1. Nutrition – Green (eat more), Yellow (eat some) and Red (eat less)

Instead of giving you a list of compliant foods with restrictions, we are going to work off food types grouped by color; Green (eat more), Yellow (eat some) and Red (eat less). Download the What Should I Eat infographic if you haven’t already.

Starting in week 1 you can have foods from all 3 groups with some boundaries. In the following weeks the rules will change, slowly decreasing Red (eat less) foods, increasing Green (eat more) foods, while moderating Yellow (eat some) foods.

You earn 1 point per day for following the guidelines of each weeks challenge.

Alcohol is tied to nutrition points. Some alcohol is allowed and the amount varies from week to week. If you go over the accepted alcohol limit on any given day, you cannot claim your nutrition for that day.

2. Hand Portions

If you haven’t done so yet, go create your hand portion / macro guide using this Nutrition Calculator. Once you complete the wizard, you can download the personalized guide.

Inside is a guide to measuring your food based on hand portions; 1 palm of protein, 1 fist of veggies, a cupped handful of carbs and a thumb of fat.  This method is simpler than busting out the scale and measuring cups. The guide will breakdown how many hand portions of each group you should eat each day to meet macro requirements.

To earn your hand portion points, follow the guidelines which change from week to week. You can earn 1 point per day.

3. Hydration: Drink 1/3 of Your Body Weight in Ounces of Water

We are made up of roughly 60% water, so water is kind of important. We need water to dissolve other substances, transport substances, catalyzes chemical reactions in our body, regulates our temperature, lubricate and cushion tissues and provides essential minerals. These are just a few reasons why fluid balance is important. We don’t want to drink too much water as that will throw off mineral balances such as sodium and not enough water makes us dehydrated which can adversely affect the myriad of systems inside our body.

To earn water points, each day you need to drink a minimum  of 1/3 of your body weight in ounces of water. This does not include tea, sparking water, or sports drinks. You earn 1 point per day.

4. Sleep and Recovery

Sleep is so important. This is the time our body gets to recharge and repair itself. Sleep rules our recovery, our metabolism, our nervous system and our immune systems. Studies show that on average we need a minimum of 7 – 8 hours of sleep a night.  For some folks getting 7 hours is a stretch due to job and home life challenges. While we are on stay at home orders, we can hone in this healthy habit by building pre-bedtime rituals, so when it’s time to get back to everyday life, we have the tools to consistently get the sleep we need.

You earn 1 sleep point per day for following the guidelines, which change from week to week.

5. Exercise / Mobility

Exercise and movement have several important roles. Weight management, stress relief, keeps bones and muscles healthy and strong, charges our cardiovascular system, just to name a few. For this practice, exercise should be a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, with mobility on rest days. Exercise can be anything from a run with the dog, one of the Lane 5 at home WODs, a hike, a walk,  shooting hoops or throwing a ball around with the kids. Mobility can be foam rolling, band or lacrosse ball work, some yoga or general stretching.

You can earn 1 exercise point per day.

6. Self Care

With everything that has been happening over the few months, self care couldn’t be more important. Everyone likely has a bit of stress or anxiety of some sort. Self care is about taking time out each day to do something mindful that makes you happy. The important part of this practice is to put worries aside and turn your focus inward.

For this practice, it only needs to be 15 minutes a day, more if you want or need. Here are some suggestions; a yoga session, meditation, journaling, reading, gardening, knitting.

You can earn 1 self care point each day by doing something mindful that makes you happy for at least 15 minutes.

7. New Practice Starting Week 2 – TBA

Hint. Its about how we eat.

8.New Practice Starting Week 3 – TBA

Hint. It’s about vegetables.