Question of the Week

Q. What is the CrossFit Games Open?
A. Whether you compete for fun, to prove your fitness, to represent your affiliate, or all of the above, the 2017 Reebok CrossFit Games Open is for you. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be part of this five-week online competition that unites the CrossFit community by bringing together hundreds of thousands of athletes in one all-inclusive competition. The CrossFit Games Open is the time to see how we perform compared to other CrossFitters around the world. That’s incredible.
The Open is comprised of five workouts over five weeks starting February 23rd. The Open is the first qualifying stage of the CrossFit Games. While the purpose of the Open is to find the fittest athletes in each region to move on to the regionals, it’s also an opportunity for any athlete at any level to participate in the competition.
Even if you are a complete beginner, you can participate in the Open. Every Open workout will feature a scaled workout option that even the newest CrossFitter can perform. Think of this Open as an opportunity to set a performance baseline for CrossFit. We promise you will be amazed at your progress if you continue with CrossFit training and retest the following year!
Ask a coach today to learn more about The CrossFit Open! We are so excited for our first Open here at CrossFit Mad Hatter. We will have the Open workout of the week programmed for Friday classes and encourage everyone to come out for “Friday Night Lights” for our evening Open workout event. For those members who cannot make Friday workouts, we will have open gym on Saturday from 10-11 for those wanted to get in the workout or retest!
Registration is $20 on the CrossFit Games Website. You will need to create an account with CrossFit, select CrossFit Mad Hatter for your affiliate and sign a waiver. Let’s start the year with some CrossFit fun!
To Register for the Open: https://games.crossfit.com/
For more information about the Open: https://games.crossfit.com/article/crossfit-open-explained

Q. What are some food storage and safety tips we should follow?
A.
1. Keep your refrigerator at 40 degrees or below to ensure foods stay fresh and safe to eat. The temperature danger zone, where bacteria grows most rapidly, is between 40-140 degrees f.
2. Store herbs like fresh basil, mint and cilantro like fresh cut flowers. They will last longer if you place stems in a cup of water. The same also works for asparagus and kale!
3. Refrigerate mushrooms in paper bags-not plastic. This keeps mushrooms from drying out and won’t trap in moisture turning them slimy.
4. Store potatoes, onions and winter squash at cooler temps, about 50-60 degrees. These items do not go in the fridge.
5. To avoid cross-contamination and bacteria growth, store raw meats and other foods below ready to eat foods in the refrigerator.
6. Don’t store perishable foods (such as milk) on the refrigerator door-the door does not stay cold enough. The refrigerator door is better for things like condiments, nuts and seeds.
7. Store fresh fruits and vegetables in separately. Ethylene gas produced by some fruits can cause veggies to taste bitter.
8. Avocados, Mangoes, Pears and other pitted fruits should ripen at room temperature and then be placed in the refrigerator to increase storage time.

Q. What are some New Years resolutions you can keep?
A. 1) Stretch you comfort zone deliberately at least once a month-People always say you should do something once a day that scare you. Once a day is a lot. To keep a New Years resolutions it needs to fit your busy lifestyle. Trying something new and outside your comfort zone once a month will expose you to new things in your life without being overwhelming. Take things slow but always be moving forward.
2) Try volunteering- Volunteering can be rewarding and fun! Get a group of friends together and make it an activity for a day. Look for volunteering opportunities that interest you so you will enjoy the experience as much as helping others at the same time There are many volunteer opportunities out there, make it a goal to volunteer at least once a year!
3) Get the TECH out of the bedroom- TVs, iPods, laptops, tablets, cell phones. OUT. This will likely be the biggest change and toughest habit to break, but it’s so worth it! Sleep REM cycles are impacted from light pollution at night and have serious adverse effect on health. We’ve all experienced irritability, inability to focus and exhaustion from a lack of sleep. Why purposely make it difficult for our brain and body to get the rest it needs to perform best?

Q. What are some strategies to navigate the holidays?
A. 1)Boost your immune system- the holidays are hard enough without being sick. But all the parties, shopping in crowded malls and colder weather creates an ideal environment to exchange germs! Make sure during this time of year to get plenty of vitamin D and vitamin C. It’s always hard to get enough sleep as well this time of year but lack of sleep makes you more vulnerable to disease. Aim for 8 hours per night or take a nap in the afternoon if you are up late.
2) Stick to your exercise routine- no matter if you eat those holiday desserts or skip them, keep to your exercise routine as best as possible. Exercise can help you handle the extra stress of the season. Exercising also released endorphins, natural mood boosters that can help cheer you up on dark winter mornings.
3) Give yourself a break. Don’t beat yourself up if you break your diet or indulge in some holiday treats. Regretting your choices only causes more stress and anxiety-not what you nor your body needs to stay healthy. This doesn’t mean to binge on everything in sight either-pick your “cheats and treats” carefully, make them worth it, and enjoy them!
Happy Holidays!

Q. Where does digestion start?

A. While most people will say, the mouth of course! Digestion actually starts even before you put food in your mouth-it starts with the brain. If you’re not paying attention to what happens before you put food in your mouth, you’re losing half of the digestive process. When we smell food, or see food, or think about eating food, something happens. It primes our entire digestive system for the food we’re about to eat. It kickstarts our stomach acid production, and most importantly it gets us salivating so that food can begin to be broken down in the mouth. However, this all depends on our willingness to sit down and eat deliberately rather than constantly grabbing our food on the go. Work on being “present” at each of your meals, try mindfully eating instead of mindless!

Q. How should olive oil be stored?
A. We already learned that heat can ruin and oxidize oils like olive oil when used at too high of a temperature. This is why it is recommended to use olive oil for cold uses or very low heat cooking. One thing to consider when purchasing olive oil or using it at a restaurant, is what kind of bottle is it in? Is it in a clear jar, dark green glass, or metal tin? You want to choose olive oil that is in a dark container because light is being kept out of it-because that light can damage the oil.
At home, you don’t want to store olive oil next to your stove. Even if you’re using it here and there for lower heat cooking or for a marinade, you want to keep it away from the heat, in a cabinet, to avoid the oil from going rancid.

Q. What kinds of fats should be in your diet?
A. Using the right fats and oils is essential to improving your health from the inside out! Add these healthy, naturally occurring and minimally processed fats into your diet:
Saturated fats (for hot uses)- coconut oil, palm oil, butter, ghee, lard, tallow, duck fat, full-fat dairy, eggs (with yolk), meat and seafood.
Unsaturated fats (for cold uses)- avocado oil, flaxseed oil, macadamia nut oil, olive oil, sesame oil, walnut oil, nuts and seeds (including nut and seed butters).
*Note- unsaturated fats (typically liquid at room temperature) are easily damaged when heat is applied to them. Do not consume damaged fats!
Ditch these unhealthy, man-made fats and refined seed oils- margarine/buttery spreads, canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, vegetable oil and shortening made from any of these oils.
*Hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, as well as man-made trans fats and “buttery spreads” like Earth Balance and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter are highly processed and oxidize with exposure to light, air or heat.

Q. Why do we need fat in our diet?
A. Fat supports many functions in the body:
-Provides long-burning energy
-Stabilizes the brain
-Builds strong cell membranes
-Decreases the rate of gastric emptying (feel full, longer)
-Allows absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, & K)
-Precursors to vitamin D and bile
-Triggers satiety hormones and don’t elicit an insulin response
-Provides raw materials for building hormones (fertility)
The KINDS of fat you consume are also important for your health-stay tuned to learn more!

Q. What is the difference between water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins?
A. Vitamins are classified into two groups: water-soluble and fat-soluble. Water -soluble vitamins dissolve in water, this means your body is continuously in need for daily intake of these nutrients. If you consume more of a water-soluble vitamin than you need, the excess will be excreted, not stored. This means the risk of toxicity (too much of the vitamin) is low, but you have to constantly replenish it. Vitamin C and the B’s are all classified in the water-soluble category and intake can come from both supplementation and diet.
Vitamins A, D, E and K are the fat-soluble vitamins. Unlike water-soluble vitamins, these vitamins dissolve in fat and are stored in body tissues. Because they are stored, over time they can accumulate to dangerous levels and can lead to a condition called hypervitaminosis, meaning excess amounts of a vitamin in the body, If more than the recommended amount is taken. Toxicity (hypervitaminosis) does not typically occur when intake of these vitamins comes from our diets, the threat usually comes from incorrect supplementation dosages.