HAPPY 40TH BIRTHDAY to Iain!!!!
Now officially a master, he's ranked 15th in the world and is on his way to Madison, WI this August to compete at the CrossFit Games. Iain has made the most number of Regional appearances of any BRIO athlete (5) and is also the Captain of our competitive team because he represents the heart and soul of what BRIO is all about. He is the most humble, hard working total badass we have ever known and we cannot wait to scream our heads off cheering for him at the CrossFit Games!!!
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Front Squat: 3 reps OT 90sec x 4 - build from 65%
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 rep rounds for time of: Hang Power Clean (155/105) Front Squat (155/105) Box Jump (30") -----------------------------
For those interested in supporting Bruce Gordon, a member of the local CrossFit community from Reebok CrossFit 306 recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, his friends and family have organized a Flash WOD in a park near his house. This will take place Sat July 8th at 10am in Avalon Park . T-shirts in support of the Gordon family are also still available by contacting Coach Viki at 306-230-4030.
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DAIRY FREE BEET SPREAD
By Coach Courtney, RD www.vitalitynutritionn.ca
We all know that a diet rich in vegetables is one of the best ways to decrease your risk for chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Vegetables are low in calories but high in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But can certain vegetables improve your athletic performance? There is some evidence to show that nitrates found in veggies may exert an ergogenic (ie. performance-enhancing) effect! Nitrates are found in all vegetables but are especially abundant in leafy green vegetables and in beetroot. The nitrates in beetroot are converted to nitric oxide in your body. Nitric oxide is a molecule that has been hypothesized to enhance blood vessel dilation, increase blood flow, and lower the amount of oxygen your muscles need. The idea is that be using oxygen more efficiently, athletes will improve their tolerance to high-intensity exercise (meaning they can move faster for longer!). Note: don’t confuse the nitrates found in beetroot with the nitrites found in processed meats like hot dog and bacon! Sodium nitrate (note the “a”) is a naturally occurring compound found in almost all leafy green vegetables as well as in beetroot. Sodium nitrite (note the “i”) is a close relative of sodium nitrate and is used as a preservative. Eating bacon and hot dogs won’t have the same effect as consuming beetroot, unfortunately (ha!). One study found that runners who drank beetroot juice before a 5K shaved 1.5% off their time and another found that cyclists who drank just over two cups of beetroot juice before a time trial were just under 3% faster during their 4km and 16km time trials. These studies looked specifically at beetroot juice - but what about eating beets straight up? A study that looked at whether eating 200 grams of whole beetroot improved running performance during a 5 km treadmill time trial found that recreational athletes improved their time by 3% with the greatest difference being made in the last mile. The 3% difference translated to an average of a 41 second faster finish time. While 3% doesn’t sound like much, it would be significant for an elite runner! Bottom-line: Beetroot may improve your athletic performance, but not by enough to bypass the basic steps! If you’re really looking to supercharge your performance, focus on the rest of your diet first. Then, on top of a consistently awesome nutrition program, you may be able to see benefits from the nitrates found in beetroot. If you did want to conduct an experiment on yourself, you could easily juice a couple of beets or purchase beetroot juice*. Drink the juice before your exercise and monitor how you feel!
*Note: there is a Canadian company called “Beet It” that sells beetroot juice by the shot. There are plenty of other creative ways to add beets to your diet like tossing them into a salad, purchasing beet hummus (sold at Superstore), adding spiralized beets to a stir-fry (spiralized beets can be found at most grocery stores), or trying the recipe below for beet dip! I typically purcahse the brand "Love Beets" from Costco which are peeled and cooked. Even if adding beets to your diet doesn't improve your performance, you will reap the benefits of the fibre, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants (plus, beets add beautiful colour to your plate!). Additional reading can be found here and here. Recipes slightly adapted from Abby Langer’s blog. If you like beet borscht you will enjoy this beet dip recipe which can spread on sandwiches or a dip for veggies and crackers. Bonus: the recipe is vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free!
Ingredients:
100g (1 cup) raw cashews
1 cup unsweetened cashew milk
200g cooked beets (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoons lime juice
1 clove of garlic
1 handful of dill
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Soak the cashews in the cashew milk overnight
Mix the cashews and cashew milk mixture in a blender
Add the beets, lime juice, garlic, dill, and salt
Enjoy as a spread for sandwiches or a dip for veggies and crackers
Nutrition Facts
Servings size: 2 tablespoon (about 30g). The recipes makes a lot!
Calories: 37
Carbohydrates: 3g
Fibre: 0.5g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 2g
References Wylie, L., Kelly, J., Bailey, S., Blackwell, J., Skiba, P., Winyard, P. et al. Beetroot juice and exercise: pharmacodynamic and dose-response relationships. J Appl Physiol. 2013; 115 (3): 325-36. Lansley, K., Winyard, P., Bailey, S., Vanhatalo, A., Wilderson, D., Blackwell, K. et al. Acute dietary nitrate supplementation improves cycling time trial performance. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2011; 43 (6): 1125-31. Murphy, M., Eliot, K., Heuertz, R., Weiss, E. Whole beetroot consumption acutely improves running performance. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2012 Apr;112(4):548-552.