So the open is upon us !!!

So the open is upon us ....This a very important comp for most athletes doing CrossFit ... This is where they want to prove that every blood , sweet and tear was worth it ... Some athletes might take is as a fun challenge but if there are any athletes like myself that always go out to give their very best and think 2nd isn't good enough you will understand what I'm talking about ...

During my sport career there has been ups and down but when I've reached my ups it was all worth it athletes should know and take the open as a challenge ... Relax , breathe and know that you have done all the hard work you could have possible done ... Now its time to put your hard work to the test ....I heard a very interesting quote this morning .... Everyone wants to win but not everyone is willing to prepare ... This means on and off the field ... The way you think , eat and sleep are all very important components to becoming a top athlete . After your comp sure you can chill and unwind but when its leading up to that day you have to stay focused and surrounding yourself with people like-minded as yourself will give you that boost when you feel a bit de motivated .

I'm very lucky to be in an environment where my training partners are all very motivated and driven young people and I know on and off the sport field they will make a success of themselves .Times will get tough .... During that wod you might feel like you want to die !!!! 'Trust me I've been there' but take a deep breath, know that this is your moment to shine and you know what.... if it doesn't work out go and analyze why it didn't ... Speak to your coach we are here for you to help you get past those boundaries ... Next time you won't make the same mistake again ... Also make sure you get enough rest during these hard 5 weeks .... Eat properly (eat to perform) and go balls to the wall when you do each event Afterwards you can smile and say I gave a 110% !!!!

Goodluck all you awesome CrossFitters !!!!

Where to start

If you are reading this you are already on the right path. The path of success, wanting the know more, feel better, move better, look better. Yes I am currently in the CrossFit industry as a coach and athlete, but this will benefit not just the competitive CrossFitter but also all hard working dedicated athlete in any sport. Being biased w.r.t some aspects needs to be there, but first and foremost this is for one and all. Feel free to comment and ask questions on any of the discussed topics.

What are you eating, when are you eating, how much are you eating? A few necessary questions you need to ask yourself. All of these questions must be rectified by a few more. How do I answer this?
The amount of each food group you need will depend on, The type of sport, the amount of training and the time you spend in the activity or exercise.

To help you perform better, avoid exercising on an empty stomach. Everyone is different, so you will need to learn how soon before training you can consume food before it negatively effects your energy level, mood or body movements. Also how much food you are able to consume.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbohydrates are a diet staple. They are important for providing energy during exercise. Carbohydrates are stored in the body in the form of glycogen, mostly in the muscles and liver. Carbohydrates must not be seen as being evil. Depending on your goals. This can be the difference between feeling great or really bad during and after training.
What matters most is the total amount of carbohydrates you eat each day. A little more than half of your calories should come from carbohydrates. Choosing the right ones are the important part here.
After exercise, you need to eat carbohydrates to build the glycogen storage back up in your muscles. Even more important is how badly your muscle need carbohydrates to help transport protein to the muscle for optimum muscle recovery and tissue repair.

PROTEIN

Protein is important for muscle growth and to repair body tissues. Protein can also be used by the body for energy, but only after glycogen or carbohydrate stores have been used up.
Just as we need to consume the right balance of protein it’s also important  to consume the right balance and varied protein sources. ( rule of  thumb leaner is better )

FAT

Do not be scared. Fat is filling, full of heart healthy goodness to keep your organs working, skin, nails and hair growing. Best of all you need to consume it to burn it. The Key is as above mentioned with carbohydrate and protein sources, balance.



VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Fat soluble and water soluble are 2 very different types of vitamins and minerals but both essential to overall health and well-being. Before we go into more detail you need fats and water take note. Without these two essentials the transportation's of vitamins and minerals will not be able to take its course fast enough and  may hinder the body’s natural energy systems and natural levels of homeostasis.  Take note to the difference in the 2. 1 Water soluble (Vitamin C and all of the B vitamins): Water soluble vitamins are vitamins that our bodies do not store. These vitamins dissolve in water when they are ingested, then go in to the blood stream. 2 Fat Soluble (Vitamins A, D, E and K): Fat soluble vitamins are those that are normally stored in the body. When these vitamins are ingested, they dissolve in fat.

BALANCE

As you lose your balance on a pistol, handstand walk, jerk , overhead squat, so you lose balance with your eating habits. How do we fix this? Practice, trial and error.  What you put in you will get out. The more time, effort and discipline you apply to this venture the closer you will be to understanding the very unique and special demands your body requires. No matter how technical nutrition becomes at the end of the day it’s still all about calorie intake vs calorie expenditure. Your body will guide you and show you how much it wants and needs but first you need to fuel it with natural wholesome foods. What those wholesome alternative are I will discuss on the next post.
Strive to move better.

Our Greatest Enemy

Our greatest enemy… and our biggest ally?“I will be your greatest hindrance or your biggest aid. I will clear the road for you or block it again. Who am I?” Somebody intelligently responded “a traffic light?!”. Our biggest aid, and our greatest hindrance, is ourselves.As sport psychology enthusiasts, we can all appreciate the power of the mind. What we sometimes find is that our minds are not conditioned to stay resilient and withhold the pressure when we need to be cool, calm and collected. At other times, we can find ourselves lacking discipline and throwing tantrums when we let something out of our hands get the better of us, like a bad line call, or an un-sportmanly shirt-pull.Locus of control is a psychological construct that refers to peoples’ beliefs about whether they are personally in control of what happens to them. Locus of control, in short, can be a life-changing psychological construct. Whatever direction we go or how quickly we progress will determine the outcome for ourselves in these matters. Locus of control is deemed to be internal or external, internal locus meaning we take control in a situation ourselves, external locus meaning we are not in control and our outcome are affected by fate or chance.We set our goals, we give a time frame, we state exactly how we will do it and the rest is as easy as we make it.Stay focussed on what you want to achieve and exactly what sacrifices you must make in order to gain a whole lot more. Naturally, there will always be things outside of our control that can affect our performance, or our end result, but how we tackle the external factors is what separates the champions from the competitors.SO relating locus of control to my riddle…is the block on your road unmoveable? Or can you do something about it? Will your actions (or lack of actions) hinder your progress and the achievement of your goals, or aid them? Whether it is educational, work, or sport related, if we strive to take control of our situations, take matters into our hands, we are more likely to succeed.Of course, athletes can put pressure on themselves by trying to do too much. Trying to take control of too much, and thus aspiring for perfectionism, and if you don’t achieve a high enough level, it can be easy to be too tough on yourself and beat yourself up. To avoid a negative outcome, and as a competitor myself, for control I try not to focus on the end result as such, rather in my own training and effort levels. For example, I cannot control  how well my opponent(s) will be playing, or what kind of confidence level they will bring on the field, but I can control how hard I try against them. I CAN control how much effort I put in the gym. I CAN make sure I have done enough deliberate practice and reviewed my progress with a coach during sparing sessions.  I CAN make sure I have done enough video analysis before a match.  I CAN control my routine before a match. I CAN make sure I stay stubborn in the points and will chase every shuttle (or ball) that my opponent hits. As long as I have done these things and give my best effort on every stroke I play, I have succeeded. Winning is a bonus, but that’s just me.

ReferencesRotter, J.B (1966). ‘Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement’. Psychological Monographs: General and Applied,80 (1)Levenson, H. (1981). ‘Differentiating among internality, powerful others, and chance’. In H. M. Lefcourt (Ed.), Research with the locus of control construct (Vol. 1, pp. 15-63). New York: Academic Press