Does nutrition really make that big of an impact on how you feel and how you perform?  This seems to be an easy question to answer, of course it does.  However, there are times throughout life and training that this concept needs to be revisited. 8 weeks out from Regionals Courtney and I decided to follow a strict Paleo/Zone eating regiment that allowed us to have sushi(removing most of the rice) and one tall latte or mocha(1 pump, no whip) from Starbucks once a week as our cheat meals.  Honesty this decision wasn’t extremely drastic for both of us considering we both normally follow a similar nutritional plan, just not as strict. We took out our regular Saturday ice cream cheat meal, and Court took out her 1-2 glasses of wine.  As the weeks progressed these small changes became big reminders that even the small things can make all the difference. 

Sunday night of Regionals, after the last event we decided to “Reward” ourselves with a full on “cheat meal.”  We went out to the Cheesecake Factory downtown.  I’m sure most would look at what we ordered and wouldn’t consider it a full blown cheat meal.  Court had one glass of wine, and ordered a hawaiian pizza which she processed to just eat the topping off of.  I had a beer and a Kobe beef burger with bacon, in addition I had a hand full of sweet potato fries.  We both decided to have a piece of cheese cake, which neither one of us finished.  Within 5-10 minutes of eating this meal we both felt horrible.  We decided to go for a walk along 16th street mall in hopes of subsiding the misery we both were feeling.  We made it about 5 blocks before we had to make a pit stop in a stores bathroom, because Courts system decided to couldn’t hold down the food she just ate.  I have to admit I was close to losing my dinner as well.

In the last couple of weeks, my own nutritional habits haven’t been a regimented as they normally are.  I’m still eating clean, howeve,r my meals are not timed as they should and the quantity isn’t as much as well.  We always preach the importance of quality nutrition, but apparently I needed a reminder of its importance.  I took a week off from training, and tried to start back on Monday.  After a week off from training, it does seem a bit hard to get back on track.  This entire week has been a challenge not only to get back into the gym but also get my nutritional habits in order as well.  Leading up to Regional’s I was hitting PR’s and doing things I had never been able to do before.  After a week of not training and not eating right, I almost feel like I’m starting over.  I know this isn’t true, but it just goes to show you how fast things can change when you’re not doing all the things that will benefit your body and performance.

If anything this is a great reminder, how even the little changing in what and how you eat can make all difference between accomplishing your goals and not. 

Are there certain people at the gym you love to workout with?  I’m sure we all have those people; those who no matter what your mood maybe when you walk in they have an ability to raise not only their own game but yours as well.  If you take the time to look at the white board after each day, you’d most likely notice the people who are normally at the top or who are making the most improvement from day to day.  Yes these people are awesome athletes, but they also have the ability to focus and push themselves to areas most only wish they could go to. 

What do people think when they are working out next to you?  Are you that athlete who pushes yourself to the most of your abilities; or are you the athlete who see’s the WOD and right away says “I can’t do that,” ”I hate or suck at                .”  Whether you know it or not how you approach the work you’re about to do affects not only you but the other athletes around you. 

Aim to inspire yourself and those around you.  How you approach the WOD can make all the difference in the world.  You might be having a bad day, possibly tired, or not feeling 100%.  But if you can mentally dig deep and find away to push yourself to the best of your abilities you will inspire.  Who know’s you may even become the athlete who helps others raise their game to a new level.

Sorry everyone this Sunday open gym is Cancelled.

Ok Surge Family I’m sure most of you have noticed that classes have been much more crowded as of late.  We figured adding the scheduling tool to register for classes would help however that hasn’t seemed to.  Thanks to all of you our Family and Community here at CrossFit Surge has grown since day one especially as of late.  The constent question as of late has been when are we moving or increasing our size.  This is something we are currently working to figure out.  However, before we do consider moving or expanding we need ALL of the Surge Families imput and help. 

There are quite a few reasons for wanting to expand; the possibility to introduce and help more people by teaching them CrossFit.  The addition of class times, specialized classes (Oly, Strength, Endurance, Gymnastics, Kids, ect…), and yoga.  In addition we want a location that will have showers and an additional bathroom.  This is just a small glimpse into what we want to provide at CrossFit Surge.  But before we go down this path we want to make sure that we keep and maintain the same feel and coaching that has brought our family to this point.  Therefore we need your imput.  What are some of the things that you would like to see changed or added here at CrossFit Surge?  What are some of things you would like to not see changed throughout this processes? 

We are at this point because of every person who is part of our Surge family.  So the more help and imput we can receive during this time the better we will be.  Thank you all for everything you all do and for all your help.  Please post to comments any thoughts or comments that you have.