Maximize Your Macros:
February 16, 2024
A Consumer’s guide to Fat, Carbs, and Protein…
Diet and nutrition are a highly individual journey and no one answer is true or right for everyone. The simple fact of the matter is that when it comes down to it, you have to figure out what works best for you. However there are some overarching philosophy that can channel your approach to healthy eating. When you figure out a style and frequency in your relationship with food that works well you will notice improvements in energy levels, focus, mood, and of course physical performance.
Fats
Paleo, Ketogenic, and Atkins diet have helped change many of the negative perceptions of fat in the diet. As Americans a far bigger threat to our health is a diet that contain high sugar and processed foods.Fats are not only not bad for you but are an essential source of fuel and micronutrients that make us healthy. It’s important to choose the right types and amounts of fats in your diet that let you operate at your best.
The chemical structure of a fat or fatty acid determines what role it will play in our bodies. Based on this structure we are able to classify fats in certain classes that share similar characteristics.
Fats can be divided into saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats.
Saturated fats are found in red meat and coconuts and up until recently have gotten a bad rap as culprits of heart disease. Monounsaturated fats are found in plant foods like nuts, avocado, and olive oil. Polyunsaturated fats include Omega-3’s and Omega-6’s which can be found in fatty fish, flax seeds, and walnuts and are associated with a variety of health benefits.
Fats are essential for energy requirements, hormone production, and make up the wall of every cell in your body. They are also directly related to our immune system and having the right ratio of fats is very important for a healthy inflammation response.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are found across a wide variety of foods and depending on the structure of the molecule our body will respond to eating carbs in very different ways. Carbohydrates have a direct relationship with the glucose levels or blood sugar in our bodies. When our blood glucose levels become elevated our body releases a hormone called insulin to store this extra energy for later when we might have a greater need for it. This glucose is stored in the muscle and liver in long chains known as glycogen or the glucose can be stored in adipose tissue to be utilized later (aka fat storage).
Your goal should be to optimize the amount of carbs that are being stored as glycogen and minimizing excess carbs that would contribute to fat stores. Selecting the right types of foods like vegetables are beneficial because they contain fiber, vitamins, minerals and have a low glycemic index. The glycemic index measures how much a food increases our bodies glucose after consumption. High GI foods include white bread, white rice, and cereals. These foods can be very bad for your waistline, because if your body is not prepared to receive fuel and store it as glycogen they will immediately be stored as fat.
Our bodies can become insulin resistant and requires higher and higher amounts of insulin to store the glucose. Resistance training however, can increase our insulin sensitivity. That means that our cells are highly responsive to storing glucose when insulin is present. Focus on consuming low glycemic carbohydrates that provide key nutrients and avoid high sugar or refined ingredients.
Protein
Protein is found in and comprises most of the cells in our body. It is found in a variety of animal and plant sources. Protein is important because it contains amino acids, tiny molecules that are the building blocks of muscle and also used for the synthesis of hormones and neurotransmitters. Some of these amino acids are considered essential meaning they must be provided from a dietary source. Without these essential amino acids we will not be able to repair our tissues and certain vital processes will cease to happen.
Since protein helps us recover from and perform optimally during our workouts it is important to consume after a workout for muscle repair. Real food sources of protein include beef, chicken, eggs, and fish. Try to include these foods as staples in your diet. These foods have amino acid content that is similar to what our human body requires for repair. This is also known as the biological value of the protein. Vegetable sources of protein have a lower biological value and may lack one of the essential amino acids needed by humans. These foods must be strategically combined by vegans or vegetarians so they consume all the amino acids needed for tissue repair. As a vegan athlete it can be challenging to meet your needs without supplementation and can be difficult to get a full spectrum of key micronutrients.
Try to consume 1.0 to 1.5 grams of protein for every kilogram of body weight. For a 200 pound man (90 kg) that means 90 grams to 135 grams of protein per day. This will provide enough amino acids for your bodies daily needs. Unfortunately eating more protein doesn’t mean it automatically turns into muscle. Unused protein will be broken down and utilized as a fuel source by the body.
Hopefully knowing a little bit more about each of the macronutrients and how they act in your body will help you to make informed decisions. If you have more questions around a healthy diet give us a call today!
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Junkie Journal — Gold stars for those that read to the end 😂 👏This Week’s Programming Focus This week’s programming is built around strength you can repeat and conditioning that forces you to stay sharp when your breathing gets loud, haha. 👉 8–5–3 strength waves on our foundational lifts (Back Squat, Push Press, and Deadlift) paired with metcons that test your ability to hold form under fatigue, manage transitions, and keep output high. This isn’t random volume — it’s intentional loading, solid rest, and smart progressions so you can train hard without wrecking yourself. 🧱 Why 8–5–3 Works The 8–5–3 format blends strength + muscle-building + confidence under load in one session. The higher reps build control and consistency, the lower reps let you push heavier, and the rest periods keep your lifting high-quality — not sloppy. You should leave each strength piece feeling like you built something real… not like you got lucky. This is a lot of volume...use the first wave as a primer for the next two waves. ✅ Back to the “Boring Basics" You’ll keep seeing a lot of what we’ve been leaning into since the start of the new year: a return to foundations. Foundational lifts, foundational movements, and simple training that works. We’re not chasing novelty — we’re stacking reps, building strength, and improving the basics week after week. Programming doesn’t need to be complicated to be effective. It needs to be consistent, repeatable, and done with intention. 🔥 Conditioning with Purpose This week’s conditioning hits multiple gears: short EMOM sprints, a “death by” grind, a longer Thursday piece that rewards pacing and grip, and a Friday classic (Diane) that demands strength, composure, and smart breathing. Different formats, same goal: move well, stay steady, and finish strong. 🧠 What We Want You Thinking About This Week Lift with control first — intensity comes second Choose loads you can repeat with good mechanics 📊 One Simple Challenge Log your lifts in Wodify. 🔥 New Year Challenge Check-In! Speaking of challenges… who’s doing a New Year challenge right now? 👀 Maybe it’s steps, hydration, tracking macros, lifting heavier, more protein, less screen time, or just showing up consistently. Is it working for you so far? We’d love to hear what you’re doing! Sean and I are repeating a year-long challenge we attempted back in 2021: 10,000 steps a day. (Sean crushed it… Dawn did not 😂) BUT we’re back at it and so far so good. The hardest days are definitely travel days or sick days, but otherwise it’s been awesome for getting us moving more in the afternoons and evenings since we’re both early morning workout people. It’s a simple habit — but it makes a big difference. 🚶♀️🔥 Want to move more this year? Join us — start today and let’s do it together! 👊💚 🔥 Saturday Feb 7th Pop-Up Workout — FREE! 🔥 Coach Paisley is hosting a FREE pop-up workout on Saturday, February 7th at 11:00am! 💪 StormKing members — everyone is welcome to join, no matter what membership you’re on. And yes… friends + family are welcome too! 👏 Come sweat, have fun, and bring someone with you! 💚 💖 SAVE the DATE! 💖 Our next Ladies Book Exchange — Galentine’s Edition! 📚✨ 🗓️Friday️, February 20th 🕕 6:00 PM Hosted by Debbie Givens and Danielle Sily...join us for community, laughs, great conversations, and books you didn’t know you needed. 💕 Bring a book you loved, swap it with someone new, and enjoy a fun Galentine’s night with the StormKing women. ☕ The Coffee Box is FOR LEASE! ☕ We have an exciting turn-key business opportunity available — The Coffee Box is officially for lease! If you or someone you know has been dreaming of owning a coffee shop (or launching a small business in a prime spot), this is your chance. 👉 Please help us spread the word! 🙌
Junkie Journal — This Week’s Programming Focus This week’s programming is all about building strength with intention and applying it under fatigue. You’ll notice a consistent theme across the week: 👉 5–3–1 strength waves paired with short, focused metabolic work. This structure allows us to train heavy, move well, and still get the conditioning stimulus that keeps functional fitness effective and fun. 🧱 Why We Repeat the “Boring Basics” Real, sustainable fitness isn’t built on novelty — it’s built on consistency. The same foundational lifts, simple rep schemes, and repeatable conditioning pieces done week after week are what actually drive long-term strength, resilience, and confidence. Flashy workouts might feel exciting in the moment, but progress comes from showing up and executing the basics well — over and over — even when they’re not glamorous. Good programming doesn’t need to entertain you. It needs to work. And more often than not, the workouts that feel “simple” are the ones quietly doing the most for your health, performance, and longevity. This is how fitness becomes a lifestyle — not a phase. 🎯 Strength Focus: 5–3–1 Wave This week’s weightlifting continues with 3 waves of our 5–3–1 rep scheme. Our lifts this week are Bench Press, Front Squat, and Shoulder Press. Why we love this format : It encourages progressive loading without rushing It allows you to build toward a heavy, confident single It reinforces good movement patterns under increasing load It’s sustainable — heavy enough to drive strength, controlled enough to recover well Pro Tip 👉 Use the first wave as a primer. The first 5-3-1 wave should help you assess how your body feels that day — bar speed, stability, and confidence under the load. The second and third waves are where intention matters most: choose smart weights, move with purpose, and prioritize quality over ego. 🔥 Conditioning with Purpose Each day’s metcon is designed to complement the lift, not compete with it. Monday and Friday AMRAPs challenge upper-body stamina, core control, and breathing after pressing Tuesday’s every-3-minute interval is a longer aerobic grind — steady output, repeatable effort, no redlining Wednesday EMOM reinforces hinge mechanics and unilateral leg work while keeping intensity manageable Thursday’s longer EMOM tests pacing, coordination, and leg endurance — the goal is consistency across all 22 minutes Different formats, same goal : move well, manage your effort, and finish strong. 🧠 What We Want You Thinking About This Week Lift with intention — don’t chase maxes just to chase them hoose loads you can repeat with quality Pay attention to breathing and transitions in the metcons Treat every workout as data, not judgment 📊 One Simple Challenge Log your lifts and workouts in Wodify. Progress isn’t always dramatic — but it is measurable when you track it. Consistency compounds. This week is another brick in the foundation. 💪
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🌲 Junkie Journal — Dec 15🌲 🎄 Christmas Workout — Saturday, Dec 20 at 9am! All are welcome — bring your friends, family, and festive holiday spirit! We’ll be tackling 12 Days of Christmas HYROX-style workout, moving both inside and outside, so dress in layers and wear your festive Christmas gear. After the workout, plan to stay as we celebrate our community with: 🎖️10-Year Member Hoodies 🎖️Spirit of StormKing Award 🎁Annual Coaches Gifts One of our favorite traditions — we hope you’ll join us. ❤️💚 💪 Programming This Week Our strength days (Mon/Wed/Fri) feature three big lifts: 🏋️♂️Clean & Jerk 🏋️♀️Back Squat 🏋️Bench Press Show up ready to move well and finish the year strong. 🎅 Holiday Schedule Christmas Eve — Dec 24 *Last class at 12:00pm *No 4:30pm or 5:30pm Christmas Day — Dec 25 CLOSED Dec 26 No 6am class First class at 9:30am 🍵 The Coffee Box — New Tenant Opportunity We are currently looking for new tenants for The Coffee Box! If you or someone you know is interested in running a turn-key business in downtown Port Angeles, please reach out. The space is fully equipped and ready for the right person or team to step in. Your referrals help more than you realize! 💛 A Personal Thank You Thank you all for your kind condolences after the passing of my dad last week. So many of you reached out with messages, hugs, and prayers for our family. Your love and support have meant so much. 💓 “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Junkie Journal – Thanksgiving Week Wrap-Up 🦃🔥 What a great Thanksgiving morning at StormKing! Our Hyrox-style community workout brought in a super turnout — including many new faces from around Port Angeles. The energy was electric, and it was so cool watching seasoned Junkies and first-timers crush the stations together. 💥 Stay tuned… we’ll be hosting more Saturday Hyrox community events in the new year! 🏆 No Excuse November Burpee Champion A HUGE shoutout to Leslie Arango — our No Excuse November Burpee Challenge winner! Leslie completed 5,100 burpees from Nov 1st to Thanksgiving Day… an average of 189 burpees every single day. Absolutely unreal discipline and grit. 👉 Give Leslie a big congrats when you see her in class! 🎄 Coaches Christmas Goodie Bags – Next Week! One of our favorite StormKing traditions is back! Starting next week, we’ll put out Coaches Christmas Goodie Bags — a fun way for members to gift their coaches a little Christmas “thank you.” Ideas: home-baked goodies, chocolates, gift cards, small treats, or even a little holiday cheer in a bottle. 😉 Let’s fill their “stockings” and show our appreciation for all they do! 🎅 Christmas WOD – Save the Date! Join us Saturday, December 20th at 9am for our annual Christmas WOD! This festive workout is always one of our biggest community days of the year. During the event, we’ll also be gifting: ✨ Our Coaches ✨ Our 10-Year Members ✨ Our Annual Spirit of StormKing Award Recipient Mark your calendars — we want you all to be there! 💭 Inspiration for the Week “Consistency turns effort into progress, and progress into strength. Show up for yourself — even on the days you don’t feel strong.” “But those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” — Isaiah 40:31
💥 Junkie Journal | Thanksgiving Week Reminders! We’re kicking off the holidays with our Black Friday Flash Sale! 🎉 $25 in ‘25 — Join StormKing and get your first month for just $25! The sale runs Black Friday through Cyber Monday. We must receive an email during that time. stormkingcrosssfit@outlook.com 👉 Members — help us spread the word! Tell your friends, family, or coworkers who’ve been thinking about joining to jump on this deal before it’s gone. Don’t miss our Thanksgiving Day HYROX Community Workout! 🦃 Thursday, 9AM — one class only. Bring your friends, family, or a partner and join the fun as we tackle a HYROX-style workout together before the big meal. 💪 We’ll also be announcing the winner of our November Burpee Challenge that morning — who’s taking home that pie? 🥧 We’ve had great interest in HYROX that we’re thinking about making a “HYROX Saturday” a regular community monthly event! Send us your feedback if that’s something you’d love to see on the schedule. Short week, big energy — let’s finish November strong! “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1 From all of us at StormKing Athletic Club, Happy Thanksgiving! 🍂 We’re so grateful for this amazing community — thank you for showing up, putting in the work, and inspiring each other every day. 💚
🍂 Thanksgiving Week at StormKing We’ve got something special lined up for the holiday! On Thanksgiving Day Nov 27, join us for a Hyrox-style workout at 9am. It’ll be one big group class, and family members are welcome to jump in! You can tackle it solo, in pairs, or as a team. Big thanks to Joe Descala for the workout idea — he’ll be testing it out as his birthday workout on Wednesday, November 26th during the 9:30am class. If you can’t make it Thursday, come Wednesday to run through it with Joe. Heads up: if you go solo, plan for an hour or more of work! Should we make Hyrox Saturday’s a regular once a month group workout?? 🍂 Thanksgiving Gym Schedule Monday-Wednesday normal class schedule Thursday - one workout at 9am Black Friday – first class at 9:30am, no 6am class. 🥧 Burpee Challenge Finale Thanksgiving Day also marks the final day of our No Excuse November Burpee Challenge. We’ll crown the champion with a Thanksgiving pie for the most accumulated burpees. Finish strong! 📅 Programming Highlights This week’s programming is packed with variety and challenge: Weightlifting Days: Bench press, deadlifts, and snatch Tuesday: Benchmark Hateful 8’s Thursday: Intervals featuring HSPUs and pistols Dont forget Pulse Tuesday at 5pm! It’s shaping up to be a great week of training! 🎉 Member Anniversaries We’re celebrating some incredible milestones in November and December: Leslie Arango – 6 years Ty Hathaway – 10 years Julie Dostie – 12 years Connie Walker – 12 years Kathy Brauen – 12 years Bear Nesset – 12 years Dan Roening – 12 years Ranjeet & Omar Seera – 12 years Brian Winter – 12 years Your dedication inspires us all — congratulations! 🚶 Year-Long Challenge Teaser Sean and Dawn are gearing up for a 10k steps per day challenge for 365 days in 2026. Sean completed this back in 2020, and we’re ready to take it on again. Who’s interested in joining us for this year-long commitment? It’s a simple but powerful way to build consistency. ✨ Grounded in Gratitude As we head into Thanksgiving, let’s remember the strength that comes from gratitude and perseverance: “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:9
📰 Junkie Journal – November Update! 💪 Member Spotlight: Huge shoutout to Katherine Brauen, who crushed her Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Spain! We are so proud of you and all the hard work you put in to represent SKAC on the world stage. 👏👏 💥 No Excuse November Burpee Challenge: We’re nearly two weeks in — how’s your count looking? Keep logging those reps wherever you are! Every burpee counts toward your total before our Thanksgiving Day Workout. The most accumulated burpees wins a Thanksgiving pie! 🥧 🏋️♀️ Programming This Week: We’re pressing into some strong work with Push Press, Bench Press, and Back Squats. Mid-week brings a new Hero WOD “Pat”, and Thursday’s chipper will challenge your endurance engine. Get after it! 🚴♂️ Tuesday Night Pulse – 5PM! Perfect time to shake off the winter chill with a fun cardio sweat sesh. Have a friend, coworker, or neighbor curious about Pulse? Bring them along to try it out! 🧸 Facility Updates: *Our accessory equipment area is newly cleaned and organized — please return items where you found them after use. *The kids’ space is refreshed and disinfected! Toys are now stored in bins in the closet. Parents and kiddos — help yourselves and enjoy! 🦃 Thanksgiving Day Workout – Nov 27 @ 9AM! Join us for a Hyrox-style workout — go solo, partner up, or form a team. Bring your family and start your Thanksgiving off with some fitness and fun! or form a team. Bring your family and start your Thanksgiving off with some fitness and fun!
