CrossFit 864 “30 Day Paleo Challenge 2011”
General Guidelines and Helpful Information:
The Paleo Challenge starts on Monday January 24, and ends February 24.
Kickoff – Monday at 6:45p.m – we will have a Paleo recipe swap and food tasting at the gym. Bring your favorite dish and about 10 copies of the recipe that you prepare. We look forward to trying out different dishes and sharing recipes with our fellow CrossFitters.
The challenge is intended to improve the lives of CF864 members by focusing efforts on clean eating and proper nutrition. While there is a competitive spirit to the challenge, in the end it is an individual program and is ‘for fun’. We want our members to take this seriously but not let it rule their lives. We will refer to this as the Paleo Challenge and we will select an individual winner at the end. However, we feel that everyone that commits to the Paleolithic lifestyle for 30 days will be a winner and will see significant overall improvements in their health.
Pre-Requisites for all participants:
All athletes must commit to following the Paleo Diet for 30 days and must start on January 24.
All contestants will be required to perform a baseline workout at the start and finish of the 30 day period.
All participants will be weighed, measured and photographed.
Photo – Before and after must include a front, side and back view.
In an attempt to keep all photos uniform please try to take as follows:
The person taking the photo should be approximately 5-8 feet away and taken against a white or neutral wall for the background.
Attire for photos: Males – athletic shorts, Females – shorts and sports bra top. You have two options on this (1) you can take the pictures at home and email it. (2) You can have the picture taken at the gym during one of the scheduled times. Your photo will not be public and will not be published at any time. Email photos to crossfit864@aol.com
Schedule for photo/measurements:
Monday, January 24 from 8:30a.m.–9:00a.m. and 7:00p.m.-7:30p.m.
Tuesday, January 25 from 10:00a.m.-10:15a.m. and 3:45p.m.-4:00p.m.
Wednesday, January 26 from 5:00a.m.-5:15a.m. and 8:45a.m.-9:00a.m.
Food Journals – A daily journal must be maintained for the 30 day period.
The journal will include everything that you consume on a daily basis. You must be honest on these and include everything even if you cheat. When you write down what you eat it helps you keep yourself more accountable.
Journals will be turned in on Friday of each week – we will have a tray at the gym that you can place these in. We will provide a blank food journal for you.
We hope that this will begin a lifestyle change for you and that you will see significant results even in the short 30 day challenge. The challenge is designed to be strict so that you can truly assess the benefits from a purist approach. Once the 30 day period is over you can maintain the Paleo principles and adjust it (if needed) according to your goals. We encourage you to have an accountability partner during this period to help you stay on track on a daily basis. As your CrossFit coach and friend we will be there for you as well so please let us know what we can do to help. We want to see you succeed and to get stronger, faster and leaner with an overall improvement in your heath. Hopefully the challenge will get you jump started and give you a better understanding of how to eat and how to maintain a balanced nutritional plan.
The challenge is designed to reward those who stay dedicated to maintaining healthy eating, sleep and exercise habits over the 30 day period. Remember that eating Paleo isn’t a weight loss diet. The concept of Paleo is to provide your body with the optimal fuel that it was designed to run on. Eating Paleo is primarily about feeling your absolute best, mentally, physically and performing better. Looking better in your swimsuit will just be a benefit of your dedication.
There’s plenty of good food that you can eat and a lot of great recipes out there to make this challenge possible for everyone. So do your best…It is not a diet! It is a healthy approach to eating. At least give it a try and see what happens – what do you have to lose? 30 days without junk food? It is only 30 days so give it a fair chance and see what happens. You can do this! Set a goal and stick with it.
Tips to help get you started:
# 1 Check the links on the blog. We have provided some great resources and will continue to add them as we go along. Let us know if you come across any good sites that we can share.
# 2 Keep it simple and have fun.
For the next 30 days you are free to consume all of the following foods:
-animal protein (“Eat meat that once had a face and a soul” -– Robb Wolf)
-eggs
-veggies (get the bulk from non-starchy vegetables, green stuff)
-fruit
-nuts (except peanuts and cashews)
-seeds
-spices
-olive oil and coconut oil for cooking
# 3 No naked carbs – To prevent your blood sugar from spiking, keep your meals balanced and don’t eat fruit without eating protein. Stay away from grains and sugar!
# 4 Accountability – Everyday for the next 30 days you will keep a record of all your meals and snacks (don’t worry about writing down portions). Ask someone to be your accountability partner and at the end of every day/week you and your partner will check in with each other (i.e., share, laugh, cry and vent – not whine!)
# 5 Share you recipes on Paleo 864 Facebook. This is also a great place to post questions or share helpful info with your fellow CrossFitting Cavemen/Cavewomen.
Prior to participating in any program, activity or exercise you should seek the advice of your physician and other health-care professionals. You are responsible for your body and only you are able to determine what is best for you. We are providing this information as a guideline and it should not interfere with any instructions from your medical doctor.