S#it more than you eat

 Five rounds for time of 20 Double unders, 20 Wall ball, and 20 Burpees. Your heart is pounding; you are able to barely catch your breath. Carry on, you tell yourself, your almost there. Your legs are burning as you complete your last set of burpees. You yell, "Time!!" and can't help but fall to the ground. Shit... the fan is on another side of the S#it more than you eat.

Living of a CrossFitter is simply that; you push yourself with not just all you've got, but a lot more than what you've got. You move as fast as you are able to in your WOD's, but sometimes, it's never as fast as you'd like. You add more weight to the bar, only to locate you can't lift what you thought you could. You try the mirror at that extra layer of fat on your belly that is really only visible to you. However, your spouse tells you that you will be a bonafied hottie. What the hell is certainly going on here?

No real matter what your goals are, whether it is to lose weight, get stronger, increase your athletic ability, get buff, or simply decrease your times on your WOD's, you'll need good nutrition as a product to your training. Every single one folks will plateau inside our training when we don't eat well. Simple as that. There's your answer.

The reason why eating well will keep you from hitting a level is really because you may have ample energy to accomplish a WOD like Fran (21-15-9 Thrusters & Pull-ups). You may also be supplying the body with the perfect ratio of protein, carbohydrate, and fat, that'll, in turn, allow the body to operate at its optimum level along with provide a great deal of energy. The consequence of eating well and high intensity exercise is a longer, healthier, happy life not to mention you'll look your very best and take the most effective shape of your life. Let's not forget that one.

The phrase 'eating well' means something different to everybody. For a few, it might mean not eating unhealthy foods or prepackaged food with preservatives. To others, this means eating a strict mixture of the Paleo and Zone Diets.

The Paleo diet, that is based on the diet of 'Cavemen' in the Paleolithic era, is super simple: meat, vegetables, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. The Zone diet is a low carbohydrate diet based on the glycemic index and your 'block' prescription. They're both quite effective diets that become a lifestyle, rather than a yo-yo diet.

CrossFitters from throughout the country have experienced the advantages of eating this kind of diet. Their times get better. They've more energy; they reach 375lb max deadlift PR for the first time; they lose that extra layer of belly fat for the first time in their lives. When they fall off the wagon for a fortnight, they think the results immediately while completing a WOD.

So the very next time you're struggling throughout a WOD, consider, is CrossFit really all I need to reach my goals?

By Mandi Frattalone, LMT
CrossFit Trainer, Level 1

As a Trainer, Massage Therapist and Nutritionist, I go through the body from several different angles and seeing it all together, rather one part. Exercise with proper form and technique keeps the body strong and young. Partly, CrossFit, which includes all functional movements at high intensity are much more beneficial than normal gym workouts. I use Massage Therapy in conjunction with training to balance the human body; making weak muscles strong and getting tight muscles to relax. It takes experience and the proper training to have the ability to identify these patterns. 

Finally, I use nutrition to ensure my clients are likely to get the best possible results from their efforts, along with live a long healthy life. I'm a believer in the Paleo Diet, a.k.a. the Caveman S#it more than you eat. 

Approaching the human body from these angles and seeing every person being an individual having its own needs is what I specialize in.