"Gee. That yoga class felt way more strenuous than usual today. I know! I'll do an hour of Olympic lifting. That'll help." - No one ever
Our gym is starting a Performance Nutrition Challenge soon, and Audrey is brave enough to be participating this time around. I did one last winter and it was a great experience - I learned how to cook lots of delicious Paleo things, how to talk to people about why I eat the way I do, and I got stronger. I opted out this time around it's football season, but that doesn't mean I can't write about food.
I was visiting a friend in High Point, NC this weekend. He's a twentysomething guy who travels often, and when I opened his fridge and it contained the following: bottles of water, one bottle of orange juice, half a liter of milk, cider, some eggs, and a shelf full of those little fruit cups. It looked far more barren than it sounds, I promise. I made some joke about it, he defended himself, and on Friday while he was at work I went and did some shopping. He got all sorts of veggies - carrots, peppers, onion, sweet potato, kale - chicken, more eggs, apples, and some beer. In short, I bought him everything I'd buy for myself. And I showed him what I usually make for breakfast (lots of veggies and some scrambled eggs) and I made him some chicken nuggets (that aren't nearly as good as the ones I make here because you can't find coconut flour in High Point). He just showed me his freshly stocked fridge - it looks a lot more like mine than like a bachelor's now, and I'm really stoked that he took what I said to heart. I hope he sticks with it, because I know how much better I feel when I eat well, and I want him to feel that good too.
So yesterday, I got up and drove back to Richmond. On the way, I stopped for breakfast at a Bojangles, and it was totally delicious and totally not paleo. And while I was struggling through Chaturanga tonight, I was mentally chalking it up to my poor dietary choices. Then I came home and murdered a slightly overdone porkchop and some roasted veggies. Tomorrow is a new day.
My point is this: it's really very easy for those of us who eat "clean" to be somewhat sanctimonious about our diet choices. When I first peeked into my friend's fridge, my knee-jerk reaction was surprise and dismay. He's a really smart dude - he should know better. But 18 months ago, I had no idea what paleo was. I had no idea what to eat and when. I had no idea how to improve performance through diet. I had to learn; everyone who does Crossfit knows about the Paleo diet, but all of us had to be taught. And feeling superior because we know something other people don't is stupid.
I have a friend who practically bounded up to me to tell me about the sheer idiocy of one of his coworkers who had the nerve to bring bagels, of all things, to a staff meeting. Bagels! The nerve! Those are clearly the nemesis of the breakfast world. I rolled my eyes at my friend and shifted the conversation to something else, but that attitude really rubbed me the wrong way. And I see it in others - and sometimes in myself - and I try to correct it when possible. It really easy to get swept into the PR-focused mentality Crossfit embraces in all aspects of life, but how we eat shouldn't be a source of pride; it should be an opportunity to educate.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying you should expound upon the benefits of bacon to strangers. But have some friends over for dinner. Cook them delicious Paleo things. And if they want to talk about it, tell them. If you've done or are doing a PNC, don't apologise for your "weird" self-imposed dietary restrictions. Explain how awesome you feel, how much energy you have, how much more weight you can move. You can be assertive without being a dick, and it's incredibly rewarding when people take your advice and run with it.
In an age where we are not only encouraged, but arguably expected to share everything we do via twitter or facebook or instagram and that can be fun. But just like the whiteboard at the box, those networking sites can serve as a means for us to compare ourselves to others, and in doing so, judge them. Unlike the whiteboard, life is not about PRs and showing up on the leaderboard. It's about doing what makes you happy. I know that sounds super cliched, but think about it. If what makes you happy is PRing, great! Eat your veggies and train like hell and be at the top of the leaderboard for all of the girls. Awesome. Someone has to be up there. But it won't be me, because I like beer and Bojangles and taking time off to visit cute boys in North Carolina who eat like bachelors.
You do you, let me do me, and I'll stop preaching now because that feels a little like what I'm preaching against. Whoops.
Also, a shout out to 336 Crossfit in High Point, where I WODed on Friday. They were friendly, professional, had an interesting WOD and the coolest box dog I've ever seen. Hopefully I'll be down there often in the future. Check 'em out if you're in the area!
