Welcome to Week 1! Let’s get right to it:

EAT

What is the plate method? Quite simply, half the plate is veggies, one quarter of the plate has lean proteins, and the last quarter of the plate has whole grains. This IG post from True Nutrition Coach Nancy, RD is a wonderful infographic that shows exactly how to do it. This is the base of your health pyramid. You need to get this right before delving into specifics. 

Your first task this week is to incorporate the plate method for either lunch OR dinner for 4 days of the week.

Your second task is to drink water. How much? Half of your bodyweight in ounces. For example: If you weighed 200lbs, you should have at least 100 ounces of water in a day. You need to do this for 3 days of the week.

Do you think your specifics warrant an exception? Have an idea for a body composition goal for yourself? Ask an expert! Send your questions to Nancy, RD to get a FREE consultation on what you are eating and how you can optimize it!

SLEEP

We all know that we should minimize screen time as we get closer to bed time. Some easy ways to get into a better habit include reading in bed and or working on some intentional breathwork. You are trying to get your nervous system into a parasympathetic state to regulate rest / digest. Good rest is why and how you get better as an athlete. 

Your first task this week is to get 7hr+ sleep a night for 3 nights of the week. If you don’t have a watch or fitness tracker, just note the last time you remember before falling alseep and when you wake up. If you want a digital record, I have used an earlier version of this watch with great success. (I do not get any commission)

Your second task is to incorporate breath work on at least one day this week. The breath work you will incorporate is called box breathing. You can do this at any time but doing this before bed would be a good way to stack these habits. Inhale for 4 secs, hold your breath for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, wait 4 secs before starting the cycle again. This is one cycle. Start with 4 cycles in a row (approx. 1min). Accumulate 20 cycles for now (approx. 5min). Also start to play around with doing some cycles in and out through the nose only. 

NEAT

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis. Basically the energy expended for everything we do besides eating, sleeping, and exercise (Training / CrossFit). Think about it as “keeping your lights on”. You simply cannot skip this and increasing your activity (NEAT) outside of your workouts is paramount to you unleashing your true potential.

Your first task this week is to get 30 minutes of additional steady state monostructural activity one day this week. Your second task is to go for an outdoor walk. If you think carving out any extra time this week will be tough, the best bang for your buck would be to walk outside for 30 minutes. In order for this not to just be more exercise (remember, #DoLessBetter), this needs to be at a pace you can maintain for hours. Slow it down and just be happy to move. You can do it!

TRAIN

This is the last of the four tenets. Maybe this will come easiest because you are likely already doing this – but focusing just on training (CrossFit) is not enough. It is necessary but it is not an exclusive magic pill. If you only TRAIN without focusing on EAT, SLEEP, NEAT, you are taking the easy way out.

Your first task this week is physical training. Your physical training is achieved by participating in 3 CrossFit group classes this week. Listen to your coach. Stay in your lane (level). Focus on form and full range of motion before adding weight or moving faster.

Your second task this week is mental training. This comes in the form of cold exposure. It can be argued that this is the “grit” aspect of the challenge. You need to accumulate 30 seconds of a cold shower or plunge (from the neck down) on 4 days this week. You can break this up into 3 sets of 10 seconds each or any partition you’d like. You can turn the water back to hot in between. But start to address the uncomfortable feeling of the cold water hitting your body as well as the uncomfortable feeling before turning the water to as cold as you can make it. Remember, discomfort is different from pain. You can handle a lot of discomfort.

BONUS

Your extra bonus at home workout for the week is as follows:

7min AMRAP

DNM Burpees

Burpees = Start standing. Drop down to get your chest and thighs on the floor. Finish with a jump and hands overhead.

DNM = dark no music

Straightforward but consider what thoughts go through your head and try to make them as positive as possible.

As always, reach out with any questions!