Hey guys! First off, I have to tell you how excited I am about the launch of the new Certified CrossFit Trainer or L-3 coming out of CrossFit HQ (my real job, which I absolutely love). After a lot of hard work, today’s CrossFit main site post finally announced this new certification with a beautifully written article from Nicole Carroll, Director of Certification and Training. Having the opportunity to work with Nicole is just so awesome. Anyways, all of you CrossFit trainers should definitely check this out, and those of you who are athletes, get excited because CrossFit coaches all over the world will be taking their education to a whole new level.

Now, onto the topic at hand. I hope your post-holiday week is off to a strong start. I kicked mine off with A LOT of cooking and meal prep for the week, which is always therapeutic for me and great for you because I have some killer recipes in the mix. Farmer’s Market brought on a lot of inspiration.

It’s beautiful to be back to doing some of the things I took for granted before my neck injury. I can spend a couple hours in the kitchen without serious pain, and I can look at my computer for more than 20 minutes without having to lay down. Progress!!

Now, what I cannot do yet is train. I’m sticking with really simple physical therapy exercises, lots of walks, some air squatting EVERY day, and a few yoga poses for now while I continue to heal. That being said, it’s super important for me to make sure that I am getting loads of nutrients, but NOT loads of carbohydrate because I’m simply not moving enough to require it.

Have you ever been in this situation? Taking time off from training is inevitable at some time in everyone’s life. Whether you sustain an injury, are traveling, get stuck in a crunch at work, or need to recover from adrenal fatigue or stress overload, sometimes you just can’t or SHOULDN’T go into the gym. Now, you should always move (ever single day) to whatever degree you can, but when you can’t train, you obviously can’t eat like you’re training.

What I have found to be very successful for me, is to keep carbohydrate levels lower, while increasing fat. My body has gotten really good at using fat for fuel, negating the need for high amounts of carbohydrate, and keeping my insulin levels very very level throughout the day. For this reason, and because of the high nutrient density of the food I eat, I don’t need to eat very often, and I never have to deal with insulin issues (that dreaded “hangry” feeling).

Anyways, I digress a little, back to my point. What should you eat if you can’t train? Carbohydrates are still essential for living, but with reduced training, we can cut WAY back and still have plenty of energy for the day. To do this, simply focus on eating leafy green veggies (kale, mixed greens, sprouts, arugula, spinach, etc.) along with moderate amounts of beets, carrots, and zucchini as your main sources, and eat starchy veggies and fruit very sparingly. The best fruit choices if you need a bit of sweet will be strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, which have fewer carbohydrate and sugar content than other fruits. What I have noticed is that my sweet cravings have almost disappeared entirely, because I feel so satiated from the healthy fats that have replaced them and from th high quality protein that I get in. My next post will really dive into the concept of ketosis and whether or not it might be for you and the types of fat that work best (sorry but you can’t eat a jar of almond butter and call it healthy).

That being said, I still like enjoying a hearty dinner with my husband at the end of a productive day. That is why I created this garlicky carrot rice; it fills that desire with tons of flavor, lots of nutrient density, and only about 15 minutes of total prep and work time. These were a shot in the dark, but it TOTALLY paid off! Hubs was happy, I was happy, and enjoying these with a delicious steak was the perfect way to end a great weekend. So, here we go….