We have come to the end!  It has been a great road for each and everyone of us!  I hope you stuck through the challenge from start to end as best you could.  If you did, I know that you will have ended with tremendous results!  And remember, just because we are finished with the challenge DOES NOT MEAN you should just stop this lifestyle.  The whole purpose to this accountability challenge was to show and prove to you how this type of lifestyle can be done by anyone.  Yes, it takes planning, dedication and support from others, but after 5 weeks of doing it, you should have created habits and feel completely different about continuing!

The final numbers will be counted over the next few days and the winners will be announced here, the main site and at the gym.  Stay tuned.

Don’t Only Build Muscle, Build Confidence

I’ve had many clients come up to me toward the middle of the challenge concerned that their weight loss has slowed or even stopped.  This challenge is about more than just losing weight.  Dropping lbs should only be a side effect.  Please do NOT let this discourage you!  What you do need to focus on, is how much better you have been feeling over the past few weeks.  Have your energy and ability to focus and concentrate improved?  Has your sleep improved?  Do you feel stronger and faster in your workouts?  If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, than you have been successful!

Never put yourself down.  Don’t be hard on yourself.  If you miss a lift, don’t PR, or not finish a workout, keep your head up because there is always another day at the gym.  Set small, achievable goals.  Setting achievable goals improves confidence, keeps you working hard, and motivates you to continue to reach more goals.  And go ahead; flex those muscles in your mirror at home.  No one will know that you did it and you don’t have to tell anyone.  That can be a confidence bonus point you can give yourself!

-Coach Sara

The Truth About Bariatric Surgeries

Coach Sara’s Post-

We’ve all heard of them, the Roux-En-Y gastric bypass, lap band, and gastric sleeve.  Designed to help you lose weight and reduce chronic diseases the easy way! Sound too good to be true?  Maybe…  We’ve heard the success stories but you have also heard about the people who gained all the weight back plus more.  How can this be when your stomach has been turned into the size of an egg?  I decided to find out more.  When talking with individuals who are unable to lose weight or have gained it back, and with some research on the internet, I have found these people must follow a very strict diet for the rest of their lives.  Little to no sugar intake, no fried foods, little starches…sound familiar?  Paleo anyone?  After this procedure you will be forever unable to eat and drink at the same time; so I guess that eliminates spicy food from the diet too.  So when someone is unable to lose the weight, it is usually because they are not following the diet and exercise program.

In my experience, I know of a person with the lap band, who informed me that it is very easy to “cheat the system.”  I was unaware that this was a system that you wanted to cheat.  I don’t want to take away from those individuals who have been successful after these surgeries.  This can provide people with a fresh start.

However, there are many serious complications that can occur after surgery and makes me think that this is definitely not the easy way out.  These procedures are not for the faint of heart.  I have taken care of people who become chronically nauseated and are unable to keep anything down for weeks and most likely the rest of their lives.  But I guess that’s alright because the doctors will keep you nourished through a gastric tube and tube feedings.  You may also have the privilege of being fed with total parenteral nutrition (TPN) through a central line, which will destroy your liver eventually.  Not being able to eat leads to malnourishment and malnourishment kills.

So, in my opinion, there is no quick fix or easy way to lose the weight.  You have all done the right thing by finding an exercise program that works for you.  You also have found your support group in other members of MCF.  You have all been provided the tools to make your lives healthier.  Stick with this challenge; you are almost done.  But remember, your challenge doesn’t end here, it will continue for the rest of your life!

-Coach Sara

Final Bonus Challenge

COACH SARA’S CHALLENGE:

As I was eating my 100% paleo breakfast at Los Palapos in the San Antonio Airport, I ran into Dom. You may know Dom, but if you don’t, he comes in the mornings to workout at 4:30am.  We got to talking and I asked him for ideas for the last bonus challenge.  We came up with a bonus to help improve your sleep and rest.  Sometimes late at night, when you’re really tired and need to go to bed, you find yourself on Facebook, watching Youtube videos, and catching up on ALL of your missed television shows.  You then look at the clock, it’s 2am, you have to get up at 6am; you get my point.  There have been studies that show this messes with your REM cycle.  Neal has already told you about the importance of sleep so I won’t repeat it.

So for the final challenge, I challenge you to turn off your television and computer and silence your phone for 90 minutes before you go to bed.  This will only be for five out of 7 evenings this week, your choice on the days.  Sounds like a lot of time and you may be thinking, “what am I going to do?!?!”  I thought about giving suggestions and then I thought, maybe with all this extra time away from electronics, your imagination could use a jump-start.  So get creative and improve your brain function.  You’re in the home stretch!

-Coach Sara

Amazing Transformations

We’ve all heard of someones amazing transformation and how its happened but how often do we get to see it?  I recently came accross this video of an amazing trasformation and thought that it was pretty powerful.  Take a look and see if you think the same.

Enjoy.

Coach Marco

Muscle growth

Protein provides the building blocks for muscle strength and growth. There are several different brands, types,and flavors of protein supplements with different ingredients and backgrounds. Two of the more popular supplements are whey protein and protein powder.

Types : Whey protein can be found in two forms- whey isolate and whey concentrate. Whey isolate is a pure high- quality protein that contains at least 90 percent protein with less lactose than whey protein concentrate. Whey concenrate will typically have 70-80 percent protein. Protein powders can contain casein, egg protein or soy protein. Soy protein is not complete protein and must be fortified with additional amino acids to make it a complete protein.

Where they come from: Whey protein naturally available in milk is derived from milk during the process of cheese making. It is produced from the thin liquid by-product and then dried to from powder. Soy comes from soybeans, which is a legume and carbohydrate.

Function: Most people will use both whey protein and protein powder as a meal  replacement or supplement to promote muscle growth. Whey protein is taken following workouts beacuse it is absorbed by the body very quickly due to the chemical structure and provides high levels of amino acids. Soy is not easlily digested and takes longer to absorb into the body.

Coach Junior

Weekly Challenge: Ok guys here we go with this weeks challenge!!. This comes from a former Marine and active duty army. We are going to have to get away from our normal running routine and find a trail to run. Not just outside on the street, find a trail/hill and run up it!! 2 total days with each day 15mins of running . Good luck guys!!

Resting is for the Weak?

Oh boy, rest day, my favorite! (NOT!!)  Like me, I’m sure there are a few other folks that would rather substitute your “recovery” to either lift more, WOD, sit and watch a movie, eat a pint of Ben & Jerry’s, etc.  However, it was not until the last few months that I started to realize my body needed to rest in order for me to perform at my highest capacity.  When I finally started a lifting program, almost three years after starting CrossFit, I noticed my body hurt a lot more than the typical post-WOD hurt.  I am not someone who will just take some pain medicine and rest for a week or so.  When my body is in pain, I normally get deep tissue massages and apply heat packs.  But other than those remedies, here is what I have found that also works for me:

Epsom Salt Baths

Epsom salt is a naturally occurring pure mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate.  Magnesium regulates over 325 enzymes in your body, reduces inflammation, helps to maintain muscle and nerve functioning, and prevents artery hardening.  Sulfate improves the absorptions of nutrients and helps your body remove toxins.  Epsom salt baths help to ease muscle strains, back pain, and aching extremities.  It also relaxes the central nervous system and relieves stress.  It’s very cheap and can be found at grocery stores and pharmacies.  So if you can fit in your bathtub, get in with some of this stuff!

Cupping

I do my best to cover up all the marks, but I know a few of your have seen the results of cupping on my body. Cupping is an ancient Chinese method developed to “open the Meridians of the body.”  Okay, I know this sounds crazy, but it works.  So when the cups are applied, suction is created over the muscle and fascia (the connective tissue covering your muscles).  This vacuum effect helps to release fascia that can be stuck to your muscles, brings blood flow to the area where blood stasis as developed, and allows your body to rid the toxins that have built up.  There are so many other benefits and too many to name here.  I have also gotten it done on my shin about 5 weeks or so after one of those awesome box jump fails.  It broke down the scar tissue and relieved the pain I was still experiencing.

Active Release Technique (A.R.T.)

ART can be performed by chiropractors and massage therapists.  Ligaments, they connect bone to bone, and tendons, they connect muscle to bone, have very poor blood flow.  When your ligaments and tendons become inflamed, injured, or torn, the healing process takes FOREVER because your body cannot bring all the necessary nutrients to that area via the blood.  So, in a nutshell, A.R.T. helps to break down scar tissue by pulling and pressing on these areas and moving your body in a controlled fashion.  This helps to increase blood flow to the area, thus increasing healing time.

-Coach Sara