Beyond the Pride that Canada has for Hockey and their kind disposition, they also have quite a passion for Producing Maple Syrup. This gooey sap that comes from…. you guessed it.. Maple Trees, is a favorite of Sunday morning Pancake fests all over North America. There is new data out that shows Maple Syrup far exceeding any of it sweet competition (except honey of course) in the area of health benefits. It seems that teams of Researchers have uncovered unique antioxidant properties in the brown stuff that helps ward off inflammation and neurodegeneration.
So What the Heck makes Maple Syrup So Good?
Phytochemicals are the chemical compounds in a host of different plants from Blueberries to Coffee that act on our body in unique ways. Many of the Phytochemicals found in plants can actually tell us Humans, Visually, that the plant is going to be good for us. The dark rich color of some of our favorite Whole Foods are created by the concentration of POLYPHENOLS. This is where the good stuff lives.
Ok, Phytochecmicals…. now Polyphenols… what the heck are you talking about?
Polyphenols are a group of over 500 chemicals that act on the body, usually as Antioxidants. These chemicals travel around our bodies fighting the damage caused by inflammation, cellular damage, TRAINING HARD AF, and environmental factors like pollution. And as it turns out, Maple Syrup is loaded with nearly 60 health boosting Polyphenols! Canadians are pretty damn fired up about this, EH!!
As we Health Conscious Warriors fight against the machine which is the Food Product industry and cut out sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup form our lives, this is welcome news. Maple Syrup is still very much still sugar, containing nearly 60% Sucrose. Sucrose is broken down into the two forms of Saccarides called Glucose and Fructose and easily passes through the GUT and into the blood. This raises the blood sugar levels in you body which can cause metabolic problems if left unchecked. But… sometimes you just need a sweetener.
Maple Syrup is therefore a good ‘Natural’ sugar. Along with Honey and Fruit, it can play a role in recovery if eaten immediately after training to replenish muscle damage as a quick dissolving carbohydrate. Just be conscious of your limits. I am by no means saying that you have a kinky Syrup party at your house this weekend but it wouldn’t hurt if you added a tablespoon to you Collagen Protein after a workout.
Either way I have to give it to Canadians who expressed their reverence for the finding by naming a new Polyphenol (antioxidant) Quebecol !!! Gotta love those kind buggas. So next time you are craving something sweet, or want to substitute the Sugar in your cooking out for another delicious ingredient, grab some Organic Maple Syrup, preferably one from Canada …
Eat and Thrive this week y’all. Ill be scouring the most up to date science news to bring you more health benefits and to keep you on track to crush your goals.
Love,
Eric
11/19-11/23 *** This is Week 4 of the Sprint/ Strength Exposure Cycle. I am upping the capacity testing in the Sprints this week. There are both 200m efforts and 100m Efforts. These are 2 TOTALLY different runs. Just as we know what percentages feel like in the lifts, you should also come to understand what it feels like to change gears. D Ball carry are back again and we look to maintain consistency in the pause squats. Enjoy and recover well with good food.
11/19
Baseline:
Agility Warm Up @ 10m Each
High Knee Pull
Quad Pull
High Knees
Butt kickers
Marching High Kicks
Straight leg shuffles
Fig 4 Drill
Lateral Shuffle
Carioca
Lateral Bounding
Sprint W/ Change of Direction
Sprint Primer:
Run 400 m at 80% and then rest 1:30 before beginning intervals
Sprint Work:
200m Sprint X 1
Rest 2:00
3X 100 m Sprints
Rest 3:00 Between Efforts
Accessory Work:
NOT FOR TIME
3-4 Rounds
10 Single Leg Dumbbell Deadlifts
10 Dumbbell Plank Rows
10 Dumbbell Side Lunges
Cool Down:
Half Moon Pose
Calf Stretch
11/20
Baseline:
3X
200m Run
10 Barbell Good Mornings
10 Barbell Squats
10 Barbell Lunges
Then,
30 Ipsalateral Deadbug Reaches
Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Hip Bridge, Ankle Roll Outs, Boot Straps, PNF, Squat W/ T Spine Rotation
Pause Squats:
3-3-3-3-3
:02 At Bottom and Top of lifts
*Building to 15-20# past last week
Capacity Testing:
25 Min AMRAP
400m Run
110m D Ball Carry 100/70#
20 Wall Ball
11/21
Baseline:
W/ Light Kettlebells
7 Reps Per..
-Halos
-Strict 1 arm Press
-Lateral Torso Rotation
-Bow/Bend
-UP and Overs
-Goblet Squat
-Overhead Lunges (each arm)
-Bent Over Row (each Arm)
-Russina Twist
-Sit Up
-30X Toe Touches
-10X Single Arm Thursters
Handstand Practice:
3X :30
*Freestanding handstand
WOD;
6 Min AMRAP
5 Double KB Power Clean 53/35
7 Burpee Over KB
-REST 3:00-
6 MIN AMRAP
5 Double KB Thrusters 53/35
7 Pull Ups
11/22
Baseline:
3X :40
-PVC Pass Thru
-PVC Back Rack Press
-PVC Back Rack Side Lunges
-PVC Lateral Hops
-PVC Thrusters
Shoulder Primer:
W/ Light Dumbbells 5-15#
20 Reverse Flys
20 Bent Scare Crows
20 See-Saw Press
20 Front Raises
20 Lateral Raises
WOD;
For Total Time,
100 Double Unders
3X
21 Cal Row
15 Push Press 115/75
9 Box Jump Overs
100 Double Unders
Cool Down:
Samson Lunge
Banded Lat Stretch
Pigeon Stretch
11/23
Baseline:
400m Run
3X
10 Kip Swings
10 Divebomber Push Ups
10 V Ups
400m Run
Scaling Options:
-Pull ups, banded or Australian Pull Ups
-Ring Dips, banded or Lowered Rings (with feet on the floor)
-Handstand Push up, banded HSPU or seated DB Press
WOD:
“Wade”
Run 1200m ,
4 X
12 Strict Pull Ups
9 Strict Ring Dips
6 Handstand Push Ups
Run 1200m .
