2020 Fall Nutrition Challenge

On Monday, Oct 5 we’re kicking off our annual Fall Nutrition Challenge!  Take the weekend to stock up on healthy foods (and perhaps clean out some less healthy options) and get ready! Here’s what you need to know:

Cost – $0 to sign up. Optional before/after Inbody scans are $50 for 2.

Timing – The challenge kicks off Monday, Oct 5 and has two potential end dates:

• Wednesday, Nov 4 (30 days) *official end date*
• Tuesday Nov 24 (50 days) *optional/stretch end date for those on a roll!*

Prizes – At the end of the 30-day challenge, we’ll select 2 winners who will receive $50 to P3 Nutrition or Kimberton Whole Foods plus a 30 minute personal training session ($45 value).  The winners will be selected based primarily on performance test results with body compositon changes considered as well.

Components – There are 2 main components to the challenge: Nutrition and Workouts. For the nutrition component, you’ll need to pick an eating plan and stick to it for all 30 days (details below). For the workout component, participants are required to complete 5 ICA workouts each week! For most of our members that means 3 in-gym workouts and 2 at-home workouts.

Inbody Scans  –  Inbody scans are not necessary but are available to anyone who wants them.  Inbody scans are typically $35 for members, but during the challenge you can buy a set of pre & post scans for $50.  The scans must be used within 2 months of purchase.

Rules & Registration – To participate in the challenge you will need to:

1. Sign up on this spreadsheet. Page 1 is the challenge sign up and Page 2 is to reserve a timeslot for your InBody scan. Note that you should be fasted for your scan, which is why all the times are in the morning. If you need a different time please let us know.  For full InBody guidelines, click here.
2. Complete the Performance Test, which will be the Daily WOD on Monday Oct 5 and Wednesday November 4. Record your results in SugarWOD! If you can’t attend class on these days but want to participate in the challenge, we will have an at-home version you can complete.
3. Keep a log of your eating for your entire challenge. There are various apps you can use (My Fitness Pal is a favorite) or an old fasioned notebook works fine. We will use the logs to help us select a winner and they are also very helpful if you need help troubleshooting a problem mid-challenge.
4. Track your ICA workouts by entering them into SugarWOD. To be in the running to win you need to have logged 5 ICA workouts each week (20 workouts over the duration of the challenge).

Nutrition Component

We believe that the most important part of health and longevity is what food you put in your body. At ICA, we recommend a largely “paleo” approach to eating, supplemented with gluten-free starches/grains when you need calorie dense carbohydrates.

To the left is our very own food pyramid that provides an overview of our nutritional philosophy. Foods in green should be the base of your diet. Foods in yellow are incorporated as needed based on your goals and unique metabolic needs. Orange (dairy) is used on a case-by-case basis. It is not considered part of the paleo diet, but many clients do well with limited dairy such as yogurt or cottage cheese.

When we start working with someone on their nutrition journey, we typically progress through the following steps. Each step builds on the one before it, so if you are following Step 2 it means you are also following the requirements of Step 1. For the nutrition component of this challenge, you’ll choose what step you are ready for, and you’ll  follow it for the entire challenge. 

1. Food Quality. Eat from the “foundational” groups as much as possible, supplemented with foods from the “optional” groups as needed or directed. Avoid gluten and added sugar as much as possible. There is no need to measure amounts, but please be reasonable! (For instance, eating an entire bag of nuts in one sitting or 2 cups of rice with your Chinese food is not recommended…)
2. Food Quantity – Phase 1: The Plate Method. This introduces the concept of controlling the overall quantity of food you eat (i.e., the size of your plate) as well as “balancing” your plate to ensure a good distribution of vegetables, protein, and starches. A good starting point is to eat 3 meals/day . Larger athletes can use 3 dinner-sized plates. Smaller athletes should use lunch-sized plates. Fill 1/4 of your plate with protein, 1/4 with gluten-free starch, and 1/2 with colorful vegetables. We can refine the plate method based on your individual goals and caloric needs.
   3. Food Quantity – Phase 2: Macro Diet. Eat a very specific amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat each day (aka the Macro Diet). We can set you up with target “macros” based on your InBody scan. Eating this way requires a food scale, measuring cups, and a lot of time and commitment. It’s a great way to dial in your eating and help you reach your fitness goals; however, it’s not for everyone.

Fitness Component

For the fitness component, you are required to complete at least five ICA Daily WODs each week. The workouts must be tracked in SugarWOD. If you don’t have a KB or DB at home we can help you come up with creative solutions for weights 🙂

Sleep Component

This is new to our nutrition challenge!  Most of us are aware of how important a good night of sleep can be.  This is your chance to focus on it and see if you can increase your time spent snoozing!  Each day we’ll have a “sleep” WOD in SugarWOD where you can enter the amount of hours you slept the night before. This part of the challenge is not required and won’t be used to select winners, but we promise that increased sleep will help you fast track your performance and body composition results!

Let’s do this, ICA!!