Lifting weights and running is only half of the battle. If you are serious about changing your physical physique, the crucial- and often overlooked- component to your regimen is what you put in your body. It is fascinating to us… the more people we talk to, the more we realize that many individuals are incredibly uninformed about proper nutrition and what it takes to maintain optimal performance, but decrease body fat. As you embark on your CrossFit journey with us at Saltwater, we want to make sure you have everything you need to not only create the physical changes you desire, but provide your body and mind with the resources they need to perform at their best. Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you proper CrossFit nutrition.
Let’s start with the basics. Since CrossFit’s inception, the overall guideline for proper nutrition recommends a diet of meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar. Through this framework, your body will receive the necessary fuel to perform high intensity workouts, while simultaneously shredding body fat.
The problem? Well, there’s two problems.
- Improper Portions
- Unclear Food Selection
Like many, you may have found yourself trying to eat healthier, but with no real plan to follow. Perhaps you cleared out your pantry of all the junk food, and loaded your fridge with healthier options, only to eat it all in a few days, or leaving it to rot. Don’t worry, you are not alone. Without a proper plan in place, it can be difficult to stay disciplined, or quite frankly, have any idea what it is you’re doing.
The Zone Diet
The Zone Diet systematically creates a meal plan for you based on your individual body composition and activity level. For one day, your meal plan should consist of, 40% Carbohydrates, 30% Protein, and 30% Fats. If you have ever “counted your macros,” it is actually quite similar.
But to make things even easier, food is classified into blocks of carbs, proteins, and fats to ensure you are ingesting the optimal amount of macronutrients with each meal.
A block consists of…
- Carb Block = 9 grams of carbs
- Protein Block = 7 grams of protein
- Fat Block = 1.5 grams of fat
So, your daily nutrition will consist of a certain number of blocks based on your current body composition and activity level. So perhaps, you may have to eat 19 blocks per day, or 19 of each carb, protein, or fat block.
Let’s look at an example:
Let’s say your Zone Diet requires 16 blocks per day. You can break that down into:
- 4 Block Breakfast
- 2 Block Snack
- 4 Block Lunch
- 2 Block Snack
- 4 Block Dinner
Your 4 Block Breakfast must include 4 blocks of carbs, 4 blocks of protein, and 4 blocks of fat. Your 2 Block Snack must include 2 blocks of carbs, 2 blocks of protein, 2 blocks of fat, etc…
We have included a breakdown of all of the suggested foods/meals that will make up a block.
Interested in learning more about the Zone Diet? Give us a call and our Gym Manager would be happy to discuss how proper CrossFit nutrition can not only improve your athletic performance, but improve your overall mental health as well!