Primal reflection – 2.5 years in

I wrote about my switch to a primal lifestyle and diet almost 2 and a half years ago. It’s been an incredible road since then finding out what foods work best for me. Eliminating certain foods at one time seemed such a daunting task. The psychological, emotional, and physical hurdles that are presented to you are not easily conquered. However, with patience and diligence (and non-judgment!), I do wholeheartedly believe that anyone can do it. And that’s brings me to the topic top of mind for me today – why we eat. Just as Socrates says, “The unexamined life is not worth living,” it follows that you must truly know why you eat to be able to jump some of your eating habit hurdles to achieve great health.

Hurdle #1 – Eating as an event

Where there is a party, there usually is a bountiful spread of  grain & sugar-laden foods. One of the reasons for this is that chips and queso are cheap and lots of carbs are good to have around when there are copious amounts of alcohol. (You know, to “soak up” that alcohol as people usually say.) Examining why we drink copious amounts of alcohol is another hurdle for another day. (However, eliminating that would also eliminate the need for any foods to do the “soaking up.”)  But back to the party. We have to break our usual practice of eating as an event if we are ever going to get at the root of why we eat. For this hurdle, this is just a habit. It’s an easy way to get people together. But do we really need to be in “feast” mode every time we get together friends?

Hurdle #2 Life is and always will be stressful

My wonderful husband reminded me the other day of a phrase I used to say all the time, “you’ve got to play hard to work hard.” Many of us have extremely stressful, demanding lives – work, family, money, civic involvements, etc. They will never stop being hectic, but our approach to that can change. I’ve had to learn that being on top of my game at work, doesn’t mean that I have to have everything together all the time. I’m not a person where moderation comes easy. Most often in life, I’ve had an all or nothing view. However, I have seen first hand that moderation can be learned and is actually preferable. The moment that I forbid myself from doing something, I immediately want to do it more than ever before. But if I rationalize and allow myself to make a conscious decision on why I do something, I usually end up making the better choice and within a happier frame of mind.

Hurdle #3 The psychological and emotional side of it all

One of the most profound things I have learned in the last few years is that the mind and the body are not separate entities. You can’t master one without affecting the other. For myself, I had no clue that I was eating to make myself FEEL better. I think that often you hear something life that, and you immediately think of someone who is depressed or overweight or someone who has made lots of bad decisions in life. But in actuality, we all can do this (sometimes very subtly) in our daily lives. “I haven’t cheated once this whole week, so tonight I’m going to treat myself.” “It was a really stressful day at work and things happened completely out of my control, so I could really use something comforting to eat right now.” “I am really tired, and I already skipped out on doing some exercise so I’m just going to sit and enjoy some really good food.” The list of reasons goes on and on……. Then guilt sets in. We begin thinking extremely negative thoughts about ourselves. Judging ourselves. And then we feel worse than we did at the beginning when we decided to “treat ourselves.” It is an incredibly vicious cycle that can’t be stopped until a conscious, present decision is made to deal with the feelings of disappointment that started it off in the first place.  Let me be the first to say that sometimes dealing with those feelings at the beginning is opening a pandora’s box of all kinds of other things you had no clue were even bothering you, but with patience and non-judgment, those things can be dealt with just like anything else. Once you get at the root of the problem, the cycle begins to break down on it’s own. You’ve already taken the hardest step, chosen the long road, didn’t reach for that “quick fix,” and it only gets easier after that.

Tackling “why we eat” is an incredible undertaking, but the rewards far outweigh the difficulties. There is never a point in life where you can say, “Well, I figured it out so now I’m done. I’m going to just sit back and relax from here on out.” We’ve never got it figured out. We may know as much as we can for a time, but there will always be something else to understand in the future. So let me close by saying this – stop judging yourself, right now in this moment and in every moment in the future that judgment creeps in. Just allow yourself to understand – don’t force it. The mind is a brilliant and sometimes deceptive machine, but it has sustained mankind for many years and will continue to do so for many more. Respect your intellect and let it guide you. Don’t compare yourself to others because they can’t help you figure this part out. No two people can possibly think or experience thought in the exact same way. Only you know what is truly best for you – that is if you been “examining your life.” Trust that you can and will make the better decisions.

In Response to Mark Sisson’s Post – “Women and Intermittent Fasting”

I’ve been following Mark Sisson’s (of MarksDailyApple.com) blog post series about intermittent fasting.  Today’s post titled “Dear Mark: Women and Intermittent Fasting” brought two things to my attention: 1) I have my own experience to share on the topic and 2) We need more posts from a primal woman’s point of view. So…..I’m combining those two now.

Over the years I have experienced varying degrees of fasting, from several days to eating just 1 meal or a few small meals during a single day.  What I have learned can really be summed up in a phrase “listen to your body.”  That may sound too simple, but I’ve found that the harder you try to fight your body, especially when it comes to hunger, the worse the outcome.  Think about the hungriest you’ve ever been, then throw in some irritability and extra adrenaline. What are you going to do the moment you get your hands on food? Yep, eat like there’s no tomorrow. You may think you’ve done something good for your body by fasting, but then you’ve undone it all during the overeat. However, where I think fasting does make sense is when you really don’t feel hungry (or hungry for a full meal – I feel this often.)  If I eat just a very small portion of something sustainable, such as a small portion of protein and veggies – I’m talking a few bites of each, it seems to jive better than going without food at all for a long period of time.

So it sounds like I might be saying “eat several small meals per day,” but I’m really not. I do find it less time consuming and more fitting for digestion to eat reasonable sized meals 3 times a day for the most part. However, interspersing very small meals here in there or prolonging the period between one meal to another has proven for me to be very effective. More over, that whole “eat breakfast” thing people are always talking about….well I’ve found it to be beneficial in helping stabilize eating throughout the day. I do keep my breakfast to a small portion as well. I have found that overeating on breakfast or brunch can make my day almost worthless.

Another behavior that I think primal people try to stray away from is snacking. I believe this to be short-sided for reasons I’ve mentioned above. Mindless eating is of course not good, but you are less likely to mindless eat when you’re filling your body with protein and vegetables.  I have found that having a small snack in the mid-morning, afternoon, or shortly after getting home from work can go a really long way in sustaining you until your next primal meal.

So to sum it all up, eat reasonable meals when you’re hungry and don’t eat when you’re not hungry. Sound simple? Awesome. My job is done. (Of course, this is just my own experience. I encourage you to explore your own and then share how it goes!)

Workout Tip: Roll out!

Thank you @Pinterest for my daily dose of inspiration yet again. I came across this picture coincidentally enough after visiting our gym here at the office to do a little rolling out.  Getting back into the swing of heavy lifting, I’m feeling some soreness throughout my hips, butt, thighs, and traps. Rolling out is the best thing (besides yoga) that I have ever found to help break up that lactic acid build up.

So today’s tip is to get yourself a foam roller & tennis or lacrosse ball to keep with you at home or at the office to roll out when you have a few extra minutes. Today I popped down to the gym right after lunch and spent about 15 minutes just rolling around. It has done wonders for my afternoon productivity. Listen to your body…..it always tells you what you need.

Daily Inspiration: Paleo Diet Flowchart

Today’s dose of inspiration comes from my beloved CrossFit gym – CrossFit K-town. This was a post on their Facebook page today showing how easy it is to follow the paleo diet. This is the diet I have been subscribing to for the last 18 months and has done wonders for my overall health, weight management, digestion, sleep, cognitive function…..the list goes on and on. Enjoy! (Also, feel free to ask me any questions you have about paleo, clean eating, or anything involved in health and wellness. I love any and everything to do with this stuff!)

The Year of Health

2012 is starting off strong with great food and great workouts. I have given this year it’s official hashtag #yearofhealth2012 because of how strongly I feel committed to give 110% to my health and wellness goals this year.  I’ve made it simple: just stick to the things I know are good and make me FEEL good. Eating breakfast, 100% strict paleo, CrossFit & Yoga 2-3 times a week each, and keeping a daily journal of what I eat and how I feel. Most days I’ve been seeking out some motivation for sticking to my wellness goals. Pinterest has proven to be an excellent source for such inspiration.

Here is today’s dose of inspiration via @Pinterest. Sometimes it’s hard to get yourself to the gym. Just keep telling yourself that each time you go makes a BIG difference. When in doubt…

 

Pinterest: The funniest thing you’ll do all day

I remember the day I received the polite invitation from a friend. “Lynsay, you HAVE to get on Pinterest!” What would come from that innocent email invitation I was not prepared for. After 7 minutes, I felt like I had just taken the “other pill” in the Matrix (I can’t remember if it’s the green or the blue pill or even if those are the colors.) One thing I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt was that life as I knew it would never be the same. I was in love…and I couldn’t stop pinning.

Pinterest needs no introduction, no tutorials, and there is no new lingo to learn. Let’s face it, the reason why so many people flee from Twitter is because we use words that are completely irrational in normal everyday conversation – tweet, hashtag, 140 characters. It’s basically like learning a foreign language. But Pinterest is so damn user-friendly, once you’re on it, you’re stuck. It’s like Fight Club, just instead of brawny men with no shirts on, you’ve got DIY crafts and party planning ideas to keep you gluing stuff together until 4 in the morning.

Just today a new thought occurred to me as to why people love Pinterest with such a passion. It’s like being in a huge, freaking flea market and finding the perfect stuff you’ve always been looking for. It excites the antiquer in all of us to rummage through 1,000s of photos to find something you really like. Well, for me today, I stumbled upon some images that made me laugh to my core. The source of this laughter is of course rooted into one of the funniest inside jokes I’ve ever been privy to. For those of you on the “outside” (as we must refer to you in situations like this), I will retell the story for you through pictures.

 

Once upon a time…..

On a lovely, dark evening nestled in the mountainside of a little village in Guatemala, lived a group of American yogis. They were euphoric with the amount of yoga practice since traveling to this small village and were delighting in the local flavors of the region (ah hem….margaritas that is). Around the dinner table, one such individual emerged as an entertainer for the group and began imitating a T-Rex throughout the evening. She would try to pick up her glass or open a package with her tiny little arms. The group roared with laughter at her simple tasks! They could not believe how funny T-Rex’s could be! So from henceforth, she was know to all those there as “T-Rex” and would imitate what a T-Rex would do in any situation with which they were presented.

Here is a picture of T-rex in downward facing dog:

Here is a picture of T-rex texting her friends:

As you can see, T-Rex can do many of the things we all do. However, they aren’t without their own set of struggles.

If you’re not familiar with the struggles of the T-rex species, let this be an awareness for you all. The great Pinterest has provided us with some more information on these lovely creatures and the struggles they face in their daily lives.

T-rex working out

T-rex singing songs with the other kids

T-rex falling in love

So as you can see, there are so many things one can love and learn through Pinterest. Hope you’ve enjoyed my little story for today.

Happy Pinning!

Connections are Powerful

It was back in 2008 when I really started reading blogs on a daily basis. One of the first social media blogs I stumbled upon was Gwen Bell. I still remember the cute avatar she used at the time when I started reading about her life as a yogi and social media practitioner. At the time, I was just developing my own understanding of the power of social media, the connections that can be made through the social web, and how it changes all of our lives and businesses. I didn’t realize it at the time, but Gwen writing about her experience provided a resource for me as I developed and grew into my role as a social media practitioner. (I think the word practitioner is much better suited than the words often paired with someone whose primary job/career/position is social media for business such as guru, expert, etc. )

Randomly a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon Gwen’s blog again. I noticed then that things had been changing for her. She had written a book and was now sharing “letters” with those who wanted to read her writing. I felt inspired. Here was someone who was using social media in such a profound way. I realized then how much her writing had meant to me over the years. How much I related to her as a yogi, her introspective thinking and continual search of balance in life. It takes effort to turn off the news feed even more so than it does to turn it on.

I decided then to write her a short note, thanking her for putting the time in she did to share her experience with the web. I wrote because I wanted to and not because I expected to receive anything in return. I know what it’s like to be busy and have an inbox constantly exploding with messages. However, to my surprise not too long after, I received a very kind and in “Gwen Bell fashion” reply to my message. In that note, she asked if it was cool for her to post an excerpt of my original message on her website for new-comers to the site.  I grinned from ear to ear while reading. You can see that post here on GwenBell.com.

Seeing my name on someone else’s digital life work showed me just how powerful social web connections really can be.  We all are connected. Really connected. It’s one of the most exciting things to watch those connections take shape and even more so to see what unfolds from there.

So what about you? What connections in your life via the social web or IRL have impacted you? (I think these are my favorite stories to read. Inspiration…. right from the source. )