3/31 Foodie Friday

Jessie K. looking poised during her double unders. She crushed the Whole Life Challenge and changed her relationship with food. She is continuing the healthy eating habits she learned whilst on the WLC. 

Foodie Friday Guest Blog!

I am super excited to introduce our Foodie Friday guest blogger, Heather McDonnell. Heather is a certified Eating Psychology Coach by the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. She guides women into building healthy and satisfying relationships to food, body and life.  Learn more at her FREE TALK next Saturday April 8th at 10am at our gym or at her website www.wholeandnourished.com.

Why Knowing What to Eat Isn’t Enough
by Heather McDonnell 

Have you ever followed an expert’s advice: “eat this, don’t eat that,” or “eat less, move more” only to find your health hasn’t improved or the weight hasn’t budged? Perhaps knowing what to eat just isn’t enough. Where, when, how, and why we eat all influence the way our bodies digest and assimilate a meal.
Let’s consider how we eat.  Eating while stressed, rushed, or distracted puts your body into sympathetic nervous system dominance. This stressed state shuts down your digestive system as it prepares to “fight or flee”.  While in the stress response, blood flow, oxygen, and enzymes in the gut decrease; healthy gut bacteria die; we excrete nutrients and increase inflammation; insulin and cortisol are released, hormones that signal the body to store fat and not build muscle. You can be eating the healthiest, freshest, most organic food on the planet, but if eaten under stress, you literally decrease the nutritional value of that meal. 
 When we are rushing our meal or pushing ourselves to do the next thing on our list we are not able to notice what truly nourishes us.  For full nutrient assimilation and calorie burning capacity, try initiating the relaxation response. Sit down; take 3 deep breaths before your meal; eat slowly; put your fork down between bites; See, smell, feel, and ideally even taste your food!  With these strategies, you will boost your metabolism and satisfaction without even changing what you eat!

Please join Heather next Saturday, April 8th after our 9am CrossFit class for an informative free talk on healthy eating. 

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Today's Workout 
Gymnastics Pressing Progressions
then, 

Are you joining us for the Sprouts Dinner Club on Sunday, April 9th? Sprouts Dinner Club is the creation of True Spirit CrossFitter Heather Kahler, aka Chef HK. 
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Sprouts Dinner Club is a super fun way to learn how to create incredible healthy food without a recipe. Together we create a menu, figure out how to create each dish and sit together to enjoy what we've created. Chef HK guides us every step of the way. It's so much fun! We hope you'll join us at the next dinner. You can RSVP here. ​