Join us this May as we take on a new challenge each week that will help us clean up our diet and improve our workouts as we head into summer.
MAY-KEOVER WEEK ONE:
We'll start Tuesday, May 1st
1. Log all food and beverage
2. Record all WOD results on whiteboard and on Wodify
Measuring both holds us accountable and leads to positive changes.
Logging Nutrition
Logging food and beverage intake brings awareness to exactly what we're putting into our bodies so we can make needed changes. Maybe you've been overdoing carbohydrates, or under eating protein. If you want to improve your body composition and performance, My Fitness Pal can take the guesswork out of maximizing results through diet.
If you are not familiar with using My Fitness Pal, download the free App (no need to pay for Premium) , and Click HERE for a tutorial. You can also ask your coaches for help. If you don't have macronutrient and calorie goals set, use this calculator to find those numbers. Don't forget, this calculation accounts for your activity level so don't enter exercise into My FIt Pal (and turn "step counter" off).
Logging Workout Results
We aren't talking about keeping track of calories burned during your WOD. We're talking about your score. Want better results in general? Ben Bergeron (who trains the fittest in the world) reports that those who record their results not only experience better performance; but more improvements in body composition, increased strength, and improved health markers.
If you don't ever record your results you are missing out on one of the greatest advantages of CrossFit.
IT IS MEASURABLE.
When you attend a spin class, you may sweat, work hard, and leave feeling like you accomplished something; but you have no idea how much work you really did, how many revolutions per minute you averaged, your power output, or if you're performance has improved since the spin class you attended last month.
Everything we do in the CrossFit box is measurable.
Take Fran:
21-15-9
Thrusters
Pull-ups
When you finish, you know how many repetitions you performed and how long it took you, how much weight you lifted, and if you had to scale pull-ups. When you repeat Fran a year later, you can compare your score to determine your progress. You can even calculate your power output if you're in the mood for some math.
Even if you have no interest in comparing your previous and current scores or measuring your improvement, recording your results will motivate you to work harder. If you are taking a history class and know that after every quiz and test you'll have to stand before your teacher and classmates and announce your score, you'll likely study more. When you know that you'll be writing your WOD score on the board and posting it on Wodify, you will likely push a little harder. When you push a little harder, you get stronger, leaner, fitter.
If you don't think it's worth posting scaled and/or modified workouts, think again! You'll help others feel better about scaling or modifying and give them ideas on how to scale effectively or modify the workout for an injury. So be sure to list those scaled elements in the comments.
So write up those scores and be proud of the work you accomplish each day, regardless of what everyone else did.
