I don't get it. I am eating better than ever yet my symptom (i.e. acne, skin rash, headaches, joint pain, digestion, etc.) is getting worse. What is going on?

You can probably relate to that quote if you have ever tried to clean up your diet. There is no doubt that having unpleasant symptoms worsen during the early stages of a major dietary change is incredibly frustrating and difficult to overcome. For most, this will result in a failed attempt.

You see, your body is constantly undergoing the processes of rebuilding and repairing. The problem is, if you are eating less than optimal foods, your body will be built from less than optimal materials and susceptible to sickness and disease. To solve this problem, you must consistently provide your body with the foods it was intended to have. Once you begin doing this, your body will be able to cleanse itself of nasty toxins and begin rebuilding with strong, healthy materials.

Be warned, your body doesn't slowly purge this waste material. Instead, your body uses the additional resources that a healthy diet provides and fights to excrete the toxins faster than ever. This can potentially result in the worse breakouts and/or flare-ups of your life. The list of unpleasant symptoms that you may experience during this time includes: diarrhea, constipation, aches, pains, fever, muscle cramps, discharges, odors, rashes, acne, headaches, irritability, fatigue, anxiety, depression, fear, and anger. Sounds fun, I know.

The amount of abuse you have done to your body in the past will impact how severe your symptoms are. For some of you, these symptoms will be very mild or nonexistent even. The rest of you may experience any or all of these over the course of a few months. That's right, a few months! Hang in there though because these symptoms are a sign of good things to come. It is proof that your body was a mess and that a long needed housecleaning is well under way.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hO0OS0kBDVs&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

On the one hand, watching this video made me laugh because of the blatant ignorance and lies. On the other hand, I find this video disgusting because the blatant lies were paid for by the British National Government.

Some things that I thought about while watching this video:

1. Saturated fat, when stored in the fridge would be ROCK solid, not liquid.
2. The fat was liquid in the fridge, but solid at room temperature. I would suggest having the serviceman take a look at the fridge.
3. Some saturated fats, like coconut oil and butter, will actually be a liquid at room temperature. Last I checked, my internal temperature is much higher than room temperature and therefore would result in the fat being liquid.
4. Just because something clogs the drain doesn't mean it will clog my arteries.
5. The fat isn't being injected directly into our blood. This little process called digestion is being completely ignored.

What do you think about ads like these? Do you even pay attention to them? Post all thoughts to comments.

The Garth Show does the unthinkable last Friday night at Snug Harbor. Contrary to what others may tell you, Brittany's birthday dinner is NOT sufficient justification for joining the masses in their Filthy Grain Eating habits!

**Disclaimer** No grains were consumed during the taking of this photo.

Here's the deal; we all know that the ultimate goal of CrossFit and proper nutrition is health and longevity, right? Right. But what about the amazing beach body? What about the ripped Bill Yundt abs? What about the Severson shoulders? The Jansen Legs?

WE ALL WANT THAT STUFF TOO.

And you know what, that's ok. I'm going to come out and say that it's OK for you to come to the Fort and bust your tail because you want to look sexy. I don't care WHERE you find your motivation to keep coming, as long as I get to see your smiling faces a few times a week. Watching you succeed is my therapy. It's the best part of EVERY DAY for me. And in order to amplify my own pleasure, I am throwing out this to you guys:

The CrossFit Fire 60 Day Better Body Challenge.

This is a simple challenge. Whoever makes the most dramatic improvements to their physique by October 31st, 2009 wins. I don't care how much weight you lose...that's not what this is about. This is about looking SEXY. We will measure and take pictures of you, and pictures will be posted on the 60 day challenge contestants page for everyone to see. Men will be photographed without their shirt in a pair of gym shorts, and ladies will be photographed in shorts and a sports bra. Now, this might send you running for the hills. "I don't want people to see me in my bra". Tough beans. It's a requirement for this challenge. Plus, it's the ultimate motivation. Not too long ago I posted pictures of myself on the CrossFit discussion boards. Over 30,000 people saw me in my bikini with my bra fat hanging out, and not a SINGLE PERSON had anything negative to say. Remember that our audience is a group of CrossFitters, and we all love you. You can do this.

In order to make this a serious challenge, there has to be prizes. Anyone can participate, but if you want a chance to win the GRAND PRIZE, you're gonna have to pay to play. The entry fee will be $40 for those who want to be eligible for the prizes. Winner takes all! The total cash value of the challenge will be dictated by how many participants we have (obviously). In addition to the moolah, the winner will take home a FREE TSHIRT! Oooh....now it's getting SERIOUS!

How will the winner be decided? Easy. We're going to vote. After the final pictures have been uploaded on October 31st, the CrossFit Fire staff will determine the champion. If you'd like to write us letters and try to bribe us to choose the person you feel most worthy, please feel free.

Sounds easy, right? This is a very simple challenge, but it will be without a doubt one of the hardest things you'll have to do. We would like each contestant to blog about what they are eating, and how many days a week they're coming to the Fort. Your blog will be linked on the contestants page for all the world to see.

Who's going to be the first to sign up? In order to participate, you must be measured and photographed prior to September 8th.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3k4rhVdYpU&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

If you go to your doctor for an annual check-up it is more than likely that a blood sample will be drawn so that your Total Cholesterol, HDL, and Triglyceride levels can be checked. From these results, your LDL level will be calculated. This won't tell you much about your health though. As we already discussed, your lipid panel can give some insight, but additional testing will be needed to truly determine if you are at risk.

Here are a handful of tests that will tell you if your current lifestyle is healthy:

• A1C - average blood sugar over a 2-3 month period, much more telling of insulin issues than a single glucose reading
• C-Reactive Protein - marker of inflammation and inflammation is a definite sign of trouble ahead
• Cortisol - measures stress / adrenal fatigue
• Lipoproteins - directly measure LDL and include particle size A & B testing
• Testosterone (free or bio-available) - low testosterone may be an indicator of increased coronary risk
• Thyroid Panel (TSH, free T3, free T4) - hypothyroidism is common and may increase TC, LDL, and triglycerides
• Vitamin D - normal blood levels protect against heart disease and cancer
• Vitamin Deficiency - ensure that your diet is meeting all of your  needs

Be prepared for a fight if you request additional blood tests. Most doctors will question why you want these additional tests performed on your blood and may even refuse to do so. They like to argue that they only test when symptoms are present. I would recommend finding a new doctor as your health counts on it. It is an absolute shame that the majority of general practitioners don't take preventative medicine seriously. Having the above tests done on a regular basis (annually?) could give you a heads up long before anything becomes a life threatening problem, potentially saving the insurance companies millions of dollars down the road.

There is research proving that the sugar we eat weakens the ability of our white blood cells to destroy bacteria. Studies have shown that if a person eats no sugar for 12 hours, each white blood cell can destroy an average of 14 bacteria. However, as sugar consumption increases, the white blood cells' effectiveness decreases. The take home message: Eat sugar and you severely compromise your body's ability to fight infection. Check out the data:

• 0 tsp sugar consumed - 14.0 bacteria destroyed
• 6 tsp sugar consumed (1 medium apple) - 10.0 bacteria destroyed
• 12 tsp sugar consumed (12 oz. orange soda) - 5.5 bacteria destroyed
• 18 tsp sugar consumed (medium McDonald's milkshake) - 2.0 bacteria destroyed
• 24 tsp sugar consumed (venti Starbucks frappuccino) - 1.0 bacteria destroyed

In 1973, a different study was performed to check the effects of a range of sugars on our immune system. After an overnight fast, people were fed 100 grams of a specific sugar or starch. The effectiveness of their white blood cells at destroying bacteria and other micro organisms was then tested. It was discovered that starch, as well as sugars, decreased this effectiveness by up to almost 50% and required more than 5 hours to return to normal strength. Here is a list of the sugars used and the resulting decline in effectiveness:

• Fructose - 45.1%
• Sucrose - 44.0%
• Orange Juice - 42.1%
• Glucose - 40.5%
• Honey - 39.0%
• Starch - 13.4%

As you can clearly see, it is fair to say that anyone who eats carbohydrates throughout the day, could lose up to half of their immunity to disease.