Coach Amanda has got a few words for you about inflammation, and the role nutrition plays in it. Our annual Spring cLEAN challenge in October will help you get this in check.
INFLAMMATION
- a force to be reckoned with
Inflammation is not that complicated — it is simply our body’s protective defense against disease and injury. Without inflammation, wounds/infections would never heal/resolve. However, if we continuously expose the body to injury by toxins, chronic inflammation develops, whereby, as tissues are trying to heal, they are simultaneously being destroyed.
Acute inflammation is the awesome helper. Chronic inflammation is the destroyer of awesomeness.
Now nobody wants to willfully expose themselves to substances or foods that are known to, over time, cause devastating consequences (well maybe smokers, but at least they made that choice willfully) - high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease…
So what are the biggest culprits of chronic inflammation? - eating too much simple, highly processed carbohydrates (sugar, flour and all the products made from them) and the excess consumption of omega-6 vegetable oils like soybean, corn and sunflower that are found in many processed foods.
How on earth does eating a simple bread roll create a cascade of inflammation to destroy your awesomeness? Firstly, imagine spilling golden syrup on your keyboard; this is what occurs inside your cells. When we consume simple carbohydrates, blood sugar rises rapidly. In response, your pancreas secretes insulin whose primary purpose is to drive sugar into each cell where it is stored for energy.
If the cell is full and does not need sugar, it is rejected to avoid the extra sugar turning the cell into your messy keyboard. When that extra sugar is rejected, blood sugar rises, producing more insulin and the sugar converts to stored fat. Also, those extra sugar molecules attach to proteins in the body, which injure blood vessel walls. This repeated injury sets off inflammation.
Every time you spike your blood sugar
levels with the consumption of simple carbohydrates, you may as well be rubing the inside of your blood vessels with sandpaper, becuse that is exactly whats happening.....
Back to the innocent looking bread roll, not only does it contain sugars, it is likely baked in one of many omega-6 oils (such as soybean or sunflower). While omega-6 fatty acids are essential to cells in our body– they must be consumed in a balanced proportion with omega-3 fatty acids. If there is excessive consumption of omega-6's, the cell will produce chemicals called cytokines - these directly cause inflammation.
Finally, to excacerbate the problem, your now over-saturated fat cells relaease pro-inflammatory substances that cause further damage to your cells and tissues. The innocent bread roll is no longer such that - instead it is the catalyst for a vicious cycle, which over time, results in devastating health and life consequences.
How to get back your awesomeness….. :)
EAT REAL FOOD - To build muscle,
eat protein (meat, fish and poultry); to have energy and keep your cells happy,
eat fat (the good stuff, grass-fed animal, olive oil, avocado, coconut types etc.); choose
carbohydrates that are very complex and fibrous (colorful
fruits and vegetables). Walk around and buy from the outside isles
of the supermarket, or get to a farmers market – Britomart, Clevedon Village,
Matakana, Orewa Beach and Parnell are all goodies.
As well as cutting down on or eliminate inflammation causing omega-6 fatty acids - like corn and soybean oil and the processed foods that are made from them.
By eliminating inflammatory foods and increasing your consumption of real food and essential nutrients, you will reverse years of damage in your blood vessels and tissues through-out your body = awesome!
WOD
HSPU x max reps
Hanging L-sit x max time
Double unders x max reps
3 rounds
Then,
200 Meter Row
100 Meter Sand Bag Run
30 Double Unders
AMRAP in 15mins
S+C
DB Press x max reps (8-12 reps is the range to aim for)
Ring Rows x max reps (8-12 reps is the aim)
Hollow Rock x max time
Double unders 2-3 efforts
3 rounds
Then,
200 Meter Row
100 Meter Sand Bag Run
10 SDHP w KB
AMRAP in 15mins
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