Have a Bagel Day

Today is “Have a Bagel Day”. Obviously under our CrossFit umbrella of…

Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar.
Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.
–Greg Glassman, “What is Fitness?,” CrossFit Journal (Oct. 2002) pg. 1

…bagels just don’t fit, right?

But occasionally when you get that urge (it happens), here are a few ways to balance that starch bomb so your body uses the fuels versus storing it, and also prevent a blood sugar spike.

If you’re going to have your bagel today, on “Have a Bagel Day”:

Train today! For crying out loud, train! Go heavy on your press and go hard on your pull-ups. You should be sweating nicely during the Strength WOD (part 2). On the metcon, 17.5, while it’s 10 rounds, it’s 10 fast rounds! Take advantage of the fact that your body will want to reach for whatever glucose is circulating in your bloodstream in addition to glycogen stores in your muscles. The harder you go the more of that “digested/converted bagel” you eat/ate will be used as fuel for your training and/or recovery.
If you have your bagel BEFORE you train, be smart: balance out that carbohydrate load with some things that will also lend to your health (nutrient dense additions) and give you more fuel for your workout. Consider a high-quality protein like beef, chicken, pork or fish. Salmon and bagels are famous together. Add a high-quality fat such as grass-fed butter, avocado or eggs! Eggs would provide a high-quality fat and a good little bit of protein too. If this is a meal add a ton of greens and other veggies to top it off.
If you have your bagel AFTER you train, use it as post workout fuel with a little lean protein. Skip the fat and let the bagel spike your insulin and allow those carbohydrates and the protein to be soaked up by your hungry muscles.
Either way, you’ll not feel one ounce of guilt on “Have a Bagel Day”, your training outcomes will be fantastic and you’ll be fueled to train tomorrow!