Going back to last weeks theme of excuses, I left out a very common one so I could address it fully this week.  That excuse is: 'I would love to eat paleo, but it's too expensive'.  You know what else is expensive?  Cancer.  While it is true that eating a cleaner diet is more expensive up front, your medical bills and medication costs are also expensive in the future if you don't take care of yourself now. We're just starting our 4th week of our Paleo Primer and I imagine some of you are feeling it in your wallet.   Throughout this post are tips so you all can get the most out of your food budget and still maintain a paleo lifestyle. 

Make friends with your local farmers:

Until recently, I had a great connection at the Mar Vista farmers market.  He was my go to guy for beef, goat, and lamb.  All grass fed.  He always was willing to give me great deals (especially if I had cash) and talk food.  Sadly, he moved away and now I have to start all over again with a different meat source.  But I imagine that I've saved hundreds of dollars just from him giving me little discounts here and there.

If you don't already have one, get a Costco membership:  

This is a great place to stock up on frozen meats and fish.  Many of them grass fed or wild caught.  From wild alaskan salmon fillets in the frozen section (10 6oz fillets for $20 is hard to beat) to bison burgers and steaks and even cage free eggs.  They even have some great chicken apple sausages in packs of 15 for $15.  Great stuff for post workout meals, breakfast or even quick snacks.  If done right, you can easily get 2 or 3 weeks worth of your protein for 100 bucks or less. 

If you can, get extra freezer space:

It will pay for itself in no time since you'll be able to take advantage of sales on quality meat and fish when they come along.  I finally got a freezer chest after wanting one and when a sale consisting of grass fed ground beef for $2/lb came along, I was happy I had the space.  I ended up getting about 45lbs all said and done.  Which is a lot I know, but it will last about 6 months and all I spent was $90 for the sale price as opposed to about $450 of the same weight at regular price.  In that single purchase, my freezer paid for itself.  Don't forget that we now have a bulk grassfed beef program running along with Estancia Beef.  Freezer space will allow you to capitalize on buying in bulk.

Produce:

It's definitely important to get a variety of vegetables so you don't get bored (unless you are perfectly content to eat spinach and broccoli all the time).  In order to get the most nutritional bang for your buck, do your best to stay in season, and get as dense a source of vitamins and minerals as possible.  Go for kale, spinach, broccoli instead of iceberg, romaine or cucumbers.  Produce will be much more affordable (not too mention taste better) if they're in season and didn't travel half a world away to get to your plate.  The folks over at Whole9 have an excellent guide as to what produce is in season when.  As well as what you should or shouldn't worry about buying organic.  I highly reccomend that you check that out here: Whole9 Produce Guide

Don't forget to check the frozen foods section for some veggies.  These can be great sources of vitamins and minerals for the money.  They're great for stir fry's or even cooking them up with your eggs in the morning.  Remember, you're going to want at least half your plate covered with veggies so get them as inexpensively as you can.

Stop Eating Out So Much:

This one can be killer for a lot of people.  Some of you don't like or know how to cook really and others just happen to eat out a lot.  I get it, sometimes the last thing I want to do after a long day at work is cook myself dinner.  But in order to maximize success, I have to plan things out a little and cook for myself.  Sometimes it's an easy breakfast for dinner type of scramble and other times it's leftovers from a big thing of shredded beef I've made.  Either way, it ends up being much cheaper in the long run, even if I use the most expensive ingredients, to prepare my own meals most ot the time.

Hopefully this helps eliminate some of the worry that eating paleo is 'too expensive'.  With a little practice, you will be able to find ways to make your food budget  work as hard as possible, ensuring you eat as healthy as possible.  Remember: "Pay now, live later".

As always, if you want to explore paleo further and help with getting you to your goals with nutrition, hit me up for a consult and we can get you dialed in.  sean@dogtowncrossfit.com

Also, as many of you saw earlier this week, we posted about DogTown participating in the Whole LIfe Challenge starting Feb 16th.  Make sure you check out the how to videos and get ready for this.  It's a full 8 week challenge with all kinds of great prizes along with excellent ways to stay motivated through it's own self contained social media platform.  Keep an eye out later this week for a full post from me on this upcoming challenge.

Recipe of the week: Thai Shrimp Coconut Curry

  

~ Coach Sean (Seamus McMuffin)

Advanced Class is canceled tomorrow, 2/2, due to the Winter Shakedown. 

The Whole Life Challenge will start February 16th here at DogTown for 8 weeks!  Check out the video we did with our friends at CFLA!  Learn how to play the game...:)

Feel better.  Live healthier and play the game with everyone!  money and prizes to the winners!

 

Hey DogTowners,

Today marks day 15 of our 40 Day Paleo Primer.  How's everyone doing so far?  For some of you, you should be out of the woods from the sugar and grain cravings you went through during the first couple weeks.  For others, maybe you're not through just yet but trust me, you're almost there.  The last week or so can be the worst but if you push hard and stay diligent, like your training, it will all be worth it and you'll come through the other side feeling amazing.

That being said, a common thread heard throughout the gym here and there is: sticking to a strict paleo diet is hard.  People always seem to buckle under pressure from their friends, family, etc.  There's always some event coming up that is 'impossible' to stay strict paleo be it the weekend, going out with friends and co workers after a long day at work, or next weekend, the Super Bowl.  I hear that 'it's just too hard' over and over again.  My answer for that is: No, it's not.  Quitting crystal meth or heroin or nicotine is HARD.  

Sticking to a strict paleo diet void of grains, dairy and legumes may be inconvenient, but it's certainly doable and once you figure out a method of insuring that you eat that way, the ability to stay away from those foods will become easier and easier.  Like anything worth doing, it will involve some effort.  Trust me, the amount of effort pales in comparison to the overall reward you receive.  Over time, you will naturally gravitate towards healthier food choices, even if you are in a situation where most of the food is grain, legume or dairy based.  Those salad greens and chicken fajitas minus the tortillas (exactly what I had yesterday) work perfectly.  There's no reason to feel any pressure from your friends to gulp down beers/sodas and tortilla chips.  We're not in middle school anymore so there shouldn't be a worry of succumbing to peer pressure anyway!

I want to be clear that it is not my intention to come off as too harsh in this.  After all, I'm just telling it like it is.  Some people need a little tough love.  In the end, the only one responsible for what you put in your mouth is YOU.  If you're really having a hard time with keeping it strict, please, by all means, hit me up at the gym or via email (sean@dogtowncrossfit.com) and we can figure out how to get you over the hurdle.  We're 2 weeks through this Paleo Primer.  I encourage you to go all out and eat as strict as possible and get the maximum benefit for eating this way.  You'll feel better for it. 

Another common misconception that I would like to tackle is that of the idea that eating paleo is expensive.  I will address this common paleo prejudice fully in my next post but for now, the main thing to keep in mind is this: How expensive is cancer?  I know that's kind of a smart-assed third grade type of question, but there is truth to it.  If you're not willing to put in the investment now for your overall health, not just fitness, then are you prepared to deal with a costly and possibly debilitating disease like cancer in the future?

If you're really concerned about budgetary reasons for not eating a cleaner diet, then there are a few options for you.  The biggest and most cost effective way to obtain paleo friendly foods is to buy in bulk, and watch for sales.  We at DogTown just started a bulk grass fed beef program with Estancia.  The first order is actually set to be delivered today here at the gym.  Depending on how successful and how much demand there is, we can have deliveries as often as we like for this program.  I urge each and every one of you to at least check out the program.  It may seem expensive up front since you're buying 9lbs worth of meat at any given time, but if you break it down, it's well worth the money and much cheaper in the long run as well.

Another big money saver you can do is plan ahead by cooking a bunch of food for the week all at once.  The easiest way to do this is get a crock pot and cook all day Sunday.  The food you make in that should provide at least 5 or 6 meals for you throughout the week.  If you're worried about getting bored with this method, I highly recommend you check out our friend George Bryant's new ebook with tons of easy paleo recipes in it called Caveman Feast.  It's only 20 bucks and well worth it.  George is an active duty Marine and if he can find time to cook, so can you.  You just have to take the time to make it a priority.  

I know this is a lot of tough love thrown at you this week, but I just wanted to let you guys know that your challenges while adhering to this diet are not uncommon, it just takes a little extra effort initially to push through the sticking points.  Once you break through those barriers, this will become easier and easier to sustain and best of all, your body will thank you for it.

Recipe of the Week: Crock Pot Shredded Beef

~Coach Sean 

http://www.ruthless.co.nz/past-and-present/

 

The first day of the New Year always seems a good time to reflect on your year, and to think about what I want from the year to come.
2012 was an eventful one for me. With some help from Industrial Athletic  I took my first training trip to LA met some amazing people and trained with Dusty Hyland and Lindsay Valenzuela. While on the trip I visited the CrossFit Endurance trainers Dave Katona and Brian McKenzie. (Dusty seems to have a knack of just making shit happen). I also attended a StrongFit comp coming second to Andrea Agar, doing crazy axle bar and sand bag stuff. That month in LA was awesome preparation for the year to come. I came third in the Australian Regional CrossFit Open and then 2nd at the Regional itself in May. Meanwhile I had made the NZ Oceania  Olympic Weightlifting team scoring myself 8 days in Samoa.

Preparing for Samoa on top of the world games was a little stressful there was a lot to do. I had some problems with certain aspects of my lifts that I really was struggling to get through.  I seeked the help of a sports psychologist at this time which got me through and I attained a PB snatch in Samoa, and near my best in the clean and jerk (despite having dropped nearly 5 kg in in the five days I had been in Samoa).

I was home for a week and then off to LA for 5 weeks of training leading up to the World Reebok CrossFit Games. This was the best five weeks of my year. Training again with the beast that is Lindsay Valenzuela we ran, biked, swimmed, used weight vests, sand bags, barbells, kettlebells, stones. We spent loads of time upside down, I learnt how to overhead pistol, bar muscle up and hit a baseball. We had so much support at DogTown it was an awesome experience. Lindsay Matthews, was our go to for body care, she basically pummled, clicked and popped me back in to place twice a week leading in to the games, Im not sure I would have got there without her.

I have many memories of the World Games, pain, exictement, disappointment, it was such a roller coaster of a weekend. The off road triathalon gave me a 1st and third place but left me with a very swollen bee sting on my butt and a septic foot (blister gone bad). I falied to do a single handstand push up on the paralettes in front of 8000 people. I lost my vision after the sled push and rope event, and went in to some form of hyperthermic shock. I came back that day and PBd on the clean ladder (92kg).

By the end of my weekend I was stoked to hold the 17th fittest on Earth title, but was severely beaten up. I wasnt able to grip my knife and fork for two days after the weekend.

I returned from this trip and began a strength focus, pressing squatting, pulling lots of strict movement. Walter Scholtz- the legendary German Olympic Lifting coach came and lived with me for five weeks, he trained me twice a day watching every movement, it was such an opportunity, but very tiring none the less. During this time I was joined by Michael Ungerer from the Hawkes Bay, he pushed me back in to the CrossFit WODs and has been a great training partner for two months now, he will travel with me to LA for my next trip in February 2013.

At the start of November CrossFit Alive Oxenford flew me to Brisbane for a CrossFit team Comp the Immortals Challenge. I had never competed on a team, but I had a great time, and was so grateful to be there amongst the best in Australia. This is where I met 180 Nutrition- now supporting me by providing me with their awesome protein which I love.

At the end of November my wonderful, coach, friend, and voice of reason Dusty Hyland came and visited my farm in Southland NZ. It was awesome to show him where I come from and touch up my gymnastic skills for a week. Dusty Down Under. 

WOD Gear took me on during December 2012- providing me with financial support as an athlete, and creating a relationship which allows me to sell this awesome brand here in NZ WOOHOO!.

I was fortunate enough to be selected for the NZ Trans Tasman Weightlifting comp in December, unfortunately I suffered a head injury in the warm up- somewhat embarassing and a little distracting. I hit only 2/6 lifts but did enough to secure a victory over my Australian counterpart.

I finished the year with a high intensity training regime, getting my heart and lungs in to shape for my next trip to LA. Ive never been so pumped for the next CrossFit season… bring it 2013!

By Ruth!!

Hi Guys,

Wanted to give you some insight to the Program Design at DogTown. It’s constantly evolving and we are always learning and to trying to make it better.

A great deal of time and effort goes into the program design at DogTown. We don’t just throw up a workout without thought as to why it’s going on the board and how it will benefit our clients. We think about the reps, the tempo, exactly how much rest there should be, etc, etc.

Our goal for all of our clients is to achieve overall fitness in a safe and effective manner. To us, that means getting you stronger, faster, more enduring and overall healthy. We want you to feel great so you can live your life to the fullest!! We want you to be healthy and happy and come together in a great community.

A lot of our long term clients are wondering why we don’t do workouts such as Fran, Murph and "Hero" workouts all the time. If you’re not familiar with those workouts, they are the ones that make you feel like you want to throw up after, or you’re completely wiped out. While those workouts are good when done for a purpose, they are not something we do every day. Your workout should not make you feel like death on a daily basis. Yes, we do them on occasion, but at DogTown, we do them with a purpose and a plan. It has been shown that if you keep that type of training up on a daily basis you will be worse off over time. We definitely do not want that for you or any of our clients.

We have implemented testing phases and re-testing phases so we can see if our Program Design is working. We want to know what’s happening with our clients and we aren’t afraid to change the program if it isn’t working. Our last test was done the beginning of December and again in January. Definitely not the best timing with the Holidays, etc. but we still aquired some good information

We will be testing again in February. You can do your part by keeping track of your numbers and knowing how much you lift, how fast you run, etc. We do the program design but you need to do your part too. Keep track of this stuff. Workout with a purpose and a goal. Your time here is valuable so treat it as such.

You will also notice that we definitely have a strength bias. We know, that by adding strength, we are increasing your overall capacity for workouts such as Fran, Helen, etc. The stronger you are, the more advantage you have when doing those types of workouts. We are also experimenting with work/rest scenarios. You might do a round of a workout then rest 2 min. In that 2 min you are recovering and teaching your body to recover faster, much like speed work done by track athletes. Over time you will increase your capacity and ability to repeat the same work faster, more times.

We work on Olympic Lift technique on occasion and have a class dedicated to O-Lift. The Olympic Lifts take years of mastery. We do not feel it's safe to throw these movements in a workout for time when the movement can’t be performed properly. Yes we do it on occasion and we try to make it as safe as possible but this is the reason you don’t see it done more often. We do not want to create bad habits that will eventually lead to injury.

You may see some people doing other workouts. Please feel free to ask us about what they are doing. Some of those people are on our competition track, competing for a spot on our CrossFit Games Team.  Others are literally our guinea pigs that were asked to participate in a Program Design Test that Mike Lee and I are currently doing. We hope to qualify a team for the Games this year so we can all go as a community and cheer them on along with our Individual Competitors Val Voboril and Lindsey Valenzuela. Wouldn’t it be cool to have more people to root for?!!

For overall fitness, I believe our gym is one of the best in Los Angeles. You can do our program, be fit, safe, healthy, and get stronger and faster. Extra Bonus, we won't leave you feeling broken down and injured in the long run. At least that’s the goal anyways!

Please let us know if you have questions. We may be busy at times but we are always here for you, whatever it may be. Fitness, life, nutrition, etc. We have the best community around and we are honored to be serving you.

Cheers,

Liz & DogTown Crew

Hey DogTowners!

So, we've successfully completed the first week of our 40 Day Paleo Primer!  That means today is DAY 8!  How's everyone feeling?  If this is your first time attempting a Paleo type of diet, you may still feel the effects of what is sometimes referred to as: The Paleo Flu.  This is just a withdrawal type reaction that your body is going through from the absence of grains, dairy, legumes and sugar.  I liken it to the initial 2 weeks of quitting nicotine cold turkey.  The first 1 or 2 weeks are awful, but if you can tough it out and make it through to the other side, you feel amazing.  The key at this point of the challenge is to stay strong and fight your way through this temporary discomfort.

DogTown hosted an amazing nutrition workshop by Diane Sanfilippo and Liz Wolfe on Saturday.  Tons of great information was covered including how we should eat for performance and how we should eat for overall health.  In case you missed out, a lot of the information covered is in Diane's book Practial Paleo including specific protocols for specific health conditions such as: thyroid health, neurological health, autoimmunity issues, heart health, fat loss, performance, digestive health and more.  With each protocol is a 30 day meal plan including recipes so for those of you who still feel a little intimidated on where to start, this book has everything you need.  If interested, we have a few copies at the gym so don't wait to grab one.

Estancia Primals Program

I have talked to a few of you throughout the last year about a bulk grass fed beef purchase that is in the works. DogTown is pleased to announce that we are now an affiliate drop location for Estancia Beef's Primals Program. What this means is we can now order quality grass fed beef that will be delivered right to the gym. Depending on how popular the program is will determine how often we have a delivery scheduled. So what exactly is a primal? In layman’s, a Primal is the cut of meat from a steer before it is portioned into steaks and served/sold to you through a restaurant or super market. Within the Primals progam, the meat comes right to you, and you portion it how however you want. The cuts available thus far are: NY Striploin, Ribeye, Top Sirloin and 5lb packages of ground beef. If demand warrants it, I will talk to them about the possibility of including more cuts of roasts like: Chuck, Shank, and the Cali favorite tri tip. Simply go to their website: http://www.estanciabeef.com/primalsprogram and follow the steps to register. Once registered, you can start placing orders and pick up when they're delivered.  The first order CLOSES this Thursday Jan 24th and will be delivered to the gym Monday Jan 28th.  Many of you have registered but have yet to place an order so get on it.

For those of you who are nursing a sugar craving still during the challenge, here is a recipe to help get you over the hump.

Recipe of the week: Maple Coconut Macaroons

~ Coach Sean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning DogTowners,

Classes this Saturday 1/19 are canceled due to our Balanced Bites Nutrition Seminar by Diane Sanfilippo & Liz Wolfe

The seminar kicks off at 9:00am and goes until 5:00pm.

You must register to attend: http://bblosangeles2013.eventbrite.com/#

Cost is $115

Please email sean@dogtowncrossfit.com with any questions.

If you can't make it to the seminar, use this as an opportunity to go outside and do something fun like Climb Baldwin Hills, or run a 5K. Take a bike ride and enjoy the beautiful SoCal winter!

Cheers,

Liz

 

Hey DogTowners!

It's finally here!  Today is the 1st day of our 4th annual 40 Day Paleo Primer!  Did you enjoy your last weekend of dietary freedom for the next 6 weeks?  For many of you, this challenge is nothing new.  But for some, it's your first Paleo Challenge with us at DogTown, and the first one can definitely be overwhelming and can come with the uncomfortable feeling of treading in foreign territory.  If you're confused on how to implement Paleo into your lifestyle, want more info about Paleo and why it's the optimal human diet, or just want to improve the way you look, feel and perform, I HIGHLY recommend you sign up and attend the Nutrition Workshop this Saturday.  I wrote a little bit about it in my last post here.  You will get all the questions you have answered and most likely will learn new tips and tricks to maintaining a paleo lifestyle long term while balancing a hectic life outside the gym.

I know it seems like a real challenge to even attempt something like this, but trust me, it's not only possible, it's well worth it.  Just ask a few of the members at the gym that have seen significant success from their paleo experiences.  I know the thought of giving up bread may strike the fear of god into some of you but remember why you're here, to get in the best possible shape of your life.  You're simply not going to achieve your full potential if you put sub par fuel in your tank.  I know it's going to be hard, but anything worth having will take some hard work.  Good luck and I know you will all do well!  If you have any questions about the challenge or whether or not something fits into the paleo mold, feel free to ask me at the gym or email me here: sean@dogtowncrossfit.com  If I don't know the answer, I will find out for you as well.

~Coach Sean

Recipe of the week: Crock Pot Chili

P.S. Some of you may notice that there are new icons in the side bar.  These are the places I mentioned that are great sources for paleo meals and quality meats.  Many of you have asked me in the past where is the best place to get quality meats and meals so I've put them on the sidebar for your convenience.

 

Hey Everyone,

The 40 Day Paleo Primer is fast approaching.  We have just under a week until it gets underway on Monday Jan 14th.  Here are a couple of events that we highly encourage each and every one of you to attend for this challenge.

Body Fat Test Jan 10th and 11th

Sign up at the front desk or call the gym to reserve your slot.  Make sure you grab your slot because they are filling up.  If you haven't done a body fat test with us yet here is what you need to know:

• Cost: $45
• Bring: Bathing Suit and towel
• Sign up for a slot and be on time.  Each test only takes about 15 minutes so be ready to go when it's your turn.

That's it.  Fairly simple yet important process for tracking your progress.  Most of you track your workout results so tracking body composition results is just as important when you're laying out your New Year's goals.

Balanced Bites Nutrition Workshop Jan 19th

As you may have read in my previous post about the paleo primer, Diane Sanfilippo and Liz Wolfe are putting on a full day paleo workshop right here at DogTown.  This is a great opportunity to learn about healthy eating from two top experts in the field.  Some of the things covered are:

• Why healthy fats and cholesterol are vital to your health and performance and how grains are not
• How hormones work and how they can unlock your metabolic and fat burning potential
• Why grains, dairy, legumes and processed sugar are harmful to your body as well as hidden sources of these items
• How to evaluate and target your own specific goals whether it's fat loss, performance boost, digestive health etc

We also have a few copies of Diane's book, Practical Paleo at the gym for sale for $35.  As I've mentioned before, I highly recommend this book as it has the nuts and bolts of what paleo is and a practical way to implementing it.  The book even features several recipes and 30 day meal plans to get you going. 

I've been meaning to put this list together for quite sometime now and this is the perfect opportunity to launch it.  Below you will find 4 of my favorite go to places to get quality food when going through a nutritional challenge such as this.

Estancia Primals Program

I have talked to a few of you throughout the last year about a bulk grass fed beef purchase that is in the works. DogTown is pleased to announce that we are now an affiliate drop location for Estancia Beef's Primals Program. What this means is we can now order quality grass fed beef that will be delivered right to the gym. Depending on how popular the program is will determine how often we have a delivery scheduled. So what exactly is a primal? In layman’s, a Primal is the cut of meat from a steer before it is portioned into steaks and served/sold to you through a restaurant or super market. Within the Primals progam, the meat comes right to you, and you portion it how however you want. The cuts available thus far are: NY Striploin, Ribeye, Top Sirloin and 5lb packages of ground beef. If demand warrants it, I will talk to them about the possibility of including more cuts of roasts like: Chuck, Shank, and the Cali favorite tri tip. Simply go to their website: http://www.estanciabeef.com/primalsprogram and follow the steps to register. Once registered, you can start placing orders and pick up when they're delivered.

 

US Wellness Meats

For all other types of meat you may want like BACON, US Wellness is the place to go. They have a wide selection of not just beef, but chicken, pork, lamb, bison and wild seafood as well which are all completely pastured (not fed grains or antibiotics). Their beef sticks or jerky are great for on-the-go/post workout snacks when you're in a bind. The top 3 finishers in last year's paleo challenge were awarded $50 worth of stuff from them as well. US Wellness is also know to give bulk purchase discounts as well so it would be beneficial to team up with a few members and place a bigger order.

 

Chef By Request

For people who don't know how to cook or just plain don't want to take the time due to a hectic work/social life, Chef By Request is a great option. CBR delivers your meals to your door each and every day that you choose. Meaning, if you sign up, you don't have to get meals delivered every day, you can specify which days you want meals. So if you're busy on certain days of the week and don't want to stress about getting clean food, you can choose to have meals delivered on those days only. The most popular being either: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday deliveries OR Tuesday and Thursday deliveries.

 

Brian's Bowls

Another convenient option would be Brian's Bowls. These are delivered to the gym and are essentially high quality frozen paleo meals. So it's great to have a few in your freezer in case something comes up and you either don't have time or are just too tired to fix yourself a quality meal. These will save you from slipping off the wagon if you have a few emergency rations in your house.

 

I've been saying for the last couple of years at DogTown that you can't achieve optimal health or even performance by eating a crap diet even if you are in the gym 5 times a week, if you put crappy fuel in and don't get adequate rest, you're not going to reach your full potential.  Coming up with a plan of attack in the New Year is vital to your success.  After all, a goal without a plan is just a wish so plan out your successes and you will be successful.

~Coach Sean