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I tackled the 21 Day Sugar Detox more out of curiosity than anything else. I knew I could push more performance out of my body and I thought a “detox” might be a good way to help. At the same time, I was sort of in denial about how healthy I was or wasn’t eating!
I learned the following key values during the last 21 Days –
1) It is still possible to eat unhealthy on a “Paleo” diet
I learned that I still had a long way to go to eat healthy. While Kim and I eat about 85% “Paleo” (I’m more like 65-70% “Paleo”), I learned a lot about the “cleanness” of the “Paleo” diets. Simply put, the ratios of what you eat are almost as important as what you eat. If you are to get the best results from your diet, you need to be eating the correct ratios of healthy items. Too much of one thing and too little of another and you will hold your performance and results back. The biggest culprits are the all of the Paleo baked goods. Strict Paleo aficionados disdain these things for this reason.
2) Your sugar intake is absolutely critical to not only your health, but your performance.
Simply put. Limit sugar. ALL kinds of sugar. While Kim and I don’t really eat any refined sugars, low grade maple sugar, honey, fruit and juices can all be significant sources of sugar. And it is SUPER easy to both over-consume and justify said over-consumption of these quote on quote healthy sugars! My biggest performance inhibitor is fruit… especially at the quantities I was consuming before the 21DSD, these combined with some very non-Paleo cheats like my Cafe’ Mocha with Whip really cut into my performance before the 21DSD. Just how much was really brought home by how much better I felt and how much “cleaner” I felt by the end of the 21DSD. By the end of the 21DSD I literally felt “cleaner”! i.e. I found that I was recovering faster, fatigued less easily and was significantly more alert. My muscles felt elastic and responsive, instead of fatigued and lethargic.
Sleep was probably the biggest one. I struggle with insomnia, and on a typical day I literally use everything I can to stay asleep for more than an hour at a time. I sleep light, and usually wake up every 30-45 minutes. Stress management was another area effected by the reduced sugar intake. My stress levels went down and I found that I did not get the intense exhaustion and stress responses that I do with a higher sugar intake. i.e. tightness in the chest, insomnia, itchy skin and anxiety among others all where significantly reduced with this diet!
-Nick Cools- Owner CrossFit Hayden
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