January 2018 Resilience Nutrition Challenge
Why do we do a Nutrition Challenge?
The goal of this challenge is to jumpstart your nutrition for 2018. At the end of the day, what we put into our bodies greatly affects how we look, feel, and perform. We want to take this opportunity to start 2018 off on the right foot and to experience the positive mental and physical changes that proper nutrition provides.
The rules for these 6 weeks are geared towards maximizing the results we can achieve in the short-term, and thus, are a challenge to adhere to. While these aren’t meant to be strict guidelines to follow long-term, this challenge will give you a great understanding of how appropriate quality and quantity of foods can improve your overall health and fitness.
Key Dates
- Info Meeting: Saturday December 16th at 10:15am (will also broadcast on FB live)
- Last Date to Register: December 28th
- Teams Announced and Finalized: December 29th via FB Live. We will have 5 teams divided primarily by class time.
- Challenge: January 6th - February 17th (6 Weeks)
- Weekly Pop-Up Challenges: Announced every Tuesday
- Benchmark WODs: January 6th and then February 17th (we will give a few days before each date to accommodate the travel schedules of participants)
- InBody Weigh-Ins: January 6th and then February 17th (we will give a few days before each date to accommodate the travel schedules of participants)
- Post-Challenge Party and Winner Announcement: Feb 17th
Cost
RCF Members: $45/person (includes cost of container)
RB Nutrition Members: $35/person (includes cost of container) The reduced charge is because they are already paying a monthly fee for use of the InBody scale.
Prizes
All Cash (less expenses) to the Winning Team
Winning Male and Female each receive 50% off membership for March and a great Prize Package
Structure
This year’s nutrition challenge will consist of two phases. Phase 1 revolves around locking down the quality of food that we are consuming. There will be a list of approved foods that you will choose foods from to create your daily meals. This period will last three weeks. Phase 2 is then introduced during the latter 3 weeks of the challenge and adds in daily quantity goals.
Teams
Participants will be organized into teams. We will have 5 teams and each team will be led by a captain from the RCF Coaching Staff. Individuals will be scored based on a point system that awards those who adhere to the challenge’s rules.Your team score is determined by the average points of all of your team members at the end of the challenge.
Performance WOD
We will be continuing the annual performance WOD that gauge one aspect of our progress over the course of this challenge. Athletes will be completing a workout during the first and last week of the challenge. If a participant misses the WOD then they will receive zero points.
Inbody Scan
Every athlete will receive 3 Inbody Scans during the challenge - one at the beginning of the event, one in the middle, and finally, one at the end of the 6 weeks. Points will be rewarded based on the ratio of athletes’ overall Body Weight to Skeletal Muscle Mass before and after the challenge. The Scan in the middle of the event is simply so you can gauge your progress. These InBody scans are personal and we strongly recommend that the info is only shared between you and, if you choose, your coach.
The Weekly “Cheat” Meal
Each participant will receive one weekly pass for one “meal” so that they can make a small departure from the rules and maintain their sanity. One pass can be used each week (between Saturday and Friday) by each player. That’s it. Other than this exception each player needs to have perfect adherence to the rules.
Points
Points are rewarded for achieving specific results(such as a perfect day of eating, adequate water consumption, etc.). Specific details on the points system during each phase is detailed below.
Weeks 1-3 Scoring Items
Status / Points (Daily)Perfect Day of Eating / 4
A Non-Perfect Day / 0
Bonus / Points
Water Consumption (½ Bodyweight in oz.) / 1 point per day
Sleep (8+ hours) / 1 point per day
Workouts / 1 point per day (max of 5)
Pop-Up Challenges – by individual / 3 points per person
For Phase 1, participants can achieve a maximum of 50 points per week for adhering to all of the food choices and participating in bonus activities. Note that 22 of those points are from bonus activities, meaning you can still have success in this challenge even if you have a few bad eating days.
Weeks 4-6 Scoring Items
Status / Points (Daily)Perfect Day of Eating / 4
Non-Perfect Day / 0
Bonus / Points
Correct # of Portioned Meals * / 2 points per day
Water Consumption (½ Bodyweight in oz) / 1 point per day
Sleep (8+ hours) / 1 point per day
Workouts / 1 point per day (max of 5)
Pop-Up Challenges – by individual / 3 points per person
Participants who are RB clients and are following the flexible diet plan (i.e. macros) do not need to use the “container” method and can receive their bonus points if they stay within 20% of all of their macros
For Phase 2, participants can achieve a maximum of 64 points per week for adhering to all of the food choices and participating in bonus activities. Note that 36 of those points are from bonus activities, meaning you can still have success in this challenge even if you have a few bad eating days.
Final Scoring Items
Please note that these 2 items are the only “before and after” scoring items in this challenge. They are, however, not major scoring items. Each item is potentially only worth 8% of an individual’s total score.
Progress / PointsInbody Muscle Mass/Body Weight Ratio / 30,20,10,0 points based on Quartile
Benchmark WOD Improvement / 30,20,10,0 points based on Quartile
Submitting Points
The weeks during the competition will run from Saturday to Friday. Teams will be provided a Google Spreadsheet, where they can input their results for the week. All scores must be reported each week by midnight on Friday for the previous week. There will always be a weekly scoring update to create suspense and excitement each Monday.
Foods (Quality)
Yes List
Protein / Carbs / Veggies / Fat / Specialty ItemsSeafood / Gluten-Free Oats / Artichokes / Olive Oil / Whey Protein
Beef / White, Brown and Black Rice / Asparagus / Avocado Oil / Casein Protein
Buffalo / Non-GMO corn / Broccoli / Coconut Oil / Intra-Workout Carbs
Lamb / Quinoa / Brussel Sprouts / Grass-Fed Butter / Fuel For Fire
Elk / Sweet Potato or White Potato / Celery / Almond Oil / Kill Cliff
Venison / Millet / Cucumber / Avocados / RX Bars
Eggs / Yams / Eggplant / Olives / Coffee
Egg Whites / Squash / Greens (Kale, turnips, etc.) / Raw Nuts (no added salt or sugar) / Tea
Chicken / Carrots / Mushrooms / Raw Nut Butters (Single ingredients only) / Mustard (Watch for High fructose corn sugar or other additives)
Duck / Fruit / Onions / Chia Seeds / Hot Sauce (no additives/added sugar)
Turkey / Gluten-Free (GF) breads or wraps made with brown-rice, quinoa, millet or GF oats. / Peppers / Stevia
Pheasant / Tomatoes / Spices/Herbs/Seasoning (no added sugar)
Deli Meat (Must be organic, nitrate-free, and gluten-free) / Zucchini / Cocoa
Jerky (Lean meats, no added sugar or soy sauce) / Cabbage
Salad Greens (Romaine, Spinach, kale, etc.).
●All meats must be lean/fat-trimmed cuts
No List
Honey/Maple Syrup/Agave/Added Sugar of any kindDairy (exception is Whey/Casein Protein and Grass-fed Butter)
Wheat or White-Grain Bread
Gluten
Most Protein Bars (including Best Bar Ever)
Alcohol
If a food does not appear on the “Yes” or “No” lists, ask your coach to clarify where it fits within the challenge. When in doubt, assume it is not part of the “Yes” list.
Foods (Quantity)
We will be using a container system to help create a baseline for quantity for those participating in the challenge (credit to CFNE for the application). Each participant will be provided a number of 3-section containers to measure their meals. The large compartment will be used to fill with vegetables, while the other two compartments will be filled with lean proteins and carbs. In addition, each athlete will add 1 serving (a tablespoon) of fat to each meal. All foods should come from the approved list provided above.
Athletes will determine the number of containers they should be eating per day based off of their T-Shirt size. If you are unsure of where you stand, feel free to ask one of the RCF coaches. Note that this is simply a starting point - if you feel during the challenge that you are eating too much or not enough, we can certainly make adjustments.
Male / # of Meals / Female / # of MealsSmall / 3.5 / Small / 3
Medium / 4 / Medium / 3.5
Large / 5 / Large / 4
Workouts and Travel WOD’s
Participants are able to earn 5 points each week for completing a workout. Valid workouts include WOD’s at RCF, WOD’s at another CrossFit, or approved Travel WOD’s from the list which follows-
Pop-Up Challenges
Weekly Pop-Up Challengeswill be announced on Tuesdays via FB live. These will award bonus points to each individual that completes the challenge.
Daily Habits/Tips
The RB Nutrition team will post 3 recommended habits each week throughout the nutritional challenge on Facebook. Although participation in these is completely optional, wehighly recommend reading through them or applying them in your daily life. Topics will include everything from pros/cons of eating certain foods, pre/post/intra workout nutrition, etc.
Bi-Weekly Regroups
We will hold bi-weekly in-person Q&As where all athletes can discuss successes, challenges, and other specific questions you may have during the challenge. Will attempt to do these on FB live.
Example Products and Ideas
- GF Bread mix:Anna Breads, Coconut Wraps, Paleo bread mix
- GF Oats: Bob’s Red Mill
- Nut Butters: Look for the nut and only added sea salt (or limited salt); Whole Foods allows you to grind your own, however, most organic or natural peanut butter brands will be OK. Same for almond butter, cashew butter or sunflower seed butter - read your labels.
- Dairy-Free milks: Unsweetened Almond, Coconut, Cashew Milks -- Fair Life Dairy Free is OK as well (milk with lactose removed).
- Check out Amazon for examples of “Paleo Snacks” and read labels to ensure they’re clean. There are a number of options for bars and snacks that are great swaps for anything on your “no” list.
- Consider doing a bulk order with your team or a group of people at the gym to make it easier to stock up on a few extras that will help keep you motivated over the next few weeks, and even better - beyond the limits of the challenge.