About a year ago, I was chatting with a friend about how busy our lives were and she was expressing her frustration with trying to make healthy food choices. I went on to tell her what my favorite lunch was at the time. Her response to me was, "You have way too much time on your hands". I was floored and that comment has stuck with me... obviously...!
I didn't know how to take the comment. I remember counting my blessings that I could be a stay at home Mom, but did that really mean I had too much time? Was she implying that I sat around eating bon bon's all day? Even though I do not have a job outside of our home, supporting my husband, raising three children, keeping up on the house, driving kids to and fro, making/keeping appointments, running errands, walking dogs (yes, we have three now!), and keeping myself healthy is a full time job.
Back in January, 2011, I started working out with a trainer again. She and her husband work and she would always tell me about these fabulous meals that she made. Her husband bakes like the best of them too! I was shocked that they could do that! Did I mention they have three kids? The one thing she always told me was that you need to be organized. If you #haveaplan, you can have healthy meals every day of the week. KISS!! So simple! If you want to read more about her, click here to meet the pint sized paleo's!
When I talk to other parents, I often hear how busy they are running their kids from one event to the next. Dinner is going through the drive thru. It has become the norm to do this. I was one of those people for a very long time. Does "let's just order a pizza" sound familiar?
We should not be allowed to make these excuses anymore! If you can't get to a local farmers market, you can order your meat on line! I order a lot of my meat from US Wellness Meats. Stock that freezer! Come on, half of the people in Wisconsin hunt! Fill it with venison! If you have meat and vegetables, you have a meal. That's another line that I will not forget.. thank you PaleoMama! I have been eating leftover dinners for breakfast this week and it is amazing. The kids laughed when I asked them who wanted spaghetti this morning for breakfast. Did she just say spaghetti?? Yes, I did, my noodles were spaghetti squash. Joy!
Now, I have been really enjoying the holidays. We kicked it off with our awesome vacation, followed by birthday parties and Christmas dinners. I am currently typing this while sipping on a glass of wine and my pants unbuttoned! TMI! Bill has been bringing home these gift baskets from clients and I have been taste testing them a little bit. My point is that I need to reset my system. I need to prepare this week to get back on the Paleo train and detox starting January 2nd. I challenge you to stop making excuses for "grabbing a bite to eat", take an hour on Sunday's to plan your meals. I realized after a long time that the comment my friend made to me was because she was doing what the norm seemed to be to her. I see that I was making myself and my health a priority, you should too! It all starts with what you eat. When you eat good, you feel good... when you feel good it trickles into every other part of your life. It's time to change our perspective or the norm. If I can do it, anyone can do it!
So, the 21 day sugar detox starts January 2, 2012. This is a link to the Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/21-Day-Sugar-DetoxMilwaukee-WI/136811979767013?sk=wall Like the page to get support from myself and Karina Stuke. Once you like the page, you can download the sugar detox manual. The manual was written by Diane Sanfilippo. Her website is www.balancedbites.com Many of you have seen me wearing her shirt "Bacon is rad. Gluten is bad" LOVE IT!!!
When I was first asked to do this detox back in August, my first thought was heck no! I imagined unlimited amounts of salad with limited amounts of meat and zero of anything else! A lot of the men I talk to think they will be hungry the entire 21 days because how can a sugar detox be beneficial to a larger male?? You will see in the manual that if you are hungry... EAT! There are more "Can foods" than there are "Can't foods". I have mentioned in a previous blog post that this isn't about counting calories or weighing your food, it is about eating Real Foods.
Let's do this! Let's detox! I'll be there with you. Again, the facebook page is to help be a support system and provide answers to your questions. Click Like Now! You will not be disappointed.
Peace!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Vacation... Detox anyone?
We are back from a long week in Paradise. It was an amazing week! I think it goes along the lines of having toes in the water and my ass in the sand? Not much of a country music fan, but that song I could relate to. Although my ass was in a chair, my ass and sand really don't mix!
I think everyone can relate to going on vacation with the intention of making good food choices and working out. I had these same feelings. Our family has been doing so great with what they have been eating and feeling really good. I also knew that the way we have been eating would be very difficult to do when going to an all inclusive resort on a small island.
The first couple of days were very difficult for me. Every time we came back with our plates from the buffet, I would look around and cringe at what I saw. My personal plan of attack was to eat a huge breakfast of eggs and bacon. I was hoping that would carry me through the majority of the day, and it did. At dinner, I would try to eat any vegetables available and meat. I noticed that the "steamed vegetables" did not seem steamed. When a restaurant claims they are steamed, but there is a saucy/oily look to them, who knows what they are steaming them in. They did have some good selections of meat whether it was steak or fish. Who knows where in the heck it came from! They had some great coconut shrimp... non-paleo, more like faileo (yes, it is a word) coconut shrimp. I limited my dessert intake as much as possible but they had some amazing dark chocolate mousse. Mmmm!!!
The kids plates scared me! They started eating the chicken fingers, grilled cheeses, mac n cheese, french fries and of course dessert. Again, the first couple of days I wanted to puke because it was so frustrating! By the second or third day, Courtney and Charlie started telling me how much their tummies hurt. Is it bad that I was a little excited about this? I used those opportunities to ask them why they thought their tummies hurt and explained to them that they are not used to eating these things. I continued to let them make their own food choices because I also came to the conclusion that vacation with family and that their Grandparents were with us is a blessing. These are awesome memories that are being created! The last thing I want them to remember is their Mother telling them not to eat certain foods. I want to teach the kids that the foods we ate there make us feel icky but when you are on vacation it is OK to enjoy those foods if you want. Can you understand why it is so important to control their diets outside of vacations and the junk they get at school? Don't even get me started on the junk they get at school!
By the third day, I cannot tell you how miserable I felt. My stomach was so bloated! I haven't felt like this in a long time and it felt awful. You don't realize the effect that processed foods, grains, oils and sugar have on your body until they are eliminated from your diet and then eat them again. I am usually that person that packs the workout clothes and never uses them. To keep myself sane, I worked out more last week than I have in a long time. I did some intense workouts and even ran one day. I haven't ran in a long time and was hoping to knock out 3 miles. Instead I ran almost 6 miles! This was really eye opening to me. Starting back in November, I had been averaging 2 times a week of working out. It is that time of year! So, to jump on a treadmill and hammer out almost 6 miles was amazing! It proves to me that when you eat a good diet you can sustain the strength/muscle you have. #Thisshitworks!!! Sorry, that was hashtagable... yes it is a word! My point is that in the past, if I was barely working out and eating the way I did, I would have never made it that far! Work out less + Paleo diet = sustainble cardio strength?! I can't imagine how much stronger I am going to get when I get back on a regular workout schedule and my detox is over! I get excited just thinking about it. I have been reading tons on the Paleo Lifestyle and have heard a lot of these things, so to feel it and experience it is amazing!
Back to life, back to reality... I don't know what's with the lyrics today... I digress...
One week until Christmas, lots to do, and lots of stress coming off of a great vacation with lots of Faileo foods. My goal this week is to eat 100% Paleo, drink lots of water and get myself feeling better physically by Christmas. My 100% days by the way are Monday, Tuesday and part of Wednesday. From there, we have Christmas functions every night through Christmas Day. I will do the best I can, I hope you will try too. For those of us that don't, detox is right around the corner. That's how I am kicking off the New Year..
Detox anyone? Stayed tuned for details!
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Using Food as Medicine... if you will...
Instead of packing this evening, I had some thoughts I wanted to get out first.
It has been a crazy week for me. I had a great weekend in Chicago and started the week off with a Church service which allowed me to pull myself away from life and focus on what the Christmas season is all about. It was a fantastic night! By Tuesday, late afternoon, I could feel myself getting a cold. Ugh! I was pissed... "Paleo people" aren't supposed to get sick or at least not very often. Here I am living this new life and one week before our big vacation, I am getting a cold! Seriously? After much thought (it takes awhile for things to "click") and discussing it with my dear friend/trainer, I was reminded how Paleo is not a way of eating but also a way of living!
I came off a weekend of eating things I shouldn't have, drinking a little more than I should have and not getting enough sleep. That sprinkled with a lack of exercise and trying to get a family of 5 ready to go on vacation for 8 days...surprise, surprise I get a cold by Tuesday night!
With all of that being said, in the past I would run to the medicine cabinet and start taking Sudafed every 4-6 hours. I am on day 3 and haven't taken anything yet. I have been filling myself with fluids, water and I have even had bone broth... Thank you Karina Stuke! I have been eating leafy greens and going to bed as early as I can every night. This is the first time I have felt that food has really affected how I am feeling!
Coincidence has been a theme in my life this whole crazy week. A couple of days ago, I received a video link of a woman talking about her journey to Paleo. She is a doctor that has MS and went from being wheelchair bound to walking again all by changing her diet. Amazing! Please take the 15 minutes or however long it is to watch this video, it puts into perspective how our bodies are really built to process certain foods. ... REAL Foods!
Click here for video I actually have two bags of seaweed in the house... seperate blog post I am sure once I try it!
Over the years, my sister and I used to always discuss how crazy it was that people our ages that we knew or knew of were getting cancer or crazy diseases. During those discussions, I remember thinking that I did not want to be one of those people and once I had kids those feelings got even stronger. I do not want my children to become a statistic. I tried to do my best in providing my family with healthy food choices and always felt overwhelmed or guilty because I didn't know exactly what I should be giving them. One week you would hear something was bad for you and the next week that same something was good for you. It really is overwhelming trying to keep everything you hear straight and to sort through it all. What really is good for you? Again, the switch clicked... Real quality food. If you can't pronounce an ingridient, don't eat it!
So, I am going to kick back, drink my bone broth, get some sleep, eat more leafy greens and know that that is the best medicine! We are going on a great vacation all next week and I am going to try to blog while I am there. I am sure there will be alot to write about since I know there will be no Paleo buffets. This is going to be interesting! Thanks for listening!
My kids rock!!
It has been a crazy week for me. I had a great weekend in Chicago and started the week off with a Church service which allowed me to pull myself away from life and focus on what the Christmas season is all about. It was a fantastic night! By Tuesday, late afternoon, I could feel myself getting a cold. Ugh! I was pissed... "Paleo people" aren't supposed to get sick or at least not very often. Here I am living this new life and one week before our big vacation, I am getting a cold! Seriously? After much thought (it takes awhile for things to "click") and discussing it with my dear friend/trainer, I was reminded how Paleo is not a way of eating but also a way of living!
I came off a weekend of eating things I shouldn't have, drinking a little more than I should have and not getting enough sleep. That sprinkled with a lack of exercise and trying to get a family of 5 ready to go on vacation for 8 days...surprise, surprise I get a cold by Tuesday night!
With all of that being said, in the past I would run to the medicine cabinet and start taking Sudafed every 4-6 hours. I am on day 3 and haven't taken anything yet. I have been filling myself with fluids, water and I have even had bone broth... Thank you Karina Stuke! I have been eating leafy greens and going to bed as early as I can every night. This is the first time I have felt that food has really affected how I am feeling!
Coincidence has been a theme in my life this whole crazy week. A couple of days ago, I received a video link of a woman talking about her journey to Paleo. She is a doctor that has MS and went from being wheelchair bound to walking again all by changing her diet. Amazing! Please take the 15 minutes or however long it is to watch this video, it puts into perspective how our bodies are really built to process certain foods. ... REAL Foods!
Click here for video I actually have two bags of seaweed in the house... seperate blog post I am sure once I try it!
Over the years, my sister and I used to always discuss how crazy it was that people our ages that we knew or knew of were getting cancer or crazy diseases. During those discussions, I remember thinking that I did not want to be one of those people and once I had kids those feelings got even stronger. I do not want my children to become a statistic. I tried to do my best in providing my family with healthy food choices and always felt overwhelmed or guilty because I didn't know exactly what I should be giving them. One week you would hear something was bad for you and the next week that same something was good for you. It really is overwhelming trying to keep everything you hear straight and to sort through it all. What really is good for you? Again, the switch clicked... Real quality food. If you can't pronounce an ingridient, don't eat it!
My kids rock!!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Back from Chicago... didn't know I would meet Bob Harper!!!
Well, I am back from a fabulous weekend in Chicago! The weather was perfect for shopping on Michigan Avenue in December. We had some great dinners, great conversations, and even got to visit St. Peter's church for mass. Here is a picture of the Wrigley Building... Beautiful!
We shopped all day Saturday, I was very excited to find a Coast Burger that served grass fed burgers! We need one in Wisconsin. We went to mass, followed by an Italian dinner. Are you all scratching your heads right now? Italian? Yes, I said Italian! This trip was a birthday present from the best husband in the world, back in September. The Italian dinner was my night off to celebrate which was a little odd but nonetheless fun. The food was good but my body really does not handle pasta and heavy sauces like it used to. I felt even better about my decision to eliminate these things from my diet after that dinner.
We returned to the room, threw on our jammies and planned to watch a movie. As I waited for the other ladies to get ready, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw that THE Bob Harper was headed to a restaurant 1 mile away. If you know me, you know that I adore this man. I have been watching the Biggest Loser for a couple of years now and he seems to be one of the most caring people on the show. He has some tough competition this year from Dolvett, great guy too! I have started watching the BL this season with a different perspective. I find myself analyzing and critiquing how they tell the contestants to eat. I would think that they would be exploring all dietary theories, all the time, to stay ahead of the game. All you hear on the show is that it is about calories in and calories out (that was Jillian's big thing). Have I mentioned that I don't think about calories in or out anymore? They are eating low fat or no fat foods. They are eating egg whites versus the whole egg. They eat whole wheat everything. It has been a downer watching this season because of the knowledge I am gaining about Paleo living. Advertising money will unfortunately never allow them to change.
So, Operation Stalker started!! (He's the one that put it on FB and Twitter!) We went to the restaurant and I immediately spotted him. We ordered a drink and sat down and waited and waited and waited.... waited a little bit more until it was time! All that ran through my head was what I was going to say to him. Without much thought I knew it would be to get him to say he loved bacon too! Seriously, what could be better right? We stood outside waiting for him to exit and let me tell you I was nervous! We got our picture taken and he headed for his cab. As he was walking away, I asked him "Can I get you to say one thing?" He looked at me funny, who wouldn't.. and I said "Will you say I heart bacon?" Yep, I went there. He hesitantly said, "I heart bacon". That's when I proceeded to tell him that I am living the Paleo Lifestyle. He responded with "I can't really say this publicly, but we (he and his girlfriend?) are all about Paleo". Wooo Hoooo, I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Here is this public figure whose whole focus is health and nutrition admitting that he is all for the Lifestyle I have chosen to live. On the flip side, it is sad that he is not able to share this information with the public. Certainly not a way I would want to live my life. Deep down I am hoping that once contracts are up, he can ditch the stupid oatmeal commercials, nutritionally (yes it is a word) coach the BL contestants in a way that makes more sense, and become an idol in my eyes once again. There is a gentlemen that I follow and get a lot of information from and his name is Sean Croxton. He uses the phrase "The Dark Side" in a lot of his work and has even titled his book "The Dark Side of Fat Loss". With those words, I invite you Bob... to the Dark Side!
We returned to the room, threw on our jammies and planned to watch a movie. As I waited for the other ladies to get ready, I was scrolling through Facebook and saw that THE Bob Harper was headed to a restaurant 1 mile away. If you know me, you know that I adore this man. I have been watching the Biggest Loser for a couple of years now and he seems to be one of the most caring people on the show. He has some tough competition this year from Dolvett, great guy too! I have started watching the BL this season with a different perspective. I find myself analyzing and critiquing how they tell the contestants to eat. I would think that they would be exploring all dietary theories, all the time, to stay ahead of the game. All you hear on the show is that it is about calories in and calories out (that was Jillian's big thing). Have I mentioned that I don't think about calories in or out anymore? They are eating low fat or no fat foods. They are eating egg whites versus the whole egg. They eat whole wheat everything. It has been a downer watching this season because of the knowledge I am gaining about Paleo living. Advertising money will unfortunately never allow them to change.
So, Operation Stalker started!! (He's the one that put it on FB and Twitter!) We went to the restaurant and I immediately spotted him. We ordered a drink and sat down and waited and waited and waited.... waited a little bit more until it was time! All that ran through my head was what I was going to say to him. Without much thought I knew it would be to get him to say he loved bacon too! Seriously, what could be better right? We stood outside waiting for him to exit and let me tell you I was nervous! We got our picture taken and he headed for his cab. As he was walking away, I asked him "Can I get you to say one thing?" He looked at me funny, who wouldn't.. and I said "Will you say I heart bacon?" Yep, I went there. He hesitantly said, "I heart bacon". That's when I proceeded to tell him that I am living the Paleo Lifestyle. He responded with "I can't really say this publicly, but we (he and his girlfriend?) are all about Paleo". Wooo Hoooo, I was so excited I could hardly stand it. Here is this public figure whose whole focus is health and nutrition admitting that he is all for the Lifestyle I have chosen to live. On the flip side, it is sad that he is not able to share this information with the public. Certainly not a way I would want to live my life. Deep down I am hoping that once contracts are up, he can ditch the stupid oatmeal commercials, nutritionally (yes it is a word) coach the BL contestants in a way that makes more sense, and become an idol in my eyes once again. There is a gentlemen that I follow and get a lot of information from and his name is Sean Croxton. He uses the phrase "The Dark Side" in a lot of his work and has even titled his book "The Dark Side of Fat Loss". With those words, I invite you Bob... to the Dark Side!
Overall, it was a great weekend. Bill did amazing with the kids. I received a picture of every Paleo meal that they ate. He even made some Paleo chocolate chip cookies! It really is awesome having a fully supportive husband in all of this. What makes it easier for him, is seeing how great the kids have been. Charlie ate dinner last night without fuss for the like the first time ever! The only time he didn't argue with me was if I was serving pizza. I made a roast, and I sat in awe as he ate every little bit of it. Another success down in the Sturm History books.
Thanks for listening... did you try to Paleoize any of your meals this weekend? If so, what were they? Let us know!
Remember to hit "Join this Site" to be a part of this process... interesting stuff coming up next week... we are going on vacation. Paleo all you can eat buffets?... doubt it!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Taste Test Thursday
Tonight was fun! Call it a small plate meal. Bacon wrapped scallops, bison burgers, sweet potato chips, sweet potato fries, goat cheese stuffed dates for dessert. Mmmmm!!!! I am finding that every meal the kids are eating more and getting down with this Paleo Train.
Speaking of which, I think Charlie is going through withdrawal! This is the first week where his sugar intake has been really low. No more cereal for breakfast (he has finally taken to the Larabar which I highly recommend checking out), salami/beef sticks for lunch, fruit, and anything I make for dinner. Why do I think he is going through withdrawal? The last two days after picking him up from school have been miserable! For him anyways... he has cried the whole way home asking if he can get his Christmas gifts now and when I giggle he cries harder. He has been playing with this huge box every day and one night he had a total melt down about how much he loves his box! Seriously, as I am hugging him goodnight and saying "I love you buddy", he responded with "I love you too and I love my box!" as he is sobbing. I know how I felt when I was detoxing. Good thing I am headed to Chicago this weekend! Bill can have fun with that.
The other thing that made me happy tonight was that Alex asked Bill what he was making for dinner this weekend while I am gone. People that know Alex knows that this is HUGE! In the past, she would ask where they were going out to eat and what dessert they would be having. It goes to show that her mindset is changing too. She has been watching me cook like crazy lately and enjoying it. In the past, I never had sweets in the house. I am finding now that I have more Paleoized (again, yes, it is a word) sweets in the house, so she is a happy camper. She is not used to ME asking what cupcake or cookie I should make this week.
Huge success' this week! I am thrilled. I am a little nervous because I will be gone this weekend. I am sure Bill will do his best to keep them on track. I will also be challenged while gone. How do you pass up deep dish pizza in Chicago?
Have a great weekend everyone. Please remember to click on "follow" if you are interested in these posts and pass the word..... WORD!
Speaking of which, I think Charlie is going through withdrawal! This is the first week where his sugar intake has been really low. No more cereal for breakfast (he has finally taken to the Larabar which I highly recommend checking out), salami/beef sticks for lunch, fruit, and anything I make for dinner. Why do I think he is going through withdrawal? The last two days after picking him up from school have been miserable! For him anyways... he has cried the whole way home asking if he can get his Christmas gifts now and when I giggle he cries harder. He has been playing with this huge box every day and one night he had a total melt down about how much he loves his box! Seriously, as I am hugging him goodnight and saying "I love you buddy", he responded with "I love you too and I love my box!" as he is sobbing. I know how I felt when I was detoxing. Good thing I am headed to Chicago this weekend! Bill can have fun with that.
The other thing that made me happy tonight was that Alex asked Bill what he was making for dinner this weekend while I am gone. People that know Alex knows that this is HUGE! In the past, she would ask where they were going out to eat and what dessert they would be having. It goes to show that her mindset is changing too. She has been watching me cook like crazy lately and enjoying it. In the past, I never had sweets in the house. I am finding now that I have more Paleoized (again, yes, it is a word) sweets in the house, so she is a happy camper. She is not used to ME asking what cupcake or cookie I should make this week.
Huge success' this week! I am thrilled. I am a little nervous because I will be gone this weekend. I am sure Bill will do his best to keep them on track. I will also be challenged while gone. How do you pass up deep dish pizza in Chicago?
Have a great weekend everyone. Please remember to click on "follow" if you are interested in these posts and pass the word..... WORD!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
What is Paleo you ask
Alright so the question now is "What is Paleo". The Paleo (Paleolithic) lifestyle is basically eating Whole Foods or foods our bodies are designed to eat. As my sister likes to call us "Hunters and Gatherers". We have eliminated grains and wheat, anything processed, alcohol (yeah right... 20% rule.. I'll get to that later because we all know I love my wine!) seed oils, sugar and starches. Eliminating grains goes as far as eating grass fed, happy animals. For those of you that dont' know, I grew up in a household of hunters and I fought eating venison all of my life. This is the first year that I actually cared whether Bill shot a deer. He unfortunately, did not and now I must mooch off my Father. #Iheartfamily! Dairy is also an "eliminatable" (yes, it's a word, maybe...not) food but I do allow full fat raw dairy in the house. I know, I know... where do your kids get their calcium. I will address that at a later date.
This transition is a simple one for me but as expected is more difficult for the Bill and the kids. Charlie is a huge bread lover! I am thinking that psychologist bills may be in my future. He actually woke up the other day and said "Mom, I had a dream you bought pancake mix. (heads to pantry and looks in, falls to floor) You didn't buy pancake mix". My heart broke but it pushed me to open one of my Paleo cookbooks and find a pancake recipe. The one I found involved pumpkin, but he seemed to enjoy it. There are ways to still enjoy foods, they just need to be Paleoized. (Yes, it's a word)
The other part of the Paleo Lifestyle is to commit to regular sleep and to get out and play! I have no problem with the sleep part. I have been called a "Sleepwhore!" No need to mention names, Lucy... The playtime is two parts for me; exercise and play with the kids. I enjoy running and have always enjoyed strength training. Playing with the kids has been so rewarding. When the kids were little, I had no choice but to play with them. I remember when they were all under the age of 5 and I couldn't wait for them to entertain themselves or play with each other! Once that happened, I lost sight of spending that type of time with them. I have made it my goal to try and do something with all of them at least 20 minutes each weeknight, more on the weekends. It sounds like a little bit of time but between homework and activities, sometimes it is difficult to get in. I know they enjoy that time too. My favorite part is seeing their reactions when I ask them to do something. Last night when it was getting dark, I asked them who wanted to go outside and play football. They were so excited! Of course, Charlie went out in his shorts while everyone else had on hats and scarves and we had the best time!
In a nutshell, that is what the Paleo Lifestyle means to me and my family. Not only are we all feeling healthier but we are becoming a happier family. My patience level is the best it has been in years. My oldest is 10 so I am going to need all of the patience I can get in a few years.
Lastly, I haven't come up with a Christmas card yet this year... would it be tacky to have each of us hold a letter to spell out PALEO?
Jen
This transition is a simple one for me but as expected is more difficult for the Bill and the kids. Charlie is a huge bread lover! I am thinking that psychologist bills may be in my future. He actually woke up the other day and said "Mom, I had a dream you bought pancake mix. (heads to pantry and looks in, falls to floor) You didn't buy pancake mix". My heart broke but it pushed me to open one of my Paleo cookbooks and find a pancake recipe. The one I found involved pumpkin, but he seemed to enjoy it. There are ways to still enjoy foods, they just need to be Paleoized. (Yes, it's a word)
The other part of the Paleo Lifestyle is to commit to regular sleep and to get out and play! I have no problem with the sleep part. I have been called a "Sleepwhore!" No need to mention names, Lucy... The playtime is two parts for me; exercise and play with the kids. I enjoy running and have always enjoyed strength training. Playing with the kids has been so rewarding. When the kids were little, I had no choice but to play with them. I remember when they were all under the age of 5 and I couldn't wait for them to entertain themselves or play with each other! Once that happened, I lost sight of spending that type of time with them. I have made it my goal to try and do something with all of them at least 20 minutes each weeknight, more on the weekends. It sounds like a little bit of time but between homework and activities, sometimes it is difficult to get in. I know they enjoy that time too. My favorite part is seeing their reactions when I ask them to do something. Last night when it was getting dark, I asked them who wanted to go outside and play football. They were so excited! Of course, Charlie went out in his shorts while everyone else had on hats and scarves and we had the best time!
In a nutshell, that is what the Paleo Lifestyle means to me and my family. Not only are we all feeling healthier but we are becoming a happier family. My patience level is the best it has been in years. My oldest is 10 so I am going to need all of the patience I can get in a few years.
Lastly, I haven't come up with a Christmas card yet this year... would it be tacky to have each of us hold a letter to spell out PALEO?
Jen
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
The Journey has begun...
Hello Paleo Peeps
About 4 months ago, I decided to participate in the Men's Health Urbanathalon. In order to get to a performance level I would be happy with, my trainer gave me some general rules to follow when it came to my diet... actually my whole lifestyle. Little did I know, she was jump starting my journey to a Paleo lifestyle. From September 1 through mid October, I followed this plan and never realized that impact it would have on my life. I have never felt so good physically and mentally! Once I started feeling this way, I knew I would never go back to my old way of living. Of course, the first step is to get my family on board.
The first challenge is the husband! He travels quite a bit so it has been difficult to try and educate him on Paleo living. I had a solid week of working with the kids and changing some things over when he came home from a trip. I came back from the walking the dogs and there they were making two cakes out of the box! Aghhh! After a little conversation that evening, he realized how important it was to jump on this Paleo Train.
The second challenge are the children. Alexandria, who I thought would be the most difficult one to change eating habits has actually been one of the easiest. Courtney has also been pretty easy. She has always been a good, non picky eater. Charlie is my biggest challenge and need to come up with a plan. He is the one that begs me for bread for dinner... just bread! He doesn't like meats, veggies, fruit (except apples), nothing... if he had his choice, he would be eating pretzels and bread every day, all day! The few small changes they have made has already made a difference. My kids do not graze all day anymore! My kids do not look in the pantry for their food anymore! Amazing changes in such a short time.
My goal by writing this blog is to get my story to you while we are still going through this process. We are just beginning and have so far to go! I know you can relate to my challenges and can help me celebrate my success'. Maybe you will get a laugh from the things that happen in my househould. I know I laugh every day. Changing the way you live is a challenge and when you try to do it for your entire family, it is challenge times 2! I tell myself that my children will thank me one day for giving them the gift of health. I only wish I would have started this process years earlier.
Are you in the process of change? What challenges are you facing?
About 4 months ago, I decided to participate in the Men's Health Urbanathalon. In order to get to a performance level I would be happy with, my trainer gave me some general rules to follow when it came to my diet... actually my whole lifestyle. Little did I know, she was jump starting my journey to a Paleo lifestyle. From September 1 through mid October, I followed this plan and never realized that impact it would have on my life. I have never felt so good physically and mentally! Once I started feeling this way, I knew I would never go back to my old way of living. Of course, the first step is to get my family on board.
The first challenge is the husband! He travels quite a bit so it has been difficult to try and educate him on Paleo living. I had a solid week of working with the kids and changing some things over when he came home from a trip. I came back from the walking the dogs and there they were making two cakes out of the box! Aghhh! After a little conversation that evening, he realized how important it was to jump on this Paleo Train.
The second challenge are the children. Alexandria, who I thought would be the most difficult one to change eating habits has actually been one of the easiest. Courtney has also been pretty easy. She has always been a good, non picky eater. Charlie is my biggest challenge and need to come up with a plan. He is the one that begs me for bread for dinner... just bread! He doesn't like meats, veggies, fruit (except apples), nothing... if he had his choice, he would be eating pretzels and bread every day, all day! The few small changes they have made has already made a difference. My kids do not graze all day anymore! My kids do not look in the pantry for their food anymore! Amazing changes in such a short time.
My goal by writing this blog is to get my story to you while we are still going through this process. We are just beginning and have so far to go! I know you can relate to my challenges and can help me celebrate my success'. Maybe you will get a laugh from the things that happen in my househould. I know I laugh every day. Changing the way you live is a challenge and when you try to do it for your entire family, it is challenge times 2! I tell myself that my children will thank me one day for giving them the gift of health. I only wish I would have started this process years earlier.
Are you in the process of change? What challenges are you facing?
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