Corn: Grain or Vegetable????

For the longest time I thought corn was a vegetable. Contrary to popular belief, corn is a grain!!! Below are 6 Reasons Why Corn is Making Us Fat. It is quite disgusting to see what the farming industry can convince us to make an extra dollar.

Fructose is Metabolized to Fat

The digestive and absorptive processes for glucose and fructose are different. Unlike glucose, which the body uses, when one consumes large amounts of fructose it is a relatively unregulated source of fuel for the liver to convert to fat and cholesterol. Fructose converts to fat more than any other sugar. It is also known to raise triglycerides significantly.

Most Fructose is Consumed as a Liquid

The fact that most fructose is consumed in a liquid form significantly magnifies its negative metabolic effects. The devastation it has on our biology would be significantly lessened if it were consumed in solid food, but most fructose is consumed in soft drinks and fruit juices.

Fructose Does Not Stimulate Insulin Secretion

In addition, unlike glucose, fructose does not stimulate insulin secretion or enhance leptin, a hormone thought to be involved in appetite regulation, production. Because insulin and leptin act as key signals in regulating how much food you eat and body weight, this suggests that dietary fructose may contribute to increased food intake and weight gain.

Fructose Has no Enzymes, Vitamins or Minerals

Fructose has no enzymes, vitamins or minerals so it takes micronutrients from the body while it assimilates itself for use. However, eating a small piece of whole fruit, which contains natural fructose, is not likely to be a problem for most people because fresh fruits contain the enzymes, vitamins and minerals that are needed for the fructose to assimilate in the body.

Corn is a Grain, Not a Vegetable

Corn definitely does not fit as a dietary staple and mainstay, primarily because it contains high amounts of sugar. When early Native Americans changed their diet to one based mostly on corn, they had increased rates of the following:

• Anemia
• Dental cavities
• Osteoarthritis
• Bone infections and other bone problems

Corn is Everywhere in the American Diet

Corn, and usually highly processed corn, has become a staple ingredient of the American diet. Cheap corn is truly the building block of the ''fast-food nation," as Michael Pollan writes in a New York Times article.

Not only is it in high fructose corn syrup, but animals raised for meat are often fed corn and other grains. Most meat in supermarkets comes from grain-fed animals. On the contrary, grain-free meats not only provide a better balance of omega fats, but also the animals are healthier and more humanely raised, and the risk of acquiring an infection from a healthy animal is very remote.

BYOB

"Friendship doubles our joy and divides our grief."

BYOB

Bring Your Own Buddy to boot camp on Thursday
Deep Eddy 5:30AM and 6:35AM; Ann Richards School 6:00PM

I remember as a kid my mom saying, "A family that eats together stays together;" she was always reminding us the importance of family and to keep our priorities straight. I think the same principle applies to workout buddies. When you have that person(s) to count on and know they will hold you accountable day in and day out, it makes a world of difference in your consistency. I am declaring Thursday BYOB. If you are a current boot camper then BYOB to your current class. If you are not a client at CrossFit Central but want to try a program, then drop-in and BYOB with you.

This is the final week of July programs and August programs will kick off with a bang on Monday, August 3rd. In preparation for a phenomenal month, CrossFit Central is launching The Movement on Saturday. This is another perfect opportunity to BYOB and show them what CrossFit Central is all about.

Dad and I

The older I get the more I realize how blessed I am to have such a loving and supportive family. When people ask me who is my hero, I always say my dad. I am so fortunate to have a dad who is the ultimate example of a loving father and husband. As a kid growing up I remember him never complaining about working ridiculously long hours with coaching; never having anything for himself but always finding the means to provide for his kids; and being one of my biggest fans. My dad was in town this past week for football coaching school. He met me at CrossFit Central to do DT. There's nothing like getting to workout with a family member, especially a parent. Great job, Dad!!! I may have beat you by 90 seconds but your still going strong at 53 =).

Corporate Wellness

I am a strong advocate of corporate wellness. The ladies at American Campus Communities (ACC) heard about CrossFit Central Relentless boot camp from a co-worker and dropped into the 6PM Tu/Th Ann Richards class this week (pic above). They learned how to move through a run ladder and perform the Burgener warm-up. The workouts included med ball cleans, pushups, russian twists, running, dumbell swings, rows, lateral med ball jumps...

Working out with co-workers is a great way to improve office morale; decrease health care costs; reduce absenteeism; reduce sick leave; increase productivity, responsibility, and company loyalty; and improve work performance. I encourage each of you to get people moving at your office. I dare you to see how it changes the work place.

Be True

"There is only one failure in life possible, and that is not to be true to the best one knows." - George Eliot

Each day we make a choice. We can either do one of the following:
1) Better ourselves by taking steps of faith
2) Become complacent and remain stagnant
3) Make excuses and regress backwards

I have the honor of coaching some amazing women and one lucky guy (Lol!!) at the 8:30AM MWF Lake Pointe boot camp. I love this boot camp, because I am surrounded by individuals who have more responsibility than simply themselves. They have kids, husbands, jobs, little league sports, summer camps, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and the list goes on... It would be very simple to make an excuse and not show up each day to workout with a schedule like that; however, each of them hold true to the quote above by Eliot. They believe in the strength, cohesiveness, and power that comes with working out with like-minded people. These boot campers show up and give it their all regardless of what family duties are calling their name.

Each of you inspire and encourage me. I am blessed to coach you guys.

10 years later

(of course I would be coaching my classmates on how to do pull-ups off a house)

10 years can fly by in a hot second. It was my high school reunion this past weekend. I saw girls I played ball with, old crushes, classmates that made me laugh through classes, ex-boyfriends, and good friends. So much and so little can change in 10 years. A bunch of my classmates are married with kids and very domestic. I must admit my life is pretty much polar opposite than a lot of people I graduated with from school. Going back to the city where I grew up brought back so many memories. I had not been there in 5 years but nothing had changed. The town was still as simple as I remembered it; the beauty of a small town.

I learned this weekend that you make your life what you want it to be each day. I realized that I can be judgmental at times and think someones life is not as "good" as mine because it is completely different than my life. I realized that I still care deeply for certain people. I realized simplicity can be bliss. I realized that some things never change. Most importantly, I realized how much I love my life 10 years post high school. I love where I am and who I am surrounded by daily and even more excited about where I am going.

10 ways to get more Veggies

I hear time and time again how it is so much easier to eat fruits instead of vegetables. Nell Stephenson explains how that excuse "is partly due to being conditioned, as most of us Americans are, to think that breakfast foods don't include vegetables, and just feature a host of grain and dairy-based processed items. Your body doesn't care if it's 7 a.m. or 5 p.m., so there's never a bad time for broccoli! Well, except, perhaps, if you're just about to engage in a bout of strenuous exercise, but you get the point."

Below are 10 ways to get more vegetables in your diet recommended from the Paleo Diet.

• Throw some spinach into the morning's scrambled eggs.
• If you have a juicer, use it to focus on juicing veggies, rather than just fruit. (Keep in mind, I'm NOT suggesting to juice ALL your veggies, as that would result in missing out on all the fiber that vegetables have to offer.
  
  This is just something to use as 'food for thought.' You'll find that a juice made predominantly of green veggies and with a hint of fruit, like apple for sweetness, will create a tasty juice that even picky eaters enjoy. It's a great alternative to sugary orange juice!
• Add easy-to-eat veggies (think COLOR), like carrot and celery sticks and sliced bell pepper, to your kids and spouse's lunch, as well as your own.
• Serve lunch entrees on a bed of leafy dark green veggies that you've sautéed, and let the veggies take the place of bread in a sandwich!
• Bake thinly sliced veggies, such as eggplant, zucchini or carrot at a low temperature to dehydrate them (or use a dehydrator) in lieu of crackers or chips, and enjoy this with homemade salsa or guacamole.
  
  Remember that while cooking does remove SOME of the nutrients from food, eating some veggies in this form is still far better than snacking on potato chips, as long as your eating fresh, raw veggies at other times.
• Use different types of veggies as a base for healthy sauces you might've used on pasta in the past, such as a cheese-free pesto (basil, pine-nuts, walnuts, olive oil, lemon and pepper), a homemade marinara (tomatoes are great) or good old olive oil and garlic. This works great on spaghetti-squash, or finely chopped leafy greens.
• Keep steamed, ready to eat veggies on hand in the fridge at all times so that when you're cooking dinner, or the kids are feeling snacky or you want something easy to re-heat as a part of a meal, you won't have long to wait. For example, have a large bowl of steamed broccoli ready in the fridge.
• Use vegetables as edible serving containers. Remember stuffed bell peppers? Sauté lean ground turkey with your favorite spices and place into a bell pepper. Heat (or not) and let the family enjoy eating the veggie dish! Another example is using Bibb or butter lettuce in lieu of a grain-based tortilla or wrap, served with shredded chicken breast and an Asian themed ginger, sesame, garlic sauce.
• Add your favorite veggies to a salad. Remember, the more color and variety you include, the better nutritionally balanced a meal will be.
• Finally, don't over think it. Keep it simple, and just eat veggies, any time. You can eat a greater volume of veggies and get fewer calories than in many other snacks. See how many ways you can incorporate eating veggies at different times of the day!

CrossFit & Mt Climbing

My 6:30AM Tu/Th Deep Eddy boot camper joined boot camp to help him with his mountain climb in June. Below are pictures and captions of his journey.

Great job, Brad! You are CrossFit!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brad's comments: This is me with my guide at the top. It was 19,347 ft. The highest active volcano in the world. The climb was much more difficult and dangerous than we anticipated. Only 4 out of 12 made it to the top. I was 1 of the 4 and actually the first one up. I was carrying my brothers ashes with me so I think he helped. Your training helped me much more than I imagined. I normally do a lot of cardio before a climb but your squats, lunges and overall workout helped tremendously. Thank you very much.


Brad's comments: This one is pretty cool. I am on my way down but notice the
drop off on the right and how narrow the trail is. We started the climb at
one in the morning so on my way up I was on trails smaller than this and
only my headlamp to see with. Yikes.

Brad's comments: This is steeper than it looks. It was about 50 ft up near the top. It was
an ice shoot.
Brad's comments: Last but not least I think I am waiving my white flag to surrender. I was
physically exhausted but then had to climb down. You would think that would
be the easy part but its almost as difficult.

2009 Games

Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. --John Wayne

I don't even know how to describe the 2009 CrossFit Games. Intense. Brutal. Fun. Hard. Crazy. Random. Warm (definitely not TX hot). Cold. Drizzly. Exciting. Sad. Humbling. Motivating. Inspiring. I could go on and on with a list of adjectives, but the bottom line is CrossFit Central went to Aromas to kick some ass and that is exactly what we did.

I am blessed to work and train with some of the fittest individuals in the world. Watching Carey, Crystal, and Jess compete made me so proud. I have been working out with those ladies since January and seen them get stronger, faster, and mentally tougher. All those days of ripped hands, sore backs and legs, handstand pushups, 100s of thrusters, and endless tabata squats paid off. Ladies-- WAY TO SHOWOUT! Y'all rocked it!!!

On the plane ride back from California I was asked by another CrossFitter if CrossFit Central breeds Thoroughbreds. I laughed and then I said, "Absolutely." Those days when you get tired of hearing a coach telling you to stay in your heels, open your hips, get below parallel...realize those details are some of the things that separated the good from the great at the Games. Keep up the hard work CrossFit family.

RESULTS

Carey Kepler 3rd fittest woman in the world!

Crystal McReynolds 9th

Jeremy Thiel 16th

Lance Cantu 34th

The CrossFit Central Affiliate team came in 2nd

God Bless America

I had a great 4th of July. I spent the entire day with my best friend, Whitney, outside by the pool. We painted our toes blue in honor of the holiday (pic above). Ha! We watched the firework show at Zilker on top of a roof top condo downtown. I literally felt like I was in the fireworks. It was amazing!! This year 4th of July meant even more to me because of people that are now in my life who have fought for our freedom. I got teary-eyed watching the fireworks, because I realized how blessed I am to live in a country where I am free. All those crazy-hard CrossFit WODs that are named after fallen soldiers meant even more to me yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who has fought for our country. Specifically, thank you, Lance, for your bravery.

God Bless America!!!

Who are you?

I know most of you as clients at CrossFit Central; however, I do not know some of you anymore than simply a workout CrossFit beast. I thought I would share a bit more about who I am beyond a coach at CrossFit Central.

Meg loves, watches, listens, drinks, reads....
ocean & beach; sun; being tan; daisies; lilies; the color red; curly hair; dancing; Ouidad; Jesus; bright finger nail and toe nail polish; MAC makeup; red wine; family; Titos, water, & 3 limes; Mexican martinis; patios in the summer; self-help, motivational books; Advocare; lists; soft sheets; journaling; college football, specifically Texas Tech; track; Baylor; ESPN; Grey's Anatomy; Private Practice; Michael Johnson; hip-hop and R&B music; country music; almond butter; coconut oil; being a hot mess; Texas Country music; tailgating; and of course SHOWIN OUT and CROSSFIT!!!

Who are you beyond a CrossFit beast?????