@FitnessHeroics.

You might have experienced a little mid workout nausea if you push yourself really hard through training. It’s to be expected with intense workouts, especially when you have a high work-to-rest ratio that don’t allow for full recovery in between sets. Think of your workout that was a circuit training or CrossFit WOD that you worked for several minutes straight without rest!

No one enjoys nausea or vomiting, and it totally interrupts the flow of a training session. Luckily, there are a few strategies you can employ if this is a persistent problem for you.Why does this happen? There is a rise in acidity that occurs when you stress your anaerobic energy systems and work above your lactate threshold. One of the most effective ways to keep your stomach settled is to sip on an alkalizing drink to counteract the rising acidity levels. Not only will you feel better, but you will also increase your work capacity by extending your time to muscular exhaustion. Maintaining good pH balance has tremendous benefits beyond simply being able to train harder, such as improved energy levels and a stronger immune system.
Although maintaining a more alkaline pH will help prevent nausea and delay muscle fatigue, there is evidence the acidic environment produced during training is actually necessary to initiate the hormonal response required for hypertrophy.If you are concerned with achieving the greatest muscle-building effect, have the drink an hour after you finish training to take advantage of the health and recovery benefits without interfering with stimulating hypertrophy.

Sometimes nausea is a result of simply making poor pre-workout meal choices. Here are some ideas for you to test out:

Give yourself at least an hour between the time you finish eating and the time you start your workout.

Choose proteins that are quick to digest like fish, eggs, and ground meats.

Don’t consume too much saturated fat.

Keep pre-workout meal portions moderate if getting nauseous has been an issue for you.

PH balance drink
32oz of water
Juice from one whole lime or lemon
1/4 tsp of Celtic or Himalayan salt
1 scoop of concentrated greens powde

Managing your pH levels through nutrition, supporting your acid-buffering capabilities in the muscles with beta-alanine, and making smart pre-workout meal and supplement choices will all help to keep nausea at bay and improve your workout performance.

How to prepare fro your first CrossFit competition!

There are many times athletes will ask me what to do for a competition. While everyone does have a routine they like to follow there are some standard things that you should keep in mind. The number one thing I DO suggest is to have fun! This is an opportunity to showcase your strengths and learn about your weak spots in training !

#1- Stick to what you know and currently do. If you have a favorite pair of shoes or clothes to wear, use them. Competition day is not the time to test it out with something new. Be sure to pack things you “might” need even if they didn’t state to bring it. Remember to bring t hand grips, wrist wraps, head bands, jump ropes, and any other accessories for mobility and stretching! Sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised what people forget to bring!

#2-Your nutrition should not be different! Just like wearing new shoes is probably a bad idea, so is eating foods that you don’t normally eat. Nothing is worse than feeling sick and trying to train at your best. Stick to as close to normal “snacks” as you would a regular training day. I make protein oatmeal cakes and freeze them the night before so I have quick snacks that have protein and carbs but not overly filling. Also, the fruit applesauce packs are great for quick carbs between workouts. Above all, stay hydrated and make sure your replenishing your body.

#3-Your mind is powerful, be positive and do what you know. If you are confident going into the event and know you can hit the required weights, mentally preparing should be about strategy. Yes things do go wrong, adrenaline takes over and sometimes you do things you normally wouldn’t do. The worst thing to do is start mentally tearing yourself down before you start. Know your numbers and your plan before you start and you would be surprised. You’re even capable of beating what you “think” you’re capable of, but you have to not set such self-limiting constraints to that potential first!

#4- Take one event at a time. Focus on the task at hand, THEN start to make a strategic plan on the next one. Be smart if you are in a later heat and watch those who train before your. Know what is working and not working. If your the first heat, make your time untouchable to anyone behind you to chase it. People fail on weights they hit in practice. Life happens and sometimes you have an off day. Keep digging and as each event passes, let it go and move forward with the next.

As you can see, a lot more mental game is needed that physical when preparing for a competition. You need to stay calm and collected in training and know what your body can do. No use getting stressed over it, have fun and do what you know best- 3,2,1, GO !

Is the fear of change holding you back? I know for me that fear has held me back numerous times from things I have wanted to accomplish. Fear of failure or fear of making a mistake are usually the most common ones that come to mind.
What if your nutrition is the same way ? Are you trying to lose weight but no matter what you are doing it just doesn’t work? Maybe it’s not working because it’s not right for you. Did you ever think that what works for one person will not work for anther. You can follow the SAME plan as elite athletes and if it’s not what your body needs, it just will not respond the same way.
I have a few scenarios that I want to take you through to see if you can change your mindset or way of thinking about food, nutrition and diets.
1- It’s not the right time. You know when you are dating someone and it just feels “off”? You can have the perfect diet written out for you but it might require you to change your lifestyle in order for it to work. That is not sustainable over time and can lead into yo-yo dieting. Instead of trying to make it work, why don’t you try to change small things that are not working. Are you addicted to sugar? Cut out your midday soda and replace it with fruit. Do you tend to binge at night? Spread out your meals during the day with protein, carbs, and fats to keep blood sugar steady.
2-It’s just not working. Have you had this feeling with your diet? Are you working hard at eating right, training, and taking the proper recovery to find that you are stuck? This happens to the best of us. When everything “looks” good on paper yet it’s not jiving with your life, maybe look into other aspects of your life that can be re-evaluated. A new training plan or different recovery plan might be the trick to get even more motivated. So what if its not working now, try something new and it might work !
3- You are just doing it to do it. What kind of life is that ? Following a plan that is not making you happy is setting you up for failure. You need to have a solid plan that you enjoy and can follow long term. It’s time to let go. Dieting should not make you hate food, just like dating should not make you hate men or women. Break the cycle now, before you find yourself backtracking – physically and emotionally.
Someone once said, “Never love anybody who treats you like you’re ordinary.” We can think of food in the same way. Never follow a diet plan or a nutrition guru that assumes you’re just like everyone else. You are not the person on TV or in the magazine. Be an individual and follow a plan for you !

Are you fatigued often? Do you feel like your progress is slowing down and maybe even heading in reverse ? You might be headed down a path of adrenal fatigue. You may or may not know what this even means. Adrenal fatigue as a collection of signs and symptoms, known as a syndrome, that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level.

The adrenal glands are responsible for balancing and regulating hormones in your body – namely cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that helps you deal with the stress you have in everyday living. If you think of all the little stressful moments your life has, such as sitting in traffic, working out a lot with little rest, not enough water or food, work and relationships, you can see how easy it is to become stressed out.

While stress is normal and a guarantee in life, when you experience constant stress over a prolonged period of time, your body can only take so much before breaking down. Try as your body may to fight, with little relief in sight, adrenal fatigue manifests in some of these common signs and symptoms:

Suppressed immunity
Difficulty losing or gaining weight
Feeling wired and tired at night
Loss of appetite
Poor recovery between workouts or plateaus in progress
Running on fumes every day
Anxiety, stress, and depression
Digestive distress
Cravings for foods high in salt, sugar, or fat
Hormonal imbalance
Muscle and bone loss and muscular weakness
Shortness of breath
Chronic headaches
Autoimmune disorders
Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
Lightheadedness when getting up from sitting or lying down
Decreased ability to handle stress
Trouble waking up in the morning (despite a full night’s sleep)

Now this is a short list of things for you to consider. However if you do feel you are suffering from many items on the list, you might want to try to change some of your life habits.

-Go to bed at a consistent time
-Drink and eat enough to support life
-Get rid of processed foods and eat all real foods.
-Add in extra rest days during the week.
-Add variety to your workout routine for what is hard medium and light.

If you experience constant fatigue or a plateau in your training, you might find yourself saying things like, “If I just dial in my diet some more,” or “If I just add in a little cardio…” But what you really need is rest, permission to de-stress, a careful look at your nutrition, and education.

The majority of us will experience adrenal fatigue at some point in our lives. Knowledge is power, so take steps today to prevent problems in the future

Are you totally obsessed with working out? For some peopel, training is priority and it always has and will be. There is the thrill of accomplishing things before the world is even out of bed. You get the fun, you feel the excitement, and you do the hard work. It’s not easy, but in many ways it’s wonderful. And you also get how funny and focused we can get about training.

Today is something fun for you !

Read through the following, and for everything you do give yourself a point. At the end of this little quiz, see how obsessed you are and get a laugh here and there too!

1) Do you plan your day so you can fit in some training? Or do you plan your training … and then your day around your training?

2) How many pairs of workout clothes are in your car?

3) Have you turned down a job offer because the hours didn’t allow enough time for working out?

4) Have you ever broken up with someone because they didn’t work out or maybe looked at them a little different?

5) Have you ever decided not to date someone because they didn’t work out?

6) Does deadlift day ruin you for the ENTIRE afternoon?

7) Does your mom regularly ask you things like: Are you still doing that CrossFit / working out stuff?

8) Do you have more pairs of yoga pants than dress pants?

9) Do you have more pairs of sneakers than adult shoes?

10) Do you have favorite workout shirts that are your favorite for harder workouts?

11) You have a clear bill of good health and people ask you what you are doing?

12) Do you check yourself out in mirrors and flex just a little ?

13) Have your friends ever asked, “Can you go to that restaurant? Do they have things you’ll eat?”

14) Do you go to bed at the same hour as toddlers and grandmothers?

15) Have you ever considered moving to a new town in order to be closer to your gym?

16) Have you ever done The Happy Dance after you hit a PR ?

17) If faced with the choice between missing a work assignment or missing a training session, do you even consider what your boss will say?

18) Have you ever wondered if it’s okay to wear shorts under your outfit because you are used to them? Even at a formal event?

19) When sitting in a car at a stop light, have you practiced ab holds for the length of the light?

20) Does your idea of a “great Friday night” involve being under the bar… the bar bell that is squatting ?

21) Do your friends introduce you to new acquaintances by your name and follow it with “she likes to work out a lot”?

22) Have you ever looked at complete strangers and thought, “I wonder how much they lift?”

23)Do the following words mean anything to you? Glutes, traps, below parallel, triple extension, burpees and butterfly pull-ups.

24)Do you hook grip the steering wheel in your car?

25) Have you ever thought about naming your pet after a workout name ?

26) Do you have anxiety on Rest Days? Do you even know what Rest Days are? Can you name your last Rest Day?

27) You are a clean eater ? If you even understand this take it to the land of Paleo and now answer?

28) You treat new PR’s as if you just got the best gift ever !?

29) Do you find yourself “planning” how you are going to do the WOD for tomorrow’s workout?

30) You HAVE to be at the top of the leader board !?

What’s your score ?

0-11: Newbie. You’re not obsessed yet. Give it time. You’ll get there.

12-22: Intermediate. There’s still hope for you to live a normal life. Friends and family might stage an intervention. You’ve been warned.

23-30: Advanced. You are might just be tipping the chalk bucket over because you are so excited about training !