!. That’s right, if you truly go grain free for a month then you’ll be 5-10 lbs lighter, have more energy, and look better than you can ever remember. After that, if you want to go back to eating grains—do it. Because you won’t want to go back. You’ll be happy and energetic, full after meals, performing better at your workouts, and shopping for new clothes. Oh, and you’ll be less likely to die from one of the 3,000 diseases of affluence that were unknown to our ancestors that didn’t eat grains. Did I mention that part? Folks, if I’m lying, I’m dying. Try it. You won’t be sorry.

-Jeff

Sources:

The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf, Chapter 6. Published by Victory Belt Publishing, 2010

Do Dietary Lectins Cause Disease? by David L. J. Freed. Published by the British Medical Journal, 1999

Cereal Grains: Humanity’s Double Edged Sword by Loren Cordain. Published by the World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, 1999

Reflections on the Diet and Reinfarcation Trial by M.L. Burr. Published by European Heart Journal Supplements, 2001

Agrarian Diet and Diseases of Affluence– Do evolutionary novel dietary lectins cause leptin resistance? by Tommy Jonsson et. al. Published by BMC Endocrine Disorders, 2005"

I know that's a lot of info to digest (pun possibly intended?) but it's definitely information that is useful and you all need.  Eat hard, train soundly, and sleep well.

~Coach Sean (Seamus)

Recipe of the week: Paleo Eggs Benedict

Hello DogTowner’s,

This week’s topic will be a discussion on how your typical week of training at DogTown CrossFit should look like. I am asked the question, “How many days should I be training?” on almost a daily basis. So, let me try to answer this question while I have a larger audience.

CrossFit Headquarters (HQ) uses a training template programmed for a 3-day-on, one-day-off pattern. They claim that this training pattern allows for a higher volume of higher intensity work than other patterns. HQ claims that an athlete can work at or near the highest intensities possible for three straight days. By the forth day, an athletes’ body is so hammered that continued work becomes noticeably less effective and not possible without a reduction in workout intensity.

Many of you experience this for yourselves. After a few days of intense workouts there is usually a day during the week where you just aren’t your normal self. The 5x3 Back Squat set seems really heavy that day. Or, the 10 minute AMRAP didn’t yield your normal result. This means your neuromuscular system has been over-stressed. Everyone will eventually hit this wall.

What you do as an athlete when you hit this wall is very important. Coach Sean has been posting some great blogs about recovery. Listen to Coach Sean. Most importantly, listen to your bodies. If you know you are not able to workout with a high level of intensity, take a rest day. Or, make your workout more of a skill-based workout (AKA “Practice What You Suck At Day”). Practice a skill you are not good at (i.e. muscle ups, double unders, handstands). Keep the intensity low! Trying to push yourself through a workout when your body is already over-stressed can lead to over-training. In time, over-training can lead to injury.

So what if the 3-day-on, one-day-off training pattern doesn’t fit into your schedule? No worries. Many CrossFit athletes and members of DogTown use a 5-day-on, 2-day-off pattern. This affords them the ability to train hard during the week, and spend time with family and friends during the weekend. As I just mentioned though, trying to workout at a high level of intensity for 5 consecutive days will lead to over-training and injury. Don’t go crazy all 5 days! That is why the coaches at DogTown program workouts that may seem a little easier than the other days of the week. Example: the days where a set of Row Sprints are the single element to the workout. This allows your body to recover.

A note regarding the new trainees of DogTown CrossFit; really listen to your bodies. When you first start a training program like CrossFit, your bodies are going to be sore and your neuromuscular systems may get hammered after only one or two days of consecutive training. That’s OK. Don’t worry about sticking to a rigid training cycle when you first start. Depending on how de-conditioned your bodies are when you initially begin CrossFit, you may need to adopt a 2-day-on, 1-day-off pattern. Only you will know how much your body can handle.

To conclude, find a training cycle that works best for you. Everyone is different. Our bodies can handle different amounts of stress and intensity. The training cycle that works best for me, might not work best for each of you. CrossFit is designed to be functional fitness. It was created to prepare trainees for the unknown and unknowable. If you train correctly, CrossFit can be a great balance between work, personal life, and fitness.

Let me know if you have any further questions about training patterns. I’ll see you at the gym!

Coach Mike

Hey DTers,

Just a quick note.  There will be no OPEN GYM this Sunday due to a Team Training Camp as we get our group prepared for the CrossFit Regional Qualifier -May 11th thru May 13th at the Pomona Fairplex.  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Best,

Dusty

Make sure you get tickets come out and support our Team and Friends!  Here is a pic of our Group Last year!!  Baby Vin is even present!

Hey Everyone,

I know most of you have heard me go on and on (and on) about the benefits of Paleo.  Today I'm going to talk about Paleo from a slightly different angle.  

When you eat a balanced paleo diet of (preferably) grass fed meats, dense leafy veggies, quality fats, and some fruit and nuts, your blood sugar will naturally balance out and remain even throughout the day.  This in turn should keep you feeling full longer and in turn will give you constant energy throughout the day.

The problem most people (myself included) run into when they first start paleo is they switch from one sugar source to another.  Most commonly, from breads and grains to fruits and nuts.  It can be so easy to grab a bunch of fruit for a snack and before you know it, you've eaten an entire pound of grapes within 20 minutes.  When I first switched over to a paleo diet 2 years ago, I went from sugary cereals, all sorts of breads to giant fruit smoothies everyday.  With the amount of fructose I was consuming on a daily basis, I'm surprised I lost any weight at all.  

While omitting grains, dairy, and legumes from you diet will do wonders for your health, that doesn't necessarily give you the license to take down a pound of bacon, a giant fruit smoothie, and a huge bag of nuts all in one sitting (or even one day or week).  The main goal for adopting a paleo diet in the beginning is to get your blood sugar stable.  The typical western diet of whole grains, fruits, and even some starchy veggies are a huge reason why we're facing such an 'epidemic' of obesity.  It's the constant eating of carbs that spikes blood sugar only to send it crashing down again, leaving anyone who eats this way starving for more sugar.

Another pitfall that I see a lot of people struggling with are what I call either paleo cheats or franken-paleo meals.  This category includes the foods that aren't paleo to begin with but have been hacked together to create a paleo-ified version such as: muffins, ice cream, and even though I posted one the other week, pizza.  Here at the gym, I know most of us are familiar with the paleo muffin.  Don't get me wrong, I love the occasional paleo muffin or cupcake, but the key word being occasional.  While foods like these are infinitely healthier for you than their traditional counterparts, that still doesn't mean you should think 'oh it's paleo so I can eat them with reckless abandon'.  It is very common for someone to come and tell me that paleo isn't working and in fact they have gained weight when they were trying to lose some only to find out that they are mainlining sugar and treats in a different form.  You should view these foods as what they are: occasional treats or indulgences and not as every day foods.  By doing so, you will have less and less sugar cravings over time which in turn means your blood sugar is finally stabilizing and you're moving in the right direction for optimal health.

If you have any questions on how to get started on paleo or even how much is too much in terms of paleo cheats and such, feel free to shoot me an email and we can set up a consult to get your nutrition dialed in for you.  sean@dogtowncrossfit.com

Recipe of the week: Braised Short Ribs

~ Coach Sean (Seamus)

P.S.

Just as a follow up, for those of you who read my post last week about sleep and of it's utmost importance, ESPN just published an article about the benefits of sleep and performance here.