2016 Fall Nutrition Challenge

Who’s ready for some clean eating?!?!? ICA’s annual Fall Nutrition Challenge is almost here. Read the details below, and sign up at the gym to participate!

What: ICA’s 2016 Fall Nutrition Challenge

Who: Every single person reading this post! This a FREE nutrition challenge, open to all members and punchcard athletes, so there is no excuse to not join in!

When: Monday October 3 – Monday October 31

Why: Many of us slide into bad nutrition habits during the summer, and (already) the winter holidays are rapidly approaching! Stay true to the rules of this challenge and we guarantee that, in only 4 weeks, you’ll feel better, look better, sleep better, recover better, and perform better.

How/Rules:

• Choose your level and sign up at the box
• Avoid all alcohol and desserts/sweets during the 4 week challenge!
• Complete the performance test before and after the challenge. (We will run it as the daily WOD on 10/3 and 10/31.)
• Keep a daily food log and turn it in at the end of the challenge. We will use this to help select our challenge winners, and it is also an extremely valuable resource if you have questions or want feedback during the challenge, for instance if you notice that you are low on energy, hungry all the time, or not seeing results.
• Optional, but encouraged: Take body measurements, at a minimum your waist circumference (at the belly button) and body weight. We also have a body fat monitor at the gym. In order to get repeatable results please stay adequately hydrated and always use it before your workout.

Level 1 (Beginner): MACRO(ish)

• This is our “introductory level” for the Nutrition Challenge. Your goal is to ensure you are eating an appropriate balance of high-quality carbs, protein, and fat at each meal.
• Prior to the challenge we will publish several “eating templates” based on overall caloric intake. We will help you pick the appropriate template, and you should follow it for all 28 days.
• For instance, a breakfast template might be 3 scrambled eggs and 1 piece of fruit (banana, apple). Lunch might be a fist-sized amount of chicken or lean beef, 1 cup of vegetables, 1/2 cup of starch or grain (potato, rice, etc).

Level 2 (Advanced): MACRO DIET

• For this level, you will eat a precise number of “macros” every day (i.e., grams of protein, carb, and fat). If you already know your target macros, simply run them by John or Nikki before the challenge begins. If you need us to assign target macros for you, send us an email ASAP.
• This level requires you to weigh and measure everything you eat. A food scale and a set of measuring cups is required.
• Although following a macro diet typically does not require you to cut out any specific food groups, for the purpose of this challenge we encourage you to apply “paleo” principles as much as possible (i.e. limit gluten, dairy, processed foods, etc).

Challenge Winners: At the end of the challenge we will pick 3 winners – one advanced, one beginner, and a spirit award.  Winners will be based primarily on performance but also on food journals and body measurements.

We will run a short “kick off” in classes on Monday September 26. Come with questions!