Solcana blog

One of the beautiful things about crossfit, and the class experience at Solcana in particular, is an athlete’s ability to scale a movement or exercise to a form that is appropriate for them in the moment. Can’t do a strict pull-up? Not a problem–try a banded pull-up, or skip the bar completely and do some rows on the rings placed ever so conveniently! Have an injury that prevents a certain range of motion? No worries, there are handfuls of others that can either build strength or mobility, or work other muscles to leave the area in question time to heal. There’s always an option.

For those newer to this type of fitness, over time working out gradually becomes less intimidating, as scaling movements to those that push you just enough is the name of the game. It’s about YOU! And what you need. And the coaches are there to help push you to you show yourself that often, you’re capable of way more than you likely anticipated. A win-win!

So… why not apply the same reasoning towards making dietary changes?

Taking part in our different Solcana dietary challenges, like the one that’s part of the Essential You or the Destress Quest, those are great. They have their place. But they’re not the only way to learn how to engage food to fuel yourself. To see food as a partner in crime, and to suss out which foods contribute to feeling mega cool and which maybe don’t quite fit the bill. But it doesn’t have to be all or nothing, black or white, which it sometimes can feel like after completing some sort of challenge that strictly outlines which foods to keep or not to keep. You can scale your food choices to what YOU need. For example, will cutting out ALL refined sugars be an appropriate choice right now? Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe instead of only black and white, there’s room for a little grey area. Maybe refined sugars come out of the diet on weekdays. Maybe it’s only processed sugars that come from boxed foods right now. Maybe all sugar is out except for the weekly summer treat you get with your family on Fridays. The modifications are endless, and this is really cool! Shift your modified option once it no longer feels like a challenge. Scale as needed.

Here are three modification options anyone can use when looking at the food and drink they choose to eat:

1. Start small. What’s a change that you’re tried before that felt good and manageable, but fell off your routine for no particular reason? Typically these are changes that can be re-integrated with ease, because they’re not new or foreign, and you know they felt good before. Maybe this is drinking an extra 10 ounces of water per day. Or setting your phone to do not disturb 15 minutes before bed just 5 days a week. Maybe this is cooking up a pot of rice on Sundays to use throughout the week. Think about it–write it down!
2. Add before you subtract. Are you beating yourself up because you know you feel better when you don’t eat chocolate, but when you decide to just cut it all out, it’s suddenly all you can think about? Or how you feel a little cuckoo drinking coffee, so it should just go out the door completely if you’re going to have to cut back? It’s really easy for us to decide to make BIG decisions, to try to categorize things into black and white, good and bad. Before we even get there though… let’s try a little addition before those big subtractions. Can you add a half cup of veggies to breakfast? Can you add a source of protein to your afternoon snack? Heck, can you add breakfast to a few of those week days before rushing out the door?
3. Partner up. Just like going to Solcana is WAY FUN WITH FRIENDS–even while slogging through a rough workout on the most humid of days (sled pushes, I. Am. Looking. At. You.), you can turn in any direction and see others embracing that short-term suck right there along with you. Afterwards, it’s a delight to revel in the great feeling of accomplishment that completing the workout brings. Keep the support going! Reach out to a friend or acquaintance, gym-mate or family member and let them know what’s up and the modifications you’re keen on making. You may be surprised how powerful even a text or e-mail check in once per week sharing how things are going can be, and how motivated you can stay knowing someone else is thinking about you and your goals. Likely, this person will also have a goal or idea that you can help support them in achieving! You never know unless you ask.

Try out some of these small modification ideas the next time you’re feeling like your dietary habits need a bit of a shift around. Little, doable changes that are consistent will yield results. I mean, no one really ever got a 400 pound deadlift the very first time they walked up to the bar, right? It takes small, actionable and repeatable steps.

What are yours?