Silly Bandz, Swatches, and Mullets

These are some of the fads in my home of late.....

These did not last long....thank goodness

If I find one more of these on the floor, I'm going to floss my kids' teeth with it!!

OK.....So I like these too!  

Of course these are some of the fads I remember.....

Had one!  Was the soccer cut though!

Who didn't do this?!?!?!!

Like Crocs for your wrist in the 80's!

However..........

NOT

A

 FAD

As you may know, I'm on my second go 'round with The Whole 30's Thirty Day Paleo Challenge.  The first time around I learned tons about myself, and this time I'm hoping to not only learn more about me, but I want to flush all that holiday eating out of my system and really try to impact my fitness more than before.  

Yesterday, at Crossfit Carmel, one of our members and nutritionist, Jennifer Jones (read all about her Paleo experience here, because what she says just may surprise you) provided a workshop on the ins and outs of the Paleo Diet.  What was great about Jen's approach is that she did not say the following:

"You must do this."

"This is the answer to everything."

"This is the way you should eat."

Rather, Jen spelled out the facts.  She presented the science and nutritional background involved, and explained the benefits and rationelle behind it all.

WHAT I LEARNED

I've read Robb Wolf's book The Paleo Solution.  I've scoured blog after website. However I needed to hear again the benefits of this dietary lifestyle in my body.  What resonated with me is the following:

1.  Glucose:  This is most abundant in grains.  It's absorbed by the liver, but our livers can only take so much.  So when the liver is "full" it spits glucose to other parts of our bodies as fat often to our muscles.  

2.  Gluten:  Often called grain protein.  Found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, rice, millet and sorghum.  These contain lectins, hard to digest proteins leading to inflammation.  Dairy and legumes can stimulate the same issues as gluten and lectins.

I realize I am not detailing the E=MC squared explanation.  You can read up on that info.  What I want to share is that this workshop hit it home for me......

*My hands don't ache at night like they used to. 

*My digestion issues are better.  (ok...I'll say it....I don't have as much gas and I'm not running to the bathroom in the a.m. like I used to.)

That's enough for me to believe that this works......FOR ME.  Oh......so what about the Silly Bandz effect?  Is this another fad?  My answer:  

It's not a fad at all because.....

Fad diets are restrictive.  Hell, all diets are restrictive for that matter.  But, fad diets promote weight loss, but they do not tell you how to maintain your weight loss once you have deprived yourself of everything.  What I like about Paleo is not that it restricts me from bread, sugars, etc.  Rather, it gives it to you up front:

1.  Do this for 30 days to flush it all out and here are a slew of resources to assist you i.e. recipes, email support, etc. 

2.  Decide what you want to add back IN MODERATION to see how your body reacts to it.  If negatively, cut that food out.  If not, add it in IN MODERATION.

3.  If you can not go cold turkey now for 30 days, start slowly.  That is, start cutting things IN MODERATION and lead up to a 30 day challenge.  

HERE IS THE BOTTOM LINE

There are all the excuses in the world to make.  However, for me...once I found Crossfit and saw what it does for my body, I KNEW that once I paired sound dietary lifestyle with it, the sky is the limit.  I love what the Whole 9 says.  "This is not hard.  Kicking a herion addiction is hard.  Beating cancer is hard.  This is about choices that impact your health and fitness."  Paraphrased of course, but it was all I needed to make try this out and see how it works for me.  It works for me.

Thank you Jen Jones, nutritionist and Crossfitter.  

Thank you Robb Wolf

Thank you Crossfit Carmel

Thank you Whole 9 

Oh......and thank you 1980's for keeping all of the following: