Workout of the Day:
For time:
800 meter run, and then 3 rounds of:
155 lb. Back Squat x 15
Chest-to-Bar Pull-Ups x 10
Handstand Push-Ups x 5
Finish with another 800 meter run
The Bitter Truth on Splenda – Part Two
Written by Calvin Sun
“It’s made from sugar so its better for you…right?”
Crack is made from cocaine but that doesn’t mean it’s better for you either. Splenda’s tag line is “Made from sugar so it tastes like sugar”. It’s a true albeit misleading statement. Sucralose is manufactured from sucrose. Hydroxyl groups (OH) are replaced with chlorine atoms (Cl) changing the chemical structure so much that your body no longer recognizes it as food. Splenda has no calories because your body can’t digest the foreign substance. Splenda usage can also result in a variety of other complications within the gastrointestinal tract. A comprehensive study conducted by Duke University found that “Splenda reduces the amount of good bacteria in the intestines by 50%, increases the pH level in the intestines, contributes to increases in body weight and affects the P-glycoprotein (P-gp) in the body in such a way that crucial health-related drugs could be rejected” (Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health).
Just something to consider the next time you reach for a diet soda or a cup of coffee.
Tags: Nutrition
This is a brutal WOD. Straight up.
Yes. Yes it is.
Thanks for the info, Calvin. I use 2 packets of Stevia with my coffee in the mornings. How does that compare to splenda/nutrasweet/equal, etc?
I have WOD envy – ACL replacement (left knee) surgery went really well yesterday – I’m already anxious to be back.
Kristen
loved this wod…great to be back to the 6am class, a lot of energy this morning.
Thanks to Jen for being my partner and saving my life as I almost slipped off that big ass pull up bar! I’m sticking to the women’s bar from now on. Damn freaky small sweaty hands of mine…
Kristen! Glad to hear everything went well yesterday. Can’t wait to see you back with us.
Gonna wean Barry off the Splenda next. He’s been so good about letting me eliminate some foods from his diet! And it’s really paying off….his strength and times are getting better and better. What a studmuffin!
21:40, modified as follows
1. 95# squat
2. jumping chest-to-bar pull ups
3. HSPU with feet on 24″ box
Gruesome.
Okay you will all have to hang in there with me for a while because I am going to be sappy. I can’t get over how happy I feel when I am at Invictus. Yes the facility is beautiful, but the people and energy each morning is the irreplaceable part. Almost (please note I said almost) as motivating as my first cup of coffee each morning.
Elle and Amy, great work today. You ladies will have those kipping pull-ups in no time.
A few thoughts on the Splenda post. First, I think that everything is acceptable IN MODERATION. The problem is that very few can truly exercise the concept of moderation. Myself included. I have a very simple methodology when it comes to what I put into my body. I am sure you have all heard the lean meats, fruits and vegetables, nuts & seeds, little starch and sugar. This is generally what I prescribe to and I find it a good reference point. The other is when grocery shopping stay on the perimeter – once you migrate into the center you are entering the danger zone (processed foods). With all that said, I think that wellness and CrossFit is a lifelong journey. If we are going to maintain healthy habits for the duration of our lives we need to allow ourselves “treat days”. A little time to indulge and then get back on the wagon.
Hope everyone has a great day.
Dani,
I agree for the most part. I think the only difference for me is if I’m going to treat myself and consume something sweet, I might as well eat the real thing. I rarely eat sweet things anyway, unless Snax is pushing me into the Tilted Kilt for some half cooked cookie dough.
It is funny to mention IN MODERATION in the world of croosfit. Seems like crossfiters by nature are all the “all in” type. However I agree with the in moderation statement and you have to be human once in a while as long as you try and live a healthy lifestyle. I kicked coffee almost 3 years ago because of the large amounts of sugar I would add to it and I have also kicked diet soda now for 5 months. But I do feel like an addict that if I even had one of either I would be back to having multiple beverages of either kind a day.
It totally helps when you have a great community of people like we have at CFI to keep you in check via subliminal peer pressure.
As RX’d 22:30 something… It is hard to do back squats fast!
9:30 today was totally rockstar! There were some new faces and we had some great post WOD stretching thanks to Calvin.
POS, I do agree that the community tends to go ‘all in’ and that might be why some people get kind of a cult-ish vibe. My stance has always been that if you know the formula for what works why deviate with ‘moderation’?
Thanks for the encouragement Dani. Love those OHS and that much needed joint mobility to start off with. See you soon!
Posted a 22:25.
Courtland,
Way to go this morning, bro. I saw how hard you were pushing through this monster. I almost kicked over your wine bottle, but was able to side step it (as I stumbled about during this tough WOD). I think it was the last few squats and that final run that really made me weak in the knees!
Dani,
I couldn’t agree more. The facility is world class, but the “x-factor” is that everyone at CFI is so enjoyable to be around. It’s super motivating to be surrounded by such awesome athletes every morning. Great job everyone!
~BC
SOLID work Wink!
(I asked Jillianne and she said that you rocked it……I was just curious about your time and weight)
Moderation versus “all in” – something I have struggled with all of my life. The problem with “all in” is that it’s difficult to maintain, and all too often we burn out … which typically leads to “all out.” Moderation helps establish consistency, which is the gold standard for success in the world of fitness. Consistency guarantees you will achieve your desired results. We have a few phenomenal examples of that in our community – Bee Charmer, Mark and Dani come immediately to mind. Each of them started at very different places, but have maximized their results in a short amount of time because they have been consistent with their workouts and nutrition. For those of you who have struggled with consistency, for whatever reason, try some moderation. Permit yourself to give 80% in a workout if you are feeling under the weather instead of feeling like it isn’t worth doing at all if you cannot give it everything you’ve got. Modifying your expectations might be just what you need to get over the hump.
As far as Splenda goes, I tend to agree with Mike. If you’re going to eat for pleasure instead of fuel, go for the real thing. But the real concern is not the occasional binge on sweet items, rather it’s the misconception that eating a 0 calorie Splenda-infused item has no dietary consequence. Few people in this community consume high-sugar items on a daily basis, but many more indulge on diet sodas or coffee sweeteners without hesitation. I think Calvin does everyone a service by reminding us that there are no shortcuts. Keeping off of the crack doesn’t just mean switching to artificial sweeteners. If it’s sweet, enjoy it as sweets, but don’t try to justify it our eliminate it from your nutrition log.
I really have to echo CJ on this one.
The biggest thing that I’ve struggled with, and continue to struggle with, is moderating the frequency of my workouts and balancing them with rest. When it comes to working out, there are many of us who ascribe to the mantra “if some is good, more must be better,” and as much as we’d like to think that we all possess unlimited reserves of energy, we couldn’t be farther from the truth (except maybe Josh).
One does not physically improve during any particular workout, one improves in the recovery phase following the workout. And while the amount of rest that is needed varies greatly from person to person depending on genetics and current conditioning, no one will improve themselves athletically without taking a break here and there.
So, just as I discovered when entering the CF community that you don’t really need 30+ minutes of working out to constitute exercise, I’ve also found that trying to cram in 11 workouts a week, a full time job and night classes doesn’t so much lead to getting better as it leads to burn out. I do think that moderation really is the key to just about everything, including moderation itself. Particularly when it comes to things like M’s creamsicle dip, at which point moderation completely goes out the window.
Kristen,
Stevia will still give you an insulin response (see yesterday’s blog posts) but it’s less detrimental to your health than Splenda or other artificial sweeteners. Nutrasweet and Equal are both aspartame products, in your body they break down into a plethora of residual chemicals including methanol and formaldehyde.
Moderation is definitely an important factor if you want to stay healthy and sane. As Dani mentioned, meats, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, little starch and no sugar should comprise the majority of your nutritional intake but there’s certainly room for an occasional sweet. If you are having trouble leaning out or have hit a performance plateau, take some time to re-examine your diet for things like artificial sweeteners.
I want to write an informative blog post on coffee, it’s pros and cons, etc., but quite frankly, I don’t know want to talk bad about this sweet nectar from God, ever. EVAR.
Mark brings up a good point…CREAMSICLE DIP!!! Notice that when served w/ a Mmmm Good Meal, the Creamsicle Dip comes in a 4 oz. portion. Yes, it is tasty indeed, and it is part of your Zone-balanced meal (the fats). Just because it is part of a Zone meal doesn’t mean it is healthy to eat as much of it as you can cram down your gullet. The same goes with WODs! The proper amount at any given time provide a perfect balance of goodness to the body.
M
Excellent posts! I think CJ’s point about giving 80% in a workout if you are not feeling your best is an excellent way to go about a workout. Think of them sometimes as just a work day. Perhaps even concentrate more on impeccable technique rather than the speed/time of a workout. There is always a POSitive to be found in any workout.
Had to sub 1000M Rows for the 800M run in this one: 12:57
DAMN POS! Smokin’!
POS in the houuuuse!
Nice time POS. I would have to add 2-3 mins to my time had I rowed 1000m!
Great information posted today concerning rest/moderation.
Quick testimonial: For the greater part of this past year (as a novice CF’er), I was on a steady M-F WOD cycle (with an occasional Saturday). Like so many of you, I saw results quickly so I figured “more is better”. However, even with good nutritional habits (pretty decent Zone adherence), I started to feel physically beat down, tired and lethargic during the week.
After getting some input from the CFI staff on programming/rest days, I’ve recently experimented with 2 on..1 off..3 on..1 off.. (Wednesdays and Sundays off). So far, I feel stronger, faster and have noticed more stable levels of energy throughout the day.
I’ve come to realize that CrossFitters are a motivated bunch. We don’t like to miss the WOD and we all want to improve and strive for those personal breakthroughs. However, we could all remind ourselves from time to time that it’s equally important to maintain discipline with rest (and nutrition) if we want the “best results” over the “good results”.
I’m off tomorrow because it’s Wednesday…….and also because my arms were shaking until noon and I can’t sit, walk or stand right now. I’m gonna’ slam some “Emergen-C” (thanks Wayne) and try to float into bed.
BC