Life is so unfair.  First TTC fare went up to $2.75 (old news, you say?  I’m still irate!), then your PVR didn’t reprogram itself when the hockey game was moved to a different channel, and now your favorite foods might be trying to kill you.  Wait.  Back up.  What?

It’s [...]]]> Friday, December 4, 2009

Life is so unfair.  First TTC fare went up to $2.75 (old news, you say?  I’m still irate!), then your PVR didn’t reprogram itself when the hockey game was moved to a different channel, and now your favorite foods might be trying to kill you.  Wait.  Back up.  What?

It’s quite common among people with celiac disease to crave bread, crackers, and pasta.  What the hell?  Why would your body direct you to consume the very substance which is doing so much damage?  Theories abound.  Specific to gluten intolerance: Gluten irritates your intestines, making for really inefficient nutrient absorption.  Simple, refined carbohydrates are absorbed earliest, in a less-irritated region of intestine… so your body craves white flour and sugar because those are pretty much the only things making it through in a useful form.  Here’s one theory about why we might crave or be addicted to other foods (including, but not limited to, gluten) to which we’re intolerant.

Image credit: World’s Healthiest Foods

Does the thought of cleaning up your diet leave you in a panic?  Is there one food or food group that you think of more as a close personal friend than as fuel?  Consider this:

Hint: how do you know you may have these food sensitivities?  There are all sorts of ELISA allergy tests you can take, but if you feel particularly “addicted” to something, it may actually suggest you are sensitive to it.  When we took our kid off milk, he acted like he was coming off heroin for the first few days, he kept screaming for milk and cheese.  If you’re intrigued, take yourself off these things for a few weeks and introduce them back in, and then see how you feel.  (from Green Fertility)

You can do anything for a week, right?  Except hold your breath.  Or stand on one foot.  Or run nonstop.  Or… well… ok, so there’s a lot you can’t do for a week.  But avoiding, say, cheese?  Just to see if it changes your wellbeing for the better?  Might be worth a shot.

Workout

Complete 5 rounds for time of:

• 5 One arm dumbbell thrusters, left side (1/3 of body weight)
• 5 One arm dumbbell thrusters, right side (1/3 of body weight)
• 30 Double-unders

I want you all to be having lots of sex and making lots of babies.  There.  I said it.  In fact, I’ve been saying it in various ways since I started contributing to this blog!  Every time I suggest that a lower carbohydrate diet made up of real foods [...]]]> Thursday, December 3, 2009

I want you all to be having lots of sex and making lots of babies.  There.  I said it.  In fact, I’ve been saying it in various ways since I started contributing to this blog!  Every time I suggest that a lower carbohydrate diet made up of real foods might be a good idea, every time I mention intense exercise or strength development as a means for improving insulin sensitivity… Well… That’s all just double-talk for “make lots of babies”.  It’s obvious, isn’t it?  I go on and on about lowering your carbohydrates and maybe even fasting a little here and there… it’s all been a covert op: when you’re struggling with infertility one of the drugs you may be prescribed is:

Metformin (Brand name: Glucophage).  Metformin is an insulin-sensitizing agent… Metformin may increase your fertility to the extent that it reduces insulin resistance, and thus helps to normalize insulin.  (from Natural Health Solutions for PCOS)

Weird, right?  And it’s not just you gals I’m after.  Oh, heck no.  Boys, I want your swimmers to be doin’ their thang and doin’ it well.  Turns out you guys can be just as affected by gluten sensitivity and insulin resistance as the ladies.  (See celiac disease and infertility, as well as gluten sensitivity and infertility).

Sure, we claim that the CFTO blog is all about fitness and nutrition and gym-related exploits, but it turns out we’re all about the horizontal mambo around here.  Take heed: If you’re not looking to produce a mini-you and you’ve just jumped into a Paleo lifestyle, maybe double up on the protection.  Just sayin’.

Workout

Split jerk 3-3-3 reps

Rest 5 minutes

Complete 3 x as many rounds as you can in 5 minutes of:

• 7 Pull-ups
• 7 Kettlebell swings (boys: 32kg; girls: 24kg)

Rest 1 minute between rounds

We can all agree that sleep deprivation is bad.  It makes life a whole lot harder to deal with, not to mention messing with appetite and metabolism.  So yeah, it’s bad.  Life will be life, and sometimes there just is no sleep to be had.  Some survival tips:

Keep [...]]]> Thursday, November 12, 2009

We can all agree that sleep deprivation is bad.  It makes life a whole lot harder to deal with, not to mention messing with appetite and metabolism.  So yeah, it’s bad.  Life will be life, and sometimes there just is no sleep to be had.  Some survival tips:

Keep your carbs and caffeine low.  Low caffeine, you say?  But… But… Well, remember all that cortisol talk from last week?  Sleep deprivation is a systemic stress, and caffeine can stimulate cortisol production.  Low carbs will help keep your sugar metabolism in check… And since cortisol triggers a release of glucose into the bloodstream it’s even more important to keep dietary carbohydrates low during times of limited sleep.

But let’s say now is not terribly busy for you.  Can you really do anything to prepare yourself for future sleeplessness?  You betcha.  You’ve got a sleep bank account, and while you can’t overfill it, you can at the very least make sure you’re not running a deficit.  Sleep deficits don’t go away, they just carry over month to month.  So why not make use of the darker days to pay down some debt?  Keep a log, see just how much extra sleep you can rack up in the next month.  Consider it a deposit against future crises.

Workout

Push press 5-5-5 reps