Whole 30 Challenge

Last March, I decided to take the plunge on this crazy food challenge, and it ended up changing my life.  Spelled out in the book, "It Starts with Food" by Dallas & Melissa Hartwig, the Whole 30 challenge is a 30-day commitment to strict paleo eating.  No sugar, no dairy, no grains, no beans, no alcohol...and no cheating.  I won't lie, the first few days were definitely tough...I had pretty bad symptoms of the "carb flu"...but luckily, it only lasted a few days.  What happened after was pretty incredible--not only did I lose a few pounds (which is not really what this is all about), but the ways my body carried excess fat had shifted.  I was leaner and after 30 days, felt amazing.  I had more energy than I had felt in at least a decade, my skin cleared up, I was sleeping better, and my whole outlook on life had changed.  I was hooked.

Since then, I have pretty much stuck with the 80/20 paleo eating guidelines that are recommended after the 30-day challenge.  And then came December.  My birthday, Christmas, ridiculous late nights at work, holiday parties...I think that there were days that all I put in my body were cookies, bread, cheese and alcohol.  Not my best, and honestly, all that cheating has caught up with me. 

I had been talking to my sister for months now about trying it out, and she decided that today was the day to start.  Perfecting timing for me too, right?  Time to get back to business.  I'm excited and ready to get back on board and detox my body of all the junk I have put in it toward the end of 2013.  I would encourage anyone who has been thinking about taking the plunge to dive right in!  The first week or so might have you thinking that all of us devotees have lost our damn mind, but trust me, stick with it!  You will be thanking me in the end when you come out feeling more incredible than you have in years. 

Happy 2014!

Love this. Couldn't resist the Golden Girls.

 

Happy New Year!  I am incredibly optimistic and hopeful about this new year...not that 2013 was a horrible year, but more one of realization and awakening.  Yes, there were some down moments and events, but instead on dwelling on that, I have been reflecting upon how much I have learned and grown through these experiences, and now look forward to 2014 being a year of putting that all into action.

 

I've been thinking a lot about my resolutions this year, because I really wanted to come up with goals and challenges for myself.  And since the best way to stick to goals and challenges is to make them accountable, here you go:

 

1.  I will no longer put my life on hold for an unworthy man.

No matter how handsome, charming and sexy his British accent is (ahem, you know who you are)--no more!  Time and time again, I get way too ahead of myself in relationships, and end up putting my needs aside in the hopes that the dreams in my head will come to fruition.  Silly girl--I've finally learned that a woman worth having isn't one who stands waiting, and the man I want won't keep me waiting anyway.  This year, I will live my life in the now, and if a gentleman shows up during all my living, then wonderful!  If not, at least I'm doing what makes me happy.

 

2.  I will treat myself and my body with the love and respect it deserves.

This means first and foremost, I will get healthy!  Focusing first on recovering from my injuries, and once I do, not overdoing it so I don't get sidelined again this year.  I will also focus not only on clean eating and drinking in moderation (my age has caught up with me in hangovers), but I also vow to stop letting my emotions take over.  No more emotional eating, spending, or shutting myself in on the couch!  I will get outside and move more, restart my yoga practice, and work on focusing on the positive and not the negatives.  When I am eating right, sleeping well and moving more, I feel incredible--so why wouldn't I want to feel incredible every day of the year?  Duh.

 

3.  I will travel more, read more, see more and do more.

Like I said, this is a year of action!  My trip to Nicaragua is my big ticket this year, but I also will visit a friend in Brooklyn, try to get back to Arkansas a few times, get to the beach at least once or twice, and hope to explore a city in the US in which I've never been.  I also need to take advantage of all this city has to offer--go to more art exhibits, festivals, new restaurants, and cultural events in town.  There is so much to see and do in DC, and I need to get off my butt and do them!  No more endless nights spaced out in front of the TV!

 

4.  I will spend time organizing, cleaning and preparing myself for each week ahead.

This one will probably be the biggest challenge for me, because it means taking on stuff I really don't like to do.  I need to really look into my finances, set a budget, and stick to it!  Organize my condo so that I purge myself of items I no longer need, and organize what I do have.  Really deep clean, and then keep up with my cleaning a bit every day so that it doesn't become a daunting chore.  And finally, I need to spend my Sundays getting ready for the week ahead--planning my meals, fixing my breakfasts/lunches, making my to-do list, scheduling my free time, etc.--so I am not wasting time and money needlessly.

 

So I realize this is a lot to take on, but I know I can do it!  I have some lofty ambitions for this year, and I feel like if I focus on these four items first, everything else (fingers crossed) will better fall into place.  Who's with me?!?!  What are your resolutions for this year?

 



Turkey Breast Stuffed Peppers

 

The holidays (and my birthday) are upon us, and though this is my most favorite time of year, thanks to my workout restrictions this year, I am having to tighten up my diet along with my wallet so I can spurge on only the special occasions.  That means bringing my lunch to work and eating at home, and one of my very favorite recipes to make is turkey stuffed peppers.  Super cheap and easy to make, and if you only eat one per meal, you can have lunch and dinner for almost half a week!  I have tweaked this a bit to make it more paleo (only add 1 cup of brown rice and no cheese), but both ways are delicious!

Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Servings: 6 servings (1/2 pepper), Time: 55 minutes, WW Points: 5, Calories: 184.7 per serving, Fat: 2.3g, Protein: 20.8g, Carb: 20.2g, Fiber 1.6g

1 lb. ground turkey breast meat
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 onion, minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 tsp garlic powder (I used more)
1 tsp cumin powder (I used more)
salt to taste
3 large sweet red bell peppers, washed
1 cup fat free chicken broth (I used regular, low sodium)
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (I used brown)
olive oil spray
1/4 cup reduced fat shredded cheese

Heat oven to 400. Spray a little olive oil spray in a medium size saute pan and heat on a medium flame.  Add onion, garlic and cilantro/parsley to the pan.  Saute about 2 minutes and add ground turkey breast.  Season with salt, garlic powder and cumin and brown meat for several minutes until meat is completely cooked through.  Add 1/4 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of chicken broth, mix well and simmer on low for about 5 minutes.  Combine cooked rice and meat together.

Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise, and remove all seeds.  Place in a baking dish.  Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half and fill it with as much as you can (mine were overflowing).  Place all stuffed pepper halves in the baking dish and pour the remainder of the chicken broth in the bottom of the pan.  Cover tight with aluminum foil and bake for about 35 minutes.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese and enjoy.  I also added a few dashes of hot sauce on them after I added the cheese.  Yummy!

Sidelined

My new mantra, for sure.  Lately though, this seems to be more and more difficult to achieve.  For the last month, I have been sidelined from my workouts with a slew of injuries...a torn meniscus, IT Band tendinitis, and a fun little thing called Patella Femoral Syndrome, which I have had forever and is the reason for my Lateral Release surgery in both knees when I was just 15 years old.  Ever since then, I have babied my knees and in doing that, some of the muscles in my legs are not as built as they should be.

As y'all probably know, in the last year I have really stepped up my workouts.  I get to a good point, and then plateau, so push myself even harder.  All this has resulted in good weight loss numbers, but unfortunately, I was slowly tearing up my body while doing so.  So when the pain was starting to get unbearable, I finally went to the doctor.  Enough was enough, and I sidelined myself for the past month in order to focus on healing so I can get back to training.  I stopped my workouts with Tony, stopped all my cardio, stopped pretty much everything except walking and PT.

Well, last week, I was feeling great.  Even though I have about 15 pounds to go, I have maintained my current weight for over a month now, which I am really happy about.  My PT was going great, and my knees were feeling great--no pain and much more stability.  So I started to pick up the pace a bit more--a few days on the elliptical (everything still felt good) and then I decide to go for a run.

What the hell was I thinking?

Now, on top of all my other issues, I've developed Trochanteric Bursitis in my left hip.  And let me tell you, it flipping hurts.  It hurts to walk, to sit, to stand, to sleep.  Even with icing it and resting it and taking prescription strength ibuprofen three times daily, it hurts.  Ugh, back to square one.

So what have I learned from all this?  For starters, I need to stop pushing to the point of hurting myself.  In my head, I feel so inferior--I should be able to run a mile without seriously injuring myself.  But my body is just going to take a long time to heal.  After all, it took years of abuse to get to this point, so why shouldn't take years to get it healthy and back to normal.  But it wasn't even "normal" to begin with--even as an elite athlete, I had major problems, so I need to keep that in perspective.

Also, as my mom said, I need to go "back home"--to the pool.  There is this internal struggle with me to do it...very emotional and humbling...but I know that it is the right move for me.  I just need to push past it.

Finally, I need to learn to stop being so hard on myself all the time--both mentally and physically.  I've come a long way in the past few years, and even though I still have a bit to go, I need to remember that when I'm too hard on myself, things start to break down.  I suppose this is all just part of the healing process, but boy is it frustrating.  But for now, I need to calm down, take a deep breathe, and focus on what's important--getting my body whole again.  The weight can come off later.  For now, I need to heal.

Blue Print Cleanse

Blue Print Cleanse, Foundation Level

Today I'm starting another round of a 3-Day Blue Print Cleanse.  Why, you ask, would I subject myself to three days of juice only?  Well for starters, the hives outbreak this week really made me think about what is going on with my body.  I eat well (most of the time), and workout, but still, my stress levels are high enough that everything is just out of whack.  While I am addressing this and taking avenues to alleviate this build up, I figured it might be time to rid all the toxins inside my body too.

I do the Foundation Level of the Blue Print Cleanse, which I really don't find to be that hard.  I suppose I could have stepped it up this time and done the Excavation level, but I really like the taste of all of the juices in the Foundation Level.  I'll drink six juices each day--three green juices (not my favorite, but drinkable), one pineapple apple mint (delicious), one spicy lemondade (spicy is right!) and one cashew milk (like a milkshake--AMAZING!!). 

Some people have complained about lightheadedness, cravings, withdrawls, or other side effects, but I really didn't experience any of this.  I think because I already eat pretty healthy, with no sugar and few carbs in my diet, that I had an easier time than many.  We'll see how this time around goes, but I'm thinking optimistically.

The best part about the Blue Print Cleanse, besides the taste of the juices, is that they overnight the three day cleanse to your home.  The raw, cold pressed juice is 100% USDA certified organic and are made the day before the delivery.  I know that it's not for everyone, but for me, I felt much more energetic, healthier and even my skin felt clearer and brighter after the cleanse. 

Since I start back to the crazy Senate schedule on Monday, I feel like this is just what I need to rejuvenate and prepare myself for what will be a busy fall.  Wish me luck...here I go!

A Healthier Lifestyle

Baked Cod with Olives and Capers

Almost seven years ago, my father passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer.  During those years of his sickness and a few years after his death, I struggled to deal with my emotions...so I didn't leave my bed, and when I did, I partied and I ate.  A lot.  In about a course of five years, I managed to gain about 40 pounds and was constantly sick.  I was physically and mentally rundown and very unhealthy.  It was a few months after my 30th birthday when I finally decided that enough was enough, and I slowly but surely started to make changes.

But it hasn't been until the past year when I have really stepped up my health and fitness regimen and it has finally started to pay off.  I hired a personal trainer and wake up at 4:30 AM to hit the gym with him.  (p.s., Tony is a badass, but more on him later).  I have cut back my partying ways to where I rarely drink now--maybe about twice a month, if that.  I've found that I'm still fun and can have a great night out, even without a drink constantly in my hand.  Who knew?  I have started to really watch closely what I eat, which includes trying to stick to a Paleo diet.  Not only has this all helped me feel better, but the weight is finally coming off!  I'm down around 25 pounds from my highest, but still have 15 pounds to go to reach my goal.  Even though the road is still slow and sometimes incredibly frustrating, I know I will eventually get there! 

Paleo is pretty simple--I basically only eat meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, nuts and healthy fats.  No breads, dairy, or sugar allowed.  The first 30 days I was 100% loyal to this plan, as a way to detox myself.  Now, I follow the plan about 80% of the time, which is recommended for living the Paleo lifestyle after the initial 30 day period.  Occasionally, I will have a piece of pizza, or some sweets, or snack on my favorite Cheez-Its.  However, I find now that when I do eat these foods, I don't always feel so hot afterwards, so it's not worth the comfort it once brought to me.

Anyway, Sunday night I made a simple and delicious Paleo dinner that I thought I would share.  Baked Cod with Olives and Capers (thanks Martha Stewart), with roasted asparagus and brussels sprouts.  I usually cook bigger portions so I can eat whatever I cook for a few meals, and this recipe is perfect for two or for leftovers.  Delicious and easy--perfect for a busy girl like me who's trying to stay healthy!

What are some of your favorite Paleo recipes?