Day 32

4:30AM Wake UP. 5 1/2 hours of not-so-restful sleep. #notwinning

5:30AM Egg, slice cheese, apple (cheese-#notpaleo)

7:30AM Run 3.5 miles, and 20 minutes arc trainer because I got kicked off the treadmill.

12:30PM 4 oz chicken breast, 1 packet of ketchup (for flavor), and a Lara Bar

2:00PM 30 minute nap in my car. I needed to sleep longer, but it feels like my body doesn't know how to rest anymore!

3;30PM Another Lara Bar (I love the Peanut Butter and Jelly Lara Bars!)

4:30PM Crossfit NB - 1 mile run, 50 air squats, 800m run, 40 air squats, 400m run, 30 air squats. Time was about 18 minutes flat. Then some Tabata stuff for the core and glutes-ouch!

5:30PM Green Smoothie with Chia seeds and Orange

9:00PM 4 oz chicken, plain

9:30PM 4 pickle spears 1 c. almond milk and 1 scoop egg white protein (My lower legs have been cramping since that WOD on Monday and I'm hoping a little extra protein will help with recovery.)

Must. Sleep.

Day 31: Better than S.A.D.

Not a perfect Paleo day, but overall, better than the SAD diet. (Standard American Diet)

6:30AM Wake up, 7 1/2 hours sleep. I woke up feeling exhausted and irritable. Since when did become a non-morning person?!?!?! Yes, I am having a sleeping problem.

7:30AM Turkey burger patty, 2 egg whites, 1T. Peanut Butter (weird breakfast)

9:30AM Green Smoothie (Did I mention how much I really love these?)

11:45AM Apple

2:00PM 4 oz chicken breast, 2 packets ketchup for the chicken, and a grapefruit

3:00PM (Where I start to fall off track...) Handful of Goldfish crackers and 2T. Peanut Butter

6:00PM FiberOne Bar, Sea Salt Almonds, another turkey burger patty, some salad greens and lo-cal salad dressing

8:30PM Orange

Another LONG day tomorrow. Lights out!

Day 30 Halfway Through!

Today was a good Paleo day. I woke up completely sore throughout my legs from that workout at CF Newport Beach. Ouch!

I also received the results of my New Leaf testing. Pretty interesting. It tells me how many calories I burn at rest. I had to do a resting test, with a mask on my face. And then I had to do an exercising test, while running on a treadmill, again with a mask on my face. We have this machine at work, and employees get this test done for free. Usually it's a $250 test. And one of the coolest things is that it is compatible with my Garmin 310XT, so I'm excited to figure out how to use the data with my Garmin!

So, here's how the day went!

4:00AM Wake up. 5 1/2 hours sleep, ugh. I could barely peel myself out of bed. :( I was really cranky for the first few hours this morning, but walked around work with a big smile on my face, or at least I tried, LOL!

4:30AM Banana and grapes (I always have to eat something within half an hour of waking, or else I'll be REALLY cranky!)

7:45AM Apple and hard boiled egg

8:30AM Lara Bar and grapefruit (You can tell the lack of sleep was hitting me hard as I kept reaching for some carbs!)

12:30PM Green smoothie (kale, spinach, apple, ground flax seeds, plain protein powder) Gosh, I love drinking these! They aren't delicious, but my body LOVES and CRAVES them! I make them in a Blend-Tec Blender.

3:00PM Run 6 miles on the treadmill. I followed a workout that came from my New Leaf metabolic testing where I had to run intervals of 2 min (139-149 BPM) and then 1 min (149-159 BPM) It took about an hour and it kept me interested since I had to constantly fiddle with the incline and speed of the treadmill.

5:00PM 4 oz chicken breast

7:30PM chicken breast, spaghetti squash, mushrooms, and marinara sauce

I'm in about a 1000 calorie-deficit today. Although I didn't want to make this Paleo thing about weight loss, I'm curious now that I had my New Leaf testing. I want to lose about 13 lbs, at a rate of 1 lb a week. I'm supposed to keep my net carbs at 1600/day, so if I exercise, I need to eat more. Because I pack my lunch for the day, I didn't pack enough food today. I didn't feel super hungry at any point, but by not eating enough, I'm not recovering from hard workouts, and putting myself at risk for injury, overtraining, and possibly too high cortisol levels, among other things I'm not aware of. The other major problem is I'm just not getting enough sleep. My work days start early and end late. I just received a copy of the book, "Light's Out: Sleep Sugar and Survival." I've heard it mentioned on Robb Wolf's Paleo Solution podcast a lot and since I have been so sleep-deprived for the last few months, the book has caught my attention.

With that, time to hit the pillow! Good nite!

Day 29 Paleo and CrossFit Newport Beach

Unfortunately I don't have as much time as I would have liked to blog about this Paleo Challenge. I'm on Day 29 and although I haven't been perfect, I've been feeling pretty good!

7:00AM Wake up (8 hours sleep)
8:00AM Green smoothie (kale, spinach, ground flax seeds, protein powder, 1/2 apple) and a banana
9:30AM 45 minutes cardio on Arc Trainer and treadmill, then some SMR and stretching
11:30AM Apple and a turkey burger patty
3:30PM Power Crunch Bar (not paleo, but I needed something!)

4:30PM WOD at Crossfit Newport Beach! I decided I'm going to start shopping around for a new Crossfit gym. I really miss the workouts. And since I'm spending so much time at Equinox (12-15 hour days), I found it was REALLY REFRESHING to get out and work out somewhere else. I think this is what I need to get back in "Fighting Shape!" I feel my body has been turning to mush, since whenever I DO get a break in my schedule at Equinox, I just want to get out of there for a while. Just trying to keep some balance! Every CF gym operates a little different. I liked how we started off with some dynamic stretching, then did some strength work (back squats, where I took it easy and only went to 115#, then a MetCon: 5 rounds of 5 handstands-hold for 5 seconds, 10 16# wall ball shots, and 15 burpees. It took me 15:17, and when I finished, all I kept thinking was. . . man I really NEED this! Then everyone grabbed a foam roller and rolled out our legs for a few minutes. Everyone was really cool. And I like that CF NB is a "running" Crossfit. Most Crossfitters seem to hate running! LOL I'm going to shop around a little more before I pick my new CF home. I need one that is close to work for me. I think working out at a Crossfit gym might be a good idea for me right now. I felt refreshed and energized when I went back into work to train some clients tonight.

5:30PM Grapefruit
8:00PM Ground Turkey, spaghetti squash, and marinara sauce, and 8 pimento-stuffed olives.

Day 23: Paleo is getting boring, lol

Today was much like yesterday.

8:00AM Wake up (7 1/2 hours sleep)
8:30AM banana and raw almonds
10:30AM grapes and strawberrries
11:45AM blueberries
12:00PM spin class
3:00PM raw almonds and then had Flame Broiler again for a late lunch. I got the white meat chicken bowl with veggies and no rice.
4:00PM Apple
8:15PM grapefruit, 8 pimento-stuffed olives, and 2T. Crunchy peanut butter

Okay, it's not the most exciting menu, and I should be getting more protein in there. I moved last weekend and moving into a new place always throws off a routine. I just haven't had time to cook and pre-plan meals. Hence, the abundance of fruit and Flame Broiler for lunch. I was craving a frozen yogurt for an afternoon snack, but resisted the temptation! I still have no desire for anything with grains, dairy, or legumes! Sometimes I wish I had more vairety in my diet, but nothing else really sounds good to me.

Day 12-22: Catch-Up

This past week has been rough. I moved into a new place, for starters. . . And work has been really busy and stressful. I didn't have any time to work out. I think I ran a total of 16 miles for the week and did one spin class. No weights, no yoga. And very little sleep. My tank has been running on empty.

Now I'm not setting out to complain to the blogosphere and whine about how hard I have it. In fact, that's not what I'm trying to say at all! It's not what happens to you in life, it's how you deal with it!

I really DO have SO much to be thankful for! I have good health! I can run and enjoy an active lifestyle! I have amazing friends and family. I live in beautiful Southern California. I have a job that is rewarding. I could go on, and on. . .

I see so many people around me who seem to go through life, with a "Woe is me" attitude. Life is just too short to be depressed, angry, or have a bad attitude. YOU ultimately are in control of your mood. YOU are in control of your emotions. It's called emotional intelligence. It takes practice and time to develop your EQ.

Another thing I've noticed about people who act this way, is they are often very inward-focused. Rather than spending so much time and energy worrying about your own problems, take a look at the lives of those around you! Who can you help? Who can you uplift? What can you do to positively impact the life of someone else? The Savior said, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” – Matthew 16:24-26

Now I'm not trying to get all religious or preach to anyone, but regardless of your religious beliefs, I think this quote has an important message we can all appreciate. Stop worrying so much about your own problems. Be a light to others. When you can serve others, then you will find true happiness, and it will put your own problems into perspective.

Seriously, how about all those human lives affected in Japan? My heart goes out to them.

What does this have to do with the Paleo Diet? Uhhh, nothing really! I just went off on a tangent.

So, how good have I been with my diet this past week? I haven't been perfect. It's been a combination of things. First of all, I've been getting sick of eating the same foods all the time. . . chicken breast, eggs, spaghetti squash, raw almonds, lots of fruit, sweet potatoes, salad. . . On Thursday, I threw a bunch of my food away that I wasn't eating. It was about to go bad because I had prepared it the weekend before, but just kind of lost my appetite.

I have been following a Paleo-esque type diet since January. I have eliminated almost ALL grains and dairy from my diet, except for the occasional frozen yogurt. Honestly, dairy, grains, and legumes don't even appeal to me anymore (except frozen yogurt!) This, however, limits my options of what to eat. What's the solution to this? I need to find some new Paleo recipes to try out!

Here's how today went:

3:45AM Wake up to go train a client (BRUTAL waking up, with the time change this weekend!)
4:30AM Banana
6:30-10:00AM I took a 3 1/2 hour nap in the front seat of my car! Yeah, that was intense!
10:15AM Orange, 1/2 c. raw almonds
1:00PM 8 mile run on the treadmill at work (this only works if you have some good music on your iPod, and if you are in a place where you have lots of people who know you and come up and talk to you!)
2:30PM Apple, 6 oz. blackberries, 1/2 c. raw macadamias
5:00PM Flame Broiler white meat chicken and veggie bowl. No rice.
9:45PM 6 large strawberries

I ate too many high-fat nuts and not enough protein today. Here's the macronutrient breakdown:

Cals: 1505, Prot: 63, Carbs: 125, Fat: 77.

One thing I have noticed this past week has been a change in my appetite. It could be somewhat due to stress, but, it's not just that I don't crave Neolithic foods, but I simply don't care for them. At work on Wednesday, there was a meeting for all the personal trainers. They had it catered with Chipotle, one of my favorite restaurants. I was feeling crappy that day, so I didn't care and I grabbed a chicken burrito and a bag of chips and guacamole. I ended up picking at the burrito, trying to fish out any pieces of chicken. The beans, rice, and cheese just didn't appeal to me at all. However, I ate about half the small bag of chips and the guacamole. It's funny how my taste buds have really changed.

So, I plan on being better about updating the blog about my adventures in the Paleo diet, with some recipes!

Day 11: No Work-Out Day

Today I was too worn out to even work out. It's been a long week, and very tiring, both physically and emotionally. But it's okay; I have a 12 mile run on Saturday and when leading a group of runners, I need to make sure I'm feeling good enough to be that leader.

4:30AM Wake up. 7 hours sleep. 5/10...still not sleeping very well :( Just stressed and afraid of missing my morning alarm!

5:30AM Raw almonds, raisins, blueberries

7:30AM Apple

7:45AM Went to my car to take a nap. Slept about 1 1/2 hours and kept dreaming that I overslept and missed my next client!

9:30AM Orange

12:30PM 1 egg and 5 egg whites, 1 c. veggies

3:00PM 4 oz chicken breast, 1 c. veggies, 1/2 c. marinara sauce, baby carrots, grapefruit

4:30PM Raw almonds, raisins, 2 oz chicken, 2 large olives, fruit snack (not paleo)

7:30PM Apple, raw almonds

Macronutrient breakdown: 1550 calories, 86 g. protein, 199 g. carbs, 42 g. fat

Ugh, I was so overly tired today. That nap in my car was refreshing, but not enough. I was so tempted to go get frozen yogurt again, but I stayed on the diet. By the end of the evening, I was too tired to even eat!

Day 10: Paleo-Challenging!

Okay so I'm not even going to pretend to be perfect. And I'm short on time so this post will be quick. I stayed pretty much on track today, but it was a long day at work and I didn't bring enough food. And if you don't already have your Paleo meals and snacks ready to go, it's tough to stay on the diet.

Ate raw almonds and raisins after waking up. I ran about 4 miles of intervals and hills on the treadmills at work. Then I ate some blueberries and eggs/veggies for breakfast. Lifted weights, had a meeting with my boss, lifted some more, worked with some clients, etc, etc.

I had some ground turkey with veggies and some marinara sauce for lunc, but was still hungry an hour later. I had a break in my day so I went to a Greek restaurant and ordered a salad. I was too tired to care what all the ingredients were, and it came out with some feta cheese, and of course, some pita bread. I was so hungry and tired that I ate it all!

After finishing for the day, a workday that started at 5AM and finished at 5PM, I ate an orange on my drive home, and then stopped at Golden Spoon for some frozen yogurt. I ordered a small, but they still give you a pretty large portion. Honestly, I don't know how people can eat a medium, or large of this stuff because it's so filling! And I used to eat this stuff every day. It still tastes good, but kinda makes me feel bloated now!

After 10 days of being pretty strict with my diet, I am overall feeling good. Just tired and stressed from work. I don't weigh myself and I'm not doing this for weight loss, but this morning I was foam rolling and looking down at my legs and they appear a little slimmer. I was wearing running shorts too, and usually I don't like to foam roll in running shorts because I feel it makes my legs look fat! LOL

So tomorrow I have a 5 hour break in my workday, and I have stuff to cook for ready-made meals! Sweet potatoes, turkey breast, mahi mahi, spaghetti squash, etc. I already had 2 out of 3 "cheats" this week! Gotta get back on course!

Day 9: Less than my best effort. Fail to plan. . .

This day has been such a blur and I already ate all my pre-prepared meals from last week. So today was kinda of a mess, diet-wise. And I had another cheat. . . a cookie and a McDonald's ice cream cone (hey, they're low-fat, only 150 calories and cost 75 cents)! Whenever I'm stressed, I reach for comfort foods. And I'm sure my choice in other high-carb Paleo foods led me down the slippery slope of craving even more high-carb foods. I already made my meals for tomorrow, so I plan to do much better tomorrow!

9;00AM Wake up after 10 hours of much-needed sleep. Sleep quality 7/10.

9:30AM Blueberries and 3 chocolate squares

10:30 Lara Bar

11:00 Eight mile run on the beach! It was a beautiful and amazing day in Huntington Beach!

12:30 Lara Bar

1:45 Apple

4:00 Weight lifting with BCAA's. Got up to 125 on back squats. I could have gone heavier, but my legs were thrashed last week. Didn't want to do that to myself again. And 60# on the overhead press. Why am I alwasy stuck at 60/65#? That's why I keep working on it.

5:30 4 oz chicken, 1 cup veggies, 1/2 marinara. Yummy!

7:30 orange

8:45 Late night cravings. I had my McD's vanilla ice cream cone and a sugar cookie. Why do I do that to myself?

9:00 cooked some ground turkey and made some eggs for tomorrow. Ate some olives, raisins, and raw almonds.

Today i was too busy to write down all my nutrition stats. And I need to go to sleep now!

Let's do better tomorrow! I was sloppy today!