Halfway There.....

Well these guys dominated the 80's and today......it's hard to discount that Jon Bon is still relavent.  I was not a real fan of Bon Jovi back then, however when I am able to consciously hear the music during a Crossfit WOD, this one always gives an extra kick to my motivation.  Come on......It's Bon F*%CING JOVI.  

Well......I'm just about halfway there.  30 days of strict Paleo.....cleansing all the crap from my body and eating as clean as possible for 30 days on my way to feeling better every day and hopefully performing better when I work out.  


Here is my food log for the 30 days to date.

I've done this before and it was somewhat challenging to start, however now it just feels like the way I eat.  Like a lifestyle.  Have there been sacrifices?  I guess.  I have come to not wanting eggs every morning, but I know how to make them, it takes little to no thinking for me, but my morning tastes are changing.  I crave sweet things in the a.m., and let ME TELL YOU.....if my wife is reading, she has probably fainted or fallen over in her seat, and if you are reading and you know my wife you are either laughing out loud or you have fainted because you know it takes an act like this to make her react like that.  Point being....I never, EVER....NEVER used to want fruit or anything sweet in the morning.  NEVER in my almost thirty-nine years on this planet have I wanted anything other than eggs, sausage, bread, oatmeal, or any other traditional breakfast food in the morning.  If fruit was ever served, I deflect it like this.....

GET THAT FRUIT OUT OF HERE!

BUT NOT ANYMORE!!!!

My tastes have changed.  It's not that big of a deal.  I feel clean.  My digestion in the morning is better.  I don't have big periods of hunger where I roam the kitchen for things to eat when I am really not hungry. I don't feel like I'm on a diet, rather it feels like this is the way I'm supposed to eat.  I feel stronger when I work out.  Perhaps it's because I'm don't feel sluggish and have the energy.  I don't think eating this way makes me stronger.  I think eating this way 24/7 provides energy unlike the way I ate before, thus I have more fuel stored away to perform better at the gym.  

I'm halfway there.  I've given thought to foods I may creep back in and see how I feel.  

I know the occasional spirit is in order

I know I'll add cheese here and there (raw cheese)


Those are the ones that glaringly stick out.  But the point is to add things back in and see how that feels, not to just start in and eat the excluded foods in mass quantity.  That's what a diet prescribes.  This is a dietary lifestyle.  

Stay tuned for my first trip out to eat.  Tonight we are joining friends to one of the best hidden gems in this state.  Bonges can only be described by seeing their website.  It's the kind of place you must have a drink, so stay tuned to see how I do.  Quite frankly.....I'm not sure.    What I know is DUCK is on the menu I can't wait.  

This duck deserves to be eaten!

Situation 1 and Situation 2

If you've read prior posts, you know that I'm on a 30 day Paleo Challenge
structured/endorsed by The Whole 9 website, the best resource to me out there on all things related to my fitness and well being interests:  Crossfit and eating well/Paleo.  You can see my food journal for the 30 days here.  If you are new reader, the Paleo diet is not a temporary, fix-it and lose weight diet.  It's a dietary lifestyle.  I usually refer people to The Whole 9 or to Robb Wolf's site, one of the handful of experts on the topic.  The Paleo dietary lifestyle is easier to explain terms of what you can eat versus what you can't:  

No grains, legumes, sugar, processed foods, or dairy.  

The positive spin:  Eat meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, and eat food in it's natural state.  (Nothing processed.)

I've run across several people in my everyday life recently that have given the Paleo dietary lifestyle a try or they have heard about it and have made every excuse why it sounds crazy.  However, I must share two success stories that have been wonderful to watch:  

Situation 1

My colleague has complained about how she feels for several years.  She's had two children, is in her mid 30's and would find every excuse in the book as to why something like a Paleo diet would be too difficult for her.  I've mentioned it to her from time to time and she's seen me eating my meat, veggies and fruit while others indulge in their Taco Bell or pizza lunch stating, "That looks so boring to me.  I want to be excited about my lunch, my food!"  She tried Crossfit for awhile but the hustle and bustle of spouses working full time and a young family was a real disrupter to the nightly schedule of Crossfit.  Understandable.  However, she admits that working out is a chore despite it making her feel better.  Also, understandable.  Not everyone likes to work out.  I get it.  However......fast forward to the recent holiday barrage of food we are all exposed to and she recently hit her breaking point.  She was ready to start, wanted resources, and dove in.  She does not work out much, but she's in week 2, has been emailing me her daily food logs to keep accountable and states, "I can't believe how much energy I have, how good I feel, and how my cravings for certain foods changed."  She's even lost a few pounds (not that she needed to but she has her goals she wants to reach weight-wise.)  Whoalah!  I said.  All that success and she's not even really working out!  She and I have worked together long enough, my reply was, "I told you so!"  Now.....she would not mind me saying b/c she knows me but I thought.....if SHE can do it....ANYONE can!  I think she'd tell you the same.  I'm very proud of her!  It's never easy work.

Situation 2

Another colleague of mine is a PE/Health teacher and has been athletic his whole life.  He had reached a weight with which he was not comfortable and I had told him about Crossfit and trying to do something with the kids at school related to it.  Long story short, he gave Crossfit a try and loved it and he incorporates it into his own workouts now.  Along the way he asked me about Paleo stuff and came to a recent workshop at Crossfit Carmel to learn more about it.  He's been 90% Paleo for three weeks now, has lost 25 lbs. since he started just watching his what he eats, and just said to me today, "It's so nice to lose an X off my shirt size!"  Instead of talking football with each other, the first thing he often will say to me when he sees me filling up my coffee in the a.m. is about his latest squash dish or how he spiced a dish differently the night before and how we should exchange recipes.  I hear people telling him how good he looks and ask how he had done it and it's so great to watch.  I'm super proud of him too.  The great thing is he has made it work for him and while he is not 100% Paleo 24/7, he's pretty darn close and has had tremendous results.  

I've run across a few other people recently who have asked about the "diet" I am on, and when I tell them that it's not a diet rather a "cleanse" for 30 days to detoxify my body and then work certain things back in they continue to say things like......

"That sounds so restrictive and not fun at all."

"Oh, I couldn't live without my this or my that."

"I could never do that."

But these same people complain about their weight and how they feel.  What I'm trying to say is this...........

When I get into something that I believe in and that works for me I go full steam ahead often with blinders on.  I get so enthusiastic about it that I want everyone around me to know about it so they can feel successful too.  However, I know full and well not everyone is wired the same.  I love Crossfit.  Many people despise working out at all.  But......Situation 1 and 2 are MAJOR, MAJOR success stories so far simply because both have said.....

"This is doable."  

"It's all about perspective and choices."

"This just takes planning."

MAJOR POINT I'D LIKE TO MAKE:  Paleo is not for everyone, and it's not the only thing out there.  It's works for me, and it can yield some TREMENDOUS change and success in your health.  

That being said, it's been great to watch two people succeed and feel better about their food, their weight, their overall health, and their lives.  There is an energy about the both of them and quite honestly it's just fun and energizing for me to watch.  Change can be hard.  Eating can be emotional, but if met head on and taken one day at a time, one week at a time, one month at a time, then before you know it.....you are on the way to feeling better and improving your life.  It's hard to listen to others make excuses and complain when I explain the ins and outs of eating Paleo.  I guess because it's just become how I eat.  I don't see it as restrictive, annoying, and painful.  I see it as how I fuel my body so I perform better in the gym, on my run, and it just makes me feel better in general.  

I'm looking forward to learning more about things as I'm going to be attending The Whole 9's Foundations to Nutrition Workshop on January 9th at Crossfit Tri-Cities in St. Charles, Illinois (in Western Chicago...about a three hour drive).  I can't wait to get more info. so I can take my nutrition to another level.  It's going to be an information packed day and I can't wait to share what I learn here when I return.  

30 Days of Paleo.....GO!

1/1/11.....what better day than today to start something.  I thought I'd wait until Monday when I return to work to start my second 30 days of strict Paleo, however I got off to a good start today after an indulging New Year's Eve.  


I'll try to post pictures of meals, share some recipes along the way, and maybe even some videos.  (It's New Year's Day, so I'm feeling pretty adventurous....right now.)  Nonetheless, below is what I had for dinner.  I'm trying to focus on portion control.  i.e. filling my plate with more veggies than meat, something I neglected the first time I tried this challenge.  One conclusion I made then was that it was easy to overeat thinking, "I'm on a diet.  I'm doing something healthy, etc."  However, those calories add up, and I often do not let my brain catch up with my
stomach.  

Pot Roast, cabbage, and cooked carrots

I have created a separate page on the blog titled, 30 Day Paleo Challenge.  I'll have a new post as close to daily as possible with a link to that page that will show what I'm eating, how I'm feeling, and what I'm doing from exercise.  I'm sort of structuring this thing as I go.  As shared in the past, you can read all about the challenge and get started yourself at The Whole 9.  It's a wealth of knowledge.  

If you have any suggestions, please feel free to email me at cspinhealthy@gmail.com or just leave me a comment.  I'd appreciate it and welcome all the input I can gather.  

One day down..........

Resolution Schmesolution

It's that time of year.  Everyone is going to lose weight.  Weight Watchers, Sugarbusters, The Zone Diet, gym memberships, no sweets, no this, cut that......

 Resolutions schmezolutions!  They never last.  They often look like this.....

My solution to no resolution.....

Set a goal and go get it.  

Start slowly and plan.

Find a friend and partner up.

I'm going to start 2011 by continuing on my path.  I'm going to do the following:

1.  Go Paleo 100% for 30 days straight and integrate into my dietary habits full time afterwards:  No grains, no legumes, no sugar.  Eat all things in their natural state.  I'll email a friend doing the same thing after every meal to stay accountable, and he will do the same.  This worked great last time.  The goal here is to cleanse my system and hopefully find gains with my endurance and overall health.  Check out all the details of The Whole 30 plan I will follow.  It's part of The Whole 9 website, a great foundation for all things Paleo.  I'll be reporting regularly on what I eat, how I feel, and what I do working out, so be sure to follow and share your thoughts if you like.   

(I did this once before and you can read about it here as I was asked to share my thoughts with my Crossfit Carmel friends.) 

2.  Continue to use Crossfit as my main means of getting stronger, increasing my endurance, and losing weight until I reach my goal:  Be under 225 lbs.  (When I started Crossfit in June I was 260 lbs.  I've taken photos of my progress along the way.)  I have yet to find anything that works for me better than Crossfit.  It's pushes me to my limit and beyond each and every time.  While I realize it is not for everyone, I have seen huge gains in my strength, endurance, and confidence about myself fitness-wise.  It's the most humbling thing I've ever done athletically.  Again, it's not for everyone, but it is for me.

3.  Run another half marathon (I'm considering the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio.) and at least 1 sprint triathlon in 2011.  My PR for a half marathon is 2:07, however the Flying Pig is full of hills, so we'll see.  I have not run any long distances since starting Crossfit back in June.  I have all kinds of Crossfit goals.  Some of them I will share from time to time, however I've said all along that I want to use Crossfit as a means to do other stuff.  

So what will you do this year to stay healthy?  I'd love to hear from you.  Feel free to post a comment or email me at cspinhealthy@gmail.com

 

You deserve it!

The Power is Definitely On!

It's been a long time since I got a massage.  After seven months of Crossfit, a lower back strain that put me out for a week, a chronic knee problem, and now a wrist/hand issue that flares up at night (long story), I decided it was time.  Gotta love Groupon!  $40 dollar one hour massage at a wonderful spot in Noblesville, Indiana called Pathways to Wellness.  I've also added them to the Health Resources page.

I have never met nicer people.  I walked in and have rarely been greeted so genuinely.  The karma in that place is palpable.  While a yoga class was going on, I filled out the obligatory paperwork and was promptly on my way.

A counselor by trade, I'm somewhat sensitive to others' social graces.  Beth exceeded any expectations I may have had.  (I really had none).  She listen to me describe my aches and pains, and before I knew it, I was "in the zone" on the table, and she tended to them all.

I used to think of massages as that "treat yourself and feel good all over pampering" kind of thing.  I used to give anything for a deep tissue massage and gave not thought except to feeling relaxed.  Given my new "pathway" to fitness, I now see massage as beneficial to my fitness.  It helps flexibility, recovery, and performance.  While pricey in many places (sans Groupon of course), my knee, shoulders, and hands feel great.  I'm anxious to see how I feel come my next WOD.  My buddy and chiropractor Mike always says, "The power is on." after an adjustment.  While I tease him about that sometimes, he's right.  Man, do I feel like the power is on after that massage.  After Fight Gone Bad yesterday (posted a 292 for the first time), I'm amazed I had any power left.

Thanks Beth and Pathways to Wellness!  I will be back with a new outlook on massage and hope to take up a few yoga and flexibility classes as well.

The power is on!!