Paleo Diet 2.0, Review of CrossFit Roots

Quite a few of you kind readers have asked about Crossfit (and CrossFit Roots, the Boulder CrossFit Gym I go to) and my experiences with the Paleo Diet.

Back up.  CrossFit is a back to basics fitness program by workout nerds that combines plyometrics, olympic weightlifting and gymnastics.  The workouts are short but extremely intense.  I’m now able to do some amazing things that I have never been able to do.  The toughest workout I’ve done was named ‘Murph’ and was a mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and another mile run done as fast as you could.  Other workouts are doing 5 sets of 5 reps of deadlift, increasing weight.  Or 5 rounds of a 200 yard sprint, 5 pullups, 10 pushups, and 15 situps.  All done with good form and control in a gym dedicated to crossfit (this isn’t a spin class).

Cool.  Caught up on CrossFit.  It is an affiliate program, so if I went through the training I could startup my own gym down the street and name it CrossFit Hyde.   This just means that all gyms are not the same.  CrossFit Roots, the Boulder offering, is the real deal.  Nicole Gibson and Eric Christensen own and run the place with a lead by example back to basics approach.  Fun, yet tough.  Caring, yet demanding.  If you are looking to get into shape with no gimmicks, [email protected] (tell her I sent you).  She will generally do a free one on one hour session.  I’m doing CrossFit, and CrossFit endurance solely for my Ironman training.

“Life is not fair, neither is CrossFit Roots.”

As of this morning I am participating in the Paleo 2.0 showdown.  Paleo is a diet that is very simple: eat real food.  Need a little bit more?  Eat veggies, fruit and meat.  That is it.  No dairy, grains or sugar, at all.  Want a rundown of what foods you can eat or meals you can have?  Here you go.  I did the Paleo 1.0 challenge and placed in the top 5 with that other tall local blogger (who is also doing Paleo 2.0).  It is a competition, it is a journey, and finally it is tough.  Five weeks of saying no to food, to being that picky eater.

But this time I have a partner.  Tara and I are teaming up to show the rest of the Paleo 2.0 folks how it is done.  I need a place to do the laundry and Tara needs some new shoes (there is a cash prize for the winning team).  You feel so much better by doing it, I am excited to start!

I sit at Ritual Roasters in San Francisco with a black cup of coffee ready to scour the city for the best Paelo food there is.

So a final review: best health decision I have made in the last 10 years.