blog

We’re rolling out a very simple nutrition challenge running from Nov. 1 to 30. It’s called No-Sugar November, it you only have to do three things to participate: 1. Sign up at the gym to make your commitment (a sheet will be up soon). 2. Stop drinking sugar-sweetened beverages for 30 days (details below). 3. At the end of November, post a comment on this website describing your experience. Feel free to post along the way as well if you like. Why sugar-sweetened beverages? Because many of us don’t even think about them, and yet drinking a can of soda floods the body with 39 g of sugar. Health authorities recommend consuming no more than 30-45 g of added sugar per day, so you can see how even one soda is problematic. To read more about the effects of sugar on the body, click here. We’re pretty confident you’ll see some results just from drinking less sugar, and we’d like to hear about your results at the end. We recommend you keep a log, but that’s not required. You might want to note how you feel, how your clothes fit, your weight, your energy levels, your workout performance and more. You can share as much or as little as you like along the way and at the end of the month. We’ll start a page on Nov. 1 where you can comment throughout the month, and you can post your end-of-month comments there as well. To get a better understanding of sugar-sweetened beverages, click here. So What’s on the Banned List? All sodas. All sports drinks (Gatorade, Powerade, etc. Yes, they contain a great deal of sugar). All sweetened waters. All sweetened coffees, teas and milks. All juices with added sugars (1 serving of all-natural no-sugar-added juice per day will be considered acceptable.). All sugary liquers. Any other beverage with sugar added or any beverage to which you add sugar. We’ve had a number of questions on this one, so it should be noted here that honey counts as added sugar. Some will ask about alcohol. Spirits are permissible provided they are not mixed with sugar-sweetened beverages, but sugary alcohols (sambuca, amaretto, etc.) are not allowed. Wine is allowed provided it is not sweet wine. Beer is allowed provided it is lager or pilsner. No sweetened beers, ales, porters or stouts. Lite beer is preferred. We highly recommend moderation with regard to alcohol, and we assure you that you will get better results if you drop alcohol for the month as well. For more information on alcohol and sugar, click here. A word on diet sodas: While diet sodas do not contain sugar, better choices are available. Artificial sweeteners are problematic and might cause health issues. If you decide to drink diet soda, we recommend you limit consumption to one serving a day. For more info on diet sodas, click here. Functional Fitness Journal resource: “Sugar and Diabetes: Myths and Misleadings” Functional Fitness Journal resource: “Calories In, Calories Out-Dated” Finally, to take things to the next level, hunt down added sugar in your foods and choose unsweetened alternatives. Candies and chocolates are obvious culprits, but consider also breakfast cereals, condiments, and so on. Read labels and look for sugar in all its forms. Addressing your food intake is not required but will definitely improve your health and performance in the gym. Direct your questions to coaches, and stay strong. Good luck!