Wine Country CrossFit

I want to take a moment to talk about a couple of newish products that we have in the gym.  Anyone who knows me or has talked to me regarding supplements knows that I am not a huge supplement guy.  I have done tons and tons of research regarding supplements and come to the conclusion that most of them are a pretty big waste of money, ESPECIALLY if you don’t have your diet dialed in.  That is not to say that there aren’t some great products on the market, but to get the gains that most products advertise, you’re going to need to look into using banned substances.  All of that being said, I think that there are a few things that are very beneficial, and fall directly into line with the core nutritional values of our gym.  We are now proud to offer two of those products from Stronger Faster Healthier: Whey Protein, and Omega-3 Oil.  Here’s my take:

If you have a perfect lifestyle, plenty of time to always eat great food, always getting food from the best sources, plenty of rest, and time to deal with any stress in your life then you’re good to go, no need to fix what isn’t broken.  But, if you’re like me, you rush from one project to the next, and that leaves you under slept, over-stressed, and grabbing a meal when you can in between.  These supplements are big helpers in these situations.  When you can, I would always recommend that you have a good meal following your workout.  If you can’t do that because of other commitments, I would love to see you having a quick dose of protein from a quality source like whey protein.  I am a big fan of SFH’s whey because it is the best form of whey (comprised of isolates, not hydrolytes (more on this in another post if anyone is interested in learning about this stuff)) and it comes from grass fed cows.  Now, the grass fed part is not so nutritionally important here as there is not enough fat to gain any dietary advantage, but it supports the grass fed cow industry, more $$ for grass fed cow farmers equals more grass fed cow farmers which means better supply of grass fed beef… Fantastic!

The Omega-3 oil is another great supplement for those of us who live less than perfect lives.  It is our goal to always be looking for foods with a good balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fats.  Unfortunately, as western eaters, we tend to be too high in the 6 and too low in the 3.  Here is a great way to buffer yourself.  I personally am not a big fan of fish (unless it’s deep fried, haha) so I tend to get my omega-3s mostly from grass fed beef, but typically not enough.  Adding extra Omega-3 oil into my diet makes my joints feel better and helps me to feel less sore after big workouts.  On top of that, it helps to lower inflammation throughout the body, inflammation that can be caused by the imperfect lifestyle that most of us lead.  Seems like good insurance to me.  The SFH Omega-3 oil is considered to be one of the top on the market, and to boot it doesn’t give you fish burps!

I’m a big believer in not trying to sell anything that you don’t believe in, and I can definitely say that I strongly believe in these products and hope that each of you will give them a try!  If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

-Ryan

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Monday’s Benchmark WOD:

“Karen”

150 Wall Balls for time (20/14)

Compare to 7/25/11, 11/21/11, 4/30/12, 9/10/12