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2014

Super quick post… 

No resolutions per se but I do have some goals.

1. Lose another 2 sizes and 30+ pounds.  I lost about 25 pounds and 2 sizes this past year.  More than 30 pounds would be awesome (see #7). However, I am cool with little steps and maintaining the 60+ pounds I have already lost and kept off.
2. Save via the 52 Week Money Challenge; doubling the weekly amount.  Ultimate goal is to continue the highest savings into next year and pack it away into IRA and down payment.
3. Start Graduate Program which means I need to:
1. Finish History Course
2. Determine What I Want to do (currently in this order):
1. Information Technology
2. History
3. MBA
4. Get Microsoft Office Expert Re-certification (mostly about boning up on skills that have stagnated over last decade and a half).  I am lumping a course in QuickBooks here too for the same reason.
5. Besides Parks & Rec (for Little League and personal reasons), attend more city meetings, especially BOE and City Council. Probably joining son’s school’s governance council too.
6. Attend services regularly.  Gotten into the habit of not leaving house on Sundays and while good for re-charge reasons, I am feeling the lack of fellowship acutely.
7. Eat Cleanly – this honestly seems to be my greatest challenge.  I have to come up with ways to cut out the crap.  I do well for a couple months and then back to the bad habits.  It’s mostly involves convenience foods and finding Paleo/AIP friendly pantry stable options when money is flowing as it should..  I have way too many documented food sensitivities to be playing around with this but find myself jumping off the wagon again and again.

This year’s word is Evolution.  Which very much runs hand in hand with last year’s Momentum.  I’ll do a Wordle when I have a chance.

Today

Today…

It’s a new day.  And it’s a good day.

Oh I hate the time change and it’s going to take time to recover.  But both Ryne and I woke with some ease… so I am hoping that we can kick things up a notch.

I have been getting up a bit earlier and we stretch, run through his katas (for karate, he is a green belt) and then we pick a few cards from a couple different FitDecks.

Some weeks it’s almost daily other weeks not so much.  But I think after two days of not so much, we’ll get up tomorrow and start anew.  One of my goals is to help him with his push up form and stamina.  And to get us eventually to the point to do 50 true push ups.  Once he has that down we’ll work on squats and planks, along with whatever the cards throw at us.

I like how my clothes fit today… yes I still have a muffin top but I can easily imagine how much less that muffin top will be in 6-8 weeks.  Will I even be wearing these jeans? By that time it might be time again to purge my clothes of too big items. 

Will I be interested in more fitted tees?  The possibility of shopping with wider options is exciting.

But most importantly, I see a fitter me.  One who moves better.  And craving the outdoors is more than sitting on the porch but hiking upward in search of new adventures. 

I am on my way.  Today.

Word for 2013 – Momentum

I still have last year’s Wordle posted above my desk and I feel the need to keep it there because I could still do some work on the snark at inappropriate moments and continue working on getting out of my head when my body hurts. 

But this year is about moving forward.  Engaging even more with life and committing to becoming more me.  Momentum!

 

Day 4 Whole60 & AIP Log

Day 4 – 11/18/12

I cannot be AIP compliant yet. I haven’t gone grocery shopping and eating previously bulk cooked Whole30 foods that may have tomatoes, chili or curry in them… since these are favorite flavors that I am trying to forgo over next few weeks to see if they help with inflammation issues.

Sleep
Woke up a several times in the night – maybe 6 hours in all.

Food
– Early Lunch: large salad from Stop & Shop salad bar included a hard boiled egg
– Snack: Cherry Pie Lara Bar
– Dinner: 9oz sirloin, steamed broccoli, small salad which had cheese on it and since I already screwed up and went ahead and ate dessert – grasshopper brownie.

Activity
None

Mood
Bummed but ready to start again. I will restart on Tuesday 11/20. Still haven’t gone grocery shopping and my lunch choices aren’t Whole30 compliant.

Day 3 Whole60 & AIP Log

I cannot be AIP compliant yet. I haven’t gone grocery shopping and eating previously bulk cooked Whole30 foods that may have tomatoes, chili or curry in them… since these are favorite flavors that I am trying to forgo over next few weeks to see if they help with inflammation issues.

Sleep
Woke up a several times in the night – maybe 6 hours in all.

Food
– Brunch: 3 egg omelet with spinach, mushrooms, onions and sausage
– Snack: fruit & veggies at baby shower – no dip, no nuts, no cake
– Dinner: left over dirty rice

Activity
None besides walking around on errands…

Mood
Good still optimistic.

Day 2 Whole60 & AIP Log

Day 2 – 11/16/12

I cannot be AIP compliant yet. I haven’t gone grocery shopping and eating previously bulk cooked Whole30 foods that may have tomatoes, chili or curry in them… since these are favorite flavors that I am trying to forgo over next few weeks to see if they help with inflammation issues.

Sleep

Woke up a several times in the night – maybe 6 hours in all.

Food

– Breakfast: 1/2 cup of shredded chicken, half a huge sweet potato, a couple tablespoons of coconut milk & cinnamon
– Lunch: bowl of Russian Cabbage Soup (has tomatoes)
– Dinner: left over dirty rice

Activity

Took Rob to doctor’s this morning. Will try to get some yoga in tonight but doubtful.

Mood

It’s Friday and I have a week off of class, although I still need to work Mon – Wed and write three catch up papers.

Day 1 Whole60 & AIP Log

I was going to do this on a separate page, but since I can’t update that remotely… moving things back over here.

Taking a page from Melissa at The Clothes Make the Girl, I will be documenting the following over the next 60 days.
1. Sleep
2. Food
3. Activity
4. Mood

***

Day 1 – 11/15/12

I cannot be AIP compliant yet. I haven’t gone grocery shopping and eating bulk cooked Whole30 foods that may have tomatoes, chili or curry in them… since these are favorite flavors that I am trying to forgo over next few weeks to see if they help with inflammation issues.

Sleep

Woke up a couple times in the night but got about 7 hours.

Food

– Breakfast: 1/2 cup of shredded chicken, small avocado diced, pinch of salt and a couple splashes of balsamic vinegar.
– Lunch: bowl of Russian Cabbage Soup (has tomatoes), a handful of kalamata olives & chai (has nutmeg)
– Dinner: dirty “rice” – sausage, riced cauliflower, leeks, celery, chicken stock, cumin, tumeric, salt & pepper.

Activity

Not much besides walking around campus.

Mood

Tired but optimistic, I did really on my first Whole28 and I think once I can clear out the AIP foods, I should see other changes.

Fitness Quest – Winter 2012

This is a semi-repost…

This week, I will be starting another round of Whole30.  I will be doing this round for 60 days with the Autoimmune Protocol or AIP.

What this means?

         – Besides giving up sugar, dairy, grains, legumes; I will also be forgoing eggs, seeds, nuts & nightshades.

My first Whole30 was great, but I know I need to take it further to deal with allergies and other health issues.   And I am purposely working on this over the holiday period because I know how easy it is for me to slip and eat things I know make me ill.  I think a paleo diet suits my body best, considering my food allergies and sensitivities.

I will be adding a new page with a food & activity log if you care to follow.

***

Along with food changes, a paleo lifestyle also includes fitness.  Since I have successfully lost over 10 pounds, I feel a renewed urge to re-gear and rev things up, so I’ve modified my goals from April 2011 to reflect this.

Shorter Term Goals:

1. Consistent Workouts (complete P90x Lean)
2. Daily Yoga/Meditation Practice

Long Term Goals:

1. Pass Adult Fitness Test
2. Complete Couch to 5K program with sprinting
3. Complete a Mud Run

Longer Term Goals:

1. Complete a Triathlon
2. Wear size 10 jeans
3. Waist = 36 inches or smaller

 

Resource Links:

Beginner Cycling Training Program

How to Go From Fat To Fit For Good

What IS a Paleolithic Lifestyle?

TREATS

Day 0

So I am trying again, even with school & Little League in full swing, but I need to do something and I need to do it now. So I will be back to Day 1 of P90x which is my first restart but after missing over 2 weeks because of illness, I thought it was for the best.

The other thing I am going to try is Whole30. I was doing Shakeology, but I am going to put that on hold in favor of a grain free, dairy free, sugar free, whole foods approach.  I did really well on Atkins in the day, but think this is a healthier option for me.

My goal is to use this as my food and workout log for personal accountability and a public record of my progress.

Tonight, Rob and I go grocery shopping. He will be helping me with photos and measurements was well.

Why I am trying this…

I have had some, not so new, health concerns get worse, and fighting arthritis has been rough more days than not.  I am hoping these life changes will help with inflammation and just generally feeling better.  Besides the arthritis that mostly centers around previously broken bones, I deal with the following:

Chronic Fatigue
Chronic Sinusitis
Fibromyalgia
Keratosis Pilaris
Lipomatosis

Nothing life threatening in and of itself, but some things make life more uncomfortable than others.

Resources for my adventure:

http://whole9life.com/category/recipes
http://www.chowstalker.com
http://everydaypaleo.com
http://www.health-bent.com
http://nomnompaleo.com
http://paleomg.com
http://www.theclothesmakethegirl.com
http://www.thefoodee.com
http://www.wholelifeeating.com
http://whole9life.com/category/conscientious-omnivore