Workout of the Day:
Sled Drag Relay Races
(Keep feet stationary and pull weighted sled in hand-over-hand. Each athlete should complete five rounds.)
and then,
Five rounds for time of:
15 Deadlifts (light – roughly 50% of your 1-RM)
30 Double-Unders

Got Paleo?
Written by C.J. Martin

What are you doing on September 19th? Well, here’s what you should be doing if you don’t have plans. Paleo Brands is providing an amazing opportunity to listen to experts Robb Wolf, John Welbourn and Loren Cordain discuss the science and concepts underlying the Paleo Diet.

As you all know, we are strong advocates of the Paleo Diet, and while you often have to put up with our requests that you give up your precious cereal grains, perhaps hearing it from the mouths of those doing the research would give you that final bit of motivation to make the change. If you’re looking for more information about the benefits of the Paleo Diet, I strongly suggest you join your coaches on Saturday, September 19 at the Paleo Brands Seminar. It is sure to be educational and inspirational for those of you looking to switch to or maintain your Paleo nutrition plan.

Please register on the Paleo Brands website, and let us know if you have any questions.

Workout of the Day:
“Cindy”
Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 Pull-Ups
10 Push-Ups
15 Squats
(Compare performance to March 19, 2009.)

It's not how it looks

Bong Water
Written by George Economou

Despite what it may look like, CrossFit Invictus does not condone the blatantly open use of recreational drugs. But there have been enough questions about what I’ve been drinking lately that it deserves some sort of explanation. Since returning from Alaska I made the switch from coffee to herba mate (MAH-TAY; sometimes appears as yerba mate). Sacrilege! Why would I do such a thing? I assure you, this isn’t a continuation of my fight to prevent the further exploitation of our country from Italian immigrants…I like Papalecco’s as much as the next guy. I FEEL better with mate than with coffee. Let me take you on a quick journey . . . .

What is mate? Commonly referred to as a “tea,” mate is actually not part of the tea family (camellia sinensis), but rather an herb from the holly shrub of the South American rain forest. The brewed drink is prepared by placing the dried leaves and stems of the plant into some kind of cup/gourd, inserting a filtered straw (bombilla), and adding hot water. Essentially, it’s a tea.

Before I talk about the functional benefits of mate, let’s look at a nutritional comparison of it and coffee.

Mate:

Caffeine per 8oz cup – about 30mg

Vitamins – A, C, E, B1, B2, B3, B5, B Complex

Minerals – Calcium, Manganese, Iron, Selenium, Potassium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc

Additional Compounds – Carotene, Fatty Acids, Chlorophyll, Flavonols, Polyphenols, Inositol, various antioxidants, Tannins, Pantothenic Acid and 15 Amino Acids

Coffee:

Caffeine per 8oz cup – about 100mg

Vitamins – K, B2, B3, Folate (B9), B Complex

Minerals – Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Sodium, Manganese, Fluoride (significantly fewer amounts compared to mate across the board)

Additional Compounds – Various antioxidants, Pantothenic Acid, some Omega 6 Fatty Acids, and some Protein and Amino Acids

When all is said, high quality mate and coffee (without added milk and sugar) both boast some decent nutritional benefits, but the mate just squeaks out ahead.

Now, what I’m probably more qualified to report on, the functional benefits. As a former coffee drinker, if I didn’t have at least one cup of coffee within two hours of waking up, my day was crap. While I tried to limit myself to 1-2 cups a morning, I often drank 4-6 (and then some if I was really bored or wanted to BS with some co-workers). Associated with this was sometimes an uncomfortably acidic feeling stomach, feeling wired, skin crawling jitters, rank breath, and the occasional coffee crash. You may have experienced some or all of these yourselves at some point.

Nowadays, I prep 3-4 ounces of mate leaves and drink 4 cups of hot water with it every morning. I have a much cleaner “buzz,” my energy seems to carry me well into the afternoon, no uncomfortably energetic feelings or upset stomach, and my breath is probably just as bad. Although I prefer to start my day with the mate, I’m not in dire straits without it. Since July, I’ve had maybe 6 cups of coffee and have FELT the difference each time. I encourage anyone who has experienced the negative side of coffee to switch over to mate for a couple of weeks. The taste takes some getting used to – it’s a bit woody – but I think it’s well worth it and you’ll look really cool.

Where to find mate – Henry’s Market and Whole Foods both sell loose leaf and tea bags. BodyBuilding.com offers some mate products marketing the additional benefit of aided weight loss. You can order bulk mate from www.guayaki.com,

www.yerbamateteagourd.com, and many other sites that can be found with a Google search.

Workout of the Day:
Jerk
3-2-1-1-1
and then,
As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
5 Handstand Push-Ups
10 Supine Ring Rows
15 Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg)

Sage and Jackie Row . . . Madeline's in Kindergarten - if you hadn't heard.

Behind the Labels – “Whole Grain”
Written by Mark Riebel

If you’re currently not one who has embraced the benefits of the Paleo Diet (what are you waiting for?!), chances are that grains make up a significant portion of your diet. While I believe there are better choices you could make in your diet, if you’re going to eat breads, cereal, pastas and the like, I’d like to give you some info to help decipher all of the crafty marketing and choose the lesser of two evils when given the option (that is to say the less processed and messed with by man).

Whole grains are said to be a healthier choice than refined grains based on their nutrient and fiber contents (among other things), and the FDA defines these as, “Cereal grains that consist of … the starchy endosperm, germ, and bran.” In short, it means that no part of the grain is removed in its processing. But don’t think that just because you see the term “whole grain” that this makes the food a healthier choice. After all, even Frosted Flakes Gold is made with whole grain.

Companies are allowed to label their foods with such things as “made with whole grain,” “multi grain,” “good/excellent source of whole grain,” and other statements that will make the consumer think you’re getting something you may not be. A company that states a product is “made with whole wheat” may be giving you something that has only 25% of its flour from whole wheat while the rest may be simple refined flour that has been stripped of most of its nutritional benefit. The easiest way to find out what you’re really getting—read the label. From an article by Nutrition Action Healthletter, “If the label doesn’t say ‘100% whole grain,’ check the ingredient list to see if the food contains any refined grains or flour. Dead giveaways: enriched or unbleached wheat flour, semolina flour, durum flour, and rice flour.”

So your takeaways are to make sure you look beyond the advertising claims to find out what you’re really putting in your mouth. If you’re going to eat grains (and really, you shouldn’t), stick with the “100% whole grain” label as much as you can. When someone is really trying hard to get your hard-earned dollars, they may not be as straight forward as you would like.

Also, if you’re not familiar with Nutrition Action Healthletter, it’s a pretty good resource for consumer food information. I don’t recommend their overall nutrition approach (low-fat, high-carb eating with lots of grains) but they have good consumer-awareness resources. I occasionally eat processed foods, and it’s a good thing to know what all those advertising claims are really saying.