Two of our Top 5 finishers, Catelyn and TJ! Want to say thanks to all the competitors and thanks especially to Louis and Laura who spent 3.5 hours compiling the data.

Great efforts by all, we’ll put the total standings out shortly.

I hope this has been a rewarding experience for everybody and you continue to put practice the habits that we trained you in over the last five weeks.

PS. Show up.

I was tempted to write something or link to something that stressed that you can’t predict how you do today, that you might have an extra gear in you that will surprise you.

I was going to write about underdog’s and come-from-behind victories.

But fuck that.

Here’s what works: showing up.

When you join our gym, you have the option of joining our pack. Our pack works hard, our pack has fun, our pack eats Paleo.

So whether or not you have a great day today or totally suck, you have the option of joining our pack. All you have to do is show up.

All told we had 99 people signup for the New Years Paleo Challenge. A lot of folks, especially around New Years, want to get in shape or take their fitness to another level. A lot of folks don’t succeed.

Regardless of how strict you’ve been during the Challenge, we’d love to see you back on Saturday. Whether you’ve been 100% or 1% in your compliance, wouldn’t it be great to find out how far you’ve come in five weeks?

Schedule of events for Saturday:

1300-1330 After Photos
1330-1400 WOD 1
1400-1500 Paleo Finale Presentation
1500-1530 WOD 2
1530-1600 WOD 3
1600- ??? Paleo Pot Luck (Please sign up to bring something or bring $10 to chip into the Tequila fund)

Bad news doesn’t get better with time so….this doesn’t change after Saturday.

How compliant have you been during the Challenge? How compliant do you see yourself being after the Challenge? What’s the most helpful thing that the coaching staff or fellow Paleo Challengers have done to keep you compliant so far?

Reminder: Sign up to bring something during the Paleo Challenge Finale here!

The anthropological evidence demonstrates overwhelmingly that man evolved to eat animal fats as our primary fuel source.

While starchy carbs provide the requisite energy for sprinting, jumping, lifting, etc., fat is what we are designed to run on and what we are designed to eat most of the time.

Has your attitude towards fat changed during the challenge?

Almost there.

Finale meeting will go Saturday from 1pm-4pm at Patriot Crossfit.

Schedule:
1300-1330 After Photos
1330-1400 WOD 1
1400-1500 Paleo Finale Presentation
1500-1530 WOD 2
1530-1600 WOD 3

We’ll be providing NorCal Margaritas. We’d love for you to share some dishes that you’ve made during the Challenge. You can use our fridge or an outlet (for crockpots) while we do photos, WODs, etc.

If you’re going to bring something, please put it in here so we can spread the love a little.

If you can’t bring a side or don’t want to, you can just chip in $10 to the Tequila fund. If you wat to bring a spouse, friend, etc., they’re welcome as well. We want to let folks come in and experience how good Paleo cooking can be. This is open to any PCF member as well who wants to come by for some Paleo day drinking*.

*If you put Paleo in front of anything, that makes it ok. We’ll cover this in more detail at the meeting….

Finding the perfect carbohydrate intake level can be tough. I try to ensure people understand the relationship between carbohydrate, insulin, and body fat, right out of the gate during the Challenge.

Where I try to make distinctions is the relationship between activity level (Crossfit), carbohydrate, and coritsol (the primary stress hormone).

If folks are Crossfitting regularly at a relatively high intensity, then you absolutely need starchy carbohydrate in your diet. If weight loss is your primary goal, we try to make sure this starchy carbohydrate is appropriate in terms of timing and amount.

The first step is just taking in a fist sized amount of starchy carbs along with meat after your WOD. If we are feeling ok during WODs, have consistent energy levels, and are sleeping regularly, you’re good to go at that level.

If you’re having issues with any of the above, we probably need to up that starchy carb intake. The idea is to titrate up. Start with one additional serving (fist size) at another meal. Keep taking that up in order for you to feel ok during WODs, manage energy levels, and sleep well.

Monitor changes in bodyfat (how your pants fit will usually do the trick), and tweak from there.

Have you found a good balance in carbohydrate intake?

What kind of Super Bowl eats do you have cooking today?

Here’s some ideas from EveryDay Paleo.

Last weekend of the Paleo Challenge! How do you feel right now? Are you planning on a Post-Challenge Blow Out with Ho-Ho’s dipped in soy sauce with a side of skim milk or will you be sticking with the Paleo Lifestyle?

Alison’s Apple Braised Pork Loin

A big part of the Paleo Challenge is changing how you understand food at a very basic level. We want a “diet” that becomes habit, but that you also look forward to. Cooking new dishes and sharing them with friends and family is a big part of that.

Have you experienced change in how you feel about eating and how you eat?