1 week left in No Sugar November! And to celebrate, here is a link to some paleo (no grains, no refined sugar, no dairy) recipes for Thanksgiving desserts!

One of my go-to recipes for holidays is old fashioned applesauce. I make mine in the crockpot, but you could also use the stove or an Instantpot. I don't add any sweetener, just cinnamon sticks! I think it is underrated as a side dish, but it always gets completely eaten! Check out this recipe and omit the honey!

I also make a butternut squash dish that has bacon and pecans and is to die for! I do use maple syrup in this one, which adds to the sweetness of the butternut squash.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving...

Tomorrow is November 13, which means we have passed the half way point in the No Sugar November challenge, and have just over a week until it is over! I don't know about you guys, but I've had many cravings and temptations over the past 13 days. For the most part it has been easy going. I've replaced my night time granola habit with eating a piece of fruit or a bowl of oatmeal. I feel like I have been sleeping better (not waking up through the night) and I don't find myself seeking out a sweet treat in the afternoons.

How are you guys feeling so far? It's ok if you have had something sweet here and there, but hopefully you are seeing some positive changes to keep you motivated.

Don't forget there will be prizes for the people who see the best changes at the end!

Since Thanksgiving is next week, I will be posting some sugar-free Thanksgiving recipes you can incorporate into your family meal this year!...

Join us this Veterans Day (observed) to participate in a special workout to honor and raise money to support our veterans. This year we will be holding a raffle in which all of the proceeds will be donated to Tampa Crossroads.

Tampa Crossroads, Inc. began offering services in 1977 in Hillsborough County. We now provide a full range of care including counseling & treatment, housing, employment services, help for Veterans and their families, and other support to men and women in our community. Tampa Crossroads has helped thousands of adults who have struggled with trauma and abuse, addictions, homelessness, and social problems.

Here is the workout (for Monday):

"Armistice"

AMRAP in 11 minutes

11 Power Cleans (135/95)

11 Burpees Over the Bar

19 Deadlifts (135/95)

18 Pull-Ups

The significance of the repetitions in this workout can be seen in the layout where the 11 min AMRAP, 11 power cleans and 11 burpees over the bar represent the 11th month, 11th day...

We haven't talked much about the no-alcohol part of this challenge, but some of you may be missing the first sip of an ice cold beer, the smell of a glass of red wine, or the clink of ice in your cocktail glass. I know that it is challenging to abstain from drinking especially if you have social events going that most of the others will be partaking in a few adult beverages. You can still go out and enjoy yourself without drinking, I promise!

My go to is sparkling water with lime when I'm taking some time off from drinking. When I was pregnant I even tried non-alcoholic wine, though I wouldn't drink that regularly (it tastes a lot like grape juice). Now I will actually drink 1/2 a kombucha mixed with sparkling water to reduce the sugar intake, but to also give myself that cocktail feeling.

I have found a few sites with sugar free "mocktails" that you can make yourself for the rest of the challenge, or if you ever want to go out but don't want to feel like the odd one out not drinking.

...

CrossFit & Nutrition (from the Morning Chalk Up)

Three weeks ago, CrossFit made a series of tweets detailing CrossFit’s stance on nutrition .

The CrossFit dietary prescription is as follows:

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, no sugar. To get to the same endpoint, these are effective nutritional strategies for avoiding heart disease, death and misery.

They followed up with a few more details, stating:

• If it has a food label on it, it is not food. You do not see that on the chicken. It is not on the tomatoes. But it is on the chips and cookies.
• If it is not perishable, if it says “Best if used before 2019,” it is not food.
• If you could not have harvested it out of your garden or farm and eaten it an hour later, it is not food.
• Shop around the perimeter of the grocery store, and do not go down the aisles.

...

Tomorrow is Election Day, and if you haven't already GO VOTE! I'm not one who is overly political, but I do appreciate democracy. And many many many people have fought and died for our right to vote.

Here is a quick guide on where to go tomorrow to cast your ballot.

Here is a breakdown of the proposed amendments and how newspapers across the state recommend you vote on them

Tuesday's Training:

Strength:

10 min EMOM:

1 Power Snatch

Metcon:

"Triple Double - Part 1"

AMRAP 7:

Buy-In: 100 Double Unders

Immediately Into…

12 Power Snatches (75/55)

4 Burpee Box Jump Overs (24/20)...

Remember, remember the fifth of November! (Sorry I can't help make this reference) but it is also the fifth day of our NSN challenge. You should be through the worst of it if you have been strict with your sugar intake thus far! For me, I have been eating a couple of servings of fruit every day, and it is starting to taste sweeter than before. Need a sweet treat in the evening? Try freezing bananas (remove the peel first) and put one in a blender with some coconut milk (unsweetened). You should get a a frozen yogurt consistency of "nice cream", and is a go to for me for a healthy dessert.

Want more not sweet treats? Check out this recipe roundup. You've made it through the first weekend, let's keep it going!

Monday's Training:

"Cover Girl"

18 min AMRAP:

5 round buy-in of:

200m run

10 Overhead Squats (95/65)

then in remaining time:

Max rounds of "Cindy"

So after some last minute additions, the NSN challenge began today! I've sent all of you emails with info and your team members. We will be adding a prize for the best overall team improvement! So don't let your teammates down!

Hopefully you all got through day 1 relatively easily. I know I am sad I can't have my usual after dinner treat, but I am going to eat a banana with some nut butter instead.

Here's a good question I got today: What if there is no sugar in the ingredients, but 1-2 grams on the food label?

Answer: It's ok if it is a small amount of naturally occurring sugar, like in nuts for example. But not ok if it is an added sweetener.

I will continue to post helpful tips here and on IG so stay tuned!

Don't forget we have Yoga at 10am and a coffee meet-up at DI Coffee Bar on Davis Islands.

Friday's Training:

4 Rounds:

21 Deadlifts (155/105)

50 Walking Lunges

9 Strict Handstand Push-ups

It's here! The No Sugar November starts tomorrow! So throw away all those leftover Halloween candies, wave goodbye to your nightly ice cream habit, and get ready to live the next three weeks WITH NO ADDED SUGAR!

There is still time to join in, let me know tomorrow if you didn't get your name on the sign up sheet. If you have signed up I will be letting you know your team captain. Your captain will be reaching out to you and the others on your team. Use them for support!!

We will measure and weigh you before next week, and you will have to complete the tester wod by Tuesday, November 6. Please let your team captain know if you will need to make this up.

Thursday's Training:

Strength:

Thruster

Build to a heavy set of 3

Metcon:

No Sugar November Tester:

5 rounds:

20/15 calorie row

10 Thrusters (115/80)

Tomorrow is Halloween! We are doing a special themed WOD and encouraging everyone to dress up in a costume you can work out in! We will take photos of the best costumes and decide who has the best one at the end of the day, and the winner will get a prize :)

It's also the LAST DAY before the No Sugar November challenge so if you are craving anything sweet, now is the time to get it in! Please sign up at the gym to participate! It's only 3 weeks and you get to be on a team with a coach as a leader to hold you accountable! We are also awarding prizes at the end!!!!

Let's have some fun tomorrow!

Wednesday's Training:

"Pumpkin Party"

For Time:

800m run

50 Wall Balls

40 MB Ab Mat Sit-ups

30 MB Cleans

20 MB Push Press

30 MB Cleans

40 MB Ab Mat Sit-ups

50 Wall Balls

800m run

RX: 20/14