The beginnings of the Paleo Rebellion:
The “Stop the Slop Challenge” is back!
It’s time. Tomorrow we are kicking off our Nutrition and Performance Challenge (Monday, Jan. 9). It will run 30 days until Feb. 7. This is not only a Nutrition challenge but also a Performance challenge and an Essay Challenge. This is open to everyone in the box and we highly encourage everyone to participate, but you are not required to do so.
Part 1. Nutrition Challenge:
Nutrition is the foundation of a solid fitness program and overall good health. You put the effort into your workout, put that same effort into what you eat and watch how dramatic the results can be. For this challenge we recommend a strict Paleo or Whole30 approach as it will have the best and most impactful results. For those “kinda motivated” individuals who “kinda” want to overhaul their nutrition, and “kinda” want to cheat, we want you to commit for 30 days to take the CHALLENGE and eat clean and real food so you can see and feel the difference. Think Paleo and not “Faileo”!
A Whole30 approach is just that. 30 days to “detox” your body by eating non-inflammatory foods so you can see your body return to its baseline and realize what everything from dairy, grains, processed foods, and refined sugars do to you. You will over the course of 30 days get the most out of it if you take the Challenge and do it right. Remember completing a Whole30 means no cheats. Zip. Zilch. Zero. You cannot say “I am doing the Whole30 plus cream or Whole30 plus a drink here and there.” Anything other than that and you are eating clean or “paleo-ish”, not a Whole30. While that is not wrong for the purposes of everyday life; we want you to try this for 30 days. Then you can reintroduce whatever you want back into your diet with better understanding of how it effects you. Some who have tried this in our box have realized that their skin clears up, or they lost weight faster, or their allergies disappear, or their blood levels improve (cholesterol, glucose, etc.). Others learn they are lactose intolerant or allergic to gluten. If you are up for it then buy in and see us for your Whole30 Guide in the box. If you fall off the wagon on Day 21 then you can claim a Whole20! Michelle and I are “in” for a Whole30, who wants to join us?
Anyone who buys into the Nutrition Challenge must weigh in on Day 1 at the gym (or you may makeup your weigh-in after but realize you are losing those days from your 30 total). At the end on Day 30 you must weigh-in again at the gym. Most % weight lost will win a prize.
** Your weight will not be shared with anyone other than Michelle and I for tracking purposes.
Part 2. Performance Challenge:
The emphasis of “Stop the Slop” goes beyond what we choose to eat. It also encompasses how we workout and how we recover. 1st: Stop looking at the clock! Slow it down and set your feet, your back and your hands to do what you have been trained to do correctly. 2nd: Forget what the person next to you can lift and focus on what you can lift correctly with the best technique. 3rd: Recover the right way. In addition to proper nutrition, stretch/mobilize and get more sleep.
From little to no sleep or crappy reps with bad form, it’s all slop that we can do without. So for the next 30 days be even more vigilant on yourself on demanding good reps and technique. When you are working out, police yourself. When you short a squat, snag a double-under, half-ass a wall ball or push-up, don’t quite get your chin over that bar, or do the bent over box jump rep, don’t count it. Do it over. Skipping or missing reps? I should hope not. But if you do then stop and do them all. You only cheat yourself with that kind of slop (and upset the person next to you). Slow it down and do it right. That is why we train. It will pay off immensely, make you fitter, more efficient, and overall drive better results for you.
To kick off the Stop the Slop and to close it out we will start and end with the same WOD. Anyone competing in the Performance Challenge must complete the WOD in the same manner each time (i.e. the same weight or scaling). Whoever shows the largest % improvement in time will win a prize.
**Stop the Slop Performance Challenge WOD is programmed for tomorrow Monday. Make-ups are allowed through Wednesday at class.
Pt. 3 Essay Challenge:
At the end of 30 days the person who writes the best short essay about what they learned and took away from their Stop the Slop Challenge will win a prize. The judges will be all 7 of your coaches. We will vote Survivor Tribal Council style and see who wins. Tell us your story at the end and share it with the rest of SRCF. There is no immunity idol.
Details below:
- Runs from Mon. 1/9 – Tue. 2/7
- Buy-In is $25 per person (you can choose which challenge you want to participate in; 1, 2 or all 3
- You could participate in the Performance Challenge and not the Nutrition Challenge. Or vice versa. Or just not write an essay. Or write a creative essay about why you did neither (that I would love to see). It will cost you $25 for a chance to win.
- Weigh-in: In the gym beginning and end of challenge required; no weigh-in during. (Stay away from the scale until it’s over)
- Nutrition logs optional. They are valuable and if you want a coach to review with you then track it and turn it in at the end of each week (either manual or electronic – we recommend using Beyondthewhiteboard.com)
- If you don’t have one then pick up a Whole9/SRCF Nutrition Guide and Whole30 Program handout (Comprehensive nutrition guide with practical info on how to implement, shop, prepare, and maintain a Paleo diet as well as a “how to” Whole 30 manual)
- One winner will be crowned in each category: Nutrition Challenge, Performance Challenge and Essay Challenge
- Nutrition winner will be the person with highest % weight loss overall
- Performance winner will be the person with the highest % time improved overall on the Performance WOD (scaling will remain the same for test/re-test unless the athlete chooses to move from scaled to RX – this would be your “gamble”)
- Essay Winner will be the person whose essay is unanimously chosen as the best by your coaches
- Prize cash money, cool SRCF swag, and CF Treasure for the winners
- Performance Test WOD: You will be paired up with another athlete to serve as your “judge/counter” to ensure everyone gets the most out of their “sweat equity”
The next 30 days will be worthwhile. Workout, be strict, make healthy choices, read the info we gave out, ask questions, share recipes, and see it through! Most of all HAVE FUN! You can do anything you put your mind to, so don’t undo all the hard work you put in the gym everyday.
Remember: don’t think you are alone, look around the gym and you’ll see there are plenty of people in here to help.
Quote of the Day: “The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn’t like to do.” ~ Thomas Edison
Various Info and Resources:
Just do it. No excuses.
