In May 2019, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) became the first military organisation in Australia to recognise the sport of CrossFit. A lot of hard work went into getting this over the line so why not represent!
With several members competing at the elite level, and representation in local boxes Australia wide it makes sense that Air Force members would want to be recognised as both a CrossFitter and Air Force personnel.
Fitness is pretty synonymous with the Military but we all know the benefits of being fit generally. An article written by United States Cadet Gloria Reed (Published May 11, 2020) gets into the benefits of exercise specific to Military members.
Bullitt owner, Geoff has been in the Air Force for almost 20 years, so when the opportunity arose to work with the affiliate to do a shirt release, he couldn't say no!
After a sold out release of navy blue RAAF shirts in 2019, they are back, now with 3 options available. Grab the original navy tee which is approved to wear with your GPUs, or choose from light grey or dark grey. Keep an eye out for other new releases.
While the RAAF spearheaded this work, wouldn't it be amazing to see Army and Navy follow suit. Who's willing to put in the work LOL!!
]]>The Challenge
Donuts are delicious and wanting to lose a few kilos is not a good enough reason to cut them out completely (unless of course you don’t like donuts, in which case you can stop reading now). I’m so sick of hearing people say “I’m not eating carbs at the moment because I’m trying to lose weight” or “I can’t lose any weight because I could never stick to a diet”.
Well, here are the good news folks: You CAN still have donuts AND be in a calorie deficit. As I’ve said before, carbs don’t make your fat, fat doesn’t make you fat, donuts don’t make you fat. Eating more than you burn make you fat.
So, by still being in a calorie deficit, I will eat one donut a day every day this week just to prove to you that for weight loss, you can eat whatever you want, as long as you’re in a calorie deficit. I will still track my macros and make sure I’m within 5 grams +/- of my macro targets to make sure I still eat enough protein to keep/gain my muscles, enough fat for a healthy hormone function and enough carbs to help me fuel my body and recover after my workouts.
Even though I believe that you should fuel your body with as many nutritious foods as possible to optimise performance, recovery, mood, skin, sleep etc, replacing some of my carbs and fats with a donut will not be the end of the world. I will still lose weight, as long as I’m still within my calorie “budget”.
I don’t like to look at my “diet” as a “diet”. It’s a lifestyle, it’s something that’s sustainable and that allows me to eat whatever i want, when I want as long as I hit my calories/macros. This means no cravings, no binges and no feeling like you’re missing out on life.
See original post here.
One week, 7 donuts.
Now the big question is, did I lose any weight or was I lying when I said a calorie deficit is all that matters….? ;)
Here are my results:
Waist: -0.5cm
Hip: -0.5cm
Bum: -2cm
Thigh: 0.5cm
Weight: -0.5kg
Chest and bicep measurements stayed the same.
I’ve been back really focusing on tracking my macros for 4 weeks now and I’ve lost about the same amount of weight/centimetres each week, this week was no different, even though I swapped some of my sweet potato and fats for a donut every day. I wanted to do this because so many people get so stuck in the mindset that they HAVE to eat “clean” to lose weight. By incorporating our favourite foods in to our “diet” we can find something that’s sustainable and doesn’t feel like a diet.
I never feel like I’m missing out on food, because I know I can have everything, I just have to make it fit. You should never look at any food like “cheating”! There is no “good” and “bad” food, there is simply food that is higher in calories and food that is lower in calories. Think of your calories/macros as a budget. You can either be smart and spend it on food that will keep you full for longer and fuel your body with good nutrients, or you can eat something like a donut or a pizza and get that satisfaction, but might have to eat a little bit less for the rest of the day.
Same thing goes if you go out and buy clothes. If you treat yourself to a really nice dress and shoes you might have to spend a little bit less money on take away coffee or dinners that week.
It’s not about feeling guilty, after all, it’s just numbers. Numbers that will help you on your journey of losing/gaining weight. Yes you CAN still lose weight without counting calories. You can eat “clean” food and drop a few kilos. But what are you going to do if you stop losing weight? Eat cleaner? Or if you’ve lost weight because you’ve cut out your carbs? What are you going to cut out when you stop losing weight and you don’t have any carbs left to cut out?
By calculating your calories and macros you’ll know how much you’re eating and can easily make changes to your diet if you don’t get the results you want. Counting your calories helps change your body composition, macronutrients dictate how you feel.
See original post here.
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In 2013, CrossFit released a video which attempted to normalise the growing problem of peeing during workouts. Rory McKernan went around the Central East Regionals, asking the question “Do you pee during your workouts?” He asked spectators, competing athletes and a qualified gynaecologist who all shared the same opinion; it’s normal! Don’t worry!
]]>In 2013, CrossFit™ released a video which attempted to normalise the growing problem of peeing during workouts. Rory McKernan went around the Central East Regionals, asking the question “Do you pee during your workouts?” He asked spectators, competing athletes and a qualified gynaecologist who all shared the same opinion; it’s normal! Don’t worry!
This movement has taken hold of the CrossFit community. Well known athletes post videos and photos of their max effort lifting attempts, high rep double under workouts and box jumps which have ended in a wet pair of tights. There needs to be a distinction.
Is it common to pee during such a workout? Yes. Is it okay? Absolutely not.
The pelvic floor is a group of muscles. They have the ability to be weakened (through things like pregnancy) and they have the ability to be strengthened. When you push these muscles to failure, you lose the ability to control your pee. Compare this to other muscles that fail in a box jump; if your calf cramps, do you continue to do another 50 reps?
The more you work the muscle to failure, the weaker it becomes. So, what’s the solution?
Firstly, work on your pelvic floor muscles. See a pelvic floor specialist physiotherapist (I highly recommend Active Rehabilitation Physiotherapy). Work your rehab exercises like you would any shoulder exercises.
Secondly, there are instances where you might be at your wits end, doing everything right but still unable to properly exercise without leakage. There are products that can act as “bandaids” in the meantime. They will not assist in your rehab, but they will allow you to exercise leak-free as you work towards a stronger pelvic floor.
Finally, engage your pelvic floor in all exercises, whether you currently experience issues or not. If you can learn to properly engage in a heavy lift such as a back squat, this will give you more stability in your lift and a stronger pelvic floor.
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