FitFemaleForty

Especially of late I’ve been getting a lot of questions on “how to go paleo”.  I will often respond with the standard CrossFit nutrition statement :  eat meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starches and no sugar. This statement is usually followed by a lengthy, possibly overwhelming, detailed-oriented conversation on paleo nutrition specifics:

• no grains
• no breads (whole grain products, pastries, tortillas, English muffins, etc.)
• no pasta
• no rice
• no corn products
• no dairy (butter, yogurt, cheese, etc)
• no legumes (beans, including soy beans)
• no peanuts (legume)
• no white potatoes
• no sugar (table sugar, fruit drinks, sports drinks, syrup, agave, etc)
• no high-fructose corn syrup
• no artificial sweeteners, etc.
• no refined vegetable oils
• no grain-fed animal products (beef, fish, etc)
• no preservatives
• no processed foods

There is a moment of silence as they realize I’ve just described what most folks eat on a regular basis.  Slowly a look of shock and disbelief spreads across their faces as they realize they should not be eating whole wheat toast at breakfast, chicken pasta with veggies for lunch, and even the sacred brown rice for dinner.   Before they can justify their dietary habits with the usual response of  “everything in moderation”, I begin to explain the science behind foods not permitted on The Paleo Diet:  hyperinsulinism, insulin resistance, type II diabetes, skewed omega 3 to omega 6 ratios, lipid profiles, ph acid – base balance, phytates, lectins, gluten, leaky gut, metabolic syndrome, silent inflammation, CVD, auto-immune issues, diseases of modern civilization, etc.

I summarize by explaining that  The Paleo diet is the oldest diet around.  For millions of years we were hunter- gatherers eating what nature provided.  Our bodies evolved to process these natural foods, unlike the foods that were first introduced 15,000 to 20,000 years ago during the agricultural revolution.  So, how do you go paleo?  What can you eat?  Paleo friendly foods include:

• grass-fed meats
• wild caught fish and seafood
• organic fowl
• eggs high in omega 3’s
• a variety of veggies
• a variety of  fruits
• a variety of nuts and seeds
• a variety of good fats (olive, coconut, almond, walnut, etc)
• avocados
• coconut milk
• and coffee is allowed (yep, I drink mine black)

At each meal (and snack) I’m combining a protein, some veggies (sometimes a little fruit) and a healthy fat.  It’s that easy.  Yet, it’s important to understand that there is a “method to the madness” – there is science and research (and my own personal experiences) that  link this diet to a healthier body.   To help you jump start your journey into paleo nutrition, I’ve added a new “Paleo Tools” resource tab.   Click on the ‘Paleo Tools” tab at the top of this page to find:

Videos on Paleo Nutrition

Paleo Shopping List and Guides

The BEST Paleo Cookbook

Leading  Paleo Nutrition Experts

Paleo Reading Recommendations

Free Paleo Recipes

Additional Paleo Resources and Blogs I Follow

One last thing. Don’t believe everything I write or say.   I’m not a dietitian providing nutrition counseling or nutrition management programs.   Doubt me.  I’m a skeptic by heart myself.  I never accept what others say, especially those practicing and preaching conventional wisdom with little results.   I’m interested in not only how fit you appear to be on the outside, but also how fit you are on the inside with excellent bio-markers of health.  I search for the latest, cutting-edge information and research.   I spend a great deal of time reading and reviewing abstracts, books, and other websites.  I suggest you begin this journey by doing the same.     Do your own research, find your own answers, become your own expert.  In addition to the resources listed in the “Paleo Tools” tab, I also use the following unbiased internet resources on a daily basis:

• PubMed is a free database accessing online medical literature (citations, abstracts and some full text articles)

• Google scholar allows you to search scholarly literature across many disciplines and sources, including theses, books, abstracts and articles

• Google Books is a collection of digitized books which allows you to view limited previews portions of most books as well as do “text searches” within the book to locate specific information.

Consult with a physician before beginning in new exercise or fitness program

James Fitzgerald (aka OPT) of Optimum Performance Training

Choking on CrossFit “Kool-Aid”, disillusionment resulting from the most recent behavior of CrossFit HQ management, I was a little more willing  to  acknowledge a  few glaring inconsistencies that persisted in my overall fitness level, despite my extreme passion and dedication (only one body weight pull up, few chest to floor push-ups, etc). How could I continue to utilize the underlying CF principles (minus management) which had worked so well for me in the past? How could I continue to grow stronger at the ripe age of 45 without turning to steroids and conventional body-building methods? How could I continue my quest to not only “look fit” on the outside, but also “be fit” on the inside by achieving good bio-markers of health (low insulin levels, low triglycerides, Pattern A LDL, high HDL, low CRP, normal HbA1c, etc,)? My search for answers and guidance led me to James Fitzgerald (aka OPT), the owner of Optimum Performance Training and champion of the very first CrossFit Games.

Admiring OPT’s work and clients from afar, I began following OPT’s CrossFit Calgary WODs, and later his “Big Dawg” blog and programming. Within a few months I began to notice new changes in my over-all body composition as well as new strength gains. His programming reflects his extensive and varied knowledge in many aspects of health and fitness: from exercise physiology and nutrition to the study of human motivation and perseverance when faced with mental or physical challenges. Based on his dedicated study and tons of “tried and true” empirical data, OPT presents “the best of all worlds” in one cohesive package to produce dramatic results.

Christmas Surprises!

Gifted with a new fitness website and blog by my family Christmas morning, I’ve felt an overwhelming need to become more accountable than ever. Despite recent gains I must admit I have continued to enjoy the freedom of “doing it my way” – scaling the Big Dawg WODs to suit my needs and my busy schedule, working out at my own pace, and working out without posting results in the comment section as instructed. I’m one of those controlling, stubborn, fiercely independent, older women that truthfully prefer “to answer to no one”. By keeping workouts comfortable and convenient, I wondered if I was holding myself back from achieving more. It was time to find out if I was actually my own worst enemy.

7 weeks ago I “stepped up to the plate” and contacted OPT to begin a formal coaching program under his supervision. My goal was to not only improve my performance, but more importantly to meet minimum performance requirements to be eligible to participate in OPT’s extensive Coaching Certification Program. Via skype online video consultations, regular emails exchanges, nutrition recommendations and monthly program designs, I have learned working with OPT goes beyond reporting my progress and being accountable. The last few weeks my fitness and nutrition knowledge base has expanded:

• Experiencing improved performance and body composition after committing to a completely unweighed and unmeasured Paleo Diet
• Recognizing the importance of food allergies and the role they play in immune stress, performance, and recovery
• Becoming keenly aware of how different foods affect my body, mood, and energy levels
• Removing foods my body does not tolerate and reducing overall systemic inflammation leading to better recovery
• Recognizing the very different positive mental changes that occur when completely giving up “cheat meals” (a first in 13 years for me)
• Learning that hormonal balance results in better body composition, performance and recovery
• In-depth understanding of adrenal fatigue and the positive and negative ways in which cortisol affects our bodies

I have also refocused my determination to “get comfortable with uncomfortable” and have been inspired to push beyond previous roadblocks to reach new limits resulting in new PR’s (and sore muscles after every single workout) to prove it! At the ripe age of 45, when I’ve been told “it’s all downhill from here”, I have continued to experience positive changes in both my health and fitness level as a result of OPT’s guidance and programming. I am enjoying this new journey. I am so excited about the possibilities! Pura Vida!

The following is a sampling of OPT info and videos. Enjoy!

OPT the Athlete

• OPT – Every Second Counts Trailer

OPT the Coach

• Higher Order Thinking
Visit sicfit.com for more Videos
• OPT Big Dawg Challenge Video
Visit sicfit.com for more Videos

OPT Websites

• Optimum Performance Training
• OPT’s Big Dawgs Blog
• CrossFit Calgary
• Natural High CrossFit (OPT and His Brother!)

OPT Certifications

• OPT Coaching Certification Program

OPT Store

• I highly recommend the Revive Bars by Peak Bio:  Gluten, Dairy and Nut free!
• And the OPT’s Nutritional DVDs

OPT the Family Man

• OPT and his Wife Leighanne introducing big sister to new little sister for the first time (I actually cried when i first saw this)!
• OPT’s Operational definition of FAMILY

Robb Wolf: Biochemist, NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, Champion Powerlifter, Crossfit Coach, and Owner of NorCal Strength and Conditioning

Below is an email I recently sent to Robb Wolf expressing my gratitude and appreciation for unselfishly sharing “pseudo science” in order to help others improve their  performance in the gym, over all healthy and more importantly quality of life.

Robb –

It was absolutely wonderful to once again hear you lecture in person out in San Diego.  Although I’m always impressed with your ability to explain complicated science to the masses, I must admit I’m most impressed to actually see accompanying client pre/post blood work panels and before/after photos backing up your claims.  The seminar out in CA was my third in person “Robb Wolf Nutrition Experience” – first having heard you lecture in Baltimore at a CrossFit Level One Certification, followed by your CrossFit Nutrition Certification held in Atlanta.   Recently I was also presented with a unique opportunity to once again hear Dr. Cordain lecture, this time in Orlando.   Why, you may ask, am I traveling all over the country to hear what you and Dr. Cordain have to say?  Because I know from personal experience the information you’re prescribing works!

Upon hearing you lecture for the second time and further investigation on my own, I created a much shorter, watered-down, power-point presentation highlighting information and research presented in your Nutrition Seminar.  I can be obsessively evangelistic when I find a program that works for me.  I’ve shared this presentation numerous times with many in my small world:   in my home, on my laptop in Starbucks, my child’s school, group of nurses in my husband’s Surgery Center, etc.   The results for those adopting the Paleo Diet have been amazing and consistent:

• After implementing the diet in our home, my husband has consistently shown improved bio markers of health each time he is asked to submit blood work for insurance purposes.   Wanting to understand more, he attended your Nutrition Seminar.  As a physician he was equally impressed with the science and research presented during your lecture.  Because of his time with you, his own personal success and continued study, he now recommends The Paleo Diet to his patients.  These patients are often overweight (Metabolic Syndrome) or have symptoms indicative of an autoimmune disorder.

• A nutritionist/personal trainer/avid cyclist friend reluctantly agreed to attend one of my nutrition lectures at his wife’s request.  His wife, who is also a nutritionist/personal trainer, had attended this same lecture in my living room earlier that month.  Although she had already implemented the diet in their home, she felt he would be more supportive if he heard “the science supporting the diet” (as a cyclist he was not sure this diet would support his long weekend rides).  During the nutrition lecture he shared with a group of nurses he too had been surprised to see changes in his blood work from a recent doctor’s visit.  Both he and his wife have been on the Paleo Diet for several months now and have never looked better.

• My retired neighbor was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  Within three weeks of following The Paleo Diet his physician took him off of his “sugar medications” and reduced his cholesterol medications.  His active wife was surprised to lose 8 pounds and has become an avid supporter of The Paleo Diet.  She recently returned from a two-week cruise and shared that she found it easy to follow the diet while traveling.

• An employee reported her husband had also recently been Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes.  She shared with me that by monitoring his blood glucose levels daily they had watched his blood sugars return to normal within weeks of implementing the Paleo Diet in their home.

• A friend reported that from further investigation and through testing he was formally diagnosed as gluten sensitive.  He was surprised to learn gluten sensitivities can lead to auto immune issues, such as Hashimoto’s Thyroid disease, which he had.  His sister had already been diagnosed with celiac disease.

The most moving experience involved one of my recent CrossFit clients who is not only a close friend, but also a well respected Neurologist in the medical community.  After hearing the nutrition lecture in my home, his only comment later via email was an expressed doubt about a dietary connection between lectins and MS.  I challenged him to a private experiment of our own:  read the The Paleo Diet book, commit to eating “strict paleo” for 5 weeks, and do a CF WOD together at least once a week.   It was a very emotional experience for both of us when he called to share the results of his post blood work.  In 5 short weeks not only had he lost 10 pounds, his post blood work indicated:

• Reversal of previous indication for metabolic syndrome/ insulin resistance evaluation
• LDL Size moved from Pattern B to Patten A
• Triglycerides levels from 192 lowered to 89
• C-Reactive Protein down
• Insulin levels down from 11 to 5
• Slight decrease in HbA1c levels

In an email he wrote he entered the program “a skeptic” and exited “a believer”.  During our experiment, he went on to explain that he was able to share with a young family member that her recent serious medical condition may be a result of her diet.  He recommended a book on the Metabolic Syndrome for the family to read.  Further, because he has a large MS patient population and is frequently asked to lecture to other medical practitioners, students and support groups he became re- interested in Dr. Cordain research involving MS.   After viewing Dr. Cordain’s online lecture “Pre-agricultural Diets in the Prevention and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis” and doing further research, he contacted Dr. Cordain directly.  Several emails later, I’m excited to report he is now using Dr. Cordains’ slides and research in his own MS presentations!

This weekend he stopped me while we were out one evening to thank me once again. He explained because of our time together, he was able to reach a lifelong goal to be in great shape on his 50^th birthday, and more importantly he has changed the way in which he now approaches treatment with many of his patients.  Although I’m appreciative of his compliments, the true recognition goes to you, Robb.    You have committed your time, skill and expertise to help others reach often unreachable, but desired goals and lifelong dreams.   You have made a profound difference in my life and the lives of my family, friends and clients.  This is the result of your body of work.  From my heart, thank you for sharing your insight and nutritional guidance through your seminars and blog.  You are effecting change in the lives of many in a very powerful way.

With fond appreciation and gratitude,

Cheryl Polack