Thursday, 07.29.10: Really?

WTF?

I have been on my computer all day searching for nutrition topics for this site and started messing around on Google. I started putting "Diet" into the search and the Lap Band surgery kept coming up. 

So lets take a look at the Lap Band surgery...

"...A laparoscopic adjustable gastric band, commonly referred to as a lap band, is an inflatable silicone device that is placed around the top portion of the stomach, via laparoscopic surgery, in order to treat obesity. Adjustable gastric band surgery is an example of bariatric surgery designed for obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater—or between 35–40 in cases of patients with certain comorbidities that are known to improve with weight loss, such as sleep apnea, diabetes, osteoarthritis, GERD, Hypertension (high blood pressure), ormetabolic syndrome, among others..."

So...this means that if you can't control how much you eat, you have surgery that inserts a device around your stomach and the inflatable pump controls food flow. 

Interesting...must make sex awkward to have a pump hanging out of your body. 

Wednesday, 07.28.10: Toxic Trio

"...scientists have identified the three protein fragments that make gluten - the main protein in wheat, rye and barley - toxic to people with coeliac disease...when people with coeliac disease eat products containing gluten their body's immune response is switched on and the lining of the small intestine is damaged, hampering their ability to absorb nutrients. The disease is currently treated by permanently removing gluten from the patient's diet."

"...The patients, recruited through the Coeliac Society of Victoria and the Coeliac Clinic at John Radcliffe Hospital, UK, ate bread, rye muffins or boiled barley. Six days later, blood samples were taken to measure the strength of the patients' immune responses to 2700 different gluten fragments. The responses identified 90 fragments as causing some level of immune reaction, but three gluten fragments (peptides) were revealed as being particularly toxic."

Toxic Trio Identified 

Tuesday, 07.27.10: Demands of Rugby

Ross Tucker has a PhD in Exercise Physiology from the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences and is currently a member of Paul Treu's SA Sevens management team., was the author of Science of Sport. He is an accomplished sports scientist and lives in South Africa. 

He examined the demands of elite rugby players in their toughest test, Super 14 competition., The results showed the physiological demands of the game increase as the duration of the increases. There is a direct correlation between the effort put forth in the final minutes of a game. This goes to show the level of urgency for an athlete in the final quarter. 

At Cal, Steve Mariucci instilled the mind set, "The Fourth Quarter is Ours". This mindset permeated through the culture of Cal football players. We couldn't wait to to get the fourth quarter because after all, it was ours. This mindset is smart to cultivate because mentally tough teams that continue to play through the last minutes will ultimately have more success. 

I have found a similar mindset in CrossFit workouts, taking the workout to the last second and realizing that a 20 minute AMRAP means just that...20 minutes as many rounds as possible and even some extra reps. 

"The Vodacom Super 14 competition puts elite rugby players through one of the toughest tests in the game – with up to 15 maximum efforts over 16 weeks, often across 10 time-zones against teams wishing to displace the Bulls as the reigning Super Rugby champions."

"But exactly what is the physiological challenge faced by players in any given match?"

"...Finally, the physiological load is actually greater in the second half of matches. Players run further in the second half, with more accelerations and short sprints, and there are twice as many impacts in the second half. More time is also spent doing high-intensity running and less time walking in the second half of matches, especially for forwards, which says that play is more continuous in the second half. It’s perhaps not surprising then that scorelines often remain tight for 50 minutes before opening up – the last 30 minutes is where the physiology begins to tell!.."

Physiological Demands of Rugby

Monday, 07.26.10: Barefoot & CrossFit

More than a few of the coaches and athletes at CFB have been training barefoot for some time. Barefoot running, barefoot weight lifting and functional movements performed at high intensity seem to go together like peanut butter and jelly. But we had to put a stop to this as it isn't very sanitary in a gym setting so we need a new option. And since Vibrams are not an option due to the "mandatory" foot stomping rule we implemented last yea,r we needed something new. With a little research we came across these shoes made by Barefoot Ted.

Orders have been made and we are waiting on a few pairs.  

Honestly, not sure how this is going to go but in the interest of avoiding the heel strike and increasing foot strength, I am interested in giving them a try. 

I will keep you posted. 

Saturday, 07.24.10: Strong Girls

Standing at the gym watching my 2 year old niece doing air squats made me think about what goes into becoming a strong girl.

So...how do make strong girls?

Start early. Never to early to get them into gymnastics, CrossFit, Olympic Weightlifting, Track or what not. 

Beginning in her infancy, praise her for what she can do more than for the way she looks. "You're so pretty!" will make her the appearance as her greatest attribute, but "You worked so hard on that sand castle!" lets her know she's valued for her skills.

Step 2- Think through the pink. Make sure her clothes and her room are made of many colors, and not just light pink, dark pink and magenta. It may seem like a small factor, but it helps take her beyond the only "girls wear/do this and boys wear/do that."

Step 3- Strong girls need less "Cinderella" and more stories in which the girl is the hero. They need strong female role models in their lives. Kelly Starrett prides himself on his daughters having strong women role models in their lives. 

Step 4- Make sure her toy box includes trucks, play tools, barbells and kettlebells, as well as dolls. Include some action hero costumes in her dress-up clothes collection.

Step 5- Deconstruct the Barbie. It's difficult for parents to escape Barbie dolls altogether, but make sure your daughter knows that Barbie is unrealistically proportioned and has an unhealthy focus on her looks. You may feel silly explaining that to a 3-year-old, but it's never too early to plant the seed. Don't be critical about her appearance, get her into sports and teach her about eating right. 

Step 6- Surround her with strong and caring people of both sexes. Dad needs to be encouraged to share a variety of activities such as building a birdhouse, changing a tire or baking bread. When she's old enough, take her to work with you.

Step 7- Take her out to the ball game, car show or the CrossFit Games, as well as the ballet. Introduce her to a variety of interests.

Step 8- Don't be sabotaged by Grandma and Grandpa. When well-meaning relatives fuss over her curly hair and big eyes, remind them-in front of her-that she just learned to tie her shoes and do a cartwheel.

Step 9- Encourage her academically. Tell her, "You can do it," instead of, "Well most girls aren't good at math."

Friday, 07.23.10: New Class Times

Attention! Attention! We have some new class times.

Please take a look at the updated class schedule for changes. We had adjusted the schedule in an effort to increase competition in the classes.

Thanks for helping us create new energy in the class environment! 

Since we are on the topic of energy, I thought I would talk about positive and negative energy.

How do you know when you are giving off positive energy? 

Well you know when you are emitting positive energy when you...stay in touch with your dark side and weaknesses, and are willing to grow towards healing and strength. 

Positive energy is about movement and space. 

See the positive qualities in others and harness those qualities 

Positive energy values other positive qualities. 

Feel compassion towards yourself and the world. Listen to – and try to understand – other perspectives, regardless of how different. 

Positive energy is open-minded and not judgmental. 

Positive people don't judge quickly. 

Express your true self in thoughts and actions, gently and honestly.

Positive energy is honest. Share your negative thoughts and emotions.

Positive energy admits the negative. 

Celebrate the success and happiness of other people.

Positive energy appreciates success. 

Feel fear and defeat, and keep persevering anyway.

Positive energy doesn't deny negative emotions. 

Follow your dreams and desires. 

Now you might ask how you would know when you consumed by negative energy?

Ignore your dark side and weaknesses. 

Negative energy isn't honest and focuses on other people's mistakes and weaknesses. 

Negative energy is critical and angry.

Negative energy is delusional and casts a shadow on everything. 

Try to change other people's perspectives and opinions.

Negative energy is manipulative. 

Negative energy wants everyone to be of one mind. 

Negative energy isn't balanced.

Let other people's moods and energy dictate your own. 

Swallow your negative thoughts and emotions. 

Resent the successes and joys of others.

Negative energy is jealous. 

Allow fear and cynicism to harden your heart and color your perspective.

Negative energy revolves around fear and bitterness. 

Ignore your goals, plans, and passions.

Negative energy suffocates your dreams.

Keep a positive mind and realize the warning signs of negative energy. 

Thursday, 07.22.10: Free Saturday

Come join us this weekend for a complimentary class at CrossFit Balboa! We will have two class times @ 9 am & 10 am. 

We will have drinks and food, so please come out and let us show you what we can do for you!

Monday, 07.19.10: Summer Hours

Summer is full swing and we are going to take advantage of the longer days and push class times back 30 minutes. Make sure you check MindBody for changes. 

Our new Summer Schedule:

5 pm to 6 pm
6 pm to 7 pm
7 pm to 8 pm

Sunday, 07.18.10: CF Games - Day 3

Congrats to Ben, Ryan, Eric, Kelley, Aubrey and Kate for your hard work!

Saturday, 07.17.10: CF Games - Day 2

2010 CrossFit Games

Gym Closed July 16,17 & 18th

Come Support your Team!!!

Home Depot Center Complex - Carson, CA