| Back on the Zone |
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After spending quite some time off of the 'Zone' I am now making the changes in my life needed to create healthier habits. My goal is improved performance on CrossFit, reduced recovery times and better overall health. In retrospect, it wasn't that I didn't care enough or did not have enough discipline that caused me to lose my way. Instead, it was a gradual loss of the structure in my life needed to make healthy eating decisions. My focus simply shifted. The factors that were present (and still are) include starting a business, and having a child. Major life changes.....sounds familiar doesn't it? I am going to use this blog to log my efforts over next 30 days to get back on the Zone. Here I will share my successes, failures, and learning experiences with you along with any tips or tricks I come across along the way. I encourage anyone who is interested to do the same. Just make the time, and put out the effort for 30 days. It might change your life! As it is important to me to measure how my performance improves as a result of my nutritional intake I am using "Fran" as my benchmark. "Fran" is 21, 15, and 9 reps of: Thrusters (95lbs) and Pull Ups. It is done for time and is considered a benchmark for power and intensity. I did "Fran" a few days ago in 4:02. Not bad, but definitely not great as I have done 3:33 before. What is notable about this effort was that I was on my back for literally 30 minutes recovering. I had a pounding headache and I was hating life. Anyone who has been intimate with "Fran" knows what I am talking about. What is significant about this is that I have done "Fran" much faster and without the typical "Fran" symptoms. I think the other day was especially bad because my metabolic energy systems are not functioning as efficiently as they could. I will do "Fran" again in 30 days and see how my power improves and what my recovery is like. I already know what is going to happen, but it will be interesting to document! Day 1 Today I got a late start which caused me to eat a very light breakfast very late. I had about 2 blocks of chicken, 2 of Fat, and only 4 out of the 12 asparagus spears required for 1 block of carbs. Not a very balanced meal, and not enough food. I need 4 blocks of each (protein, carbs, and fat) at every meal along with 2 blocks for each of my 2 snacks. I also waited too long to eat my next meal because I left the house unprepared. How does the saying go? Isn't it "Proper planning prevents piss-poor performance"? So for lunch I found myself at a restaurant with lots of Zone unfriendly foods. I ended up getting the 1/2 turkey sandwich with avocado, house salad with vinegar and oil, and french fries! All in all, not so bad; I did ok in that I just ate 1/2 of a piece of bread and only 5 french fries. I left feeling full enough but not overly full. The Take Away The lesson I re-learned today is that I need to put the time into not just buying the foods I need; I also need to do some of the prep work in advance so it will be easy and convenient to throw together Zone friendly meals that I can take with me on the go. So my action plan is that on Sunday I am going to buy the foods I want to eat and then weigh, measure, and cut them into the quantities I will most commonly need such as 1 block or 2 blocks. Then it will be easy to just to grab stuff from the fridge and mix and match to create 4 block meals! That is the plan at least. Check back Monday to see how well it worked! |