No One Said It Would Be Easy

Being Paleo definitely has its challenges.  Temptation is everywhere.  My fiancee owns four gelato shops and an Italian wood fired pizzeria.  I have a never ending supply a free gelato and pizza available at all times!!!! Sometimes he comes home and actually smells like a waffle cone, a sweet, intoxicating waffle cone.  I know all about temptation.  So I thought I would outline a few tips and guidelines to give yourself a chance at being successful with the Paleo diet.

First,  change your attitude towards food.  Food is fuel. Eating Paleo is like giving your body the highest grade fuel available.   Our bodies are our vehicles in which to get through life.  It is very easy to look at food as a comfort bringer or stress-reliever. Food is meant to nourish and support our bodies so that we may have the most fulfilling and longest lives possible.  Also, there will be a lot of people out there that say "Go Ahead, EAT the BREAD, life is too short."  I agree life is too short.  Give yourself a cheat meal, or even a cheat day.  But learn not to indulge everyday.  The basis of the science behind Paleo is disease prevention.  We eat for health not indulgence.  I love Kettle One martinis with blue- cheese stuffed olives and I love cheese danish.   I do not drink or eat them everyday, I actually never enjoy these two things anymore.  Kettle turns me into drunky-mcdrunkerton, and cheese danish makes me feel like I can't get off the couch.  I know how they affect my body,  and how they affect my ability to function as a parent for my children now and in the future. A friend of mine gave me some great advice.  She said, "Don't think about what your health will be like in a week or a month, but think about what it will be like five years from now, ten years, twenty.'  Life is short, give yourself the best chance possible to have the happiest, healthiest time here.   Life is also VERY sweet, life is the reward.  Try enjoying the sweetness that comes from BEING, actual sweetness that fills your heart with joy and love.  Sweetness that comes from family, friends, and nature, not foods that only gratify momentarily.

Next, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO SUCCEED!!    You have to clean out your cupboards and fridge. You have to get rid of any grains, dairy, sugar-based snacks and if you are really serious about your HEALTH, look on the labels of your food.  If it has high fructose corn syrup it has to go.  You will be surprised!! On regular Smuckers jelly the second ingredient is high fructose corn syrup.  They make an Orchards finest that has no HFCS.  If you have kids this may seem difficult, and you're right it is.  My son begs me for cereal every time we are at the store, but I just say no.  Sugary, grains as your first meal of the day?  I don't think so.  I let Lawson (my son) have some cheese sticks in the fridge and goldfish in the cabinet very rarely.  When we go out to eat he orders a peanut butter and jelly on "real bread"  and its like dessert to him. My big cheat is probably wine.  So for this 30 day challenge, my home is wine free.  You just have to adjust, and it takes time. The point being, you will not succeed if these temptations are surrounding you at home.

PREPARE!!  First, always have some Paleo snacks with you.  I carry almonds and walnuts with dried cranberries in my car ALL THE TIME.  If I am leaving my house, I ALWAYS grab my water and a piece of fruit.  Make sure to have snacks handy.  If you are starving it is much harder to resist the quick fix, a sandwich or granola bar, a doughnut, or smoothie packed full of yogurt and  sugar.
Second, try planning out your meals for the week.  Also, make a large mixed greens salad packed with veggies at the beginning of the week then portion it out for your lunch.  Mix it up by adding strawberries, apples, pear, nuts, seeds, avacado, I have even put cooked sweet potatoes in my salads!!

IN THE KITCHEN:
Instead of butter, use coconut oil.  It's super healthy, butter is not.
Get a meat thermometer.  Its the easiest, safest way to prepare your MEAT.
Stock up on raw nuts, fresh fruits and veggies, and proteins.
Plan your dinner:  ONE protein, TWO vegetables
Buy juice that is not from concentrate.
Instead of Soy sauce, use BRAGGS liquid amino acids.  It has the same flavor, but is soy and gluten-free.
Skip the salt.  Just skip it.

It is up to you, and me.  We choose the foods we eat.  We choose the quality of our health by our attention to diet and exercise. Choose mindfully. 

 The body is your temple.  Keep it pure and clean for the soul to reside in.  ~B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga: The Path To Holistic Health

From Paleo-NO to Gung-Ho Paleo

First, a disclaimer.....I am not a doctor, scientist, nutritionist, or medical expert on any subject, at all.  This blog is about my interpretation of the PALEO diet and my personal experiences with eating PALEO.   Also, when I use the term diet, it is referring to the way I eat and what I choose to eat, not calorie counting.

Second, another disclaimer.....There seems to be this popularity contest with different approaches to diet.  My way is better than yours, my way is the only way, how dare you eat THAT?!!!!?? We've got vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, raw foodists, Paleo people, lo-carb, no-carb, all-carb...whatever.  It's exhausting.  The bottom line is most ways to approach food and diet all have one common denominator, health.  Anyone following a diet or methodology to approach food is looking for a healthy way to eat that works best for them.  Almost all of these diets promote local, fresh, and organic, when possible.  So I say, PALEO is what works for me, I have tried other diets and over time have learned from trial and error with my body, that this is it for me.  Once again, my way is not better, or the best for everyone, it is just what works best for me.

The Paleo diet refers to eating like the cavemen did.  It is also called the hunter and gatherer diet.  Basically, if you couldn't find it in nature, you didn't eat it. Proteins, fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and berries compromise the Paleo diet.  Sorry folks, but when you say yes to Paleo, you say no to carbs, wheat, dairy, and refined sugar.   It is comparable to the Science Diet, which is a diet that focuses on eating for your health to prevent disease.

Personally, I love the idea of food as medicine.  What an empowering idea, that we as consumers and as highly intellligent, functioning creatures, can choose to purchase and prepare food that nourishes us and helps to prevent disease in our bodies.  I say, take more control of your diet, be as mindful of the foods you eat everyday as you are of the clothes you choose to wear everyday. FOOD IS MEDICINE!!  The Paleo diet is an anti-inflammation diet.  Inflammation causes about 90% of all disease. Inflammation causes cancer, rhuematoid arthritis, MS, heart diease, and diabetes to name a few.  The basis of Paleo is that certain types of food (grains, refined sugars, and dairy) cause inflammation in the body, leading to illness, and a general poor quality of health.

A reminder of disclaimer #1, this is my interpretation.  If you are really interested in learning the super nerdy science stuff, check out The Paleo Solution, by Robb Wolf, or The New Evolution Diet, by Arthur Devany, PHD.  I have read both of these books, and learned a lot.  Robb Wolf's website also has a ton of great articles on Paleo.

I first heard about the Paleo diet about two years ago, but was hesitant to try it, I thought " But I REALLY LOVE bread, and Entemanns cheese danish, and chips and dip, and cupcakes, and doughnuts, and..." well, you get it right?  My fiancee would joke with me that I was the "PALEO-NO lady".  Shortly after being introduced to Paleo I became pregnant with my daughter.  I have always been a healthy eater.  I love food and I love to cook.  My pregnancies for me are kind of  a free for all.  Pregnant Kim still eats a salad a day, lots of protein, but she also indulges.  Candy bars, soda, cupcakes, chips and dip,  when I am pregnant I do not have the self restraint that I usually have.  However, because of my general approach to health and fitness, even my indulging is minimal compared to most.  Anyways, with both of  my pregnancies my peak weight was 175, I gained on average 53 lbs.  I like most women, get HUGE when growing a baby.

 My second pregnancy I was 29 years old.  I dreaded the idea of my soon to be 30 year old body recovering from having another baby. For those of you who don't know, pregnancy does very weird things to the female body, I will put these two words out there, GOOPY and LOOSE.  Use your imagination people.  I lost the first 30 lbs pretty quickly but was plateauing.  When my daughter was about three months old I decided to kick my health into high gear, and get my ass back in shape.   I decided to do a Paleo challenge and go very strict Paleo for 30 days.  I got down to my pre-baby weight after the 30 day challenge.

Currently, I am about a 90/10 Paleo person.  I have a little cream in my coffee or some blue cheese crumbles on my salad here and there. I steer clear of grains, dairy, and sugar.   I also do not eat beans, rice, corn, and some other legumes.  My diet includes a lot of protein, veggies, nuts, and fruits.  Once you start to play with Paleo the simplest things feel very indulgent.  For instance, I allow my self to put cheese in my eggs once a week.  To me, those are the best damn eggs I have ever tasted!!  I have become very adept at making delicious Paleo food and will be sharing recipes and tips through this blog.

One of the main reasons I love the Paleo diet is that you eat when you are hungry.  There is no starving yourself.  Some days I am like a ravenous beast eating and snacking all day.  Its awesome.  Other days, three meals a day are enough for me.  The point is to eat to feel satisfied.  The focus is more on what you are eating opposed to how much you are eating.

Another reason I love Paleo is the encouragement to eat good fats.  There is a common misconception that all fatty foods are bad for you.  Our bodies need fat.  Paleo encourages you to eat what are known as good fats, avocado, fish oil, coconut oil, and extra virgin olive oil to name a few.   

 The biggest indicator for me as to why Paleo works for me is how I feel if I cheat.  When I eat a lot of bread, or indulge in sweets I feel like garbage.  I get lazy and unmotivated. This leads me to sometimes,  skipping a day of  practice, which throws me off balance.  (Off-balance is a very polite way to say I turn into a crazy lady, looney tunes, irrational, and less joyful.)  When I revert back to crazy Kim I crave foods that bring me comfort, not nutrition.  It can become an endless cycle.  Awareness is key in health.  I am aware of the way certain foods affect my mood and body, so I choose to stay away from them.

  Currently I am in the best shape I have ever been in.  In addition to eating Paleo, I practice yoga and meditate six days a week.  I believe the combination of yoga, meditation, and eating Paleo have all contributed to my new body and my overall quality of life. There are varying degrees of Paleo-ness and if you are intrigued by this, I encourage you to research the diet and the science behind it. I have gone from Paleo-NO to Gung-Ho Paleo, in less than a year. 

In an effort to be as honest as I can about Paleo, I am starting a 30 day Paleo Challenge tomorrow.  If you are curious I invite you to try it out and see what happens.  I will be following up on my progress and invite an open forum on my facebook page.  Below is a link with some guidelines to the challenge!!  Let's do this!!
 http://www.paleoplan.com/2012/01-09/paleo-plans-1st-annual-30-day-paleo-challenge-starts-now/

Facing Your Fear

"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."  Eleanor Roosevelt

Let's be real, let's talk about fear, or more specifically my fear.  I have wanted to start a blog for a very long time.  The reason I have not has been an overall sense of fear about speaking my voice.  I have been afraid that I would be judged, criticized, and/or laughed at.  I still have some of these feelings but at this place in my life, I am willing to risk it. Also, I no longer put much value in what any naysayers may have to say.
This week I themed a yoga class around gratitude.  The beginning of September is always an interesting time for me.  In September of 1997 I was in a terrible car accident.  In September of 2002 I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.  I went out on a limb with my teaching and shared my story with my students, coming back to the essence of gratitude for all that we CAN do, for all of the hidden blessings that surround us in our day to day.  All of the events of our lives have meaning and lead us to where we are right here, right now, today.
Truth, fifteen years ago I was in critical condition from a liver laceration, my face was all mashed up from a windshield, and my self-esteem was pretty much obliterated.  Truth, ten years ago I was undergoing chemotherapy, losing my hair, and just trying to make some sense of the beast that is cancer, and why it was happening to my family and myself.  Truth, currently I am living a very blessed life.  I am a yoga teacher.  My yoga practice has helped me establish a very strong connection to self and to contentment.  I am the mother of two amazing children who make me laugh and inspire me every day.  I am committed to an amazing man, who just gets me.  He supports me, makes me laugh, and sometimes drives me crazy.  He is my best friend, and I am extremely lucky that he is mine.
All of the seemingly "unfair"  and "tragic" experiences in my past have lead me to this time of my life.  A time of happiness, of joy, and balance.
Now, I am starting this new chapter, a blog, and as much as it scares me to put my ideas, thoughts, and perceptions out there, I am going to give it a go.  (Just to be clear, I have had this written for a couple of weeks but have been finding excuse after excuse to just post.  Fear is a tricky little devil.)
This blog will include my personal experiences with yoga and meditation, my relationships, my Paleo lifestyle, and what inspires me.  I cannot promise you that I will always be grammatically correct or free from the occasional spelling error.  But I can promise you that I will be real, and honest.  I will speak from my heart and with every post, let the light of my truth shine onto the darkness that is fear and doubt that may linger inside.
The yoga class themed on gratitude was special for me.  As a teacher, it was one of the very few times I shared something very personal in class.  Even as I was telling my story at the beginning of class, my heart was racing, and I felt as if every one of my students could hear the shake in my voice. Fear, the tricky trickster, was trying to win that day, but I won.  We all had a great class, full of connection and what to me felt like peace.  After class, a fairly regular student of mine approached me with a story of her own.  She is a tutor and is currently working with a seventeen year old boy who has had a tough life to say the least, and who has recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma.  He is defeated and withdrawn from life.  She shared with me that she felt as if she needed to hear my story, that it was "meant to be" that she was in class that day.  She gained strength and insight from my sharing.
 The ten minutes after class talking to her was the most rewarding part of my day.  I felt her emotion, and she felt mine, and we connected.  Not as teacher and student, but as human beings, trying to make each day count, and trying to create the silver lining in a seemingly dark cloud.   I am all about CONNECTING.  Connecting to ourselves, to the people in our lives, and to the world around us.  I think if we tried to find more common threads in our existence, there would be a lot more joy and compassion in our lives.
  I am so grateful she shared her experience with me.  It felt to me as if I needed her there that day, to let me know, that someone, or maybe a lot of people may like to hear what I have to say.   And trust me, I have a lot to say ;)
I took a leap of faith that day in class and am taking one now.  Please take this leap with me.  With a shaky hand and a hopeful heart, here's my first blog. 

Choose Joy
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