04.01.10

STRENGTH

Deadlift 15×1 @ 65% of 1 RM (30 seconds rest in between reps)

then

AMRAP IN 5 MINUTES OF:

7 Box Jumps 20″
7 Kettlebell Swings 55# / 35#
7 Burpees

POST WOD REFUEL

Male:
above 12% – 40g prot/20g carb
8-12% – 40g prot/40g carb
below 8% – 40g prot/60g carb

Female:
above 16% – 30g prot/20g carb
12-14% – 30g prot/30g carb
below 12% – 30g prot/40g carb

WELCOME TO…

Lindsey! We are super stoked to have you at CrossFit Peachtree!

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY…TWO DAYS TO GO!

Only two days to go until the Macey event! We are really excited to see everybody come out and support this event. We appreciate all the donations that have come in and are overwhelmed at the response from the CrossFit community as a whole!

For those of you that haven’t donated yet, there is still time!

6 PACK CONTEST

The contest starts today! This contest will last last six weeks….and here is how it is going to go.

Starting April 1st, contestants will be required to submit their starting weight and waistline measurement, along with a $10 buy in to the contest. Starting April 2nd, each contestant will be required to keep a food log on FitDay.com where you will be keeping track of everything you eat and DRINK.

On May 13th, you will be required to submit your final weight and waistline measurements along with your complete food journal. I encourage you to take before and after photos and submit those as well. Please note….you must do all of this on your own! We will not be taking the pics this time…we had to chase too many people down last contest .

Here’s how the winner will be determined:
80% of the score will be based on the hard numbers:
• 3 points for every pound lost.
• 2 points for every workout attended.
• 2 point for each day adhering to Paleo guidelines (thanks to Fit Day journals)
• -1 point for every cheat meal over two meals per week. We are giving you two cheat meals per week…go over that and you start losing points.
• -1 point for every meal that is missed in your food log.
• 2 points for every week you go without ANY cheat meals
• 1 point for every week you go with only one cheat meal

20% will be subjective
This is where those before and after pics come in very handy. Ray and I will assign 1-20 points on perceived improvement in body composition:
• 1-5 points for little or no change
• 6-10 points for some change
• 11-15 points for good progress
• 16-20 points for holy sh*t, you look like a new person progress

Here is a list of our sponsors so far…I’m excited to report that the list is growing! Special thanks to our sponsors! We will have a page going up today that will have contest updates, so stay tuned for that…

• The Primal Blueprint book by Mark Sisson
• 1 box of 24 assorted Paleo Treats
• $75 gift certificates (x3) to At Large Nutrition
• 25% off coupon to Forged clothing
• 10% off coupon for Elevate Me ba…rs
• A FULL Chiropractic exam with xrays from our own Dr. Austin Cohen
• Take home bleaching trays with two tubes of bleach from our very own Dr. Brook Corbett DDS

We have a sign up sheet at the gym. Please bring CASH to be a part of the contest. We will determine what the breakdown of winnings are based on participation.

HOW MUCH IS TOO MUCH

Article courtesy of Mark’s Daily Apple

Although the Primal Blueprint leaves ample room for individual determination, I do try to offer folks a clear picture of the impact different dietary and lifestyle choices have on their overall health picture. At times I even offer specific recommendations or ranges that readers can tailor to their particular needs and situations. I’m often asked, however, about the upper ceilings I would set for various elements of the PB (fat, fish oil, etc.) I thought I’d take on those questions today and cover good ground by applying a rapid fire approach for several of the most common “excess” inquiries. Enjoy, and be sure to share your thoughts!

Protein
My general recommendation is one gram per pound of lean body mass on an average day. If you IF, it might weigh in at half that or less on your fasting days, whereas special occasions like Thanksgiving or your uncle’s annual steak fry might tip the intake scale at 1.5 grams per pound or so of lean mass. For the average active person, these amounts will be well utilized and fully sufficient. Any more than that, however, and you run the risk of excess protein being converted to glucose, which of course defeats the purpose of a low/lower carb diet. If you’re adequately hydrated (which doesn’t take much), eating an overall alkaline diet and ensuring adequate intake of bone supportive nutrients like magnesium, calcium and vitamins D and K, the common (but generally outdated) concerns about kidney load and osteoporosis aren’t significant issues.

Fat
Eating Primally will almost always mean that more than half of your calories will come from fat, and there’s no reason to be concerned about that – in fact it’s a reason to rejoice. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors ate at least that and, in some cases, considerably more. There isn’t really an upper limit for fat intake. For the vast majority of us, a useful way to approach the fat question is to first dial in your protein intake and then look at what carb intake you’re shooting for. (Check out the Primal Blueprint Carb Curve for a good summary of ranges.) You could potentially go zero carb – although the prospect is extremely impractical (and boring) for most people and must be well thought out and rather meticulously executed. After accounting for adequate protein and desired Primal carbs, you can fill out the rest of your caloric needs with fat, prioritizing the cleanest saturated fats you have financial and logistical access to, then monounsaturated fats and then healthy, intact polyunsaturated fats like certain nuts and fish oils.

Conveniently, that brings me to our next category in question….

Fish Oil
I generally recommend 1-3 grams of fish oil each day to counter inflammation and balance out dietary omega-6 content toward a healthier ratio approaching 1:1. The more Primal and clean you’re eating, the less you need. As for upper limits, it depends. More than three grams a day on an otherwise healthy diet (and/or in conjunction with certain medications/high alcohol intake) can thin your blood too much and impair its necessary clotting ability. Keep in mind not everyone is affected equally by a higher dose. Some people do fine with higher amounts. Other people notice excess thinning at well below three grams. For people with certain medical conditions, dosages above three grams have served as effective therapeutic treatment options. Of course, just because a certain dosage has been used in scientific studies doesn’t mean it’s necessary or advisable to take that much if you have a given condition. Talk to your doctor, and keep in mind that quality fish oil isn’t the cheapest thing in the world. One-three grams is nothing to sneeze at. It’s potent stuff. There’s no use taking more than you’ll fully benefit from. Better to take an adequate dose and spend the extra money on better quality food than to down megadoses of fish oil you don’t need.

Chocolate
I don’t want to rain too much on anyone’s parade here, chocolate lovers being a uniquely passionate lot. Nonetheless, I’ll be straight with you. First, there’s the obvious: carb content. (Check the sugar and total carb content on your respective package and decide how it will figure into your Primal plan.) Those of us who have a penchant for the highest cocoa contents (or even the raw nibs) have a longer leash so to speak. Less sugar equals fewer carbs equals more chance to enjoy more chocolate. Yes? Well, yes, but there’s a little more to the story. One small study found that cocoa powder elicited more insulin release than other flavorings – irrespective of the macronutrient breakdown of the food. Researchers didn’t know what to make of the results, but postulated that the Pavlovian principle may be at work here. (I’m seriously not making this up.) The more we love our chocolate, the more our bodies evidently betray us. Although it’s hardly enough to get me to forgo a good piece of chocolate, it does underscore the need for personally instituted moderation.

Bacon
There’s no such thing as too much bacon.

Butter
Ditto.

Fruit
The above principle applies here as well. Fruit can play a healthy role in the PB, but too much can backfire. This is one area to watch – especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Tailor your fruit intake to your desired Primal carb intake. As luck would have it, higher ORAC level fruits also tend to be lower on the glycemic scale. Berries and cherries generally offer the most antioxidant bang with the least carb buck. Check out this carb chart (PDF) for useful carbohydrate estimates on all your favorites.

Alcohol
I say none is best. However, research generally supports the health benefits of 1-2 drinks a day (1 for the average woman and 2 for the average man). More than that, and the benefits begin to plummet pretty quickly. Certain alcohols can be reasonable Primal indulgences, and some like red wine can offer unique and potentially therapeutic health benefits. That said, moderation is key. That extra indulgent Saturday night at your cousin’s wedding won’t do much harm beyond that splitting headache the next day, but making a habit of it won’t do you any favors. (Think impaired brain and liver functioning.)

Sleep
The Definitive Guide last week got people talking about the suggested ceiling for sleep. A number of studies connect several downsides, including higher obesity and diabetes risk, to longer sleep duration (9-10 hours or more). The consensus seems to support the average of 7-8 hours a night as optimal. However, people have legitimate differences in sleep need. The vast majority of folks probably fall into the average need range, but there are always outliers. If you keep a healthy lifestyle and a genuinely good sleep schedule, but have to drag yourself through the day with less than nine hours of shut eye, you’re likely in this group. I think the key here is quality over quantity. Remember that college roommate who slept through his classes until noon or later? He was likely up well past midnight (doing who knows what). When you miss out on those early hours of deep sleep, it’s tempting for the body to stay in bed and try to make up for the deficiency. If you’re healthy and consistently in tune with your circadian rhythm, you’re likely in tune with what your body really needs.

March 31, 2010 | Filed Under W.O.D. | 45 Comments

03.31.10

3 ROUNDS FOR TIME OF:

4 Handstand Push-ups
8 Barbell Ground-to-Overhead 135# / 95#
12 Burpees

Ground-to-Overhead means exactly that…use any method: Power Clean + Jerk / Push Press, Power Snatch, reverse curl and shoulder press (definitely not recommended).

GREAT JOB TO…

Mike! We are looking forward to seeing you back again very soon!

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY…3 DAYS TO GO!

With three days to go, we are still about $700 short of our goal of $2000. Please do anything you can to help!

NUTRITION CONTEST CLARIFICATION

Let’s talk about the point system…

1 drink = 1 cheat. That means 1 cheat meal. For example, Ray and I went to dinner last night and had a bottle of wine, though I had grass fed beef. My food was Paleo, but I drank more than one glass of wine. That counts as 1 of my cheat meals for the week. Obviously I am not advocating excessive drinking since it’s your one “cheat meal.”

This is a contest…it’s only 6 weeks…you want to see some results, you have to work for it.

GROWTH HORMONE…THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH

Article courtesy of Anaerobicinc.com

Ever heard people talk about Growth Hormone? What is it responsible for? Whats the big deal?

Growth Hormone: (GH) is a protein based poly-peptide hormone. It stimulates growth and cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. It is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide hormone that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior pituitary gland. Somatotropin refers to the growth hormone produced natively and naturally in animals, whereas the term somatropin refers to growth hormone produced by recombinant DNA technology,^[1] and is abbreviated “rhGH” in humans. Growth hormone is used clinically to treat children’s growth disorders and adult growth hormone deficiency. In recent years, replacement therapies with human growth hormones (hGH) have become popular in the battle against aging and weight management. Reported effects on GH deficient patients (but not on healthy people) include decreased body fat, increased muscle mass, increased bone density, increased energy levels, improved skin tone and texture, increased sexual function and improved immune system function. At this time hGH is still considered a very complex hormone and many of its functions are still unknown. Read More on Wikipedia

Why is growth hormone so important? Look at this graph and you might recognize a decline in relation to age…

About 10 years ago there was a big boom with people getting GH replacement therapy. People are still doing it today. Some believe it is the “Fountain of Youth”… It is not, but what it does is pretty damn important.

Your bodies ability to recover is the reason why you get better. Weather it be form sickness, or training. Your bodies ability to prodice GH is vital to that recovery. As we age, and as you can see above, that deteriorates over time. So, that means it gets tougher to recover. So if you get it the GH bumped up it makes it easier to recover. Not to mention, it keeps you looking younger. There is a ton of research about GH and the skin, which is why so many people have gone the replacement route. Just google it.

So why the rant? Well, lets jump into the training world. Take a look at these two pictures: There has been a lot of controversy on these actual photos too across the web.

Want to know which guy produces a higher level of GH? Do I really need to ask this?

Its your choice on how you train, but know it will come at a consequence. Everything does!

The guy on the left is the typical endurance athelte or your typical “fit” person who hits the gym 3-5 days a week and gets on the treadmill or spin bike and might lift weights a couple times a week, only because he/she doesnt want to put on any more muscle. God forbid, “I might get bulky”. Although this guy (in the picture) is a stud at his specific sport, he is that… A Specialist. Good on him too. But, do you want to look like him? Have you ever heard the term “Fit Fat”. This is the other part of the equation. Those people who go to the gym, repeating the same thing over and over expecting a different result (that is an actual definition of insanity), as I listed above, are specialists as well. The kicker though is this. They are all overtraining oxidatively and most are eating a diet sound in grains and carbs. The overtraining oxidatively will make you “skinny fat”, or even “fit fat”. You will not see results in performances after a short period of time in your body, and even in your training. The diet thing can be directly related to GH levels as well. See this study on Insulin resistance and growth hormone. High carb diets, those that involve bread, cereal, non-fat dairly, grain (all), and heavy starches, and SUGAR will produce higher levels of insulin. Both of these things, the training and diet, will hinder production of GH. Its why this guy on the left looks like a Praying Mantis.

So whats up with the dude on the right? Genetics, right? Somewhat. Although genetics plays some role, the epigenome has allowed us to understand that we are not stuck with our DNA. The dude on the right, is producing high levels of GH. How would I know that? Read this! Effect of low and high intensity exercise on circulating growth hormone in men.

10 minutes of high intensity exercise is needed to produce higher levels of NATURAL GH. On average most of our workouts run in the 10 minute range… Weird? I think not, as it produces not only GH affects, but there is not a study out there that can show anaerobic/interval training is not superior in every way to better fat utilization.

Ladies and Gentelman, if you want to age faster, and look older yonger you should eat lots of carbs, and run or ride your bike for a set periods of times throughout the week in a monotnous fashion, in order to achieve what the dude on the left looks like. If you would like to look younger, and feel younger, our email is info@anaerobicinc.com.

The education has begun, therefore you have no excuse for mediocrity.

March 31, 2010 | Filed Under Events, Nutrition, W.O.D. | 76 Comments

03.29.10

7 ROUNDS FOR TIME OF:

3 Front Squats 185# / 135#
7 L Pull-ups

POST WOD REFUEL

Male:
above 12% – 40g prot/20g carb
8-12% – 40g prot/40g carb
below 8% – 40g prot/60g carb

Female:
above 16% – 30g prot/20g carb
12-14% – 30g prot/30g carb
below 12% – 30g prot/40g carb

WELCOME TO…

Robert and Jessica! We are super stoked to have you at CrossFit Peachtree!

GREAT JOB TO…

Lindsey! We are looking forward to seeing you back again very soon!

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY COUNTDOWN: 4 DAYS

Only four days remaining until the Movement for Macey WOD. Have you donated yet? This will be the ONLY WOD run on Saturday and it will begin at 10AM SHARP.

WHEN:

Saturday, April 3rd

TIME:

10AM

HOW:

Suggested minimum of $10 donation to participate in the event, but any amount will make a difference, we just ask that you donate SOMETHING. Obviously, we’d love it if you are able to give more:

6 PACK CONTEST

Starting Thursday, April 1st will be the 6 Pack Contest. This contest will last last six weeks….and here is how it is going to go.

Starting April 1st, contestants will be required to submit their starting weight and waistline measurement, along with a $10 buy in to the contest.

Starting April 2nd, each contestant will be required to keep a food log on FitDay.com where you will be keeping track of everything you eat and DRINK.

Here’s how the winner will be determined:
80% of the score will be based on the hard numbers:
• 3 points for every pound lost.
• 2 points for every workout attended.
• 2 point for each day adhering to Paleo guidelines (thanks to Fit Day journals)
• -1 point for every cheat meal over two meals per week. We are giving you two cheat meals per week…go over that and you start losing points.
• -1 point for every meal that is missed in your food log.

We will have a sign up sheet at the gym starting today. Please bring CASH to be a part of the contest. We will determine what the breakdown of winnings are based on participation.

NUTRITION SEMINAR

When: Saturday, April 10th
Time: 10AM-11AM

Come learn all things Paleo! Sign up sheet will be at the gym.

March 30, 2010 | Filed Under Events, W.O.D. | 54 Comments

03.29.10

5 ROUNDS FOR TIME OF:

40 Double-unders
30 Box jumps: 24 inch box
20 Kettlebell swings: 55# / 35#

4-to-1 singles or 2-to-1 tuck jumps sub for the double-unders

POST WOD REFUEL

Male
above 12% – 30g prot/20g carb
8-12% – 30g prot/30g carb
below 8% – 30g prot/40g carb

Female:
above 16% – 20g prot/10 g carb
12-14% – 20g prot/20 g carb
below 12% – 20g prot/30 g carb

Eat a balanced meal 45-60 minutes after Post WOD Refuel

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY COUNTDOWN: 5 DAYS

Only FIVE days until the Movement for Macey WOD. Have you donated yet? This will be the ONLY WOD run on Saturday and it will begin at 10AM SHARP.

We are excited as we passed the $1000 mark in donations over the weekend, but are still far from our $2000 goal. Please do anything you can to help get the word out!

WHEN:

Saturday, April 3rd

TIME:

10AM

HOW:

Suggested minimum of $10 donation to participate in the event, but any amount will make a difference, we just ask that you donate SOMETHING. Obviously, we’d love it if you are able to give more:

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY: THE WOD

AMRAP in 15 MINUTES OF:
200M Partner Carry

30 (as a team) Power Clean + Jerk 135# / 95#
30 (as a team) Burpees
200M Partner Carry
30 (as a team) Overhead Squats with PVC

The Rules:

This is a partner WOD
During each round of the Partner Carry, each teammate must take a turn…one person cannot complete the entire 200M leg of the WOD. You can carry your partner any way you would like, piggy back, fireman’s carry, etc.
During the first leg, Partner A completes 5 Clean + Jerks, while Partner B completes 5 Burpees, then they will switch, until 30 repetitions are met of each (each person completes 15 of each movement)
Same rules apply for the Overhead Squat leg: while Partner A is completing their 5 OHS, Partner B is holding the DOWN position
Of course everything in this WOD can be scaled accordingly, our goal is 100% participation!

PLEASE RSVP FOR THE WOD ON FACEBOOK!

OLYMPIC LIFTING SEMINAR WITH BECKA: 04.24

According to Coach Glassman, the founder of CrossFit: “Olympic lifters are without a doubt the world’s strongest athletes.” The O-lifts are explosive movements which quicken muscle fiber responsiveness, train athletes to activate muscle groups in proper sequence and condition the body to receive forces from an outside, moving object.

“Numerous studies have demonstrated the Olympic lifts unique capacity to develop strength, muscle, power, speed, coordination, vertical leap, muscular endurance, bone strength, and the physical capacity to withstand stress,” asserts Glassman.

• Master the basics. Learn the Burgener warm-up and skill transfer exercises for the snatch, the clean and the jerk.

• Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect. Learn and perform proper lifting techniques.

• See yourself on film. Receive video debriefs of your lifts via e-mail.

• Leave the guesswork behind. Find your one rep max in each lift and be prepared for those “percentage of your 1RM” days.

SPACE IS LIMITED! SIGN UP AT THE GYM.

COST IS $75/PERSON AND DUE IMMEDIATELY WHEN SIGNING UP. EASIEST WAY TO PAY IS BY ADDING IT TO YOUR MONTHLY AUTO DEBIT OR PAYABLE BY CASH OR CHECK (MADE PAYABLE TO CFPT).

March 29, 2010 | Filed Under Events, W.O.D. | 36 Comments

03.27.10

FOR TIME:

15 Power Snatches 135# / 95#
30 Box Jumps 24″
10 Power Snatches 135# / 95#
20 Box Jumps 24″
5 Power Snatches 135# / 95#
10 Box Jumps 24″

TODAY’S SCHEDULE

Regular WODs
9:30AM and 10:00AM

Passport Class: Part Deux
10:30AM-12NOON

Regional Team Meeting
10:30AM

Open Gym
10:30-11:30AM

March 27, 2010 | Filed Under W.O.D. | Leave a Comment

03.26.10

FOR TIME:

30 Muscle Ups

If you cannot do the muscle-ups do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips, or do 2-1 jumping muscle ups.

KAREN

For Time:
150 Wall Ball Shots 20# / 14#

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday dear Scott K! Happy birthday to YOU!

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Regular WODs
9:30AM and 10:00AM

Passport Class: Part Deux
10:30AM-12NOON

Regional Team Meeting
10:30AM

Open Gym
10:30-11:30AM

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY: 8 DAYS TO GO!

The Movement for Macey event is NEXT Saturday and we still have a long way to go as far as donations. Please, if you haven’t donated yet, every little bit helps…hit up your friends, family and co-workers and let them know about this amazing cause.

CrossFit Naperville is creating quite a buzz and getting a LOT of attention for the Movement for Macey. They have secured quite a few local sponsors, the local fire department is coming out with their trucks so the kids can play on them and they have expanded their hours on Saturday due to the incredible response…they are expecting a lot of CrossFitters to come out and participate.

We could not be more grateful to Neil of CrossFit Naperville…when he heard Macey’s story, he dived right in and started helping. Without him, we could not have made this Macey event what it is. Thanks Neil!!

March 26, 2010 | Filed Under Events, The Girls, W.O.D. | 63 Comments

03.25.10

FOR LOAD:

Front Squats
5 x 5 x 5

Front Squat Good/Bad Bi-panel [wmv][mov]

then

10 ROUNDS FOR TIME OF:

Sprint 100 yards

Rest 10 seconds between rounds. Run with maximal effort.

POST WOD REFUEL

Male:
above 12% – 40g prot/20g carb
8-12% – 40g prot/40g carb
below 8% – 40g prot/60g carb

Female:
above 16% – 30g prot/20g carb
12-14% – 30g prot/30g carb
below 12% – 30g prot/40g carb

Remember, these are just general guidelines for your post WOD recovery shake. We recommend you bring your recovery meal with you and consume immediately post WOD, up to 45 minutes post WOD. Follow that by a balanced protein/carb/fat meal about 90 minutes afterward.

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY COUNTDOWN: 9 DAYS

Only NINE days until the Movement for Macey WOD. Have you donated yet? This will be the ONLY WOD run on Saturday and it will begin at 10AM SHARP.

WHEN:

Saturday, April 3rd

TIME:

10AM

HOW:

Suggested minimum of $10 donation to participate in the event, but any amount will make a difference, we just ask that you donate SOMETHING. Obviously, we’d love it if you are able to give more:

MOVEMENT FOR MACEY: THE WOD

AMRAP in 15 MINUTES OF:
200M Partner Carry

30 (as a team) Power Clean + Jerk 135# / 95#
30 (as a team) Burpees
200M Partner Carry
30 (as a team) Overhead Squats with PVC

The Rules:

This is a partner WOD
During each round of the Partner Carry, each teammate must take a turn…one person cannot complete the entire 200M leg of the WOD. You can carry your partner any way you would like, piggy back, fireman’s carry, etc.
During the first leg, Partner A completes 5 Clean + Jerks, while Partner B completes 5 Burpees, then they will switch, until 30 repetitions are met of each (each person completes 15 of each movement)
Same rules apply for the Overhead Squat leg: while Partner A is completing their 5 OHS, Partner B is holding the DOWN position
Of course everything in this WOD can be scaled accordingly, our goal is 100% participation!

PLEASE RSVP FOR THE WOD ON FACEBOOK!

SIX PACK CONTEST

It’s been a while since we have done a nutrition contest…and with bikini season right around the corner, I there is no time like the present.

Details are coming soon, but we will kick off the contest on April 1st and it will last six weeks. We are still working on details…but this time I am thinking we do something different. We will have a weigh/measure in, as well as a benchmark WOD to be completed. From there, you will be REQUIRED to keep a weekly food log on Fitday.com.

I am not a huge fan of the Zone…I hate the terminology. I know…probably not kosher to say in the CrossFit world, but it’s the truth. I would rather people learn what protein, carbs and fat are in grams rather than blocks because it translates into real world, they don’t list foods in blocks at the grocery store. I like keeping it simple. Fitday.com is a great, free resource for you to input your foods, get accurate percentages and it will help to keep you accountable. Please note: those of you that are working with me on your nutrition stuff, going forward, this is what we will be using for your food log.

So, this time around, not only your results, but your effort will play a part in who wins. We will have a buy in, so there will be money on the line. Stay tuned for full details next week…

ON THAT NOTE…

I know all of you have spring fever…it’s just that time of year. That doesn’t mean you should be blowing off your WODs! If you haven’t been in the gym in a while…get back in!

A DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO SLEEP

Article courtesy of Mark’s Daily Apple

Sleep Awareness Week (as sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation) technically ended March 13th, but somehow I’m guessing there are just as many sleep deprived folks milling about this week as there were a few days ago – just like our good reader Monday. Maybe a few of us feel better adjusted to the time change these days, but probably just as many stayed up late to watch the NCAA games this weekend. Or maybe it was a late St. Paddy’s Day party. Somehow it’s always somethin’, isn’t it?

Even if we’re good and diligent and never sacrifice sleep for entertainment purposes, life too often pokes holes in our most worthy intentions. Babies wake up in the middle of the night. Flights leave early. Deadlines, projects and bills keep us up later than we’d planned. Maybe we even burn the midnight oil to get a jump on the next morning’s tasks! Nighttime too often becomes a default slush fund for the day’s chores. Still others of us might deliberately stay up to bask (however groggily) in what seems like the only time we have to ourselves. The house is quiet, the kids/partner are asleep. The world is hushed, and the deep solitude is too much to resist.

But there’s always a price…. The next morning has us clutching our pillows in fervent denial. Cruel, callous and relentless as it is, the alarm tolls for thee and you’re suddenly reeling in regret. However much you enjoyed or appreciated the previous night’s extension, you now see the error of your ways. Your bed is suddenly the most wonderful, restful place in the world, and you couldn’t possibly tear yourself away. Snooze button it is.

When the necessities of life (or an incredible bracket-busting game) strike, it’s good to keep ye olde 80/20 Primal Principle in mind. Nonetheless, let’s give shut eye its due. I’ve done Definitive Guides on all manner of Primal priorities. It was high time, I thought, we offer the same deference to our non-waking Primal efforts.

The “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” overachiever mindset assumes our bodies aren’t doing anything useful when we’re buried beneath the covers. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sleep is an incredibly active time for our bodies and brains when we undergo all manner of growth and repair processes through a dynamic biochemical orchestration. When we know the facts on sleep, we’re more likely to give it our full respect – and wholehearted Primal commitment. Let’s begin….

What’s Sleep Done For Me Lately?
Sleep is key, essential, absolutely downright necessary for our basic physiological operations – with special support for neurological performance, endocrine balance, immune system functioning, and musculoskeletal growth and repair. For one, you wouldn’t be half the man or woman you are without the physiological feats sleep achieves. I mean that both literally and figuratively, since sleep spurs the release of human growth hormone (HGH), an essential player in cellular regeneration.

Before you stay up for your favorite late night host, consider the fact that a solid night of shut eye bears all kinds of gifts. A full night of sleep will enhance your memory performance and creative problem solving skills the next day, not to mention make you a better person to be around by helping you see the positive in your interactions. Oh, but there’s more of course. A good night’s sleep will further boost your athletic performance, including speed, accuracy, mood and overall energy.

Then there’s your immune system. Hate getting sick? How about cutting your risk for the common cold and other basic illnesses? Your immune system is, in fact, most active during sleep. (So, that’s why the flu leaves you in a coma-like state…) To boot, adequate sleep makes you more resilient to daily stress, which supports your immune functioning that much more.

Finally, there’s the big picture. Solid, consistent sleep over the long-term has been linked to self-reported “successful” aging.

The Ugly World of Sleep Deprivation
Now consider the flip side. Believe it or not, you’ll die of sleep deprivation before you will starvation. Of course few people ever venture that far into the insomniatic tunnel, but the fact underscores the damage done when we skimp on sleep. When you pull that all-nighter or drag yourself through multiple months of newborn-induced sleep deprivation, you feel like crap because, well, you’re body is legitimately struggling. Every system suffers in some regard. Make no mistake: even a single hour of missed sleep takes its toll, as the research on daylight savings time shows. If you continue down the path of scarcity, you build up what experts call a sleep debt – one that the body tries desperately to repay.

In the short term, you find a full spectrum of unsavory impacts. On the cognitive side, you sacrifice all manner of memory abilities, including short-term and working memory. Over time, even long-term memory and the generation of nerve cells are impaired. Of little surprise is the impact on emotional mood and well-being. Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase the risk for conditions like depression and exacerbate pre-existing psychological illnesses. However, even a single night of sleeplessness can throw our emotional regulatory abilities out the window. Sleeplessness causes our emotional selves to revert to their more primitive roots, effectively shutting down the reasonable prefrontal cortex and putting the primally defensive amygdala in the driver’s seat. One study even linked sleep deprivation with a corresponding increase in people’s dissatisfaction with their primary relationships. (An important bit of perspective to cranky new parents…) Finally, the physical self pays a price of course. A single night of sleep loss increases systemic inflammation, and (as I shared Monday) impairs the body’s ability to handle the kind of moderate oxidative stress we deal with every day.

When you graduate to the extended – however “minor” – levels of sleep deprivation, you’ll enjoy the above experiences (magnified of course), all the while putting significant strain on many of your body’s systems, including your neurological and cardiovascular systems. One study found that skipped sleep led to a shrinking brain. Bye, bye gray matter! The heart and kidneys also take a beating as does your blood pressure. You, in fact, put yourself at continually increased risk for a whole host of lifestyle diseases, including obesity and diabetes. The logical extension of this pattern? Numerous studies link partial sleep deprivation/disruption and increased mortality risk!

Not All Sleep Is Created Equal
Although it might feel like it some days, it’s not an instantaneous plunge into cataleptic nothingness. Sleep fills a progressive spectrum of sorts. The process and pattern of sleep reveals the complex, dynamic experience it is. We likely all recall the REM and non-REM designations gestured to in our middle school health classes. The picture is a little more complicated than that, but those categories represent the bones of it. Essentially, the body moves through three stages of non-REM (Non-Rapid Eye Movement) sleep that are called N1, N2 and N3, proceeding eventually to REM sleep (typically with a N1, N2, N3, N2, REM pattern) and then back again through numerous cycles throughout the night.

Phase N1 represents the initial switch in brain wave frequency. It’s the stage in which you feel like you’re mostly under but can still see the light above the water. It characterizes most surreptitious office naps that people think no one will notice – until your head slips off the hand that was holding it up. (Hmmm…forgot about that N1 relaxation of muscle tone, I guess.) Most notably, it’s the stage in which you scare the crap out of yourself and your spouse with those annoying sudden jerks. From there, N2 takes you down enough that any residual awareness of your environment is gone. Finally, N3 takes you into deep, slow wave sleep. Those of you who walk or talk in your sleep tend to begin performing now.

If you recall from your textbooks, REM sleep hosts most of our dreaming, particularly those memorable bits in the early morning that confound us for hours throughout the day. Although muscle tone was progressively relaxed in non-REM sleep, it’s generally non-existent in the REM stage.

REM sleep constitutes about a quarter of the typical adult’s sleep. The N2 stage of non-REM sleep makes up an additional half. The remaining quarter is split between the initial N1 stage and the deep sleep of N3. We experience most of our deep sleep early on in the night – hence the instructive proverb about going to bed early.

What moves us to sleep in the first place, however, is our circadian rhythm, the physiological clock responsible for putting in motion temperature changes and hormonal releases associated with sleep and waking. As we approach sleep, our body reaches its highest concentration of adenosine, a sleep promoting neurotransmitter. Simultaneously, the body begins to kick out melatonin and begins reducing our core temperature, which will hit its lowest point in the second half of our normal sleep schedule – around the time when melatonin will incidentally be at its highest. Our best sleep, not surprisingly, results from staying on consistent course with our natural circadian rhythm and – if we nap – not napping too late in the day. Speaking of which…

Closed for Siesta
I’m a big believer in naps, and I consider them one of the most useful (and pleasurable) of the PB sensible vices. Research supports the benefit of inducing the relaxation response each day, and one study showed that even the anticipation of a nap can lower your blood pressure. Following a truly bad night, naps can help us recharge our cognitive and physical stores. Longer naptimes following sleepless nights tend to include more REM sleep for better restoration. Although some “authorities” might balk at the healthiness of daily napping, I think long-time tradition (as well as the natural circadian rhythm) shoots that one down sufficiently. Problems can arise when naps signify symptoms for an otherwise unhealthy lifestyle or when they become a consistent, necessary stand-in for good sleep quality and adequate hours each night. Nonetheless, for those with young babies or swing/night shift jobs, sometimes the best Primal choice we can make is doing the best we can with the reality in front of us. Naps can be part of that effort.

Our Need for Sleep
Of course the need for sleep varies by individual. Though most of us fall into the pot of the seven-eight hour average, others of us genuinely can’t get by without nine or ten. A few lucky ones among us hit our optimum with only six or so hours of shut eye. (These folks are honest to goodness mutants, as science has confirmed.)

However, the majority of our sleep differentiation is determined by age. Babies, no surprises here, need the most (however patchy it is), while adults require the least. The notion that older adults need less sleep is actually hogwash. Although sleep patterns become more fragmented as we age, we still need the same good old average. Sleep still fosters critical hormonal secretion (like growth hormone) necessary for healthy aging. One study in particular linked solid sleep with higher levels of testosterone in older men.

Children, however, are especially susceptible to the ravages of sleep deprivation. Sleep is essential for babies to learn and retain new information. Sleep deficits have been long been linked to an increased risk of ADHD, depression and behavioral problems in children.

Getting Some Good Primal Sleep
In Grok’s world, of course, there were no alarms, no clocks, no trains to catch or appointments to make. Likewise, there were no lamps or computers, T.V.s, smart phones and all the other technological gadgetry that tests our circadian rhythm and tempts us to stay up instead of hit the sheets. Although Grok and his tribe didn’t turn in the second the sun fell below the horizon, they undoubtedly slid into a hunkered down, lower key mode. On a typical night, the darkness – even with a central fire or bright moon – would’ve been enough to impose a quieter sense of consciousness. The stars, the flames would’ve been enough to inspire calm, maybe meditative stillness if not sleep. What would our experience of night be – how rested and composed might we feel – if we spent ten to twelve hours in relative darkness?

Although I suspect most of us have at least several hours to trudge through before we can call it a night, maybe some of you are already planning a clandestine nap this afternoon. (There’s always our Primally approved plan for selling your boss on the siesta idea….) Looking forward to sleep is the first step to taking back bedtime, I’d say. Not only is it an essential investment for your health, it’s one of life’s best luxuries. You wake up looking better and feeling like a million bucks. How much better can it get? Now take the money you’ll save on extra coffee and buy yourself a nice set of sheets or the pillow you’ve always wanted.

March 25, 2010 | Filed Under Nutrition, W.O.D. | 42 Comments