Coach’s Notes

Have you ever measured out a bowl of cereal? Like, actually used a measuring cup to figure out the portion size?

When I was in high school, I always just assumed a serving size was…I don’t know…a bowl? I would just fill the cereal up to the brim of the bowl and then add some milk. I imagine that’s probably what most people do.

The first time I ever looked at the nutrition facts (in college), I was floored. 3/4 of a cup? Who eats that little when they’re making a bowl of cereal? Then, I measured out an actual “bowl.” It came in around 3 cups in total. That felt like a pretty normal portion size.

If you look at the nutrition facts for Honey Nut Cheerios, for example, you’ll notice that in 3 cups, you’re consuming 36g of sugar! For comparison, that’s about the equivalent of a coke. One Coke every morning without realizing it. Obviously, my “healthy breakfast” wasn’t as healthy as I once thought.

Today, I want to talk about portion sizes, or more specifically, how to use portion sizes to build the perfect plate of food. The good news is that there’s no weighing or measuring involved.

[Read more…] about A Practical Guide to Portion Sizes (And How to Build the Perfect Dinner Plate)

If you’ve read or researched the wide world of nutrition for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the term “macronutrient.” It usually refers to the three main types of “food” in the human diet – proteins, carbs, and fats (full disclosure – a few more items can be lumped in here but these are the biggies). A few examples of each probably come to mind:

• Carbohydrates – rice, pasta, bread, etc
• Fat – Avocado, nuts, olive oil, etc
• Protein – Meat, soy, dairy, etc

Macronutrients are important to understand as they form the basic building blocks of your nutrition. For example, the popular Zone diet recommends eating 40/30/30: 40% of your calories come from carbohydrates, 30% come from fats, and 30% come from proteins.

Without understanding macronutrients at least on a surface level, it’s impossible to select the right foods to eat throughout the day. That’s why we’re diving deep on macronutrients for our first discussion topic during our nutrition challenge, which started on Monday, September 10th!

Regardless of whether you’re following the Zone diet, eating Keto, staying Paleo, or, you know, just trying to eat healthier it’s important to understand the distinction between proteins, carbs, and fats. Read on below to learn a bit more about each and find some additional resources to dive in further.

[Read more…] about All About Macronutrients

This might be hard to hear: What you eat is vastly more important than how many times you hit the gym in a given week.

This pops up in all sorts of cliches. “You can’t outtrain a bad diet.” “Abs are built in the kitchen, not in the gym.”

The cliches are overused, but the core idea remains true. Your nutrition forms the foundation of your health and either amplifies or completely negates any work you do inside the gym. More than just your body composition, your nutrition impacts your mood, your relationships, and your mental clarity. It’s the starting point for a healthy lifestyle.

In past years, we’ve run several different nutrition challenges at CrossFit Undeniable including most recently our Lurong Living challenge. Those have been great, and we’ve heard first-hand that many of our members found them valuable. They haven’t fully encompassed everything we’ve wanted to share though.

Starting September 10th, we’re going to run our own in-house nutrition challenge. The challenge will be point-based with participants receiving a set number of points for taking daily actions like getting 7+ hours of sleep, drinking enough water, and choosing appropriate foods. We’ll also have a community piece and, of course, an education component. As an incentive, we’ll be giving out cash prizes to the top male and top female participants.

All the details for how the challenge will work and how to sign up are below! If you want to sign up, either attend our upcoming nutrition workshop or email marissa@crossfitundeniable.com.

[Read more…] about Introducing Our Nutrition Challenge (Starting Sep 10th)

Fitness is something we know and do well. We’re really confident in saying that our coaching and programming is top notch. We also realize that’s only one piece of the puzzle. True “wellness” encapsulates so much more than how much you can squat or your Fran time!

This weekend, we’re excited to offer a new ongoing class and a new workshop (next week) to address other aspects of your health. Both tie in closely with the results you see in the gym.

Nutrition Workshop – Friday, September 7th 6:30PM-8:00PM

First, we have a nutrition workshop led by Coach Marissa on Friday, September 7th from 6:30PM-8:00PM. Some of the topics we’ll cover include:

• The ins and outs of macronutrients
• Tips on making proper nutrition choices
• Why most “diets” aren’t successful (and what to do about it)

The goal is for everyone to leave understanding some of the core concepts behind healthy eating. This will also be a kickoff for our nutrition challenge, which will start on September 10th (more to come soon!).

This is not a free workshop. Prices are as follows (you can pay via cash, check, card, or add to your membership):

– Non-members – $50
– CFU Members – $25
– Athlete Plus Members – Free

Important note: If you elect to join us for our nutrition challenge, your workshop fee will go towards the cost of the challenge ($99).

Sunday Yoga – Sunday, September 2nd, 8:00AM-9:00AM

Feeling beat up after a long week of workouts? Ready for some restorative movement?

We’re introducing yoga on the first and third Sunday of every month (taught by one of our awesome members, Gaby!). Our first yoga session will be on Sunday, September 2nd from 8AM-9AM. We’ll continue on a rolling schedule moving forward (members can RSVP via Triib).

A few notes:

• Try to arrive 15 minutes early
• Bring your yoga mat if you have one
• Let Gaby (the instructor) know if you have any bumps, bruises, or injuries she should be aware of ahead of time

The class will last an hour, and it’s perfect for beginners and veterans alike!

Closed for Labor Day

We’ll be closed on Monday, September 3rd for Labor Day. We’ll post an at-home workout for everyone to do, but we also encourage you to get outside and enjoy the Colorado outdoors!

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These two events represent just the start of the awesome fall we have planned for CrossFit Undeniable. Some other items in the works: an in-house nutrition challenge (with cash prizes), a six-week weightlifting course, the ever-popular Earn Your Turkey workout, our holiday workout and gift exchange, and much much more.

Join us for the start of an awesome fall this upcoming Saturday (Sep 1) and Sunday (Sep 2) for our nutrition workshop and the first of our Sunday yoga classes!

Two weeks back, we had a kettlebell burner of a workout. It started with a 1000m row and then alternated between single arm kettlebell thrusters and kettlebell swings – two of my least favorite movements.

I remember this workout vividly because about three pulls into the rower, I was ready to be done! Despite scaling the kettlebell load, it felt the workout lasted for eternity. By the end, I was breaking up my thrusters into sets of 5 and 6. I just didn’t have “it.”

Why on earth does this matter?

It matters because it’s a pretty stark contrast to how I usually feel during a workout at the gym. Most of the time, I’m excited to get started. Sure, the workouts are tough, but I look forward to the challenge. I’m excited to push myself. It’s truly one of the best parts of my day. During that kettlebell workout, well, I wasn’t having the best time.

I bring this up because I don’t think I’m unique in this feeling. I’m willing to bet that everyone has these sorts of days every once in awhile; you’re just not functioning at 100% for one reason or another. Maybe you ate poorly or didn’t get enough rest. Maybe you had a tough day at work, and something is lingering in the back of your mind. Maybe there isn’t a single reason you can point to!

Regardless of the reason, it’s totally normal to have an off day. All that matters is how you respond. Here are some tips to get you through the rut.

[Read more…] about For those days when you’re just not feeling it…

Last Saturday, we had a partner workout that involved some running and pull-ups, but beforehand we went through a series of running-focused drills. I walked away feeling both ready for the workout AND completely uncoordinated!

“B Skips” was the movement that got me. If you’ve joined one of our running classes before, you know what I’m talking about. It’s a skipping drill, but instead of just driving your knee up like a normal skip, you drive your knee up then extend your leg and sweep it underneath you – think how a Clydesdale prances.

I’ll be the first one to admit (and my dance moves will reinforce) that I’m not exactly the most coordinated person on the planet. I’m reminded of this when we introduce new exercises – single arm KB thruster (recent) and running jump rope come to mind.

When most people think of CrossFit, they think of brutally tough workouts leaving you sprawled on the floor gasping for air. Yes, intensity is definitely part of the game. It’s just a piece though, not the entire puzzle. In one of the most popular essays on the CrossFit Journal, founder Greg Glassman lays out the three standards of fitness in CrossFit:

• Proficiency across the 10 recognized physical skills
• Ability to perform well at tasks, even unfamiliar ones in unique combinations
• Competency in all three energy pathways

Spoiler alert – that whole coordination thing? It’s part of the standard.

[Read more…] about The Three CrossFit Standards of Fitness

It’s hard to believe the summer is already coming to a close! Most schools around Colorado will be starting back up in the next few weeks. Summer might be over, but our CrossFit Kids program is just ramping up.

Over the summer, we ran two sessions of our CrossFit Kids program. Each session was packed with games, fun, and some fitness. We had groups ranging from 5-10 (or more) in size, and everyone seemed to have a great time. We had such a positive reaction to our CrossFit Kids program that we’re going to run it throughout the fall!

In February, we published a blog post detailing the benefits of getting your kids involved in fitness at an early age. It comes with a slew of benefits including better coordination, increased bone density, decreased risk of injury in sports, and a passion for health and fitness at a young age.

Since we’re about to start the school year, we wanted to highlight one other big benefit – brain function!

[Read more…] about The Impact of Exercise on the Brain (And Our New CrossFit Kids Session)