Summer Time is over so that means enough with the BBQ Hot dogs and Hamburgers. Summer Time indulgence tapers off as we settle in for great fall veggies and a fresh look at our Nutritional foundation. If you are not looking at Nutrition as seasonal then now is the time to wake up to this very primal tendency. Here are the top 5 foods you should incorporate into your diet for optimal heart Health this winter.
Physiology changes with the seasons. Mammals, especially our big-ass variety have super high metabolic rates. For a long time there was an assumption that our bodies responded minimally tot he change in seasons but that has been found to be not true. According to the Journal NATURE there has been definitive studies done on bone and metabolic changes as the seasons change. Therefore it is necessary to eat along with the seasons. The benefits are two fold;
1. A diverse menu and Nutritional Foundation ensures the broadest spectrum of Nutrients in your diet .
2. Changing your menu with the seasons avoids more of the 'commercial' food options out in your supermarket. Eating with the seasons allows us to avoid excess GMO, pesticides and otherwise crappy food.
No Muscle is more in need of adaptation and need than the Heart. Heart Muscle cells work their ass off and the seasons change the metabolic rate of these cells especially as we train hard through the colder winter months. Eating for Heart health has been shown to spread the benefits throughout the GUT and brain as well. Weird??... These important systems all working together!! Go figure eh!!
Here are the top 5 Foods that you should be incorporating in your diet this fall for optimal Heart Health;
1. Salmon. Well C'mon.. If you read my stuff regularly you know that I am a HUGE fan of Wild Caught Salmon, Smoked Salmon, and all manner of varieties. Salmon is really a complete food with a high protein content and Omega-3 fatty acid profile. Studies have shown for some time that Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for heart health through a reduction in inflammation throughout your circulatory system, decreasing the chances of heart Disease.
2. Dark Green Leafy Veggies. Swiss chard, Kale, Box Choy, Brussel Sprouts. These powerhouses of Nutrition contain a host of Vitamins including A,C and K. They benefit the heart through the GUT by packing your diet with plenty of Fiber, keeping your digestive system free of harmful crap that might slip past your lips when you are feeling like a cheat day! Most importantly dark Green Veggies pack a lot of Folate (folic acid) which aids in clearing the arteries of plaques and can lower your chances of heart Related illness by a staggering amount.
3. Albacore Tuna. Known also as White Tuna, funny to say.. but this canned fish (usually) has amazing health benefits for the heart. Like Salmon it is packed with Omega-3 fatty acids which reduce inflammation but the real gem is in the Protein Content. Albacore Tuna has a whopping 40g of protein per serving. Amino Acids that are necessary for heart cell rebuilding and maintenance are very present in this potent fish. Try to minimize too many cans per week because of the assumed BPA in aluminum can construction but otherwise it is a great option for lunges and snacks.
4. Winter Squash is diverse and nutritionally very high and NON-GMO! Butternut Squash, Acorn and my favorite Spaghetti Squash are some great choices. As you may well know, squash come in all different shapes and sizes and COLORS. The colors of squash represent the amount of carotenoids (think beta-carotene in carrots) which are powerful antioxidants. Through the environment we live in and how much we train our body is constantly under stress. These anti-oxidants protect healthy cells and help remove bad ones that can cause inflammatory diseases like cancer.
5. Go Nuts! Pecans, Almonds and Macadamia Nuts are full of good fats that are vital to heart health. A small serving of nuts 2-3 times per day provides a good source of Fiber which I mentioned before helps the GUT and the heart by clearing the system of crap you eat. Along with Fiber you also get good fat. These unsaturated fats will help lower total blood cholesterol and especially LDL (da bad kine) that have been linked to Heart attacks and Heart Disease. Vitamins like Potassium, and Magnesium are also some killer reasons why you should have nuts on hand at all times.
Simply Put, protect your heart and you increase your performance. Changing with the seasons is easier now than ever. With the prevalence of farmers markets and a push for going Non-GMO, we can find really good options to get us through winter. Consciousness is all this is going to take. Take this list of foods and simply put them on your shopping list for the next couple months and watch yourself evolve into something greater and become more enlightened along the way.
Keep pushing to be the best, most positive person you can! I love you all,
E
Programming Notes 10/23-10/27
10/23
Baseline:
Baseline:
1:00 or 25 Reps @ Each
Banded Hip Activation
Banded Iron Cross
Banded Good Mornings
Banded Skull Crushers
Clean and Jerk Warm Up:
7@ Each
-Romanian Deadlift
-High Pull
-Muscle Clean
-Front Squat
-Hang Clean
-Clean
Clean Complex:
Go Every 2:00 X 5 rounds @ Elizabeth weight or slightly above
-2X Clean Deadlift
-2X hang Power Clean from Mid Thigh
-2X Tall Clean (shrug and pull under, catch in squat)
-1X Front Squat
*Heartrate Primer. Going into this workout you want to be hot, so a 400m run + 10 Burpee Tuck Jumps is a good way to get the chili hot before you get into it
WOD:
“Elizabeth”
21-15-9
Squat Clean 135/95
Ring Dips
*Compare to 6/30
Cool Down:
Jog 400m
Couch Stretch
Pigeon Stretch
10/24
Baseline:
Baseline:
3X
10 cal Bike
10 M Bear Crawl
10 Squat Therapy
3 Wall Climbs
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Strength Progression:
Exposure 6 of 10!
Back Squat
3X5 + 5-10# from last week
*same weight across All Sets
WOD;
3X
400m Run
21 Wall Ball
9 Strict Handstand Push Ups
10/25
Baseline:
3X
20 Jumping Jacks
15 Ring Rows
10 Push Ups
5 Kip Swings
Lat band Mob/ Banded Bully Mob/ Scapula Distraction
*Spend 5 mins building to a Strict Press weight that you will use for the EMOM
*Scale Chest to Bar Pull Ups to band or otherwise, make sure strict is the deal!
WOD:
EMOM 20
A- Assault Bike 15/12 cals
B- Tempo Strict Press (1.1.3) X 5 (>5# from last week)
C- 12 bar Facing Burpees
D- 10 Strict Chest TO Bar Pull Ups , scale to 5 jumping Negative Pull Ups
Cool Down:
Chest Stretch
Tricep Stretch
1:00 Hollow Hold
1:00 Side Plank L
1:00 Side Plank R
10/26
Baseline:
8 min Partner Warm Up
P1- 300/250m row
P2- 12XSlam Ball Overhead Walking Lunge, 8XSlam Balls (Hips must pass below parallel receiving the ball)
Snatch Warm Up:
7X romanian deadlifts
7Xsnatch high pulls
7 X muscle snatches
7Xtempo overhead squats (OHS), tempo 23X1
7Xsnatch balances
7Xpower snatches to OHS (receive each rep a little deeper, pause 2 seconds in receiving position)
7XTall Snatch
7Xhang (squat) snatches
*Spend 7 Mins building to a Heavyish Hang Snatch weight with partner. Focus on Hamstring and posterior tension in hang, shoulders stay over bar with lats engaged. Back weight off for workout.
Partner WOD:
*In teams of 2, For Time
50 Partner Sit Ups (feet together, syncd sit ups)
40 Hang Power Snatch 115/75 (split between partners)
50 Planked Partner Shoulder Taps (partners reach and tap each others shoulders while holding Plank )
30 Hang Power Snatch
50 Partner Sit Ups
20 Hang Power Snatch
10/27
Baseline:
5:00 Row at 1:55-2;15 pace
3X
12 Walking Lunge (no studder step, dorsiflexion of foot)
10 Push Ups
8 2Ct. Mountain Climbers
Ballistic Test:
In no more than 12 Reps, Establish your max height standing Box Jump.
* No run up
*Use arm Swing
*Pull Knees high and outside chest for max mobility
*Dont Fucking Crash on Head
WOD;
7 min AMRAP X 2
15 cal Row
12 Slam Ball
9 Dumbbell Burpee Box Step Over
Rest 4 Mins Between Work Periods
*Goal is to match or beat your previous time.
*Pacing is key, no sandbagging
